The Horace Mann Record, Issue 13

The Horace Mann Record HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903

JANUARY 11TH, 2019 || VOLUME 116, ISSUE 13

PA hosts all-school dinner for parents Jude Herwitz Staff Writer

At the Parent Association (PA) dinner this Wednesday, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly discussed changes and achievements in each of the divisions, urged parents to contribute to the Annual Fund and HM in Motion, and warned about potential risks posed to students by a constant overload of information from social media.

Around 400 parents attended the event, which was held in the Cohen Dining Commons and also featured speeches by Chairman of the Board of Trustees Michael Colacino ‘75 P’22 and PA President Grace Peak.

Peak and Danielle Stennett-Neris P’19 discussed upcoming events in which parents can get involved, and Andrea Madaio P’23 advertised the upcoming Annual Benefit.

Colacino summarized the responsibilities and successes of the Board of Trustees and gave an update on HM in Motion.

“It’s hard to imagine a day or night wherein members of the PA aren’t involved with or informed of what’s going on at HM,” Kelly said. “In the most respectful and appreciative of ways, the PA represents a huge part of our fan base and our systems of operation.”

Part of the importance of the PA is that a more engaged parent body leads to higher overall student performance, Colacino said.

“There have been decades of

studies showing that parental involvement is directly correlated to student performance, and we should do everything we can to enhance and encourage that. The PA is the primary vehicle for doing this, and the volunteer efforts of the parents are an essential element of the fabric of HM,” he said.

One of the goals of the PA is to help new families integrate into the community, Peak said. Many events are hosted in the fall to introduce new families to the school for every division.

At the dinner, PA representatives greeted new families and helped them engage with the rest of the PA, Upper Division PA co-Chair Cecile Caer P’19 P’21 P’24 said.

“If [new families] haven’t had an opportunity to mix with the PA, we’re going to help them navigate the evening,” she said.

Katherine Cohen P’25 said that she attended the event to get a sense of and become acclimated to the school community.

“Especially as a new parent, it’s important to understand the state of the school and the direction it’s heading,” she said.

The PA also runs an array of events throughout the year which raise money for financial aid and the Student Assistance Fund, support teachers, and help promote diversity and inclusion, Peak said.

Courtesy of Prasad Palla

PARENT SQUAD Ramya Gowda P’19 and Amita Kalra P’18 P’20 pose at the event.

RECORD.HORACEMANN.ORG

Andrew Cassino/Staff Photographer

IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD Original cast of Sophisticated Ladies speak to the community about the upcoming show.

HMTC and HMDC host Sophisticated Ladies Open House Eddie Jin Staff Writer For the first time, the Horace Mann Theater Company (HMTC) and Horace Mann Dance Companies (HMDC) held an Open House to introduce their spring production Sophisticated Ladies, a musical revue of Duke Ellington’s music.

The Open House ran from 3:20 to 5:00 p.m. yesterday, featuring sing-alongs and discussions with two members of the show’s original Broadway cast: Adrian Bailey and Leslie Dockery. The event included a rendition of Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing”, an audience Q&A session, and a short dance combination.

Since Sophisticated Ladies originally had a cast that was predominantly people of color, HMTC and HMDC leaders have been approaching the event cautiously, HMDC co-President Allison DeRose (12) said.

To open discussion and raise awareness, company leadership decided to hold an Open House, HMTC co-President Ben Rosenbaum (12) said. DeRose, along with HMDC and HMTC leadership

had been planning the Open House since the week before winter break, she said.

The early planning is to “address these [controversial] issues before the production,” Rosenbaum said.

The clubs’ leadership met with the Office for Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity (ICIE) in order to discuss certain scenes, increase diversity, motivate people to join the show, and run it without a majority people of color cast, DeRose said.

“I don’t think that theater and dance properly represent how diverse the HM student body is. All the club co-presidents and leaders have been working on that; trying to increase diversity. Since the original cast is so diverse, I hope that our cast is a good representation of the forward thinking of the original show,” DeRose said.

Head of the Theatre and Dance Department Alison Kolinski has a positive outlook on these discussions, she said.

“Theater is meant to invoke discussion. It’s meant to make you think, and it’s good that we are,” Kolinski said.

Nonetheless, the production is open to all members of the school.

The libretto explicitly states that the cast should be racially mixed and extend to “anyone and everyone who ‘Rocks to the Beat of the Duke,’” Kolinski said.

Though it involves complex concepts such as race, Sophisticated Ladies was chosen primarily for the artistic aspects, Kolinski said.

