Issue 10

Volume 118 Issue 10

The Record Horace Mann’s Weekly Newspaper Since 1903

record.horacemann.org November 13, 2020

Feature: Exploring the importance of a diverse faculty Liliana Greyf and Hanna Hornfeld Staff Writers “Are you hiring me just because I’m Black and male, or are you hiring me because I’m an asset to the institution?” Associate Director of the Office for Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity (ICIE) Ronald Taylor asked Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly in his interview for a job at the school. Kelly replied that he was hired for his qualifications, and Taylor took the job.

The school’s primary focus in hiring faculty is to find the most qualified teachers, Upper Division (UD) Dean of Faculty Dr. Matthew Wallenfang said. “We recognize that part of having a faculty that consists of the best teachers means having a faculty that reflects who our students are.”

Over the past 10 years, the population of teachers of color in the Middle Division (MD) and UD has increased by 13 and 10 percentage points respectively. This year, 37% of MD teachers and 26% of UD teachers identify as people of color (POC). There is no ideal model or target percentage for a diverse teacher body — the school must continually strive to diversify its educators, Taylor said.

The Lower Division administration has been working to provide students and faculty with “mirrors” and “windows,” Head of LD Deena Neuwirth said. A “mirror” is a representation of something that reflects a child’s identity, and a “window” is a representation of something unfamiliar to a child. “When we provide both mirrors and windows to our students, we broaden their thinking while validating their individual experiences,” Neuwirth said.

The empowerment created by students’ and teachers’ shared identities — whether that be race, gender, sexuality, or any form of a marginalized experience — can have a profound effect on a

identities said having teachers who share their identifiers helps them feel supported in the classroom. A study conducted in 2018 by the National Bureau of Economic Research titled “The Long-Run Impacts of Same-Race Teachers” showed that students who belonged to minority groups were more likely to be successful in their educational careers and their college enrollment if they were exposed to teachers who looked like them.

“Being a person of color in a predominantly white institution, you’re always on. You’re always thinking about how to look professional and friendly and engaged. Having people who have a similar experience just allows you to turn off.”

-Lisa Scott Exposure to different views and opinions through a more diverse faculty can minimize the chances of having access to a single view of the world, UD World Languages teacher Niamh Duggan said. “The more varied and nuanced our representations of different social groups are, the more likely we are to avoid stereotyping each other and actually succeed in making meaningful connections.”

Jhanae Ottey (11) feels closer to teachers who share her identifiers, often female teachers of color, she said. She remembers multiple occasions during which teachers of color gave her a knowing smile while telling stories about their

Courtesy of HM Flickr

student’s development, Director of ICIE Candice Powell-Caldwell wrote in an email. Recognizing the impact of creating “mirrors” for students is important particularly in the classroom. “That can make all the difference in the world, in terms of how that student sees themselves as a learner and as a whole human being.”

Currently, 42% of the student body identifies as students of color. To provide students with mirrors, the school has been working on hiring more faculty of color and providing current faculty members with spaces to learn and talk about racial experiences.

In her sixth-grade English class, Myra Singh (11) had her first — and only — South Asian teacher. That year, for a creative writing assignment, Singh wrote a piece about her family’s celebration of Diwali. “It was the only time I knew my teacher would understand the cultural references in my writing,” she said. “I felt comfortable writing that because that teacher looked like me.”

Singh’s comfort in this shared identity is not unique — many students of marginalized

childhoods, acknowledging that she understood their personal experiences. “They look to me with a ‘you-know-what-I’m-talking-about’ face,” she said. “And I do know what they are talking about.”

Singh has also found herself more comfortable around teachers who share an understanding of her culture and religion. She celebrates holidays that are not observed by the school calendar, and she is sometimes wary of asking for extensions or later testing dates from her teachers, since she knows that they are probably unaware of the holiday. “It isn’t always clear to me whether it’s acceptable to ask,” she said. “That probably wouldn’t be the case with an Indian teacher.”

Beyond the more obvious impacts of educators who share her identifiers, Tomoko Hida (11) said she is even empowered by their everyday actions.

“I remember [this teacher] wearing these cool earrings to class that I admired,” Hida said. “If she hadn’t been Asian, I don’t think I would have been able to picture myself pulling off something like that in a similar fashionable way.”

UD science teacher Lisa Scott has noticed that the students with whom she has the most personal

relationships tend to share her identifiers. “When you know you’re speaking to someone who has some sort of common understanding with you, it is just so much easier to be yourself,” she said. “Sometimes, being a POC in a predominantly white institution, you’re always on. You’re always thinking about how to look professional and friendly and engaged. That expends a lot of emotional energy. So I think having people who have a similar experience just allows you to turn off.”

This kind of environment is rare, but it exists in Ajani GreenWatson’s (11) advisory group, she said. She is in UD English Department Chair Vernon Wilson’s advisory, which consists only of students who identify as Black. Green-Watson chose to switch into this advisory group after her freshman year. “It’s pretty obvious that there aren’t a lot of people like me teaching at this school, so he was one of the only teachers I felt really connected to.”

Wilson had a large number Rachel Zhu/Art Director n ot of seniors in his advisory who t o graduated last year. Over the summer, UD Dean of Students Michael Dalo emailed him saying be someone else’s teacher on how to stop their that there were multiple students who requested problematic behavior,’” he said. to switch into Wilson’s advisory, all of whom Taylor is still working with the administration were students of color. to improve the school’s hiring protocols. One Wilson credits this situation to his role as of Taylor’s main goals is to work on the school’s an advisor of BLEx, a Black students’ affinity partnerships with historically Black colleges group. Also, because former computer science and universities, because those colleges produce teacher Danah Screen left the school, many of more teachers of color, he said. her advisees — several of whom were students of Besides increasing diversity within faculty, the color — were looking to join a new group. school also needs to work on retention, PowellThis is the first time Wilson has had an Caldwell wrote. “Far too often, schools hire faculty advisory in which every single student racially of color without putting in the requisite time and identifies in the same way, specifically as Black or effort to ensure that those faculty members are African-American. “That offers great possibility consistently cared for, supported and affirmed,” into the kinds of support that students feel from she wrote. “The end result: the turnover rate of one another in the room,” he said. “Their points faculty of color in our schools remains high; of view and their ideas and sentiments are less burnout is real. Thus, the focus needs to be on likely to be dismissed, [and they] have a certain recruiting, hiring and, most especially, retaining level of integrity that doesn’t need to be explained faculty of color in our schools.” and elaborated.”

This year, Taylor has started working Now that she is in this advisory, Green-Watson with Director of Human Resources Judy Lynch recognizes the comfort that the space provides. to look into the trends among faculty of color “In my last advisory, when we are talking about who choose to leave the school. Taylor hopes to current issues, I always felt like I was speaking identify whether faculty of color leave because of on behalf of my whole race, like I was always a problem with the school itself or for personal the token Black girl,” she said. “But in [Wilson’s] reasons, he said. advisory, I’m just a kid voicing my opinion.”

After reading numerous studies, Taylor found Especially after the events of this summer, four main actions schools should take to support Watson is grateful to have a space in which she faculty members. The first, which he feels the can speak freely with peers and a teacher who school has been successful with, is creating space shares her identifiers, she said. “I was really for faculty with certain identifiers to see each dreading people asking my opinion, because this other. The ICIE offers five faculty affinity spaces is actually something that affects me,” she said. for faculty of color and for LGBTQ+ faculty “But in the homeroom, we all share that common members throughout the year. Many teachers experience.” were surprised to find faculty of color in sections The school’s goal of creating a diverse of the school that they did not teach in, he said. environment is embedded in its hiring process, The school also has to acknowledge its Head of UD Dr. Jessica Levenstein said. The systemic issues, such as being a predominantly school recruits faculty from multiple recruitment white institution, in order to proactively plan agencies, including Nemnet, an organization ways to support its faculty, Taylor said. For that specializes in the placement of faculty example, beyond just creating spaces for POC, and administrators of color. In many cases, the school should periodically check in with new department chairs establish relationships faculty of color to see how they are adjusting to with possible candidates that allow the chairs this historically white space. to contact the candidates when there are job Accountability is also important, Taylor openings at the school. said. If schools do not take issues such as While working on two MD hiring committees microaggressions seriously, they are sending a over the summer, Taylor made sure to always message that faculty of color are not valued. look at a candidate’s qualifications before their Finally, it is necessary to prevent “racial battle identifiers to avoid tokenism, he said. fatigue,” or the “unicorn effect,” Taylor said.

In orientations for new faculty members, Taylor Often, faculty of color take on additional roles makes it clear to incoming faculty members of as leaders of diversity committees, assemblies, or color that they were not hired as tokens. “One of other groups and wind up doing a lot more work the first things that I lead with is, ‘You were hired than their white counterparts. Seeing here because of your skill set, you were hired here because you’re talented, and you were hired here

see Faculty Diversity on page 5

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THE RECORD OPINIONS NOVEMBER 13TH, 2020

Reading and racial justice during the coronavirus

Caroline Bartels On March 9, when Dr. Kelly announced we were closing early because of a possible case of COVID-19, for me it felt like the world stopped. Students in the library were celebrating an extra week of Spring Break; all I felt was the hole in the pit of my stomach getting bigger. The prior week, I had been obsessively checking the World Health Organization’s website and following the situation in Italy, where my younger sister’s husband still has family; the news was bad and getting worse. I elbow-

Americanah Journey to a new country.

bumped students instead of hugging them and urged them to take home everything they could. When an advisee asked why, I blurted out: “It will be a miracle if we make it back before Easter.” I listened to my own advice, grabbed a stack of work and a dozen books. Even then I knew it wouldn’t be enough for what was ahead.

