Welcome Back Issue (Issue 1)

The Horace Mann Record SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019 || VOLUME 117, ISSUE 1

HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903

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Gabrielle Fischberg and Annabelle Chan/ Art Directors

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THE RECORD OPINIONS SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

Welcome back from the SBPs! Dear Upper Division Students, Welcome back! We hope everyone had a relaxing summer and is ready for the 2019-2020 school year. We are so excited to see all of you again and can’t wait to get started on making this year the best it can be for all of us!

As Student Body Presidents this year, one of our main goals is to prioritize mental health at Horace Mann. This summer, we began working with the Counseling and Guidance office to discuss a variety of initiatives that promote mental health awareness at Horace Mann. We offered suggestions for the HMO program to further ease the transition into high school and talked about ways we can continue to create a safe environment for all students. We plan to do this with three programs: beginning a communal lunch table in the cafeteria, starting an HMO buddy system, and spreading information about outside resources that are available to students.

In conjunction with this year’s Book Day book, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, we hope to inspire students to get involved with the issue of climate change rather than simply talking about the problem. We have been in contact with some alumni and students from both nearby high schools and Horace Mann to speak at Book Day and other events throughout the year. Our goal is to educate the school community not only

about the problem of climate change but also about the multiple ways that students can get involved.

We have a lot of other exciting ideas that we plan to implement this year. We hope to realize our vision for Horace Mann by elaborating on the three pillars of our platform: diversity, student life, and community. For example, to celebrate diversity, we would like to utilize the new Multicultural Center to host division-wide international movie nights to focus on different cultures through films and discussions. For student life and community, we are: speaking with Ms. Neuwirth and Mr. Khan to create a teachers’ assistant program between the Upper Division and the Lower and Middle Divisions; working to make Lutnick Hall feel homier creating public speaking forums; organizing intramural sports tournaments; and more.

Though we have outlined some of the initiatives we are most passionate about for the coming year, this list is not extensive we want to hear what you all think! If any of you have ideas for changes or plans that you would like to see, please email us or stop us in the hallways. This year, we want to connect with every Upper Division student to ensure that we can work together effectively as a community. We look forward to another amazing year together!

Yours Truly, Roey Nornberg and Isha Agarwal

What Rwanda taught me ages 6 to 20 years old (classes such as robotics, soccer, English, dance, and art). On the last day of camp, there was a giant performance showcase for the campers’ families where each class performed something that they had learned during their two-week session at Turi Kumwe. Since I taught choir and songwriting, my students performed songs that they had either written or were taught to sing. But regardless of what they may have learned, I feel as if I actually learned equally, if not more,

Here’s a little fun fact about me:. I’m really bad at checking my emails. So, when Mr. Asoluka sent information to my class grade about an upcoming trip to Kigali, Rwanda, I was the one who almost missed it. I can confidently say that this trip changed my life for the better. Thinking back on it, the thought of nearly having missed out on it because I don’t regularly open First Class gives me the chills. I may now regularly check my email… maybe.

During this trip, six Horace Mann students (including a recent graduate), Ms. Screen, Mr. Asoluka, and I worked at a summer camp

Jake Shapiro/Photo Editor

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

Courtesy of Alena Underwood

This summer, in an email to the high school, Upper Division Head Dr. Jessica Levenstein strongly discouraged students and faculty from using their cell phones on campus, outlining the new cell phone policy that takes effect this year. While some might see it as an unnecessary and imposing measure, we think that these new expectations will bring needed change to the culture of our school. In past years, it was easy to walk through the hallways, focused on our screens, not acknowledging our peers and teachers.

Hopefully this year, things will be different.

While it is ideal for changes to come from students through a shift in mindset, sometimes important changes need to be enforced and implemented by a governing body, which in this case is the school administration. See the good in these enforced expectations instead of only noting any perceived inconveniences the cell phone policy might place upon you. Too often, phones are an excuse to not greet old friends in hallways or start making new ones in the library. So now that you and your classmates won’t be on your phones in the hallways, take the time to say ‘hi’ to people around you and start impromptu conversations.

And take it a step further. Don’t just say ‘hi’ to people: say ‘hi’ to new people. This is not only relevant for juniors and seniors who often are content with their existing friends, but also for ninth graders coming from the middle school. It’s great to be content with your current friends, but that shouldn’t inhibit you from making fantastic new ones. Let your classes, clubs and teams be a starting point for finding common ground and becoming close with those who you haven’t yet gotten to know well. A culture in which everyone looks down rather than around is an uninviting and antisocial one. It’s a new year. So, look up from your phones and see the opportunity in front of you.

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called Turi Kumwe which translates to “we are together.” On a daily basis, we each taught two 2.5 hour classes for students ranging from

Features Nelson Gaillard Gabby Kepnes Kiara Royer Opinions Victor Dimitrov Abigail Salzhauer

Issues Editor Jude Herwitz

Lions’ Den Darius McCullough Mark Fernandez Ranya Sareen Andrew Cassino

A&E Nishtha Sharma Eliza Poster Eddie JIn

Middle Division Ben Wang

Art Directors Annabelle Chan Gabrielle Fiscberg

Design Editors Euwan Kim Reena Ye

Faculty Advisor David Berenson

Photography Griffin Smith Ahaan Palla Jake Shapiro

News Amelia Feiner Madison Li Sam Keimweiss Simon Yang

from them and this embodies the incredible and unforgettable opportunity of being with the people of Rwanda.

in order to make Rwanda a better place for all.

Because the genocide was so recent, its effects are still present and very evident. There was one, likely unintended, result of the genocide that moved me the most and will resonate with me for as long as I live. Because the Rwandan people united in an effort to ensure that history would not repeat itself, their sense of community is profound- stronger than anything I’ve ever seen before. People there take care of one another whether they are a family member or a complete stranger.

As an American (especially a New Yorker), I anticipated people to be distant, and that I would have been expected to initiate all conversations; however this couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Within minutes of being in the camp, I had at least four children holding my hands, smiling at me, trying to introduce themselves, and teaching me how to join their play games. Even with the language barrier, they were insistent on making a connection - on bringing me into their community, their fold.

This sense of community, a sense of authentic belonging, of being “a people,” is amazing given the roots of the genocide.This feeling of being one is something that is sorely missing in America. Rwandans understand the importance of creating oneness rather

are destined to be the next generation of great engineers, scientists, poets, writers, historians, and artists. Many, if not most, of you incoming freshmen probably feel that way. However, after three years of stressing out on late nights about my A period test that I still had not studied for, I understand what one of the greatest writers of our generation, David Foster-Wallace, spoke about in his “This Is Water” speech. He said, “Learning how to think is really learning how to become conscious and aware enough to choose what to pay attention to and what

classroom or devise a superior plan for senior year applications. If there is one piece of advice I can give you, it is to harness that last bit of energy that keeps you going, even when they serve breakfast for lunch in the cafeteria, not to compete with those around you, but to view your community and the world through a different lens. Learn to be well adjusted so that you can better yourself through your peer’s experiences. Most times, you will learn much more from discussions at the lunch table or podcasts than you will from a biology textbook, and that is the

Rohan Bhatia

Annabelle Chan/ Art Director

Editor in Chief Julia Robbins

Courtesy of Alena Underwood

Rachel Zhu/Staff Artist

Volume 117 Editorial Board

than division. I am immensely grateful that I was able to go on this trip with Horace Mann and see such an extraordinary example of togetherness and solidarity in an incredibly

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

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.

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beautiful country. We, in the United States, could learn tremendously from their actions.

Of the many things that venturing on this trip taught me, the most important thing was the significance of community. In NYC, each of us tends to be in our own little bubble and our sense of “community” is usually limited to immediate family and peers. In Rwanda, I learned and adopted the principle that even strangers can have a connection just by being human and on this earth together. Being in Rwanda and experiencing that every day changed my perspective, and returning home was definitely difficult. To come back to the US and no longer feel what I had internalized on a daily basis for close to three weeks, to no longer sense that belongingness was tough and grueling- even more than the 22-hour travel back to JFK airport.

I left Rwanda wishing that the same perception of community could manifest itself here in the United States, in my home. I hope that our individualized mindset changes so that we learn to properly value one another.I know that it probably won’t happen in my lifetime, but I can only aspire to make it my work going forward so that our future generations unite even if it’s only a fraction of what the Rwandan people have done.

What I wish I knew on the first day of ninth grade

Cell Phone Policy

Cell phones may not be out for any purpose in Gross Theatre or the Recital Hall, unless the student has secured permission of the adult in charge.

Students may not take pictures or record video or audio in the classroom without the permission of ateacher.

Students may never take pictures or record video or audio in the locker rooms or bathrooms.

Students may not take pictures or record another student or teacher without the permission of that person.

Students may never text or post images, video, or audio recordings of any members of the school community without the permission of those people.

Managing Editor Mayanka Dhingra

The Rwandan genocide took place in 1994.

After all the tragedy and loss of life that occurred, the Rwandan people decided to caome together and choose to move forward

Alena Underwood

Editorial: Friend Request IRL

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HORACE MANN OPINIONS SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

When I first stepped into Olshan lobby in the fall of my freshman year, I was daunted by a Latin phrase that I believed I could very well translate.

Magna est veritas et prævalet. It in fact took me several minutes longer than I would have liked to decipher the meaning of this phrase, but I still could not quite understand why the school would invest in such a regal portrayal of those words.

Though I agree with the phrase, my personal choice for our school’s motto is less eloquent. For me, our school’s motto is, “We teach you how to think.” It is lame, boring, and I still cannot translate it into Latin after a good minute of trying. However, every faculty member on campus devotes all of their time to teaching students how to think. I believe their mission is to teach us how to use our formal education as a tool to improve the world that we live in.

Whenever teachers preach this mantra, I always imagined that it meant that we were to expand our knowledge in and out of the classroom. We

to gather meaning from.”

When I first arrived at Horace Mann, I truly believed that the world revolved around me.

Coming from a smaller private school in the heart of Manhattan, I had not encountered this level of intellectual diversity. Most days, I would spend my energy trying to one up the student next to me in the

beauty about the community you are about to join.

Remember during those inevitable long nights and hell weeks that you are more than a student in a rat race to the top; rather, you are a piece in the puzzle of society. Your only real challenge is finding where you fit. Find clubs, publications, and teams that for whatever reason interest you.

We have all been conditioned to overanalyze from a young age, but follow your heart when you first go to the club fair or see a flyer in the Tillinghast staircase. Even if you do not believe that you are a very extroverted or considerate person, join a service learning club. Even if you weren’t the best athlete in middle school, try out for that sport that you love playing with friends. Finally, even if you were not the smartest student in your previous middle school, challenge yourself in the classroom every day by asking and answering questions. The knowledge that you are promised when applying and being accepted to this school is not reflected in where you go after you four years of high school or even in your transcript, it is reflected in your awareness and understanding of the simple tasks in life. Your ability to empathize, scrutinize, evaluate, demonstrate, and deliberate is what will make these upcoming four years a success.

The school has had a reputation of being a prestigious pressure cooker that manufactures success. It scared me at first, but in reality, this community exposes every student to failure at a very early stage. It is your job to use your passion and this community’s resources as tools to overcome this failure. Every day when you wake up, even if after four or five hours of sleep, you will be a more capable and understanding individual than the day before. Even if this entire article might seem like a very horrific attempt at a somewhat motivational speech, which it is, try to remember that you have a community behind you that wants you to be the best version of you every day, even when you make mistakes.

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Dallas Dent/Contributing Artist

Rwanda

A classy summer: students continue learning over break John Mauro Staff Writer Rachel Zhu/Staff Artist

Anabelle Chan/Art Director

Julia Goldberg & Talia Winiarsky

Staff Writers

Sometimes a journey starts with a single step; this summer, a journey to Rwanda started with a single Instagram post.

When Dean of the Class of 2023 Chidi Asoluka posted a picture from his travels in Capetown last summer, a friend of his commented under the photo, reaching out to ask if Asoluka had ever been to Rwanda. His friend suggested that he learn more about an organization there, which he thought Asoluka would find interesting. Asoluka replied, saying that maybe in the future he’d look them up, but that was all, he said.

Then, this past year, Dakota Stennett-Neris ‘19 proposed an idea for a summer program to Africa to Head of School Thomas Kelly, who passed the idea onto Asoluka and Computer Science Teacher Danah Screen, Asoluka said.

“I immediately thought of the Instagram post, and I went back to it and contacted my friend, asking for the contact information. As soon as I got on the phone with Victoria [Grubbs], [one of the] founders of the organization, Turi Kumwe, I knew it would be a good match,” he said. “After that, Ms. Screen and I worked on developing some sort of program together. We created a draft, proposed it to Dr. Kelly, and the rest is history.”

At the center of the experience was the partnership with Turi Kumwe, Asoluka said.

Every summer they hold a camp for kids in a neighboring area, teaching activities such as sports and music. The camp is held at a former orphanage, which is now a community space.

Every student from the school partnered with a teacher from the summer camp to teach a single class.

“I don’t think it’s controversial to say the education [in America] about the continent of Africa is very narrow,” Asoluka said. “Because of our education, Americans have a skewed understanding; there’s no real association with Africa and any type of modernism or advancements,” he said.

“As an African, I thought it was important to expose students to the African way of life, beyond just ‘hey, we’re going to Africa to do community service and look at elephants.’ It’s always been my dream to develop a different type of African program centered around the everyday life of people.”

However, Asoluka was not sure if students would express interest in the program, he said.

Shortly after Dr. Kelly approved the trip, Asoluka sent out an email to the class of 2020 explaining the trip and asking anyone interested to respond.

