The Horace Mann Record, Welcome Back Issue

The Horace Mann Record SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018 || VOLUME 116, ISSUE 1

HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903

RECORD.HORACEMANN.ORG

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2

WELCOME BACK LETTERS WHAT HM STUDENTS DID 11 THIS SUMMER 3 MATTHEW MELTZER’S STORY, RISH SINHA’S STORY SUMMER IN THE ARTS 12,13 4,5 6,7 8,9 10

HM IN MOTION FALL SPORT PREVIEWS UD/MD NEW FACULTY WORLD CUP POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES STUDENT ATHLETE PROFILES HM ON THE ROAD

14 15 16

2

THE RECORD OPINIONS SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

Letter from your SBPs Abigail Kraus/Photo Editor

Hi everyone!

We hope you had a fulfilling and restful summer. Welcome back!

Whether you are returning to the school campus this fall or joining the community for the first time, we want you to know that we are here for you. Ours is an amazing campus replete with faculty and students with diverse hobbies and interests. We are humbled to be leading the charge to build upon our school’s incredible foundation. This will be an eventful year filled with new classes and faces. We hope everyone is as excited as we are for this journey!

We have spent the summer planning. With so many initiatives already in motion, we hope this year will be memorable for everyone. We aim to emphasize cross grade events, bringing the high school closer together.

To this end, we have discussed school-wide Scavenger Hunts, Spikeball Tournaments, and Baking Challenges and worked closely with Maroon Monsoon to prepare for the highly anticipated Homecoming 2018.

With the opening of new buildings and switch to the semester system, this is a critical school year. As such, student feedback will be essential during the transition, and we are focusing on streamlining communication between the student body and the administration. No one knows what students want better than actual students.

We have also been coordinating with faculty on some big spring initiatives. We want to tackle issues in our community such as mental health, gender equality, and sustainability, and we look forward to learning more about these topics and their impact with our fellow classmates.

Finally, we will prioritize service and giving back to our great Bronx community. We are working closely with Dr. Leeds and the CCVA to decide how to accomplish this goal.

We can’t wait to embark on this odyssey with all of you. Please feel free to stop us in the halls to discuss any ideas you have or just to say hello!

Editorial Welcome back from The Horace Mann Record Volume 116 Editorial Board! The past few weeks we’ve seen the campus slowly begin to come alive as everyone prepares for the coming school year. We would like to particularly welcome new students, as well as the many talented faculty who will be joining us for the first time and are profiled in this issue. 2018-2019 is going to be an exciting year full of changes and growth for all of us.

As the Horace Mann community, we will see the opening of the new HM in Motion construction site, also reported on in this issue. From improving the school’s standard of athletic excellence and providing a locus for scientific research to feeding our coffee addictions and hopefully making the library less crowded, we look forward together to the new opportunities HM in Motion will bring.

2018-2019 also heralds a new era for us, the Editorial Board, on a personal level. As a group of 22 seniors and two juniors, it is now our time to step into the footsteps of the upperclassmen before us as leaders of the school. We hope to serve as role models for the student body, people who lead by example and take action. And, at the same time, we also hope to create an open and accepting community by extending that welcoming hand to both new and returning students and faculty. We hope to be people to rely on and talk to rather than view from afar, as was often our relationship as underclassmen to upperclassmen.

The goals we will use as a framework for our senior year, are, of course, inseparable from our editorial policy as a newspaper for 2018-2019. We are here for you. As upperclassmen, we are prepared to take action - tracking down stories with the determination necessary to bring you the most relevant and latest news. And we are prepared to create an open and accepting community by providing you with a forum for your opinions and your voices - the more diverse and conflicting, the better!

So in the coming year, we hope that you do not view us dispassionately from the distance. Come talk to us! Come suggest stories and ideas; come tell us how we’ve failed and how we can improve. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Your SBPs, Janvi and Nader

Lost students disrupt first day back Aaron Snyder Comedy Columnist

Every year, the first day of school is filled with excitement, nerves and dread as students return to school to see their friends and meet their new teachers. The defining element of the first day of school, however, is lost kids. Each Tuesday after Labor Day, the halls of Horace Mann are filled with new students experiencing a special type of crippling anxiety – the anxiety that can only be felt when one realizes that 246T is not between 245T and 247T. The beginning of the day is straightforward - students are told to head to Gross Theater for the opening assembly. The problem, as explained by a lost freshman, is that “Gross Theater could be anywhere!” The Record spoke to a group of new students right outside of the cafeteria. The students, who were looking for the cafeteria, said that signage posted around school wasn’t much help. Students coming from the Middle School had a hard time adapting to life in the Upper Division. “I feel lost without my iPad,” said a student who walked right past the library despite being told by a senior that it is impossible to miss.

Lost students on the first day of school is a common phenomenon, but the problem was exacerbated this year by the opening of the school’s new facilities. A freshman who mistook an AP Biology class for his Biology class left the new building trembling and convinced that coming to HM was a mistake.

When asked about the incident, the freshman asked, “Is it too late to go back to Fieldston?” Because it was their first time in the new buildings, even returning students found themselves lost. “I think I’m overdressed,” said a junior who walked into an AP Physics class in a Speedo and goggles intending to take his swim test. Athletes, too, are having a hard time getting acquainted with their new facilities. The water polo team finished practice short a few members. The team’s coach claims that the athletes are lost in the depths of the new pool.

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

Art Directors Juli Moreira Jackson Robers

Faculty Adviser David Berenson

Issues Editor Sadie Schwartz A&E Opinions Peri Brooks Rebecca Siegel Jeren Wei Abigail Goldberg-Zelizer Middle Division Sandhya Shyam Columnists Tenzin Sherpa Solomon Katz

Design Editors Allison DeRose Caroline Kaplan Online Editor Henry Wildermuth

Staff Writers Agrawal Malhaar, Laura Bae, Andrew Cassino, Mayanka Dhingra, Amelia Feiner, Nelson Gaillard, Leonora Gogos, Caroline Goldenberg, Jude Herwitz, Edwin Jin, Spencer Kahn, Samuel Keimweiss, Gabrielle Kepnes, MAdison Li, Noah Phillips, Eliza Poster, Julia Robbins, Kiara Royer, Abigail Salzhauer, Nishtha Sharma, Griffin Smith, Benjamin Wang, Robbie Werdiger, Simon Yang, Isabella Zhang, Bradley Bennett, Sogona Cisse, Jackson Feigin, Adam Frommer, Andie Goldmacher, Marina Kazarian, John Mauro, Henry Owens, Emily Shi, Samuel Singer, Sasha Snyder, Vivien Sweet, Joshua Underberg Staff Photographers Daniel Lee, Eva Fortunato, Illiana Dezelic, Tatiana Pavletich Staff Artists Elizabeth Fortunato

Juli Moreira/Art Director

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.

LETTERS To be considered for publication in the next issue, letters to the editor should be submitted by mail (The Record, 231 West 246th Street, Bronx, NY 10471) or e-mail (record@horacemann.org) before 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening. All submissions must be signed and should refer to a Record article. Letters may be edited for grammar, style, length and clarity.

CONTACT For all comments, queries, story suggestions, complaints or corrections, or for information about subscribing, please contact us by email at record@horacemann.org.

3

HORACE MANN OPINIONS SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

A tribute to John McCain 1936-2018

Matthew Meltzer ’13 When I was a fifth grade student at Horace Mann’s Lower Division, my class went on a three-day trip to Washington D C. The purpose of the trip was to study the Greek architecture present throughout our nation’s capital as well as to learn about how our federal government functions. The highlight of the trip was an opportunity to meet Senator John McCain. He discussed with us many things about his job as a Senator and took questions. However, at the end of his remarks I distinctly remember him telling us that whenever we see someone in uniform, we should stop to thank them for their service.

Up to that point in my life, I had always been patriotic, but the lack of military presence in New York City had never given me the opportunity to show that type of appreciation. The day after Senator McCain’s remarks,

while eating breakfast at a food court in Washington DC, I saw a soldier sitting alone enjoying his breakfast. I nervously walked over and thanked him. What I didn’t realize that day, but I realize now, is that Senator McCain had instilled in me a respect for the military that would lead me to where I am today.

After that trip I learned more about Senator McCain.

I learned about his time asww a prisoner of war in Vietnam where he heroically resisted his captors. I read his memoir, Faith of my Fathers, in which he told the story of not just his service in the Navy, but also that of his father and grandfather. I grew to deeply respect Senator McCain, and I chose to make him my personal role model. I was proud to follow in his footsteps when, upon graduating from Horace Mann in 2013, I accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy.

Today I serve as a Surface Warfare Officer onboard USS Chafee, a guided missile destroyer stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve my country.

Senator McCain’s legacy of selfless service to our nation, both as a member of the military and government, is a testament to the kind of man he is.

As a Senator, his record of always standing up for his beliefs regardless of the personal consequences was a perfect embodiment of Horace Mann’s motto, “Great is the Truth and it Prevails.” Our nation is indebted to John McCain, and I am personally grateful to Horace Mann School for giving me the opportunity to meet such an inspirational person whose simple words changed the trajectory of my life. May he rest in peace.

-Ensign Matthew Meltzer, US Navy Horace Mann Class of 2013

Annabelle Chan/Staff Artist

The fine line between appreciation and appropriation

Rish Sinha Growing up in the melting pot of New York City, it’s easy to interact with foreign values, cuisines, arts, and religions. You can pass by an Indian spice shop and an Irish pub on the same block. However, this by no means indicates that our constant interaction with other cultures is necessarily respectful. For example, in Western Culture, Hinduism is frequently watered down into “spiritual” yoga chants. The people who take part in this practice tend to butcher Sanskrit and Hindi words, while also having no true understanding of these words. One time, I was in a store called “Little India” in lower Manhattan. A group of these self-proclaimed “spiritual” individuals walked into the store and asked the owner for Indian idols. When the owner, who is an Indian immigrant, was unable to help them because of an unfamiliarity with Americans’ usage of Hindu culture, they broke into a mispronounced, poorly done chant. Both the owner and I were understandably confused and infuriated. The group had just finished explaining that they did not practice Hinduism, but yet they still insisted on using Hindu idols, chants, and scriptures to maintain their facade of spirituality.

This problem also exists within our school community.

