The Horace Mann Record, Issue 9

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HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903

NOVEMBER 9TH, 2018 || VOLUME 116, ISSUE 9

School addresses Pittsburgh shooting

Courtesy of Sam Singer

Community processes aftermath of recent gun violence Talia Winiarsky & Jack Crovitz Staff Writers In Pittsburgh’s pleasant Squirrel Hill neighborhood on October 27, a morning of praying and rejoicing on the Jewish Sabbath was shattered when a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue, killing eleven and injuring multiple others.

A day after this senseless act of violence, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly reached out to parents and guardians of students in an email to provide resources to support students in the aftermath of this violent act of hate.

The email included links to webpages on how to talk to children about tragedy and how to “promote civility in the face of incivility,” Kelly wrote. He also suggested that parents and guardians should provide students “with the tools to change the conversations we’re having in an attempt to alter the growing number of negative outcomes,” he wrote.

To process acts of violence, students should feel comfortable doing whatever they need to do, whether it be “hosting a forum on hate crimes or organizing to protest at a local rally,” Kelly said.

“Through these actions, we find our

stability, our moral center,” he said. He added that the school has resources available to provide support those who may need it.

The Office for Guidance and Counseling (OGC) and the Office of Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity (ICIE) offered a walk-in session on the following Monday to any student who wanted to talk about what happened in Pittsburgh or any of the other events that had happened that week.

“These are difficult times we are living in, and unfortunately, the rhetoric is very intense. It’s hard to figure out why the event in Pittsburgh happened,” Director of the OGC Dr. Daniel Rothstein said.

The OGC can help students who are grappling with some of these questions, although they sometimes cannot be answered, Rothstein said.

“Talking about events like these and feeling that you’re not alone is very important,” he said.

For many students, the Pittsburgh attack reminded them that violent anti-Semitism is still alive, even in America.

“It seemed as if anti-Semitism in America was decreasing, but it’s obviously out there,” Margot Rosenblatt (12) said. “I thought that as a Jew in America, I was safe, and it’s scary

to see that I’m not.”

Although Carmel Pe’er (10) feels that she “lives in a bubble” and feels safe as a Jewish person within her community, she realizes that there still is anti-Semitism in the nation, she said.

“This scares me, because instead of moving forward, we are moving backward,” Pe’er said.

Malek Shafai (11) said that he was not personally affected by the shooting, but it showed him how prevalent gun violence is in America.

“There easily could have been someone I know in that synagogue,” Madhav Menon (10), whose brother goes to college adjacent to the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, said.

Having a “personal tie changed my perspective on all the issues surrounding it, and it’s important to talk and educate ourselves about tragedies like these so that we can respond,” he said.

“At this juncture, I think many members of the community are overwhelmed by the negative information pushed by social media. I hope the community learns that we are here for each other, and we have resources available to provide support for those who may need it,” Kelly said.

Visiting historians lead political discussions Katya Arutyunyan/Staff Artist

CLASS OF ‘74 History classes read and discuss Lawrence’s book.

Gabby Kepnes Staff Writer

INSIDE

Professors Julian Zelizer P’19 ‘20 ‘22 and John Lawrence visited history classes last Thursday to discuss the book the Class of ‘74 written by Lawrence.

Zelizer is the Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University and a CNN Political Analyst. In 2010, Lawrence was elected to represent the 13th district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Zelizer and Lawrence have both written books on aspects of politics.

Both the Political Philosophy (PolPhil) and Contemporary U.S. History classes read parts of the Class of ‘74, a book about the 1974 election and how newly elected representatives changed

America’s norms following the Watergate Scandal of 1972.

“My book talks about how in the past, Congress has worked past partisanship and in doing that, I give ideas about how congress in the future may find it’s way back to a more productive status,” Lawrence said.

Zelizer, who thought that the school’s history department would be interested in Lawrence’s book, brought it to the school’s attention, History Department Chair Dr. Daniel Link, who organized the visit, said.

“Since my career involves bringing interesting people from the world of politics to students, I thought it would be a great opportunity for them to understand the roots of what’s going on today,” Zelizer said.

Reflecting on Pittsburgh

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Abigail Salzhauer (11) considers the impact of last week’s synagogue mass shooting.

“Because Professor Lawrence worked for 38 years on Capitol Hill, I thought it was really important to bring his perspective to our school,” Link said.

“Knowing that our students are curious about government, I thought it would be good to hear an insider’s perspective.”

Lawrence thinks that it’s really helpful to have both students and broader groups of people familiar with the inner workings of Congress, he said.

Zelizer and Lawrence mainly spoke about how leadership is needed today just as it was needed back in 1974 because of the polarization that current politics creates, history teacher Andrew Newcombe said.

They discussed three topics during the day: how to teach students about politics, Lawrence’s book in relation to congress in the 1970s, and about current politics as well as the upcoming elections, Zelizer said.

Both Zelizer and Lawrence were truly impressed with the quality of the questions asked, Zelizer said.

“As students, we were able to ask a lot of questions to Zelizer and Lawrence both pertaining to the topic at hand and the book we were reading in class,” JJ Ryu (11) said.

During the conversation, students brought up issues that sparked more discussion.

“We talked about how if

Alumni in service

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Exploring the lives of alumni who have entered the armed forces.

certain ideas like gun laws do reach the senate, they would be passed,” Ryu said. “The laws don’t get there because of organizations stopping it before it gets to the senate.”

“We brought to the students the idea that it’s difficult to expect them to have confidence in a political system that is always incapable of performing in a civil fashion or addressing issues that are cared about,” Lawrence said.

Coming out of the discussion, the positive side was learning and understanding the causes and roots behind the situation in our country, Ari Moscona-Skolnik (12), a student in PolPhil said.

“It was a breath of fresh air in terms how of a lot of political conversations are a little redundant and don’t offer a lot of new opinions,” Zachary Brooks (11) said.

In the future, students need to start thinking more critically about politics, even ones they are supportive of, Link said.

Zelizer thinks “students need to think a bit more about where all change comes from and how it relates to things that happened 40 years ago as opposed to yesterday,” he said.

Both historians walked away feeling good not just about what they said but about the constructive conversations we heard from the students, Zelizer said.

21 CLUB Venue decorated for Alumni Dinner.

Novick ‘79 honored at Alumni Dinner Sam Singer Staff Writer

School alumni from across the country gathered at the 21 Club on Tuesday to honor the achievements and career of filmmaker Lynn Novick ’79 at the school’s annual Distinguished Alumni Dinner.

The dinner was attended by over one hundred alumni from many graduating classes, a large portion of whom were from Novick’s year, President of the Alumni Council Samantha J. Brand ’01 said.

Novick was honored because she “paved the way for successful women leaders at Horace Mann in one of its first co-educational classes and went on to produce renowned films on many aspects of American history,” she said.

The decision to award Novick was made unanimously by the Distinguished Alumni Committee, a subcommittee of the Alumni Council, which votes to confer the award every year, Director of Alumni Relations Kristin Lax said.

The award has historically been presented to alumni of all professions, from judges to composers to scientists and poets, Brand said. Recipients have ranged from Justine Wise Polier ’20, the first female Justice of New York, to Grammy-winning violinist Gil Shaham ’89 P’21.

“I am humbled to join the ranks of such honorable winners and am forever grateful that the work I have done has been seen as meaningful,” Novick said during her acceptance speech.

Novick received the award for her films, which uniquely rely upon testimonials, scholarly perspectives, images, and other media, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said.

Novick graduated from Yale University, where she majored in American Studies and established “a strong path for women everywhere and demonstrated the ability to follow her passions,” Kelly said.

Novick earned an internship at PBS before going on to work with Ken Burns on films such as Prohibition and The War. “In working through the collaborative process of producing all of my films, Horace Mann was an invaluable asset,” Novick said.

During the dinner, Novick previewed a trailer of her newest film, College Behind Bars.

The film tracked the story of the Bard program, a rigorous college prison education program, which educates inmates with classes, debates, and other scholarly events, Lax said.

