The Horace Mann Record, Issue 3

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HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903

SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2018 || VOLUME 116, ISSUE 3

Take Back the Tap initiative targets plastic bottle usage Jack Crovitz Contributing Writer Take Back the Tap, a waste-conscious initiative led by Natalie Sweet (10), will be implemented at the school for the second year in a row to decrease the student body’s plastic usage and encourage environmentally friendly practices.

The initiative aims to reduce the use of disposable plastic bottles in the cafeteria by incentivizing students to bring their own eco-friendly reusable water bottles.

To accomplish this, Take Back the Tap will be supplying the cafeteria with coolers containing naturally flavored water on Fridays.

“Take Back the Tap is for students to be aware of the amount of plastic bottles that are used by the school every day and also to reduce the amount of bottles used,” Sweet said.

Annabelle Chan/Contributing Artist

Parent Association kicks off the new year Sam Keimweiss Staff Writer with Additional Reporting by Nistha Sharma

The Upper Division Parents Association (UDPA) kicked off the year yesterday when chairs Cecile Caer P’19 ’21 ’24 and Benay Taub P’13 ‘17 ’19 ’22 led a meeting outlining their plans for the future.

The meeting covered the year’s calendar, protocol, and general advice for planning events, 11th Grade Representative Ellen Bender P’16 ’20 said.

In the second half of the meeting, UDPA Secretary Amy Federman P’21 taught parents the procedure necessary to plan an event, Bender said.

This meeting was especially important because it is difficult to get all the PA representatives in one place, Caer said. Within the UDPA, there are many committees, from the book fair committee to the athletics committee, Caer said.

Beginning their second two-year term as co-chairs, Caer and Taub plan to expand their collaboration with UD Head Dr. Jessica Levenstein, Caer said. Last year, they worked with Levenstein to put together workshops for parents focused on student life skills, she said.

“We wanted to have some events that were more focused on things she had implemented regarding some of the topics we think that parents should be more aware of,” Caer said. Last year’s topics included sexual health and drugs, she said.

This year, due to the popularity of the events, Caer

and Taub plan to work with grade representatives to have more talks and cover more topics, such as screen time and social media, Caer said.

Other topics covered included discussing the PA’s annual events, such as Book Fair and the International Food Festival, financing for the upcoming year, and creating a more accessible PA for working parents who can’t make meetings, Caer said. “A lot of [parents], for example, are going back to work, so they are not as available as they used to be when the students were younger,” she said.

“We want to be as inclusive as possible, we want the events to be as accessible as possible,” PA President Grace Peak P’21 said.

Bender has been involved with the PA for 13 years serving various roles, she said. After a oneyear hiatus, she was “pleasantly surprised to see how organized everything was,” she said. In past years scheduling was an issue, so a large part of the meeting was spent urging parents to be on top of dates, Bender said.

The UDPA is part of the larger PA, which spans all divisions, but the UD poses unique challenges for parents, Caer said. “A lot of times we feel that [our kids] don’t need us, or we don’t need to be there to help in any way,” she said, “But in fact it’s really fun and interesting to still be involved in the upper school.”

Part of the joy of working in the UDPA is collaborating with students, she said. “It’s a way for us as parents to realize the level of maturity that they are achieving.”

The school’s Take Back the Tap initiative is based on similar initiatives to reduce usage of disposable water bottles at institutions such as the University of Chicago and Cornell University. Many of the school’s strategies have been inspired by these programs.

However, Horace Mann represents the first high school to open a Take Back the Tap chapter, Sweet said. The school’s Take Back the Tap chapter is also unique for its strategy of flavored water coolers and posters to encourage reusable instead of disposable bottles.

Although Luke Weber (11) has noticed the water coolers in the cafeteria, he is “not aware of Take Back the Tap’s goals,” he said.

Take Back the Tap “seems like it has a good intention, and I’m sure some people use it, but I’ve never used it,” Lowell Finster (10) said.

However, Luke Weber (10) believes many students are not aware of their environmental impact, he said.

To improve Take Back the Tap during this school year, Sweet has been asking students what they want from the program, she said.

“I’m trying to create more incentives to participate by taking suggestions from people,” she said.

These suggestions, which students can send to Sweet by email, have included requests for sales of reusable water bottles at the school, putting up more posters, having flavored water coolers more often, and speaking about Take Back the Tap at assemblies, she said.

However, there are other ways students can help with Take back the Tap’s mission, Sweet said. The most simple thing a student has to do to be involved in the initiative is to “just bring your water bottle to school,” she said.

Juli Moreira/Art Director

Student Ambassador program revamps tours and applications Jude Herwitz Staff Writer

INSIDE

The Student Ambassador program has undergone changes in its application process and tours since former Middle Division Head Robin Ingram and Director of Admissions Jason Caldwell have taken over leadership of the program,.

One of the largest changes to the program has been the elimination of eighth grade ambassadors, decreasing the size of the program.

“It got way too big, so with the natural fracture of Mr. Garrison leaving and me coming, Dr. Kelly, Mr. Caldwell, and Ms. Moreira made the decision, ‘Let’s shrink it a little,’” Ingram said.

The program has decreased from around 171 ambassadors last year among five grades to 150 among four.

The switch permits more students per grade to be ambassadors, allowing the program to be more inclusive and eliminating some of the competition, Garrison said.

“We didn’t like saying no to so many students who just genuinely wanted to express a passion about the school to families and spent so much time going through the process to apply,” Registrar and former head of the Student Ambassador program Chris Garrison said.

The change also aims to reach a more diverse section of the student body and to make sure that mentors “represent the diversity of possibilities here, especially in the Middle and

Lying in church

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Vivien Sweet (10) discusses her struggles to balance truth and religion.

Juli Moreira/Art Director

Upper divisions,” Ingram said.

Another major adjustment has been the elimination of applications for ambassadors. Instead, grade deans and Admissions Office members will pick students whom they wish to invite to the program, Ingram said.

There were only 19 students invited to be ambassadors this

Secret world of PhDs

4

Teachers reveal the path to a PhD and what led them there.

year, down from around 50 accepted applications in years past.

The goal of the decision was to reduce the competition around admission to the program, according to an email Ingram wrote to the Upper Division.

Young Joon Kim (12), one of the Student Ambassador Leaders this year, views his role as perhaps more important than previous leaders due to the transition and believes he and the other student leaders will be able to offer helpful experience, especially at open houses, he said. In addition to adjustments in program size, ambassadors will also need to contend with the new task of touring Lutnick Hall, which will require fitting the tour to a 45 minute period and knowledge of the new building.

To account for the increased amount of space to cover, ambassadors will ask prospective families what their interests are and prioritize those while putting less emphasis on other areas, Ingram said.

Another strategy that may be used is to “walk and talk,” Lexi Levy (11) said. Although the campus was already large, the increased ground means that she will need to answer questions while moving instead of stopping for in-depth answers, she said.

Ingram plans on having ambassadors teach each other about areas in which they themselves have a lot of experience so that each ambassador will be able to talk about the school as a whole, she said.

Reading rocks!

7

Community members share their love for reading.

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

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THE RECORD OPINIONS SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2018

Hiding my privilege in the house of God

Vivien Sweet Ironically, I am a pathological liar because of church - I hide my wealth in order to fit in with my religious community. Every Sunday, I dutifully walk to the fifth pew just to the right of the pastor’s pulpit (furthest away from the chatty regular attendees, you know, the ones with the crinkly-eyed smiles who grip your hand extra tightly when saying, “Peace be with you”), grab a Bible, and immerse myself into the same scripture I’ve been reading since childhood. In any normal setting, this isolating routine would tend to ward away almost any ambiguous small-talk makers, but this is not a normal setting. This is the house of God, full to the brim with kind, caring people who genuinely want to know if you are happy and well -- and also why you haven’t been to Youth Group in the past few weeks.

During church small talk, instead of expressing my one hundred percent authentic self, I bring out the trusty façade that I’ve created, lovingly known as “Your Friendly Average Half-Chinese Half-White Middle-Class Tallish-For- My-Age Christian Teenager Who Is Most Certainly Not Hiding Anything.” And, as I settle into this all-too-familiar persona, the lying takes hold. I lie about the small things: what I do after school and what classes I take (as to not attract suspicion that my school offers a wide range of activities and learning opportunities for its students, and therefore must have a lot of money). I also lie about the bigger things: where I went during spring break (instead of Barcelona, I say I visited my family nearby, as to not attract suspicion that I actually travel quite frequently, and therefore I must have a lot of money).

There are some things about myself I simply cannot lie about, and in that case, I just don’t tell the full truth. The most glaring example is where I go to high school (the center of my life besides God, my family, etc). Being the terribly crafty, sneaky person that I am, I have successfully managed to keep almost all of the regular church-goers from knowing the real name of my high school for the past nine months. The trick is simple: when asked about my education, I merely describe my school rather than flat-out admitting that I go to a $50,000 a year private high school called Horace Mann. “Oh, you probably won’t know my school, it’s just some random school in the Bronx, near Bronx Science, you know,” I tell the eager interrogators, prayer books clasped firmly in their arms. It is my witty and extremely twisted take on reverse psychology; by associating generic public high schools with my very own exclusive private high school, I am gently encouraging my fellow followers of Christ to believe that I am just like all of the other regular teenage church attendees: a non-

rich, somewhat-Asian, well-meaning Christian who goes to a perfectly generic high school.

However, as I have learned the hard way, under no circumstances lie about where you live. Because when youth group ends late, and it’s pouring outside, and the R train is running with half-hour delays, and you are forced to ask one of the few leaders who owns a car for a ride, I can guarantee that they will be utterly confused when they enter your address into Waze until it suddenly dawns on them: you do live in the rich part of Queens. This ultimately leads to a mortifying and unbearably awkward car ride in which the driver frequently increases the volume of the faint strains from Christian

Juli Moreira/Art Director

pop station and begins to piece together the clues about your real identity. And no, shrinking behind the funky-smelling grocery bags from the Chinese fish market does not save you from embarrassment or guilt.

Unsurprisingly I was miserable living in this constant lie! Maintaining this complex disguise of pure mediocrity was slowly deteriorating the original grounds of why I decided I should switch churches in the first place. The most ironic part about my entire dilemma was that I had left my old church, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, because I lacked the sense of community that I believe is essential to my Christian faith. However, at my new church, I felt as if I were constantly skating on thin ice around a group of kind-hearted people who I was supposed to trust and confide in. I rejected their persistent appeals to take me out to Newtown’s famed Vietnamese Pho hole-in-the-wall restaurant, mumbling about having an enormous amount of homework or occasionally a “prior and unavoidable family engagement.” I was paranoid of someone discovering my wealth every time I stepped foot onto the church’s old wooden porch.

Of course, bearing the weight of my insecurity and fear, the ugly truth hit me like a brick; my decline of their well-meaning invitations -- from group worship and prayer sessions to after-church bubble tea pit stops -- might imply that I think I am somehow above them and their “get-to-know-you” activities. As I thoroughly dissected my fake persona, I came to the only evident realization: my external, unchangeable identity factors

Volume 116 Editorial Board Managing Editor Betsey Bennett

Editor in Chief Lynne Sipprelle

Features Abby Kanter Megha Nelivigi

News Katie Goldenberg Surya Gowda

Lions’ Den Natasha Stange Brody McGuinn William Han

Photography Abigail Kraus Ahaan Palla Jake Shapiro

Art Directors Juli Moreira Jackson Robers

Faculty Adviser David Berenson

made this superiority complex seem true.

Although I am half-Chinese, I tend to look more like my father, who is white, and even in a community that is 90 percent Asian, with my brown hair and eyes, tanner complexion, and prominent facial features, my true ethnicity is unrecognizable to most. Put that into the mix with my socioeconomic status (thrown into the spotlight by my home in Forest Hills), and you have the spitting image of a snobby, privileged teenager who only goes to church because her parents force her to. By lying impulsively, I had dug myself into a gaping hole of a mistaken identity fueled by the negative stereotypes that came with it. Frankly, I wasn’t sure if I could

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

Design Editors Allison DeRose Caroline Kaplan Online Editor Henry Wildermuth

ever climb out.

This depressing pattern of lying and avoiding becoming friends with my fellow Christians continued for several months, and I felt myself drowning deeper in my own guilt as my conscience berated me for repeatedly making the wrong choices. Until one Sunday morning before the service at Newtown, as I was concentrating on the Bible’s scripture per usual, so hard that the words on the crinkly paper

bored into my brain, completely numb to all conversations around me, one particular verse struck a chord within me. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28-29) Carefully, I scanned the lines over and over, and then I came to my second biggest realization at Newtown. This was God’s community! I racked my brain, scrambling to see how I missed this vital piece to the massive puzzle of my faith. Because what I had failed to acknowledge was that at the very core, going to church and being a Christian is truly about different people coming together to worship God, regardless of worldly influences, features, or possessions. It didn’t matter that we didn’t share the same socioeconomic class, race, or age, because above all we all shared the most valuable thing: our relentless faith in God. Struggling to face my privilege in my church taught me that we all need to engage in conversations about the wealth of our community. Our privilege is undeniable as Horace Mann students and it is often quite easy to forget or even ignore. The local public high school in my neighborhood can’t even afford paper for all of its students. The place is so overcrowded that students take shifts to attend: half go from 6am to 12pm, and the other half from 12pm to 6pm. Our inability to recognize and acknowledge all of the advantages we have been given to succeed as Horace Mann students is a problem that isn’t talked about enough. We should all work to have truly honest discussions about our privilege and how it affects the lives that we lead.

I am still not the perfect Christian.

But I am slowly beginning to open my real self up to my Newtown community, finally shedding my facade as I become more and more vulnerable with my new friends. More than ever, I am taking the first baby steps of an honest follower of Christ by exploring and dissecting my faith with plenty of loving Christians to support and help me. And most importantly, I can now say that I am no longer a pathological liar at church.

Editorial This week’s wave of political headlines includes one particularly relevant to our community - the sexual assault accusations against Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Recently Professor Christine Blasey Ford stepped forward to accuse Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her while they were in high school. Kavanaugh is a politically divisive choice for those who do not agree with his past rulings, but was still a previously wellrespected figure.

Many politicians have belittled Ford’s accusations by saying Kavanaugh was a teenager when the incident occurred, and that therefore that the alleged assault does not represent the person he is today. Consequently, this raises the question to us as a student body of how our actions as teenagers affect us long term.

Beginning in the Lower Division, we are told that we are Horace Mann students regardless of where we are. We represent the school, whether at home, at a party, or on campus. We are therefore always expected to make the right, responsible decisions.

As students, we are constantly told we are future world leaders, and as such, we must consider the impact of every decision we make. And as teenagers, we do have the ability to make conscious and morally sound decisions.

The Kavanaugh proceedings show that the choices we make in high school matter. We may not be legal adults, but we still have the ability to rationalize and think of our impact, to consider how our actions not only affect ourselves, but our future selves and the futures of those around us.

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, Madison Li, Noah Phillips, Eliza Poster, Julia Robbins, Kiara Royer, Abigail Salzhauer, Nishtha Sharma, Griffin Smith, Benjamin Wang, Robbie Werdiger, Simon Yang, Isabella Zhang, Bradley Bennett, Sogona Cisse, Jackson Feigin, Adam Frommer, Andie Goldmacher, Marina Kazarian, John Mauro, Henry Owens, Emily Shi, Samuel Singer, Sasha Snyder, Vivien Sweet, Natalie Sweet, Joshua Underberg Staff Photographers Daniel Lee, Eva Fortunato, Illiana Dezelic, Tatiana Pavletich Staff Artists Elizabeth Fortunato

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

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

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

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

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

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HORACE MANN NEWS SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2018

History faculty implement new research curricula for underclassmen Mayanka Dhingra Staff Writer As the school transitions to a semester system, the Upper Division history department is looking to take advantage of the switch from trimesters and revise research and writing curricula in the upcoming school year.

History faculty are hoping that alterations to the curriculum will be a decisive step towards a greater level of consistency amongst different teachers and grade levels as well as better prepare students to meet the expectations of subsequent electives courses, history teacher Dr. Kalil Oldham said.

Recently the history department has become aware that students oftentimes walk into their new classes having covered slightly different amounts of material and honed different skills from the previous year.

This can lead students to feeling like they are falling behind their classmates causing unnecessary stress and anxiety, especially when it comes to the research aspect of electives, History Department Chair Dr. Daniel Link said.

Last school year, the whole department cancelled all classes to go off site and spend a day reflecting on what teachers do similarly and differently in each of their classes, Link said.

In terms of research, part of the incentive behind altering the department’s prior

approach is the need to adapt to the increasing number of sources available to students today and teach students to think critically about selecting credible sources as they will have to do in their future careers, Link said.

when one group has ten sources available to choose from while another has only two, Granmayeh said.

Link said the department walked away from the retreat with specific goals and multiple assessments for the 9th and 10th

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Rather than pulling information from a series of specifically selected sources, students will have to be more active agents in the research process and consider what they believe can help shape their writing, Ava Merker (11) said.

Leyli Granmayeh (10) said that in the past, research projects have been frustrating because of unequal distributions of sources.

Typically each student or each group is assigned a different topic and it can be unfair

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grade that would serve to ensure projects are more student driven and teach students how to research well and incorporate research into their writing, while also standardizing the skills we teach students.

Library Technology Coordinator Melissa Kazan said she has worked closely with the history department in assessing resources such as databases, electronic reference books, and print books in support of its specific research projects.

“The hope is that students become more aware of the sources available to them to do research, so they can do it more efficiently can better prepare effective and robust papers,” Link said.

“We want students to be practicing skills like using catalogs and databases as well as correctly making bibliographies multiple times over the course of the year so that they become more confident,” Oldham said.

For Sophia Zelizer (11), what’s exciting is not just the opportunity to expand the scope of sources she will be able to use, but also the chance to do work she personally finds more intellectually stimulating instead of textbook work, she said.

Some of the teachers will begin implementing new research projects this fall, but the hope is that by next year all of the teachers will be doing some version of the different assignments the department has come up with, Link said.

According to Link, there is already a research project on African kingdoms that will be done across the ninth grade, as well a project on colonial North America for students in the tenth grade, he said.

Ben Hu (12) believes the shift will help with completing assignments since students will have more ability and time to plan out when they complete projects, he said. “At the same time, I can see how some students might find this overwhelming and intimidating,” said Hu.

Spanish updates textbook Henry Owens Staff Writer

Juli Moriera/ Art Director

Changes to HM246 Vivien Sweet Staff Writer

HM246, one of the Center for Community Values and Action’s service learning projects, offers numerous exciting new programs to students from local public schools who participate every Wednesday.

“It’s called HM246 because we’re on 246th street in the Bronx and we want to make it clear that we’re opening up our doors to the community,” Head Coordinator of HM246 Dr. Jeremy Leeds said.

According to Leeds, the majority of these new programs were established by high school students at the beginning of the school year, such as the HM246 Times, a newspaper run by Megha Nelgivi (12) and Sadie Schwartz (12), a food review workshop run by Andie Goldmacher (10), a psychology program run by Natalie Baer (11) and Emily Marks (10), and the Math Magicians, a workshop on cool math tricks and interesting problems run by Dora Woodruff (11).

Additionally, there are new art programs focused on producing and learning about art and a new health program called Live Healthy and Learn How, Leeds said. Many programs from previous years have grown and are being improved, he said.

Baer started the psychology workshop with Marks because they do not think classes on the subject are available to most middle school students, she said. They plan on starting their program with a bit of history on psychology and why wellness is important, but also including “different experiments and fun things that they can take with them, such as stress balls,” Baer said.

“HM246 seemed like a really good place to start the program since we’re equipped with so many resources and there’s a lot of flexibility to make your own plans regarding the program,” she said.

However, not only are new programs being implemented, but past programs are being improved. For example, William Golub (12), a leader of HM246’s two robotics programs, plans on building the curriculum for his programs, he said.

Each of the robotics programs, directed towards fourth to seventh graders, run for half a year, he said. “The first workshop is on programming, and the second is on robotics,” he said.

The participants in the programs are exposed to “a couple different programming tools that help them build projects on their own as an introduction to the Arduino system, which helps them get an understanding of what engineering is like,” he said.

This year, Golub wants to focus on making sure that the program builds on previous lessons, which will help the students get a sense of how everything fits together, he said.

“Having [the students] build on previous lessons will give them a chance to make cooler and more advanced projects that they’ll be proud of, so I’m looking forward to seeing the projects that they come up with this year,” he said.

Natalie Sanchez, the new CCVA program associate, is very excited about helping out with program, she said.

“I was fortunate to visit HM246 last year and I was really impressed, so I can’t wait to work with this group and to see more of the classes in action, especially the newer ones,” Sanchez said.

Another addition to the program is a partnership with the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, an agency that will send participants from PS95 up to the school every Wednesday, Leeds said.

Leeds thinks that more high school students are realizing that HM246 is here every Wednesday with a variety of resources, which is why “each year HM246 has grown, both in terms of the projects that HM students offer and the number of participants that come,” he said.

The World’s Language department has introduced a new textbook to Spanish classes to increase focus on discussion and presentation and reduce the stress of the courses.

Each chapter of the new textbook, “Gente,” focuses on student projects such as reviewing short films or creating their own products while incorporating vocabulary and grammar, foreign language teacher Daisy Vazquez said.

The general curriculum is also changing to what’s called a “task based approach,” which gets students using the language from the very start, Head of the Language Department Maria del Pilar Valencia said.

“It’s been found through research that language acquisition works better when you actually try to use it,” said Valencia. “That’s why when you go on vacation to a place where they speak the language you are studying, you end up feeling more comfortable and more fluent using the language than when you memorize the rules or vocabulary,” she said.

“The students are working in pairs all the time, doing presentations, and using their skills,” said Vazquez.

The change in textbook in curriculum is in part a result of the intensity of Spanish courses at the school, Valencia said.

“We’ve been thinking about and researching ways that would have kids learning Spanish with the same quality at the same speed but making the experience less demanding and stressful,” she said.

According to Valencia, the “Gente” textbook has been used in Spanish 4 for the past two years as a pilot. This year, the department has started using the book in Spanish 1 and 2 for both the honors and regular track and hopes to extend it to Spanish 3 next school year.

“Transition is not always a comfortable thing, but what we’ve seen in terms of students developing confidence in being able to speak and to use the language with more accuracy and more control is really impressive,” Valencia said.

“There’s been a lot more discussion between peers versus just individual work,” Alexis Fry (10), who is currently taking Spanish 2, said.

The new curriculum also seemed to be geared more towards communicating and fluency instead of just learning a few terms, she said.

Andrew Cassino (11), who is enrolled in Spanish 4, has not yet seen any substantial change in the course being more discussionbased, he said. Cassino thinks this would be a positive change, but believes it is too early to tell, he said.

Juli Moriera/ Art Director

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THE RECORD FEATURES SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2018

The doctor is in: PhDs at school Julia Robbins and Gabby Kepnes Staff Writers

Many faculty members at the school hold hard-earned PhDs, and their journeys towards receiving these degrees are all unique and complex. According to the school’s website, there are currently 28 faculty members with doctorate degrees.

There are three steps to receiving a PhD, all of which lead to writing one’s dissertation, an extensive research paper about their chosen topic.

“Depending on the program, you usually start off with two to three years of coursework,” English teacher Dr. Andrew Fippinger said. “It’s almost like an extension of college where there are greater expectations of writing.”

Fippinger mainly focused on 19th century British literature and analyzed books written by George Eliot and Charles Dickens in his dissertation.

Once PhD candidates have chosen their thesis topic and received their advisor, they begin their research.

Candidates often travel to foreign countries or different parts of the United States to conduct research. History teacher Dr. Elisa Milkes spent a year abroad researching in England and Scotland, and

History Department Chair Dr. Daniel Link used the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. as a resource.

Milkes received a PhD in history and wrote her dissertation on 19th century Britain. She looked at how Britons from around 1815 to 1915 commemorated and remembered the Battle of Waterloo.

Link also received his PhD in history, but he focused on the ramifications of the Cold War in New York City. Link chose the topic partly because the Cold War had a formative impact on him as a young man growing up at the end of the conflict.

Finally, after completing the research part of the process, PhD candidates write their dissertation and complete an oral examination before university faculty.

Students that should consider working towards a PhD should enjoy working independently and feel confident about creating their own scholarly community, Milkes said.

People need to be very focused and diligent with the ability to set long term goals, as it takes many years before a PhD candidate receives their doctorate, Link said.

“You really have to be interested in what you’re doing,” Science Department Chair Dr. Stephen Palfrey said. “You’ll be working on the same topic from two to eight years.”

Palfrey received his PhD in physics, in which he performed experiments on precision measurements in helium atoms.

He measured these energies to a higher degree of precision and compared his results to a theory of the actual value.

“If I look at people who’ve gotten physics PhDs in the last 30 years, it’s clear that they’ve all successfully pursued varying careers,” Palfrey said.

“There are many different paths you can take from having a PhD; for me it didn’t have to be just science research,” Palfrey said.

Having a PhD opens up opportunities to work at universities and colleges, Link said.

While applying to Horace Mann, it was an advantage to have a PhD because the school could see that Milkes held extensive knowledge about how historical thinking, including historiography, actually works, she said.

Link has been able to apply his knowledge from his Cold War dissertation to his Global Cold War elective at school, he said.

Science teacher Dr. Ndeye Diop-Bove uses her experience from working in a molecular biology lab to help students in her Biotech class learn how to manipulate DNA sequences, she said.

Diop-Bove earned her PhD in chemistry with a focus on cancer biology and drug resistance in cells. “[I] wanted to contribute to this field as so many patients are affected by the lack of drug efficacy while undergoing chemotherapy,” she said.

It is important for students, especially students of color, to see teachers of color with PhDs, said Diop-Bove, who identifies as a woman of color.

Math teacher Dr. Linda Hubschman earned her PhD in philosophy, focusing on how moral reflection is necessary for moral improvement. Growing up in a religious household, Hubschman became interested in the ethics of religion from a young age, which led her to focus on ethics in the field of philosophy.

However, before studying philosophy, Hubschman received her BA in mathematics.

“I thought it would be fun and very satisfying to teach math because there are clear answers. This suits my personality and interests me more than philosophy did,” Hubschman said.

Fippinger received his PhD only last year.

“I’ve been at HM for five years where

Liz Fortunato/Staff Artist

for most of my time, I was known with the prefix ‘Mr.’,” Fippinger said. “I still haven’t adjusted because every time I write an email, I have to remind myself to sign it ‘Dr.’” For Hubschman, it is rewarding to be called ‘Dr.’ because her graduate school journey was very challenging, she said.

French teacher Dr. Niamh Duggan, who received her PhD in French literature, first earned her master’s in Gender Studies at Oxford University.

For future PhD candidates, Duggan recommends working hard on receiving a strong undergraduate degree first, reading all you can in your subject area, and understanding that the process will be rewarding but also challenging, she said.

“Make sure you can’t imagine doing anything else,” Duggan said.

“Get your PhD first and your Nobel Prize second,” was the advice Palfrey received during his PhD process. “You don’t need to do something totally earth shattering to have a successful PhD.”

Liz Fortunato/Staff Artist

The PhD process in four steps

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1. Coursework 2. Research 3. Write a thesis 4. Receive a doctorate!

4

1 2

5

HORACE MANN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2018

School gallery incorporates printmaking works from diverse artists John Mauro Staff Writer

The Temporary Residency 6 Manhattan Gallery (TR6) displayed unique artwork by faculty and visiting artists.

Primarily a printmaking exhibition, the gallery showcased several works from faculty artists at the school to artists from across the globe.

The gallery, which was formerly hosted in Honolulu, Ireland, and

Tasmania, was organized for the sixth time by printmaking teacher Prawat Laucharoen and hosted by the school for the third time. The exhibit, which will remain until the end of September, featured artists from abroad contaced by Laucharoen.

Visiting artists Nicol SandersO’Shea from New Zealand and Lonny Tomono from Hawaii met with school faculty. “We produced innovative interpretations and

Courtesy of Barry Mason

TR6 Gallery displays works of artists from diverse backgrounds.

influenced each other with our varying approaches,” Laucharoen said.

“Something special about this program is that people don’t know exactly what they’re doing when they come together. But through conversation, we discover something, we inspire each other, and suddenly, we get a spark,” Laucharoen said.

Since O’Shea’s art is typically centered around domestic life and social issues, she focused on creating a piece that exemplified this dislocation, she said. She used random images and patterns on laser cut paper that normally would’ve been discarded. The print itself is elevated to a high art status by being on the wall; being made of scraps, it exemplifies the idea of temporary art, which doesn’t last forever,” she said.

One particular piece of art, titled Not Me by Sheila Ferri caught the eye of Patricia Zuroski, Director of the Office for Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity. The piece depicts smaller red shoes on the left side, accompanied by a sampler stating “Be a good little girl” and a black stool. From the red shoes, a curved trail of footprints led to a pair of black heels, stopping in front of a mirror. To the left of the mirror was a sign that said “Not Me,” with additional signs taped to the wall saying “Me too,” she said.

“It is shocking but it immediately says something,” Zuroski said. “It

Courtesy of Barry Mason

#ME TOO Visting artists use art as a form of political activism. shows when you grow up, everyone is surprised that you don’t follow the straight path of life and are imperfect and vulnerable,” she said.

There’s not really a social, political, or educational theme, but the thing that ties everything together is that we are all setting our minds into an unknown adventure,” Laucharoen said.

“The really good thing that works is that it’s multidisciplinary, as well as multimedia; there’s not one fixed approach,” O’Shea said.

Isabella Binnmyr (10) and Gabby Fischberg (10) toured the gallery during the I period exhibition on September 13th.

“It made me feel that art is a fluid and constantly changing process,” Binnmyr said.

“The art that I saw inspired a lot of new pieces of mine,” Fischberg said.

“It’s always fun to see how someone comes about with a creative process and a different way of seeing,” visual arts teacher Kim Do said. “I was very inspired to see how the varying artists would manipulate their materials and try different processes.

It’s worth taking a little more time than we usually would to allow your eye the freedom to wander the piece and find your own interpretation,” he said.

Guts, gore, glory: a review of three time Emmy winning TV show Game of Thrones Jackson Roberts/ Arts Director

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74.5%

of students haven’t watched any of the nominated shows

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Percentages were based off of responses from an anonymous Record poll sent to the Upper Divisionregarding the Emmy Awards, to which 210 students responded

Julia Roth/ Contributing Artist

ries ds te

of students voted for “Stranger Things”

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ld win bes tc shou w om ho

complex plots and relationships to create a fantastical world for viewers to explore and enjoy.

y ed

ld win bes td shou w ra ho

filled with adventure, all within reach through your television, computer, or phone. The show seamlessly blends

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I believe the episode earned its Best Direction nod.

Game of Thrones has a something for everyone: love, war, murder, mystery, and even humor. Beyond the gore exists a beautiful and complicated world

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The seventh season of Game of Thrones has earned a staggering yet deserved twenty-two Emmy nominations this year, more than any other show on television. The show, based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, has kept millions of fans, including myself, captivated since 2011.

The eighth and final season’s release date is yet to be announced, but the season is expected to come out ummer 2019. I know that I will be counting down the days until I can watch the final resolution of the epic series.

At this year’s Emmy’s, the show won best Drama Series, Best Special Visual Effects, and Best Supporting Actor for Peter Dinklage.

The season’s sixth episode, Beyond the Wall, follows several storylines that have been developing throughout the show: the Starks’ journey in reclaiming their home, Winterfell, Daenerys Targaryen’s quest to conquer Westeros, and Jon Snow’s hunt to capture a member of the army of the dead that lives beyond the wall.

While this all seems complicated, the storylines are interconnected, and different characters from different parts of the realm come together in ways that have kept viewers hooked for countless hours of entertainment. I believe that this plot complexity is what has earned the show its many accolades, including Best Drama.

That said, the show is definitely not for everyone. Game of Thrones keeps viewers enthralled at a cost; the show is grotesque and portrays a world

in which women are often abused, humiliated, and exploited. A great example of a character who has been severely abused is Daenerys Targaryen.

She is raped, sold and beaten by her brother in the first season, but by the seventh season stands on the brink of conquering the world. The ability of characters to be resilient and defy their circumstances transcends the gore and harsh abuse depicted in the show, giving it a purpose.

The sixth episode starts with Jon Snow and a group of experienced warriors exploring beyond the wall on a mission for Daenerys to try to bring back a member of the army of the dead.

If the men can capture and bring back one of these monsters, they can then bring it to the capital of Westeros, King’s Landing, to show the evil queen Cersei Lannister, that their true enemy is in the north. The fighting within the Seven Kingdoms is meaningless if the army of the dead is going to kill them all.

The true stars of this episode are the white walkers. Intense, grotesque, and deadly. they create one of the most terrifying moments in television history. Jon Snow, Jorah Mormont, and the Mountain, among others, are trapped on a small island surrounded by the malignant creatures. A glorious battle ensues, and the men hover on the brink of death as Daenerys arrives with her dragons, saving the day and proving that she is indeed the Breaker of Chains and the future of the realm.

The beautiful visuals of the battle, combined with the epic CGI dragons and intense landscape shots behind the walls are just a few of the reasons

Alexandra Crotty/ Contributing Artist

Amelia Feiner Staff Writer

6

THE RECORD MIDDLE DIVISION SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2018

Almost play season: students audition for “Almost Maine” Emily Shi Staff Writer Auditions began this week for the Middle Division winter play “Almost, Maine,” by John Cariani, which will be performed three times at the beginning of December.

“I didn’t know this when I chose the play, but it’s actually one of the most widely produced plays in middle schools,” Theater Teacher Haila VanHentenryck said.“I really liked the story, characters, and structure.”

The play tells the story of ten minutes in the lives of different residents of Almost, Maine, a small fictional town located in northern Maine.

All of the characters have substantial speaking roles, as the story is told through different tenminute vignettes, Bailey Hecht (8) said.

“This play is a learning experience for me, being a new faculty member here, so I want to definitely learn a lot about the process of directing a play at Horace Mann. I hope that the people in the cast have a fun and enjoyable experience of doing the play,” VanHentenryck said.

According to Ross Petras (8), MD students at the school can relate to central themes of the “Almost, Maine.” “It includes people awkwardly talking and going out on dates, which happens a lot in middle school,” he said.

Roles in this play can present a challenge to middle school students when they embody real

characters who are in love. “Acting in love on stage is desired by some and feared by many,” VanHentenryck said. “Allowing yourself to feel as the character is hard for middle schoolers.”

Nikita Pande (6) believes that challenges in this year’s play will be a good opportunity for her to have a more professional experience in theater, she said.

YOUNG THESPIANS MD students try out for roles.

During auditions this week, VanHentenryck is searching for a group of middle schoolers who can relate to other people, take risks, embody ideas, and work well with others, she said.

This year, auditions allow the students to work with others as opposed to past years, where solo auditions were held. “I was a lot

Julia Isko/Staff Photographer

more nervous in sixth grade, as it’s easier for me to work with other people than doing solo auditions,” Petras said.

Hecht, who has been in the MD play before, has had a positive experience in her sixth and seventh grade years, she said. This year, she is planning on auditioning for a character named Gory who searches for her husband. “I’d love to get any character, but I feel like this role is the most human character that I can closely relate to,” she said.

“Hopefully I’ll have a decision by this weekend so that I can email the cast and prepare for our first rehearsal,” VanHentenryck said. Once the cast is determined, rehearsals will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after school from 3:20 to 5:20 PM. The play this year features main characters as well as an ensemble, which is different from how the play is usually produced, Hecht said.

“I want to have something after school that I can look forward to,” Pande said. “I came from the Lower Division, and I don’t know everyone here, so I if there are new kids in the play I can get to know them better because we have to rely on each other and be a team,” she said.

Petras is excited for the first performance so that the team can finally see the product of their rehearsals, he said.

“I’m really happy that Horace Mann has the option to do theater and I’m super excited to improve on my acting skills,” Pande said.

Sixth graders were asked to describe their first few weeks in middle school in one word.

Allison DeRose/Design Editor

Sixth graders to explore identity and social justice in new seminar Nistha Sharma Staff Writer

Starting next week, sixth graders will partake in a semester-long course called Seminar on Identity (SOI), a new addition to their curriculum. The course will replace the old Life Skills course, which has now been incorporated into advisory.

Jackson Roberts/Art Director

SOI was first introduced two years ago to the 11th grade curriculum. “We’re excited to bring a version of this curriculum to the MD, where many students are already exploring these topics,” Office of Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity Associate Sharina Gordon said. “We hope SOI can help provide structure at an important transition point for our students.”

“I would like to see the sixth graders explore who they are, understand a bit more about who their classmates are, and give them some vocabulary to talk about identity,” Middle Division History teacher Caitlin Hickerson, who will be co-teaching one of the classes, said.

The new seminar is completely different from the sixth grade Life Skills course, and it will be replacing it in its time slot, Gordon said.

“SOI aims to foster an understanding of identity at the individual level, to jumpstart discussion of identity at the structural level, and to identify tools to begin to respond to injustice,” Gordon said.

The class will provide the foundation for students to begin examining the relationship between identity, social-emotional awareness and ally-ship, she said.

“We’re fortunate to have the resources to introduce a course to our sixth graders that explores the intersection of gender and race and so much more,” Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said. “Life in the middle is about to take a huge and purposeful step forward as we continue to prepare our students to learn and grow in an increasingly diverse and inclusive world.”

Rena Salsberg (6) believes social justice is interesting, she said. “I’m happy to take the course.”

The first half of the course will involve students delving into identity formation and starting to build the foundation for deeper conversations, Gordon said.

Later on, students will “examine the intersections of gender and race through readings, film screenings and open dialogue,” she said. “The course will wrap up with allyship and possibilities of what to do next.”

“I hope that [the course] will encourage more informal conversations about how we can be authentic and how we can welcome others who are living authentically as well,” Hickerson said.

“I’m actually really excited to be able to learn more about social justice,” Madison Mitchell (6) said. To her, social justice means having the opportunity to give to other people, something she looks forward to hearing more about, she said.

Dani Brooks (6) thinks learning about social justice and identity can be a good time to reflect on the community, she said. “I think this class can be really thoughtful,” she said.

While there is no current plan to incorporate SOI into the seventh or eighth grade curriculums, eighth graders will still have the opportunity to take an elective offered by the ICIE that discusses identity and social media, Gordon said.

“Seventh graders are also encouraged to continue exploring these topics through the lens of other academic courses, like English, history, and science,” Gordon said. “Sixth grade SOI is starting as a pilot and then we’ll reassess next steps.”

7

HORACE MANN LITERACY MONTH SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2018

Get lit for National Literacy Month Review of Factfulness

by Hans Rosling

Review of Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera

Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly

English teacher Dr. Andrew Fippinger

Jackson Roberts/Art Director

Eliza Poster/Contributing Artist

We live in a world where it takes a great deal of effort to uncover, let alone discover, the truth. With social media dominating our devices, we’re bombarded daily by information processed through a growing number of opinion-oriented filters. Within this growing sea of mis- and dis-information, Rosling and his co-authors provide evidence of a world much better off than most of us would ever imagine. The authors refer to this as “the secret silent miracle of human progress.”

Rosling and his colleagues encourage the readers of Factfulness to complete a short quiz included in the opening of his book. In 2017 the authors proposed these same questions to nearly 12,000 people in 14 countries, all deemed to have a welleducated populace. The results were startling: The test-takers scored just two correct answers out of the first 12 questions.

Over recent decades Rosling has proposed hundreds of fact questions similar to those in his 2017 quiz to “thousands of people across the world.” The incorrect responses gleaned have been similarly startling, compelling the majority of quiz-takers to call into question what they thought they knew about the world.

Rosling eventually discerned ten instincts that feed a distorted perspective of the world around us, from our tendency to focus on the bad more than the good, to our excessive reliance on stereotypes instead of evidence, to our habit of looking at one number out of context. Rosling elaborates on these in Factfulness, with each chapter dedicated to explaining one reason—one instinct—for our inability to see the facts.

Rosling’s Factfulness shines light on a world wherein evidence of thoughtful and purposeful progress is undeniable, yet easily unnoticed or unseen by an overwhelming majority of the world’s population. Rosling further describes his work as directed at nothing short of “eradicating ignorance.” A lofty goal, to be sure, it is nevertheless one that we, as students, educators and as citizens of the world, have an obligation to pursue, as well.

The End

By Claire Yoo

Kiara Royer/Contributing Artist

There’s too much happening to read anymore With that goldfish you feed two whole times a day And all those long numbers to type into your Excel spreadsheet and The thirty minutes of cardio you do “every morning” Oh, and with your great aunt’s half-birthday next week?

Just forget about it It’s absurd to request someone to do the impossible– Give up your valuable time watching Seinfeld reruns To start that book that’s been collecting dirt since the Dust Bowl?

Stop mindlessly scrolling through that random kid’s Facebook To finally crack open the next Great American Novel?

Leave that oh so intellectually challenging game of Fortnite To finish that book that was assigned to you three blood moons ago?

Completely preposterous Why can’t books be published as news notifications?

Why can’t an author fit the full beauty and heartache of a Completely different world of life and love Into a simple 280 character Tweet?

Novels will be extinct by the next election cycle anyway And then we’ll be listening to our stories through Amazon’s Alexa But I guess until then, Until that most inevitable and glorious day, I can spend a couple of minutes To finish this last chapter Before my next English class Begins

“A book that

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison -- English teacher Dr. Adam Casdin

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas --Nshera Tutu (10) Grendel by John Gardner --Administrative Assistant Ennis Smith When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi --Rosy Arora (10) All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor --Library Department Chair Caroline Bartels Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes --History teacher Eva Abbamonte

“I’m dead, Makina said to herself,” as “the earth opened up” in a giant sinkhole, very nearly killing her. Thus begins Mexican novelist Yuri Herrera’s Signs Preceding the End of the World, the story of Makina, a young Mexican woman who travels through the violent, male-dominated world of Mexican border towns and secretly crosses into an equally violent, xenophobic America in search of her brother.

On the way, she heroically holds her own with Mexican gangsters and American vigilantes. The novel is obviously topical, although I would point out that it was written during the Obama years—a healthy reminder that the problems of immigration and the Mexican-American border are nothing new.

Beyond that political relevance, Herrera’s novel depicts an enthralling, frightening quest narrative that is simultaneously all too realistic and, at times, fantastical. The Odyssey echoes throughout, but rather than a story of homecoming, Makina travels further away from home, and her crossing of the Rio Grande in an innertube suggests a figurative crossing of the River Styx into Hades. Herrera was also inspired by Ancient Mexican mythologies of the various levels of the afterlife, and it’s hard to tell whether we’re supposed to interpret the entire story as a quest through the afterlife or through our real world. I would argue it’s a bit of both.

Furthermore, the novel has the added benefit of being extremely short—I read the entire book in one sleepless night! Of all the books I read over the summer, Signs Preceding the End of the World is the one I would most highly recommend to the school community. (Hat tip to Sarah McIntyre, who suggested the book to me.)

changed me”

I’ll Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda --Kelly Troop (10) Between the World and Me by Ta Nehisi Coates --Charlotte Pinney (12) and Malhaar Agrawal (11) Justice by Michael Sandel --William Golub (12) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak --Bradley Bennett (10) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie --Matthew Jacobson (8)

Juli Moreira/Art Director

Lions’ Den Record Sports

8

SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2018

Breaking News: Tennis courts to be installed by spring Ranya Sareen Staff Writer

Four courts will be installed behind Lutnick Hall later this fall and should be operational by spring, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said.

Discussions had been taking place as to whether the school should use the space behind the new construction to install a turf field instead of courts, because the long term goal of the school is to construct five courts by Broadway behind Rose and Fisher Halls within the next two years.

Members of the Girls Tennis team had hoped to play their Homecoming match on newly-built school tennis courts behind Lutnick Hall. Those courts have yet to be built, and the tennis team played Saturday’s match in Van Cortlandt Park, as they have for the past two seasons.

Kelly emphasized the potential advantages of having courts on Broadway, which would include lights, a protective bubble, proper viewing, and five full courts. “However, these advantages are not driving the decision making. We really are focused on finding a permanent home for the tennis courts,” he said.

Gibby Thomas (12), co-Captain of the Girls Varsity Tennis team, was disappointed by the lack of tennis courts on campus for Homecoming. The situation was “very frustrating because we have been undefeated for four years in a row and there is no other team like that in this school,” she said.

Connor Morris (12), co-Captain of the Boys Varsity Tennis team, expressed similar frustration over the absence of on-campus playing space, as one of the first highlights he noticed about the school was its great courts. Morris, who came in ninth grade, has been playing competitive tennis since middle school but hasn’t had the chance to

use the school’s courts since his freshman year.

Thomas first grew frustrated when she found out a week prior to Homecoming that the courts wouldn’t be ready for the big day.

Through rumors going around and seeing that construction on the courts didn’t show signs of progress, Thomas realized the team would be playing in the park.

Boys Varsity Tennis player Roey Nornberg (11) wishes that he had been informed of the possibility of not having tennis courts rebuilt this year, so that his expectations wouldn’t have been so Courtesy of Griffin Smith

UNDER CONSTRUCTION Tennis court construction site. high, he said.

Spencer Klein (11) explained that the courts were first demolished after Homecoming his Freshman year and with no on-campus courts, tennis players have to walk down the hill to Van Cortlandt Park to practice, he said.

This walk cuts valuable time out of practice, Hannah Long (12), co-Captain of the Girls Varsity Tennis team, said.

Other time consuming factors, according to Nornberg, include the requirement to have a chaperone accompany the walk down to Van Cortlandt, which is difficult to organize, he said.

Sidh Chawla (11) said that it would be helpful to have oncampus courts as walking down is too time-consuming with huge bags.

The distance from the school to Van Cortlandt Park also lessens the number of spectators attending the matches.

With fewer spectators, both Thomas and Long said playing down in Van Cortlandt makes home matches feel a little less at home because the team is so isolated from the campus community.

Tennis would be more central if there were courts close to the center of campus, to not only increase the number of supporters but also increase the spirit, Morris said.

“Isolation can be avoided,” Isha Agarwal (11) said. Because the campus already has a surplus of fields, adding another one seems unnecessary, she said.

Girls Varsity Tennis player Sabrina Freidus (10) was new in the ninth grade and never had the chance to play on the school’s courts. For as long as she has been on the team, she’s been practicing down in Van Cortlandt, “so there’s really nothing to miss,” she said.

Despite the disadvantages of having to travel down the hill to practice, this walk ultimately helps members of the team bond as they blast music and have singalongs, Long said.

Rawlins Troop, Girls Varsity Tennis Head Coach, would love on-campus tennis courts, but understands that there are other priorities, he said.

Don’t Mess with the Best: #HomecomingHighlights Abigail Kraus/Photo Editor

Melchior Lee (12) defends and scores two goals

Jake Shapiro/Photo Editor

Matthew Kaufman (12) returns interception for touchdown

Mixed reactions to new rules in the new pool Bradley Bennett Staff Writer

The mandatory swim tests which have been taking place over the past few weeks in the newly constructed aquatics center have yielded mixed reactions from students throughout the high school.

Although the school has mandated swim tests in the past, not all students in the high school had been tested, so the Physical Education department decided to implement a new swim test to ensure the safety of all students using the pool, Aquatics Director Thatcher Woodley said.

“We want everyone in the high school to be safe in the event of a water emergency,” Woodley said. “If you do not complete the swim test, you will be encouraged to take a ‘learn to swim’ program as part of your PE rotation.”

“We want the aquatics program to be really diverse, because there’s so much you can do in a pool besides swimming,” Woodley said.

A number of students spoke positively about the swim test.

“I thought the swim test was going to be annoying, and I didn’t want to do it at all,” Amanda Katiraei (10) said, “but it was actually really fun for me because they let us choose our lane, so I was able to swim with my friends.”

“I think the swim test is a very good thing for the school to have because we have a really amazing pool and being able to swim is a really valuable skill,” Eli Scher (10) said.

“It was a little annoying to change into my swim clothes in the

middle of the day, but it was definitely not as bad as it’s made out to be,” Roey Nornberg (11) said.

However, many students did not enjoy their experience with the swim tests, or thought it was unnecessary, for varying reasons.

“For me, the swim test was very bad because I had it early in the morning, and it was a pain to swim and be soaking the rest of the day,” Armaan Kakodkar (10) said. “Also, the wait to do your laps was very long and sometimes they made you wait in the pool for a while.”

“I do Dance PE, so I didn’t see the point of having to take the swim test if I’m never going to use the pool,” Katiraei said. “It seemed a little unnecessary if you’re not doing the water polo or swimming team.”

“It was a negative experience for me because I had to bring my swimsuit and towels to school, it took time out of my day, and my hair was wet for the rest of the day,” Gunner Momsen (10) said.

The swim test consists of students swimming two laps back and forth in the pool, which totals 100 meters, followed by treading water for one minute, Robbie Werdiger (11) said.

“Now any time I have a free with my friends, I would definitely use the pool,” Werdiger said.

“I think the swim test is an important security measure that keeps all HM students secure in the pool,” Tyler Jonas (12) said.

“Given this week’s hot temperatures, the swim test was a nice reprieve from the heat and a great opportunity to check out the new pool.”

Courtesy of Shant Amerkanian

Katie Goldenberg (12) scores first of two goals

“I actually ended up asking to stay in the pool after the swim tests were over, because it was really nice to be in the pool,” Nornberg said.

“One of the most important life skills is being able to swim, and now that we have a new pool it’s a great time to start using it,” Werdiger said.

Abigail Kraus/Photo Editor

STAYING AFLOAT Students tread water as part of test.