Class Day

Record The Horace Mann

JUNE 3RD, 2020 || VOLUME 117, ISSUE 31

HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903

RECORD.HORACEMANN.ORG

Chat (table of contents)

p. 2 Opinions: Virtual Theater, COVID Family Bonding p. 3 No justice, no peace p. 4 Asian Americans confront racism p. 5 Opinions: HM Online Olympics, 7 tips for juniors p. 6 Faith during a pandemic p. 8 Summer plans changing in the pandemic p. 10-11 Senior nostalgia p. 12 New classes coming next year p. 13 Editorial Board 118 p. 14-16 Teachers’ letters to seniors p. 17 Body image during quarantine p. 18 Sustainability at HM p. 19 Appreciation notes to parts of HM p. 20 Diversity events p. 24-25 College Map p. 26-27 Teachers leaving HM p. 29 How teachers spend their summers p. 30 Gap years, gap fears p.32 Advice from two Black students

Art by: Lauren Kim, Rachel Zhu, Gabby Fischberg, Sarah Sun, Annabelle Chan

OPINIONS

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Editor-in-Chief Julia Robbins Managing Editor Mayanka Dhingra Issues Editor Jude Herwitz Features Nelson Gaillard Gabby Kepnes Kiara Royer News Amelia Feiner Madison Li Sam Keimweiss Simon Yang Opinions Abigail Salzhauer Lions’ Den Darius McCullough Mark Fernandez Ranya Sareen Andrew Cassino

THE RECORD OPINIONS JUNE 3RD, 2020

My virtual debut: Using virtual theater for good

Izzy Abbott I took a deep breath as my green camera light flicked on, signifying my debut in the world of virtual theater.

When I came back from the Mountain School (TMS) in January, I was excited to dive back into life not just at Horace Mann, but also my out of school theater program. Since I was nine years old, I have been attending Applause New York, a performing arts program for kids aged 3-18. Applause has provided me not only with an outlet to channel my often confusing and overlapping emotions, but also a community of individuals who care for each other and me more in ways words cannot express. Despite the fact that I only spent four hours each Friday at a small, makeshift rehearsal space at a public school cafeteria learning how to act, sing, and dance, it was the highlight of my week. I made friends with and learned from the older, more experienced students. My teachers’ and directors’ comments built my skills as a performer, and our performances endowed me with a deep appreciation for the arts and the effort that goes into producing a piece of theater.

When I graduated into the “A-class,” or the high school program, I was anxious to perform alongside such talented kids.

I soon realized, however, that my age and (lack of) experience didn’t matter—the older students were welcoming and encouraged me to challenge myself in all aspects of performance. Theater began to feel like my “thing”: something that I did entirely for myself because it made me feel like I had presence despite my small size. When I step on stage and open my mouth to sing, my insecurities melt away, and I feel the joy of sharing this part of myself to friends, family, and even strangers, For me, to sing for others is to share a part of myself, a vulnerability in performing, that most of my peers rarely see. I don’t participate in HMTC productions as a result of my time commitments to Applause (9 AM-2 PM every Saturday), and while I may only seem to talk about theater and TMS, many of my classmates at HM haven’t seen me in anything remotely theatrical—unless you count Shakespeare readings in English classes.

You can imagine my devastation to learn that Applause was closing its doors because of COVID-19. In light of this, the owner and founder of Applause announced that we would be putting on virtual plays in place of our two musicals for the spring semester. Using sets, costumes, and props from our homes, we live-streamed five full-length plays over YouTube for all the world (or at least those who followed Applause’s Instagram) to see. While I was skeptical at first, the process of staging, costuming, and figuring out the technological parts of the performance has taught me the importance of adapting in the face of adversity. While we need time to grieve and

Middle Division Ben Wang Isabella Zhang Design Editors Euwan Kim Reena Ye Chris Ha Art Directors Annabelle Chan Gabrielle Fischberg

Faculty Adviser David Berenson

Staff Writers Izzy Abbott, Adrian Arnaboldi, Abby Beckler, Bradley Bennett, Sam Chiang, Sogona Cisse, Jack Crovitz, Adam Frommer, Andie Goldmacher, Julia Goldberg, Andie Goldmacher, Alison Isko, Avi Kapadia, Marina Kazarian, John Mauro, Yesh Nikam, Henry Owens, Oliver Steinman, Emily Shi, Samuel Singer, Natalie Sweet, Sasha Snyder, Vivien Sweet, Joshua Underberg, Talia Winiarsky, Chloe Choi, Emma Colacino, Yin Fei, Lucas Glickman, Claire Goldberg, Liliana Greyf, Lauren Ho, Walker McCarthy, Maya Nornberg, Morgan Smith, Patrick Steinbaug, Katya Tolunsky, Nathan Zelizer Staff Photographers Harrison Haft, Julia Isko, Daniel Lee, Ava Merker, Kelly Troop, Halley Robbins, Sophie Gordon, Amanda Wein, Maxwell Shopkorn, Emma Colacino, AJ Walker, Lucas Glickman, Lauren Ho Staff Artists Wilder Harwood, Rachel Zhu

ers earlier this year, but it is happening, and I have had to learn to grapple with the things I know are in my control.

For me, performing is a much needed escape from the pressures of school and the effort of getting along with my family; participating in things like virtual plays, cabarets, choirs, and talent shows has helped keep me sane. However, with no clear end to lockdown in sight, it can be disheartening to think that I may not be able to perform on a stage until at least next year. In the meantime, we have to give ourselves room to feel scared or upset but to continue engaging in the activities that bring us joy to ease the burden placed on us by the pandemic.

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

Finding new family bonds in quarantine

A&E Nishtha Sharma Eliza Poster Eddie Jin

Photography Griffin Smith Ahaan Palla Jake Shapiro

process, we cannot bury our heads in the sand and deprive ourselves of the things we love. We have to rise to the occasion and make an even greater effort to pursue those things that help us deal with the issues at hand.

I take this lesson with me as I embark on my own initiative to bring theater to a local high school in the British Virgin Islands through a three-week summer program. While initially, I was going to physically go there to stage a one-night-only event to raise money to start the school’s own theater program, being in my own virtual performance has shown me that we can transcend the physical barrier and refigure the program so it can be done virtually. A global pandemic is not something I had ever accounted for when planning with teachers and community lead-

Vivien Sweet How do you justify laying in bed staring at your ceiling for an hour?

Up until recently, I didn’t think that there was any excuse for such openly idle behavior. For weeks, I laughed off the idea of any part of my life slowing down because of COVID-19. There is no better time for self-improvement than now, I thought.

In the rat race that is Junior Spring for Horace Mann eleventh graders, the show must go on: applications for competitive remote summer programs must be completed, extracurriculars must be in full swing, and near-perfect grades must be maintained—if not improved.

I admitted that some routines were inevitably disrupted for the worse by the demanding restrictions of COVID-19. One thing that I believe has been severely warped for every single person in the United States is the concept of time. Hours pass like days which turn to weeks that suddenly become months.

Today is the third day of June. We have now been away from school for 53 days, or over a quarter of the school year, which would have been simply incomprehensible to me a year ago.

It was when I saw my mother setting the dinner table for the eighth Tuesday in a row that I realized that the facade of normalcy I had created for my family had been intruded upon. My parents had split almost a year ago, yet here they were at dinner on Tuesday, discussing the new Michael Jordan documentary and the politics of TikTok. We had not lived like this—me, my parents, and two sisters in one house for weeks on end—since January of 2019. And I, suddenly alone on the road to self-improvement, hadn’t even noticed.

In the midst of immeasurable death, economic failure, and

loneliness, it is difficult to find a silver lining when all conventional routines have been turned upside down. Although I sought to return to pre-COVID-19 life in a profoundly changed setting, I found that some of the things I took for granted—namely, school—could not be perfectly replicated.

For my split parents living in the same household, it was quite literally impossible to pretend that their lives were back to normal. In nearly all instances when two married adults separate, they do not intend to get back together anytime soon. My parents certainly did not.

But we make it work, and we make it work well. We play Scattergories after dinner and walk the dog together in the afternoon. In the mornings, my father makes twice as much coffee as he usually does to accommodate my mother’s caffeine addiction, and on Sundays, my mother buys more kale than ever at the farmer’s market to make my father’s favorite kale salad. My mother works out in the basement in the morning so that my father can in the afternoon; my father watches English Premier League reruns in his room so that my mother can rewatch Fleabag downstairs at night. And, selfishly, it is nice to have both of my parents living with my sisters and I in

home to assert that. In our house in Forest Hills, Queens, there are the right amount of rooms so my family and I see each enough so that we’re not incredibly lonely but also are not getting into arguments over stolen leftovers every hour.

Still, our family life is also far from perfect, similar to most families—divorced or not. I do not mean to sugarcoat the emotional impact that divorce has on both children and their parents. For many children, it may be detrimental to their well-being to live in the same household as their split parents, and it is important for me to acknowledge how fortunate I am to have separated parents who are not constantly fighting.

During a pandemic, my parents have shown me that it is possible to make the best out of unexpected accommodations, even if the new circumstances go against everything that used to be normal. If you had asked my parents half a year ago if they expected to be living together again, I’m sure they would have had very different responses. And if you had asked me a half a year ago if I could spend an hour staring at my ceiling during hell week of junior spring, I’m sure I would have had a very different response too. But I have come to learn that unforeseen situations elicit unexpected responses that often will Annabelle Chan/Art Director

one house. Although both our familial situation and the global situation are far from normal, for the first time in a long time, I have felt that everything will be alright.

This does not mean that there is a personal upside to COVID-19 for all families. It would be unfair to those who do not have access to their own personal, private spaces in their

be OK in the end, even if it doesn’t seem like it. With this realization, I might spend all afternoon learning the catchy theme song from La La Land on ukulele instead of proofreading my English paper for the third time. It just may turn out to be for the best in the end.

No justice, no peace

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HORACE MANN OPINIONS JUNE 3RD, 2020

Darius McCullough Disappointed. That’s the first word that comes to mind when people ask me how I feel about this situation. Over the past 10 years of my life, I’ve done a lot of growing. I’ve grown to grasp a better understanding of racial injustices. From the time that Trayvon Martin was shot and killed when I was in 4th grade, to now, the last day of my senior year of high school, I have grown and changed a lot. I can’t say the same about the governmental response to racial injustices in the United States, however, and that is where the disappointment comes to mind.

During my middle school graduation, I spoke on racial injustices in America. I actually looked back on it to find the perfect angle through

which to write this piece and I was pained to realize that the exact same issues are prevalent today in America. Part of my speech read: “It’s July 14th, 2013, two days after my mom’s birthday, and I’m waking up next to my brother in a hotel in Florida. My parents are once again angry, very angry. On Fox News, people are arguing. Turns out George Zimmerman had been found NOT guilty on all accounts. It didn’t make sense to me; he had shot, killed, murdered a young teenage boy, like myself. Doesn’t the law state that murder is a crime, and if you commit such a crime, you have to go to jail? (PAUSE) Hmm … guess not. To this day, George Zimmerman walks a free man.”

Today, I am sad to admit that not much has changed.

For my entire life, I’ve been told to never lash out, or that I will be labeled as another angry Black man in America, and I know that many other young Black men have had this branded into the backs of their brains. For as long as I have been alive, African Americans have tried to stay away from any type of violence in protest, but at some point enough is enough. Over the past few days I’ve heard and seen many people voice their opinions on how “violence isn’t the answer,” and that “looting is not the American way.”

As African-Americans, we have tried exercising our right to freedom of speech, we’ve attempted to peacefully protest and speak up for the cause. However, when we gather and try to discuss social injustices and spread awareness

peacefully for years and see no results and in some cases increased disrespect, frustration builds. None of the protestors in Minnesota woke up one morning thinking, “I should burn down all of these businesses and loot the city.”

These violent reactions are a result of years and years of not being heard. They are a result of constant oppression in the United States, not just in Minnesota, but throughout the whole country. So while I would never leave my house to light a car on fire or break into a building, if that is what people in Minnesota need to do in order for justice to be served, then so be it.

Over the past week, I have received more messages of support than I can remember during any other time in my life, and I appreciate that wholeheartedly. I have heard many non-African Americans ask what they can do to help. I don’t feel comfortable asking people to give their money to different organizations or to protest, considering the COVID-19 outbreak that has somehow taken a back seat in world issues today.

Therefore, what I ask all of my non-African American peers to do is simply reach out to a Black friend and offer to listen to them if they would like to speak. Offer to be educated and tell them that you want to hear how they feel, and spread that education to your fellow non-African American peers. But most importantly, seek education from the institutions in which you abide, and try to educate yourself.

While nobody wants to admit it; to non-African Americans, the word of a white person holds more weight than mine. If I angrily rant about

racial injustices to some people, I’ll be labeled as an angry Black man. Although this will never stop me from speaking my mind, white people spreading this knowledge in conversations among themselves will undoubtedly help the cause. So when a white person asks me how they can help, I say: the most important thing you can do is make yourself an educator and equip yourself with the tools to spread knowledge on this issue. Knowledge is power.

Many would preach that America was built on freedom and liberty and that all citizens should be appreciative of those freedoms. However, not all American citizens have access to this so-called freedom and liberty. As a Black man, I need to know that those younger than me will have these liberties and freedoms available to them when I am no longer here.

At the end of my 8th-grade speech, I wrote: “Growing up as a young, Black man, I’ve come to realize that those individuals: Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Tamir Rice could wind up being me. It is a harsh and scary reality to face, but it is also a shame.”

Since then, there have been countless additional names to add to that list. My 8th-grade self would be disappointed to hear the even longer list right now and standing in my own shoes now as a grown man four years later. I’m disappointed to realize that today those individuals can also wind up being me. We need to make a change and do better as a country because as Black people, we are sick and tired of feeling this disappointment.

Charles Simmons: Don’t be passive

Courtesy of Chris Ha

We are in a passive liberal white community that acknowledges things are bad but does not seem to understand their role in enforcing systemic racism since they themselves are not physically violent, but more complicit in a broader system.

Refocusing the conversation from the pros/cons of rioting and property destruction to WHY people need to riot in the first place. MLK said riot is the language of the unheard. People who focus on the riots are taking a three day view to a three hundred year system of supremacy.

Ask people to connect today’s actions to history. Share resources about institutionalized racism in the health care system, justice system, public housing system, and more.

Contextualize this for privileged people to greater systems.

Finally, insist on self reflection from white and otherwise privileged people.

When did they ask themselves about their race? When did they feel uncomfortable in a space where they are not the majority? How are their daily actions assisted by their privilege?

Finally, what are moments of mistakes they have made and ways they have grown? How are they COMPLICIT through INACTION?

Now is the time for religion to adapt

Helen Fajemirokun On Easter Sunday, I took part in a ritual that crops up each year: attending an Easter church service with my extended family. But this year, it had a once-unimaginable twist: I was joining my family in London by computer and listening to my cousins sing across a five-hour time difference.

This peculiar new reality of practicing religion is a result of the whirl-wind transition to quarantine that we have all faced. My family's church in London began releasing online sermons focused on keeping the community alive and engaged fairly early into the crisis. However, by Easter Sunday, I had still not fully adjusted to the strange videos where members of the church

recited bible verses or sung hymns from their living rooms rather than from the altar.

I found myself curled up on the couch in pajamas, rather than the nice dress I would normally wear whilst sitting in a row amongst my family.

I paused the video about halfway through upon becoming aware of my casualness. It felt strange yet selfishly liberating. I could not believe I was technically attending church like this. It felt great, but only for a few minutes, before I was reminded of how incomparable this was to normal, due to both not having my family by my side and not physically being in the church.

My cousin, a devout member of the church, sang in the video. My first reaction was that this hardly replicates the beautiful echo that emerges from the 150-year-old church that she normally sings in. The background noises of washing machines and people running up and down the stairs took away from her stunning voice. It simply did not feel the same.

Attending church every Easter with my family is one of the most restorative annual activities that I partake in. The sensory experience of it has so far been unmatched to any online sermon that I have taken part in. There was no candlelight against intricately-detailed walls; no hugs amongst family and friends; no being able to reunite as a community as we have done so for many years. The lack of these components left me feeling less fulfilled by the service than I normally would.

In retrospect, I realize that my church was making the best of a challenging situation and still finding ways to connect with the community despite the odds. Furthermore, being able

to schedule my worship around my timetable was definitely an appealing feature. I realized that, like many other norms for my generation, religion had just become “on-demand”.

Although it was a different experience, it was actually just like much of the rest of my life.

Religion has been one of the last significant elements within our lives to update itself. Over the last century, the format of religious practice has remained primarily the same, failing to adapt any of its methods to the rapidly modernizing world. In many ways, online religious services fit our digitized lives much better, which is why their disappearance after quarantine could be unlikely. Our generation has neglected to move religion online, despite our vast efforts to do so with the rest of our lives.

As life returns to a semblance of normal, religion might never.

Although it is too early to tell how religion’s presence in our lives may change in the future, what we do know is that it cannot just revert to its old way after adopting such a drastic change.

This “new normal” for religion both excites and disappoints me. The transition will allow many people who lead busy lives to dictate their own religious schedule; however, this could also make it a much more isolating experience, as I have found it to be so far. The inevitable perks are convenient but fail to replicate the sacred environment of my family's annual church gathering.

According to The Atlantic, in 1972, just 5% of Americans did not identify as being religious, and in recent years, that percentage has grown up to 23%. As time has progressed, less and less

of Americans are members of organized religions. This might be an indication of religious organizations failing to update to the modern world, which begs the question of how this percentage could change post-quarantine.

Now, with the “on-demand” version of religion available, that 23% could potentially decrease. Many hyper-busy people cannot afford to take the time to worship, thus the percentage has grown. However, this newly digitized version of religion allows people to fit in spiritual moments for reflection at their own ease.

Many HM students, like me, have also found ways to keep in touch with their religious community, despite the restrictions of quarantine.

Federica Italiani (10) has been attending online services at her church on the Upper East Side, St. Ignatius Loyola. She too finds this new experience to address personal reflection and individual growth rather than the growth and connection of the community, Italiani said. Regardless of “sibling squabbles and parental reprimands, every element of church is special and holy, [yet her] bedroom simply is not,” Italiani said.

Whether it be under covers or on a couch, the way we practice and appreciate religion has transformed since the COVID-19 outbreak. The need for elaborate stained glass windows and moderately formal attire has evaporated and left us practicing without human interaction and a new informality. This accessibility and ease may appeal to younger generations and possibly curb the weakening religious demographic in the U.S.

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THE RECORD NEWS JUNE 3RD, 2020

Asian Americans confront racism during COVID Sam Chiang Staff Writer

The week after school closed due to COVID-19, Masa Shiiki (12) was confronted while walking down the street. A man with a microphone appeared and began screaming ‘corona’ into Shiiki’s face, he said.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Shiiki and other Asian American members of the school’s community have been subject to outright racism and discrimination in public. Although quarantine has forced people to remain inside and stay with friends and family, many Asian American members of the community have also experienced more subtle racism through both conventional media sources and social media apps such as Instagram and Facebook.

Immediately after the incident, Shiiki said he was not deeply affected. However, it “made him think about how ignorant people can be, and how people sometimes blame issues on others when they cannot tangibly confront the issue,” he said.

“People need to understand that this is an issue that is not some race’s problem, and instead we should be helping one another out.”

While HaiHai Hu (12) has not personally experienced any racially-charged attacks, he knows of family friends who have, he said. “A family friend has encountered such instances on the subway regularly, where people either comment, act disgusted, or walk away as if she were infected.”

“It’s a little scary to hear the news happening to Asians across the country,” Computer

Science and Robotics Teacher Lester Lee said. Lee is scared that there will be a sharp rise in xenophobia. People referring to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” or “Kung-flu” certainly hasn’t helped, Lee said. These terms perpetuate narratives such as the Yellow Peril, he said.

“The atmosphere has changed,” Lee said, “Being Asian has now become hypervisible.” Being hypervisible is about the scrutiny of peoples over perceived difference and their inability to blend in or hide certain aspects about themselves.

Now, Lee only leaves the house to get groceries, and when he does, he has to be more cautious of how he acts, he said. Another time, Lee, a resident of Chinatown, decided to stay indoors after an Instagram user declared that they would shoot at every Asian in Chinatown, he said.

Similarly, English Teacher Stanley Lau has also felt like people first see him as Asian before any of his other identifying characteristics, he said. Early on in the pandemic, Lau was riding the subway home from his workout class and felt dehydrated. He recalls needing to cough but stopping himself out of fear, he said. “I remember just looking down and thinking, ‘Please God, don’t let me cough on this crowded subway’ because I knew that if I did, I was concerned that people would all look at me.”

During spring break, Lau contracted COVID-19, an experience that he will always remember, he said. “I actually got very anxious about possibly telling my colleagues and students,” he said. “It’s a time of uncertainty, and there’s always the possibility that students and families will think differently about me.”

However, Lau’s colleagues, students, and their families were all supportive and caring, he said. “As a new person to HM and NYC who doesn’t yet have a large support network, the fact that everyone in my department reached out meant the world to me.”

Lau does not doubt that people will treat him with kindness and respect at school; instead, he worries more about

implicit biases. Given that he is an Asian American who had COVID-19, he wonders what people will think when his seasonal allergies act up and he sneezes or coughs.

Annabelle Xing (11) has not been the victim of any racist comments, but she has felt more subtle discrimination against Asian Americans on the news, she said. Asian American and Asian news-focused media company NextShark has published many articles about physical attacks against Asians in subways or public, derogatory remarks, she said. Additionally, Xing recognizes that some of her local Chinese restaurants are also struggling because people are afraid to go and eat there or order food, she said.

In Chinatown, tourism has dropped significantly, and it seems that some shops will be forced to close, Lee said. “I try to support when I can by ordering delivery and selecting no-contact dropoff or take out.”

While members of the community have been able to shake off the racist comments, there is consensus regarding the need for a change in how people perceive COVID-19. Lee said that he believes the first step is to start conversations about why Asians have become hypervisible. “We need to show support to people of color’s voices and listen to them talk about their experiences, not to undermine it.”

Furthermore, Lau suggested that privileged individuals must play a critical role in disrupting this ecosystem of discrimination. “It’s difficult, awkward, and requires a lot of emotion and mental bandwidth, but we need to be willing to do that,” he said.

Lau has a few steps that he thinks people can take to help disrupt this system. “First, don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions,” Lau said, “if someone makes a racist joke, ask them to explain why it’s funny.” Second, people should speak up or call in people to help them realize when they’ve made a mis-

take but without criticizing them and putting them on the defensive, he said.

“Finally, those who are in positions of privilege should step back and, without judgment, listen when people in marginalized communities speak about their own lives,” Lau said. “Resist the temptation to challenge someone’s lived experiences and the assumption that all Asian Americans share the same experience.”

Sofia Jiang (11) believes that part of the reason why negative connotations of Asians have spread is because of widespread misinformation over how the virus spreads and fear of the pandemic.

“Initially, there should have been greater transparency about how the virus spread,” she said. “Since misinformation plays a fundamental role in the perpetuation of racist stereotypes, being more transparent would enable masses to think critically about their own responsibilities to reduce the spread of COVID-19 rather than assigning blame.”

Similarly, Xing believes that information about the pandemic has been misframed to cast blame on China or other Asian nations, she said. “It would be extremely helpful for a public official, the President, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or some official account to come out and clarify the information.” Government officials’ statements should match up with the recommendations of the CDC and not politicize issues, such as whether or not to wear a mask, she said.

“I still don’t think about what other people will say about me, but it reminds me of how our world still has work to do in terms of racism and not being ignorant,” Shiiki said.

Sarah Sun/Staff Artist

Strict quarantines: Some students not leaving house at all Devin Allard-Neptune Staff Writer Even though most Americans are currently cooped up inside their houses, there are some families that maintain stricter quarantine rules than others. Halley Robbins (12) has not left her apartment on the Upper West Side since March 16, the first Monday after school was cancelled.

Upon her return to the city after spending the weekend with friends, Robbins’ father said that their family would “fully quarantine,” for the following weeks, she said.

For the past 69 days since her father announced the family quarantine, Robbins, along with her brother, sister and mother, have not set foot into their building’s hallway, she said.

Towards the beginning of their quarantine, the family ordered food from grocery stores, and Robbins’ father picked up the items from the lobby, Robbins said. However, as the condition of the pandemic worsened, the Robbins began to order in bulk from Baldor’s, a restaurant supplier that has started offering home deliveries to families during quarantine.

Now that around half of the residents in their building have left the city for second homes, the door staff brings all deliveries up to the apartments to limit potential exposure to the virus, she said. Once the weekly shipment of food is delivered, Robbins’ father will wait around 20 minutes, then bring the food into the apartment, she said.

Helena Yang (11) has also been under strict

quarantine since the middle of spring break, she said. Yang is quarantining with her brother and mother, and they have not left their Upper East Side apartment.

In order to limit potential exposure to the virus, Yang’s family ordered what they could online, and Yang’s mother only went outside to buy essentials, she said. Shopping online during the pandemic has made getting basic supplies harder, she said. “A few weeks ago, it was really difficult just to place an online order because everything was out of stock,” she said. Although at one point it was difficult to get necessary items, online shopping has recently been easier for Yang’s family because items are being restocked, she said.

“The first week, I thought our super strict quarantine was a joke, and it was going to become more lenient in a week or two,” Robbins said.

When first getting used to quarantine, Robbins regularly wanted to see friends or go on a walk, and not being allowed to do these things was one of the hardest parts of starting quarantine, she said.

Robbins has found that focusing on small things has helped her cope with not being allowed to leave the apartment, she said. By working out, cooking, and watching TV, she has been able to take time to do things she enjoys in order to make the most out of quarantine, she said. “I’m trying to make my quality of life better while I’m inside.”

Robbins’ terrace has additionally helped her during quarantine, she said. Being able to experience a different environment than the inside

of her apartment is important in maintaining normalcy, she said. “Even if I’m not going on real walks, or can’t see people, or go into stores, I think there is something so nice about stepping outside and getting fresh air.”

The reason for the Robbins’ strict quarantine came out of the news at that time, Robbins said.

Her father believed that the virus would reach its “peak,” the time period with the most number of cases, shortly after they began quarantining, she said. His goal was to prevent anyone in the Robbins family from getting sick during that time, when it was likely hospitals would not have the sufficient amount of respirators and beds to keep up with the patients, she said.

His initial decision was additionally influenced by a lack of information about the virus, she said. “He didn’t want any of us to be part of the first massive wave of people that are getting sick, because his theory was that in a few months, the whole world would have more of an understanding and a better way to treat [the coronavirus] in case any of us did get sick.”

While some people made the decision to strictly quarantine out of lack of information, others decided to do it based on what they have heard from others.

“We have family members in China, so we kind of realized what the worst was going to be before it even came over to the United States,” Helena Yang (11) said. Because of their prior knowledge of the impact COVID-19 has had on China, Yang’s mother decided to heavily quarantine once

the virus arrived in New York, she said.

Access to online goods has not been the only element of quarantine in her life that has returned to somewhat normalcy. Another aspect of her life that remains somewhat similar is time devoted to school, she said. For the past few weeks, a significant amount of her time has gone towards studying for her AP exams she said. All of Yang’s normal extracurriculars, for example, her ballet classes, are also being hosted online, so she has been keeping busy, she said. “I still don’t really have that much free time just because my time has been blocked by those activities,” she said.

Yang’s mother stresses that if there is no good reason for her family members to go outside, then they should not go outside, Yang said. However, if there ever was a reason for Yang to leave, she would be able to, she said.

“There’s no added incentive to go outside besides taking a walk in the park,” Yang said, “But I haven’t really had time for that regardless, just because of how busy my schedule has been.”

After being in quarantine for almost three months, Robbins feels lucky that she is still in good spirits, she said. “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to have to do this for, but I can imagine that at some point it will become very difficult,” she said.

“I’m trying not to think about the big picture, because that’s when I get kind of down about it,” Robbins said. “But by taking it day by day and trying to do things to entertain myself, I feel less cooped up.”

