The Polygon: September/October 2021 Issue

POLY PREP’S Student Newspaper VOL. CVII ISSUE 1

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POLYGON

September/October 2021 Issue

polygonnews.org

Discussion on Gender Unfolds at Poly Community members voice concerns in school and online about being a woman on campus

EMMA SPRING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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VIA @WOMXNATPOLYPREP Posts from the Women at Poly Instagram Account

he Women’s Affinity group’s first meetings of the year have sparked a series of informative discussions regarding experiences of sexual harassment and assault faced by women at Poly Prep.

Women’s Affinity initially meant to meet in a classroom during DEIB block. However, as the meeting attracted many more students than even predicted—over 100 members— faculty advisors Jenna Peet and Virginia Dillon moved the group to the theater. The advisors sat on the stage facing students as they piled in, filling nearly every seat in the front section.

“One of our goals with the Women’s Affinity group is to provide a space for women and girls on campus to share their stories and experiences,” said Dr. Dillon. “But even more than that, we want to encourage a sense of community. We hope the students who attend feel both their own individual strength and their collective power.”

“After the first few girls spoke, hands began shooting up and many felt comfortable speaking their minds and telling about their experiences,” said senior Beatrice McMurray. “The energy was safe and welcoming, and the conversations cathartic. Some shared personal stories about what they go through as women and others spoke on the culture surrounding the treatment of women in the Poly community.”

Since the meeting, women of Poly have come together both in person and online to share the traumatizing and seemingly alltoo-common stories of sexual harassment, assault, and discomfort as women in the Poly community.

“Poly has a problem. Everyone knows it. We want to empower women and disrupt the culture at Poly that allows for the constant harassment and mistreatment of the women in our community,” said McMurray. “My hope is that the work we do

this year will empower the younger girls coming into the Upper School and those in the group this year to know their worth and fight for themselves and those around them.”

Multiple anonymous community members took to a newly-created Instagram account, @womenatpolyprep—which later was updated to @womxnatpolyprep—to express the experience of being targets of sexual harassment, including unwanted touching and sexual advances from students and faculty over the years.

“Why don’t I feel safe going to school?

Why do I attend the same classes as known sexual predators? Why do I have to sit and listen to my friends share their stories but not have the power to help?” wrote one anonymous student. Another shared, “I feel constantly self conscious of my body at Poly Prep. The boys have insane standards for female beauty and judge everyone accordingly.”

Head of Upper School Sarah Bates says the administration is listening. In an email to students on October 15 titled “We Are Here To Support You,” Bates wrote, “It is deeply painful for us to learn of boys sexually objectifying, intimidating, or groping girls. These stories are your stories to share and I am grateful to you for including me in the conversations. It is essential to us that our students feel they are heard, honored, respected, believed, and safe at our school. And if we fall short of this promise, we want to take action.”

Bates had previously acknowledged the struggles many women at Poly face and challenged the community to find a path forward in a letter to Upper School

families on Oct. 8. “How do we support and encourage our girls to be confident, self-assured, and happy to embrace who they are?” she wrote. “How do we educate our boys, at all times and in all places, to be compassionate and empathetic, and to treat girls with respect and dignity?”

After Bates’s message to students, faculty and deans sent follow-up email messages of support. Dean Douglas Wong wrote, “my door is figuratively and literally always open.”

“Personally, I find it shameful that our students have had the experiences they’ve shared both in person and on social media.

While we cannot control the outside world, it’s important that every student has physical and psychological safety while they’re on campus,” said Bates in a later interview.

“I do hope that the consistent reassurance both in writing and in person has allowed students to understand how seriously I take these issues.”

In her email to students, Bates also posted a link to guidelines on the Upper School Student Portal on how to share incidents or concerns. Bates echoed, “Whether something happened five years ago, involved someone who’s no longer here, or was an experience outside of Poly, we want to know. I will continue to be here to listen and support and make changes at Poly.”

If you or anyone you know has experienced sexual assault you can call the National Harrasment Hotline at (855)897-5910 or reach out to fellow students, parents, faculty, deans, administrators, nurses, counselors, and anyone you feel comfortable talking to.

Plastic recycling, The Future of DEIB at Poly LING-REGAN composting paused WILLIAM PHOTO EDITOR Poly’s sustainability efforts waiting on DSNY services to fully resume ANJALI BUDHRAM, REESE ROAMAN, AND JESS DOSIK CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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new sustainability program, the Lorax Program, aims to help students learn about recycling and composting, but due to lingering pandemic-induced changes in the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), Poly has been unable to compost or recycle plastic this year.

“The Upper Campus continues to recycle cardboard and is working with the Dyker Heights District Representative to reinstitute Organics [composting] and plastics recycling,” wrote Head of Operations Matt Stelluto in an email to the Polygon.

“There have been a number of updates to DSNY policy and service options since last year, to which Poly strives to adhere.”

When the pandemic struck, in attempts to limit person-to-person contact, DSNY suspended certain disposal services. Stelluto said Poly reached out to the school’s DSNY representative multiple times over the past two months in an attempt to get the school’s recycling and compost services back to full function.

“We have finally connected and are taking the appropriate steps to reenter the Organics composting and plastics recycling program,” Stelluto wrote. There is not a set date when Continued on Page 4

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r. Omari Keeles, Poly’s new Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB), wants a future where his job is obsolete. He wants to involve the entire Poly community with DEIB work, so that there is no longer a need for a single person to oversee it. “My overall plan is to develop initiatives, policies and programs that will make sure that everyone has an equitable experience here at Poly. Regardless of how you identify, regardless of your background, everyone should feel like they’re a part of the Poly community,” said Keeles.

In terms of DEIB, the most noticeable change from last year is the addition of a designated 70-minute DEIB block, second period on Day 7. This block is a response to the Black Students Demanding Change organization and affinity groups’ calls for consistent, integrated time for DEIB work last year. The DEIB block will be used for affinity group meetings, with the hope that more students will join these groups if they have time set aside to attend them.

While many affinity group members and leaders are pleased to meet during the day, the strict timing of these groups has caused conflicts. Students have time to attend only two affinity groups, one in each half of the block.

However, if two groups meet during the same time, or if students are in multiple groups, they are forced to choose. Jasmine Kaur, leader of the South Asian Affinity Group and Queer BIPOC group, said, “I wish the sched-

ule could be expanded more, [so that] students with multiple groups could attend all of them.”

For students who are not a part of affinity groups, the period will host a variety of programs. In the first DEIB block, students watched Class Divide, a documentary about the socioeconomic dichotomy between Avenues School and its neighbors. Keeles is responsible for planning and facilitating the DEIB programming during this block, which will include student-led exhibitions of different cultures in the future.

Both Keeles and Kaur want to see DEIB included in Poly’s broader curriculum. “I hope for more diversification in the core courses, such as history, [with classes

VIA WILLIAM LING-REGAN Dr. Omari Keeles Continued on Page 2

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

NEWS

SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder During the Pandemic

New Policy Eliminates Graded Homework & Latework

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SURYAN KAMBLE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

JORDAN MILLAR NEWS EDITOR

s temperatures and the number of daylight hours drop during the shift between fall and winter, some find that they experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of severe cyclical depression. Experts say that cases of seasonal depression may be far more prevalent in adults and teens this winter, due to the global pandemic and other added stressors.

In a Google Form sent out to Upper School students in regards to mental health changes during the fall, winter, and other seasons, 55.9 percent of students found that they were more sad and stressed during the winter months.

Nearly 68 percent of students said that their mental health changes around the same time every year, and some even explicitly stated that they experience depression and/or SAD. Sophomore Mary Howell said, “I feel stressed and/or sad most of the time, but it’s very different during the different times of year. During the winter, for example, I feel more stressed and tired because of the shorter days and having to do more preparation for exams and bigger projects. I also feel less energetic because we aren’t practicing sports outside.”

Similarly, freshman Frances Brooks said that during wintertime “I think it being darker outside lowers my mood. I am also not able to hang out with friends and go outside as much as I would normally.”

As stated in the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), SAD is categorized as “Major Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Pattern.” According to Anais Kingsberry, Poly’s new Upper School counselor and psychologist, common symptoms of SAD can include “difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much,

constantly feeling sad, weight gain, social withdrawal, loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities and even increased cravings for starches or sweets.”

These symptoms can range from mild to severe. They typically begin in the fall and winter months, and improve with the influx of warmer weather.

In order to officially be diagnosed with SAD, as summarized by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) on their website, a person must have symptoms of major depression and depressive episodes that occur during specific seasons. These episodes also must be more frequent than other depressive episodes that the person may have experienced at other times throughout the year.

Since some people are experiencing mental health struggles during a pandemic that limits social interactions and time outdoors, there is much more room for increased tension, stress, anxiety, and depression. In a 2020 article in Yale Medicine, Paul Desan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Psychiatric Consultation Service at Yale New Haven Hospital said, “We are seeing an obvious increase in the number of people seeking help for anxiety, and that’s not unreasonable. People are anxious about catching COVID-19, among other related issues. This is a major mental health event.”

Now, in 2021, this is still the case.

“There was, I imagine, an uptick in people experiencing SAD during the pandemic as people were more and more depressed and they had fewer opportunities to do things that help them to feel happy and cope with these difficult times,” said Kingsberry.

“If students feel overly stressed by extracurriculars, academics, or even aspects of their

The POLYGON

personal life such as friendships, they may be more likely to be affected by the change of season,” said Kingsberry. She noted that “there still are also changes to our daily lives that have been caused

by COVID. Maybe people aren’t socializing as much as they used to or they aren’t able to do all the activities they did prior to quarantine. There is still social distancing and mask mandates so those factors alone can contribute to how students feel mentally.”

The good news is that there are a number of ways to help improve SAD. Experts say that one of the most effective treatment options is light therapy, where patients sit or work near a box that mimics the outdoor light exposure people get less of during the winter.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Light therapy is thought to affect brain chemicals linked to mood and sleep, easing SAD symptoms.

Using a light therapy box may also help with other types of depression, sleep disorders and other conditions.”

According to Kingsberry other practices can include “making sure you keep the lights on during the day to improve mood and focus, maintaining a clean and organized workspace, and keeping images around of relaxing or positive scenes.” As we transition into the winter months, it is important that people prioritize taking care of their own mental health and well-being.

“If symptoms are very severe or getting in the way of doing certain day-to-day activities, then you would want to let someone in your life know,” said Kingsberry.

“If you already have a therapist, you can talk to them, or possibly speak with a counselor or trusted parent to get some support.”