Towards the end of last year, two seniors organized a celebration of Holi. The holiday’s main focus is the symbolic tradition of ridding oneself of past errors and changing for the better along with the change in season. Unfortunately, those arranging the celebration made little effort to promote appreciation of any of the culture behind it. Myself and another student of the HM Indian community attempted to hold a discussion on

the cultural background and significance of Holi in India, but were shut down. The organizers made no effort to aid us in the cultural discussion. I was simply given the advice to “just start talking and we’re sure people will listen.” One of the seniors offered the explanation that it was a celebration that was based on Holi as opposed to a genuine appreciation of the holiday as was advertised during the assembly preceding the event.

This apathy is harmful to our community. In failing to share adequate cultural information about the day, they portrayed the holiday of Holi as nothing more than a color run.

Despite my encounters with cultural appropriation, there are times when I believe using other cultures can have a positive impact on our community. Last year, I participated in a play during first trimester called “The Rapaccini Variations.” One particularly beautiful scene was in the style of traditional Japanese Noh theater. In the scene, members of the cast were dressed in kimonos and put on traditional Japanese Noh masks.

Despite the fact that those who participated in the scene were educated on the background of the Noh style, it was labeled by some in the community as disrespectful cultural appropriation.

The complaints failed to recognize the context of the scene. It was proposed that we remove the masks, a core element of the Noh style, but presenting an inauthentic version of the scene would directly defy the point of including Noh theater at all.

Our student body’s fear of offending non-western cultures is actually harmful to our community; it prevents our greater knowledge and appreciation of these unfamiliar cultures. This fear of being offensive came close to preventing wider cultural awareness of non-western theater. Trying to limit people from respectfully using other’s cultures will only contribute to cultural ignorance.

The importance of a unified multi-cultural community, such as Horace Mann, is being able to blend parts from each individual’s culture together while having a genuine appreciation for what makes everyone unique. Without distinct cultures, societies all over the planet would lack any individual, identifying characteristics and the world would be a boring collection of conformity. Culture is precious to many people because it is the basis of individual identity. Therefore, respect and appreciation of others’ identities are critical for building a diverse community. Only once we have accomplished this can we start to incorporate elements from individual’s backgrounds into the larger community.

This year we must learn how to draw the line between appreciation and appropriation, reverence and disrespect.

Crossing this line can lead to whitewashing; it can lead to translating Buddhist or Hindu prayers into English and singing them in order to be “spiritual.” It can lead to dancing in a circle chanting nonsensical noises in order to portray a caricature of a Native American. Nevertheless, straying away from this line in an attempt to avoid offensiveness can be almost equally harmful. Failure to understand one another’s culture should never hamper understanding within a community. As a community we must learn to find this balance and maintain it within our interactions and expression.

It’s true that seeking this balance can become even more complex when considering how every person is made up of more than just one culture. A large part of my cultural identity is shaped by my Indian heritage and Hindu family because I observe Indian and Hindu holidays. I speak fluent Hindi and most importantly, I lived in India for a large portion of my life.

However, my identity has also been shaped by other factors too, which is what makes me the individual I am today. My home in New York City shaped the way I dress, my accent, the slang I use, and the tightly-knit community of friends who I met and grew up with.

Once we have found the balance, maintaining it is simple, but it takes discipline and open-mindedness. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you are worried about crossing the line, take time and ensure that you have a better understanding of the convention you are adopting. This will ensure that there is no misrepresentation of the culture and instead can further the community’s knowledge of other cultures, which will lead to a stronger community in the future.

4

THE RECORD NEWS SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

Lutnick Hall science classrooms and labs Jude Herwitz Staff Writer

Abigail Kraus/Photo Editor

After years of anticipation, the new Lutnick Hall will bring 10 new science laboratories and four new science classrooms for the use of the Upper Division.

There will be three laboratories designed for chemistry, biology and physics, though each lab can be used for the study of every discipline, Science Department Chair Dr. Stephen Palfrey said.

One of the labs will be designated for science research and can be set up for experiments in engineering.

“The most important change, from a curriculum point of view, is that we’re no longer going to be restricted to working in the lab just during our one lab period a week,” Palfrey said.

All UD science classes will be able to use the laboratories whenever teachers wish to, and most honors level classes will meet in laboratories everyday, so teachers will have even more freedom to choose between experiments and regular teaching.

One of the core design ideas behind all the new labs and classrooms is flexibility, Palfrey said. The spaces can be manipulated to suit teachers’ needs for experiments and classes. In the biology and physics labs, the furniture will all be on wheels, so that from one period to another the laboratory can be changed to better fit the requirements of a specific experiment, he said.

“I think the new science building really symbolizes

Horace Mann’s commitment to STEM and that emerging field… while still having a fundamental focus on a solid liberal arts education,” Ben Doolan (11) said.

Doolan also believes that “a fresh new space that is contemporary in design will allow for the collaboration of ideas more easily, along with a more comfortable learning environment where everybody can learn together as a group,” he said.

The science department has been involved with the building’s design since its beginnings, and went through the plans with the architect and made significant changes to the basic layout of the building, Palfrey said. One example is to allow for more collaboration in the hallways by making them more spacious, he said.

“I think the new research lab will give students the opportunity to find innovative ways to exercise their curiosity and utilize the skills acquired in their science classes,” science teacher Dr. Rachel Mohammed said.

Certain features were included in each of the different types of labs, such as floor drains and overhead water sources in the biology labs to allow for more experimentation with ecology and plants, Palfrey said.

“We think the new spaces are going to allow us a lot more ability to do more laboratory work which we think is essential,” Palfrey said. “It’s going to provide a lot of opportunities for students to have more collaboration in their science classrooms.”

HM IN MOTION:

Introducing the new facilities on camp

Student center and cafe Caroline Goldenberg Staff Writer

In addition, while the student center will be open during break time and includes a cafe, “there’s still the communal nature of snack being given out in the library,” Bartels said.

Since in past years there have generally been only a couple groups of people A new student center and cafe are set to open on campus for the 2018-2019 Abigail Kraus/Photo Editor that have used the library’s Senior Lounge consistently, Hannah Long (12) school year as the HM in Motion construction project concludes with believes the student center will provide more options for students to summer’s end. gather, she said.

The goal of the new center is to provide a location on campus “People will spread out over all the new, exciting options,” where students, in the midst of busy academic lives, can “relax, Long said. “I feel like everyone will find their own nook.” get some food, work on a publication or prepare for a service Taussia Boadi (11) is not sure if she will use the new learning activity, and spend time with one another,” Head of student center, she said. “Since it’s new, I have a feeling the Upper Division Dr. Jessica Levenstein said. it’s going to be really crowded, so I might just stick to The new student center will include a cafe area, hanging out in the library or cafeteria,” she said. publication and meeting rooms, and seating areas, Ishaan Kanaan (11) also hopes the student center Levenstein said. will not become crowded and rowdy in a short time, Flik will be running the cafe area in the new center, he said. He hopes the student center will not become a Upper Division Dean of Students Dr. Susan Delanty said. space used primarily by one grade or group of friends, The center will be open at times when other communal as has happened in spaces such as the student lounge, areas, such as Katz Library, are not, Levenstein said. he said.

“The center will sometimes be open after hours, such as Bartels predicts that less studying and more hanging after the late buses leave,” Delanty said. out will occur in the new student center and that fall With the library staying open longer this school year on student athletes who are free during H Period will hang out Fridays, until 6 p.m. instead of 3:15 p.m., the opening of the in the student center due to its proximity to the gym, she said. student center will provide a space for students staying even later, However, Brigette Kon (11) believes that the “inconvenience for events such as concerts or theater productions, Middle & Upper of having to cross the campus to get there, especially in winter,” may Divisions Chair of Library Department Caroline Bartels said. prevent her and other students from using the student center as much as Although the student center will provide a new communal space, many other spaces like the library, she said. activities and events in which students participate, such as spirit for Homecoming and “I’m betting that students will rise to the occasion and recognize the enormous privilege the annual Ugly Sweater Contest, will continue in the library, Bartels said. the new space represents,” Levenstein said.

5

HORACE MANN NEWS SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

Swimming pool and aquatics center Mayanka Dhingra Staff Writer

“Our coaches will be able to critique more closely than ever before, and split us up more effectively based on speed, resulting in more productive workouts,” he said.

According to Moolji, swim meets are expected to become increasingly competitive due The new swimming pool and aquatics center will expand aquatics opportunities for all to the size of the new pool, which enables each team to have four swimmers competing per branches of the community and heighten the preparation of the school’s aquatic teams’ in event instead of the two the old pool permitted, he said. the upcoming year.

John Mauro (10) said that with the new pool, the swim team will also be able to compete According to Director of Facilities Management Gordon Jensen, the against multiple schools simultaneously, as opposed to the individual meets that were aquatics center will feature a USA Swimming certified pool, offices held before. for aquatics faculty, swim locker rooms, an all-gender locker The new swimming pool will also feature a much larger pool deck room, and rooms for teams to convene for meetings, he said. to accommodate more people and a bleacher area that will ideally Also new to the center will be Director of Aquatics encourage community members to support the aquatics teams, Thatcher Woodley, who spent 10 years at the Poly Widener said.

Preparatory School as the Head Swim Coach and the The depth of the new pool can be altered from zero to around Chair of Physical Education, Director of Athletics, six feet, allowing the Water Polo team to have both the Junior Health & Physical Education Robert Annunziata Varsity and Varsity teams practice in the “deep end” at the same said. time instead of rotating players as the team did before, Ryan In his new position, Woodley will manage Leung (12) said. facility hours and scheduling as well as oversee the In the Lower Division, where aquatics are integral to the building’s own staff, he said. physical education curriculum, the new center will expand The new facilities will help the school’s swimming teaching capabilities by enabling teachers to simultaneously and water polo teams succeed in the upcoming manage two classes and use the moveable floor to adapt to season, Mckayla Widener (11) said. instructing different ages of students in swimming, Annunziata “The biggest challenge with the old pool was that said. there was just not enough space for everyone during Lifeguards will be on duty all throughout the day and possibly on practice, especially during swim season,” Ben Hu (12), a the weekends for people to use the facility once the space is up and member of the Varsity Water Polo and Boys Varsity Swim running, Jensen said. team, said.

The new facilities will allow for expanded recreational opportunities “A new pool that is double the size of the old one with eight and give the physical education department license to go beyond typical Abigail Kraus/Photo Editor lanes, each 25 yards long, is going to be a huge game changer for the curricular offerings, he said. swim team,” Eva Fortunato (12) said.