“We had no idea if any kids would sign up,” Asoluka said, “but we just did it, and a lot of kids responded, so it was a great first step.”

A couple of weeks later, there was an information session held for anyone interested.

Grubbs was living in New York at the time, and so she was fortunately available to come to the meeting to talk about her organization and what the program would look like, Asoluka said. Applications then opened, but to avoid any possible bias, Grubbs chose who would attend, he said.

The information session sparked Alena Underwood’s (12) interest in the trip, she said.

“We were told that if we got into the program, we would get to teach classes at a summer camp for kids in Kigali, Rwanda, and I was hooked right

then and there,” she said. “In addition, I love service learning. I felt like this combined the best of both worlds.”

Underwood taught a class about choir and songwriting, and on the last day, her students performed songs for their families, Underwood said.

“Seeing them so excited to show their friends and parents what they had learned was totally a highlight for me,” Underwood said. She also had the opportunity to see what the other classes had been learning during the same time, which she enjoyed, she said.

One of her most cherished memories, though, came much earlier on in the trip, Underwood said. On “Friendday,” the day before the camp started, the students met the campers for the first time.

“Kids from the town would come to the campsite and there were games, face-painting, music, and dancing,” she said. “At first I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect, but after literally three minutes, I had four different kids holding my hands, smiling at me, and asking me my name and where I was from.”

Amiya Mehrotra (12) viewed this trip as an opportunity to step out of her comfort zone and improve her teaching skills as she is interested in education and teaching, she said. During the trip, she taught English and TOEFL (English proficiency exam) classes at the summer camp for two weeks.

“Considering that I was teaching at a summer camp, I didn’t expect the students to be as enthusiastic about the class as they were, but they came in every day with smiles on their faces and an abundance of positive energy, which I really appreciated,” Mehrotra said. Because lesson plans often turned out to be more difficult than she had envisioned, Mehrotra learned to think on her feet and adapt the way she taught. She also discovered how essential it was to vary the method in which she conveyed information in order to retain the students’ attention, she said.

While Mehrotra’s students were learning about English, Jayla Thomas (12) taught her class about song production, Asoluka said. Once the class finished their song, Asoluka went to hear it, he said.

“They were rapping in Kinyarwanda, so I didn’t know what they were saying, but in the middle of it I heard Jayla’s name in the rap,” Asoluka said.

“It showed me that we were in this together, that this wasn’t a top-down experience, which I think service can often feel like,” he said.

Mika Asfaw (12) taught his students, ages nine to 17, piano in the mornings, and a different set of students, ages eight to 10, robotics in the afternoon with Screen, he said.

The students had ample supplies because the school’s students brought keyboards with them to Rwanda, Asfaw said. Despite the fact that some of the younger students didn’t speak English as well as the older students, music is a universal language, so he didn’t have many problems when teaching, he said. Asfaw would demonstrate how to create music using the piano, and the students would copy him, he said.

“We didn’t even have tables for the pianos––we had to put them on the chairs––but I could see the students grow as they learned,” he said.

On the weekends, the group went on excursions, visiting sites such as the King’s Palace, learning about the country’s history at the Genocide Museum, and experiencing cultural events such

as weddings, Mehrotra said. The wedding was a friend of Christy Weber’s, who was another cofounder of Turi Kumwe, Mehrotra said.

“When we went to the Genocide Memorial Center and learned about the Rwandan Genocide in depth, the six of us all felt comfortable leaning on each other when stressed, saddened, or angry,” Underwood said. “After Rwanda’s genocide, people united and chose to move forward together for the betterment of Rwanda.

Seeing how everyone takes care of each other is something magical that I’ve never seen before.”

“Rwanda had 100 days of genocide, but yet they found a way to reconcile the country, to turn it into a hub of innovation and positivity,” Asoluka said. The country is very clean, and they’ve even banned plastic bags, he said.

“To think that that happened on the back of probably the darkest thing that could happen in humanity––the killing of other human beings over an extended period of time for absolutely no reason other than what they look like––it’s a true marker of what humans can do when empowered by love. The world needs to be educated on that.”

Underwood’s greatest takeaway from the trip was the value of community, she said. “Just by being there for three weeks, I really felt that

COLLAGE PHOTOS THe Rwandan experience

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HORACE MANN NEWS SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

THE RECORD NEWS SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

everyone in Rwanda truly cared about everyone within their community,” Underwood said.

“Especially coming from NYC, seeing such a connected community really resonated with me.

I learned that even strangers have a connection just by being on this earth together. Seeing that principle in action was truly moving.”

Asfaw was impacted by the kindness of the Rwandan people that he met and hopes that he can try to make the school culture more inclusive, he said. “At Horace Mann, sometimes it feels like a pseudo-community. We all go to the same school, but we aren’t actually together.”

On his first day in Rwanda, Asfaw interacted with merchants in a market, and three weeks later, some of the merchants still remembered him by name, he said. He was shocked by their abundance of friendliness compared to the United States, he said.

“I took away that as an educator, we need to do more to push young people out of the routine of the student life,” Asoluka said. “The trip made me realize that if you’re able to transcend that robotic nature of education, and turn it into a bigger moment, I really think you can change lives; you can make education more immediate, more urgent, and more meaningful.”

Courtesy of Amiya Mehrortra

This summer, Upper Division (UD) students undertook rigorous classes at the school, working intense hours each day to complete school year classes compacted into a few weeks.

The courses offered are open to UD students, Director of Summer School Caroline Bartels said. The teachers almost all teach at the school during the regular school year, she said. Several courses, such as Summer Chemistry, Summer Physics, and a handful of math courses, count towards school credit, she said.

Summer school allows students to fit in another class or double-up in a subject by taking the courses offered during the summer, Bartels said.

The classes are designed to be challenging, as they are yearlong courses condensed into several weeks, she said.

A major difference between summer school and the traditional class setting is the pace at which information is given, Dallas Dent (12), who took Summer Physics, said.

The class environment was often very tense, Jolie Nelsen (11), who took Summer Physics, said. “Even though Mr. Zvezdin did a really good job of keeping us positive, most people were really stressed and tired.”

“The workload was definitely a lot,

and I struggled with it at times,” Nshera Tutu (11), who took Summer Physics, said.

For Nelsen, the weekend was the only time she could see friends and hang out with her family, she said.

Although time was limited, the students would sometimes learn two or three units in a day, Nelsen said.

A big negative factor of summer school was stress and the amount of work, Tutu said. “I felt like I was in an unhealthy environment for most of the time.”

“My experience with Summer Physics taught me to stay organized, which was crucial to managing the heavy workload,” Danielle Paulson (11), who took Summer Physics, said.

The students were supportive and always willing to give each other a helping hand, and the atmosphere was therefore less competitive than the regular school year, Paulson said.

“We were in a very supportive environment both in and out of the classroom,” Dallas Dent (12), who took Summer Physics, said.

Likewise, the Summer Chemistry class created a sense of familiarity in the class community, Vincent Li (10), who took Summer Chemistry, said.

“During Summer Chemistry everyone tries to help each other out and to make sure no one sinks,” Alexei Le (10), who also took Summer Chemistry, said.

Working with friends was an important way to keep oneself focused and on track, Li said.

Staying on top of the workload is crucial because each day is equivalent to five classes, Bartels said. Thus, students in summer school can expect a week’s worth of homework in a day, she said.

“There were some days when I would be doing work from 2pm to 12am straight,” Nelson said.

Much of the time spent away from class was spent studying, meeting with tutors, or catching up on sleep, Tutu said.

“It really is about staying on top of your work,” Bartels said. “Making sure your get all of your work done on time is essential to doing well.”

Because of the intense nature of the courses, certain classes such as Chemistry and Physics have afternoon help sessions built in, Bartels said.

Students could work on assignments such as labs or practice tests with the Teaching Assistants (TAs) to answer questions, she said.

Besides Dr. Megan Reesbeck, who taught chemistry, and Oleg Zvezdin and George Epstein, who both taught physics, students and alumni were present at the sessions functioning as TAs Bartels said.

TAs are responsible for grading problem sets, setting up, cleaning up, and demonstrating lab experiments, Richard He ‘19, a TA for Summer

Courtesy of Barry Mason

GOOD VIBES Phyiscs teachers Oleg Zvezdin and George Epstein pose for a photo.

Physics, said. “The TA’s were also responsible for answering questions before and after class and at home on the class Facebook group.”

The Summer Physics students had their own Facebook page where they could interact and solve problems in real time, Dent said.

Aside from science courses, the school also offers several half credit and math courses, Bartels said.

Elyse Gay (11), who took Summer Geometry, said her class environment was hectic yet fun because of the small class size of six.

“Unlike other courses, geometry ended relatively early, so there was still time for me to do other things during the day,” Gay said.

Apart from academics, summer

school was also a way to spend three weeks meeting others and getting a taste of the UD in a comfortable and fun environment, Bartels said.

“We had students in Introduction to Computer Science, History of American Musical Theater, Introduction to Engineering, and Global Architecture,” she said. “The majority of students taking those courses, were rising ninth graders.”

Although difficult, Nelsen would do summer school again because she felt very immersed and realized that physics is something she would consider pursuing, she said.

“I would definitely do summer school again.” Paulson said. “It was an invaluable experience that I will never forget,” she said.

Student service-learning requirement reformed for 2019-2020 school year

JUNE CAMP ROCKS ON CAMPUS

Marina Kazarian Staff Writer

Yesh Nikam Staff Writer

Starting this year, a new service learning requirement will replace projects and reflections with service learning days.

Previously, students were required to pick an approved community project and complete two in-school reflection sessions. However, students will now need to attend only their grade’s service learning day to fulfill the new service learning requirement. The administration will continue to offer reflections, and students may still participate in projects; however, these will not count towards the requirement.

“Our objective is to provide a high quality educational and service experience for all,” Director of the Center for Community Values & Action (CCVA) Dr. Jeremy Leeds said.

“While many students did fantastic activities and learned a lot through their projects, we want to ensure consistent quality and learning in the program.”

The CCVA office, along with the Upper Division administration, decided that the best way to incorporate these values would be to move toward grade-wide service learning days, Leeds said.

“The primary reason for the change in the requirement, from what I understand, was the unmanageability of the current system,” Head of Upper Division (UD) Dr. Jessica Levenstein said. “It wasn’t possible to be sure that each project was meaningful and the task of keeping track of so many different projects was overwhelming.”

The UD administration worked with the CCVA to work out dates when they could cancel classes for the service learning days, Levenstein said.

Projects and reflections are still at the core of the school’s service learning curriculum, Levenstein said. “It’s just that now students will be working on predetermined projects in larger groups.” service learning days have already constituted the ninth-grade service learning requirement.

During these days, the ninth grade students are divided into groups and assigned an activity to do within the community, ranging from potting plants to reading to children, Lita Crichton (11), a site coordinator at the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, said.

The new program will provide students the opportunity to interact with our local

community as informed, engaged, and active citizens, Program Associate of the CCVA Natalie Sánchez said. More details about what service learning days for all UD students will entail will be released in the fall.

Several students felt that having these service learning days might be less impactful than doing projects for a longer duration of time.

“Having a service learning day takes out the stress of filling out a requirement, but I think that people would be more involved in the community around us if we had to do a longerterm project,” Catherine Mignone (10) said.

Mekhala Mantravadi (10) decided that she should increase her participation in service learning projects because “one day is not enough,” she said. “The fact that we even have a service learning day is great, but there should be a continued connection to the community.”

Crichton also prefers the previous requirement and the opportunities it presented.

“I’m not totally in favor of the new requirement because I think that being assigned an activity instead of choosing one may be less meaningful.” she said. service learning days are only a few hours, and on top of that, students may have to participate in activities they have no interest in, Crichton said.

Ideally, Mantravadi would keep the previous requirement. “Giving a choice to students on what projects they want to go to sounds like a lot of fun,” she said.

Despite several students’ skepticism regarding how beneficial the change in the requirement will be, students have enjoyed service learning days in the past.

Devin Hirsch (11) thinks setting an allotted time for service learning when schoolwork is not in the way allows students to be more committed to serving the community, he said.

Although Mignone has never done a service learning project, she loved service learning day and is “super excited to do it again,” she said.

“Many students point to the Ninth Grade service learning Day as something they remember, and that shaped their activity in the years that followed. The activities and structure won’t be the same for grades 10 to 12, but we’re aiming to have similar impact.” Leeds said.

“I really look forward to seeing how the new system works for our student body. I’m confident it will be a positive change while still preserving the core of the importance of service learning at the school,” Levenstein said.

Annabelle Chan/Art Director

Even during the beginning of June, when most of the school’s students are away enjoying the start of their summer, the Lower Division June Program keeps the school busy and vibrant.

“The Lower Division June Program is a two-week program for HM students entering Kindergarten through fifth grade,” Program Coordinator Robert Harmon said. This year, the camp started on Tuesday, June 11 and ended on Friday, June 21.

The camp is for “students seeking to make the transition from the academic year to summer recess,” according to the program’s page on the school’s website.

“There are two camps that run during this time: Traditional camp and Studio Arts,” Harmon said. The studio arts camp is a program designed for students from third through fifth grade with an interest in arts and is taught by Lower Division Visual Arts teacher Linda Ferri, whereas the traditional camp runs like a regular day camp, he said.

The traditional day camp is split up into groups depending on grade, each of which travels to different activities for 40 minutes, and the whole camp reconvenes for lunch and at the end of the day for dismissal, Harmon said.

However, the studio art camp spends most of the time in the art room, and it is designed for students that have an interest in creating different art projects, he said.

The activities in the traditional day camp include playing sports, swimming, and enjoying ice cream sundae Fridays, counselor Bennett Lax (10) said. The camp also runs a field trip each week.

