Issue 20

Volume 118 Issue 20

The Record Horace Mann’s Weekly Newspaper Since 1903 Courtesy of East Wind West Wind

record.horacemann.org February 19th, 2021

Historians reframe mass incarceration Professors Elizabeth Hinton and Brandon Terry present in History Speaker Series Emma Colacino and Claire Goldberg Staff Writers

BLACKPINK IN YOUR AREA EWWW club members perform dances around school.

East Wind West Wind hosts annual Asia Night

Jiya Chatterjee and Rachel Baez Contributing Writers Last Thursday, East Wind West Wind (EWWW) held its first ever remote Asia Night, which featured Upper Division (UD) students and teachers participating in performances and presentations that celebrated Asian culture.

“Asia Night is very much the entire essence of East Wind West Wind distilled into a single evening,” EWWW Co-President Rachel Zhu (12) said. “It’s a night of celebration and positivity — a kind of huge family gathering — that essentially embodies the kind of community that we’re trying to build in the school.”

The event opened with a lively performance of “Gangnam Style” by 22 faculty and staff members, including EWWW advisor Jennifer Huang and English teacher Rebecca Bahr. While Huang was initially hesitant to participate, due to her camera shyness, she enjoyed filming it, and convinced Bahr to participate as well.

The dance preceded nine other acts and presentations, including Zhu’s recitation of her original poem, “Second Generation Ruminations,”

which discussed her place as a second generation immigrant in America and how she felt being in such a “precarious position.”

“The poem is about knowing, but not quite knowing, exactly what your parents have been through to get to the U.S., while also about living a kind of life that is affected by both a bitter sense of unbelonging but also a guilt that says, ‘Well, look at everything that went into bringing you here and giving you these opportunities,’” Zhu said. “I think it’s something a lot of students in our community can really relate to.”

Following that, Olivia Coward (8) read an original poem she wrote about her grandfather, informing the attendees about the challenges that Asians go through in America.

The rest of the night was filled with other acts including Ashley Chung’s (11) cover of Korean singer Taeyon’s “Can You Hear Me,” copresident Samantha Tsai’s (12) and Daphne Tsai’s (9) dance to the song “Naughty” by the South Korean duo Irene and Seulgi, a fashion show showcasing outfits from all across Asia, and a final dance to a K-pop medley featuring the entire club.

The K-pop dance performance takes place almost every Asia Night; in fact, it was the performance that drew Tsai to join EWWW as an

underclassman. This year, she was in charge of the compilation of video performances.

Around 70 members from across the school community virtually attended the performances on Thursday night on YouTube.

“I went to Asia Night to support my friends in East Wind West Wind, and also to see the art the club had created,” Dalia Pustilnik (11) said.

Upper Division Library Department Chair Caroline Bartels, who attended Asia Night, said the online format did not negatively affect the show or dilute the purpose of the event. Bartels was pleased that the students had the opportunity to share their cultures with the school, she said.

Tomoko Hida (11) spent hours preparing for her two performances.

For her first performance, Hida, along with Michael Shaari (11), prepared a presentation about an interview they had conducted with Japanese contemporary artist, Kiyo Hasegawa, as a part of ‘The Japan Periodical,’ an organization of which Hida is the vice-president. “We were able to present on Japanese culture, [which is] very integral to my identity,” she said.

For her second act, Hida, along with the rest of Sinfonietta, the see Asia night on pg. 3

Debate team competes at annual Harvard tournament Danny Cornstein Contributing Writer This past weekend, 50 members of the school’s Debate Team participated in the 47th Annual Harvard Debate Tournament and debated against over 500 teams virtually.

In Varsity Public Forum, two teams advanced to Triple-octafinals, the round of 64, and Sean Lee (10) and Maeve Goldman (9) earned their first bid to the Tournament of Champions, a final national championship. Five members of the team also earned speaker awards, and Co-President Emily Shi (12) finished third out of 497 varsity debaters.

The team performed well this weekend, Co-President Annabelle Xing (12) said. In Novice Public Forum, the division for freshmen, eight teams qualified to Tripleoctafinals. Out of those teams, Grant Sheft (9), Daniel Pustilnik (9), Athena

Rem (9), and Rizaa Fazal (9) advanced to octafinals, the round of 16.

“The tournament allowed me to meet new people from around the world while also becoming closer to my fellow HM peers, especially those I do not have classes with,” Sheft said.

Attending national tournaments such as Harvard’s allows the team to build camaraderie, Brett Karpf (11) said.

In preparation for the Harvard tournament, teams have been researching the benefits and harms of urbanization in West Africa since winter break. For novices, the preparation process included research, drills, and practice debates, Pustilnik said.

The team felt confident entering the event, given the preparations, Lola Stern (9) said. “Without the help of the seniors and juniors, we would not have been able to do so well,” she said.

Debaters prepared arguments that both supported and opposed the

urbanization of West Africa. One of Pustilnik and Sheft’s main arguments was that urbanization leads to widespread education, which is one of the greatest solutions to mass poverty.

However, the duo said that one of the downsides to urbanization in West Africa was that people residing in rural areas — a large portion of the West African population — would be neglected as resources would be funneled to urban development.

Usually, the team would travel together and stay at the same hotel, but this year, the debaters competed from home, which made it difficult to keep track of debaters and judges, Xing said. To keep everyone together, Co-President Sam Chiang (12) created a “Debate Check,” mimicking the school’s Symptom Check, to ensure that members of the team were ready to debate.

The hardest part of debating online see Debate on pg. 3

Guest speakers Professor Elizabeth Hinton and Professor Brandon Terry discussed the rise of mass incarceration in the sixth installment of the Upper Division (UD) speaker series: “How did we get here?: Race and the Rise of Mass Incarceration” on Thursday night.

The event was moderated by Eli Scher (12), Nya Marshall (12), and History teacher Dr. Lauren Meyer.

Professor Hinton, who is one of the leading experts on criminalization and policing in the U.S., is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and the Department of African American Studies at Yale University, according to the Speaker Series website. Professor Brandon Terry is an Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies and Social Studies at Harvard University, where he earned his BA from and graduated magna cum laude. Terry also earned his PhD in Political Science and African American Studies from Yale University.

In the event, Hinton described mass incarceration as part of a historical tendency in the U.S., where new forms of incarceration emerge every time the bounds of citizenship are expanded to marginalized groups, she said. “Just as we dismantled Jim Crow laws and passed the voting rights act in the 1960s, Johnson declared the War on Crime,” she said. The War on Crime, part of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society program, birthed mass incarceration by creating a role for the federal government in funding prisons and policing, she said.

Backlash against movements for racial justice enabled federal policy makers to turn ordinary street crime into national security threats, fueling the carceral state, Terry said.

“Policy makers took an ordinary mugging and treated it as if a Black person was trying to overthrow the government,” he said. “This was really the start of militarizing the police and treating standard street violence with over the top military responses.”

In expanding the lens of mass incarceration back to the 1960s to include Johnson’s War on Crime, Hinton reveals how both liberalism and conservatism played a crucial role in creating the rise of mass incarceration, history teacher Dr. Lauren Meyer said. The bipartisan dimension of mass incarceration demonstrates how it is the result of a structural inequality, rather than bad policies, Hinton said.

The speakers also explored the relationship between violent and nonviolent expressions of protests, and how one depends on the other.

Terry spoke about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his ardent defense of non-violence. “Oftentimes King’s power depends on this delicate dance between the violence of the oppressive order and the violence of

Black folks defending themselves,” Terry said. “He’s trying to walk a narrow tightrope of keeping those at bay, while transforming the society through this practice of reconciliatory demonstration.”

This narrative clearly contradicted the traditional narrative taught in school that violent protests are bad, Sasha Snyder (12) said. “The speakers seemed to imply that nonviolent protest relies on violence as a threat,” she said. “I think this is a provocative idea, which I had not really considered, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense.”

This portrayal of MLK brought more nuance to the conversation of criminal justice, Ericka Familia (12) said. “They showed how MLK really paved the way for people to be able to defend the dignity of ordinary Black people who found themselves on the wrong side of the law, because he encouraged breaking laws of an unjust social system.”

Hinton also addressed Black community members’ calls for more policing. Hinton discussed a term she coined as “selective hearing” where out of all the demands made by Black communities, the only policies put into place are the punitive ones such as harsher sentencing.

