Volume 120, Issue 29 - Class Day!

THIS YEAR IN HEADLINES

Fall

Editorial: What would it take for a “culture shift”?

Issue 3, September 23

Changes to student clubs and publications funding guidelines promote equity

Issue 6, October 28

Arshia Rasiwala (8) makes history as first MD female football player

Issue 9, November 21

Winter

Feature: Examining gender disparity in academics

Issue 10, December 2

Great is the truth? Congressman George Santos lies about attending Horace Mann

Issue 12, January 6

Life of the AI Mind: ChatGPT raises academic dishonesty concerns

Issue 13, January 13

Cost of living ‘great and giving lives’: Tuition rises to $61,900 for 2023-24

Issue 15, January 27

Not so ‘mature behavior’? Covid-19 leaves lasting effects on students’ academic, social skills

Issue 17, February 10

Spring

Lutnick Cafe reopens after three years with new menu

Issue 19, March 3

Book Day returns with sci-fi author Ted Chiang

Issue 23, April 24

Holocaust survivor Samuel Marder shares story at assembly

Issue 24, April 28

Lutnick fish tank returns after two-year restoration

Issue 26, May 12

Let us slump in peace: The case for an alternate senior spring

getbe given a lighter workload and an altered curriculum in their classes with juniors.

Ever since I entered the ninth grade, I have anticipated my senior spring, the pinnacle of my high school experience. I imagined myself coming to school everyday without needing to worrying aboutconcern myself with assessments and other work; I’d spend frees on the field with friends; I would no longer be holed up on the second floor of the library doing school work. I hoped to leave Horace Mann with a positive outlook at the end of my high school experience — but in many ways, this is not the reality.

My expectations could not have been more wrong. Right now, duringin my senior spring, I have just as much work, if not more, as I have had at any other time during high school. And while I could go on about how frustrating this is, I would rather look at all the reasons that could possibly justify this immense workload to make the following case: seniors at Horace Mann should either end school earlier, have a senior project for the last month of school where they do something meaningful to them, or

A few weeks ago, one of my teachers told my class that the administration was pressuring teachers to give seniors work in order to ensure that we don’t “slack off.” This leads me to believe that the school doesn’t understand why seniors choose to slack off in the first place. No one canwill deny that Horace Mann is a rigorous, pressure cookerhigh pressure academic environment where students attend classes seven plus hours a day and go home to continue their schoolwork for four more hours. After four years of rigor and stress, don’t seniors deserve a chance to breathe and enjoy their last few weeks at Horace Mann?

I have also often heard the argument that many seniors are still on waitlists for colleges that want one last grade to help them make a decision. Although some colleges want this grade, we must remember that they are receiving the semester grade. Seniors complete more than enough graded work during the beginning of the second semester to warrant cutting them some slack at the end of the school year. To say that we should be rigorously working until the very last day of school for the sole purpose of college is ridiculous.

If seniors plan to slack off during the spring and not put in much effort, what is the point of having lots of assessments? I’ve heard teachers say that students are welcome to slack off and do the bare minimum. I see two problems with this. The first problem is that Horace Mann students have hard work ingrained in them. If you give a student at this school more work, they

are unlikely to submit crappy work out of respect for themselves, their grades, and their teachers. The second problem is that when students submit bad work, their teachers suffer when reading and grading it. This would mean that teachers are encouraging more tedious work for themselves that has no tangible return for anyone. Teachers have no interest in reading poor work, nor handing out dozens of mediocre grades. In order to avoid this, many teachers will remind students that failure is still a possibility. This task is not fun for teachers or students; it feels like we are receiving more work for the sake of perpetuating the school’s culture. While reflecting on this, I began to think about the purpose of work, particularly graded work, in a high school environment. Graded work is meant to teach us and assess us on our ability to retain information and utilize skills we learn in the classroom. But why do we need just one more English paper at the very end of high school? Are we truly getting something out of it that we ha ven’t already? After seven years here, we know how to write a strong analyt ical paper, solve a difficult problem set, or think through a difficult primary source reading. It is an unnecessary waste of time that could be spent cre ating happy memories with our friends before we head our separate ways. As a school community, we lose out as a result of this workload. When I think back to the end of my high school experience at Horace Mann, this work will be a large part of what I remember. Wouldn’t it be better for the school and myself if I remember the end of this experience in a more positive light?

I believe that the happiness of seniors

should be a top priority for the school because they are their future alumni.

So what should we do instead? I propose that for the last few weeks of school we do one of three things. First, seniors could end school and graduate early. This model has been tested and proven by similar private schools in New York City, including Fieldston and Trinity. Other special senior events, such as prom and graduation, are held at an earlier date and seniors get a headstart on their summer.

Another solution is a model followed by many of the public schools in Westchester, as well as private schools like Dalton and Collegiate: the senior project or senior internship. Seniors stop coming to school, but they do something meaningful during those weeks. This allows seniors to also have the free time to spend with their friends and make those key memories at the end of high school.

It is arguably nice to have seniors remain on campus during senior spring

couple weeks should be dedicated towards some sort of in-class, ungraded project for seniors to participate in. A form of this is already implemented in many courses where students revisit the coursework and use it towards some larger application; the only difference is they are currently graded. In classes taken with junior peers, seniors can do the same project, just ungraded. Traditional tests of knowledge such as quizzes are unnecessary for burnt out seniors, and projects that are meant to keep students engaged do not need to be graded in order for students to find value in them. The requirement to only work in class will promote engagement with the material in a healthy and valuable way.

Simply put, seniors should not have this much work at the end of the year. It makes them frustrated, gives more grading to teachers, and serves as an unenjoyable end to the year. As someone who has now all but made it through the end of senior year, I would

A senior reflects on senior reflections

tions, at least in their current state. This is not a personal attack on any senior who has shared a profound and deeply personal speech with the school community at an assembly.

I acknowledge how difficult it is to decide on a topic, write an eloquent speech, and deliver it to the entire Upper Division with ease and fluency. Nonetheless, my issue with senior reflections is not their quality, but rather their uniqueness and relevance to the Horace Mann community.

I cannot count the number of times I have heard the same mad-libbed senior reflection story — a student arrives at the school, bright-eyed and excited for the next years of a rigorous, academically invigorating education.

ingly fill-in-the-blank format of these reflections — I have spoken to many students who note a similar narrative emerging from every “unique story.”

Throughout my years at the school, I often received the same feedback in English class written next to my thesis: “why does this matter?” I never really got what this meant — if I made a connection between a symbol and a theme, how did I still have the burden of explaining why it matters? Didn’t I already do the analysis? I only understood what my teachers meant when I applied their logic to senior reflections.

I do not see a point to senior reflec-

With time, the “pressure-cooker environment” (a favorite phrase of senior reflectionists) gets to them, and provokes or accelerates the development of some personal issue. However, with the help of a good friend/teacher/mentor/(insert individual here), the student begins to love learning, enjoy school or crave academic rigor with a newfound appreciation developed and enhanced by their previous struggles. I know that I am not the only one who has noticed the seem-

The obvious rebuttal to my argument is that of course students at the same institution will have the same takeaways from their education — a critique of reflections for being too alike should instead be read as a critique of the school for putting so many students through universally arduous journeys. My response to this is that one school will naturally produce similar experiences for many students. That is a fundamental aspect of such a small, intense environment: to generate comparable stories of eventual success with every overworked student. I argue that it is not the school’s burden to ensure that seniors who give reflections have varying experiences at Horace Mann — that is an impossible burden to resolve. Instead, if a student is to give a senior reflection, that student should ensure that their story is 1) unique from others, and 2) highly relevant to the majority of the community. While quality and delivery are not points of weakness in most senior reflections, uniqueness and relevance

are. It should be the responsibility of the individual writing and giving the speech to make it relevant to its listeners. It frankly borders on disrespectful to subject a theater of 500 high schoolers to your sob story about that honors math class you took or your season on the JV track team without having a significant message to impart. While hearing stories of an initial-failure-turned-academic-triumph may make us feel happy for the speaker or proud of our community, these stories do not share a meaningful message applicable to people that are not the speaker, nor do they provide unique insight on the school as an institution or what it is like to be a student here.

I would even venture to say that, based on the content of most reflections, most authors have not seriously or thoughtfully considered what they actually want their audience to learn from their reflection. The senior reflection should not be a self-indulgent retelling of the hardest four years of your life — it should impart some distinctive wisdom. It is a disappointment to students who expect a unique, thoughtful speech about the struggles you face and why they

matter when they instead must listen to a 10-minute repetition of a story with which all students are familiar. We all know this school can be highstress and mentally exhausting. Tell us something new.

Given the current sad state of affairs, who should be giving reflections, and what should they be about?

I would like to believe that every student who volunteers for a reflection does so for a reason. The solution to the repetition pervasive among reflections is not to choose more unique or “interesting” people to give them.

It is to encourage reflectionists to share unique stories: discuss an aspect of their life or describe an experience at the school that no one else has yet shared.

Make senior reflections funny, or political, or controversial, or inspirational, or works of protest. Teach us something, tell us why it should matter to us. When faced with a choice between traditional and novel, Horace Mann students can and should choose the latter.

Zachary Kurtz

Myra Malik

Kayden Hansong/Staff Artist

School works towards more robust Financial Aid program following two unprecedented donations

Erica Jiang Staff Writer

After receiving two of the largest donations in its history — $4,500,000 and $15,000,000 — the school will expand Financial Aid access to just over 15 percent of Nursery through 12th grade (N-12) students next year. The $14.5 million aid budget will increase average awards to $49,000, covering 79 percent of the tuition — a rise from the $12.5 million budget and $44,500 average this year that covered 74 percent of tuition, as stated in Financial Aid documents on the school’s website.

nomic Diversity at Horace Mann School.”

According to the document, “we have long believed that socioeconomic diversity plays an important role within that ‘diverse community of students,’ but perhaps feel that this is even more important for today’s HM, today’s student body, and today’s world.”

Each year, the amount of money allocated for Aid depends on how much the school receives from tuition (currently about 11.5 percent of the total tuition revenue goes to Aid), endowed funds designated for Financial Aid, and other Annual Fund dollars specified for immediate use, Moreira wrote.

student is placed on a waitlist for Aid. “When the budget is not sufficient to cover every admitted student, we review requests and prioritize dollars at our main entry points,” Moreira wrote.

While the school provides Financial Aid to the lowest percentage of students across the Ivy Preparatory League, it is one of the few schools that provides support for a variety of other expenses that students need, Moreira wrote. Those expenses include school trips, college application fees, doctor visits for physicals, technology, among other needs. Next school year, the school will provide $400,000 in school bus subsidies and $250,000 towards the cost of lunch in the MD and UD.

Whether they receive aid or not, students can apply for the Student Assistance Fund (officially the Lynn & Lizzie Koch ’05 Endowed Student Assistance Sunshine Fund) if they find the additional costs for extra-curricular activities prohibitive. “HM is one of the only schools in the area that has a Student Assistance Fund which allocates nearly $100,000 per year,”

Behind the two largest gifts in the school’s history

“In the late spring of 2022, I was grateful to meet with several HM families, who prefer to remain anonymous, expressing an appreciation for what the school represents and an even deeper appreciation for the need for any qualified student, regardless of their economic status, to have access to a world-class education such as ours,” Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly wrote. “These two families stepped up with unprecedented gifts.”

“All of these things are possible because of these two record-breaking gifts, and the support other families continue to provide to HM,” Director of Institutional Research & Enrollment Management Lisa Moreira wrote in response to an email.

As the tuition rises to $61,900 for the 20232024 school year, the school lags behind other Ivy Preparatory League schools in the amount of financial aid it awards. At Fieldston and Dalton, 22 percent and 21 percent of students received $18 million and $12 million in Financial Aid respectively, according to their websites. By contrast, the school awarded aid to 14

Due to limited resources and the school’s need-blind admissions, ad mitted students are not always offered Aid. “Some schools will not admit a student (but instead might place them on an admissions wait list) if their bud get is not sufficient to provide Aid,” Moreira wrote. “But at HM we be lieve that it is important to make Admissions decisions in a needblind manner, even if our budget does not allow us to provide Aid to every admitted student who qualifies.”

In the 2022-23 school year, six percent

One further expense the school does not include in its Financial Aid budget is the employee perquisite. Enrolled children of full time employees are entitled to one third of tuition as a benefit of employment;

most employees with enrolled children also apply for Financial Aid beyond the employee perquisite, but almost $800,000 in perquisite dollars was provided in 2022-23 and not included in the Aid figures. If that was included in the 2022-23 Aid budget total, it would reflect a total of $13.3 million dollars; the projection for 2023-24 inclusive of the perquisites would

The Admissions Office has worked to make the school’s admissions process more accessible, making changes to the standardized testing requirement and offering Financial Aid information sessions.

Compared to peer schools, the school has a low per-student endowment ratio, which is a measure of the amount of Financial Aid it can offer. The school created an endowment for Aid in the past thirty years. “While we have provided Financial Aid for longer than any of our current employees can recall, potentially since HM’s earliest days, the philosophy surrounding the approach to Aid and socio-economic diversity has evolved over time,” the White Paper said.

As tuition increases, so will the need for Aid in future years. “Rising tuition rates are a struggle for many of our families who do not qualify for Aid but see those costs increasing each year and may not see their own incomes keeping pace,” according to the White Paper. “In order to achieve a fully endowment-funded and need-blind Financial Aid program, we estimate more than $350 million (as of 2022) would need to be endowed specific to Aid.”

Currently, the school has raised $47.25 million for endowed and immediate use. Along with the two large gifts, the funds came from the HM in Motion Capital Campaign (with $6.25 million designated to Aid), $8 million in Restricted Annual Fund, Senior Gifts, and Par-

The first donor made the second largest lump-sum gift in the school’s history: $4,500,000. The money will go towards the Financial Aid endowment, which will be spent with the Board-approved 4.5% spending policy. “Knowing that an HM family would place such a high priority on supporting HM and its students was humbling and a tremendous boost to our collective confidence as we began this quiet effort,” Kelly wrote.

The second donor made the largest gift in school history, committing $15,000,000 in increments of $1,000,000 per year for immediate use towards Financial Aid, Kelly wrote. “This HM family donor applauded our long term goal and efforts to date, but felt it important to contribute to immediate change, while simultaneously inspiring others to participate in this quiet initiative.”

ents Association & Alumni Council Benefits. “These recent efforts, totaling $47.25 million (endowed and immediate use) have also served to bolster the school’s overall financial position and fitness of governance and operations as validated by a AA- rating from S&P Global,” Kelly wrote. Going forward, the school’s Board of Trustees and administration, along with the Board’s Academic Affairs/Enrollment & Student Life Committee and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, plan to increase the Aid endowment in $25,000,000 increments every three to five years, Kelly wrote.

“In order to achieve a fully endowment-funded and needblind Financial Aid program, we estimate more than $350 million (as of 2022) would need to be endowed specific to Aid.”

-White Paper on Tuition and Non-Tuition Aid and Socio-Economic Diversity

Vivian Coraci/Art Director

Music ensembles prepare for upcoming summer trip to Hawai’i

so I want to take the students that understand that they’re actually humans whom the land is connected to,” he said.

For this reason, Ho only does the trip on years when he knows that he has the right group of people to bring with him. “I looked at all of the grades in choir this year and knew that these are the people that I want to introduce to my family,” Ho said.

and most significant chant. “The chant is mainly about introducing ourselves to our hosts,” Ho said. “When we go to wide spaces of learning, we all stand, chant, and we hope that it’s sincere.”

was struck by the erasure of Hawaiian culture in the first half of the twentieth century. Simultaneously, she was inspired by the cultural renaissance that began in the 1970s, she said.

On June 15, Upper Division (UD) students from the school’s bands, choirs, orchestras, steel bands, and faculty chaperones, will fly to Hawai’i for a week of learning, music, and fun. This trip has been in the works for over five years, since the current seniors were in seventh grade, Choir and Music Department Chair Timothy Ho said. As a Native Hawaiian, Ho finds this trip especially important and a great opportunity to introduce students to his home and culture.

From finding the right chaperones to figuring out the flight details, there were many different moving parts when planning for the trip, music instructor Dr. Amir Khosrowpour said. “We wanted to ensure that we found a mix of chaperones, including some who are CPR certified,” he said. Luckily, the tour guide was able to handle all of the flight information, allowing Khosrowpour to share all of the trip in-

formation with parents and students.

Students will participate in many activities, ranging from visiting Pearl Harbor to experiencing Native Hawaiian culture through workshops at the He’eia Fishpond. “The fish pond that we’ll be going to is a really cool experience where we’re going to get dirty, muddy, and wet,” Khosrowpour said. Students will also have the opportunity to perform at a local church and a shopping center, he said.

To prepare students for the trip, Ho taught the students attending about Hawaiian culture and Native Hawaiian History. “I do it so that students have the opportunity to understand where Native Hawaiians are coming from in terms of presenting actual culture to us,” Ho said.

Most people come to Hawai’i for the stereotypical aspects, such as the beaches and Luau shows, Ho said. However, this trip will highlight the indigenous people’s perspectives and respect their land. “Horace Mann students have a lot of heart and empathy,

Despite traveling to the same location, Ho believes that this trip will be different from the previous Hawai’i trips in 2011 and 2018. In 2011, the trip was a typical trip to Hawai’i, as the group behaved very touristy. While during the 2018 trip started to do more authentic Hawaiian activities, the group still didn’t have as much access to Indigenous Hawaiian spaces. Since the members of the 2018 trip were so respectful, Native Hawaiians were increasingly willing to share their culture with the school. “There is still the memory of Horace Mann being there and representing us, so this trip is different because I think we will be embraced automatically because of our association with 2018,” Ho said.

Prior to the trip, students have learned three chants to be used throughout the trip at various occasions. The first chant is derived from a Native Hawaiian tradition of chanting up the sun out of the ocean, he said. The second chant is used as a form of gratitude that students will chant to show appreciation to their hosts. To get into Native Hawaiian learning spaces, students will need to chant the final,

UD history teacher and trip chaperone Melissa Morales is excited to experience Hawai’i through an indigenous lens, she said. “I’m really excited about it being a learning experience and having access to cultural experiences as opposed to just traveling there for tourist reasons.”

Morales attended Ho’s cultural orientation presentation and saw that the trip was extensively planned to expose participants to varying cultural and historic spaces, she said. “What stood out to me the most was how thoughtful Mr. Ho was in thinking about how he could share the true story of Hawai’i with us.”