HORACE MANN OPINIONS JUNE 3RD, 2020

A letter from the HM Online Olympics organizers

Adam Frommer and Yana Gitelman Now that no one is asking about your grades in the hallway, or kissing up to upperclassmen in club meetings, how’s a Horace Mann student to compete? Obviously, through our challenges. Moreover, how does one (namely us) get attention without scampering around Katz Library? Clearly, mass emails. Daily.

Lastly, how does one (we) get Mr. Garrison to talk to us without a physical open-door to take advantage of (and chocolates to steal)?

Why of course, frantic pleading him to approve the mass emails outlined in our above response to question two.

The second TK sent the email on March 9 about school closing, these questions sprang up from the depths of our directionless ambition, true to Horace Mann spirit. We marched down to Registrar Mr. Garrison’s office and asked him politely, “What’s to happen?!?!” We had been planning a scavenger hunt to take place after Spring Break with the world’s least efficient idea factory (the Community Council). Coronavirus spoiled our plans to spread cheer! We had finally gotten the 3,000 faculty advisors to sign off on the initiative after over a year of working on it, and we were determined that it wouldn’t end up in the world’s largest idea graveyard (CC members’ abandoned Google Docs). Some spiritual presence wafted over Mr. Garrison’s light-filled room on the corner between Tibbett and 242nd street and at once we knew: this was our duty.

We needed to adapt. Improvise. Overcome.

This we did.

In our year-long preparation for the aforementioned scavenger hunt, we had finalized a several-page-long list of, frankly, riveting challenges all devised for face-à-face fun! As we scrolled through the Google Doc on our phones in Olshan Lobby and silently wept, we realized that many of the challenges could work remotely with a few changes. We agreed to come back to the idea later and planned a FaceTime planning session for some vague future time frame. After a few days of binge-watching The Crown and Love Island UK (highly recommend, by the way), we be-

gan to long for the sense of purpose sprinkled with anxiety that fills the halls of Tillinghast.

Everyone was bored, and everyone wanted some normalcy. These two factors prompted us to put together HM Online Olympics.

There seems to be an HM tradition where during stressful periods (whether they’re hell weeks or personal conflicts or global pandemics), students devote a lot of time to random obsessions that may not feel productive or necessary but are ultimately cool and fun.

In order to detach themselves from the fear and anxiety of stressful situations, some students write poems or plays. Some make playlists. Some organize their rooms. Some exercise. Some write long emails with a kind of unhinged tone to teachers.

For our wacky fulfillment during coronavirus, we thought of some HM-related words and plugged them into an online crossword

puzzle maker. At first, we figured that daily puzzles would fill some holes during a spring break where most of us had nothing to do.

Then, we planned on only keeping HM Online Olympics up until in-person school resumed in hopes to help retain some community feeling amongst us despite our separation—little did we know back then that school would be online for the rest of the year. So, as it happened, we bombarded you all with emails every day for the next two months. We received some positive feedback from faculty members and students alike, which really fueled our egos. Thank you dearly to anyone who has

Seven tips from a junior year survivor explore creatively in a way that I didn’t have time to fully discover before I made the effort needed to take care of myself. You also might want to find something that doesn’t rely on other people—for example, not talking to a friend—because sometimes it can be hard to relax when around other people.

2. Teachers do not hate you for asking for extensions.

Natalie Sweet Being a junior is really tough – from college nights to applying for club positions, there’s a lot of new challenges that arise as you become an upperclassman.

I’m no expert on surviving Horace Mann, but I have learned a lot of lessons over this past year that I really wish I knew beforehand.

1. Take care of yourself.

This especially includes getting sleep! Listen to what your body is telling you—if you have a raging headache because you’re working on an APUSH paper at 3 am, maybe it’s time to get some rest. But it’s also important to find a de-stressor that you can rely on to calm down. Maybe that means listening to Frank Ocean’s entire discography in bed. Maybe that means painting, or going for a long walk, or whatever helps you personally relax. This sounds like a really obvious tip, but it took me getting concussed to realize that I had no way of relaxing or taking care of myself. When I was injured, I could clearly see that I hadn’t been listening to my body even when I was healthy. I gravitated towards ceramics as a way to rest my brain and also

It’s okay to ask for extensions in certain situations.

Though this shouldn’t be the case, I think there can be some internal shame that one might feel around asking for an extension because we are taught, in a way, that we are students first and people second. I am not encouraging students to try to get their due date extended if they don’t need it, but it’s important to recognize when too much is happening in your life—either in school or at home—to turn in an assignment. Especially in a global pandemic, teachers understand if you need an extra day or two because a take-home test might not be at the front of your mind.

3. If you think something at school needs to be changed or something can be added, take the initiative and go ahead!

Students are really receptive to new ideas, and the deans are helpful with bringing initiatives to life as well. Some examples of this are people bringing in guest speakers as ways to creatively expand our worldview beyond the classroom, like Jaden Kirshner (11) leading the Community Council’s (CC) Career Lecture Series or Chloe Kim (12) connecting the school with Liberty in North Korea, or ways to make the faculty’s life easier, such as Simon Schackner (10) starting “babysitting” zooms where students play games with the children of faculty so the staff can work in peace.

Just know that your ideas are valid and there is totally

space to start new things, regardless of whether you’re a member of the CC or not.

4. It’s not weird to show up in PJs.

If you don’t have time to put together a cute outfit, just remember that no one will remember or think badly of you if you do show up in old PJs! I spent a weird amount of time stressing about what I wore to school, which goes to show that no one will judge you for what you’re wearing because we’re equally all worried about what we’re wearing as well.

5. Fisher has a lot of good places to cry.

The art studios, the stairwell, the second-floor bathrooms that no one goes into, you name it. Or, if you’re quieter, the little orange spinny chairs in the library.

Also, guidance and counseling is always available for check-ins if you need to talk to someone about what’s up.

6. Now is the time to drop things.

Do it.

Between the end of sophomore year and the end of junior year, I dropped four clubs/extracurriculars and I am okay with that. If you are taking on too much, check in with yourself and see what you really want to dedicate time to. It is more important to focus on things you are passionate about than becoming the vice president of a random club just for college.

7. You can talk to your teacher about things other than the next test or quiz!

Talking to your teachers about things you found fascinating in class or outside of class is really enjoyable and rewarding. Just ask the five to six kids who lurk inside the English office to talk to any and all of the English teachers about New York Times articles, baseball, hatred of Shakespeare, and more.

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ever complimented us, we will not forget it.

And, thank you for indulging us. In true HM fashion, we wrote this article as a late addition to last week’s humor issue. We know it’s a fully different week, but just pretend today is May 22.

In all seriousness, the HM Online Olympics have played a huge role in keeping us grounded and connected to the community. It’s also taught us that making initiatives happen is more accessible than we assume. There can be a lot of hurdles to jump through to create initiatives both on and off the CC, but it is entirely possible to do things: it just takes a little bit of work. The CC has helped give us a platform and a road map to efficiently put initiatives together, but this goes for nonCC members as well. If you have an idea for an initiative, silly or serious or a mix of the two, you can make it happen! Write out your idea in lots of detail, think of every concern an adult might have, and pre-plan a solution to each one before even showing your initiative to the administration. Get a few friends and a teacher on board to make it more fun, and then present the initiative to the administration. Not to be CC poster children, but we hope to have helped prove to the world of HM students (along with a list of other successful initiatives like “Take Back the Tap,” the Career Lecture Series, and reinstating Chipwiches) that the CC can get stuff done.

Above all else, we hope the initiative had some impact on you. We wish we could have instead watched our friends scramble to find strange objects on campus (as we had originally planned to do for the Scavenger Hunt), but we hope that this felt like an apt replacement.

We hope you got to at least try a crossword (even if you didn’t finish it) or sent in a fun video. If we, at one point or another, helped fill even a few people’s quarantines with some fun, we’ll be happy with our time spent. We aspire that HM Olympics joins Project X as an annual tradition for years to come, and that future CC members make it their own and use it to keep themselves sane. If anyone has feedback or requests for next year’s HM Olympics, please don’t hesitate to slide into our FirstClasses, Facebook Messengers, Venmos, etc.

Please do NOT text us, as that is not a sufficiently chaotic mode of communication.

Good luck and have fun during the summer!

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THE RECORD NEWS JUNE 3RD, 2020

Community finds faith amid global pandemic Yesh Nikam Staff Writer Recently, Daanyal Agboatwalla (11), a practicing Muslim, has been praying five times a day and listening to renowned Islamic scholar Dr. Mufti Menk’s daily podcast, “Muslim Central”, to help him get through the quarantine. “[Dr. Menk] has been calling on us to be grateful for what we have and take every chance we can to help others,” Agboatwalla said. “He says that we should take this opportunity to reconnect with and become close to God.” These words have strongly resonated with him as he has found that the period of self-isolation has brought him closer to his Islamic faith.

Agboatwalla is not the only American moving closer towards faith during these times. A recent study conducted by the conservative youth organization Young America’s Foundation (YAF) found that during the COVID-19 crisis, 39 percent of students are praying more often (38 percent of high-school students and 39 percent of post-secondary students) and 28 percent of students are thinking about spiritual issues more often (24 percent of high school students and 31 percent of post-secondary students).

“I think crises such as the pandemic challenge us all to confront existential questions: ‘How do I find meaning in life?’ ‘How do I form authentic connections with others and even with all parts of myself?’ and ‘Can I embrace the freedom to make choices and accept responsibility?’” Upper Division (UD) psychology teacher Kristen Zatarski said.

“In our quest for answers to these questions, some of us turn to religion or spirituality.”

UD history teacher Dr. Elisa Milkes believes that faith provides foundations and anchoring points, and during crises—rather than creating a sudden shift‚—they emit a stronger pull on what one already does and what one aspires to do, she said. “In a crisis, isn’t it fair to say that people want familiarity?”

Agboatwalla has turned towards Islamic doctrines as a way to cope with the pandemic. “I have been taught that every big hardship like this is a big test from God,” he said. “You can complain and ask why is God doing this to us, or you can think that God is testing your faith, seeing how much you really believe in him and his teachings.”

Agboatwalla feels this way because the Quran emphasizes that challenges from God are inevitable, he said. One of his favorite lines from the Quran states: “And we will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.’”

The extra leisure time ushered in by the quarantine has allowed Daniel Lee (12), a Christian, to further immerse himself in the Bible and doctrines of his faith, he said. “Before [the pandemic] I would make excuses and not actually make the time to read the Bible or pray, but now that I have so much time, there is no excuse not to.” This immersion has reinforced Lee’s faith and cemented the fundamentals he has known all his life, he said.

Agboatwalla has also found himself adhering to religious code more strictly since he is not attending school. Previously, he would usually miss a daily prayer during classes and have to make it up

later in the day, but now he can simply pray from his home, he said.

However, Agboatwalla said that once the quarantine was over, he will have to rearrange his praying routine as his daily schedule becomes more hectic. “I will need to find whatever time I can to make sure I stay connected to God,” he said.

Similarly, practicing his faith at home has allowed Lee to stay engaged with his religion even while his local church remains closed—the weekly services that would typically be given in person have moved online. However, Lee does not feel that this remote format has disrupted his religious routine too drastically, as the service still occurs in a similar fashion, even if the fellowship is missing.

“We start off singing a worship song that three parishioners have pre-recorded using the collaborative app Acapella, which allows them to sing together,’’ Lee said. After the hymn, the church’s pastor gives a sermon in real-time, and the service then concludes with another song and closing prayers. “[Online services] are a nice way to maintain the community and faith even if we cannot physically be in church,” Lee said.

Garo Amerkanian (11), who is also Christian, has had a similar experience to Lee. He would usually attend church at least once a month with

as his relationship to religion extends beyond the church. “In Christianity, your faith does not entirely depend on actually being in church,” he said.

“It is largely based on individual connections and practices, so it is not that much of a change because you can still maintain that.”

Similarly, while Sadie Hill’s (11) church events have also moved online, she has not found this remote format too disruptive. “The most important thing about my religion is the community aspect of it, and though that has shifted, it has not completely changed,” she said.

Hill describes her church’s services as similar to the way HM Online operates. “Being in Zoom online is different from physically being in a building with other people,” she said.“It’s not ideal, but given the situation, it’s nice to still be able to talk and communicate with people you know well and miss.”

Since Aaron Shuchman’s (11) local synagogue is closed, his rabbi has been sending videos of the sermons, and Shuchman occasionally watches them with his family when he finds the topics interesting, he said.

Shuchman particularly enjoyed a sermon where his rabbi discussed what it was like being a faith leader in the midst of the pandemic and how he comforts those who are worried.“It was generally

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

his family, but that is no longer possible due to the stay-at-home orders. Instead, his church broadcasts a service on YouTube every Sunday, and Amerkanian watches sections of it with his family at home.

“It is definitely a different experience,” he said.

“You do not have to get dressed up, which is a major change. We are also sitting at the kitchen table instead of inside the church, which makes it easier to get distracted from the sermon.” Nonetheless, Amerkanian still believes that there is value in attending the sermons remotely and listening to the services. “You still feel connected to the church, even if it is virtually,” he said.

Despite this new format, Amerkanian does not feel that his ties to God have changed significantly,

Courtesy of Andrew Cassino

TIME FOR FAMILY Andrew (12) and Julia Cassino (10) celebrate Easter

about how the pandemic is difficult for him, and it was quite touching,” Shuchman said.

Zatarski, who considers herself to be a religious and spiritual person, has also had her centers of spiritual learning and practice shifted into her home. Whereas she used to enjoy meeting with a tutor or attending services or special lectures, Zatarski now relies on connecting with people in her religious community online—a new and unusual experience.

Despite these changes, Zatarski remains strongly connected to her faith. “The pandemic has had less of a palpable impact on my sense of spirituality, perhaps because it is more personal in essence and less community based,” she said.

While Shuchman’s family continues to have

Courtesy of Eli Scher

PLAYTIME AT PASSOVER Eli Scher (11) plays with his dog

weekly religious dinners where they light candles and say prayers, they now hold Shabbat dinners with their extended family over Zoom. These get-togethers have been a great way to maintain a community and a sense of routine amidst all the changes, he said.

From April 23rd to May 23rd, Muslims around the world observed the holy month of Ramadan, in which they fasted from sunrise to sunset and followed Islamic code with greater enthusiasm, Agboatwalla said. While fasting was easier since he was not as physically active as he would have been at school, Agboatwalla could no longer celebrate the festival with his local Muslim community, which was tough to digest, he said.

“It’s normally one of the best times of the year,” Agboatwalla said. He loves conversing, enjoying iftar (the evening meal that breaks the daily fast), and talking with other Muslims in his mosque every day. “At the end of the month, there is usually a huge festival and party, but we cannot have that this year. Missing out on all these traditions has been really disappointing, ” Agboatwalla said.

Although many religious followers have sought solace in their faith, the pandemic has not generated stronger religious sentiments amongst everyone. Elijah Shaham (11), who does not consider himself to be religious, said that the entire situation has moved him farther away from God. “To me, religion is really abstract and meta, and right now, there are major problems that people are facing such as unemployment, fiscal issues, and loneliness,” Shaham said. “Personally, I do not see how something as abstract as religion can help me, and others, cope with this.”

Maxwell Resnick (11) has experienced similar feelings. The pandemic has caused him to focus more on other, more tangible issues, and he said that the existential nature of religion does not help his own experience during this time period.

Moreover, Resnick has found himself questioning the very existence of a supreme being. “If there really is a God, then why are so many people going through horrific situations? Why are people out of work, unable to feed their families? It just doesn’t make sense to me,” he said.

From a young age, Shuchman has been taught that God is an omnipotent redeeming force, but seeing the death tolls rise and the virus affecting others has challenged that notion, he said.

Praying has caused Agboatwalla to feel a stronger connection with his faith and has helped him cope with the difficult times. “I have been praying a lot recently. Praying for my family’s health and safety, the health and safety of my friends and everyone else,” he said. “Praying more often has definitely helped me get through quarantine as it really calms your mind and just makes you feel better, more content, and more satisfied with the things you have going around you.”

“From a religious sense, you just have to have faith that eventually we’ll get back to some semblance of normalcy,” Shuchman said. While he believes that this strong conviction is hard to maintain amid all the negativity, his connection with his faith and a higher power ultimately comfort him, he said.

While these times may be confusing and unfamiliar, Lee’s faith ultimately gives him comfort, he said. “Even though we might not understand what is exactly going on right now, it is always part of some bigger plan that He has for us.”

Courtesy of Gloria Khafif

STAYING TOGETHER Gloria Khafif (12) zooms with family at Passover

Paul Wang nominated valedictorian HORACE MANN NEWS JUNE 3RD, 2020

Claire Goldberg Staff Writer “Everyone loves Paul,” co-class president Daniel Lee (12) said. “You can ask anyone and they’ll tell you I’m right.”

The election of Paul Wang (12) as the Class of 2020 valedictorian has proved that the Class of 2020 does, in fact, love and value Wang. The other class co-president, Wang will deliver the valedictorian speech at the Class of 2020’s virtual graduation on June 10th.

To be chosen as valedictorian, at least 10 members of the class of 2020 nominated Wang, and he then received the most votes from the grade among the top nominees. Rather than selecting the student with the highest GPA owwr deferring the decision to the faculty, the senior class votes for the person who they think best represents their grade and their grade’s values. Halley Robbins (12) said that Wang does just that.

“He is always doing things in the service of other people,” Robbins said. “The amount of effort that he brings to making other people’s experience at HM so positive is why people and I nominated him.” Robbins said that she also nominated him because of his ability to make everyone in the community feel included and comfortable.

Eddie Jin (12) said nominating Wang was a no-brainer. “He’s just one of those people you could hardly know and he’ll just come up to you and say ‘hi,’” he said. “His joy and jubilance [are]

just infectious.”

Wang has played a key role in the community throughout his four years at the school, with one of his claims to fame being the creator of the school-renowned “Panini Pass,” Jin said. The “Panini Pass” lets students reserve a panini from the café if they miss their lunch periods for double lab.

“As class president, he’s been putting in effort to try and make things easier in light of coronavirus, so he’s been a voice of reason throughout this as well,” Lee said. One way Wang has tried to make the year easier is by pushing to maintain senior traditions like the “Senior Scream.”

In the classroom, Wang exudes the same selflessness and compassion as he does in everyday life, English Department Chair Vernon Wilson said. “He thinks of others first always, and his classmates, down to an individual, seem to hold him in the highest esteem because of it,” he said.

Wang is always searching for ways to learn more, Wilson said. “He came to me in the middle of the year to meet about how he could become a better reader,” he said. “And he didn’t mean a better reader for our class texts, necessarily, but of books generally.”

Especially in sports, Wang is also always finding ways to contribute to the community and put others first, Lee said. “In ultimate [frisbee], if he drops a catch or messes up a throw, I know for a fact that the next day he is going to be working exactly on the kind of thing he messed up so that he doesn’t do it again.”

Winter Track Coach Jon Eshoo said that Wang

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leads by example. “It didn’t take long for his teammates and coaches to understand he’s a kind, considerate, and thoughtful person who always puts others first,” he said.

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, Coach’s Award recipient, team captain, and top performer and scorer for his team are only some of Wang’s athletic achievements. Eshoo said that he gave Wang the Coach’s Award because of his positive attitude and personal responsibility.

When Wang first found out that he had been chosen to be valedictorian, he felt a flood of emotions, he said. “At first there was a lot of excitement and surprise,” Wang said. “I never imagined this would be the case because I was new to the school in ninth grade and didn’t know anyone.

It’s kind of amazing how far I’ve come and how much I’ve developed as a person, and I have to definitely attribute that to my teachers and classmates.”

Wang hopes to capture his gratitude and ap- Courtesy of Paul Wang preciation for every one of his classmates in his speech, he said. “I want to tell everyone how PAUL AND JIMMY Bringing smiles to campus. special they are to me and how my experience at time like this, we really need to hear from someHorace Mann has been so great because of the one like Paul because he’s so caring and compascommunity that they’ve created,” he said. “I want sionate about other people, and is really willing to to encourage an openness to interact with other put himself on the line to help others,” Jin said. “I people too, even if you don’t know them well. Betruly believe that he’s inspired me to help others ing more open to connection with other people and be a more compassionate and genuine percan really lead you to new friendships and conson, and I know that he will do that in his valenections that you would have never imagined.” dictorian speech as well.”

Jin said that it is especially important for the Class of 2020 to hear from Wang right now because of the current crises the nation faces. “At a

Navigating how clubs function virtually Liliana Greyf Staff Writer A bouncy castle is simply not the same over Zoom. A virtual hot dog just does not taste as good. While trivial, these details had a great impact on this year’s virtual Relay For Life event. Many of the school’s extracurricular groups, like the Cancer Awareness Club (CAC), have had to find ways to acclimate to a virtual format.

The CAC is not the only club that had to change their original plans for the rest of the school year. Most Upper Division clubs have had to adapt to the online format.

Luke Weber (12), co-president of the CAC, feels lucky that most of the club’s events already happened in the fall and winter. However, the club’s biggest event, Relay for Life, was originally to be held this spring.

The fundraising event, which usually takes place on Alumni Field, had to be modified completely to accommodate the pandemic’s restrictions. “Relay For Life usually brings together hundreds of people on the field,” Weber said. “The idea of being together has become much, much harder.”

This year, Relay took place over an entire week, rather than just one day. The week was filled with various ceremonies, activities, games, and guest speakers, mostly live-streamed through Zoom.

While the event was not able to take place as it had originally been planned, the community still came together to ensure a successful experience. “We’re definitely making do with the situation we were given,” Weber said.

While the CAC had to shift a one-time event to the virtual format, the Saturday Morning Tutoring Program (SMTP) has been forced to make a weekly change. SMTP doesn’t have one grand event at the end of the year, co-President Halley Robbins (12) said. Rather, the club members are missing their in-person weekly Saturday meetings.

Since tutoring is a personal partnership, Robbins has found a way for the community to continue even online. The virtual process was hard to implement in the beginning, she said. While she knew that online tutoring was a possibility, Robbins was uncertain of the liabilities and restrictions created by a virtual format, she said. Robbins reached out to the club’s advisor, World Languages Teacher Arni Alvarez and Head of School Tom Kelly to find what she could do.

After some preparation and planning done by leaders of the club, the program runs consistently now. Each week, tutors communicate with their tutees through Zoom, continuing the relationships formed through SMTP. There have definitely been negative setbacks to the program, Robbins said. The week before school moved online, SMTP’s session was cancelled because of the virus. Since it was cancelled on such short notice, the club members were unable to even have a final in-person session with their tutees. “It was a little sad for me because there wasn’t any sort of ending,” Robbins said. “We didn’t even have a sense of closure. It was cancelled with less than a week’s notice.”

Amanda Mark (10), who has been tutoring her tutee online for the past few weeks, has definitely noticed negative aspects of the

online program. Although Mark is still covering the same content with her tutee, it is more challenging to convey information, consequently slowing down the lessons, she said. “The hardest thing is not really being able to see the work that they are doing or to write examples to show them.”

In addition to the disappointment of an abrupt ending, Robbins is saddened by the club’s inability to continue with as many people involved as usual. “An amazing part of the program is the quantity of people that participate,” she said. “The combined number of tutees and tutors in an average week is around 60.” Now, these numbers have decreased significantly, to around 15 tutors per week.

Simply put, the online program has been harder for SMTP participants. “It’s not quite as much fun,” Robbins said. “You don’t get to be in person with everyone, you don’t have the whole community of it since we have to go out into breakout rooms.”

The Parliamentary Debate Team, although forced to cancel their in-person conferences, has been in many ways positively impacted by an online change, Adam Frommer (11) said. Frommer debated at a New York Parliamentary Debate League E-Tournament and attended a larger conference on May 9th and 10th open to kids from all around the country. “Usually, that doesn’t happen, and students stay within their regions. I got to debate a couple teams that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to otherwise,” he said.

This larger conference even allowed for students to attempt a style of debate that they had never come across before. Because students attended the Zoom meetings from various debating regions, the debate was held under a set of rules used on the West Coast. The team had never encountered this style before, and prepared for the event together before it. “It was definitely an interesting experience that we would not have had elsewhere,” Frommer said.

Although debaters faced this exciting change in the conference, there were some unavoidable setbacks, Frommer said. “It was really challenging to sit in front of a computer all day,” he said. “Of course, in person tournaments are tiring too, but I found that there is more of a rush and excitement [when you are physically present]. By the end of the day, I was mentally exhausted.”

Other clubs, such as the school’s environmental awareness club, Green HM, have shifted their meetings to an online format. Green HM co-President Paul Wang (12) was hoping to be more active in the club at the end of the year. “A lot of what we were trying to do was related to initiatives around the school,” he said. The club was hoping to put posters around the school to help students make more well-informed decisions in their daily routines, a plan made impossible by the current situation However, the club held a virtual meeting to speak about the virus’ effects on the climate and to discuss their plans for the end of the year. Their most recent gathering was to communicate information about an online Climate Summit, hosted by the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. Some club members attended this event, which was originally supposed to occur in person, through Zoom on Saturday, May 16th, Wang said.

Nina Gaither (11) attended the online summit and enjoyed the quality of the workshops. Although virtual, the speakers were engaging and interesting, she said. Gaither was pleasantly surprised by the organization of the event, but there were definitely some downsides to the virtual format, she said.

“It always helps to meet people and get to know them a bit more, especially to reach out to them in the future,” Gaither said. “I just don’t think that online platforms have the same amount of communication between audience members.” It doesn’t allow for the same types of connections to be made, she said.

Still, Gaither acknowledged the immense accessibility of an online workshop. “There was a group there from Colorado. I don’t think those people would have come to Fieldston if they have to travel.”

The school’s sports magazine, For The Win, has been able to successfully publish four issues during their time in quarantine. Although the leaders were originally hoping to print six more issues, everyone is happy with the result, Editor-in-Chief Robbie Werdiger (12) said. The online format is undoubtedly more difficult and time consuming, he said. The creative design team originally had access to school computers with the needed programs, which is no longer the case. Now, only one of the club’s members is able to complete all that is needed to produce the magazine.

“Our club members are writing about topics that they wouldn’t have necessarily addressed before,” Werdiger said. Because many sports seasons are cancelled, the club has branched out to discuss other areas of sports such as their favorite players and various predictions for the upcoming seasons.

While the club usually publishes their copies and lets passersby pick up a copy, this is obviously no longer a possibility, Werdiger said. “Sending out the publications in a school-wide email has definitely made a big difference.” Werdiger has been checking to see who opens the file with each issue, and is therefore able to track how many and which people are interested in their work, an ability he has never had before.

Understandably, the current period of isolation has postponed many of the school’s extracurricular plans. However, many student leaders have been pleasantly surprised by the positive outcomes of their online initiatives.

While Weber wouldn’t consider switching CAC to an online format in the future, he is amazed by the hard work he has seen from his peers in recent weeks. “It has really allowed us to see the true colors of some of our members,” he said. “Some of the coordinators have really stepped up during this time, just doing their best to make Relay as great as it can be. That has been just incredible to watch— how some people have taken their responsibilities and kicked into overdrive.”

Similarly, Robbins has been really encouraged by the sheer willingness of club members to participate, even with these new restrictions, she said. “It’s really nice to see that the kids that want to be a part of it and can be a part of it still have the opportunity. With what we can do, this is the best solution we have— and it seems to be working.”

Members of the parliamentary debate team have been exposed to new forms of debate, and Green HM attended a conference with people they would have never otherwise met. There is an undoubtable silver lining to the situation, Weber said.

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THE RECORD NEWS JUNE 3RD, 2020

Goodbye coveted internship

Students’ summer plans adapt to the changing world Hanna Hornfeld & Emma Colacino Staff Writers Three months ago, Tomoko Hida (10) expected to spend her summer designing and tailoring clothes for a fashion internship, admiring art, and making crêpes in France as part of a French immersion program. Now, Hida and many others have had to adapt their summer plans to the changes brought along by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leah Sepiashvili (10) was going to go on a trip to France with family friends this summer and spend time with her family from Israel, both of which are no longer possible, she said. Similarly, Myra Singh (10) had planned to go to India for a few weeks and teach kids in a school, but that too has now been cancelled, Singh said.

