Issue 12

Volume 118 Issue 12

The Record

Horace Mann’s Weekly Newspaper Since 1903

record.horacemann.org December 4, 2020

Students attend virtual diversity conference AJ Walker, Heidi Li, and Ava Lipsky Contributing Writers Students and faculty members from independent schools nationwide gathered online this week for the annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) and People of Color Conference (PoCC) to engage in discussions about diversity, equity, and inclusion within private institutions.

The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) organizes the PoCC and SDLC. According to their website, NAIS aims to shape the future of education by empowering students and faculty members to be leaders in their respective communities and work together to create a more equitable environment.

The conference took place during the day from Monday to Friday. In a typical year, students and faculty members would travel together to attend the conference in-person. However, the conferences, which were initially planned to be held in St. Louis, Missouri, were all virtual this year.

In addition to the conference, Taylor held brief check-ins every morning for the school’s conference attendees — six students and 16 faculty members — to discuss takeaways from the conference and gauge student engagement before they logged into their workshops, he said.

Taylor had hoped that the student attendees would experience SDLC in person because of the informal connections and community building that happen naturally when conference participants come together, he said.

Ericka Familia (12), a first-time attendee, was disappointed when she heard it was online. “I heard from people who went last year and years prior that one of the most meaningful components of the conference for them were those close connections that you form with people, and that tends to be much more difficult online,” she said. Still, she went into the conference with an open mind and was eager to connect with other students and learn from their experiences.

Despite the virtual format, SDLC hosted a

variety of workshops and socials to foster a sense of community amongst attendees, including affinity groups and an optional talent show.

Familia attended the Latinx affinity group and greatly appreciated the opportunity to hear other students talk about their family’s backgrounds and experiences with immigration, she said. “It was really meaningful for me to compare [their experiences] with my own and have conversations with people who share my background and culture, which I don’t really get to do at Horace Mann,” Familia said.

Attendee Jaiden Wilson (11) particularly enjoyed attending a silent movement workshop, where participants kept their cameras off and

administrator, Taylor has found meeting other young, Black administrators just like him at the conference in past years and discussing their experiences as faculty at predominantly white institutions to be incredibly reaffirming, he said.

“I never had that [opportunity] after leaving public schools and working in independent schools, so for me that was like a weird moment of recharging that I did not know I needed.”

After experiencing the way the PoCC helped faculty members better their school communities, Taylor felt that students also needed a space like the PoCC if they were also going to make changes in their communities, he said. “It is one thing for faculty to get a whole bunch of tools and skills and Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

turned them on when an identifier was read that they resonated with, she said. The workshop helped participants see what aspects of their identity they shared with others and appreciate not only the shared experiences of the attendees, but the diversity within the group as well, Wilson said.

The initial idea for SDLC stemmed from the success of the pre-existing PoCC, which was established exclusively for faculty and staff at independent schools. As a young, Black

different things,” Taylor said. “It is another thing to make sure students are getting the appropriate leadership development so that they can actually become the young people that we need to hold our schools accountable.”

Louise Kim (10) learned about student leadership from a discussion with a panel of 10 SDLC faculty members moderated by Dr. Rodney Glasgow, where the panelists discussed student-based activism in schools and ways for students to create tangible change. “One of

[the panelists] said that even existing in those spaces [predominantly white institutions] as a marginalized person is an act of resistance,” she said.

Kim first learned about the conference from Nshera Tutu’s (12) opinion piece entitled “A community away from home: The SDLC experience” from Volume 117 Issue 25 of The Record. Tutu’s article about her overwhelmingly positive experience at last year’s SDLC, along with other student accounts inspired Kim to apply for this year’s conference to meet other students nationwide who are interested in activism, she said.

“After having spent some amount of time learning the basic properties of social justice and how activism works on a student level by myself, I really wanted to get that chance to interact with people that I would not have known if not for the conference,” Kim said.

Through breakout rooms and affinity groups, Kim was able to fulfill this desire and even exchange contact information with other attendees.

The biggest takeaway that Taylor hopes students get from SDLC is that they have agency, he said. “I hope that they learned that they have more control than they realize, and I hope that they learned that their voices matter incessantly,” Taylor said.