As Morales teaches about imperialism in many of her classes, she is interested in learning more about native Hawaiian culture. “I’m really excited that I’ll actually be able to see these sites and actually be able to experience them as their own primary sources, and hopefully bring that back to students,” she said.

Morales believes that it’s important for everyone going on the trip to understand the history of people who still live there. “Their history is also a part of American history, even though native Hawaiian history is also very distinct,” Morales said.

Head of the UD Dr. Jessica Levenstein, another chaperone for the trip, also attended Ho’s presentation and

Levenstein was also intrigued by the cultural aspects of the trip. “I was also really interested in the culture of respect that Mr. Ho discussed, whether that means eye contact, attentive listening, or slowing down enough to make meaningful connections with others,” Levenstein said. She is very excited to see these concepts come to life through their interactions in Hawaii, and is looking forward to seeing a version of Hawaiian life that visitors might not usually get to see, she said.

Like Levenstein, Khosrowpour is excited to experience the trip from a Native Hawaiian perspective, he said. “We will come there and enter their spaces in a way that is culturally correct.”

Jiwan Kim (10), a member of Glee Club, will also be attending the trip and is very excited to travel to Hawai’i, as well as learn about all of the indigenous places that they will be going to. “I’m glad that all of us will have the opportunity to not only visit these spaces, but also perform at them as well,” she said.

Jiya Chatterjee (12), in both Concert Glee and Treble Choir, is looking forward to the trip, she said. “I’m excited about the whole trip in general and to sing some of the songs I sang in middle school will be a full circle moment for me.”

Music department renames class day awards after distinguished alumni

Matthew Brand and Zach Hornfeld Staff Writers

Previously named after classical composers Ludwig van Beethoven, George Frideric Handel, and Hanns Jelinek, the music department has changed the names of three class day prizes to George Avakian ‘37 Medal for Leadership in Music, the Lucy Monroe ‘24 Medal for Music Artistry, and the Elliot Carter ‘26 Medal for Musical Excellence. These awards, given to seniors who display musical excellence, leadership, and artistry, now better reflect the school’s musical community, Music

Department Chair Timothy Ho said. Music teacher Michael Bomwell came up with the idea to name the musical leadership award after Avakian. Avakian was a jazz record producer and manager, achieving fame in the 1940s. He produced and worked with icons of Jazz music like Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and Edith Piaf, bringing their music to the radio. “His job in the industry was to take charge in bringing music to life,” Bomwell said.

The department awards the Avakian medal to a student who looks out for the best interests of their peers and ensembles, Ho said. “Whether they’re helping to make sure that the

Volume 120 Editorial Board

Head of Design

Avani Khorana

food is organized or that spaces are cleaned up, students who receive the leadership award display an initiative to make the Music Department a better place.”

The Monroe Medal for Music Artistry is presented to a student who not only shows musical talent and passion, but also makes a communal impact through their music, Ho said. The namesake of this award, Lucy Monroe, was a celebrated opera singer known as the “Star-Spangled Soprano.” She was famous for her operatic rendition of the National Anthem that she routinely performed at Yankees games. Monroe emulated the values of musical artistry as she

Staff

would do anything to further the development of her musical talent and share it with her community.

The Music Department had Elliot Carter in mind during the renaming, so it felt obvious to name the Medal for Musical Excellence after him, Ho said. Carter won four Pulitzer prizes, among other honors, for his critically acclaimed classical compositions. “Students who receive the award take complete advantage of the music department, taking any class they can to improve their skills,” Ho said.

This award goes to students who take a variety of music classes from musical history to studio technolo-

gy, displaying their dedication to become a confident, poised musician. Carter and his award’s recipients exhibit musical virtuosity, leadership, and dedication — a perfect storm between the other two awards. Because of its significance, it is the only award not given out annually, Ho said.

The most important junction between the awards is that all recipients must exhibit empathy and exemplify the values of the Music Department, Ho said. “The music department isn’t only a place where we come to play music — we are here every day to build and celebrate community.”

Editorial Policy

Features

Emily Sun

Vidhatrie Keetha

Ayesha Sen

Lions’ Den

Max Chasin

Art Directors

Amira Dossani

Vivian Coraci

Sophia Liu

Editor in Chief

Emily Salzhauer

Zachary Kurtz Opinions Audrey Carbonell

News

Middle Division

Celine Kiriscioglu Rachel Baez

Design Editors Sophie Pietrzak

Alara Yilmaz

Sean Lee

A&E

Hannah Katzke

Allison Markman

Photo Directors

Jorge Orvañanos

Aryan Palla

Ben Rafal

Online Editor Emily Grant Faculty Adviser David Berenson

Staff Writers Ariella Frommer, Ava Lipsky, Clara Stevanovic, Erica Jiang, Harper Rosenberg, Isabella Ciriello, Jorge Orvañanos, Joshua Shuster, Kate Beckler, Lucy Peck, Maeve Godlman, Naomi Yaeger, Neeva Patel, Samantha Matays, Sofia Kim, Sophie Rukin, Audrey O’Mary, Blake Bennett, Brody Grossman, Emily Wang, Gillian Ho, Hannah Becker, Jacqueline Shih, James Zaidman, Julia Bouchut, Malachai Abbott, Nikita Pande, Oliver Konopko, Nora Wildman, Rena Salsberg, Diya Chawla, Zach Hornfeld, Julia Lourenco, Lily Sussman, Charles Ampah

Staff Photographers Nicole Au, Jorge Orvañanos, Trish Tran, Aanya Gupta, Jiwan Kim, Ryan Nikitiadis, James Zaidman, Emily Wang, David Aaron, Harper Rosenberg, Evan Contant

Staff Artists Sam Stern, Dylan Leftt, Aydan Ergin, Kristy Xie, Addy Steinberg, Ishaan Iyengar, Sophie Li, Serena Bai, Kayden Hansong, Aashna Hari, Karla Moreira, Isabelle Kim, Christain Connor, Sam Gordon, Dani Brooks, Aimee Yang, Sarah Aaron

About Founded in 1903, The Record is Horace Mann School’s award-winning weekly student newspaper. We publish approximately 30 times during the academic year, offering news, features, opinions, arts, Middle Division and sports coverage relevant to the school community. The Record serves as a public forum to provide the community with information, entertainment, and an outlet for various viewpoints. As a student publication, the contents of The Record are the views and work of the students and do not necessarily represent those of the faculty or administration of the Horace Mann School. Horace Mann School is not responsible for the accuracy and contents of The Record and is not liable for any claims based on the contents or views expressed therein.

Editorials All editorial decisions regarding content, grammar, and layout are made by the senior editorial board. The unsigned editorial represents the opinion of the majority of the board.

Opinions Opinion columns represent the viewpoint of the author and not of The Record or the school. We encourage students, alumni, faculty, staff, and parents to submit opinions by emailing record@horacemann.org.

Letters Letters to the editor often respond to editorials, articles, and opinions pieces, allowing The Record to uphold its commitment to open discourse within the school community. They too represent the opinion of the author and not of The Record or the school.

To be considered for publication in the next issue, letters should be submitted by mail (The Record, 231 West 246th Street, Bronx, NY 10471) or email (record@horacemann.org) before 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening. All submissions must be signed.

Contact For all tips, comments, queries, story suggestions, complaints and corrections, please contact us by email at record@horacemann.org.

Diya Chawla Staff Writer

ALOHA Group photo from the 2018 Hawai’i trip.

A look behind the camera: Five shorts from Filmmaking Directed Studies

In Filmmaking Directed Studies this year students put together short films under the guidance of filmmaking and film history teacher, Jordan Rathus. At the beginning of the year, students brainstormed ideas for their films with fellow classmates and Ms. Rathus in class. Since then, they have been working on putting together their projects, a process that involves both filming and editing. The films being exhibited at the filmmaking screenings are the product of months of the students’ hard work and effort.

“Within” follows a lazy high schooler trying to fit in with his very intelligent family. The protagonist, Lloyd, is scolded by his parents for not trying hard enough in school. Without even realizing, Lloyd gains super-intelligence abilities and soaks it all in while he can. To his teacher’s surprise, he breezes through a math test and finds a new motivation to do work. All of a sudden, the higher power who gave him his abilities, takes them away. Lloyd must learn that his true intelligence is within him, he just has to find himself.

Throughout the year, I worked on a project called “Dad’s Kitchen.” Unlike many of the other films made in the Directed Study and Film Classes this year, my movie is split into three parts. The film’s main character is also named Jack, who is struggling with the loss of his father. Jack and his father loved to cook together and even had plans of creating a restaurant together. One day, Jack ventures to his kitchen to search for snacks. While searching, Jack discovers his Dad’s old cookbook in which he wrote down the recipes they made together. After remaking an old favorite, Dad’s Sweet Potato soup, Jack impulsively decides to start a restaurant out of his kitchen. Jack struggles to find customers and deals with an unfortunate turn of events. Dr. Kotchian plays Jack’s therapist and Daniel Pustilnik plays Jack’s friend and sous-chef. The film is shot by Aidan Frank. The movie is lighthearted and bittersweet, with numerous surprises and twists.

The Nighthawk Murders

“The Nighthawk Murders” is a psychological neo-noir short film about Detective Edward Hopper, a washed-out police detective grappling with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Tasked with a final case to save his career, Hopper embarks on an investigation of the enigmatic Nighthawk Murder. However, he quickly finds himself pursuing a violent murderer who is always one step ahead: himself.

Caesar capitalizes off of the inherent tension of high school by running a confessional booth in the school itself, charging stressed and anxious students a premium for his services. Inside the booth, Caesar is authoritative and powerful, idolized and revered like a God by the other students. Due to their infatuation with him, his practice of guidance is deceptive as it is mostly done for his own personal gain. Outside the booth, however, he becomes more reserved, losing his status and title as “Caesar,” morphing back into his normal high school self, Basil. The story essentially follows this boy who grapples with the realities of his two worlds.

The Coveted Family Table

“The Coveted Family Table” follows the story of Leo, an 18 year old who endures a car accident. Following the crash, Leo seems to be trapped in the woods unable to contact her partner Rory. Leo searches desperately for the cabin that she was originally headed for only to figure out that she is being followed by a mysterious force and noise. Leo struggles to continue as the sound encompasses her entire reality in the woods. Leo eventually finds a solution to her reality, giving us an insight into the mind of a person unconventionally separated from her family. The Coveted Family Table is a physiological thriller focusing on what it truly means to be a human in search of real genuine partnership and love.

Sam Siegel

Dad’s Kitchen

Jack Chasen

Jack Komaroff and Lawson Wright

God in a Box

Arman Azmi

Within

Aden Soroca

Reporting by Clara Stevanovic, Staff Writer

Exploring the inner workings of the Counseling and Guidance

James Zaidman Staff Writer

“My purpose is to give students a space at school where they can be honest with themselves and with a caring and compassionate adult about what’s going on with them,” psychologist Dr. Liz Westphal said. “Whether it’s something academic, something social, something at home, something with family, or anything that might be causing them distress and taking them away from their studies or making it hard for them to feel good coming to school or waking up every day.”

Staffed by three psychologists, the Counseling and Guidance Department offers mental health support to any student who walks into the office. According to a Record poll with 138 respondents, 44% have visited the office at least once. Approximately half of respondents also said they felt some stigma around visiting the office, in part due to the culture at the school and the nature of the office itself.

Upon entering the office, students can either schedule an appointment with one of the psychologists through Administrative Assistant Fabiana Cabral, or wait for a meeting on one of two armchairs, next to the coffee table with puzzles, a sand “zen garden,” fidget toys, and a jar of sweets.

The psychologists’ roles differ from that of a therapist or guidance counselor, psychologist Dr. Ian Pervil said. Counseling and Guidance does not act as a long-term solution, but rather a “safety net” for students at school. “If they need long-term, ongoing care, then they should be working with a therapist outside of school who can really provide that care, without the interference of being in a school setting.”

Among the 61 respondents who have visited the office, over a third have only been once; around one fifth visit a few times per year. For Bea Monti (9), who responded to a follow-up poll about the office, her visits have helped her combat test-

taking anxiety. The psychologists taught her new tactics to cope with anxiety during her tests, she said. Hesitancy around visiting Counseling and Guidance may be fueled by high expectations of what a “model Horace Mann student” should be, Celia Stafford (11) said. There is a sense that Counseling and Guidance should only be used in extremely difficult situations, which simply is not true, she said. “You don’t have to be having a mental breakdown, you can just go there to talk. You can have help all the time.”

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the department is that they must legally call parents or teachers after having a conversation with a student, Pervil said. “The vast majority of the time that students come in, we talk about problems and we don’t tell anyone else what’s going on,” he said. “We generally only have to talk to parents when there are worries about harm to self or others.”

According to Westphal, the department has to call home if a student is contemplating or has engaged in self-harm, has an eating disorder, has a substance use disorder, is in an abusive relationship, or if any criminal behavior is occurring. “Those

leaving it up to the student to go into the details, Pervil said. “We want you to have the more personal conversations with your parents to your own comfort level, rather than us speaking for you.”

Another misconception surrounding the office is that they will not care about what a student has to say, Amaris Christian (10) said. Although there may have been isolated cases in which information that students did not want to be shared was shared, she believes that the space generally fulfills its purpose. “Counseling and Guidance is a bit more inclusive and a bit more accessible than people think.”

When a student enters the office and a psychologist determines that they are not in an appropriate mental state to go to class, they follow a strict procedure to protect the student. First, they email Administrative Assistant Laura Cassino, who manages attendance records, that the student in question should be excused from class for that period. While the department copies the student’s grade dean on the email, there is no communication with the teacher directly unless the student chooses to inform them why they missed class, Westphal said.

situation,’ and then I’ll give them a specific reason.”

Stafford, who has visited Counseling & Guidance for both minor and major issues, said that the office can often be a safe space to calm down in the heat of the moment and affirm her feelings.

Christian, who also visits Counseling & Guidance when she feels overwhelmed during the school day, thinks that the office is an incredible source of help during tough moments. The psychologists not only help students work through their emotions, but also provide an impartial perspective since they do not know what happens in your life outside of school, she said. “Even though they see you around school, they don’t really know your life and they’re not going to interfere with your personal schedule.”

previous years.”

After the pandemic, more students have brought their friends into the office as well, Pervil said. According to the Record poll, 32% of the 61 students who have visited the office went on their own volition, while 40% were referred to the office by a teacher at the school, 13% were referred by a parent, and 10% were referred by a friend.

Pervil has also observed a higher proportion of underclassmen coming in to seek help, which is unlike previous trends he had observed. “When you’re in a new environment, you feel like you should be able to handle things in a certain way, so you are more reluctant to reach out for help,” he said. “In the years that I’ve been here, more people who are younger feel less afraid to come for help.”

are all situations where we would insist on contacting a parent because we know that those are all situations that require intervention that is beyond the scope of the school,” she said. “Since the students here are largely under 18, the only way they can access that intervention is through their parents.”

When the Department is forced to call parents, they only relay the vital information such as what needs to be done instantly to solve the issue,

The deans respect the clinical opinion of the psychologist to excuse a student from class, and never pry into what the reason for the excusal was, Westphal said. Deans are vital to the success of the office since they can adjust a student’s schedule or communicate with teachers to give students space to deal with issues. “I will often ask a student, ‘what do you think about letting the dean know about this? I think the dean might be really helpful in this particular

Since he began working at the school six years ago, Pervil has noticed a significant reduction in stigma surrounding the Department of Counseling and Guidance. The pandemic shifted public mindsets around mental health, and online school helped parents understand the significance of mental health in their kids. “We heard a lot more worries coming directly from parents because they had more direct access to [students] than they had in

Westphal attributes the increase in underclassmen to a more open discussion on mental health at the school, aided by a member of the Department visiting each Horace Mann Orientation class at the start of their time in the Upper Division.

ZEN ZONE Seating area in the C&G office awaits students.

Emily Wang/Staff Photographer

“You don’t have to be having a mental breakdown, you can just go there to talk. You can have help all the time.”

-Celia Stafford (11)

Can clubs get you into college? Unpacking the school’s culture around extracurriculars

Naomi Yaeger Staff Writer

“More often than not, the college piece factors into students’ interest in starting clubs,” Dean of Students Michael Dalo said. “We have many propositions for clubs that overlap in ways with other clubs that already exist, and I think that that does stem from an idea that students think that they need to be the person who starts a group.”

As the school year comes to a close, students compete for leadership positions in clubs and publications and brainstorm the creation of new organizations as well. The stress that surrounds this process stems from perceptions of the relationship between college acceptances and participating in school organizations.

While academics serve as the most important part of college applications, extracurriculars are a close second, providing admissions officers with a unique view into students’ lives, Executive Director of College Counseling Canh Oxelson said. “It’s almost like an admissions officer would like to follow you around for one day or one week to see what you’re interested in, what you talk about, and how you spend your time.”

Though admissions officers use students’ extracurriculars to track their growth and predict their college trajectory, the subjectiveness of the college process makes it impossible to determine how much a particular activity matters in an admission decision, Oxelson said. “What we don’t want is for students to think of clubs and organizations in a transactional manner — as in, ‘if I do this club or organization for this many years, or for this many hours a week, it will be viewed a particular way in college admissions.’”

The importance and ambiguity of extracurriculars can make it difficult for students to decide how much time they should dedicate to a club position or activity. In a Record poll sent after the Clubs Fair with 177 respondents, 33% said they signed up for at least one club because they “thought it would look good for college.” In the same poll, however, 91% of respondents said they joined out of genuine interest, illustrating the balance that students strive to achieve between competition and genuine passion.

While William Bramwell (12) was genuinely interested in most of the clubs he joined, such as the Economics Club, the Classics Society, and BusinessMann, he joined Parliamentary Debate, which he was less excited about, to include it on his resu-

me, he said. “I do enjoy debating and talking about issues with people,” Bramwell said. “But I don’t think I actually loved the club — it was more just something I did.”

College applications did not play a role in the clubs Giselle Paulson (12) initially joined. She chose ones that aligned with her interests and her mom’s recommendations, like Public Forum Debate (PF), which she is now a president of. “I thought it would be too preppy and I wouldn’t like it, but then I ended up really loving it — and it wasn’t preppy.”

Oftentimes, students use extracurriculars as a mechanism for creating a narrative for their college applications. Paulson became much more aware of this pressure in her junior year, she said “When I was choosing summer internships after junior year, I knew that debate was my main activity, so I wanted to do something more law-oriented,” Paulson said. “I still found that internship interesting, but the thought process, for the first time, did involve how cohesive my application would be when I applied to college.”