“This year, the camp attended the Maritime aquarium and Playland

park,” Harmon said.

“There were really cool jelly fish and sting rays,” camper Kiera Mojica (2) said.

The campers are accompanied by counselors who are mainly students from the school. Diya Mookim (12) got her start as a counselor last year when Harmon reached out to her, as they needed counselors for the camp, she said.

Mookim enjoyed the experience so much that she decided to do it again this year, she said.

Sarah Acocelli (12) decided to become a counselor because she loves working with kids, and when one of her friends told her about the June camp, she felt that it would be a perfect way to start her summer, she said.

Kelly Troop (11), joined the program as a counselor because her father, Rawlins Troop, helps run the camp and she felt that it would be a convenient beginning to her summer, she said.

Overall, Acocelli had a great time as a counselor: “Although at times it was super hectic trying to control 20 first graders, I got to know a lot of them, which is pretty awesome,” she said.

Mojica said she had good relationships with the counselors, especially Acocelli, she said.

“Sarah was really fun and taught all of us hand [clap] games.”

Mookim, as a second-year

counselor, got to see a lot of the campers for a second time and noticed their growth and maturation, she said. “At such a young and developing age, these changes are noticeable.”

Counselors are responsible for a variety of tasks, from setting up art projects to looking out for the campers’ well-being, Mookim said. “Being responsible for a child’s safety is gratifying when you see them happy.”

Troop felt that ensuring the campers’ safety required a lot of discipline, as she constantly needed to engage with the kids and stay focused, she said.

At the end of the two weeks, the counselors are paid for their help with the camp.

Troop felt that getting paid for her efforts made for a rewarding experience, she said. “It was great being able to do a job and getting paid for your hard work. It was definitely very rewarding.”

The paycheck was not the sole motivator in Mookim’s decision to join the camp. By the end of the two weeks, she completely forgot she was getting paid, she said. “I think [forgetting about the money] was a clear indication to me that it was more than just a paycheck to me, she said. “Rather, it was a chance to bond with the youngest members of our community.”

Courtesy of Mckayla Widener

FUN IN THE SUN A counselor and her kids enjoy a trip to Rye Playland.

THE RECORD NEWS SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

BEST PLACE TO ACTUALLY DO “WORK”

ADVICE FOR A

FRESHMAN

1. Don’t do homework with people that distract you.

2. Things look scary, but give it like a month and you’ll be fine.

3. Be prepared for friendships from middle school to change.

4. Get involved in as many extracurriculars CE as possible.

ADVI 5. Don’t wear 1. Pick the classes you want to take over college classes you think look good. apparel.

2. Hard times are ahead; work hard but don’t stress

OR A

COLLAGE PHOTOS Students’ views.

An Immersive Experience in Spain

Emily Shi

Staff Writer

languages in school wouldn’t work out for me,” Underwood said.

“With this trip, I realized that I can learn a language if I put the effort in.”

In future years, the department hopes to travel biennially to avoid conflict with the music trip, Upper Division (UD) Dean of Students and Spanish teacher Michael Dalo said.

Glickman looks forward to recalling memories of Salamanca by reading through a journal that each student was required to write in to document the details of the trip, he said. “This trip really opened our eyes to how Spanish can be spoken differently depending on the culture, and exposed us to the unique food and lifestyle in Salamanca.

I’m glad that I’ll always have a way to remember these special memories.”

Courtesy of Susan Carnochan

HOLA FROM SALAMANCA Students pose in their host city.

R O I N JU

These results were collected from an anonymous Record poll.

FAVORITE LINE OF THE ALMA MATER 1. Let the heavens hear and hail to Horace Mann (29.5%) 2. Great is the truth and it prevails; Mighty the youth the morrow hails (20.5%) 3. Lives come and go, stars cease to glow, but great is the truth and it prevails (14.8%)

1. I was camping and I needed to start a fire so that I could eat. The paper we were using wasn’t working so I threw the book in. It saved my life, but I wasn’t able to do my reading.

2. I left it in Israel.

3. “I forgot to print it” - I ran to the library, wrote it in 5 mins and came back as if I had just printed it.

4. You don’t “get out” of homework.

You merely let your teacher down.

1. Sleeping for three hours a night isn’t a personality trait.

2. Label your airpods.

3. Hilda and Jimmy are the best.

4. Teachers are your best resource.

5. Make the most of your time here.

GENERAL ADVICE FOR ALL STUDENTS

MORE GENERAL ADVICE

1. Don’t prioritize the culture, the society, the customs, or the unspoken rules over yourself.

2. Everyone should remember reusable water-bottles!

3. Get lollipops at the guidance office. too much.

4. The teacher you meet with doesn’t have to be your 3. Listen to your hype songs. own. If you are having trouble learning from your 4. It’s not too late to try out new clubs! Try some new low commitment stuff - trying out a new sport or writing a poem for a teacher, try asking another teacher for help.

publication can be really interesting and relaxing.

5. Good luck, bro.

MOST DIFFICULT CLASS 1. Spanish 2. Physics 3. PCBCH 4. Chemistry 5. Algebra and Trigonometry Honors

1. Roll 2. Wrap 3. If you’re ambitious, pretzel, but if you’re not a risk taker, regular roll.

BEST COFFEE ORDER

1. Iced coffee with almond milk 2. Whatever the sixth grader in 1. The front of you got.

Great Gatsby 3. Vanilla latte 2. Purple 4. None, drink water Hibiscus from a water 3. Macbeth - Seriously, fountain and even though I don’t like save money. most Shakespeare.

Get some sleep.

FAVORITE BOOK READ IN CLASS

1. F free (28%) 2. A or E free (20.4%)

1. Not even a competition.

Mango.

2. What?

3. Apple

3. D free (15.1%)

FAVORITE MATT’S MUNCHIES FLAVOR

BEST BLOCK FREE

18 students and three faculty members spent two weeks studying Spanish at the University of Salamanca and immersing themselves in the city’s culture for the second straight summer.

The language department sought to provide another unique opportunity for students of various skill levels to experience Spanish in a classroom setting while also visiting cultural landmarks in Salamanca and across Castilla, Spain, Spanish teacher Susan Carnochan said.

Every student in Salamanca pledged to only speak Spanish throughout the entirety of the trip in order to provide a fully immersive environment, Morgan Smith (10) said. “If we didn’t know how to say something in Spanish, we would have to explain what we were trying to say using other words we knew, which drastically expanded our vocabulary and explanation skills,” she said.

Since the curriculum focused more on conversation and vocabulary than grammar rules, the courses included units on different everyday topics, followed by debates and discussions at the end of each unit.

“That really helped a lot to improve the command of the language because we were practicing using the language the way we would in the real world,” Teddy Ganea (10) said.

“A lot of the time when we get stuck on the grammar and the rules, which are still very important, we lose the flow of the actual conversation and pronunciation. I learned the most during conversations in class that we conducted completely in Spanish,” Tiger Moreno (12) said.

Each day after attending classes for four hours, students had the opportunity to either engage in a number of daily activities, or tour the city of Salamanca. Typically, the activities related back to the

lesson plans, Jade Ciriello (10) said.

On weekends, the group toured towns outside of Salamanca such as Segovia and Madrid.

“I think that living in another culture and sensing the depths of antiquity around you of a culture that goes back thousands of years, as opposed to our American culture that goes back 250 years, impresses individuals in ways that are very hard to articulate,” Carnochan said.

Even while visiting various restaurants and stores, the students continued to communicate and strengthen their Spanish speaking skills, Ciriello said.

“There were times when I felt like I was exploring Spain like a local,” Alena Underwood (12) said.

When eating paella, Lauren Gay (11) said she continued to observe small cultural differences between Spain and the United States, such as the tipping etiquette at the end of the meal, where there aren’t as many stringent rules regarding gratuity.

“Even the pronunciation of words, formalities, and dialect rules sound very different than the style of Spanish we see in school or in New York,” Moreno said. “It’s the little things that stick out the most when you’re talking to native speakers.”

Each night, the students would gather and, in Spanish, share stories of successful interactions with native speakers such as ordering ice cream or holding a conversation, Carnochan said.

Apart from providing a forum to discuss language learning, the nightly conversations enabled Moreno to bond with the other students. “After every conversation we became closer, and we really felt like a family with more than just a shared interest in Spanish by the end,” she said.

For Smith, each individual conversation developed her Spanish skills, as she picked up small phrases and techniques that would enable her to hold conversations with others, she said.

“I’ve always felt discouraged that I couldn’t do it, or that learning

4. A minus.

1. Pace yourself and try not to burn out before junior and senior year.

2. It’s easier S than freshman year if you are O good with time P management.

H 3. Health class can O be interesting! Don’t immediately write it M off.

O 4. Chill. You’re good for R now.

5. No one cares E that you’ve started SAT A prep.

FOR

1. Second floor of the library

BEST SANDWICH BREAD

Photos courtesy of Victor Dimitrov, Irati Eghoro Diez, and Tiger Moreno

WORD OR PHRASE HEARD MOST IN THE HALLWAYS

1. First floor of the 1. I’m so tired. library 2. I’m so stressed/I have so 2. Cafeteria much work.

3. Field 3. Did you do the 4. Lutnick homework? No, Cafe me neither.

ADV

12 rising seniors traveled to the Caribbean and South America for two weeks through Global Glimpse, a partner program with the school in which students participated in service learning and cross-cultural immersion.

Global Glimpse aims to foster a sense of community through students from various high schools through travel and service, according to its mission statement.

“While abroad, this group of learners explore history, culture, politics, poverty, education, development and business in a developing country,” The website said The Office of Identity, Culture and Institutional Identity (ICIE) organizes the trips, which the school funds. Students apply in December of their junior year, Irati Egorho Diez (12) who traveled this summer to Constanza, Dominican Republic said.

“HM is honoring its commitment to offer interested UD students, regardless of income, an opportunity for global travel tied to a service learning initiative,” Dr. Kelly said. Over the past three years of offering the trip, ‘Glimpsers’ have returned more engaged within the school, particularly in service beyond one’s self, he said. “That type of engagement has an impact on all of us.”

Jessica Thomas (12), who traveled this summer to Chitré, Panama, applied because she hoped to participate in service and international travel during the summer, she said.

ForEgorhoDiez, servicetripswereabitoutofhercomfortzone, she said. After practicing service in terms of political activism, she wanted to try to affect people on a more personal level.

During the day the groups did a range of activities such as exploring the local market, going to the grocery store, hiking, and teaching English at a local school, Wilder Harwood (12), who traveled to Riobamba, Ecuador, said.

Students chose from trips throughout Ecuador, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. Every day had a different theme, and students participated in activities that followed a different

1. Happy birthday!

2. “You were great in the play!”

3. “Why’d you ditch school yesterday?”

4. “How much are they paying you to give up your free?”

5. “Your fly is down.”

subject. During “deconstructing poverty” day, Thomas visited landfill where she learned that some people spent all day collecting items to sell to private recycling companies, she said.

Egorho Diez’s group spent an afternoon working like locals at a cucumber factory. “We got to see everything that got done behind the scenes,” she said. “There are women whose entire job all day is to make sure our cucumbers are perfect.”

Each trip culminated in a Community Action Project (CAP), Thomas said. Her group worked at the Panamanian Institute for Special Training, where they painted a classroom, constructed tables specially designed to help the kids focus, and cleaned or repainted some of the gates around the school, she said.

A central component was the idea of discovering the community’s needs, Egorho Diez said. The projects began with each group asking a community where they could help, and the students continued with a dialogue alongside the beneficiary to form a plan.

“As people who have the luxury of being privileged, we have a history of going into impoverished communities and just doing what we feel they need help with,” Thomas said. This superiority complex can be damaging when a party’s assumed needs are not their real needs, she said.

For Natalie Baer (12), an unanticipated lesson came from her own peers on the trip about the diversity that exists within the United States. “Although we are all from the New York area we lead very different lives, and I think it’s amazing we all had the opportunity to meet and learn about a new culture together,” she said.

The trip raised Thomas’ confidence, she said. “I noticed that I was speaking a lot more, asking questions, reaching out, opening up, and participating in activities that I wouldn’t normally do.”

Egorho Diez said she hopes to involve herself more in service and take the attitude of discovery-style service back to the school, she said. “You don’t do service unless the people you do it for are part of the process.”

ICE F

Staff Writer

BEST PLACE TO DO “WORK”

WORST THING TO SAY TO AN AMBASSADOR

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

Adam Frommer

7

HORACE MANN FEATURES SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

BEST CREATIVE EXCUSE TO GET OUT OF A HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

6

THE RECORD FEATURES SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

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Cat Zhang (11) Bradley Bennett Staff Writer

Catherine Zhang (11) interned for a month this summer at the Biomaterials and Interface Tissue Engineering Laboratory (BITEL) at Columbia University.

At the lab, Zhang worked with human samples to study mineral content and other factors that affect healthy tissues, specifically the ACL, a ligament in the middle of the knee.

“I have always liked biology and chemistry, and I think it’s interesting to connect science to the real world,” Zhang said.

Zhang suffered a minor femoral tear in her knee earlier in the year due to overuse, so it was fascinating to see what scientific research is being done to help with issues I’ve had to deal with in my life, she said.

The laboratory workspace was run by five Columbia undergraduate and graduate students, and Zhang was one of four high school interns who were aides in the lab, she said.

“One great thing about this internship is that it was very flexible; I could choose

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Armaan Kakodkar (11) participated in a two-week-long internship at Manhattan’s Anne Frank Center (AFC) where he designed an educational program to serve the AFC’s mission.

