The Horace Mann Record, Issue 23

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HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903

APRIL 12TH, 2019 || VOLUME 116, ISSUE 23

Book Day: Born a Crime, Mark Mathabane

Nishtha Sharma and Lauren Ho Staff Writers

Dr. Mark Mathambe, author of his autobiography Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth’s Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa, shared his experiences of growing up under Apartheid with the school during yesterday’s 25th annual Book Day. Similar to the Book Day selection, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Kaffir Boy tells a first-hand narrative of the racial oppression during Apartheid. “[The book] describes the struggles, dreams, and hopes of a boy growing up, and the system of oppression that has been compared, rightfully so, to Nazism,” Mathabane said.

Mathabane’s mother’s uncondtional love inspired him to write Kaffir Boy, he said. “The reason many readers are inspired by what she has accomplished is because she had little to work with, since we were from one of the most impoverished areas in South Africa.”

Kaffir Boy encompasses several larger themes related to ubuntu, the South African word for “common humanity,” which Mathabane addressed in his talk. “Themes like the importance of education, that empathy is the key to racial healing, and the restoration of justice are all a part of my story,” he said.

Mathabane shared vivid encounters and anecdotes from his life as a young child during the apartheid. “I describe these scenes because all of you probably woke up this morning, you saw your parents, had breakfast, and now you’re here. For children in my generation, that normalcy is what we dreamed of having…the ability to have that normalcy is what feeds the ability to have human connections,” he said.

From hearing Mathabane, Chidimma Rachel Okpara (12) realized how fortunate she is, she said.

“He made me reflect how many opportunities I have to accomplish what I want.”

Okpara’s father, who is from Nigeria, grew up in similar conditions of poverty as those described by Mathabane, and it made her realize that her parents had to work so hard to make her and her siblings’ lives better, she said.

In addition, Mathabane discussed undermining stereotypes. “As a society, when you’re grappling with issues over race, you should not forget people’s humanity. The most important lesson is that people

Abi Kraus/Photography Editor

KAFFIR BOY Dr. Mark Mathambe speaks to the school about his childhood. are to be judged as individuals, not as groups.”

Following the opening assembly, students and faculty attended four hour-long sessions, during which members of the community and guest speakers hosted workshops related to prevalent themes in Born A Crime. Topics included Apartheid, biracial identity, multilingualism, narrative writing, and hip-hop.

Head of Upper Division Dr. Levenstein found that Trevor Noah derived strength from how he existed between two cultures, she said. “We have so many students who live a multicultural life. How [Noah] found his multiculturalism both a challenge and an opportunity is very relevant to students.”

“Apartheid was a system like Nazism and came very close to what Jim Crow was. Through the workshops, students can begin to understand the impact that [apartheid] had on Black South Africans,” Dr. Mathabane said.

“The whole point of Book Day is to make sure that we open the book up in as many ways as we can,” Middle and Upper Division Library Department Chair Caroline Bartels said, “and of course all that is driven by kids who want to run workshops.”

“Book Day allows you to connect several disciplines together, so it’s really valuable because it’s an intrinsically interdisciplinary experience,” Dr. Levenstein said. “By virtue of Noah being known for comedy and also being equally known for his political commentary, you can achieve political

ends, and you can investigate history through several lenses, including comedy.”

David Maydan (9) gave a presentation in World Language teacher Dr. Cornelie Ladd’s workshop on language and migration, where he drew connections between scenes in Born a Crime and real-world concepts on language. Maydan’s presentation also discussed trust and reliability, drawing inspiration from a scene from Noah’s memoir where trust was closely associated with language.

In the scene, Noah finds forgiveness from a store clerk when the store clerk asked a security guard to watch him closely, and he responded back in the store clerk’s language. Maydan hopes that his audience “gains a more nuanced understanding of the role of language and its relationship with trust.”

During Session I, Claire Yoo (12) hosted a workshop on Reconciliation and Responsibility in Post-Genocide Rwanda, where she drew parallels between the end of the apartheid in South Africa and the genocide in Rwanda, she said.

“I feel personally connected to this year’s theme largely because of my experience taking CRAE [Comparative Race and Ethnicity] this year, because deeply studying not just apartheid and South African history, but also just the influence of race and ethnicity on history in general, has really changed my outlook,” Yoo said.

From her workshop, Yoo hopes others realize that “although reconciliation and forgiveness are

hard processes to go through, they are extremely necessary for many things that some people think could never be reconciled,” she said. “And those processes can start in the United States and manifest in many, easy ways.”

Theatre teachers Ben Posner and Haila VanHentenryck co-hosted a unique four-session theatre workshop that ran the full day. The larger workshop consisted of two workshops during Sessions I and II on creative playwriting around ideas from Born a Crime and two workshops during Sessions III and IV that were about staging the writing and figuring out creative ways to get it up on its feet, Posner said.

“The workshop was designed to use Born a Crime as a jumping off point and to create something original, exciting, and dramatic. We were more focused on the process that theatre artists use to create work than the final performance of that work,” VanHentenryck said.

Not only do students and teachers get to explore different themes outside of the day-to-day curriculum, but they also get to meet new people who they may have never encountered in their regular coursework, Posner said. “My favorite part of Book Day is meeting students that I don’t usually interact with, and seeing them in a different setting, especially people who don’t come through the Abi Kraus/Photography Editor

RWANDA Yoo’s workshop on the genocide. performance program.

Book Day has been a tradition at the school for 25 years, Bartels said. “[Book Day] started because a student thought it would be great to step outside the curriculum for a day and just look at something we wouldn’t normally read in the curriculum, and from that, it’s taken shape into what it is now.”

Gibby Thomas elected Valedictorian Simon Yang and Steven Borodkin Staff Writers

INSIDE

The Class of 2019 elected Gibby Thomas (12) last Friday as the valedictorian who will deliver a commencement speech at this year’s Upper Division Graduation.

“I was very grateful to see that people thought highly enough of me to vote for me,” Thomas said.

“I find it interesting that our valedictorian system involves students voting rather than selecting the person with the highest GPA,” Hannah Long (12) said. “The valedictorian should represent our grade, so it makes sense that the grade chooses someone they feel can best represent them and their high school experience.”

Nicholas Perry, the Dean of the Class of 2019, has been thrilled about the whole process of the valedictorian election, he said.

“The valedictorian is supposed to give a speech recognizing the experience of the class as a whole,” Perry said. “That the class decided to recognize Gibby, who has worked so hard to add life to the school in so many different ways, was extra special,” he said.

Janvi Kukreja (12) believes that Thomas best represents the Class 2019 because she is close with everyone in the grade, she said.

“If you are walking in the hallway with her, she will say hi to every single person,” Kukreja said. “She has a really good sense of what everyone in the grade likes and how they’ve progressed throughout the four years.”

“I believe it is important to have some sort of relationship with everyone, and I think perhaps that’s why I was selected to represent

Book Day

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Students reflect on discussions of “Born a Crime”

my grade,” Thomas said.

In her commencement speech, Thomas hopes to address how grateful she is for all the faculty members and classmates who have helped her during her high school experience, she said.

“The reason I love Horace Mann is because of the students and the faculty, and I want to make sure to convey that in my speech,” Thomas said.