While Familia is a senior and cannot attend the conference next year, she would recommend it to other students because it teaches them how to think critically about their identity and learn from the experiences of others, she said. “Even if you’re not necessarily passionate about social justice or things like that, I think that it’s still a very meaningful experience and anyone can benefit from going to SDLC,” Familia said.

The ICIE has already begun planning the application process for next year’s conference, Associate Director of the ICIE Ronald Taylor said. Students will be required to submit an application and conduct an interview either inperson or over Zoom, he said.

Chidi Akusobi ‘08 speaks at assembly about COVID-19 Lucas Glickman, JP Eliopoulos, and Sophie Rukin Staff Writer and Contributing Writers On Wednesday, Dr. Chidi Akusobi ‘08 returned to the school to host a virtual assembly and a talkback, where he spoke about the social determinants of health: the effects that education, healthcare, location, community, and economic stability have on people’s access to good healthcare in the United States. Akusobi stressed that Black and Brown people across the United States have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. “COVID-19 has shined a light on how the medical system fails Black and Brown Americans,” Akusobi said. “Zip code matters more than genetic code when it comes to your health.”

One of the main reasons that Black Americans are disproportionately affected by the pandemic is because they are more likely to live in communities with essential workers, Akusobi said. Members of the essential workforce are unable to work from home and are therefore more likely to be exposed to COVID-19.

In the assembly, Akusobi also emphasized the importance of the upcoming vaccines combatting Black Americans’ justified fears and skepticism towards the United States’ medical system. By having a testing group that reflects the racial makeup of the US population,

companies like Pfizer and Moderna are more likely to garner trust in their vaccines from Black Americans across the country, he said. Once these vaccines are available to the general public, Akusobi said that the first batches should go to communities of color across the United States, the communities that are most in need of them.

Akusobi is a seventh-year MD-PhD student at Harvard Medical School focused on infectious disease and microbial evolution, which is why Bartels chose to invite him to speak at the assembly, Bartels said.

SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus, is more contagious than other forms of SARS because of its extra amino acids, Akusobi said. These extra amino acids allow SARS-CoV-2 to infect the upper respiratory tract more easily, and they make the virus far more likely to spread asymptomatically.

Akosubi originally developed a love for science through classes such as AP Biology and AP Chemistry, he said. After graduating high school, Akusobi briefly worked for the National Institutes of Health and then continued his education at Yale University, where he studied evolutionary biology. Afterward, Akusobi conducted research for a year on biochemistry at the University of Cambridge in England.

Completing rigorous science classes at the school gave Akusobi the confidence to pursue his interests even further by taking more “hardcore courses” in college, he said.

Courtesy of Caroline Bartels

AKUSOBI PRESENTS Powerpoint demonstrates the social determinants of health.

Students and faculty were excited to hear Akusobi’s assembly as he had a unique perspective on the state of the pandemic, and vaccine, Bartels said. Myra Singh (11) was especially interested in Akusobi’s discussion of the biological makeup of the pandemic and the reasons why it is such a highly infectious disease, she said.

Additionally, Luke Harris (10) said Akusobi’s presentation did a great job highlighting the various factors that affect people’s health. “It was really insightful the way he was able to identify how other factors influenced the spread of the virus, and why the virus hit Black and Brown communities particularly hard.”

Science teacher Dr. Christine Leo said Akusobi presented the information in a very captivating way. “His unique perspective as a researcher, physician, person of color, and immigrant provided me with so many thought-provoking connections,” she said.

In addition to combating the misinformation surrounding the pandemic and discussing the social determinants of health, Akusobi’s goal during the assembly was to dispel the myth that successful people have their whole lives figured out during high school. In his experience, when alumni return to discuss their careers, the way that they tell their stories can make it seem as though their paths were perfect, he said.

Akusobi stressed that in reality, this is not the case. “There’s no need to feel like your path from high school to whatever degree you end up doing in the end is incredibly linear, because that’s just how stories are told. But that’s not actually how life is lived.”

Bartels said it is important for students to hear about the struggles that alumni have in finding their career, as many students feel that everyone else has their entire life together. Bartels said she hopes that by listening to alumni tell their stories, students will see how their high school experiences can shape the rest of their lives.

Science Department Chair Dr. Lisa Rosenblum enjoyed how Akusobi told his personal story at the same time that he explained scientific concepts of infectious disease research, she said.