According to its website, the AFC is a non-profit organization focused on educating young students about the Holocaust through Anne Frank’s diary.

Specifically, the AFC emphasizes the spreading of knowledge about the Holocaust in order to prevent similar events from occurring again. By educating a greater portion of the population, the AFC can more effectively achieve its goal, Kakodkar said.

To advance this mission, Kakodkar created an educational course that connects both public and private schools through joint learning, and he also discovered how to market and sell those programs to the schools, he said. The central aspect of the program is a ready-made course that private school students can use to teach younger public-school students about the program, as a service learning initiative.

Kakodkar believes the AFC’s work is important because “although the Holocaust was far in the past, anti-Semitism still exists today, so the AFC is really important because it allows the

Director

new generation to stand up for people’s rights,” he said.

Kakodkar chose this program because “history is my favorite subject, and this was a great opportunity to learn about global issues at that time period,” Kakodkar said. “I was able to help educate high school and middle school students about the dangers of racism and discrimination.”

Through his research, Kakodkar realized that there is still work needed to be done to educate students about people like Anne Frank, he said.

Although the program he created will help educate many New York students, there is still a concerning number of students both in the city and around the country who lack the proper education about the Holocaust, Kakodkar said.

However, the AFC “tries to reach out to a wide range of students by doing projects in all 50 states in rural and urban areas,” Kakodkar said. “We specifically reach out to students who don’t already have knowledge about the topic, and by educating them, we c a n help them formulate their own ideas.”

So, he will continue researching Anne Frank and her story outside of school, he said. “I want to Ga bb yF take what I learned at the internship and isc hb learn more about history’s relevance er g/ to today,” he said.

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Julia Goldberg and Marina Kazarian Staff Writers

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Having volunteered at a Bronx crisis shelter run by Sanctuary for Families, a program dedicated to healing victims of domestic violence, McKayla Widener (12) worked with kids ages four to nine and assisted with many of their activities, such as taking trips to the park, making sandwiches, and playing games, she said.

“We essentially simulate a camp setting for the children whose families cannot afford typical day camps,” she said.

Widener has been volunteering at Sanctuary for Families ever since a family friend introduced her to the program a few years ago. For the past three years, she has been interning at their downtown Manhattan location and this summer, they offered her a position at their Bronx crisis shelter.

“The biggest skill for the job is being open minded and not at all judgmental,” Widener said. “Everyone in the shelter is at a different stage of grief, and the worst thing to do is make them feel like they’re being judged or pitied.

People often forget that survivors are people too.”

By the second week of the job, Widener believed she established a strong connection with the kids, as everyone knew each other’s names as well as a little bit about each of the campers, she said.

Widener found it crucial to pay attention to the campers to

when to come to the lab, and the graduate students would just tell us what they needed,” Zhang said.

In addition to helping the graduate students test human samples and extract data, Zhang read articles on more than 15 types of new technology in the biomedical field in order to concoct new experiments, attended seminars hosted by the university, and performed complex labwork such as dissecting human joints, she said.

“This was a great opportunity for me to learn new information that I would never have known from just sitting in a classroom,” Zhang said.

“Going to the lab every day was really fun and the group was very racially and socioeconomically diverse,” Zhang said. “By the end of the internship, I gained so much knowledge and met so many interesting people from different backgrounds.”

McKayla Widener (12)

l e a r n what they did and didn’t like, so she could tailor some activities accordingly, she said.

“We definitely made sure to incorporate educational activities such as book club and math,” she said, “but we were able to create activites based on what the kids wanted to do that day, and if they didn’t say anything in paticular, we had other activites lined up.”

“The best moment for me was one day, while we were making sandwiches, a seven-year-old-camper looked at me and said, ‘I’ve never done this before’ with the biggest smile on his face. At that moment, I realized that a lot of the activities we do seem trivial to us, but are huge experiences to the kids,” Widener said.

Through Sanctuary for Families, Widener learned how to communicate better with younger children, and how to ensure she’s available for the campers if they ever need her, she said. “I learned more than I ever thought I would at the camp, but I think the most important lessons for me were patience and understanding, and the best thing I could do was make any and all efforts to make the campers feel at home,” she said. tor

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and towels, putting up umbrellas, and emptying the dirty towel bin. Finster would also occasionally administer first aid, which consisted of caring for minor cuts and scrapes, such as disinfecting and bandaging skinned knees, he said.

A major part of the job was to always stay alert and expect the unexpected, Finster said. His most memorable experience was a day when an ambulance had to be called as a result of an injury, he said. “I had to go to one of the entrances to the club to direct the ambulance, and afterwards, they had me jump in the back and ride with them so that I could guide them from the entrance to the pool,” Finster said.

Overall, working as a lifeguard was an enjoyable learning experience, Finster said. “I have become more aware of the behind the scenes work done to keep places clean and orderly,” Finster said. “I’ve also become better able to focus for extended periods of time, even when what I’m focusing on isn’t the most interesting.” Finster thinks that his improved ability to focus will help him concentrate better in school and while studying this year, especially on tedious or time-consuming tasks, he said.

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Lowell Finster (11) spent his summer putting his lifeguard certification to use at the Pelham Country Club. Finster became certified last summer while at sleepaway camp in New Hampshire, as a nearby school, Colby-Sawyer College, offered the lifeguarding and CPR/AED/first aid courses necessary for an American Red Cross certification.

After that summer, Finster knew he wanted to find a summer job as a lifeguard, so he applied for a position at Pelham, he said.

Each morning at work, Finster “punched in” by typing his employee number into a screen, so that the time during which he worked was recorded for his payroll. While on duty, he rotated between supervising the deep end, shallow end, and baby pool. “It was usually fairly busy,” he said. “There was a camp for kids during the week, and it would get even more crowded on weekends.”

During his breaks, Finster would do chores around the pool, such as picking up trash

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Having discovered a passion for working with children through various programs at the school, Claire Griffin (12) decided to spend her summer working as a counselor for two to four-year-olds at Town School Camp in Manhattan. Griffin learned about the job from her sister, who had worked there for the past two summers, she said.

Griffin’s work included setting up the classroom with toys and coloring stations before the campers arrived, and then leading the campers throughout their day, where they participated in activities such as art, dance, sports, music, nap time, and swim, she said.

Griffin wanted to work with children over the summer because she loves being a part of the Saturday Morning Tutoring Program (SMTP) and the Service Learning Team (SLEARN) at school, she said.

“I also really enjoyed the development unit of my Intro to Psychology class this year, and I was interested in applying that knowledge to the real world,” Griffin said. In that unit specifically, Griffin learned how children process information at different stages of their development, which helped her understand how to communicate with them, she said.

Despite this knowledge, being a member of SMTP and SLEARN, and babysitting frequently, Griffin had no prior experience working with kids

Lita Crichton (11)

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of this age, she said.

“However, after working with other, more experienced counselors, I learned how to best work with the age group,” Griffin said. “The job also helped me learn how to collaborate as a team, to use all of the counselors’ strengths. I was working with three other adults, but we all had something to bring to the table.”

Griffin learned that working with kids who are that young means you have to be ‘on’ all the time, she said. “If something is bothering you, you have to push it aside and really be in the moment for the kids. I loved that all day long, all I was thinking about was my job.

I was so immersed in it.”

One of her favorite moments took place on the last day of her job, she said. “A parent came in and handed me a card her son had made for me. She asked me if I would ever babysit because her son, who was only three, asked her to ‘go out to dinner so Claire could babysit.’ That was the first time I realized how much of an impact we were having on these kids,” Griffin said.

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Lita Crichton (11) spent four weeks of her summer interning at the American Cancer Society (ACS), a non-profit organization whose mission is to end cancer. Crichton found out about the internship through listings sent out to the Student Body by the school’s internship program. After a successful interview with Crichton’s Katya Tolunsky boss, she landed the opportunity.

Staff Writer Crichton’s involvement in the school’s Cancer Awareness Club (CAC) was what i spired her to apply for her position at the ACS, she said. “Being a part of the CAC, I learned how many people are affected by cancer in our school, even if it’s indirectly,” Crichton said.

Through the internship, Crichton learned The ACS is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating about how a non-profit functions and the cancer. “They conduct cancer research, and they look for treatments,” Crichton said. importance of organization in an office setting, At the internship, Crichton mostly helped out with day to day office duties. “I she said. Crichton loved being a part of such kept track of the checks that people sent, and I would send them over to wherever an amazing organization and was glad they had to go,” she said. “I also learned about the importance of good people she landed the opportunity, she skills and the ability to be approachable and friendly when calling venues said. and sponsors.”

Over time, Crichton got to participate in more directly involved roles, such as creating fliers for fundraisers and selecting potential venues for the ACS, she said.

The ACS greatly depends on fundraising events and donations, Crichton said. “One of the fundraisers they held while I was an intern was a culinary event called Food For Hope. People paid for a ticket and then they were able to choose food from one of the restaurants at the event.”

An na be lle

Julia Goldberg and Marina Kazarian Staff Writers

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A proud taco enthusiast, Ashley Taylor will be joining the school’s College Counseling Department after working as a college counselor at Lycée Français de New York for two years, she said.

Before moving to New York, she lived and worked in North Carolina as an admissions Courtesy of Ashley Taylor officer at Duke University, andover the past summer she attended multiple weddings which allowed her to travel to London, Chicago, and Pittsburgh.

Excited to work with The College Counseling Department, Taylor wants her future students to know that authenticity is very important in college applications, she said. “I hope students will embrace feeling a little uncomfortable and vulnerable in the college process because being open-minded pays off.”

“Ms. Taylor’s experience within the field of college admissions, both at the collegiate level and in the private sector, is going to further expand upon the admissions expertise we’re fortunate to see in the CoCo,” Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said. “From working with students to find the right fit, to representing HM in an increasingly complex admissions process, Ms. Taylor is going to be an excellent counselor!”

E

ERIN GAO H Eager to teach students Nobuko Weiler has T similar to the ones that she always had a love for different encountered while attending the languages and even spent a year University of Chicago, Catherine Gao will Courtesy of Catherine Gao be joining the Mathematics Department home-staying in Argentina while and teaching two sections each of Geometry she was in high school, she said. Excited and Algebra II & Trigonometry, she said. While to share her love of learning languages a student at the University of Chicago, she worked Courtesy of and some secret tips for learning Japanese, as a teaching assistant in the Math Department and LinkedIn Weiler will be joining the World Languages helped helped first year calculus students prepare for exams and complete their homework. Gao is also an avid Department and teaching classes ranging from outdoor enthusiast and has run marathons in Chicago and New York.

Japanese 2 to AP Japanese, she said. She is also a baseball and tennis

“I hope that my students come to my classes ready to put in work (even fan and attended the US Open before school started to support her if they feel like they aren’t ‘math people’) and come away seeing that the time they favorite player, Rafael Nadal. With her experience as a translator and a invest in the subject, and in building their problem-solving toolkit, pays off in teacher of Japanese and Spanish classes for over twenty years, Weiler is spades,” she wrote. “Math certainly didn’t come easily to me in college, but I chose to major in it because I could see that the time I spent practicing and excited to work with students passionate about the Japanese language working at it directly translated into a better understanding of concepts.” and culture, she said. “I am always excited to meet new students

“Ms. Gao is a brilliant scholar and I’m honored that Ms. Gao would because they always end up teaching me to be a better teacher.” choose our Upper Division Mathematics Department as a new intellectual “Weiler Sensei’s scholarship and pedagogical comfort home,” Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said. Gao’s thoughtfulness and superb communication skills were tough to match and she in teaching the language and culture is going to brings in a unique experience through her previous work create even more enthusiasm and appreciation in design, making her an invaluable member of our Art by JJ Ryu/Contributing Artist for the materials presented,” Head of community, Mathematics Department Headline by Annabelle Chan/Art Director School Dr. Tom Kelly said.

Chair Meghan Fergusson said.

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“C a l ling all gamers and Artificial Intelligence wonks!” Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said, referring to Lester Lee, the newest addition to the Computer Science and Robotics Courtesy of Lester Lee Department. After a summer full of travel, friends, reading, and art, Lee will be teaching sections of Computer Science I and Computer Science II and wants them to be similar to a tasting menu of computer science, he said. Having started coding in high school, Lee has worked on a variety of different projects ranging from personal video games to visualizations of museum datasets.

Lee hopes to replicate the energy and passion of the students whom he saw while visiting, he said. “I want the experience to be fun, nourishing, and enjoyable. I want students toww∑wwww walk away with a better sense of what computer science is like.”

“Mr. Lee is bringing an appreciation of algorithms to our Computer Science and Robotics Department,” Kelly said. “Whether studying Math, Engineering, Robotics, or Computer Science, our students will be better off having had the privilege of learning from Mr. Lee.”

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French Teacher Jerome Hermeline had a busy summer visiting friends and family in France, England, and Germany before Courtesy moving from Pasadena, CA, to New of Jerome Hermeline York City, he said. Hermeline, a French teacher at Harvard-Westlake School for the past six years, will be teaching a variety of French classes this year ranging from French 2 Honors to AP French. As a self-proclaimed History nerd, Hermeline loves discussing how the Renaissance was not as great as it seems, how “bad” Roman Emperors may not have been as evil as they seem, and the intricacies of USSR diplomacy, he said.

Excited to work in a new environment with collaborative faculty and sympathetic students, Hermeline hopes to make his students more comfortable with the French language and more knowledgeable about cultural complexities between different French-speaking communities, he said.“All-in-all, my overarching goal is that they can use the language beyond the classroom because they enjoy it.”