Walker McCarthy (11) had not considered how politicians could either unintentionally misinterpret the demands of a community, or intentionally misinterpret the demands of a community based on their own political interest and goals, he said.

Black community members’ call for more policing is often a last ditch effort for order, Hinton said. “By the 1980s, communities [of color] had suffered from disinvestment in their local municipalities that the police were the last institution standing,” she said. “If your son is addicted to crack cocaine and is posing a threat to you, you don’t have the option to seek treatment. If you’re in danger, the only social service provided to you as a poor person of color is calling the police.”

Marshall was interested to hear about Terry’s answer to this question, which explained that over time, mass incarceration has become a more taxing process with longer sentencing, she said.

However, Terry explained that Black community members can call the police on members of their community or family without understanding the consequences of incarceration. “When people call on the police for their own families, they are not expecting to sentence their family to a lifetime of poverty,” he said.

This example stood out to Scher because it captured how Black people can run out of options due to systemic inequalities. “Regardless of how you stand on these issues, Terry showed how incarceration acts on poor Black communities in a way that makes you ready to fight for change.”

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THE RECORD OPINIONS FEBRUARY 19TH, 2021

My case for keeping economics at the school

Jake Federman After Dr. Kelly raised concerns with AP Economics in his State of the School address in early February, Dean of Students Michael Dalo revealed that economics would be “rotated out with regard to next year’s course offerings.” As a student currently enrolled in AP Economics, I believe that the school should create a replacement 400-level economics course based on the structure of the AP course and should not suspend the subject.

A key factor that makes AP Economics such an attractive choice for students to select is its uniqueness from every other course in the catalog. Economics is the only course currently offered at the school that deals with applications of math in the social sciences. Students who are passionate about mathematics but are turned off by the theoretical side of the field are drawn to economics, as it is an area of study where quantitative methods are employed to solve global problems. Additionally, economics has connections to a wide variety of other disciplines, as it can be combined with statistics (econometrics), law (labor law/trade law),

psychology (behavioral economics), and other fields. The unique versatility of economics as an interdisciplinary subject is one reason for its popularity at Horace Mann.

Five months into the course, I can safely say AP Economics is the best class I have ever taken. The class has exposed me to a way of thinking not taught anywhere else at the school. I have learned to understand how the world works from an economic lens, and how trade-offs, scarcity, supply and demand, and other concepts impact every aspect of our daily lives. Even though the class is very demanding, I often enjoy doing my homework and I look forward to class every afternoon because the material is so fascinating. The class moves quickly, keeping students alert, but it also moves deliberately enough to afford students the opportunity to fully understand the material.

Even though AP Economics may be similar to collegiate Econ 101 courses in terms of content, the Horace Mann economics experience is more valuable than an introductory economics course at the college level. Because Econ 101 is typically one of the most popular courses at universities, classes often have hundreds of students and are dominated by lectures, hindering the class from becoming as engaging as possible. On the other hand, having only 20 students in a Horace Mann economics class makes it possible for everyone to participate in the class. The small class size fosters a collaborative atmosphere to a level that I have never experienced in any of my other classes.

If I had to describe my AP Economics experience in one word, I would use the word “collaborative.” Collaboration is so encouraged in the class that it often feels like we are

Valentine’s Day Crossword

By Features Editor Henry Owens

Managing Editor Talia Winiarsky Features Henry Owens Emily Shi Vivien Sweet

News Sam Chiang Yesh Nikam Marina Kazarian

Staff

Opinions Maurice Campbell Avi Kapadia Natalie Sweet

Across

1. ___ and puff 5. Musician’s speaker (for short) 8. Fried food necessity 11. Spoken assessment 12. Golfers want to be below 13. “Oh ___ is me!”

14. Chemical popular in takeout 17. 76 Across in Spanish 19. 76 Across in Portuguese 21. Largest continent 22. Cry (intense) 24. E.g. 2πr, L*W 25. Where you may slide into 27. Evacuation rehearsal 28. Washed up, ___ been 34. Wager 36. He’s my ___ guy 37. Disease with ice bucket awareness campaign 38. 76 Across in German 41. Unflappable 42. Opposite direction of NNW 43. ssorcA .24 46. Game ___ match 47. False (Gen Z slang) 49. Objects on stage 51. 76 Across in Swedish 55. Text abbrv. announcing a prompt return 58. Above 59. Disease leading to AIDS 60. Solution (calculator abbrv.)

61. We were strangers met in friendship…

64. NYC agency in charge of cabs 66. German negation

Volume 118 Editorial Board

A&E Izzy Abbott Abby Beckler Oliver Steinman

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

expected to work together on assignments. I can often be found on group FaceTime calls checking over problem sets, creating massive study guides, or even discussing nightly homework questions with classmates. The classroom feels less like an ordinary class, and more like a collective think tank, allowing all of us to learn more and have more fun while doing so. Additionally, as a result of the culture of collaboration, I feel better prepared for college and the real world, where many professions require constant teamwork with employees to enhance productivity.

Another way that the Horace Mann economics curriculum sets itself apart from collegiate Econ 101 courses is its lack of political bias. Some college economics professors are known for imposing their political views on their students. However, the Horace Mann economics curriculum has minimal political bias. Rather than providing me with partisan ideas, the class is equipping me with the knowledge about economic theory necessary for me to make my own political decisions.

One possibility surrounding the future of economics at Horace Mann is that its curriculum is revamped to focus on other aspects of economics. However, such a course would be both less desirable and less useful to students. Students will want to have a broad introduction to economics under their belt before they dive into greater specifics.

Frankly, courses like the history of economics or philosophy and economics will not be appealing to students unless they have already developed an interest in the subject. Courses of that sort also will not have as many reallife applications as the current economics

Editor-in-Chief Julia Goldberg

Lions’ Den Yotam Hahn Alison Isko Josh Underberg

Middle Division Adrian Arnaboldi Bradley Bennett Jack Crovitz

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

curriculum. Teaching students about the basics of the U.S. tax system and the financial system helps them prepare for life after college.

Additionally, by explaining fundamental economic theory, students can gain a better understanding of the economic policies advocated by different political parties, making students better informed future voters.

The school should make an effort to offer economics next year, as it is a unique course that introduces students to a widely popular field at the intersection of several key subjects with substantial real-life applications. The structure of a new economics course should remain similar to the current AP course, as the class fosters high-level collaboration and is taught in an engaging manner that may not be possible at the college level. Taking economics has been the best academic experience I have had at HM, and by continuing to offer the course, many younger students will have the opportunity to have the same high-level collaborative experience.

Riva Vig/Staff Artist

67. Tree fluid that can become syrup 69. Planetary shapes 72. 76 Across in French 76. Profession of affection 79. “___ to Joy” 80. Popular transportation 81. Sorrowful 82. ___ the pot 83. Gov’t agency regulating pollution 84. Conclusion 85. In poker, behavior indicating a lie

Down

1. Attractive 2. Chemical found in urine 3. Repetitive inquires, often found on websites 4. E.g. water, paint, gasoline 5. Monkey 6. Where Perseverance landed Thursday 7. Mathematical argument 8. The O ins 9 Across 9. Promise to pay someone 10. ___ It Go, song from Disney’s Frozen 14. Protagonist of Sound of Music or West Side Story 15. Sight, sound, taste, touch, ___ 16. Objectives 18. Shakespearean meter 20. “I’ve got my ___ to the ground” 23. Important thing 26. Observe

28. Money gained from an investment (acronym) 29. And so on (abbrv. from Latin) 30. Sculpting toy Play ___ 31. ___ and hers 32. Behaves 33. Has a sole 35. Tablespoon (abbrv.)

39. Ignited 40. Leaves confinement 43. “To ___ is human” 44. AKA pop or soft drink 45. Rotate 46. Dismissive noise 49. Classical conditioning psychologist, made dogs salivate at a bell 50. Heads of MUN 51. Like jelly or marmalade 52. Meet ___ time and place 53. 2011-19 HBO fantasy series (abbrv.)