“We are looking to incorporate activities like kayaking, life guard training, longboard For Fortunato, more room to train will allow for more leeway to work on specific strokes yoga, and longboard paddling into the gym offerings for the upper division,” Annunziata and events, which will in turn permit her to grow and thrive as a swimmer, she said. said.

Taimur Moolji (11), a member of the Varsity Water Polo and Boys Varsity Swim team, “The goal is to make aquatics readily available to as many members of the community as believes that the larger facility will allow the coaches to interact with athletes differently. possible,” Annunziata said.

pus

Juli Moreira/Art Director

Simon Family Fitness Center Amelia Feiner Staff Writer

After two years of construction, the Simon Family Fitness Center is set to open on September 4th as part of the school’s HM in Motion renovation.

The fitness center boasts 3,364 square feet of gym space and dozens of pieces of new exercise equipment and is unlike anything the school has ever had before, Director of Athletics, Health & Physical Education Robert Annunziata said.

“We are all very excited about it,” said physical education teacher Meredith Cullen, “This is a huge thing for the school and for our department, and we are very lucky to be able to have this.”

In addition to the center’s new physical features, spin classes and other group fitness activities, open to the whole community, were added to the gym’s offerings to attract students who are unfamiliar with the current fitness center, Cullen said.

Andrew Cassino (11), who plays on the football team, is excited to try cross training in the new facility, he said.

The school has also hired a new Director of the Fitness Center, Kevin Valluzzi. Valluzzi’s primary responsibility will be overseeing the fitness and wellness program in the new facilities, Annunziata said. Valluzzi has been coaching in the fitness center for the past two years, Josh Benson (12) said.

Previously, students were unable to use the fitness center because use of the room required a chaperone, but now that Valluzzi will be working full time there, students will be able to

work out whenever they want to during the day, Annunziata said.

Liliana Greyf (9) believes being able to use the gym during frees will make the facility more accessible, and she expects that she will primarily use the space during frees, she said.

In the old facility, space typically became a problem after New Years, before the annual senior spring break trip, or before school ensemble concerts, Benson, who frequents the gym every day after school, said.

“On packed days you have to wait several minutes to get on the bench because we only have one, so hopefully with a bigger gym with more weights and more setups all the other people will be able to get through their workouts much faster,” Benson said.

Valluzzi believes that the larger quantity of space will allow more students to feel comfortable. “The space in and of itself is going to make things a little less intimidating,” he said. “ I do think the gym does tend to be very male,” Nikhil Ostrander (12) said. “You rarely see a lot of girls working out in the fitness center relative to the amount of guys in there.”

Valluzzi wants to run workshops to introduce students to the fitness center, he said. “I think once that happens, and girls get in there, and they start to become a little more comfortable with it, word will spread around campus,” he said.

Benson also hopes that the renovations make the gym a more open place so that everyone feels safe working out. “What’s most important is feeling confident and comfortable, and if the new gym can help more people achieve that then I’ll view it as a success,” he said.

Abigail Kraus/Photo Editor

6

THE RECORD FEATURES SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

Ricardo Alvarez-Pimentel

lan p a ob K

History

Jac English

lan o D e

olin nch r a C re

Rei ko

ed e R y r te istor e P H

Al

Co ex lle an ge de Co r B un at se es lin g

Science

Lisa W oody

eling an d Guid

Na ta

CC lie S VA an c

he

er p oo

D

ICIE

Thatcher Woodley Aquatics Director

Technology Integrator

Shali n

i Su

Math darsana emat n ics

z

Candice Powell-Caldwell

aC e n n rs eA Nu

Virginia Avetisian

ance

Sci Epst enc ein e

K

WELCOME NEW FACULTY!

Lisa Scott

org e

Jap awah ane se ara

F

Couns

Ge

atka er B n anag Aliso

ab M L y g Biolo

All photos by Abi Kraus/Photo Editor

HORACE MANN MIDDLE DIVISION SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

Welcome New MD Faculty!

Robin French Mathematics

English

BethAnn MarianJohnson

Haila VanHentenryck

John Eckels

Susan Ma

Science

Renyelle Jimenez

7

History

All photos taken by Abi Kraus/Photo Editor

Theatre

Mathematics

Courtesy of Susan Ma

New school year marks many changes for division Edwin Jin Staff Writer Renovations are underway in Pforzheimer and Rose Hall has a newly decorated interior; the new look is representative of many administrative adjustments that will create a fresh start for the Middle Division next year.

Head of School Dr. Thomas Kelly will replace Robin Ingram as Head of Middle Division, and history teacher Della Brooks will take the role of Dean of the Class of 2024. With the new administrators come new courses, programs, and more mentorship.

“With Mrs. Ingram’s transition to admissions, a natural fracture presented for HM to stop and take stock in what we’ve been doing in the Middle Division and why,” Kelly said. Kelly decided that he would step into the role to examine the Middle Division’s structure, he said.

In the past few months there have been “a

handful of changes,” Kelly said. “Almost all of the changes, thus far, have to do with knowing and supporting students better and allocating more time to advisery and work with each of the class deans.”

One of the largest changes is increased student-teacher interaction. In addition to daily fifteen-minute advisery meetings, there will be a full period advisery once a week.

Next year’s scheduling changes also creates a 45-minute period for the class deans to meet with their classes. “Having these weekly, grade level meetings will allow all of us in the MD to more readily handle the types of concerns and needs that are characteristic of ‘life in the middle’,” Kelly said.

“We want to connect with them more in a personal and academic way,” MD foreign language teacher and adviser Gabriela Espinosa said.

In previous years, classes had different deans every year and a different adviser in the sixth

Julia Roth/Contributing Artist

grade. Starting this year, deans and advisers will follow their assigned class throughout all three years in the MD. Dean of Class of 2025 Michelle Amilicia hopes that this will provide MD students with the consistency and structure that they need at their age, she said.

“We want middle schoolers to understand that there’s a whole group of people working with them and that they can help each other as well,” MD English teacher Isaac Brooks said.

“I’ve always loved my work as an adviser, and becoming Dean for the Class of 2024 offers me the opportunity to build the advisery program as it grows under Dr. Kelly’s leadership,” Della Brooks said.

Della Brooks has been involved in education for the past 34 years, 18 of which have been in the MD History Department. She served as History Department Head for eight years prior to becoming dean. Also a parent of two alumni, Brooks will add new insights into guiding students and their families through the middle school years, Kelly said.

“I’ll be working with the department chairs, the other deans and, of course, Dr. Kelly as we work to make the Middle Division the best place it can be,” she said.

In addition to scheduling changes, there have been curricular changes. “We’ll begin the year with seeing less Physical Education (PE) time across all three grade levels as a means of curtailing some of the major transitions that face our students each day,” Kelly said.

The sixth grade will transition from 10 PE periods to five in the 10 day cycle. The seventh and eighth grades will have PE Monday through Thursday with no PE or athletics (practice or competitions) on Fridays. Kelly hopes to move the MD athletics program afterschool next year or in the near future, Kelly said.

“It’s not easy for the MD students to shift from student to athlete, then back to student

in the middle of the school day,” Kelly said. “[Athletics Director] Mr. [Robert] Annunziata has been terrific in looking at other options for the Middle Division, including supporting the new ‘Fridays off ’ decision.”

The MD has also stopped mandating the use of iPads for school work. MacBooks and iPads will still be available for in-class work, but at home, assignments can be done on any device. In a letter addressed to parents, Kelly explained that much was learned from the MD’s experimental use of iPads, but “we’ve also realized the social, technological and, at times, instructional challenges of having students tethered to a single device, 24/7,” he said.

Isaac Brooks believes that having an iPad as a personal device can be a distraction in class, he said. “It’s one of those things where you need to take a step back to determine whether it’s worth it,” Amilicia said.

Due to this shift, the MD will issue paper planners. This adjustment has forced some teachers to alter their courses. In past years, teachers have often assigned homework on iPads, which makes file sharing easier. Aryan Palla (7) used his iPad for homework nearly every night, he said.

“For me, it’s not going to change how I structure my curriculum, but definitely some things about our everyday classroom routine and homework,” Espinosa said.

Several other new features will be added to enhance MD life as well. The Life Skills program will be taught among adviseries instead of randomized classes, a trimester-long social justice and identity course will be taught to the sixth grade, and a Math Lab and Writing Center will open to aid students in their work.

8

THE RECORD FEATURES SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

Political Pe Trump-Putin Summit Nishtha Sharma Staff Writer

“Babying [Trump] is not going to work anymore, because he’s blatantly distrusting our own intelligence agencies,” Jordan Ferdman (10) said, regarding President Trump’s comments during his July 16th Helsinki summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to USA Today, Trump’s statements undermined US intelligence agencies. Ferdman, among others, was taken by surprise upon hearing Trump’s claim that he did not see any reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 presidential election, she said.

“I think the summit was an embarrassment,” Alex Crotty (12) said. “Trump repeatedly defended Putin and inadvertently said that he trusts [him] over his own country’s intelligence service…it’s extremely disheartening to me,” she said.

Trump’s commentary was incredibly

inappropriate and did not fit with his brand, Reha Mathur (11) said. “Trump markets himself as this strong guy, yet he acted like the exact opposite with Putin…in my opinion, he embarrassed America even more than he already has,” she said.

“The Trump administration is hailing Trump as a patriotic man, but at the same time, he’s contradicting himself by not believing his own agencies,” Ferdman said.

Moreover, Trump’s comment drew immediate controversy as protestors gathered outside the White House days after Trump announced his apparent support for Russia, according to USA Today.

However, the article reported that Trump changed his statement a day later, stating he intended to say that he sees no reason as to why Russia would not have interfered.

“The fact that he received criticism from both parties suggests that [the criticism] is strongly justified, because the way he behaved with Putin is completely against the norms,” English teacher Dr. Andrew Fippinger said.

“I think that people should be mad, and we

should have the right to speak what we think,” Aidan McAndrew (10) said. “It’s really hard to tell when he truly misspeaks, but I think that what he said, he meant.”

Ferdman believes Trump knew what he was doing, she said. “It’s convenient to say he’s a ‘Washington newcomer,’ but at the end of the day, he’s in his 70’s, and he’s also a businessman; he’s had experience.”

“I’ve given up on trying to parse Trump’s every word,” Fippinger said. “I can’t predict what he means to say, but I do think that the president should be able to speak clearly, particularly when speaking about such an important issue,” he said.

Conversely, some students believe President Trump made an honest mistake with his words.