Students in Lit Chat can tell you I am more than slightly obsessed with both the influenza pandemic of 1918 and World War I. I’ve always been fascinated that a soldier could have survived that brutal war and made it home, only to succumb to the flu.

Given that obsession, and coupled with the vivid scenes that Emily St. John Mandel paints in Station Eleven — her novel about a flu pandemic that wipes out 99% of the world’s population and which we read for Book Day in 2018 — I left school on March 9th and headed home to an uneasy week. I nervously ran errands, saw friends, had dinner with my best friend on that Friday, hugged him good night and headed home; I wouldn’t see him again until late August, except over Zoom (and we still haven’t hugged). On Saturday, a close friend, who is also the Assistant Director for Medical Compliance for the State of New York, texted me the short message: CALL ME! The all-caps caught my attention. I called him from the street, which I never do because I hate people who talk on their cell phones in public (just because you can doesn’t mean you should). There was no hello, just these words I will never forget: “Go to the store, buy as many groceries as you can carry, go home, and don’t leave until I tell you you can.

This is going to be bad.”

In the month that followed I hunkered down in my 340 square foot apartment and I didn’t leave — not to shop, not to go outside, not to do anything except go down my stoop twice, when no one was around, fully masked, to take out my garbage. I

did five-mile walks in my apartment without a treadmill, cleaned every inch of my place, looked up resources for teachers, and avoided all news. What I didn’t do was read.

Most nights, in order to fall asleep, I read. On weekends I start my days with reading and coffee. During those early weeks of the pandemic, all I could do was read WHO Situation Reports; scroll Facebook and read posts from friends outside of NYC who were traveling, seemingly oblivious to what was happening; and try not to mentally count the number of ambulances that raced up Amsterdam Avenue to the hospital 15 blocks away. I tried to read to distract myself from all of this, but nothing seemed to stick. I read the same page again and again, not taking in any of it, while in the back of my mind the number nineteen floated — nineteen ambulances since 7:00 am (and it was only 1:00 pm). Looking back at the few books I did read early in the pandemic, I barely remember them. COVID-19 was taking so much from everyone, but one of my biggest losses was my love of reading.

That finally changed when one of my good friends drove into the city to rescue me. He and his husband have a huge house in New Jersey, and they took me in for nearly a month. With my change of scenery, I made a pact with myself: no going on my phone in the morning or at night. Instead, each morning, I set a timer for an hour in which I would do nothing but read.

The temptation was there to check my phone – those first few days I had to fight it – but my morning reading finally just became my routine.

I devoured and then passed on to my housemates The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, discovered The Library Book by Susan Orlean and reconfirmed to myself exactly why I became a librarian, and binged all three books of the Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab — nearly 17,000 pages —

Lauren Kim/Art Director

in fewer than three weeks. I left their house, headed back to my solitary life in the city for the next seven weeks, but I didn’t waiver from my new routine.

I set the alarm. I read. I avoided the news. I found my joy in reading again.

As the school year came to a close, the world fell apart in another way.

George Floyd was murdered, and I let that newly discovered joy of reading keep me afloat amidst all of the anger and violence. Every time I came across the video of Floyd’s murder, I tried to watch it, but I couldn’t. I just kept shutting off the hideous image of Derek Chauvin, hands in his pockets and his knee pressing down on Floyd’s neck. At that same time, I was reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel, Americanah. While reading it I realized something that was so obvious, it hardly needs to be said, but I’ll say it anyway. As a white person in America, I had the luxury of turning off that video, of not watching George Floyd die, because it is something highly unlikely to happen to me at the hands of the police.

The more I dug into Adichie’s novel about being an African in the United States, with all of her insights on bias, prejudice, and systemic racism, the more I realized I had to watch the video

because I had students and colleagues at school who did not have the luxury to just turn it off. So I watched it, and I cried through all 8 minutes and 46 seconds. I made a promise to myself while watching — and a silent promise to all of the students with whom I work — that I would do better. That I had to. There is a paragraph I keep returning to in Americanah, one I have in my phone camera roll. It’s what I’m using to guide me with every step, what I return to when I stumble (and I already know there will be stumbles along the way): So after this listing of don’ts, what’s the do? I’m not sure. Try listening, maybe. Hear what is being said.

And remember that it’s not about you. American Blacks are not telling you that you are to blame. They are just telling you what is. If you don’t understand, ask questions. If you’re uncomfortable about asking questions, say you are uncomfortable about asking questions and then ask anyway.

It’s easy to tell when a question is coming from a good place. Then listen some more. Sometimes people just want to be heard. Here’s to possibilities of friendship and connection and understanding.

Respect our troops: a case for honoring Veterans Day Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

Peter Arvanitis I joined Soldiers’ Stories in my junior year, noticing that veterans are an overlooked group in our society. Service members are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect fellow citizens, but when they return from battle, they face higher rates of homelessness and receive poor healthcare. Soldiers’ Stories did a great job of informing the school community about these issues that service members face. This drew me towards the club, but I was just as interested in providing an outlet for students to catalyze change for veterans. Since Veterans Day was this week, it is important to be thoughtful about this brave group of citizens.

World War I officially ended on June 28, 1919, when the Allied and Central powers signed the Treaty of Versailles. However, the fighting stopped on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when hostilities ended

between Germany and the Allied nations. As a result, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed on November 11, 1919 that it was “Armistice Day,” or the anniversary of the end of The Great War. In 1926, Congress passed a resolution recognizing the end of WWI, which celebrated “the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far-reaching war in human annals.” The resolution stated that Armistice Day’s recurring anniversary is fitting, as it aligns closely with Thanksgiving, and should be a day to “perpetuate peace through goodwill and mutual understanding between nations.” The Act was approved in 1938, making November 11 a federal holiday honoring the veterans of WWI. In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower expanded the scope of the holiday to include American veterans of all wars, changing the name of the holiday from “Armistice Day” to “Veterans Day.” In 1968, Veterans Day, along with Washington’s Birthday, Columbus Day, and Memorial Day, was moved to a Monday in an attempt to encourage travel and spending over long weekend holidays. Ultimately, because of its great historic and patriotic significance to many Americans, President Ford moved Veterans day back to its intended day of observance: November 11.

The American public’s disapproval with the moving of Veterans Day shows the true importance of the holiday and what it represents to many. As Americans, the freedoms that we enjoy have been safeguarded by those who are willing to risk their lives for our country. Our nation was birthed by the same spirit, one which was able to, despite all odds, rebel against an oppressive and monarchical government

“The American public’s disapproval with the moving of Veterans Day shows the true importance of the holiday and what it represents to so many. As Americans, the freedoms that we enjoy have been safeguarded by those who are willing to lay down their lives over the last two centuries.” to uphold core values that we still abide by today: equality, rights, liberty, opportunity, and democracy. Though America hasn’t perfectly upheld these values, she has always been moving in the right direction, seen when brother fought against brother to end the most horrific practice in our nation’s history: slavery.

In the 20th century, the United States sent young Americans to fight in WWII in order to uphold those same values against fascism and communism. Facing almost certain death, thousands of Americans selflessly stormed the beaches of Normandy, leading to the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control.

In more recent history, endless wars have caused the loss of countless American lives in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. It is important to recognize that although we may not support every U.S. conflict or foreign involvement, we must respect those willing to sacrifice their lives for our beliefs, our country, and our freedom. When commemorating veterans, we are commemorating survivors of war, survivors who were willing to die for their convictions, the same ideals enshrined by our Constitution, and inspired by Enlightenment thinkers and classical liberalism. These sentiments should be widespread within our community, and we should be grateful for those

who are willing to serve, especially considering how unpopular joining the service is for the majority of the population. As President Wilson said, "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service.”

As Veterans Day is a federal holiday, all public schools in our country have the day off, a practice that should be extended to our own community at Horace Mann. As a school, we have off on all but one national holiday that occurs from the months of September to May. Unfortunately, the only national holiday during our school year that goes unobserved is Veterans Day. If we are going to be in school on Veterans day, we should at least celebrate and recognize the holiday, rather than leaving it unmentioned.

While most other holidays commemorate a specific figure, moment, or custom, Veterans Day celebrates the sacrifices that men and women make to this day. These sacrifices will always relate to our modern reality as a country, as long as war exists and conflict defines history.

Current, former, and deceased Armed Forces members deserve a prolonged moment of silence in the form of a school holiday, because, without them, we wouldn’t be able to offer our own moments of silence.

