Issue 15

Record The Horace Mann

DECEMBER 20TH 2019 || VOLUME 117, ISSUE 15

HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903

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Period @ HM takes on new initiatives Liliana Greyf Staff Writer

“I both don’t want to be known as period girl, but am also willing to if it means that people will be able to get basic rights, dignity, and health,” Jordan Ferdman (11) said. This year, Ferdman founded Period @ HM, the school’s first club dedicated to menstrual equity.

The idea for the club began three years ago, when Ferdman was in eighth grade, she said. She saw a drive for menstrual products online, and learned about the menstrual equity movement.

Up until then, she hadn’t even known that there were people who did not have access to menstrual products.

The club is a branch of Period., The Menstrual Movement, a national organization. “As a broader non profit, the mission is to raise awareness of the systemic rules that are set into law that make menstrual products less accessible,” co-President of Period @ HM Alexis Fry (11) said.

“It impacts people’s lives to not be able to talk about [menstruation] openly, and to not have access to menstrual products some of which are labeled as luxury items, which has economic consequences” club advisor and French teacher Caroline Dolan said. “One of the things that the club is

Courtesy of Jordan Ferdman

TAKE A STAND Ferdman and Familia rep the club.

about is addressing taboos regarding people who menstruate and menstruation in general, starting open conversations, and underlining that it is natural.”

Legally, menstrual products are labeled as luxury items, because they are not seen as necessities, Fry said. This means that tax is added to the already expensive product prices. “Essentially, this tax is unfair,” she said. “Menstruators who don’t have money to even buy food will not think about buying pads or tampons.”

Creating the club was not an easy process, Ferdman said. After learning about the movement in 2017, it took her two years to feel comfortable bringing the issue into school. This was because she was too scared to even say the word ‘period,’ she said.

“At this point, I decided to do a drive for my service learning project,” Ferdman said. “It was an incredibly exciting learning experience in a lot of ways. I had never really talked about menstruation with anyone except my closest friends. It was really vulnerable.”

This year, Ferdman realized that she could do even more. With the help of Ericka Familia (11), Fry, and Dolan, Ferdman began the Period @ HM Club. Overall, Period @ HM is about “advocacy, education and opening dialogue within and outside the Horace Mann community,” Ferdman said.

“An average club meeting fluctuates between open discussion and presentation,” Ferdman said.

“It is really important for us to both talk about how menstruation is addressed within the Horace Mann community, and about outreach and how to cause fundamental change.”

In the past few months, the club has spearheaded numerous successful initiatives. “We held a workshop during Unity Week about the portrayal of periods in the media, and we got really positive feedback during that,” Familia said.

More recently, the club held a menstrual product donation drive for families awaiting movement on their asylum petitions at the Mexico border.

“Over the summer, the idea that I could collaborate with other independent schools was born,” Ferdman said. “I reached out to some of them and just recently we concluded a drive-in collaboration with Brearley, Chapin, Dalton, Dwight, Friends Seminary, Grace Church, Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin, Nightingale, Riverdale, Spence, and Trinity.”

Today marked the end of the donations, and the club managed to collect a total of 14,140 pads and tampons, surpassing their already impressive goal of 10,000 products by over 40%. When Head of

Courtesy of Jordan Ferdman

SUPPLIES Period @ HM collects menstrual products for drive in Olshan Lobby.

School Dr. Tom Kelly heard about their successful endeavor, he offered for the school to match the amount of products donated, doubling the club’s success. In total, the club will have managed to donate almost 30,000 menstrual products.

The club has also faced several challenges during the school year. The student leaders wanted to make sure they had representation in meetings from lots of different people. “[Menstruation] tends to be stigmatized as something that only female-identifying people are talking about,” Dolan said. “That should not be the case. We have to encourage all people to participate in those discussions.”

Ferdman also finds the club challenging to lead on a personal level, she said. “Sending emails to people I didn’t know and had never spoken to about collaborating on a menstrual equity initiative was definitely difficult, but so worth it.”

However, Ferdman knew that completing the drive was more important than her concerns. “It’s way more important than what a random teacher at Brearley thinks of me.”

Ferdman tries to exude confidence when talking about the club, but it is still very hard for her to say ‘will you come to a period club meeting? “I think that it’s just trying to call myself out when I hesitate or stutter, just always pushing through,” she said.

“I’ve been doing this for about a year now, and I still sometimes stumble over the word period,” Ferdman said. “It is so ingrained in our cultural norms that menstruation is not something that

you talk about.”

Discussions can be hard initially, but the founders of the club believe that it is necessary. “It is impossible to divorce the fact that menstruation is very hard to talk about from the fact that many people don’t have access to these products,” Ferdman said. “People in positions of power, who are mostly men, refuse to talk about [the lack of access to products] and then the cycle just continues,” she said. “This needs to be stopped, and I think that can be done by facilitating discussions. It’s very difficult and it’s very vulnerable, even though we logically understand that it shouldn’t be.”

“One of our main goals is to just have discussions surrounding the topic,” Familia said. “If no one is talking about it, it will continue to be something that is considered taboo.”

Although the launch of the club has been difficult, the club leaders are excited for what is to come. “We are definitely planning on holding a few more drives throughout the year, as well as more meetings,” Familia said.

“I hope that [in the future] it gets easier to talk about, both for other people and myself,” Ferdman said. “I hope that we can continue doing drives that continue to be successful. I hope that the club has a life after I graduate.”

Throughout the year, Ferdman has been very pleasantly surprised by how much people care, are willing to show up, be vulnerable, and donate. “It has meant so much to me,” she said.

Holiday assembly presents gifts Max Shopkorn/Staff Photographer

JAZZ-TACULAR Jazz Ensemble jazzes up the stage.

Henry Owens and Max Chasin Staff Writer & Contributing Writer The house lights were dimmed, and electric candles were lit throughout the audience. To start this year’s final assembly on Tuesday, five students and two faculty members held candles on-

stage as they read a passage about the significance of this candle: “Here, at about this time, the world lights a candle to peace. It’s a universal gesture immune to politics.”

The first performance was a number from the Dance Performance class to Justin Bieber’s “Drummer Boy.” Other notable moments from the assembly included songs from three steel drums groups and an intense “Toss the Hoop on the Antlers” competition between the grades, which the seniors dramatically won in the last few seconds.

Jazz Combo performed a piece they arranged themselves, titled “Walking in a Sonny Wonderland.” The piece was a mash up of “Doxy” by Sonny Rollins and the holiday classic “Winter Wonderland,” the band’s drummer Alex Rosenblatt (10) said. “Holiday music is very uplifting; it’s so joyful,” he said.

Also in the spirit of the holidays, Genesis Maldonado ‘16 sang “Someday at Christmas” by Stevie Wonder. Bartels reached out to Maldonado last minute after other performers dropped out, Maldonado said. “I haven’t been on that stage in that setting for almost four years now, so it was interesting,” she said. “I don’t usually get too nervous about performances, but I was actually a little nervous then because I didn’t know most of the people in the audience.”