Akusobi is an example of a member of the school community who is using his studies in medicine and science to improve people’s lives, math teacher Christopher Jones said. The reasoning skills that Dr. Akusobi learned during his time at Horace Mann are helping him to make the world a better place,” Jones said.

Akusobi ended the assembly with a note of optimism when he discussed the Biden-Harris administration. He said that having a leader who wears masks, supports frequent COVID-19 testing, and communicates effectively with the public should make the United States more prepared for future pandemic outbreaks.

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THE RECORD OPINIONS DECEMBER 4TH, 2020

Our generation struggles to discuss race our classmates who did not have a meaningful thought to contribute concerning the violation of Taylor’s civil liberties. We have all heard that Horace Mann students are learning to “speak truth to power” from this year on, but how can that happen when students refuse to speak? Not unbeknownst to anyone who attends this school, it is clear that students are not comfortable with discussions of race and politics, most notably where these two areas intersect.

Rachel Zhu/Art Director

Vivien:

Jaden Richards and Vivien Sweet Vivien:

Amidst arguably the most divisive political climate our generation has lived through, there is one characteristic that Horace Mann’s liberal and conservative students share: a deafening silence during sensitive discussions of identity. To be clear, the silence I have perceived does not necessarily mean that the student body does not hold opinions regarding politics — especially racialized issues. As one of America’s most polarizing presidencies nears its end, students have been reposting politicians’ tweets and resharing petitions in an unprecedented storm of social media activism online. Yet time and time again, after History Department-sponsored speaker series and national tragedies, many of my classmates choose to opt-out of subsequent classroom discussions — ultimately to the detriment of our futures as adults directly engaged in the political sphere.

Jaden:

This summer, Breonna Taylor was murdered by the police officers sworn to protect her. The grand jury refused to indict two of the officers involved in the murder. Though present before us was one of the major instances of injustices that we as students have lived through, I am sure that all of us were witness to the blank faces of

For students whose identities are not directly implicated in such events, the choice to remove ourselves from conversations regarding racialized politics often stems from a fairly rational fear of overstepping boundaries. The boundaries are very clear-cut: are you or are you not a member of the community targeted? And if not, is it your place to be speaking about the issue at all? In Breonna Taylor’s case, many of my liberal counterparts were quick to condemn the decision by the Kentucky Grand Jury, dubbing it a costly failure of the justice system and a testament to the necessity of dismantling the police system. But answering the questions that naturally follow that conversation — Am I doing or saying enough? Or too much? — veers into uncharted waters for many white activists. I myself have struggled to achieve a balance that involves using my white privilege to uplift Black voices while simultaneously removing myself from conversations in which my livelihood does not have a personal stake.

And what if I do not agree with the consensus that my Black peers have come to about a racialized issue in those discussions? How can I possibly argue against — or even begin to understand — an opinion about racism that a Black student espouses when I am white?

Jaden:

What a question, and one I imagine many students had during this period of acute sensitivity regarding racial issues. I will preface my opinion by saying that I am by no means the only voice on this issue, nor have I been elected Speaker of Black America. Racism is a thing, obviously, but it is not some sensation that only certain groups are privy to. It is a phenomenon that has a definition, that has been and can be identified by any person. Black students in this case, or students of other identities in any other, have a unique sensitivity to

issues that those of other races might not identify. This does not mean that students who are not directly implicated in these issues are numb to them entirely — no person should be.

During last month’s UD History Speaker Series, Dr. Jelani Cobb argued that Jim Crow was not a “Black issue” but an issue that affected all of America, especially American democracy. This also applies to the broader idea of racism: it is ugly and should make any person uncomfortable, and it corrupts many social and political institutions. The justifications of racism and actions taken by racist institutions can be utilized in the perpetuation of anti-semitism, misogyny, or xenophobia. During the 19th century, Irish immigrants were depicted as subhuman apes right alongside Black Americans.

Therefore discussions of race, whether racism against Black people or another group, goes beyond the individual group affected; and there are certainly not enough Black people in America for us to “solve racism” on our own.