“Gibby has been everywhere. She’s a presence in the classroom, on the tennis courts, in the theatre, as a mentor and tour guide, with her friends and classmates,” Perry said. In all of her roles, she genuinely wants the best for the community around her. [Her] unfailing sense of curiosity, kindness, and fun...is essential to the class, he said.

Thomas will also try her best to represent the many aspects of her grade in her speech, keeping in mind the diversity of the Class of 2019, she said.

Allen Park (12), a close friend of Thomas, believes that she represents a great balance between athletics, academics, and social awareness, he said. “Her ability to handle everything so well while also being friendly with everyone respects the best traits in our grade.”

In addition to such talents, Thomas’s special ability to make everybody in the class laugh is invaluable, Young Joon Kim (12) said.

Hannah Long (12) is excited to have Thomas as the valedictorian, she said.

Women in the Arts

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Female panelists speak at annual FSA dinner.

“I was honored to co-captain the tennis team with her just because she is just so positive, enthusiastic, fun, and friendly to everyone,” Long said. “It’s honestly no surprise that she has become close with so many people in our grade.”

Thomas’ election did not come as a surprise to many members of the grade, Nader Granmayeh (12).

“I’m really happy for her,” Granmayeh said. “She’s a great member of the class, nice, and thoughtful, and I know she’ll give a great speech. Everybody knows that she’ll take it very seriously and put a lot of work into it,” he said.

“Everyone in our grade is very close to each other, and I want to make sure to convey that in my speech, as it is what makes us so special,” Thomas said.

Courtesy of Gibby Thomas

SALUTE Gibby Thomas is elected valedictorian.

Social Media Stars

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Students publish art via social media.

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

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THE RECORD OPINIONS APRIL 12TH, 2019

The ultimate sport: Robbins reflects on what frisbee teaches players This process teaches, and in some ways forces, players to act with integrity. Much like in business, politics, or relationships, players prefer dealing with people who are fair and honest. There are few better ways to test one’s honesty and character than during a competitive, unrefereed, sports game. Forcing yourself to cooperate with an opponent in the heat of the moment during a tough game can teach you how to work with people in other parts of life.

Another interesting aspect of the sport is that opposite teams will sometimes cheer on the other team after a great play. If you look up videos of people playing ultimate, even in a highly competitive game, it is not uncommon to see players high five their opponents after a great catch or play. While this level of good sportsmanship might make you think that ultimate is not a competitive sport, that is not the case. If you watched players diving out on the floor to make seemingly impossible catches or defenders jumping incredibly high to make interceptions, you would know that ultimate is tough.

The final aspect of the game that I’d like to mention is the co-ed nature of the sport. The three main types of ultimate teams that are offered at schools and higher levels are co-ed (fixed ratio of men to women), women’s, and open (open to anyone but consists primarily of men). At the school, unlike most of the other sports at school, ultimate is a co-ed team. Last year, I was the only girl on the team and this year there are five girls. None of the guys treat me or any of the girls differently because of our gender. I am only speaking from my own experience, but from the league and team that I have played on, I have found the sport to be incredibly accepting.

But possibly most notable is how genuinely fun the game is. Last year, one of my teammates successfully completed a move called

Julia Robbins Ultimate frisbee is a sport of core values and beliefs. And, although I’ve only played on the team for one season and am in no way an authority on the sport, I have come to really appreciate the honesty, good sportsmanship, and acceptance to that ultimate stands for and relies on.

Ultimate is played with seven people from each team who pass a frisbee up and down the field until a teammate catches it in the correct endzone. While the basic tenants of the sport are much like other team sports such as basketball or football, there are several distinguishing factors of ultimate.

One of the most noticeable aspects of the game is its absence of referees. The games are entirely self-refereed by the players. While this may sound a little unrealistic at first, it actually works out quite well. There’s a whole process in place for how players talk through foul calls or other rulings on the field, like traveling. The process involves conversation and cooperation between both teams.

“The Greatest.” He caught the disk in the air out of bounds, and without stepping down, threw a pass to someone in the endzone to score a point. I was excited when I dove for the disk once in the endzone and scored a point at the most picturesque park I’ve ever been in. More than just the plays themselves, it’s the reactions of our teammates that are so memorable. We get so excited for each other when someone makes a great catch or throw, and we don’t let bad plays get us down. The best part about the sport is that this optimistic ethos isn’t unique to the school team. ultimate is played for the fun of the sport, and it shows in almost every team and player.

I encourage everyone to consider playing ultimate in the future because you will not only have fun, but be surrounded by honest, kind, and accepting teammates and opponents.

Art Director/Juli Moriera

Reflecting on Book Day: Thinking about separating art from their artists Studying the school’s history

Sam Keimweiss Amelia Feiner While discussing the anti-Apartheid movement in America during a Book Day workshop, I was confronted with old Record articles documenting protests for our school to divest, or defund companies that traded with South Africa. The contextualization of our own community’s role within the historical movement made me wonder: why don’t we do this more often?

For example, in history class I have studied the civil rights movement and women’s suffrage movements in America, but I have never discussed our own school’s integration of women and African-American students into the community.

This is not to say that we do not address our school’s diversity, identity, and value within the context of current events; teachers frequently encourage conversation about racism and prejudice both in and out of our school and push students to work together to solve conflicts. This aspect of our school’s education is one of its greatest strengths.

However, beginning this same discussion when thinking about history is a powerful tool that we have not yet harnessed.

This contextualization would allow us to think about history in a concrete and quantifiable way. When I was presented with evidence of our community’s struggle to divest from South Africa, the history became more tangible, less distant.

Thinking about our own school’s history also allows students to recognize the power that they hold when they come together. After learning about the student protest that forced the board of trustees to divest, I left the workshop thinking about changes that I could make within the school community that students would read about 40 years from now.

The ability to weave our school’s narrative into the history that we learn should not be reserved for Book Day. Instead, we should work to question our community’s role within both American and global history to engage with our past in a meaningful and personal way.

Schuyler Rabbin-Birnbaum (12) and Dean of the Class of 2019 Nick Perry’s workshop allowed me to explore my beliefs about separating art from artists.

Their workshop dug into the issues that Schuyler addressed in his opinion piece published in the Record last month, where he discussed Trevor Noah’s problematic tweets from a decade ago. The workshop examined how Noah’s tweets change “Born

Mark Mathabane on the power of the mind

Madison Li Mathabane’s autobiography, “Kaffir Boy,” which we studied for months under an intense academic lens, materialized into raw emotions that poured out from the author himself during Book Day, a rare experience that I and other members of the Comparative Race and Ethnicity class were able to share. We sat on a panel with Mathabane and asked deeply analytical questions that arose from reading the book and hearing him speak in the opening assembly.

In the panel, Mathabane discussed one particular scene from the book where he visited the Smith’s, a white family that his grandmother worked for. Mrs. Smith encouraged her son, Clyde, to play with Mathabane, and Clyde replied that in school they were taught that blacks have smaller brains. When they were in Clyde’s room, Clyde opened a book to a page with Shakespeare’s writing and challenged Mathabane to read the writing to test the theory.