The film’s testimonials described how inmates attempted to learn new skills and knowledge that they could use to obtain employment, help their children, and stay out of prison, Co-Director of the Office for Identity, Culture and Institutional Equity John Gentile said.

“The film is different from my others because it involves the present and very current issues, which I hope will influence its viewers to create change,” Novick said. “That is what I hope, in producing all of my films, that viewers want and act to create change in society,” she said.

“Ms. Novick is so inspiring for both women and men alike as both a pioneer and a great citizen and continues to influence the history of our school,” Director of Alumni Relations Kristen Lax said.

Power at the polls

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Students and faculty express opinions on the midterm elections.

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

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THE RECORD OPINIONS NOVEMBER 9TH, 2018

Why self-deprecating humor is not always so funny

Laura Bae A universal rule to comedy is that if there’s nothing funny left to laugh about, laugh about yourself. Gen Z has taken that concept and fed it energy drinks and steroids. The first few jabs at yourself don’t linger, but the next ten do, until hundreds of some-recycled, somenew statements become a part of how you see yourself. Which is dangerous the instant it becomes less of a flippant remark and more of a self-perpetuating thought cycle.

In all fairness, there’s nothing as incredibly validating as scrolling down Instagram and seeing a meme about how much the Original Poster hates themselves, then seeing the thousands of likes it has, and then feeling a little better about expressing your own flaws.

“Looking in the mirror and jumping because I surprised myself with my own ugly.” “My acne is more reliable than most of my friends.” It’s relatable and casual, like comedy should be. But why have we taken the self-hatred aspect of humor and blown it up disproportionately in the last few years?

I don’t know. Are some of us just so filled with self-loathing that it’s a relief to realize others feel the same way? Is it a comfort to know that there’s always a way out of a convo available? Is it a sickening validation when you realize oh, look at that, I can talk about how much my very existence bothers me, and everyone’s just going to think I’m being witty, yeah, I’m all over that.

Bullying yourself has come to the point where it’s hard to find the fine line between being hard on yourself to be funny and being hard on yourself because you legitimately don’t think you’re worth kindness. In my experience, it became a lot more worrisome when I started saying terrible things to myself when I was alone and not to entertain others. How badly does self-deprecating humor affect us?

How badly has it affected me?

Some people now find it so hard to cut themselves the slightest bit of slack or take deserved credit for something they’ve

accomplished. It isn’t “humbling,” but more of a collective fear of coming off as too self-absorbed or big-headed. The second you show you can laugh at yourself, you’re immediately showered with modesty points. For me the fear ran so deep that I cringed at the concept of letting people have the notion I accepted myself to any degree. Because I didn’t. This vicious cycle of belittling myself made me my own worst critic and abuser. My self-worth was destroyed by me and my strangling desire to be funny.

Last year, I spent too much of my time thinking that I was a terrible human being. I’d think about how ugly I felt, how absolutely miserable I was, how there was nothing good about me, and how absolutely aware I was of all this. If I had said a single one of those things without a joking tone, someone’s red flag would have gone up. Maybe I was just a really great liar. Maybe everyone was so used to those kinds of statements that the warning sign was nonexistent.

What I can say for sure is that I’m in a much better place now with significantly less negative things I say towards myself.

The beauty of self-deprecating comedy is that it reveals how everyone actually has flaws, which they’re hesitant to admit to unless it’s the “norm.” Nobody’s perfect and the faster we acknowledge that, the faster we bond as a community. Self-deprecating comedy should only be the realization of our flaws. It shouldn’t be how we view ourselves. There’s no reason why we can’t take recognition of our less-than-perfect selves and create something beautiful. Something where we can openly talk about ways we’re flawed, but also ways that we’re gifted and valid.

From personal experience, if you are actively struggling with depression, anxiety, unresolved trauma, or any other mental illness that makes self-care difficult, I don’t recommend using selfdeprecating humor casually as a cure. It’s a bad idea to use it in front of children too - having a child grow up to become full of themselves is infinitely better than having a child grow up to constantly question their self-worth. No one should have to deal with problems on their own, not when you have the power to get help. Seeking and receiving professional therapy is one of the best methods for accepting yourself and becoming happier. It’s not easy, but you’ll never regret placing your mental health first in the long run.

To the audience of someone using self-deprecating humor, I’d say that you shouldn’t ever laugh too hard if someone pokes fun at themselves. Whenever anyone says anything negative, I like to add in one thing I like about the other person. Actually, just a general rule of thumb: no one should ever be compliment-shy. I think telling

Reflections after the Pittsburgh shooting

Abigail Salzhauer Living in New York City for all my life, I’ve been relatively sheltered from anti-Semitism. However, the recent tragic and hateful shooting of 11 innocent Jews in Pittsburgh served as a wake-up call for me.

I learned of the shooting through a news alert on my phone, and was immediately flooded with outrage. I didn’t know how to process the shooting and instantly had questions. It was almost as if I had forgotten that anti-Semitism didn’t end after the Holocaust.

I’ve gone to Horace Mann since I was three. Our enrollment is largely Jewish, and I live in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, where I can find five different temples within a mile radius. However, Jewish kids all over the country do not get to experience the same comfort and security I do living in such a largely Jewish community.

Throughout other parts of the United States, Jews face the type of rampant anti-Semitism that fueled the tensions leading up to this shooting. I’ve been protected from that living in New York. Before the shooting, I had only ever experienced anti-Semitism once. When I was 11 or 12, my temple received bomb threats. At such a young age, I could not comprehend how someone would want to hurt my community or any other community. Although that was the first act of anti-Semitism I experienced, I had grown up with stories of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism my great-grandparents faced as

Jewish immigrants. My Hebrew school lessons centered on how we, as a Jewish people, must never let anything like these events happen again. My heritage made the Pittsburgh shooting personal.

Intellectually, I understood the ugly history of anti-Semitism, but I had never understood the true depth of senseless hate that motivates anti-Semites.

The community at Tree of Life Synagogue was just like mine. A family from my temple once belonged to Tree of Life. My mom’s friend knew the victims. Before, she felt safe, and now that sense of safety has been ripped from her community just as it was taken from mine - for no reason other than pure hatred for my people. To me, this is not just another shooting. This could of have happened at my

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

temple.

I cannot say that I know how to put a stop to the hatred that exists in our world, but I can say that we cannot accept this attack or others. When we normalize this hatred, violent, evil people win. We as a community, as the generation of future leaders of our country, must not accept such hateful violence.

What I do know is, in America, in 2018, I should not feel scared to walk into my temple and pray. It is our responsibility to put a stop to these heinous, useless killings. Every life lost to hate is one life too many.

Faculty Adviser David Berenson

Issues Editor Sadie Schwartz

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

Middle Division Sandhya Shyam

someone straight from the heart why you think they’re beautiful or why they deserve to think highly of themselves is the best gift you can give them.

And just to make it explicitly clear, I’m not condemning every meme account on Instagram. Self-deprecating humor is fine. Like most vegetables, it’s arguably even great in moderation. But “in moderation” are the key words—because once you start using selfdeprecating humor too much and it becomes less of a joke, the more it becomes normalized. When you find people being too hesitant to say “hey, be nicer to yourself,” that’s when it becomes a lot more dangerous than just a cheap way to get a few laughs.

Editorial

It is surprising to see how many news networks are so quick to move on from the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh that occurred just a week and a half ago. To many, the Pittsburgh tragedy has become “just another one” in a litany of mass shootings in the last several years.

Many are no longer surprised. But is the blasé attitude really so shocking?

According to the Gun Violence Archive, as of November 8th, there have been 307 mass shootings in the United States in 2018. For seniors, our high school careers began a few months after the Charleston Church Massacre in June 2015 when a white supremacist murdered nine African-Americans.

In December of 2015, fourteen people were killed in the San Bernardino shooting. In 2016, forty-nine people were gunned down at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. In 2017, fifty-eight people died at the Harvest Musical Festival in Las Vegas, the deadliest mass shooting in our nation’s history. The frequency and magnitude of shootings in the United States far surprasses any other country and continues to increase every year. From 1983 to 2013 there were 119 mass shootings around the world, and the United States accounted for 78 of them. Last year, there were roughly six mass shootings per week in the United States.