Editors-in Chief Emma Spring & Carly Pyles Managing Editor Maerose Daniels

The Polygon is published by the students of Poly Prep Country Day School. We welcome both letters to the editor and guest opinions pieces of interest. 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.

Faculty Advisor: Rachael Allen The Polygon c/o Poly Prep CDS 9216 7th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11228

Layout Editors Danielle Jason & Sidney Rothkin Copy Editor Emily Boyer News Editor Jordan Millar Opinions Editor Selah Ilunga-Reed People Editor Chelsea Lin

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fter the U.S. government declared a state of emergency because of COVID last March, schools across the country shut down. Because of this, new ways of learning had to be created, resulting in many schools changing the way they grade—including Poly.

According to CNN, Mayor Bill DeBlasio declared in April of 2020 that all public schools in New York City would change their grading systems to pass/fail as a result of the pandemic. While Poly Prep didn’t change their system to pass/fail, they significantly redesigned their grading process, hoping to alleviate some of the stress of Poly students.

Michal Hershkovitz, the assistant head of school, explained that the grading system changed from a semester grade, each semester’s grades locked for the year, to a rolling grade, a fluent grade that doesn’t lock until the end of the school year.

“We used to award semester grades...for instance if you earned a B- for the fall semester, that would be your final grade,” said Hershkovitz. “That B- would constitute 40-45 percent of your yearly grade…it locked you in.”

This policy “locked” students in because even if they then went on to receive high grades for the rest of the year (straight A’s, for example), the transcripts sent to high schools or colleges would be tarnished by one poor semester.

In addition to changing semester grades, there are other major grading changes at Poly. Homework, for example, is no longer graded, just assigned.

Hershkovitz said she believes that providing feedback on homework is far more effective than grading it. “If you walked into Picasso’s studio while he was in the throes of creating a masterpiece, you might look at it and say, ‘God, that is awful,’ and might not actually celebrate the genius that the completed masterpiece would manifest,” she said.

Instead of grading homework, grades at Poly will be determined by a summative unit assessment at the end of a unit.

Changes like these were necessary in Poly and across the nation as the pandemic caused students grades to plummet. According to an Associated Press article, “School districts from coast to coast have reported the number of students failing classes has risen by as many as two or three times—with English language learners and disabled and disadvantaged students suffering the most.”

History teacher Virginia Dillon supported Hershkovitz’s thoughts about the grading policy changes. “At first I was sort of unsure how they would play out…would [the changes] mean that my students never turn in work or they turn in work really late?” said Dillion. “I’ve been really impressed with how it allows the students to take on more responsibility for their work and understanding their grades.”

Continued on Page 4

(DEIB Continued from Page 1)

Features Editor Seanna Sankar Arts Editor Brianna Khrakovsky Sports Editors Ben Mansfield & Samantha Rodino Middle School Editors Lucas Basham & Brianna Sylvain Photography Editors William LingRegan & Caroline Hanna Online Managing Editor Marta Balikcioglu

on] BIPOC and queer history,” said Kaur. “Students should be educated on important subjects like homophobia and racism starting from the ninth grade.” In English courses, Keeles said, “we’re [going to] not prioritize male authors, [while] in the STEM fields, the students are acknowledging the historic inequities that exist in STEM, so we’re talking about non-men and people of color.”

DEIB is even being included in the art curriculum. The Chair of the Visual Arts Department Laura Coppola said “[In art,] we explore world cultures from prehistory to contemporary art, so we are really exploring how people the world over have used art as a vehicle to uphold or resist systems of power and embrace or reject cultural norms.” Specifically, students in ceramics classes “consider the patterns and symbols of Asian and Native American cultures and reinvent them with their own creative context,” while students in Art and Design engage in “discussion around the socio-political implications around access and the ‘commercialization’ of art.”

Poly’s next steps for DEIB will focus on student engagement.

For example, Keeles plans to set up a student ambassador program, where students across all grades can be involved. These students will work with Keeles to bring their perspectives to Poly’s DEIB work, as well as helping to plan and facilitate events.

With changes to the curriculum, affinity groups, the DEIB block, and more ways than ever before for students to get involved, the administration and student leaders hope that DEIB will become an ever-present part of the Poly experience. Keeles’ ultimate goal is for his position to, as he said, “no longer exist, [because] Poly will be a well-oiled machine, and there will be no need for someone specifically to do diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging because that will be so embedded in Poly’s culture.”

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

NEWS

Back to School...With a Reconstructed Schedule Poly introduces a seven-day schedule with the return of in-person learning CARLY PYLES AND CHARLOTTE ROBERTS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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hile some aspects of school haven’t changed all that much from last year—the mask mandate, outdoor dining, reimagination of certain spaces—this school year includes a full return of in-person learning, competitive sports, arts performances, assemblies, and more that our student body has missed for over a year. However, one new thing has emerged post-pandemic—Poly’s seven-day schedule.

Prior to the pandemic in 2019, Poly ran on a 10-day schedule; last year due to Covid, it shifted back to five days.

This year, classes run on a seven-day cycle with eight class blocks. There are now five 70-minute long class periods per day, with a half an hour break for lunch and five minutes of passing time in between each class.

When asked about the 70-minute class periods, Assistant Head of School Michal Hershkovitz said, “The process of considering and weighing different academic schedules that would align with our values and priorities as a school—including courses that challenge students to think deeply rather than simply regurgitate content, DEIB engagement, time for arts and athletics activities which are so important to the development of a meaningful life, here at Poly and beyond— took over a year. During that time, we learned a lot about the benefits and costs of longer class periods and decided that they were essential to helping students enter that zone of focus that is a precondition for long-term learning, retention of knowledge, and skill building.”

Additionally, the start of school has been pushed back from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. to account for students’ sleep schedules. First period began at 9:00 a.m. last year as well due to the pandemic; however, Poly decided to retain the new start time. The end of school was consequently extended to 3:40 p.m.

Head of Upper School Sarah Bates added, “What we learned through the pandemic and a variety of research on teenage brain development is that the circadian rhythms of adolescents are different from that of adults. Teenagers have

a tendency to stay up later and, therefore, wake up later.

We wanted to maximize the time when high school students’ brains are ‘turned on’ and ready to engage in learning.”

Another new component to the schedule is the addition of an eighth block. Previously, students could only take up to seven classes, which left little freedom in choosing courses between the course requirements and extensive list of electives. The inclusion of an extra block has opened up more opportunities for students to explore new courses and disciplines.

The new schedule also promotes an entirely new lunch plan. In past years, every student of a particular grade ate lunch together at the same time every day in Commons. The schedule has shifted to include multiple different daily lunch times: one at 11:30 a.m. and the other at 12:05 p.m.. The latter is slightly more complicated; students attend their third period class for 35 minutes, leave to eat lunch, and return at 12:35 p.m. for the last 35 minutes. Additionally, students do not eat lunch at the same time every day like they have been used to. On Day 1, a student may have lunch at 11:30 a.m., but on Day 5, they might have what students have been calling “split lunch.”

Linda Russo, a mathematics teacher, has been teaching at Poly Prep for 17 years. Through her experience as an educator, Russo has grown accustomed to the consistent schedule changes often imposed by Poly Prep. When asked about potential challenges of adjusting to schedule, she said, “For this particular schedule, the hardest adjustment is coming off of remote learning to a seven day rotation where the periods are not all the same length.”

To new students or to students who were previously adjusted to former schedules, the introduction of 70 minute periods along with a seven-day rotation may be initially confusing or challenging to memorize.

Protection Team Creates Condom Distribution Program GRIFFIN ALLEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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his fall, a new system was put in place on campus to the introduction of contraception on campus. At the that provides students with the access to condoms Upper School orientation day assembly, the Chapel authrough a program created by the Poly Protection Team. dience broke into laughter, chatter, and applause when Last spring, a group of Upper School students from the the Poly Protection Team—which is composed of McHealth Equity Service Learning Team, run by Sarah Donald along with sophomores Mary Lin and Nathan Zuercher, the director of health and well-being at Poly, Nguyen and juniors Tesvara Jiang and Leo Wang—went created the unofficial Poly Protection Team, which aims up on stage to introduce the condom program. to encourage and destigmatize conversations about sex, McDonald shared that the team’s main concerns with specifically safe sex, as well as provide Poly students the installment of condom bins at school were pushback with free and accessible confrom students, teachers, and parents or doms. the misuse of condoms. However, despite “We came up with this projtheir anticipations, there hasn’t been any ect because we thought it would significant backlash from the community. be a great initiative to not only Freshman Annakaecia Clarke noted promote safe sex among Upper that the bins might be more effective if School Poly students but also to they included more information about how spread awareness and normalize to use each condom. “Although students discussions around these kinds could ask their dean for further informaof topics,” said sophomore Lulu tion about them, deans aren’t always availMcDonald, a member of the able. I think having a sheet or card with Poly Protection Team. “Sex, in information about each condom could be general, is a really taboo subject, very useful. It could also include comparparticularly with teenagers, but isons between each brand and the benefits the reality is that it’s a really imthat each brand provides, such as their rate portant thing to talk about—esof effectiveness,” Clarke said. “In addipecially with issues around contion, unless this is already given on the sent and STIs.” condom itself, it could have information VIA LULU MCDONALD The Poly Protection Team on how to use the condom, which would distributed female and male condoms in bowls in each be helpful for first-time users.” dean’s office and the nurse’s office, and bins will soon be As the program gets underway this year, McDonald installed in bathrooms on the first floor, in the Novogratz hopes that overall the project will help students not only Center, and in the theater. McDonald said that the Health navigate sex but also move past some of the discomfort Equity Service Learning Team provided both female (or they experience when talking about it. internal) and male (or external) condoms “because they “The word ‘condom’ has just been completely deare simply for different parts of the body.” Adding on, sensitized for our whole team,” said McDonald. “We’ve Zuercher, McDonald’s mother, said, “But don’t use both said it so much it doesn’t have the same nervous-laughat the same time! That is bad! Internal condoms prevent ing connotation anymore. So the goal with providing pregnancy and help protect vaginal tissue or the anus/ condoms at Poly is essentially to do just that—normalrectum against STI exposure.” ize these issues and prevent a few pregnancies and STIs The student body seemed to have a positive reaction along the way.”

As an educator who teaches split block classes, Russo has adjusted her structure of these periods to make them engaging for her students. She said, “for my higher courses, I break the period into two smaller lessons.”

With the stimulating element of lunch between Russo’s split block periods, she maintains a focused environment through this technique. Therefore, by creating smaller lessons to fit the structure of split block classes, Russo’s students obtain the ability to feel refreshed and ready to learn when re-entering her classes.