Joshua Benson (12) believes that Trump is not a good speaker, and therefore, his mix-up with a “double negative” was most likely an error, he said.

Benson feels that Russian interference played a much smaller role in the presidential elections than democratic centrists may think, he said.

Liberal critics need to widen their lens, Benson said. “I think a lot of the criticism Trump received was justified, but I also think people are missing the point…When a lot of centrists and Democrats focus on this meeting as treason, they lose focus of the fact that Putin is a war criminal and distract from the plethora of morally repugnant acts Trump has committed,” he said.

While Zach Brooks (11) feels that the protests were unwarranted, the American people deserve to know what was discussed at the summit in full length, he said.

“We need to know what was said, and what Trump plans to do about [Russian interference]… that being said, you can’t punish him for meeting with world leaders; that’s part of his job,” Brooks said.

“I think morality is headed out the window,” McAndrew said. “[The summit] was a big statement that Trump and Putin can do whatever they want.”

Midterm Elections Julia Robbins Staff Writer

Annabelle Chan/Contributing Artist

Trump Family Separation Policy Benjamin Wang Staff Writer Last April, President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions enacted a zerotolerance illegal immigration policy, which included separating children from their parents.

According to the Washington Post, two-thirds of the American public reacted negatively towards the new Trump policy. Many students had similar views.

“It’s so sad that this is how we’re reacting to the people that want to come to the U.S.,” Gabby Fischberg (10) said. “Regardless of if the people are legal or illegal, this shouldn’t be a step we’re taking.

Law’s don’t forces the administration to separate families,” she said.

“Children are not bargaining chips to be used in preventing their parents from doing something [illegal], Emily Yu (12) said.

National Public Radio (NPR) found that between 2,000 and 3,000 children, ranging from infants to 17-year-olds, were separated from their parents from April to mid-June.

According to NPR, some immigrant parents were sent back to their countries, without knowledge of when they could see their children again. There is no official way to track the parents and their children.

This will impact the children in the future, especially the younger ones, Fischberg said. Some immigrant children were reportedly subjected to physical and sexual abuse, she said. “[President Trump] is not thinking about how this is affecting the people involved,” Taussia Boadi (11) said.

During the summer, Surya Gowda (12) worked with an organization called Volunteers of Legal Service under the Immigration Projection, which assists immigrant families with legal services.

“I got to know the kids through their files,” Gowda said.

In addition to working in their office, Gowda assisted immigrants with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) clinics, where she was able to interact with clients directly, she said.

“There’s so much fear, tension, and uncertainty in their eyes and faces. You’re pushed into acknowledging it,” Gowda said.

“Trump is putting money into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to increase the number of beds and watchdogs, not putting it towards [immigration] documents,” Charlotte Cebula (11) said.

According to a NBC report, thousands of people marched to protest family separation with the slogan “Keep Families Together.” 600 marches and rallies were conducted throughout the country.

As part of the Summer Advocacy Program run by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Cebula participated in a rally. “They held the rally in front of the Capitol Building after meeting with our elected representatives in the House and Senate,” she said.

Students from the program spoke about their own personal experiences with ICE and DHS, Cebula said. “I was submerged in the most diverse community full of students who all had a common goal: protecting civil liberties in our country,” she said.

“Trump first claimed that it was going to help prevent human trafficking. When he realized that all it did was give immigrant children PTSD while putting parents seeking asylum through a nonsense detainment procedure, he said it was the Democrats’ fault,” Ishaan Kannan (11) said.

“Trump is just demonizing the Democratic Party because he’d gotten a lot of pushback from them,” Cebula said.

“I think Trump is trying to bolster the sentiment that Democrats are bad by using incendiary comments to portray feelings rather than facts,” Yu said.

Malhaar Agrawal (11) argued that the separation policy attacked the wrong group of people.

“Families integrate better into society. It’s the individual cartel members that Trump should be focusing on,” Agrawal said.

“I can’t imagine being separated from my mother,” Boadi said. “There’s a point when you have to realize that humanity comes first.”

According to Vox.com, on June 20th, Trump signed a new policy that replaced the family separation policy with a family detention policy.

“At this point, I’m just waiting for the next outrageous policy Trump can pass,” Kannan said.

One of the midterm-primary races that received the most attention from students this summer was the Democratic Primary in New York’s 14th Congressional District, where Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beat incumbent Joe Crowley.

If 28-year-old Ocasio-Cortez wins the general election in November against Republican Anthony Pappas, she will be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

Since New York’s 14th includes parts of both Bronx and Queens Counties, it is close to home for many students, whose opinions on the Ocasio-Cortez win vary even among those identifying as Democrats.

After Hillary Clinton’s loss, Ananya KumarBanerjee ‘17 felt that if America couldn’t even get behind a wealthy white woman, it would be impossible for her, a first-generation queer woman of color, to be accepted in society.

However, the successful primary run of Ocasio-Cortez, a Hispanic working-class woman, has given Kumar-Banerjee newfound confidence in America, she said.

Kumar-Banerjee worked on Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign this summer, assisting with social media, voter registration, and policy briefs.

“Seeing her win...was incredible for me and gives me a lot of faith, not just in the community that she represents, but in the totality of the country and the ideals that we stand for,” Kumar-Banerjee said.

In this election cycle, there was a lot more enthusiasm and political energy than in the past, especially coming from young people,

Jamie Berg (12) said.

Ocasio-Cortez has highlighted important issues that haven’t been given sufficient attention in the past, Kumar-Banerjee said. These issues include abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as clean campaign financing, a program that stops politicians from being beholden to Political Action Committees and lobbyists by limiting the money candidates can take from them, she said.

The grassroots organizing that OcasioCortez conducted was the most organic form of political activity there is, Berg said. Her refusal to take money from big donors relieves her of the burden most politicians have - meeting the often corrupt needs of their wealthy supporters, Berg said.

Some students, such as Berg, feel that pushing further to the left, like Ocasio-Cortez has done, is imperative for the success of the Democratic Party, but others disagree.

Candidates like Ocasio-Cortez will hurt the Democratic Party’s chances to take back Congress, because nationally people don’t agree with the Democratic Socialist agenda, Jack Blackman (11) said.

Ocasio-Cortez’s policies such as abolishing ICE, the Federal Jobs Guarantee, and Medicare for All, are radical, impractical, and potentially detrimental for America’s economy and society, Blackman said.

Nader Granmayeh (12) doesn’t agree with some of Ocasio-Cortez’s policies like the abolishment of ICE, but he was excited that someone with such an enthusiastic campaign was able to succeed in the Democratic Primaries, he said.

ACTIVISM Charlotte Cebula (11) protests family separation.

Courtesty of Charlotte Cebula

9

HORACE MANN FEATURES SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

erspectives What Ocasio-Cortez’s win means to me Tenzin Sherpa Columnist On June 26, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won the Democratic primary in New York’s 14th congressional district. When I heard the news, I was ecstatic - a 28-year-old Latina woman had just made American political history. For months, I had followed Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign via social media and her signs in my neighborhood’s shops.

When I initially heard of her, I thought OcasioCortez had great promise. In addition to her being an intersectional minority running for Congress, I agreed with her campaign platform. The issues she wants to tackle are both widespread and urgent; many are relevant to my own life, such as immigration. True, Ocasio-Cortez’s dream to abolish ICE may seem overly ambitious to some, but recent government policies resulting in the separation of immigrant families and removal of basic human rights need to be strongly opposed. When I used to see a news report with video footage of a mother or father crying into a podium, hoping to be reunited with their child, it hurt me. But by now, I’ve seen it so much I’ve become numb to it.

Ocasio-Cortez’s opinions on higher education and Medicare also hit close to home for me. When my parents first immigrated to the United States in their early twenties, they had to work to support their families back in their home country, Nepal.

My mother in particular had to support her own then sick and dying mother. Because of these circumstances and through no fault of their own except familial loyalty, my parents were not able to achieve higher educations. What’s more, because of the lack of quality healthcare and resources, my mother was not able to help her mother still in Nepal. In my own life, I have seen firsthand the frustration my parents faced because of medical bills they simply could not pay all at once.

But despite Ocasio-Cortez’s platform, after learning about her competitor, Joe Crowley, I had little hope that she could win. I thought even in the 14th Congressional District, which consists of the north central area of Queens and the eastern area of the Bronx, a community filled with immigrants and underrepresented people of color, a white man would surpass a woman because that was how things worked.

Crowley had previously been the representative of the 14th District for the last five years and a representative of the Seventh Congressional District from 1999-2013. Yet Crowley did not attend debates and did not address the concerns of the people of his home borough of Queens. Democratic clubs in Queens dropped their support for incumbent

Joe Crowley because Ocasio-Cortez was seen as the better representative of the nearly 49 percent Hispanic district.

Growing up with Barack Obama as president for the majority of my childhood, I had been hopeful for both my future and the futures of other people of color. But after Trump won the 2016 presidential election, my hope plummeted. Deep in the “Trump slump”, I had little hope voters would actually turn out, come to the polls, and vote for a candidate like Ocasio-Cortez.

As election day approached, I constantly reminded my mother to vote when the time came.

She had received her citizenship almost 10 years ago, but both of my parents only voted in presidential elections. It was my responsibility to teach them the importance of voting for other members of the government. I had to make sure that my parents understood that for one of the few times in their lives, they had the power to decide who would carry the weight of the country’s concerns and issues.

On June 26, my mother went to the polls and voted for Ocasio-Cortez. I, unfortunately, could not be there with her, but I called her throughout the day to make sure she voted. When I got the notification from her saying she voted, I was ecstatic. My parents, like many, work to provide for their families, leaving little time for themselves.

I was so grateful that my mother took a portion of her free time to go to the polls. It made me feel like my words had some power if they had encouraged her to vote. I stared at my phone in the evening, hoping for good news, hoping that somehow the candidate I believed to be the best fit for congress would win.

When I found out Ocasio-Cortez won through news sites, I felt empowered. How could a 28-year-old Latina woman empower me and give me hope? Sure, I’m not Latina, but I am a female person of color with immigrant parents. I fall into a group of people who need to prove themselves in order to be taken the slightest bit seriously. “I have to work twice as hard to get half as far,” is a saying that I’ve heard many times, and it is one that I have said many times. Often, I hear questions like “What do you mean?” in response. It means I have to go the extra mile to get the same thing that a peer of mine may be able to get easily. It means feeling frustrated for not having my hard work pay off. It means being misunderstood or brushed off every time I try to explain what being a young woman of color is like in private institutions, in places of work, even at home. So, a 28-year-old Latina woman empowers me because she gives me hope. She’s one more minority who has made an impact in a world that does not necessarily hand opportunities to her.