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HORACE MANN OPINIONS NOVEMBER 13TH, 2020

Community Council candidates Class of 2021 Adam Frommer Yana Gitelman Leyli Granmayeh Jaden Kirshner Natalie Sweet Kelly Troop

Class of 2022 Corey Brooks Justin Burrell Emma Colacino Destiny Green Justin Gurvitch Brandon Kuo Ellery Lapin Rowan Mally Catherine Mignone Bennett Neuwirth Maya Nornberg JT Thomas Piper Wallace

Class of 2023 Harry Cottrell Riya Daga Miller Harris Ishaan Lyengar Louise Kim Eshan Mehere Hannah Moss Divya Ponda Ariela Shuchman Ben Wu Steve Yang Jake Ziman

Class of 2024 Nate Chiang Daniel Cornstein Ariella Frommer Nia Huff Gabe Jaffe Erica Jiang Sofia Kim Milo Mandelli-Valla Jojo Mignone Jorge Orvananos Zack Pelosky Jack Rosenthal Sophie Rukin Alexandre Saint-Sauveur Lola Stern

Letters to the Editor Responses to the Pro-Trump Op-Ed A pro-Trump op-ed written last week describes the success of Donald J. Trump’s first and only term. The anonymous writers argued that Donald J. Trump’s actions speak louder than his words and with “complex analysis,” Americans could recognize his competence. Trump’s character is not the focus of this letter, but I aim to prove, with evidence, that the majority of what the writers claim as Trump’s “accomplishments” are as empty and dishonest as his words, the same words that the writers are attempting to present as fact.

The writers claim Donald J. Trump is responsible for America’s “strong” economy, though he has done little to strengthen it before the outbreak of COVID-19. A report written by Congressman Don Beyer, Vice-Chair of the United States Congress Joint Economic Committee, proves this assertion is misleading at best. Trump inherited an improving economy from the Obama administration, which reversed what Former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke described as “the worst financial crisis in global history, including the Great Depression [2008 Recession].” The Trump administration has presided over an economic slowdown since the Obama presidency: average monthly job growth, median household income, and stock market growth have increased at slower rates than they did during Obama’s terms. Not to mention Trump’s major economic policy, his tax cut, came two years after the largest portion of the economic growth during Trump’s term, for which he took credit.

The tax cuts for families across economic classes did occur in the 2017 Tax Bill; what the writers did not mention is the cessation of cuts on individual income by 2026, but this termination will not happen to the corporate tax cuts. Many dismiss what Trump labels a “strong economy” because Americans are not receiving the benefits of it, hence their distrust in American institutions. If wages increased with economic growth, the bottom 90% of `Americans would be making an extra 12,000 dollars a year, according to The New York Times.

What good is a strong economy when public representatives concern themselves with distributing its benefits to the wealthy? To claim that Trump’s economy — Obama’s really if one consults evidence — is “the most strong and successful economy any nation in the world has ever seen” is absurd at best. There was a point in American history — between the 1940s and 1960s — when the wealth gap was remarkably thin. Americans were buying homes in record numbers, more Americans had access to higher education and wages, and the United States produced 50% of the world’s goods. That time is not now, and making such an ambitious and baseless claim demonstrates a lack of historical knowledge.

The writers assert that Trump has saved thousands of American lives because of the statistical link between the rise in unemployment and deaths.

Not only have neither of the writers cited any of these “statisticians,” but they do not seem to have heard the

Last week, a handful of my peers wrote an anonymous opinions piece in The Record in support of President Donald Trump, detailing his supposed success in improving the economy. The writers argue that they value Trump’s accomplishments over “whatever Trump himself has tweeted,” ostensibly separating their analysis of his presidency from his words.

Though there is much to be said about the factual fallacies in their argument, the writers’ general approach to quantifying Trump’s achievements can be best summed up by this quote referencing the country’s economy under Trump: “It was, indisputably, the most strong and successful economy any nation in the world has ever seen, and every American benefited as a result of it.” This claim, completely unsubstantiated by factual evidence, is a simplified reiteration of Trump’s attempts to assuage Americans’ fears regarding the tanking economy amidst the pandemic. The quote also seemed to imply that America in this moment exists in a historical vacuum, far removed from tens of thousands of years of civilization.

Putting aside the op-ed’s baseless claims, there is some truth to these writers’ assessment of the school’s overwhelming liberal population. There is no doubt that political discourse within the school can feel like a “echo chamber”; last week’s Record poll showed that 87 percent of the student body favored Biden over Trump in the election. I imagine it is immensely frustrating to be a Trump supporter this past week, given that teachers and students alike are celebrating Biden’s win. But there is an irreconcilable difference from being a Republican and being a Trump supporter — and that difference is rooted in Trump’s character.

In the same way that it is often unproductive to separate

phrase “correlation is not causation.”

Once again, even if this link were to be true, the decrease in unemployment had no serious tie to the Trump presidency.

The most egregious of the misinformation contained in this op-ed concerns the Trump administration’s response to COVID-19. As of the week of November 8th, a quarter of a million American citizens have died; 50,000 thousand short of the Second World War’s casualties. This very same week, the nation has reached record daily case numbers. Many in this community and across the nation have lost relatives and friends. To not only claim that nothing could be done but to also assert that soon-to-be exPresident Trump did an acceptable job is disrespectful. The op-ed attempts to absolve a perpetrator of this tragedy without even extending a courtesy to the victims.

David Leonhardt of the New York Times wrote an article centered on why America’s COVID-19 response was such a failure. In the two months after Trump’s February 2nd “China ban,” 40,000 people entered the United States from China. The Trump administration also failed to account for European travelers as possible transmitters of COVID-19.

Trump’s administration could not even quarantine travelers effectively.

Trump’s administration sowed distrust in the reports of American scientists and the effectiveness of masks, undoubtedly affecting the spread of this disease. What is even more egregious about this lukewarm response is that

Trump was more than aware of the virus’ danger; in an interview with Bob Woodward, he stated that the coronavirus is ‘A horrible thing. It’s unbelievable.’ Trump also admitted that he downplayed the virus to avoid panic while knowing that COVID-19 could become the largest security threat of his presidency. America would have suffered due to this virus, I agree, but that suffering could have been greatly reduced if there was a competent administrator in the White House.

The writers of this article claim Horace Mann’s student body is generally hostile to conservative beliefs; while there is truth embedded in this statement, the writers fail to understand that conservatism and Trumpism are not one and the same.

To be a Trump supporter at Horace Mann is to demonstrate that you have learned nothing during your time here. Horace Mann students learn to critically analyze sources and claims, to value well-supported arguments, and, most importantly, to hold the truth in high esteem. The writers of this opinion have done the opposite, they have flouted the ideals of this community to justify the poor policy and bigoted rhetoric of one of the worst presidents in American history. I will not deny that Trump has some achievements, like his criminal justice reform. But the sheer volume of falsities required to make his term passable speak degrees louder than any of his accomplishments.

From, Jaden Richards (12)

the art from the artist when analyzing their work, it is equally unproductive, if not more dangerous, to separate Trump’s political actions from his tweets when evaluating his presidency. His tweets, ranging from false claims of voter fraud and sexist remarks towards female politicians, provide context for many of the divisive policies he has put forward.

Most notable is Trump’s tendency to let racism slip when justifying his foreign policy. Trump’s repeated use of the term “kung-flu” to refer to COVID-19 indicates that he viewed China and Chinese people as the central cause of the virus, and thus his decision to ban travel from Europe nearly a month and a half after his “China ban” makes sense. Trump’s move to ban travel from seven predominately Muslim countries into the US, given his tweet that they had “bad intentions,” makes sense. It is erroneous to remove Trump’s policies from his words, and for the anonymous authors of the pro-Trump opinions piece to do so demonstrates their lack of understanding of politics.

To my anonymous peers, I urge you to consider what it means to support a president’s economic success over their character.

What separates Donald Trump from many of his Republican counterparts is not just his policies but rather the bigoted, outdated nationalist rhetoric he spouts at the expense of minority groups in America. Would you have remained anonymous had this piece been in support of Mitt Romney or the late John McCain? You claim that you are neither racist nor a “deplorable” — and that very well may be true. What about the president you support?

From, Vivien Sweet (12)

“The role of media is to hold people to account, to criticize, to cause trouble.”

— David Leonhardt ‘90 at Tuesday’s assembly.

So hold us accountable.

Critize what we publish. Cause some trouble.

Write a Letter to the Editor!

Submit to record@ horacemann.org.

Volume 118 Editorial Board Managing Editor Talia Winiarsky News Sam Chiang Yesh Nikam Marina Kazarian

Features Henry Owens Emily Shi Vivien Sweet

Opinions Maurice Campbell Avi Kapadia Natalie Sweet

A&E Izzy Abbott Abby Beckler Oliver Steinman

Editor-in-Chief Julia Goldberg Lions’ Den Yotam Hahn Alison Isko Josh Underberg

Middle Division Adrian Arnaboldi Bradley Bennett Jack Crovitz

Staff

Staff Writers Devin Allard-Neptune, Mia Calzolaio, Chloe Choi, Emma Colacino, Yin Fei, Lucas Glickman, Claire Goldberg, Tuhin Ghosh, Liliana Greyf, Lauren Ho, Hanna Hornfeld, Purvi Jonnalagadda, Oliver Lewis, Rowan Mally, Simon Schackner, Morgan Smith, Arushi Talwar, Katya Tolunsky, Nathan Zelizer, Max Chasin, Alex Lautin, Jillian Lee, Hannah Katzke, Vidhatrie Keetha, Zachary Kurtz, Clio Rao, Ayesha Sen, Emily Salzhauer, Aden Soroca, Emily Sun, Madison Xu Staff Photographers Kelly Troop, Sophie Gordon, Amanda Wein, Emma Colacino, AJ Walker, Lucas Glickman, Lauren Ho Staff Artists Eliza Becker, Felix Brenner, Riva Vig

Issues Editor Adam Frommer Design Lowell Finster John Mauro Sarah Sun

Art Annabelle Chan Gabby Fischberg Lauren Kim Rachel Zhu

Photography Jackson Feigin Julia a Maxwell Shopkorn

Faculty Adviser David Berenson

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

accuracy and contents of The Record and is not liable for any claims based on the contents or views expressed therein.