Ella Nelson-Adams is a sophomore who has been attending Poly Prep for 14 years. Throughout her fourteen years, Nelson-Adams has adjusted and experienced various schedule changes. To reflect on the 70-minute class periods, Nelson-Adams said, “Throughout my time at Poly, I have experienced 30-, 45-, 50-, and now 70-minute class periods. Although the 9:00 a.m. start is allowing me to get more sleep, as an individual with ADHD, I find it hard to sometimes stay productive throughout the entire period, and I get very tired. I appreciate when teachers give us breaks throughout the class because it helps me feel more engaged.”

For students previously adjusted to shorter class periods, a 70-minute long class can result in a loss of focus, therefore adding to overall exhaustion accumulated throughout the school day.

“I appreciate all of the positive intentions from faculty in introducing the 70-minute periods,” said Nelson-Adams. “Part of being a Poly Prep community member is adapting to change. I look forward to the remainder of the year as teachers continue to adjust their class structure to make the most of the new 70-minute classes.”

The Middle School Schedule

BRIANNA SYLVAIN MIDDLE SCHOOL EDITOR

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ow that almost every member of the Poly community is vaccinated, COVID restrictions are getting more and more lenient, so certain aspects of school have returned, somewhat, to their original pre-COVID forms.

In Middle School, one part of everyday learning that differs from last year is the schedule. Last year, due to social distancing regulations, advisories stayed in the same space every day. The teacher either taught virtually through a TV in the classroom or found their way to the students’ designated room to teach. This meant there was no running to different classes in different classrooms or classes with other people. In addition, last year the schedule ran Monday through Friday rather than the seven-day schedule we have this year. The seven-day schedule has brought both negatives and positives to middle schoolers, and students have very mixed emotions about the new structure.

The Cons: Unlike the standard Monday through Friday schedule, the seven-day schedule is hard to keep up with. Each week or day can be very unpredictable because you have to track what day you were on in order to know what classes you have the following day. Holidays and breaks make it even harder to keep track of what day you’re on because they can throw the whole week off.

It is also very hard to organize with seven-day rotations.

When you are trying to schedule meetings with deans and advisors, you do not know which days you have a free period without checking your schedule to figure out what day you will be on. You would have to align whatever you need to schedule with the seven-day rotation, which can be tedious and even more difficult if there is a holiday or day off that week.

The Pros: Even though a few negatives come with the seven-day schedule, there are many positives. One is that homework spreads out because of the way that the seven-day rotations are structured. With most classes taking place four times out of every seven days, students will rarely have the same class on back-to-back days. This means that there will not be tons of homework that needs to get done every single night. Furthermore, an even distribution of the classes means that students do not have to carry too many materials every day, which is very important because students do not have lockers this year. The mixture of the lengths of classes is also one aspect of the Continued on Page 4

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

NEWS

(Sustainability Continued from Page 1)

VIA JORDAN MILLAR AND SOPHIA CHAMORRO the program will resume, but Stelluto added change on a larger scale,” Winston said. that over the past several weeks Operations “Correctly disposing of the waste is probahas been “ordering and receiving materials bly the easiest thing we can do on an individthat enable us to create standardized, clearly ual basis to impact the world and the health delineated recycling stations in each of our of our collective future.” dining areas, as well as improved labeling of When the Lorax Program began at the hallway and common area receptacles.” start of this year, student volunteers wore Given this suspension, the Lorax Pro- orange vests with Poly logos on them and gram—which set up student volunteers to directed their peers toward what to recycle, help their peers sort recycling, compost, and compost, and trash. trash during lunch time at the beginning of “At first I was taken by the bright vests the year—has been temporarily paused. “We and just thought it would be something fun took a pause to work with Mr. Stelluto to bet- to do with my friends, but it was much more ter understand where Poly stands with regards than that,” said freshman Owen ten Oever, a to [DSNY] programming,” wrote Interim volunteer with the Lorax Program. “It was Director of Student Life Jared Winston, who interesting to see how no one really puts any began the Lorax Program along with Head of thought into where they throw their food School Audrius Barzdukas, in an email to the away. Everyone is so rushed to the next period Polygon. “As New York (and its dizzying ar- that they don’t even take a moment to check.” ray of services) returns to normalcy on the tail “I enjoyed educating other Poly students end of a society-disrupting pandemic, it is our on where their food should be going, and I hope that we can compost and recycle plastic think that the Lorax Program is a fun and as soon as the larger system within which we beneficial way to grow as a community when operate allows.” it comes to fighting climate change,” continIn the meantime, Winston continued, “do- ued ten Oever. ing the bare minimum to discard trash propSome students, however, wondered if the erly is well within our means as individuals.” program could be more effective.

“I created the Lorax Program with Mr. “The Lorax Program is a smart way to Barzdukas in hopes of teaching students how get engagement from the student body when we can make individual choices to generate it comes to recycling, but it’s not effective,”

said freshman Mila Taendler said. “No one is going to remember what a student tells them in a loud and crowded lunchroom.”

In addition to the student Lorax volunteers, Upper School teachers are assigned lunch duty this year. These teachers are meant to watch over the students and remind them to clean up after themselves and dispose of their garbage in the proper ways. “The goal is to make this process sustainable and for students to not need reminders from adults or their peers,” said Sarah Bates, head of Upper School, in an email to the Polygon.

An article from ScienceDirect conducted a study on the proper ways to get people’s attention in regards to recycling and environmental change and found that social pressure—meaning direct words and phrases that show just how badly people are doing in regards to the issue at hand—was the most effective way of increasing recycling participation rates. In some cases, the article stated, participation increased from 50 to 90 percent.

Poly has used social pressure as a way of increasing participation one time in a brief speech from Bates at an assembly early on in the year. She stated how Chef Louis Rossini found the garbage and food waste incredibly disappointing and demonstrated exactly how bad the situation was. “I think that when Ms. Bates spoke about this it really showed the extreme level of this issue,” said senior Ian Sonenblick. “It has urged Poly to try and turn things around.”

“I think if we provide clearly labeled, clearly communicated methods of recycling and composting then I would expect Poly students to rise up,” said history teacher AJ Blandford, who is part of the sustainability service learning team at Poly and a lunch duty volunteer.

Poly continues to add new ways to create change in the designated lunch spaces on campus. “Trying to coordinate the logistics and supervision of the Loraxes is something that’s going to take a bit of...trial and error,” said Winston. “We weren’t at 100 percent today, let’s try to get closer to that tomorrow.”

(Grading Continued from Page 2) Dillon said she now feels that the changes give the students more autonomy and more self-power.

When asked if the history department did anything in specific to change their policies, Dillon said that the most important thing they did was making all unit assessments heavily rubric-focused. “We use a four-point grading scale for the rubrics, so instead of grading assessments out of 100, it’s like the equivalent of A-B-C-D. That’s consistent across the department.”

In contrast, Maria DiCarlo, the head of math at Poly, says there haven’t been too many changes in her department. “We don’t really have many changes from last year because typically a lot of our grades are based on tests and quizzes,” DiCarlo said. “Probably the only thing that’s different is that we’re able to give more of them. I think the more assessments you get, it’s more beneficial to the students, so in the long run I think these changes will benefit students more.”

In addition, DiCarlo said that she thinks the rolling grading system will help the students out. “I think that change is also in the students favor because it allows everything to be spread out more evenly,” she said.

Hershkovitz, however, doesn’t want students at Poly to put such a big emphasis on their grades, noting that the changes were actually made to take some of the focus away from grades. “What matters the most is how you grow and learn,” she said.

Flashback to 9/11: 20 Years Later A revisiting of the events and impact of 9/11 over the past two decades

VIA LINDA BUSETTI A plaque of Poly alumni and parents who died in 9/11

EMMA SPRING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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wenty years ago, on a clear and crisp September day of unusually perfect weather, Poly Prep’s tower looked out over a seemingly peaceful Dyker Heights as Twin Towers fell to ash and smoke in Manhattan.

With the oldest seniors born in 2003, Poly students are a post-9/11 generation who have no memory of that fatal day. Junior Sasha Lifton-Lewis said, “Every time I reply to someone’s story with, ‘I can imagine,’ I realize that I really can’t imagine what it was like to live through that day—to wonder if my mom or dad was okay, to wonder if I was going to get home, and to be so young and vulnerable.”

As America grows further away from that day, today’s educators bear more responsibility to teach students to understand the events of 9/11 and muster empathy for those who lived through it. Given Poly’s location, many faculty and staff have first-hand experiences to share.

Recalling what transpired on that day, English teacher John Rearick said, “I was in the Chapel. I saw the football coach walking up the left-hand aisle toward David Harman, who was the headmaster, and whisper[ing] in his ear.”

The whisper signified that just a few miles down the

East River two planes—American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175—hijacked by the militant terrorist group, al-Qaeda flew into the Twin Towers on the morning of September 11, 2001.

Teachers grappled with the ultimate question: what to say to the children. Not only worried for their own safety, faculty and staff had to mask their worries in protection of the surrounding ears. Many who had access to phones called parents to reassure them that their kids were safe.

“We didn’t have a plan for a crisis like this,” said history teacher Harold Bernieri.

Not all kids were fortunate enough to contact their parents. After Poly closed for the day, many teachers invited students whose parents did not pick up the phone to their own homes. “There was a new 7th grade boy,” Bernieri remembered. “Both his parents worked at the World Trade Center. It was just after 6 p.m. when we finally got word that his parents were okay. I drove him to his place.

I’ll never forget thinking as the day wore on, as kids were leaving, and he was there, more kids were leaving, and he’s there, what do we do with this boy should the worst happen? What was he thinking?”

“While it ended up working out, that was the most frightening part—the students whose parents weren’t accounted for,” said Bernieri.

Rearick was both a teacher and a parent. He also took a Poly student whose father was stuck in Manhattan home for the evening. “The poor guy was terrified. I tried to get him to play chess to get his mind off of it, but all he wanted to do was watch TV to find out what was going on,” Rearick said.

Upon returning home, Rearick remembered finding his wife in the garden, cleaning something up. “She said, ‘Oh my god, what is this? It’s snowing.’ It was all the ash from the World Trade Center coming right across along the wind pattern.”

This September, upholding the yearly commemoration of the 10 alumni, a Poly parent, and thousands of

others who died in the attacks, the Poly community took to the 9/11 Memorial Garden on the Dyker Heights campus.

After a speech from Head of School Audrius Barzdukas and an a capella singing a rendition of “I’ll Still Be There”

by Cameron Bossert ’02, Barzdukas introduced the 9/11 Scholars. Each scholar celebrated the life and legacy of those Poly members lost: Andrew A. Abate ’82, Vincent P. Abate ’79, Joseph Della Pietra ’95, Terence Gazzani ’95, Christopher Grady ’80, Joseph J. Hasson III ’85, Mark Hindy ’91, William R. Peterson ’72, Lars P. Qualben ’69, Andrew Rosenblum ’74, and Joseph P. Mascali P’01.