Courtesy of Corey Torpie

CORTEZ CREATES CHANGE Ocasio-Cortez with campaign intern Ananya Kumar-Banerjee ‘17

Gabrielle Fischberg/Contributing Artist

Voting: Can we fix it?

Yes we can!

Solomon Katz Columnist

Following the 2016 election, the discrepancy between the victors of the electoral vote and popular vote raised questions regarding the ethics of our voting system. Within 24 hours, one petition calling for the dissolution of the electoral college had amassed a quarter of a million signatures. Many of us have also doubted the electoral college - we are not the first to have this gut reaction.

2016 was the fifth election in which a candidate lost regardless of winning the popular vote; the most recent prior to 2016 being Gore’s loss to Bush in 2000. However, in the last 200 years, 700 proposals to reform or eliminate the electoral college have been shot down in Congress, despite a majority of public support for reform since 1967.

Changing the electoral system is nearly impossible because few congresspeople are willing to vote in favor of the required constitutional amendment. They fear upsetting their respective political parties, which support the current electoral system they control.

Even so, the question still remains: was there a realistic way the voting process could have been improved for a fairer result in 2016?

The answer to that question is yes.

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) has become increasingly popular across the country, and nonpartisan polling company Civis Analytics has shown that Clinton would have become president if RCV had been nationally adopted.

The RCV system requires voters to rank all candidates in order on their ballot. The worst performing candidates are then eliminated, and votes for those candidates are distributed to higher performing candidates using the rankings voters provided.

It’s true there are plenty of reasons not to vote, from Election Day falling on a Tuesday to the difficulties of making it through long lines or even getting

registered in the first place. But all these problems pale in comparison to the fact that 46% of non-voters choose to abstain because they believe their votes do not matter.

In 2016, the US ranked among the lowest 10 developed countries in terms of voter turnout, with only 55.7% voting in the presidential election. This shamefully low rate of participation was not specific to this particular election, as voter turnout has been stagnant for the past 40 years.

Our voting system needs to change to restore Americans’ faith in voting and end this 40 year trend.

RCV is intended to be a more utilitarian, representative process that addresses voters’ fears of their votes not mattering or counting. Although there is not complete consensus among political scientists about implementing RCV, all agree our current system is broken.

Since the 2000 election, 10 cities have implemented RCV, and since the 2016 election, five additional cities have implemented RCV as well as the entire state of Maine. The steady national push to implement RCV is not without resistance, however. In seven other cities, such as Sarasota, Florida, RCV has been officially adopted in the legislature, but secretaries of state have refused to implement RCV and therefore halted the voting reform process.

This fall’s mid-term elections will provide a new opportunity to remove these obstacles preventing RCV’s expansion. Many governors’ terms will expire, including Governor Rick Scott of Florida. New governors will be elected, who will then appoint new secretaries of states.

States and cities across the country need to first prove they can successfully implement RCV for it to be considered nationally.

But by the time 2020 rolls around, we have to ask ourselves, what kind of election do we want to participate in?

10

THE RECORD NEWS SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

¡Hola, Salamanca!

Bradley Bennett Staff Writer

Two teachers and eight students travelled to Salamanca, Segovia, Madrid, and Avila this summer to study Spanish at the University of Salamanca and explore the culture of Spain.

“We chose Salamanca because their Spanish program was highly recommended for high school students, and while it’s great to just tour a city, we were looking for something deeper and more meaningful for the students,” Foreign Languages Department Chair Susan Carnochan said.

“Salamanca has devoted a lot of resources over the last few years to being a teaching Spanish city. It’s also very authenticly Spanish and has so much history and culture for students to learn about,” Spanish teacher Arni Alvarez said.

The group spent the majority of the trip in Salamanca where they studied as part of the Unamuno Spanish program, taking classes at the University of Salamanca for four hours during the day. At night, the group toured famous sites and explored the city.

“What I enjoyed the most about the university was that we were really able to practice our conversational skills,” Diana Shaari (11) said. “The main portion of the day was devoted to immersing ourselves in the language instead of just learning from a textbook.”

“The class was very conversation-based, and we spent a lot of time talking to each other in Spanish,” Andrew Cassino (11) said. “The Spanish courses at Horace Mann don’t focus as much on communication as the courses in Spain.”

In addition to honing their Spanish skills, the students explored the city of Salamanca and learned about the culture of Spain. They stayed at a residence in Salamanca about a

Katie Goldenberg/Staff Artist

mile away from the university and met and conversed with numerous local Spanish speakers as well as Spanish students from around Spain and the world.

“Even now I’m still in touch with many of the Spanish kids we met in Salamanca, and it’s been really cool to learn about their lifestyle, like their late meal times and siestas,” Shaari said.

“The students lucked out that they were able to talk to the college students so often.

This allowed them to use the language spontaneously, which really is beneficial,” Carnochan said.

The group took day trip tours of Segovia and Avila, and visited famous sites such as the Alcazár of Segovia. They spent their last day of the trip in Madrid, touring the entire city.

“After going to Spain and conversing with native Spanish speakers, I feel much more confident going into my Spanish course this year,” Shaari said.

“It was an amazing experience for the students and also for the instructors, and I would definitely do it again,” Alvarez said.

“I feel much more comfortable conversing with native speakers, and I feel that I have a stronger grasp on the language,” Cassino said.

“I’m more confident using Spanish, and I want to continue to learn more about it.”

Courtesy of Andrew Cassino

EL TORO Students visit bullfighting ring.

Global Glimpse experiences the Caribbean Sam Keimweiss Staff Writer Students traveled to Ecuador and the Dominican Republic (DR) this summer to participate in two-week culture, service, and leadership programs through the organization Global Glimpse.

The trips were coordinated through the diversity office, which sent out an email last year that encouraged people to go, Yasmin McLamb (12) said.

20-30 rising seniors participated in the trips, according to the Global Glimpse website. Most of the students were from public schools in the tristate area, Muhaiminul Ashraf (12), who went to Constanza, DR, said.

McLamb was in another delegation to Constanza, which went during the second and third weeks of August, she said, while Tenzin Sherpa (12) went to Ecuador during the same time, she said.

Abigail Kraus (12), who travelled to Constanza, wanted “to gain a better perspective of a world that I’m not used to” she said.

“I had never been to a ‘third world country’ before,” McLamb said. “You are very isolated there.”

Students spent most of their time with locals, Sherpa said. One day, the students accompanied local teens as they sold candy on the streets to pay for books. This gave students an opportunity to “step into [the local’s] shoes,” Sherpa said.

McLamb grew close to one local teenage girl.

“I learned a lot about the conditions of young teenage girls there,” Mclamb said. Many teenage girls in Constanza are forced into arranged marriages and spent their time doing housework, she said.

“I was probably the only teenage girl that she had seen who didn’t have to go through those struggles,” McLamb said.

“I was trying to push myself out of my comfort zone,” Gabriel Hernandez (12), who traveled with Ashraf, said. “I was always trying to take that extra step to really try and make the most of my experience.”

The trips concluded with a Community Action Project, where students completed a service project in a community, Hernandez said. “For our particular group they wanted us to restore a little park they had.”

The students completely restored the park, building a gazebo and a garden and painting the walls and ground, Kraus said.

Sherpa’s trip also had a Community Action Project, she said. She remodeled the offices of Utopìa, an organization in Riobamba that provides affordable food to the community.

“Running water and smooth roads and lots of electricity I see very differently now, because those were things that I lacked in Constanza and that a lot of the people who live there lack,” Kraus said.

“We as people in America tend to overlook the things that we have,” Sherpa said.

Global Glimpse Portal

MR. WORLDWIDE Students prep presentations.

Courtesy of Claire Yoo

ALOHA! Students perform a traditional chant at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Music ensembles learn about Hawaiian culture Kiara Royer Staff Writer

A day after graduation, N-12 Music Program Coordinator Timothy Ho took 24 chaperones along with Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Steel Drums, Glee Club, Treble Choir and Concert Glee Club to Hawaii for a week of music, performance, and culture.

“We did a music trip to Hawaii about six years ago and that trip was really successful, so there was a lot of discussion from parents and the administrators about hoping to do it again,” Ho said.

Ho needed the right group of students, and last year’s seniors seemed like a good group to take as leaders, he said.

“I didn’t really know what to expect since it was my first high school music trip, but it was a good experience and I would definitely go again,” Vivien Sweet (10) said.

Mr. Ho worked with a tour agency to set up the schedule that split the whole group into two with separate daily itineraries: choir as one group, and all the instrumentalists as another, Middle and Upper Division Music Teacher Dr. Amir Khosrowpour, who was one of the chaperones, said.

Even though the itineraries were different, performances were sometimes shared, Khosrowpour said.

All the music groups performed at a senior center, Orchestra and Glee performed at a church, and each of the bands performed at different malls, Chris Ha (11) said.

The ensembles also had the opportunity to visit the Kamehameha School, Ho’s alma mater, where he taught for eight years.

“I hadn’t really connected with the school in any meaningful way since I left, so it was wonderful that I got such an amazing warm reception, and the students were received really well too,” Ho said.

Ho returned to the classroom that he sang in when he was a student and later taught in, he said. The experience of going back to his alma mater was powerful and cathartic, Ho said.

The students understood what going back meant to me, and the choir did an amazing job performing, he said.

Grace Sander’s ’18 favorite song to sing was “Ku’u Pua I Paoakalani” because Concert Glee performed it at the Iolani Palace, where the song was written.

“Mr. Ho has taken the effort to perfect this

song and bring it justice. I think everyone knew that to finally perform it in the place it was composed in was such a rare opportunity, and that moment resonated with all of us at the end,” Sander said.

The entire trip was great for Sander because she was able to spend her last moments as a school student in Hawaii with so many of her senior and choir friends, she said. “Every senior had a bittersweet moment the last night and a lot of us stayed up all night to sing songs and to simply enjoy each other’s company.”

Besides performing, Sweet’s favorite part of the trip was a hike up the Diamond Head volcanic crater in Honolulu.

“Although I had done it before, the view was still breathtaking and it was very fun hiking with my friends,” she said.