Charlotte Cebula (12) gave a senior reflection in which she discussed her personal experiences with sexism at the school. When asked to speak for the assembly, Cebula said that she immediately knew what she wanted to discuss. “Horace Mann has made great

strides in incorporating discussions about gender, race, sexuality and class into our curriculum, but I think we could do more for our female and minority students,” Cebula said in her reflection.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the job of the student body to make the change.”

The assembly ended with a wintery slideshow and singing of the alma mater, while students showed off their festive holiday sweaters onstage.

Max Shopkorn/Staff Photographer

HOOPS AND HORNS Students compete for the prize.

OPINIONS

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Editor-in-Chief Julia Robbins Managing Editor Mayanka Dhingra Issues Editor Jude Herwitz Features Nelson Gaillard Gabby Kepnes Kiara Royer News Amelia Feiner Madison Li Sam Keimweiss Simon Yang

THE RECORD OPINIONS DECEMBER 20TH, 2019

Addressing perceptions of success in our community

Vivien Sweet In her essay “On Self-Respect,” Joan Didion writes, “...the day I did not make Phi Beta Kappa nonetheless marked the end of something, and innocence may well be the word for it.” Though the particular unisex fraternity she mentions — the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and perhaps the most prestigious — may be unfamiliar to some, I have no doubt that that feeling Didion describes hits close to home for many.

With her narration of her rejection from Phi Beta Kappa, Didion calls to mind the genre of failure: a degenerate state in which, in the given moment, seems to encroach upon every single joy I used to find in schooling. It is the guilt that reminds me that the effort I put in and the uncontrollable factors tossed aside, no academic work I produce will amount to anything meaningful. Alternatively and surely worse, the work

I do produce will prove detrimental to both the ways that others perceive our character and our inward perception of ourselves.

While writing this, I am taking into careful consideration that I happen to be stuck in a peculiar bout of poor academic achievement, or, in plainer terms, a month of middling grades. The ubiquitous joy the holiday season brings notwithstanding, I have suffered a conspicuous mental lapse. I can’t focus on my studies, or, rather, I choose not to. I doze off in class the instant the room’s lights dim; I pore over a history text for hours, then forget its significance the moment my pen touches the in-class essay the next day.

What followed the subsequent drop in my semester grades was essentially a loss of “self-respect.” Though this lapse manifests itself differently in each individual, in my case and a handful of others, I have, consciously or not, deliberately removed myself from the posts I promised others I would fill. Even though I am an usher for my church, I have not consistently gone to Sunday service in weeks. Nor have I worked at the library—despite the two-hour work week minimum — as often as I should since November. (Just don’t tell Ms. Aponte; I’d like to keep my job.)

Why should a handful of subpar grades trigger such a withdrawal from the duties I am obliged to perform? I could argue that, because my academic performance has de-

Lions’ Den Darius McCullough Mark Fernandez Ranya Sareen Andrew Cassino

Middle Division Ben Wang Isabella Zhang Design Editors Euwan Kim Reena Ye Chris Ha Art Directors Annabelle Chan Gabrielle Fischberg Katya Arutyunyan Photography Griffin Smith Ahaan Palla Jake Shapiro Faculty Adviser David Berenson

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

Annabelle Chan/Art Director

the problem; had it been, I would have discontinued some of the most time-consuming activities at the beginning of the school year before my academic downfall.

The truth is, though I would never dare admit it aloud, I have unknowingly placed too much of my self-worth in my academic accomplishments. Admittedly, there is much to be said about the nature of my upbringing, the people I have chosen to surround myself with, and the level of difficulty of my courses — all of which have defined my understanding of success. But just as

crucial is the fact that something is fundamentally wrong with the way in which the overwhelming majority of the students at this school value their peers in relation to one another.

Whether or not it was a deliberate choice, the environment the collective student body has manufactured ranks individuals based on if they’re in PreCalc AB or BCH, if they double up on history or science, and which clubs they are the leaders of.

I know that, unlike both of my parents, I will not graduate in the top two percent of my high school class. And, like Didion, it is highly improbable that I will ever be elected to Phi Beta Kappa. But I can say with confidence that I would not exchange the relationships I have formed with the members of my church, the kids I tutor in piano every Saturday morning, or the teachers who mold my view of the world everyday for a 4.0 GPA. The power of interpersonal connections is an indispensable phenomenon.

And though I seem to have recently lost sight of this, returning to the communities who cherish my personhood wholly without giving a second thought to my semester grades has been the best decision I’ve made.

As a new decade looms on the horizon, I plan on making a concerted effort to earn back my self-respect. Because, as Didion knew, “Without it, one eventually discovers the final turn of the screw: one runs away to find oneself, and finds no one at home.”

Why I play: the impact of athletics on my life

Opinions Victor Dimitrov Abigail Salzhauer

A&E Nishtha Sharma Eliza Poster Eddie Jin

creased remarkably, I needed to throw every ounce of myself into my studies, and to do that I must’ve had to reel back my extracurriculars. But overcommitment simply is not

Maurice Campbell Ever since I took my first steps as a little boy, my parents signed me up for every sport imaginable. This was probably either because they wanted to have free time for themselves as I was pretty annoying or because they wanted me to “stay out of trouble,” whatever that means.

I have tried probably every sport, ranging from running cross country, which seems so simple, to playing a high-contact sport, hockey.

You’re probably thinking to yourself right now, “Why would you ever do that yourself?” Well, my answer is “I don’t know.” It isn’t always fun getting up so early in the morning for a practice or a game or running ten miles to prepare for a 5k meet. At some points, I felt miserable because there were times that made me feel like I was not a normal kid because I couldn’t hang out with my friends on the weekend because I had a practice or a game. However, I am glad that my parents made the decision to sign me up for sports when I was younger, because playing brings a big old smile on my face, and all anyone can ask for is to be happy.

I completely agree with the school’s ideology of making students participate in Physical Education if they aren’t on a sports team because by being physically active and playing sports, one can benefit tremendously. My teammates have become my friends because we have shared quality time together.

Whether it was from sitting in the airport for hours after a flight being continuously delayed to go to a hockey tournament and playing football at our gate, or going to a lot of team dinners and getting to know everyone better, my teammates and I always knew how to have fun. Going to team functions allowed me to get to socialize with my teammates who I didn’t talk to as frequently which made my hockey team feel like a brotherhood.

I can go to them and count on them for anything. When I was first diagnosed with a type of sarcoma cancer, it was my hockey team and coach that visited me at the hospital the next day and assured me that everything would be okay, and that I just needed to keep a positive attitude. They continue to be with me every step of the way as I continue the

fight against this ugly disease. I don’t know where I would be right now if it weren’t for the tremendous support I continue to receive from them. I will never forget when my hockey teammates surprised me at a cancer awareness game our organization hosted, by having special cancer awareness jerseys that included a muscle emoji. Inside the muscle emoji, it said “Mo=76 strong.” I wear the number 76 because my favorite NHL player P.K. Subban wears that number. The muscle on the jersey re-assured me that I can always count on them when I need to.