Many students who were originally supposed to take summer courses will now attend them online. Singh, for example, was accepted into a three week math and finance program at Columbia University. The program lowered its price and offered a full refund for students who chose to no longer participate. Singh still plans on taking the class because it will give her something to do, but an online class won’t be the same experience that she originally signed up for, she said. “The whole fun of a summer program is being able to make new friends and learn in person and now I can’t,” Singh said.

Sonia Shuster (11) is taking two classes for college credit this summer: one on literature at the University of UChicago and one on poetry at Columbia University. Shuster chose to enroll in these classes because she enjoys reading literature and writing poetry and wanted to take advanced classes before her senior year, she said. As part of their program, UChicago will host online workshops for the participants in their pre-college summer session, similar to ones they would have had in person. Columbia is also planning workshops and community building activities, but they have not yet specified how that is going to work, Shuster said.

In addition, Shuster plans on taking free college courses offered on websites such as EDX and Coursera over the summer. She has already taken a philosophy class about existentialism, she said.

The College Counselling office recommended Coursera to students, but Shuster had already heard about both websites from her father, who found them online. Although the classes are not for credit, they are good learning opportunities and, if students pay a certain amount of money, provide a certificate of completion, Shuster said.

Mazyar Azmi (10) is also going to participate in an online version of his original entrepreneurship program. “It’s still on, but it’s going to be virtual, except now the virtual versions are a lot longer,” he said. Azmi said that the program as a whole will now be longer as it is harder to teach classes virtually, he said The adapted program will involve online classes with an emphasis on virtual group work.

While an online course is still a learning experience, it does not completely replace an in-person course, Azmi said. “I don’t get to meet anyone new, I don’t get to learn anything about anyone, all I get to do is the bare bones of this program, and I lose everything else.”

Stella Cha (11) was going to spend six weeks performing with a national youth orchestra called NYO2. Cha had been looking forward to going to a camp for the first time and performing with people around the world. Now, instead of traditional orchestral performance, the program will be made up of private lessons, studio classes, and orchestra meetings for discussions and listening activities. The adapted program will also feature a series of “master classes” in which students perform for professional guest musicians and are critiqued and taught in front of a crowd.

Performance activities will be individual, with

the exception of a few group projects, Cha said.

The company running Hida’s French program, The Experiment, has moved all programs to an online leadership program, shifting the focus away from language. Because of this, Hida does not think it’s worth it to participate. However, she will continue to do her fashion internship online because she has been interning for the company for over a year and can still learn and share her ideas without being there in person, Hida said.

Because her primary form of communication with her boss is now text, Hida finds it easier to casually offer ideas without overthinking them, which has helped her make more meaningful contributions to her internship, she said. For example, on a flight to stay with family in Japan a few weeks ago, Hida filled her camera roll with photos of clouds, icebergs, and small towns in the middle of nowhere. “I immediately texted my boss with an idea of putting pictures of endangered formations of ice sheets and icebergs on sweatshirts for profits that would be sent directly to climate change organizations,” Hida said.

Some students, such as Shuster, have found positive sides to online courses. Shuster’s UChicago and Columbia programs would have overlapped if they were in person, she said. Now she can do both instead of having to choose one.

Shuster is also looking forward to forming relationships with professors despite being unable to visit campuses in person, she said.

Though Azmi’s summer program has been moved online, there are also benefits to taking the course from home, he said. “I get to play video games on the weekend, I get to see my family and my dogs, and I don’t have to worry about dorming in a place I don’t know,” Azmi said.

With more free time on her hands, Sabrina Freidus (11) sees this summer as an opportunity to get ahead on her college applications before the fall, she said. “I’ll probably put more pressure on myself to get things done, because now there’s no excuse not to,” she said. Freidus is also going to devote time to continue studying for the ACT, although it is unclear when these tests are going to take place, she said.

Historically the summer between junior and senior year has been important to the college process, which has raised concerns for some students. “A lot of my junior friends are especially worried because this is the summer where they can really build their resume, and I remember doing a lot of really exciting things the summer before my senior year, so I feel like they are missing out on that in particular,” Dora Woodruff (12) said.

Executive Director of College Counseling Canh Oxelson understands where this anxiety comes from, because there is a perception that students have to do certain things over the summer to strengthen their college applications, he said. “When all of those plans went up in smoke, people didn’t know what to expect, and that created somes anxiety,” Oxelson said. “The unknown of what you can possibly do and how those things may be viewed by colleges makes people nervous.”

However, Oxelson said that the admissions officers he has spoken to do not expect students to follow specific guidelines regarding their summer plans. “Those things that you’re ‘supposed’ to do don’t exist anymore,” he said.

Instead, Oxelson advises students to take advantage of this time and pursue their hobbies and genuine interests because ultimately, finding a genuine interest will make them into more interesting people—in general and in the eyes of admissions officers. “I can imagine students thinking that this is a missed opportunity, but this is also a new opportunity,” he said.

“What matters is that people make the most of what they have,” Shuster said. “I think if people find ways to fulfill their intellectual pursuits even if their programs are cancelled, colleges will see that.” Because of this, Shuster isn’t particularly

worried about this summer’s effects on her college application, she said.

Oxelson sees this summer as a chance for students to be creative and experimental. “During the school year, you are required to do a lot, but summer is a time when you can be adventurous, flexible, and pursue things that are interesting to you,” he said.

Activities as simple as writing poetry can lead to a fulfilling and worthwhile summer, Oxelson said. Without needing to take any classes, a student who enjoys poetry can spend the summer writing and self-publish their work online.

“Those are things that don’t require anything but interest, time, and effort,” he said.

Hida will pursue her own creative interests this summer by working on a project she has wanted to work on all year. Hida plans on interviewing her friends and working to do photoshoots and design pieces of clothing that are distinctly representative of each of them. “The point of the project is just to have something that I really love,” she said. “If I was focused on the French program, I would have wanted to do this, but I don’t think my thoughts could have been so condensed.”

Sepiashvili is also going to spend her extra time this summer on personal projects. Currently, she is building an electroencephalogram (EEG), a device that measures the brain’s electrical activity.

Afterwards, she is going to reprogram a few other EEGs in an attempt to remote control a toy car with different intensities of brain signals. When she’s done with that, Sepiashvilli will move on to different build projects.

Cha was going to host a music festival at her local library in August for the second year in a

said.

The math camp is now being held over Zoom, which will provide a very different experience, Woodruff said. “Instead of organizing math contests and things on the weekend, I’m mostly going to be grading tests, so I feel like most of my responsibilities have been diminished.”

Participating in the camp over Zoom also means that Woodruff will be unable to interact with the other TAs. “Some of the other TAs were some of my fellow students when I was there, and I’m still in touch with them, so I was really looking forward to the chance to be on campus with them and spend the summer with them,” she said.

Similarly, Dylan Chin (12) was going to spend a second year as a counselor in training at a creative arts camp he previously attended. “It was up in the air whether or not it was going to be cancelled officially until May 1st, and then it was pretty much guaranteed,” Chin said. “But we knew from the start that it wasn’t going to look the same as previous years.”

Other students, such as Miles Shamroth (10), will attempt to find summer jobs in nearby areas.

Shamroth has been looking for a job on either a farm or at a general store with the help of his parents, he said. “I’m not thrilled about the job but I am glad to get back and interact with the outside world instead of being stuck at home,” Shamroth said. “As of right now, we are all stuck in the house, so going outside and getting a job would be a big improvement, but it wouldn’t be a big improvement from what I was planning to do.”

Woodruff has also decided to find a summer job, because her hours of working as a TA at her camp have been decreased after the camp was

Annabelle Chan/Art Director

row, but she has been working to move it to a virtual format, she said. Every other week until the end of summer or the end of quarantine, Cha is creating a video compilation of six different pieces with a different theme each week. --Her first video, which came out last week, was Disney themed.

Cha feels that moving the festival to an online format could actually be better than a single in-person performance, she said. Additionally, editing the videos together and composing some of the music will give her valuable experience in music production, which she wants to pursue, Cha said.

Woodruff was going to be a teaching assistant (TA) at a math camp she attended when she was younger, she said. “I was really looking forward to being on the teaching side of things and also helping to get students as interested in math as I had become because of math camps,” Woodruff

moved online, she said. She found another TA job, which will also take place over Zoom.

Shamroth plans on finding another summer activity if his original program is cancelled, but the uncertainty of his summer plans has been frustrating. “It’s hard not being able to control what you will be doing this summer because of coronavirus,” he said. “It’s hard just waiting and taking it day by day because you really just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Oxelson is hopeful that this summer will help students realize the benefits of pursuing genuine interests instead of following what they think they should do. However, he is worried that once things return to normal, students will go back to “the old way of thinking,” he said. “I’m hopeful that a sustained effort to get kids to think more broadly will actually help our community think differently about those things.”

HORACE MANN NEWS JUNE 3RD, 2020

QuaranScreen: Community racks up screen time Yin Fei Staff Writer

10 hours and 44 minutes. That was the screen time of a senior on May 24th.

In an already increasingly digital world, the COVID-19 quarantine has ushered in an uptick in how long community members are spending on their devices. Many students and faculty members stuck at home are reporting cases of pounding headaches and strained eyes as a consequence of their daily dose of technology.

“Regardless of whether we’re in the pandemic or not, screens are definitely having a negative impact on all of us, as that’s sort of the world we’re living in,” Deven Shah (12) said. “But the effects are definitely much more significant, right now, than they would have otherwise been.”

As options for partaking in in-person activities are now limited, many find themselves in the similar situation of having to find more stimulation from devices than usual. Gabby Chong’s (10) phone’s screen time has jumped to an average of 10 hours on most days.

“My phone and other devices are what is ultimately helping me to cope during such a tough situation,” Chong said. “Boredom plays a role as well, because, other than school work, there is only so much you can do at home, which is why I often choose to play games or go on some of the apps I have,” she said.

However, the introduction of HM Online classes has also been a main factor for this heightened screen exposure, as students transition away from in person learning, to

Zoom .

“In class people wouldn’t really be on electronics as much, but now everything is online,” Elyse Gay (11) said. The frequency of Zoom classes mean that a significant portion of Gay’s days must be spent on screens, she said.

“I used to write everything basically in notebooks, but now I’m using a laptop for every class,” Alex Barr (12) said. “I’m constantly on my screen unless I’m eating a meal.”

Even without any Zoom class meetings on a given day, Jiyon Chatterjee (9) said that with most of his work conducted through a digital format, a majority of his recorded screen time is still attributed to academics.

“There’s proof of [the rise] with the new screen time functions on the iPhone, which has shown me that it’s up by 60%,” he said. “It’s because I’m continuously looking at my laptop, checking First Class, doing Zoom calls, and writing essays.”

Faculty members are also facing challenges from looking at their screens during remote education. Visual Arts Department Chair, Dr. Anna Hetherington said HMOnline has been a radical adjustment because her profession typically requires the usage of a large screen, rather than a small laptop.

Hetherington also said she believes that the weariness she is experiencing stems from the effort and energy one needs in order to be fully engaged with people through the barrier of a fixed screen.

“There’s a multiplicity of attention seeking on the screen,” she said. “You might be speaking to

me, but you might have four other things open that you’re also looking at which means that your focus is split.”

As a result of the shift to virtual learning, many are feeling a burden on their physical wellness and mental health. Using a screen with unnatural light on your face at strange times throughout the day, has the possibility to disrupt our current lifestyles, Psychologist Dr. Ian Pervil said. Though this might not be the sole reason, amongst all other confounding causes that could change someone’s mood, there is definitely a relationship between screen time and emotion, he said.

“When we have access to so much more information, we can get stuck in a cycle of being presented with things that make us both anxious, and also less anxious at the same time,” Pervil said. “Looking at the news, for example, or the things around us [on screens] make us kind of crave or need some fulfillment that, when we get it, could end up making us even more sad or depressed.”

To distract herself from the current need for social-distancing, Sunshine Quinones (10) has tried to be more active on her phone, which also causes her to experience chronic and recurring headaches along with other vision-related issues, she said.

“I wouldn’t usually Facetime or interact on social media as much, but now I am forced to when I want to communicate,” Quinones said.

“By relying on my phone to be stimulated, I am having more frequent and intense pain than I usually do on a day to day basis.”

Annabelle Chan / Art Director

9

According to the American Optometric Association website, Computer Vision Syndrome is the formal name for the characteristics describing a group of eye and vision-related problems that result from prolonged use of an electronic device. Some of the symptoms listed on their website include headaches, blurred vision, sleep deprivation, and dry eyes, which others, in addition to Quinones, have experienced from their recent spike in screen time.

“Everyday I’m getting red eyes, so I have to put eyedrops in,” Chatterjee said. “Especially my left eye tends to get really red, which is quite a noticeable impact,” he said.

One popular trend that Gay has also witnessed is that many people have been buying special glasses, in an attempt to reduce the irritation the emission of blue light has on one’s vision, she said.

“I didn’t get them because I didn’t think they would be effective, so [blue-light] does come on straight in my eyes, and I’ve had to take a lot of breaks in between classes,” Gay said.

Shah, who bought blue light glasses before school started, said he had decided it was a worthwhile purchase, given how much time he already spent on screens. Now, the filter seems to prove especially helpful in the protection of his vision, he said.

“I definitely found it easier to sleep after staring at a screen whilst wearing them,” Shah said. “I also haven’t actually noticed any problems with my eyes,” he said.

Due to the repercussions for their health, multiple students and teachers have also been inspired to look beyond their screens, as well as to discover alternative methods, other than blue light glasses, that will better protect themselves from its harm.

“Night-shift lighting has made my screen pretty orange, which took a few days to adjust to, but has really helped because I was getting severe screen fatigue,” Hetherington said.

“I’m trying to intentionally stay away from devices a bit more on weekends just because I’ve been doing so much during the week,” Shah said.

“It’s sort of reactionary because there’s only so much YouTube and Netflix you can watch before you really just need to talk to someone or move around.”

How a Senior Slump looks in the age of HM Online Yin Fei Staff Writer

Typically during the long-awaited spring, you might find members of the senior class on Alumni Field “slumping” with relief—playing water pong with speakers blasting music and comical senior backpacks strewn to the side. Instead, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the only “slumping” taking place for the graduating class is when they roll out of bed minutes before firing up their weekly Zooms.

For some seniors, their “slumping” practices have only become more attainable through HM Online. Along with the general lack of motivation that ensued after college decisions, Dylan Chin (12) said that the technological perks of virtual school, and the screen barriers that it supplies, have aided in avoiding pointless work amidst the current climate.

“The hard part of just not doing work when you’re in person was having to see your teachers in person, every day in the halls and just the awkwardness of that being like, ‘hey I didn’t turn in this paper,’ since they’re right there,” Chin said. “So it’s much easier to do that online because you can just not see them and delete the email that they sent asking about the assignment.”

On the other hand, math teacher and former Dean of the Class of 2019 Nicholas Perry said that he has noticed that students are slumping less than in past years. “Folks are getting their work in, and even the ones who get it in late are doing so without much intervention from me,” he said.

Through her interactions with students, Head Librarian Caroline Bartels said she has also recognized an alteration to behavior in this year compared to ones before. Normally around this point of the spring semester, what tends to happen is that the students truly begin to appreciate a book read during English class or start to be genuinely engaged in a really cool math problem they want to figure out, Bartels said. “I just don’t know if it is [happening] now, because people are mostly like ‘oh my god I’m just so sick of being online.”

Luke Weber (12) said that a main reason remote learning has impeded the seniors’ ability to slump is because they aren’t sure how to properly unwind. Without the familiar faces and celebratory energy of their peers on campus serving as a signal for the successful completion of their high school careers, seniors are finding that “slumping” in the traditional sense is undeniably more challenging, he said.

“Goofing off with your friends in class or just talking to people face-to-face isn’t exactly the same as speaking on your computer six hours a day,” Jayer Yang (12) said.

Euwan Kim (12) also attributes this pattern to the feeling that it is harder to slack off for virtual learning. While it is easier to stay in bed, or even skip class, technology and submissions dates continue to provide constant reminders that work still needs to be done, she said.

“We always describe Horace Mann as a pressure cooker, but, in this case, you never get to let out that steam,” Kim said.

“Since everything’s online, they feel inclined to check stuff more often, or give stuff that should be checked, which means just more graded things in general,” Jasper Heymann (12) said.

However even without the accountability system in place, Charlotte Konopko (12) found that the need to reciprocate the work that her teachers were putting in, was something that eventually disturbed her chance to slump, she said.

“I know they were all working so hard to make sure that it was still engaging for the seniors, so I wanted to continue to do the work that one has to do,” Konopko said.

A majority of seniors have expressed a similar conflict and frustration with HM Online, which has affected their usual opportunities to make memories with friends and faculty without the incessant demand of school work.

“Traditionally, Senior Spring is the time where you can just enjoy yourself, enjoy the company of your classmates and not necessarily have to worry so much about testing,” Diana Shaari (12) said.

“It’s about missing out on the subtle things, like being able to meet with a teacher and instead of going over work the entire time, simply talking to them because you’re not as stressed about those assignments,” Amiya Mehrotra (12) said.

Dean of the Class of 2020 Stephanie Feigin also sympathizes with her students because she has witnessed how important being able to relax during Senior Spring is, she said. “I’ve promised them for years now, ‘just wait until your senior year,’ so I definitely am really sad that they are missing out on so many spring traditions they were looking forward to.”

In addition to missing the slump, Mehrotra said that as the chances of a return to school became less likely, both students and faculty were left discouraged at the loss of school-affiliated, congratulatory events held in the second semester spring.

“The other day I had to be up on campus, and,though the field looked so beautiful without all the kids tearing it apart, I have to

say I got a little teary-eyed,” Bartels said. “Usually I get to spend all this time with them, doing a movie night, doing the scavenger hunt through Tillinghast, and getting ready for their prom by dealing with the prom drama, so it is really devastating in that sense.”

The cancelation of multiple cornerstone senior year events also ultimately prompts their last days to also appear less special, Yang said.

“Senior Dorr was something I, personally, was really looking forward to because past senior classes have always told me it’s fun when getting to hang out with all your friends in the middle of nowhere,” Heymann said.

Previously “the third trimester,” senior spring is a season that people have been anticipating for years, since it’s the culmination of high school, Shaari said. “I have two older siblings that have gone through Horace Mann, so I know how exciting those events are, as they are a nice way to wrap up your time there.”

Despite the tough situation however, students are still actively working to overcome virtual separation to keep a number of senior traditions alive.

“They’ve done some stuff on Instagram and Facebook which I’m not a part of, and they are just trying to somehow replicate celebrating one another, even if in smaller ways,” Feigin said. “They still wear their shirts when they are going to school and they still have those celebratory cheers about decisions they are making.”

In terms of graduation, Feigin said she still remains hopeful for an attempt at closure. On June 10, though it isn’t ideal, they’ll be a moment to recognize students’ accomplishments through a virtual commencement that will have both live moments and pre- taped components, she said.

Though the ending appears bittersweet, several seniors and teachers are also adamant about finding the positives within their future plans.

“I know that even if I don’t get to say goodbye to my teachers this year, I’m gonna come back, and I’m gonna say goodbye to everybody in person, and I’m gonna see my friends again,” Weber said. “It’s not gonna be that moving moment I’ve been waiting for, but we’ve got to make the best out of what we have.”

“It’s actually something that will pull them all together,” Bartels said. “This is going to be a defining moment in this generation’s history, and so hopefully, even if they’re not in that space yet, a couple of years from now, when they’re adults or when this grade comes to to their reunion, they will look back on this, and be like,’ that was crazy, man, but I survived it.’”

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THE RECORD FEATURES JUNE 3RD, 2020

by Kiara Royer Features Editor

I wish I finally got the chance to just hang I wish I out on the field in the sun and eat I wish I had could have play- Waffles and Dinges with my friends my chance to say ed my after 3 and a half years of just putting goodbye to everybody. spring sport. my head down and studying. I know I just wish I could run it’s not anything we could have predicted, around campus and give evbut it’s still a bit unfortunate. And I wish I erybody one last could have visited all my teachers hug before I wish I and thanked them for all the work leaving. could have just not they had put into making me a cared about school for better student and a better a month. I wish I could person. I’m going to I wish we got the have said “so what?” to miss them. a cut slip. I wish I didn’t chance to spend

have to do homework.

I wish I fired my I wish we ceramic pieces. had more time together as a grade I wish I took to participate in tradimore chances and more tions like frequently considered what I senior scream. want to do/what will make me hap-

time hanging on the field for senior spring.

py rather than only thinking about what I need to do. I suppose I’ll get to do this whenever graduation happens, but I also wish I were able to say goodbye to the spaces. I can always reach out to people, and, however difficult it is to say over a screen, depart, but I really will I wish I was miss the library, the caf, able to spend more time in the pool and most of all the after school. robotics lab.

I wish I got to perform my one man show :(

F reely be my awesome self :D R un around the field I mprove school spirit starting

with myself E at yummy chicken in the cafe N ot always go to class D on’t worry so much about silly

homework assignments S pend more time with friends

and sleep on Four Acres

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HORACE MANN FEATURES JUNE 3RD, 2020

Art b y

Kiara Royer /Featu

res Ed itor

Quick interactions with friends and even random people in the hallway are special and duly missed. In the future, I’ll try to make the most out of every passing “hello” in the hallway!

I would definitely say HM’s teachers.

Every single one of the teachers here is absolutely phenomenal (even if you don’t love their teaching style or they give too much reading).

I wish I could tell my freshman-year-self to try to spark up more conversations with teachers and get to know them better. Their passion for what they teach is infectous and will lead you to a deeper understanding and admiration for your class. Another slightly more obvious one is the clubs. There are so many wonderful clubs/opportunities on campus that I encourage every student to try at least a handful of new ones each year, even if it’s just a couple of meetings (especially robotics–everyone should try robotics!).

Junior year and senior fall are stressful.

I get it. Stop spending every hour of your weekends writing supplements or studying for a test. Take a break and get dinner with a friend for an hour. Go to your friends game on a Friday night. Watch the musical. It’s worth it. I missed my chill senior spring and I long for those wasted hours from junior spring and senior fall.

The facilities are seriously incredible and so accessible, better than most colleges: small things like being able to check out a graphing calculator in Katz, there almost always being empty practice rooms, and the pool deck being so wide!

Quarantine has given me an appreciation for the nature right outside my door. Before it, I would just whisk myself to school, to activities, to homework without thinking of the environment I was in. Quarantine has also helped me realize the pleasure of taking a step back and taking life a little slower for once, which was usually quite difficult in a pre-Covid life. I’ve been given a little more time to think deeply of my own accord, and I’m trying to look for the positives in any situation.

I don’t think I realized how much I count on my friends until quarantine, and I’ve really found a deeper appreciation for them.

Each other. Be it grade wide meetings or senior evenings, take advantage of the time together.

I miss the small interactions with friends and teachers. I now know that my community will stick by me and support me even when we aren’t together.

Since social distancing, I’ve realized how much of our physical and mental health revolves around social interaction.

Getting to say goodbye is important.

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THE RECORD NEWS JUNE 3RD, 2020

New classes coming to HM!

Emily Shi & Julia Goldberg Staff Writers

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Lauren Kim/Staff Artist

Sarah Sun/ Staff Artist

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Computer science (CS) teacher Lester Lee hopes for students to build upon previous coding experience to think, learn, and communicate like data scientists in his newest full credit computer science course next year, “Art of Data.” The course will combine computer science, math, statistics, and art to offer an immersive interdisciplinary experience.

Though the main focus will be giving students more sophisticated programming skills, Lee’s goal is for students to see the broader context of computer science: data. Lee plans to break down the process of what data scientists do into clear steps for the students—including obtaining, cleaning, analyzing, communicating, and visualizing—to engage in hands-on work.

“By the end, I wanted something that felt a little like the real world and not just, ‘this only happens in the classroom,’” he said.

Showing students the broader field of data and visualization—the graphical and at times artistic way to view data—is crucial to students’ ability to engage in projects and communicate, Lee said. “If you just show someone numbers, they’re not going to know what you’re talking about. You have to know how to talk about it, so there’s the aspect of ‘Okay, I know something. How do I communicate that in a clear manner to someone else.’”

Lee first had the idea for the course when he looked at a proposed list of possible upper-level computer science courses. Once he saw “data mining” as a suggestion on the list, his interests in art and math inspired him to flesh the idea out into a full-fledged class.

This type of interdisciplinary course is often absent at the collegiate level, and Lee never had the opportunity to take a similar class, he said. “If you

Every year in World Languages Department Chair Maria del Pilar Valencia’s AP Spanish class, there is a period of time after the students take the AP and before the year ends in which the class has no more required AP material to cover, she said. In past years, Valencia’s students often asked if they could spend their classes listening to music, so she would string together songs and center a conversation around them. Valencia and her students enjoyed these classes– so much so that last year, she realized these songs could expand into their own course.

The class “Canciones, cantantes y poetas: revoluciones del mundo hispano,” or “Songs, singers, and poets: revolutions of the hispanic world,” will allow students to deepen their knowledge of Spanish language and culture through the study of Latin American songs produced from the 1960s until the present day. The lyrics and tone of the songs clearly trace major historical events, such as specific dictatorships in Argentina, Valencia said.

“If you check and make references to the actual historical frame[work], in terms of texts, those songs are fantastic documents,” she said. “They’re so cool and the music is so beautiful and the voices are so powerful—it is the perfect material to develop for a class.”

The AP-equivalent class is at a level that expects students to attempt to use Spanish in the same way they use English: to write,

Rachel Zhu/Staff Artist

Inspiration strikes! A teacher brings an idea for a class to colleagues, who are usually of the same department. Together, they ensure that the idea will fulfill students’ educational needs and that the curriculum will not significantly overlap with any preexisting classes.

Members of the department may also provide preliminary advice on the direction of the course.

The teacher writes a detailed course proposal outlining their goals. This proposal must contain specific information including prerequisite courses, the target number of students for the class, and the topics of study. In many cases, it’s helpful to have a reading list prepared.

The department meets to review the proposal. They discuss the specifics of the course and give praise and criticisms as they see fit, and then the teacher will make any necessary adjustments.

After edits, the teacher presents their course idea in front of the Committee On Instruction (COI), chaired by English teacher Dr. Andrew Fippinger. Representatives from each department and the student body (Student Body Presidents and the Community Council Chair) offer extensive feedback to the teacher.

The teacher finalizes their curriculum. The course is finally ready to be placed into the Program of Studies!

Bonus step: Teachers may apply to receive a curriculum grant, which offers professional development funding. The application consists of a general outline of what will be completed with the money from the grant. A faculty committee reviews those applications. If a grant is approved, teachers can begin using their funding to work on the course and then report back to the school about their progress.

go to universities or higher level CS they end up either staying on the very technical side, or they go on the other end where they don’t really do a lot of CS and there’s a lot of cool project art stuff.”

As such, Lee said that equally distributing focus on all of the areas and making changes to the curriculum based on student feedback will be the most challenging aspect of teaching the class next year. “It touches on so many things and ends up being hard to balance, which is a fear of mine as well,” he said.

The main product Lee wants students to take away from the course is an ability to find datasets that relate to their own interests—which may span sports, biology, medicine, or art—and procure a final website with a portfolio of each step that they step they took with data to arrive at a final project.

Art of Data and a new half credit class, “Software Engineering,” will join a collection of new computer science courses since the main upper-level class is currently AP Computer Science, which will be phased out.

Currently, the prerequisite to all upper-level courses in the department is Computer Science 2 (CS2), which allows students to have a general level of comfort with loops and functions that students can use in later classes.

The year after next year, Lee hopes to offer another half-credit intermediary class between CS2 and Art of Data so that the latter can explore data in more depth, he said.

Nevertheless, Lee said he feels excited to teach students an in-depth account of how to interact with data, he said. “My hope is that students will be able to see how CS fits into a broader context.”

research, and converse. Unfortunately, because the standard AP course is geared towards students across the nation, the topics covered are usually quite general. In contrast, Valencia’s new class will be split up into thematic units, including an overview of the function of popular music within a society, as well as the importance of female voices over time, she said.

The songs are artifacts that were critical in shaping the identities of Latin Americans over the years, Valencia said. “If we’re in a fire pit with that guitar, those songs come up, and they keep coming up, because they form a part of our identity,” she said. “It’s not music to be sold; it’s music to say something.”