The events of 9/11 changed Poly Prep forever. Bernieri recalls the small acts of kindness in the weeks that followed. “Poly received a huge box of stuffed animals with these little notes of kindness from a school in New Hampshire. We gave them out to all the students. It was quite an outpouring of kindness. No one would know what it is, but I still have one of the animals up in my office.”

In New York City and at Poly, the sense of loss and of togetherness that followed was palpable. While horrifying, 9/11 harnessed extraordinary support that the next generation can continue to foster. As Barzdukas echoed during this year’s memorial, “Those lives were not lost in vain because those lives inform our thinking and our feelings about how we can all work to make a better world. We will never forget.”

Schedule (Continued from Page 3) schedule that is very beneficial. The fact that there are 70-minute and 45-minute blocks means that there are fewer classes every day than last year, resulting in less exhaustion at the end of the school day. The seven-day schedule also allows students to develop planning and organizational skills that will be very useful in the future throughout their educational and working careers.

Overall, the new schedule impacts the Middle School in both negative and positive ways. But no matter what, students need to stay organized, be intelligent, and know what is best for them.

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OPINIONS

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

OPINIONS

The Consequences of the New Schedule THE EDITORIAL BOARD

VIA POLY PREP An image of the new schedule

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Ah,” you exclaim, as you stretch out of bed, greeted by a sun already risen, an hour later than you’re used to, energized for a full day of school. The school arrival time at 9 a.m. matches students’ biological clocks to prevent sleep deprivation and, ideally, to learn at full capacity. Now, we’re all for sleep, but have you carefully considered the serious consequences?

Unlike our spring 2021 schedule, a leisurely day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the 2021-2022 school-day runs an extra 40 minutes longer, with a dismissal at 3:40 p.m. Before the pandemic, each year, Poly slowly pushed dismissal further in the day from 2:40 p.m. to 3:10 p.m.to a now whopping 3:40 p.m. Not only did Poly lengthen the day, but increased class time too, from 40 minutes to 60 minutes, and, now, 70 minutes.

College courses are typically 50 minutes long. Are 70-minute periods really maximizing student focus or diminishing it? As high school students, it’s incredibly hard to muster through a long day of learning to begin with, but how can we expect students to remain engaged under these circumstances?

Poly has granted students the option to take eight classes, a gift that allows many students the option of

having a free period three times a week. On the other days, and those committed to filling their schedules, however, are on the go 24/7; the only break between five consecutive 70-minute classes is a brief 30 minutes for lunch. When you get to Commons and see the overflowing students on the lunch line, you already know there will be no time for homework, student-teacher meetings, or even any short-lived conversation. By the time you sit down to enjoy your meal, you are constantly checking the time as you prepare to scamper back to the class lunch split. Seniors, who are given the privilege of leaving during lunch, often have no time to leave campus even if they want to. Perhaps the administration shortened lunch to reduce the time masks are off, but how much more time are we willing to give up?

On top of the minimal lunch break, students have five minutes to rush to class. While this time is no different from previous years, it does not account for the taxing extra time spent in class. Students need a nice break before arriving at their next class: time to get to class, use the restroom, have a quick chat with a teacher, or run to print homework last-minute. Not

to mention, the mere 20 minutes before the last class’s dismissal and bus departure or sports practices is not sufficient, especially when students and teachers are occupied the rest of the day. In those 20 minutes, students must sacrifice a snack, an academic meeting with a teacher, the pleasure of hanging out with friends, missing the bus, or being late to practice.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that students can learn with less time in a school day, especially if they are in person. Many students gained independence when virtual or otherwise could not communicate with teachers one-on-one.

Students have learned to figure out things on their own—in some regards, a more effective way to learn. Rather than stretch every last brain cell, isn’t there a balance?

Certainly, life can’t be taught in books. You can say goodbye to all those special hobbies you developed during the pandemic days. Instead of mastering a perfect loaf of banana bread or taking a relaxing stroll around your neighborhood, you hop on the bus at 4 p.m. and suffer through rushhour traffic, as 3:40 p.m. becomes more like a five o’clock dismissal.

At 5 p.m., you complete your homework, eat dinner, and guess what? It’s bedtime, but you likely stay up, working, learning, playing, or having fun, and the later wake-up time doesn’t matter.

It’s at most seven hours of sleep no matter how you slice it, otherwise, there is no time to complete your homework or fulfill your commitments.

Which do you choose?

Throughout the pandemic, while it was under different circumstances, Poly did a great job of ensuring that we always had school. What we lacked, though, was interaction between friends, a fair trade for reduced COVID transmission. Unfortunately, it is impossible for the school to compensate for this lost social time, especially with our new schedule adjustments. If we lose out on the things we gained and don’t gain back the things we lost in those 18 months, what was the point?

Here we are: the new school year that erases the pandemic. That’s just what we wanted. Right?

This editorial represents the majority view of the Polygon editors.

DISORDERED EATING AT POLY EMMA SPRING AND CLAUDIA LEDUC EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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n the Poly Prep community, there are students who just eat apples for lunch… or nothing at all. There are students as young as 10 learning that, at Poly, it is embarrassing to get two servings of lunch and are ashamed of eating three meals a day. There are endless conversations about weight—how a fellow student “became skinny” over the summer, how a student-athlete just “didn’t have time to eat today.” Our self-worth is diminished to a number on a scale. Eating disorders have plagued Poly culture for too long, affecting sports, academics, and overall mood.

It is time to address the issue.

While disordered eating is a societal issue, Poly students have become uniquely susceptible. Starting with tracking daily food intake in Middle School health class, Poly students are raised insulated in a culture obsessed with keeping tabs on food.

In previous years of freshman health, students covered the topic by watching a documentary detailing the stories of ill and fragile women struggling to recover in a treatment center. It’s deeply unsettling, depicting the most grim moments of their struggles from restriction, to purging, to

weight on the scale—extreme starvation and all. The ending highlights that most women were readmitted to the hospital just to die a few months later. While likely intended to scare students away from disordered eating, it’s an ineffective approach towards combating a mental illness. Not only does the movie teach students disordered practices, but it also gives students the impression that you have to be on death’s door to have a problem.

Dieting as a teenager is certainly a problem and is further exacerbated by the lack of adequate eating opportunities throughout the day. A 30-minute lunch forces a difficult tradeoff between doing homework, meeting with teachers, or eating; it’s barely enough time for students to choke down a serving and certainly not enough time for students who struggle to eat in the first place. Furthermore, the shutdown of vending machines and long after-school snack lines pose a challenge for those rushing off to sports practices.

The promotion of exercise and peak physical shape, relating athleticism to selfworth, only makes it worse. Working out for two-plus hours a day is not healthy or

sustainable, yet many students who read this would probably disagree as exercise culture at Poly feeds them the idea that free time should be spent on a treadmill.

When students finally return home, they often do not have time to eat and complete homework. This generates the vicious cycle of skipping meals, overeating, and prioritizing everything over the health of our bodies.

Poly must realize the seriousness and pervasiveness of disordered eating at our school. It needs to be treated as the urgent disease it is, not as a choice to waste food, as suggested at a recent assembly concerning students throwing out whole sandwiches. Students should leave Poly with the skills to develop a healthy relationship with food and an understanding that an eating disorder doesn’t always look like the skeleton stereotype. Peers and adults need to reach out and offer mental health support to those struggling. Lunch time needs to be longer, meal options must continue to have variety (let’s not result back to the caesar salad and educational snacks every day phase), and the vending machines need to be restocked with bags

of chips, not 70-calorie diet brownies. The 70-minute periods should be reconsidered.

While athletics and academics are important, coincidentally, it is athletics and academics that directly bear the impacts of eating disorders and their detriment to these students’ mental health.

All this being said, there seems to be a glimmer of hope for change. Sarah Zuercher, Poly’s director of health and wellness, has redesignes, alongside other faculty, the freshman health curriculum to include a more holistic and effective approach towards preventing and combating these potentially deadly illnesses. This year, freshmen will learn the impact of social media on body image and diet culture. They will discuss disordered eating, what symptoms are, how COVID-19 has contributed to an increase in eating disorders among adolescents, and how to help a friend. This is a great step forward, but this does not make up for all those who have suffered.

Too many have suffered for years without support. While Poly preaches “mind, body, character,” our minds should never come second to achieving the “perfect” bodies.

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CIRCUMVENTION OF CIRCUMSTANCES POLY’S PANDEMIC RETURN SELAH ILUNGA-REED OPINIONS EDITOR

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VIA LINDA BUSETTI Students in the Chapel on the first day of school

ood morning! It’s a Monday in September, and your alarm has just gone off. You pop up to turn it off, glimpsing the early autumn city waking up outside your window. The townhouses, towers, and Toyotas of New York City are full of people thinking the same thing as that old mournful Mamas and Papas song—“Monday, Monday.” You get dressed, layering to account for this fluctuating fall of unseasonable warmth and surprising cold, and pack your backpack and/or sports bag, complete with extra masks and hand sanitizer. Before you eat your breakfast, you take your temperature. No, you’re not feeling feverish. In fact, you feel just fine; it’s just that your parents need a number to input into your Ruvna health screening so that you can arrive on campus unimpeded.

Before you know it, you’re out the door, stepping onto the groaning beast of your school bus, reminding your driver of your name so that they can check it off of their list. You put your headphones in your ears, secure your mask over your nose, and settle into your seat before you (let’s be real) knock out like you’ve never slept before. At least we know one thing will never change: Poly bus naps are in a league of their own.

Once you arrive at school, you rub the sleep out of your eyes as you present a QR code to scan so that you can romp freely around campus. Once you’ve dropped your extras in the locker room, you head over to first period, where you sit for 70-minutes straight, then the same deal at second period, and then hallelujah! it’s lunchtime. Now you wait in line for whatever meal to be scooped up and handed to you before you can find your friends. After lunch, the last three classes of the day fly by, and you find yourself back on that school bus, whether it be directly after school, or after a club or team practice. Once you get home, you scarf down some dinner, knockout some homework (I hope), and pass out, ready to do it all again on Tuesday.

Out of many community successes this year, I think finding our daily rhythm, like the one described above, is one of our greatest. COVID has given Poly students and community members a chance to flex our well-trained adaptation muscles. My heart fills with pride at the way we have curved around our not always ideal circumstances, giving one another the best experiences we possibly can.