Volume 116 Editorial Board Managing Editor Betsey Bennett

Editor in Chief Lynne Sipprelle

Features Abby Kanter Megha Nelivigi

News Katie Goldenberg Surya Gowda

Lions’ Den Natasha Stange Brody McGuinn William Han

Photography Abigail Kraus Ahaan Palla Jake Shapiro

Faculty Adviser David Berenson

Issues Editor Sadie Schwartz

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

Middle Division Sandhya Shyam

a Crime” and how to interact with work by artists who have made unethical decisions.

The workshop covered Noah but quickly expanded to include others such as Kevin Spacey, Kanye West, Harvey Weinstein, and even Hitler, as we examined the way morality intersects with art.

If you have an emotional attachment to a piece of art or literature and the creator does something that goes against your morals, it will influence the way you view the art. However, if you can separate the art from the person, it is possible to keep the original emotion associated with the piece.

It’s possible that Noah’s problematic tweets change the way you read the book, but at the same time, you can appreciate the book without allowing tweets to change your perspective of it.

Going forward, it is important that students make informed, independent decisions about how artists themselves affect how students approach their work. It is important that teachers accept students’ opinions on this subject, knowing those opinions can be different from their own.

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

Online Editor Henry Wildermuth

Mathabane described how he was frustrated that he wasn’t able to read the text, despite learning basic English in school. In that moment, Mathabane decided that he was going to read as much as he could possibly get his hands on and master English so that he could come back, read that same page, and prove Clyde wrong.

Having Mathabane describe this particular scene in person was a completely different experience from simply reading the text.

Mathabane speaks from his heart with so much passion, and any person sitting in Gross Theatre could feel every emotion describedanger, frustration, and determination.

His experienced motivated Mathabane to challenge the oppression of the South African apartheid system. I felt fortunate and inspired simply sitting in the presence of Mathabane, a bestselling author able to escape the wrath of apartheid. The hardships he endured in his youth are virtually unimaginable to a person who has never lived through a similar experience, and the combination of his presence, voice, and emotions helped me to understand his past in a more profound way.

Mathabane also discussed the power of how speaking to someone face-to-face allows one to feel the person’s essence. The opportunity to hear him speak in person about his experiences, especially regarding Clyde, proved to me the significance of speaking with someone face-to-face and using literature and one’s own mind to reverse the cycle of oppression.

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

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

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

NOTE As a student publication, the contents of The Record are the views and work of the students and do not necessarily represent those of the faculty or administration of the Horace Mann School. The Horace Mann School is not responsible for the accuracy and content of The Record, and is not liable for any claims based on the contents or views expressed therein.

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

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HORACE MANN NEWS APRIL 12TH, 2019 Juli Moreira/Art Director

FSA Dinner

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Julia Robbins Staff Writer

Students plant trees in Bronx community Eddie Jin and Ryan Reiss Staff Writers

About 20 students will help remove debris from the littered shores of the Bronx River and plant new trees to revitalize the dying ecosystem on April 20th.

The initiative, Seize the Seas, was started by Madison Li (11) and Kiara Royer (11) earlier this year, with the guidance of Upper Division science teachers Dr. Jane Wesely and Camilla Nivison.

The two students were astounded by recent reports regarding the irreparable harms done to the global ecosystem by human waste like plastic straws, Royer said.

Li noticed a lack of student initiatives addressing the environment of the broader Bronx community and asked Royer to join her in beginning Seize the Seas, she said.

The initiative combines Li’s and Royer’s interests. Li is interested in marine biology and environmental protection,

while Royer loves helping the community, they said.

A goal of service-learning is for students to connect their academic studies with addressing issues in the wider community, Head of the Center for Community Values and Action (CCVA) Dr. Jeremy Leeds said. “It’s great to see that a number of students are finding their own way into thinking about this issue and acting on it,” he said.

Nivison suggested partnering with the Bronx River Alliance, and Li and Royer quickly offered to help the organization, which shared common goals with them, Li said. “They were more than happy to have us help,” she said.

According to the Bronx River Park Alliance’s website, their mission “is to serve as a coordinated voice ... so that [the Bronx River corridor and greenway] can be healthy ecological, recreational, educational and economic resources.”

As of now, 15 to 20 students are expected to participate in the April 20th event at the Bronx Park Forest, where they will clean the shores and plant new trees, Li said.

Charles Simmons (11) joined the initiative to help the environment outside of school, he said. “It wasn’t mandatory for me. As a runner, I sometimes take the outdoors for granted. I wanted to take a step back, really appreciate what I have, and give something back,” he said.

Similarly, Talia Winiarsky (10) joined the initiative because she felt guilty for her lack of eco-consciousness.

“For the longest time, I got straws in my iced coffee,” she said.

Seize the Seas plans to continue the discussion on climate change with the Nature Conservancy’s urban spatial planner Mike Treglia visiting the school on April 15th and other speakers and events later in the spring. “[Service learning’s] focus is

on understanding that we’re all part of a wider community. It’s not a choice that we’re a part of it, it’s how we’re a part of it that’s our choice,” Leeds said.

Royer hopes that the speakers–mostly involved in the local community–will raise awareness of the effects of climate change within and beyond the walls of our school, she said.

“It is crucial for our HM community to expand our experiences, understanding, and actions as ecologically literate citizens,” Associate Director of the CCVA Kimberly Joyce-Bernard said.

Although organizing and coordinating events with the Bronx River Alliance has been “a lot of responsibility,” Li thinks it is necessary to endure the hardships for a greater cause, she said.

“We really need to do something, even if it’s really small like planting trees and picking up garbage by the Bronx River. Every little bit helps,” she said.

Alumni Benefit hopes to raise money Nelson Gaillard and Rowan Malley Staff Writers Generations of alumni, from the 1940s to 2010s, will come together at Tao Downtown for the 16th annual Alumni Benefit with the goal of raising $160,000 on Wednesday April 17th.

The event features a silent auction that will offer prizes including concert tickets and a private dinner with Dr. Kelly, as well as a “Buy it Now Boutique” in which different items, like gift cards, will be

sold at a discounted price, Director of Alumni Relations Kristin Lax P’22 P’22 P’26 said.

The Alumni Council, whose goal is to maintain alumni relationships with the school, has been working in preparation for this event since the beginning of the school year, Alumni Council President Samantha Brand ‘01 P’26 P’29 said.

The total money raised will fund the Student Launch Initiative, a program that will provide meal cards to students on financial aid in grades 6 to Gabby Fishberg/Staff Artist

12. So far, alumni have raised $152,146 and hope to raise plenty more on April 17th, Lax said.

The Student Lunch Initiative is a great way for HM alum to feel connected to today’s student body and to know your support is making a real difference to current students, Benefit Committee Co-chair Jennifer Friedman ’08 said.

The Alumni Council hopes to raise as much money as they can, Kane said. “Our goal is to fully fund all of the meal cards.”

“We want to make it so that every student who needs a meal card can get a meal card and doesn’t have to worry about buying lunch,” Brand said.

“Alumni know how rigorous the school can be,” Kane said. With this money, the Alumni Council’s hope is to make students’ academic as easy as possible by taking out stressors, like paying for lunches, she said.

The Alumni Council is committed to helping students on financial aid with the additional expense of meals on campus, which over the course of the school year can really add up, Lax said.