Valencia has always been interested in poetry and wrote her dissertation on Medieval music as a graduate student, but she also grew up listening to many of the songs integrated into the curriculum. “I am made of these songs,” she said.

Looking towards next year, Valencia is most excited for her students to connect with the music in the same way she has.

“When you read the songs and read all the supplementary material about the moment in the history [you’re studying], the songs come alive for you in a very personal way,” she said. “That process of sharing something is just delightful; it’s what’s beautiful about being a teacher.”

The key to understanding World History is understanding the Silk Roads, history teacher Dr. Susan Groppi said. Material goods were traded on the Silk Roads, but so were religions, languages, agricultural products, and diseases, such as the Black Plague. The roads were a conduit by which culture spread, Groppi said.

“History of the Silk Roads” is split into three eras: the Han dynasty and the Roman empire (around 300 BCE), the Mongols (around 1,000 years later), and Central and East Asia (around the 20th century). The first unit will delve into the relationships between nomadic and pastoralist societies; the second will discuss the golden age of human knowledge, ending with the Black Plague; the third will include an overview of the Cold War as well as the rise of China as a world superpower.

The AP World History curriculum first sparked Groppi’s interest in the Silk Roads, and after teaching the class, she began researching the roads on her own. “When we started talking about phasing out APs, I started to think, ‘What could I teach that would incorporate what I loved most about World History?’” she said.

Groppi soon realized that as opposed to studying one region throughout time, she preferred to learn and teach about connections across regions and time periods, which is the exact approach her course will take, she said.

So far, the hardest part of the process has been choosing readings for next

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year, Groppi said. Since the class’s discussions will be built upon nightly readings, her choices will determine the foundation of the course.

The final research project will also vary as a result of reading materials.

Although many secondary sources can be found in the library’s collection, many students won’t be able to access primary sources due to a potential language barrier when looking at regions such as Central and East Asia. As such, Groppi will spend her summer looking for possible resources using the curriculum grant she received for the course.

“History of the Silk Roads” is unique because with the exception of students who may have touched upon the subject in Global Environmental History, the topic will likely be entirely foreign, Groppi said. “It’s not like you have the foundation and we’re going more in depth. If I’m talking about the history of Central Asian nomads or the history of Rome, frankly, or the history of Chinese dynasties, most kids don’t have formal training.”

Because students often want to take courses that delve deeper into topics they’ve previously studied, Groppi predicts that fewer students may sign up for the course. Nevertheless, she’s excited to teach the group of students who will have registered to study unfamiliar yet engaging topics. “[I hope that students] get to understand a fundamental piece of human history that most people don’t know about,” she said.

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14

THE RECORD FEATURES JUNE 3RD, 2020

Danah Screen

Dear Cla

Computer Science and Robotics Department Chair To the Persevering Class of 2020, In thinking of what I wanted to share with you, so many of my thoughts and rough drafts traveled to the current state of events. These last few months have brought, even more so, the attributes of Horace Mann School Class of 2020 that your HM community have come to be so fond of. It speaks to your ability to rally around one another when individuals of your class faced hard times or were absent from the community. It speaks to the contagious and genuine joy you brought to each other in times of success and peace. So while I could write a letter to how strong and enduring you all have been through these last few months...this is a letter about the next steps. Class of 2020, you are a group that will shake up this nation (dare I say, the world?) and turn it upside down for the better. You are the class that will ask people in authority, be it your professor in the near future or someone higher up the chain in the field you choose for your career, to hold themselves accountable to their statements, choices, and actions that have a deep and often inequitable impact on you or your greater community. Do it. Whether you are the one in the front engaging in the face-to-face conversations or in the background doing the research so that history does not repeat itself...Do it. As a class you have cultivated such a strong voice and presence, that I know we are all proud to say started or grew further in the halls of Horace Mann. You. Are. Brilliant. You are Brave. You are Compassionate. Grow and ask all of us to evolve right alongside you.

Always supportive and incredibly proud, Ms. Screen

Ellen Bales History Teacher Dear HM Class of 2020, As we come to the end of a spring unprecedented in any of our memories, and woefully unpunctuated by the usual celebratory markers of your transition to the next phase of your lives and education, I think I speak for all of your teachers when I say that we look forward to the day when we can celebrate your achievements and your unique contributions to HM. Celebrate, that is, in person. Not remotely.

There’s nothing remotely fun or funny about graduating in the midst of a global pandemic. As the resident teacher of environmental history, I am sorry. I’m sorry we—your elders—are leaving you a world that is a real fixer-upper. I’m sorry we didn’t mobilize sooner to change the climate outcomes that are all too evident now, only one of which is an increased incidence of novel disease at pandemic levels.

But I’m also hopeful. Radically and perhaps irrationally hopeful. Being with you every day fuels my hope.

The German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk writes, “It is characteristic of being human that human beings are presented with tasks that are too difficult for them, without having the option of avoiding them because of their difficulty.” This spring has certainly been a case study of Sloterdijk’s observation if I ever saw one. But I’ve watched you take on “too difficult” tasks over and over, undaunted and with grace, without flinching because of their difficulty.

Your passion and perseverance—and sometimes your justified rage—give me hope for the future.

It has been my honor to be part of your life and intellectual development at HM over the past four years.

Keep doing the “too difficult” thing. Make change happen. Go with radical hope.

Know that we go with you in spirit.

—Dr. Bales

Michael Dalo UD Dean of Students Dear Class of 2020, This is of course not how any of us anted the end of your senior year to look or how I wanted to say good-bye to you, but I don’t want that to be the focus of my note. Instead, I would like to say thank you!

I have gotten to know some of you because you were my students. To those of you who were, thank you for all of the laughs and for making it fun to go to work every day. To my 3H and AP classes, I will not soon forget how many times I needed to make sure that you weren’t cheating at “Bananagrams” or how clearly we established that it was actually Spain that won the Spanish Civil War. Of course, your obsession with burritos and ramen are also not things that can be easily overlooked. To those of you that I had in Spanish 2 and Spanish 3, thank you for all of your hard work and for hanging in there through what I know, for some you, were among the more challenging classes that you had to take at HM. Your perseverance and positivity were inspiring to me!

Although I didn’t teach most of you, I did meet and very much notice your presence in other spaces on our campus— fields and courts, the robotics lab, Gross & the Black Box, meetings of student leaders, and random visits to my office with friends to find some good candy. You’ve done a lot to make our community a better place and have come a long way from being the class that couldn’t be trusted to behave responsibly in the Student Lounge. Thank you for all that you have given to HM over the past four years!

I look forward to celebrating all of you at a huge party sometime soon and to you coming back to visit and share what I know will be fascinating and crazy stories!

Congratulations and un abrazo Dalo

Melissa Doellman Science Teacher Dear Class of 2020,

I am delighted to have the opportunity to write a letter for you Mann. With the knowledge that your Senior Spring is/was not at how do I begin to say goodbye? Or more aptly, how do I say than joy and honor to be a small part of your education and lives. You spirits have brought so much laughter and enjoyment to the class determination are inspiring. Your care for the world beyond the w bling. Your perseverance through this challenging time, one that fun memories and school traditions, is testament to the strength well as a graduating class. Thank you. Thank you for all that you h who you are as individuals. Thank you for your positive attitudes academic boundaries, insatiable curiosity, and good cheer. Thank As you find your way into a new chapter of your journey, I hop continue to persevere. I hope you can look back fondly at the me into your future dreams, but not lose site of the beauty of each da stage of your life is the best stage of your life because that means day. Find out who you are intentionally. Seize the opportunity to graces of each day. Hold on to the things that are most near and d ground you in a world that changes at a rapid pace. Remember th free - give both to others daily. Work hard for what matters to you stop learning! No matter what the world tries to tell you, our diffe that we possess, for our differences allow us to become empatheti beings. And always remember, always, that who you are, as you a no doubt that you will change the world for the better.

Congratulations, Class of 2020!

-Ms. Doellman

HORACE MANN FEATURES JUNE 3RD, 2020

ass of 2020...

ur final days as seniors at Horace t all what you have hoped for, nk you? It has been a great ur fun-loving and good-willed sroom. Your dedicated work and walls you sit in each day is humwas supposed to be filled with that you have as individuals, as have been to this school and for s, willingness to push your own k you, Class of 2020. pe you find the strength to emories you have, look hopefully ay. I hope you find that each you are fully living into each laugh and find joy in the small dear to your heart; let them hat kindness, and respect, are u. Chase your dreams and never erences are the greatest strength ic and compassionate human are, is enough. You matter. I have

Elisa Milkes History Teacher

Dear Class of 2020, I taught three sections of your grade–periods A, D, and F–in Atlantic World History. Years later, seeing you strolling down the hallway of Tillinghast or popping into a Zoom classroom, I’m struck by how different you seem and, at the same time, by how time hasn’t changed you at all. Why is that? I think it’s because you’re fearless when it comes to trying something new. You’re constantly pushing beyond the borders of what you know and what feels comfortable. You’re always becoming. And yet I recognize all of your ninth-grade selves in the new people that you’ve become. To me that means that your grade had everything necessary to lead us in confronting an enormously steep challenge. HM Online is not the same as HM on campus. But it’s still recognizable as our school even though, like you, we chose to adapt, experiment, and grow. I have nine seniors in my Advisory this year, and I’d bet my last dollar that a visitor entering the room couldn’t guess which seniors had been there for two, three, or four years. While each September brought in new members of the Class of 2020, the group as a whole became more cohesive. It became something new and yet still remained the same–a dynamic group of superb storytellers, compassionate listeners, talented problem-solvers, bold questioners, and resilient athletes. So thank you, Class of 2020, for teaching me what it means to embrace what’s new. You inspired me with your team-building spirit, your political activism, your artistic performances, your academic discoveries, your non-profit organizations, your bicycling adventures, and your transformation in a virtual space of everything from the Record to Relay for Life. Just as you had everything that you needed to complete your senior year, you have everything that you will need to take your next step forward. As you have done here at HM, simply find fertile soil, plant yourself firmly, and then keep growing. Congratulations on your many new beginnings, those in the past and those still to come!

Very best wishes, Dr. Milkes

Stephanie Feigin

Dean of the Class of 2020 Dear Seniors – While there are many opportunities for me to share my thoughts with you this year; the yearbook, the commencement ceremony, this record article – none of these are the one that counts the most. I wish that I could have the chance to congratulate you in person - to look each of you in the eyes and tell you how proud I am of you. Unfortunately, we will need to settle for virtual events that in no way replace the real thing. My feelings about you as a class and as individuals has not changed. In fact, the resilience, maturity, and enthusiasm that you continue to show has impressed me as we moved to HMonline.

Since the first day that we gathered as a class in the recital hall (September 2016) you have shown your extreme exuberance for all things HM. On the field, in the classroom, on the stage, and in and around the campus you have committed to doing your best. You have embodied the school’s mission and lived the core values. You have shown kindness and warmth to each other and worked tirelessly to make Horace Mann a better place.

You did not get the senior spring that you had envisioned; no senior back packs, no hanging on the field on the warm weather days, no prom and yet you managed to stay positive and continue to invest yourself in all aspects of school. Nothing seemed to stop your commitment to your classes, your extracurriculars, even your sports teams. You even managed to find new and creative ways to express your yourselves and stay active in the HM community.

I am proud of all of you and feel extremely lucky to have been able to watch you grow and navigate high school. I am looking forward to hearing about all of your successes in the years to come.

Congratulations Class of 2020!!

Dean Feigin

Andrew Fippinger English Teacher Dear Seniors, I attended high school in the ‘90s, a period of relative political and economic stability. We had significant societal problems, of course, but I was taught and took for granted that the world I lived in was progressing steadily forward and upward in every sense. I even enjoyed every year of high school a little more than the last.

How different your experience has been! You have lived your lives on a rollercoaster: from the economic collapse that marked your elementary-school years, to the intense political and social upheavals that have defined your high-school years, and now the pandemic that has upended your senior spring and the mass protests and governmental crackdown that—at least as I write this—continue to rock our country.

When I think about what advice or messages I might impart as you leave HM, I’m struck dumb by a sense of humility. What do I know? You’ve had a far crazier high-school experience than I did. I can imagine and empathize. I’ve witnessed your high-school years firsthand. But I don’t know what it’s like to live some of the most developmentally important years of your life amidst this level of tumult and uncertainty. I don’t know how it will change you, but I know that it will.

So here’s advice from someone who doesn’t really know. Own your experience. Decide how you want it to change you. This is the reality of the world you’ve grown up in, the world you are inheriting. We’re all being pushed around by forces well beyond our control, and it’s tempting to try to ignore the chaos and hope it goes away soon. Don’t. You can, you must still choose how to define your life, how you will continue to create yourself. The great members of your generation will be those who rise to these challenges, who look at them honestly, and who take action. These are mad times, and you can either figure out how to own them or you can let them own you.

Also, Pratham, I’m really sorry I busted your black-market printing service in 9th grade.

Good luck, Dr. Fippinger

15

16

THE RECORD FEATURES JUNE 3RD, 2020

More letters...

Harry Bauld English Teacher

This morning my son, fifteen, said, for perhaps the 473rd time this week, “No, you’re dumb.” Vocally, he doesn’t use the comma; it’s one word: Noyrdumb, his lietmotif, slogan we live by, cooped up together like eggs in a carton. He doesn’t know how right he is. I am feeling more than usually dumb in every sense: not just dull witted in the face of a pandemic--low IQ in The Big Q--and not knowing what’s next, what to do, what to think, beyond drift-flailing on companion tides of free-floating sadness and rage. I am struck dumb in not knowing what to say, an unusual state for an English teacher-- so much to say about Everything. But somewhere inside what remains of my compromised emotional float bladder, there pumps the writing impulse. A writer breathes on not knowing what to say and then (of course) saying it anyway. More guts than brains, in other words. We hope.

I don’t know what to say to the class of 2020, graduates of the plague year. All the adults who love you will say we have such a mix of sadness for you, robbed of your senior spring, and admiration for all the many ways you plowed ahead under profoundly, absurdly, historically difficult circumstances. But while the writer in me is suspicious, petulant, ironic, chaotic, stubborn, despairing, raging, selfish, fatalistic, kvetching, ignorant, and reckless, the teacher in me tends to be optimistic, upbeat, patient, calm, cheerful, confident, supportive, direct, steady, flexible, knowledgeable, idealistic, kvelling, organized (okay....), and other-directed. (I fail at these 63% of the time).

Through the crisis, the writer in me has been working furiously, literally--and I mean that figuratively. (I forgot self aggrandizing: a new book of poems will be out starting sometime in August; feel free to pre-order in bulk.) But the teacher in me knows he has accumulated with this class a long list of appreciations and gratitude: playing (and then Zooming) last trash with Nick and Charles and Gloria and Zach and Diana, our leading scorer; tennis on sunny, chilly fall Saturday mornings with Robbie and Roey, and Robbie turning his JRP into an ongoing writing gig with NY Tennis Magazine; Alexa’s tenacity on her already long and very winding road to a postponed graduation; advisee poker with card sharps Pierson and Zach taking all Belle’s chips; seniors in fall Poetry Writing, their growth as writers and readers, and Shrey reciting from memory Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” and seniors in spring Short Forms for, paradoxically, their endurance; 1 v 1 in the gym with R. Mantz letting the old guy score a few; students Claire, Lexi, Arden, Gloria, Rob, Charles, Diana, who came to readings at Columbia and at the KGB; Nick and Zach transformed from the Tweedledum and Tweedledee of 9th grade English into young men of sense and sensibility; Luke for all the humor and courage; Kyra for the inspiring poetry sessions above and beyond; Mika for organizing the Tuesday poetry Zoom; Charles for the fountain of Charlesisms that decorate my shelf; and so many, and so much, more.

The classic graduation trope is, “Come back and see us,” but in your case, I must insist on it: way too much anti-climax in this. We have something to finish, and though I’m too dumb to speak or even know precisely what it is, I know it’s not just the delayed grad ceremony. Come back when you can, as soon as we can.

Vernon Wilson

English Department Chair How do we know, and then understand, what’s real? What is fact, and what is fiction? If we existed in a living dream before our current crisis, have we now awakened to the truth? Is this new truth still “life” When will it end, which is to say, when can we go back to what we thought we knew in years past? Can we go back? Should we? Was some part of that old life not just a dream, but rather a deception? And what can we do about that now? What matters most to us, and what matters least? When will we have some— more like any— solid answers?

Forgive me, seniors, if I ask and assume too much, but every one of my days, like most of yours since the pandemic struck and forever altered the nature of our shared reality, has been filled with a catalogue of questions. As one who has had the keen pleasure of teaching a good number of you, I revel in questions. In normal times, I’m totally into ambiguity— I’m an English teacher! Posing thoughtful, interesting, exciting questions is what lies at the very heart of teaching and learning. Discussing these questions and their answers with all of you— and going on wild tangents about the highbrow-lowbrow nature of comic books, or of The Circle— is what most inspires and captivates me.

So where do we go from here? And how do we get there?

I’d bet that you’re asking yourselves similar questions in these long and muddled days of our Zoomed-out spring. As tempting as it is for me to offer high-sounding answers, I am convinced that my answers aren’t important. You, our dear seniors, in all of your staggering talent, intellect, and empathy, must conceive of those answers. It is you, cooped up and bored, vexed and despairing, even angry and embittered— you who must imagine, explore, and create the contours of a new future. That future need not be grandiose, and it’s not very far off, either; it begins with the questions you ask, and what you do to find these answers today, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.

If there is anything your teachers have taught you since the first singing days of nursery school, it is to question. Experiment. Be unafraid of ambiguity, of nuanced uncertainty, of the unknown. (Those without a tolerance for ambiguity— think Oedipus, think Tom Buchanan— tend to rush to judgement. Their fear of uncertainty can be devastating.) Do everything you can to welcome the richness of ambiguity; equip yourselves with creative questions; apply yourselves to the task of honing those questions; and strive to forge new pathways in the face of the indefinite.

Catherine Crowley Math and Science Teacher

To the Class of 2020, and especially to my graduating mathematicians and physicists, Congratulations!!! You did it! I could not be prouder of you, or more grateful to have been your teacher and to have gotten to know you over these past four years. Your curiosity, brilliance, and humor have infused our classes with life and joy.

As I sit down to write this letter to all of you, after everything you have done and accomplished, it’s hard to know where to begin or how to convey everything I want you to know. One of the hardest parts of this time, for me, has been feeling that I did not have the opportunity I would normally have to communicate how immensely proud I am of each of you. Your potential and passion have inspired me every day. The rigor I have asked of you is perhaps the clearest indication of my complete and unwavering belief in you. It has been a gift to teach you and, in this uncertain time, I feel better knowing that you are each going out into the world so capable of making an impact on it. Even if I can’t stop you in the hallways to remind you of all the things you, personally, have shared with our school to make it better, know that I have seen them, and so many other people at Horace Mann have too. Trust yourselves, and believe in what you have done and who you are.

Towards the beginning of HM Online, I found a note a teammate had given me after our championship race my senior year of college - a race that did not go as we expected and which, today, I think back on as one of the greatest races we ever rowed. In her note, she shared the following quote with me that spoke to me then, and that I have thought of often during this time.

“Anyone can give up. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do, but to hold it together when everyone would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.” I cannot think of anything that has better shown the fortitude and heart of your class than the way you have made it through these difficult few months. I know this was not the senior year you had hoped for, and that many of the moments you had worked so hard for over these past four years were taken away from you. Nothing can change that. But when I look back on your class, I will think of this time as perhaps the best example of the kind of students and people you are. I will think of the way you persevered, and of your enduring curiosity. I will remember your indelible humor and how you resorted to the zoom chat when we didn’t have a chance to laugh together in person. I know you struggled during this time, but I saw you keep pushing and trying. I saw you push for your classmates and your teachers when you didn’t want to do it for yourselves. I have never been prouder of you.

I started this letter saying, “You did it!” You are graduating! You have worked and learned and grown so much in your time at Horace Mann. You did it! And so much more than we ever expected to ask of you. I will always remember your class, and I will always remember what you did. You are the best part of teaching. Thank you for sharing yourselves with our school and for inspiring the people in it. I am so proud of you. I believe in you, and I will always be in your corner. I can’t wait to see what you will do!

Congratulations, to the Class of 2020!

Ms. Crowley

HORACE MANN FEATURES JUNE 3RD, 2020

17

Coping with body image during quarantine Julia Goldberg, Liliana Greyf, & Hanna Hornfeld Staff Writers “Are you sure you want to eat that?” “Your jeans won’t fit by the time this is over.” “Have you been eating the same four snacks throughout all of social isolation?” “You don’t want to gain the quarantine-15!”

These are some of the questions and comments about body image which have arisen in discussions during the pandemic. Explicit and implicit messages, embedded in every part of the media and communicated by parents, peers, and others, have spurred conversations in schools and beyond about the toll of unrealistic beauty standards on the health and happiness of teenagers.

For some students, quarantine has only increased the pressure to change their bodies; for others, a break from typical social interaction has led to a decrease in concern over their physical appearance.

“There seems to be a cultural understanding that you are supposed to become a better version of yourself during quarantine,” said Sue* (11), who chose to remain anonymous so that her struggles with eating do not become one of her identifiers. “I think ‘bettering the self ’ is inextricably linked with weight loss and general alterations of the body. I have felt like if I don’t work out, or emerge from quarantine with a weight loss, I will have failed.”

Sue has noticed that although she has work for all of her classes on a regular basis, she spends less of her time engaged during HM Online. As a result, she feels pressured to keep herself productive in other ways, she said.

Jill* (11), who asked to remain anonymous because she is uncomfortable with her peers knowing about her concerns over her body image, has also felt a need to reach these tangible goals in her free time. Specifically, Jill despairs over her own “laziness”; although she lacks the motivation to regularly follow her workout routine, she becomes upset with herself when she skips it. “It felt like if I wasn’t constantly working out, then I was failing in some way,” she said.

“It’s tough enough to be productive in the best of times, let alone when we’re in a global crisis,” Chris Bailey, a productivity consultant, said in a New York Times Article titled “Stop Trying to Be Productive.” “The idea that we have so much time available during the day now is fantastic, but these days it’s the opposite of a luxury. We’re home because we have to be home, and we have much less attention because we’re living through so much.”

This urge to overachieve, even in times of global crisis, is reflective of America’s relentless work culture, the article said. It quoted journalist Nick Martin, who stated in a separate article for The New Republic that “this mind-set is the natural endpoint of America’s hustle culture—the idea that every nanosecond of our lives must be commodified and pointed toward profit and self-improvement.”

Johanna Scher (10) pointed out a similar culture at the school. When students at the school have free time on their hands, they always want to fill it in a productive manner, she said.

Now that people have “all the time in the world,” it’s easy to argue that they no longer have any excuse not to make changes to their bodies, Eli Scher (11) said. Eli recently saw a tweet that said if you don’t use your time during quarantine productively, “you didn’t ever lack the time, you lacked the discipline.” Realistically, people shouldn’t have this expectation, he said. “That’s definitely oversimplifying the struggles that people go through.”

Furthermore, the switch to online learning, specifically using Zoom, has caused Oscar* (12) to feel a new pressure in regards to his body image, he said. “Spending a whole day just staring at myself [on Zoom] can oftentimes be very upsetting and can make me very anxious.”

“When we were at school, there was more to our interactions with our classmates than our faces on screen,” Oscar said. “We were able to completely express ourselves, whether through our style choices or our own thoughts and perspectives. We were able to be seen as complete human beings. Now, we are just another box and another figure on that screen.”

Oscar said that the way he displays himself now has a larger effect than ever before. “I’m trying to take more care of the way that I look because I

just feel like I am constantly being watched and judged for the way that I look. I really just want to do everything I can to look a little better,” he said.

“There is this fear that sinks in that all you really are is just that image that’s shown in that box. It’s really unsettling.”

Quarantine has left students alone with themselves for far longer periods of time, which can make them more susceptible to negative thoughts, Brian Wu (12) said. “We are the people that look in the mirror and we see ourselves all day, so it’s easy to look at all the flaws and be very critical of ourselves over and over again,” he said.

In a Psychology Today article published on Wednesday, April 15, psychologist Paula Freedman explained that pressure to stay healthy can also come from a lack of control during COVID-19. “With shutdowns and shelter-inplace orders, it can seem like the only things left in your power are what you eat and how much you exercise,” she wrote. “You may be leaning extra hard on tools like fitness trackers and food logging apps to make sure you don’t ‘lose control.’”

Director of Counseling and Guidance Daniel Rothstein said that in response to the anxiety and uncertainty surrounding the virus, some students will increasingly turn to food as a form of comfort, while others will moderate the food they eat more closely.

Living at home, Sofia Jiang (11) has found it challenging to maintain a consistent diet, as it’s now easier to simply eat out of boredom, she said.

On the other hand, Wu has become more controlling of the food he eats; he now prepares all of his meals from scratch in advance. The combination of meal-prepping and working out regularly helps to mitigate the toll quarantine is taking on his body image, he said.

Social media is one of the major pathways through which the notion that staying in shape is a necessity is promoted, Louise Kim (9) said.

Kim has seen several TikTok videos spreading the message that people should focus on working towards “summer bodies” while in quarantine.

“Diet culture is so ingrained in how we view ourselves and others that even when we’re alone, with no one to ‘impress,’ we are measuring our bodies, our food intake, our size and shape and weight, and considering what those measurements say about us,” Laura Breiling wrote in an an NBC article published on Sunday, April 26.

“Diet culture” can induce tremendous anxiety around eating, Rothstein said. “Unfortunately, as we grow up, we are inundated with media and then peer messages that to be happy and popular, we have to look a very specific way,” he said. “We get the erroneous message that happiness comes from the way you look, rather than that deep, good feeling we all had as children that our bodies are amazing and can do wonderful things.”

Although they’ve always been present, the number of posts promoting diet culture on social media has significantly increased since quarantine began, Jill said. “There are all of these videos on TikTok and Instagram titled ‘how to get abs during quarantine’ or ‘lose the ten pounds you’ve been wanting to lose during quarantine.’”

Maria* (11), who chose to remain anonymous to keep her relationship with her mother private, discussed below, has also seen more TikTok posts revolving around body image. She noticed that TikTok users who have slimmer bodies usually have comments sections filled with positive remarks such as “drop your workout routine.” On the other hand, users who do not have “perfect bodies” tend to receive many body-shaming comments on their posts, she said.

Furthermore, the internet is full of information about eating disorders, often promoting that material in a dangerous manner, Sue said. “I have so much time and I’m on my computer so often that it’s so tempting [to seek out that information],” she said. “It’s just very, very hard to discipline yourself.”

In the NBC article, CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association Claire Mysko explained the sharp increase in posts concerning weight gain. “This is a period of heightened anxiety, when our community is working to find new ways of staying connected,” she said. “Negative body talk and weight gain jokes have long been default modes of commiseration in our culture.

But, in fact, these messages don’t bring us closer together—they stoke fear, they keep us from exploring health from a holistic perspective, and they are outright harmful.”

Johanna said that the standards set by accounts promoting increased exercise during quarantine are often unrealistic, as people can exaggerate how much they are working out. “The internet is the only way we’re communicating with each other, and people like to make their lives seem perfect on the internet,” she said. It is a dangerous position for teenagers to be in, as they may assume everyone else is consistently working out, she said.

Wu said that he has also been more aware of posts on social media of people, whether it be peers or influencers, with “seemingly perfect bodies.” “It forces you to actually want to be like them, when in fact being yourself and loving yourself is probably like the biggest priority right now.”

After recently committing to college, Wu joined Instagram and Facebook groups with other incoming freshmen. On one Facebook group, all students are encouraged to post introductions of themselves, usually consisting of a blurb and a photo. Wu and friends in the group usually talk to each other about the photos they see, making commentary such as “‘Oh my god, this guy is so hot’; ‘this girl is really pretty,’” he said.

“These types of conversations play possibly the biggest role in getting into people’s perceptions of body image,” Wu said. “I’m guilty of [having these conversations] myself, so there’s no reason why other people wouldn’t.” The thought of other students discussing Wu’s own appearance is especially nerve-wracking, he said.