The production covers many distinct genres of dance including ballroom, tap, ballet, and lyrical.

Every four years, the HMDC organizes a main stage dance concert and one was planned for 2019, but Kolinski and DiRenzo decided to hold a joint production with actors and dancers alike, dance teacher Denise DiRenzo said.

“Duke Ellington music… you don’t understand how special that music is,” Bailey said. “If I had a time machine and could go back and do this show, I would.”

The Open House provided an opportunity for prospective performers to get advice from original cast members.

“The only person you can be is you. Your competition not only in the performing world but in life is you,” Bailey said.

Hickerson creates a zen space for faculty and staff Griffin Smith/Staff Photographer

INSIDE

LIFE OF THE MIND Caitlin Hickerson leads meditation.

Bradley Bennett Staff Writer This year, history teacher Caitlin Hickerson created the Faculty and Staff Meditation and Relaxation Program, an initiative intended to bring a yoga and relaxation practice to the community’s staff.

The meditation sessions are available biweekly after school, beginning with gentle stretching and moving into a ten minute relaxation or mindfulness session.

Hickerson started the initiative after completing a 500-hour yoga certification, aiming to “create a quiet, calm, nurturing, and supportive space that allows the

faculty and staff members to let go of their many responsibilities for a few moments,” she said.

The program is open to all of the school’s faculty, including Middle and Upper Division teachers, the Physical Education department, the cafeteria service, and maintenance workers.

Because all students already have access to yoga instruction, Hickerson created the adult-only program to create a safe space for teachers to momentarily relax their responsibilities, she said.

“There is a great deal of pressure on teachers to perform, make decisions in the moment, and care for others, so it’s important that teachers take time for self-care,” Hickerson said.

Immigrant Dream MD Club Update

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Ericka Familia discusses American perceptions of immigration.

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Students discuss the social justice, science olympiad, and debate clubs.

“Allowing teachers to destress targets one segment of the community, but if the teachers are more relaxed, the community can benefit as a whole,” psychologist Ian Pervil said.

“I enjoy creating the calm space here at Horace Mann and supporting my colleagues, who I respect so highly,” Hickerson said.

Many teachers, including mathematics teacher Tom Petras, English teacher Ira Brodsky and Eighth Grade Class Dean Carlos Aguilar, have been active participants in the program.

“Ms. Hickerson is very good at creating a calming and relaxing environment,” Petras said. “We do a little bit of stretching and

Winter Sports

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Varsity Fencing and Winter Track roar in the season so far.

then a guided meditation, which is really calming in a place that’s usually very frenetic.”

“The afternoon that I participate in the program, I always leave feeling that I’ve reset myself at the end of the school day,” he said.

While shorter sessions are more conducive to faculty schedules, Hickerson hopes to offer a larger variety of more frequent sessions to accommodate more members, she said.

“I can’t overstate the benefit of finding time and space to introduce relaxation into your life,” Pervil said. “This program is just another way to introduce relaxation to lives of a lot of people who need it,” he said.

@hm.record @thehoracemannrecord Horace Mann School 231 W 246th St, Bronx, NY 10471

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THE RECORD OPINIONS JANUARY 11TH, 2019

Reconstructing our notion of immigration

Ericka Familia As a first generation Latina American, immigration issues tend to strike me more than most other topics in the news.

Although both of my parents were fortunate enough to attain American citizenship fairly quickly, I often think about how drastically different my life would be if my parents had not been able to become citizens or had chosen not to emigrate. If I had not grown up in this country, I would not have even close to all of the opportunities I do today. My parents have made sure to often tell my siblings and I that that they wouldn’t trade our lives in the United States. for anything they could have had in the Dominican Republic.

Immigration is currently one of the most pressing issues in the US. The migrant caravan, part of which recently reached the US’s southern border, has given people a platform to express their anti-immigrant views. President Donald Trump has created an incredibly harmful image of immigrant families fleeing extreme violence and poverty from countries with the world’s worst organized crime rates. What he forgets to acknowledge is that organized crime affects the individual citizens of these countries, citizens who are most often those that flee in attempt to achieve a better life in America. He often claims that these people intend to “invade” our country. This harmful language suggests that immigrants are intentionally coming to the US for violent purposes. Can one honestly believe that thousands of underprivileged families in distress actually plan to attack

our country? What so many people like Trump fail to realize is that the majority of these immigrants are parents with young children. They have had to leave nearly everything behind to seek safer and higher quality lives in the US—I don’t know about you, but if that were my situation, I surely would not be “planning to attack.”