From the minute he met Hermeline, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly knew that he would be a great fit, he said. “Having him join our World Languages Department adds to the level of teaching excellence and scholarship already there.” For his future students, Hermeline wants to make it clear that although learning a language is hard and sometimes messy, he will do his best to accompany and assist everybody, Hermeline said.

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After a summer of creating art at the Art Students League, a New York City art school founded by students who broke away from the National Academy of Courtesy of Design, Visual Arts teacher Mirrie Choi LinkedIn will be teaching Upper Division sculpture, printmaking, and drawing/painting, as well as 8th grade sculpture and printmaking, she said.

For the past four years Choi has been teaching sixth through twelfth grade classes where students explored different kinds of media, including stop motion animation, painting murals, and mask making, she said.

Intrigued by the school’s community and passion for learning, Choi is excited to be given the opportunity to teach at the school, she said. “I hope students will take away how art can be a catalyst for growth, positive change, and a way to gain appreciation for one another’s perspectives.Also, there are opportunities for creativity in absolutely everything we do.”

“It will certainly be an amazing year as it’s a real treat to be having Ms. Choi join us,” Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said. “Ms. Choi’s creativity and enthusiasm will be infectious and I’m jealous of anyone who has Ms. Choi this year!”

“She’s an exciting artist and will be able to effectively teach students from both the position of maker and educator,” Visual Arts Department Chair Dr. Anna Hetherington said.

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While completing a dual masters program in Science Education at Columbia University, Chemistry Lab Manager Lauren McGinty will join the Middle and Upper Division Science Departments this year. McGinty previously taught at Yorkville East Middle School and the Young Courtesy of Lauren McGinty Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem.

This summer, she spent time traveling in Australia and taking classes at Teachers College at Columbia University, she said.

Prior to teaching in New York, McGinty worked in San Francisco for the San Francisco Giants, coordinating private events, she said. She also earned a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where beginning her second year. she conducted undergraduate research for the Lipshutz Group that focuses on organometallic synthesis and green chemistry.

McGinty knew that she wanted to contribute to “a learning environment that offers a challenging curriculum to motivated students,” and after a brief visit at the school, McGinty already knew that this would be the school for her, she said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to join this community and I am excited to meet you all.”

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A n interdisciplinary artist with experience managing university and professional studios, Emily Lombardo is looking forward to using her skills Courtesy of Emily in the Middle and Upper Division Lombardo Visual Arts Departments as the Visual Arts Technician. Prior to managing studios, Lombardo spent years studying glass blowing, and traveled to Dale Chihuly’s school in Washington to further her understanding of the craft, she said.

After she visited the school, toured the studios, and met some of the students, Lombardo was “ moved by the school’s dedication to fine art,” she said. She hopes to “encourage a collaborative spirit, respect for equipment and supplies with a mind towards safety, because in spaces with these shared values art can thrive.”

“In a matter of weeks, everyone enrolled in an art course, six through twelve, should know Ms. Lombardo,” said Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly “A talented artist in her own right, she’s going to bring an interest in public art to Horace Mann School, the likes of which we haven’t seen in a while.”

Sam Chiang and Lauren Ho Staff Writers

After teaching for over a decade at a range of schools, from Phillips Exeter Academy to San Francisco University High School, English Courtesy of teacher Stanley Lau will join the Upper Stan Lau Division English Department, he said.

Lau was drawn to the school by several factors, including its commitment to diversity, dedication to learning, and autonomy that teachers have with the curriculum, he said. “I love that HM values the life of the mind...when I visited HM, I was struck by the caliber of the discussions that I witnessed when I observed a few English classes,” he said. It’s clear that HM students love to learn, and I’m excited to be a part of this community.”

“Wicked smart and uber creative, Lau has a great deal to offer HM, including some over the top courses and research developed at his last school,” said Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly. Lau has taught a range of classes, including “electives focused on post-colonial literature” as well as a class where he examined issues including philosophical and moral problems in law as well as bioethics, he said.

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Histor y teacher Melissa Morales, a PhD candidate in American Wwill join the Upper Division History Department this year, she said. Morales taught several courses in History and English at Fordham and worked at the Museum of the City of New York with middle and high school students through field trips and in the Saturday Academy program. She has also worked as a judge at Courtesy of Melissa Morales History Day, a contest for sixth through twelfth graders where students conduct research on topics related to an annual theme and present their work through papers, exhibits, documentaries, and other methods.

“She has a lot of experience teaching writing and research skills, which will be incredibly helpful to HM students,” History Department Chair Dr. Daniel Link said.

Morales enjoys teaching and working with students, and looks forward to the “strong sense of academic purpose and community” at the school, she said. After visiting, it was immediately apparent that the school is a special place that is deeply interested in helping students be their best selves in the classroom and beyond, she said.

“Within the context of an already very strong department, Ms. Morales is going to contribute greatly to our students’ love affair with the history of the world,” Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said.

“I am looking forward to working both inside and beyond the classroom with each student to help them meet their individual and collective goals,” Morales said.

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THE RECORD FEATURES SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

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HORACE MANN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

Kiara Royer/Features Editor

Student Showcase Fischberg Paints Providence Emily Shi Staff Writer

Gabby Fischberg (11) spent six weeks immersed in the world of color theory, perspective, and value use while studying art at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) precollege.

At the program, Fischberg mainly focused on studying the technique behind producing a work of art, she said. “I learned a lot about how to go from thumbnail to sketch to a final piece, and how to develop my work to reflect what I’m thinking of in my head.”

In a typical class, Fischberg would begin by working on a still-life model or a particular technical skill, and then spend time giving

and receiving feedback with peers and teachers. This class structure helped Fischberg refine her ideas and find ways to improve her art, she said.

Fischberg originally chose to apply to RISD precollege after conducting online research and speaking to Visual Arts teacher Kim Do. Fischberg felt especially tempted to apply due to the program’s length and reputation for its focus on technical skills, she said. “It’s similar to attending a semester of a full-fledged art school, and I wanted to experience the academic aspect of art.”

Prior to this program, Fischberg had completed a weekend program at Cooper Union, but had never experienced a sleepaway summer program dedicated to one field of study. In fact, RISD precollege was the first time that Fischberg stayed away from home

for a long duration since the eighth grade trip to John Dorr Nature Laboratory, she said.

“It was hard at since I felt homesick at times, but I made a lot of friends and we had over six hours of homework a week per class, so I didn’t have as much time to think about home,” she said.

“I really enjoyed the experience of art, and being surrounded by people who love art like I do,” Fischberg said. “However, being at what was basically art school for six weeks made me realize that I definitely want to pursue art in college, but I also want to leave time for other experiences that I love.”

Courtesy of Gabby Fischberg

Starring Mikayla Benson...

Courtesy of Mikayla Benson

Emily Shi Staff Writer

CHEATING OUT Benson takes the stage with camp co-star.

This summer, Mikayla Benson (11) juggled play performances, taking numerous dance classes, and discovering herself as an actor during three weeks at the Stagedoor Manor performing arts camp.

After six years of attending Interlochen Center for the Arts, a sixweek theater program, Benson opted for a change of pace, she said. Stagedoor Manor casts around 300 students in 16 different shows, providing them all the resources to put together a production in only ten days of rehearsal time.

In addition to performing in a play,

the program offered different courses for the students. Benson participated in a tap dance class, a conditioning class, a class studying different genres of musical theater, and the Master Acting class, a selective course for advanced students at the camp to study various methods of acting.

“Master Acting was my favorite part of the camp because it was a major transformative experience,” Benson said. “It taught me how to understand and have empathy towards other people, because if you don’t have that you can never truthfully step into the role of a character in a show.”

For Benson, this role was Fraulein

Schneider, an old woman in the famous play Cabaret, set in Berlin, Germany.

“Since I had one of the leading parts, it was a very stressful and overwhelming experience at first to learn all of my lines and songs,” Benson said “However, it flew by, and once I was done, I couldn’t even believe all that I’d accomplished in so little time.”

“I’ve been acting from a young age, but in seventh grade I realized I want to do theater for my entire life because it is the most fulfilling thing I do with my time. I loved Stagedoor Manor because it allowed me to explore myself as an actress in classes, and live and breathe theater for three weeks,” Benson said.

Alex Oh: The Concentrated Cellist Emily Shi Staff Writer

Cellist Alex Oh (11) attended a seven week intensive program for string instrument players at the Meadowmount School of Music to expand his repertoire and improve his ability as a cellist.

Meadowmount is known for its heavy emphasis and intensive approach to practicing, allotting more than five hours a day for instrument practice. In addition, the program offered various individualized lessons and master classes, Oh said.

After playing the cello recreationally for nine years, Oh began to play seriously after a sport injury. “Through getting serious I became really passionate about music,” he said.

Oh originally decided to apply to the program after having tried less intensive music

camps in the past, due to the encouragement of his peers and mentors. “My teacher went when he was around my age, and I’ve seen a lot of teams who go and come back far better than before,” he said.

Oh was accepted a few months after he sent videos of his playing different genres of pieces on the cello. “My decision to attend mainly stemmed from curiosity, as I wanted to see if I could come out as a different cellist when I came back,” he said Due to the program’s emphasis on practice time, Oh learned how to prevent injury when playing the cello, worked on time management, and developed a curated daily practice routine that he continues to follow, he said.

Oh confidently asserts that he has come back a “different cellist,” he said. “The other passionate cellists motivated me to play better, and I tried out so many new genres and techniques because Meadowmount gave me the time to explore.”

Courtesy of Alex Oh

WORK HARD, PLAY HARDER Oh bows away.

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Annabelle Chan/ Staff Artist

Thorny Roses: Dissecting America’s Guilty Pleasure

Euphoria’s Gen Z: the kids are not alright

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

Talia Winiarsky

Roses, a mansion, and grand entrances are all a part of a contestant’s journey to find love on the Bachelor franchise, a guilty pleasure that students devotedly watch despite its flaws.

This summer, the 15th season of The Bachelorette and the sixth season of Bachelor in Paradise aired, attracting many contestant applicants and over eleven million viewers a week.

The Bachelorette, which first aired in May and finished in late July, featured one woman, Hannah, and 30 men who competed to be her fiancé. The show was conducted eliminationstyle until one man remained.

On the show, The Bachelorette isn’t the only one in the spotlight; the contestants have brief interviews throughout the show to give their perspectives to the audience.

Jolie Nelsen (11) watches the show with her friends and enjoys teasing the contestants about their actions and the things that they say, she said. “At HM, we value academics more than anything, but the contestants really care about their appearance, and it’s different from what I’m used to.”

The show offers an escape from stressful schoolwork, Sammi Strasser (9) said. She relaxes when watching the show with her friends and laughing at the drama, she said.

“We laugh about how crazy it is that these people are expected to fall in love in such a short amount of time.” A year is the minimum time required fall in love, not months, Strasser said.

Sabrina Freidus (11) enjoys the ending of the season best because the viewers see the end result of the relationships developed on the show, she said. “The final four contestants actually love the Bachelorette,” she said.

Despite the fact that Freidus thinks that the relationships are real, she would not want to find a spouse through the show, she said.

Bryana Guerrero (12) can sense the connections between the Bachelorette and the contestants, she said.

“When they are having conversations, they get into their emotions and feelings. Someone could be lying about what they are saying, but they have deep conversations that seem real to the audience.”

The fact that some of the couples from past

seasons are still together confirms the strength of the relationships created on the show, Nelsen said.

Although Guerrero believes that the relationships between the Bachelorette and the individual contestants are real, she acknowledges that the producers edit the show to make the relationships seem more authentic, she said.

“It’s edited in a way to make some people be clear villains and others to be the show’s favorites.

It causes the audience to have a preconceived idea about each character, even though it may not be that way.” The show is edited this way in order to attract more viewers, Guerrero said.

Aidan McAndrew (11) does not believe that the show can cultivate authentic relationships, he said. “The Bachelorette and their final contestant maybe like each other, but they can’t really be in love with somebody when she’s also looking at other guys on the show.”

Cameras constantly swarm the contestants, which puts pressure on them to act affectionate toward the Bachelorette, which explains why it seems as though the relationships on the show are real, McAndrew said.

Yana Gitelman (11) attributes the illusion of love partially to the fact that the contestants mistake their feelings of adrenaline for feelings of love. The contestants engage in high-adrenaline activities such as bungee jumping and skydiving, she said. “They associate all these great feelings with one person, and they think ‘I’m falling in love.’”

Another sign that the love won’t last after the show concludes is that the contestants don’t know who the Bachelorette is going to be at the time that they sign up, she said.

The selection process has a controversy of its own. Of the people who sign up, the producers of the show choose mostly white contestants.

“The show is slowly trying to become more and more diverse, but still, there are about two or three minorities out of 30 people each season,” Guerrero said.

Often, the show starts off with a diverse group of people, McAndrew said. But after the Bachelor or Bachelorette, who is usually white, eliminates contestants based on their preferences, the remaining contestants are mostly white, he said.

Strasser realized the lack of diversity in the show after completing a Unity Week workshop about the homogeneity of people in magazines,

she said. “I realized how little diversity there is in other places too, like the Bachelor and Bachelorette,” she said.

For Charles Simmons (12), who is CoPresident of The Union, watching the Bachelor franchise creates a conflict of interest, he said.

“The Union’s primary goal is to be the voice of the POC community at our school,” he said.

The Bachelor franchise reflects European beauty standards since the contestants and winners are mostly white. Thus, he feels guilty when watching the show, he said.

The Union hopes to make viewers aware of the problems in the Bachelor, Simmons said. “If someone hesitates to watch the Bachelor, then The Union has fulfilled its goal.”

The show is also heteronormative, Gitelman said. “The structure of the Bachelor and Bachelorette is really heteronormative in itself, having men fight over a woman or vice versa,” she said.