Zain Lakhaney (11) joined the FRC Robotics team and co-founded the Horace Mann for Islamic Awareness Club to pursue his passions and make his interests clear to colleges, he said. Lakhaney thought that starting a club would demonstrate his ability to take on responsibility to the colleges he will eventually apply to.

Every year, students develop new clubs, Dalo said. Occasionally, when students are spread too thin, these clubs can become inactive, he said. Other times, students start clubs based on less-developed ideas. “A club can’t revolve around one activity or one initiative because once that thing is done, it’s like, ‘Okay, now what does this club do?’”

According to the Upper Division (UD) Student Life Webpage, new clubs are initially placed under a probationary status. Within two months of their approval, clubs must host three meetings with at least seven attendees to gain full approval. This year, Dalo implemented a new policy requiring that clubs re-register at the start of each year to ensure that clubs are active. He estimates that 75-80% of clubs are active in a given year, with around 10 of approximately 80 clubs being denied for renewal at the start of this year.

Despite not intending to be a pre-med student, Ruimin Zhang (11) founded the Students in Medicine club two years ago. Zhang saw a lack of medicine-related clubs and wanted to create a community for pre-med students, he said. “I sometimes have a lot of work and it gets really hard to make

club meetings, but I still lead them because I feel like I have a responsibility,” he said. “These people, they signed up for the expo sure, and it’s unfair to them if I just stop the meetings.”

Gabe Jaffe (11) founded the Investors Club after noticing a gap in the school’s club offerings, as it allowed him to pursue his passion for different economic mar kets, he said. “I didn’t think there was a club at school where kids could learn ab out investing in stocks and different kinds of markets, like bonds and real estate and crypto,” he said. The club is low-commit ment, but meets enough times to discuss every economic sector that they focus on at least once.

While some students believe that “le gacy clubs” will boost their chances in college applications more than other clubs, colleges do not view one organization as more important than another, Oxelson said. Legacy clubs are large, often higher commit ment clubs that have been at the school for a long period of time, such as PF, Model UN (MUN), and The Record. Instead, colleges look for the impact that students had, both within that club and on the school community at large, Oxelson said. While this impact can correlate to club size, it does not have to.

Joining “legacy clubs” can come with a negative connotation, Jiyon Chatterjee (12) said. When Chatterjee joined the PF team in ninth grade, many of his peers discouraged him, saying that it would be harder to stand out for leadership on the large team.

Leadership opportunities can oftentimes create a tension between focusing on clubs that a student loves versus the ones they think will impress college admissions officers, Avi Rao (12) said. “I’ve done [Mock Trial and Robotics] throughout all four years of high school and really loved them, so I feel like I want to make them better as a leader,” he said. “Did I think, ‘Oh yeah, that would also be great for college,’ especially in junior year? Sure.”

Similarly, while Bramwell pursued leadership in clubs that he was passionate about, the pressure to obtain leadership for his college applications was always present, he said. “I’d like to say I applied mostly for a genuine interest in the subject, but I won’t lie, the resume and college application building certainly plays a huge part as well,” he said. “It might even be close to 50-50 for me.”

Claire Tsai (9) views club leadership as a way to demonstrate commitment to that club, she said. Tsai applied to be a Middle Division mentor on PF, which she views as her main interest, in order to share her love of PF with younger students and show the club leaders that she cares about the club, she said.

Similarly to club membership, the titles that students hold are less important than the actual significance they had in that given activity, Oxelson said. “While I understand why you might imagine someone who’s president, or vice-president, or founder as having a greater impact than someone who‘s the treasurer or the secretary, that isn’t always the case,” he said.

Students can also show impact outside structured activities. “For example, a kid who is taking care of a younger sibling doesn’t have a leadership title, but they have impact,” Oxelson said. For this reason, the Common Application has the option to include any activity that students allocated time to in whether it be a part-time job, a hobby, a familial obligation, or more. “It is an accounting of your time outside the classroom, no matter what it is or

make sure that we are writing about them in our recommendations.” These recommendation letters can also highlight impacts that a student had on their school community, such as becoming the first female president of a club that is generally maledominated, Oxelson said.

When choosing new PF leaders, Paulson said commitment to the club was the most important factor. “You don‘t have to be winning every tournament, but if you’re consistently showing up, you’re practicing, you’re prepping, and you’re doing the most you can do, we value that the most,” she said. “It’s hard to do that if you‘re not genuinely interested in the club.”

By picking committed leaders for the next year, current leaders can prevent the club from dying out, Bramwell said. “It’s extremely easy, as a senior, to just care about the college application process and your grades, and just let the club die,” he said. “Unfortunately at HM, I’ve seen a lot of that.”

Some people join the MUN team solely to list it on their college application, but the high level of commitment required to advance in the club means that these people are few and far between, MUN Secretary-General Nitika Subramanian (12) said. “Most people grow to love the team more than just a way to get into college.”

Encouragement from his parents has made Kevin Cheng (9) more aware of the relationship between clubs and college applications, he said. “My parents have been motivating me to find my passion,” Cheng said. “Like generally, ‘Hey, you need to start paying attention to college,’ so that’s just something in the back of my mind.”

Colleges can typically tell when students over state how much a particular activity mattered to them, Oxelson said. “It’s difficult to fake genuine interest and impact,” he said. To verify a student’s claim, admissions officers will compare their essays to the letters of recommendation written about them.

“All clubs do things that you wouldn’t usually see high schoolers do — whether that be publishing a paper every week or hosting a huge conference — and those are the types of things that Horace Mann should invest in, because that’s what makes Horace Mann unique,” Subramanian said.

Aanya Gupta/Staff Photographer

After end to Roe v. Wade, students weigh abortion access when applying to college

Sofia Kim Staff Writer

“Some people restrict their college list based on the weather of the state. Having fundamental abortion rights, to me, are comparable to a person not wanting a cold winter,” Naomi Gelfer (11) said. “It’s that simple.”

Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade in a 6-3 decision, reversing the nationwide constitutional right to abortion under the 14th Amendment and granting states the authority to decide their abortion laws. Amidst the ensuing national conversation, members of the Class of 2023 have applied to college and decided where they will spend the next four years, while members of the Class of 2022 have begun to work on their applications for next fall.

Out of the 174 participants in the Class of 2023’s college map, 6.25% are attending colleges in one of the 14 states with no access to abortion — Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas, and Missouri — and 27% are going to one of the 25 states with some restriction on abortion. However, the majority of seniors will attend

right to abortions.

When Gelfer first began working on her college list, she was interested in Rice University in Houston, Texas for its STEM opportunities. However, Gelfer felt deterred after Texas completely restricted abortions, with no exceptions for rape or in cest. “If a state is adamantly against abortion, it signals to me they belie ve in a law I fundamentally disagree with,” she said. “I feel as though they do not see me as a person deserving of fundamental rights to making their own conscious decisions about their body.”

Audrey Goldberg (11) is also con sidering a state’s decision to ban or legalize abortions while researching colleges. “It definitely influences where I look and will potentially go because I don’t want to feel unsafe in a state that doesn’t support me in my rights,” she said. While Audrey has not ruled out any schools in particular, she is cautious about researching colleges in states that are more con servative, she said.

Most seniors, like Mor gan Bart (12) who is at tending college in North Caro -

consider state abortion laws while applying. While Bart feels personally affected by abortion laws, she is excited to have the opportunity to vote and make a difference when at-

to restrict abortion but to push it as far as they can, she said. “Many people don’t even know that they are pregnant at the six week mark. It makes an already scary time even

Education Department Chair and Health teacher Amy Mojica said. For example, in the past week, South Carolina passed an abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy. “It is still a moving target right now and things are changing on a daily basis,” Mojica said.“You could teach something in class and it may have changed within a month.”

Students should understand the state’s right to abortion to look out for their own health, Mojica said. Because there are different options for contraception, it‘s even more important in certain states to have conversations with a partner about using contraception and their risks.

In reality, many students at the school do not have to think about the effects of each state’s decision, Tess said. “At the end of the day, our school is in New York, which protects the right to abortion, and many students are fortunate enough to seek medical care when necessary,” she said. “The people who are really affected by a state’s decision to restrict abortions are mostly lower income communities and people of color.”

Amira Dossani/Art Director and Christian Conner/Staff Artist

A look into the history of acceptance and coming out in the school community

Ariella Frommer Staff Writer

“There were microaggressions and it was clear that some students had an unconscious bias against queer people,” Rachel Lee ‘17 said regarding her experiences as a queer student at the school. “It seems like younger people, in general, are more cognizant of being inclusive towards different identities, which makes me optimistic that things are going in a better direction.”

No queer student was out when history teacher Dr. Emily Straus ‘91 was a student. “Maybe they were out to their friends, but they were not out publicly.” When Straus started teaching at the school in 2014, the environment for queer students had become more accepting, but few kids were out, she said.

When Jordan Roth ‘93 was a student, being gay was frowned upon, he said. “But, I don’t think that was specific to the Horace Mann culture,” Roth said. “That was the world culture.“

The school had a reputation of being more conservative than other private schools in New York City during the late 2010s, Dahlia Krutkovich ‘17 said. “It did feel like there was a culture shift halfway through high school, but there was still a stigma around being gay or queer, and it was not a very welcoming environment.”

Krutkovich did not come out to peers outside of her friend group at school because of fear of being judged by other students as well as her family values, she said. “I was coming from a particular home life where being gay was not valued.”

The social environment of the school did not provide a comfortable environment for queer students to be out during Lee’s time at school, she said. “There were 175 people in my year and I would say five to 10 people were out.” For example, most queer students did not bring their date to prom, she said.

While there was no direct hostility or violence against queer students, there was discreet bullying, Krutkovich said. “People definitely used certain slurs behind closed doors and there was a lot of guessing about who was gay.” In addition, there was a fear of being associated with the queer students on campus, Krutkovich said. “I had the sense that gay students were really judged at Horace Mann for having their hair dyed or being too artsy or not being smart enough.”

Compared to when they first came to the school in sixth grade, Etta Singer (11) has noticed that the number of queer students who are out has increased, they said. “Now, to see so many middle schoolers who are out, is really cool.”

Sophie Li (11) has also noticed that a lot of her peers identify as LGBTQ+, she said. “There is a willingness to explore, push boundaries, and not be confined to gender and sexuality norms.”

Elizabeth Lam (9) is out and feels comfortable telling anyone who asks,

she said. “I’m out but most people just assume I’m straight, which bothers me a bit that certain people think that everyone’s straight unless they dress a different way.”

Some of that openness can be attributed to social media, history teacher and LGBTQ+ affinity space advisor, Dr. Alicia DeMaio said. “You have access to more media representation and access to queer worlds in a way that I didn’t when I was young.”

The school has also taken measures to create a more welcoming environment for queer students. In the Spring of 2014, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly announced the introduction of the first gender-neutral bathroom. The non-binary changing area was expanded to a non-binary locker room in the Fall of 2022 after Head of Identity Culture and Institutional Equity (ICIE) Christine Moloney worked with the Athletics and Facilities departments to implement it.

While individual teachers may have been asking about students’ pronouns on the first day of school for several years, Head of Upper Division (UD) Dr. Jessica Levenstein introduced it as a policy for all UD classes in August of 2021.

“It’s nice for everyone, not just the nonbinary students or the trans students, to share their pronouns, so there’s just that base level of understanding and respect for each other,” Singer said.

The school offers two groups for queer students: Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and the LGBTQ+ Affinity Group. GSA is student-run and open to anyone, regardless of their identity, while the affinity group is led by faculty members DeMaio, Emily Lombardo, and Avery Feingold and is only open to students who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The purpose of the affinity group, which has 23 students, is to provide support, talk about issues in the school’s queer community and in the world, and find queer joy, DeMaio said. “Hopefully it makes queer-identifying students feel more supported,” she said. “Even if they don’t go, just knowing that those places exist is helpful.”

The affinity group was created in 2017, when Lee was a senior, so she attended a couple meetings before she graduated, she said. Having a space to talk about shared experiences and talk about identity is really important because being in a minority group can be isolating, she said. “As an adult, it’s easier to meet more like-minded people, but in high school, those opportunities are fewer just because a lot of people are coming to terms with their identity and reluctant to talk about it.”

Even though Lee didn’t come out until after high school, she felt comfortable attending these spaces, she said. “They had a level of privacy to them, which was great because there were a lot of students who really wanted to talk about their identities but were not comfortable being out.”

When Krutkovich was a student, along with GSA and the affinity group, the ICIE office had a program that con-

nected queer students to queer teachers, she said. Through this, Krutkovich found support from math teacher Meghan Fergusson, who helped her navigate the UD as a gay student. “She was extremely helpful in showing me that you can be a happy, well-achieved gay person,” Krutkovich said. “That was not the message that I had at home.”

DeMaio thinks it is important for students to see queer adults, so she makes herself available for any student to talk to, she said. “I didn’t have any out people in my community when I was younger, so I didn’t even know that it was an option,” she said, “So I hope that having adults be out and queer is comforting for people who maybe don’t have that outside of school.”

While no teachers were particularly open about their sexuality, simply the presence of the few teachers who were gay provided some comfort for Roth, he said. “Anybody who is further down the path than you, can offer support and encouragement, even if you never talk to that person.”

While the school supports students’ sexuality, Singer thinks that there is still not enough support for trans students and genderqueer students, they said. “With so many attacks nationwide on trans youth, it is important that we not only have things like gender neutral bathrooms, but some actual efforts are taken to support trans students, such as education around being transgender.”

The faculty and administration need to understand how large the queer student population is, Singer said. Especially for students who don‘t feel comfortable at home, that understanding would create a more accepting space, they said. “Not accepting you despite the fact that you‘re queer, but accepting you because you‘re you — and also you‘re queer, and that‘s something cool about you that nobody bats an eye at.’”

Lee wants to send an encouraging and optimistic message to current students, but she also recognizes that the issues that come with being queer in high school do not disappear after high school, she said. “It does get better in the sense that people are becoming more thoughtful and inclusive of different identities, but those issues of sexism, racism, and homophobia that you deal with in high school are present in college, in the workplace, and wherever you go in life.”

Roth encourages students not to feel pressure to come out, whatever that might look like, he said. “Coming out is yours. It will happen on your time, when you’re ready, and whenever it happens is precisely the right time.”

ANONYMOUS RESPONSES TO RECORD POLL:

While I’m open with my close friends, I’m not at all confident with being open to the rest of the school. I think that I have the valid opinion of not wanting the majority of Horace Mann students to know about a private part of my life, especially since homophobia and transphobia is still very prevalent at HM. I also think that a common belief is that our school is very liberal and progressive, and while this is true to an extent, there is still a lot of discomfort surrounding discussion about LGBTQ+ identities and “lowkey” homophobia that I often overhear.

I don’t believe that having to identify with a label or being “out” is important. I find it easier to be comfortable about my identity easier around certain groups of people more than others, but from my perspective, most people seem generally accepting or don’t care too much whether someone is LGBTQ+ or not. It’s become a pretty accepted thing for the most part— and there are a lot more LGBTQ+ people than there seems to be, people just aren’t as outward/ open about it because it isn’t really as big of a deal. Your sexuality is a part of your identity but it seems like more people don’t have to make their sexual identity explicit anymore.

People often say things that they think are “jokes” and they don’t realize the effect that it has on queer students at the school and how they’re actually being really offensive. I’ve seen guys in my grade sexualize lesbian couples and just downright make fun of a relationship between two men. If you asked most people at Horace Mann if they were homophobic they would of course answer you saying no, but their actions have a much different response. Although they say how they love the queer community they often just mock us and make comments and do many things that would be considered micro aggressions. As a closeted queer person I’ve seen this happen right in front of my eyes because when people are around only straight and cisgender people they feel comfortable to say things they never would in school.

I’m out to some of my friends, but not to others. As a cis male, I find that many of my other cis male friends are supportive/tolerant in public, but in private they’re often quite homophobic.

I feel comfortable around my close friends but I don’t think I will ever come out fully while at this school. It’s not that I’m ashamed of my identity, I just feel like people don’t need to know I’m queer any more so than they know someone else is straight. The entire concept of assuming students are straight/cis until they “ come out” and declare otherwise is maddening.

I identify as a lesbian. Amongst my friends and general acquaintances, it’s fairly well known. I don’t share that with everyone I meet, but I am easily stereotyped (“visibly queer”) based on my appearance and would guess that most people who aren’t close to me know anyways. I don’t really hide my being queer and would answer honestly if directly asked (in almost any case), but that’s rare.

Sarah Aaron/Staff Artist

765 students, 120 zip codes: Breaking down the Upper Division’s geographic diversity

Hannah Becker and Anya Mirza Staff Writers

Every morning, students in the Upper Division (UD) make their way to school from 120 zip codes across four boroughs and three states. Where a student lives can impact their social lives, transportation, and relationship to the city around them.

Many students have friend groups consisting mainly of people who live near them. Sophie Teitelbaum (9) has lived on the Upper East Side of Manhattan her whole life, near over 300 UD students and many of her close friends, she said. Her location has significantly influenced her social life, as it becomes more convenient to be friends with people who live close by. “[My friends and I] are able to make last-minute plans and hang out more often, whether it is going to walk around Central Park or grab a quick din ner,” Teitelbaum said.

In contrast, Madeline Ment (10), who lives in Harlem, does not live near many of her friends. Most of her friends live south of her in other Manhattan neighborhoods like the Upper East or West Side, which host eight of the ten most common zip codes among UD students. “So metimes I wish that I [lived closer to them] so I could just walk over to someone’s house,” she said. However, since public transportation is efficient and accessible in the city, her loca considerable effect

up in Fort a unique munity of her commu nity by joi ning groups such as the Youth Coun cil of Fort Lee (YCFL), which to organize events in hborhood like color draisers. “A lot of Fort Lee of Korean businesses like restaurants and stores, so being able to enter an establishment and speak my language makes me feel so much more connected to the community,” Kim said.

However, Kim’s location does pose some dis advantages, she said. “The distance is definitely difficult, as there is a physical bridge between me and most of my school friends,” Kim said. “It can be challenging to see them as it requires a lot of planning, but I am lucky to also live near most of my out-of-school friends in New Jersey.”

Since only 16 students live in the same zip code area as the school, transportation to and from school plays a significant role in people’s daily lives, whether that entails a 30-minute bus ride or an hour-and-a-half-long subway commute.