The two most important takeaways I have from playing a sport are that playing sports is a natural stress reliever and I have developed lifelong healthy lifestyles. Exercise is a great way to loosen up and forget about everything that’s going on in reality. Playing sports can be used as an escape from the real world and its problems.

The lifelong healthy lifestyles consist of developing teamwork and leadership skills. Working towards a common goal with my teammates, such as winning a game, has helped me develop communication and problem-solving skills that I can use both on and off the field. For instance, playing a sport has helped me conceptualize the meaning of body language.

Body language is a communication skill that I certainly recommend everyone must be aware of. Your body language speaks volumes before you even open your mouth. If you appear to be timid, scared, or worrisome, your opponent will not respect you, and you will most likely lose the sporting event you are participating in. The contest is over before it even started because the opponent knows you are afraid of Courtesy of Maurice Campbell

GRINDING THE ICE Campbell (11) puts skate to ice.

them. To gain the opponent’s respect, you must not show your opponent your weakness or that you are scared, and play to the best of your ability.

Playing sports has helped me become more aware of my body language, and I immediately started to make some changes to it. Your posture, facial expressions, and eyes help someone create a first impression of you. When I am communicating with others, I make consistent eye contact, I smile frequently, and I stand up straight with my shoulders back so that the first impression people will have of me is most likely positive: a confident young man who actively pays attention to what other people are saying.

Why do I think you should play a sport or at least be physically active? According to Cornell University, “Participation in competitive youth sports ‘spillover’ to occupationally advantageous traits that persist across a person’s life.” In sports, people learn to rely on someone, maybe a teammate or coach, to accomplish a common goal.

Playing a sport, especially participating in a team sport, teaches you a life lesson: the success of a team isn’t determined by just the “main” or “star” players, but rather it is determined by everyone on the team contributing by playing their role.

The success depends on how well everyone can work together. People also learn to put forth their best effort and exhibit ethical behavior no matter the outcome of the game. If you want to learn to focus, better manage your time, and have an advantage in a prestigious workplace setting, such as Horace Mann, I recommend you try playing a sport.

HORACE MANN NEWS DECEMBER 20TH, 2019

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FTC teams win prizes at Dewey Qualifier, including first place Julia Goldberg and Emma Colacino Staff Writers

Peak into B48 on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday evening, and you may catch Abigail Morse (11) tightening the screws of her robot while Anthony White (11) discusses his design with Matthew Aponte (10)—or you may catch any other member of the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team working with determination to perfect their robots for the season that lies ahead.

To kick off their season, FTC attended the John Dewey Qualifier 2 on Sunday, December 8th, landing one of their four teams in first place overall. “It felt validating that all of the amazing programs we have made and all the hard work we have put into the robot actually paid off for the first time,” said CoCaptain of FTC Robotics Reha Mathur (12). “I think this year has been our strongest year yet.”

The school’s four teams, 7890, 9681, 4326, and 16586, have been preparing since the start of the school year and all performed well at the competition. The teams have grown rather organically, and although they usually occupy their own space within meetings, they help one other.

At Dewey, 7890 and 9681 won Innovate and Design Awards, respectively, and 4326 earned the FIRST Inspire Award, placing first overall.

According to FTC’s website, the Inspire Award is granted to the team that “act[s] with gracious professionalism both on and off the playing field.”

Shrey Sahgal (12) said that for the past few years, the school has performed well in the competition, and that this year, they’re continuing their streak. “It’s nice, as a senior, to put my final mark on John Dewey,” Sahgal said.

The 4326 team secured its spot in the next level of competition, the SuperQualifiers, by ranking within the top eight teams of the tournament. Each NYC team has two opportunities to attend a city-wide competition, and if they place within the top eight either time, they are eligible to attend SuperQualifiers. Although 7890, 9681, and 16586 did not rank, they all will have their second and final opportunity to qualify for the Super-Qualifiers later in the season.

CAPED CONSTRUCTING CRUSADERS FTC team members observe a round in action.

FIRST releases the design challenge for their competitions every year in September, and this year, the challenge is to use robots to pick up small, plastic stones and stack them on a platform, Morse said. Along with its main component, the challenge involves smaller tasks such as parking the robot and pushing blocks into specific areas.

The main task of stacking the stones involves far more collaboration amongst teams than has been required in the past, said Danah Screen, Computer Science and Robotics Department Chair.

During the competition, teams from different schools are randomly paired in temporary alliances to complete tasks, and this year, the school’s four teams have learned the importance of refining and specializing in certain skills, Screen said.

“It really is not about trying to have a robot that does everything, but really being the best at either delivering the stones to the other side for the build robot, or being the best build robot and building up the towers,” Screen said.

“What we saw [at Dewey] was some of the best teams were just working really well with one another.”

Initially, FTC teams such as 9681 struggled to even pick up the stones because of their smooth surface. “This is the first year we’ve had to have some serious friction and rubber on our clamps,” Morse said. In years past, the mission has been to pick up a foam cube or a wiffle ball, which teams could scoop up in a cup.

Morse’s team worked hard on their design before the competitioncreated a Courtesy of Shrey Saghal

VICTOR-TO-BE The eventual champion competes.

product that lifted the stones up much like a human arm. However, even prior to the competition, the members of 9681 were aware that they hadn’t performed enough testing to feel confident in their design. “We knew we weren’t going to have all of our kinks worked out,” Morse said. “We kind of expected some things to go wrong.”

As Morse predicted, due to technical malfunctions, the team could not utilize all of the functions of their robot.

Nevertheless, Morse noticed how well 9681 collaborated, and has high hopes for the rest of the season.

“We don’t just want Super-Qualifiers; we want to get beyond that, to Champions, and then to Worlds,” Morse said. The four teams all currently have high expectations, as five year ago, FTC was comprised of just 10 freshmen.

Now, the team has 14 freshmen and 55 members total.

“I’ve seen such a huge shift from when the program started with me five years ago,” Screen said. “Everyone knows that there’s going to be a Horace Mann team in the semifinals, at the very least.”

Five years ago, the team only met for two hours a week on Fridays—but now they meet Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays during their season, which spans from September until some point in winter, depending on the success of the team. “It is a relatively big commitment, but anyone who’s on robotics understands why that time is necessary and how little that time feels, especially when you have a robot to make,” Sahgal said.

By this point in the year, each of the teams and their members are experienced enough to essentially run practices on their own, which is beneficial for the team, Screen said.

“Students learn best when they’re doing the work themselves—especially for competition days, because on comp days, I can’t fix your robot.”