The pandemic has brought about positive changes in Poly culture and community. Personally, the new efforts to increase school spirit have been gratifying for me, and I think they will be highly productive in the long-term.

In addition, new ideas for the affinity and alliance time allotted to each cycle seem to facilitate positive change.

The club fair luckily proceeded without issue, as well as fall sports seasons coming back in full swing. I think the Poly student population is overjoyed to have teams to play on and cheer for, which is yielding some of the most successful athletic seasons we’ve had in years. Those on the fall play cast and crew are thrilled to be back, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say I’m excited to see what they put together. Students are back in the ceramics studio with Mr. Kim, in the art studios with Ms. Scherer, in the dance studio with Ms. Hacker, and on the fields with all our coaches, bringing back the much-needed balance of academics and extracurriculars.

In this way, school is no longer associated with dragging through the netherworld of Zoom and Gmail, confined to your ever shrinking bedroom, and instead with feelings of joy and ardor at challenges and successes all experienced on our magical fairytale campus.

Our return has not been flawless, though, and this goes for both students and faculty alike. Schedule changes, like the aforementioned 70-minute classes, have not been happily received, as they do not advance the brain stimulation that was advertised; instead they put teenagers to sleep. Geographic shifts on campus, like eating in the tents, the hazardous old squash courts, and the limited access to locker rooms at the beginning of the year, have inconvenienced community members for often mysterious reasons. Mask relaxation inconsistencies cause confusion and misunderstanding from classroom to classroom, hallway to hallway, as no one is quite sure just how much we have to wear our masks.

Seventy-minute chapels seem cruelly extensive, while thirty-minute lunches, most of which are spent in line, seem criminally scarce. Students and teachers alike are readjusting not just to the significant positive yield of our return to school, but also to the inescapable negatives.

As this school year carries on as school years must, may we continue to adapt and improve beyond these flaws, for our community has proven we are fully capable of constructive change and remarkable reformation.

Back to school...back to normal?

MAEROSE DANIELS MANAGING EDITOR

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

OPINIONS

s we look ahead to the upcoming academic year, it is difficult to imagine going to school with a sense of normalcy. The last year and a half has been a whirlwind of tents and testing, and social distancing. Now, our memories of Zoom are becoming more distant and many of us are cautiously optimistic about the future. We have mixed emotions, stemming from both nervousness and excitement as we make the transition from a routine summer to an in-person school year. Our academic classes, sports teams, and school activities that were all so abruptly halted are now coming back and for many of us, it is cause for cautious optimism. “Summer gave me a glimpse of a pre-pandemic life, and now school feels like [she’s] being reverted back to reality,” said junior Brianna Kwan.

We all are trying to have a positive outlook coming into this year, but we continue to keep our health at top priority. The Delta variant accounts for

99 percent of new COVID-19 cases according to data from the Centers for Disease Control, while the benefits of the vaccine still stand as the Wall Street Journal reported that “People who were not fully vaccinated this spring and summer were more than 10 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 11 times more likely to die.”

As a school, we are lucky to be able to mandate the vaccine for all eligible students and staff. With 99.99 percent of eligible community members vaccinated, we are doing our best as a school to prevent another COVID outbreak. New York City public schools enforced their mandate of the vaccine only in October 2021. “The [vaccine] requirement applies to roughly 150,000 people who work in the nation’s largest school system, including teachers, principals, custodians, school safety agents, and lunch aides,” reported the New York Times.

While the majority have complied, “about 8,000 employees refused to be

vaccinated and have been placed on unpaid leave.”

What we know about COVID and Delta seems to change on a weekly basis. “I feel ambiguous,” said English teacher Rebekah Delaney. “Every day there is more information...I’m not sure what to expect.”

Physics teacher Jenna Peet also expressed hesitations. “[I’m] hopeful... [but I] worry about mutations and variants of the virus if they continue to become more contagious,” Peet said. “Poly has done a lot to make this year possible.”

Although we as a community have done all we can to create a conventional and masked school year, it is essential to remember that we could need to adapt to a change at any moment. From learning outside in tents on windy days and weeks of virtual learning, our community remains with a positive outlook and can face any challenge that the year may bring.

Column: Everyday Innovations TJ IANNELLI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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rom people disagreeing with their families to people who have quit their job due to mandates, vaccines today are quite a contentious topic, especially with the recent COVID-19 vaccine.

How exactly did vaccines get to where they are today, in the midst of a pandemic, and what can we expect to see in the next five to 10 years?

The First:

The first ever vaccine was made for smallpox in 1796 by a British doctor named Edward Jenner, who discovered that an individual could be infected with a mild cowpox virus and gain immunity from smallpox. In the 19th century, there was a mass movement to vaccinate Americans from smallpox through much effort from public health people. This breakthrough led to the many vaccines we know today.

VIA EYTON NG

Today:

Today the leading type of vaccine is LAVs or Live-Attenuated Viruses, which is a weakened live virus that enables the immune system to fight the virus as if the individual were fully infected.

LAVs are used with measles and the influenza nasal spray. However, another method that has become much more common during the pandemic is mRNA. This is the type of vaccine that both American pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and Moderna, used to create their COVID-19 vaccine. mRNA works by introducing an antigen into the immune system, without being a threat to the body. Once the antigen is in the immune system and is recognized, it helps the immune system recognize and fight off Covid-19. In comparison to LAVs, mRNA vaccines do not carry an infectious element.

These two are just a few of the many vaccine types being used today, but what can we expect next?

Future:

Over 260 vaccines are being developed to prevent new and ongoing illnesses, but there are also different forms of vaccination being developed, like nasal sprays or a physical needle injection.

One of these includes a possible DNA based malaria vaccine. It works by having DNA coding of a specific antigen injected directly into the muscle. Because DNA is very stable and easy to manufacture, the vaccine would be fairly easy to make. So far, no experimental trials have shown they create enough immune response to combat viruses like malaria, but in the future we may see this kind of vaccine be used.

Another path of development is making vaccines less expensive and more readily available by using different storage techniques and even a type of patch instead of a needle so vaccines can be self-administered. They would be easily stored and help with transport to underserved communities that either experience additional barriers in accessing services or it is just too remote. This is hopefully what we will see in the next few years.

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

FEATURES

POLY SPIRIT CUP MAKES A COMEBACK Blue-versus-grey team competion establishes more spirit and schoolwide traditon at Poly LUCAS BASHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL EDITOR

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n 1971, grey team leader Michael Junsch stood up on the chapel stage and tied the grey ribbon to the Poly flag, signifying his team’s victory in that year’s Poly Cup. Fifty years later, the competition is revived as the Spirit Cup, entailing a new and fun school wide event each month.

After an incredibly challenging year and a half, the Spirit Cup aims to bring students and

VIA POLY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE faculty alike the sense of fun and unity that they certainly need.

Throughout the school year, students, divided into two teams of blue and grey, will take part in events ranging from field days to a spelling bee to a scavenger hunt.

In September there will be field days, in October a spelling bee and Halloween costume con-

test, in November a talent show, and in December a winter clothing drive. The Spirit Cup will continue with a faculty-student games day in January, a geography bee in February, a scavenger hunt in March, and another Field Day in April.

Jared Winston, Poly’s new interim director of student life, was the primary orchestrator of the program. Since entering the Poly community in 2019, Winston had heard stories from faculty and alumni of past blue-versus-grey traditions. Upon taking up his new role, he started to formulate ideas for what would become the Spirit Cup. Winston noted that the Middle School’s Field Day in the spring of 2021 inspired him to think up the Spirit Cup. “There was something so hopeful about seeing all the Middle Schoolers on the back fields last year engaging in friendly competition in the name of Poly Prep,” he said.

POLY’S ANNUAL GIVING-BACK

Afghanistan crisis brings Poly together through community service

JUNE DORSCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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here is a bounty of new activities and opportunities with school permanently back in person, including community service.

Service events started even before students arrived on campus. In August, due to the pressing crisis in Afghanistan, parents, faculty, and students worked together to create a project that would directly help refugees in Philadelphia.

Elijah Sivin, director of service learning, said that a “parent had contacts at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia…and those contacts were aware of planes that were landing with Afghan refugees and were aware of how few necessities [they] had when they landed.”

Socks specifically were chosen as the focus of the drive because they are the most requested item at homeless shelters. An often overlooked donation, socks are necessary, but they can only be accepted brand-new.

“It’s a product easy to shop for…unlike other garments, it’s one size fits all, it’s also important for comfort and even health,” Sivin said.

Once the parents and Sivin decided on the drive logistics and Student Service Board (SSB) members, seniors Claudia LeDuc and Emily Melcer volunteered to collect the donations. The two-day drive started on September 7.

“It was us wandering around with an IKEA bag because everything was short-notice. We stood outside on the 7th Avenue en-

trance for a while because people were coming in for sports practice, but when there weren’t any people, we went around and harassed the teachers,” LeDuc said.

John Rearick, an English teacher, brought socks to school on the first day of the drive.

“I was happy to donate, and it helped that my wife… immediately jumped into action and bought socks from a local store. Many of us have good intentions, but people who actually make things happen, like my wife and Mr. Sivin, move compassion from the theoretical to the practical. And no one wants to wear theoretical socks,” he said.

The drive was successful, with several hundred socks collected in two days. Other community service events are also being planned this year that will address issues around hunger and the environment.

On Saturday, October 30, and several following dates, students will be able to work with One Love Community Fridge to provide food for New Yorkers in need (similar to the previous Friendly Fridge Zooms hosted last school year). The Lower School will also host its annual Prospect Park cleanup on November 7.

When it comes to service at Poly, Sivin hopes it can be a way for students to tackle real-world problems: “We need places like classrooms and we need a real understanding of the issues we’re working on. But I think when you just understand the world but you can’t do anything about it, it can make you feel out of balance… This can be a place where you can take your own ideas, or even your own feelings, and do something about them.”

Winston hopes to culminate the events in an assembly on either the Oval or the back fields where the point totals from each event will be read aloud, and the ultimate victor will be declared.

But more importantly, Winston wants to create events that will “revitalize traditions that could bring the community together in good spirit and help remind us of what makes Poly, Poly, [and] help remind us what brings us together and what makes this school experience so unique.”

For decades, blue-versusgrey competition had been a massive staple of Poly tradition.

Junsch, the Poly girls’ basketball coach and a P.E. teacher, graduated from Poly in 1971, and recalls countless memories of the Poly Cup. “There was a week between [sports] seasons where we had blue-grey competition. It could be anywhere from swimming to basketball to wrestling,” Junsch said.