Last year, the Alumni Council hosted a “record-

breaking event,” donating $117,000 to the Student Lunch Initiative, Brand said.

For the first time this year, the benefit is being sponsored by six different corporate sponsors, including FLIK, Supertrans and Selby Transportation, Lax said. “It’s wonderful to see corporations contribute to the alumni community’s effort to give back to their alma mater and support current students.”

“The event is truly a team effort between the alumni who volunteer their time and the Alumni office,” Lax said.

Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly believes that this event continues to represent the very best of what the school describes as service beyond oneself, he said.

According to Brand, the event is tremendously gratifying. “It’s a very concrete way that alumni can help current students in their day to day life at [the school],” she said.

Kelly finds it humbling to see the school’s alumni rally on behalf of today’s students, he said.

The council hopes to have another record-breaking event this year, Brand said.

“We are on track to meet or exceed our goal.”

The Feminist Students Association (FSA) hosted its annual dinner in the Cohen Dining Commons this Wednesday, featuring the theme “Women Activists in the Performing Arts.”

Students, faculty and other members of the community showed up for this engaging and intimate event that included a dinner, panelist presentations, and a question and answer session.

According to an email sent by the FSA, the arts play a key role in developing the culture of resistance and activism that is home to the feminist movement. To highlight the theme, four women in the arts spoke as the panelists at the dinner, covering topics ranging from empathy and intersectional feminism, to the importance of asking questions to help people learn.

The theme for the night was chosen after the club brainstormed ideas and held a vote, ultimately deciding on the Performing Arts as the theme, Jordan Ferdman (10) said.

“We want to bring light to the fact that there are so many talented female artists and that art is not something that’s just dominated by one gender,” FSA Co-President Sadie Schwartz said. “Women have this really unique perspective that people should appreciate.”

“Art expresses the social and material circumstances that groups are in,” Joshua Benson (12) said. Not only are all the panelists artists, but they are all activists in some regard, as their art in itself is a form of activism, and their experiences as women bleed into their art, he said.

Jacob Shapiro/Photography Editor

WOMEN IN ART FSA dinner speakers talk to audience.

After deciding on the theme, the club continued reaching out to women artists until they found four panelists available to attend, Ferdman said. Every panelist holds more than one position in the art world, ranging from directing to playwriting, and it was inspiring to hear about their experiences, she said.

Originally, Founder of oma lilly project Binta Niambi Brown was supposed to talk but due to a last minute cancellation ICIE Associate Sharina Gordon filled her place, Del Gatto said.

After both of the FSA Co-Presidents introduced the event and Priyanka Voruganti (11) read a poem entitled “Planetarium” by Adrienne Rich, the night moved into the panelist talks.

The first panelist to speak was Dr. Dipti Mehta, an Indian American actor who created and performed in “Honour: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan.” Through this work and other pieces of art that Mehta has been involved with, she advocates for the rights of brothel dwellers and other oppressed groups of women.

In her talk, Mehta discussed the importance of putting a story to an issue to help people better connect with the message of the issue and create lasting social transformation. Gordon, who spoke next, continued speaking about this theme of sharing stories when she talked about the organization that she helped create and run called Codify Art. Through Codify Art, Gordon helps women and queer people of color showcase their stories and brings people to work together who lack representation in society. Later in the night, Gordon spoke about the pressing need for intersectional feminism that uplifts all aspects of one’s identity. “Intersectional feminism expands the definition of who is oppressed by systemic gender bias to include transgender, non-binary folks, gender non-conforming people, femmes, cis men who are victim to toxic masculinity—everyone intersectionality or bust!”

After Gordon spoke, the founder of Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center in the Bronx, Madaha Kinsey-Lamb presented.

Kinsey-Lamb was nominated as a presenter by Tess Abraham (10) who is a dancer at Mind Builders and a member of FSA. Kinsey-Lamb spoke about how art has a unique ability to make people connect with certain ideas or people in vital ways “We each have the capacity, the ability, to change the world; especially if we work together,” she said.

The last panelist was Rachel Dickstein ’88, the artistic director of the theater company Ripe Time in Brooklyn.

Through her work, Dickstein tells the stories of women and girls as protagonists in a world that constantly tries to define them, she said.

Dickstein was excited to participate in the dinner because she feels strongly about empowering young women, she said.

“I think that the speakers were all amazing,” Del Gatto said.

The audience had great questions for the panelists and the night was insightful and uplifting, she said.

“I think its always inspiring for students to hear women who are out in the world making their voices heard and doing great work,” FSA faculty advisor Dr. Wendy Steiner said.

“When you’re lucky, you meet other warriors,” Mehta said.

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THE RECORD FEATURES APRIL 12TH, 2019

Lipseys on ice: the Jude Herwitz and Kiara Royer Staff Writers In the US, The National Hockey League (NHL) is the fourth most-watched sport; in Kenya, there is only a single ice rink. So when lifelong hockey players Ricky (9) and Timmy (4) Lipsey travelled to Nairobi in March to visit its sole team, the Ice Lions, they brought not only donations, but also their shared passion for the sport.

The Ice Lions became a success story in the hockey world after a video with renowned hockey player Sidney Crosby was released in the fall of 2018. The team has since received equipment and thousands of dollars in donations, and has had the opportunity to visit the United States and

Canada to play against other teams. Throughout the past year, Timmy Lipsey’s own youth hockey team has raised money for the Ice Lions by soliciting donations from friends and family and wearing Ice Lions stickers on their helmets.

In March, the Lipseys not only delivered the money they had raised in person, but also participated in a game against the Ice Lions with two-time Stanley Cup Winner and legendary Russian hockey player Slava Fetisov. It was part of a worldwide series called “The Last Game,” a United Nations (UN) initiative created to raise awareness of climate change and the risks posed thereby, Ice Lions captain Ben Azagere said.

Part 1: The Ice Lions

Courtesy of Ricky Lipsey

ICE ICE BABY Timmy Lipsey (4) and the Kenya Ice Lions goalie.

As an ice hockey team centered in a city with an average high of 76ºF the Ice Lions are an unlikely success story. They are the only such team in East Africa and play on the only ice rink in East Africa.

Azagere started playing ice hockey in 2012 when he heard about the sport from American and Canadian friends working at embassies in Nairobi, he said. Before he played hockey, he frequently rollerbladed, a popular activity in Nairobi. That had already given him an idea of what to do once he got on the ice.

After four years, Azagere had gathered a relatively stable team of 20 to 30 players, many of whom had previous experience rollerblading as well. As Facebook has become increasingly popular in Kenya, Azagere used social media to help him recruit, but he still had trouble attracting Kenyan players.

“It was a bit tricky because most of the guys were scared; it was hard to convince someone to come and play without the proper gear,” Azagere said. However, “as time went, help came our way. Some of the Canadians and Americans, whenever they went home, they brought us some sticks, some helmets, some shin pads, anything they could carry.”

The ice rink is owned and operated

by The Panari Hotel in Nairobi, and while they have been increasingly

generous towards the Ice Lions, the rink’s price of admission has impeded some new players from joining.

Faith Siholo, one of the two women on the team, started watching the Ice Lions practice last January. She learned of the team from some of her rollerblading friends, and after watching a few scrimmages, Azagere asked her to put on a pair of skates and try it out, Siholo said.