Screen refers to the four teams as the “FTC family,” an analogy which can be used to describe both the relationship amongst the four teams as well as their individual personalities, Screen said. The numbers of these teams are assigned upon registration and are often used in place of a name; however, each team does also have its own name: 4326 is the Basement Lions, 7890, the Space Lions, 16568, the Cybernetic Lions, and 9681, the Parallel Lions.

“We’re always going to cheer each other on, even if we’re against each

other—then we just cheer ‘HM,’” Mathur said. “It’s a good mix of having that support, but also, because the teams are small, getting to work on your own individual robot.”

Within Screen’s analogy, each of the four teams are referred to as a sibling team. “We would say 4326 is the older sibling; they’re really focused, have a little bit more life experience, and always try to take it to the next level,” she said.

“9861 is the really well adapted younger sibling who watches everything the older siblings do and takes the best parts of it.

They learn from the mistakes of others and then they don’t make those mistakes.

They just keep on growing.”

Justin Burrell (10) said that he has noticed the different dynamics—as well as strengths and weaknesses—within each team. His team, 9861, prides themselves on their communication and teamwork skills. “We always work together to tackle certain problems,” Burrell said.

9681 also prides themselves on both the intricacy of their mechanisms and the designs of their robots, Morse said.

“In addition, we, team 9681, like to make our robot look good and represent our teams with drawings of lions.”

In her familial analogy, Screen described 7890 as the middle child.

“When you look at them during the season, you’re like, ‘I don’t know how this is going to end,’ and then they come out on top, out of nowhere, and you’re just like, ‘How?!’ It’s inspiring, really.”

White said that in comparison to the other three, 7890 is much more laid back. “We understand that life happens,” White said. “We find a balance between life and our love for robotics.”

The newest team is 16568, and is described as the youngest child of the family. Though Screen did not pressure them to qualify during their first competition, she has high expectations for their second. “They’re a quirky bunch, but they’re inspiring,” she said.

Despite their individuality, each team requires a certain combination of skills.

At competitions, there must not only be drivers in control of the robots, but members of the team who can watch other teams and record the results of their games, and others who can answer the judges’ questions regarding the different mechanisms of the robot, Burrell said.

The best teams, however, do not assign one member of the team to a task, but rather switch from practice to practice,

Screen said. “That way, everyone is learning, so in case anyone’s out sick or can’t make it to comp, you don’t feel like you have a deficit; you just need to fill in,” she said.

This year, the teams are also expanding their expertise by shifting away from prefabricated parts. “In the past, we would buy parts from these companies, and of course the screws would fit in the pre-drilled holes, but that really limited your ability to create,” Screen said. “It requires more work outside of the team, but the payoff is huge.”

Both inside and outside of their competitions, along with continuing to improve the design of their robots, the team will continue outreach, which is work done within the NYC robotics community in hopes of spreading the core values of the FIRST robotics competition, Morse said.

Outreach is a critical element of FIRST’s environment, Screen said. “If you don’t do outreach, everyone in the FIRST community is looking at you like, ‘How selfish can you be?’”

The outreach program includes sending mentors to introductory robotics and engineering classes in all divisions of the school, volunteering at championships which the teams are not competing in, and inviting engineers or math and science teachers to practices, Morse said.

One new aspect of the program, proposed by members of the FTC teams themselves, is the student run company HM Bridge Apparel, which customizes and prints T-shirts for other robotics teams. According to Sahgal, the team already has 50 orders from teams across NYC. “[Apparel] is a huge part of FIRST atmosphere,” Screen said. “You can tell when teams aren’t dressed uniformly together, the morale is low.”

The team sells the shirts for under $3, making them an affordable way for other teams to acquire custom apparel, boosting their spirits. “HM is beast at outreach,” Screen said.

As the team continues into their season, potentially as far as Worlds, they will continue to improve specific elements of their robots.

Screen hopes that from FIRST, students will learn now only how to build robots, but also how to engage with others and grow a community. “We say it’s not about kids building robots, it’s about robots building kids,” Screen said.

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THE RECORD FEATURES DECEMBER 20TH, 2019

Bartels Bart

Hanna Hornfeld and Marina Kazarian Staff Writers When Upper Division Library Department Chair Caroline Bartels was in fifth grade, she ran a miniature library out of an extra desk in her classroom. Her friends would ask her for book recommendations, and she would loan books to them using a checkout system of her own, she said. Thus began her career as a librarian.

Fast forward a few decades, and Bartels left Bowling Green State University in Ohio three weeks into studying for a PhD in American Studies after deciding it wasn’t for her, she said. With 35 cents in her pocket, Bartels drove to New York City with a complete stranger whom she had asked to pay her tolls because she had no physical money left - and got a job at Barnes and Noble managing their store at New York Institute of Technology, a position she had also held at Fordham University and at Northwestern University.

In 1993, Bartels started working as a librarian at the Young Adult section of the Allerton branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL). In just four and a half years, she took that branch from one of the lowest circulating branches in the Bronx to one of the top 10 in the NYPL system of 81 branches.

One weekend in late August of 1997, her friends called her about an ad in the New York

Times for a job at the school and convinced her to apply. Bartels interviewed with Ginny Nordstrom, who was head librarian at the time, and was was hired that same day.

Before meeting Bartels, Library Technology Coordinator Melissa Kazan had already heard about her from a friend they had in common, she said. When Bartels hired Kazan seven years ago, Kazan realized that her friend’s description was completely accurate: “She was vivacious and generous and super smart and helpful, and a great person to work for.”

Bartels started working three weeks into the 1997 school year. At that time, the library didn’t have any books for pleasure reading; it only had books required for classes or on student reading lists. “I couldn’t work here unless we got paperbacks for kids to read,” Bartels said. She ordered 600 paperbacks, starting the library’s collection of approximately 3,500 fiction books. Today, the library circulates about 30,000 books per year and approximately 100,000 items, ranging from laptops to mophie chargers.

The Book Day book during Bartels’ first year was Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Because she came to the school with experience working at the NYPL, Bartels used her connections from the Public Library to make

that year’s Book Day strong, she said. “People would throw out the big ideas, and I would make them happen,” she said.

Bartels knew the Head of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the NYPL and brought him to the school to run a Book Day workshop on when it is acceptable to destroy books.

She also knew Richard Peck, author of The Last Safe Place on Earth — a Young Adult novel in which Fahrenheit 451 is banned in a school, and he agreed to be that year’s keynote speaker.

In Bartels’s early years at the school, very few students came to Book Day. In 2001, after two consecutive snow days, students showed up to school under the assumption that Book Day had been cancelled to make up for the fact that they had just missed multiple regular school days. However, it had not, so all of the students who wouldn’t have gone otherwise ended up staying for the duration of the day. Most of those students were pleasantly surprised, and realized the benefits of the day, Bartels said. Attendance has gone up significantly ever since. Bartels eventually became the Book Day coordinator and has poured her heart into the event each year, she said. “I think it will be what I’m remembered for the most.”