While videos on TikTok haven’t had a major effect on Kim, she said, they can give her peers unhealthy expectations of how they should be spending their time. “I’ve taught myself to disconnect my self-worth and self-value from how my body looks,” Kim said. “But if this was two or three years ago I might have felt quite pressured.”

Sally* (10), who asked to remain anonymous in order to avoid others’ misconceptions, also credits some of her unhealthy thoughts concerning body image to her amount of social media usage.

It takes almost no effort to compare oneself to beauty standards plastered over social media, she said.

“You can understand all you want about feminist culture and Eurocentric beauty standards, but I think at the end of the day, it’s really hard to not internalize some of it,” Sue said.

In addition to social media, pressure can come from the home, Rothstein said. “Eating three meals a day with family can be a pleasure for many, as it is a time to connect, but for others it can accentuate whatever family tension there was around eating before the pandemic hit.”

For Maria, this tension arises when her mother comments on her body. Maria started taking birth control during Winter break, and noticed that her appetite increased as a side effect. “When I started gaining weight, it was new, but I liked the way I looked,” she said. However, Maria’s mother began to use backhanded insults to convince her to work out more. “She would be like, ‘It’d be fun to exercise together,’ or ‘I’m seeing my trainer today, want to join?’”

She went off of birth control at the start of quarantine because her medication, which was usually shipped to her apartment, could no longer be delivered to where she was staying in Long Island. Consequently, she lost weight, and her mother began making comments that she was “way too skinny.” “It’s always one [type of remark] or the other,” Maria said.

Sue, too, has found it difficult to be surrounded only by members of her family. Although she dislikes eating alone, Sue knows that if she opts to eat with her family, they may make comments concerning the food she eats and the way she looks, which is a worse alternative, she said.

Oscar has also felt pressure coming from his family members, who want him to always look “presentable,” he said. His parents often tell him that he has to fit into the stereotype of how young men are supposed to look. “If you don’t look the way you are supposed to, that is a disappointment.”

While Oscar used to describe himself as a “stress-eater,” that habit has diminished since the start of quarantine. He credits this to his relationship with those he is quarantined with; he does not want to disappoint his family members by eating too much or at the wrong times. When he goes to the kitchen to get a snack, Oscar is wary of his parents’ voices in his head. “It feels like every time I eat anything, I have these judging eyes

staring at me,” he said.

Prior to quarantine, Sue’s friends balanced discussing their own problems concerning body image with comforting each other on similar ones. Although Sue hasn’t grown apart from her friends, if she’d like to discuss problems concerning her body image with them, she now has to make the conscious effort to seek out her friends, she said.

On the other hand, seeing fewer people has taken pressure off of Kim, who spends less time thinking about her body image during quarantine in part because she isn’t going to spend the summer going out with other people, she said.

Because Jiang spends all of her time with family, she’s begun to wear looser-fitted clothing, such as sweatshirts and sweatpants, on a regular basis.

As a result, she’s spent less of her time concerned with her body, she said.

Natasha Stange ‘19 wears summery clothing more often since starting school in California, where the weather is warm year-round. Because of this, she usually has incentive to try to “look good,” she said. When quarantine began, with no summer plans in sight, this incentive diminished and her routine became more sedentary, she said.

The warm weather also used to make it easier to get outside to exercise, she said. “I used to go on hikes with my friends in the San Gabriel mountains on the weekends, and the social component of that [type of exercise] made it more fun too,” she said.

Stange has recently attempted to find motivation to eat healthier foods, without letting concerns over her diet consume her. She has become more active on her food and fitness Instagram account, @fit_foodie24, which motivated her to maintain a regular, healthy diet during this time.

Johanna has also been using some of her free time to exercise and make healthy home-cooked meals, but she follows her own goals instead of allowing external pressures to dictate her diet and routine, she said.

While she thinks inspiration from external sources can be beneficial, Johanna chooses to focus on her own personal workout goals to ensure she is safe and avoids unrealistic expectations.

“What works for [some] won’t work for everyone and can cause harm if not executed perfectly,” she said. “Trying to match someone else’s routine and expect the same results is dangerous because everyone’s body is different and everyone is at different levels of fitness.”

Elias Romero (10), too, has made an effort to work out more frequently and eat healthier than usual so that he can maintain strength as an athlete. Although his primary motivation is to stay in shape for wrestling, Romero has noticed that working out has positively impacted his body image, he said.

Oscar, like many teenagers, feels that the pressures to attain certain physical goals need to be discussed and dismantled, he said. However, he has noticed a discrepancy between the amount of men and women who speak freely on the topic.

Generally, there is less discourse surrounding men’s body image problems because of a cultural system that puts more explicit emphasis on female beauty standards, Eli said. Still, men feel pressure to look a certain way, and that can not be dismissed.

Understandably, body image related issues are tied heavily to gender roles and societal expectations of men and women, Oscar said. But overall, it is important to recognize that everyone goes through difficulties. “We all have insecurities. We all have things that we are ashamed of and that we are nervous about,” he said.

“Social isolation can be challenging, but it can also be a time to ask the deepest questions— where will my happiness and self-acceptance really come from—my outer reflection, or that feeling from inside that I am lucky to have the wonderful body I was born with?” Rothstein said.

“This can be a challenge for everyone at different moments, but if you are spending a lot of your time worrying about your body image and what you eat, talking to someone in Counseling & Guidance, an adult you trust, or another professional can be very helpful in gaining perspective and reducing worry.”

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Sam Chiang Staff Writer

THE RECORD FEATURES JUNE 3RD, 2020

Climate Change and Sustainability at HM

Many New York City Public and Private Schools are taking action and adapting curriculum to raise awareness of and combat climate change. Global warming often leads to the loss of land and livelihoods, as increased natural disasters wreak havoc on society, which is why it was designated as a threat multiplier by the United Nations. Threat multipliers are issues that can be compounded with others to produce more extreme damage.

However, there is reason for hope. Many schools across the city supported students attending the New York march for climate change on September 20th: the New York City Department of Education did not penalize students who missed school, and Horace Mann the school assisted students by excusing absences and sending a vehicle and a few public safety officers to the rally’s main location.

In New York City Public Schools, Cafeteria Culture Founder and Zero-waste activist Debby Lee Cohen helped enact major change by eliminating the daily use of 860,000 styrofoam disposable lunch trays. Styrofoam contains the chemical styrene, which has been linked to cancer and other toxic effects so it cannot be recycled. However, the New York City Public School System, the largest district in the United States, used styrofoam lunch trays for its over 900,00 students until 2013.

“Our first step to raise awareness was creating these giant puppets from discarded styrofoam trays,” Cohen said. After retrieving and cleaning thousands of used trays, Cafeteria Culture, an environmental education organization, fashioned the trays into puppets that were showcased in Bryant Park, Grand Central Terminal, and the Javits Center, she said. “It’s funny because these puppets probably instituted more policy change than anything else because people could actually visualize the amount of trays being thrown away.”

With heightened awareness of the environmental consequences of styrofoam, Cohen called the NYC Department of Education and arranged a meeting with school food directors. As expected, Cohen initially encountered resistance to eliminating styrofoam trays because of cost concerns, she said.

The turning point, she said, was when she mentioned the health implications of styrofoam.

The chemical styrene, a major component of styrofoam, has been categorized as a “reasonably anticipated to be carcinogen” by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

“I asked how they would respond to a student bringing a lawsuit in 20 years because they had cancer from their use of styrofoam trays,” she said. “People get interested when the issue of health is brought up because it’s sometimes hard to think about the environmental consequences, but it is always easy to think about what we are doing to our children.”

The change also affects schools across the nation because NYC public schools, which serve close to one million meals a day, joined 10 other cities in a collective purchasing agreement for a compostable plate, which drove down the cost and shifted manufacturing trends, she said.

Following NYC’s ban, the Urban School Food Alliance was created, and the school systems of Los Angeles, Chicago, and Connecticut have all banned styrofoam trays.

Over 25 NYC schools, both public and private, also participate in the NYC Sustainability Education Committee. ‘Title of nick from dorr’ represents Horace Mann on the committee. It’s a great place to share sustainable ideas, Mr. Nick DePreter said, as “some schools employ HM’s committee model and others have a coordinator that does the job, but they all meet up to discuss common issues.”

Horace Mann The school also works with local public schools to create a more sustainable environment through the school’s annual Service Learning Day, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said.

Service learning projects consist of the creation and maintenance of the garden at the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, the recycling of small plant herb gardens in containers for use in one’s home with local Bronx children, and the recycling of books for other schools in need via the Katz Library, he said.

Having utilized reusable trays, plates, bowls, and utensils for some time now, the school has taken actions to create a more sustainable environment and combat climate change. The school is mostly powered by wind as of 2018 and is supplemented by the 53-kilowatt system of solar panels on top of Rose Hall.

The recent construction of Lutnick Hall, the Jeffrey H. Loria Family Aquatic Center, and the renovation of Pforzheimer Hall have also allowed the school to invest in innovative technology.

At Pforzheimer Hall, the school recycled all fluorescent light bulbs and replaced them with LEDs, Director of Facilities Management Gordon Jensen said. The school also installed motion sensors that automatically turn off the lights if nobody is in the room, he said. Furthermore, an automatic and top of the line ultraviolet sanitation system that uses fewer chemicals was installed in the Aquatic Center.

Further prioritizing environmental sustainability, Horace Mann used The school made environmental sustainability a priority when building Lutnick Hall and used low volatile organic compounds (VOC) paints when building Lutnick Hall, Jensen said. The school also decided to keep the floors entirely concrete so that a dry push mop may be used rather than vacuums that require electricity, he said.

In order to be more energy efficient, the school installed energy recovery wheels in the HVAC unit that serves the labs at Lutnick Hall. Since science labs are required to have 100% outside airflow, these wheels use exhaust air which has been previously heated or cooled to change the temperature of the incoming air. The school also implemented a complex logic system to maximize the efficiency of the HVAC systems, Jensen said.

The school has been focused on combating climate change for many years and has implemented significant changes in the past. The school invested $8,000,000 in renovating and expanding the John Dorr Nature Lab facilities as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified instructional environment, Kelly said.

The U.S. Green Building Council writes that LEED is the most widely used green building rating system across the world and provides a framework to create efficient and cost-saving sustainable buildings. LEED certifications are awarded based on how many points a building earns across several categories: Location and Transportation, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation, and more. A LEED Gold certification, second only to Platinum.

The John Dorr Nature Lab is also working to renaturalize portion areas important to Dorr’s ecosystem: the school purchased the swamp that services Brodie Pond and Petersen’s farm, a property adjacent to Dorr, to protect them from potential development, Kelly said.

Horace Mann The school has also taken action to make athletic facilities more sustainable.

Alumni field was smoothened (correctly pitched) and infrastructure was also installed to better control water run-off and release into local sewers, Kelly said. The automation of the sprinkler system has also been improved to allow for targeted watering and prevent unnecessary waste, he said. Furthermore, recycled asphalt was used to create the tennis courts, Kelly said. , and the school has been developing a sustainable landscape around the buildings on campus.

The school’s actions to battle climate change are not limited to construction, and can also be seen in the Cohen Dining Commons. Although it would be ideal for more students to use the reusable options, the paper products offered by the school contain no petroleum or wax and the plasticware is made of cornstarch, making them both biodegradable and environmentally friendly, FLIK Director of Food Services Brenda Cohn said.

A unique tooluniquen uncommon tool that the school uses is the food pulverizer, Jensen said.

“When students use a reusable dish that needs to be washed, we actually want them to leave the food still on the plate so that we can feed it through the garbage disposal that pulverizes the food waste resulting in a reduction of food waste in landfills,” Jensen said. When cleaning the plate, the machine pulverizes leftover food into a liquid which is then handled by the sewer system, reducing trash and landfill usage. , Jensen said.

“I hope that students will either remind themselves or their peers that their prerogative to recycle can make a huge difference during their split-second decision,” Cohn said.

The kitchen also keeps production records to avoid overproducing a particular item and repurposes whenever possible to reduce waste, she said. Despite these actions, the majority of the responsibility falls on students to make the right decision and recycle appropriately instead of throwing everything out, Cohn said.

Both New York City public and private schools are educating their students on the environment in this critical moment. “Kids graduating and not knowing how to properly compost or recycle or not understanding the basis of the climate crisis is an injustice,” Cohen said. Cafeteria Culture’s goal is to develop a new curriculum that is scalable for all New York City schools, she said.

”We’ve been inspired by Japanese schools and how students participate in serving and cleaning up and we hope to create a similar culture around sustainability by keeping each other accountable,” she said. “The idea is that students take leadership in the cafeteria to cause change, and we hope that by educating them they will be able to influence their families and those around them to create a more sustainable future.”

At Horace Mannthe school, a Global Environmental History and AP Environmental Science are both offered to better educate students in traditional academic disciplines and raise their awareness of the impact that they have on the environment, Kelly said.

“I think that global environmental history has made me more aware of the effects of anthropogenic climate change and has encouraged me to be more conscious of my carbon footprint,” Ben Lee (12) said.

The school is also educating students in the Middle, Lower, and Nursery Divisions. Lower Division offers beverage fountain services and pitchers of water on each table during lunchtime to completely eliminate the usage of single use plastic and cardboard drink containers, Kelly said.

Despite these actions, there is still more to be done.

The school’s next big project will be the renovation of the Cohen Dining Commons, Kelly said. Renovating the cafeteria will significantly reduce the usage of plastic containers through the use of beverage fountains, he said. “Redesigning the servery will allow us to better direct the flow of students through the cafeteria and changing beverages from bottle options to fountain beverage machines will make reducing plastic beverages a possibility,” Cohn said.

These changes will be a great addition to the actions that the school is already taking to reduce the usage of plastic bottles. The school began installing water fountains with bottle refilling stations about five years ago and there are around 18 stations currently installed in Tillinghast Hall, Pforzheimer Hall, Fisher Hall, and the Lower Division,” Jensen said. “The bottle refill stations produce filtered NYC tap water which is probably cleaner than water sitting in disposable plastic bottles.”

Another future change that many people are hoping for is a culture change about how people think of the impact of their actions on the environment. “Everyone at the school is in favor of stopping climate change but many still need to realize that they may have to forgo certain conveniences to help save the environment,” DePreter said. “It’s easy to talk about recycling and how much gas is used, but people often forget about carbon emissions or how much gas is used during airplane flights.”

“We need to hear students’ voices about what changes they hope to make,” DePreter said.

“We’ve had tremendous success reducing our energy usage in the past. For example, when we turned off the lights for one day, but there is no reason why we shouldn’t do this more often,” he said. “If it takes a little from everybody to cause a problem, it could also take a little from everybody to resolve the problem.”

Gabby Fischberg / Art Director

HORACE MANN FEATURES JUNE 3RD, 2020

Dear Horace Mann...

Ms. Doellman

Katz Library

, at I always sit on e Katz Library th th in e, ow m r nd fo wi e ne Dear th u have do erything that yo eI Thank you for ev at home. I feel lik el fe I u yo on sit I e pp tim feel so so ha y. truly. Every ng and you make hi yt an you ish pl m can acco cond home. I love place, and my se fe ons sa as y re m ge e ar an u Yo of the str art. You are one you iss m I d an h with all of my he uc at school so m g in be ng ve ni lo te I lis y as to wh you and . I miss sitting on ng hi on yt g an tin an sit th ile e mor ends wh talking to my fri d an th rm wa of to music. I miss iss the feeling m I all of sit t os of t m I do a lo you, and I sit on you. Yes, en wh e t ak ge m I d ity ul ar co famili e object how an inanimat t ou ab k in th I at ting. It is funny gs, but now th in th y an m is th so el el someone fe is making me fe imate object that it it’s not the inan en built surround ve ories that ha be em ul m tif e au th be is y it an y, m wa me so k you for giving rget ing you. So, than will never ever fo I . ar ye an hm es Fr y m of ies memor s. them. Love alway

Dear Ms. Doellm an, I’m not a scien ce student by an AP Biology thin y means. I took king that it woul d be the easier th try, and after a su an AP Chemismmer of physics , I was not in th more equations. e mood for any I remembered lit tle from ninth gr I figured that AP ade biology, and Biology would sim ply be a reiteratio learned freshman n of what I year. Yet in a mat ter of weeks, AP my favorite class Bio had become this year. Albeit the no-coffee-in rule, I looked forw -the-classroom ard to class every day because of ho were about teac w excited you hing the materia l, especially cons was A period. Yo idering that class u made sure that we knew that th is more than th e mitochondria e powerhouse of the cell and that evolve (populatio humans cannot ns do!). When we delved into com ular topics, you plicated molecalways made sure that we understo the larger pictur od how it fit into e of biology. One of the things I ha about in-person ve missed most school is Fri-yay lab periods—even generation of pl ants never grew. if the second Thank you for pu frequent lab mish tting up with my aps (fly guys fore ver), for meeting ly before every as with me virtualsessment, and fo r always believing ties as a biology in my capabilistudent. I would not be the same in biology, but in student—not just all areas of scho ol—without your know that wherev class this year. I er you teach next year, your student as incredible of s will have just an AP Bio experie nce that I had. I great summer, an hope you have a d best of luck at yo ur new school! W Best, Vivien e will miss you!

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Thank Dear Office of Public Safety, ry day eve 7 24/ you for being on call dempan the dst ami n of the year, eve pus cam on ’t aren we ugh tho n ic. Eve it’s , day the for a large portion of that w kno to ing extremely comfort g and someone is carefully watchin apprekeeping us safe. We all really n now ciate your work every day, eve Thank . pus cam on be ’t when we can ! ing ryth eve for you

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Gabby Fischberg / Art Director

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THE RECORD FEATURES JUNE 3RD, 2020

Diversity Events

Julia Goldberg and Talia Winiarsky Staff Writers

“The people who need to hear the conversations are never the ones participating in it,” Taussia Boadi (12) said. “People of color are always the ones that are always fighting for justice, fighting for equity—because we’re directly affected by it.”

The school has a variety of clubs that promote underrepresented groups in the fight for equity, including The Union, Feminist Students’ Association (FSA), Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), and East Wind West Wind (EWWW). Although none of these clubs are affinity groups, they usually attract members with one common core cultural identifier; for example, most members of FSA are female and most members of EWWW are of Asian descent.

Co-Ddirector of the Office for Institutional Culture and Identity Equity (ICIE) John Gentile said that some students grapple with understanding why they should involve themselves in conversations surrounding struggles that they do not face directly. “The narrative that often gets placed on these faces and events is that they’re only meant for [one specific type of] people, even though people are saying that it’s open to everyone,” he said.

Gentile said that it is important to note that those in the majority still have core identifiers.

As Robin DiAngelo explains in her book White Fragility, which the entire faculty read this year, white people are labeled as “white” less frequently than someone of color is labeled by their race, because “white” is the assumed race, unless stated otherwise.

“As somebody who grew up as a white person in this country, I was told that I have no racial identity,” Gentile said. However, such mindsets are incomplete and can lead to the belief that those in the majority have no place in the conversation. “Folks with identities that carry power and privilege always have a role in these conversations:, to listen, to share what makes them nervous about disrupting hurt and injustice, [and] to ask questions about how to be a better ally,” he said.

Creating change in the community requires everyone to be present, Nya Marshall (11) said.

“I would definitely tell students to pop into conversations, maybe attend a club meeting once

community—to neither openly be an ally nor to be homophobic—allows oppression to continue, Penn Brown said. “It is our responsibility as human beings in an empathetic and loving society to learn about others and to learn about other struggles,” she said.

Complacency is detrimental, DiAngelo writes.

She states that, “To continue reproducing racial inequality, the system only needs white people to be really nice and carry on, smile at people of color, be friendly across race, and go to lunch together on occasion.” Breaking this cycle, which has perpetuated throughout American history, “takes courage and intentionality; the interruption is by definition not passive.”

The mission of The Union, of which Boadi is co-president, is to strengthen bonds between students of different races, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and socio-economic classes.

However, because the club handles diversity and equity work, the school’s community often assumes it is only for black students because the club handles diversity and equity work, she said.

To increase participation for students of other races at The Union’s meetings, Boadi said that the narrative that it is a “black people’s club” must shift.

Students of all backgrounds should attend The Union’s meetings to educate themselves, The Union co-President Charles Simmons (12), Boadi’s co-president, said. “There’s a myth on campus that if you come to a Union meeting, they’re going to put you on the spot,” he said.

“There is no real mandate to talk. You can always just listen; you can always just absorb what everybody said.”

Marshall said that while attendance is essential, participation is optional. “It may be better to let students that identify with the race of the topic of conversation mention their points,” she said.

“However, anyone’s voice and everyone’s voice is valuable.” If a student does choose to share a respectful opinion, they should pay careful attention to others’ reactions, she said.

Especially this year, to increase participation of students of other races, Simmons and Boadi tried to host events that weren’t just focused on the black experience. “The fact that we had to try to just not talk about a certain group of people—just because of what the greater Horace Mann community would think about the club— is disgusting,” Boadi said. Specifically, Boadi Courtesy of Bernard Von Simson

ALL SMILES GSA members at Clubs Fair promote their club. a month just to catch up and be up to speed,” she said. “Everyone’s input is welcome, and it’s extremely important that we keep that mindset, because if not, we’re really going to only focus on one perspective to these problems when there are several that need to be accounted for.”

Although it may not initially seem like it initially, the discussions that GSA hosts are relevant to all students, Evann Penn Brown (11) said. “Everybody has a sexuality, no matter who you are—straight, gay, bi, whatever,” she said. “[GSA] is very much a place for everyone.”

Furthermore, to be neutral about the gay

and Simmons have held conversations during The Union’s meetings surrounding politics and religion, and they have also conducted joint meetings with GSA and FSA. GSA can serve as both an affinity group and a club for everyone, Penn Brown said. “It’s a hard line to balance, because I’m sure there are kids that show up to GSA that aren’t out yet and are just trying to see what the space is like.”

Typically, because GSA serves as a safe space for people who identify as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, it draws in queer students,

Penn Brown said. The presidents usually lead discussions about homophobia in current events, as well as their personal journeys regarding their identities.

However, the club is open to everyone.

Students who do not identify as LGBTQ+ should still attend the meetings so that they can learn about how to stand up for those who are a part of the community, Penn Brown said. To become ando so, an ally, it’s important toone must learn the definitions regarding sexual orientation, the fluidity of sexuality, and the struggles that people in the community face, she said.

a topic with which Chatterjee was previously familiar, the conversations felt more accessible.

“When you hear about your friends’ experiences, or your classmates’ experiences, or one of the club leaders’ experiences, it feels much more personalized and much more understandable than if we’re talking about these big issues that we may not necessarily understand.”

Further connecting clubs to issues that students are familiar with would convince more students like himself to attend meetings, he said.

“The best way to encourage people to get involved in the conversation, regardless of their identity, is

Courtesy of Madison Li / News Editor

TAKE A BOW EWWW Members come together for Asia Night Fashion Show.

FSA meetings also attract one demographic, in part due to the belief that feminism is restricted to women, Sofia Del Gatto (12) said. As such, it turns into a quasi-affinity group, although occasionally, one or two male students will show up, she said.

An affinity space created within the school but outside of FSA would be beneficial, Del Gatto said. “What affinity groups allow us to do is start creating our own little spaces within this larger space of society, which has already been claimed by the privileged,” Del Gatto said. “It’s a space to develop and learn about ourselves.”

FSA itself, though, is a space for all students to discuss issues such as sexual harassment, catcalling, and abuse. “In some discussions, there is a sense that men need to leave a space for women and non-binary people to express themselves because they are the ones that have first hand experiences with gender opression,” Del Gatto said. “That said, men’s voices are also important when learning about their side of the issue.”

For Peter Arvanitis (11), the blurred line between affinity groups and clubs for everyone makes him reluctant to participate at all, he said. He would have been more likely to attend an event such as Asia Night, however, if he had known that other white students would attend.

“You wouldn’t obviously want to be the only person of your group there, because you might feel like you’re infringing or that you’re not welcome.”

Although some friends told him that he was welcome at Asia Night, he did not know if he would be accepted by all members of the club, and decided not to go. If the administration made clear whether a club is open to people of all core identifiers or is an affinity group, there would be increased attendance, as students would know if they are welcome, Arvanitis said.

Simmons, on the other hand, was initially drawn to FSA as a learning experience. Because he can’t speak from the “I” perspective, he does not talk very much; rather, he listens to what his peers have to say. “Often times, learning is halftalking and half-listening,” he said.

One special learning experience for Simmons was the Gender in Debate Cconference this past November. The stories he heard shocked him; as a male debater, he recognizeds that he hasn’t faced the challenges of his female counterparts.

One particular example that stood out to him was that a judge told a female debater that her voice was annoying because it was too high-pitched.

“That was really eye opening for me, and I’m glad that I went because now that’s something that I keep in mind whenever I go to a Model Congress conference,” he said.

Jiyon Chatterjee (9), a member of the Debate Team, also attended the conference. Because the conference connected gender issues to debate,

if they feel a personal connection to the issue.”

EWWW meetings are open to the entire school community, but students do sometimes see it as an “Asian club,” Tomoko Hida (10) said.; Uusually, the turnout consists of Asian Americans along with a few friends of the Asian Americans in attendance.

The conversations within the club are geared towards the attendees, so the club members focus on bonding over shared experiences as opposed to teaching others about the Asian American experience. “The meetings are a lot smaller, a lot more cozy, a lot more intimate. You’re able to talk about your day, something that bothered you,” Hida said. “It feels safer and easier in a community where you know you won’t be offending anyone.”

If a larger number of students of other races attended the meetings, the conversations in EWWW would shift. “It’d be unproductive [to continue our current conversations], because there’s so much more that we can be doing with an audience that’s majority non-Asian American,” she said. “It becomes more effective to have a showcase [like Asia night] appreciating our culture than focusing on each student’s day.”

Faculty advisor to The Union Benjamin Kafoglis is pleased with any turnout. He would be more concerned about the demographic if structural parts of the curriculum, such as Seminar on Identity (SOI), did not already exist.

“Students don’t need to be the providers of all the conversations on social justice in the school,” he said. “I think that it’s on the faculty, on the school to provide those spaces.”

Instead, Kafoglis sees The Union as a space for students who want to have extended conversations. “I want to make sure that the conversation is safe and informed, but if it’s attended by three people, and those three people get to talk about it, if it’s attended by 50 people and all those people get to talk about it, great, because that’s a conversation that wasn’t happening before.”

Co-Ddirector of ICIE Candice PowellCaldwell said that hearing about others’ experiences is valuable, as it builds empathy.

“Attending such events can provide a window into how others identify across difference and how the world around them impacts their daily experiences,” she said.

Likewise, if a student is willing to share about an experience with Kafoglis, he sees it as a gift, whether it be about an experience concerning oppression or a beautiful aspect of their culture.

“In that regard, I would certainly encourage all students to seek out conversations,” he said. “[School] is a place for sharing,” he said.

Still, Marshall said that more conversations around identity should be mandatory. The community should come together and share their opinions to draft institutional demands

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HORACE MANN FEATURES JUNE 3RD, 2020

continued from Diversity Events to present to the administration, including diversifying the humanities curriculums and mandating conversations in the Multicultural Center. “Having a day or a class lesson that’s really dedicated to conversations around these issues where everybody has to participate is really where you’re going to get the most input from the greater community,” she said.

Creating change has always been a goal for Marshall, but it has gained new importance this week after the murder of George Floyd, she said.

“People just have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. And that’s the way change is really going to be made—if you just enter a space with an open mind and with honesty, and listen and learn.” an experience with Kafoglis, he sees it as a gift, whether it be about an experience concerning oppression or a beautiful aspect of their culture.

“In that regard, I would certainly encourage all students to seek out conversations,” he said. “[School] is a place for sharing,” he said.

Still, Marshall said that more conversations around identity should be mandatory. The community should come together and share their opinions to draft institutional demands to present to the administration, including diversifying the humanities curriculums and mandating conversations in the Multicultural Center. “Having a day or a class lesson that’s really dedicated to conversations around these issues where everybody has to participate is really where you’re going to get the most input from the greater community,” she said.