Vivien:

Thus we encourage non-Black students to engage in discussions that are perceived to be uncomfortable. The burden of dissecting racism and its implications in the political sphere should never be solely carried by those whose livelihoods are at stake. Ultimately, being an ally does not just mean reposting infographics when social justice is popular or staying silent when it is convenient. It is taking the next step — one that necessitates vulnerability and candor — that must become part of Horace Mann’s attitude towards racism in order for discussions to be remotely productive.

Styles’ styles normalize a new masculinity

Aidan McAndrew When Harry Styles graced the front cover of Vogue wearing a stunning tux jacket and ruffled, black-lace accented dress combo courtesy of the master designer, Alessandro Michele, from Gucci, the media erupted over the brilliance of the young popstar. The British “Watermelon Sugar” icon’s shoot certainly deserved the attention and praise, as he was the first man to ever be front and center, unaccompanied, on the cover of the fashion magazine that has been in publication for more than a century. Aside from the main stunner of the dress, Styles also donned a variety of other traditionally male-styled suits from Gucci as well as more androgynous ones. Styles elegantly garbed a white embroidered suit jacket and black six-button skirt-like kilt by Japanese fashion house Comme des Garçons Homme.

Additional “effeminate” outfits Styles dressed in included an 80s style bulky shoulder-padded suit jacket with a Victorian-esque crinoline frame encircling a white flowing tutu atop a pair of oversized pants, and a Wales Bonner sweater and blue plaid skirt combo. It was impactful to see the integration of these styles that have transcended gender barriers on the cover, and the artistry in the photographs and clothing was an elegant and welcome sight.

When I first laid eyes on the cover alongside the commotion surrounding Styles on social media, I was not surprised at the widespread fascination. I regularly watch fashion shows for each new Autumn/Winter and Spring/ Summer collections from multiple noteable fashion houses — my personal favorite being the co-ed shows from Maison Margiela — and have consistently witnessed androgynous clothing that fit the aesthetic of the show above distinguishing between male and female. To a

certain degree, these shows have normalized this type of clothing in my perception of high fashion. In recent months, I began to grow an eye for more gender-ambiguous clothing designs akin to what Styles wore for the article. Instead of bottoms like dresses and skirts, however, I largely gravitate towards tops, boots, and coats that blur the lines between women’s and men’s clothing. The direction of what I like to call my “avant-garde lux-chic blend” seems to be leaning towards playing with more revealing clothing and large heels more closely associated with women’s fashion. Seeing Styles don this type of clothing reaffirmed the conceptions I had regarding where I see my masculinity in relation to my fashion-sense: my clothing doesn’t undermine my identity as a male just because it doesn’t fit the traditional outfits of our time.

These assortment of garments worn, which integrated elements heavily associated with women’s fashion, sparked a torrent of outcry from conservative pundits and media sources about the negative implications blurring the line between men’s and women’s clothing. These conservatives, most notably PragerU affiliate Candace Owens and the Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, complained about the dangers of dismantling masculinity as American society knows it, and they refused to

Courtesy of December 2020 Vogue

VOGUE Harry Styles takes the cover solo.

acknowledge that such clothing is made for men gendered clothing is also false. We can look back as well, not just women’s clothing put on men. I to the often hypermasculine rapper Young Thug’s have multiple issues with these oppositions and album cover “JEFFERY” in 2016 where he posed their claims. First, the idea of what separates in Alessandro Trincone’s extravagant periwinkle men’s clothing from women’s clothing is solely suspendered pleated skirt, or in André 3000’s a social convention, and many concepts that puffy pink faux-fur trench coat in 2002, or David are considered manly or womanly today were Bowie and Prince’s iconic androgynous styles constructed over the last century in largely featured throughout both of the popstars’ careers, Western Europe and America to constitute or Mick Jagger’s 1969 white dress. Harry Styles is formal business attire. In recent history, fashion far from the first pop musician superstar to wear trends have largely cycled numerous times to and promote a more blurred set of men’s clothing. shape what was considered not only acceptable Styles’ appearance on the cover of Vogue is but fashionable. Makeup, skirts, and high tights significant in a time where the idea of what makes are all considered to be predominantly female a man a man drifts away from the convention of beauty concepts today; however, they were widely hegemonic masculinity and towards respect for integrated within male fashion in past centuries. oneself, personal expression, and self-confidence.