There was no introduction, Siholo said. “I just got in and started playing.”

Tim Colby, who helped establish the team while working for the Canadian embassy in Nairobi, first became involved with the Ice Lions when Azegere approached him for advice on coaching and organizing the team, he wrote in an email. “[The players] are moving up the steep hockey learning curve very fast both individually and as a team,” Colby said. “The enthusiasm of the players, their dedication, and their ability to learn technical aspects of the game so quickly are my favorite aspects of being involved with the team.”

The team became well known in Western media when the Ice Lions were invited to fly to Canada to receive new gear and have the opportunity to play with Sidney Crosby, a legend in the hockey world, along with other Canadian hockey

Juli Moreira/Art Director

players, according to ESPN. After videos of the experience were shared across social media last fall, the Ice Lions numerous new sources of funding and gear donations.

“The Kenyans are not just showing up to smile for pictures; they are very serious about hockey and about becoming good hockey players, especially to improve the future generations,” Rick Lipsey P’ 22 P’27 P’28 said.

Azagere’s dream is to establish different hockey clubs around Kenya and East Africa to start a hockey league, he said; right now, the Ice Lions mostly divide themselves into teams and play against themselves for matches, except when there are visiting teams.

As part of that mission, he is looking towards the youth, specifically primary schools. The Ice Lions have helped establish roller hockey teams at schools around Nairobi whose players occasionally visit the ice rink to practice on ice.

“We would like to join the [International Ice Hockey Federation] as an affiliate member in a year or so and also play some international friendly games and tournaments,” Colby said. “The ultimate long run goal is to ensure that ice hockey in Kenya has a future and people have fun playing the game.”

Part 2: The Lipseys Ricky Lipsey began playing ice hockey at a rink in Central Park when he was four, and today, he plays travel and club hockey all year round, he said.

“My favorite part about the sport is the teamwork, the fast pace and all the components that go into it like the passing, shooting, and stick-handling; every aspect has to work together to make a good hockey player,” he said.

His current team is especially tight-knit and has been playing together for a long time, Ricky Lipsey said, so every player knows each other’s game, he said.

“We all know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so if one person lacks something, someone else will have it, and everybody works together to balance everything out,” Lipsey said.

Timmy Lipsey (4) has been playing ice hockey since he was three and a half, and he became a goalie when he was six.

“I started playing mainly because of my dad; Ricky was playing hockey at that time, so I think that’s what led me into wanting to try it

out,” Timmy Lipsey said.

Ricky and Timmy’s father, Rick Lipsey, played hockey in high school at the Rye Country Day School; he then played intramural hockey for four years and was captain of the golf team at Cornell University, Rick Lipsey said.

“I grew up playing golf and was involved with golf as a competitor and a teacher, so golf was always one of those things that allows you to go anywhere in the world and open up doors for work, for friendship, for community service, and now hockey has kind of taken on a similar role for our family,” Rick Lipsey said.

Rick Lipsey also worked at Sports Illustrated for 20 years as a writer specializing in golf, and he now plays recreational hockey at Riverbank State Park twice a week.

“We’re a big hockey family, so we all go to Rangers games together, and everyone is knowledgeable about the sport,” Rick Lipsey said.

“My brothers and I play in the basement together, and it’s great because we all like the same thing.”

Courtesy of Ricky Lipsey

MAKING DONATIONS Ricky (9) and Timmy (4) Lipsey present the Ice Lions with the North Park donation.

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HORACE MANN FEATURES APRIL 12TH, 2019

e Kenya Ice Lions Part 3: The Trip

After months of fundraising, Rick, Ricky, and Timmy Lipsey travelled to Nairobi to present a check along with gear donations to the Kenyan Ice Lions.

As manager of Timmy’s hockey team, North Park Hockey, Rick Lipsey organized a seasonlong fundraiser for the Ice Lions, in which donors pledged to give one dollar for every goal Timmy’s team scored and two dollars for every victory. With two games every weekend from October to March, the team raised approximately $4,500 dollars, Rick Lipsey said.

Juli Moreira/Art Director

“Once in a while [the players] would say, ‘We gotta play harder because the more we win, the more money we raise for the Lions,’” Rick Lipsey said. “The goal was to provide the kids with the opportunity to do something good, and that would inspire them to do well in hockey.”

Rick Lipsey also designed Ice Lions logo stickers which the players wore on their helmets during every game. Throughout the season, Rick Lipsey kept in touch with Tim Colby, a Canadian UN staffer living in Nairobi who is the head of the Ice Lions program, as well as other players on the Kenyan team.

North Park Hockey donated a portion of its Annual Appeal to the Ice Lions, and that amount, combined with individual donations from friends and family as well as the money raised by the team, came out to be a sum of $12,000, Rick Lipsey said.

The monetary donations they gave to the Ice

Lions are going towards a new locker room for the team, Azagere said.

Ricky Lipsey believes the storage locker will be helpful to store gear and donations in such a small facility, he said.

“We really appreciate it,” Azagere said. “They came all the way to Kenya to give us the check, which was a good move. It was really a positive change to our team.”

Ricky Lipsey and his brother also reached out to multiple hockey retailers, Howie’s Hockey Tape, Renfrew and Pure Hockey, for donations of tape, equipment, and apparel to bring to the Ice Lions along with the check, he said.

“When we went with our donations and equipment, it was like we had opened up a bag of royal jewels. One guy, Robert, he took a roll of camouflage hockey tape and he was fondling it like it was the Hope Diamond,” Rick Lipsey said. “Here, it’s a three dollar roll of hockey tape, but for Robert, it was something really special.”

As soon as they arrived in Nairobi, Ricky and Timmy began playing street hockey in the parking lot of the airport with some of the luggage clerks, Rick Lipsey said.

“We also went to downtown Nairobi and played street hockey; every Sunday, they have hundreds of people who gather in a parking lot and play street hockey and roller hockey and do inline skating, so we spent some time there,” Rick Lipsey said.

Another highlight of the trip was going on a safari in Nairobi National Park, where they saw a variety of animals, including lions, zebras, and white rhinoceroses, Timmy Lipsey said.

The family also toured the Nairobi Railway Museum, which demonstrates the whole history of the modernization of Kenya through railways, Rick Lipsey said.

The Giraffe Center was another highlight of the trip; according to its website, the Center is a non-profit organization created to educate Kenyans about their country’s wildlife as well as to provide international visitors the opportunity to come in close contact with giraffes.

“There were scientists there studying the giraffes, and they told us that climate change is affecting them,” Timmy Lipsey said. “One of the main reasons is that the grass is drying up, but giraffes are omnivores and now they can’t

Courtesy of Ricky Lipsey

MAKING FRIENDS Ricky (9) and Timmy (4) pose with friends at a roller hockey park in Nairobi. eat it and are going hungry. Usually, the rain would be there but now with climate change, you never know if it’s going to rain ferociously or if it’s not going to rain for five days.”

In Nairobi, Timmy Lipsey was surprised by the amount of guards and soldiers carrying machine guns working as security guards at places like malls, the national parks, hotels, and grocery stores, he said.

“I also thought it was interesting that you have to drink bottled water or boil the water in Nairobi, because they don’t have the same filtering service that we have,” Timmy Lipsey.