Creating change has always been a goal for Marshall, but it has gained new importance this week after the murder of George Floyd, she said.

“People just have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. And that’s the way change is really going to be made—if you just enter a space with an open mind and with honesty, and listen and learn.”

Birthdays in quarantine Yin Fei and Devin Allard-Neptune Staff Writers Unable to celebrate in person with her friends, Carmel Pe’er (11) blew out the candles of her Lloyd’s cake while in quarantine with her family. Although groups of 10ten are not legally allowed to convene, students are still finding ways to celebrate their birthdays with friends. The quarantine has prompted many to move their birthday festivities to a new venue: Zoom.

Pe’er said she had mentioned offhand to one of her friends that she missed the taste of the carrot cake from Lloyd’s, she said,, as it is a staple for many HM students. “It was super sweet, especially since I completely forgot telling her that one thing I miss about school is Lloyd’s,” she said..” The gesture carried on a birthday tradition Pe’er and her friends have at school of bringing each other a birthday donut and lighting a candle. “Even though it wasn’t a donut, it was very thoughtful and made my birthday seem more normal,” Pe’er said.

Jordan Ferdman (11) does not consider herself a “birthday person,” but this year, on the day before her actual birthday, her close friends threw her a surprise party on Zoom, she said. Ferdman’s friends convinced her that they were going to watch a movie together, and she was surprised when she joined the Zoom call and was welcomed by 10ten people wishing her happy birthday, she said.

Catherine Mignone (10) was also surprised on her 16thsixteenth birthday, she said. With the help of Mignone’s friends, herMignone’s younger sister arranged a surprise Zoom birthday party. Mignone’s sister called Mignone from another room, whoand she walked in not expecting to see a computer screen filled with her friends, Mignoneshe said.

The new online format of her birthday party gave Mignone

the opportunity to explore nontraditional birthday activities like a game of Kahoot and Sketch.io, an online game similar to pictionary, she said. Ferdman’s friends also set up a virtual game of Jeopardy, and the categories were based on Ferdman’s likes and dislikes, she said. Ferdman said they tried to use features such as screen sharing that do not work with in-person communication.

Similarly, Pe’er celebrated her birthday in new ways, including dinner with her family, walks with two of her friends while maintaining distance, and two zoom parties with different groups of friends.

Morgan Bart (9) had a lot of classes on her birthday, but she was able to find time to talk with her friends and hang out with her family, she said.

During quarantine, Bart has not been able to see her friends in person but enjoyed thathow her surprise Zoom birthday party allowed her to further reconnect with them as a group. “It was really fun talking to my friends over Zoom, because I haven’t talked with a lot of them because of classes,” she said.

Similar to Bart, Rowan Mally (10), was unable to see friends in person, but he received virtual birthday messages and enjoyed a homemade birthday cake, as he was unable to purchase one, he said.

For many, the severity of the pandemic was unanticipated, and people did not expect their birthday plans to be affected to this extent.

“When it was March, and I just left school, I was not concerned about my birthday,” JamesJT Thomas (10) said. For him, the quarantine was very unexpected, and resulted in a change to his previous plans, he said. Thomas had already organized a birthday party and planned to bring his friends to a restaurant, but, before he could send invitations, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the closure of New York State, he said.

Instead of having his originally planned party with his friends, Thomas celebrated differently. He and his family went to McDonald’s for the first time since quarantine started, followed by a trip to Carvel where a personalized cake was waiting for him, he said. However, quarantine made his birthday seem less exciting than usual.

Thomas said, “I woke up and it was my birthday and I’m like oh, I’m still inside.”

While the quarantine affected Thomas’ birthday plans, many people were not affected, because they had not planned that far in advance.

“I wasn’t really thinking that far ahead,” Ferdman said., “But when it became clear that

quarantine was going to extend past my birthday, I suppose it occurred to me that it might be nice to do in a call,” although she said she did not take any steps to make that happen.

For Mignone, turning 16sixteen was supposed to mean getting her driver’s license. However, she was unable to, becauseas the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was closed due to the pandemic, she said.

Although Bart, Mignone, and Ferdman all received gifts in the mail from their friends, they faced concerns about receiving packages.

“I got presents from a few friends but the issue is that a lot of families aren’t accepting packages right now, and so a lot of people wouldn’t or don’t send things,” Mignone said. One of Pe’er’s friends ordered a gift online and had it delivered to her address, but most cards were sent to her over text or social media. Thomas received an inperson birthday surprise from a friend from camp, he said. “[He] actually pulled up outside of my house with Taco Bell and a little card that said ‘Happy Birthday, JT,.’” Thomas said.

The food and the card were on top of his friend’s car for him to go outside and take.

Pe’er’s mom also celebrated her birthday in quarantine. Pe’er said her dad surprised her mom with dinner from her favorite restaurant and arranged a Zoom call with some of her friends. After dealing with the restrictions of the situation, many have realized they can still have fun with friends and family, just from different locations, Mignone said. Bart said she willwould “definitely” celebrate again if quarantine continues into next year.

“Even though everything is kind of canceled right now, we can still have a fun time with our friends and with our families,” Mignone said. “It just happens in a different space.”

Annabelle Chan / Art Director

AP tests shift to online format Jack Crovitz Staff Writer Advanced Placement (AP) exams transitioned to a shortened online format this spring, allowing students to take the exams at home but also causing difficulties for some test-takers.

While there were some issues in facilitating the tests during the two week exam period, the online format was generally successful, the school’s AP coordinator Chris Garrison said. “I’ve honestly been really impressed with how much the College Board has done to make these exams work.” Garrison was especially impressed with how quickly the College Board transitioned to an online format, he said. “That’s an extraordinary undertaking.”

Similarly, AP Physics and AP Calculus BC teacher Catherine Crowley ‘08 felt that the exams adapted well to the rapidly changing circumstances, she said.

One of the factors allowing the AP tests to run smoothly given the circumstances this year was the were was the new requirements for students to register in the fall as opposed to the spring this year, Garrison said. “I don’t think they could have done online exams without making those changes initially at the beginning of the year.”

However, the online format was not without its flaws. “There have been a small but significant number of students who had some technical issue where they were not able to submit their exams,” Garrison said. The College Board, the organization that administers the tests, has not publicly released how common these issues were, but an article from Business Insider estimates that

10,000 students experienced problems with AP hour and 30 minutes and three hours and 15 test submission. minutes in a normal year, but they were all shortGrace Ermias (12) faced technical problems on ened to 45 minutes this spring. her AP Calculus AB exam as the test refused to The new timing policy transformed the accept the type of file she uploaded. “I think a experience of taking the exams, Amiya lot of students were having that problem,” she Mehrotra (12), who took the AP Calculus said. “If the College Board had more time, AB and AP Modern European History they would have been aware of and tried tests, said. “I think that the fact that this to publicize it.” test was shorter made it a lot easPreviously, teachers ier to sift through. It is and AP coordinaeasier to retain intors have a more formation if you active role in only have to do such issues it for 45 minand can help utes, because advocate for for regular AP Lily Seckendorf / Contributing Artist students, but tests, somethis year, stutimes you get dents needed to tired or nervous,” deal with the Colshe said. lege Board directly, Ermias, who took Garrison said. “It’s rethe AP Calculus AB, ally frustrating when AP Biology, and AP I get an email from United States Histoa student saying they ry exams, felt that this don’t know if their reshortened test time was sponse was submitted, and successful and should be I can’t help them,”he said. expanded to other years.

The College Board offered “This seems like a completely makeup exam dates for students proficient way to assess people’s who had a technical issue affecting skills, soit seems to me like the test their exam, but the school does not doesn’t need to be three hours or four require those students to request a retest, hours long,” she said.

Garrison said.

On the other hand, the shorter test time reOne major shift in the format of the AP test stricts the range of topics that can be covered and this year was that they formerly ran between one diminishes opportunities to demonstrate knowl-

edge, Crowley said.

Test-takers this spring also faced issues with the content of the exams. Mehrotra felt that the AP Modern European History exam was formatted to give a significant advantage to those who could type faster, she said. “The biggest bulk of my studying was trying to get my typing speed up,” she said.

Many AP tests also shifted the types of questions on the exam. “The AP Physics test changed a lot,” Crowley said. “It became very conceptual, with very little emphasis on calculations.”

The AP Biology exam also changed significantly but the College Board did not effectively communicate about the new format, Ermias said.“They put the sample questions on a really obscure place on the website,” she said. “So if people weren’t actively looking for it, they wouldn’t know that the College Board even gave a sample.”

This uncertainty surrounding the types of questions on the exams made it more difficult to prepare for the tests, Crowley said. “This year was a little harder to review for because the structure of it was so unknown,” she said. “Usually we have a better sense of the types of questions they’ll be asking.”

Another issue was that administrators had to wait on hold for hours to ask questions about the format of the exams, Garrison said. “The thing that always frustrates me is how they communicate information,” he said.

Despite this year’s challenges, Crowley was impressed by her students’ ability to adapt to these new circumstances. “It was hard, but I think everyone did a great job with it,” she said. “I’m so proud.”

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THE RECORD FEATURES JUNE 3RD, 2020

An exploration into nepotism Deba

Vivien Sweet Staff Writer

DEBATE For the majority of aspiring debaters in the Middle Division (MD), the path to becoming a member of the Upper Division (UD) debate team starts in seventh grade, when the Debate program opens to MD students. That is, unless a sixth grader happens to have an older sibling on the UD Debate team who is president of the club, co-Director of MD Debate Leyli Granmayeh (10) said.

In sixth grade, after running into MD Debate advisor and history teacher Katharine Rudbeck after school, Leyli and co-Director of MD Debate Sasha Snyder (11) were able to watch their older brothers, Nader Granmayeh ‘19 and Aaron Snyder ‘19, debate in an informal Horace Mann tournament open exclusively to UD debaters.

After months of hearing Nader talk about the debate team and finally seeing him debate, Leyli knew for sure that she was going to join the MD Debate program in seventh grade, she said. Aaron and Nader were debate partners, so watching them debate and prep together in part sparked her and Sasha’s initial interest in the club, Leyli said.

Although Sasha was not as comfortable with the idea of public speaking, a large component of debate, hearing about Aaron’s positive experiences with the club was reassuring, she said.

“I’m happy to admit that my brother being on the team really encouraged me [to join].”

During their freshman year on the UD Debate team, Sasha and Leyli won the novice bracket of Ridge, made it to the triples round in the JV bracket at Harvard, and reached the finals in the JV bracket at Penn, all national-level tournaments. “Ironically, most people would probably say that they’ve had better careers [so far] than Nader and I had,” Aaron said.

Although Leyli and Sasha’s case of having older siblings on debate is certainly unique, they are not the only debaters with older siblings who were also on the team. Currently, six out of the 15 upperclassmen on the debate team have an older sibling who held a leadership position on the team.

Because debate does not require participants to have a specific interest in STEM or the humanities, the activity is inherently very popular, Nader said. However, he thinks that having an older sibling on the debate team often pushes younger siblings to join. “There’s pressure from the parents to get involved with activities when children are younger, and so it makes sense to funnel them into the same one that the older sibling had experience with,” Nader said. The family may already be familiar with the advisors and the club, especially if the older sibling enjoyed

the club.

When Nathan Raab ‘13 and Alex Posner ‘13 founded the UD Debate team in 2010, they relied on their friends and siblings to make a prolific debate team a reality, which Leyli said she heard from older members of the team. “It started as like a little debate team that a couple kids started, so they’re going to recruit who they can: their siblings, who’d naturally be interested,” Leyli said.

In 2017, Nathan’s younger sister Elizabeth Raab ‘18 became co-President of the UD Debate team, and Alex’s younger brother and former Director of MD Debate Daniel Posner ‘18 ended up debating all four years of high school.

Families such as the Raabs, the Posners, and the Mooljis—with Natasha Moolji ‘16, Taimur Moolji (12), and Saif Moolji (12) all having been presidents of the UD Debate team—have been vital to the success of the team by kickstarting the growth of the club, Aaron said.

Since the team attends many tournaments away from the Northeast, including annual trips to Minnesota and Kentucky, having siblings in debate helps create a less-stressful traveling environment, said Gustie Owens ‘18, who debated as partners with Daniel for three years. “Especially because you’re traveling, that intimidation factor as a freshman is very intense, so having a sibling makes it a lot more comfortable.”

The frequent nature of tournaments—two or three a month—makes the social side of debate important to the dynamic of the team, especially when it comes to deciding who gets spots to debate in tournaments, Leyli said. “Independent of siblings, there’s this idea that there’s an ‘inner circle,” she said. “Especially when you’re a freshman or

sophomore, if you’re friends with the upperclassmen on debate, you get spots. And if you’re not, you kind of get pushed out of it.” Still, for younger siblings, it is easier to join the “inner circle” since they already have a connection with an older member of the team, Leyli said.

Having an older sibling on the team also makes younger siblings’ names more well-known, which can unintentionally lead to unfair bias when deciding on tournament spots simply because there are so many inexperienced underclassmen debaters, Sasha said. “It’s hard to differentiate what advantages are based on how good you are at debate versus what opportunities you had.”

During UD Debate Research Director and Director of Outreach Ben Lee’s (12) freshman year on the team, there was a tournament with only three varsity spots for freshmen—all of which were determined by whether or not a freshman had a distinct connection to an older member of the team, he said. Lee and one freshmen were selected because they went to debate camp with an upperclassmen debater who was attending the tournament, and the third freshmen was chosen because they had an older sibling on the team.

“It’s definitely the case that there are years where no one knows any of the underclassmen coming in,” Lee said. “And if there’s a sibling, that’s the first person that you know, [and] that’s the easiest person to give attention to.”

When deciding leadership positions, Aaron and co-Presidents Sajan Mehrotra ‘19 and Ethan Kim ‘19 worked together to come to a unanimous decision for all of the applicants, Aaron said. This process eliminates any chance that sibling nepotism will influence the presidents’ decisions, he said.

However, this debate presidents’ decision regarding next year’s presidents was not unanimous, co-President of UD Debate Shay Soodak (12) said. Shay disagreed with Saif and Taimur about one of the presidents they chose, so Saif and Taimur proposed a vote. Ultimately, Shay lost two to one—something she said had frequently happened this year with decisions between her, Saif, and Taimur.

“Saif and Taimur live with each other, [and] they can talk to each other without me knowing at all, so there’s even less of a way for me to be involved,” Shay said. Although Shay proposed that they consult the other seniors on the debate team for the final decision, her co-presidents shut down the idea.

UD Debate Research Director and next year’s debate president Annabelle Xing (11), who does not have a sibling on the team, said that there has been a recent move to dispel the idea that having a sibling necessarily benefits you. “At the end of the day, it’s still really about how hard you work for the team,” she said.

Although there may be no overt bias towards siblings on the team, upperclassmen on the team still tend to pay closer attention to how younger siblings do at tournaments, Leyli said.

“All that translates into being a bigger part of the team, being a more known member, and going to more tournaments,” she said. “That’s eventually, I think, what helps [siblings] get leadership positions.

Over the past three years, four out of the nine presidents of the club had an older sibling on the debate team, and one out of the nine had a younger sibling on the team.

Lee, who does not have a sibling on the team, did not end up receiving any of the positions he applied for. Although he does not blame his “debate shortcomings” on not having an older sibling who debated, he said that it affected his experience on the team, something which applies to all clubs—not just UD Debate. “It’s always easier to find your niche or find friends or to just be better known [in a club] when you have a sibling, and sometimes that does affect who gets positions,” he said.

However, in recent years, the trend of sibling pairs in debate has been dying out, said Shay, whose older brother Ellis Soodak ‘16 was the MD Debate Director on the team. With the exception of debaters Owen Karpf (12) and Brett Karpf (10), whose older brother Alex Karpf ‘17 was the co-President of the UD Debate team, no one on the current team has a younger sibling in high school who debates.

Since there are fewer younger siblings on the team, recruiting new debaters has been more important than ever, UD Debate Novice Director and next year’s debate president Sam Chiang (11) said. However, Mehrotra said that even when there were more debaters on the team who had younger siblings, there was no active effort by the debate upperclassmen to recruit siblings more than any other freshmen.

Former co-President of UD Debate Honor McCarthy ‘18 and her fellow co-presidents, Elizabeth and Ella Feiner ‘18, made it their main focus to recruit historically underrepresented groups in debate: girls and students of color, she said. “I worry that the tradition of passing on your team to your siblings might deter other students from joining.”

Honor does not think that the recent lack of sibling pairs will affect the dynamic of the debate team. “The team is always really close and in part that’s because there’s been the family legacy, but I think it’ll continue to be really close,” Honor said. “As long as it makes debate more inclusive, I’m happy with it.”

As debate becomes a more popular and time-consuming club, Soodak thinks that younger siblings will tend to explore other extracurriculars if their older sibling is an avid debater.

“If you’re a debater, that’s kind of your thing, so fewer people would want to be committed to [debate] if their sibling also does it,” she said.

Walker McCarthy (10), for example, chose not to continue with debate after freshman year and opted to join Model UN (MUN) instead, unlike his sister. Although Walker had joined both the MD Debate program—which he thought to be “not super rigorous”—and the MD MUN program, he found a community in MUN that he resonated more strongly with in high school, he said.

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HORACE MANN FEATURES JUNE 3RD, 2020

m in three clubs: ate, Model UN, The Record MUN Similar to the UD Debate team, Model United Nations (MUN) is home to many generations of siblings. 10 out of the 24 MUN upperclassmen who participated in Horace Mann Model United Nations Conference (HoMMUNC) XXXIV had an older or younger sibling on MUN. “I would say that 95 percent of the members of the club didn’t have someone [on MUN] that they were related to,” said former MUN Secretary General (SG) Evan Megibow ‘18, whose brother James Megibow ‘15 was an SG when he was a freshman. When Evan was a senior, he and his co-SGs, Valerie Maier ‘18—whose older sister Jacqueline Maier ‘15 was co-SG with James—and Jenna Freidus ‘18 made a concerted effort to recruit underclassmen who did not have an older sibling on MUN, he said. One of those ways is through HoMMUNC, which has served as an introductory tournament to many freshmen who aspire to join MUN. The SGs’ job is to run all of the club meetings, organize partnerships, and determine which freshmen attend the four away conferences, Jenna said. The SGs are very careful not to give younger siblings of club leaders an advantage: an older sibling leader is not involved in any decision regarding their younger sibling, primarily concerning tournament spots, Evan said.

Since current SG Arman Kumar’s (12) younger brother Avi Kumar (9) is also on MUN, Arman’s co-SGs, Eliza Bender (12) and Noah Fawer (12), made decisions about Avi without Arman, Arman said. “We don’t bring [younger] siblings just because of older siblings—that has not been the case, and that will never be the case.”

By the time Avi first joined MUN in middle school, Arman was a freshman on the UD MUN team, so Avi was able to talk to his brother about their different experiences with MUN together, Avi said. “That’s part of what makes it a family, that it goes through [generations] and siblings join together.”

However, the MUN “family” is not exclusive to siblings pairs, Arman said. “Obviously, you don’t have to have a sibling on the club to feel part of the family,” he said. “I think everyone feels part of the family and we all, in a way, colloquially feel like siblings.”

The prevalence of sibling pairs on MUN is a testament to the positive experience that people have on the team, former Chairman of the MUN Board Shant Amerkanian ‘19 said. His younger brother, MUN MD Coordinator Garo Amerkanian (11), was in part inspired to join after seeing how MUN had improved Shant’s public speaking abilities and hearing about his stories from tournaments, Shant said.

In many MUN siblings’ households, conversations often ensue about the tournaments and strategies, Evan said. At home, Arman sometimes gives Avi advice about giving speeches at conferences, which Avi does not always like to take, Arman said. “But we also do stay pretty separate entities,” Arman said.

During tournaments, MUN MD Coordinator Aaron Shuchman (11) is careful not to give his younger sister, Ariela Shuchman (9), more hands-on assistance with speeches and formatting procedures than other freshmen, he said. “It’s not like people go out of their way to give special treatment to siblings or to let that relationship cloud the better interest of the team.”

When the team would practice speeches, Sabrina Fredius (11) said that Jenna often distanced herself so Sabrina was not receiving special attention. “I think it can feel awkward sometimes, or other kids can feel like someone’s being favored,” Jenna said.

However, Jenna said that Sabrina did not end up attending a lot of conferences her freshman year, which Jenna did not remember intentionally happening when she was SG. When deciding who the SGs are going to be for next year, many skill-based factors come into play, but sibling bias does not, Arman said. Good candidates are “people who put in their blood, sweat, and tears in this club, people who are mindful, people who we think will be good at working with the administration, [and] people who will be respectful,” Arman said.

Since the rigorous application process of becoming SG includes an interview and an examination of each applicant’s skills in an outside committee, nepotism does not influence the leadership decision, Shant said. “People like to make drama about it, but I’m more of an optimist about our community.”

Over the past three years, three out of the eight SGs had an older sibling on MUN, and two out of the eight have a younger sibling on MUN. Although Evan said he has seen incidents of sibling nepotism

occur within smaller clubs, most long-standing, established organizations like MUN have created “more robust systems” to ensure that the leadership application process is entirely merit-based.

“Something that every club should be thinking about is, ‘How do we make sure that we’re passing these positions along based on what’s best for the club?’ and not ‘Who do I want to have this extra position for kind of their college applications?’” Evan said.

Deciding next year’s SGs feels like passing down the torch of a 60-year legacy, which is why it is especially important that the decision is entirely free of sibling bias, Arman said. “I don’t think I’ve encountered any nepotism that I can articulate.”

THE RECORD With a staff totaling over 70 editors, writers, artists, and photographers, The Record is no stranger to sibling pairs.

By the time Staff Writer Bradley Bennett (11) had signed up for The Record at the clubs fair as a freshman, he had already seen his sister, former Managing Editor Betsey Bennett ‘19, rise through the ranks of The Record, which made him “more interested from the outset,” Bradley said.

When Bradley first started to write articles, Betsey said she showed him some old Record style sheets to go through as a checklist before sending in a first draft and gave him some tips for interviewing. Once Betsey became Managing Editor her senior year, however, Bradley worked on articles more independently, since he had already “learned the ropes,” he said.

Since the Managing Editor’s job is to assign articles to staff writers, Betsey said she was conscious not to assign Bradley more articles than any other underclassmen. “I trust that Bradley is capable of writing his own articles with his ideas, so I was not going to overstep there,” Betsey said.

Two of Bradley’s classmates and fellow staff writers, Henry Owens (11) and Marina Kazarian (11), also had older siblings on the Executive Board of The Record, which consists of the Editor-in-Chief (EIC), Managing Editor, and Issues Editor.

When former EIC Gustie Owens ‘18 and former Managing Editor Eve Kazarian ‘18 were seniors, they were able to see their younger freshmen siblings go through the workshops and the shadowing process to become staff writers. “We were constantly checking ourselves to be like, ‘Are we giving them really good articles? Or is it more spread out?’” Gustie said. “I think Henry would tell you he wrote his fair share of Lions Den articles his first year, which he didn’t enjoy.”

Eve and Marina often talked about Marina’s longer articles, especially concerning topics that they are both interested in, Eve said. Eve also made sure to teach Marina to find the “unique angle underlying any article,” no matter the subject matter.

However, Marina said she did not feel pressure to become Managing Editor just because Eve was. “In general, you feel like you may have to live up to your sibling,” Marina said. “And I’ve kind of learned over time that I’m very different from Eve and that I should have my own expectations.”

Neither Bradley nor Henry are planning to follow their sisters’ footsteps as Managing Editor or EIC, respectively, as neither ended up applying for those positions. “The Record was [Gustie’s] main thing in high school, whereas for me, it’s one of a couple of things I’m involved in,” Henry said. “I would say theater is my main priority.”

Over the past three years, three out of the nine Executive Board members have had younger siblings on The Record, and only one out of the nine members had an older sibling on The Record.

The Record leadership application process, similar to that of UD Debate Team and MUN, is multifaceted: it

involves a written application, several weeks of trying out different Editorial Board positions, and, for those applying for EIC, an interview. These “tangible” components of the application process ensure that the sibling factor does not influence any decisions, Bradley said.

As Managing Editor, Betsey kept track of how many articles each staff writer wrote, how many press nights they attended, and the feedback their editors gave them regarding article equality and deadlines, which helped her and the EIC, Lynne Sipprelle ‘19, make their final decisions, she said. “It’s not really a surprise in a lot of cases,” Betsey said.

When Eve and Gustie were discussing positions for next year’s Editorial Board, Eve said it was not even a consideration whether or not an applicant had an older sibling on The Record. Rather, she and Gustie placed a heavier emphasis on the written application and the applicants’ interests. “Because there’s such a broad range of really incredible positions and ways for seniors to be involved, I don’t think anyone really felt like they hadn’t been seen in a certain way or like they weren’t being evaluated adequately,” Gustie said.

Although Henry and his fellow staff writers made a couple of jokes about sibling nepotism on The Record, no one took the idea seriously because The Record does not have a strong history of nepotism, unlike some other clubs, he said.

“There are definitely times where people would get leadership positions, [and] you would look back a couple years and be like, ‘Oh, yeah, their sibling was really involved in this club,’ or had the same leadership position,” Betsey said. “You wonder, was this sibling advocating behind scenes, and because they knew the current leader, were they able to somehow help their younger sibling get the position?”

However, Gustie feels that some clubs are “overly conscious” of not giving a position to someone because their sibling served in that position a couple years earlier or currently holds a leadership position. “We go to a small school with lots and lots of siblings and people are friends with tons of people—all those things happen no matter what,” Gustie said.

CALIFORNIA

GEORGIA

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Ishaan Kannan

EMORY UNIVERSITY Spencer Kahn Madison Li Matthew Wein

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Ashley Dai Nelson Gaillard Saif Moolji UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES Suraj Khakee Sangmin Lee Griffin Smith UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Eliza Poster STANFORD UNIVERSITY Brian Wu Remy Wu

COLORADO COLORADO COLLEGE Claire Griffin

CONNECTICUT CHOATE ROSEMARY HALL Mark Fernandez WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY Eliza Bender YALE UNIVERSITY Taimur Moolji Margalit Patry-Martin

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AMERICAN UNIVERSITY Reina McNutt GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Sidh Chawla Ben Doolan Chris Ha Wilder Harwood Chloe Kim Charlotte Konopko Robbie Werdiger HOWARD UNIVERSITY Jayla Thomas

GEORGIA TECH Libby Mather

ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO Aneesh Bafna Victor Dmitrov Pratham Gandhi Jasper Heymann Owen Karpf Oliver Keimweiss Amman Kejela Gloria Khafif Brigette Kon Arman Kumar Rhea Sanger Nishtha Sharma Jayer Yang NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Marli Katz Samuel Keimweiss Lexi Levy Leanne Shabtai

INDIANA INDIANA UNIVERSITY Alex Barr McKayla Widener

LOUISIANA TULANE UNIVERSITY Ben Goodman Henry Harris Christian Jones

MAINE BOWDOIN COLLEGE Paul Wang COLBY COLLEGE Helena Kopans-Johnson

MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON COLLEGE Andrew Cassino Jack Eagan Vani Prasad BOSTON UNIVERSITY Daniel Keller BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY Deven Shah

MICHIGAN EMERSON COLLEGE Dylan Chin HARVARD UNIVERSITY Isha Agarwal Irati Egorho Diez Naomi Kenyatta Jude Herwitz Eddie Jin Tommy Kagan Alexa Mark Isabel Mignone Kyra Mo Diana Shaari Dora Woodruff MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Malhaar Agrawal TUFTS UNIVERSITY Alexa Watson WILLIAMS COLLEGE Kiara Royer

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Sarah Acocelli Spencer Klein Ahaan Palla Shrey Sahgal Ranya Sareen Sam Sladkus

MISSOURI WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS Arden Chen Noah Fawer Halley Robbins Julia Robbins

NEW HAMPSHIRE DARTMOUTH COLLEGE Abigail Salzhauer

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Jack Blackman Taussia Boadi Ryan Jonas Jessie Thomas Gaby Moussazadeh SWARTHMORE COLLEGE Benjamin Rosenzweig

RHODE ISLAND Sarah Sun/Design Editor

BROWN UNIVERSITY Grace Ermias Lily Seckendorf

TENNESSEE BELMONT UNIVERSITY Donny Howard VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

RICE UNIVERSITY

SKIDMORE COLLEGE

VERMONT

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

NEW JERSEY PRINCETON UNIVERSITY Amelia Feiner Reha Mathur Sophia Zelizer

NEW YORK BARD COLLEGE Charles Simmons

Gabby Kepnes CORNELL UNIVERSITY Whitney Dawson Daniel Lee Tess Lehrman Robert Mantz Darius McCullough Siddiq Nanabawa Harry Porges Jessica Rosberger Caroline Scherr Matthew Taub FORDHAM UNIVERSITY

BARNARD COLLEGE

Adriana Hernandez

Natalie Baer Helen Li

HAMILTON COLLEGE

COLGATE UNIVERSITY JJ Ryu COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY Zachary Brooks Leonora Gogos Akash Nayar Roey Nornberg Simon Yang

Belle Beyer Nick Potash

TEXAS

Katya Arutunyan Jeffrey Chen Diya Mookim Bernard von Simson Rish Sinha Isabella Zhang Phillip Chien

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

Rohan Bhatia Julian Rabkin Jake Shapiro Ben Vahradian

NORTH CAROLINA DUKE UNIVERSITY Euwan Kim Amiya Mehrotra Jacob Rosenzweig Daniel Wolf

PENNSYLVANIA CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY Malek Shafei HAVERFORD COLLEGE Peter Lehv

Luke Weber

MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE Charlotte Cebula Shay Soodak

WISCONSIN UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN Steven Borodkin Mack Zelnick

BRITISH COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Erin Jaen

QUEBEC

LAFAYETTE COLLEGE

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Daisy Wheeler

Sam Mayo Ava Merker

MANHATTANVILLE COLLEGE

LEHIGH UNIVERSITY

Tiger Lily Moreno

Mika Asfaw

26

THE RECORD NEWS JUNE 3RD, 2020

Circles, calculus, and comics: Garcia says goodbye Zachary Kurtz Staff Writer “Even though math was never and probably won’t be my life’s passion, Garcia made math so applicable and so interesting to me in so many ways, and I really appreciate that about him,” Roey Nornberg (12) said.