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

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

Letters Letters to the editor often respond to editorials,

articles, and opinions pieces, allowing The Record to uphold its commitment to open discourse within the school community.

They too represent the opinion of the author and not of The Record or the school. To be considered for publication in the next issue, letters should be submitted by mail (The Record, 231 West 246th Street, Bronx, NY 10471) or email (record@ horacemann.org) before 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening. All submissions must be signed.

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

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THE RECORD NEWS NOVEMBER 13TH, 2020

Community reacts to Biden’s presidential win Emily Sun, Simon Schackner, and Sophia Liu Staff Writers and Contributing Writer At 11:25 a.m. on Saturday, November 9, New York erupted with noise. The Associated Press had declared Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Considering how long the ballot count was taking, the sudden news was shocking, Ricky Lipsey (11) said.

“I heard cheers outside before I even found out,” Avi Kumar (10) said. People honked their cars, banged on pans, yelled out their windows, and danced on the street, he said.

“I saw a lot of people with pride flags; I saw people holding signs for Black Lives Matter,” Kumar said. “I realize that [Biden’s victory] is not just about me: my life might not change, but other people’s lives will.”

The importance of the election made it difficult for Eliza Becker (11) to focus on school, because she kept checking the news, she said. She said she felt relieved when she finally heard the results because she was terrified that Trump could be president again.

A Biden presidency will bring people security, Lipsey said. “It is easier to tell your kids that being a good person matters,” he said.

Associate Director of the Office for Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity Ronald Taylor was concerned that many people thought their lives were at stake in the election. “We as a country should never get to the point where people literally feel that if a leader is not elected, they are not safe and their life does not matter,” he said. “The value of human life should never be on a ballot.”

English teacher Jennifer Huang was glad that she could finally stop worrying about the results on Saturday.

“For the last seven or eight months, there’s been this feeling of ‘I don’t know what the future holds and I can’t plan for it’ because of the pandemic, and

that really wore on me,” Huang said. “Having this measure of certainty is the biggest source of relief.”

Huang’s joy was reflected across the city as people celebrated Biden’s victory of over 77 million popular votes, the most any candidate has won in an American election.

“Every once in a while, New York City comes together in a magical way,” Logan Dracos (11) said.

“This normally happens after some sports event, such as when the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2012.” Despite not being specific to New York, Biden’s win was one of those moments, he said.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris also made history as the first Black and Indian woman in her position.

Taylor said Harris’ success showed the necessity of electing people who reflect the American population. He appreciated when Harris echoed that in her victory speech on Saturday night, saying “while I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last.”

However, President Donald Trump has refused to concede the election. “Everybody is celebrating [in NYC], but according to half the country, Biden has not even won,” Lipsey said. This reality curbed his desire to celebrate.

Upper Division Dean of Faculty Dr. Matthew Wallenfang said while he hopes there will be a peaceful transition of power, he worries this might not be the case when there is a large number of people who believe the election was stolen from Trump.

“From what I’ve seen, it is a position that might be held by a very significant part of those 70 million people who voted for President Trump,” he said. “That, to me, is very sobering as we think about what the next two months are going to look like.”

Additionally, Huang said it is important to note that Biden’s victory does not mean an immediate end to problems in the country.

Coronavirus, climate change, racism, and misogyny continue to exist, Huang said. “There’s a lot of work left to do, such as rooting out systemic

Courtesy of Julian Silverman

CITIZENS CELEBRATE New Yorkers commemorate Biden’s win in a parade. racism — Biden is a step in the right direction, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still going to be racists in America,” she said.

The election alone will not bring the sweeping changes that many people want, Lipsey said. “I have seen so many people become so focused on this election that they forget how the actual government works,” he said.

Biden’s ability to pass policies lies in the fate of the Senate elections, which will be decided by two Georgia runoffs in January. If Republicans maintain control over the Senate, Huang fears branches of government will not collaborate and filibusters will continue to be the norm, she said.

The presidential election made clear the partisan nature of American politics in 2020: over 72 million people voted for Trump and over 77 million for Biden.

However, Biden demonstrated his willingness

to unify the country in his victory speech, Kumar said. “[Biden] said several times that he’ll be a president for all Americans, and it is something that I don’t think Donald Trump would ever say,” he said. “I feel like that’s what separates the two: Donald Trump really believes in partisan divisions, while Joe Biden doesn’t.”

Taylor said the Biden administration must seek to heal not only divisions between political parties but also systemic racial inequities. One example is how the coronavirus harms Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities at disproportionate rates, he said.

“If I were to look at a room and be able to say that everyone in this room is getting the resources that they need so they can access the full rights of a human being that’s worthy of dignity and respect, that’s unity to me,” Taylor said. “Diversity, plus inclusion, plus equity, plus justice equals unity.”

David Leonhardt ‘90 speaks about presidential election at assembly Emma Colacino and Jade Ciriello Staff and Contributing Writers David Leonhardt ‘90 returned to the school during a virtual assembly last Tuesday to analyze factors that contribute to the polls, predictions, and results of elections. After the assembly, Leonhardt held a talk-back during D period. Leonhardt is an editor at The New York Times and currently writes “The Morning” newsletter and contributes to the Times’ Sunday Review Section.

Leonhardt has won multiple awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for commentary, the Gerald Loeb Award for magazine writing, and Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism. During his time at the school, Leonhardt was the Editor-inChief (EIC) of The Record. In college, he was the EIC of the Yale Daily News.

Leonhardt was excited to speak at the school, he said. “I’m not sure any experience has shaped my career as much as my time on The Record,” he said. “I also made lifelong friends at the school. So when HM asks me to do

something, I say yes.”

Leonhardt also spoke at the school in 2016, along with Princeton history and public affairs professor Julian Zelizer, about his predictions for the 2016 election. This year, Leonhardt explained key points that contributed to the outcome of the 2020 election.

One factor he discussed was Trump’s general unpopularity. “He never managed — with a very brief exception of a honeymoon period — to have the support of a majority of Americans,” he said.

Leonhardt displayed multiple graphics that showed Trump’s popularity and unpopularity, the tendency of different states to vote Republican versus Democrat by the New York Times, and a chart showing the popularity of defunding the police, Medicare for All, and Abolishing ICE amongst voters.

Hearing and answering student questions was Leonhardt’s favorite part of the assembly, he said. “It reminded me of a couple of my visits to campus over the last few years, which I found energizing,” he said. “Horace Mann is an exciting place. At its best, it makes Courtesy of UD assembly

LEONHARDT PRESENTS Trump’s popularity from 2016 to 2020.

people hungry to learn, to take ideas seriously and to engage and debate with each other.”

Corey Brooks (11) said it was important to have a professional speak about the future of politics. “As high schoolers, 2024, for the majority of us, will be the first time we are voting,” he said. “By far the most important thing for voting is to be educated, and so getting us excited about the world of politics helps all of us as future voters and adults.”

When he first heard about the assembly, Alex Nagin (11) was looking forward to learning about what he should take into account when analyzing and predicting the outcomes of election, because he is interested in going into politics in the future, he said.

Leonhardt also discussed the demographic shift from the 2016 election to the 2020 election. “I didn’t know a lot about the demographic changes that he talked about,” Nagin said. “For example, how more men of color voted Republican this time and [how] more white voters went to Biden.”

AJ Walker (11) said Leonhardt’s analysis was more detailed than he had anticipated. “I was expecting Leonhardt to just give a simple explanation of why Trump lost the election, but he instead went into depth about the factors that led to the outcome of the election in a way that was very informative to everyone in the room,” Walker said.

Sonia Shuster (12), who introduced Leonhardt at the assembly, said she has always been inspired by Leonhardt’s work and writing — specifically, his morning briefings, she said. “I immediately go and check all these other news outlets, all these other

magazines and journals that reported on it,” she said. “I try to find out all of the facts from many different perspectives, and do my own research.”

Leonhardt’s biggest goal as a journalist is to write clearly, he said.

“Too often as a reader, I struggle to understand the precise information and ideas that an article is trying to convey,” he said. “I’m sure many of my articles have these same weaknesses, but my overriding goal is to avoid them. I imagine my audience as being filled with smart people who know nothing about the topic I’m covering.”

Along with Shuster, Walker said Leonhardt’s discussion inspired him to become more involved with journalism and politics. “Leonhardt definitely inspired me to want to continue writing,” he said. “I agreed completely with the way he defined the purpose of journalism as causing trouble and not being afraid to challenge the institutions around you. Writing and particularly journalism is a wonderful way to critique the system and I’d love to do that if given the chance.”

Alex Rosenblatt (11) said they appreciated that Leonhardt brought attention to the run-off Senate elections in Georgia. “A lot of people think that the election is over, now that Biden has been elected, but it’s not,” they said.

Additionally, Rosenblatt found it important that Leonhardt emphasized the value of civil discourse, especially in communities like a school or a college, they said. “I don’t think anyone should be silenced before they have a chance to speak,” they said. “I think we would both agree that is a problem that plagues institutions like Horace Mann.”