In addition to separating her from her friends, living in New Jersey has affected Kim’s commute to school. She typically spends over an hour

on the bus each morning getting through heavy traffic on the George Washington Bridge, which occasio nally results in Kim arriving late to her A period US History class.

For the past two years, Ment has taken the one train from her home in West Harlem to Van Cortlandt Park, which is the last stop on the line. While Ment frequently encounters other students on her journey, most of them board the train before her stop, she said.

On the other hand, Amaris

ving to school in the highest gear to save petrol and carpooling with other students.

In the fall of 2008, under Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly’s direction, the school changed its mailing address from Riverdale to the Bronx. “Driving this directive was the increasingly visible role HM was playing in the Bronx through the CCVA and as a result of allowing outside agencies to use our facilities,” Kelly wrote. “We were clearly growing to be known as a visible and important neighbor and partner in the greater Bronx, not just the Riverdale section of the Bronx. We‘re proud to be a top-tier independent day school living and breathing in the Bronx.”

TOP 15 ZIP CODES:

short journey to school. She takes the bus a few stops and walks a minutes from the bus stop to school. “It’s an easy commute; it only takes me 15 mi-

During the pandemic, Story Sossen’s (10) family purchased a second home in Riverdale upon realizing they enjoyed having a more spacious living space and being around nature, she said. Sossen’s family has also kept their apartment in Manhattan, where they stay each weekend, to be near friends and

Moving to Riverdale has allowed Sossen to save time which would otherwise be spent on her commute. “As a three-season athlete, being able to walk home from practice and get started on my work right away saves me about an hour-long bus ride and also helps me get more sleep,” Sossen said. Some students find that

on data the 2023 school tory, the UD, dents, Bronx. nally, tell live in they towith a cally gative

Scarsdale, tries to minimize costs as Cot trell’s pa rents only cover half of his gas fees and he has to pay for the rest, he said. He does this by

apart from the wider Bronx commuby saying that they live in Riverdale, not the Bronx. “I think this is because there’s this association with the Bronx, where it’s seen as the poorest borough,” she said. “I’ve had a bit of a culture shock.”

Gabrielle McLain (10) resides in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, which is an affluent area, she said. Because Upper Saddle is a primarily residential area, it is relatively unheard of, which prevents stereotyping, McLain said. “The only other thing in our town is a gas station.”

As such, McLain feels comfortable telling others where she lives because her peers’ unfamiliarity with her neighborhood typically means they don’t have negative views, she said.

Only 7.5% of the student body lives in New Jersey, while 90.5% live in New York, which Kim found unsurprising. Kim noticed that many students from the school reside in New York City and often view it as superior to New Jersey, as there are more activities to do and also many more restaurants. “I completely understand that and do enjoy going to the city a lot, but I also value having a separate school and home life and not always being surrounded by the same people,” Kim said.

Bronx — 16 zip codes, 78 ppl, 10% of UD

Queens — 5 zip codes, 5 ppl, 0.6% of UD

New Jersey — 19 zip codes, 56 ppl, 7.5% of UD

Connecticut — 9 zip codes, 16 ppl, 2% of UD

Westchester — 22 zip codes, 59 ppl, 8% of UD

Brooklyn — 3 zip codes, 3 ppl, 0.4% of UD

A Look Into This Summer’s Fashion Trends

0. Sheer Clothing

With icons like Doja Cat, Kristen Stewart, and Jenna Ortega donning sheer pieces on the red carpet, I anticipate a rise in the style this summer. Pair sheer items over opaque ones to create a unique contrast or (if you’re feeling daring) wear it on its own.

2. Mermaidcore

The release of Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” in May is popularizing aesthetics reminiscent of oceanic royalty. Runways have been full of wavy ruffles, sequins, and bright shades of blue and purple, and we predict the shelves will be too.

4. Puffer Slides

Convenient for a hot, active summer, slides are coming back into the light — with a twist. We are seeing an increase in high-heeled, voluminous slides that look like the trending Nike puffer coats in the form of footwear. Designers like Fendi and Proenza Schouler included these looks on their runways this year, demonstrating their versatility paire with many items of clothing.

6. Crochet

“Grandma sweater” is no longer an insult! The trend that has taken social media by storm is now becoming a staple in students’ wardrobes everywhere. Cardigans, tank tops, dresses, swimsuits — if you can name it, there’s probably a crochet version of it.

8. Adidas Sambas

While these vintage black and white shoes have been around for many years, they have just recently taken off among celebrities and social media. Celebrities such as Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and Tyler the Creator have been seen wearing them out in public. While the shoes have a basic color scheme, many are attracted to its minimalism.

00. Chic Athleisure

Athleisure-wear is no longer just for the gym. As seen on celebrities such as Bella Hadid, wearing athleisure is now an essential part of an everyday wardrobe. Instead of typical leggings and tank tops, more chic athleisure such as pleated tennis skirts, athletic bodysuits, and flared leggings are casual, comfortable, and durable staples for the summer season. They are also functional for any summer activity, from a day in the city with friends to a long hike.

Harper Rosenberg, Rena Salsberg, Ellyana Mancero, Eliana Son Staff and Contributing Writers

1. Lavendar

After Taylor Swift’s new hit “Lavender Haze” and a societal push for calmer tones in a bustling world, this light shade of purple has been on the rise. In fact, trendcaster WGSN predicts that lavender will be the color of the year, so look out for an additional pop of color to trending designs this summer.

3. Bows

With the rise of ballet and coquette aesthetics over the past few years, it is finally time to bring back bows. Many designers like Simone Rocha and Acne Studios have bedazzled their pieces with bows. In fact, I recently bought a tank top with a little bow on the neckline. What a great way to tie up the school year!.

5. Festival Fashion

Masqueraders sporting winged carnival costumes ride down the street on mobile stages. Wearing crowns designed to resemble elegant heaps of seaweed and “mesh joggers with a black netted jacket with blue sequin fringe,” The Lost Tribe is one of many carnival troupes in the Caribbean. Costuming is the foundation for most carnivals. Beyond that, this modest practice has evolved into an intriguing custom reflecting participants’ home and culture.

7. Linen

Linen button-ups, shorts, pants, and sets, have been in high demand for the past few summers and there is no doubt they will make their return this summer. Linen is perfect to dress up or down for any occasion and makes for a classy and effortless beach outfit. More affordable brands have been releasing linen clothing in their summer collection to make it more accessible; luxury brands still maintain linen pieces in their collections as well.

09. Cargo Pockets

From dresses and skirts to shorts and jeans, cargo pockets have become an increasingly popular trend seen on celebrities such as Hailey Bieber and Dua Lipa. Although cargo pants began with stiff, camouflage printed fabric, many well-known brands and designers have been updating the pant, making it both more casual and comfortable. No longer a cliche

01. Raffia Bags

Totes, purses, and bags made of straw are going to be everywhere this summer. Last year, the Prada raffia tote bag took the bag world by storm. This year, even more designers are creating different styles of bags all made of the raffia material. Now, more affordable brands like COS and Banana Republic are also incorporating raffia bags into their summer collection so you can add this beachy staple to your closet.

Students head to sleep away camp, their home away from home

Oliver Konopko Staff Writer

“Camp is easily the best seven weeks of the year,” Camp Robinhood camper Cooper Ferdman (10) said. While the idea of spending your summer in a cabin in the middle of Maine, New Hampshire, or upstate New York without your phone for weeks may sound daunting, many students agree with Ferdman that sleep-away camp is their “home away from home” for the summer.

For four to eight-weeks, campers leave their homes and head to sleep-away camp, where they enjoy activities such as water skiing,sailing, arts and crafts, and a wide range of sports, Camp Mataponi camper Sofia Sahai (9) said. However, it is not the activities that keep campers coming back each summer, she said. “I love the place itself, but it’s really the people that make it the best time.”

Ellie Romero (10) first went to Camp Mataponi when she was ten years old and has been going ever since. She initially went to camp because many of her friends did, so she wanted to be with them during

would always come home, and I would always be mad because they would spend all of our dinners together like ‘oh my god. Remember that time,’ talking about memories. So I wanted to be a part of the stories and know the people that they were laughing about.”

However, not everyone makes the “right” choice about camp on the first try. Ferdman first went to Camp Greylock, but found that he did not love the camp experience, he said. “I was terribly homesick, didn’t like being there, and I never really found my people.”

Willing to give camp another try, Ferdman attended Robinhood the following summer. Ferdman, like many others, chose his camp because he had family friends who had previously attended, he said. At first, Ferdman had planned to stay for four weeks, but, once at camp, changed his mind and stayed for the full seven weeks. “I decided to turn the car around and call the camp director asking to stay for the full seven weeks,” he said. “He said yes, I ended up staying, and I had a great time.” He’s gone back every summer since.

A major reason people return to camp is to escape from the outside

younger, I really liked soccer, basketball, and newcomb, that’s why I went,” he said. “Now, I still play sports, mostly lacrosse, but I mainly like seeing my friends.”

Likewise, Assistant Director of Admissions Emily Cohen ‘13, who attended and worked as a counselor and administrator at Point O’Pines, associates her time as a camper with friendship and being outside during the summer, she said.

As an administrator, Cohen typically worked to resolve conflicts between campers, help campers mature as people, and build a strong camp community, she said.

Community is a big part of why summer camp is so appealing, Cohen said. The experience of living in close proximity to people all day long inevitably leads to conflicts, but camp forces kids to deal with their problems and reach solutions for fellow campers, she said. “The potential head butting in itself provides a lot of opportunity for growth and conflict resolution, and it typically ends in a friendship being stronger, anyways.”

The friendships built at camp are very different from the ones made at school, Shuchman said. Shuchman formed unique relationships

camp friends almost every day,” she said. “Talking to them reminds me of summer fun during the school year.”

As students’ commitments increase as they get older, some, such as Smigel, choose to go to camp for a reduced session or none at all. Smigel first started at Camp Cedar

Director

dition

velopment, spending the summer away lows students to take a break

lar school year in a way that they cannot when at home, Ferdman said. “When I’m at home for the summer it all just feels like one super long weekend, but at camp, everything is always so exciting and unique.”

Camp has taught Ferdman leadership skills, he said. This will be Ferdman’s last summer as a camper, so there will be greater expectations on him and his group to set a strong example for the younger campers when he is a counselor. “I always looked up to the older groups, I knew them all, and they were all super nice,” he said. “Now, my goal is to be just like the people who were nice to me and showed me what camp is about – that is what leading the camp means.”

Vivian Coraci/Art

Crossword by Melissa Migdon

ACROSS

1 Viral internet phenomenon

5 "Finding Nemo" villain

10 Insignificant

14 Goo Goo Dolls hit

15 Soothing succulents

16 Tel ___

17 Neither fem. nor neut.

18 Volcanic output *

20 Intensify

22 Like days of yore

23 ___ doble (Spanish dance)

24 What will make you feel brand new, per Alicia Keys

26 Mountainous region of Germany *

29 Bonnie's partner in crime

30 Grow dim

31 Not just any

34 Boot bottom

35 Kids doctor?

37 Yankee slugger, familiarly

38 Curling surface

39 Tax pros, for short

40 Snoozed

41 No-sweat job, or a punny hint to the starred clues *

44 Inkblot

47 Bric-a-___

48 Pointless

49 Shoebox exhibits

53 "Stranger Things" alternate dimension, with The *

56 "S&M" singer, to fans

57 Target of a joke

58 Tossed meal

59 Autobús alternative

60 1974 C.I.A. spoof

61 Prophetic signs

62 Effortlessness

Harrison Bader ‘13 hits the ground running with the Yankees

Allison Markman Staff Writer

Since the school’s own Harrison Bader’s ‘13 return from the injured list (IL) in early May, his impact on the New York Yankees has been monumental. After a strong first few games back, Bader has batted .290, clocking

in five home runs so far this season. Although his overall offensive dominance fizzled after the series against the Oakland A’s, Bader remains one of the best outfielders in the MLB, creating a strong highlight reel with all of those dive catches.

Bader’s return to the Yankees’ starting lineup also coincides with the start of their dominant May. Prior

to his return, the Yankees struggled with injuries and losses, going 1516, but upon his return to the lineup, the Yankees are 7-3 in their last ten games. Aside from his strengths on the field, his positive energy and sportsmanship have boosted team morale. For example, after designated hitter Willie Calhoun’s first homerun in the pinstripes, Bader gifted him

a bottle of wine with the message, “5/2/23. 1st Bomb as a Yankee – HB.”

Bader’s athleticism and attitude make him an asset to the Yankees. Despite his current one year contract, fans like myself want Bader to remain in the Bronx next season. If healthy for the season, he is on track for thirty homeruns and an impressive errorless season in the outfield.

Each season, Bader gets better and better. He hits the ball harder, proves to be a strong defender in the outfield, and boosts morale. He is a great teammate on and off the field, and is extremely fun to watch play. Go Yankees and go Harrison Bader!

CONNECTICUT

WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Avani Khorana

Phoebe Rice

Jacqueline Zhai

Ashleigh Conner

Riya Daga

Lachlan Chricton

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES

Harry Lowy

Audrey Moussazadeh STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Jack Komaroff

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY (OAKLAND)

Eleanor Woodruff

Alex Lautin

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO

Aimee Yang

TULANE UNIVERSITY

Arin Rosen

Caroline Madaio

Matthew Marquardt

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

Zachary Kurtz

Nalla Sagna

Ayaan de Silva

Ocean Carlson

Sarene Choudhury

Matthew Ahmon

Arman Azmi

Max Chasin

Jack Bleichmar

Amelia Resnick

Luke Harris

Alexandra Yao

Robbie Keirstead

Max Ting

Braden Queen

Dana Song

Jacob Silverstein

Ian Chung Park

Leo Courbe

Harrison Owens

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Amira Dossani

Maya Westra

Cecilia Coughlin

YALE UNIVERSITY

Ariana Borut

Will Bramwell

Mikail Akbar

Avi Rao

Gavin Song

Henry Levinson

MASSACHUSETTS

TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Nitika Subramanian

Raydris Espacia

Lauren Landy

Kailyn Ortiz

BOSTON COLLEGE

Jaelah Taylor

Kyle Vukhac

Allyson Wright

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Louise Kim

Giselle Paulson

Sophie Dauer

Marcus Lee

Andrew Ogundimu

SMITH COLLEGE

Athena Spencer

BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY

Chloe Trentalancia

Joel Perez-Adames

Jayden DeCambre

WELLESLEY COLLEGE

Sylvie Seo

PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Sam Singh

WASHINGTON

UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS

Josh Winiarsky

Myra Malik

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

Max Meyer

Lawson Wright

WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY

Owen Stafford

Morgan Bart

Clio Rao

Sela Schamroth

DUKE UNIVERSITY

Jocelyn Hong

Eshan Mehere

Ariela Shuchman

Bodhi Lavine

Samantha Strasser

EMORY UNIVERSITY

Anna Miller

Jillian Lee

Emma Chan

Allison Markman

Charlie Seo

Sari Sladkus

Matthew Edelman

Arjun Jayant

Avi Kumar

Parker Wischhover

COLBY COLLEGE

Isha Krishnamurthy

Alex Ment

Rosie Potash

BOWDOIN COLLEGE

Megumi Iwai-Louie

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

Emily Salzhauer

Samuel Korff

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

Sam Perlman

Zahra Motwani

Jiyon Chatterjee

Michelle Kim

Madison Xu

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

Mumbi Johnson

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN ANN ARBOR

Josh Baron

Divya Ponda

Matthew Jacobson

Hannah Katzke

Owen Heidings

Emily Sun

by Vivian Coraci/Art Director

BARNARD COLLEGE

Julia Cassino

Jiya Chatterjee ‘24

Celine Kiriscioglu ‘24

Lamia Chowdhury

Isabel Mavrides-Calderon

Chris Smith

Ahana Nayar

Scarlett Goldberg COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Will Chung Park

Freddie Vogelbaum

Audrey Carbonell

Sean Lee

Nati Hecker

Peter Yu

Ishaan Iyengar

Alec Greene

UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY WEST POINT

Clementine Bondor

Lucas Borini SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

Zach Goodman

Gisele Mitchell

Charlie Harris

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

Sam Siegel

Benjamin Wu

Nicolas Wong

Lauren B. Kim

Ekaterina Sepiashvili

Aman Mirza

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Eric Do

Maddie Yoon

Jiya Chatterjee ‘27

Celine Kiriscioglu ‘27

Ayesha Sen

Rachel Baez

Bailey Hecht

Ana Aguilar

Winston Chien

Larry Tao

Rohan Mahajan

Alexa Schwartz

HAMILTON COLLEGE

Aden Soroca

Nate Wildman

SKIDMORE COLLEGE

Trisha Tran

VASSAR COLLEGE

Willa Davis

ST. JOHNS UNIVERSITY

Eva Campbell

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER

Hanah Cohen

Zachary Keirstead

OBERLIN COLLEGE

Serena Gaboury

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Zachary Ludwig

Jerry Lascher

Jake Ziman

Steve Yang

Hannah Moss

PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

Ross Petras

CARNAGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

Julien Harcourt

DICKINSON COLLEGE

Sofia Sepulveda

HAVERFORD COLLEGE

Harry Cottrell

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

Alexa Turtletaub

Jared Contant

Nico Davidson

BROWN UNIVERSITY

Dean Zweiman

Malcolm Furman

Ethan Fry

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

Tali Chudnoff

RICE UNIVERSITY

Miller Harris

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Aidan Shah

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PARIS

Ava Gersten

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

Tess Goldberg

Julian Hernandez

Patrick LaFrieda

McGILL UNIVERSITY

Loren Pretsfelder

Farhan Rafat

HUMOR: How to process the college process

Ariela Shuchman Staff Humorist

It is my honor, duty, and privilege to share some wisdom and general musings on the college process. The process is difficult and emotionally taxing but you will get through it (believe it or not). Regardless, I have experienced and observed enough to give some wholesale advice to both a freshman with a Fiske Guide and a senior on a waitlist.

The very first thing juniors complete for the College Counseling office is a basic informational survey: address, parents, grades, etc and some questions about college preferences (small or big, campus or city, for example). The survey also includes, however, a few questions about the student’s political affiliation. Definitely answer this question honestly: there will be no repercussions. If you select “slightly left,” “center,” or “republican,” College Kickstart® will likely suggest some re-education colleges who rank high for the process of “unlearning,” like Yale University, American University, or Oberlin College.