At the end of the academic school year, Math teacher Charles Garcia will be leaving the school.

Garcia has worked at the school for seven years and is leaving to pursue a different style of teaching at the Avenues School in Manhattan, he said.

As opposed to some teachers who prefer to stay teaching in one place for many years, Garcia said that he just wanted to try something a little different for a little while. “I usually don’t like change, but this was an opportunity for me that I really couldn’t pass up,” he said.

At Avenues, Garcia will be teaching the Advanced Calculus and Math Research classes. “The classes are student centered and are similar to English and History classes where you guys have those big harkness tables, and the whole room will be covered in whiteboards, and the students will be at the boards while I will be facilitating discussions about problems,” Garcia said.

Math teacher Chris Jones said he was very excited when Garcia decided to come teach at the school. “Mr. Garcia is passionate about teaching, he is passionate about mathematics, and he is an expert in mathematics, and that’s a really wonderful and powerful combination,” he said.

“Mr. Garcia is inspirational. He eats, drinks, breathes, lives math and teaching,” Math teacher Charles Worrall said. “He loves students, he loves math and he constantly is seeking out new mathematics and new ways to think about what he’s teaching, and new things to teach, and he’s looking to share things all the time with everybody around him.”

Sometimes there were three or four instances a day where Garcia would say, “‘Hey Charles, have you thought about this! Here’s something really cool!’” Worrall said. “I’ve been teaching a long time and have been thinking about math teaching for a long time and many of the things he would say ‘Hey have you thought about this?’

I would say ‘No, actually, I never have,’ and that doesn’t happen very often.”

Over his seven years at the school, Garcia has taught many students across all grade levels and a Courtesy of Charles Garcia

DISTINGUISHED PAIR Benjamin Hu ‘19 with Garcia at graduation.

spectrum of different classes, including Geometry and Problem Solving, Algebra 2 and Trigonometry Honors, Pre-Calculus BC Honors (PCBCH) and AB (PCAB), and Senior Math Electives. He has inspired a lot of students to challenge themselves, to go as far as they can in their mathematical studies, Jones said.

Like many students, Diana Shaari (12) has gravitated towards Garcia’s teaching style, which she found very accessible, since he was always very clear and constantly made great connections that allowed her to feel more comfortable in his class, she said. “I remember when I sat down on my second test of the year in 10th grade and I was very nervous, and he put a very funny meme on the cover of our test that was an inside joke our Courtesy of Charles Garcia

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES Students with Garcia on his birthday. class had come up with, and I just remember hysterically laughing before the test,” Shaari said. “As Horace Mann students take school very seriously, there has always been a lot of stress around test taking, and I think that experience epitomizes Mr. Garcia as he challenges us academically but I can also just laugh before a test and know I’ll be fine.”

Garcia’s student Marli Katz (12) said that she teamed up with Garcia’s partner, Test Center Coordinator Jesse Shaw, who also works at the school, to temporarily take Garcia’s favorite mug, a Wonder Woman mug, which she then encased in green JELL-O just like in the Pilot episode of The Office. Katz also baked a cake for Garcia’s birthday and filled it with chocolate sprinkles, miniature plastic babies, and a spider, topping the cake with a single miniature plastic baby as a joke, she said.

Garcia’s skill set goes beyond making sure that his students stay calm while still learning material, and he has always tried to make math interesting, even the more boring topics, Alexandra Yao (9) said.

When Maya Nornberg (10) switched from regular math her freshman year to honors during her sophomore year, Garcia went out of his way to explain to her that honors is not that big of a difference and to reassure her that she would adjust well, she said. “He would really go into it and reteach everything they learned in honors that they didn’t teach in regular,” she said. “He really, really went out of his way to make me feel like I belonged, and he did that the whole year.”

Garcia was also the teacher who Benjamin Hu

‘19 named as his ‘Distinguished Teacher’ when Hu was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in 2019. “He was so excited about math all of the time, and it was very prevalent,” Hu said. “I would go to his office all the time just to ask a question about the content, but he would get so excited and we would go off on tangents and talk about other cool concepts and stuff.”

At the time, Garcia was at a loss for words when Hu chose him as his Distinguished Teacher, he said in an interview for an article in The Record about Hu’s accomplishment. “I know that Ben has had a lot of important influences and amazing teachers, so it meant the world to me when he picked me,” Garcia said. “It’s one of the best memories I’ll have as a teacher.”

Another one of Garcia’s skills is creating new material and then sharing that material, Jones said. “That’s a great thing to have in your department that made him extra valuable, and I think that’s going to make him unbelievably valuable,” Jones said. “It’s one of the reasons he’s been hired

by Avenues, because they know he has this superpower for building new material and creating interesting connections between the ideas.”

Garcia said that he removed parts of the Algebra 2 and Trigonometry Honors curriculum that he found less useful to his students and expanded on certain ideas and topics such as Analytic Geometry and the Theory of Polynomial Equations.

“I wanted to make a course that no matter what they took after me and after anyone who teaches it, whether it’s PCBCH, PCAB, Honors Physics, AP Physics, Regular Physics, Econ, whatever, that there’s nothing that they couldn’t handle from that point on,” Garcia said.

There are many fun memories that surround Garcia, including his circle drawing competition against Worrall. “One of my strongest memories from my time at Horace Mann was beating Mr. Worrall in a circle drawing competition. Mr. Worrall doesn’t know how many books the posters from that competition are in but he will be finding them for years,” Garcia said.

Worrall said that he doesn’t know how the competition started, but he learned how to draw diagrams well, especially circles, and so he had an ongoing joke with his Geometry Honors students that his circles are almost perfect. However, one year a student who was in Honors Algebra 2 said that Garcia drew incredible circles, and Worrall pretended to be insulted. So, presumably, the student went to class and told Garcia, and that is how the competition began. “We were rivals in circle drawing, and at some point we did have a competition and a few kids were in the room and they judged his circles better than mine and I was very angry while laughing on the inside,” Worrall said.

Garcia is passionate about movies and comic books, both of which he incorporates into his teaching. Garcia said that, when he was a kid, there were only a couple superheroes that they could watch such as the “really cheesy” Batman, a “really horrible” Spiderman, and the Superman movies, but the one big show for his generation was the Wonder Woman T.V. show, and kids his age loved it. “So every other movie had been made, and everyone got to see just how excited I was when the Wonder Woman movie came out three years ago,” Garcia said.

“I would give them [my students] silly little quotes from superhero movies to motivate them, I’d ask the kids what are their superpowers. It’s just a really nice thing,” Garcia said. “Some people have their art, some people have their knitting, some people have their really high echelon book collection and films that they watch, I like good old fashion fun, watching people break things and throw things at people and if there’s some emotion in it, I feel it.”

From the fun interactions with his colleagues and his students, to the amazing curriculums he has developed, to his infectious personality, Garcia will be missed, Jones said. “He loves to teach, and he’s inspirational, and he pushes you and he gets you to see things you would never have seen before.”

Courtesy of Charles Garcia

GOOD TIMES MUST END Garcia with his 2018-2019 PCBCH Class.

Catapano to retire after a lifetime of teaching Hannah Katzke Contributing Writer After 28 years of teaching at the school, history teacher Claude Catapano is retiring.

In February, Catapano announced his plan to retire at the end of the school year, and he plans to keep busy at home and help his mother, who is living with cancer in Vermont. He also has plans to collaborate with a friend writing sports history articles. And, as a Mets fan, Catapano dreams of getting season tickets, he said.

For his first seven years, Catapano worked as a College Counselor and history teacher. He then became a full-time teacher and taught AP US History, US History, and Atlantic World History. He has also created and taught the electives Contemporary US History, US Legal History, and Classical World Civilizations.

“The electives I’ve created have a special place in my heart,” Catapano said. “They allowed me to pursue my different intellectual interests and to experiment with the curriculum.”

Having Catapano as a teacher was extremely helpful because he understands that his students were always under a lot of stress, Ahaan Palla (12), a member of Catapano’s Classical World Civilizations course said. “What I love about being in Mr. Catapano’s class is that we can always have fun while learning history,” he said.

“I’ve been blessed to work with amazing colleagues and, in my humble opinion, teaching at the finest high school in the world with the greatest faculty,” Catapano said. But it’s the classroom that makes the school so special, he said. “There is absolutely no better feeling than when a class is excited and the students move

beyond simply understanding the material to making it their own.” Moreover, what makes students at the school so special is how they strive for academic success while also supporting and celebrating one another’s accomplishments, he said.

Besides teaching, Catapano has been part of many activities within the school. He has been involved with the Student Government, The Record, Excelsior, The Committee on Instruction, and the Faculty Compensation and Benefits Committee, he said.

Some of his fondest memories come from the time when he was a Faculty Advisor for The Record, Catapano said. While working on the paper’s 100th anniversary, he had the opportunity to talk to a collection of former reporters and editors. “Their commitment to the school, The Record and to journalistic integrity was incredible,” he said. “The Record is the sine qua

Courtesy of Claude Catapano

HISTORY HERE Catapano in his element. non of HM.” Catapano makes learning enjoyable for his students; you can tell how much he loves teaching the subject, Ethan Fry (9) said. “I love the classroom atmosphere he creates,” he said.

27

HORACE MANN NEWS JUNE 3RD, 2020 Courtesy of Claude Catapano

A leader in STEM and equity, Screen moves on Alexander Lautin Contributing Writer

SECOND HOME Catapano and family on the grasshopper in the lower division. continued from Catapano to retire after a lifetime of teaching While Catapano is an amazing history teacher, he is also influential to his students, Benjamin Goodman (12) said.

“I love that Mr. Catapano teaches by telling a story, and makes each lesson more engaging than the last he said,” he said.

Zachary Ludwig (9) enjoys how Catapano’s class is fun to be in, while still learning a lot of history, he said. “He has taught me that school is not all about grades and more about improving and growing as a person,” he said.

Catapano is a great influence within the History Department, history teacher and Eleventh Grade Dean Dr. Susan Groppi said. Catapano genuinely cares about his students and wants them to succeed not just academically but as people, she said.

Catapano taught him how to have a more positive outlook on life and has served as a powerful resource and teacher, Goodman said.

Every morning before class starts, Catapano checks in with each of his students about topics such as their weekend, pets, and movies they had seen, Clementine Bondor (9) said.

“People often underestimate the importance of little conversations and how-are-you’s like those; they really make a difference,” she said.

One of Fry’s favorite moments this year came at the end of the first semester when his class had finished their papers. The class watched fun crash course history and animal videos while relaxing and talking with one another, Fry said. “The party showed how much Mr. Catapano cares for his students and how he wants to relieve stress and make life as easy as possible for everyone,”

he said.

“The students are, in the end, what makes HM so special,” Catapano said. “The life of the mind definitely makes life worth living.”

“During Project X he taught the last five minutes of class through the hallway to protect us from getting tagged on our way to our next class,” Bailey Hecht (9) said. Catapano has taught her that she can still have fun while learning, Hecht said.

Catapano’s Atlantic World History class is the highlight of Bondor’s morning. “A few chocolate chip cookies and puppy videos really have the power to brighten someone’s week,” she said.

For Malcolm Furman (9), Catapano’s class has been a welcoming environment that allows for diverse conversations. “Mr. Catapano is an incredible teacher and I feel extremely lucky to have been part of his class this year,” he said.

Mr. Catapano’s classroom has been a fun learning environment, Leah Rakhlin (11) said. Catapano has been one of her favorite history teachers and she will miss him so much, she said.

Throughout his time at the school, Catapano wanted his students to love learning, he said. “I can only hope that my students appreciate that what I tried to do, what all the teachers at HM try to do - to impart the beauty and wonder of learning something new,” Catapano said.

“He is a beloved faculty member and we all wish him luck in his retirement,” Hecht said.

Gabrielle Fischberg/Art Director

Computer Science and Robotics Department Chair Danah Screen is leaving the school to continue her teaching career at the Dalton School. Screen has been teaching at the school for five years. At Dalton, Screen will be the director of the robotics program, teach and further lessons concerning equity in the computer science curriculum, work in their Office of Global initiatives to create a Heritage Trip program for students of color, and work with the office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to create a process to aid teachers to further cultural sensitivity within their respective curricula, she said.

“One of my best moments was having the opportunity to learn alongside my students, whether it was in robotics, creating the t-shirt business, with affinity groups, or delving more into my own personal identities as a way to better assist my students,” Screen said.

Shrey Sahgal (12) had Computer Science 2 in 10th grade, AP Computer Science in 11th grade, and Robotics throughout his time at the school, all with Screen, he said. Sahgal’s highlight of Screen’s teaching was when the FTC (FIRST Tech Robotics) Robotics team was working on fixing the code for their robotics competition.

“Ms. Screen had to cancel her plans the weekend before the competition to help us fix a problem in our code,” Sahgal said.

“She sat there with us for fifty-plus hours and helped us figure our problem out. We were all big Lord of the Rings fans so she set up her laptop and we watched all three movies, one every day. It was one of the most fantastic weekends of my life.”

Screen helped the FTC robotics proCourtesy of Danah Screen

STEAM TEAM Screen with her program team in Barbados.

Associate Director of College Counseling Frank Cabrera said.

In addition to the incorporation of equality in her classes, Screen also included fun in her lessons. There were a few different ways for students to get extra credit in her AP Computer Science class; one tasked the students with creating an informative music video about a particular topic that the students had learned in class, Screen said.

“She always had discussion based classes where we talk about anything from how to solve a particular content problem to the ethics of computer science,” Sahgal said.

Screen values relationships and connections with students, and she strives to listen to feedback from all of her students to create the best version of herself, Cabrera said.“It’s been inspiring to see the ways in which she has fostered a sense of home for so many students. I think those of us returning next year will have very big shoes to fill.”

Screen’s students would often come to her office outside of class to work on puz-

and we had to write a short paper on how that movie related to recursion, which was pretty cool,” he said.

“Ms. Screen has shown me the power of intentionality and commitment to students. She is a mirror for so many students and faculty and has served as a continual reminder to me that true education is when you speak truth to power,” Middle Division history teacher Ronald Taylor said. “I will miss her dearly from our around the campus chats and the work we both did oftentimes to support students formally through STEPS [Students Together Empowering People of Color Successfully] or BLEX [Black Excellence],” Courtesy of Angie Cortez

HELPING HAND Screen and robotics kids hard at work.

Courtesy of Angie Cortez

RUNNING THE SHOW Screen at a competition. zles and talk to her, she said. “They were a nice way for students to talk about whatever they were going through while putting these together,” she said. “My favorite moments were with Alexis when she would think she had found pieces but they were completely wrong.”

Something that stood out from Screen’s teaching was the end of the year Shark Tank project in Computer Science 2, Fry said. When Fry presented her Shark Tank project, Screen “really liked our pitch for weSTEM, and she encouraged my group to bring it into fruition,” Fry said. Screen is focused on having her students take what they learned and apply their knowledge to ideas beyond the classroom, which is especially important for computer science

Taylor said. STEPS is a mentoring program for MD students of color, mentored

by UD students of color, and BLEX is an affinity group at the school.

Taylor met Screen at the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) People of Color Conference, Taylor said.

“We had landed in California and were heading to the hotel, of course, we were wrapped up in deep conversation about the conference and our hopes and expectations,” Taylor said. Taylor forgot to bring his bag with him to their hotel because Ms. Screen is “so compelling in conversation,” Taylor said.

“She’s the kind of teacher that would let you come into her office no matter how busy she was, and always be there for you,” Nshera Tutu (11) said. “She works tirelessly to create a community and environment in which we feel comfortable enough to be ourselves, and know that we have others who care about us.”

Screen credits the students at the school for her growth as a teacher, she said. “I’ll never forget the moment when a student told me, ‘I need you as much as other students need you,’” Screen said. At that moment she realized that there was a blindspot in her ability to be available to all, which helped to inform her of her presence in and out of the classroom, Screen

gram expand throughout her years at the school, Sahgal said. “There were 20 people on the team, and now there are 70 plus,” he said.

Courtesy of Angie Cortez Over her years of teaching at the school, Screen made it a point to talk about equity and access in her classes. “Sometimes we had discussions where students would bring up really great points, and then I would try to derail them to get them to see all of the sides where people are coming from,” Screen said. Screen tried to make sure that every student in the classroom was able to find pieces of themselves and their culture, she said.

These discussions in Screen’s class about equity led to the creation of the programs STEAM on the Hill and Women Empowered in STEM (weSTEM), Screen said.

These programs were started by students’ discussions in Computer Science 2 on the outreach and accessibility of learning. The goal of the programs is to provide access to learning to everyone and to create equality. STEAM on the Hill is affiliated with the school’s Summer on the Hill program; HEAD OF THE FAMILY Screen and robotics team have dinner in Milwaukee. it helps instill the engineering mindset in students. WeSTEM is an initiative trying since there are many intersections with said. to bring gender equality to the sciences.

“For us, this loss feels much greater than Screen also made sure that everyone was other fields that you can take advantage of and innovate with, Fry said. just losing our advisor,” Tutu said. “We are welcome in FTC robotics, no matter their Screen’s classes are unique, Sahgal said. also losing the person that made HM feel experience or identity, Fry said, co-founder of WeSTEM Alexis Fry (11) said. “I “She always had discussion based classes, like home, and that’s a loss that will be felt appreciate Ms. Screen’s commitment to which I don’t think is normal for computer for a while.”

“I’m really grateful for the time that I’ve supporting every single student at Horace science classes,” Sahgal said. In those classes, they discussed topics such as the ethics had at Horace Mann. Leaving is bitterMann that she has seeks her advice.”

“Ms. Screen knows the challenges of be- of computer science, Sahgal said. “When sweet,” Screen said. “While I’m excited for ing a student of color and how much rep- we were learning about a topic called re- this new opportunity, I’m really sad to say resentation matters in these communities,” cursion, which is repetitive nested pro- goodbye to the students and the colleagues cesses, we watched the movie inception that I’ve met.”

28

THE RECORD NEWS JUNE 3RD, 2020

Softball coach and biology teacher Doellman departs after three years

Frankie Dogramaci Contributing Writer

“She’s one of the sweetest teachers I’ve ever had, and I’m sad to see her leave. She was one of my favorites!” Zahra Motwani (9) said.

After three years, science teacher Melissa Doellman is leaving the school to teach in Westchester next year. “HM was my first experience working and teaching in the city,” Doellman said.

Throughout her time at the school Doellman has taught ninth grade biology, AP biology, and Anatomy and Physiology. Doellman is also a faculty advisor for the Service-Learning Team and a coach for the softball team in the spring. “Getting to help coach the softball team is what made HM feel like home,” Doellman said.

“One time after a particularly hard loss against Poly, on the bus ride back, Coach Doellman let the team stop and she bought us all rainbow bagels,” Amanda Wein (10), a member of the softball team, said. Doellman makes everyone on the team work hard and is super supportive of them, she said.

To her colleagues, Doellman is known as one of the most organized science teachers. “I’m constantly learning from Ms. Doellman,” science

Mannikin 2019

ATHLETIC ACE Coach Doellman and the softball team.

teacher and Dean of the Class of 2020 Stephine Feigin P ‘21 said. “She’s incredibly innovative and is always making new labs for the students to get them excited about learning,” she said.

Doellman’s preparedness has been noticed by her colleagues. “She’s super organized, and is always up for a challenge,” Science Department Chair Dr. Lisa Rosenblum said. Rosenblum was Doellman’s mentor when Doellman first came to the school.“After three years with Ms. Doellman, she has now been the one who helped me grow as a teacher,” she said. She’s a wonderful colleague, and is a big part of the Horace Mann community, Rosenblum said.

Doellmans efforts don’t go unnoticed by her students. “Before having her as my teacher I was relatively uninterested in science, but she was able to make learning actually fun,” Phoebe Rice (9) said.“And now I look forward to biology class.”

To Doellman’s students, it’s clear how much she loves to teach, Tess Goldberg (9) said. “She’s so passionate and you can really tell she cares about her job and the kids in the class,” she said. “She’s inspired me to work hard in biology, and her class is fun and interesting.”

Doellman always understands what kids are going through, and she was able to show AP Biology student Deven Shah (12) what a great teacher looks like, he said. “She’s just an amazing teacher and person, one of the best teachers a student at HM could ask for.”

Doellman always lets the class have some funny moments, but she is also able to get them back on track, AP Biology student Diana Shaari (12) said.

Doellman is also open to helping her students outside of the classroom. “I’m writing my JRP on women in STEM, and Ms. Doellman is one of the teachers I was interviewing,” AP Biology student Rosy Arora (11) said. “I appreciated that she was able to make the time for me to interview with her, and went into depth about her life before being a teacher. She opened up to me which is something

Courtesy of Charles Garcia

some teachers may not have done,” she said. “You can tell she’s very invested in the students’ experience,” she said.

“Since the class is only for juniors and seniors, Ms. Doellman’s empathy made a traditionally stressful year more manageable, as she was always flexible with our work loads,” Shaari said. “She knows how stressed out everyone is and she’s good at being flexible with everything. She’s been able to make this year a little bit less stressful,” she said.

Doellman is an amazing teacher, Mumbi Johnson (9) said. “She really wants her students to enjoy what they are learning and feel good participating,” she said. Johnson said she always looks forward to biology because of Doellman.

“Having her in freshman Biology sparked my interest in the subject; it made me want to take AP with her,” AP Biology student John Mauro (11) said. She’s a teacher that genuinely enjoys teaching, which makes the material more engaging. This is especially helpful to have in junior year when the subject matter gets much more advanced, he said.

She makes the class her own experience with the content and is able to teach them the practical uses of the curriculum as well, Shah said. “ She has made me understand that biology is difficult but is also rewarding,” he said.

Courtesy of Melissa Doellman

HOMEWARD BOUND Doellman quarantined with her dog.

TWO’S COMPANY Departing Teachers Garcia and Doellman take a selfie.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot from my time at Horace Mann,” Doellman said. “Everyone brings new and different things to the table and I’m able to appreciate that.”

Doellman’s science classes are well-liked by her students. “I’ve always loved science class at Horace Mann, and Ms. Doellman is particularly good at explaining the material,” Shaari said. The teacher dictates how much you enjoy the course, and she loved class, Shaari said.

Along with teaching four classes, Doellman takes time to be an advisor to students. “She’s really good at making you feel comfortable,” Johnson said. “I’m in her advisory and in her bio class, and we had a one-on-one talk and she always makes sure the conversation is enjoyable,” she said.

“She’s always been a supportive advisor, and is always there for me if I ever need a shoulder to lean on,” Rice, another one of her advisees, said.

Every class was new and exciting, and Tess Goldberg (9) never would have discovered her love for biology if it wasn’t for Doellman, she said.

“I’m really going to miss her,” Goldberg said.

Math teacher Nicholas Perry leaving after fifteen years Emily Salzhauer Contributing Writer Over his 15 years at the school, departing math teacher and former dean Nicholas Perry has learned countless lessons from both colleagues and students. “One of the great hidden truths about teaching is you learn as much as you teach, and there’s nobody better to learn from than HM students,” Perry said. “I’m grateful to all the teachers I got to teach next to, and I’m grateful to all the students who I got to share a community with.”

Ben Goodman (12) said that Perry’s lessons were incredibly valuable to him. “Mr. Perry taught me that, not only in math, but also in life, there are many ways to find solutions to difficult problems, and I thank him for teaching me that every day,” he said.

Lauren Port ‘19 said she found Perry to be an influential teacher both in and out of the classroom. “He would personally reach out and treat you like family,” she said. “He was someone that I could not only have a silly

Courtesy of Hillary Matlin

A HELPING HAND Perry meets wih a student in 2008. chat with in passing, but he was also someone I could confide in during my time at school.”

Similarly, Goodman felt that he could talk to Perry about anything.

“He is always there when you need someone to talk to, and it’s important for teachers to be an essential resource for students,” he said.

The school would not be complete Mannikin 2019

HALLOWED TEACHER Senior Absurdity Day 2019 with Dean Perry.

without Perry, Pascale Zissu (11) said.

“He has been such a positive, welcoming presence,” she said. “He has made me feel safe and comfortable being my authentic self.”

A highlight of Perry’s teaching career at the school was when his students would register their accomplishments, he said. Perry has seen many of his students recognize their achievements, but watching them do so does not grow old, he said.

One thing that Perry teaches his students is how to be comfortable and self-confident in the classroom, Zissu said. “Coming from the lower-level math in middle school, I felt insecure in my math abilities,” Zissu said. Her mindset changed after she took Perry’s class, she said.

Perry also teaches his students to try new things and take risks, Zissu said. “He has taught me to be okay with taking academic risks and making mistakes.”

“Mr. Perry has taught me that it is okay to ask for help if you need it,” Bryana Guerrero (12) said. “He taught me how to have self confidence in a math classroom, which is something I will forever be grateful for.”

Perry also has been a mentor, both officially and unofficially, for many members of the math department, math teacher Brianne Gzik said. “He offered sound advice, gave me many pointers, and made sure to really get to know me as a person,” she said. “I appreciate how welcoming he was and how he took the time to make sure that HM felt like home.”

One special feature of Perry’s classes is his testing policy, Catherine Zhang (11) said. His assessments were untimed and never officially called tests. “He understands that tests can be stressful and proposed other methods like PSets [problem sets] to check in and make sure we’re learning,” she said.

Perry’s testing policy shows how much he cares about his students because he is willing to change the way he runs his class to make his students feel comfortable, Zhang said.

Perry’s thoughtfulness and caring nature stood out to Guererro, she said. “When he can tell that students are having a tough time, instead of pushing work onto them and making it worse, he does all he can to make us feel better.”

“Perry always makes sure his students understand the concepts behind the lessons,” Gzik said. “It’s super important to me that my students always understand the ‘why’ behind math, and Mr. Perry is very talented in crafting lessons, explorations, and problems that do just that.” For this reason, Gzik said she loves using Perry’s lesson plans.

Teaching Algebra 1 specifically was one of the highlights of his time at the school, Perry said. “I enjoyed getting to work with students in that class who were bright and capable and curious and smarter than they themselves knew.”