Places of learning and spiritual peace have been marred by violence and death. The most sacred spaces have been used as outlets of rage, hatred, and discrimination too many times. No one is exempt from the threat of mass shootings.

This past Wednesday, thirteen people were killed at a country music dance hall in Thousand Oaks, California. Many of us on the board came to school yesterday expecting to have conversations about the shooting and were disheartened to find that the school carried on like usual. Let’s not allow these horrific acts to become normalized. Let them not fade away among countless other headlines, stories, and distractions permeating and plaguing our nation. Let the past serve as a constant reminder of why we must fight the encroaching belief that this is normal.

First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me

Jackson Roberts/Art Director

Volume 116 Editorial Board Managing Editor Betsey Bennett

Jackson Roberts/Art Director

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

Online Editor Henry Wildermuth

-Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum

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, Ranya Sareen, Nishtha Sharma, Griffin Smith, Benjamin Wang, Robbie Werdiger, Simon Yang, Isabella Zhang, Bradley Bennett, Sogona Cisse, Jack Crovitz, Jackson Feigin, Adam Frommer, Andie Goldmacher, Marina Kazarian, John Mauro, Henry Owens, Emily Shi, Samuel Singer, Sasha Snyder, Vivien Sweet, Joshua Underberg, Talia Winiarsky Staff Photographers Eva Fortunato, Iliana Dezelic, Griffin Smith, Harrison Haft, Andrew Cassino, Julia Isko, Julia Robbins, Daniel Lee, Ava Merker Staff Artists Elizabeth Fortunato, Alexandra Crotty, Gabrielle Fischberg, Annabelle Chan

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 NOVEMBER 9TH, 2018

NewComm class engages with community Isabella Zhang Staff Writer

English teacher Chidi Asoluka’s New Community (NewComm) class will travel to Kingsbridge Heights Community Center this morning to explore the origins of the non-profit organization and find links between the real world and novels read in class.

During the visit, the class will tour the Kingsbridge Heights organization, speak to team members, garden, work with students, and assist the organization’s technology department, Tyler Jonas (12) said.

After the trip, students will write and think about connecting themes between people at Kingsbridge Heights, the student’s personal experience, and the novels read in class, Bell Hooks’ All About Love and James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk, and after winter break the class will brainstorm a project to help give back to the community, Asoluka said.

“This visit will further our class’s literary discussions, because we will now be able to include our experience at Kingsbridge in conversations about the help we can provide and the novels,” Jonas said.

Through NewComm, Asoluka wants to helps students understand the community and expand their horizons outside of the walls of the classroom, he said.

As the class discusses love,

relationship, system, proximity, class, and race through the perspective of the novels, trips to non-profit organizations will creates “human stories”. Through these stories, students can better understand how the non-profit organizations came to be, why it exists, and what people they are helping, Asoluka said.

“It allows us to ask better questions and think more strategically about how we can be of use,” Asoluka said.

“The class allows you to evaluate Katya Arutyunyan/ Contributing Artist

your own identity, connect literature and social justice with the world through your own eyes,” said Jamie Berg (12).

“This trip in particular serves as a foundation for students to build a relationship with the people at the center,” Dakota Stennett-Neris (12) said. “I don’t want to seem like we are privileged HM students just giving and giving. Instead I want to hear what

they need and what we can do to best help them.”

Later in the year, the NewComm class will take two more trips to Kingsbridge Heights, Asoluka said.

The students will visit for a second time to shadow staff members and grasp an understanding of the site’s daily routine and problems like where its funding comes from and how it obtains volunteers.

“After understanding all the themes that contribute to creating and maintaining the non-profit organization as well as the social and political impact at the community, the class will come up with a project to help the Kingsbridge Community and put what they have learned to use,” he said.

During the class’ last visit, the students will propose one project and receive feedback from the staffs at the center, Asoluka said “Our school does a good job discussing things that are going on, but we don’t do much after that. I really like this class because I get to take what I’ve learned and apply it into the real world.” Berg said.

Asoluka hopes the class can create real impact. “I believe in the power of education, and I believe it is a liberating force. It has the ability to allow you to relinquish your masks and become more of your authentic and best self,” he said.

Hetherington lectures at One Day conferences Kiara Royer Staff Writer

This fall, Chair of the Visual Arts Department Dr. Anna Hetherington has been speaking about art history topics such as the Renaissance or modern art at One Day University, one day educational events across the country.

According to its website, One Day University “brings together professors from the finest universities in the country to present special versions of their very best lectures” to educate and entertain students of all ages for one day.

Hetherington has recently attended several One Day University’s events, including one in Denver Colorado, and will speak in Sarasota and St. Petersburg, Florida this upcoming weekend on modern and contemporary art.

As many people don’t have the privilege of taking an art history or visual literacy class in school or college, Hetherington believes it is incredibly important to give these talks, she said.

At such events, Hetherington aims to provide an art history seminar for intellectually curious people who want to listen to art history discussions, she said.

“For me personally, the content is less crucial than getting people to look closely at art and making them feel comfortable in a highly visual

world,” she said. “This means that they can have more fun at a museum but might also notice how advertisements or newspaper covers manipulate their understanding of the world,” she said.

Hetherington has lectured on subjects varying from Michelangelo to modern art. Although her doctorate is in Renaissance art, Hetherington enjoys giving modern art lectures, as she feels as though she’s exploring the subject together with her audience, Hetherington said.

For her upcoming talks, Hetherington’s friend and art historian Dr. Tina Rivers Ryan shared her lectures with Hetherington, but typically Hetherington creates her own presentations, she said.

Hetherington tweaks these presentations to make them her own, she said.

For example, before each talk Hetherington runs through each keynote and finds places where she can insert moments of humor, as the performance is just as important as the subject, she said.

“These are not academic conferences for scholars, but rather introductory lectures for a general audience,” she said.

While Hetherington does not attend many One Day events, she does not give up any time during the week to attend, she said.

“I could not do them every weekend, nor am I asked to. However, even in three talks, if I reach about

1200 people, that feels worthwhile to me,” Hetherington said.

“She’s one of the smartest people I get to work with and her students adore her,” Art History Teacher Avram Schlesinger said.

Chloe Kim (11), who is in Hetherington’s homeroom, has taken Hetherington’s Introduction to Contemporary Art History and Introduction to Renaissance Art History classes and is currently in Hetherington’s AP Art History class this year.

“She’s a really good speaker because she’s so charismatic, and she’s one of those people who knows little tidbits of information about a range of topics so if you ask her about anything art history or not art history related she’ll usually know some little piece of information about it,” Kim said.

“I absolutely could not even imagine doing any of these talks without having experience as a teacher,” Hetherington said. “I continue to learn so much from my students, like what works, what doesn’t work, what’s super obvious, and what needs a bit more of an explanation,” she said.

Ultimately, Hetherington attends One Day University events as they are fun additional weekend functions, she said.

“My real interest and passion is in the interactive classroom I have at Horace Mann, with students who can go on and be engaged viewers with the world,” she said.

Courtesey of Dr. Anna Hetherington

ART HISTORY IN THE MAKING Dr. Anna Hetherington educates crowd on art history topics.

Andrew Cassino/ Staff Photographer

DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL Bebe Steel discusses Underground Comix.

Underground comix: Independent study Eliza Poster Staff Writer

Months after beginning her Independent Study (IS) on the subversive graphic novel movement, Bebe Steel (12) introduced her class to Underground Comix with an interactive lesson on Wednesday.

Steel decided to pursue Underground Comix for her IS after discovering a copy of The Diary of a Teenage Girl in the Guidance Office, and fell in love with the “genuineness and authenticity” of the genre, she said.

By including controversial content, like sex, violence, and drugs, and often having an autobiographical perspective, Underground Comix altered the graphic novel field when they became popular in the 1960s, Steel said.

“Before [Underground Comix], comics were all about superheroes and had boring plot lines, but it added all this emotional weight, made it more of an art form,” Sam Mayo (11) said.

With the help of her advisor Librarian Rachael Ricker, Steel led a discussion on the value of imagery in storytelling.