William Golub’s (12) favorite activity was a hula workshop. Hula is a dance, but it’s really about the storytelling; we told a story about nature through rocks held in our hands and with our hand movements, Golub said.

Khosrowpour’s favorite cultural experience was visiting the He’eia Fishponds and Cultural Site, he said. “We learned about this 800-yearold fishing site, and volunteered to perform various tasks like carrying large stones to fortify a rock wall and clearing invasive tree roots,” he said.

“The importance of the pond is the tradition where if you take care of nature and the land, it can continue to be generous and give back,” Ha said.“[All of the ensembles] got to help maintain the pond, and it was nice to help out and learn about this aspect of Hawaiian culture,” he said.

For Gibby Thomas (12), learning olis, traditional Hawaiian chants, was her favorite cultural activity, she said. Upperclassmen from all ensembles learned the oli as a way to introduce themselves to the native Hawaiians they met, Thomas said.

Saying the chants respectfully was necessary in order to be granted access wherever we wanted to go, Thomas said.

“The chants were especially important because we were not only representing Horace Mann, but we were representing Mr. Ho, and I think it was awesome to see everyone being so mindful of that and taking the chanting seriously,” Thomas said.

“Spending time with the students and being able to show Hawaii through my eyes and having the students respond to that was just really profound for me,” Ho said.

Juli Morreira/Art Director

11

HORACE MANN FEATURES SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

Summer Jobs

Labwork

Abigail Salzhauer Staff Writer A number of students spent the summer as members of the workforce, earning spending money and applying old skills while learning new ones.

After coming home from the school’s trip to Spain, Andrew Cassino (11) had a month to spare. He wanted to do something productive with his time while making money, so he got his first job working at a pharmacy in Hunts Point.

At the pharmacy, Cassino served some customers who only spoke Spanish. Though Cassino knows some Spanish, the language barrier was a challenge he had to work around.

A few customers quickly grew frustrated, Cassino said. Learning how to communicate with them while staying calm even if the customer was frustrated was important, Cassino said.

Darius McCullough (11), who worked as a camp counselor for second to eighth graders at the Bank Street Summer Camp, said he thought his job was a good experience to learn about working with children in addition to being a good résumé builder.

After being an intern at Bank Street’s leadership development program last summer, the leaders of the program offered McCullough a job as a counselor this year.

One specific camper in McCullough’s group was very difficult throughout the summer. “I had to talk to him a lot, telling him not to cry and to calm down. He always said he hated the camp, but on his last day we were at a meeting and he was leaning on me and when the meeting was over I looked down at him and realized he was crying because he didn’t want to leave,” McCullough said.

The experience was validating to McCullough and proof that he was making an impact.

During her summer break, Nina Gaither (10) worked at an ice cream shop in Jamestown, Rhode Island in addition to working at Literacy Partners in the city.

Gaither said she wanted to work at the ice cream shop because she already had many friends working there.

Through her job this summer working at a coffee shop, Nshera Tutu (10) learned not only the basics of being a barista, but also important interpersonal skills that she picked up from communicating with customers. Tutu said she also learned a lot about money management.

McCullough said he learned problem solving skills while working with his campers, especially regarding conflicts between them.

As a summer advisor at Prep for Prep, Daniel Chang (11) worked with students teaching them the skills they will need when they go to their independent schools.

“I learned how important some things I’ve been overlooking were to being a successful student,” Chang said.

Griffin Smith (11) worked at a surf shop and gave surf lessons in Long Beach Island, New Jersey this summer.

Although many students at the school choose to spend their summers as unpaid interns for politicians or lawyers, or embarking on expensive travel programs, Smith chose his job because “I felt I would benefit more from an experience of doing an actual job and doing something for myself than a program already laid out for me,” he said.

Smith said working at the store gave him an inside look into what running a small business is really like.

Marina Kazarian Staff Writer

Courtesy of Jakob Djibankov

MEDICAL RESEARCH Jakob Djibankov (12) works at cancer center.

This past summer, students with a love for science chose to further explore their interests outside of the school by conducting labwork and hands-on scientific research.

Sophie Coste (12) explored scientific research as a part of the Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program while studying gut bacteria and their interaction with human cells.

As part of her experience, Coste performed a number of tasks. “I helped my mentors in their research by doing most of the easier but time-consuming procedures. This was my first research experience, so they had to teach me basic research techniques and how to use complex machines, such as fluorescence microscopy imaging. With their help, I cultured bacterial and human cells so they could analyze their behavior later on,” Coste said.

At the end of the program, Coste made a poster on her findings to

What did students do this summer?

present to her parents and mentors.

Ari Moscona-Skolnik (12) researched ryanodine receptors, intracellular calcium ion channels in muscle cells that allow muscles to contract, at Columbia University Medical Center for the past two years.

Moscona-Skolnik has studied the calcium channel in Huntington’s disease, and found that a drug that helps stabilize this channel could help prevent the weakness of breathing associated with the disease. This past summer, he focused on understanding the role of ion channels in atrial fibrillation, the heart abnormality that is one of the major causes of stroke.

“I apply strategies from several different fields, including physics, chemistry, math, and biology.

The work is different every day and is very creative, and I feel so lucky to be a part of it,” MosconaSkolnik said.

Moscona-Skolnik is currently working on a paper about his findings related to Huntington’s disease.

Taussia Boadi (11) participated in the National Student Leadership Conference with a focus in medicine and healthcare at Harvard Medical School.

For their research project, Boadi and her group focused on how doctors show bias, especially when it comes to gender and race.

During her break, Tatiana Pavletich (12) worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from late July until the end of August, focusing on how protein structures could affect pathways in the body and the onset of cancer.

Some of the tasks the work entailed were performing protein purifications, spinning cells down and separating out the liquid from the sample, and running gels, Pavletich said.

“The most exciting aspect of it was probably when all the work that we had to do paid off in the end,” Pavletich said.

Similar to Pavletich, Jakob Djibankov (12) worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. However, Djibankov studied prostatespecific membrane antigens, which correlate to prostate cancer metastasis.

“I chose this type of work because it’s very relevant and current… You’re working in a hospital and there are people a block away who are dying from the things that you are working on, so it’s pretty cool to potentially be working on the solution,” Djibankov said.

Courtesy of Ari Moscona Scolnik (12)

Courtesy of Roey Nornberg

SHALOM Roey Nornberg (11) poses with Israeli Parliament member.

Internships Andrew Cassino Staff Writer

Courtesy of Julia Hornstein

CAPITOL HILL Julia Hornstein (12) celebrates Independence Day.

This summer, students participated in internships ranging from working for politicians in Israel to learning about legal nonprofits in New York City.

Julia Hornstein (12) worked for Representative Josh Gottheimer, the Democratic congressmen from New Jersey’s 5th District, in his Washington DC office.

During the school year, Hornstein applied to work for Gottheimer. She admired his work as the cochair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group made up of about forty-eight members equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, she said.

Hornstein spent time answering calls and writing letters to constituents, writing bill memos for the legislative staff, and giving tours of the Capitol, along with the occasional salad pickup, she said. She also attended briefings, hearings, and a press conference outside the senate chamber where she saw Senator McConnell of Kentucky, Senator Booker of New Jersey, and Senator Schumer of New York, as well as other senators, speak.

“I learned so much about how much responsibility not only the congressmen but also everyone in the office has. We met with Josh, and he talked a lot about how he’s constantly meeting with people from 6 AM to 12 AM and how he’s always working for the people of his district,” Hornstein said.

Hornstein hopes to work on Capitol Hill again as she enjoyed being involved with current events, she said.

Roey Nornberg (11) also interned in politics, working for Merav Ben Ari, a member of the Israeli

HARD AT WORK Ari Moscona-Skolnik (12) conducts medical research.

Parliament. He spent five weeks translating between English and Hebrew in addition to helping with her reelection campaign, he said.

“I filled in the cracks of anything she needed help with. I thought of ways to proactively improve her standing,” Nornberg said.

For example, Nornberg came up with a spreadsheet system where he recorded prospective voters, he said. He also enjoyed experiencing a day in the life of a congresswoman and getting to see the Israeli political system up close, he said.

Whitney Dawson (11) worked in Midtown at the International Senior Lawyers Project, a nonprofit that provides governments with limited resources with pro-bono legal aid.

“I was really interested in the organization, but I didn’t see an internship program on their website, so I just emailed one of the staff members and asked if they were interested in having an intern. They said they had never had one before and that I could work over the summer,” Dawson said.

Dawson learned about relations between countries she never knew of before, spending her time researching potential projects. She mostly researched Chinese investment in Latin America and Africa as well as corruption in the Ukrainian government, she said.

12

THE RECORD ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

Horace Mann Film Institute screening showcases student talent Simon Yang Staff Writer

As the lights of Recital Hall began to dim and the sound of student chatter began to fade, the title of the first film boldly appeared on the screen.

Taking place on the night of July 12th, the Horace Mann Summer Film Institute screening celebrated the work of aspiring student cinematographers.

It showcased twelve short films, each written, shot, and edited by the students, with some even starring the students as actors.

Taught by photography teacher Jordan Rathus and teaching assistant Maggie Brill ’18, the HMSFI students spent four weeks both learning the basics of cinematography and shooting their own films, Rathus said.

Gavin Delanty (12), an HMSFI student, described the filming process to be thorough and complex. “The shoots required a lot of attention to details and involved a lot of improvisations when shots went awry,” Delanty said. “That’s why it felt so amazing and relieving to finally finish a shoot.”

While the filming process was involved, many found it engaging.

“I found the shooting week to be the most interesting,” Wilder Harwood (11), an HMSFI student, said. “We were able to go off campus to film, and that made the experience even more

fun,” she said.

Although the actual shooting process lasted only for four days, the final editing process was arduous, Rathus said. After filming, the HMSFI students edited and perfected the films until the last minute, she said.

The films delivered a broad range of creative stories, ranging from time travel to an action-packed chase sequence between students competing for a candy bar. Ashley Dai (11), who attended the screening, was impressed and surprised by the creativity of the films, she said. “It was so interesting to see how all the films told such unique stories within the short span of three minutes,” Dai said.

Director of Summer School Caroline Bartels, who helped administer the program, believed that the students’ efforts were successfully reflected by the screening. “It was really fun to watch the students come to school every day excited to film,” Bartels said.

“To see such energy and excitement come through in the screening and the talkback was invaluable.”

Delanty was a little nervous to show his film to the audience at first, he said. “I do wish that I had gotten more footage of certain parts," he said. "I was happy with how my film turned out."