Bartels soon became involved in responsibilities outside of the library. In 2000, Bartels became the advisor for the Mannikin, the school’s yearbook. One year later, she created Reader’s Forum for MD students (which later expanded into the UD as Lit Chat), and in 2004, she started coaching the Girls’ Cross Country team. She became extremely close with all three groups of students, she said.

“Cross country is a tough sport, so the sport lends itself to be really close,” Upper Division Physical Education Department Chair Amy Mojica said.

“We used to go on runs together and we would have these long, deep talks,” Bartels said. “And you’re just running for miles and people are crying and laughing… You get to know the kids so well.”

When Bartels became the cross country coach, she knew nothing about running.

Throughout her nine years of coaching, Bartels learned a lot about the sport, and more importantly, she made long-lasting memories and connections, she said. “I was a good hugger, and I was a good listener,” she said. “I was also exceptionally good at carrying injured runners out of the park and holding back their hair when they vomited after a race,

and I never minded how sweaty they were when they needed a hug.”

“She cares greatly about the student body,” Mojica said. “She puts time and effort into all different activities here, and [cross country] was one of those things.”

Bartels was part of a similar tight-knit community on the Mannikin. The staff would sometimes work until 1:30 AM into Friday morning. The next morning, Bartels would come to work to find post-it’s all over her desk with sweet notes like “we know it was really late, we love you, thanks for singing fake opera for us,” she said.

One night, a small group of editors ended up sleeping over at the school in order to meet their 160-page deadline in time. “Kids said the next day ‘wait, weren’t you wearing that outfit yesterday?’ and I was like ‘yes, I slept here, on the floor,’” Bartels said. “It was crazy.”

In 2006, Bartels became the Upper Division Library Department

Chair. That year was extremely hectic, because she was still coaching cross country and advising the yearbook, both of

which were major time commitments, she said. The next year, Bartels made the decision to give up the yearbook, which was hard because she enjoyed it so much, she said. Regardless, she feels lucky to have had the opportunity to reinvent herself in so many different positions at the school.

Before she came to the school, librarians did not normally work many different jobs outside of the library, Bartels said.

That same year, Bartels teamed up with science teacher and former Dean of Students Susan Delanty to begin what would become a beloved school tradition: the senior events.

“It’s become a part of the fabric of the school,” Bartels said. “I think it’s made a profound impact on the climate of care that exists, that wasn’t there before.”

Genesis Maldonado ‘16 vividly remembers all of her senior events and the effect they had on her and her peers. She also recalls how Bartels put in maximum effort into going to every event. Bartels made sure to come

5

HORACE MANN FEATURES DECEMBER 20TH, 2019

tels Bartels! to Maldonado’s senior Dorr despite Bartels’ foot being in a boot, and her presence made the event even more meaningful, Maldonado said.

In the summer of 2010, Bartels became the Director of Summer School. This role somewhat encompasses the responsibilities of the head of school, the dean of faculty, and the dean of students during the summer — with a bit of counselor thrown in, Bartels said.

Science teacher Oleg Zvezdin, who teaches Summer Physics, can tell that Bartels is clearly passionate about her job and the people involved in it, he said. “She’s the type of person that she knows if we have a test coming up, she’ll spend the evening baking for the kids so when they finish taking the test they can relax,” he said. “Her organization, her personality, her bubbliness, makes summer school better for everyone.”

Photos courtesy of Julia Robbins and Hanna Hornfeld

Spence Cottage two years ago,” Head of Upper Division Dr. Jessica Levenstein said. “She turned the place into a winter wonderland, just when students’ energy was lagging during the cold winter months. She is the master of the ‘it’s so crazy it just might work’ idea.”

Michael Shaari (10), a member of Bartels’ advisory, said that she is a mentor to everyone at the school. Once, Shaari was walking in the city with his sister, Diana Shaari (12), and his mother when he saw Bartels, he said. They happened to be talking about how she is a part of everyone’s lives when they saw her, and she said “kids!” and they exclaimed “Bartels!” in return, he said. “We ran across the street and gave her a big hug,” he said.

Bartels continues to be a mentor for students long after they graduate. Maldonado started working as an intern

I make sure that we have it,” Bartels said.

“She confronts each individual’s needs, going above and beyond to assist,” said Bartels’ former colleague Mindy Lisman.

Before retiring, Lisman worked with Bartels for a longer period of time than anyone else at the school. She watched as Bartels took on new roles and introduced all of her initiatives, all the while changing the school into a better place.

Bartels has even more plans for the school’s future. “My next big dream change is I want to get the whole upstairs glassed off,” Bartels said. “Where that railing is, you would go upstairs and go through two big glass doors, so that it could be truly quiet.”

As a reminder of the past, in her office,

Three years ago, Bartels took on yet another role: Director of Student Activities. The position was created when Delanty and Bartels decided that the title of Dean of Students encompassed far too many responsibilities and that some of those tasks should be separated. Bartels took on the responsibilities that she had an affinity for, like taking care of the assemblies and speakers, she said.

Ever since, student activities have become much more robust and cohesive, Kazan said.

“It’s not just one event here and there; there’s more of a program in place to increase unity and enthusiasm in this school and pride in this school, and also to just help students through the day or the week, in terms of snack in the library or fun assemblies,” she said.

“Bartels always provides such a positive and comfortable environment for us in advisory and really cares about how we’re doing in and out of school,” Rebecca Rosenzweig (11) said.

In 2015, the school introduced the 15 minute break period. Today, students use this time to go to the library, eat snacks, and socialize, but when it was first introduced, break wasn’t nearly as organized and students didn’t know exactly what to do with it. Sensing their need for something more structured, Bartels made snack distribution systematic, and started organizing break time events and performances. All of these changes came about from Bartels simply deciding to take matters into her own hands and saying “I’m doing this,” she said.

Bartels is known for coming up with wild ideas and figuring out how to make them happen. “A recent highlight for me was Bartels’ crazy idea to put up an ice rink outside of

in the library in her sophomore year of high school and has continued through college. Bartels has always acted like an advisor for her, sharing wisdom and showing her what a good leader should be, Maldonado said.

Bartels is a mentor for faculty members as well. “She wants the people who work for her to grow in their position,” Kazan said.

“She’s helped me personally blossom in the seven years I’ve been here. She’s also fun, and she doesn’t micromanage, and she trusts our judgement. She’s the perfect person to work for.”

During summer school, Bartels makes an equally incredible boss because of her kind and supportive nature, Zvezdin said. She puts all of her energy into making sure that teachers have all of the resources they need to be able to do their jobs as well as possible. “It’s also the little things, like when we come into the office and she has coffee for us or a snack that she spent her evening baking,” Zvezdin said.