The insistence to “Bring back manly men,” as Styles’ place on the cover cements the long Owens tweeted in response to the cover, simply history of working out of the rigidity of societal does not make sense, especially since the notion gender norms that suppressed creativity and of masculinity, as it relates to male fashion, only innovation as the mark of an undeniable present continues to evolve away from these relatively and promise for the future. Styles’ outfits are not outdated ideas of fashion from the early twentieth about sexuality, nor is he in drag to alter his male century. These conservative critics’ proposed identity. He is a man, and he radiates confidence argument for masculinity and what constitutes as a man in these outfits. To throw labels around men’s fashion, also, is of a narrow predominantly and place us in boxes for what is considered straight-cultured, intolerant view that neither correct is outdated and tired, and certainly, represents the current ethos surrounding what this cover is a big step in the right direction to masculinity means and represents in 2020, nor normalize this transformed idea of masculinity. encapsulates the reality that there has always existed multiple fashion movements that have broken the “norm” in the last one hundred years.

These pundits have little to no understanding of the high fashion scene in neither the past decades nor the current day. The integration of both traditional men’s styles in female clothing and women’s styles in male clothing has been progressing for the greater part of the last halfcentury, and an increasing number of new as well as already established designer fashion houses are moving towards articles of clothing with more androgynous looks and designs. Maison Margiela, Random Identities, Ann Demeulemeester, Julius, Comme des Garçons, Balenciaga, and Yohji Yamamoto are all producing increasingly gender-fluid clothing both on the runway and for ready-to-wear collections. To say that Harry Styles, Vogue, or any of the notable designer fashion brands featured were doing something radical is simply not true. The concept that there are distinctly separate and non-transferable styles inherent to women’s or men’s fashion is no longer the case.

Moreover, the idea that Harry Styles is the Courtesy of Aidan McAndrew first of his kind to feature more non-specific INSPIRED BY STYLES McAndrew (12) poses.

3

HORACE MANN OPINIONS DECEMBER 4TH, 2020

HM student experiences with COVID-19 Lauren Kim/Art Director

Celine Kiriscioglu Contracting a virus that has caused a global pandemic was, as you could probably predict, not fun.

Although one might imagine selfisolation to be similar to a cozy day at home after the school shuts down because of dangerous weather, the 14+ days I spent at home were filled with moments of pain, fatigue, and lethargy.

Once my family found out that we had all contracted COVID-19 after my father’s routine test for work came back positive, we were devastated and worried. My sister and I, fearing we had already spread the virus, immediately contacted friends and peers that we had talked to, stood by, or had a class with at school. We communicated with the school nurse, DeAnna Cooper, to make sure anyone with whom we had contact with on that fateful Monday was safe.

During the first few days after I found out I had COVID-19, I felt vulnerable to the reactions of other peers that had to quarantine due to my positive COVID test result. Many people had different responses to the 14-day quarantine, most of which were negative. I hope everyone who had to quarantine understands that it was and could not have been my intention to harm them or their school experience.

Initially, my entire family was asymptomatic. But after a few days we experienced some of the most common symptoms, including sore throats, muscle and body aches, and persistent headaches.

However, I did not fear the virus that was taking over my body, since I was experiencing flu-like symptoms, which I had tolerated before in the 15 years of my life. It was not until I woke up for another day of online school and couldn’t taste my morning breakfast that the fear began to trickle in. In disbelief that I had lost my sense of taste and smell, I truly felt one of the strongest emotions: sadness. Of course, my ability to taste the flavor of an apple or lemon juice in a salad was a minor impact of the virus, as I soon faced greater symptoms of COVID-19: fatigue and exhaustion.

No matter how early I tried to fall asleep, which is already a tough task for many HM students, I woke up and joined my Zoom meetings with a fog-filled head and a compelling desire to return to bed.

Throughout the school day, I had to follow the regular in-person schedule rather than

the adjusted online schedule, which meant I was always facing a screen.

Sometimes I had challenges with prioritizing my health and my commitment to schoolwork, since I value each very much; on some days, I couldn’t decide between taking a break from school and powering through studying for an upcoming test. I have always had a “hard work pays off ” mentality, and taking 15 minutes to drink water and get rest in the middle of a school day didn’t seem like the ideal decision during a week of exams and quizzes. Looking back a couple weeks ago, I should have reached out and contacted my advisor or my teachers to take a period off or have an extension on an assignment to prioritize my family’s and my health.