Meeting the Ice Lions and playing hockey with them and Fetisov was the highlight was the trip, Timmy Lipsey said.

“I learned that through the sport of hockey there’s so much you could do; it’s not just the little world of us, Canada, or Finland,” Timmy Lipsey said.

While his season is over and the future connection between his team and the Ice Lions

Part 4: The Last Game While in Nairobi, Ricky and Timmy played in “The Last Game,” a UN-sponsored initiative to raise awareness of the risks presented by climate change.

The Game came a week before the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly that gathered in Nairobi from March 11 to 15.

Hockey player Slava Fetisov, the UN Environment Patron of the Polar Regions, is helping to spearhead The Last Game initiative. He played on Timmy and Ricky’s team during the Game against the Ice Lions, Timmy Lipsey said.

While playing for the same team Fetislov and Timmy became fast friends.

“It was very bizarre to see Timmy, who’s a ten year old little kid from New York, become genuine best buddies with Slava–we call him Slava now–during these few days that we were there,” Rick Lipsey said.

“Slava thought Timmy was the funniest person he’d ever met, and Slava would just laugh at everything Timmy would say.”

While Timmy Lipsey knew that Fetisov would be involved in the initiative, he didn’t realize they would become such good friends, Timmy Lipsey said. “[The game] was definitely one of the best experiences I’ve had with hockey, and it’s cool to say that I played with one of the most famous hockey players in the world and that I played a hockey game in Nairobi, Kenya where it goes to around 100

Courtesy of Ricky Lipsey

TIME FOR TOURING Ricky (9) and Timmy (4) pose with a guard at an elephant orphanage in Kenya.

remain unclear, Timmy Lipsey hopes that they might return to Nairobi with more money or gear, he said.

“We’re definitely going to continue to be involved with them and help out as much as we can; we have real friends over there now, and we still talk to them through WhatsApp and email,” Rick Lipsey said. “As a parent, it’s great to see that Timmy and Ricky have friends in Kenya through hockey.”

Fetisov plans on visiting New York later this month, and he has already reached out to the family about meeting up, Rick Lipsey said.

From this trip, Timmy Lipsey said he learned more about climate change as well, he said.

“I learned that everyone can help, it’s not just about the UN,” Timmy Lipsey said. “We all can do something, no matter how small, because everything is a big help; we need to help our planet because it’s not their planet, it’s our planet.”

degrees,” he said.

Directly after the game, the UN Ambassadors participating in the game held a press conference about The Last Game initiative directly on the ice.

“I was just watching [the press conference] from the side, but it was cool to see how interested the Kenyan news sources were in this growing sport of hockey,” Timmy Lipsey said.

The UN also sponsored a documentary film being made about the series of games, Rick Lipsey said. The film advances awareness of the risks posed to people’s lives by climate change already and in the future. Hockey specifically has a special connection to preventing climate change, as with a greatly warmer climate there would be less ice, and less ice would mean less hockey.

“In the end I wasn’t even keeping track of the score, I had no idea what the score was,” he said.

“The point was not to win, but that we were winning for climate change.”

It was great to see the Ice Lions’ enthusiasm for not only playing for themselves, but simply just for the sport, Timmy Lipsey said.

“They just play; they all have an amazing work ethic, and they want to get good at the game,” Ricky Lipsey said. “They’re all driving themselves forward and pushing themselves, and it was amazing to see that they are so demanding of themselves.”

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THE RECORD ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT APRIL 12TH, 2019

Surya Gowda’s (12) Independent Study sheds light on mass incarceration through prison gallery Eliza Poster & Katya Toluynsky Staff Writer and Contributing Writer

Peering through the grey bars which enclose the model jail cell pitched within Fisher Gallery, one gets a glimpse into the realities of prison life. On one side of the room, a timeline reveals the history of mass incarceration in America, detailing the legislation that permits the current imprisonment of 2.3 million people in the United States. Across the room, powerful paintings and poetry created by inmates adorn the walls.

Jake Shapiro/Photo Editor

HATEFUL HISTORY Prison Gallery narrates America’s history of incarceration.

Surya Gowda (12) opened “Prison Gallery” last week. The installation acts as the final presentation of her Independent Study (IS) on mass incarceration and rehabilitation through the arts.

Though many IS students choose to write papers for their final projects, Gowda wanted to create an art exhibit, a more visual experience for viewers.

“I wanted it to be something that onlookers could experience instead of read,” she said. “I knew that if it was an installation piece people could actually interact with it and absorb the work or absorb the information.”

“The reasoning behind the installation was to highlight the concerns and issues that go along with mass incarceration and prison population,” Independent Study Director Avram Schlesinger said.

“In prison populations the issue of mass incarnation is one that has a racist connotation,” Schlesinger said. There are more black men in American prisons then there are any other race or gender. This is a direct result of systematic racism,” he said.

Gowda and Visual Arts teachers Kim Do and Barry Mason built the prison cell over Spring Break. Do did most of the carpentry work and helped procure the supplies; however, the concept of the gallery was entirely envisioned

by Gowda, Do said.

“The instillation was very well put together and incredibly impressive,” Elizabeth Chung (12), another student taking Independent Study, said.

The cell is six-by-eight feet, the average prison size for an American jail cell. Gowda also painted a bed and a toilet onto the floor of the cell in order to demonstrate

Jake Shapiro/ Photo Editor

CAGED Gallery exhibits model of prison cell and art of inmates. the claustrophobia and discomfort actually experienced by prisoners, she said.

“I actually laid down on the bed to see if I could fit, and I couldn’t,” Joshua Tom (12), a member of Gowda’s class, said. “Just understanding that there are a lot of Americans going through this was really eye-opening.”

After choosing her IS topic last year, Gowda contacted Technical Support Staffer Sheryl Baker, who has worked with Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) since 2016.

RTA is an organization which aims to develop the social and cognitive skills of incarcerated people through the arts in order for them to

successfully reintegrate into society, according to the RTA website.

“For the most part, a lot of people in prison weren’t taught how to deal with their emotions,” Gowda said. “The arts give them an outlet to speak out about the injustices they face, the emotional trauma, or anything that’s going on in their head that they may not to be able to verbally express.”

Through “Prison Gallery,” Gowda aimed to raise awareness of injustice in the prison system and encourage visitors to empathize and challenge negative stereotypes about incarcerated people, she said.

Following the arts: student artist share their creative works on social media Victor Dimitrov & Abigail Beckler Staff Writer and Contributing Writer

Serving as an online gallery and creative platform, social media allows student artists to share their artwork, ranging from photography, sculpture, ceramics, and illustration.

One such artist, Rachel Zhu (10) began to post her illustrations to Instagram as a means to share her work beyond her close friends and family. “I wanted to put my work out into the world and try to gain a wider audience,” she said On the other hand, Kyra Kwok (12) uses social media to promote interest in ceramics by inviting classmates to join her in the ceramics studio and showcasing their work through her art class’s Instagram account “HM_claybaes.”

“I got the idea when I started discussing with Renner how we could get more HM kids into the studio, she said.