BUILDING A COLLEGE LIST

Now that Kickstart is aware of where you lean politically (left, hard left, or Marxist), it’s time to make a college list. The “likely,” “target,” “reach,” and “unlikely” framework will actually be useful beyond the college process. This will help you organize your 14 schools but will also help you compartmentalize the job application process and potential romantic partners. Most things in life, including prom dates, are useful to put into either the “likely,” “target,” “reach,” or “unlikely” category.

It can sometimes get awkward when a school is a “target” for one person and an “unlikely” for another. I suggest that when discussing lists/categorizations, remember that these are just numbers: YOU are more than a number. (Except for your Social Security number, your credit score, and your GPA. Those absolutely define you).

PERSONAL STATEMENT AND SUPPLEMENTS

This is probably the most time consuming part of the process. My first piece of advice for juniors is to make two clearly labeled and distinct documents for each essay, one shared with your Horace Mann CoCo and the private CoCo that many of you have. Yes, I’m talking to you. This will avoid a deeply awkward interaction between the HM and private CoCo when they see the other’s little colored circle in the top right corner of the Google Doc. Rule number one of having a mistress is never have

her and the wife at the same hotel. Same thing goes here.

The hardest essay to write will definitely be the “Why us?” essays, especially as you get further and further down your list. Of course, we have all been instructed to attend information sessions. Theoretically, these zooms would help us write the essay, if only we actually paid attention. Counselors always say that if writing the “Why us?” essay is difficult, you shouldn’t be applying. But do any of us really know why we want to attend the schools on our list? I for one did not. In fact, the only words I could manage to explain my top choice were “good” and “vibe.” There are a select few members of each class that research professors, courses, etc. to truly identify “fit.” But for most of us, the “Why us?” essay is a series of sweet nothings and pick up lines for that college.

CLUBS

Many of you have probably recently received notice that your club will not be re-registered for the 2023-2024 school year. This, I’m sure, has thrown you and your private CoCo’s into chaos. These are unprecedented times: I encourage those whose clubs were discontinued to form a new club together, the Horace Mann Fighters for Clubs Club (HMFCC).

You are not powerless though. There are still countless ideas for clubs just waiting to be pitched (“this club will be different,” you’ll convince Sr. Dalo).

Here are some of my favorite HM clubs that I regretfully never attended and probably did not survive this year’s cleanse. We mourn with you:

1. Healthier at HM “Health” is a late-stage capitalist notion imposed on us from a young age by advertising companies.

2. Real Estate and Social Policy Club

Not In My Back Yard.

3. Market Prediction through Code

This could be the nichest entity to come out of Horace Mann ever. We get it, you are fluent in Excel and want to work at Goldman.

4. Social Impact Investment Club

So is this like “nice pro-bono” finance bro?

5. Eco2 Is there an Eco1??

We all know that at the end of the day it is absolutely imperative in the college process that you are president of a club. Actual impact, uniqueness, or existence of said club is irrelevant. Take the Global

Relief Fund, an organization that sounds wonderful in theory, but is actually a front for the Taliban. Being President of the Global Relief Fund would still look great on an application, and I encourage underclassmen to reach out to Dalo about starting a Global Relief Fund chapter at HM.

Of course, there can only be one founder and president for each club. So, it’s a good idea to do some research on our most bureaucratic institutions, like the IRS for example, and peruse the “Positions” page on their Website. This will give you ideas for some other position titles to use for your club.

Some examples:

• Treasurer

• Vice Treasurer

• PR officer

• Deputy Director of Vibes

• (CEO) Chief Energy Office

• Supreme Leader

• Vice Supreme Leader

Once you have secured one of these positions, your club’s only goal for the year will be to have a bake sale. Club bake sales have truly never made sense to me. For starters, there is a strange embezzlement process that occurs. Students usually bake a homemade item using artisanal ingredients (Grassroots Grocery Club may have some thoughts) purchased by their parents or buy something premade. These items are then resold, price depending on the buyer’s age and social status.

However, there is no profit margin, as 100% of the money earned is retained by the club. As I have explained though, parents are feeling the economic burden of this business model. I wonder if it would be more efficient and less caloric (let’s get Healthier at HM on this one) to just have the parents take the money their kids would spend on ingredients, premade treats, or pizza and buy the merch directly, a vertical integration model if you will.

Of course, all of this is a stressful part of the college process because unlike grades or test scores, extracurriculars are subjective: there is no quantifiable metric to validate you. But I think that HMers have it figured out. If there are so many clubs, pubs, charities, organizations, talking groups, and forums that mean absolutely nothing, then nothing means anything. Admissions officers will be so bewildered by decoding what “Jump for Joy” does or how “Market Prediction through Code” is relevant for a “classics” major, that exhaustion will take over, hopefully yielding an acceptance by default.

That is the essence of the Life of the Mind.

News-in-Brief

(aka article ideas that, like your original college list, didn’t have enough potential)

Wellness Wednesday therapy dogs need therapy after meeting HM students

Rehab introduced in Guidance & Counseling for pink lemonade addicted students

The Record stops writing about the fish tank

UChicago and Horace Mann’s administrations effectively merged, with Dr Kelly serving as Head of School(s)

Cookies officially devoured the kids; Pre-Calc teachers in mourning

Spikeball officially replaces Crew as Varsity Sport

Senior spring break trip goes horribly wrong when students realize their long awaited PI trip is to the Parent’s Institute conference

Physics teacher asks sobbing students to calculate the acceleration of their tears during test

School play makes it to Broadway…. and 241st, performed in front of the community fridge.

An in-depth investigation into the “energy focus shot” getting you through your calc test

School offers students money if they donate to class fund

Gossip Girl reversed: Teachers exposed

SPOTTED: Dr. Bales seen drinking out of plastic cup!

AY, DIOS MIO: Dr. Morales uses google translate to write Spanish test.

DOESN’T ADD UP: Mr. Prabakar caught betting on students’ grades.

UH OH! Mr. Ho doesn’t know the words to the Alma Mater??

OH, MY WORD!: Ms. Kazan caught watching movie to understand book plot.

SPEEDING AWAY: Mr. Epstein drives car to work?!

Independent Study: Students’ share insight

Clementine Bondor: The U.S. War in Afghanistan and Teaching Contemporary History

Throughout this year, I studied the United States’ war in Afghanistan, as well as the ways in which contemporary history is taught in the US. My research began in the mid-eighteenth century; I sought to find and trace the roots of ethnic/tribal and geopolitical systems and divisions, so that I could better understand obstacles faced by the Afghan government centuries later. Then, I examined the initial criteria of the War on Terror laid out by the Bush administration, and traced the evolution of the goals set by the United States: the novelty of a counterinsurgency mission, the reshaping of the Afghan political and military systems, and, ultimately, the balance between losses and benefits for both nations. My research ended with Joe Biden’s 2021 declaration that “the US counterterrorism mission [was] complete,” as I inquired into what, exactly, the completion of a counterterrorism mission entails, or whether that goal can ever truly be fulfilled. For my semester projects with the help of Mr. McNally, I constructed two week-long, high-school level curricula that covered the twenty-year US presence in Afghanistan, with the hope that the war can be more frequently and productively discussed in classrooms. Throughout my study, I also explored the components of strategic thinking and risk management—the experience of decision-making in situations of bureaucratic or ethical uncertainty—in the hopes of becoming a more effective leader myself.

Louise Kim: French-Algerian and Korean-American Postcolonial Literatures

My Independent Study project explores connections between (post)colonialism and exile in three literary texts by French-Algerian writer Albert Camus (Exile and the Kingdom) and Korean-American writers Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (DICTEE) and Richard E. Kim (The Martyred). Conducted in French and English, and culminating in visual and creative pieces and performances, my project is not only a way to satisfy my intellectual curiosity and better understand the role of literature in processing trauma and violence, but doubles as a channel through which I can explore my statehood, my history, and my place in a generation that is still reckoning with its colonial past.

Bailey Hecht: Producing and Directing a Play - “Proof”

For my independent study I examined what goes into producing a play from proposal to strike. I learned more about various roles across the theater and how to negotiate the needs of a production.

Jiyon Chatterjee: COVID and Labor: The Great Resignation

I investigated the long-term impact of the pandemic on labor, using statistical analysis and interviews to dive into the reasons behind worker shortages in the service sector. I’ve learned that alternatives that arose during the pandemic, like remote work, as well as savings from gov ernment transfer programs during the pandemic have made workers more willing to seek jobs in sectors that afford them more flexibility. I’ve also learned more about the close link between childcare and workers’ ability, particularly for female parents, to return to their jobs. I’ve learned that economic policy can’t just be about wages and service affordability; it also has to consider more intangible aspects, like public health anxieties and psychological shifts.

A special thank you to the faculty mentors for this year’s Independent Study class:

Fred Levy

John McNally

Melissa Morales

Dr. Liz Westphal

Isaac Brooks

Dr. Lisa Rosenblum

Caitie Miller

Caroline Dolan

Sam Gruen

Mary Wang: Political and Economic Policies in China and the Soviet Union from 1950 to 1990

During the period from 1950 to 1990, both China and the Soviet Union underwent significant reforms in an attempt to modernize their political and economic policies. In China, despite the initial failures of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, more pragmatic policies were introduced under Deng Xiaoping’s leadership. These policies involved decentralizing political and economic power, delegating authority, and opening up to foreign investment. These reforms aimed to integrate China into the global market and stimulate economic growth. In the Soviet Union, the 1965 Economic Reform and Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) were implemented to revitalize the Soviet economy in the post-Stalin era. However, the execution of these reforms faced challenges and ultimately contributed to the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union. Despite similarities in the ideologies behind the reforms in both countries, their actual implementation led them on contrasting paths.

Harper Rosenberg: Mad Women in Modern Music

This year I analyzed the perception of women in the music industry as “crazy,” and how it reveals our sexist biases. I compared the media’s perception of modern musicians like Fiona Apple and Nina Simone to literary theory on female hysteria by writers like Virginia Woolf and Shoshana Felman. Over the year I have completed an array of projects, such as re-recording songs in the studio at school and writing analytical essays.

Emily Salzhauer: Jewish resistance during the Holocaust

For my independent study this year, I studied many different examples and roles of resistance that Jewish people took on during the Holocaust. I studied armed resistance and cultural resistance, using the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the Warsaw Ghetto Archive as examples. To humanize this important historical event and share my research with the community, I organized the UD-wide Holocaust assembly, bringing in survivor Samuel Marder to speak.

Bela Tinaj: How Albanian Mythology, Folklore, and Art Defined Albanian National Identity

For my independent study I analyzed multiple forms of Albanian folklore, mythology, and art to better understand the roles they all have played in defining the Albanian national identity throughout Albania’s history. Albania is a country with a long history of foreign occupation and as an Albanian American myself I wanted to further explore the role that these storytelling mediums played in maintaining and strengthening this strong sense of an Albanian national identity present both in Albania and within the Albanian diaspora. What I learned is that all of these mediums especially, Albanian folklore told orally and through song for multiple generations,

Avery Feingold

Kristen Flatto

Dr. Jason Gaines

Carmen Keels

Dr. Deborah Kassel

Dr. Tom Kelly

George Epstein

Dr. Daniel Link

Dr Susan Groppi

insight on their self-directed learning

Grant Sheft: The Philosophy of Hope

My independent study is on the philosophy of hope. Specifically I have studied whether hope is necessary or is a detriment to action. I have analyzed this question through the study of three philosophers: Kierkegaard, Camus, and Cornel West, which led me to determine the vitality of communal hope, in a post-pandemic world. Whereas individualistic hope is subject to failure, with an unrelenting workforce, a shared hope can transcend any individual, rendering communal hope immortal.

Lamia Chowdhury: Examining Human Intelligence Using Psychobiology

This study has allowed me to investigate a number of topics related to defining, quantifying and enhancing human intelligence. I took a look at psychological theories, psychometric testing, gender and its effect on self-perception of intelligence, biological, genetic and mathematical models used to describe intelligence and educational neuroscience. I gained valuable skills regarding experimental and curriculum design, research and flexibility. I have also learned so much from my peers.

Harry Cotrell: The Akkadian Language and Cuneiform Culture

This year I studied the ancient language Akkadian, using a textbook to learn basic vocabulary and grammar. From there I produced some original translations of Neoassyrian Texts and studied the culture surrounding them. I also learned a lot about the process of translation and the blurriness of the line between direct translation and original work. It was an amazing experience, and I plan to continue studying Akkadian in college. It is a fascinating language!

Madison Xu: Child trafficking in China

Looked into child trafficking in China and examined personal stories of victims.

Dean Zweiman: Analog Synthesizers

This year, I designed and built my own analog (without microprocessors or code) synthesizer from scratch, and learned how to transform the electrical power from the wall into musical sound.

Harry Lowy: Parametric and Generative Design

I’ve been studying the usage of parametric and generative design as an artistic medium. Both parametric and generative design generally refer to the idea of using mathematical functions and more complex algorithms to derive form and color.

Raydris Espacia: Understanding Bioethics With a Focus on Research and Clinical Ethics

This year I got to learn how to combine biology and medicine with the study of philosophy and ethics. I was able to understand how ethics might fit into my goals for the future as a student and physician.

Rohan Mahajan: Exploring the Theory and Implications of Artificial Intelligence and Generative Models

With the recent surge of artificial intelligence models such as Dall-E and ChatGPT, many of which are visual or language-based, I wanted to learn about what goes on behind the scenes of these A.I. algorithms as well as replicate the processes myself. I studied the mathematical formulas and conceptual ideas behind neural networks, a popular A.I. framework, and why they are particularly exceptional at analyzing and replicating large sets of data. To wrap up my independent study, I decided to learn more about the practical capabilities of such A.I. as well as the political and social implications that they may bring.

Gisele Mitchell: The Psychology Behind Humans’ Obsession with Violence

Over the course of this year I spent time covering a plethora of topics which ranged from the reasons behind why we consume true crime media to the psychological ramifications of pornography consumption. My project began as an investigation into the subfield of forensic psychology (psychology’s intersection with the law) but it quickly changed into an interdisciplinary research project. Keeping in line with forensic psychology, while investigating why we consume true crime media, I also compared those results to actual crimes committed. In regard to the psychological effects of pornography consumption, I looked into how it contributed to real life sexual violence. For my final project I have designed a study that examines the link between pornography consumption and sexual violence using participants who have been arrested for sexually violent crimes and participants who have not.

Sherlyn Almonte: Computer Architecture

My independent study evolved throughout the year, but ultimately, I discovered that I was interested in computer architecture. Because this is a very complicated topic, I opted for a more traditional route: I found a college-level course on OpenCourseWare named “Computation Structures.” I completed the first half of the course, which included readings, watching lectures, and doing problem sets. For my final project, I produced a report that incorporated everything I learned, where I designed a traffic light, from its theoretical functionality to an actual circuit schematic using nothing but transistors as a base.

Russo prepares for new role as Director of Athletics

Matthew Pruzan and Anoushka Parakh Staff Writers

Matthew Russo, Physical Education teacher and head coach of the UD Varsity football and Varsity baseball teams, will become Director of Athletics, Health & Physical Education on July 1 after current Athletics Director Robert Annunziata retires. Russo has been part of the school community since 2004 and has served in numerous positions across the Athletic program, including Upper Division (UD) Physical Education (PE) Department chair.

The Director of Athletics, Health & Physical Education is going to be a big job, Russo said. “There’s a lot of moving parts and there’s a lot of things that come up throughout the day that maybe you didn’t plan on dealing with, but now have to.” To prepare for the role, Russo ordered books about leadership, reflected on his past experiences, and solicited advice from colleagues who have been part of the Athletics Department for a long time.

Over the years, Russo has enjoyed teaching his PE students and finds the experience very fruitful. “If you have the right class, and the right dynamic, it can be so rewarding,” he said. “You see the kids in an unstructured manner, which they’re not used to because normally the classroom is sit-down, and so I love getting a better view of their whole self.”

When it comes to coaching, Russo’s favorite parts are the connections that he makes with his athletes and the traditions he builds within the program. When five alumni came back to visit last Wednesday, Russo chatted with them about football and the things they remembered from their time here. “The fact that you can be part of their high school career is pretty cool and probably the most fulfilling part of the job,” he said. Russo plans to continue coaching the football and baseball teams as Director of Athletics.

Russo constantly challenges his players to be their best, Jack Chasen (11) said. “The whole team worked hard, and in return, Russo worked just as hard, if not harder,” he said. Russo also encourages them to work in the offseason on their craft.

“Russo is a pretty amazing coach, and not just from the baseball side of things, but controlling the team in a way that keeps us motivated and

in the game,” Aden Soroca (12) said. “His go to phrase was ‘competition,’ and I loved that because it motivated me.’” Throughout his time in the UD, Soroca has seen Russo as a role model.

Russo’s competitive nature is something that all of his athletes’ value, Max Ting (12) said.

“He’s going to bring that into his new position, and if all Horace Mann sports start having that same competitive energy that he has, it is really going to elevate the whole athletics program.”

Coach Ron Beller, who coaches the Varsity Football team with Russo, admires the quality and the care Russo has for his players. “He is the ultimate motivator, the ultimate communicator, and the ultimate culture builder,” Beller said.

“He loves to compete, but he focuses more on teaching life skills and the importance of controlling and embracing the approach.”

As a person, Beller described Russo as selfless, organized, and always working his hardest. “He’s just a perfect fit and I am so happy for him,” he said. “He worked his way up to get here and I know he loves the school, the community, and the department.”

Coach Gregg Quilty has known Russo for as long as Russo has been at the school — 19 years — and said he is passionate about his work, easy to get along with, and easy to work with. “He cares about all of his students and his athletes,” Quilty said. “He really doesn’t want to leave anyone behind — he’s very caring as a teacher and a coach in that manner.”

Russo helps students on the field and serves as a mentor figure for them in their personal lives, Ting said. “I talked to him a lot about my college process. I would email him over the summer about my recruiting and when I was faced with decisions, I would always come to him to talk about it,” hs said. “He’s really great at giving advice and being there for you whenever you need him.”

If players made mistakes, Russo was always there to pick them up, Miller Siegel (10) said. “He’s a great coach and he’s fun to be around.”

Russo has also impacted his colleagues, including Beller, who Russo brought on as a coach when he was only 20 years old, Beller said. “He

molded me into the coach and teacher that I am today. He is somebody that you always just want to be around, and you always want to do good for Coach Russo and gain his respect. He has changed my life for the better.”

Russo also understands what the typical student is like and knows how to put teams and programs together around the school culture, Soroca said. “He has been around guys like Pedro Alvarez and Harrison Bader, who are a different caliber of athletes,” he said. “He knows how to motivate students and I think he is really perfect for where the school is heading.”