Most of these immigrants wish to enter the country peacefully, by applying for asylum. However, this process takes six months or longer and includes extensive paperwork and interviews. In this process, the family has to provide suitable documentation as evidence that they are facing violence or persecution in their home countries. Coming to the US “legally,” as advocated by Trump and so many others, can take up to 10 years depending on the method. Unfortunately, families in need of immediate protection cannot afford to wait this long. In most cases, the

Trump has frequently called out immigrants, specifically Hispanics, as drug dealers, gang members, rapists, and criminals. Not only are these unjust generalizations, but they are also statistically inaccurate facts.

are also statistically inaccurate facts. Countless studies have shown that there is no direct correlation between immigration and crime rates, including a study by the Cato Institute published earlier this year. This study found that “native-born residents were much more likely to be convicted of a crime than immigrants in the country legally or illegally.” In fact, another study “concluded that not only does illegal immigration not increase crime, but it may actually contribute to the drop in overall crime rates observed in the US in recent decades.”

Harmful labels against immigrants, especially Hispanics, being propagated by the president of the US have a detrimental effect on how immigrants are viewed in this country. I ask that we be conscious of the language we use when referring to immigrants. Simple changes like saying “undocumented,” rather than illegal can have a significant impact on the way those around us perceive immigrants. Remember that all that separates undocumented immigrants from us is a piece of paper. Make a profound effort to challenge your own and others’ perceptions of people like many of my family members, who are simply chasing the highly-regarded “American Dream.” Strive to change negative notions about immigrants. In order for this dream to become accessible to everyone wishing to thrive here in America, we as the future generation of leaders must change our attitudes.

person wishing to immigrate would require a sponsor, usually a family member already living in the US. The sponsor vouches for their good behavior and manages the paperwork associated with the sponsorship process in the US. I have experienced this process first-hand, and the apprehension and restlessness that comes with it, as my mom sponsored her sister about twelve years ago. Only just a few months ago, after over eleven years, my aunt and cousins were finally able to come to the US. Trump has frequently called out immigrants, specifically Hispanics, as drug dealers, gang members, rapists, and criminals. Not only are these unjust generalizations, but they

Record Cartoon

By Katie Goldenberg

Gabby Fischberg/ Staff Artist

Volume 116 Editorial Board Managing Editor Betsey Bennett

Editor in Chief Lynne Sipprelle

Features Abby Kanter Megha Nelivigi

News Katie Goldenberg Surya Gowda

Lions’ Den Natasha Stange Brody McGuinn William Han

Photography Abigail Kraus Ahaan Palla Jake Shapiro

Faculty Adviser David Berenson

Issues Editor Sadie Schwartz

Opinions Rebecca Siegel Abigail Goldberg-Zelizer Art Directors Juli Moreira Jackson Roberts

Middle Division Sandhya Shyam

A&E Peri Brooks Jeren Wei Design Editors Allison DeRose Caroline Kaplan

Online Editor Henry Wildermuth

Staff Writers Malhaar Agrawal, Laura Bae, Andrew Cassino, Mayanka Dhingra, Victor Dimitrov, Amelia Feiner, Mark Fernandez, Nelson Gaillard, Leonora Gogos, Jude Herwitz, Edwin Jin, Spencer Kahn, Samuel Keimweiss, Gabrielle Kepnes, Suraj Khakee Madison Li, Noah Phillips, Eliza Poster, Julia Robbins, Kiara Royer, Abigail Salzhauer, Ranya Sareen, Nishtha Sharma, Griffin Smith, Benjamin Wang, Robbie Werdiger, Simon Yang, Isabella Zhang, Bradley Bennett, Sogona Cisse, Jack Crovitz, Jackson Feigin, Adam Frommer, Andie Goldmacher, Marina Kazarian, John Mauro, Henry Owens, Emily Shi, Samuel Singer, Sasha Snyder, Vivien Sweet, Natalie Sweet, Joshua Underberg, Talia Winiarsky Staff Photographers Eva Fortunato, Iliana Dezelic, Griffin Smith, Harrison Haft, Andrew Cassino, Julia Isko, Julia Robbins, Daniel Lee, Ava Merker Staff Artists Elizabeth Fortunato, Alexandra Crotty, Gabrielle Fischberg, Annabelle Chan, Julia Roth

Editorial Policy ABOUT The Record is published weekly by the students of Horace Mann School to provide the community with information and entertainment, as well as various viewpoints in the forms of editorials and opinion columns. All editorial decisions regarding content, grammar and layout are made by the editorial board. The Record maintains membership in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and National Scholastic Press Association.