A brief talkback session with students and Rathus followed the screening, where students discussed their processes of filming and scripting

in more depth.

Many students expressed their changed perspectives on filming, often pointing out the surprising amount of work and flexibility required in even the simplest shots. “The amount of effort needed to get footage for a threeminute film was something I didn’t expect,” Mika Asfaw (11) said.

Delanty, who had no prior knowledge of filmmaking, learned how difficult it is to make a film through the summer program, he said.

While the program was involved and rigorous, students believe HMSFI was a meaningful learning experience.

Delanty was happy to learn a variety of editing and filming skills, which he believes will be useful in the future, he said.

Harwood thinks the four weeks allowed the students to express their potential. “You’re only making one movie for four weeks, so all your attention is focused on the films,” she said. The focused process enabled the students to gain even more from the experience, Harwood said.

“The most important takeaway from the program is that students can learn how to balance being prepared with being flexible,” Rathus said. She hopes that the experience allowed students to gain more comfort with artistic experimentation, she said.

Courtesy of Alexandra Peeler

CHILLIN' AFTER FILMIN' HMSFI students and friends relax after a long day of filming.

Art exhibit of the summer: David Wojnarowicz’s legacy of artistic advocacy Eliza Poster Staff Writer

The first of many striking images amassed on the sixth floor of the Whitney appears the moment the doors of the palatial elevator open: a photograph of a man, unfazed by flames that engulf him, stares serenely in your direction with a cigarette clutched firmly between

two fingers. Inscribed on the wall next to this piece is the title of the exhibit— “David Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake at Night.”

A retrospective of artist David Wojnarowicz’s work from the late seventies to early nineties, the exhibit, open from July 13th to September 30th, displays a vast quantity of his work and explores the intersection of sexuality with religion, politics,

family, and identity. Wojnarowicz, a queer man who died of HIV in 1992 at the age of 37, engaged in advocacy most of his life and used his art as a form of activism.

The artist worked in various media throughout his career, including painting, photography, film, sculpture, music and performance.

Memorable works include a self-portrait of Wojnarowicz’s

Courtesy of Eliza Poster

ART AS ACTIVISM Whitney museumgoers study Wojnarowicz’s artwork.

face photographed submerging or emerging from crumbling sand, a kaleidoscopic cluster of objects including a newborn baby emblazoned in paint upon a huge canvas, and the clanging, robotic sound of his band 3 Teens Kill 4. But no matter the time or material, the majority of his works link back to his exploration of sexuality in life.

Despite the number of decades passed since the art was made, the spectators seemed moved by the exhibit and shocked by the relevance of the artist’s activism and social commentary.

The exhibit is a series of rooms strung together, some with curling white walls erected at the center.

The exhibit has no obvious flow; spectators weave in and out of rooms as they please, encouraging further engagement with the art itself.

“It seems so direct and so vivid; his use of images and color, his work kind of confronts you in a way that is engaging but also very pointed,” Elliot Fleishman, a spectator and student at NYU, said.

One of the most enticing series in the exhibit is Rimbaud in New York, a collection of black-andwhite photographs of people, often including Wojnarowicz himself, posed in various locations in New York. They are wearing masks resembling the face of Arthur Rimbaud, a French writer from whom

Courtesy of Eliza Poster

THIS MAN IS ON FIRE Wojnarowicz’s self-portrait hangs at the start of the art exhibit at the Whitney.

Wojnarowicz found great inspiration and admired for his introspection and candor in depicting his own homosexuality.

“I really appreciated the New York centricity of his work,” he said.

“And I think it really speaks to the emotional undercurrent we all have.

For me, it was a depiction of finding poetry in life.”

Providing a coherent timeline of Wojnarowicz’s activism, the exhibit captures the sadness and complexity of Wojnarowicz’s life while retaining the art’s beauty and resonance.

13

HORACE MANN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018 Courtesy of Adrian Rogers

Courtesy of Ragan Henderson

Courtesy of Jacob Shaw

ROCKIN' AND ROLLIN' Shaw works on producing music over the summer.

GIRL ON FILM Henderson creates a film in USC Summer Program.

CONDUCTING ELECTRICITY Rogers plays violin in traveling orchestra.

Students explore artistic passions during the summer Emily Shi Staff Writer This summer, Jacob Shaw (9) delved deeper into one aspect of his musical identity by studying drumming at the Stanford Jazz Workshop.

Originally, Shaw planned to attend a program for songwriting and producing, but he chose to study drums instead to focus in on something different. “I come from a very diverse background of genres so it was really cool to work on one really intensely,” he said.

Shaw submitted videos of him playing different tracks by himself, and was placed into a group of musicians at a similar level.

Before the program, Shaw could not imagine being so devoted to jazz drumming. He has now realized that there are two potential paths that his musical career can continue on: producing music or jazz drumming.

“I had no idea this would happen, but the Stanford Jazz Workshop opened up the possibility for me to focus on becoming a devoted jazz drummer, and I’ve learned that it’s great to consider and embrace

Royal Shakespeare Company hosts summer program in England Nelson Gaillard Staff Writer This summer, William Shakespeare captured the minds of dozens of faculty on their trip to Stratford, England, as well as the minds of students who attended the school’s five-day summer program hosted by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

Although English Department Head Vernon Wilson did not attend the program this summer, he has attended the past few summers.

He believes that the goals of the RSC summer program were to engage with and offer a more playful approach to Shakespeare’s works, he said. He wanted the students to treat Shakespeare’s works as “not just another book on the syllabus,” he said.

Damali O’Keefe ’18 attended the program, which was held at the school, and felt like she gained more confidence in her performing abilities, she said.

A typical day of the school’s program began at 9 am in the Recital Hall where students would commence their warm-up exercises. Following, students worked on cutting down an hour and a half long play, ​Pericles, Prince of Tyre,​into a shorter,

45-minute performance with each participant performing an individual monologue. The students figured out ways to perform on as much of the campus and have as many audience

Juli Moreira/Art Director

members participate as possible, O’Keefe said.

“A lot of the exercises that we did were about making sure that your voice comes from a place of strength or making sure that you

really understand the lines you’re delivering,” O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe chose the RSC program because of her interest in film directing, she said. “Line delivery, understanding your lines, and being a part of an ensemble are lessons that I will 100% use when directing actors,” she said.

Several faculty also partook in Shakespeare activities for four days in Stratford, England, working in tandem with the RSC to learn and practice exercises that they can then bring back to the classroom, English teacher Dr. Wendy Steiner said.

“One goal behind the exercises is to get our classes functioning more as ensembles so that we can explore Shakespeare and other literary texts as a functioning group,” she said.

“When done well and with some consistency, [the exercises] really open up a way to experience Shakespeare’s work,” Wilson said.

The trip to Stratford was a “week long, full-on, [Shakespeare] immersion with a bunch of colleagues,” Wilson said.

“I’ve had the opportunity to go to Stratford twice, and, without question, these visits have been the greatest professional development experiences of my career,” Steiner said.

change in my musical career,” Shaw said.

Ragan Henderson (12) attended The School of Cinematic Arts Program at the University of Southern California (USC) and worked on a movie set in order to surround herself with fellow artists in the film industry.

Henderson spent six weeks at USC taking classes and shooting.

She had known about the program since last year, and decided to apply this summer. After submitting a screenplay, recommendation letters, and a personal statement, she was accepted into the program.

She then contacted a film graduate student, landing the opportunity to be a personal assistant on their set for three days.

Overall, Henderson enjoyed working with people in an industry that she wants to be a part of.

Although she did learn technique involving the cinematic arts, the special part of her experience stemmed from meeting new people and learning how to interact with artists in a professional setting – an essential skill needed in the film industry, she said.

“It’s comfortable being surrounded by other people who have creative minds that are involved in the industry I want to be a part of,” she said.

Adrian Rogers (12) experienced life as a professional violinist while exploring the world on the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) tour.

He spent the first half of the five week program living and rehearsing at SUNY Purchase, and the second half performing abroad in Asia.

“Ever since NYO began, its popularity has skyrocketed,” Rogers said. Other members of his youth orchestra who had completed the program before encouraged him to apply for an opportunity to explore his deepest passion— music.

NYO is the only program that Rogers knows of that allows students to play as a musician on tour. Prior to this summer, Rogers had never experienced traveling in an orchestra with such a rigorous and professional schedule. “NYO really gives [young musicians] the opportunity to discover what it means to be a musician in the modern world. That’s different from any other program,” he said.

2018-19 School Year Shows and Productions HMTC:

November 8-9-10: Ionesco’s “Rhinoce ros” December 7-8: Middle Division Prod uction: “Almost, Maine” February 7-8-9: “King Charles III” April 25-26-27: “Sophisticated Ladies” June 7-8-9: HMTC Alumni Show

Choir and Instrumental:

October 25: UD Advanced Ensemble s Concert December 11: UD Steel Bands & Win d Ensemble Concert December 18: UD Orchestra/Glee Club Concert December 19: MD Concert February 21: UD/MD All-Choir Con cert February 28: Steel Drum Concert March 7: UD Orchestra & Wind Ense mble Concert May 7: MD Spring Concert May 17: UD Collage Concert May 20: Instrumental Recital May 21: Voice Recital May 22: Piano Recital

Art Shows:

September 13: International Artist Resi dency October: Student Works in Progress November: Recent HM Alumni Show January: MD Installation Work February :Illustrator Bryan Collier March: HM 246 May : Graduating Seniors Show

14

THE RECORD LIONS’ DEN SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

SPORTS TEAM PREVIEWS Football

Girls Soccer

Girls Volleyball

Boys Soccer

Field Hockey

Girls Tennis

Girls Cross Country

Boys Cross Country

Water Polo

15

HORACE MANN LIONS’ DEN SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

Kicking off the Year: The World Cup Experience

Juli Moreira/Art Director

Vivien Sweet & Henry Owens Staff Writers Malka Krijestorac (12), who is of Croatian descent, watched the World Cup at a local cafe near her parents’ house in Croatia and in some other cities in Europe, she said.

“I liked watching the games at the cafe because it was filled with locals who were rooting for Croatia. However, when I watched games in Amsterdam and Berlin, not everyone was rooting for the same team,” she said.

The excitement in the air in Croatia was palpable, Krijestorac said. Fans would wear the jerseys of their favorite players, face paint, and fake tattoos of the Croatian flag, she said.