“Her presentation is looking at, why graphic novels? Couldn’t you just write some of these stories in text? What can you do [with drawings] that elevates a story as opposed to just writing in prose,” Ricker said.

Steel began her presentation by discussing two prominent female artists in the genre, Phoebe Gloeckner, the author of “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,’” and Trina Robbins, who helped create “Wimmen’s Comix,” an early feminist comic anthology, she said. “[Female graphic novelists] just opened the door to something new and tried to avoid censorship. And they did what they wanted to do as women, for women, and about women. So it just changed the game

and opened the door to talk about things more openly,” Steel said.

The Underground Comix movement emerged during a time when the vast majority of graphic novelists were male, and a large portion of content was centered around men, Steel said. However, Underground Comix are often created by women and centered on female protagonists, she said.

“Because comics, like a lot of industries, are really male dominated, it was interesting to see how these comics really [gave] a presentation of the female voice that hadn’t been heard before,” Elizabeth Chung (12) said.

Steel asked her classmates to choose moments from their lives and illustrate a six-panel comic about them without using descriptions or text bubbles.

Chung and the members of her group created a comic based on a story on her friend getting food poisoning on a trip, she said.

Ricker helped select activities for Steel’s presentation based on the curriculum she teaches in her eighth grade graphic novel elective, Ricker said. She mainly advised Steel on how to teach her classmates tools to “create stories without relying on words or captions,” she said.

Steel frequently creates graphic novels about her personal life, focusing on funny experiences, but she also uses them as an emotional outlet when facing challenges, she said.

“Being able to put into art how you’re feeling and sharing that with other people is such an eye opening thing and can make waves,” she said, “ I think if there was a message [from my presentation] it would be about being genuine and being honest about who you are.”

Hi everyone!

This is the first installment of the Community Council Corner! Every month or so, we will use the CC Corner to update the community on the progress of CC initiatives. Bellow are our plans for the month.

• Letters to our Troops: Thursday and Friday, the days preceding Veterans’ Day Weekend, we hosted a letter writing campaign to support our Deployed Troops, New Recruits, Veterans, and First Responders. We would love for you all to join us in giving back to these brave members of our nation by writing a letter or two.

• Career Lecture Series: An initiative with the aim of introducing potential career paths to students, the Career Lecture Series will be hosting its first guest lecturer Dr. Yiping Han, a microbiologist studying the relationship between the microbiome and human health.

• Assembly Polls: Through this data submitted by students, our assemblies will aim to better reflect the interests of the student body.

• Thanksgiving Video: A video will be coming out during the Thanksgiving Day Assembly to showcase some of the ways in which members of our community are grateful.

If you have any questions regarding the Community Council or have any fun initiative ideas, feel free to email Jeren (jeren_wei@horacemann.org), Julia (julia_robbins@horacemann.org), or your CC representatives. Or you can attend our next bi-weekly CC meeting during I period on November 15th.

Love, The Community Council

4

THE RECORD SPECIAL FEATURES NOVEMBER 9TH, 2018

Alumni in service: life in the military

All articles by Staff Writer Julia Robbins

Watermarks by Juli Moreira/Art Director Courtesy of Jenny Wang

RECOGNITION Cadet Wang with her company after completing an eight-mile ruck march and PT session at the end of Plebe Year, earning the right to be recognized (called by her first name, followed on social media, etc.).

Duty, honor, country: Jenny Wang’s journey through West Point When Jenny Wang ’16 visited the United States Military Academy (USMA) in elementary school, little did she know that just a decade later, she would be well into her third year at one of the nation’s most prestigious military institutions.

Wang first looked into the Academy after a family friend suggested she might be in interested in USMA, also known as West Point. The summer before her senior year, she participated in the Summer Leaders Experience (SLE) at West Point.

According to the West Point website, the SLE “gives high school juniors a week to experience life as a cadet to inform their college selection decision.”

After completing SLE, Wang decided she wanted to attend the Academy. If she did not like it, Wang knew she could transfer within two years of joining West Point, she said.

That transfer never came. Wang was able to complete her first year, Plebe Year, and is now a third year or “Cow.” “Plebe year is the easiest year because you have literally no responsibilities to anybody but yourself,” Wang said.

As cadets advance through their years at West Point, they take on more responsibilities and are in charge of more people.

The most challenging part of Plebe Year is managing all the duties plebes are assigned, Wang said. These duties include taking out upperclassmen’s trash, announcing menus at meal times, and mopping hallway floors.

“You have to make what you can of it, because it’s easy to get caught up in how miserable every day is on a day-today basis: waking up at five o’clock in the morning and working until midnight or

one or two in the morning,” Wang said.

As a woman at West Point, Wang hasn’t experienced any outright sexism, but “there’s the subtle, every day, underlying hints that it’s very much still a guys’ game,” Wang said. One of the biggest points of dispute between cadets at West Point surrounds the different physical standards for men and women, she said.

Many of the highest standards for women are at the lowest acceptable level for men, which is “always a big source of contention,” Wang said.

The physical aspect of West Point has been the hardest for Wang, who was not an athlete growing up. Because so many other cadets were athletes, Wang works “three times as hard as other people to get to where they are,”she said.

But Wang has kept a positive attitude throughout all of the challenges of West Point.

“It’s a good time,” she said. Since the beginning of Plebe Year, Wang has been part of a company of around 120 cadets with whom she lives, cleans, and eats.

They are like “your little family when you’re here,” Wang said.

“I have a great company,” she said, “I’ve made really amazing connections with really amazing people.”

Wang has also sought out friends who are hard-working, passionate, of good character, and who know how to have a good time, she said. “Most importantly, they care about other people, and they care about me,” Wang said.

“It’s the people here that really make or break your experience, and I’ve had a really lucky, fortunate experience with the people that I’ve worked with,” Wang said.

Wang’s friendships at West Point are

much more meaningful and impactful than those she formed at Horace Mann, she said.

“I think that’s partially just being part of this institution together and going through stuff that your normal 20 to 21-year-old doesn’t go through,” she said. “It’s knowing that you graduate and commission at 22, and it’s very possible that by the age of 23, you’re going to be deployed.”

“We’re all working towards this super awesome, common goal, and it’s awesome to do it with people who you love and who support you while you’re doing it. There’s no other reason why you would do it,” Wang said.

Wang is a Life Science major and has been conducting research since her Plebe Year. She has attended multiple national science conferences and currently has two works under review for publication.

One of the papers is about integrating graphene and platinum to create nanowire for super capacitor applications, while the other discusses metalizing silk to give it electric properties.

West Point gave Wang more selfconfidence and improved her ability to develop meaningful relationships with other people, she said. She also has become better at following through with goals and leading in a more effective manner.

“I’m 5’ foot 2” and 112 pounds; yelling and screaming just makes me look like an angry toddler,” Wang said. “It’s just finding out what kind of leadership style works best for you.”

Wang’s plan for her future is to apply to medical school and then serve in the Army as a doctor.

Meltzer ‘13 reflects on Navy experience Matthew Meltzer ‘13 chose to attend the United States Naval Academy in part because of his time playing varsity football at Horace Mann. Football required teamwork, physical fitness, and mental strength, three qualities he knew he would find in the military.

Time Meltzer spent working for the school Maintenance Department before senior year also encouraged him to attend the academy.“That was a very hands-on job, it was a lot of manual labor,” he said. “I think that taught me the importance of hard work and responsibility....and it pushed me further in the direction of wanting to join the military.”

Naval Academy students are midshipmen on active duty in the U.S. Navy.

Graduates of the Naval Academy either enter the Navy as an ensign, the lowest ranked commissioned officer in the Navy, or enter the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant, the lowest ranked commissioned officer in the Marine Corps, and all graduates must serve at least five years in active duty.

Horace Mann was more competitive than the Naval Academy because at the Naval Academy, everyone had a common goal of service to the Navy, Meltzer said.

By senior year at the academy, Meltzer was his company’s commander and the Regimental XO (Executive Officer) in charge of running Plebe Summer. Plebe Summer takes place before a midshipman’s first year at the academy. During the summer, midshipmen are physically and mentally pushed to their limits to build up strength for their time at the academy and later in the military.