One of the most terrifying moments was when my father had to go to the hospital for a week after testing positive since he was having trouble breathing. My father is also stubborn when it comes to receiving help and prolonged his stay at home when he couldn’t breathe normally. After a week of acquiring needed care and being treated with Remdesivir, a medicine which prevents the progression of pneumonia in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, his health and strength improved and he returned home.

I want to warn the entire HM community to steer clear of the possibility of contracting COVID-19 by wearing proper protective gear, practicing safe social distancing, and monitoring your health daily. Contracting COVID-19 took a huge toll on my physical and mental health and I missed out on the joy of seeing my friends, peers, and teachers at school.

Although quarantine was not the highlight of the year for my family and many others, I was able to start a new tradition of baking banana bread every other week and I was able to write more short stories in my free time.

My sister and I are very fortunate to have recovered and we hope that anyone who has been affected by the pandemic recovers and gains strength to continue to take precautions.

Courtesy of Abby Beckler

QUARANTINE NECESSITIES CDC approved.

Leah Rakhlin I had COVID-19 earlier this year from late March through early April. My grandpa had passed in late March and although he never got tested, my family believes that he had it and gave it to my grandma, who gave it to me.

Since my grandmother had it and was a close contact with my parents, my family made the deliberate choice to allow me to move in with my brother. Although I get sick often with little colds or coughs, contracting the virus felt very different. My first symptom was excessive coughing. After consecutive days of coughing with no fever, my family decided that it would be best for me to go back home and stop living with my brother out of caution to keep him safe and healthy. I developed a high fever, trouble breathing, and overall weakness. I never fully lost sense of smell and taste but I definitely had a loss in appetite and only had soup and tea while I was sick.

Although I was impacted directly by the virus, I was still able to attend my HM online classes during the first week I was sick.

Although I wasn’t feeling 100%, I was healthy enough to listen and try my best to be engaged in my classes. Eventually, things changed and not for the better. I developed worse symptoms during my second and third week of being sick, and it became much harder to go to my classes because I could barely get out of bed. My lungs and throat hurt when I sat up and spoke, and I was still coughing constantly, so participating in classes was not an option for me.

On top of being really sick and being a typical HM student, I was really concerned

about falling behind and missing out from my classes when I didn’t attend, but I knew it was the best choice for myself. My teachers were already very considerate and understanding when I moved in with my brother, they reached out and made sure my family was okay and I was doing well with the adjustment. All of my teachers were incredibly supportive and made an effort to check in often, which I really appreciated. Catching up on the work missed was tough at first since it all added up from week to week, but most of my teachers made adjustments for me which helped me feel less overwhelmed.

In addition to my teachers’ support, my friends were there for me, helping me grieve through the loss of my grandfather, the stress of my grandma being sick, and the sudden move, and I feel lucky enough to have had them by my side (virtually) throughout my experience. Since I was one of the first people a lot of my friends knew was sick, I was worried they would be scared and not know how to handle it well. However, my friends were beyond loving and caring and all made an effort to text or call me daily just to see how I was doing and show their support. I got used to using Facetime as my primary form of communication with friends; we would have group FaceTimes just to talk. We also used the platform of Netflix Party often, which was a great way to watch movies together when we were bored or just wanted to watch TV/ movies. When I was more sick, it was harder to talk for long periods of time because it hurt to speak and everytime I would talk, I would cough more, which inflamed my throat more.

Since it was early in the quarantine and everyone was still following a strict stay at home order, I did not feel like I was missing out on too much socially, but I definitely felt “out of it” in all aspects of my life for those three weeks. Something that was really hard for me was not being able to get out and go on runs while I was sick. Although I couldn’t really get out of bed and I couldn’t leave my house until I tested negative, running is a way for me to destress and clear my head so it was difficult for me to have to be inside in my bed all day. All in all, I feel that being sick earlier this year was a tough experience, but I learned more about having to take care of myself and knowing my limits while sick.