“After the wins, my family and I would always just walk around the street and see people jumping on top of cars and we would cheer with everyone else,” she said.

Personally, Krijestorac was surprised that Croatia made it to the finals. “No one ever thought we would beat England in the semi-finals and I came to the game kind of upset because I didn’t think we had a chance, but I think England underestimated [Croatia] as a team,” she said.

Sean Koons (12), a member of Boys Varsity Soccer, thinks that what made the 2018 World Cup special was “being able to watch games with friends on the weekends and weekdays this summer,” he said.

“Being 17 and watching [the World Cup] compared to being 13 and watching is different,” he said.

Fellow teammate and another World Cup fan Melchior Lee (12) grew up playing soccer and watched his first World Cup in 2010.

Lee’s parents went to the 2002 World Cup which was co-hosted by South Korea and Japan and later told him all about their experience, he said.

That was the year South Korea made it all the way to the semi-finals, ”which was how he started to get into the World Cup,” he said.

“That World Cup was just so exciting and I pretty much just fell in love with the sport,” Lee said.

Lee was rooting for Korea primarily because of his Korean heritage, and he was surprised at how well they performed, he said.

“Almost everyone expected South Korea to finish last in their division and lose to Germany, who was the number one ranked team in the world, so the South Korea versus Germany game was arguably the biggest upset of the tournament,” Lee said.

Chris Ha (11), who is also on Boys Varsity Soccer, was rooting for Spain because

Elizabeth Fortunato/Staff Artist

CHEF IN PARIS Celebrating France’s victory with the locals.

Courtesy of Evan Wu

he watched the tournament there although he rooted for South Korea as well because of his Korean heritage, he said.

“The best part of the World Cup was South Korea beating Germany because it was such a complete upset and surprise. I remember finding out about the win after an activity at camp, and I was cheering the Korean chant for hours,” Ha said.

Another member of Boys Varsity Soccer, Gavin Delanty (12), developed his passion for soccer from his brother, he said.

“In the beginning [of the tournament], I supported Argentina due to my love for Lionel Messi, and Iran due to my friend’s Iranian descent,” Delanty said.

Delanty felt a tangible change in energy in New York City during the World Cup, he said. “Soccer is gaining support in the United States, and that is definitely apparent in the city,” Delanty said.

Helena Yang (10) never played organized soccer, but still was a fan of the World Cup and grew up rooting for Germany. However, Yang ended up supporting Croatia in the finals, and was “pretty upset when Croatia lost,” Yang said.

Both Yang and Lee thought that Brazil, a star team in the tournament, did not play up to expectations.

“I think Brazil had a lapse of concentration and focus because on paper, they were the most talented team going into the tournament.” Lee said.

Lee felt that the Brazil versus Belgium quarterfinal game definitely could have been a final, considering the caliber of both teams, he said.

Kiara Royer (11), the co-Captain of Girls Varsity Soccer (GVS), watched the final at a soccer camp in Maine and was rooting for Croatia, she said. “It’s so much more fun to root for the underdogs, and everyone at the camp was really into the game” she said.

GVS consists predominantly of underclassmen, with only two upperclassmen this year, which puts the team at a disadvantage, Royer said.

However, this year’s World Cup gave GVS a good example of perseverance, she said. “Croatia made it all the way to the final as the underdogs, so with that mentality [GVS] can do a lot better than expected, even if we are very young,” she said.

In the end, France beat Croatia 4-2 to win the World Cup. Koons was rooting for France and was happy when they won, he said.

“France was the best team in the tournament and they played so well together; their chemistry was unbeatable,” Yang said.

Despite Croatia’s loss, the 2018 World Cup was a very exciting tournament to watch, Krijestorac said. “[The World Cup] is the world’s most watched event for a good reason, and it certainly becomes a lot more exciting when you have a team to back-up,” Lee said.

Lions’ Den Record Sports

SUMMER SPORTS:

16

SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2018

đ&#x;?Š HUNTER KIM đ&#x;?Š

Students’ Athletic Training + Competition

âš˝ HANNAH LIPSKAR âš˝ đ&#x;?ˆ LYNDON GAY đ&#x;?ˆ Courtesy of Ha nnah

Lipskar

Courtesy of Lyndon Gay

Courtesy of Hunter Kim

READY TO RACE Kim stands by a diving block before Nationals

HANDS UP! Lipskar catches a ball as goalkeeper

FOCUS UP! Gay speaks to the defensive coordinator at Stanford

Jackson Feigin Staff Writer

Spencer Kahn Staff Writer

Victor Dimitrov Staff Writer

In August, Hunter Kim (10) swam at the 2018 Speedo Junior National Championships in Irvine, California, along with seven members of the Badgers Swim Club, the team he swims for outside of school.

Kim swam in four events at the Junior National Championships: the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke and the 200 and 400 meter IM, the event that combines freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke, and backstroke.

He qualified for the championships by achieving a certain time or “cut� in the respective events he swam when competing for both his club team and the school’s swim team, he said. Although he managed to qualify, all did not go as planned. “The meet did not fit well into our training and many of us were out of shape,� Kim said.

Kim is nonetheless glad he attended the competition, he said.

He felt that going to Junior Nationals gave him great experience for future meets and allowed him to further bond with his teammates, many of whom he’s only known for the past year.

Despite the fact that he did not perform particularly well, Kim said he has not lost any enthusiasm. “Another Junior Nationals will be held in North Carolina this December, and we hope to place better this time around. Now that I’ve been with my new team for almost a year, I feel more comfortable about the aspects of the team and I will be able to do better in the future,� he said.

Kim also plans to prepare for the next Junior Nationals by working on his walls, the term for turns from lap to lap, he said. “High level swimmers that attend Junior Nationals know how to use walls very well, and to compete with them I must improve.�

Over the summer, Kim had anywhere from six to 12 swim practices a week, each of which typically lasts for two hours. He continued swimming during a two week break from his team’s practices in August. Kim spent five days sightseeing in London, during which time he had the opportunity to visit the 2012 Olympic pool. “It was my first time swimming in a pool like this,� he said. “Not only was the pool beautiful, but the entire building itself was built to resemble a whale.� He was able to reserve a lane in the pool to swim leisurely for an hour, he said. “I thought it would be a unique experience to swim in the same pool as such incredible swimming legends like Michael Phelps, Kosuke Kitajima, and Adam Peaty� Kim said. “So many records were broken, and so many of my idols swam in that pool so it was very cool experience.�

This summer Hannah Lipskar (10) participated in the Maccabi Youth Games in Israel as the goalkeeper for the East Coast United States Youth Women’s soccer team, helping them earn a silver medal.

Lipskar was chosen for the team after she sent in a taped recording of her playing soccer. “A friend had told me the team was missing a few players,� Lipskar said. “If I was in a certain league or level on a team, I was supposed to send a tape in, and they would say whether or not I could join.�

Lipskar is enrolled in the U.S. Development Academy, one of the highest-level youth soccer leagues in the United States. “I have been playing soccer essentially my whole life, since I was seven or eight,� she said.

Last fall, Lipskar played on the school’s varsity soccer team as the goalkeeper. Due to an ankle injury, she had to step down from the team later in the season. “I recently joined a new team that’s on a little bit of a higher level,� Lipskar said. “I’m under a contract so I’m not allowed to play with the school, which is a little disappointing.�

The Maccabi Youth Games were not Lipskar’s first high-stakes soccer competition. “This was the second international tournament that I’ve played in,� she said. “Last summer I went to Italy and played in the San Marino Cup tournament, which was also a great experience.� The San Marino Cup is a yearly youth soccer event hosted in Rimini, Italy.

Goalkeeper is Lipskar’s favorite position because it has “a lot of baggage, but the feeling when you make the game-winning save� makes it worth it, she said. “You either feel like a star or the villain.�

This summer, Lyndon Gay competed against the country’s top football players at Stanford University, The University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and IMG Academy. “In addition to getting a close look at my target schools and gaining exposure in the process, I wanted to see where I stacked up against other players around the country,� Gay (10) said. “I had a fantastic experience at all the camps although they were very different. I got to know the personalities of the coaching staff, I was fortunate to get a tour of the campus and the facilities, I got to meet kids from around the country that shared my love for football, and I learned a lot in terms of how to be a better linebacker,� Gay said.

The college camps were one day each except the IMG camp where Gay spent one week.

There were many different skill levels at these camps. Gay was able to meet the number one overall recruit which gave him and the rest of the players at the camps something to strive for. The drills and scrimmages at the camps were tough but thanks to the excellent coaching staffs Gay was able to more than hold his own, Gay said.

Gay’s main goal for participating in the programs was to get on the radar of different schools, which he felt he accomplished.

Gay also sought to become a better linebacker and to evolve into a better player and more valuable contributor to the school’s football team, Gay said.

The coaching at all of the college camps was exceptional and not only had coaches from each respective school but from fifteen to twenty other colleges from all different levels, Gay said.

This allowed them to give very specific coaching tailored to each position. In addition, “I was able to get a lot of valuable one-onone time with the coaches as well as many different tips on my technique�, Gay said.

Because Gay was one of the younger players at the programs and managed to perform well, he received extra attention from the linebacker coaches in between drills, which gave him valuable experience, Gay said.

Gay hopes to play football in college and plans to apply to colleges that will allow him to do so.

Gay loved this experience because it gave him the opportunity to learn about football at the college level and become a better, more well-rounded football player. He plans to add several more college camps to his summer list next year, Gay said.

Courtesy of Hunter Kim

IN THE WAKE OF FAME Kim visits the 2012 Olympic Pool

Courtesy of Hannah Lipskar

HEAD IN THE GAME A huddle with Lipskar and her teammates Lipskar’s team consisted of other students from the East Coast similarly passionate about soccer. “We bonded so much; we were all the closest friends,� she said.

Even though all the students on the team played soccer yearround, they prepared for the competition with a three-day training camp, Lipskar said.

During the tournament, games were organized early in the morning in order to “beat the heat,�Lipskar said. “We would play games around 6:30 and 7:00 AM. We had to wake up an hour early, which was a little awful.�

The team was in Israel for two weeks, but only competed for “four or five days.� They spent the rest of their trip touring Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. “The whole country was so beautiful,� Lipskar said.

The daily routine for Lipskar and her teammates involved getting breakfast, going to the field to practice for thirty minutes, playing a game, and then enjoying the sights in Israel.

Courtesy of Lyndon Gay

POST CAMP Gay at the Benjamin Franklin Statue at UPenn