As Regimental XO, Meltzer recognized how important Plebe Summer was in developing his own character four years earlier. “One of the most important things I learned from Plebe Summer was the concept of stoicism; recognizing the idea that there are certain things that you can control and there are certain things that you cannot control,” Metlzer said.

Before deployment, all graduates are

sent off to more specialized training to prepare for their specific job in the Navy or Marine Corps. Meltzer trained in San Diego to prepare for his current work on the destroyer, USS Chafee.

After training, Meltzer flew to Singapore to join Chafee, which was deployed in the South China Sea (SCS).

China has been illegally building artificial islands in an attempt to claim ownership over the SCS, and the presence of Chafee was used to deny China’s claims over the SCS. At sea, Meltzer helped give orders to the ship’s helmsman, the person who steers the ship, and aided in practicing missile launches and defense. In an act Meltzer described as “surprisingly very calm,” he was also tasked with communicating with members of the Chinese army. “You’re looking at this other ship, and you’re realizing their life is probably actually very similar to yours at that moment; they’re in their navy, they probably went through their version of the Naval Academy,” Meltzer said. “With the exception of the fact that you come from different places, you’re very similar.”

Because graduates of the academy immediately rank higher than all enlisted sailors Meltzer was in charge of 15 sailors, some of whom had wives and children, by the age of 22. That experience was “eye-opening and humbling,” Meltzer said.

Chafee is now in maintenance at Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii.

“I’m lucky, I’m stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It doesn’t get much better than that,” Meltzer said.

Meltzer is now studying for the Law School Admissions Test with hopes to become part of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Judge Advocate General’s (JAGs) are the lawyers for the military and handle anything from environmental law to maritime law.

While he chose to join the Navy, there are other ways for people to serve through volunteering in their own communities, Meltzer said. However, everyone has the obligation to do something for their country, he said.

Hernandez ‘16 continues family military tradition

Christian Hernandez ’16 comes from a family of veterans, which served as part of his inspiration to join the armed forces: his great grandfather served in the Korean War and his grandfather served for 20 years as a combat engineer in the Army.

“I had the military heritage, and that motivated me to do better than my grandfather did, because he ranked pretty high, and that’s what I want to achieve, but greater,” Hernandez said. Hernandez’s grandfather, Miguel Guzman, was a First Sergeant in the army, the second highest enlisted rank, and assisted in overseeing 120 soldiers for his company element, Hernandez said.

In addition to the inspiration from his family’s military heritage, Hernandez also wanted a chance to give back to his country.

His ability to attend Horace Mann and then college came from the sacrifices his family made and from opportunities America gave him, he said. “I wanted to pay my dues back and do my service,” Hernandez said.

However, Hernandez had to wait until his 18th birthday to enlist because his mother wouldn’t let him while he was under her legal control, he said. Having grown up with a father in the military, Hernandez’s mother believed her son wouldn’t like life in the military, he said.

But when Hernandez eventually did enlist, it was the greatest decision of his life, he said. Hernandez is currently an enlisted soldier in the reserves on his way to becoming an officer in the Army.

Hernandez attends Iona College and is participating in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at Fordham University in New York.

People in ROTC undergo the physical training of students at military

academies while receiving a civilian education.

Before he started college, Hernandez had to first undergo military training at different army instillations across the country. Right after turning 18, Hernandez completed his 10 weeks of Basic Combat Training (BCT) at Fort Jackson in South Carolina.

BCT includes rifle training, physical training, and combat zone survival instruction.

“The hardest part was definitely learning how to cope with the lack of sleep,” Hernandez said. “You’ll go out in the field for days and nights at a time without sleeping at all, and you have to carry all this equipment and ammo and heavy weapons.”

Like the rest of the military, BCT had a very hierarchical nature.

Recruits could only talk when spoken to first by sergeants, and higherranking officials would “come onto you screaming and cursing,” Hernandez said.

After his time in Fort Jackson, Hernandez went on to Advanced Individual Training (AIT). Every recruit has to complete AIT in the specific field they will enter in the army, whether that be Aviation Logistics or the Military Police.

Hernandez chose the Signal Corps School at Fort Gordon for his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). In the army, he will be a Signal Support Specialist (SSS), commonly known as 25U, in charge of his army unit’s information technology such as radio transmitters, antennas, and routers.

“We couldn’t be in civilian uniforms; we had to be in uniform at all time,” Hernandez said about his time at Fort Gordon. “So when I came back, and I wore sneakers for the first time, it was the greatest feeling

in the world.”

The atmosphere at BCT and AIT was both competitive and encouraging, Hernandez said.

“At the end of the day, if you need help, I’m gonna help you,” Hernandez said. “If I got a higher PT (Physical Training) score, I’m gonna get you a higher PT score too; If I shoot better, I’m going to show you how to shoot better.”

“You learn respect very easily,” Hernandez said about his time throughout military training. He added that he has learned to complete tasks immediately, pay more attention to detail, and focus on the task at hand.

“It’s made me a harder worker; it’s also made me a more complete worker,” he said.

Hernandez also became close to many of his fellow recruits in BCT and at Fort Gordon. “A lot of them wanted to escape from the life that they had before,” Hernandez said. “That motivated me to keep pushing further because I already knew that when I’d come back home, I would already have more than they had ever had.”

“Their outlook in life and their positivity made me a better person,” he said. Hernandez believes every student should “at least look into the military.”

“The stigma is that they trap you, and the people that you’re with are nobody’s, but that’s not true at all,” Hernandez said. “The people I’m with are some of the best people I’ve ever been with in my life and the experiences that I’ve had I wouldn’t trade for the world,” Hernandez said.

5

HORACE MANN SPECIAL FEATURES NOVEMBER 9TH, 2018

MIDTERM

ELECTIONS

Seniors step into the voting booth for the first time

Nelson Gaillard Staff Writer

At 6:15 a.m. last Tuesday, Tatiana Pavletich (12) threw on sweatpants, walked a block to the Greek church, waited in long lines, and voted for the first time. Her and many other seniors experienced their first time voting as legal adults during this week’s midterm election.

As voting rookies, many seniors had to register to vote in this election, and according to Ben Metzner (12), the registration process was surprisingly easy, requiring only an ID and a signature.

“It’s important to be part of the civic process,” Metzner said.

“Even in a state like New York, where most of the races are sewed up, it’s important to be a part of the process and make your voice heard.”

Elizabeth Fortunato (12) and Josh Benson (12) registered to vote at the DMV when they received their drivers licenses and found that process simple.

Pavletich signed up on the DMV website and no later than two weeks later, received her voter registration in the mail, she said.

For Juli Moreira (12), the registration process was also uncomplicated, she said. All she had to do was fill out a piece of paper and make sure that all the information was correct.

Jaden Katz (12) said she registered to vote at school when the student body presidents set up a registration booth.

In order to vote back in the 1980s, Senior Supervisor of Public Safety, Bill O’Sullivan, filled out a voter registration form which was given to him by his university.

In terms of actually voting, in the 1980s, O’Sullivan remembers pulling a lever to close a curtain, pushing buttons to choose the candidate, and flipping the lever back to cast the ballot and open the curtain. “I think [voting] is very streamlined,” he said.

Science teacher Dr. Megan Reesbeck voted for the first time in the 2008 presidential election. “I couldn’t imagine not [voting],” she said.

To Benson, voting for the first time did not seem significant.

“The chances of your vote not getting counted or your ability to vote being suppressed make voting not highly impactful,” he said.

Because Jaden Katz already knew what the outcome of the election was going to be, voting for the first time did not mean that much, she said.

In this election, Benson was voting against something rather than for something, but he does not think “one extra drop in that blue wave” is going to have that much of an impact, he said.

“I don’t feel like if I hadn’t voted, there would have been a dramatic difference,” Reesbeck said. “I do feel as there are so many people who have difficulties voting and can’t exercise their right, why wouldn’t you?”

“I think it’s really easy to be like ‘I don’t need to vote,’” Middle and Upper Division Library Department Chair Caroline Bartels said. “Your voices are going to make a huge difference.”