Russo’s appointment has sparked ex citement across campus, Quilty said. He is already meeting with coaches, PE teach ers, and everyone he can to get settled in and obtain as much information as he can before the school year ends. “That’s just a sign of enthusiasm and dedication, and I think he’s going to be a big hit.” Since An nunziata has served as a huge mentor for Russo, Quilty predicts it will be a smooth transition.

Russo is grateful for the opportunity that the school has given him and will continue to give him, he said. He plans to make some changes to the PE program over the following years, such as elective-based PE for UD students. “I’m excited for the change, and I am excited to do different things that I’ve never done before and the challenge that comes with that,” he said. “Getting a fresh start and having a new chal lenge is pretty exciting.”

All photos courtesy of Barry Mason

Game over: Farewell to Annunziata after 35 impressive years

stant, kind presence amongst his colleagues for his entire time at the school, Associate Director for Middle Division Athletics Robert Harmon said. “He’s been a mainstay of the athletic department.”

Throughout his 35-year tenure at the school, Director of Athletics, Health & Physical Education Robert Annunziata has reshaped the athletics department — from creating more sports teams for female students to mandating all students become certified in CPR. He will retire at the end of this year, handing off the position to Physical Education teacher Matthew Russo. Annunziata has been a

Over the years, Annunziata has overseen various facility renovations, including Prettyman Gymnasium, Four Acres, and the HM in Motion campaign, which built the athletic trainers’ suite, the Simon Family Fitness Center, and The Jeffrey H. Loria Family Aquatics Center.

One of Annunziata’s first initiatives when he began working at the school in 1988 was to remodel the fitness center. “We had a Universal Gym apparatus in a small room with some miscellaneous pieces of weight equipment,” he said. With the school’s support, Annunziata refurbished equipment obtained from a New York City health club and brought it to the school.

“The equipment pieces created not only a viable place for our athletes to condition but also a viable place for teachers to pursue a fitness and wellness curriculum,” he said.

Following that, he implemented a major initiative when renovating Prettyman Gymnasium: creating an accessible girls’ locker room. When he arrived, girls had to walk around the entire building just to get to their locker room. After they refurbished the locker rooms, the administration also created a central hallway so all athletes could walk through the building more efficiently.

Annunziata also developed an interest in sports uniforms when he arrived at the school. He wanted all athletic clothing to clearly represent the Lions, so he placed the interlocked H and M on school uniforms and athletic equipment. “People know what HM represents, and a large part of that is because athletics is a visible entity outside of the walls of Horace Mann School,” he said.

In addition to Annunziata’s position as Director of Athletics, Health & Physical Education, he has also coached multiple teams, including Varsity Football, Golf, Girls Basketball, Fencing, and multiple Middle Division (MD) sports.

Max Chasin (12) formed a close bond with Annunziata throughout his time playing water polo and basketball at the school. “He’s always been generous and has done his best to be outgoing and inclusive, and make me and other athletes feel like we’re part of a broader Horace Mann community.”

Annunziata’s leadership was memorable to Will Chasin (9), a member of Boys Varsity Lacrosse, as well. Annunziata encouraged the seniors on the team to be role models and set a good example for the underclassmen, he said. “He made sure that everybody came to practice leading up to the playoff game — even though it was on a Saturday, everyone did end up coming to the game.”

When Sophie Pietrzak (11) first met Annunzi ata in seventh grade, he quick ly became one of her big gest support systems at the school.

“From the second I’ve stepped foot into the school he’s always been there for me,” she said. “I know I can always go to his office and he’ll be there and I can just talk things through, whether it’s about a field hockey play or a larger thing in my life.”

Responsible for the Health and Physical Education Department from Kindergarten through 12th grade, Annunziata is grateful for the bonds he has formed with the entire student body, he said. “The fact that our students have benefited from the opportunities of their participation is really the most important aspect of what my role has been and should be.”

Working closely with Annunziata has also been a privilege for Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly. “I can’t ever remember a conversation wherein Mr. Annunziata hasn’t put a student’s needs, or a teacher’s desire to do more or better, first,” Kelly said. “He’s a true ambassador of HM and he lives and breathes our Mission and Core Values.”

Varsity Volleyball Coach Ja son Torres echoed Kelly’s sentiment.

“When Mr. Annunziata started here, for example, we didn’t have any middle school teams,” he said. “Now we have probably one of the largest num ber of middle York City.”

Annunziata is proud of the legacy he has left for the Athletics department, he said. “I think our program is in an incredibly good place. I’m very proud of the fact that I’m able to leave the program in a place better than where I found it.”

Annunziata is look-

operational aspects and some of the sports chair positions he has within the League. “I’ll hopefully have some free time to come back and visit the Horace Mann community and cheer on the future Lions.”

Isabella Ciriello and Meenakshi

Vora

Staff and Contributing Writers

More than a coach: Troop retires after 41 years at the school

selves.”

“You guys are like my own kids, so I would go to the ends of the earth for you. I really would,” Associate Athletic Director for Business and Community Affairs, Physical Education (PE) teacher and Coach Rawlins

Troop said. Troop is retiring after working at the school for 41 years.

Troop’s career at the school began in 1982 as an assistant second grade teacher. Two years later, Troop worked as a kindergarten teacher for three years, then taught science and math to fourth-grade students for over 12 years. After working at the Lower Division, Troop moved into the Upper Division as Associate Athletic Director, PE teacher, Girls Varsity Tennis head coach, and Varsity Ski head coach.

Throughout his time at the school, Troop has come to understand how each student has a set of unique qualities and should be taught with a different approach, he said. “To reach kids, you have to be able to teach differently — especially when they come in for extra help, because you have to reach them in a certain way and realize that each student has a different personality,” Troop said. “That’s what served me the best as a teacher.”

Although Troop has had various roles at the school during the 41 years of his career, coaching has been his favorite, he said. “Coaching is just a whole other way of getting close to kids. It’s a relaxed atmosphere for the most part, where kids feel comfortable sharing their personal and academic lives and achievements with you.”

As a coach, Troop believes it is crucial to encourage his students. He acknowledges that they will not always win and must learn from their mistakes, instead of critiquing them. “If you have a good team, and your kids are playing down, you have to inspire them and you have to push them,” he said. “If you do it correctly, you won’t make kids feel bad about them -

Emily Weidman (11), who had Troop as her tennis coach for two years and PE teacher several times, will miss his enthusiasm, encouragement, and humor when he retires, she said. “Troop is just the nicest person. No matter the situation, he always has the right thing to say to encourage his players.”

On or off the court, Troop always checks in and wants to have a conversation with his students, Weidman said. “He truly cares about his students, and even if it’s not during the tennis season, I always love having a small conversation with him in the hallway to talk about tennis or life.”

Throughout Troop’s years at the school, he has always been an amazing mentor and colleague to PE teacher Ron Beller, who worked alongside Troop for 13 years, Beller said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve learned a lot about how to become a better teacher and coach from him.”

Above all, Beller will miss Troop’s camaraderie and connection to his students. “Troop’s an integral part to the school and to the PE department. We are going to miss his voice, humor, and experience.”

Troop made the tennis team feel like a big family and always looked out for all his players, Rachel Okin ’18, who played under Troop’s leadership for three years, said. “He really cared about us as people and the team as a whole. For example, he would always ask how we were doing in school, and it was really nice to have someone like that who really cared for and about you.”

Troop tried his best to spend time having fun with the players, Okin said. “Whether we’d be chatting about our days or singing on the bus together, Troop always found a way to get into the fun.”

Emily Grant (11) met Troop when she was on the Middle Division (MD) tennis team in seventh grade and remembers feeling timid and nervous. Troop immediately comforted her,

ment to his kindness and warmth, she said. “You just know that he’s always there for you. No matter what happens, if you’re winning or losing, he doesn’t stress you out, but he knows how to encourage you and calm you down.”

One of Grant’s most memorable moments with Troop this season was when he announced the birth of his first grandchild to the team, showing them pictures and videos of his new grandson. “For the rest of the season, we called him ‘Grandpa Troop’ because he truly was like a father to us.”

Although Jiwan Kim (10) never had Troop as a PE teacher or coach, she has grown close with him over the years and said he is one of the most approachable people at the school. “He’s always happy to see you and always ready to listen to you even if it’s not about anything athletics related.”

Kim frequently visits Troop’s office to ask him for advice, grab a leftover slice of pizza from the tennis team, or just say ‘hi.’ “I talk with him about anything that I am proud of or interested in at that moment, and he always seems engaged in our conversations. I love him for that,” Kim said.

Troop’s warmth and empathy towards students, whether on the courts, slopes, or in the hallways, will be greatly missed in the coming years. “I’m gonna miss not seeing him in the halls and greeting him with the biggest smile and hug,” Kim said. “He always reciprocates and it’s just a highlight in my day.”

In addition to being a shoulder to lean on and a caring mentor, Troop was also a fantastic coach. “Troop was definitely really great at making sure we were like mentally tough and able to handle anything that came our way,” Okin said.

Although it has been five years since she graduated, Okin remains grateful for Troop and his impact on her. “I have so much love for him and his family, and I’m just super appreciative of the kind of support that he gave me and all the other girls on the tennis team.”

Weidman’s fondest memory of Troop was the party that the Varsity Tennis Team threw for him at the end of their season, she said. “We had cakes, confetti, and a big cele-

bration for Troop and all he’s done for us. It was a really special moment because we were able to really thank him for everything.”

Seeing the students every day is what Troop will miss most after his retirement. “I’m getting older now, and it’s time for me to hand the reins to someone else. I can’t coach forever.”

Rena Salsberg Staff Writer

Courtesy of Sophie Pietrzak

Courtesy of Carolyn Okin

Courtesy of Alli Markman

Courtesy of Alli Markman

Courtesy of Alli Markman

Moving to the beat of his own drum: Steel drums teacher Alan Bates retires

“Mr. Bates brings such a positive energy to our classes that he makes us want to learn about music and steel drums, and keeps us engaged even through challenging moments in class,” Steel Drums ensemble member Maya Westra

ter spending 14 years teaching steel drums at the school, steel drums teacher Alan Bates will retire at the end of the year to continue his professional career as a steel drummer and bring music into his local church and senior community.

Bates attended Berklee College of Music before moving to New York City to play professionally in 1977. Before he decided to focus on steel drums, he learned how to play the piano, the drums, and the vibraphone in several different genres of music. Prior to moving to New York and teaching, he played steel drums for a year in the Virgin Islands for a year. “At first I thought [teaching] was a good way to make a little extra money, but then I realized that I was having a great time, and that this was something I’d like to do more permanently,” Bates said.

Before coming to the school, Bates taught at a high school in Brooklyn for three years, at jazz camps in his hometown, at his daughter’s preschool, and to senior citizens, which he still does in his free time. “I just try to meet people where they’re at, and help them improve from there,” Bates said.

Bates employs a similar mindset of adapting to different levels at the school, having worked in both the Middle Division (MD) and Upper Division (UD). Bates enjoys working with a diverse range of students because it gives him the opportunity to teach people at different ability levels in steel drums, he said.

When teaching his MD students, he is most gratified when he is able to show them how to play a few basic songs that they are able to showcase at a performance.

“One of my favorite things about teaching them is that by the end of the fall, they will have learned a song that they’re proud of, and I get to see the joy in their faces when they realize they were able to do it,” he said.

Simultaneously, Bates enjoys teaching more difficult and intricate music to his advanced UD ensembles. “I always notice that my UD students enjoy learning something a bit more challenging, and I want to help them achieve those goals,”

His favorite part of being a teacher is when he can see the smiles on his students’ faces when they can finally play the entirety of a song, and know that they were able to learn it and share it with the people around them, Bates said.

In addition to teaching, Bates is an MD advisor to a group of 8th graders, alongside Head of Middle Division Javaid Khan. “What’s most fun about

being Mr. Bates’ advisee is that you never know what’s going to happen next,” Ved Daga (8) said. Every day during the 15 minute advisory period, Bates makes his students rate their day out of ten. “If our day is a 10/10, [Bates] will call it a Fri-ten or a Tue-ten, which always lifts our spirits,” he said.

Bates also serves as a faculty advisor of the Music Outreach Club, a group of musically skilled students who prepare songs of their choice and perform them to different community centers, nursing homes, and hospitals, he said. “Being an advisor [for the Music Outreach Club] is great because it’s really nice to be involved with students who are doing something this inspirational and kind to the community.”

One of his favorite memories from working at the school was when Yankees baseball player and guitarist, Bernie Williams, took a tour of the school’s music department and performed as a guest artist for a concert in 2017. “[William’s] manager’s daughters attended the school and he was nice enough to bring his own group in and perform for us,” he said. Williams was so intrigued by the school’s Steel Drums department that he later returned and performed as a guest artist with the bands.

Another particularly memorable experience for Bates was the 2018 Music Department trip to Hawaii where his steel bands played alongside the orchestras, choirs, bands and jazz combos, he said. “[2018] was the first year that we were included in a trip, and we have never looked back.”

Even before steel drum ensembles took part in larger trips like Hawaii, Bates would still try to immerse his students into the culture associ ated with the instrument they were learning. “A few years back I took a group of kids down to a steel drums fes tival in Delaware,” he said. “We stayed over one night and had the chance to perform and watch a bunch of different groups and see the differ ent styles that can go into steel drums.”

Maddie Yoon (12), who is a member of one of Bates’ ensembles, enjoys the collab orative stance Bates takes in his teaching. “Mr. Bates always has a lot of patience; even if we don’t get our song right on the first try, he will still be diligent in helping us make what we’re playing the best it can be,” she said. Bates always uses creative teaching methods to keep his students engaged. “He always adds dance moves to our songs or helps us learn beats by playing clapping games, and by allowing us to learn from one another.”

The dedication and care that Bates exhib its for his students was reciprocated when a group of students pre with a plaque Collage Concert

the concert to the tune of Dancing Queen by Abba on the steel drums, music teacher Carmen Keels and Bate’s student Danny Cornstein (11) briefly spoke about Bates’ lasting impact on the school’s music department, and the care he has for his students. “We knew it was Mr. Bates’ last concert so we knew that we had to give our best performance,” steel drum ensemble member, Jacob Silverstein (12) said.

Bates hopes to leave behind a legacy at the school that inspires the next generation of musicians to cultivate a love for music. He also hopes they are able to find joy in learning and performing an instrument, he said. “I feel very satisfied with the time I have spent at the school, and I can confidently say that it has been the happiest period of my life. I consider myself lucky to be able to work in such an incredible school surrounded by such incredible people every day.”

After retiring this year, Bates plans to continue his professional career in music and teach part time at an adult group he has worked with in Tarrytown for several years in the past, he said. “Although I’m looking forward to relaxing more and having more free time, I’m excited for next chapter of my life,” Bates said. Along with being the leader in the adult steel band at his local church, Bates already has performances scheduled for the summer and early fall.

Julia Lourenco Staff Writer

Amira Dossani/Art Director

Katie Beckler Staff Writer

“Barry Bienstock is the most remarkable of history teachers: a teacher with both a rare understanding of history and a rare ability to communicate that understanding to his students,” Robert Caro ‘53, Pulitzer Prize winning historian, said. “He’s analyzed American history in a way that’s so perceptive that very few people have done, but more than that, he can communicate what he’s analyzed and understands in a way that’s very special.”

41 years ago, Bienstock’s dissertation advisor at Columbia University told him there was an opening at a school called Horace Mann to teach AP US his

A true trailblazer, history teacher Barry

where for years there were no women in the department.” In his two terms as department head, totaling fifteen years, Bienstock tried to change this. “When I was department head, I tried to bring in more women into the department and have them create more electives, essentially broadening opportunities for students.”

In addition, Bienstock worked with Caro to organize a prize for the history department, Bienstock said. “13 years ago, or so, I had lunch with Mr. Caro, and raised the idea with him of creating a prize in his name, because I noticed one thing, most of the other departments had some sort of class day prize given out, but the history department did not have a research paper one.”

people like Coppola, a film director, to talk about their work because they see how excited he is and

history professor, Jacobs has read a lot of books, but one thing she specifically remembers is how Mr.

could never have imagined he would be working here for 41 years later, he said. Though this has been his final year at the school, he is leaving an incredible legacy behind.

When Bienstock first joined the school’s history department, there were few electives. “I created an elective in the late 80s, a Latin American History course, then I did an African American History course,” Bienstock said. Bienstock also founded a course similar to what is now Comparative Race and Ethnicity (CRAE), although the comparative aspect is new, he said.

Thanks to Bienstock, history classes taught at the school now center on understanding that history is not just a bunch of names, dates, and facts, histo-

ted in countless ways to the history department. “If the history department is strong today, it‘s due to his long career and thoughtfulness about history,” UD history teacher David Berenson ‘95 said. “Mr. Bienstock’s given to the school an incredible amount of his time, his knowledge and his ability, and he‘s helped shape the history department in consequential ways.”

that makes them realize that this is a very special environment.”

ry department chair Dr. Daniel Link said. “I think that‘s probably obvious to all of our students now, but it wasn‘t always the case,” he said. “40 years ago, when Mr. Bienstock came in, teaching history, as I understand it, was mostly memorizing information, and spitting it back at the teacher, which tells you something, but it doesn‘t teach you how to really understand history.”

Working year round, Biensotck has made the history department one of the best in the US, head of school Dr. Thomas Kelly wrote. “Beyond his ability to recruit and hire incredible teachers, he has worked with his colleagues in the History Department to be the first Department to replace a cumulative final exam with a more purposeful paper.”

Along with expanding the department’s courses, Bienstock sought to diversify the faculty of the history department, he said. “There was a period

Bienstock likes to believe that he set the department on the right track during his time here at HM. “The department continues to evolve,” Bienstock said. “It‘s a lot stronger now than it was when I started here, back in the 1980s.”

Part of this growth, and a specialty of Bienstock, was bringing professional historians to speak to his classes, Link said. “I visited his classes a bunch of times, especially when he‘s had guests in to talk to students about what it‘s like to research and write in history and publish as a historian, which I think really gives students a great understanding for how that process works.”