54. ___ Kat 55. Guitar-like instrument 56. Lose blood 57. Hit (biblically) 62. Santa ___, California 63. Pay increase 65. Leading toothpaste brand 68. Scheme 70. Smallest unit of data storage 71. Dirt 73. Frozen water 74. Cartograph 75. Time period 77. Not even 78. Web address see answers on pg. 5

Issues Editor Adam Frommer Design Lowell Finster John Mauro Sarah Sun

Editorial Policy

Art Annabelle Chan Gabby Fischberg Lauren Kim Rachel Zhu

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

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

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

Letters Letters to the editor often respond to editorials,

Photography Jackson Feigin Julia Isko Maxwell Shopkorn

Faculty Adviser David Berenson

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

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

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

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HORACE MANN NEWS FEBRUARY 19TH, 2021 Courtesy of Jewish Culture Club

NEVER FORGET Sami Steigmann presents on anti-semitism.

Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann shares his story Emily Sun Staff Writer The Jewish Culture Club (JCC) invited Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann to the school last Monday and Thursday for a presentation and Q&A on the history of the Holocaust and modern-day antisemitism.

Steigmann was born in 1939 in Czernowitz, Romania, which is now part of Ukraine. In 1941, Nazi soldiers deported his family to the MogilevPodolsky labor camp in Transnistria, Moldova. There, he endured Nazi medical experiments that inflicted lasting harm to his health.

After the Soviet Union’s Red Army liberated the camp in 1944, he spent 11 years in Transylvania, Romania, and seven years in Israel before he immigrated to the United States in 1968. Steigmann became a speaker to educate people about the Holocaust and share his message of resilience.

Jack Crovitz (12), Co-President of the JCC, met Steigmann when he gave a presentation to his B’nai Mitzvah class at the Tamid Synagogue in 2016. Crovitz invited him to speak at the school to teach students about the history of the Holocaust and how it shapes sectarian violence today, he said.

In his presentation, Steigmann emphasized that the Holocaust did not begin with concentration camps. Instead, Germany first revoked Jewish citizenship, passed

discriminatory laws that prohibited Jewish participation in schools and the workforce, and used propaganda to turn public opinion against Jewish people.

“Learning about the Holocaust is not memorizing that Hitler murdered six million Jews,” he said. “It is understanding how ordinary people were convinced that it was required.”

Roma, Poles, Jehovah’s Witnesses, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ people.

Hearing first-person accounts of the Holocaust makes the history more personal and meaningful, Naomi Yaeger (9) she said. “In 10 years, we might not have any more survivors, so we should listen to them while we can,” she said.

“Learning about the Holocaust is not memorizing that Hitler murdered 6 million Jews. It is understanding how ordinary people were convinced that it was required.”

- Sami Steigmann It was eye-opening to hear from someone with first-hand experiences of hatred against Jewish people, JCC Co-President Henry Owens (12) said. “It’s important to learn about antisemitism so I’m not stuck in my echo-chamber at a school with a huge Jewish population, because that’s not what the world looks like.”

Holocaust education in the U.S. does not teach this history enough, Steigmann said. He cited a 2020 survey by the Claims Conference, an organization that seeks compensation for Holocaust survivors from the German government. The survey found that one in ten Americans believe the Holocaust is a myth and 31% of Americans do not know that the Nazis killed 11 million Jews,

Asia Night excerpt: Second Generation Ruminations written and performed by Rachel Zhu

What was I to do but turn away the breast?

I must have sensed in the milk a sort of ache, rathered willow away than taste immigrant. Even now, I bite at the thick-lidded bait, think ​pretty​means blue-toned, the angular profile opposite of suffering.

I wondered if she’d be ashamed, after all the struggle and kilometers and deep sea crossed, to hear of how I hated learning to swim, of how I still yearn for an else not us not here, of how out of the womb some nights I wish for immortal sleep, forgetting it is tantamount to death tantamount to relief tantamount to surrender.

If people do not learn from the past, atrocities like the Holocaust can reoccur, JCC adviser Oleg Zvezdin said. “By understanding exactly what allowed the Nazis to destroy millions of Jewish people, it will hopefully let us look for signs of it and prevent that level of destruction in the future.”

In addition to the history of the Holocaust, Steigmann spoke about its impact on the current world through Zionism, the desire for a Jewish state in the state of Israel.

When his family moved to Israel in 1961, Steigmann felt like he had returned to his homeland, he said.

Jewish people need their own country where they can escape persecution, and during the Holocaust, Jews died because they did not have one, he

from Debate page 1

rather than in person was that partners could not physically be in the same place, which made it difficult to develop arguments, Xing said. Normally, teams are together on a debate stage and communicate through gestures about what points to make and what arguments to emphasize.

However, the transition to Zoom could have been much worse, Xing

said. Antisemitism and anti-Zionism are alike because denying Jewish people their own country is akin to discriminating against them, he said.

When discussing Zionism and antisemitism, Steigmann encouraged people to have conversations, not confrontations. “When you talk to someone who has a different opinion, ask them, ‘Why do you feel that way?’

Don’t tell them that they are wrong and you are right,” he said.

Steigmann also stressed the importance of using precise terminology when describing the Holocaust and comparing it to current events. For example, there are no concentration camps in the U.S. today, he said. Although the migrant detention centers along the U.S.-Mexico border are unjust, they are not concentration camps because there is no threat of execution.

Concentration camps do exist in Xinjiang, China for the Uighur people, a Turkic ethnic group, he said.

These camps can be classified as such because the Chinese government deports Uighurs to the camp, subjects them to physical and sexual abuse, forces them to give up their culture and religion, and indoctrinates them to the Chinese Communist Party.

Owens has heard people liken the Uighur camps to the Holocaust while others reject the comparison.

“It was really powerful to hear an actual Holocaust survivor say, ‘This is a humanitarian crisis, this is a genocide, and there are concentration camps,’” he said.

Even though there are no concentration camps in the U.S., there are neo-Nazis, Steigmann said. He encountered them in 2002, when he received 2,500 Deutsche Marks from the German government as compensation for medical experiments he endured in a concentration camp as a child.

In response, neo-Nazis on The Daily Stormer, a far-right message board, called him a “Holohoaxer,” he said. Instead of being angry, he used the post to teach people about Nazi medical experiments and show how ignorance can lead to discrimination and violence.

“There is a much more dangerous virus than COVID-19, and that is antisemitism and hatred,” Steigmann said. “The only way to eradicate it is through education, so you have to educate yourself, stand up, and not be a bystander.”

said. Outside of a few technology glitches, the tournament ran smoothly. One of Pustilnik’s fears was that someone’s WiFi would cut out during the middle of a debate or even worse, the entire Zoom could crash.

Pustilnik’s biggest takeaway from the conference was learning how to structure arguments during elimination rounds while under immense pressure, which served as a

from Asia Night page 1

school’s advanced orchestra, played a song from the Japanese movie “Howl’s Moving Castle,” while scenes from the movie played in the background. “[This year’s event] felt very meaningful for me,” Huang said.

“It reminded me that, despite everything the pandemic has thrown at us as a school community, there are still students who are willing to create experiences that can bring us an all-important sense of normalcy, togetherness, and real joy.”

Due to Asia Night’s virtual format, the club had to accept that logistics would be different this year, Zhu said. The club could not host the big dinner that usually occurs before the performances nor the fundraiser the club holds during the event for different charities.

Despite the challenges, the remote format had its benefits, Zhu said. The event was more accessible because students and faculty could watch from their homes.

“The club leaders had to get really creative to translate the event into a pandemic-appropriate version,” Huang said. “As recently as a month or two ago I wasn’t sure it could happen, but they did such an amazing job.”

The club leaders hoped Asia Night still brought the same joy of previous years.“We always say that the big goal [of Asia Night] is for everyone to learn a little bit about Asian culture, but I think my biggest hope [was] just for everyone to have fun and have something relaxing and uplifting to watch on a stressful school week,” Zhu said.

Courtesy of East Wind West Wind

STRUTTING Jillian Lee (10) and Madison Xu (10) walk in fashion show. great learning experience to prepare for the future, he said. Pustilnik also said he enjoyed the weekend as the tournament was the culmination of hard work, and he enjoyed watching his teammates perform well, he said.

“The team is looking forward to participating in the New York States Forensics League tournament and the Tournament of Champions in April,” Xing said.

Courtesy of Sam Chiang

ALL INCLUSIVE Varsity Debate team poses for a team photo with online members.

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THE RECORD FEATURES FEBRUARY 19TH, 2021

From fashion to FLIK: Valarie Daphinis’s path to HM Liliana Greyf and Mia Calzolaio Staff Writers “They call me silly lady because I always have something funny to say,” Catering Attendant FLIK staff member Valarie Daphinis said. She prepares and serves lunch in the cafeteria, and she earned the nickname from her coworkers. “When I say something funny, they are always laughing at me. I have a good time at work — I can’t complain.”