Freidus understands why the show chooses contestants on the Bachelor and Bachelorette that are all straight, she said. “If you have a Bachelorette that’s bisexual or pansexual, and the contestants are also like that, then the contestants could fall in love with each other, and it defeats the purpose of having one person that everyone

wants.”

Instead, Freidus suggests that Bachelor in Paradise, which features a group of singles on vacation searching for love within the group, rather than a single person, as an appropriate place for the franchise to feature people of other sexual orientations. It would be helpful that the show allows for multiple couples to form, she said.

The more relaxed and open format of Bachelor in Paradise entertains Amanda Wein (10) more than The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, she said. “It’s more realistic because many couples can form, which allows for people to choose who they want to be with,” she said.

This season’s Bachelor in Paradise was the first season of the franchise to feature a contestant that was previously in a same-sex relationship.

“They actually gave a lot of attention to the bisexual contestant, going out of their way to bring her girlfriend from home on the show,” Gitelman said.

Despite the show’s flaws, Guerrero still watches the show, and remembers to keep in mind that the Bachelor franchise is a television show, she said. “Although they want to show love and a fairy-tale ending, their main goal is the views. It is fake to a certain extent.”

Gabby Fischberg / Staff Artist

Summer Salt wows crowd with dreamy performance Natalie Sweet

Staff Writer

Awash in a dreamy red light, one of many men dressed in straw hats and gray jeans smiled at the small crowd. Clearly, the event was no Governor’s Ball - with approximately a hundred people spread across the floor, the audience members could’ve set up sleeping bags if they wished.

Summer Salt, an indie musical band, took to the stage at Gramercy Theatre on July 24th with header bands Motel Radio and Dante Elephante. The show was the New York stop on their summer tour, which spanned from the East Coast all the way to San Diego, California.

Formed in 2012 and based in Austin, Texas, Summer Salt’s music is reminiscent of 1960s pop, Bossa Nova, and jazz. The group has released one EP and one album, and this summer, they began their second tour. The venue featured a hallway lined with photos from other performances leading to a wide, open floor area before the dimly lit stage. A few people settled into the movie theater style seating area behind the open floor, but most attendees stood on the floor, almost ready to form a mosh pit.

The crowd was mostly teenagers, though a few adults in their mid twenties and thirties drifted throughout the crowd. Though there was a bar tucked away in the back corner, it looked extremely lonely, considering that almost no one was of legal drinking age.

Vendors sold tiny Poland Spring water bottles - for five dollars each! Perhaps in a feeble attempt to make up for the absurd drink pricing, the merchandise table was selling t-shirts for 15 dollars each: a great deal for a tour shirt.

The first band took the stage without introduction, as if they were background noise in a restaurant. Their songs had an electric feel to them, a synth based melody with a drum beat as a bottom layer. Despite not knowing the lyrics, the crowd was able to sway

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to the rhythm and general chatter resumed after the first couple of songs.

“Do you know who we are?” the lead singer shouted into the microphone. “No,” was the resounding noise from the concert goers on the floor. As if he was used to this, the lead singer introduced the band without a pause. “We are Dante Elephante,” he shouted, and immediately the crowd was lit up with blue screens searching for more information on Dante Elephante, rushing to open Instagram.

Courtesy of Natalie Sweet

BEACHY VIBES BAND ROCKS OUT ON STAGE After about half an hour, the second band took the stage, introducing themselves as Motel Radio. Despite the fact that their music style was incredibly similar to Dante Elephante’s, their performance juxtaposed the mellow mood of the previous band.

Lead singer Ruben Zarate, also sporting a cowboy hat, leaped

around the stage, while his fellow performer sent an abundance of flirty signals to the crowd.

Despite Motel Radio’s entertaining antics, it was clear that the majority of the attendees were there to see Summer Salt, and they were getting impatient. Chants of “bring out Summer Salt” arose, and soon enough, a stage manager rolled a metal frame with a paintsplattered piece a cloth reading “Summer Salt” draped around it on to the stage. Cheers erupted from the crowd, and Summer Salt took to the stage soon after.

The band started their set with “Life Ain’t the Same,” a song from their album “Happy Camper.” Soon, they had the crowd shouting the lyrics to a few of their most popular songs, such as “Rockaway,” “Revvin My CJ-7,” and “Candy Wrappers.”

The lead singer jumped up and down on the stage during the faster parts of their songs, while the drummer took the lead in getting the crowd excited. Waving back and forth his floppy, bleach blonde hair, he became a fan favorite as many audience members shook their heads in time with him. Their songs, which are usually about love and happiness, were not meant to “hype up” the audience, but they put the crowd in a good mood with their peaceful melodies.

As the night went on, the crowd began to sway as Summer Salt played their nostalgic hit, “Driving to Hawaii.” Above a simple layer of guitar, Terry sang “Driving to Hawaii / Surfing down the street / Dreaming of these places / I may never see.” It was almost 11 PM when most of the attendees began to file out.

“You know what’s best about these types of concerts?” a buckethat-wearing girl in her late teens asked her friend as they left Gramercy Theatre. “The cute bassists that wink at me from the stage?” her friend replied. “Well, I was thinking more about the peaceful, road trip vibe that you don’t normally get from large and loud performances,” she said. “But that works too.”

Vivien Sweet

“I’m envious of your generation,” a middleaged man murmurs as he caresses the face of Jules Vaughn, an underage transgender girl timidly posing as 22, in a seedy motel room. “You guys don’t care as much about the rules.”

The nature of rules, and specifically of rule breaking, is the theme around which HBO’s Euphoria revolves, as characters confront the repercussions and occasional triumphs of growing up in an era of unparalleled social change.

The show’s first season, which premiered on June 16th and ended on August 4th, has been making headlines with its racy themes of teenage sex and drug use, as well as its dazzling makeup, talented young cast, soundtrack spanning from rap to jazz, and the most male nudity ever shown in a single season of television.

With its intensity and shocking scenes, a precedent— established in the first episode with the statutory rape of Jules, portrayed by transgender actor Hunter Schafer—was set. HBO did not create a soapy, predictable coming-of-age TV show, but an uncensored, deadpan depiction of the multi-faceted teenage experience.

The central storyline follows Rue Bennett (Zendaya), a disillusioned, opioid addicted teenager who reluctantly rejoins her peers for their junior year of high school after a summer stint in rehab, and her unconventional friendship with Jules, the new girl in town whose ambitions transcend the boundaries of their Los Angeles suburb.

Rue introduces Jules to her childhood best friend and token unassuming nerd, Lexi Howard (Maude Apatow), who often acts as the only comic relief throughout the eight-episode season. And through Lexi, the series introduces her older sister Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney), a cheerleader who gains a promiscuous reputation after explicit images of her are leaked on the internet, her wellmeaning but troubled college football player boyfriend Christopher McKay (Algee Smith), and Kat Hernandez (Barbie Ferreira), a body conscious teen who quells some of her insecurity through an internet pornography side hustle.

Hernandez’ character is a refreshing representation of “plus-sized” teenage girls in television; a side plot delving into Kat’s relationship with her love interest, Ethan Lewis (Austin Abrams), does not once reference her weight, and neither is it ever acknowledged by her shapely friends.

However, Yana Gitelman (11) noticed that Hernandez’ identity was more deeply rooted in her body type than other characters, and

the show often did not distinguish her external identity from her internal identity, a staple trait of “plus-sized” characters. “[Euphoria] could’ve expanded more on how her anxiety drove her to seek attention and power online,” she said.

The hyper-masculine archetype of a man who was raised to suppress his emotions and turn to violence in times of emotional distress is not an uncommon villain in television dramas.

Euphoria’s antagonist Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) fits into such a description. The simultaneously feared and revered football player epitomizes “toxic white masculinity,” Eliza Bender (12) said.

Nate’s violent nature is rooted in his tumultuous upbringing in which his father, Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane), dominates with an iron fist. Nate’s insecurity results in his physically and mentally abusive relationship with on-andoff girlfriend Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie) and similarly

Annabelle Chan/ Staff Artist

criminal

behavior toward other peers.

For Gitelman, Euphoria’s raw portrayals of how mental illness, high school relationships, and social media use affect the characters made the show’s depiction of the teenage experience poignant. “In every single event that goes on in Euphoria, I know someone personally who has gone through that, even if it’s to a lesser extent,” she said.

Sogona Cisse (11) agrees that some components of the show are relevant to her and her peers’ high school experiences, mainly in the

characters’ proclivity for allowing peer-pressure to guide their decision-making.

“I see elements of girls staying with guys because they believe he loves her even though they’re abusive, like Maddy and Nate,” Cisse said. “I see parts of Rue’s addiction in some high schoolers, and I’ve seen people in a rush to lose [their] virginity because all of their friends did, like Kat.” Bender, on the other hand, appreciated the use of male nudity in a non-sexual context, like when the football team celebrated after a win in the locker room, as she thought it revealed a very human aspect of the characters.

“Historically, if there is a nude scene, overwhelmingly it will only include female nudity,” Bender said. “Even when the directors don’t mean to do it, it plays on this trope that women are sexual objects.”

Moreover, the show’s soundtrack is the gift that keeps on giving. Paired with t h e

characters’ glittery makeup, the majestic background noise makes certain troubling scenes feel more like psychedelic dreams than nightmares.

Other television shows that focus on a group of teenagers, such as “Riverdale on the CW, tend to follow a monotonous, traditional storyline that lacks depth, unlike Euphoria, Mia Calzolaio (10) said.

“Riverdale is just about straight white people coupled up, and no one wants to watch that,” she said.

Yet Euphoria’s lack of normalcy is also its major pitfall.

America’s favorite workplace takes center stage

Henry Owens

Staff Writer

As a musical theatre nerd who is also addicted to The Office, I was intrigued when I heard about the off Broadway show, “The Office: A Musical Parody.” Could a two-hour musical really do justice to my favorite TV show? I was skeptical, but I decided to walk in with an open mind and Jim Halpert outfit alongside Michael Scott, played by my sister.

After entering the miniature lobby of the theatre complex on 50th street and climbing two flights of stairs, I saw a small concession stand and Stanley Hudson selling merchandise outside the theatre.

The theatre itself was very small; less than two hundred seats surround three sides of a tiny stage. Three cluttered desks in the middle and reception off to the side comprised the onstage office of Dunder Mifflin.

The lights went down, and from the darkness came the sound of a phone ringing and a familiar “Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam.” Roy slammed down paper, Jim tapped his pen, and Dwight shushed the audience as the percussion to a very entertaining opening number.

It started out with just the voices and sounds from onstage, with a prerecorded instrumental accompaniment later joining in. The words “Welcome to Scranton” were set to the iconic theme song, with an occasional, “Scranton! What? The electric city!” thrown in. There was only minimal choreography and much of the singing was done sitting or standing in place, but the simplicity and humor of this opening number was enjoyably reminiscent of the TV show.

The musical was jam packed with as many plot points and inside jokes from the TV show as physically possible. They managed to fit it all in, which must have been very hard. As an Office fan, it was fun seeing all my favorite moments from the show on stage.

The retellings of familiar bits were enjoyable, but it was even more

Annabelle Chan/ Staff Artist

exciting to see new interpretations and twists on old material.

I did have some trouble suspending disbelief when Pam went from engaged to Roy, to being married to Jim within a day. In that same day, Stamford got shut down, Sabre bought the company, Michael left, Dwight became manager (twice), and the whole gang celebrated Christ-oween-diwal-ukah-birthda-earthda-kwanza.

The individual moments were fun, but as a whole, the plot of the musical was chaotic and illogical.

In addition to the many references from the TV show, there were

Every single family in Euphoria is fraught with either severe psychological damage, alcoholism, and/or violence, most of which are explained by Rue in a languorous ten-minute voiceover at the beginning of each episode.

And unlike the teenagers in Euphoria, fewer and fewer teenagers are having sex and using drugs, according to Margot Sanger-Katz and and Aaron E. Carroll of the New York Times.

The percentage of high school juniors who have ever had sex has dropped from 62 percent to 42 percent, and only 0.5 percent of sophomores surveyed used a hallucinogen in the last month.

Rue and Jules do in the first episode.

Yet we seldom see them cram for an upcoming test or work on their homework together, which is likely what many teenagers do on a school night.

Though the challenges which characters grapple with do mirror those which real teenagers face, the show certainly veers towards the worst case scenario.

“Not every teenager who feels insecure is going to go to the internet to find men to hook up with or please,” Gitelman said. Both Jules and Kat do this on a day-to-day basis.

Not only do the characters’ dark tendencies make the show less realistic, they also make it harder to watch.

“The show was a little brutal to watch at the start because it was so graphic, and the violence was startling,” Calzolaio said.

The beauty of Euphoria lies instead in characters’ nuanced identities; from Jules’ struggle to feel feminine, to Kat’s learning to love her body.

“On other shows, representation is like ‘I’m lesbian and that’s my whole entire life. How do I come out, how do I navigate the world now, et cetera.’” Cisse said. “On Euphoria it’s more like ‘I’m gay, but I do other things besides being gay.’”

“You’re brought to sympathize with everyone in the show,” Gitelman said. We witness Rue spiral into a depression as she watches Love Island, the popular British dating show, for 22 hours straight. We feel Cassie’s pain when McKay refuses to admit that he is dating her to one his best friends. We sympathize with Maddy who can’t help but still love her boyfriend even when he threatens to hurt her.

In an age where teenagers are statistically becoming less prone to their parents’ worst fears—violence, drugs, sex, alcohol, and the perils of the internet—Euphoria seems to turn a blind eye towards to the normalcy of everyday high school life.