“I post a variety of things. If I’m particularly

struck by a piece, I’ll post it and of course if I think something is particularly beautiful I’ll post it. I think most importantly I post a lot of fails- pieces that I mess up completely, pieces that I crush, or just pieces that are kind of silly or fun,” Kwok said.

Recognizing the growing presence of the arts on social media, Kwok wanted to share her love of the craft with her peers, she said. “Ceramics is a huge part of my life and it’s something I want people to both see but also experience.”

In creating her Instagram, Kwok also wanted people to begin formally recognizing ceramics as a legitimate form of art, she said.

“Of course, I hope people see my work and find it beautiful. But I also want it to be understood - every piece is a result of work put in, time expended in the studio perfecting small details, and decisions made every step of the way, Kwok said” Similarly, Taimur Moolji (11) shares his

passion for ceramics though his Instagram account by not only exhibiting his art work, but also closely documenting his process.

Moolji had initially been shy to start posting his work but after watching videos of other potters sharing their failed pots online he became more confident to post his own videos, he said.

Similar to Zhu and Moolji, student photographer Hannah Long (12) uses social media as a creative platform through her Instagram account “cameraofhannah.” “My goal is simply to bring a bit of joy to the people around me through beautiful visuals, Long said” “I think photography is super cool because it can capture all the prettiest and most fascinating fleeting moments of life and preserve them forever,” Long said.

For Long, her social media presence makes her more conscious in her daily-life of potential content for her account, she said.

“Sometimes I am awestruck by the amazing scenes around me in the world, so I like to share that experience with other people, Long said” Posting my creations to Instagram makes me more motivated to throw bigger pots and more of a perfectionist because I always want to post my best work, Moolji said.

“I think the biggest thing is that I worry a lot more about image- considering the best way to photograph pieces isn’t something I’ve ever considered. I think I lose an important tactile aspect of experiencing ceramics, but I gain the ability to choose what parts of the piece people see,” Kwok said.

Courtesy of Hannah Long Juli Moreira/Art Director

#ARTSY Hannah Long (12) poses for camera.

HORACE MANN MIDDLE DIVISION APRIL 12TH, 2019

Sixth graders start water crisis iniative

Juli Moreira/Art Director

Emily Shi Staff Writer

MD Science Olympiad team makes it to States

Izzy Abbott Staff Writer

The sixth through ninth grade Science Olympiad Team traveled to Syracuse, New York, last Friday to participate in the Division B and C states competition, accompanied

by Dean of Class of 2025 Michelle Amilicia, Middle Division (MD) science teacher Michael Degasperi, as well as club advisors Michael Epstein and Jodi Hill.

The team meets every Monday and Thursday to prepare for competition activities such as tests, labs, and “building events,” in which the students construct models based on topics of their choosing, Hill said. The topics cater to a wide range of student interests, from astronomy, to thermodynamics, and each student gets to select which subject they want to focus on, she said.

Before going to states, the team placed fifth in the regional competition, qualifying them for last Friday’s event, JoJo Mignone (7) said.

The states competition is similar to regionals, although its activities are more challenging. The teams who participated were also at a higher level than the school’s own team. With schools that almost embed Science Olympiad into their curriculum, the competition was fierce this year, team member Louise Kim (8) said.

On top of the more competitive atmosphere, students only had one month between regionals and states to prepare, during which they studied for their tests, practiced building models, and came up with mock lab questions, Mitch Obia (6), another member of the team, said.

Each student prepared one or multiple topics of their choosing and competed in various

activities. In some cases, students only had 50 minutes to complete a 125 question test, Kim, who participated in heredity, anatomy/ physiology, and epidemiology (the study of disease), said.

Obia and Kim cited their general interest for science as well as their desire to learn about topics they may not get to explore inside the classroom as the reasons why they joined the team.

“Yes, you have to be passionate about science, but I also wanted them to just have fun and learn,” Hill said. “I never want it to become a chore.”

Though the team did not get first place overall, the students, advisors, and chaperones were very proud that they had got so far, Kim said.

“The kids represented Horace Mann so wonderfully,” Hill said. “And I’m glad they had so much fun working together and cheering each other on.”

For Mignone, the most memorable part of the competition was the awards ceremony, when, even if no one on the team won, all members cheered for their teammates’ events as well as for the other teams, she said.

Students gained not only interesting and important knowledge about new scientific topic from this experience, but also a sense of community and friendship by being on the team, Kim said. “Having a successful team is not based on the ranking but how close we become as a team through these events,” she said.

Overall, it was a positive and rewarding experience for all students, regardless of winning medals, and it will be something many students pursue in high school, Mignone said.

In an effort to raise awareness for water shortages faced by a large portion of the population, Aashna Hari (6), Alexis Gordon (6) and Logan Scharlatt (6) spearheaded a bake sale at the school last Monday.

The $275 of total proceeds of the bake sale will go to the Planet Water Foundation, which focuses on helping underprivileged communities gain access to clean water.

“The purpose of this event is to bring awareness to the students and faculty of HM about the water crisis that is affecting one in nine people across the globe and to raise funds for Planet Water Foundation, whose mission is focused on alleviating the global water crisis and eliminating water poverty by reducing waterborne disease, illness and death, by bringing clean water access and water-health and hygiene education programs to the world’s most impoverished communities,” Middle Division (MD) science teacher BethAnn Marian said.

According to Scharlatt, the sixth graders engage in a yearly science project to learn about conserving and cleaning water, which inspired many members of the class to think about ways to help others obtain clean water.

“They wanted to do something to help after learning about the lack of clean water in many parts of the world and the economic and educational issues it creates for millions of people, while also spreading the word,” Marian said. The students seemed really surprised by how the daily struggle people face with a lack of clean water can prevent them from doing things that people often take for granted, like showering every day or washing clothes, she said.

During the water unit project, the sixth graders learned about four places struggling with a water crisis: Malawi, Africa, Australia, India and Flint, Michigan. “This water crisis event ties directly in

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with the curriculum and gives a larger insight to each of the countries’ issues,” Hari said. “I was especially astonished by the fact that we have water problems nearby in Michigan.”

In order to tie the project into the bake sale, the students also played videos of kids and adults drinking dirty, polluted and unsanitary water from other locations. Some videos featured places where the only available water is opaque and white and can have significant negative effects on one’s health, she said.

The bake sale was a success because plenty of people donated and contributed to the cause by buying goods, Scharlatt said.

Some of the goods sold included cupcake cones, Oreos, s’mores Rice Krispie Treats and brownies, Gordon said.

Many students also chose to donate after asking questions about the organization and learning about the importance of the water crisis.

The students could tell that people truly cared about the issue and wanted to make a difference, because some donated money without taking treats from the bake sale, Hari said.

Next year, Scharlatt hopes that the new sixth graders will carry on their legacy by continuing to raise awareness of the importance of clean water, she said. Hari aims for the event to expand and become a larger event rather than just a bake sale, she said.

“I personally would love to see this become an annual event tied into our water unit,” Marian said. “Some of the changes to consider making include adding activities for students to participate in to help them gain a better understanding of how the lack of access to clean water impacts families, finding ways to reduce water usage on campus, getting more students involved, and raising more funds.”

“We hope that others will learn from this event and also make a difference in the future,” Gordon said.