Upon first arriving in the U.S., Daphinis attended school to learn English; however, after three months, she decided to start working instead. “It was not easy for me, because everybody speaks English,” she said. “I don’t speak English after three months. But I have to go back to work.”

Daphinis’ first job in America was as a cashier at Burger King, where she remained for five years. Then, her coworker gave her an application to work at FLIK, which would allow her to work at Horace Mann. She took the advice and applied, and has worked at the school for the past seven years. She served lunch at the fried food station until Director of the School’s FLIK Dining Services Brenda Cohn offered her a promotion.

“

“Right now, I feel that all those kids, I feel like they’re my friends, my kids.”

-Valarie Daphinis

After that, Daphinis was moved to the deli station, where she made sandwiches for the students. Daphinis was excited for the promotion, but she was also nervous. Because Daphinis does not speak perfect English — she was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and immigrated to New York when she was 22 — she was unable to differentiate between the different cheeses that students asked for. “This is my worst day ever,” she said. “I don’t know the name of the cheese, I don’t know the name of the bread — I don’t even know what the utensils are called.”

Soon, Daphinis distinguished the provolone from the mozzarella. Only a few months into her role at the deli station, Cohn told her she had once again exceeded expectations.

Daphinis then began to work as a caterer, helping to ensure that after-school events ran smoothly.

At first, Daphinis was nervous. “‘I don’t speak English, Brenda; I can’t do it,’” she told Cohn. But Cohn told her not to make excuses, so Daphinis began the new job. She has worked as a

caterer ever since.

Because all after-school events are canceled due to the pandemic this year, Daphinis now prepares lunches and hands them out to students. She does not mind the change, as it allows her to spend more time with her coworkers, whom she refers to as her “second family,” she said.

Each week, Daphinis spends 40 hours at her job. As a result, she has established close relationships with all of her coworkers.

When she has a problem she does not know how to fix, she talks to Head Cashier Adriana De La Rosa. “[De La Rosa] says, ‘Do this, do that Valerie and then you’re going to get it,’” she said. “To be honest with you, Adriana is like a second mother to me.”

Daphinis’ relationship with her coworkers also allows her to practice her English. When her speech is incorrect, her coworkers correct her. “It’s helpful because I want to learn more,” she said.

“I’m open to learning.”

She considers her job to be “a fun thing to do everyday,” she said. “Right now, I feel that all those kids, I feel like they’re my friends, my kids.”

Once, Daphinis encountered a student who recognized her outside of school. “I was in Macy’s shopping and then he saw me.

I didn’t even know him,” she said. “And he came and talked to me and said, ‘Hi, Valerie!’ I got so shocked.”

When she is not working, Daphinis has many other hobbies with which she fills her time. Whenever she has the chance, she loves to travel. Her favorite place she has traveled to is California, where she went to a wax museum and a military cemetery. She is always looking for something that will spark her interest, she said. “That’s my goal — I always want to see something to make me laugh.”

Recently, Daphinis visited one of her cousins at his home in Paris. She loved the city and is already dreaming of returning, she said. “Because we speak French, and I speak French and Creole, I do want to go back there.”

Besides Paris, Daphinis’ family lives all over the world: her cousins reside in various parts of the United States and France, and her siblings and parents live in Haiti. She is close with all of them, something she attributes to Haitian culture. “You have to be close with your family, your aunt and your uncle — everybody is really close,” she said.

Daphinis grew up in a big family, and she has a younger brother and a younger sister. When she was young, she took on a motherly role around the house, cooking and cleaning in her free time. She attended a private Catholic school and enjoyed playing soccer and socializing with her friends despite her shyness.

However, her real passion when she was young was designing clothing, she said.

Jackson Feigin/Photo Director

Although she had no formal training until after high school, Daphnis always enjoyed creating her own styles by reworking her old clothing at home. “I messed up all my clothes to try to do new clothes, and then it was bad,” she said. “My mom always said, ‘Why you mess up that clothes?’”

After high school, Daphinis studied fashion at a professional school in her hometown, but she changed her mind after a few years. “I was so passionate with it, and then when I turned 21, I don’t like it [anymore],” she said.

Daphinis dropped out of fashion school and started working as a cashier at her mother’s corner store. When she was 22, she married one of her former high school classmates, whom she met when she was 15. In 2007, her husband decided to come to the United States, and Daphinis came with him.

Now, Daphinis has new hobbies in her new home. When Daphinis returns home after school, she often turns on her television — her favorite channel is TLC because she loves documentaries. She also enjoys Doctor Who and other television series, which help her learn English.

In her free time, she also speaks on the phone with her family members. Daphinis and her mother are very close, she said.

“Every day if I don’t call her after nine o’clock, she calls me.”

Soon, Daphinis plans to visit her family members in Haiti.

“Every year in my family, we all have to be together — one day a year,” she said. On her grandmother’s birthday, everyone comes together to celebrate. “When everybody’s on vacation we just go over there, stay in grandma’s house all day, and have fun,” she said.

Adriana De La Rosa cooks up a storm Liliana Greyf and Mia Calzolaio Staff Writers Head Cashier FLIK Staff Member Adriana De La Rosa watches hundreds of students eat stewed chicken with rice and fried plantains in the Cohen Dining Commons every week.

Then, she goes home and cooks the same dish for her family.

When De La Rosa picked up the phone for an interview for this article, she was standing in front of the stove, watching over a pot. “It’s a secret in my family, but they all like what I cook,” she said. Most of her recipes originate in the Dominican Republic, where she was born and raised.

De La Rosa and her nine siblings grew up in Santiago in the Dominican Republic. Her childhood was busy but exciting; because she was the second child and oldest daughter of the family, she helped her mother around the house, preparing bottles for the younger children, changing diapers, and doing laundry.

De La Rosa went to school in the mornings from seven to noon and then came home to do chores. “In the afternoon, I would help my mother because we were a lot,” she said.

“But we also had fun, playing around in the backyard with all my cousins and siblings.”

Specifically, De La Rosa and her family loved to play baseball, she said. Every young person in her family would play together when school was over, and it was always her favorite activity growing up.

When she was 11, her father moved to New York, hoping to attain a green card that would allow his family to join him in the United States. It was not until six years later, when De La Rosa was 17, that her father’s dream came true.

After graduating from high school in the Dominican Republic, De La Rosa moved to the U.S. with her mother and brothers, leaving her sisters behind. “To be honest, when I came here, I didn’t like it,” she said. “Everything was so different from the Dominican Republic.”

De La Rosa was unhappy with her new home, so after three long months, her family

Jackson Feigin/Photo Director

allowed her to return to the Dominican Republic.

At home in the Dominican Republic, she fell in love and married her first husband at 18, she said. Soon after that, she became pregnant with her first daughter.

Her family wanted her to return to the United States. Just before the baby was due, she flew back to meet her parents in New York City, where her first daughter, Janill, was born.

De La Rosa began searching for work when her daughter turned two, she said. She started working at a clothing factory in the Bronx, packaging merchandise and shipping it to people’s homes.

Over the course of the next 11 years, De La Rosa switched jobs twice, first to an Amish farmer’s market and then to another clothing factory. Later, she began to work for FLIK Independent School Dining, which assigned her to work at Horace Mann.

De La Rosa has worked at the school for 18 years, manning various locations in the cafeteria such as the cashier, the barbecue

“

station, and the hot food line. “I love my job because over there it’s like a family,” she said.

“My coworkers, we help each other.”

“I love my job because over there it’s like a family. My coworkers, we help each other.”

- Adriana De La Rosa

De La Rosa is particularly fond of the interactions she has had with students as a cashier. “I feel happy when I see them looking around and I just go and give them suggestions,” she said.

“If they [need] something, I’ll be there for them because that’s part of my job,” she said.

At home, she makes dishes like sancocho — a stew with different types of meat and root vegetables — for her family.

Over the last two decades, De La Rosa has had two more daughters. Today, her children are 31, 23, and 19 years old. “They are too close — my daughters, they are everything together,” she said.

When her eldest daughter moved out of the house, her family was disappointed. However, the sadness of her daughter’s departure was quickly overshadowed by the birth of her granddaughter Jenalyn, who turns three this month. “Life moves on,” De La Rosa said.