“I definitely think that everyone does have an impact,” Fortunato said. “I know I’m just a single person, but I think that my vote can make a difference.”

Metzner and Reesbeck believe that everyone should vote but Fortunato, Benson, and Moreira believe that it’s the people’s choice as to whether or not they vote.

For those under the age of 18, there is a lot of time to figure everything out so they should not feel bad about being unable to vote, Fortunato said.

Voting is an important part of adulthood and made Metzner feel like an adult. “You get to feel like you’re part of the American civic society,” Metzner said.

Are you content with the results of the election?

Yes 38%

No 62%

Allison DeRose and Mark Fernandez/Design Editors

Which candidate for NY Senator

did you support?

If you are currently 18, did you vote?

New Yorkers reflect on election results

Henry Owens and Vivien Sweet Staff Writers

Faculty members and a handful of seniors headed to the polls on Tuesday to vote in the midterm election, to determine New York’s (NY) Governor, Senators, and House Representatives.

“I’m really hoping that the people who stayed home during the 2016 election are realizing that this is not the time to do that,” Library Department Chair Caroline Bartels said. “People have been standing out in the rain for two hours because voting now is too important not to do that.”

The candidates for the NY State Senate were Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, who was running for re-election, and Republican Chele Farley.

For the position of NY Governor, Andrew Cuomo (Democrat) ran for re-election against Marc Molinaro (Republican), Howie Hawkins (Green Party), Stephanie Miner (Independent), and Larry Sharpe (Libertarian Party).

Bartels voted for all of the Democratic candidates in order to help fix the current federal government crisis by “flipping a lot of things blue so that there can be some checks on the situation,” she said.

“On some issues I’m kind of conservative, but on other issues I’m quite liberal. However, I am quite nervous about the things that are happening to the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and women’s rights because of our current administration,” Bartels said. “By voting left, we can make sure that basic human rights are not violated to the point of no possible recovery.”

Madhav Menon (10) said he was unsurprised by the results of the NY election and doesn’t expect to see much tangible change as a result.

“A lot of states, especially those that aren’t swing states, constantly have either Democratic or Republican senators or

representatives,” Menon said. “One candidate who I found very intriguing was Beto O’Rourke in Texas. His coming so close to beating Cruz in such a Republican state shows that there is some swing in states that we think of as lopsided.”

Josh Benson (12) voted to oppose fascism rather than support a specific candidate.

“It’s more that I’m voting against something than I’m voting for something,” Josh Benson (12), who voted “Democrat” down the ballot, said. “The biggest thing the Democrats have going for them is not being openly white supremacist and giving support to fascist movements.”

Aaron Shuchman (10) said he paid less attention to the NY race because it is usually very predictable. He supported candidates in states where the races were more significant, such as Martha McSally and Josh Hawley, the Republican Senate candidates in Arizona and Missouri, he said.

“The tax cuts that were passed definitely had a positive impact on the economy. There’s been more growth, more job opportunity, [and] wages are higher,” Shuchman said. “Those are all good things and I’d like to see more progress in terms of stimulating the economy.”

History teacher Dr. Laura Weinstein, who voted for candidates whose platforms closely aligned with her personal beliefs, was very excited about some of the NY candidates, especially Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Antonio Delgado, who won in the 14th and 19th districts of New York, respectively, she said.

“I really like Kirsten Gillibrand. I was inspired to see so many wonderful women running for office this year, and she is at the head of the pack,” Weinstein said.

For Weinstein, the most important political issue that affected her candidate choices was climate change, she said. “Anyone who is a climate-change denier will never receive a vote from me. There are other issues, but people who reject such strong

Percentages based on an anonymous survey of all UD students and faculty, to which 209 people responded.

scientific evidence can never receive my vote,” Weinstein said.

Similarly, Nader Granmayeh (12), would have voted for Democratic candidates had he been able to vote, he said.

“Going in, it seemed like a forgone conclusion that the Democrats would win the House and the Republicans would keep the Senate. It was just a matter of the strength of their respective victories,” he said.

In general, the most important issues affecting this election were health care, immigration, and the Supreme Court, Granmayeh said. “However, for me, it’s more of a systemic issue with what Republicans believe versus what Democrats believe.”

Katya Tolunsky/Contributing Artist

6

THE RECORD ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NOVEMBER 9TH, 2018

Horace Mann Theatre Company Presents:

RHINOCEROS

Interview with Director Joseph Timko John Mauro Staff Writer Staff Writer John Mauro (10) interviews Theatre Teacher and Director of Horace Mann Theatre Company’s Fall Production Joseph Timko and discuss Rhinoceros, a 20th century play about fascism.

Why did you choose Rhinoceros in particular to be HMTC’s Fall production?

Timko: Last March French Teacher Sonya Rotman’s French Seminar class performed the first act in French, and it was such a great play that I decided we should do it in English this fall. The other reason is its story about a village where people are changing one by one into rhinoceroces is very much what’s happening in our culture, so it seemed like it was a relevant thing socially and politically for what’s happening in our country, oddly enough on the week of election.

What creative choices did you make in directing and performing the show?

Timko: Well, together, we’ve made a lot. The fact that the different people are playing the same character in different scenes, partly because there’s so much dialogue to learn, and also to give more actors a chance to do something significant. It’s slow improvisation; you know the words to the play, and you have stage directions; sometimes you follow them and sometimes you don’t.

A play isn’t the work of one person; it begins with the playwright, maybe the director, choosing to do it, but once you go into work on it it’s the work of a lot of people harmoniously trying to do it.

What should the audience take away from the performance?

Timko: Whatever they want. It’s not a commercial, it’s a play, and as a play it presents many different points of view including those of the rhinoceroses, and you decide as you watch it what you’re going to take away, who you’re identifying with. It’s a very subtle play, even though the basic story is so simple, one by one, people are turning into Rhinoceroses, there’s a lot of dialogue, it’s fairly complicated both intellectually and emotionally, and you can show the play to the world and they will get what they want from it.

SET AND SHADOW Colorful lights fill the set of the Black Box Theatre.

Courtesy of Samuel Keimweiss

Costume and set design: behind-thescenes of Rhinoceros Natalie Sweet Staff Writer

A dark atmosphere permeates the Black Box, actors in ferocious rhinoceros costumes fill the inky, bare set of the production Rhinoceros.

Unlike past productions, Rhinoceros uses multicasting, in which two or more actors play the same role. The main character, Berenger, is played by four students, and two others are played by two students.

However, multicasting presented a challenge for costume design, Head of Costume Department Wendy Kahn said. Consistency in costumes helps the audience follow the character’s identity, and helps the actors identify with one another, she said.

In all the scenes, Berenger wears a flannel shirt and raincoat, while the character Daisy dons polka dots.

A unique challenge was transitioning a character into a rhinoceros mid-scene, Khan said.

“This transformation is done purely through the actor’s physicality,” she said. “We only give the actor and the audience some textures and shapes to help suggest the change.”

The rest of the actors change backstage into rhinoceros costumes, which consist of horns constructed on pollution masks and thuggish leather

jackets. “The greyness of the costumes suggests an oppressive conformity that the characters follow,” Khan said.

The set design also reflects the dark tone and thematic elements of the play. “The majority of the set is grey, like the skin of a rhinoceros, and the background gets darker as the play goes on to match the theme of the production,” Samantha Tsai (10) said.

To create the set, the stage crew had to acquire special tools, Senior Technical Director Maya Dubno (12) said. “We used flexible wooden boards to connect the walls of the awning to the floor,” Dubno said. The crew also experimented with Homasote boards, a foul-smelling paper product that composed the texture of rhinoceros skin.

The design choices of Rhinoceros make the main themes very straightforward and easy for the viewer to understand, Yana Gitelman (10) said.

Towards the end of the play, two rolling walls close in on the characters to tighten the set, representing the world closing in on the main character, Dubno says.

“Perhaps the rhinoceros represents the brutality to which tyranny and other forces in our world reduce us,” Khan said.

Student Review: HMTC delivers a powerful, deep rendition of Ionesco’s Rhinoceros Samuel Keimweiss Staff Writer

A man and a woman sit at a table.