Bartels is simultaneously a role model and a “mom friend,” Myra Singh (10), a member of Lit Chat, said. Bartels overheard Singh and her friend were hungry and brought them to her office, — which is filled with boxes upon boxes of oreos, pretzels, and Smart Puffs, — to give them food.

Bartels keeps a lot more than food in the library; she is prepared for anything a student may need, in even the most obscure occasions.

She recalls a day when various students asked her for items that would not likely be found in most conventional libraries, and she was able to meet every request, she said. Students asked her for ping pong paddles, googly eyes, a manicure set to fix a broken nail, two curling irons and a straightening iron, and more. “The minute a kid asks me if we have something,

Bartels has a bulletin board filled with memories from her years at the school — pictures, post-it notes, and letters. “It’s a reminder of why you do it every day,” she said.

“Every once in a while I get these really long Facebook messages from these kids saying ‘I just wanted to say how much you changed my life,’ and it’s so beautiful knowing that I touched people’s lives.”

6

THE RECORD LIONS’ DEN DECEMBER 20TH, 2019

Choral and orchestral groups ring the bells of Christmas John Mauro Staff Writer

On December 17th, joyous music filled the air of Gross Theatre as Upper Division musicians performed a selection of classical, contemporary, and festive tunes in the annual winter concert.

The concert featured Glee Club, Concert Glee Club and Treble Choir, directed by Music Teacher Timothy Ho, and Orchestra and Sinfonietta, directed by Music Teacher Nathan Hetherington. The ensembles performed both individual pieces and a handful of coordinated collaboration pieces by John Rutter, with orchestra accompanying the choral groups.

The concert commenced with performances from Glee Club, which sang “Light the Legend”

by Michael Isaacson and Susan Nurenberg, and “Lo, How a Rose / The Rose” by Michael Praetorius and Amanda McBroom. The pieces were selected because of their festive and seasonal nature, Ho said.

The choral groups have prepared for the

for String Orchestra,” by Einojuhani Rautavaara.

This piece was difficult for [Sinfonietta] because it was contemporary, rather than classical, Stella Cha (11) said. Rautavaara’s music is also composed of many difficult techniques to put together, Cha said.

Following Sinfonietta was Treble Choir, which sang a seasonal selection of holiday carols. The choir sang “The Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth,” by Harry Simeone, and “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” by Eddie Pola and George Wyle.

The holiday merriment continued with Concert Glee Club, which performed “S’vivon,” a Jewish folk song, and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane.

The concert then proceeded with Orchestra’s lengthy performance of Joseph Haydn’s “Symphony No. 49 in F Minor.” The group also performed their annual rendition of “Toy Symphony,” by Berhnard Romberg. The piece

Courtesy of Barry Mason

MOZARTS Orchestra members working the strings. concert since October, Jonathan Mong (11) said.

[The groups] spent extensive time working on vocal technique, Ho said. “The tone of the choir was far beyond what we’ve had in recent years. I really heard their hard work pay off,” he said.

Sinfonietta then performed “Divertimento

is edited by Hetherington, allowing seniors to perform parts such as toy drums, toy cymbals, and toy trumpets. “Adding the toy instruments gives the piece a humorous element,” Mandy Liu (11) said.

“Throughout the piece, we were able to about how we would sound because we efficiently recover from any mistakes learned the music quickly, but we we made,” Rohan Mahajan (9) were really happy about how said. “Given we only had one it all came together in the rehearsal as an ensemble end,” Kareena Gupta before the concert, I (11) said. think we were able This problem was to play very well facilitated by the together.” choral groups’ The performance dedication and concluded with the extensive work collaborative Ruton the pieces. ter pieces between “All three highthe Glee Chorus school choirs and Orchestra. were extremeThe two ensembles ly focused performed “Angel’s throughout Carol” and “Blow, the process,” Blow, Thou Winter Ho said. “Even Wind,” two soft and though they gentle pieces, and don’t see each “Star Carol,” a rapid other until the dress and energetic piece. The rehearsal, everyone Rutter pieces were chosen worked daily in terms because they were fun to sing, of focus to get to the point Courtesy of Barry Mason play, and hear, Hetherington said. they were at [in the concert],” They also present a good set of musical Ho said. challenges for the ensembles, he said.

As the members of Sinfonietta are reThe performances were each met with thunquired to perform in Orchestra, the two groups derous applause from the audience. Although are often involved in spirit events together. the theatre wasn’t fully packed as previous years, Usually, the group has a Secret Santa, where gifts the audience’s praise still validated the performare anonymously exchanged with one another, ers hard work, Sadie Hill (11) said.

Jayer Yang (12) said. However, the leadership inAlthough the performances were beautifulstead decided to have an orchestra potluck, and ly performed, there were still challenges the moved the Secret Santa to the second concert, ensembles experienced in preparation for the Yang said. concert. “It’s rare that you have to be in unison The leadership of upperclassmen is effective with 80 other people,” Corey Brooks (10) said. in leading some underclassmen both inside and This discord is even further amplified when the outside the ensembles. “The older kids guide the [choral and orchestral groups] must combine younger kids,” Brooks said. “The upperclassmen into one in only one [dress] rehearsal, Aidan understand what you’re going through; I’ve Resnick (11) said. had people who helped me get through classes However, this teaches the musicians to pay and with teachers, and I’ve only known them closer attention to how each section’s part interthrough orchestra.” acts with others, making [the group] sound like Instead of just Secret Santa, the leaders a unified orchestra, Resnick said. “The natural wanted to implement ideas for each of the three concern is how you play your own part, but concerts, such as the potluck or an outside of there’s more to orchestra than that.” orchestra trip, Yang said. “The leadership’s goal is Additionally, the choral groups ran into time to make orchestra as inclusive inside rehearsal as concerns due to the supplemental performance it is outside.” at Tiffany and Co., Eli Scher (11) said. Chorus essentially learned these pieces just under a week before the concert, Scher said. “We were nervous

Q and A:with Alumna photographer Flo Ngala '13 on photography Ryan Reiss Staff Writer

Intro: Flo Ngala first picked up a camera when she was 13 in an eighth grade photography class. Now, Ngala is a professional photographer and on the rise. She recently photographed rapper Cardi B before the Met Ball, and orchestrated a photo series of young black figure skaters in Harlem which was featured on the front page of the New York Times. The Record interviewed her on her artistic insipirations and how she achieved success.

Q & A: The Record: What attracts you to the art form over any other art form?

Flo Ngala: I love all art forms, but like with everything some just resonate with you differently than others. Nothing moved me in Courtesy of Flo Ngala

inspire your work?

FN: It was the first reference I had in the world. Growing up with parents that lived and worked in Harlem as a kid, my community surrounded me and these were the people, places, and things I saw. Once I started commuting to school I would take photos of these familiar environments and people, which eased me into creating work of others.