One of Upper Division Library Chair Caroline Bartels’s favorite parts

of the assembly was when Leonhardt pointed out how New Yorkers tend to live in a liberal bubble, she said. “I think it is hard for us, as New Yorkers and as Horace Manners, to understand that there’s this whole big world out there that doesn’t think the way we do,” she said.

Like Bartels, history teacher Barry Bienstock has heard Leonhardt speak before. “He always offers a perceptive, reasonable perspective, so it wasn’t too much in one direction, right or left,” he said. “I think it was an effective assessment of Trump and Biden, and the election. It was incredibly informative.”

Similarly, Brett Karpf (11) thought Leonhardt represented both political parties, and did not limit his analysis to either Republican or Democrat parties, he said.

Brooks, on the other hand, thought that, while Leonhardt was generally impartial, his focus was more on the left. “He is a Democrat, and I think his assessment might have leaned a little more left in the sense that he talked more about hopeful things for Democrats than hopeful things for conservatives,” Brooks said. “Though for Democrats, there is generally more to be excited about and more that will change in the coming years.”

Sasha Snyder (12) said the assembly was a great way to discuss the aftermath of the election with the school community. “He was really well spoken and reasonable in terms of his responses to questions,” she said.

“We hadn’t really come together as a community to respond to the election, and this felt like a good way to do that, in terms of both analyzing the election and looking forward to the future in a relatively accepting and reasonable way.”

5

HORACE MANN FEATURES NOVEMBER 13TH, 2020

faculty of color as “magical” and expecting them

from Faculty Diversity on page 1 to constantly generate work can lead to burnout and lower retention rates, Taylor said.

As experts in their respective divisions, division heads should be responsible for thinking about where exactly each division should improve to meet those four goals, Taylor said. He plans to bring these questions up to the administration soon.

The administration is also working with ICIE on initiatives to help current faculty members think about race, identity, and their impact in the classroom, Taylor said.

Last year, ICIE guided faculty through their monthly discussions of Robin DiAngelo’s book “White Fragility,” a guide to anti-racism written for white people. “The more people diving into this work and taking ownership of it, the more deeply rooted and poignant it will be,” Neuwirth said. “ICIE helps us achieve that goal.”

Earlier this year, ICIE sent out a survey to faculty regarding the work they had done on “White Fragility” to find out what faculty members had not completely understood and built an Equity Chat curriculum based on the survey results.

Equity Chats, which Taylor introduced this year, are optional monthly professional development meetings intended for faculty members to learn and be vulnerable. The first Equity Chat of the year took place on Courtesy of HM Flickr October 20 and focused on anti-racism in the classroom.

Taylor gave a short lesson, after which two MD science teachers, Head of Nursery Division (ND) Marinés Arroyo, and ND Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Chair Samiyrah Kellman shared their personal experiences creating equitable classrooms.

This year, ICIE appointed DEI chairs to each of the school’s divisions. Each of the DEI chairs is also a teacher in their respective division, which allows them to more accurately gauge what every division is doing well and needs to be improved upon, and then share their ideas with ICIE, Taylor said.

LD DEI Chair Gina D’Amico and Kellman both received training from the Seeking Educational Equality and Diversity (SEED) program several years ago and now serve as facilitators for the program. SEED is a national program that trains educators to lead seminars to help their peers learn how to build a more socially just world, according to their website.

Kellman has facilitated the parent SEED program and D’Amico has facilitated the faculty SEED program. They have monthly meetings to engage in discussions about balancing “the scholarship of the self,” which involves one’s own lived experiences, and “the scholarship of the shelf,” which involves history, data, and systems, D’Amico said. This year, the SEED programs are run by MD World Languages Teacher Arni Alvarez and MD English teacher Renyelle Jimenez.

To avoid overwhelming faculty members with events, Taylor holds weekly drop-ins in his office.

During these periods, teachers who want to find ways to make their classrooms more equitable can stop by and work through their questions with Taylor, he said. “The same way we expect [students] to meet with teachers, I expect faculty members to meet with me.”

UD English teacher Jennifer Huang is still figuring out what it means for her to be supportive of her Asian-American students, but she understands the importance of this kind of work, she said. Along with involving herself in the Asian affinity group and East Wind West Wind, a club that promotes discussions about Asian American culture, Huang now teaches

a senior English elective about Asian-American literature.

Growing up, Huang did not have access to educators who looked like her. In fact, it wasn’t until graduate school that she had an Asian-American teacher.

Living in a predominantly white suburb in the Midwest, Huang never thought that her experience as a young Asian woman could — or should — be any different. “I was always trying to figure out where I fit in and how I fit in, or even if I fit in at all,” she said. “Fitting in was always racially coded in a way that wasn’t clear to me as a kid.” Huang is not sure if she would have felt this same way had she had access to educators that could have made her feel less alone.

Scott particularly remembers having one English teacher in high school who was also Black. “In Mr. Daves’ class, we only read ‘Black books,’” she said.

“Students at school would talk badly about him because they thought that Black books were the only things he knew.”

Scott fell prey to this kind of thinking herself. Even so, she adored Mr. Dave’s class. “He was probably one of the most impactful teachers that I had because he really didn’t care what students thought of him — he was like, ‘White teachers, y’all get to choose what y’all want to read, I’m gonna choose what I read.’”

Teachers who reflect a student’s identifiers can be important role models. Trish Tran (10), who is Asian, went to a small, predominantly white and

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

Irish-Catholic middle school, an experience that made them feel ostracized and stereotyped, they said.

UD Visual Arts teacher Mirrie Choi, Tran’s sculpture teacher of two years, showed them that they could be an Asian woman in the arts. Similarly, Huang showed Tran that they can be Asian without an interest in STEM. “You can defy those stereotypes,” they said.

While all teachers, no matter their sexual orientation, should be willing to speak to a queer student about the challenges they face, it is still crucial for students to have role models to relate to, UD English teacher Andrew Fippinger said.

In his first year as a teacher at the school, Fippinger had a student who came to talk to him about personal issues, he said. She was queer and closeted, and she was dealing with issues of anxiety and fear. “Luckily, I was able to form a close bond with that student and I think help her out a lot, but I was also able to point her toward queer female faculty that she could talk to,” he said. “And that’s something that I couldn’t give her, no matter how wonderful or brilliant or empathetic I was.”

Tran is openly using they/them pronouns

in school for the first time this year, something they would not necessarily have had the confidence to do without non-binary role models, they said. “Because of [non-binary teachers], I feel comfortable enough in myself and in this community to experiment,” they said. “That really helped me out of my shell as a nonbinary individual.”

While race plays an undeniably important factor in the relationships Hida chooses to cultivate with her teachers, it is not the only determinant, she said. Hida’s female identity has caused her to gravitate towards women in positions of power. “I am vulnerable with teachers only if I feel comfortable around them,” Hida said. “I don’t want to seem weak in front of someone who doesn’t have a lived experience similar to mine.”

Hida thinks that if the female teachers she has opened up to in the past had not shared her identifiers, she would have been less quick to come to them for help.

During her sophomore year, Kate Bown (12) had four female teachers and only one male teacher. The next year, Bown had four male teachers and only one female teacher. “I felt that there was a sort of understanding that I shared with my teachers in 10th grade that didn’t exist the next year,” Bown said. “The sense of comfort that I had knowing that the people who led my classes had had similar life experiences in regards to gender was no longer present.”

Although the gender distribution of faculty members at the UD is nearly even as of this year, with 53 men and 54 women, the ND and LD faculty is predominantly made up of women. The ND has six male and 28 female faculty members, and the LD has four male and 56 female faculty members.

Out of these four male teachers in the LD, three teach Physical Education (PE). Only one is in the classroom: First Grade assistant teacher Gideon Kahn.

Kahn said more of his male students seek to form close connections with him. “Many seem excited by the prospect of having a male teacher,” he said. “Recently, a young male student told me I was his first ‘boy’ teacher and that it was ‘pretty cool.’”

Whether or not young children in particular have access to mirrors can be influential at such a young age. Fourth Grade Language Arts teacher Nimrita Daswani has seen the impact that she, as a South Asian teacher, has had on South Asian students. She passed by a group of first graders having a mask break outdoors and noticed that one of the students was also South Asian. “I’ve never said hello to her, but she saw me, and I guess she saw a little bit of herself in me, and she gave me the cutest little one-fingered wave ever,” Daswani said. “That just warmed me up. It’s really a special experience for the children to see a part of who they are in their teacher.”

In her 15 years at the school, Daswani has seen the diversity of the LD student body increase significantly, she said. However, she would like to see more diversity among the faculty.

In the 2010-2011 school year, 10 percent of the LD faculty self-identified as POC. That percentage has since doubled to 20 percent. Despite this growth, Daswani still feels that students of color may have difficulty finding teachers who represent their racial identities. “I haven’t come across another Indian teacher in a long time,” she said. “I’m used to it, but there are a lot of Indian kids now, and AfricanAmerican kids. I wish the teachers looked more like New York City, like them.”

A diverse teacher body does not just benefit the students of the institution — it is also important for teachers to have colleagues of various backgrounds, Wilson said. When a new teacher is hired, they bring their unique experiences and ideas to the table. For example, when UD English teacher and Dean of the Class of 2023 Chidi Asoluka first came to the school, none of the English teachers taught Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s book, “Purple Hibiscus”; after Asoluka introduced the book in his first year, other teachers added it to their syllabi. Now, almost half of ninth grade English classes read the novel.