They talk to each other and order drinks. Everything seems perfectly fine, but something feels off. Look closer. The man is not a man, but a beast; a rhinoceros.

Such is the nature of director and Theatre Teacher Joseph Timko’s adaptation of Eugene Ionesco’s 1959 play Rhinoceros. Performed by the Horace Mann Theater Company (HMTC), the play’s intimate, community theater atmosphere aids in understanding the play’s complicated themes.

Rhinoceros consists of three acts and takes place in a small French town. It follows Bérenger, played by four actors–Charlotte Pinney (12), Madhav Menon (10), Jack Crovitz (10), and Jacob Dylan Chin (11)– while his aquaintances turn into rhinoceroses.

Bérenger initially believes the creatures are morally acceptable, but by the time he realizes the danger they pose, it is too late and he is the only human left in his town.

While Timko and HMTC followed most of the translated script of Ionesco’s work, they adapted it to fit the small theater and added comedic elements to make the play more engaging.

Though the actors and director add a humorous tone, they also deal with difficult issues discussed in the text; Rhinoceros was written in response to World War Two and fascism.

While these ideas are inherent in Ionesco’s text, HMTC puts a larger emphasis on themes within the play that are extremely relevant to today’s society, like mental health. In the first act, Bérenger struggles with alcoholism, depression, and a lack of self-confidence, which is successfully conveyed by Pinney’s drawn out, exasperated phrasing. Spencer Kahn (11), playing Bérenger’s friend Jean, responds decisively with aggression and rhythm.

The cast uses the rhythm of the production to address sensitive topics. In one particular stretch of Act Two, Menon’s Bérenger, and his co-workers Daisy (Sarah Accoceli (11)), Botard (Nicholas Moreira (10)), Papillon (Ben Lee (11)), and Dudard (Rish Sinha (11)) debate the possibilities of rhinoceros existing in France. The five actors have bubbling chemistry and are so comfortable debating the merits of logic itself that the scene feels more like a dance than a dialogue. Their back and forth does an exemplary job of showing Botard’s refusal to accept the rhinoceros as well as Dotard’s staunch support backed by no evidence but the word of

Jackson Roberts/ Art Director

RAGE OF THE RHINO Actors engage in banter. witnesses.

The set of the play adds to the tension inherent in the script while also alluding to other themes. There are two walls on either side of the stage that close in on the play as it advances, shrinking the stage and creating a growing sense of fear and claustrophobia. The gray, textured backdrop darkens the room and

resembles rhinoceros skin. The lights enhance the surrealism of the play and add to the sense of confusion.

Overall, the set creates a serious atmosphere for the play and exploits the intimate atmosphere that the Black Box provides.

The play ends on a lighter note.

After a passionate closing speech

by Chin, the actors do a line dance

choreographed by Yana Gitelman (10). The dance adds a fun, laughable conclusion to serious content, ensuring that the each member of the audience leaves with a smile.

7

HORACE MANN MIDDLE DIVISION NOVEMBER 9TH, 2018

Dear Families,

New HM Parent Institute kicks off

We are excited to announce the launch of a new initiative in the Middle Division: The HM Parent Institute.

Bradley Bennett Staff Writer

A message from Kelly and Reiter on the HM Parent Institute Initiative

Our intent is to offer a series of informative ParenTalks that will be designed to provide a greater appreciation of your child’s adolescent journey in this complex world and the parenting challenges you may face throughout the middle school years. Equally significant is our recognition of the unique challenges and joys your child will experience throughout their time in the “middle.” In an effort to accommodate our geographically diverse population, plans to host these talks at venues in Manhattan, the Bronx, New Jersey and Westchester are underway.

The Parent Institute will host interactive forums, book readings and presentations that will focus on important adolescent themes, central to your relationship with your child. Topics to be explored are maintaining family values in the face of outside influences, healthy decision-making, managing social media, securing an open line of communication and social/digital lives challenging your child.

Our kickoff event featuring Robert Brooks, Ph.D., author of Raising a SelfDisciplined Child, will be held on Friday, November 9th in Manhattan. This first ParenTalk will be limited to 35 participants on a first come, first served basis. This will allow for a deep dive into the book as well as an intimate and lively exchange with the author. An Evite will follow.

Future ParenTalks are as follows: • December 11th: “The Pressured Child; The Pressured Parent.” Michael Thompson, Ph.D., international author and presenter will return to HM to lead a conversation about the life of your adolescent and the expectations you both experience.

• February 7th: “The Big Disconnect.” Join Catherine Steiner-Adair, Ed. D., for an in-depth conversation about The Big Disconnect, exploring the media lives of adolescents and the impact on family dynamics.

• April 16th: “Life in the Middle.” This promises to be a unique opportunity to hear from Upper Division students, Middle Division faculty members and administrators on their perspectives as to what defines a successful middle school experience.

We hope you will join us, along with your peers, at these events designed to support your parenting while fostering a healthy relationship with your middle school child and school.

Thomas M. Kelly, Ph.D. and Wendy J. Reiter, M.S.Ed.

Director of Middle Division Guidance Wendy Reiter and Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly teamed up to establish the Middle Division Parent Institute, a new initiative designed to support middle school students by educating parents about middle school life and challenges.

The primary objective of the Parent Institute is to “educate parents about all the important aspects of adolescent development over time, and hopefully it will serve the parents, the students, and the institution well,” Reiter said.

“There is a need for greater parent involvement in the Middle Division, and our parent body is interested in having access to a greater number of resources when it comes to raising children in an ever-changing world,” Kelly said.

“The program will afford parents the opportunity to have more specific conversations with school personnel and national experts on topics relevant to their children’s time in and out of school.”

“Parents will have the opportunity to participate in talks, have book discussions based on middle school topics, and there will an end of the year forum with former middle school students about the successful middle school experience,” Marisa Rosenthal (P’21, P’23) said.

“I decided to create this program because I started out as a parent many years ago, and then came on faculty, so I have experienced both sides of middle school.” Reiter said. “I feel like I’ve had this unique perspective of middle school life from both a parent and faculty perspective.”

The first meeting of the Parent Institute will be held on November 9th, and Dr. Robert Brooks will be presenting about his book, “Raising a Self Disciplined Child,” Rosenthal said.

“The Parent Institute and the Parents Association have met on several occasions to brainstorm ideas on how

to promote the new initiative,” Head of the Parents Association Grace Peak said.

“The Parents Association hopes to be helpful by providing feedback from the community on what worked and what areas need to be further developed.

Throughout the year, the program will feature various events to help educate parents about their middle schoolers’ lives.

“My other goal for this program is to capture parents who typically don’t come out for these types of events, and hopefully one of these topics will resonate with them,” Reiter said.

“We want to be able to reach a broader range of parents, wherever they live, and each of the talks sound very exciting so many parents are looking forward to it,” Rosenthal said.

“We hope that if parents are better educated, their children will have an easier time in school and in life outside of school,” Kelly said.

“I’m looking forward to Friday, the launch event, and I’m really excited about the whole year,” Reiter said.

Gabby Fischberg/Staff Artist

Puzzles, projects, and posters: students celebrate Mexican holiday

Emily Shi Staff Writer

Vibrant artwork lines the walls of the atrium as Middle Division (MD) students and teachers admire the creative work of students celebrating the annual Day of the Dead holiday with their Spanish classes.

In Mexico, the official celebration of the Day of the Dead occurs on November 1st and 2nd, but preparations for the holiday begin on October 31st.

“Mexico is the country that has the highest population of Spanish-speaking people, so it’s really important to see how such a wide population celebrates such an important day in their culture,” MD World Languages Department Chair Valerie Maté-Hunt said.

Each grade participated in its own unique activities. It has become a tradition for the sixth graders to complete word searches and arts and crafts, the seventh graders to design posters, and the eighth graders to create altars for famous figures from Spanish speaking countries, Maté-Hunt said.

“Each grade worked together on their own projects and then we all looked at and admired each other’s work,” Sophie Li (6) said.