TR: How did you get to where you are now? (education, jobs, important influences/ moments) FN: So many factors, but mostly a passion for the craft and an unwavering pursuit of image-making. I was pretty obsessed and would spend periods in the dark room or on Tumblr which was a huge creative resource for me as a teenager. On that list, I’d also add just being given the resources to create and to learn, and a supportive community of family and friends and the school itself.

I remember getting biggest hipster and most artsy as two of my senior year polls, and also got one of these photography awards, which is still up in my house so it’s kind of cool to see that there was an overlap at the tailend of my time at HM where my artistry was budding and then a transition into now where this is what I get to do every day for a living and not just for a period.

TR: What inspires you?

FN: People, real moments and real life. Also just any kind of good work to be honest. I love seeing the extent to which creativity can move people, like when you think about a good film that you tell everyone about, or a great book, a music album, etc. I hope that my work continues to push that limit.

HARLEM SKATERS Ngala’s photo of young athletes. the same way photography did, when I saw beautiful work I felt really inspired or excited and wanted to start having that impact with my work as well.

TR: How did your family/ background/ community influence or

TR: What was it like to have your work featured in the New York Times? What was it like to take photos of Cardi B? FN: Really a once in a lifetime feeling and super exciting. I think the best part about the first feature was that the program that I photographed I grew up a part of for years. I used to actually commute from school there to ice skate, and so The Times highlighting skaters of color was super full circle. With Cardi also it’s such a specific kind of artist, and her story is so inspiring of success. So

being around her and her team, and being able to be a part of the team at different points in her career is something I’m really grateful to be able to say I’ve been a part of. Really a dream come true.

TR: What have been some pivotal or important moments in your career?

FN: This year alone there has been so many. Definitely The New York Times piece, being on The Today Show, and speaking at the Apple Store this summer to name a few. Also being able to donate a couple thousand dollars back to my skating organization, a non-profit earlier this year. which relies on community support and donations.

TR: What do you have planned for the future?

FN: Well, I just signed with an agent so I’m excited to see what it’s like to be a represented artist in the near future. I look forward to also going into more video work and more creative directing where I can.

TR: What are your goals?

FN: This is a big question, but for starters, I want to explore more of the world and keep doing what I love as a photographer.

Courtesy of Flo Ngala

MADE AT THE MET Cardi B photographed by Ngala.

7

HORACE MANN LIONS’ DEN DECEMBER 20TH, 2019

Trashketball: Horace Mann’s sublime pastime is back with a stinky vengeance

Adrian Arnaboldi Staff Writer

Players came prepared to tango and bruise egos with headbands, arm sleeves, and jerseys for the ceremonial second day of Trashketball action out on the hardwood. While players engaged in grueling battles on the court, spectators were in awe of the superhuman play.

Participants were chomping at the bit prior to start of the games. “I can’t wait to put the league on notice,” Garrett Hah (11) said. “They call me the bus driver… because I take the kids to school,” Hah said. Hah also advises opponents to tape their ankles before facing off against him.

Prior to play, Harry Winter (11) told his opponents to “take a seat because class is about to be in session.”

Trashketball is a glorious school tradition that dates back to the 1970s. Back in the day, there was disco, stagflation, and Trashketball, Commissioner David Berenson said. While stagflation and disco have dissipated, Trashketball has endured, he said.

Over the last 50 years, students, who aren’t members of actual basketball teams and spend most of their time studying, have put their (limited) basketball skills on display.

“Trashketball is 4-on-4 intramural basketball played poorly by upperclassmen and faculty,” Commissioner Berenson said.

There is a great deal of trash-talking, hard fouling, airballing, and an astounding number of missed lay-ups.

On Monday, the ambiance of the gym was electric. “The energetic atmosphere produced an NBA-like game, a Knicks game, but still technically an NBA game,” Peter Arvanitis (11) said.

“Even in the nosebleeds, energy radiated off the court.”

“We came out ready to battle,” Becca Rosenzweig (11) said.

“We left our hearts out on the court, and we were determined to leave with a W,” she said.

The competitive environment fostered arguments between members of the same team. “I had a couple teammates that made some poor plays, and I had to let them know they needed to pick up their play,” Ryan Webb (11) said.

Some chants of “Trash…trash…trash” erupted between teammates after frequent airballs and turnovers.

Teams employed various different strategies and plays to increase their chances of winning. “We tried the give and go, the banana swirl, and basically anything the 73 win Warriors team did” Russo’s Raviolis Co-Captain Mark Fernandez (12) said.

Jacob Rosenzweig (12) made “skillful fouls and evaded foul calls by the referee,” he said.

For many of the faculty playing, Trashketball offers them a unique opportunity to pull out the kicks from the back of the closet. Dean Chidi Asoluka, in his first game back after a 15 year hiatus, posted one block, two baskets, one steal, and around 100 rebounds, he said. Following the bloodshed out on the court, Asoluka called his relatively stellar effort, “a light day” at the office.

While most of the involved faculty let the “kids” play, some-

times the big leaguers need to get out on the court. English Teacher Harry Bauld sat on the bench for most of his team’s game before coming in to close the door at the end. As NBA commentator Mark Jackson beautifully said during the 2019 NBA Finals, “There comes a time when the parents have to put the kids to sleep.” “Harry Bauld is the Mariano Rivera of Trasketball.” Fernandez said. “You just pray to god you aren’t put in a position where he comes into the game with a lead.”

In game action on Monday, Russo’s Raviolis defeated Shirt Pockets 11-4, and Athletic Potential, led by Jonas ‘the flagrant foul’ Jacobson (11), defeated Out of Bounce 11-3.

Some teams have lofty goals moving forward. “For our team, it’s championship or bust,” Fernandez said. “Anything less than a championship is a disappointing season.”

“I expect our team to compete down the stretch and make a great run in the playoffs,” Jacobson said. “We are going to leave our hearts and souls out on the court.”

Although Ari Salsberg (11) believes that his team might not possess the most athletic ability, he is optimistic about his teams chances to make deep playoff run using their smarts, he said.

Trashketball players have been motivated to frequently hit the gym to up their play. “After the loss Monday, I felt extra motivated to pump some iron and put up some shots prior to our next game,” Winter said.

Highly entertaining Trashketball games will continue to be played every I period in the gym.

Annabelle Chan/Art Director

Trashketball Standings CRUD LEAGUE

FILTH LEAGUE HUZZAH!

Bauld Busters

2-0

Bad News Berensons

2-0

could be better

Athletic Potential

2-0

SAMe kind of VANIty

1-1

meh

The Reviewsters

1-1

Russo’s Ravioli

1-1

yuck

Out of Bounce

1-1

60 Seconds of Beast

1-1

barf

Big Babka Ballers 0-2

Cookies

1-1

Pocket 3

Shirt Pockets

0-2

fuggehdaboutit

0-2

Jake Shapiro/Photo Director

BASICALLY GIANNIS Jackson Feigin (11) in the process of devouring Russo’s Ravioli.