Bienstock has a special ability to share his passion with others, which inspired even renowned director Francis Ford Coppola to come to the school and speak at an assembly, Link said. “Mr. Bienstock met him and invited him to come here, and he showed up and just talked to students for a couple of hours,” he said. “Mr. Bienstock has a way of expressing his interest in subjects and excitement about history that pulls in professional historians or even

Over the years, Bienstock has brought in many incredible guests for students to hear from, Bienstock said. “Bringing historians into the classroom was really important to me.” Before Steven Spielberg’s movie „Lincoln“ came out, Bienstock brought Tony Kushner, who wrote the screenplay, into his AP class where they held a discussion with James Oakes who wrote “Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865,” he said. “The two of them had this incredible conversation for 45 minutes about how they understood and approached Lincoln.” But some guests hit closer to home for Bienstock. This year for Book Day Bienstock’s step son, James Grimmelmann ‘95, a Cornell Law School professor, presented at the closing assembly. Being both a parent at HM and guest speaker for Bienstock’s Vast Early America class, Nicole Eustace could see that Bienstock cared deeply for the humanities, she said. “He helps his students confront the past in order to understand the present, and shows them that big themes and issues can be understood not only through study of the “great” but also through stories of ordinary lives,” Eustace said.

Special guests are not the only things Bienstock has brought to the school. “I always like bringing in new books, so every year I always make certain I introduce some new perspectives into the curriculum, whether I‘m teaching a 10th grade survey, contemporary US or Vast Early America,” Beinstock said. Bienstock likes to read the magazine Publishers Weekly to keep up with all of the books that are coming out, so he has a sense of what he wants to read, he said. “In some cases, I have developed friendships with publishers, so I‘ll be able to get early copies of some of these books, so then I know whether I want to use some of these in the classroom.”

Bienstock‘s love for history not only inspired outside guests, but his students as well. According to Marc Lerner ‘89, a professor of European history at the University of Mississippi, Bienstock showed him that history could be fun. “I think that part of things made me want to take more classes in history and the career followed from pursuing my interests, which I definitely think Mr. Beinstock encouraged.”

Princeton history professor Meg Jacobs ‘86 also attributes her love for history to Bienstock. As a

Bienstock taught her how to read books as an active learner, she said. “Barry taught me that at age 13, 40 years ago,” Jacobs said in her speech at Bienstock’s retirement party.

Similarly, Bienstock inspired his former student and advisee Ilann Maazel ‘89 to want to study history, he said. “He was always a thoughtful, caring teacher and person who showed genuine interest in all of his students,” Maazel said. “Mr. Bienstock is my last teacher still at Horace Mann, and though I had many wonderful teachers, he was the best.”

Back in the 80s when HM wasn’t especially warm and friendly, Mr. Bienstock created a much more nurturing and mutually respectful classroom environment, Dr. Deborah Kassel ‘84 said. “Mr. Bienstock was not only an outstanding teacher, but also a kind human being. He had compassion for his students, and he listened in a way that made you feel that you had something insightful and original to say.”

That was one of the many reasons Bienstock’s class has produced multiple historians, teachers and journalists, David Leonhardt ‘90 said. At the beginning of each trimester Bienstock would provide his class with a list of books that covered centuries of history and would tell his students to pick one to write a paper about, Leonhardt said. “The next day he would go through the list, book by book, giving a short summary about what the book said. He basically covered centuries of history in forty-five minutes,” he said. “It made it seem like I could become a historian that could write one of these books.”

What made Berenson’s experience in AP US history an incredible class was Bienstock’s vast knowledge of history and ability to engage his students in history. “It‘s inspiring to learn from someone who thinks so deeply and cares so deeply about history, and wants to take the messy clay of Horace Mann students and turn them into potential future historians, and that happens remarkably often,” Berenson said.

Bienstock has a way of engaging his students with their work, Lerner said. “He encouraged students to find what motivated them and that lesson works longer than his finding immediate solutions for us.” Lerner believes that he was able to learn more from Bienstock by watching him teach and connect with the material rather than his making direct statements, he said.

“He’s present,” Kelly wrote. Bienstock is always interested in what students have to say and their work, no matter where he is on campus, he wrote. “In the most thoughtful way possible, he also cultivates an interest in what students are doing outside of his class in an effort to develop relationships that thrive when a student is doing well and are comfortable when a student is struggling and in need of support.”

For Berenson, Bienstock’s refusal to overlook the important contributions of those often left out of historical sources, and his expectations for his students to do the same, revealed how deeply Bienstock cared about people. “He inspired me to better understand part of how instrumental the struggles of Native Americans and Black Americans were to our history, and how often that history was overlooked or misunderstood, which I carry into my tea-

“From the moment, twelve years ago, that he agreed that that would be the goal, he has let nothing interfere with that objective... and to me personally he has been something more: a model of integrity.”

-Robert Caro ‘53

“How to think, how to read, how to write, how to love history, he taught me that the past wasn’t just a bunch of dates but it was a story, an idea, an interpretation.”

-Meg Jacobs ‘86

Barry Bienstock retires after 41 years

ching today,” Berenson said.

Bienstock also encouraged Jacobs to approach history differently. “History is an argument we make about why the past unfolded the way it did and Barry taught me that,” Jacobs said. Professor Jacobs moved from Princeton to NYC so that her children could have Bienstock as a teacher, she said. “I visited Barry’s classroom and I saw, now through the lens of a parent, what all these years later he was still doing,” she said. “It was and is amazing and I thought ‘this is how I want my kids to learn.’”

Despite the seriousness of the content in Bienstock’s class, Leonhardt also remembers laughing in AP American history about the TV show LA Law which aired on Thursday night at 10:00pm with his teacher, he said. “It was clear he was addicted to La Law which was kind of like a soap opera, so we would expect a good ten or fifteen minute recap/gossip session of what happened on LA law on friday during class.” Bienstock, a great teacher and scholar, just enjoying this dramatic and juicy TV show opened up the class environment, he said.

Even in expressing the importance of history

Bienstock is able to keep a funny and interactive environment, Yasmeen Masoud (11) said. “ He’s always cracking jokes and telling us about his past students, and he makes his classroom very welcoming and comfortable.” But this doesn’t mean his class isn’t serious and productive. “I think he makes it a point to bring to light history that frequently gets glossed over or white washed in most historical texts,” Masoud said. “His class has taught me how to discuss history in a productive and analytical way.”

Through facilitating fascinating class discussions which allowed the students to explore topics they are passionate about, Bienstock’s Contemporary U.S. History class this year changed Laine Goldma cher’s (11) opinion history, she said. “The best part of having Mr. Biens tock as a teacher is getting to learn from someone who is so passio nate and know ledgeable about the subject mat ter.”

Bienstock challenged Lawson Wright (12) to be a better

historian and expand his views, Wright said. “He seems to really enjoy being here and engaging in meaningful conversations about our country‘s his tory and its impact on the present.” Throughout writing his year-long history paper, Bienstock has been very supportive, he said. “He is super gene rous with his time. He pointed me in the di rection of a lot of really rich secondary source material that I would not have otherwise known about.”

Likewise, in Vast Early America, Nolan Wallace (11) found Bienstock’s passion for learning new perspectives eye opening, he said. “I think all the students in his Vast Early America class are going to arrive at their next history class with a more in formed understanding of America, and that’s be cause of him.”

Bienstock’s supportive nature towards his stu dents is easily noticed by others. Always willing to help his students, there are countless times Biens tock would stop by the classroom or pick up the phone to offer his support, Kelly wrote. “Whether it be a laptop, eyeglasses, an internship, heat in the home, clothing, tutoring, food over an extended break, summer camp or a graphing calculator, Barry always knew to advocate for his students as soon as an essential need wasn‘t being met; he‘s our very own mensch!”

Even years after they graduate, Bienstock remains a motivator for his students. Bienstock modeled diligence, preparation, care for his students, and how to pursue one’s interests in addition to how one should always have many interests, Lerner said. “He continued to serve as a willing mentor long after I left high school, including several weeks ago. I am touched by that kindness.”

successful especially in the field of history, is very rewarding for Bienstock, he said. “In some ways, it‘s what teaching is all about, the ability to pass down information to another generation.”

Not only is it great to keep in touch, he said, but in some cases he finds pride in being able to read books published by his former students including Meg Jacobs, Marc Lerner, Angie Chung ‘91, Eric Nelson ‘95, Emily Straus, and Walter Cronkite IV ‘07, Bienstock said. Although he is not a historian, New York Times senior writer David Leonhardt ‘90 also stays in touch with Bienstock and has a book coming out this fall. “Leonhardt sent me the manuscript a few months ago, so I got to have an early preview of it,” Bienstock said. He also dined at former student Alex Guarnaschelli‘s ‘87 restaurant Butter, and used her cookbook, The Home Cook.

A familiar face from his first year teaching at the school, Kassel, was thrilled to reunite with her AP American history teacher. Part of why she came to work at the school was to teach with her teachers, she said. “You can have the most impressive new buildings and fanciest gadgets— but it is the intellectual foundation that Mr. Bienstock inspired in each of us that will ultimately prevail.”

Berenson also had wwto adjust to working with his former teacher. “He’s incredibly helpful, giving and thoughtful as a colleague, and he knows more than anybody in our department about US history, which is saying something,” Berenson said.

CRAE was not the only class that Bienstock cotaught. Alongside Schiller, Bienstock led Interdisciplinary Studies which was about the US in a global context, reading both historical documents and fiction, Schiller said. “Mr. Bienstock has had a supportive and challenging impact on his students.” Bienstock relates to the students because of his big heart, Schiller said. “He loves them and wants them to understand and appreciate US history in all of its contradictions and complexities.”

History and in 12th grade for African American history and an interdisciplinary seminar which Bienstock co-taught with former Head of the UD Dr. David Schiller. He even wrote Straus’ teacher recommendation for college, she said. “We kept in touch and then I became a teacher right out of college and he would send me materials for classes and stuff.”

When Straus applied for graduate school, she remembers sending Bienstock her statement of intent. “He was like, this is not what this is supposed to be, and I remember him giving me feedback on it,” she said. Later, the two would often see each other at professional conferences, she said. “He was always just like a cheerleader for me.”

Bienstock loves seeing and corresponding with his former students. “I remember there were former students where we would simply exchange letters, or in terms of history,

But Bienstock’s support for his colleagues is not limited to his former students. For Dean of the Class of 2025 and history teacher Dr. Susan Groppi, Bienstock served as a mentor and role model, she said. “He helped me translate what I knew from teaching at the college level to teaching smart younger students.” As a teacher, seeing someone who, for decades of his career, continued to be innovative in his classes and push new material, was inspiring, she said. “The idea that I can always be innovating and engaged like he was had a huge impact on me.”

In 2001, Straus compiled 18 letters from former students, some colleagues, and a few parents, to write on Beinstock’s behalf and nominate him for The American Historical Association‘s Nancy Roelker Mentorship Award, Bienstock said. The award “honors teachers of history who taught, guided, and inspired their students in a way that changed their lives,” a fitting award for Bienstock. “It is a blind submission, so I didn‘t know that my name had been submitted,” he said. Bienstock was the second ever high school teacher to receive the award. After his retirement, Bienstock plans to fill his days by working on writing his book that is tentatively titled Suffering in Silence: Stories of Indigenous Boarding School Lives Lived and Lost in the United States and Canada, he said. “I plan to spend this summer researching,” he said. “That‘ll involve some traveling to archives and some interviews.” Since he won’t be limited by the school schedule, this fall he can continue to pursue his research, he said.

Bienstock can’t think of a more rewarding experience than teaching at the school, he said. “Each year I‘ve been enriched by the many students that I‘ve been privileged to teach. It‘s the students that provide the heartbeat of intellectual life at the hig-

A few years after receiving her Ph.D, Straus asked Bienstock if there were any positions open at HM and that year she and Dr. Bales joined HM’s incredible history department. “What‘s funny is that we share an office, so I had to move from calling him Mr. Bienstock when he was always Mr. Bienstock, and now he‘s Barry,” Straus said. For five

hest level,” he said. “Dr. Straus guesses that I‘ve taught a couple of thousand students in my forty-one years. I‘d like to thank them, and hope that they left my classroom with some love for a subject that means a great deal to me.”

“Mr. Bienstock is my last teacher still at Horace Mann, and though I had many wonderful teachers, he was the best.”

-Ilann Maazel ‘89

Odes to retiring faculty by English teacher Dr. Deborah Kassel, HM ‘84

Barry Bienstock

Mr. Bienstock and I go way back to the last century.  You wouldn’t think it though by looking at us. Clearly HM is not only the fountain of knowledge but also the fountain of youth.

The year was one thousand eighty two--before the fall of Tillinghast’s fourth floor and many moons of interior renovation. There aren’t many of us left even from the “Time of the Trailers,” when single celled organisms were just beginning to sprout little legs beneath the murky surface of the Prettyman pool (now the Jeffrey de Loria nautical center.)  You could call it a simpler time–when people still talked face to face and prehensile thumbs had not yet evolved for text messaging. It was a different age, indeed, when I was my students’ age-- before the mysteries of the universe could be revealed with a single swipe and War and Peace could be written by a computer.

No plastic bottles, no automatic dispensers, No Mister Softee trucks.  HM was a much harder place indeed.

No virtual pyrotechnics no power-point, no screens, no extra-literary diversions. And yet, standing on his own two analog feet with some broken chalk and a blackboard, Mr. Bienstock was able to usher us into a new way of seeing the world. He gave us an approach and passion for history that fellow alums will tell you very few university professors or donations can match.

Long before “woke” connotated anything other than an alarm clock, Mr. Bienstock talked about the unsung heroes who had been erased or ignored. While the rest of the world was still playing “cowboys and Indians,” Mr. Bienstock introduced us to a people known as Native Americans.

Ever ahead of his time, Mr. Bienstock was committed to replacing the single story with multiple perspectives, introducing us to newly un-earthed primary sources and The New York Review Of Books. He encouraged us to discover our own stylistic creativity within what was then a more traditional and arguably restrictive pedagogy. So many of the professors I studied with in college seemed guarded, saving the big give-away perhaps for their next publication.  But with modesty and generosity, Mr. Bienstock shared his uncannily impressive acumen with us every day. The truest of educators, we knew he wanted to see and read the best in all of us.

I can say with pride and confidence that what I wrote in that AP American seminar from 1982-1983 and throughout my adult life was inspired by Mr. Bienstock-who showed me that writing about history was an art.

It means a lot to me both as an alum and a teacher that Mr. Bienstock has invested most of his professional life into this school–41 years of sharing his prodigious knowledge with generations of students, like me, who are eternally grateful.

Thank you Mr. Bienstock for the gift of education that I try to keep giving because I learned so much from you.

Olive Keegan

Long before we had security guards and cameras in every corner, Mrs. Keegan held down our fortress on the hill, ensuring that only members of the HM community could pass.

The most gracious of gatekeepers, Mrs. Keegan has greeted generations of students and families as they took their first steps on to campus.

Whether the buses or parents were running late, an unconfirmed change of playdate, stress or stomach ache, we have been able to rely on Mrs. Keegan to pick up the phone in our home away from home. Any mother will tell you, leaving a message at the beep can never be enough.

Before the advent of multi-layered administrative offices, we relied on our most essential of fellow workers --Mrs. Keegan-- to field phone calls, deliver hand-transcribed messages, and coordinate the school-wide, word-of-mouth snow chain in the event of last-minute inclemency.

And she did all this at first on a many levered and maddeningly complicated contraption known as a switchboard, inherited from her predecessor, the late and great Mrs. Mary Boyle. Having spent a summer operating one of these intimidating devices, I know that no pre-recorded voice can assuage frantic parents’ breaking down on multiple lines–like Mrs. Keegan has done every day for more than three decades.

For me, Olive will always be my trusted friend and colleague. The lovely green and white luck-of-the-Irish newborn outfit she gave me upon the birth of my now 23-yearold daughter still hangs in the closet–an enduring symbol of the kindness Olive has always shown me and my family.

So the next time a machine puts you on hold, remember that for 33 years Mrs. Keegan answered your questions and soothed your angst with a human voice that was the most humane part of Horace Mann.

After 33 years behind the desk, receptionist Olive Keegan dials a new tone

Staff Writers

“I love my job,” Telephone Receptionist Olive Keegan said. “I love working with the phones and speaking to people, and greeting people. Keegan, who works outside the deans’ suite, has answered the main phone line at the school for 33 years and will retire this year.

When Keegan first came to the school in 1985, she worked in the school kitchen. “It was a very exciting place,” she said. “The music and the laughter made my day,” But Keegan’s children, who were young at the time, needed her at home.

After taking time off to be with her children, Keegan returned to the school in 1991 to work in the office. Mary Boyle, who worked as a receptionist at the school, offered her an open job position. “I would be the second operator, and I said yes.”

Keegan’s new job in the office involved overseeing the phones. “I mastered the phones very well,” Keegan said. “It was no problem because I worked for the New York

Telephone Company when I first emigrated from Ireland when I was a teenager.”

In her new role, Keegan con tinued to appreciate the school’s welcoming and upbeat envi ronment. She enjoyed get ting to hear the students’ chatter and joy on a daily basis, she said.

“The laughter and the excitement is what makes the school, which is what makes me happy every day.”

Keegan’s friendli ness is contagious, Administrative Assistant for Data Management Laura Cassino said.

“She’s right there every morning in the front greeting everybody with a smile,” she said. “She’ll always buy me packs of gum because she knows I like to chew gum, and she’ll bring in bagels often for the office. She’s always there to offer any help with whatever you need.”

Many community members appreciate Keegan’s sunny disposition. “The thing I’m going to miss most is a friendly, smiling face to see every morning, whenever I walk by the Dean’s office,” Malcolm Furman (12) said.

Dean of Students Michael Dalo will also

miss Keegan’s presence, he said.“I will most miss her smile, her sense of humor, and her happy attitude.”

Throughout all her years at the school, Keegan has noticed the many changes around the school. For instance, her office in Tillinghast was not always at the entrance of the school, but on the second floor by the library and the cafeteria was where Gross Theater is now. During renovations, Keegan also worked in middle school for a while. She moved to her current office 18 years ago.

After Keegan retires, she will spend more time with her six grandchildren and support her husband, who is sick. “But I’ll come back to visit at any time,” she said.

As sines of summer approach, students wave goodbye to math teacher Aaron Thompson

Ariella Frommer Staff Writer

“Mr. Thompson has made the material in my math classes more accessible than any other teacher I’ve ever had in my life,” Sam Perlman (12) said. “It’s not like he’s trying to get you or give you a poor grade or make things difficult for you. He really wants you to learn the math.” After eight years at the school, Thompson will be moving to Philadelphia.

Thompson moved to New York and started teaching at the school in 2015 after serving as the math department chair of St. George’s Independent School in Memphis, Tennessee.