“We built altars for a specific person by showing some of their favorite items and traditional Spanish items for the Day of the Dead,” Zachary Ludwig (8) said. “The experience really help me learn terms, Spanish traditions, and the history behind the

celebration.”

Building the altars gave the eighth graders an opportunity to express their creativity, Zarar Haider (8) said. According to Ludwig, the Day of the Dead presentations differed from other projects because the students worked creatively to build altars instead of simply writing and displaying pictures.

“The presentations gave us the opportunity to practice our Spanish speaking skills, which we normally don’t get to do much,” Gavin Song (8) said.

This year, the Day of the Dead celebration invited even more of the student and faculty to join in with the celebrations. Although only the Spanish students complete the activities, their creations are available for the whole division to view and learn from.

“This has been the biggest celebration in the Spanish department yet. We even invited a lot of the faculty to dress up in Day of the Dead clothing,” Mate-Hunt said. “Next year, we plan to invite all of the students to dress up.”

The celebration gave students an opportunity to learn how Spanish and American traditions differ, as Spanish people “embrace the dead, unlike other cultures that tend not to talk about it,” Li said.

“As a language teacher, I always say to my students that they are learning how to speak another language, but better than that is culture,” MD Spanish Teacher Dr. Rhashida Hilliard said.

“I’m not sure how often they would explore

these ideas on their own, so we do like to include the cultural aspects of the language in events like this,” she said.

“They’re creating things the same way other kids and families do in a Spanish-speaking country,” Maté-Hunt said. “The experience opens a window of what it is that people just like them are doing in other countries.”

The idea that people in Mexico used the Day of the Dead to celebrate their past relatives

instead of mourn them is very interesting and different from the culture in the United states, Hader said.

“It taught me that the dead should be celebrated. Of course, they should be mourned, but also celebrated that they’ve been given a chance at life, and what they did with that chance was beautiful,” Jason Xia (8) said.

Maxwell Schopkorn/Contributing Photographer

CELEBRAMOS! Students’ art is displayed in the atrium.

Lions’ Den Record Sports

8

JV SPORTS: Fall Season Recap NOVEMBER 9TH, 2018

Julia Robbins Staff Writer

Courtesy of Jonathan Mong

Girls Tennis

One of the most exciting matches for the JV Tennis team this season was a home game against the Hackley School, where all players won their matches. The win was part of a very successful season for the team, which only lost one match.

“People were very energetic and our team supported each other well and cheered each other on throughout the highs and lows of our matches,” Amanda Mark (9) said.

The team was coachable and reliable, JV Tennis Coach Olufemi Salako said. “They listened to instructions and always worked as a team,” he said.

“We were all paired up with people we enjoyed playing with which made our games much stronger and we all really enjoyed the sport which made it more fun,” Samantha Blackman (9) said.

Courtesy of Emma Colacino

Water Polo Two of the highlights of the JV Water Polo season came in games against Trinity, where last minute goals propelled the Lions to victory.

At the beginning of the season, the team had a hard time setting up offense and suffered from turnovers, Nina Gaither (10) said.

Players can no longer rest by standing on the shallow end, which was a challenge that the team had to overcome, Assistant Water Polo Coach Errol Spencer ‘16 said.

Over time, the team became more organized and set up its offense more efficiently, Eli Scher (10) said.

“By the last game, even though we lost pretty horribly, we managed to keep possession of the ball much longer,” Gaither said.

Aquatics Director Thatcher Woodley was helpful in explaining why the team lost specific games and oriented practices on addressing those mistakes, she said.

“They had a purpose to each day in practice,” Woodley said.

Players were serious and mature and understood the need to have a productive season, especially to prepare for Varsity in the coming years, he said.

The coaches focused on giving everyone playing time which allowed all players to improve, Gaither said.

“Over this season, the JV water polo team made huge strides in becoming better teammates, players, and friends,” Spencer said.

Salako explained the importance of being supportive and considerate teammates, Emma Colacino (9) said.

He required all players who had finished their matches to cheer their teammates on, Blackman said.

Over the season, players found who they worked best with and how their strengths could complement one another, Colacino said.

“I will definitely take away that having a close knit team and a team where everyone supports each other and is there for each other, can go a long way,” Blackman said.

One of the lessons from this year is “to take every point as it comes” and never feel too confident or disappointed about how a game is going, Sadie Warshaw (9) said.

WIN OF THE WEEK:

Courtesy of Stella Cha

Girls Volleyball The JV Volleyball team defeated Dalton in their final game ending a losing season on a high note.

“We had a pretty triumphant win,” Sadie Hill (10) said. “We hadn’t won many games in the season, and we wanted to win, so we were pretty pumped up.”

The team was mostly comprised of freshmen, which led to a very talkative and unfocused atmosphere at first, Stella Cha (10) said.

As the team became more focused in practice and learned from its mistakes, the team members improved their playing ability, Coach Michelle Amilicia said.

“Eventually as we all got closer we grew respect for each other and listened,” Cha said.

“Volleyball is a very team based sport,” Gabby Fishberg (10) said.

“You really can’t succeed without trusting each other.”

By the end of the season the team was playing more efficiently and cohesively, Fishberg said.

“Everyone played an important role, and even the people who weren’t playing in games, they still felt that they were contributing which was really important,” Mandy Liu (10said.

One of the highlights from the season was the game against Poly Preparatory School, the number one ranked JV volleyball team in the league. In the first set, “we absolutely demolished them,” Fishberg said.

During the Poly game, Liu slammed the ball straight down on the other side of the net and the whole team became excited, Cha said.

Abi Kraus/Photo Editor

Varsity Football won the HVFL Championship Bowl

14 - 6

against Dalton last Saturday

Girls Varsity Soccer endures tough season Griffin Smith Staff Writer

Despite not having a single win, the Girls Varsity Soccer team was able to cut down its goal differential and tie a game this season as it completes a rebuilding year.

The team developed their skills and grew closer as a group this season, co-Captain Lucy Rittmaster (12) said. Rittmaster led the team

Jake Shapiro/Photo Editor

HUDDLED UP The team coming together before the game.

with co-Captain Kiara Royer (11), the only other upperclassman on the team.

Since many members from last year’s team graduated, “a lot of new players had to step up into big roles,” Rittmaster said. Many of them had to come straight from middle school to playing on a varsity team, but they all developed well throughout the season, she said.

Some players participated in out of school teams, but others were new to the sport, Kelly Troop (10) said. They were all athletic, and “what they lacked in skill they made up for in heart and hard work,” she said.

“Because we were such a young team, we needed time to understand how to play as a functioning unit,” Royer said. Towards the end of the season they improved on their passing and shooting and played more like a team, she said.

Many players stepped up to the challenge and stood out. Eliza Becker (9), the team’s starting goalie, wasn’t as tall as many other varsity players but was a “vital part of the team” and made many “crucial” saves each game, Royer said.

Laila Farmer (9) was another strong member of the team, because she can play anywhere and isn’t afraid to go up against players twice her size, Royer said.

Leyli Granmayeh (10) was put into a new role this season as sweeper and really stepped up. As sweeper she was the team’s last line

of defense and cleared the ball away many times, Royer said.

Royer was the team’s MVP this year, Coach Tim Sullivan said.

Rittmaster was crucial in leading the team, he said.

“Lucy was super understanding and nice and pushed us to get better,” Emma Djoganopoulos (10) said.

“Leading the team with Kiara was one of my favorite parts of the season,” Rittmaster said. Only having two upperclassmen on the team created a unique dynamic that allowed the freshmen and sophomores to be more involved. The team was like “one big family,” she said.

Even though the team did not win a game this season, they competed hard and persisted through the season against every team they played.

One notable moment was the team’s game against Fieldston, Royer said. They were dejected after being down 2-0 at halftime, but Rittmaster fired them up and they were able to come back strong and tie the game. This was a testament to the team’s resilient spirit, she said.

“I am very proud of our girls for working so hard during the season and never giving up,” Sullivan said. The team worked hard everyday and made a lot of progress, he said.

This was “one of the most fun seasons of any sport I’ve played,” Rittmaster said. The team shows a lot of potential for next year as everyone will improve in the offseason and come back bigger and more experienced, she said.