Volume 118 Editorial Board Managing Editor Talia Winiarsky Features Henry Owens Emily Shi Vivien Sweet

News Sam Chiang Yesh Nikam Marina Kazarian

Staff

Opinions Maurice Campbell Avi Kapadia Natalie Sweet

A&E Izzy Abbott Abby Beckler Oliver Steinman

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

Editor-in-Chief Julia Goldberg Lions’ Den Yotam Hahn Alison Isko Josh Underberg

Issues Editor Adam Frommer

Middle Division Adrian Arnaboldi Bradley Bennett Jack Crovitz

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4

THE RECORD FEATURES DECEMBER 4TH, 2020

“It’s easy to feel like you don’t measure up”: Devin Allard-Neptune Staff Writer “For years of my life at Horace Mann, I genuinely believed that I was dumb,” an anonymous alumna wrote on the Instagram account @hmspeaksout.

“My voice shook during presentations, and I avoided my work in an effort to avoid confronting how stupid I thought I was.”

This alumna is not alone in her self-doubt during her time at the school. Students from all grades have experienced the phenomenon known as imposter syndrome, where they often feel inadequate in regards to their intellectual abilities.

Psychologists Dr. Suzanne Immes and Dr. Paulina Rose Clance first identified the “imposter phenomenon” in an article published in 1978.

Their study focused on 150 academically high-

These feelings can be intensified by the academic reputation of a class, she said. This year, Patel moved into Precalculus BC Honors after years of taking regular math. For her, the stark difference in the honors and regular curriculums contributes to the feeling that she does not belong, she said. “I had this feeling of not being prepared, which turns into this feeling of inadequacy.”

Along with changing course difficulty, more dramatic shifts in one’s environment can also contribute to imposter syndrome. Dora Woodruff ‘20 came to the school in ninth grade from a small middle school, and she was apprehensive about taking her first honors math course, she said.

“I went into that course worrying that if I said something wrong or if I asked a stupid question, everyone would question why I was in that class and if I deserved to be in honors.”

Courtesy of HM Flickr

BOYS IN STEM Predominantly male classes like the one pictured above are not uncommon. achieving women from universities across the United States, and they demonstrated that the majority of these women doubted their own intelligence and attributed their concrete academic and professional achievements to a temporary or external cause rather than their own abilities.

Even after receiving praise from peers or respected authority figures, the women who experienced the phenomenon did not internalize a sense of success, according to the study. Throughout the study, many participants described the feeling of having convinced those around them that they were intelligent while they believed that they were not, calling themselves “imposters.”

Although psychologists have researched and written about imposter syndrome, the phenomenon is not an official psychological or mental disorder according to the American Psychological Association. Because there is no official diagnosis for the phenomenon, there is no set list of symptoms of imposter syndrome. The phenomenon seems to be marked by feelings of self-doubt or inadequacy, school psychologist Dr. Liz Westphal said.

A study conducted by the International Journal of Behavioral Science determined that around 70% of those surveyed had expressed characteristics associated with self-doubt through their academic and professional careers. Although this phenomenon affects the majority of the population, its appearance differs from person to person.

Esha Patel (11) said her feelings of inadequacy at the school are influenced by the atmosphere of the classes she is in. Depending on her preconceived notion of the difficulty of the course in addition to the presumption that her peers are adjusted to the course, Patel sometimes feels as though she does not “level up” to her peers, she said.

When Patel is in class with students who she knows have been in the advanced track of the subject for years, she presumes that those peers are more prepared for the course to be smarter than herself, and she sometimes doubts the quality of her own work, she said. “If someone speaks better in language class than I do, or someone is better at public speaking in general, sometimes it can make me feel inadequate in that class.” Her feelings stem from her desire to keep up in her classes, she said.

Throughout her first year, Woodruff worked to prove to herself and others that she belonged in honors geometry. After freshman year, she made friends with students in her class, and as she grew more accustomed to the environment, the feeling of needing to prove herself went away, she said. However, whenever she entered a new math program or summer camp, the feeling would return.

“Part of it just has to do with the competitive nature of academic environments,” Woodruff said. “A lot of the time, people feel like they will only be perceived as smart or hardworking if they’re one of the best in the class. There’s this feeling that if you’re not the best in the class, then

“

“The school community is full of really nervous kids and parents who are nervous about falling off of some path that they imagined.

There is a pervasive sense that if you fall off of that path, you’re just done, and your life is fundamentally changed for the worst.”