Results FILTH LEAGUE

CRUD LEAGUE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12

The BauldBusters DESTROY Pocket 3 - 11-4

The Reviewsters CONSUME Big Babka Ballers 11-10

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12

MONDAY, DECEMBER 16

Athletic Potential EMBARRASSES Out of Bounce 11-3

MONDAY, DECEMBER 16

The BauldBusters BUSTS The Reviewsters 11-9

60 Seconds of BEAST CLOBBERS Cookies 11-8

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19

Out of Bounce PULVERIZES Pocket 3 11-4

Athletic Potential EDGES Big Babka Ballers 11-10

Bad News Berensons SLAY 60 Seconds of BEAST 11-9 Cookies CRUSHES SAMe kind of VANity 11-5

Russo’s Ravioli VANQUISHES Shirt Pockets 11-4

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19 Bad News Berensons DEVOURS Russo’s Ravioli 11-8 SAMe kind of VANity GOBSMACKS Shirt Pockets 11-0*

*for shame, Shirt Pockets, for shame!

Lions’ Den Record Sports

DECEMBER 20TH, 2019

GVB wins A-level tournament and brings record to 6-0 Talia Winiarsky Staff Writer

8

Courtesy of Dana Robbins

The Girls Varsity Basketball Team likes to call themselves a “third-quarter team,” Rosy Arora (11) said. During last weekend’s tournament at Somers High School, the Michael DePaoli 24th Annual Memorial Basketball Tournament, the Lions demonstrated their capability to triumph in the second half of the game. After having only a one-point lead entering half-time, they scored 32 points in the second half of the championship game to beat Kennedy Catholic High School with a score of 65-51.

The team beat Somers High School 47-35 to advance to the championship game against Kennedy, where the team entered as the underdogs, Co-Captain Halley Robbins (12) said. The team is in the C-league but ranked in the B-league, whereas Kennedy is in the A-league. “It’s a jump in the level of competition that we’re used to playing,” Robbins said.

The team ended its first quarter with a lead of 19-12, and increased its lead to ten points in the beginning of the second quarter. But by the half, its lead dropped to one point, making the score 33-32. This score was unusual for the team, coach Ray Barile said. Normally, the team gives up around 30 points for an entire game rather than in the first half.

The team began to lose its lead when the score was 31-25. After this, its opponents scored six points in two minutes. When its opponents started to catch up, members of the team started playing sloppily and rushing their shots in order to preserve their lead, Barile said. “We started not being patient, like we normally are. We play patient basketball, and we move the ball from side to side, and everyone touches the ball—that’s when we get really good, offensively.”

Barile said he wanted to avoid a repeat of the state championship game last year against Masters. In the Masters game, the Lions started with a 9-2 lead, but after Masters scored 10 points unopposed, the team became unnerved, he said. “Everyone’s trying to make shots instead of playing as a team—that’s what happened in the second quarter [of the game against Kennedy]. I said, ‘We can’t do what we did [against Masters]. We know when we do that, we’re not efficient, and we don’t play good basketball.’”

However, this time, the team stayed true to its name; the Lions scored 20 points in the third quarter, the most of any quarter in the game, whereas its opponents scored eight. “We were getting nervous because they had some momentum, but in the second half, we really picked up,” Robbins said.

Co-Captain Ella Anthony (12), who received MVP at the end of the game, led the team in the second half, making nine 2-point baskets. She made 17 baskets in total, counting her five freethrows. Anthony, along with Co-Captains Halley Robbins and Julia Robbins (12) spent 34 minutes in the game each.

The seniors statistics demonstrate their critical role on the team: Julia made four steals in the game, and Halley made 10

TROPHY TIME Team smiles after historic win. rebounds. For context, no players on the other team had shooting, stealing, and rebound statistics as high as Anthony’s, Julia’s, or Halley’s. “Our core three is pretty much better than any other team in the Ivy League,” Calzolaio said, referring to the seniors.

Underclassmen also contributed to the team’s lead; in the fourth quarter, Sareena Parikh (10) secured the team’s win by making two three-point shots in the span of 40 seconds, increasing the team’s surplus from 55-47 to 61-47. After each shot, the team members on the bench stood up and cheered. “One of the big things we tend to focus on is the bench, and how much energy we have on the bench. That tends to motivate the rest of the team,” Calzolaio said.

Discussion during halftime was a critical factor for the team’s win, Devin Allard-Neptune (10) said. An important aspect of halftime is reflecting on the effectiveness of their strategies, which is why the team increases its aggression afterwards, she said.

Barile is very perceptive during the game, noting the strengths and weaknesses of the other team, Allard-Neptune said. He shares this information with the players during halftime, and in the second half, they know what they need to work on. “The way that Coach Barile coaches, he kind of tells you exactly what you need to hear, even if it might hurt in the moment, or not.”

Barile told the team that he wanted them to play a stronger defense, Arora said.

“We couldn’t get on a lot of their shots quick enough, so that’s where they scored a lot of their points,” Calzolaio said.

He also encouraged them to get in a competitive mental zone, Arora said. “No one really seemed to be in the right head game.

He obviously expected us to be playing much better.”

The players need to have the right mental attitude to succeed in their games, Calzolaio said. “There’s a certain level of aggressiveness that we come out with in the second half.”

The Lions came back out ready to win, Barile said. “We went on a 14-0 run to start the third quarter, and we never looked back.

[Their opponents] didn’t know what hit them.”

The seniors often encourage the younger players during half-

time as the team discusses strategies and methods for the team to improve its playing, Calzolaio said. “I think that our three seniors are really good at understanding what they need to be doing, and we kind of adapt to whatever we’re playing.”

The captains motivate the players by emphasizing that they need to be united, Halley said. “That’s our job as captains—to make sure that everyone knows that they have a place on the team.”

The three seniors communicate with each other and the team well because they have learned to play basketball together, Halley said. They have played for four years as starters together, and have taught each other how to become better players. “Now as captains, it’s again about setting and controlling a pace for our team and understand that the underclassmen are going to learn from us and take us as examples,” she said.

When the clock ran out, the team hugged each other. The team’s victory was a result of their strong friendships, Barile said.

“Are we better than those teams? Yes, I think we’re better than those teams, but the reason we won the tournament was because we had more chemistry than those teams.”

When asked about his proudest moment of the game, Barile took out his phone to show a photo that encapsulated the fun spirit of the team. The team posed on the court with their trophy, arms around each other, smiling. “It’s like a family,” he said.

GVB SCORES

Courtesy of Horace Mann Flickr

DROPPIN’ DIMES One of Ella Anthony’s (12) 23 points.

vs Trinity 53-23 (W) vs Kennedy Catholic 65-51 (W) vs Somers 47-35 (W) vs Dalton 56-28 (W) vs Maria Regina 51-35 (W) vs IAFL 59-29 (W)

Courtesy of Horace Mann Flickr

EYES ON THE PRIZE Mia Calzolaio (10) glides to basket.