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

6

THE RECORD ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NOVEMBER 13TH, 2020

frights and delights Emily Salzhauer and Serena Bai Staff and Contributing Writers On October 30, the Horace Mann Theatre Company (HMTC) put on a devised theatre production titled “‘Twas the Night Before Halloween.” It was a series of eight vignettes inspired by fear in the world around us, said AJ Walker (11), the assistant director of the show.

Devised theatre means that the plot of the show is developed by all of the cast members, theatre teacher and director of the show Haila VanHentenryck said. “It’s actually a very democratic way to make art,” she said. “One person’s ideas are not more important or more valued than another’s.” Some parts were cut from the original script, but everyone worked together in the editing and filming process.

The vignettes had little in common besides the running theme of fear, cast member Athena Spencer (10) said. Spencer was in two of the eight vignettes, and directed another.

The first vignette she was in was about a group of friends locked in a room who have to find their way out. Along the way, they learn that all of them dislike one another, she said. The second vignette Spencer was in was a parody of a commercial, she said. It was about three friends at odds with each other in a cemetery on Halloween: one of them wants to go home, and the other two think that they’re in a horror movie. Spencer also directed a vignette about three strangers who are put in a breakout room together during online school, where they open up to each other about their deepest fears, she said.

“As an ensemble, we had to constantly work against our own fears in order to get the work done,” VanHentenryck said. “As we learned, fear is good, but too much can be paralyzing.”

Last week, every advisory watched the trailer for the show to raise awareness about the production and garner a larger audience.

“We are doing wonderful, magical things down here in the basement and oftentimes, no one knows about them,” VanHentenryck said. Stage manager Tess Abraham (12) was the editor of the trailer. “From that moment on, it really was her genius creation, and I can take no credit,” VanHentryck said.

Abraham’s role as editor entailed adding

audio and trimming down clips, she said.

Abraham’s main goal was to recreate the humor seen on “The Office,” a popular TV show, she said. She compiled some of the clips that were taken at rehearsal to create the trailer, she said.

Given the school’s two week quarantine in mid-October, students began their rehearsals online, Walker said. Cast members who were learning remotely were able to Zoom into regular rehearsals, he said. At inperson rehearsals, the cast followed strict COVID-19 guidelines, VanHentenryck said.

Cast members wiped down each surface after touching it, did not share costumes or props, and did not sing in rehearsal, she said.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the cast collectively decided that a pre-recorded show streamed on Zoom would be the safest way to perform, VanHentenryck said.

“I had never done a devised production before, and I think I learned a lot from the writing process,” Spencer said.

Although the students decided prerecording the show was the safest option, the experience was still very different from that of performing live for an audience.

The biggest difference between a live audience and a virtual one is the inability to see the audience’s reactions as cast members were performing, Juliette Shang (11) said.

“Part of live theatre is having the audience to read off of, and we don’t get that on Zoom,” Walker said.

“Some major advantages is that prerecording scenes allow the actors to not have to memorize all their linesa Shang said.

“However, overall, I prefer performing in traditional live shows, since I feel like I can perform better and feed off of the audience’s energy."

Courtesy of the HMTC

BOO! One skit from the Halloween show.

Courtesy of the HMTC

NEED SOME HELP? Caesar (Penn Brown) gives advice to Jen (Mantravadi).

Lights, Camera, caesar?

Zachary Kurtz and Sofia Kim Staff and Contributing Writers Last Friday, the Horace Mann Theatre Company (HMTC) entertained the school with a staged reading of the political parody “How to Overthrow your Student Government (in 7 Easy Steps)” by playwright Ian McWethy. The show comments on the differences between authoritarianism and democracy but is set in a high school, which lends it a relatable tone, Emily Sun (10) said.

“With Julius Caesar’s help, high school freshman Jen Belcher ditches democracy for autocracy so she can stage a coup for student body president,” Sun said. “McWethy wrote the play in 2018, but it’s themes of distrust in the media, rigged elections, and false scapegoats make it feel like it was written yesterday.”

HMTC co-president Henry Owens (12) decided to bring the play to the school because he thought it would be enjoyable and timely to do some form of a production related to politics due to the presidential election.

“Based on the title How to Overthrow Your Student Government (in Seven Easy Steps), I was immediately hooked,” he said. “I thought that this would be an interesting way of either framing things, or just giving people a new way of thinking about the election.”

The show had a single one hour rehearsal last Wednesday over Zoom. During the rehearsal, the cast did a full run-through without stopping to perfect everything, Evann Penn Brown (12) said. “It was really just so we kind of could feel how we could play off each other in the Zoom.”

The show was a staged reading, which is usually more relaxed than a full production, theatre teacher Halia VanHentenryck said.

“Outside the one rehearsal, I read through the script a total of probably three times,” Bailey Hecht (10) said. “In the rehearsal, we did not work on specific scenes but rather just did a full on run through.”

Mekhala Mantravadi (11) said this staged

reading was different from her usual experiences in theatre, where each play is extremely rehearsed and perfected before the performance.

“This was just kind of get the script, read it, and see what happens,” she said. “And I think that’s another type of theatre that was fun too.”

Working on Zoom has changed the dynamic of theatre for the HMTC, as performing on stage is very different from performing on Zoom, VanHentenryck said. “You sort of just have to go big with your own character, and then trust that people are there and are understanding and are getting it and are loving it.”

There are some benefits to Zoom, Athena Spencer (10) said. For example, a performer can turn their cameras off and have the chance to watch the show through the lens of the audience.

“When you’re doing a live show usually when you’re not on stage, you’re sort of far away from the stage so you can’t really see what’s going on.”

The HMTC has done a great job of adapting the productions to the pandemic, Mantravadi said. “Especially with the Shenanigan Shows and ‘Twas the Night Before Halloween, they’re making it work, which is really wonderful and really inspiring.”

The audience found the show to be a very positive experience that ran seamlessly, Louise Kim (10) said. “It gave us a moment to laugh about politics during the tumultuous election season.”

“Theatre is very cathartic,” Mantravadi said.

“People see themselves and the world around them in theatre, and that’s what makes it so wonderful.” She said people reached out to her after the show saying that it “made their weekend” and that it put a smile on their faces during a distressing political situation.

“It was just nice to get with a group of people who wanted to be silly and make the Horace Mann community laugh,” Mantravadi said. “On the surface level, [comedy is] very easy to laugh at, but the more you think about it, it’s revealing of the society you’re in and your own humanity.”

Orchestra pre-records winter concert Etta Singer Contributing Writer Three cameras panned the scene in Gross Theatre, capturing the music played by eager musicians, as the HM Orchestra recorded its semester virtual concert last Monday. Though it was the first time the whole orchestra played together all year, the modified concert ran smoothly, violinist James Grant (11) said.

The recording took place in Gross Theatre instead of the Recital Hall, where the orchestra typically rehearses, to ensure social distancing. Due to class size restrictions and the school’s COVID-19 protocols, the 65 student orchestra never had the chance to rehearse as an entire group before the afternoon of the recording. Instead, the upperclassmen and underclassmen rehearsed during separate F and H period classes. “It’s always a little different to play with other people, but it could have gone a lot worse,” violinist Alejandro Espejel (11) said.

Remote learners, such as violinist Maeve Goldman (9), who was quarantined because a student on her bus had contracted COVID-19, did not get to be a part of the group recording. Instead, they needed to record on their own time, she said.

The recording will replace an in-person annual holiday concert and will be released to the school along with all the videos from the other ensembles on Wednesday, December 16. The orchestra had to record before the school moves to HM Online 2.0 after Thanksgiving break, as they are the only group recording in person. “We had a whole month less to prepare so maybe the piece wasn’t as good as we could have made it,” cellist Ana Melián (12) said. Students were nervous to play together as a whole orchestra for the first time, but ultimately, the concert went well, she said.

Usually, the orchestra has a much longer performance, but this time they only prepared and recorded two pieces, violinist Yui Hasegawa (10) said. The first was a movement from a classical Mozart composition, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. “[The piece] is very well known so everyone has a general sense of melody,” Hasegawa

said. Orchestra Director Nathan Hetherington is known for his unique song choices for his orchestras, but this year he went with a more traditional approach so that everything could run efficiently, she said.

Though the repertoire looks different this year, the orchestra still upheld traditions with its second piece, the Toy Symphony, which they perform annually. “The Toy Symphony is something to look forward to every year,” violist Stella Cha (12) said. Every year, the seniors have solos on toy instruments while everyone else accompanies them. The Toy Symphony is more for the seniors than for anyone else, but everyone knows they will eventually be the one in the spotlight, which is why it’s such a fun tradition, Espejel said.

This year, the seniors will film their toy parts separately, but they rehearsed as a group on Wednesday. “It’s not the same without the toys,” Melián said. Melián feels that part of what makes the Toy Symphony tradition so special is how “funny” the toys are.

The social distancing requirements also changed the dynamic of the ensemble. Hearing what other people are playing is an important part of performing well as a group, Cha said. Because of the distancing, some of the usual cohesion of the ensemble was lost.

“I had to make an extra effort to look at the conductor in order to be sure that I was always in the right place,” Melián said.

The actual video will be more like a movie than any previous online concerts, with edited takes from three of the cameras that were present at Monday’s recording, violinist Ella Shaham (9) said.