Usually, De La Rosa lives only with her husband and two youngest daughters; however, her third daughter recently brought her granddaughter Jenalyn over to visit this month. Now, she spends most of her time with the youngest member of her household.

The two watch cartoons, and Jenalyn often asks De La Rosa for snacks and drinks. One time, when De La Rosa went to watch television in her own room, her granddaughter objected. Instead, De La Rosa said, Jenalyn commanded: “No, Mama, you need to sit down with me.”

De La Rosa is not only close with the members of her family who live in New York; the entirety of her large family has a group chat on WhatsApp over which they interact daily. When they are together, her family likes to cook, she said.

In the spring, De La Rosa plans to visit family in Orlando. She travels back to her house in the Dominican Republic during time off from work, spending up to two months there at a time. When she visits, she attends athletic events with her other family members, supporting youth softball and basketball teams through donations of equipment and clothing.

In the United States, De La Rosa has kept up with baseball. She currently lives adjacent to Yankee Stadium, where, pre-COVID-19, her family often attended games. “Derek Jeter, when he was there, he was my favorite one,” she said.

Before hanging up the phone, De La Rosa added one request: “When you go to the cafeteria, come say ‘Hey, Adriana!’ Come say hi.”

5

HORACE MANN FEATURES & NEWS FEBRUARY 19TH, 2021

Relationship Advice: Couples’ secrets to success Lexi Stein & Eddie Mantz

Courtesy of Lexi Stein

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Josh Underberg & Julia Grant

There are two essential components when it comes to dating during a pandemic. The first would be to make sure both individuals have mutual respect for one another. At a time when all of our health is at risk, it’s important to know that you can trust your significant other not to expose you to unnecessary risk. The other piece of advice would be to date someone who makes you laugh! Truth be told, when you’re not spending a lot of time with others in a big group, you really learn if you like the person depending on how long you could spend just the two of you in isolation. For us, humor is the best way to our hearts. Many negative impacts resulted from COVID-19 this past year, but one unintended positive consequence resulted by being able to take the time to slow down and learn new things about both of us.

We had been talking all throughout the spring but couldn’t see each other until the summer when COVID-19 cases were at a low. While the virus did slow the process a bit, we were eventually able to see one another over the summer. Something we both recognized very quickly is that, as a couple, you have to be willing to adapt to the given environment and make the most of things. Since we started dating over the summer, we have been dining outdoors, going to the beach, and taking walks in the park. Along with those activities, we have also started watching TV shows including All-American and cooking shows together. It’s been really nice having each other during these challenging times.

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Eliza Becker & Ailill Walsh

Something we’re big on is having the important talks and spending as much time as we can in person. It’s much more sincere and meaningful than texting or even FaceTiming. Texting can be great to catch up and joke around when you’re not physically together, but when serious conversations come, we think it’s best to have them face-to-face, even if it means waiting a few days. Choosing to talk in person has led to much longer and deeper conversations that wouldn’t have happened over text, which has led to a stronger and more intimate relationship overall. If we spent most of our time texting, we wouldn’t be able to do awesome stuff like dance together to songs by our favorite artist (which happens to be Big Time Rush).

Vivian Coraci/Staff Artist

Courtesy of Liliana Greyf

Vivian Coraci/Staff Artist

Mia Calzolaio & Liliana Greyf 1. Go on long walks. Especially if one of you has a dog. Explore your neighborhoods and find spots around the city that you can come back to. Examples include yummy restaurants with take out, park benches, and Westside Market.

2. Wait for each other outside classes. Not only will you become awkwardly familiar with your partner’s teachers, but you’ll get lots of exercise walking twice as fast during passing time in order to make sure you get to your class and theirs too.

3. Buy books for each other. Go visit your local bookstore (and support the print industry!). You’ll end up book clubbing everything. Extra perk: you can buy books for yourself but gift them to your partner, then steal them later. A nice thing for yourself, and for them too!

4. Play Connect 4 online. Seriously. Do it.

5. Study over the phone. There’s nothing like collectively feeling like you are going to pass out from the amount of work you have to get done. You can support each other and annoy one another by reading your notes aloud: you get to learn about the Suez Crisis while your partner gets to learn about epigenetics.

6. Send each other music. And pretend to like it, even if you don’t. Plus, you’ll find songs that mean something to just the two of you.

7. Write Record articles together. Self explanatory! :) Courtesy of Eliza Becker

Psychologist Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum speaks at Parent Institute event Purvi Jonnalagadda and Devin Allard-Neptune Staff Writers

On Tuesday, February 9, psychologist, author, educator Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum informed the school’s parents about addressing racism and stereotypes among independent school communities. English Department Chair Vernon Wilson, Jaden Richards (12), Mikayla Benson (12), Nshera Tutu (12) moderated the event, which was hosted by the Parent Institute.

Tatum wrote the bestselling book “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” which the Parent Institute read this year as a part of their book-talk series.

The book addresses the discrimination that takes place in racially-mixed high schools, her website states.

During the event, Tatum discussed how people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds comprise the city. Because of the city’s diverse environment, everyone needs to learn how to connect with those who are different from them, she said. A reluctance to do so will result in the continuation of segregation in the city’s education system, Tatum said.

At smaller schools, structured conversations

about social justice issues can be one way to expand each other’s thinking, Tatum said.

By carefully listening to others’ opinions and stories, students with different experiences can begin to understand additional perspectives and see the world differently. To start these conversations, the school could sponsor training sessions for teachers, so they can be proficient in leading productive dialogues.

Tatum also addressed the importance of teaching parents about how to discuss race with their children, one of the main goals of the Parent Institute’s series, Director of the Parent Institute Wendy Reiter said.

Richards moderated the event because he wants the administration and teachers to be able to discuss identity productively, he said.

Moderating this event could help the school achieve this goal by setting the foundation for future conversations about race, Richards said.

Parents, along with students, should be educated about racial inequalities, Benson said. “Cultural competency and education regarding equity and justice are not stagnant, nor should they be isolated to a school environment primarily for students,” she said. Benson was happy to moderate the discussion, since parents do not often receive the opportunity to engage in discussions

regarding systematic racism and learn from BIPOC individuals who share their perspectives.

Wilson said he hopes parents and guardians will better be able to understand race and racism and the deeper significance of discussing both topics on a regular basis with their children.

Tatum also introduced other methods of combating racism in a school environment through allyship. People who are willing to stand up and interrupt moments of bias are important for change, but in order to speak up, allies need to learn and be aware of racism in context. Using what one learns to take action and make a difference is what separates ordinary people from allies, she said.

Michael Pruzan ’83 P’24 P’25, who attended the event, said the series allows parents to explore the important topics of systemic racism and social justice into depth.

When Pruzan attended the school, there were no events and opportunities for discussion surrounding race, he said. “We didn’t have classes, open forums, teachers or parents that wanted to talk about the issues which is probably why there hasn’t been as much progress in addressing the issues.” he said. The awareness and dialogue that the event allows can lead to real change, he said.

Pruzan plans to use what he learned from the event while parenting, he said. “Open and frank dialogue with my kids about the past, my experiences and their experiences can help them further process what they are learning in school, in the news and on the internet.” he said. “Hopefully, it will make us all more aware of systemic racism and work towards creating social justice.”

Crossword Answers from page 2

6

HORACE MANN ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FEBRUARY 19TH, 2021

Courtesy of the UD Assembly

PERFORMANCE READY Vanisha Gould sings along with an ensemble.

Guest jazz vocalist honors Nina Simone in UD assembly to sing jazz and blues, enjoyed Gould’s

Hanna Hornfeld and Vidhatrie Keetha performances, which reminded him of his love Staff and Contributing Writers for live music. “It kind of transports me,” he Accompanied by a four-piece ensemble, jazz vocalist Vanisha Gould celebrated Nina Simone’s life and legacy with original covers of Simone’s music in last Tuesday’s Music Week assembly.

Between each performance, Gould discussed Simone’s artistic career and her involvement in the civil rights movement.

The Music Department invited Gould to the school through MusicTalks, an organization that explores history through music, Upper Division Library Department Chair Caroline Bartels said. The ensemble performed “Four Women,” “I Loves You Porgy,” “My Baby Just Cares for Me,” “Mississippi Goddam,” and “Feeling Good,” songs Simone first sang in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Music instructor Dr. Amir Khosrowpour said he chose to invite Gould after speaking with his friend, Artistic Director of MusicTalks Elad Kabilio. Khosrowpour asked Kabilio if he knew any musicians who would be interested in giving a presentation for Music Week that connected to the themes of Black History Month. When Kabilio mentioned a tribute to Nina Simone, Khosrowpour and Music Department Chair Timothy Ho loved the idea.