EDITORIALS & OPINIONS Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the senior editorial board. Opinion columns are the sole opinion of the author and not of The Record or the editorial board.

NOTE 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. The Horace Mann School is not responsible for the accuracy and content of The Record, and is not liable for any claims based on the contents or views expressed therein.

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HORACE MANN MIDDLE DIVISION JANUARY 11TH, 2019

A glimpse into Middle Division clubs Science Olympiad fosters interest in STEM topics Walker McCarthy Contributing Writer

The Middle Division (MD) Science Olympiad team provides students with an opportunity to pursue their interests in science and explore topics outside of the classroom.

“Students join the team for a pure love of science, and members really enjoy what they are studying because it is new, different, and exciting,” faculty advisor Jodi Hill said.

Throughout the year, students work on a specific event, preparing to compete with over forty other schools on the first Saturday of March. “Events are what topics you study, and most people have two or three events,” James Zaidman (6), a member of the team, said.

These topics can be anything from chemistry to astronomy, and at the competition in March there is a written test and/or a lab activity based on the themes, he said.

With events split between written assessments and building events, students are able to fulfill their commitment in different ways, Avi Kumar (8), another member, said.

“Most of the preparation for quizzes and tests can be done at any time, while building events can be very time consuming in school because they require materials and partner work,” Kumar said.

The club has changed drastically through the years, becoming very committed and serious, Hill said. “Each one of the thirty students comes once a week to study, build, or practice, and they are very self-motivated this year,” she said.

Team members are partnered with fellow classmates to prepare for their events, ranging from herpetology to potions and poisons, Zaidman said. “Having partnerships in Science Olympiad helps to create a community because we have to work together to do well in an event,”

he said.

“With partnerships, we all have something in common with another person,” Josephine Mignone (7) said.

The club has helped students in their school science classes and encouraged them to develop better study habits, while continuing to provide a great community and a fun space to learn more about topics students are interested in, Kumar said.

“Science Olympiad has a basis of long-term research which has taught me to manage my workload better and how to balance my time,” Henry Levinson (8) said.

The MD science curriculum also overlaps with topics studied by team members, benefitting students both in competition and in the classroom. For example, Mich Obia (6) is studying meteorology as one of his events for the competition in March and what he has learned as a team member has helped him in school, he said.

Despite the fact that the MD team participates in similar competitions to those of the Upper Division, high school students have little involvement with middle schoolers. In fact, with the construction of Lutnick Hall and the separation of faculty offices, the teams, which have both practiced in Pforzheimer in the past, “have become less connected this year,” Hill said. However, the MD team is brought together by partnerships between students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, she said.

The team is limited to thirty students, but Science Olympiad continues to be exceedingly popular in the MD with twelve people on a waiting list who can join if a current member cannot compete, Hill said. “I’m confident in the team’s future,” she said.

Alex Crotty/ Staff Artist

Jake Shapiro/Photo Editor

STRENGTHENING YOUNG VOICES MD students learn the essential skills of debate.

UD team imparts wisdom to prospective debaters

Lauren Conner & Patrick Stinebaugh Contributing Writers The Middle Division Debate club is well under way in preparing aspiring young debaters who will potentially join the Upper Division team.

The club, which is run by the UD Debate team, aims to help kids develop the right habits and make sure that they understand how the activity works, Nader Granmayeh (12), a member of the UD team, said. The goal of the club is for the students to obtain a basic framework that they can use once they advance onto the UD team and start competing in tournaments, he said.

Every Monday from 4pm to 6pm, the students meet with eight associate directors, who are students from the UD Debate team who volunteer to help teach the MD club. Generally, the middle schoolers will be divided up into rooms either by skill or age.

The club is formatted so that as students get older, they acquire new skills. MD students are assigned mentors to work on case writing throughout their time in the MD club, UD member Thomas Grant (9) said.

While the club practices engaging in actual debates, the purpose of it is to help students learn the skills necessary to take part in a tournament, which they practice through drills and in-house debates.

“We also teach the MD students about current events and how to research a topic,” Shay Soodak (11) another member of the UD team, said.

Arnav Patwardhan (8) enjoys debate, and believes the club is an excellent opportunity to practice his skills, he said. “The club definitely assisted my public speaking, and I think I’ve become a better debater,”

he said.