Winston has set the Spirit

Cup to include not only athletics but also academics, arts, and even service. Athletics has historically been Poly’s primary focus, but these additions to a yearlong and schoolwide event demonstrate how Poly is striving toward further inclusivity and positive change.

“It’s one of my overarching goals for our school to be the funnest school,” said Audrius Barzdukas, Poly’s head of school, when asked what he was most excited about in terms of the Spirit Cup. “I want our school to be the place where our kids are the happiest…I think that the [Spirit] Cup will help us work toward that goal.”

Blue-versus-grey competition has been a staple of Poly tradition and is poised to continue in the future with the Spirit Cup’s revival.

“Teachers will come and go; the student demographics are going to change,” said Winston. “Change is inevitable, but what I really want to do this year is think about what traditions, like a Spirit Cup, can withstand the changes of time.”

New Self-Defense Club GEORGIA HORAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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emale Self-Defense Club is one of the many new clubs at Poly this year. The club was started by juniors Julia’Belle Reyfman and Hannah Gross, alongside Coach Michael Junsch.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” Junsch said of what sparked the club’s creation. “I’ve worked with police officers, federal agents, taught self-defense classes to women in college and I just thought this would be something fun to do.” In 42 years of experience as a martial artist, Junsch emphasizes that people shouldn’t think of self-defense as a last resort, but as an art to protect yourself in any circumstance.

“Julia and I felt like we were uncomfortable in a lot of situations with men, especially in NYC on the subway and places like that,” Gross said. “It’s really hard to be a woman and feel comfortable, so we just wanted a space where we could safely talk about that and figure out strategies to be okay in uncomfortable situations.”

In the future, Gross said, “we’d like to do some sort of assembly to inform women how to be safe and how to inform people how not to be a bystander and when you should speak up. We’re also going to work with charities such as Riley’s Way Foundation.”

To the women of Poly Prep, Junsch said, “I would think that, especially those who are going off to college, you’re going to be in a strange environment, you’re going to be at parties, maybe areas that are unfamiliar. I would like people to know that they have to use common sense. Do I go to some place with somebody that I don’t know?”

“Self-defense is really common sense,” Junsch continued.

“Do I walk in Prospect Park and take the shortcut at 7:00 p.m. and go into the bushes? Common sense. So, I would suggest to any female that when they get to college to take a self-defense course or a martial art because it could really save their lives.”

Junior Zoe Wells recently joined the club and said, “[I] joined the self-defense club because I used to take Taekwondo and I really like the feeling of confidence that I got from being able to defend myself...[The club is] important because a lot of people are unsafe walking alone, and it’s important to be prepared.”

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Pedal to the Metal

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

Tips from faculty who commute to school by bike.

MACALEER COLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Mr. Sivin

Mr. Rearick

Bike commute length: 35 minutes

Bike commute length: 35 to 40 minutes

Kind of bike: Sovia electric bike

Kind of bike: Jamus Commuter 2

Pros: You get to spend time outdoors.

Pros: It’s a great way to help the environment.

Cons: Getting doored is scary and traffic is bad.

Cons: Getting caught in the rain isn’t fun.

Getting caught in traffic is scary.

Other comments: Biking really helps me unwind at the end of the school day.

Mr. Lorenzen

Other comments: I feel connected to the city.

VIA WILLIAM LING-REGAN

Ms. Zuercher Bike commute length: About 35 minutes

Bike commute length: Roughly 30 minutes

Kind of bike: A Specialized road bike.

Kind of bike: A Cannondale—it is a type of thin-wheeled road bike.

Pros: There’s a ton of biking pathways around the city that you can use.

Pros: It feels good to bike to school.

Cons: I’m overly cautious about the snow and rain—you never know what is going to happen.

Cons: In some places, people don’t drive safely which can be stressful.

Other comments: I try to ride everyday, even in the pouring rain.

VIA CAROLINE HANNA

Other comments: Many people are afraid of biking in the city, but once you start doing it, it’s easy.

Letter to 5th-Graders ZOE PANZO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Dear 5th-Graders,

VIA WILLIAM LING-REGAN

There are so many people you can trust here at Poly to help you with all of your problems. In the Learning Center, Welcome to Middle School at Poly! My they can help you manage your assignname is Zoe Panzo, and I am an eighth-grad- ments and help you find tutoring opportuer in my fourth year at Poly. I came to Poly nities, maybe even with a high schooler! in fifth grade from Brooklyn Friends School, You can also talk to Dr. Warner-Haakmat, and I am here to give you some advice about the Middle School counselor, if you need middle school. “Why am I doing this?” you help organizing your brain. Also, if you may ask. Some of you may know there have need anything, your dean can get it for been many letters from seniors to freshmen you as soon as possible. over the years. However, there has never been a letter from an eighth-grader to a fifth grader, so here I am!

I loved fifth grade. Looking back on it now, I realize that there are so many things I didn’t cherish that I should have. You need to be grateful and realize that having the opportunity to try out so many different things is extremely valuable. For example, trying out all the languages is beneficial because you have the opportunity to determine which VIA MARY HOWELL you enjoy—the same goes for arts core. You Other people who are important are need to realize that there are many more friends. “Make good friends. Make friends opportunities to try new things. that are kind and trustworthy,” said eighth An important class that most people grader Kaya Freeman. Kaya has been a don’t think is actually useful is Foundations. very good friend of mine from my first Fifth grade is when you learn to manage day of fifth grade and she is still one of your homework and be organized. Foundamy closest friends at Poly today. “They’ll tions will help keep you on track to being be some of your closest friends for your successful in completing your work on time four years in middle school and as you go and managing your mental health. Once you into high school,” Kaya said. Your friends get planners, that will also be a great way are the people you spend almost every to make sure you are getting your homeday with. Last week I saw Kaya every work done. In your planner, you can write day of the week, but there is never a dull down your homework as well as when your moment. Even if you only have two close tests and quizzes are coming up. However, friends, it is so much better than having 10 since we don’t have planners yet (they are toxic friends. backordered) you can use Google Calendar Thank you for reading, and I hope that as a temporary planner. Using a digital calthis helped! If you ever have any quesendar as a planner might not work for you, tions, you can also reach out to me at my but fifth grade is also a time to realize how email (panzoz26@polyprep.org). Have an you learn best. If that means talking to your amazing rest of your day and a fantastic teachers to help you, do that! year!

VIA WILLIAM LING-REGAN

Letter to Freshmen

CAROLINE HANNA PHOTO EDITOR

Dear freshmen, I hope your first months in high school have been treating you well. Whether you are a new student or you attended the Lower or Middle School, I’m sure you have gotten somewhat settled into high school by now.

I’m sure that you’ve all heard the saying, “the world is your oyster.” As a freshman, Poly Prep is your oyster. You have a choice to start strong and end even stronger. Here at Poly, you can achieve anything you wish to do because you have the opportunity and the ability to do so. There are a plethora of faculty members here that will support and guide you in most things you do. It is up to you if you want to take advantage of the network of experienced teachers and staff. If you need help in a class, you can set up meetings with any teacher or you can visit the learning center and get mentored there. Poly offers peer tutoring, study sessions, and quiet workplaces for you to get work done. It would benefit a lot of you to make time for some of these extracurricular activities.

It is hard to balance extracurriculars with your academics and social life, but it is possible when you enjoy what you’re doing. Trust me when I say that the more involved you are the more it will pay off for you in the end. Go outside of your comfort zone and participate in whatever your heart desires. It doesn’t matter if none of your friends want to do it with you. So far, we’ve had about six assemblies to talk about a variety of topics and programs at Poly. We also had a club fair where I hope you signed up for at least one club.

My advice is to choose a club or program that you are interested in and stick with it.

It’s going to be hard to find what works for you right away, but eventually, you

will determine which programs to engage in and how many fit with your goals and values.

Poly’s clubs cover a variety of interests—you can work on the yearbook, write for the newspaper, be a part of the Honor Council, join Affinity and Alliance groups, and so much more. And of course, you can even create your own club. Think about things you want to accomplish with your time at Poly and set goals for yourself.

Additionally, it’s important to determine what you value so you can be involved in things you are passionate about.

For example, if you value making the world a more sustainable place, you can participate in the numerous service trips and sustainability club initiatives throughout the school year and summer. I participated in a summer service-learning program through Mr. Sivin where we visited and volunteered for The Brooklyn Navy Yard and Grange, One Love Community Fridge, Billion Oyster Project, Earth Matter, Sure We Can, Harlem Grown, and the Battery. The week was a very rewarding experience because of how much I learned about reducing waste and giving back to people and our planet. I loved being able to see the benefits of my actions and understand how the tasks I completed over the week made a positive contribution to the NYC environment and communities.

High school is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and believe me when I say it flies by. So enjoy yourself! Utilize your time and explore your genuine interests. Take advantage of the many resources available on campus. At the start of high school, I discovered I wasn’t very passionate about anything. Looking back on my time here, I’ve learned a lot about myself and where I excel, helping me greatly in the demanding college process. With my advice, I hope many will be able to do the same.

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

PEOPLE

PEOPLE

Sunday Routine With Mr. Barzdukas A walkthrough of Mr. Barzdukas’s typical Sunday CHELSEA LIN PEOPLE EDITOR

VIA AUDRIUS BARZDUKAS

“

On Sundays, I wake up at 6:30 a.m., and I walk downstairs and pick up the Sunday New York Times—an oldschool hard copy. I open up my door and there it is, sitting in front of me. This fall, I’ve been getting up early, at 6 a.m., and heading out to the Rockaways, to catch waves. I recently got a new board, an 8’ 6” performance board that I have to be a little faster on to catch those waves. I’ll go out there and catch waves with a couple of friends, surfing buddies.

I get back at 9:30. I’m a bit of a coffee addict, so I have my favorite blend from Sahadi’s—the Kona blend... I grind it to a medium grind and I pour it over.

I also make myself my smoothie, and I put in flat seeds, oatmeal, spinach, kale, berries, carrots, and depending whatever fruits are in season, I throw that in there.

I also put in a probiotic kefir, for gut health, and a bit of juice. So I read the New York Times, while drinking coffee.

Now, Sundays are plant days for me...I use the same pot that I use to heat the water for my coffee, but I water my

plants, and then that whole routine takes me to mid-morning. I will then get on the phone and I check in on my family, with my parents—my dad’s 87 and my mom’s 85—so I call them to see what’s going on with them in Virginia. I call my son, who’s down at the University of Southern Cali-

That’s my dream—that our school can be more fun than any other school.”

– Mr. Barzdukas

friend and I will both discuss philosophy and what we’re reading.