Khosrowpour liked the idea of dedicating an assembly to Simone because he wanted to provide students with an example of an artist who, beyond making beautiful music, had something to say, he said.

Math teacher Charles Worrall, who used

said. “I spent several moments just closing my eyes and loving the sounds.”

Dalia Pustilnik (11) also appreciated watching the live show, especially since the rest of this year’s performances were pre-recorded.

Viewing the assembly in real time with the rest of the school community felt reminiscent of past years’ Music Weeks, she said.

Although English teacher Jacob Kaplan enjoyed hearing Gould sing, the Zoom performance also highlighted how different this year’s Music Week was from last year’s, he said.

Gould had an impressive voice, but issues with sound quality made it difficult to hear the videos she played, he said. “There’s something about seeing a musical performance in person that really can’t be replicated on the screen,” he said.

“That’s such an amazing part of Music Week and I really felt its absence this year.”

Bartels said the assembly would have been more powerful if Gould and her ensemble had performed in-person because of the challenges presented by technical issues. Since advisory groups were in different locations, it was difficult for Bartels to control factors such as whether or not different groups could hear or see the videos over Zoom. “It’s such a shame she can’t be here in person, because she’s got a pretty extraordinary voice,” Bartels said.

In addition to Gould’s talent for singing, Khosrowpour appreciated her warm and personable demeanor, he said. “Immediately

I felt at ease when she was talking,” he said.

He particularly loved how Gould alternated between speaking about Simone and showing videos of herself singing with an ensemble.

Pustilnik also enjoyed the way Gould combined her discussion with musical performances. “It was the perfect mix of education and entertainment,” she said. Before she heard Gould speak, Pustilnik had known very little about Simone. She enjoyed learning that many “iconic” songs, such as “Feeling Good,” had been written by Simone, she said.

Bailey Hecht (10) was excited to hear Gould’s cover of “Feeling Good,” as well as her cover of “I Loves You Porgy.” “I used to listen to Porgy and Bess with my grandpa when we worked on our summer projects,” she said. “It was one of the first operas that my grandfather taught me about.”

Giselle Paulson (10), who did not know much about Simone prior to the assembly, appreciated that Gould contextualized her performances.

“I liked how she discussed the story behind the song, what it meant to her personally, and how she approached the emotional part of it before she played us the video,” Paulson said.

“I could really understand and appreciate her performance that way.”

This context was crucial for helping students understand the importance of Simone’s career during the civil rights movement, Bartels said.

Gould’s explanation of the song “Mississippi Goddam,” which Simone wrote in response to the 16th Baptist Street Church bombing and the murders of Emmet Till and Medgar Evers, demonstrated how Simone’s music responded to the devastating events that had occurred during her lifetime, Bartels said.

The assembly caused Kaplan to reflect on the intersection between art and politics in general.

“All art is political, overtly or not, but it’s cool to see when art is actively engaging in a particular

political movement,” he said.

As a singer, Piper Wallace (11) admired Gould’s voice and appreciated that Simone connected music and social issues. She enjoyed learning about the meaning behind many of Simone’s songs, including “Mississippi Goddam.” Wallace had not known much about Simone’s story as an activist and enjoyed learning how the singer’s career began, she said.

Although Simone is famous for her jazz vocals, Gould said she had originally wanted to be a concert pianist. After Simone was denied admission to Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, likely for being Black, she launched her career as a jazz musician at a nightclub in Atlantic City, Gould said.

Worrall was moved by this story. “She wanted to be a classical musician but she took what was available to her,” he said. “It’s a tragedy that that’s all that was available to her, but it was there and she took it.”

“Because of the color of her skin, Simone just couldn’t get the choices that she would have had, had she been white,” Bartels said. “Vanisha does a really good job recapturing the pathos that is in Nina Simone’s voice when she sings.”

Khosrowpour hopes that students and faculty left the assembly with a deeper appreciation for Simone’s music and ideals, especially if they had not previously known her work.

Seeing how passionately Simone lived her life inspired Worrall. He found a clip of Simone performing “Young, Gifted and Black” in a high school gymnasium to be particularly powerful because of the clarity of her energy and emotion.

“There are some people that we should study in history partly for that reason: that they’re just so vitally alive,” Worrall said. “It’s a great reminder in a time when we don’t see a lot of people, that that’s what human beings are like sometimes.”

Courtesy of the UD Assembly

SINGING LIKE SIMONE Vanisha Gould puts her own signature flair into her performances.

Working alone, playing together: Cyber Ensemble performs virtually for Music Week Audrey Moussazadeh and Alex Yao Contributing Writers For this year’s virtual Music Week celebrations, the HM Cyber Ensemble performed “Six Irish American Songs,” arranged by Serban Nichifor.

The HM Cyber Ensemble, a part of the HM Music Outreach club, consists of a group of wind instrumentalists,

string instrumentalists, and pianists, Abigail Morse (12) said. In the interest of time, the ensemble chose to play movements one and six only.

Both movements contained a distinctive “Irish vibe,” Morse said.

“Irish songs tend to have an upbeat feel, which is enlivening.” The piece, like many Irish jigs, included a base of different instruments, flautist Johanna Scher (11) said. These instruments played the same low

note over and over, Morse said.

The ensemble also used various pedal tones to simulate the bagpipes heard in traditional Irish songs, Alex Rosenblatt (11) said. This base was paired with a higher and more prominent melody.

“The melody is really rhythmic and it usually has a flow to it,” Scher said. This rhythmic nature makes Irish music especially good for dancing, she said.

Courtesy of the HM Cyber Ensemble

AN ORCHESTRA ONLINE Members of the HM Cyber Ensemble play one of Nichfor’s Irish Dances.

The first movement, which honored Saint Patrick, was titled “St. Patrick was a Gentleman.” This movement, Rosenblatt’s favorite of the two, was “regal with a little bit of sorrow,” they said.

The sixth movement was titled “Dear Old Donegal.” It had a break in the middle that broke it into two sections, Morse said. Morse enjoyed the second half of the movement best.

“I like the melody. It’s very simple yet happy,” she said. Morse’s part was originally intended for a bassoon, but she transposed it for the alto saxophone, which she has been playing since fourth grade, she said.

Due to remote learning, the group mostly rehearsed virtually over Zoom, and the ensemble began looking over the music for the first time at the beginning of January, Morse said. In order to practice together, the ensemble used Ethernet cables.

“You connect them to your Wi-Fi router, and they make everyone play at the same time so there’s no lag,” Scher said. The ensemble also held unofficial practices on Sundays to rehearse for fun, Morse said.

To create a final video, members independently recorded their parts, which they later spliced together into one coherent performance, Rosenblatt said. “Basically everyone

practices on their own, and we hope it lines up in the end,” Morse said.

“Trying to do everything alone, I would say, [was] the main challenge,” Vincent Li (11) said. Although Li used a metronome to keep in time when practicing at home, it did not have the same effect as having his fellow players there to do so, especially when he was recording his part, he said. “If you’re playing in person, then … you can sort of feel the overall rhythm,” Li said. “A really important part of music is being able to hear each other and build off of what other people are doing,” Scher said.

In addition to performing in Music Week, the ensemble sent videos of their pieces to various senior homes and hospitals around the Bronx, Scher said. In doing so, the ensemble hoped to uplift “people who need a bit of cheer in their lives,” Rosenblatt said.

“I found a lot of calmness and happiness knowing I was trying to do my best to send out videos to people to help them or stay in touch with community partners,” Scher said.

“Even though we’re living through a pandemic, and we’re doing things virtually now, it’s really important to stick with the things that make you happy.”

7

THE RECORD MIDDLE DIVISION & ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FEBRUARY 19TH, 2021

“Breaking the cycle”: Sofia Sahai (7) works to end domestic violence with Sanctuary for Families Cecilia Coughlin Contributing Writer

There have been many other ways Sahai has been an avid volunteer for the organization. Every Thanksgiving, Sahai and some of her friends provide lunches, games, and artistic supplies to

Since the age of six, Sofia Sahai (7) has fought against domestic violence and abuse by working with the organization Sanctuary for Families. “My mom started as a volunteer and now she sits on the board, so I grew up learning a lot about them and I continue to learn more everyday,” Sahai said.