The orchestra was split by instrument with the violas and violins split strategically in the front section of Gross and the cellos wrapped around in the aisles. One camera was set up on the stage, a second panned back and forth from the stage, and the third moved through the audience. Music teacher Dr. Amir Khosrowpour said the camera crew for the video is the same group that filmed the virtual graduation in the spring and virtual homecoming earlier this school year. The sound was arranged by music teacher Doug Epstein who has been a sound engineer for decades.

“The original plan was to film each section separately,”

Khosrowpour said. Khosrowpour’s first idea was to have Hetherington listenw to a click track while conducting each section of instruments so he could conduct at the same tempo everytime. “We tried it out in rehearsal and that was a total disaster,” Khosrowpour said. Finally, they decided that the best way for the music to translate was to have all of the orchestra members in the same place at once.

With the current circumstances, Espejel said he couldn’t have imagined a better way to format this concert. “It’s not how we usually play,” he said. “But there is really nothing you can do about it.” Last year, each of the students in a musical ensemble had to record separately for their spring performances. This was an improvement over that because the entire orchestra came together and recorded as one, Grant said.

Not only is playing as a group amazing for the orchestra within the school community, but also in the broader musical world, Melián said. The orchestra has a unique opportunity to play as a group, which many professional musicians aren’t even able to do now, she said. “We’re so lucky to get to practice and play together.”

Rachel Zhu/Art Director

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HORACE MANN MIDDLE DIVISION AND LIONS’ DEN MAY 15TH, 2020 NOVEMBER 13TH, 2020

Khan brings Restorative Practice program to MD Claire goldberg Staff Writer Middle Division (MD) faculty members have started to adopt Restorative Practices (RP) 2.0, a program that aims to foster a healthy learning environment and build relationships between members of a community, Dean of the Class of 2025 Michelle Amilicia said. The program began last June, and there will be two more faculty training sessions throughout the school year.

Head of MD Javaid Khan, who introduced the program to the school, said RP is much more than a disciplinary program. Khan first used RP at The Bank Street School for Children, where he was the Head of the Upper School (Grades 5-8). He was acutely aware of punitive practices that were occurring at public schools that disproportionately affected students of color, he said.

“We know that the rate of suspension and expulsion in kindergarten for black and brown children is larger than any other population,” he said. “Why are you seeing a five or a six year old as a threat that has to be removed from a classroom? It’s almost like the school is giving up on a four or five year old.”

Khan realized something was needed to build that kid up — and RP does just that, he said. After seeing its efficacy in practice, Khan decided to incorporate it into the MD when he became the head of the division.

The program does not require abandoning the current way in which teachers interact with students, but rather growing in a new direction towards more healthy relationships, MD Dean of Faculty Eva Abbamonte said.

“Restorative Practice is a way of reimagining how we interact with each other as a

community,” she said. “It’s important for all members of our community, grown-ups and students alike, to be able to speak effectively and listen to each other deeply.”

To capture the essence of RP, Khan offered an example of a student demonstrating problematic behavior: first, the student is disrupting their class, so the teacher moves the student’s seat. The student continues to cause trouble, so the teacher then decides to call home. Finally, the student gets so frustrated that they “slug” the teacher in the head, and now the problem has escalated, he said.

“If you think about the problem in terms of discipline, then you’re only thinking about what to do when the kid slugs the teacher in the head,” he said. “But the reality of RP is figuring out what to do to make sure that child does not slug the teacher in the first place.”

While the school most likely will not have problems with students “slugging a teacher in the head,” malicious behavior in a chat, exclusion at the lunch tables, and isolating friends from a friend group are more common, Khan said. If teachers begin to teach their students RP behavior in practice, then it will hopefully build the foundation of a community where students can address these issues amongst each other, identifying the harm and repairing it so that the conflict does not escalate to the point where teachers have to call home, he said.

On October 20, all MD teachers attended an RP training session over Zoom for an hour and a half.

The session was taught by Dr. Ryan Fenderson, an instructor and Coach at International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP), who specializes in “establishing positive culture and climate,” according to the IIRP website.

The training aimed to teach faculty members about how they can use RP in their classrooms, advisories, and when they interact with their colleagues, Abbamonte said. “It was a good opportunity to revisit some of the core principles of RP, like effective statements where you speak from the ‘I’ perspective,” she said.

At the session, faculty members learned about different tools they can use to deal with conflict resolution, Spanish teacher Arni Álvarez said. For example, faculty members learned what vocabulary they should use to confront an issue with students or other

colleagues in a productive and caring way, he said.

A particular phrase that is key to conflict resolution is “for you,” Khan said. RP teaches that to enable people to articulate what they are experiencing, you need to know what questions to ask. Khan combined this takeaway from his Stanley King Institute training with his experience with RP in prompting teachers to ask, “What was that experience like for you?” which creates space for others to share their feelings and experiences.

At the session, Fenderson talked about the power of circles in creating healthy relationships between faculty and students, Amilicia said. Teachers learned about the “Circle Technique,” which is a method of engaging in restorative practices, she said.

“When you sit in a circle, one is more vulnerable,” she said. Vulnerability is the key to breaking down walls between teachers and students, and repairing relationships, she said.

Many teachers are already using restorative practices but do not know it, Amilicia said. However, this program will only reinforce these practices and help teachers strengthen their skills, she said.

Teachers will not be told to abandon methods that they are already practicing, but they will be prompted to incorporate new ones, Álvarez said.

The Upper Division has also expressed interest in incorporating RP, Khan said.

“We’re in contact as a school about what this could look like on each grade level of each division,” he said. “So we’re going to try to incorporate [RP] so that everyone gets the same beautiful learning.”

Lauren Kim/Art Director

Fall sports teams complete season amidst COVID-19 Aden Soroca and Max Chasin Staff Writers COVID-19 guidelines set by the school and the New York state government determined how each fall sports team needed to practice to ensure a safe, successful season. “I did not know what to expect before the season began, but I am very grateful we all had the opportunity to enjoy an incredibly positive season,” Girls Soccer Coach Tim Sullivan said.

Players and coaches on all sports teams except for water polo were required to wear masks and maintain a minimum distance of six feet from each other at all times, and each team additionally implemented its own specific protocols. Field Hockey Coach Caroline Surhoff changed the way that team members competed against each other. “The players played in small sided games with modified rules and conditions,” she said. “Players were only allowed to use half of the field, and they were not allowed to dribble or complete a one touch pass.”

The Water Polo team limited the amount of people allowed on the pool deck and in the water at one time, and there was never any contact in the water, Coach Michael Duffy said.

Boys Soccer Coach Greg Quilty said the team focused solely on individual skills, ball skills, and fitness for the first two weeks. “Everybody had to social distance 12 feet, so we had 12 foot boxes set up around the field and every player had their own ball in their own square,” Quilty said.

Quilty was pleased with the way that his players improved over the course of the season, he said. “Skill wise and teamwork wise they did improve, but just getting out on the field allowed

the camaraderie between them to strengthen,” Quilty said.

Chris Robinson (12), a member of the Boys Varsity Soccer team, said that homecoming was the biggest loss of the season.

“As a senior, it was rough accepting that we wouldn’t be able to showcase our talent in front of the school and parents,” he said. “We also didn’t have the ability to be recognized for being seniors on the team like we would have during homecoming.

Nevertheless, the season was still fun, and with the time we were given, productive.”

Duffy was pleased with the way his players adapted to the changes, he said. “Things were constantly changing, and I was so appreciative of the positive attitude that everybody showed.”

Jaelah Taylor (10), a member of the Girls Volleyball team, believes that she improved during the season. “I don’t think I improved a lot physically from volleyball, but I think I improved at being a leader and coaching since I had to help the freshman a lot,” she said.

Taylor said she always tried to lead by example. “I would try to make sure I was at practice early, and if I ever saw a person struggling with a certain skill, I would give them tips so they can take a step towards succeeding,” she said.

The water polo season helped Ari Salsberg (12) improve his technique and got him into better shape for the upcoming swim season. “I certainly did not improve as much as I would have during a regular season, but it was a step in the right direction,” he said. Salsberg said that in order to truly play the sport and improve, athletes need to compete, which is not possible at the moment.

Both players and coaches were upset by their inability to

compete against other schools. Surhoff said one of the biggest challenges of the season was that athletes could not assess how much they improved because of the inability to play against other teams.

The Girls Tennis Team competed through intramural games and participated in an intersquad tournament at the end of the season, team member Emily Weidman (9) said.

Football Captain Jonas Jacobson (12) said Football Coach Matthew Russo and Football Coach Ron Beller did an incredible job with the resources that they had in order to make the practices productive. “We started off each practice with our daily warmup and then went into technique drills.

We’d then end off the day by playing a game of the flag football tournament,” he said. “The flag football was a hit, we were able to keep everybody engaged, have fun, and really see people play football, it’s really nice to get out and play,” Beller said.

Sullivan worried about keeping the Girls Soccer team invested and focused during practices considering there would be no games or playoffs, he said. However, his seniors kept the team focused throughout the season. “The team worked the same way they would if it was a regular season,” Sullivan said.

“I was very proud of the [players’] effort and attitude.”

Soccer co-Captain Vivien Sweet (12) recognized the difficulty of staying motivated in a season with no clear end goals or games to look forward to, she said. However, Sweet thought that the competitive nature of their practices was able to get their spirits up.