“I think it’s made me a little bit more comfortable speaking,” Milo Mandelli-Valla (7) said. “When I came in sixth grade I was a little bit more shy, and now I feel a little bit more comfortable to talk up when I should.”

By joining the club, students are more likely to join the UD team, Granmayeh said. He had participated in the MD club before joining the UD team, and felt that joining the club in the MD prepared him for the UD team by allowing him to feel more comfortable in the environment, activity, and atmosphere, he said.

“I’m personally excited that I’m going to debates outside of New York with the debate team,” Mandelli-Valla said. “That’s obviously happening in high school, but I’m hoping to stay in debate until then,” Mandelli-Valla said.

The UD team utilizes both real and silly debate topics to keep the kids interested, Granmayeh said.

“Although the students do become disinterested sometimes, they are very competitive and want to argue,” Soodak said.

While the club is not focused on tournaments, they do have some opportunities to participate in them. For instance, they participated in one early on in the school year and might partake in one this February. Additionally, the school will host an Urban Debate League Tournament during the spring.

“The challenge with the MD team is that there probably could be some more tournaments, but it’s mostly a well-run program,” Grant said.

“Debate is a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun, so it’s worth it,” Patwardhan said.

Students explore social justice issues in new club Stephen Chien & Hanna Hornfeld Contributing Writers In order to bring awareness to and enact change in the Middle Division (MD), MD students Louise Kim (8) and Emily Sun (8) founded the MD Social Justice Club, which explores topics from racism to body image.

The main goal of the club, which meets on Wednesdays from 3:30pm to 4:30pm, is to make the MD community aware about issues outside of their experiences at school.

“We know that this school is in a privileged environment, so the kids may not necessarily encounter all the different disparities going on,” co-faculty advisor Dr. Rhashida Hilliard said.

Another goal of the club is to facilitate a safe and secure environment for a meaningful discussion about issues such as fat shaming, body positivity, and diet culture. Members of the club are mindful of the fact that all members need to express their opinions, Hilliard said.

Club member Brooke Gomez (7) believes that the club is important to the MD community because aside from shedding light on important problems in the world, it is a safe space for people to express their feelings and views, Gomez said.

“The club gives people who are interested in issues, such as racism and sexism and transphobia, an opportunity to talk and feel like they can improve their community and their school,” Sun said.

The club aims to provide more awareness about social justice issues that have not been discussed in school, and that will open up the MD

community’s mindset, Kim said.

Office of Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity (ICIE) associate Sharina Gordon felt that the club provides a student-focused space for young people to wrestle with these issues in a way that was not necessarily made available before, she said.

The club is entirely student-initiated and student-driven, and all of the discussions are led by students. Co-faculty advisors of the club, Caitlin Hickerson and Hilliard, simply facilitate the conversation, Hickerson said.

Throughout the first trimester, the members of the club focused on issues surrounding race. After Thanksgiving, members attended grade-wide meetings, where they showed a video about Thanksgiving from the viewpoint of Native Americans and educated their peers on the importance of awareness of the holiday, Kim said.

Now, during the second trimester, the club is focused on issues around the social stigma surrounding body image and how body positivity shapes a person’s well-being, Hilliard said.

The club advocates for body positivity and equity, the quality of giving everyone fair access to opportunities and resources, Gomez said.

As Unity Week draws near, members of the club are hosting a workshop called, “Diet Culture to Fat Positivity,” in order to promote awareness in the MD community, Kim said. Some of the club’s members, including Kim and Sun, are also hosting individual workshops about topics such as mental health, race, and gender.

Because the club is still relatively new, one challenge it has faced is

Annabelle Chan/Staff Artist

participation. While the club has several dedicated members so far, they are eager to add new members, Hickerson said.

“Moving forward, I am sure that the club is going to grow, and more students are going to have their voices heard,” Hilliard said.

In the third trimester, the club plans to focus on gender issues. In the future, the club hopes to connect to high school clubs like the Feminist Student Association (FSA), to work with teachers to integrate elements of social justice into the school’s curriculum, and most of all, to continue to grow and broaden its impact, Sun said.

Lions’ Den Record Sports

Winter Track goes for gold JANUARY 11TH, 2019

Darius McCullough Contributing Writer

The winter track teams have been excited to race into their new season and hope to repeat last year’s strong performance.

They have participated in two developmental meets so far, oppportunities for the team to practice and find its footing in the new season. “The goal is to try and work from the initial times and measurements from these events,” Track Coach RJ Harmon said.