According to the Sanctuary for Families website, the organization “strives to create a world in which freedom from gender violence is a basic human right.” The organization helps domestic violence survivors and their families rebuild their lives by supplying services from education to advocacy, Sahai said.

Sahai’s personal values closely align with this mission statement.

“I’m not changing the world right now, but I hope in the future to just raise more awareness for domestic violence and continue making change even within my small community,” she said.

Sahai’s main goal for her work entails spreading the message that everyone should use their own voice for good.

At Sanctuary, there are clients that live in the shelter, while others seek job support, clinical services, and legal services for divorce and immigration cases, Sahai said.

“We find out, throughout our work with our clients, the issues that are impacting them, and then we work with legislators and other organizations to convince the people that make the laws to change them,” said Honorable Judy Kluger, Executive Director of Sanctuary for Families. “We also do advocacy on the state, federal, city-state and national level to advocate for changes in the laws and procedure for our clients.”

To promote change, Sahai’s motto is #breakthecycle. “That’s what I really want to do: break the cycle of domestic violence anywhere I can,” Sahai said. “I want to emphasize to try to learn more about Sanctuary, try to get involved, and engage yourself and learn about how you can help.”

Sahai first began working with Sanctuary for Families when she turned six years old and she has always wanted to help the organization in every way possible. For example, instead of receiving gifts from her friends on her birthday, Sahai requested that they make donations to Sanctuary for Families, she said.

Courtesy of Sofia Sahai

MARCHING Sahai and her family attend a women’s march. the kids at Sanctuary, she said.

“My family and my friends and I would set up a booth with games and then we would go eat lunch with the families,” she said.

“The Thanksgiving event allowed me to sit down with my new friends, not in a way where I was ‘volunteering’ but in a way where we were just playing.”

Although she does not actually interact with the families on a regular basis, Sahai can provide help through other means. Every year on Mother’s Day, Sahai and her mother shop for the moms at the Sanctuary and purchase Sahai’s favorite books for the kids, she said.

Beyond her work with Sanctuary for Families, Sahai has recently donated eight inches of her hair to Children With Hair Loss, an organization which donates hair to children who need it for free, Sahai said.

At first, Sahai was scared to make such a drastic change to her appearance, she said. However, when she learned her hair was long enough to cut off eight inches, she decided she had to do it.

“The moment I had my first chunk of hair cut off, I felt both relieved and overwhelmed with excitement,” Sahai said. “I was so happy to be giving away my hair and I really wanted to meet the people who got it, but unfortunately you can’t because of COVID and other factors.”

Sahai has also found ways to expand her own impact within the school and the broader community. A few years ago, she and her friend Emanuella Odell (7) began working on an organization called “Equality, Resist, Right, Repeat,” Odell said.

The profits would go to Sanctuary for Families and another organization against domestic violence, called The Retreat, Odell said. Odell’s mother is on the board of The Retreat, and she has been donating clothes, games, and more to make a difference in the wake of COVID-19, Odell said. By cleaning out her house, Odell has been able to donate items like American girl dolls or clothing to The Retreat, she said.

Sahai and Odell have also hosted lemonade stands and bake sales, among other projects, to raise money for Sanctuary for Families and The Retreat.

Sanctuary for Families has been a leader in creating change and spreading the word for action with volunteers like Sahai. “It’s important to understand and help people that are less fortunate in many different ways,” Kluger said.

Printmaking Gallery features student artwork Ava Westreich and Divya Ponda Contributing Writers

The HM Gallery’s Printmaking exhibit, which is flooded with bold, bright, distinctive colors, features a variety of styles of prints, covering the topics of Faces & Places Monotypes, Silhouettes with a Marble Design, and Culture Blockprints.

The first group of prints in the gallery is part of a series titled Faces & Places Monotypes. “They were prints inspired by the people and places that are really important to us and help define who we are, and so there was a huge range in the people and the places that students chose to inspire their prints,” art teacher Mirrie Choi said.

Students first sketched or printed images to place below a clear printing plate. They then painted their images onto the printing plate and put them through the press to print their designs onto paper, Choi said.

The artists chose whether they wanted to print in black and white or color. “It is really beautiful because using that style of printing, you can capture all of the textures and subtle differences in the ways that people paint by hand,” she said.

Julia Cassino’s (10) monotype was an illustration of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Cassino also contributed a print of her grandparents on their wedding day and another print of a Jackson Feigin/Photo Editor

AT BAT Ryan Webb’s (12) silhouette.

bridge in Italy, all falling under the Faces & Places Monotypes. After completing the print of her grandparents, Cassino made a copy of it, framed it, and gave it to her grandmother.

“That was a nice moment,” she said.

Ryan Webb (12) contributed a piece of a leopard with a tree in the background for the Faces & Places Monotypes. The leopard and tree print only uses two colors: red for the background and black for the leopard and tree, highlighting the focus points in the print, he said.

The second group of pieces in the gallery, the Marbled Silhouettes, were created by taking paper and floating ink on top of the water, Choi said. From there, students took prints off of the surface of the water and used exacto knives to cut out the silhouettes, which were then inked and printed on top of the marbled backgrounds, she said.

The Marbled Silhouettes project produced a wide variety of exciting creations because of the personal nature of the project, Choi said. “It could be a personal story, a memory, a personal narrative, [or] a folktale,” she said.

Webb contributed a marbleized print of a baseball player up to bat, the background of which was blue, green, and white. The silhouette was a baseball player outlined and filled with the color black. “[My favorite piece was] probably the baseball player because I do play baseball, so it’s something that’s personal for me, and it’s interesting to draw,” he said.

The third set of prints, the Culture Blockprints project, inspired Julia Phillips (9) to create prints of the hamsa symbol. “Our assignment was to do something that has to do with culture, and in the Jewish culture, the hamsa is for protection,” she said.

For the Culture Blockprints project, students used a rubber block instead of the printing press. They then carved out the image they chose to print, added ink onto the block, and put the block on the paper to press the image, Phillips said.

Parker Wischhover (10) made a print of a Lithuanian Bun inspired by his family. “It reminds me of my family,” he said. “Especially now, during COVID, when I’ve been spending lots of time with my family, it’s good to have something to remember them with.”

Charlie Seo (10) made a monkey, a symbol of the Lunar New Year, he said. “Most of my inspiration comes from my family, cultural

Sarah Sun/Design Editor

MONKEYING AROUND Charlie Seo’s (10) print hangs on the wall. background, and extracurriculars that I enjoy.”

The printmaking process is long but yields a complex work of art at the end. Cassino’s Ruth Bader Ginsberg print took five classes to make, while her other prints took three or four classes, she said.

The time Phillips’ prints take varies, primarily due to the breaks caused by HM Online 2.0, she said. “It took a little bit longer because we weren’t meeting as regularly, but I think a print could take around one or two weeks.”

On the other hand, Webb said a piece typically takes him anywhere from 45 minutes to two classes. The time variations for each piece are due to the complexity of the illustrations in the print he is creating.

Sam Perlman (10) contributed a smeared image of George Washington as his monotype and a piece of Michael Jordan playing basketball as his Marbled Silhouette. “I spent two to three classes just to exacto-knife the Michael Jordan piece, but then there are some instances where I decided I had 30 minutes left in class, and I was like, ‘I want to try doing George Washington,’ so I just did that one,” Perlman said. “It all just depends on how much time you have and how much time you are willing to put into it.”

Once the prints were completed, students could see their collections featured in the gallery. “I was really impressed with everyone

in my class and in the other class,” Phillips said. “I thought all of the work really came together.”

“I found it really interesting to see all of my classmates’ works and how even under the same topic that I had, they could make something really different and creative out of it,” Wischhover said. “I also learned a lot about my classmates and about what they did, especially with the culture prompt. I learned a lot about their interests and about who they were.”

Webb’s favorite aspect of printmaking is the freedom to create projects that are meaningful to him, he said. “I like being able to make art for topics that I’m interested in and seeing how they come out.”

Wischhover is fond of the printmaking process because it differs from other artistic processes, he said. “It sways away from the traditional methods, like drawing and painting, because there are just so many things that you can do with it,” Wischhover said. “While it may yield the same result as if you are painting, I think that it’s the process that makes it so special.”