For lunch, one spot I really love is My Cuban Spot on Carroll and 3rd— it’s like the size of a closet, but they make these Cubano sandwiches that are just from a different planet—SO GOOD! There’s a Mexican joint on 5th and Carroll, and I’ll go there and get a burrito. There’s a burger joint on Fifth and Garfield and I’ll go there and get a wagyu burger with blue cheese crumbles.

Then I’ll climb on a scooter and “Revel” over to the Brooklyn Heights Cobble Hill area. There’s my favorite store in NYC and it’s called Hatchet Supply—they have the super hightech outdoor gear, and it’s really interesting. I walk up the street, and one of our families owns the restaurant Colonie. Sahadi’s is there, Trader Joe’s is there, so during the late afternoon, I do some shopping. Around the evening, I get back on the Revel, scoot back to Park Slope, and I will get a burrito from Papi’s on 7th Avenue. They have

fornia. I call my daughters, who are here in New York working, so I just check in—how’s life going and see if we want to meet anywhere. Then I will go out, and I will head down to 5th Avenue in Brooklyn to go meet a friend for lunch.The streets will be blocked off by cars. There’s always a band or a farmer’s market—always something going on down 5th Avenue in Brooklyn. So usually my

the best burritos there. I’ll come home, and I’ll sometimes eat it while watching TV. Then I’ll read after that. My dentist tells me “only floss the teeth you want to keep,” so I’m like okay, I’ll floss all of them. I get into bed and try to get a good night’s sleep before school the next day.

I tell everyone I don’t have a job—I go to school. On Monday mornings, I go to the Lower School, and greet the Lower School kids before they go into school. They’re the happiest kids going to school—I get to see three, four, five, six-year-old kids running into school, and then I’ll get into my car and drive up to the Dyker Heights campus. I do the same thing—as soon as you walk onto campus, you feel the energy of the kids. And there’s always something going on: whether it’s Blue Devil Night or a performance. I love walking around our hallways because they are noisy. A dream that I have, when I go to bed on a Sunday evening, is how I can help our school be the funnest school in New York City. That’s my dream—that our school can be more fun than any other school.”

VIA AUDRIUS BARZDUKAS

Jared Winston Takes On a New Role Interview with the New Interim Director of Student Life RYAN GEISLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

VIA WILLIAM LING-REGAN Director of Student Life Jared Winston

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hat makes Poly Prep the school that it is today? That’s the question that Jared Winston is asking himself and the Poly community throughout his first year as the Interim Director of Student Life. This is an important position, as it’s all about making sure everyone has something here to fulfill their interests.

Winston started at Poly in 2019 as a Middle School French teacher. Before coming to Poly, he worked at the Scarsdale Middle School, the Sheridan School, and the Washington International School during the summer. When planning his move to New York, he said, “[I] immediately fell in love with the campus, and felt such a warm welcome from the faculty…[I] could not pass up the opportunity to learn from and work with such great faculty and curious students.”

He enjoys, he said, “learning languages, hearing people’s stories, watching soccer, listening to albums all the way through as the artist intended, going on long walks, and taking photos of street art and graffiti.”

One of the things that Winston is implementing this year is the Spirit Cup competition. If you’ve

been at Poly for a few years, you know that Poly usually has a Middle School and High School field day. Everyone gets a shirt, either Blue and Grey, and they dress up in their color and cheer on their team. However fun (or scary for people who don’t like sports) these field days are, they last only a day.

This year, however, things are changing.

Sports-only field days are a thing of the past as now Poly hosts the Spirit Cup, which features events throughout the year like Poly’s Got Talent and Spelling Bees, along with traditional volleyball, capture the flag, and many other team-building activities during this year.

Over the coming school year, Winston has planned the Spirit Cup along with other Chapels and activities in hopes of rejuvenating the energy Poly had before COVID—and keeping the community together.

“There is something very special about this school community, and I think it is important to reflect—especially after a year and a half of such unprecedented disconnect—on what binds us,” he said.

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PEOPLE

Poet Laureate Paolo Javier

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

Q&A Interview with New Upper School English Teacher SEANNA SANKAR FEATURES EDITOR

Paolo Javier, born in the Philippines is a new addition to the Poly community. After teaching at multiple universities and grade levels over the years, Javier now teaches in the Upper School. He also served as the Queens Poet Laureate, Program Director of Poets House, a literary nonprofit, and has dabbled in many aspects of humanities subjects. Below is an interview with Javier.

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here did you used to work?

“I worked as [the] Program Director for an organization called Poets House, which shut down because of the pandemic, unfortunately. It’s a 30-year-old organization that is committed to providing a space for poetry to happen, and I was in charge of their programs—the workshops for education and the Emerging Poets Fellowship, which was unique. Prior to that, I was an educator for close to 20 years. I taught at a university and then I decided to go teach at a public school because I come from a family of public school teachers.”

I know you are very active in the poetry community—could you speak a bit about that and how/where you got started?

“It’s definitely been my intense passion from high school [and] through adulthood, but, you know, I got turned on to poetry by listening to rap. I was in the Philippines [and] I discovered this album by Run D.M.C. called “Raising Hell.” I just started making poems in the eighth grade…I didn’t start really pursuing it seriously until college. It’s something that bleeds into pretty much every other kind of artistic activity that I do, and it’s something that I can’t live without.”

Did you make that connection to poetry by yourself or from an external source, like a teacher?

“No, it was really me…I performed my own rap in the fourth grade for an assignment that was due, and I just did it right on the spot because I was not being a very good student and preparing in advance. I just enjoyed it and I didn’t know that you could do that with language before that. Though, my main obsession [was] comic books. My book that’s coming out should drop anytime—it’s about 20 years worth of work.”

Why did you join the Poly community?

“I’ve never taught at an independent secondary school before, but I’ve taught in every other type of institution. There’s so much more diversity at Poly. You hope for that as a teacher, but as someone who’s taught in so many different capacities as an educator, it’s not something that you can take for granted. It’s not really what Poly can do for me, it’s more like what I can do for Poly.”

What are some ways you feel you will be a great addition to the Poly community?

“I think I can bring a more writerly perspective to students. My hope is that every student in my class sees themselves as a writer, and that they see the study of literature as a possibility for them to further express themselves critically and creatively, and not feel like it’s a chore, [but] that being a writer is something that is available to them.”

So far, what is your favorite part in teaching English at Poly?

“My colleagues in the English Department and, of course, getting to work with Poly’s talented and dedicated students.”

What is your favorite poem that you wrote and why?

“I tend to write serial and long poems, but of my shorter ones, I’d say the one I published as a broadside when I read at Center for Book Arts is a personal favorite. It’s from my third full-length book, The Feeling Is Actual (Marsh Hawk Press, 2011).

I’m proud of this book that embraces the language slippages of the bilingual immigrant AAPI and Pilipinx speakers despite the increasing xenophobia and scapegoating of the period that I made it.”

VIA CENTER FOR BOOK ARTS An image of a poem by Javier, text replicated below

TANGERINA Not to beat a round bush But your laugh was an infection So I cut to the cheese What would I lose to gain?

You get to that chicken when It crosses the bridge When time is of the elements You take things first at a time Lalo na kung the feeling is actual Paolo Javier

Rachael Allen: Hot Off the Press!

Q&A Interview with New Journalism and Media Studies Teacher

SEANNA SANKAR FEATURES EDITOR Rachael Allen, the new Journalism and Media Studies teacher and faculty advisor to the Polygon and the Polyglot, teaches one section of both Upper School and Middle School journalism. In her first year at Poly, she has already made a handful of accomplishments. Below is an interview with Allen.

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here did you used to work?

“I come straight from journalism.

I first worked at the Atlantic Magazine in D.C... I was a fact-checker there...I loved doing that. I was writing this whole time... mostly profiles and feature pieces for a bunch of different places.”

What led you to teach, especially high school students?

“I have always been thinking about teaching, but I knew I wanted to try writing.

And then I [had multiple] moments when I was interviewing and writing stories [where I felt] I wanted to be teaching and working with the people that I was interviewing, rather than writing about them. So I started looking at teaching jobs, and this one was perfect because few high schools have a straight journalism teacher.”

So far, what is your favorite part in teaching journalism at Poly?

“I’ve got a couple ones. I think for the Polygon, there have been a bunch of students who come up to me with story ideas of their own and are really excited. Even on our first day of [Journalism and Media Studies] class, I was pleasantly surprised by how much everyone had to say about journalism.”

struggles starting out. Those feel very real to me.”

What are some ways you feel you will be a great addition to the Poly community?

“I know the...journalism world as it is really well right now because I’m coming from [journalism]. [It’s] changed so much from even 10 years ago—just the way that reporters are. I hope the fact that I am one of the younger teachers can help me make my experience...more relatable to students because I can talk a lot about some of the

In what ways do you hope to transform both student-led clubs (Polygon and Polyglot)?

“I’d like to transform the Polygon to be a couple different things. More self-reliance—I think that’s the ultimate goal... whether that is copyediting, making sure everything is AP style and consistent, or scheduling stories. I want to open it up [so] we can have illustrators, people doing social media, or newsletters.... I’d

What inspired you to pursue journalism?

“I had always been very curious and I love to write, and journalism was a way that I could write creative stories I liked—use detail, write elaborate narratives, and all that.”

like to just make it bigger and have more pockets of it so more students can feel like they have a part.”

What do you anticipate your favorite part at Poly will be?

“In my Middle School class, I’m looking forward to [building] a newspaper...It will be an insert in the Polygon. I’m excited to do that because we’re going to have classes where we function like a newsroom [and] argue over headlines and who should get the front photo.”

Do you have any hobbies or secret talents?

“My hobbies are running and eating pasta.

I like making pasta from scratch. My family’s Italian—we’re very into that.”

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

ARTS

ARTS

Michael Robinson on the Red Carpet

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER PLAYLIST

Poly Arts Teacher Designs Piece for the Met Gala

SADIE SCHOENBERGER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

VIA MICHAEL ROBINSON Robinson with the dress he designed for the Met Gala

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his year at the Met Gala—an event for A-list celebrities some would call “fashion’s biggest night out”—one of Poly Prep’s own was a part of the magic. Michael Robinson, head of Poly’s art department, was selected to design a piece for the ball that would be worn by president of Jujamcyn Theaters and Tony-winning producer Jordan Roth.

This year, the theme “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion’’ provoked many interpretations. While some wore classic American designers, others made a bold political statement.

Roth wanted something filled with artistry that coupled with his identity seamlessly. The Met Gala exhibit explores identity through a patchwork quilt, and Robinson’s design hit the mark. Robinson created a textile collage that covers the entire surface of the garment with a seven-foot train.

Roth wanted to highlight how identity is expressed through fashion and what that means to him. The coat incorporated simple yet luxe materials, patchwork, images, text, and extensive embroidery and beading.