After graduating several talented runners, the boys have 10 new freshmen to fill in the gaps. “We’ve definitely got some young stars like Logan [Dracos (9)] and Ethan [Waggoner (9)], so we’re in a good spot,” Charles Simmons (11) said.

“I think especially the freshman, including me, are working hard even though most had never run until this season,” Waggoner said.

Boys team captains Melchior Lee (12) and Solomon Katz (12) have done a great job in leading the team’s exercises during practice and have helped introduce new freshmen to the team, Paul Wang (11) said. “We have to thank them a lot for helping us grow closer as a team when there are so many new athletes,” Wang said.

Lee is at the top of the league for the high jump event, leaping five feet and nine inches in the Ivy League Championship last year.

Wang is one of the hardest working athletes on the team and spent the entire fall training for the winter season, Simmons said.

The girls team has a small roster of five members but that does not stop them from striving to improve in every meet.

“With a group of five, it’s hard to compete

for team scoring without filling up all of the events, so we focus on our individual goals within a team concept,” Harmon said.

Currently, the fastest members of the girls’

Jackson Roberts/Art Editor

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team are Adriana Hernandez (11) and last year’s team MVP Lauren Gay (10). Gay is a standout sprinter in the Ivy League who became the first freshman to win girls team MVP last year. She is carrying last year’s success into the current season, winning the 55 meter dash on Wednesday.

“Lauren is extremely passionate about track and it shows in how well she performs at every meet,” Hernandez said.

“Lauren and Adriana make a huge impact on the team with their work ethic,” Maya Freeman (12) said.

“Being on a small team, all of the girls really get to bond with one another,” Hernandez said.

“We all really love each other, and it makes track and the season that much more enjoyable.”

The team plans to work harder in practices to improve their individual times and measurements, Harmon said. “[Harmon] has been making a big impact on the team,” Gay said. “He always motivates us to push ourselves and is always excited to see us do well in our events.”

The team’s goal for the year is to field more runners and win more medals at the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Championship, Harmon said.

The team excelled in its third meet of the season on Wednesday in Staten Island with both Gay and Freeman beating their personal records. They hope to continue this success through the rest of the season in order to make their mark on the league.

Fencing Team lunges into new season Nshera Tutu & Rish Sinha Contributing Writers

The Girls and Boys Varsity Fencing Team has bonded this season, especially through mentorship seniors provided to underclassmen.

“Our team is a little young right now, but we’re working really well with the younger athletes and making sure they understand the basic fundamentals of footwork,” co-Captain Deveraux Mackey (12) said.

The seniors train alongside the underclassmen to help them learn about the sport, Fajul Rhyhan (12) said. During their practices, the team performs various conditioning exercises like suicides and sprints, he said.

“The seniors taught the underclassmen how to use the strip on which we fence and different fencing tactics,” Mackey said.

“The upperclassmen have been beyond helpful,” Samantha Tsai (10) said. “We didn’t have a head coach for a bit and all of them stepped up and helped all of us during meets as well as practice.”

Rhyhan hopes that as a senior, he has been a good mentor for the freshmen and a positive influence, he said.

“It is intimidating for newer fencers to face opponents who have been fencing longer,” Mackey said.

“When you’re a freshman that is coming into a new sport, it is pretty nice to see people who were once in your position who are now winning their bouts,” Rhyhan said. It shows how over the course of the years, putting time into practicing can bring a lot of improvement, he said.

Moving forward, the team is excited to build its confidence as they practice more and compete in more meets, Mackey said.

Additionally, the team would like to improve small technical skills such as footwork, co-Captain Eunice Bae (12) said.

One obstacle the team had to overcome was that Varsity Fencing Head Coach Julio Benjamin missed the beginning of the season because of jury duty, Bae said.

“During that period we had to navigate and support each other,” Mackey said.

“We gave each other a ton of feedback after watching each other fence and I think it helped us get more comfortable around each other,” Tsai said.

“We really managed to pick up the slack and run practices independently, which helped with bonding,” Bae said.

“The seniors essentially became our coaches,” Tsai said.

“They came up with warm ups and drills for us which all of us are really thankful for. Without them, we wouldn’t have a functioning team.”

“The new members have worked to become a part of the

team, and we’ve had little trouble bringing them into the family,” Bae said.

“The time without our head coach underscores the team’s positive relationship between the underclassmen and upperclassmen,” Daniel Lee (11) said. “Hopefully, our determination sets the team up to continue our success through the rest of the season,” he said.

Abi Kraus/Photo Editor

EN GARDE Fencer lunges forward to attack opponent.