“Printmaking is a really great way to learn more about our identities, which is both fun and important to explore,” Choi said. “There’s an element of suspense throughout the whole process — you never really know what your piece will look like once it’s printed. It’s magical.”

Lions’ Den Record Sports

FEBRUARY 19TH, 2021

Benched until better: Athletes struggle with injuries AJ Walker and Audrey Carbonell Staff and Contributing Writers

After rolling his ankle at a practice during his freshman year, Owen Stafford (10), who is on the Boys Varsity Soccer Team, had to sit out the rest of the season. “It was really disappointing because I had just made the team and I was really excited to play for the first time,” he said.

According to Assistant Athletic Director and Upper Division Physical Education Department Chair Amy Mojica, athletes can experience a wide range of emotions after they are injured, all of which are valid. “Sometimes it’s a ‘why me?’ or ‘I’m really angry,’ and sometimes it’s ‘I don’t believe this is happening,’” she said. “Being an athlete is a lot of people’s identity, and an injury can take you away from that, which is jarring.”

Mojica finds that a significant part of the recovery process is supporting athletes who struggle with feelings of anger and sadness due to their injury.

“I’d say we’re really good listeners over here, and that’s a huge part of it,” she said. “If we feel we need to loop in guidance and counseling they support us, but a lot of it is just being there for athletes.”

In the winter of his sophomore year, Walker McCarthy (11) missed the first three and a half weeks of the swim season after slipping on icy steps and rolling his ankle. During the time in which he was unable to practice, McCarthy found that he was more anxious and struggled to focus throughout the school day.

“No longer having that space and that time where I could exercise, where I could be with people I really liked, and where I could get my energy out definitely made the rest of my day more challenging,” he said. “The quality of [my] work and the time I was spending with people, even though I had more time, was reduced because I wasn’t feeling like my regular self.”

Luke Harris (10), who, during his freshman year, was concussed before a wrestling match, also noticed the effects of his injury in his academic work. The week he was injured, he had trouble focusing and studying for his assessments. To help with his stress, Harris set up meetings with his grade dean and Counseling and Guidance to receive testing accommodations.

Although it was not difficult to make the arrangements, Harris said the school should have automatically given him accommodations.

To deal with the negative emotional effects of being unable to practice with his team, McCarthy decided to try changing his routine, he said. “I tried to spend more time outside — which I normally don’t do — and I found that definitely made me feel more relaxed

and calm.”

Despite his inability to practice, McCarthy said that his relationship to his team did not change while he was injured. McCarthy’s coaches and teammates were supportive during his time off and made sure he still felt like part of the team, he said.

When possible, Mojica does her best to help injured athletes interact with their teams. “We try to keep them with their team instead of totally gone from the team because socially and mentally that’s really important,” she said.

“Maybe they can do the book, maybe they can junior coach, [or they can] be around people [and] be a leader from the sidelines.”

After injuring his leg at a race three years ago, Ethan Waggoner (11), who runs on the school’s cross country and track teams, said he grew increasingly irritated during practices over the next two years. “It was frustrating seeing people run around the track effortlessly while me, a person who was nationally ranked, could barely make it around a lap.”

Waggoner consulted a number of doctors who assured him that nothing was wrong, so his injury remained untreated. “I had years of misdiagnoses, which led to me running in severe pain while being told that there shouldn’t be anything wrong with me,” he said. “[That made me] believe either I was being weak or I was just in my head.”

Mojica said athletes should always try to be aware of their pain because the severity of their injury isn’t always clear.

“The more obvious ones are severe, but every once in a while there’s something that’s more nuanced or a chronic injury that’s problematic because of the anatomy,” she said. “Sometimes it is really driven by where the injury is and if there are any unique things about the injury that we have to be worried about.”

During his sophomore year, Waggoner was diagnosed with Compartment Syndrome in his leg, which is defined by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons as “a painful condition that occurs when pressure within the muscles builds to dangerous levels.” Waggoner learned that he needed surgery, and, in the winter of that year, an operation reduced the pressure in his leg.

“Most people get sad when they have to have a surgery, but for me it was kind of a solution,” Waggoner said. “While I obviously wasn’t happy that I would miss the spring season and I was going to be out for all this time, it was kind of a blessing because my current path was such a brutal mess.”

McCarthy found a silver lining in his injury as well. After his time off from swimming, he had a greater appreciation for the sport when he returned to it, he said.

After wearing a boot for three and a

8

Courtesy of Owen Stafford

ALWAYS A TEAM MEMBER Stafford (10) still participates in team spirit while injured. half weeks and reducing the amount of pressure he put on his ankle, McCarthy returned to the pool. “It took me a few weeks to get back into it because with a sport like swimming, you really need to be practicing consistently to perform at your best,” he said. “I made sure to stretch and foam roll, which made a difference for me after being inactive for a while.”

but it took him six months to fully recover, and, as concussions are brain injuries, the recovery process mostly consisted of “waiting it out,” he said.

Besides taking ImPACT Tests weekly, Harris also limited the amount of time he spent on his computer. “[Concussions are] an all-inclusive type of injury,” Mojica said. “It takes you out of sports, it takes you out of

Samuel Stern/Staff Artist

The length of Harris’ recovery process following his concussion came as a shock to him, he said. After injuring his head before the NYC Mayor’s Cup, Harris began to feel the effects of the concussion the following week. He had terrible headaches that caused him to stay in bed all day, he said. After missing a few days of school due to his headaches, Harris was tested and learned he was concussed. He hoped to recover quickly and compete in the upcoming state and city championships,

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academics, and it takes you out of social events.” In the case of a concussion, Mojica will partner with Counseling and Guidance to provide concussed students with academic and emotional support alongside the physical support she can offer, she said.

After getting surgery to reduce the pressure in his leg, Waggoner had a “hectic” recovery process, he said. “We were going to start physical therapy, but then the pandemic hit,” Waggoner said.

“That was tough. It wasn’t the perfect timing.”

Waggoner completed virtual physical therapy until he was allowed to go to the hospital and do physical therapy in person. “I did PT for six months, and I wasn’t making any progress, really,” he said. “I could run if I wanted to, but it still hurt and the whole point was not to run with pain.”

The lack of noticeable improvement disappointed Waggoner. “Physical therapy not working was probably one of the lowest moments just because it was really difficult work,” Waggoner said. “It was a lot of strength work that led to me being a strong person — I could lift more weight, but I still couldn’t run. I would come home exhausted from working out and the next day see none of the results I was promised and I

was working toward.”

The recovery process can be frustrating for athletes due to the lack of control they have over their progress, Mojica said. “There’s only so much you can do to better influence your results, and sometimes you just need time and you need to accept that, which is hard,” Mojica said. “We try to give people control over what they can control and support them knowing that you can’t control everything.”

Waggoner revisited his surgeon, who performed an MRI and found the pressure in his leg had reduced significantly. However, he still felt pain in his leg when he ran, and he was still unable to perform at the level he had before the surgery, he said. He decided the next best course of action was to create a recovery plan for himself that would work for him and hopefully yield better results.

“I’ve kind of taken the recovery process into my own hands,” Waggoner said. “I would not say physical therapy helped me get back into running, rather my own workouts, massages, and running with a team rather than alone.”

By now, Waggoner has now made a lot of progress and is seeing positive results. “I’ve had some hiccups, but as of right now I’m fully running with the track team, and [I’m the] captain, so it’s awesome,” he said.

Harris also returned to practice this year, but, due to his fear of getting injured again, doesn’t think he will return to person-to-person practices next year, he said.

At times, Mojica has to play the “bad guy” because students want to keep playing on their team but doing so would only worsen their condition, she said. “Athletes do feel like they’re letting their team down and they’re letting their coach down if they are injured.

We take the responsibility of talking to the coaches and pulling athletes, saying, ‘Hey, this athlete cannot participate because I’m making the choice, not the athlete.’”

While no athlete wishes to be injured and forced to miss out on their athletic experiences, they can learn from the situation, Stafford said. “I think injuries can be a huge letdown and depressing, but you’re always going to get through them, and the process can make you stronger.”

McCarthy is grateful that he took his injury seriously and encourages other athletes to do the same. “It’s important to listen to how you’re feeling because I feel like that really pays off,” he said.

“It’s much better to miss a few practices than to miss a few weeks, or potentially a whole season.”