The most rewarding part of his time at the school has been watching students’ apply what they learn, Thompson said. “To see students using what you’re teaching, finding a real use for it, and finding a way to make the world a better place with it is the most exciting part.” Thompson especially

appreciated Jiyon Chatterjee’s (12) presentation about economics at the student showcase assembly on May 23 because he used information that he learned in Statistics and Probability to unpack a deeper issue that he cared about.

Thomson’s favorite class to teach was Precalculus with Theory Honors because it forced him to grow as a teacher, he said. “I’ve taught precalc many, many times before, but, for example, looking into ‘cookies and kids’ and some of these other hard problems — I had never posed these questions to high schoolers before.”

Thompson handled the daunting lesson of spirographs in Precalculus with Theory Honors particularly well, Perlman said. “The big thing for me was how he showed us how the calculator could do most of the heavy lifting, as long as we understood what was going on behind the scenes.”

Thompson explains the intuitions behind formulas very well, Sophie Li (11) said. “During precalc, there was a lot of 3D thinking involving matrices and determinants that can be difficult to visualize, but he explained them in a very intuitive way.”

In Rose Korff’s (10) Precalculus with Theory Honors class, Thompson makes lessons fun and memorable. For example, when the class was learning sequences and series, they did problems with Legos. “He lets us figure it out conceptually first before he teaches us the math content,” Korff said. The answer to the Lego problem ended up being the Fibonacci sequence.

Thompson also adapts his teaching to his students’ needs, Korff said. “He really makes sure that everyone understands the problem so he’ll try explaining it in different ways.”

It is clear that Thompson is super knowledgeable and has a large passion for math, Gabe Jaffe (11) said. “Whenever I meet with him, I’ll ask him a question and he’ll tell me all these other things he’s thinking about with math and show me videos.”

When the school eliminated Advanced Placement (AP) classes, Math teacher Linda Itani and Thompson spent the summer working together

to create the new Statistics and Probability course. Thompson proposed the addition of a linear regression and analysis project, which teaches students how to work with Microsoft Excel. “He knows it’s a necessary tool for the students, especially now that we aren’t catering to the AP exam,” Itani said.

As his colleague, Itani has noticed how flexible Thompson is. “He is always there when you need him, and although he enjoys teaching some classes more than others, he is never specific about what he wants to teach,” she said. “He’s all about the greater good of the department.”

Whenever Thompson covered Itani’s classes, she knew they were in good hands, she said. “If anything, I was nervous that when I came back, they would say that they wanted Mr. Thompson back.”

Apart from academics, Thompson is a fun guy who makes class enjoyable for his students, Perlman said. “Number one, he always wears fun shirts to class, which makes me super happy because who doesn’t love fun shirts?” Thompson is also a stand-up comedian. “Now and then, his humor will shine through, and it lightens up the

mood a lot,” Perlman said.

Thompson will leave a legacy behind in the school, the math department, and his students, Jaffe said. “He’s a really well-respected math teacher who knows what he’s doing, who cares about his students, and who is a great explainer.”

Moving on from the school is bittersweet, he said. His husband recently received a promotion so they must move closer to the company’s headquarters in Philadelphia.

Thompson has started to look at education and math jobs in Philadelphia, but he has not made a final decision on what his future will look like after leaving the school. “This has been an opportunity for me to grow as an educator and I certainly hope that I can use the skills that I developed here with wherever I decide to land next.”

Courtesy of Evan Contant

Courtesy of Sam Perlman

Lily Sussman and Evie Steinman

Courtesy of Barry Mason

BALD BESTIES Perlman (12) celebrates “Faculty Friday” with his favorite teacher.

STAT-TASTIC Thompson drops knowledge.

Dr. Chandra Mongroo leaves to work in non-traditional education

Michelle Grinberg Staff Writer

“Dr. Mongroo truly creates the best possible learning environment for all of her students and takes the time to get to know them individually,” Jordan Capla-Wasserman (10) said. Math teacher Dr. Chandra Mongroo joined the school community last year to fill the role of a teacher on maternity leave while Mongroo completed her doctorate and searched for a more permanent teaching position at a university. Mongroo taught both Geometry and Algebra 2.

While Mongroo enjoyed her time at the school, she has always intended to continue her career teaching at higher levels of education. “I just wasn’t ready to end my university life and I am very excited to work with a new batch of students next year,” she said. This coming year, Mongroo will be working with

non-traditional adults who decided to return to school later in life.

Teaching at the school was different from previous teaching experiences Mongroo has had. “At a college level, the curriculum is more conceptual, but we are always running out of time,” Mongroo said. Mongroo taught at Hunter College, where classes are one semester long, before coming to the school, she said. “I enjoyed the more collaborative nature of a year-long course in which there was more time to explore what the students were truly interested in.”

Mongroo’s entertaining and carefree nature made for a fun, but also productive, classroom environment, Wendi Zhong (9) said. “She is very good at explaining the material and goes the extra mile to ensure the class understands it.” She will definitely be missed, Zhong said.

Math teacher Samantha Lehn began teaching at the school alongside Mongroo this year. “Since we teach all the same classes, I have

enjoyed collaborating with her,” Lehn said. “I will definitely miss her next year but I’m excited to hear about the work she will be do ing.”

Capla-Wasserman switched to Mongroo’s class after the first quarter and Mongroo went the extra mile to schedule numerous meetings with him to ensure a smooth transition, he said. “She really goes above and beyond to make sure we have the best understanding of the material.”

At the school, Mongroo loved seeing the exuberance and liveliness of the stu dents, she said. Mongroo enjoyed hearing the creative names geometry students at the school had given to the various geo metric theorems throughout the year, she said. “Some of my personal favorites are the ice cream cone theorem, MOMOLELE, and the triple threat theorem.”

After one year, Sasha Barish leaves Horace Mann to pursue Ph.D.

uates he taught, he said.

Before he was hired as a teacher last year, Latin and Ancient Greek teacher Sasha Barish completed his master’s degree at Rutgers University. After a year of teaching at the school, Barish will move on to pursue a Ph.D. in the classics at Stanford Uni versity. Last summer, Bar ish had the opportunity to teach undergraduate stu dents after receiving his master’s degree. However, his job at the school was the first time he instructed high school students, he said.

Because of the frequency and length of the classes at the school, Barish found himself able to connect with students here more than the undergrad-

Barish was impressed by the students’ curiosity and dedication, he said. “I like that the students are doing all sorts of things inside and outside of the classroom and that they are really go-getters.”

Since high school students are also not required to specialize in a certain field, they are better able to explore their interests, Barish said. There is opportunity for students to develop genuine intellectual curiosity when they are not yet focused on developing a career, he

said. “I think it’s really exciting when the task of the students is to learn about all sorts of different things.”

Barish teaches mostly half-credit, elective courses and found his students to be very passionate about the subject matter he taught, he said. “The students who take my classes are students who are choosing to take my classes.”

“What stands out to me about Mr. Barish is that he is incredibly knowledgeable,” Gavin Song (12) said. “He has a background not only in classical literature but also in linguistics, so he often brings up the etymological roots of words,” he said. “It’s just unbelievable that a person actually knows that much.”

Henry Levinson (12), who takes Barish’s Ancient Greek D class, felt that Barish helped him improve his translation skills greatly this year, he said. “I think Mr. Barish was able to impart to me a lot of his linguistics-related wisdom and knowledge,

Bri’ana Odom leaves ICIE for Fieldston

Malachai Abbott Staff Writer

“HM’s Office for Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity [ICIE)] title, purpose, and job responsibilities felt so true to who I am, my studies, and my dedication to uplifting equity and community-building in and out of the classroom,” Program Associate of the ICIE Office Bri’ana Odom said. After working at the school for two years, Odom will leave to work in the Ethics Department at Fieldston as a Middle and Upper Division faculty member, a role which she is very excited for, she said.

After graduating with their master’s degree in 2021, Odom had a variety of ideas in mind for what to do after her teaching fellowship, including continuing to teach Spanish, move into an administrator role, or teach Social Justice and Identity related classes. “When I

came across HM’s Office for Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity I was more excited than I had been reading any other job description,” Odom said. “My years at HM have reminded me that the learning—about yourself and about everything else—never stops. And there’s a lot of beauty and freedom in the fact that we’re constantly ‘becoming’ as the years go on.”

Before coming to the school, Odom worked at a boarding school while pursuing her Master of Science in Education. There, they taught high school Spanish, a class called Diversity and Social Justice, and was an active member of their girls of color affinity group, she said.

“It has been a delight to work with Ms. Odom,” Director of the ICIE Office Christine Moloney said. “Ms. Odom has a strong focus on the individual student experience and always brings her light sense of humor to our

which he has an abundance of,” Levinson said. For instance, Levinson remembers how Barish helped students “connect past to present ‘’ by comparing grammatical structures from the original ancient Greek text of The Odyssey to modern English grammatical equivalents, Levinson said.

Song, who is also in Barish’s Ancient Greek D class, remembers having interesting conversations with Barish this year. “We were talking in one class about the Mycenaeans, who used to live in the Greek peninsula, and we had this conversation about the history of the Mycenae and how that interacts with the Homeric epics, which was really fascinating.”

Barish has enjoyed holding his classes outside on the field in the warmer months. “When the weather was good a few weeks ago, we went outside and read some Catullus love poetry and at the end of the period, one student said, ‘This is

just like the book The Secret History,’ which is about classics students performing a ritual murder of one of their classmates,” he said. Though Barish’s intentions were not to have students compare reading Latin poetry to ritual murder, The Secret History is a book about the beauty of ancient texts and how much they can move people. “So I suppose I take this student’s comment in a positive way,” Barish said. Although Barish is not sure what he will do after he receives his PhD, he plans to consider a career in teaching, he said.“I am going to Stanford because there are more things that I want to learn about and research,” Barish said. “But I’ve learned a lot about myself as a teacher this year, and I would like to teach in some respect in the future.”

interactions.”

Moloney came to the school the same time as Odom, in the fall of 2021. “The roles that Ms. Odom and I were hired for had already changed a week after we started,” she said.

“Some of my favorite memories involve seeing Ms. Odom dance or sing at one of our many social events.”

When looking ahead to the com ing year, Moloney will miss Odom’s integrity and lively energy in the ICIE Office. “Ms. Odom is ir replaceable,” she said. “Her joy is infectious and spreads to everyone around her.”

From getting to know stu dents to ad-

vising the preparation of Unity Week workshops, to working with students and UD Science teacher Lisa Scott to bring the step performance to the Black History Month Assembly this past February, Odom will look back on her time at the school fondly, she said. “My advice that no one asked for is to embrace the beauty of the learning journey, take in all the lessons, and celebrate each version of yourself along the

Clara Stevanovic Staff Writer

Computer Science teacher Dr. Glenda Guerrero heads back to Saint Peter’s after 31 years

Julia Bouchut Staff Writer

“She’s been involved in every aspect of computer science and technology since the establishment of the department here,” Computer Science and Engineering Department Chair Dr. Jason Gaines said about computer science teacher Dr. Glenda Guerrero, the first female Computer Science Department Chair. “You cannot walk around this campus without seeing somebody who has been directly influenced by her professional work.”

Guerrero has been teaching at the school since the summer of 1992. She obtained her master’s degree at Teachers College, Columbia University and a doctorate degree at Saint Peter’s University. After 31 years, she will be leaving the school as she had been offered an opportunity to work as a professor of data science at Saint Peter’s University.

Guerrero was drawn to computer science due to the field’s innovation and constant adaptation, she said. Initially, she wanted to pursue a career in the corporate world where she would guide people on how to use technology. One

spring day in her year at Columbia, she saw an advertisement in the hallway for a computer science teaching position at a Horace Mann summer program and decided to check it out.

Through the summer, Guerrero discovered her passion for teaching high school students, a demographic she was not very familiar with at the time. “It was a great transition to work in summer school because of the smaller class size,” she said. Guerrero became a full-time computer science teacher at the school that fall.

Through her time at the school, Guerrero worked with her colleagues to teach relevant material and increase students’ access to computer science.

With Robotics Coordinator Jason Torres, Guerrero developed a program which started in the Lower Division and now continues through the Middle Division and Upper Division, creating a path for students to learn important engineering skills. “We wanted to have everybody collaboratively work across divisions and focus on the two ends,” she said.

Guerrero has tried to focus on inclusivity and representation within

computer science and engineering, and mentorships exclusively for girls and individuals who self-identify as Latin-X people, she said. In the spring of 2021, she hosted a webinar with the Office of Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity (ICIE) and parents of students who identified as Latinx, where alumni spoke about their experience with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) beyond the school. At the request of female students, she created and coached the Girls Robotics Team, which served as an affinity space in a predominantly male-dominated field.

Guerrero has had a tremendous impact on the students she teaches, Gaines said. Between the “how are you feeling chart” displayed at the start of each class, to spending extra time with students to make sure that they understand the content, it is clear that she really cares about them, he said. “It’s a true testament when people you taught who don’t actually have to come and see you anymore, ten, 15 years later, will come in and say, ‘I want to hang out with Dr. Guerrero.’”

The classes Guerrero taught in the MD served as a foundation for many students who would continue on to pursue computer science in high school. Engineering teacher Sam Gruen ‘04 was first exposed to the world of computer science in Guerrero’s class. Due to technological changes, the class was very different from today, and it gave a lot of students access to devices such as computers that not everyone had at home. From his experience in her classroom to now, Gruen has noticed that Guerrero consistently fosters an encouraging environment and culture, for both students and faculty. Additionally, many students feel Guerrero always prioritizes their well-being and happiness in the class-

room. Guerrero introduced mindfulness-related activities, which were a nice break from the daily pressures of school, Nikita Pande (10) said. Many of these activities were not strictly related to computer science, but practiced important skills like creative thinking and patience, she said. “There was a big emphasis on mental health and we could focus on our zen”

Even outside the classroom, Guerrero makes sure to show her support for her students. After her most recent dance concert, Pande received an email from Guerrero congratulating her on her performance, she said. “It was a nice little surprise,” she said. “She went out of her way to recognize and come out to support her students and that’s going above and beyond what teachers are expected to do.”

Advisory was another place where Guerrero fostered a community, Ellen Wang (10) said. Wang especially bonded with Guerrero over her passion for the flute, which Guerrero used to play, and as part of the Robotics club in sixth grade when Guerrero was the club advisor, she said. Guerrero also created a space for her advisees to get to know each other better, Wang said. For example, every year when the book fair came, students would have to choose a book for a fellow advisee, allowing them to be thoughtful, and Guerrero would buy the books for the advisory.

Guerrero used inside jokes to bring everyone closer in her advisory, Skylar Fraser (10) said. During sixth grade Dorr, Fraser remembers everyone in her advisory opting for pineapple rather than the other food options. From that moment on, their advisory was dubbed “the pineapple advisory” and became a running theme throughout middle school. “I still have a pineapple cup she gave us,” Fraser said. “It was really cute.”

Through small gestures, Guerrero extended care and appreciation to her colleagues. At the beginning of every school year, Guerrero would bring everyone from the department souvenirs from her travels, Torres said. “You kind of look forward to those little trinkets and keychains.” She also writes cards to her colleagues expressing her support and congratulations to them, he said.

One of Guerrero’s close relationships was her “lunch table”, which over the years has included math teachers Tom Petras and Robert Potts, Help Desk & Operations & Technical Support Specialist Sheryl Baker, and Director of Technology Adam Kenner, Head of Admissions Jason Caldwell, Jason Torres as well as former colleagues Nancy Buzzuro, Lionel Garrison, Ilene Rothchild, Nick Faba, Janet Smith, Susan Garrison, Dora Barlaz, Rudy Reiblien, and Andy Newcombe. “I want to give kudos to those members of my community because they have heard my woes and my happiness,” Guerrero said. “They definitely made Horace Mann feel like home.”

Physical Education Teacher Meredith Cullen will also deeply miss Guerrero, both professionally and as a friend, she said. Guerrero will be missed in so many ways that people might not realize yet, as she does so much for the school, she said. “She’s literally the perfect role model in every way, student, teacher, friend, parent, she’s the whole package. She’s one of my dearest friends here and I would want my children to be taught by her. She’s just one of the best souls on the planet.”

Guerrero will miss the school and is grateful for her time here. Asked if she has any final thoughts, she simply said: “Thank you, HM!”

Marlene Capolupo retires after 32 years in the Music Department

she’s sharp, and anyone that has been lucky enough to work with her knows she is very efficient — she runs a tight ship.”

anything.”

“My colleagues at the school are like a second family to me,” Administrative Assistant to Chair of the Music Department Marlene Capolupo said. “I am very happy I’ve worked with such wonderful people for 32 years.”

After working as a secretary and, more recently, an Administrative Assistant, for four different Music Department heads, Capolupo will retire at the end of this year. She plans to spend her free time with her beloved children and grandkids.

Before coming to the school, Capolupo worked in the same position at another school. It was merely through coincidence that Capolupo discovered the job opportunity. “I went to church one day, and on the church bulletin it said they needed someone for the music department. That’s what I did — I applied, and I never left.”

Music Department Chair Timothy Ho adores Capolupo and said she will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on the school. “She’s kind of a legend,” he said. “She’s smart,

Ho’s favorite moments with Capolupo have been his daily conversations with her. They have worked together for the last 17 years, and he will cherish all of the time he spent with her, he said. “She’s given me so much wisdom over the years and shared so much insight into not only the school and the music department, but the world in general.”

Ho believes that Capolupo’s most significant contribution to the school has been her sharing of the knowledge she has gained over her many years at the school. “A lot of people have come and gone in the time that she has been at the desk. She proceeded the people who hired us and the people who hired them,” Ho said. “She is leaving a legacy of clarity, consistency, and stability.”

Over the years, Capolupo has grown and adapted in her role, believing it is never too late to learn something new, she said. “Learning the computer, which many people my age have the tendency to say they can’t learn, has given me the confidence to think I can learn

Capolupo’s favorite activities at the school have always been the concerts and the Music Department trips, she said. “Listening to students playing or singing was always really enjoyable. Especially when they begin to have recitals in the afternoon.”

It will be bittersweet for Capolupo to leave. “I have watched the Music Department grow into what it is today, and for that reason, I feel like a part of me is being left here,” she said. “Dr. Kelly has told me that anytime I want, I can come back and help out, I am willing to do so. I am there if they need me.”

Clara Medeiros and Maddie Offit Staff Writers

James Moore/Staff Photographer

Courtesy of Barry Mason

A HEARTFELT THANK YOU Guerrero at robotics event with students.

CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF 2023!