Despite its flaws, Euphoria’s message rings plain and simple: Teenagers go through a whole lot more than meets the eye.

also random pop culture references, including a Handmaid’s Tale moment and an entire Hamilton song parody. There were no particular reasons for these, but they did emphasize that this show truly was a parody. It was not trying to recreate the Office, but rather poke fun at it.

Another interesting feature of this production was the double casting. Only eight actors played the twenty-something roles in the show. Most of these characters were highly exaggerated and unrealistic, with all their quirks, flaws, and traits from the show heavily amplified. Actor Tom McGovern did an excellent job playing both Jim Halpert and Andy Bernard. Both characters were distinct, with Jim extra laid back and Andy even more of a WASP. However, this exaggeration didn’t work as well for other characters.

I felt uncomfortable from how much Rita Posillico’s portrayals of Karen Fillipelli and Oscar Martinez were based on cheap Italian and Mexican stereotypes. While this might have been reflective of the TV show’s politically incorrect nature, I think some parts of the source material are better left in the past.

As a fan of the Office, I did have a good time seeing my favorite show in a new and creative way. But from an artistic standpoint, The Office: A Musical Parody is nothing exceptional. The actors all did their jobs well enough, but the writing wasn’t nearly as funny as it should have been, and the music was boring and forgettable.

If you’ve watched the Office for the twelfth time and want to experience it in a new way, then you very well might enjoy the musical. But if you’re looking for quality theatre in New York City, The Office: A Musical Parody is a long ways down that list.

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THE RECORD PHOTO SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

Scenes from the Summer:

Ben Goodman (12)

Kate Bown (11)

Student Photo Submissions

Jake Shapiro (12)

Diya Mookim (12)

Helena Kopans-Johnson (12)

Andrew Cassino (12)

Robbie Werdiger (12)

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HORACE MANN PHOTO SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

Abigail Salzhauer (12)

Amelia Feiner (12)

Kate Bown (11)

Griffin Smith (12)

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THE RECORD LIONS’ DEN SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

A lion’s grind never stops: offseason training Sam Chiang Staff Writer The Maccabi Games in Atlanta, the Water Polo Junior Olympics in Newport Beach, and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Volleyball nationals in Orlando. These are not part of a typical summer for high school students. Over the course of summer, several of the school’s athletes trained rigorously to improve their skills, took the opportunity to play at a highly competitive level, and networked with college coaches.

Elite camps give coaches a chance to evaluate players’ potential, while also giving players a chance to evaluate a college’s program and talk with coaches, Zoë Swift (11) said. Swift, a member of the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Team, played at college showcases in order to gain experience playing volleyball at a competitive collegiate level, she said. “I trained with girls from all over the country, some of whom I’ve met through other camps, or played against throughout the club season.”

At the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics in Newport Beach, California, Max Chasin (9) and his Chelsea Piers club team placed into the goldplatinum division, the highest division of the Courtesy of Harrison Winter

FOCUS Harrison Winter (11) runs upfield.

tournament, and finished as the 35th best team in the country, he said.

“It was a really exciting experience, in our last game, my team and I found ourselves winning in the last seconds with a great stop on defense to win ten to nine,” Max Chasin said. Unable to train with his team while at sleep away camp, he swam in the lake as much as possible. However, before camp started, he attended practices for two hours a day for six days a week in order to get faster and stronger, he said.

Harrison Winter (11), a member of the Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Team, also played at different college showcases and attended tournaments with his club team, the Long Island Express Channenchuk. “We motivated each other to lift more in the gym and practiced new sets and plays together on the field,” he said. “We competed in eight tournaments this summer and won the National Lacrosse Federation Championship, an invitational tournament that features the best club teams from around the nation,” Winter said.

Similarly, Ben Chasin (11), a member of the Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team, attended showcases and trained in camps at Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, and an All-Academic camp where 75 Division III schools that have strong academics come to recruit, he said. “I trained for many hours every day, not only playing basketball, but also doing a ton of strength and conditioning as well which allowed me to greatly improve my game,” he said.

Ailill Walsh (10), another member of the Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team, also trained over the summer by playing on an AAU team, KING Hoops, and a street ball team, Team FENOM, he said. He also attended the Hoop Group Academic Elite camp in Pennsylvania along with Columbia’s elite basketball camp to play in front of scouts, he said.

Some students traveled overseas for training

over the summer. Sidh Chawla (12) trained at an intense tennis academy in Spain, he said. “The advantage of going to Spain is that the coaches are really dedicated to hard work and fitness so they don’t let you get off without putting in 100% effort,” Chawla said. Most of the other players at the academy tended to be from Europe or Spain, he said. Another advantage of playing at the academy was being able to play against many different play styles because of the different surfaces, he said. “Spain is home to some of the most beautiful red clay courts in the world.”

In order to improve their games, many athletes set a goal for themselves to accomplish over the summer. “I wanted to improve my universal tennis rating, which is a system every tennis player is rated on,” Chawla said.“I trained with a combination of tennis drills directed towards flexibility, endurance, and strength,” he said. “I improved my rating a ton thanks to a good work ethic and I hope to continue playing college at the varsity or club level,” Chawla said.

Looking to take her game to the next level and network with college coaches, Swift attended volleyball camps after AAU Volleyball Nationals in mid-June, she said. Her goal was to improve as a player by incorporating new techniques and tips from coaches into her game, she said.

Hoping to be committed by next summer, Swift connected with different college coaches to communicate with them during the club season, she said.

“My goal this summer was to improve all parts of my game from fitness to mechanics,” Ben Chasin said. Over the summer, Ben Chasin trained with his AAU team, the New York Lightning, and won the Northeast Hoops Tournament along with the Providence Jam Fest.

He also won a bronze medal at the the Maccabi Games, a multi-sport event for Jewish athletes.

He had quickly accepted the offer because of the

Fall preseason plays a valuable role in preparing players physically and allowing the teammates to bond before the season.

Preseason is a time for athletes to physically prepare by running and working on flexibility, Cross Country Coach Meridith Cullen said. “For many runners, preseason means getting back into shape,” Cross Country runner Sareena Parikh (10) said. The training builds endurance levels of athletes because of the many repetitions of exercises, Varsity Field Hockey Coach Caroline Surhoff said.

“Preseason consists of a lot of conditioning,” soccer player Christopher Ha (12) said. Soccer conditioning specifically consists of extensive running and short workouts for strengthening muscles, said soccer player Daniel Lee. “In order to be ready, we need to familiarize ourselves with stickwork and get in condition for running throughout a game,” Field Hockey player Abigail Morse (11) said.

Practices are also necessary for teams to be eligible to compete against other schools. “Preseason is important for cross country because all the runners need to have run in a certain number of practices before they are able to compete in meets,” Parikh said.Preseason is also important because of the early dates of the Fall sports meets, Morse said. For example, the field hockey games start during the second week of school and boys soccer

games during the first week of school, Ha said.

Cross Country practices during preseason are the same as regular-season practices, Parikh said. “We talk, run, and even talk as we run to keep practices enjoyable,” she said. On the other hand, field hockey preseason practices differ from regular-season practice.

They provide more time for skill stations than in a typical practice, Surhoff said.

Preseason practices for Boys Soccer also differ from their regulars e as on

practices.

“During regular practice, we do a lot more tactical and technical work,” Ha (12) said. “We have more time during the preseason. We can practice many more aspects of the sport every day with the additional time,” Girls Soccer Coach Tim Sullivan said.

Preseason is also important to the team because it provides a time for the

athletes to bond and become familiar with each other before students feel academic stress, Coach Sullivan said.

“Preseason gives us two weeks to get to know each other without having to worry about school,” volleyball player Rosy Arora (11) said.

The Field Hockey team bonds through small group discussions, creating spirit wear, and making music playlists, Surhoff said. The

Courtesy of Google

Jake Shapiro/Photo Editor

KICKIN’ IT Kiara Royer (12) boots it up the field.

Girls Varsity Soccer kick-started the next three months with a two week-long preseason in preparation for the campaign ahead. Using Van Cortlandt Park as their practice field, the team has been preparing early in the morning each day nearing the end of August for their upcoming season.

The observance of the girls’ ability levels, especially after the summer break, and previous experiences has shaped the types of training being run through in each practice.

“We have plenty of girls who rarely touch a soccer ball offseason and only about five girls who play soccer four times a week,” Laila Farmer (10) said.

This lack of training outside of the school

season has proven challenging when meeting other teams with players who are committed to colleges or are playing in elite soccer leagues.

Therefore, in order to better the players’ individual technique, Girls Varsity Soccer Coach Tim Sullivan made the conscientious decision to return back to the groundwork for their first couple of practices, he said.

“We are doing a lot of running, dribbling, basic shooting, and passing drills to just get back in the soccer mode,” Kelly Troop (11) said.

Another collective challenge this year’s team will face, is the number of new players which has recently joined the team, with around half the team consisting of freshmen.

“We’re a young team so we’re just trying to develop our knowledge so that we can play as well as we can as a dynamic unit,” Captain

Kiara Royer (12) said. Being smaller physically means fighting twice as hard against opponents to win tackles, she said.

Despite these setbacks, the team still believes it has much to offer with its fair share of strengths out on the field.

“Our defense, consisting of returning players, is very strong. They are out there putting their best foot forward with every drill, challenging themselves and the people around them,” Rachel Kuhn (10) said.

“Every one of our players has a positive attitude and excellent work ethic,” Sullivan said. “I always look forward to the opportunity to coach great kids.”

“The team’s goal for the season is to always put the most effort we can into everything we do,” Kuhn said. “We would like to just try as hard as we can to bring home some wins.”

Boys Varsity Soccer Alison Isko Staff Writer Courtesy of Max Chasin

THROW IT Max Chasin (9) shoots the ball. consistently at the end of the summer and is one step closer to reaching his max potential as a high school player, he said. “I’ve invested so much time in basketball that I feel I would greatly regret not playing in college, so even if I don’t play at an elite school, I’d still like to live out that dream of playing at the next level.”

“Although training over the summer can be grueling, I had a lot of fun playing with my street ball team,” Walsh said. “New York City is known for having some of the most competitive and talented street ball players in the country, so it was a great experience to play against top notch competition in front of enthusiastic crowds.”

teammates,” Ha said.

“Preseason is also the time when the ninth graders get to know the team and the fast pace of varsity practice,” Morse said. “It is important for the ninth graders to get used to the elevated level of play before the stress and demands of schoolwork sets in,” Surhoff said.

While teams such as boys and girls soccer, volleyball, and boys and girls cross country do not have an organized trip, football does. “We go away to camp for 4 days to practice harder and longer to get better for the season,” football player Benjamin Goodman (12) said. This trip provides the necessary repetition and practice for the players to be their best at the start of the season, he said.

Preseason is important to the success of the team. “Preseason gives us the building blocks to success,” Sullivan said.

Annabelle Chan/Art Director

volleyball team bonds by hosting lunches in Manhattan and at school with the entire team, Arora said.

Bonding also occurs in Boys Soccer.

“There is a lot of team bonding during preseason as for some of us, it is the first time meeting some of our

Girls Varsity Soccer

Yin Fei Contributing Writer

unique opportunity to play against 18 other teams of Jewish athletes from communities around the world, he said. However, Ben Chasin’s focus wasn’t just on this summer as he has his sights set on the future and hopes to play basketball at an Ivy League School or a Division III school with strong academics, he said.

Similarly, Walsh also worked on his game by making 150-200 shots a day, he said. One of Walsh’s smaller goals was to be able to consistently dunk which meant he needed to do more leg exercises, such as squats and calf raises, he said. Walsh was able to dunk more

Teams gear up for the fall Emma Colacino Staff Writer

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HORACE MANN LIONS’ DEN SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

Although Boys Varsity Soccer lost last year’s 10 seniors, Christopher Ha (12) is confident that this year’s team can fill that gap, he said.

“Even though I loved the seniors from last year, some of them caused some internal conflicts and chemistry problems, which hindered our performance during practices and games,” Ha said. “The guys this year are all wonderful people, and I’m confident in our returning players and newcomers.”

This year’s team is a combination of young, motivated players along with older, more experienced ones, Alex Gerstenhaber (11) said.

The combination of new and old players has made the team even better than last year’s, and caused the team to be especially strong at making

the right passes, which shows a promising possession game, Jeffrey Chen (12) said.

During practice, the team has been working on building up other important skills through scrimmages and side games, Bodhi Lavine (9) said.

The players have also been doing conditioning and various drills focused on shooting, so that they can take full advantage of opportunities in games and have a smoother flow in games, Chen said.

The team is looking to improve its skills from last year in order to build off of last season’s record of seven wins, eight losses, and two draws, as they had a disappointing finish when they missed the playoffs, Jackson Feigin (11) said.

Boys Varsity Soccer Coach Gregg Quilty hopes the team will improve on last year’s record and advance at least as far as the semifinals this year,

as last year’s loss was an incredibly narrow miss, he said. “We were just under .500 last year, which means we lost more than half our games, and just barely missed out on making the tournament, so the goals are to improve on last year’s record and go above .500.”

In order to avoid the same outcome this time, the team needs to both pace themselves and take practice seriously, as he’s noticed a pattern where the team’s performance gets worse when classes begin to get more challenging, Ha said. “Making sure that we aren’t going too hard to the point in which we will burn out is going to be key to our durability during the season,” he said.

The team could improve this year by having a counter-attacking style of play that is more intense, and working on the defense’s foot skills and passing, Chen said.

Boys Varsity Soccer Coach Neil Berniker is

also confident that the team will do well this season. “The two weeks of preseason were very promising, we worked hard, we were motivated, and are hopeful to get back to the NYSAIS post season. We are excited and ready to play.”