Jake Shapiro/Photo Editor

A SALE WITH A CAUSE Posters set up educate people on global water crises.

Current freshmen give their advice to eighth graders about the UD transition “Although the start of ninth grade might be a little rough, everyone else is going through the same thing. Talk to your classmates and share your concerns; help each other through the first few weeks. If you really need help, talk to your teachers. They’re there to help you and they really want to.” - Dalia Pustilnik (9) “Stay as organized as you can going into the year which will set you up for success as an HM UD student. If you feel lost or anxious about the transition, don’t worry, talk to your advisor, and they will be there for you along the way!” - Rachel Kuhn (9) “It is incredibly important that you try out all of the extracurricular activities the upper division has to offer, whether they be sports teams or clubs, while remembering that there is no right path in high school. Only choose activities that you really enjoy.” - Walker McCarthy (9) Interviews conducted by Staff Writer Sam Singer

Lions’ Den Record Sports

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APRIL 12TH, 2019

Varsity Softball team aims for the best on their season Avi Kapadia Staff Writer

The Varsity Softball team began its regular season facing off against Poly Prep last Monday. Although the outcome was not in their favor, the team was encouraged by its first performance.

“Many of younger players stepped up and played new positions. I couldn’t be more proud of the way the team played yesterday,” Sarah Acocelli (12) said.

This year, the softball team is comprised of eight seniors and eight freshmen, along with some juniors and sophomores. The seniors this year are trying to leave an impact on the next wave of Lions through mentorship and leadership. “We lead by example as softball players and as people exhibiting respect and sportsmanship wherever we go,” Kyra Kwok (12) said.

The team is relying on that senior leadership this season. The seniors “are doing a great job showing the freshmen the ropes. Physically, they are hitting the ball well and making good plays in the field,” Acocelli said.

“I think the biggest difference [from last

season] is that we are now a senior led team and I think the strong leadership is going to be essential for our team moving forward,” Kwok said.

Ashna Jain (12) is a prime example of a senior stepping up for the team. “She’s been able to step up wherever we need to fill a position and she really performs no matter where she is on the field,” Kwok said.

“I love helping to put our team in the best position to win and watching them have success,” Varsity Softball Coach Ray Barile said.

One of the team’s strengths is their defense, which was on display in their game against Poly Prep on April 8th. “The fact that we held them to four runs means that we executed in the field and really stepped it up defensively,” Kwok said. “We force other teams to execute and play our game.”

Over spring break, the softball team traveled to Orlando, FL for spring training. “We spent a lot of time bonding and getting to know each other and that team chemistry is essential in softball,” Kwok said. “We are a really close team and are always there to pick each other up when we make a mistake or just are having a bad day,” Acocelli said.

Courtesy of Brody McGuinn

SPEEDY SWIMMER Colin Mark (12) competes in a swim race.

The team looks to improve on mental confidence. “This means moving on when you make a mistake and getting up to bat or stepping out into the field with the confidence that you will learn from your mistakes and play better,” Kwok said.

“We have a terrific group of girls this season

and I’m so proud to call them my team. I’m so incredibly excited for what lies ahead for us this season,” Kwok said.

Cach Barile describes his team as “smart and consistent,” he said. With these attributes, Barile hopes to make states. “The sky is the limit for this team,” Barile said.

Boys Varsity Lacrosse team starts their season off on a high note Eddie Jin Staff Writer

The Boys Varsity Lacrosse Team began with an 8 to 7 win against Fieldston and a 9-3 loss against Dalton to bring their record to a solid 1-1.

The team’s early success can be attributed to the unity and effort of the team as a whole, Harrison Winter (10) said.

“Everyone on the team makes an impact. It’s a team sport, and we really play great as a team together,” Winter said.

This year’s team has no particular star player.

Instead the team plays as one cohesive unit.

The team has made significant progress from last year with the addition of several new players to the roster, co-Captain Joshua Taub (12) said.

“We have new underclassmen that have all contributed in valuable ways,” he said. “With more players, we have better practices that prepare us for game day.”

Multiple skilled players graduated last year, which means the team has learned how to

Courtesy of Brody McGuinn

SQUAD UP The team poses for a picture at Universal Studios during their spring training in Florida. utilize every asset they have in order to play well together, Julian Rabkin (11) said.

“We have lost some key players like Koby Ginder and Marc Murphy ‘18, but we are learning to play more as a cohesive unit,” he said.

The team’s time spent in Florida prior to the season served as a bonding experience and an opportunity for the players to learn how to play as a cohesive unit.

“We learned how to play with each other and

how to play collectively as a whole team, and also hung out with each other when we were given free time. It strengthened our lacrosse skills and our relationships,” he said.

The team’s defense has been a notable strength all season. Ben Vahardian’s (11) strong work as goalie was a contributing factor in the team’s first win.

“Vahradian has stepped up as goalie and has made crucial saves when we most needed them,” Taub said.

Rabkin has seen the team’s defensive communication as a strength, but wants to see improvement in offball movement, he said.

Co-Captains Taub and Davis Parzick (12) provide both leadership and experience for the younger players, Winter said.

“They are amazing leaders on and off the field, picking up the team when we are down,” Winter said.

The team looks to improve on it’s record when it faces Trinity today at home and Riverdale away on Monday.

Boston Marathoner Bill Rodgers speaks to the Track team Joshua Underberg Staff Writer

The Boys and Girls Varsity Track Teams began their seasons with an inspiring visit from the four time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers.

“He provided inspiration by talking about how he not only worked hard to achieve his accomplishments, but enjoyed the process as well, which allowed him to reach his goals more efficiently,” Masa Shiki (11) said.

“Growing up in Boston, I had heard the name Mr. Boston Marathon, however, I never thought I would actually meet Bill Rodgers.

I will never forget that moment,” Ethan Waggoner (9) said.

Rodgers also discussed how running can be an escape in high-pressure environments such as high school and can improve performance academically, he said. A piece of advice Rodgers gave the track teams was to “find something to take you away from the business of high school, whether it be a club or team,” he said.

Alexei Le (9) explained how Rodgers’

decision to run the Boston Marathon in college after stopping after high school showed that almost anyone with the right mindset can not only run a marathon, but win one, she said.

After the conversation with Rodgers ended, members of the team discussed their individual and team goals for the season.

Looking ahead to the Ivy League Championship and the New York State Association of Independent Schools meets, Eva Fortunato (12) wants to improve her time in the 100m hurdles and eventually break her personal record, she said.

“As a senior on the team, I hope to act as a leader and encourage the new members of the team to try new events and work hard to push themselves in practice and meets,” Eva said.

Liz Fortunato (12) shares a similar view of her final year on the team. “I aim to consistently improve my technique and time and have my best self out there on the track,” she said.

Aside from her personal aspirations, Liz Fortunato also stressed the importance of having a memorable and exciting season with her teammates, she said.

Courtesy of Sadie Schwartz

THUMBS UP Eddie Jin (11) poses with Bill Rodgers for a photo.

Shiki looks to break the 4.40 mark in the mile, 10.10 in the two mile, and 2.05 in the 800m, he said. “As a team, we hope to work together and support each other to always try

our hardest and strive for the best,” he said.

The track team as a whole looks forward to sprinting through the rest of a fun season, Shiki said.