Robinson described the piece like a peacock’s tail. “On the one hand, when it’s all spread out, you get to see all its

feathers, but when it collapses, it’s beautiful in its own way,” he said. “A lot of text-based work at the gala had one statement, and no matter how you looked at it, there was one thing, but this piece was an invitation to look at it from different angles and question what’s really here.

We wanted it to feel like poetry and not a billboard.”

Robinson shared his favorite part of the garment: a patch depicting the profile of one of the Botticelli women. He embroidered her hair and sequined and beaded the patch. While later looking at a photo of Roth wearing the garment looking off to the side, Robinson noticed the patch was looking off the same way as Roth—the two were aligned.

Robinson worked closely with Michael Philouze, the Vogue’s Men’s Editor, through the arduous proposal process and the nearly yearlong creation process. They initially connected through a Vogue Germany shoot, which featured a gown Robinson made. After seeing that one dress, the one photo, Robinson asked to be considered for the Met Gala commission. Though Robinson didn’t think he would be chosen, he learned that Roth and Philouze knew it was going to be him from the first meeting.

Throughout this experience, Robinson reflected on resisting the urge to design a ‘typical Met Gala’ while wanting to stay true to himself as an artist and an innovator.

Robinson said, “Jordan would have to remind me and say, ‘You know, that’s not what we asked you for, you stay true to you. I want the best version there is, but if we wanted a fashion house to do our outfit, we would have hired them.’”

“The idea of speaking your truth and sharing your story, leaving you vulnerable to criticism and being misunderstood, is something that most people struggle with,” Robinson said. “But staying true to your own identity and self-expression is what makes us as a collective unique.”

Creative Writing Column: Hands

COOPER HANSEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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ands consist of ten skinny finger bones, 10 fingernails, 28 joints, 34 muscles, 29 bones, three major nerves, and two major arteries. I know nerves run down our hands, enabling us to feel and determine whether something is rough or smooth, hot or cold, sharp or dull, etc. Our hands are capable of powerful grips, yet at the same time, allow us to manipulate small objects with immense precision—when my cousin can’t open his packet of cinnamon apple GoGo Squeez. The knuckles along our 10 fingers are the hinges that smoothly arrange our fingers in complex positions. Our fingers are the accessories of our palms; they power more advanced interactions with objects. We can write, text, play games, use sign language, etc., all thanks to our fingers. Our muscles are the motors powering our movements. Without muscles, our hands will become motionless clumps of bones, blood, and cells. On the opposite side of our hands, the creases in our palms represent the formation of the closure of our hands. Some claim that this same formation can tell us our futures. The wrinkles in my hand seemingly never cease to intersect with one another. As I follow one, it crosses another. My hands:

veiny, large and girth, enable me with a range of complex abilities. They allow me to caress my father after a long day at school and unleash my anger on my pillow after a frustrating soccer game.

I remember the first time I held hands with a girl. I was beyond nervous.

The sweat glands in my hands were overworked, drenching my hands from finger to finger. I remember aggressively wiping my hands down along my blue cotton pant legs. I became so apprehensive about stretching out my hand in-between our walking bodies. The potential response—“Ew”—clouded my mind.

What if she wrenches her hand away?

Will she judge me? Uneasy thoughts entered my prefrontal cortex. We walked along the dog walkers and nannies on Central Park West as sparrows and crows raced above our heads. One second they were in front, one second passed; they were gone. The seemingly endless row of oak trees gifted us protection against the orange circular sun. I attempted to use various crosswalks as an opportunity to reach out my hand—I failed. My hands remained along my waist until I finally stacked up the courage to reach my hand out. As she looked away, I reached my hand out.

She looked down at it and looked back at me with her pearly white teeth, which were slightly spaced out. She slowly brought her wrist covered with friendship bracelets, which seemed to be a

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Dance Team Returns to Homecoming BRIANNA KHRAKOVSKY ARTS EDITOR

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VIA GEMMA PAULS status symbol, and I grabbed it with a firm but embracing grasp. Her fingers came first, rubbing gently along the inside of my palm. It tickled, but in a good way. Her thumb wrapped around the back of my hand, securing her grip. Her hand was just as sweaty as mine, and my mind eased. When my fingers grasped the inside of her sweaty palm, I felt this incredible feeling of ecstasy. Something I had never felt before; I had never felt closer to this girl before. Though we were talking to one another for a while, this step seemed to be the biggest one. I felt like I got to know her more in those mere two seconds than I had in the prior months. It felt like an electrical connection that transferred between one another, using our hands as a vessel. For one second, I felt like we were one person. I smiled, and we continued our walking.

oly Prep saw one of the largest groups of people on campus in the past two years on October 16 at Homecoming. Typically the biggest event, Homecoming brings together many members of the community—current students, alumni, families, or even prospective families— for family-friendly activities (such as a pumpkin patch, rock-climbing wall, and a mechanical bull), sports games, and performances by the dance team and step team. This year, preparing for the dance team’s performance looked very different in comparison to previous years.

As one of three co-captains for the dance team this year, I found preparing for the show was difficult but rewarding. The first problem we faced was having a much smaller team than usual. A team that was made up of 18 dancers in 2020 has diminished to just seven. Although COVID halted many aspects of our lives last year, it didn’t prevent the natural cycle of seniors graduating each year. Dancers graduated and COVID prevented the team from being able to promote the club and hold auditions for new dancers.

The team felt discouraged, afraid that seven dancers would not be able to fill up all the space on the field or that the team would look too “small,” but we were determined to give a great performance. On top of all the other hardships, we struggled to find practice time that did not conflict with sports practices or other commitments. Moreover, we faced transportation issues, which prevented students from staying past the late buses until 7:30 p.m., the normal practice time.

Even with all the challenges, the dancers did a commendable job. They found time to rehearse and choreograph, and they made the first Homecoming back even more special!

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

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Backfields Getting a Long-Awaited Upgrade Major Renovation Displaces Some Athletes FRANCES BROOKS AND ABBY BEN-UR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

VIA RICHARD CORSO VIA FRANCES BROOKS AND ABBY BEN-UR s the school returns to post-pan- and third base, there’s about five inches for a mild winter so that we can keep the demic athletics, changes are being of water, so you can’t use the field for momentum going forward.” Construcmade to Poly’s outstanding facilities. about three or four days for P.E. class- tion has begun quickly, and progress can As many students have probably no- es,” said Head of Athletics Richard already be seen on the fields. However, as we approach winter and colder, rainier ticed by now, Poly has shut off the cur- Corso. rent baseball and softball fields to be The inability to use the fields for seasons, construction may become more redone during the winter. The project, days after rainfall has huge impairments difficult.

October to April is a long time to be which began in June 2020 and hope- on Poly athletics. Middle School sports fully will be finished by April 2022, and P.E., who use the grass almost ev- kept off one of Poly’s main athletic fields. will include the turfing of the baseball ery day, either have to deal with the Some teams have already been forced to and softball fields and a soccer field in muddy and inconvenient conditions of make difficult changes to their training the baseball outfield. The turf will be the fields or find another free space on schedules and locations. For example, dual purpose, giving the lacrosse and short notice. Rainfall also hinders many the softball team, who previously shared the fields, will begin to use the army base football teams a new place to train, teams’ time and training schedules. and providing an area that will be used “We would lose between 25-38 as a venue for pre-season training.

Corso notes that Poly’s athletic sucdaily for Middle School sports and P.E. days of training. You can’t workout beclasses. cause of the field. It wasn’t because we cess during the pandemic year has preThe core issue behind the new didn’t want to or we didn’t have people pared them for the changes needed to fields is the lack of drainage in the cur- that wanted to train. We would have to transition off the grass until April. “One rent area. The accumulation of water change gears and go do something in- of the lessons we learned from COVID is that you can still train and you can still underneath the baseball field has been side,” Corso said. a problem that gets worse and worse as Corso said that the project is hoped be consistent with your training and you each year goes on and as sunny weath- to be finished by April 1. “We have can train at a higher level—if you plan er shifts to more rain. “Between second weather to deal with and we’re hoping for it,” Corso said.

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VIA KEN NIIMURA Poly waved goodbye to its 50-year-old traditional design of the Blue Devil when it introduced the new mascot at this year’s Homecoming. Ken Niimura, an international award-winning Spanish-Japanese illustrator and cartoonist, was selected as the artist. “I want them to be two characters all students can identify with,” Niimura told Poly Communications of the new mascot, which, as seen above, depicts two blue devil figures.

Text by Maerose Daniels.

Fall Sports, Let Us See Your Horns!

Poly’s sports are back after a year and a half STEPHEN PLAYFORD AND NOAH SAIVETZ CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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oly athletics are back. After all sports were pushed back into the spring last year and most teams played two to three games, this fall, teams like football, soccer, and girls’ tennis have nearly full schedules lined up. These games are all in compliance with COVID guidelines set by Poly, New York City, the state of New York, and the federal government— all eligible student athletes are fully vaccinated and Poly will be playing only other schools that are fully vaccinated to ensure safety among the athletes and coaches.

Richard Corso, head of athletics, said, “so far this year, we have had about 12 [games] cancelled” due to other teams not being fully vaccinated.

Compared to last year, however, this inconvenience seems minor. “Last year everything was mandatory,” said Corso, indicating masks, tests, and social distancing. Now restrictions are much more lenient—players can take their masks off outside and are not required to get tested.

“While restrictions have relaxed, spectators have had to follow strict rules regarding vaccinations and masks. [Spectators] must be vaccinated to be on cam-

pus. Anyone indoors has a mask on; if you’re outdoors you don’t need a mask,” said Athletic Director Kristin Cannon.

the division. Girls’ varsity soccer started off 5-0. “[After having] no fall season last year, the girls are off to a pret-

“[Spectators] must be vaccinated to be on campus. Anyone indoors has a mask on; if you’re outdoors you don’t need a mask.”

– Kristin Cannon, Athletic Director While these rules are strictly in place at Poly, these restrictions may vary at other schools,depending on where they are located or what their school institution or environment is like. This new athletic year is all starting to come together as the fall season takes off—and was especially apparent during Blue Devil Night, which was one of the largest crowds Poly has seen in a while.

The energy was still clearly visible at Homecoming. So many sports are already racing to the top of

VIA POLY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE ty good start,” said Cannon, the head coach of the team.

Students and faculty across the school also seem pumped to be back in the flow of things. “It’s much better than last year,” said sophomore Liam McCummings. “[Everyone is] thrilled to be back and from here on out, it’s all about keeping our foot on the gas and keeping the Poly spirit going strong.”