Perry was able to give these partic-

ular students a chance to understand math in a way that they may not have been able to before, he said. “The challenge of getting to do that for them was awesome,” he said. “I had to raise my game for them, and the satisfaction of me getting better and them getting better at the same time was cool.”

Port said that Perry’s passion for math and teaching is evident to his students, and he cares about each and every one of them very much. “The most important thing he’s taught me is to not be too hard on yourself and to, no matter what, always be a good citizen,” she said. “He really has shown me what it means to be unconCourtesy of Hillary Matlin

THE BEGINNING Perry in his first yearbook. ditionally kind.”

In the coming months, Perry, his wife, and his son are moving to Princeton, New Jersey, where he will teach at a new school, he said. “I think it’s going to be a really great change of pace for us as a family. As much as I love Horace Mann, I’m excited to see how another school works and see what’s the same and what’s different,” he said. “This is the next step and we’ll see what happens. I’m excited for it.”

29

HORACE MANN NEWS JUNE 3RD, 2020

Time away: How teachers spend their summers Zachary Kurtz Staff Writer “Summer is a time to explore things that I want to do—that I enjoy doing purely for me— and for recharging my battery, as well as getting inspired by other things,” English teacher Rebecca Bahr said.

Unbeknownst to many students at the school, teachers are involved in a variety of unique activities during the summer. While the most visible to students might be those who teach at Horace Mann Summer School, many teachers are involved with volunteer work or choose to venture to other schools in order to teach unique classes in their respective fields.

Some teachers volunteer in their free time, and the summer is no exception. Pre-Kindergarten Teacher Samiyrah Kellman and Computer Science and Robotics Department Chair Danah Screen hosted a free Robotics camp in Barbados during the summers of 2018 and Courtesy of Adam Casdin

LONDON CALLING Faculty in England.

2019 for children ages 5-17. The camp supported underserved children who otherwise would not be able to afford camp, Kellman wrote in an email.

Most young people in Barbados are used to an individualistic approach to education, such that it is every student for themselves, Screen said. “It was an amazing time, because you just saw these students and they got really, really close with one another,” she said. “I think for them the idea of working together on a project was so unusual, and so again with the oldest kids it was even harder because they spent more time in that individualistic cycle.”

Despite not getting summers off from the school, Help Desk/Operations & Technical Support Sheryl Baker also manages to volunteer. She works with Rehabilitation through the Arts, an organization that operates in six New York State Prisons. “We use the arts as a way of educating people behind the walls about soft skills that the arts can help with as people are coming home and reentering into society as well as making their time when they’re in prison more productive, fruitful, and as positive as it possibly can be,” Baker said.

The program is a passion of Baker’s and is something that she does throughout the school

year as well as during the summer. “I started out in 2016 as a volunteer and just fell madly in love with the people who work in this organization, and I was fortunate enough to be asked to join their Board of Directors in 2018,” Baker said.

Teaching is also a yearlong passion. Many teachers continue to teach during the summer at Horace Mann Summer School and elsewhere. Both math teacher Chris Jones and science teacher Matthew Boller teach at the Exeter Summer program.

Exeter Summer brings together rising 8th through 12th graders from all over the world.

The program, which is 102 years old, is a way for teachers to teach while living on a New Hampshire campus only 11 miles from the ocean. Living on campus also allows for later mornings and more convenience, which can make the experience feel like a vacation, Boller said. “I’ve taught at Exeter Summer since 2009, so this was going to be my 12th summer,” he said. “I teach Human Anatomy, Intro to Bio, and Marine Biology there, and what it really is, is an opportunity to meet new teachers, talk about different strategies, techniques, labs, articles, and also do it in a different environment.” The Exeter Summer Program has been moved online this summer due to COVID-19.

For Jones, who has been working at Exeter Summer since 2004, the ability to bring his family with him is very enjoyable, as they get the chance to attend classes, he said. “What’s fun for me is that I get to teach a different age level. I get to teach middle school kids whereas I normally teach highschool kids, and I also get to have this sort of laboratory where I can try things, not that they’re my guinea pigs but I can be more free,” Jones said.

While some faculty teach in the U.S. during the summer, others choose to venture overseas.

From experience with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) during the school year, students are aware of Horace Mann’s connections with the RSC in England. English teacher Adam Casdin said that for the past four or five summers, he has led a group of teachers from nursery through 12th grade to Stratford-upon-Avon, where they train with the Royal Shakespeare Company for five days.

“It’s an incredibly powerful and gratifying experience, and it never gets dull for me, because I’m watching teachers of all types and from all different points in their career engaging in new thinking, new approaches, and with each other in a way that is nearly impossible while you’re teaching and even in the city, so it reminds me of a lot of the reasons why I love teaching and I love teachers, the creativity, the openness, the spirit of inquiry and questioning,” Casdin said.

Casdin stressed that a lot of the credit for this has to go to Head of School Dr. Thomas Kelly, who has a kind of vision and creative thinking that allows for this type of experimentation. “He was immediately excited by the idea

THE SAME, YET DIFFERENT Math teacher Chris Jones takes a selfie with his Exeter students.

of working with the Royal Shakespeare Company and when he was looking for volunteers I raised my hand so it was just kind of luck,” Casdin said. “Every time I’ve gone to talk to him about a new approach or a new idea or a new opportunity, he’s been a kind of collaborator in the thinking about it, so I suggested that going to Stratford would be a good way to begin the program, to get teachers to deep dive early, and he agreed, and he’s seen the power of that visit and knows how it’s changed teaching in each division and borne results each time.”

One teacher who has participated in the RSC trips is Bahr. She said that the trip was a lot of fun and that they work in the RSC studios and practice techniques that they then bring back into their classrooms. “I need to just have different stimulation, I mean I love teaching and I feel very lucky that I have a job where I really enjoy what I do, and I’m always learning, so if I do something related to school, I’ll do something that I enjoy like the RSC stuff,” Bahr said.

Courtesy of Sheryl Baker

Gabrielle Fischberg/Art Director

2021.

Faculty who teach at summer school programs are not the only ones who continue to work in their fields over the summer. Visual arts teacher and curator of student art Kim Do paints landscapes over the summer. “As well as fulfilling my need to create, the processes I engage with aid the HM student artists in learning visual art during the school year,” Do wrote in an email. “I bring the joys of creativity, and the challenges of the struggle for invention and originality, from these direct experiences over the summer into the classroom.”

Do’s paintings are scattered around the school as well as in large collections such as Citibank, American Express Minneapolis, Courtesy of Samiyrah Kellman

Courtesy of Adam Casdin

SUMMER STYLES (Clockwise from top) Baker with her writing program, Kellman and Screen with a student, and faculty in an RSC workshop.

There are also teachers who choose to focus on course preparation for the following year from home. History teacher Barry Bienstock said that he plans to prepare his materials for the new elective he’ll be teaching next year, “Vast Early America.” The course has never been taught before, so he will be spending a lot of the time developing the syllabus and deciding on all the readings. “I’ve over the years taught over 20 different courses in the history department, so I like the excitement of developing a new course and delving into that literature,” Bienstock said. He will also be coediting a collection of his late wife’s essays this summer. The essays are to be published 14 months from now, he said.

There are other teachers who choose to stay at the school over the summer. The school offers a couple of courses in their summer school program. Science teacher Oleg Zvezdin teaches the Summer Physics course at the school and has done so for many years. “Actually, the way I started working at Horace Mann is through the summer school. So the first ever job that I had teaching, and also teaching at Horace Mann, was to help Dr. [Jeffrey] Weitz to be an assistant in that program for Dr. Weitz when he was teaching,” Zvezdin said.

Zvezdin said that he loves the course and believes in challenging students and pushing them to overcome obstacles, especially as Summer Physics presents a unique set of challenges to the students and by its nature is one of the more challenging classes the school offers.

Despite there not being summer programming at the school due to the pandemic this summer, Zvezden plans on continuing to teach the Summer Physics course when it comes back in

and Johnson & Johnson. “Over the summer I always work as an artist, painting landscape paintings outdoors, from observation— either in northern California or in NY’s Catskills,” Do wrote.

Art teacher Keith Renner said that what he does varies from summer to summer and that he has done things including teaching summer school, rennovatinghis house, and utilizing his basement workspace to make art and work with clay. “During the school year making art comes in sort of bits and starts, you can do a little here and there, It’s nice in the summer to have a chunk of time where you can just really focus on something that is uniquely my own,” Renner said.

Overall, summer offers time for teachers Gabrielle Fischberg/Art Director

to continue to explore, grow, and fulfill their passions, whether through teaching or other means. “Summer is a time to reflect, and that’s what professional development is, it’s a kind of structured reflection.” Casdin said. “Teachers have been teaching all year so the idea of doing professional development after a year’s long engagement with classes, some people are very surprised that teachers will do it but teachers love the work they do, and reflection is something we don’t get enough time to do.”

30

THE RECORD NEWS JUNE 3RD, 2020

Gap years, Gap fears

Arushi Talwar Staff Writer Last summer, when Andrew Wang ‘19 first started his gap year visiting his family in Taiwan, he had not planned to spend the next few months studying there, nor traveling the world.

Wang had originally planned to stay abroad for a few weeks, but his visit turned into a much longer trip when he decided to stay to improve his Chinese. Like many students, Wang went into his gap year not knowing exactly what career he wanted to pursue in the future. “I thought it would be good to have the year to explore the options I had,” he said.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many more students have decided to follow Wang’s path and take a gap year.

Jude Herwitz (12) has noticed that the virus has made many students, including himself, consider taking a gap year because of the possibility of online school continuing through the fall semester of college, he said. “I wasn’t looking forward to having a freshman year where a significant part was online,” he said. “I wanted to start off with the real thing.”

Isabel Mignone (12), like Herwitz, was fully convinced to take a gap year when signs pointed to colleges going online in the fall. “The circumstances were so clearly in favor of it,” she said. “I’ll be able to have a more normal freshman year experience of actually being on campus, whereas right now it is unclear for a lot of schools.”

Similarly, Chloe Kim (12) decided to take a gap year because of the virus and the advice of her parents, who wanted her to have the typical freshman year experiences on campus. Beginning school in a completely new place in an online format was something Kim felt was a disadvantage, especially considering she wouldn’t have known anyone, she said. “[In] my experience with HM Online, you already know all your teachers, so it’s not hard to shoot your teachers an email if you’re having technical difficulties, but by starting at a new place you don’t anyone, it makes it a lot harder.”

Though Kim is confident in her decision, she was nervous when she first submitted her gap year request, considering none of her friends at the time were doing something similar, she said.

After talking about it to her parents and reflecting on the decision, she decided it was ultimately what she wanted to do. “I realized that despite the fact that no one else is doing it, it is still the right path to take.”

Even though COVID-19 was a considerable factor in influencing Kim’s decision, she discussed her concerns with Associate Director of College Counseling Kaitlin Howrigan. Howrigan encouraged

Gabrielle Fischberg/Art Director

Kim to take a gap year if she had concrete plans as to what she was planning to do, not because she wanted to avoid missing out on experiences, Kim said. Still, Kim made her decision confidently and well before her college’s deadline.

As for Irati Egorho Diez (12), COVID-19 did not sway her decision to take a gap year, as it is something she had decided upon before she even began high school. “I remember even in the summer of my eighth grade I was already talking about my gap year, so it has always been pretty high up on my list of things I wanted to do,” she said.

Although Mignone doesn’t have a concrete plan as to what her gap year entails due to the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, she is looking into different semester-based options. These include several options such as culinary school, a possible internship opportunity in Argentina, and a program in Egypt to study Arabic, she said.

Mignone said she believes it would be beneficial to take a gap year to pursue interests that she may not necessarily want a career in. “I think that taking a gap year is a really unique opportunity, in that you can take chances and you can take advantage of opportunities that are really only available at this point in your life,” she said.

Mignone also hopes that her gap year will give her time to recuperate before going to college. “I’ve been at Horace Mann for 13 years and going to another high-pressure institution is what I ultimately want to do, but not necessarily right after,” she said.

Jessica Thomas (12), who has also been at the school for 13 years, is taking a gap year as a break from an academically rigorous environment. “I just felt like for me to go onto the next level and to succeed I would need to take a break to figure out who I am and what I really want to do,” she said.

Like Thomas, Egorho Diez’s main focus in taking her gap year is to explore a different structure of life than she had at school. “I want to have a year where you do things for yourself and get to know yourself a lot better than you can when your priorities are dictated by school and expectations,” she said. Egorho Diez wants to focus on building genuine relationships with people and learning skills that cannot be quantified as a letter or number grade.

“I think it will make me appreciate school life even more than I do now.” Herwitz said. He hopes it will be a rejuvenating experience after feeling “burned out” by working hard in high school as well as coping during this pandemic, he said.

To help with his transition, Herwitz will work for Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign up until election day. He will be contributing as an organizer, knocking on people’s doors and talking to them, while also helping to run a campaign office, he said.

Thomas, who is also not travelling abroad, is

Annabelle Chan/Art Director

hoping to shadow a psychologist during the year, as well as doing service work. She hopes this will give her valuable experience and insight for her future, she said.

“I think it will be a time for me to be an adult and be on my own and have responsibilities without the entirety of adult life, so I’ll still be [financially] supported by my parents, but have the ability to venture out on my own and see where I land.”

Kim, who is also staying in the United States, is planning to devote her year to working on her non-profit organization, which focuses on raising scholarship funds for North Korean refugee students in the U.S, she said. Contributing to this is important now more than ever, she said, as the students from North Korea are drastically affected

by COVID-19 and require more assistance than usual.

Currently, Kim’s non-profit runs two scholarship programs. When she filled in the gap year request form that she submitted to her college, she spoke of plans to develop these program initiatives. “I could expand them further to tailor them to the needs of the students right now, during this pandemic,” she said.

Outside of Kim’s work with her non-profit, she hopes to get a job to get work experience in a field she might not have been able to pursue academically. “I think not knowing exactly how the year is going to pan out is a little nerve-racking,” she said. “Even just sending out resumes and not hearing back from a lot of people because they’re preoccupied right now with other concerns.” Still, Kim said she hopes the anxiety of the situation will soon pass so she will be able to work at a human rights focused non-profit during the year.

Egorho Diez is interested in service work as well, as she is planning to work on a peace building project in Palestine. She is also considering working at a hostel in Tel Aviv or living in the Jordanian Desert, even though traveling abroad is uncertain due to the virus.

Ari Moscona ‘19, who had the opportunity to travel abroad, took his gap year abroad in Madrid, Spain, taking courses at the culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu Madrid. Taking multiple courses at a time and spending many hours studying was an intense experience, Moscona said. Though the full culinary program was originally six months, Moscona only completed half, as COVID-19 cut the program short.

Alex Peeler ‘19 also spent her gap year at an abroad program that was cut short, like Moscona. She studied at a year-long program in Rome, where she continued learning Italian, which she was learning at the school for three years prior. “I thought it would be a really amazing way for me to see a part of the world and explore Europe more,” she said.

Since Peeler wants to become a screenwriter, she took many affiliated classes before COVID-19 cut her experience short. As the virus hit Italy hard, she had to come back home in early March, two months before the program would have otherwise ended, she said.

Despite this disappointment, Peeler believes taking a gap year has been one of the best decisions

of her life. Aside from coming out of the program fluent in Italian, she is very grateful for all the new opportunities she has experienced while living in Rome, she said. “I felt like a real part of Rome; I had a flower lady and a favorite restaurant, and I felt like a local,” Peeler said. “I got to experience a part of the world that I never got to see.”

Even with COVID-19 cutting his program short, Moscona enjoyed his experience in Madrid and strongly recommends taking a gap year to dive deep into an interest, but warns against a year full of relaxation.“If you have a passion that’s not going to be what you do in college or as a career, a gap year is probably the only time you’ll be able to intensely study it,” he said.

Co-Director of the Office for Identity, Culture and Institutional Equity John Gentile emphasized that there are many different options for a gap year that don’t include traveling abroad, which may not be an option due to socioeconomic reasons, he said. When students are surrounded by one possible model of what a gap year can include, it can feel limiting, as they are only given an example of one kind of experience.

Gentile believes framing gap years differently to suit the need of what the student hopes to get out of the experience is very important, he said. “I think we need to be expansive of how we’re defining a gap year. We need to be able to derive multiple models of what that experience could look like,” he said.

Wang also felt that taking a gap year allowed him to learn a lot more about other people from different backgrounds he would have otherwise never met, he said. Learning other ways to live life was very humbling, he said. “At Horace Mann, you’re only exposed to one perspective—you have to always be productive, go to a university, and get a good job,” he said. “While I was traveling I met a lot of people who were just happy with the situation they were in.”

Courtesy of Alex Peeler

FRENCH CONNECTION Alex Peeler ‘19 in Paris with her gap program.

HORACE MANN LIONS’ DEN JUNE 3RD, 2020

I love sports, don’t bring them back in the fall

Allison Markman With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic looming over our country, questions regarding whether students will be able to return to our Bronx home for school next year have begun to surface. With the start of the next school year approaching, the question of whether students can and should be participating in fall sports arises.

It is unfathomable for many to think that there could be no preseason in August, nor a fall athletic season. However, looking at the risks that would have to be taken in order to continue with a fall sports season, the prospect of starting sports this soon is simply not worth it.

With little knowledge of the virus and its continuing effects on the human body, I believe that this time of uncertainty begs for safer precautions and an adaptation to a new normal. Even under the most optimistic scenarios, public health experts predict that a vaccine to stop the virus will take up to 18 months to arrive, which means it is unlikely that we will see any substantial changes until next summer. Lawmakers are hesitant to allow students back to school and into classrooms without a vaccine.

Fall athletes would have to worry about not only their own teammates having the virus, but also students on other teams during games. Social distancing practices would have to be put in place, and this simply does not make sense for certain sports that require close contact. Contact sports such as football, soccer, and field hockey

pose too high of a risk of contracting the virus.

We do not have a strong enough system in place, as of yet, to keep students safe or to know which students are displaying symptoms or have been a carrier of the virus. Because of the close proximity athletes are in with other students, as well as the highly contagious nature of COVID-19, restarting sports puts our community at too high of a risk of spreading the virus further.

While being on Girls Varsity Tennis (GVT) my freshman year was vital to help me adjust to high school, I believe that postponing the fall athletics season is necessary. While it is so difficult to think that I may not get to dress up with my teammates each week, or blast music on bus rides to our games, this is an important precaution to take to ensure the safety of our athletes and community. Although this decision would be devastating to me and other fall athletes, I think it is essential. I truly wish there could be some way to make fall sports safe. Being on a sports team was such a rewarding and educational experience that taught me lessons about time management, teamwork, and sportsmanship: lessons that can-

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not be taught in a classroom.

It is integral we try to get students back into classrooms so that each student at the school is receiving a well rounded and equal education.

Virtual classes and homeschooling do not offer a proper substitute for the kind of education and attention we receive when we are physically at school With all that being said, our community can wait and delay the fall sports season until the following year to ensure safety for all students at Horace Mann.

Ben Chasin to enroll at NMH to pursue basketball Josh Underberg

the collegiate level. Throughout the past twelve years, NMH has sent 37 players to the Ivy League, Staff Writer more than triple the amount of any other program “It was hard to imagine myself not being a Horace in the world. Chasin is hopeful that attending NMH Mann student anymore,” Ben Chasin (11) said. In will provide him with that same opportunity. early April, after fourteen years at the school, ChaA typical schedule in the fall and spring at NMH sin made the difficult decision to leave in order to consists of 6 AM workouts three to four times a pursue his dream of playing college basketball. week, followed by lifting at noon, with scrimmage At the start of the 2020-2021 school year, Cha- games four nights a week. These scrimmages are atsin will enroll at Northfield Mount Hermon School tended by each of the Ivy League basketball coaches (NMH) in Gill, Massachusetts where he will play around seven times a year, Chasin said. under Head Coach John Carroll. He publicly anThe NMH experience is distinguished by how nounced his decision in an Instagram post on May connected the school remains to their alumni.

19th.

“Once a week during quarantine, Coach Carroll NMH is known as a top-ranked basketball pro- has what he calls an ‘NMH lunch table.’ One former gram in the country and finished as the fifth best NMH alumn, usually one who is currently in colprep school in the nation last year, Chasin said. lege or just finished college, comes and talks to the The school is part of the New England Prep School team during lunch, and then the team gets to ask Athletic Conference (NEPSAC) AAA, which is questions,” Chasin said. considered the top prep conference in the nation.

The NMH program also takes the physical and According to the NMH website, NMH prides itself nutritional health of their athletes very seriously, a on being “the best combination of academics and feature that caught Chasin’s attention. The strength basketball in the United States.” and conditioning coach constantly monitors the Chasin plans on reclassing and repeating his players’ strength, vertical, and weight, Chasin said. junior year. “Having the extra year to do a lot of “He has them send him photos of what they are eatstrength training, being on a really good workout ing at each meal, and right on the spot, he tells them program all the time, and getting the experience of whether it looks good, whether they should go and playing against national competition will make me get some more food, or whether they should be a much better player and help to prepare me for col- eating something different.” Chasin said the physlege,” he said. ical development in the before and after pictures of Chasin was first introduced to NMH during NMH players Coach Carroll shared with him was his freshman year by his AAU (Amateur Athletic “unreal.”

Union) coach who is close with NMH Head Coach Carroll has been recruiting Chasin for roughly a John Carroll. “[My AAU coach] recommended year. “Over the past several summers, Ben played in that I go to this open run, and he told me that No- different showcases, and it was there that he made tre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey was going to be a relationship with the coach,” Chasin’s father, Matthere,” Chasin said. “That whole experience intro- thew Chasin P ‘21 ‘23 ‘26, said. “The coach then duced me to what the highest level of competition approached us to recruit him after one of these really is.” events,” he said.

NMH once again appeared on Chasin’s radar Chasin has been recruited to NMH to be “the when he attended a basketball camp at Yale his shooter” on the team, he said. “My job is to take sophomore year. He was struck by the attention that any three-point shot I have.” As he looks to prepare NMH players in particular received from the Yale himself for his new role at NMH, Chasin has been coaches, he said. working on shooting at faster speeds and practicing “At this camp, they assigned all of the players shooting from further behind the three-point line to random teams, but the NMH players had their to make himself more effective from deep, he said. own team,” Chasin said. “The coaches would walk Former Boys Varsity Basketball Head Coach Tim around from court to court throughout the day, but Sullivan, who coached Chasin for his freshman and when NMH played, every single coach walked over sophomore seasons, said that the most considerable to their court. Yale’s whole coaching staff sat down improvement he saw in Chasin as his coach was his and watched their entire game. When I saw that, I work ethic. “About halfway through his freshman thought to myself, I need to be on that court.” year, Ben decided that he wanted to be really realUltimately, Chasin’s goal is to play Division 1 ly good,” Sullivan said. “Ben worked pretty hard in (D1) basketball at a high academic institution on the beginning, and then something switched where he outworked pretty much everyone. He was in the gym before school, he would stay after practice to shoot, and he was in the weight room; Ben was doing everything a coach could ask.”

Sullivan says that Ben’s unselfishness and care for his teammates will help him to succeed in the future. “If the team needs him to score, he tries to score, if the team needs him to pass, he will pass, and if the team needs him to guard the other team’s best player, he will do that, he said.

Eddie Mantz (11), who has been teammates with Chasin on the school’s basketball team for five years, said that “he’s going to play his absolute hardest unFAMILY TIME Chasin smiles in his new schools’ hat til the final whistle, he will dive for loose balls, and alongside his brothers. he will always pick his teammates up.”

“He doesn’t take any days off,” Chasin’s long-time

BUCKETS Chasin lights up the scoreboard at Buzzell. friend Harrison Winter (11) said. “I’ve been to his house several times, and every time I’ve been there, I’ve been a part of his work out sessions. We will do hill runs, and he will make me time his runs. He sets a certain goal for himself, but even when he hits that goal, he’s still not satisfied,” he said.

Chasin’s father points to one story in particular as representing Chasin’s determination to succeed.

When Chasin finished his sophomore season, he thought his shooting was inconsistent, Matthew said. Chasin decided that he needed to change his shot form, even if it meant not performing as well in his upcoming AAU season. He knew that to move forward, he had to be willing to take a step back.

There were people telling Chasin that he should wait until later on to change his shot, but he remained committed, Matthew said. “It took discipline by Ben, along with the ability to not care what other people thought,” he said.

“It ultimately ended up being the right decision,” Matthew said. Chasin averaged a career-high 17 points per game in his junior year, to go along with 10 rebounds per game.

Chasin’s final season at HM also featured multiple awards, including the Most Valuable Player of the Peg Duggan Tournament, the Richard Friedman ‘75 Award, and a Second Team All-League selection.

Leadership has always been a main priority for Chasin. “At Horace Mann, I feel like I’ve learned how to be a leader,” Chasin said. “We’ve had bad losses and really good wins, but one thing that I have been able to practice and get better at is keep-

ing my head up and leading my team through whatever challenges there are.”

Chasin plans on taking what he has learned with him to NMH and hopes to continue to grow as a leader.

“They call NMH a leadership academy disguised as a basketball program,” he said. “Everyone is a leader on the team, and everyone is looking out for each other.”

Chasin experienced this first hand while practicing with the NMH team at an open run. “Every single time you pass someone, you give them a highfive. When you go to get water, in the line, you are constantly high-fiving each other.”

From his visits to the school, Chasin describes the environment as a “brotherhood,” from practicing together to sharing every meal in the company of one another.

“What really excited me was getting so many nice text messages from my future teammates after I made the Instagram post. The family aspect of NMH is something I’m really looking forward to being part of.”

“This has been a dream of his that we have always talked about, so I’m happy for him,” Winter said.

The Lions will miss having Chasin on the court with them, Christopher Robinson (11) said. “He is a brother and a motivator.”

ADVICE FROM TWO BLACK STUDENTS TO THE HM COMMUNITY

by Grace Ermias and Sogona Cisse

To friends who are learning to be allies: • Affirm and validate your Black friends even when you don’t understand where they are coming from.

• Know that it is not your voice that needs to be heard all the time.

• Question your instincts— racism is deeply ingrained in the society that taught them to you.

• Having Black friends or relatives does not automatically make you an ally, nor does it keep you from being a part of the problem.

• Recognize that issues like police brutality that make you upset a few times a year are constant fears and anxieties for Black people.

• Apologize to the Black individuals in your life for not having taken the time to learn more about their experiences before this week.

• Check in with your Black peers to tell them you are there for them.

• Educate yourself. Do not count on your Black friends to educate you because it is not their job to do so. They are students just like you.

To students who don’t know how or when to speak: • Demand that your education teach you when to speak and when not to. Demand that your education give you the knowledge you need to be a good ally.

• It’s okay to make mistakes. What’s important is how you proceed after your mistake is pointed out.

• Think about what your silence means. Are you listening or are you being complacent?

To parents: • Have these conversations with your children. Even if you don’t know where to begin, educate yourself.

• Please do not preach “treat everyone equally” or “be color blind.” It isn’t effective. Acknowledge white privilege and systemic oppression of Blacks and POC and how it manifests in everyday lives.

• Do not have the mindset that your kids are too young. Black students know the reality of the world we live in from a very young age, and no one mourns the loss of our childhoods and innocence. Start the conversation by asking what they know.

To teachers and administrators: • Do not ask your Black students to teach the class about Black peoples’ traumas. That is your job as an educator.

• Vote for the benefit of those without your privileges.

• When there are viral videos of the killing of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, do not gloss over them in your class. Do not continue class like normal, or only reserve the last five minutes to discuss it. It’s important to have these conversations.

• Do not allow your classrooms to be a place where the voices of oppression are heard. Be aware of the conversations happening in your classrooms and stop them when they need to be stopped.

To club and publication leaders: • Do not strive to meet diversity quotas, strive to understand Black peoples’ experiences.

• Know that just because there’s a Black person in the room does not mean that it’s easy for them to be there.

• Take into account that there could be obstacles or experiences that make their participation in clubs and publications difficult.

A few resources to start with: • White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo • So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oulu • 13th (Netflix) • When They See Us (Netflix) • Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates • Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon