The Horace Mann Record, Issue 5

The Horace Mann Record HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903

OCTOBER 5TH, 2018 || VOLUME 116, ISSUE 5

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Freshman candidates take the stage Marina Kazarian and John Mauro Staff Writers

School community discusses sexual consent Julia Robbins Staff Writer

In the wake of the #MeToo movement and conversations surrounding the Supreme Court hearings of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, members of the community received an email from Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly this past Sunday, entitled “An Important Message about Sexual Consent.”

The email provided the definition of sexual consent, as developed by the organization “Power Up, Speak Out!”, along with words of support for survivors of sexual assault and the community at large.

The broader #MeToo movement has been a powerful force in raising awareness about the alarming frequency of sexual abuse, Upper Division (UD) Director of Counseling and Guidance Dr. Daniel Rothstein said.

The school has numerous methods to promote knowledge on the topics of consent and sexual harassment for students, faculty, and parents, in addition to related policies laid out in the Family Handbook.

“The school organizes a day-long visit with the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC) for all ninth graders and any 10th or 11th graders new to the school, which covers the topic of sexual consent and harassment,” Head of Upper Division Dr. Jessica Levenstein said. “Among many offerings aimed to educate, inform, and provide space around issues of consent, students can attend Wellness Week programs that directly relate to these issues,” Psychologist Dr. Ian Pervil said. The

school also hosts speakers who provide expert information on issues related to abuse, harassment, and consent, and numerous clubs and publications to educate students on topics related to boundaries and consent, he said.

Another method that the school employs to teach students about consent is educational videos in the Health curriculum. All ninth graders watch the video “Consent: It’s as Simple as Tea,” also included in the school-wide email, that shows how consent can be given and taken away as easily as accepting or rejecting a cup of tea.

Eli Scher (10) believes the video is more suited for younger students than high schoolers. The video is a good way to make consent understandable, but it does not reflect the severity of the topic at hand, he said.

Parents can also reach out to the Department of Counceling and Guidance to discuss issues relating to sexual harassment and abuse, Pervil said.

Levenstein is hosting conversations with parents on the topic of consent as part of her “Conversations with the Parents Association,” she said.

The school provides faculty members in-service education and funding for workshops related to issues of consent and harassment, Pervil said.

The Department of Counseling and Guidance hosted a drop-in discussion for faculty on Wednesday “to provide teachers with a place to talk with one another about the challenging questions and conversations that may have come up in their classrooms against the backdrop of last week’s Supreme Court nominee hearings,” Psychologist Dr. Liz

Westphal said.

The school will continue to provide students with a safe place to validate their experiences with the trained professionals in the Department of Counseling and Guidance, Levenstein said. Additionally, the school will continue to refer cases of sexual assault to law enforcement, as is required by law, she said.

“The psychologists in the Department of Counseling & Guidance all have experience in helping students manage the emotional consequences of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse,” Rothstein said. “We are here to talk and to think through all types of resources available,” he said.

“If an assault has occurred, a parent or guardian does have to be notified (unless the parent or guardian is the perpetrator of abuse). This can feel daunting; however, it is almost always the case that families rise to the occasion and offer the needed support for their student,” Rothstein said.

“Students should also know that there are organizations outside the school, such as RAIIN.org, which provide hotliness and other ways to talk,” he said.

Members of the school community can support the #MeToo movement by “respecting what consent means” and by “serving as an advocate for the work in this area that still needs to be done,” Kelly said.

Consent is self- explanatory and “obvious,” but it is important that the school is addressing the issue, especially because if consent is taught from an early age, it becomes engrained in peoples’ minds, Shay Soodak (11) said.

Elections for the ninth grade class presidency kicked off on Thursday, where freshmen voting will determine the representatives of the grade for the year.

The candidates introduced themselves during an I period panel on Thursday and spoke to their class, describing their platforms and the changes they would hope to implement if elected.

There are nine pairs of students running for class president, Dean of the Class of 2022 Dr. Glenn Wallach said. Their platforms were posted on the student life Haiku page and students were expected to vote for their representatives through a Google form

together,” McCarthy said.

Other candidates share a similar sentiment. Alex Nagin (9), who is running with Claire Goldberg (9), is focusing on making their campaign less serious in order to show people that they want to make freshman year more enjoyable, he said.

“We were thinking about basing some of our ideas off of what other grades have done. For example, we were thinking of freshman movie night and other fun events. We would try to raise money to donate to a charity that the grade would vote on,” Nagin said.

Catherine Mignone (9), who is running with James Thomas (9), chose to run for class president because she likes doing activities that involve leadership, she said.

Mignone and Thomas would focus Ahaan Palla/Photo Editor

TO THE POLLS Freshman meet their class presidential candidates and listen to their platforms. from Thursday afternoon until today, Wallach said.

Before hearing the speeches on Thursday, Liliana Greyf (9) already knew some of the candidates and had some ideas of who she thought would be a good class president, she said.

Nonetheless, hearing the speeches on Thursday is an important factor for Greyf in deciding who to vote for, she said.

Walker McCarthy (9), who is running with Emma Colacino (9), is focusing his platform on community building and bringing the grade together.

“Emma and I are interested in making the school a more enjoyable place.

Freshman year particularly has a large group of new students, and I think we could act as facilitators to bring people

on mental health, if they are elected, and making sure that students are enjoying themselves, especially because of the stress associated with schoolwork, Mignone said.

“If we were to be elected, we would want to host a bake sale or a series of bake sales to have class apparel and also have class activities like Middle Mania, field day, a grade wide game of assassin, and a trivia competition after school,” McCarthy said.

“I would like for the candidates to focus on arranging activities for the grade to get to know each other more.

I’ll vote for people based on how nice of a person they are and how charismatic they are, but the most important thing is their platform,” Rohan Buluswar (9) said.

Green light: stop sign to be replaced with traffic light Jude Herwitz Staff Writer

INSIDE

Eight months after the stop sign on the northeast corner of the 246th Street and Tibbet Ave intersection was removed, the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) announced last Wednesday that they will install a traffic signal at the intersection by the end of April, 2019.

The sign, which regulated traffic going west on 246th street, was removed by the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) on February 14th, 2018 because the DOT did not have records of a stop sign’s being there, Director of Public Safety Mike McCaw said. This led the DOT to believe that the sign was unauthorized. The school was not notified prior to the occurrence that the removal would take place, he said.

When Public Safety officers saw workers taking the signs down and realized what the situation was, McCaw spoke on the phone with an employee

of the DOT Bronx Borough Command, McCaw said. He was told why it was being taken down and that if he wished for it to be replaced, he should file a report and ask for a traffic survey. Both McCaw and Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly did so, but they did not receive any acknowledgment until a month later.

“When I spoke to the person at the Bronx Borough Command the day that these signs were removed, I was absolutely amazed that they weren’t reinstalled the next day,” McCaw said.

“To take stop signs in the vicinity of a school with a population of 1787 students, it’s ludicrous.”

In March, the school received a response from the DOT, they were told that a traffic survey would be conducted within 16 weeks. 27 weeks later, or midlast month, a DOT agent came and observed pickup and departure for the survey, McCaw said.

On Wednesday, the DOT’s Bronx Borough Commissioner Nivardo Lopez wrote McCaw in an email that

#MeToo

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Eliza Bender on the school impact of the Kavanaugh hearings.

“a traffic signal has been approved at the intersection.” The traffic signal could take the form of a traditional redyellow-green traffic light, McCaw said, or perhaps a red blinking light similar in function to a stop sign except placed

Alexandra Crotty/Staff Artist

more visibly in the middle of the road.

“While I’m deeply appreciative of the outcome, seven months for the sign to return is unacceptable; we’re already working on reducing that number,” Kelly wrote in an email.

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Ari Salsberg (10) expressed confusion at how long it will take for the DOT to install the light, he said. “I’m surprised that they’re not more efficient about it. So obviously for a traffic light they might need to do some electrical work, but that they don’t do something temporary seems unsafe,” he said.

In the meantime, as well as after the traffic signal is installed, Public Safety Officers will continue to guide traffic at the street crossings, McCaw said.

A car can legally drive up the street at 25 mph, the speed limit in New York City, which, if a student were trying to cross while and was not seen by the driver, could result in a serious injury, McCaw said. Public Safety officers are also putting themselves at great risk for injury while regulating traffic during pickup and drop off, which is necessitated by the city’s decision to remove the sign.

When Taimur Moolji (11) found out about the sign’s removal, he was confused as to why the city would take such an action. “It’s probably good

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to have a sign because there’d be less of a need for crossing guards at the intersection,” he said.

Catherine Mignone (9) agreed with Moolji and couldn’t understand why it would be good for the sign to be removed, she said.

“I hadn’t heard about it before so now that I’m hearing about it, I feel like if the school wants a stop sign, it’s probably safer for us to have it there, so I think it’s a good idea to fight for it and try to get it back,” Mignone said.

“The busses should be all right because we got professional drivers and normally when we come to the school, there are security guards here who help direct us around the corner,” said Jermaine Caldwell, a Supertrans bus driver. However, he is worried about students safety in regards to those who are not bus drivers, such as parents and whoever else.

“They drive crazy, so without the stop sign being here something’s bound to happen sooner or later,” Caldwell said.

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

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THE RECORD OPINIONS OCTOBER 5TH, 2018

Processing the Kavanuagh hearings

Eliza Bender It didn’t hit me until last Thursday. I’d avoided it by quickly skimming the headlines, darting my eyes away from my iPhone news alerts, and rapidly swiping away my social media feeds.

Sure, I knew the gist of the events, but I was cautious to fully acknowledge the news surrounding the Kavanaugh hearings.

I dodged conversations about it with my parents, sibling, and friends, telling myself that talking about it would only make me more upset. It wasn’t until my subway ride home that I decided to pay full attention to the hearings. As I took the one train downtown, I watched clips from the hearings and read through as many articles as I could load during the brief intervals when I had service. After watching Dr. Ford’s testimony, I was upset-and rightfully so. But as sad as I was feeling, I also felt hopeful.

She spoke with eloquence and bravery. I did not feel the same after watching Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony. I was infuriated.

Not once did he mention that sexual assault is wrong. He instead displayed rampant entitlement in his bouts of anger and references to his elitist background. Beyond my anger, I felt scared because Judge Kavanaugh’s story felt so familiar.

After Thursday, I was anxious to the point of feeling sick.

Kavanaugh made me afraid of being a woman and protecting my body from lingering gazes or “accidental” touches.

Everyday activities, such as running in the park or taking public transportation left me feeling paranoid and full of dread. I became hyper aware to every microaggression, joke, or conversation, now noticing the underlying misogyny I had been surrounded by my whole life. I reflected on events and traditions that had previously partaken in, even as innocent as mock beauty pageants at summer camp, now seeing them in a different light. I didn’t know how I could continue being complacent when complacency came at the expense of my equality. This epiphany sent me into frequent flashes of panic, leaving me jittery and nauseous. I was dissociated from my friends and family, worried that if I talked to them about how I was feeling, they would reject my emotions. I allowed this fear to consume me and prohibit me from carrying out my normal life. At its peak, my anxiety was so bad that I couldn’t talk to my classmates for fear of not being safe or understood because I am a woman.

Over the past few days, suffice to say, I’ve calmed down; I can better cope with what I see in the news. However, this doesn’t

mean that I feel any differently about the pending Kavanaugh confirmation. In fact, I still find myself getting upset and distressed about it. But, what I’ve realized is that, while difficult, we must separate our personal lives from the political cycle.

For me, that meant partially accepting what was going on and forcing myself to rejoin my regularly scheduled programming.

For too long, my mind kept making connections between what I saw and heard in classrooms and what I saw on the news. I felt stressed by talking to HM community members who did not share my beliefs. But ultimately, I realized that these fears should not inhibit me from living my life. I do normally feel safe in the HM community and with others around me, but there are definitely moments outside and inside school where this isn’t always the case. However, if I continue to sit alone thinking about all the ways misogyny occurs in the world around me, I would miss out on real-life opportunities to experience equality.

Having conversations with peers and classmates reminds me that I am not alone in my beliefs. Even talking about unrelated events, like the Cheez-its at break or the strenuous walk from Tillinghast to Lutnick, reminds me that I am more similar than not to my peers and mentors.

From my experience, I have also learned that separating yourself from the current events allows you to broaden your views

to say the least. But, given the other media that provide sexual education, it seems that having meaningful conversations with community members, peers, and mentors is the best option for cultivating a healthier culture.

As the topic of sexual assault gets brought up in classes and school social circles, I encourage everyone to seek out meaningful dialogue. Take advantage of the resources that Horace Mann provides, but remember that for many, sexual assault and misogynistic culture are very real and very personal issues. Think before you contribute something controversial to a class discussion, and make sure that you carefully phrase what you mean to make sure to avoid misunderstandings. Bring in outside sources, articles, and/or examples from entertainment to discussions as tools to talk about issues without hitting too close to home. Check in with yourself and others around you.

Reach out to the people around you to make sure they’re okay, and seek out guidance if you’re feeling distraught.

“After watching Dr. Ford’s testimony, I was upset--and rightfully so. But as sad as I was feeling, I also felt hopeful. She spoke with eloquence and bravery.” and stay active in discussion. I think it’s often easy for people in our school to disconnect themselves from conversations about issues such as sexual assault because it’s easy to think that these issues don’t apply to us. But, just because we possess a sliver of positive experiences does not mean that we aren’t affected by violence against women. It is too easy to believe that just because we ourselves haven’t experienced assault, harassment, or abuse, that the same conditions apply to others. And, it is also too easy to ignore microaggressions that fuel a larger misogynistic trend and attribute them as normal behavior for teenagers. For many of us, it can be uncomfortable to look at our community and see sexism. It makes us question our judgement as we realize that the people with whom we spend our weekdays and weekends are not always as well-intentioned as we thought. I think it can be even scarier to recognize that the thoughts and behaviors we find abhorrent are sometimes found within ourselves. If our school continues to pride itself on being safe and caring, we have to talk about these issues before they become a part of the larger epidemic. For many teenagers, the idea of having conversations about sex and sexual assault in an academic setting is awkward

EDITORIAL

Corrections - Issue 4

“Great is the truth and it prevails,” reads our school’s motto.

Even though we sing this is only mumbled at the end of our assemblies, the message of the lyrics still stands: valuing the truth is at the core of our institution.

Over the past week, it has become clear that Supreme Court Justice Nominee Brett Kavanaugh has lied under oath in his testimony about issues including the time frame in which he learned of Deborah Ramirez’s (one of Kavanaugh’s classmates at Yale) sexual assault accusations against him. It is also clear that in his testimony he withheld and at times distorted the truth, such as misremembering the drinking age when he was in high school and not disclosing the real meaning of sexual euphemisms he and his friends mentioned in their high school yearbook.

While these lies, or omissions of the full truth, may seem minor in comparison to the question of validity of Ford’s and Ramirez’s sexual assault accusations, they do call into question

Kavanaugh’s integrity and respect for the truth. Lying under oath is a serious crime, especially when the person committing the crime is supposed to be our next Supreme Court Justice.

These developments have encouraged us, as the The Record editorial board and members of the HM community, to reflect on the importance of honesty. Our work on the newspaper is based on a deep commitment to finding and reporting the truth. This means running a wide variety of in-depth and accurate stories, speaking to many members of our community, and helping writers reveal information with integrity.

With that in mind, we want to take this politically charged and confusing moment to remind ourselves and the Horace Mann community that we should always let the truth prevail, whether that be in our classes, relationships, or extracurriculars.

Volume 116 Editorial Board Managing Editor Betsey Bennett

Editor in Chief Lynne Sipprelle

Features Abby Kanter Megha Nelivigi

News Katie Goldenberg Surya Gowda

Lions’ Den Natasha Stange Brody McGuinn William Han

Photography Abigail Kraus Ahaan Palla Jake Shapiro

Art Directors Juli Moreira Jackson Robers

Faculty Adviser David Berenson

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

Design Editors Allison DeRose Caroline Kaplan Online Editor Henry Wildermuth

The writer for “Flash Flood Alert” was Aaron Snyder. He was not credited.

In the photo for “Gym Ratz: students on the grind in the new fitness center,” Andrew Cassino was credited as a photo editor, when he is a staff photographer.

The Record regrets these errors. Please report any corrections to record@horacemann.org

Adviser’s Note: The Record can not run any anonymous opinion pieces unless the writer discusses the piece in advance with the Faculty Adviser.

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, Joshua Underberg 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

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 OCTOBER 5TH, 2018

CCVA Cubs Program spearheads new initiatives

Courtesy of Adam Bleustein

Mayanka Dhingra Staff Writer

FROM PIXELS TO PLASTIC Adam Bleustein (12) participates in “3D Printers in a Box” project.

Adam Bleustein (12) applies 3D printing to medical field Andie Goldmacher Staff Writer Adam Bleustein (12) will use 3D printing to make cost-effective splints and spleen guards for his Independent Study Project as a continuation of his summer work.

Over the summer, Bleustein worked in a rehabilitation group dedicated to researching 3D printing and prosthetics at Montefiore Medical Center, located in the Bronx. The center needed someone who enjoyed the more technical aspect of manufacturing medical devices, he said.

Over the summer, Bleustein completed a grantfunded trip to Jamaica as an extension of one of the projects he completed with the Montefiore Center, he said.

The project, called “3D Printer in a Box,” supplied several models of printers and an instruction manual to doctors in a developing country.

As part of the project, Bleustein taught doctors with limited resources how to make their own medical devices at a lower cost, he said.

In his Independent Study, Bleustein will attempt to address the problem of how expensive it is to purchase a splint, making such medical devices cost-prohibitive for some hospitals.

Bleustein is exploring different ways to produce a splint as cost-effectively as possible while providing the same quality of care, he said.

As another part of his Independent Study, Bleustein is also interested in making spleen guards for kids with enlarged spleens or spleen ruptures that can lead to death. He is working on creating spleen guards that can handle more force than what is shown on his current impact tests, he said.

Bleustein discovered the Montefiore Medical Center through his father and then reached

out to determine whether the center needed any assistance with the technical aspects of its projects, he said.

Bleustein’s interest and experience with 3D printing began when he was younger. “As a child who enjoyed playing with remote control cars, I wanted to upgrade them and make replacement parts on my own through printing,” he said.

Bleustein became more passionate about 3D printing when he began research the summer before junior year at a lab at Columbia University.

At the lab, he worked on an independent project that required a complex manufacturing method, and 3D printing was the easiest option, he said.

Bleustein owns two 3D printers and has been using the printers since the summer before sixth grade, learning how to work the machine through trial and error, he said.

Each morning, he checks the prints he has programmed the night before, which allows him to continue creating models at home, Bleustein said.

Computer Science and Robotics teacher Jason Torres, Bleustein’s advisor, spearheaded the introduction of 3D printers to the school. Torres has fueled Bleustein’s interests for 3D printing since the end of middle school.

“He’s very passionate about the project, and I think it’s probably a little bit fun for him, but more than anything else, he’s learning about a set of skills in 3D printing and how to use those skills to help people,” Torres said.

Nader Granmayeh (12) found Bleustein’s preliminary presentation interesting and learned about the intricacies of 3D printing, he said. “The project has the potential to turn into something really impactful, and Adam clearly has a passion for robotics,” he said.

The Connect, Unite, and Build through Service program (CUBS) held its first onsite meeting on Tuesday to kick off initiatives for the year.

Student participants in the program traveled to the neighboring AmPark Elementary public school to meet the younger students and undergo formal training in preparation for their work in CUBS this year.

CUBS, based off of a laboratory program in many universities and institutions, is a way for the Service Learning Team (SLT) as a whole to learn from the CUBS experience and adapt the same ideas to their work with outside partner agencies, Center for Community Values and Action (CCVA) Director Dr. Jeremy Leeds said.

The program, which is entering its fifth year, is unique in that it is one of the few Service Learning programs in which students from outside come to the school rather than SLT members going there, Leeds said.

Fourth and fifth grade students from AmPark visit the school’s campus every Tuesday to participate in a variety of activities planned solely by student leaders of the initiative, Taussi Boadi (11), a returning member of the CUBS program, said.

Rather than kids sticking with one activity for the entire trimester as done in SLT, CUBS completes three 25 minute rotations every Tuesday so that students get an opportunity to experience a wider range of activities.

The program is designed for students who want to take on more responsibility having previously been on the team and requires a year’s worth of experience on SLT and a two-trimester commitment for a place in the program, Leeds said.

The first visit for CUBS is a crucial prereflection exercise for HM students and faculty to learn more about the students, staff, facilities, and programs at AmPark by being present and being a part of their daily activities, Associate Director of the CCVA Kimberly Joyce-Bernard said.

Gregorio Florentino-Sanchez (11) believes that the smaller group experience allows members of the program to make deeper connections with the kids, he said.

“This year, one of the new initiatives is for each activity we do to build up to one larger idea, and in the end, we will have the kids present what they have learned,” Boadi said.

This year, the student leaders decided to create a STEM, hip-hop, and P.E. class as well as a teambuilding workshop of their own design, Tiger Moreno (11) said.

Moreno, who started the hip-hop class, decided to introduce iconic old hip-hop songs usually by artists from the Bronx and dance with the kids, she said.

The hip-hop curriculum gives the fourth and fifth graders the opportunity to learn more about the South Bronx’s integral role in the art form, Joyce-Bernard said.

The hip-hop class demonstrates the mission of CUBS, which is to challenge HM students to develop meaningful activities sparked by their own interests and to allow Ampark students to connect to their own community, she said.

“There’s a sense of fulfillment and pride that our students get when they are the host - it’s just another way community service can be so meaningful to those being served and those in the position of service,” Office Assistant for the Admissions Office & Office of Diversity Niambi Busby said.

Courtesy of Taussia Boadi

WELCOME TO THE DEN Students pose before first CUBS meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

Community attends ribbon cutting to celebrate new building Jake Shapiro/Photo Editor

HOME SWEET HOME School celebrates Lutnick Hall and new facilities.

Abigail Salzhauer Staff Writer Last night, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and current and former trustees attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for Lutnick Hall and the new athletic facilities and student center in addition to other renovations.

“The ribbon cutting event is an opportunity for those who have supported the campaign to date, to celebrate the work done thus far -the marvelous outcome of a collective effort, and to see the buildings. It’s also an opportunity for those of us who make HM our life’s work to say thanks,” Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said.

“I’m sure anyone who is seeing the buildings for the first time will be astounded. It’s hard to picture what a space will look like, even if you’ve toured the construction site, as many

of the guests at tomorrow’s ribbon cutting have done,” Head of the Upper Division Dr. Jessica Levenstein said on Wednesday.

Attendees toured the buildings and watched a video of the new spaces and those who made it possible, Kelly said.

While Levenstein believes that the ribbon cutting is exciting, she thinks that donors getting the chance to see the buildings during the day would also be a good opportunity. “There’s nothing like watching a space come alive with student activity,” Levenstein said.

“I think the new buildings will be fabulous for the school,” Andrea Madaio P’23 said. “To be in an urban environment and have all the space of a country school is amazing,” she said.

After touring the buildings prior to the ribbon cutting, Howard Lutnick P’14 P’16 P’19 P’24 “loved seeing the students and faculty so excited,” he

said. The building has great spaces for kids and wonderful places to work and spend time together, Lutnick said.

“While the culture of the school has always been tremendous, I think having the uplift and the new buildings and technology is only going to improve the standing within the community and for the student body,” Marc Cornstein ‘88 P’24 said.

“When I went here, many of these buildings didn’t exist, and certainly the thought of a functioning student center wasn’t a reality, so I think that it’s a great opportunity for the school and its future,” Matthew Morgado ‘94 P’32 said.

“We love that Horace Mann delivers a spectacular education and plays a key role in training the next generation of leaders,” Lutnick said.

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THE RECORD FEATURES OCTOBER 5TH, 2018

Student entrepreneurs con

PopCycle Nishtha Sharma Staff Writer

For many students, summer vacation consists of traveling abroad, taking courses, or relaxing, but for Noah Goldberg (12), it involves running an ice cream delivery business based in Martha’s Vineyard.

During her sophomore year, Noah founded Popcycle, a company that delivers ice cream sourced from the New York City (NYC) area to customers in Martha’s Vineyard through an app. New to the school that year, Noah was inspired by the school’s “creative, do-it-yourself environment,” as well as her interests in technology and food, she said.

In order to get the desserts to Martha’s Vineyard, Noah reaches out to vendors in NYC, including DŌ, Melt Bakery, and La NewYorkina, Scarlett Goldberg (9) said.

During the summer, Noah and her father rent a freezer truck around once every ten days to pick up the ice cream and distribute it, a process involving a 5-hour drive and 45-minute ferry ride, Noah said.

Popcycle allows customers to order through an app, and the ice cream is then delivered within 15-minutes.

Employees deliver the treats using an eco-friendly electric bike, Scarlett said.

Currently, Popcycle has five parttime employees, and members of the Goldberg family usually help out whenever needed, Scarlett said.

“It can get difficult and very hectic at times, because there can be several orders coming in without many

employees to help out,” Tess Goldberg (8) said.

Even though it is common for more than two orders to come in at once, employees do a good job of getting the ice cream delivered within minutes, Audrey Goldberg (7) said.

This summer, Popcycle was invited to the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Fair, an annual event the island has hosted for the past 150 years, Noah said. “It was super exciting to be signing up for an event that was going to have around 60,000 people,” she said.

“We knew we would have competition against other brands…some who had been attending the festival for 20 years…but hearing people come up to Courtesy of Noah Goldberg

me and recognize my business made me realize what we had created and the brand we built.”

Popcycle became a delivery business due to a law that prohibited ice cream vendors from providing service in the Martha’s Vineyard area, Noah said.

Noah decided to use bicycles to assist in the delivery and through research, discovered a small company in Denmark producing a prototype

for an e-bike at the time, she said. As of now, the e-bike Popcycle uses is the only one in America, Noah said.

After a bank turned down Noah’s loan request, she turned to her parents for support. Noah paid back the loan this summer, and the company currently has no debt, Noah said.

However, Noah faced other challenges when starting Popcycle, she said. “Establishing a name and reputation was difficult. Not only did I want to run this business, I also wanted to build a brand that could grow in the coming years…and having people associate the idea and service was tough, but we did really well through social media,” she said.

Noah hopes to expand beyond Martha’s Vineyard and potentially open a storefront, she said. “Martha’s Vineyard was a starting base because that’s where I’ve vacationed since I was a kid, but now that I’ve seen the potential this idea has, we’re considering the reality of franchising the business.”

Noah believes that expanding the company will encourage girls to pursue entrepreneurship, regardless of financial situations, she said.

“I think it’s amazing to see how Noah started this company when she was 16 and turned it into a full-out company,” Scarlett said. “She is even doing catering events, and to see a company so intense and intact is very cool.”

Noah has expanded Popcycle from a small business not many people had heard of to one of the most talked about in Martha’s Vineyard, Tess said.

“It’s grown tremendously,” she said.

House of Haft Gabby Kepnes Staff Writer

Abigail Kraus/Photo Editor

YOU HAFT-A BUY THIS Harrison Haft (12) wears House of Haft shirt.

Little did Harrison Haft (12) know, a family safari trip would turn into a dreamy photography business.

At the end of sixth grade, Haft became interested in photography when his grandparents bought him his first camera. As he was not as confident as a photographer then, it was only in the eighth grade that Haft brought his talents to the school, he said.

“When I saw that people liked my photos, I figured I could start making money,” Haft said. “I sold [photos] through my website and also had gallery openings.” His openings took place at the International Center of Photography School gallery and small pop-ups in Brooklyn, he said.

Haft’s standard framed three by two feet photos sell for $500, while the same size unframed goes for $350, he said.

“The sale of my photos somewhat validated the quality of my photography because it showed me that people like what I make,” Haft said. “So, I can continue doing what I love and creating what I think is beautiful.”

This past June, Haft decided to add

Courtesy of Noah Goldberg

ICE ICE BABY Scarlett (9) and Noah Goldberg (12) pose at Martha’s Vineyard Agriultural Fair.

Photos courtesy of Noah Goldberg

to his business by creating his own clothing, since he’s always had a passion for fashion and art, he said.

At the moment Haft is focusing on shirts, he said. “I make the shirts by recycling old artwork,” Haft said. “Most of the shirts have 16th Century tarot cards on them, which I’ve found online.”

Haft knows that his clothing isn’t necessarily his creation but he thinks it’s indicative of his taste, he said.

Soon Haft will be releasing other articles of clothing, like pants, he said.

“Currently, I’m working on creating pop art and Alice in Wonderland designs,” he said.

Haft had to wait until he sold 50 shirts before sending out his first online order to his manufacturer.

“It was hard to sell shirts at first, since the manufacturer required the shirts to be high prices,” he said. “My friends were supportive until they realized it was $75 for a shirt.”

Along with his online businesses, Haft has personal portrait sessions available for his clients to book.

Bebe Steel (12), who often shoots with Haft, loves his unique artistic vision, she said. “He’s creative, interested in his business, and makes a kind of dream

sequence [with his photos],” Steel said.

“One day, we had an impromptu shoot in his bedroom with bulb Christmas lights” Steel said. “He was shining a mirror on my face to make a circle around my eye, the lights were blue in his room, and I really loved how the pictures came out.”

“He really knows how to capture light and implement elements of fantasy,” said Priyanka Voruganti, (11) who also shoots with Haft. “I think his photos are iridescent and have a sort of supernaturalness to them.”

For Voruganti, Haft had experimented with taking photos of her with an old film camera rather than a digital camera, she said.

“I was wearing a furry red coat and big Indian necklace, so there was a cool contrast,” Voruganti said.

“I think my photography is a hit or miss - either you hate it or you love it,” Haft said.

Every photographer has their own way of seeing light and the lens, Voruganti said. “Harry has a good sense of how things look good together and really knows how to make a beautiful photo,” she said.

Courtesy of Harrison Haft

HORACE MANN FEATURES OCTOBER 5TH, 2018

nquer the business world TaskMe

Nelson Gaillard Staff Writer

Many dream of becoming entrepreneurs, but for Caroline Kaplan (12), that dream has already come true.

More than 300 collage orders later, she is on her way to success with her organizational graphic design company, Task Me. In sixth grade, Kaplan, Olivia Klein (12), Ellie Klein (12), and a friend from outside of school created a phone case business for their friends. Kaplan was in charge of making the website, she said.

That experience inspired Kaplan to start a business of her own, originally called “Caroline’s Kid’s Concierge.” This company was more organizationally-

Courtesy of Caroline Kaplan

focused, Kaplan said.

However, eventually Kaplan realized that she enjoyed making collages more than organizing desks. “I sent out an email to friends and family announcing that it became more of a graphic design business, and Task Me was born,” she said.

The name ‘Task Me’ was Kaplan’s mother’s idea. “It’s supposed to be like ‘ask me’ but ‘task me,’” Kaplan said. “The whole idea behind ‘ask me’ is that I can do or create anything,” she said.

Kaplan makes collages for birthdays, anniversaries, and bar and bat mitzvahs, as well as videos and photobooks for birthdays and vacations. When she moved away from “Caroline’s Kid’s Concierge,” she wanted to make the company not just for kids “but for everyone,” she said. “[Caroline] impressed me so much,” said Lauren Anmuth, one of Kaplan’s clients from Rye Brook, NY. “I feel like I’m texting and doing business with a 40-year old woman.”

“If you don’t know how much I worship you and your work, then I’ve failed to thank you adequately,” Rebecca Feuerstein, another one of Kaplan’s clients, said to Kaplan.

“Almost every day, I get a new order,” Kaplan said. “[On Sunday], I got five

Brownies to Dai For Bradley Bennett Staff Writer

What started out as a delicious treat for the swim team became Ashley Dai’s (11) selfsustaining business, Brownies to Dai For, that donated $1,664 to charities during the spring of 2016.

The business began when some of Dai’s teammates on the Middle Division (MD)

Juli Moreira/Art Director

swim team bought whole batches of her brownies. Dai decided to make a profit off of the brownies and sent the money to charities including Mental Health America, the National Autism Association, and Doctors without Borders, she said.

“It started as a group of my friends meeting in the Atrium, and we thought it would be really cool to start a business from the brownies,” Dai said. Dai’s team included four bakers and a graphic designer, she said.

“I was the figurehead of the business, but we really had so many people helping out,” Dai said.

“I participated in the business as an eighth grader, and it was a good opportunity to collaborate with my peers to raise money for a worthwhile cause,” Ryan Jonas (11) said.

“I’m very involved with sustainable businesses that both make a profit and contribute to the community,” Jonas said.

“I share Ashley’s commitment to helping others and value ventures that prioritize that commitment.”

Katya Arutyunyan (11) was commissioned to make the logo and overall branding for the business, she said. “I mainly played the

Courtesy of Caroline Kaplan

new orders.”

Kaplan’s middle school client base took her by surprise as Task Me wasn’t intended for middle schoolers, she said. “I didn’t tailor it to that age range and had no idea that it would become so known among the kids that age.”

As a member of Kaplan’s sixth grade phone case business, Olivia Klein fully supports Kaplan and is proud of her for taking on something this big, she said.

Managing a company and maintaining its success is difficult enough but considering that she is making every collage by herself in the heart of senior fall, Kaplan has been finding it more and more difficult, she said.

“I honestly don’t know how she does it,” Olivia Klein said. “I have no time to do anything else because I’m always doing work.”

For the future of Task Me, Kaplan has not yet decided how she is going to pass on the torch. “I think I might hire someone who is younger than me who can hold down the fort here in New York,” Kaplan said.

TASK HER Caroline Kaplan (12) and her TaskMe creations.

Wonderboy artistic role, creating posters and logos to help publicize her venture.”

“Usually Ashley would just hand out containers with the brownies and we would walk around school and sell them to anyone who had asked for a batch or who just wanted to buy a couple,” Arutyunyan said.

The brownies were only sold to Horace Mann students, and although Dai had a plan for the business to extend outside of school, the business lacked sufficient funding and bakers to produce enough brownies to sell to a larger group of people, Dai said.

The group of bakers made the brownies themselves, and they would often bake dozens of batches every other night to keep up with the growing demand, Dai said.

“We would sell anywhere from two to four batches of brownies per day, which was 30 to 60 brownies per day at our peak,” Dai said.

The main recipe for the brownies was from a website called “What’s Gaby Cooking,” Dai said. For other brownie flavors, the group soon found recipes from all over the Internet, she said.

In terms of marketing, the group made an Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat account to try and connect to potential buyers through social media. In addition, they also held a school bake sale to advertise the business, Dai said.

“We also made a website, where if people wanted to buy a large batch of brownies for themselves, they could schedule and order it on the website,” Dai said. “We had a price list and a link on the website for our followers to choose which charity we donated to.”

“It was experimental and fun at the time that we were doing it because there was encouragement that came from our peers who really liked Ashley’s idea,” Arutyunyan said.

“I would definitely consider starting up Brownies to Dai For again. I loved the experience and the fact that we were able to do good both within the community and for charities and organizations,” Dai said.

Spencer Kahn Staff Writer

Kyle Gaillard (12) makes himself known among young entrepreneurs due to the flashy apparel from his own clothing brand, Wonderboy, Inc. Wonderboy specializes in designer and graphic t-shirts and has been a passion project for about two years, Gaillard said.

“I like to create whatever pops into my head,” Gaillard said. “A lot of it comes from the little things in my life that inspire me.” The brand is a way of “expressing the underappreciated,” he said.

Adam Fife (12) received his first shirt from Gaillard when Wonderboy, Inc. was still a fledgling start-up that went by the name ‘Turnstyle.’ “His SoundCloud rapper name is ‘Solo the Wonderboy’, so recently his clothing brand has had ‘Wonderboy’ printed on the t-shirts,” Fife said. This was the “origin story” of the current brand, he said.

One of Fife’s favorite designs is a shirt with

Abigail Kraus/Photo Editor

SOLO THE WONDERBOY Kyle Gaillard (12) wears Wonderboy apparel.

“Wonderboy” text stylized like the “ESPN” logo, including “a line through the top,” Fife said.

Gaillard’s design process is rather simple, Gaillard said. “Any idea that comes into my head, I try to immediately recreate it in Photoshop,” he said. He then uses these designs for his shirts’ specifically unique style.

Gaillard has found success with his brand, at one point producing more than a thousand shirts when the brand was gaining momentum.

Gaillard added that he is not alone in his endeavor. “My dad is a major help,” he said.

While the current focus of the brand are the t-shirts, Wonderboy is also expanding into other forms of apparel, like bookbags, Gaillard said.

Starting a successful business at age seventeen has changed the way Gaillard’s friends look at him, he said. “They love the fact I have a business. Everyone thinks it’s really cool,” Gaillard said. “He usually sells out pretty quickly,” Max Guilbaud (12) said. “I’ve seen him working on some designs during frees, too, and they seem splendid.”

For anyone who has ever considered starting a business, Gaillard has some words of encouragement. “Definitely just go for it.

There are going to be times where you fail, where it might not even work, but don’t let it stop you.”

Fans should also look forward to a future announcement regarding his brand in December or January, he said.

Juli Moreira/Art Director

5

6

THE RECORD ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT OCTOBER 5TH, 2018

Timothy Ho assumes the role of N-12 Music Program Coordinator

Jackson Feigin & Adam Frommer Staff Writers Assuming the new role of N-12 Music Program Coordinator, Timothy Ho aims to implement a more cohesive, improved music curriculum at the school, in hopes of enhancing the musical education of students across all divisions.

Before this year, there was nobody to coordinate the music curriculum and keep it consistent, he said.

In the Lower Division (LD), the students tend to learn more about music history instead of how to read music and sing, which creates a stark contrast moving into the

middle school, Logan Scharlatt (6) said.

“We know what a second grader should be learning in English, we know what an 11th grader should be doing in history, but what does a fourth grader do in music?” Ho said.

Just like with other academic subjects, there are national standards for what music concepts students should know by certain grade levels set by state organizations that most schools follow.

“If the school is going to be a competitive school on every front including music, we really need to have a thought out curriculum and

Juli Moreira/ Art Director

figure out what our teachers are doing or not doing that are in line with the national standard,” Ho said.

The immediate plan is to assess all of the teaching abilities and skills of the faculty and then use their skills to craft a comprehensive music program that adheres to the national standards of teaching, he said.

“Right now, there is some room to improve,” Ho said.

According to Valentina PerezMerlo (6), the way that the LD teaches music isn’t as exciting as the Middle Division (MD) methods of teaching, which deters people from taking music classes.

Even though Nic Moreira (10) believes that the LD prepared him for his music classes in the MD, having instruments embedded into the curriculum would have made the transition smoother because of the array of instruments used in the Middle and Upper schools, he said.

LD music teacher Cheryl Martin has spoken with Ho about their shared desire to build a LD curriculum which will prepare students for the challenges of MD classes and ensembles, Martin said.

“All of [the teaching styles] are great, but we don’t have one single system,” Ho said.

With the objective of refining the program, Ho hopes to have all the large changes implemented by the time that the New York Association of Independent Schools (NYAIS) assesses the school next year. Every few years, independent schools that belong to the NYAIS have to write a report presenting the school’s educational standards and curriculum, including those of the Music Department, Ho said.

Knowing that the school is

Juli Moreira/ Art Director

assessed and given feedback by a national organization every few years helps the Music Department understand where it is in its own evolution, he said. Having a date during which the school presents itself allows for a time of reflection and rethinking, he said.

“It is meant to be a mirror to what we are doing,” Ho said.

Ho said that his goal is to ensure that the school’s Music Department aligns with the national standards by the time of the accreditation.

“What has happened is we have a really big, robust middle school and high school music program, and I would love to see that extend all the way through,” Ho said.

For instrumental ensembles, having a sense of continuity for the kids, so that the kids are prepared

for what is coming up, makes the program stronger everywhere, UD and MD Music Teacher Nathan Hetherington said.

The ultimate goal is to raise the level [of material in] the Music Department and to give students a better music education, Ho said.

“The stronger the fundamentals you get when you are a young instrumentalist, the more confidence you are going to get when you are older and the music is more complicated,” Hetherington said.

“I am very excited with the idea of continuing to work with Lower and Nursery now that we know this is set, to continue to grow their program,” Ho said.

Arts Club Decorates Lutnick Hall Amelia Feiner Staff Writer

When Gabby Fischberg (10) walked into Lutnick Hall for the first time, she immediately noticed that the new building’s walls were blank and empty. Although construction was unfinished, the bareness of the building was clear, she said. Fischberg decided that the first initiative of her new arts club would be figuring out a way to decorate the beautiful new building with even more beautiful student artwork, she said.

Fischberg was not the only student who felt this way when she saw the new building. “I

Courtesy of Rachel Zhang

Juli Moriera/Arts Director

“I think a lot of people want to be a part of changing their own environment” -Sarah Sun had my homeroom there. We were surrounded by white walls and it felt kind of impersonal.

It didn’t feel like a school where people go to have a fun time,” Sarah Sun (10), one of the co-heads of the new club, said.

Fischberg decided to found the arts club last year after realizing the school did not already have a club dedicated to showcasing student art, she said. “I was really looking forward to joining an arts club last year because I wasn’t able to have a drawing and painting class. I was really shocked that we didn’t already have some sort of arts club,” Fischberg said.

The original idea was to create a community for creatively minded people to inspire each other, give suggestions to each other, and help each other, co-head Celine Owens (10) said.

“I’m really excited to just have a good time with my friends,” she said.

In terms of decorating Lutnick, Fischberg wants to try to make some large-scale projects to fill up the space. “If we could do some science related murals or portraits that would be really cool,” she said.

“We all work in Lutnick and it’s a part of our day there, so I think a lot of people want to be a part of changing their own environment,” Sun said. “You don’t have to be the best artist to be a part of the club, it’s just creating something fun.”

Right now, the only official place where the school has the right to show off student art is the gallery in Fisher Hall, Fischberg said.

However, student art currently adorns the walls of several floors in Tillinghast.

Visual Arts teacher Kim Do, who serves as the club’s faculty advisor, believes that adding art around the building will give the school a warmer environment, he said. “There are a lot of new empty walls because of the construction, so there are lots of possibilities,” he said.

“He’s super on board for anything we want to do. If we have any new ideas he’s always there to help us out,” Fischberg said about Do’s role in the club.

One challenge that the club has faced is its ability to hang the art in the new building.

Since they can’t damage the walls in any way, the club has been brainstorming various methods of displaying the art, Do said.

For the project, the club is focusing on a method that involves running a metal pole across the top of a wall and then using an invisible thread to hang the art from the pole, Do said.

Besides decorating the new building, the club also plans to curate an art gallery to showcase school art outside of the classroom, and they plan to participate in the Memory Project program. According to their website, the Memory Project “invites young artists around the world to create portraits as special gifts for children facing challenges for positive memories, kindness, and peace.”

The club plans to work together to create a large painting, Owens said.

Members of the club also want to participate in “Inktober,” a drawing initiative

Courtesy of Sarah Sun

that challenges artists to create 31 ink drawings in 31 days, Sun said.

Although most of the initiatives are not finalized and the club has yet to officially meet, the members are excited to begin working, Do said.

“We look forward to spending the year creating more stuff for the school,” Fischberg said.

Alexandra Crotty/Staff Artist

HORACE MANN SPECIAL FEATURE OCTOBER 5TH, 2018

Making America Think Again

7

Jiyon Chatterjee (8) interviews Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

JC: Alexandria, how did you get involved in politics from a young age? Who influenced you as a student to take the political position that you now take and why?

“

AO-C: I worked for the late Senator Ted Kennedy years ago in his immigration office. I found it all to be incredibly fulfilling and satisfying work, but I never really saw myself running on my own. I counted out that possibility because I felt like the only way to effectively run for office is if you had access to a lot of wealth, high social influence, a lot of high dynastic power, and I knew that I didn’t have any of those things. The tipping point was when I was at Standing Rock in 2016, and I saw how all of the people there — particularly the Native people and the Lakota Sioux — were putting their whole lives and everything that they had on the line for the protection of their community. I saw how a corporation had literally militarized itself against the American people, and I just felt like we were at a point where we couldn’t afford to ignore politics anymore. We couldn’t afford to write off our collective power out of cynicism.

JC: Do you believe that labels like “socialist” and “progressive” mattered in this election? Do you think that political labeling makes a difference in any election?

AO-C: I think that we draw a lot of artificial lines in the sand. Plenty of socialists would say I’m not a socialist. I don’t even think that that’s really what’s up for debate right now, and I just think that we make a lot of these conversations about -isms, but at the end of the day, a lot of these -isms are ultimately academic definitions. The world is so much bigger and messier than that. I’m happy to call myself a Democrat, but I also want to be more than that. I want to communicate very clearly that I believe in the United States, we should aspire to establish institutions that provide a minimum of guarantee, a minimum level of human dignity in the United States. And that means seeing housing and healthcare as human rights, not something to be “affordable”.

” “

JC: Tell us the story of how you decided to stand in the Democratic primary against a big politician.

AO-C: I thought it was time that residents of the Bronx and Queens had a representative that was like them -- that lives here, speaks their language, and has lived their workingclass experience.

JC: What was the unique message of your campaign that you think won over voters in the Democratic primary?

“

AO-C: I think it’s the opposite of perceived political wisdom. The establishment thinks that running to the center, moderating our policies, being as close to a Saltine cracker as possible is what is going to make us win elections. And I don’t think that that’s the case.

I think what animates non-voters is feeling like someone is really fighting for them.

I think there are a lot of folks that have felt as though the Democratic party hasn’t been fighting hard enough for them, in terms of being really clear about articulating our priorities, drawing a line in the sand, not just saying, We care about education, healthcare and housing, but, We believe in single payer healthcare. Just having a plan, an idea, instead of just reform. And so I think that in order to turn out non-voters we need to be really explicit in how we are fighting for them, and present a clear vision for better policy.

”

JC: Do you think your win was fueled by changing opinions amongst your constituents, or do you think you won because of a different demographic that came out to vote in the primary election?

AO-C: We expanded the electorate 68% over the last off-year midterm primary in order for us to win. And the under-40 electorate actually matched the over-60 electorate in our race, which is unheard of. But it’s because we talked about student loans, we talked about climate change, we talked about the things that our generation is going to have to deal with.

JC: As a young candidate backed only by small donors who won against a corporatebacked and established Democratic congressman, you proved that being an experienced politician with ties to big money lobbyists doesn’t guarantee power.

What do you think political power means in this day and age?

“

AO-C: You create power by speaking to people where they’re at, about issues that affect their lives. I worked two jobs and struggled to help my family pay bills, so I know how much things like improved Medicare for All would mean to people’s lives. And fighting for working class people with progressive ideas is the key to political power right now.

”

JC: How has your personal experience in your life influenced your policy and political positions?

AO-C: I support the growing movement to create postal banking, which is shaped by my own neighborhood, to give you an example. I live across the street from a check cashing place. I walk five minutes to my subway stop: there’s a payday lender, there’s a pawn shop. So my neighborhood, and countless others like mine would be enormously impacted by the idea of banking through the post office to protect people from predatory lending. Postal banking would be hugely important to working class communities like mine around the country.

”

JC: Do you think that applying ideology is necessary when solving political issues, or do you think that one must objectively look at political issues on a case-by case basis?

AO-C: We need to start reframing our issues, instead of left and right, to top and down.

And it’s not about whether my message resonates with Republicans. There are people who really want to feel like there’s an unapologetic working-class champion for them. So this is about fighting from the bottom up, and challenging entrenched power throughout our system.

JC: What do you think is the most important national issue that politicians must tackle?

AO-C: Medicare for All is supported by a majority of voters including more than 50% of Republicans and nearly 80% of Democrats. We are quickly approaching a time when improved and expanded Medicare for All can become a reality.

JC: Do you think it is important that the US is seen as a superpower in the world or not?

“

AO-C: I think it’s important that the US start to see the effects that our geopolitical dominance can have on countries throughout the world and start to hold ourselves accountable for the collateral damage. We need to end the funding and logistical support for the Saudi decimation of the people of Yemen, for example. Instead of spending more and more blood and money in overseas wars, we need to start focusing on the folks in our country, like the people of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico needs a Marshall Plan, debt forgiveness and a fully sustainable recovery, and that should take priority over war games abroad.

”

JC: What is your message to young students about how they can make a difference in politics at their age?

AO-C: My campaign has been filled with folks in middle school, high school and college who have seen the effect they can have on the political system. They knocked on doors, phone-banked and helped spread the word on social media. Once you organize people around progressive issues, you can’t un-organize those people. Our political system gets stronger with every young person who gets involved, and my campaign has showed the immediate effects that can have.

Lions’ Den Record Sports

OCTOBER 5TH, 2018

Physical Education Department makes new waves in the pool Victor Dimitrov Staff Writer Members of the Physical Education (PE) Department recently received a full day of training in aquatic activities, including paddleboarding and water yoga, to prepare for the new curriculum. PE Coordinator Amy Mojica invited two paddle-boarding experts from the Cornwall-based company Skye River Yoga to run the sessions.

“None of our in-house faculty had any pertinent experience in paddle-boarding or water aerobic activities,” Athletics Director Robert Annunziata said.

The instructors have professional yoga and paddle-boarding certifications from their respective governing bodies and were excited to “bring their activities into a high school environment,” Annunziata said.

The faculty received paddle-boarding and kayaking training in the morning and then did water yoga in the afternoon. The coaches entered the pool themselves to experiment with the activities, Aquatics Director Thatcher Woodley said.

“PE is all about experience learning. The best way for the teachers to learn how to teach it is to do it first and make sure it’s a safe activity. It’s almost like taking a PE class ourselves,” Woodley said.

In addition to the learning sessions, Mojica

said that the faculty simulated aquatics classes in the pool.

The coaches determined the limit for the number of paddle-boards and other similar devices to be placed in the water, Woodley said.

“We took the paddle boards out and figured out how to modify the activities and determine

and effectively perform exercises like yoga, squats, and mountain climbers on the paddle board, Mojica said.

The school plans to add water aerobic activities like paddle boarding to the PE curriculum, Mojica said. Kayaking, snorkeling, longboard paddling, lifeguard training, and scuba are among the many activities that the Juli Moreira/Art Director

safety features and techniques that the students need to know,” Mojica said. This allowed the coaches to determine how students can safely

PE Department hopes to integrate, Annunziata said.

“We’re just trying to find engaging activities

8

for students. While we hope they will become better swimmers, we also hope they will come in and have a fun time trying new things and taking calculated risks,” Woodley said.

Matt Russo, the first PE coach to begin aquatics classes this year, said that some students are still hesitant to enter the water.

Annunziata believes the activities will make it easier for students lacking a background in aquatic sports to enter the water, he said.

Arden Chen (11), who struggled during the swim test, agrees with Annunziata, he said. “It’ll make me feel more comfortable and happy to do something fun instead of a workout,” he said.

Swimming activities are a priority for the department because they teach kids to be water-safe, Annunziata said.

Woodley believes aquatic skills are critical because “drowning is a leading cause of death,” he said. The Center for Disease Control ranks it fifth in the United States, and of those drowning victims, one in five are around the age of fourteen.

“Beyond that, knowing how to be safe while having fun in the water during spring, summer, or winter break is important,” Woodley said.

There will be four classes in this year’s aquatic curriculum, and the new activities have not yet been implemented. Russo said that they have yet to see how students will respond, but coaches are hopeful that they will be more responsive than in previous years.

Cross Country teams excel at Mayors Cup in Van Cortlandt Park Suraj Khakee Contributing Writer Last weekend, the Boys and Girls Cross Country teams participated in the Mayors Cup, a city-wide competition that allows schools from all five boroughs to compete against one another. The Boys team placed fifth in a group of 24 schools, and the Girls team finished 12th in a group of 22 schools.

“Mayors Cup is a big race across the city, but fairly small on the national scale, so I took it as a wake-up race and warm up for upcoming competitions, ” Eddie Jin (11) said.

Both teams have meets against the other Ivy League schools each Wednesday, and larger meets like Mayors Cup less frequently. Mayors Cup was a good opportunity for the underclassmen of the team to see a large-scale preparation in advance of the Manhattan High School Invitational on October 13th, Jin said. Jin acheived a personal best with a time of 13:59 for the 2.5 mile race.

Runners on both the Boys and Girls teams went in with the goal of improving upon their previous times, and prove to themselves and the opposition that they could win, Masa Shiiki (11) said.

“The goal of each race is to improve, if only a little bit,” Shiiki said. “The Mayors Cup showed everybody where they stand, and what you have to do the rest of the way.”

Julia Robbins/Staff Photographer

“The weather was humid. It affected me partially as the humidity made it hard to breathe,” Shiiki said, “But I still feel that I ran well.”

“All of us showed tremendous effort and support for our team by cheering everyone on and making sure that everyone felt accomplished, no matter how well they did,” Rebecca Siegel (12) said. It was many of our team members second race and was a time for them to show their skills and make HM proud!”

Although for a race this early in the season, the emphasis is on the team, there were also some impressive individual performances to build off of. For the girls, Siegel finished eighth in the Varsity division, setting a personal record of 18:13 on the 2.5 mile course and Sareena Parikh (9) earned first place in her heat.

Jin finished third in the boys’ race and Shiiki finished fifth in the Varsity race. The freshmen also performed well, as Ethan Waggoner (9) won the freshman race, continuing a three-year trend in the school of winning that particular race, Jin said.

“As an underclassman, I strive to get better over the years and keep improving,” Sarah Taub (9) said.

“All of us showed tremendous effort and support for our team by cheering everyone on and making sure that everyone felt accomplished, no matter how well they did. It was many of our team members’ second race,” Taub said.

“I’m very excited to see how the team performs in Ivy League Championships later this month,” Richard He (12) said. “There’s a really nice dynamic on the team that pushes us to improve.”

Julia Robbins/Staff Photographer

TOP 10 Justin Gurvitch (9) places fourth at Mayors Cup

Upcoming Home Games VARSITY FOOTBALL V.S. HARVEY SATURDAY AT 3:00 P.M. GIRLS VARSITY VOLLEYBALL V.S. RIVERDALE AT 4:15 P.M. GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER V.S. RIVERDALE TODAY AT 4:15 P.M. BOYS AND GIRLS VARSITY CROSS CROUNTRY DEVELOPMENTAL MEET ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10TH AT VAN CORTLANDT PARK GO GO GO Claire Goldberg-Zelizer (9) sprints to the finish