Record Sports

LIONS’ DEN NOVEMBER 13TH, 2020

Audrey Carbonell Contributing Writer

SWIM

This season, only 16 out of the 44 total members on the Upper Division (UD) Boys and Girls Varsity Swim teams attend each practice. Athletes attend practices two to three times a week, Girls Swim Coach Thatcher Woodley said. Only eight people will swim in the pool at a time, he said. When they’re not swimming, athletes exercise on the pool deck. The athletes use equipment such as a vasa trainer, stretch cords, and medicine balls in order to improve their technique and strength, he said.

The practices are rotated on a schedule, so everyone has an opportunity to swim with each other, Girls Swim Coach Caroline Shannon said. Every practice is broken down either by grade or gender, with 45 minutes of swimming and 45 minutes of dry land exercises, she said. Because of this schedule, Shannon believes that the team will still have the ability to become familiar with each other, she said.

Even with this schedule, the team’s community may not be as strong as it was last year. The swim culture will be negatively affected since the practices are divided this year, Nina Gaither (12) said. The team has always been very tight-knit, but the atmosphere might be more distant this year, she said.

When virtual practices begin after Thanksgiving, the team will watch presentations, participate in physical training, and attend team-bonding activities, Woodley said.

The team is still looking forward to this season, Lucas Glickman (11) said. “I’m just excited to get back into the pool,” he said. Glickman is excited for potential virtual meets where the coaches will time the team’s individual events. These meets most likely will occur after HM Online 2.0, he said.

Gisella Fischberg Contributing Writer

BASKETBALL

P O RT

W I N TE R

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

FENCING

This season, the Upper Division (UD) Varsity Fencing team will not be fencing. However, the team will still meet and find different ways to exercise and participate in athletic activities, co-Captain Samantha Tsai (12) said. “It’ll mostly be conditioning, watching old matches, discussing techniques, and other things, because we need to comply with the school’s rules and the USFA rules,” she said. While Tsai said she is upset that the team won’t be able to fence, she understands that safety is the biggest priority.

While co-Captain Rachel Zhu (12) would have preferred for the team to fence at least once a week, she recognizes that the team must comply with the school’s rules, she said.

“The practices are going to be very limited,” Arman Azmi (10) said. Azmi was told that the team cannot fence because it requires too much contact.

Azmi hopes to keep in shape while on HM Online 2.0, even though it is harder to stay motivated.

He doesn’t fence out of school, so his only method of staying fit this winter will be the team workouts over Zoom and his own training, he said. “It hasn’t been decided yet, but we’ll most likely have Zoom practices two times a week,” Azmi said.

Even with all of the restrictions on the activities that the team can participate in, Zhu is still excited to meet more people on the team, as there won’t be any cuts, she said.

Ella Shaham Contributing Writer

TABLE TENNIS

Hannah Katzke and Clio Rao Staff Writers

Since the Table Tennis team is composed of only 10 members, everybody will be able to practice at once, Coach Caroline Surhoff said. This year, the team will work out 12 feet apart. They will stay distanced while not in play, and personal belongings will be kept away from others, Surhoff said. Practices will still happen every day, she said.

However, the team has already made plans to hold running practices when the school switches to HM Online 2.0 after Thanksgiving. “We could work on spins, HIIT workouts, and watch instructional videos,” Surhoff said.

Captain Leonardo Hess (11) understands the challenges that will come with the team’s practices taking place over Zoom, he said. “It will be hard to stay motivated online, especially when we can’t have fun playing and hanging out,” he said.

Jiya Chatterjee (10), whose brother Jiyon Chatterjee (10) is also on the Table Tennis team, will be able to continue practicing her skills with him while school is online, she said. Her goal for the season is to keep working on her technique by watching the online materials that Surhoff will give the team.

Although the pandemic will play a large role in the season, Hess still remains hopeful that playing table tennis will allow for him to temporarily separate himself from the world, he said.

T DAP S A

Malcolm Furman Contributing Writer

SKI

Amidst the challenges of COVID-19, the Upper Division (UD) Varsity Ski team has found some normalcy in their practices.

As is typical for the team, until Thanksgiving, their hour-long practices will consist of dynamic stretching and running on Four Acres, as well as cycling and weight training in the gym, Ski Coach Rawlins Troop said.

After Thanksgiving, the team will stretch and perform resistance workouts two to three times a week for 30 minutes, a departure from the team’s typical practices every day. Athletes will be sent home with jump ropes and, hopefully, arm bands, Troop said.

“It will be weird to be working out at home, on carpet and with my dogs running around,” Jordan Wasserberger (11) said.

Competitions are held at the National Winter Activity Center in New York and Campgaw Mountain in New Jersey, and the team goes to Stratton, Vermont every year to practice and bond, Lucas Correia (11) said. However, the trip to Stratton will not happen this year, Troop said. He hopes the team will be able to participate in on-snow competitions starting in January.

Although the season will be different, Troop and the team hope that they will be able to get as much out of it as possible. “There’s always the hope for improvement,” Correia said. “It will be as good as it can be.”

S

Despite the setbacks caused by COVID-19, the Upper Division (UD) Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball teams have been practicing in-person under the social distancing guidelines.

The Boys and Girls Basketball teams have made several modifications to their routines in order to maintain social distancing. For the girls team, there is no varsity and junior varsity team this year, Girls Basketball Coach Ray Barile said.

Rather, there is just one girls’ team, which is split up into two groups, and only one group practices in the gym at a time, Sareena Parikh (11) said.

Players mostly work on skills that can be practiced individually, such as shooting and dribbling, as they are not allowed to share balls. “The team aspect of basketball is getting taken away,” Parikh said.

The boys’ team is also split into two groups, Boys Basketball Coach Tony Wright said. Each group practices for 15 minutes at a time, working on conditioning. When players’ groups are not practicing, they must be in study hall.

Despite the teams’ diligent efforts, Barile is disappointed with the limitations imposed on the teams this season. “It’s not real basketball,” he said.

The teams have no plans to compete as of now, but Barile hopes for opportunities to play against other teams later into the season, he said. “We’re just focused on becoming better basketball players individually to keep that momentum going for the future,” Barile said.

Cecilia Coughlin Contributing Writer

SQUASH

“The first priority is to keep everybody safe,” Boys Squash Coach Ron Beller said of the squash season this year. The team will not play squash, although practices occur daily on Alumni Field, where athletes maintain social distancing guidelines by keeping 12 feet apart, wearing masks, and limiting use of equipment, Beller said.

The Boys and Girls teams each have 12-14 players, and they practice separately almost every day after school, co-Captain Daanyal Agboatwalla (12) said. “Practices are generally the same for both teams: fitness work, strength work, conditioning, and team-building activities,” he said.

“Our goal this year is to get everybody bigger, stronger, faster, and overall more physically fit for their health and for squash,” Beller said.

The COVID-19 precautions pose challenges to building relationships between players, co-Captain Kush Malhotra (12) said. Team-building is the most important thing for him, he said.

This focus on the chemistry of the team and fitness training are guided towards the possibility of playing matches after the break in top shape while having fun, Agboatwalla said.

After Thanksgiving, the team plans to continue practices online. The boys team plans to have active discussions and debates about squash, break down game videos, and occasionally do fitness workouts, Beller said. “We’re just going to use [the online practices] as an educational tool to help kids learn the sport of squash,” he said.

WRESTLING Jiya Chatterjee Contributing Writer

Due to social-distancing rules, the Upper Division (UD) Varsity Wrestling team is unable to wrestle this year. “I am excited to see what the coaches have cooked up for us when we can’t actually wrestle,” Alex Rosenblatt (11) said.

Everyone attends each practice, but only six team members can be in the wrestling room at a time, Coach Gregg Quilty said. The room is used for solo exercises on mats and shadow wrestling. The other team members are on Alumni Field, doing workouts that don’t require mats. Quilty plans to lead drills and watch technique videos with the team when school is online, he said.

Competitions are cancelled for winter 2020, and Quilty is waiting for the New York State guidelines for January and February, 2021.

As wrestling this season seems unlikely, Captain Liam Futterman (12) is worried about getting to know new team members this season. “Wrestling is a very intimate sport – during a regular season, we would be together every day, wrestling one another and getting to know each other,” he said.

Rosenblatt said team bonding is important this year because student meets are limited. “No matter what happens, we will always be the HM Wrestling Family.”

Alexandra Yao Contributing Writer

INDOOR TRACK

This year, the Upper Division (UD) Girls and Boys Varsity Indoor Track teams will be practicing outdoors.

Normally, the teams train separately at the Armory Track and Field Center, but this year, the girls team will train at Four Acres Field. On rainy days, they will practice on equipment such as spin bikes and treadmills in the fitness center, Girls Indoor Track Coach RJ Harmon said. The boys team will alternate between Van Cortlandt Park and the fitness center, depending on their scheduled time slots, Julian Kepnes (11) said. Both teams will practice the usual five times a week, Harmon said.

“With the masks, it’ll be harder to breathe, so we’ll need to take more breaks,” Captain Lauren Gay (12) said.

After Thanksgiving, the teams will hold virtual practices. The boys team will likely be working out over Zoom, Kepnes said.

The teams will be doing conditioning, including independent work-outs and dynamic and static stretching, Harmon said. “Our two seniors will also lead the team in some fun activities,” Harmon said.

“We’re meeting on Zoom once a week, and our coach wants it to be more of a social dynamic thing,” Gay said.

The teams will not be competing interscholastically, Gay said. However, Harmon hopes that one of the runners will compete in an independent track and field competition at the Armory. “We will train like it’s a season and try to make the best of a difficult season,” he said.

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