Jake Shapiro/Photo Editor

Jake Shapiro/Photo Editor

LET’S PRACTICE Christopher Ha (12) dribbles.

Varsity Football Adrian Arnaboldi Staff Writer The football team will look to repeat last year’s success as winners of the Hudson Valley Football League; however, the team will face many new challenges this season after the loss of 19 seniors who graduated.

Although the team lost multiple key players, the coaches and players are optimistic about the season. “I have been pleasantly surprised so far this preseason with the level of skill we have,” Football Coach Ron Beller said.

“Our technique is light years ahead of where I thought it would be.”

The team has been working hard in preseason to perfect their skills on offense, defense, and

special teams. “The players that we have now have been as focused and mentally tough as any group we have had,” Beller said.

With increased focus, the team has been able to improve in multiple facets of the game.

“We have been working on implementing our new offensive schemes as well as defensive and special teams plays,” Harrison Winter (11) said.

Beller has been working with defensive players on practicing safe tackling techniques, he said.

These techniques are not only safer but are also more effective.

The coaches have been looking to maximize the potential of the team by utilizing the players’ athletic ability. Although the team is not as big as in years past, they have been working on

using their speed to their advantage, Beller said.

New leaders have emerged in the preseason and have helped guide some of the younger members of the team. Seniors Harrison Porges, Matthew Dichter, Nick Potash, Andrew Cassino, and Ben Goodman have stepped up as leaders in the preseason, Winter said.

After the loss of 19 seniors, the team has become a much tighter knit group. “We are a much smaller team where every single person is a huge part of the winning effort,” Winter said.

“We all work together as a unit, pick each other up, and treat each other like family,” James Thomas (10) said.

Teamwork and unity are strengths of this younger group. “We don’t point fingers, instead we focus on ourselves as individuals and point our interest towards bettering ourselves and our teammates,” Thomas said. “We’re a big group of brothers that love to play the sport.”

With a smaller group of players, physical fitness level has been a point of emphasis for the coaches, because some players will be asked to play both offense and defense frequently.

The team is excited for the season, especially their homecoming game. “Homecoming is our most hyped game of the season, and all the work we’re doing is going into winning both that and the championship this year,” Thomas said.

Girls Varsity Volleyball Josh Underberg Staff Writer The Girl’s Varsity Volleyball team has used preseason to prepare for their rigorous season ahead.

“This preseason, our coach decided to increase the intensity of our practices,” Charlotte Cebula (12) said. “We are focusing a lot on fitness and securing our fundamental skills, so that in games we will be able to outlast the other team in stamina,” she said.

The preseason training also gave players an opportunity to get back into rhythm, Yin Fei, (10) said.

“Preseason was hard work, especially because it was so early in the morning and I had not played volleyball for quite some time, however the three hours of practice has allowed me to feel much more prepared for the rest of the season,” Fei said.

Many players from last year’s roster graduated, so the team will have to learn to adapt to those changes, Zoë Swift (11) said.

“A lot of seniors on the team last

season graduated in the spring, so right now my focus is creating a closer team dynamic with girls who have really never played together before,” Swift said. “With playing such a team-centered sport, it is important that everyone on the court can trust and rely on each other during a game, which goes beyond just talking during practice.”

This year’s team consists of many new players.

“I love the trajectory of the team this year, and I think that new players could take us to the next level,” Cebula said.

“I believe that everyone will be a bit nervous to work with each other, but that soon we will grow comfortable enough to trust one another and make the plays run smoothly,” Fei, a new player herself, said.

The new players on this year’s roster are one of the team’s assets, Whitney Dawson (12) said.

“Jaelah Taylor (9) is a new freshman who just moved to New York and is new to HM, and she’s really good,” Dawson said.

“She’ll definitely be a valuable addition to the team.”

Aside from the new contributors, there

are multiple established leaders on the team, Swift said.

“The current seniors on the team are essential to helping the team dynamic and encouraging the underclassmen to try their best and go all out,” Swift said. “I think they have been doing a great job at that and in getting the newer players on the team to come out of their shells.”

The leadership will help the team to fight through every game, especially the most important games of the year, such as homecoming and opposing teams’ homecomings, Dawson said.

“At homecoming, we are playing against Fieldston, and they are a really good team, so although it will be a challenging game, I’m confident that we will play well,” Dawson said. “We are also playing at Poly Prep’s homecoming, which will also be a difficult game.”

The Fieldston Girls Varsity Volleyball team has a strong history, which makes it a difficult game, but they are confident that the team can succeed together, Swift said.

Annabelle Chan/Art Director

Jake Shapiro/Photo Editor

SPIKE IT Jaelah Taylor (9) hits the ball for a point.

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

Lions’ Den Record Sports

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SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2019

Girls Varsity Tennis Oliver Steinman Staff Writer The Girls Varsity Tennis team has high hopes for their upcoming season after their successes last year, where they won both the Ivy League Championship and Mayor’s Cup. Gaby Moussazadeh (12) said one of her personal goals is to improve throughout the season. “We want to remain undefeated and hopefully win our sixth Ivy League Championship in a row, but I think I speak for the whole team when I say everyone is extremely determined to win the Mayor’s Cup again after winning last year for the first time in 18 years,” Moussazadeh said.

Sabrina Freidus (11) hopes to play her

best tennis during her matches, she said.

“Some team goals include working hard during every practice, always having a good time, and working towards winning the Ivy League Championship and Mayor’s Cup,” Freidus said.

Sofia Allinson (11) shares similar aspirations with her teammate Freidus.

She hopes to perform at her highest potential during matches, she said. She wants to have a good record this season after being undefeated last season, she said.

As a team, they hope to win the Ivy Leagues and Mayor’s Cup again, but “[their] main focus is to play the best [they] can every match and to have continual improvement throughout the season,” Allinson said.

Moussazadeh said that coming into the season the team is aware that they lost their best players, Gibby Thomas ‘19 and Hannah Long ‘19, who have been vital to their successes and team dynamic in previous years.

Despite the loss of integral players from previous years, Freidus thinks that the team dynamic is strong, she said. “We all play really well together because we are all such good friends, we are able to be completely comfortable, and we can play our best tennis. We always have fun together and I think that helps us to play well too,” Freidus said.

“We are a very bonded team. Everyone roots for each other, which is nice because tennis is such an individual sport,” Allinson said.

Courtesy of Abigail Kraus

GET SERVED McKayla Widener (12) starts a rally.

Varsity Field Hockey Adrian Arnaboldi Staff Writer The Varsity Field Hockey team looks to keep the ball rolling after achieving a 7-5 record and reaching the quarterfinals of NYSAIS last year.

Preseason had its ups and downs this year, but has allowed the team to improve and create a more cohesive group. “Preseason has been super tough but very effective,” Captain Gabby Kepnes (12) said. “Each day the team gets closer while getting a better feel of how the team works together on the field,” she said.

Coach Caroline Surhoff emphasized several different skills during preseason practices. Players spent a lot of time working on conditioning, skill building exercises, and other basic drills,

Captain Reina McNutt (12) said.

Players also worked on passing the ball in a more efficient manner, Kepnes said. “Rather than receiving the ball and taking a long time to pass it to someone, we are working on one touch passes that will hopefully move the ball up the field more quickly,” she said.

The team is younger this year and only has three seniors, but “all three of the senior captains have been setting great examples on and off the field,” Emily Salzhauer (9) said. “The older members of the team have all been very nice and welcoming to us as freshmen,” she said.

The juniors have also made an effort to make sure younger players feel welcome. “It’s been great to see a lot of the juniors stepping up and helping guide the underclassmen,” Kepnes said.

“I truly believe that the juniors will have a big part in leading the

team,” she said.

“I think that having younger players also is helpful because they seem more open to learning and trying new positions,” McNutt said. Piper Wallace (10) and Emmi Zeitler (10) have been particularly strong during preseason and will be important assets of the team this season, she said.

Teammates have been very supportive of each other in practices.

“I think one of our team’s biggest strengths is our ability to lift each and every person up,” Kate Bown (11) said. “There is never a drill where you can’t hear at least one person cheering their teammates on.”

The team hopes to continue improving over the course of the season in preparation for their big homecoming game against Fieldston.

Varsity Water Polo Oliver Steinman Staff Writer

The Varsity Water Polo team hopes to rebuild their team this season, while achieving success throughout the process.

“We graduated a big group of seniors last year,” Swim and Water Polo Coach Michael Duffy said. This year’s team is young and led by Donny Howard (12) in goal, Duffy said. The team has some great juniors joining Varsity, and some underclassmen who have stepped up to fill the void of the seniors who graduated last year, Eli Scher (11) said.

Walker McCarthy (10) and Max Chasin (9) have particularly stepped up to compete on the Varsity level and they have done a great job with what the team needs them to do, Ari Salsberg (11) said.

“They are both phenomenal players who excel in their technique and knowledge of the game even though they are on the younger half the team,” Salsberg said.

“Lowell Finster (11) and Taimur Moolji (12) have stepped up for the team,” Jonathan Mong (11) said.

Players such as Salsberg, Moolji, and Finster will likely have to step up to play offense and defense in ways they haven’t in previous years due to new openings in positions left by last year’s seniors, Scher said.

The team’s dynamic is positive because many of the players on the team are close outside of practice, Mong said. “The team dynamic is also pretty loose and there is a lot of joking around,” he said.

“We’re all great friends, but a lot of people are also willing to give each other advice on technique and strategy during drills and scrimmages,” Scher said.

Everyone on the team is driven, Salsberg said.

“The upperclassmen are doing a very good job of making the underclassmen feel welcomed by serving as leaders and mentors for some of the newer players,” he said.

“The early practices have been intense, as

Girls Cross Country

Alison Isko Staff Writer

Girls Varsity Cross Country is looking forward to a strong season this year, where they hope to overcome their biggest rival: the weather.

“The fall is really volatile in terms of rain, thunderstorms, and heat, and those always make running outside a bit miserable,” Euwan Kim (12) said. “But as long as we’re doing it together, I’m sure the team will be able to push through it… Everyone is really supportive of one another, especially when we’re all struggling on those back hills.”

No matter the weather, the team supports one another.

“I think everyone’s goal is to continue to encourage each other to beat their personal time and become better runners overall,” Caroline Scherr (12) said.

Kim wants to break 20 minutes, a goal she’s had since her freshman year, while Catherine MIgnone (10) wants to improve at the 5K race and push herself and the rest of the team to do their best during races and in practice. “We did really well last year, but there is definitely a lot of room for improvement,” Mignone said.

In order to improve their times, the team does a lot of conditioning during practice, Girls Varsity Cross Country Coach Meredith Cullen said.

This consists of hill runs and occasional trials of the race course in the back hills of Van Cortlandt Park, Kim said.

The race course is 2.5 miles and is located in Van Cortlandt Park.

Members of the team have also been trying to improve their times outside of practice.

Mignone and Scherr both ran over the summer in order to build up their endurance and stamina.

The work put in by the team will help them succeed at the Manhattan Invitational, the team’s largest meet, Sophia Zelizer (12) said.

The team will then compete at the NYSAIS and Ivy League meets at the end of the season.

preseason often is, with lots of swimming and leg drills to get us conditioned coming into the season.

However, shooting and passing drills in addition to scrimmages have been fun,” Scher said.

“Some personal goals are to improve physical strength, decision making, and defense, while keeping my offense at the same level if not improving it,” Mong said.

The team plays in an all-deep pool, while most teams have a shallow end, Salsberg said. This means that when the team plays at home, it’s harder for the opposing team because they aren’t used to not being able to stand up, he said.

“In order to use the deep pool to our advantage, we must improve our fitness and endurance as an entire team,” Salsberg said.

The team’s goal for the season is to work hard and have fun, Duffy said.

Scher said that for the first time, the Varsity team will be playing in an official Ivy League, as well as NYSAIS, so winning either or both would be huge for the previously dominant team to establish themselves.

Jake Shapiro/Photo Editor

JUST KEEP SWIMMING Water Polo practices.

Boys Cross Country

Julia Goldberg Staff Writer

Boys Cross Country began the season running and is looking forward to another year of improvement. “The team as a whole is looking really strong and we are excited for our meets,” Masa Shiiki (12) said.

In terms of the number of runners, it is almost the same as last year, Jayer Yang (12) said.

“In regards to dynamic, I do not think it’s as different as I thought it would be at first glance. Every person on the team is equally driven to perform well and run as best they can, and that cross country spirit hasn’t died down at all,” he said.

Yang is hoping this season will be as good, if not better, than last

year’s, and he’s excited to see the team develop from here on out, he said.

So far, preseason practices have been going well, Shiiki said.

“The team is united and we’re working hard and all supportive of each other,” he said. During these practices, Shiiki has also noticed a number of strong underclassman who are hard workers, he said.

“The sophomores on our team have a unique sense of camaraderie, which adds to the team dynamic,” Yang said. “Both Ethan Waggoner (10) and Alexei Le (10) stand out to me; Ethan for leading his peers in exercises, stretches, and practice runs, and Alexei for his enthusiasm and grit.” he said.

Yang has noticed the seniors have stepped up both as runners and as teammates. “Both Eddie Jin and Masa Shiiki in particular have naturally slipped into those leadership positions, and now put their own personal records aside to focus on the success of the team as a whole,” he said.

One of Shiiki’s goals is to be a supportive captain for the rest of the team, he said. Other than that, he is hoping to break his personal records, and also hopefully make the New York State Association of Independent of Schools (NYSAIS) cuts at the very end of the season, he said.

The end goal for the team as a whole is to have everyone run great times at the Ivy League Championships, Yang said.