-Charles Worrall you just don’t deserve to be there.”

As a student at Harvard University, Woodruff has noticed that people of color and women encounter additional pressure surrounding their academic achievements and placement. “A lot of the time at Harvard, people will say to minority students or women that they only got into Harvard because they are a woman in math or African-American, or that sort of thing,” she said.

“I feel like underrepresented minority students often feel like they have to prove that they earned their spots through their own intelligence and hard work and prove those people wrong.”

This self-doubt felt by students of color is not specific to college admissions. Jah’si Eyre (9) spent his eighth-grade year studying for the standardized test required to apply to New

York City private schools, but when he received admission into the school he was unsure of whether or not he earned his spot. “Horace Mann is a high school with a really prestigious reputation, and even though I knew I worked hard to get into the school and when I got in everyone around me was like, ‘Congrats, you got in!’ internally, I was questioning whether I deserved it,” he said.

In addition to the academic reputation of the school, the decrease in the number of students of color impacted Eyre’s confidence when he started in the fall. “I had never been at a school where there’s a marginal percentage of people who look like me,” he said. The dramatic change in environment made Eyre feel out of place and as if he could not adapt to his new surroundings.

Feeling as though one does not belong can also contribute to a lack of confidence, Westphal said. “If you look around and you see other people that look like you and sound like you, you’re more likely to feel confident in that space.”

As a result, Westphal said students who come from backgrounds that are less represented in the school’s community may be more prone to experiencing these negative thoughts.

The academic prestige associated with the school can also cause students to feel inadequate compared to their peers, Westphal said. “Horace Mann is a place that really attracts high performing and functioning, over-achieving people,” she said. “It’s really easy to feel like you don’t measure up — and you will never measure up — to the people around you.”

During adolescence, it is common for teenagers to compare themselves to those around them, Westphal said. Simply creating comparisons between oneself and others can contribute to feelings associated with imposter syndrome.

Grade comparison is a common occurrence at the school, Dalia Pustilnik (11) said. After receiving graded tests and quizzes, students generally ask how their classmates did to gauge how well they are doing in comparison to their peers.

A primary characteristic of imposter syndrome is the tendency to overestimate the capabilities of others and underestimate one’s own abilities. By comparing one’s weaknesses to the strengths of others, the “imposter” can convince themselves that they are not qualified to be in their current position, Dr. Clance and Psychologist Dr. Maureen Ann O’Toodle wrote in a 1988 article.

Comparisons can also occur internally, without grades. Jolie Nelsen (12) sometimes feels unsure of herself based on her assumptions of others’ intelligence. “It just psyches me out,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Wait, I’m not that smart. I can’t keep up with them.’”

In a classroom environment, others students’ certainty in their own answers can make Nelsen less confident about her own, she said. “If they are so much more confident than I am, I automatically assume they know what’s going on, even if they don’t.”

However, Nelsen’s personal confidence is relative to those around her. “Horace Mann is a really weird environment,” she said. “Everybody is just trying to project the idea that they’re smart and they deserve to be here,” she said. “So if everyone is constantly overprojecting, then some people are not going to have the self confidence to keep up.”

In her advanced STEM classes, Nelsen has noticed that there is a distinction between the genders in participation, which contributes to her lack of confidence. Nelsen is one of two girls in her AP Physics class out of nine students, which can be intimidating, she said. “The boys are always really confident in their answers, and they really seem to know what’s going on.”

During Dana Jacoby ‘19’s time at the school, she encountered a disparity between the amount of boys and girls in her STEM classes. In Jacoby’s Physics Honors class, there were twice as many boys than girls, and during one of her years at the school there was an honors math class that was entirely made up of boys.

In her physics class, Jacoby also observed that the girls participated significantly less than the boys. “Having fewer girls in a class makes you stand out a little bit more,” Jacoby said. “You’re one of the only ones, and that just puts more

pressure on you.”

After leaving, Woodruff noticed similarities between the advanced math courses at the school and her college courses. Namely, her advanced classes at Harvard University were similar to her experiences going into honors math classes at the school, she said. Woodruff is enrolled in a notoriously difficult math class called Math 55, and going into the class, she felt

intimidated by the qualified students around her.

In addition to having the re p ut at i on of being a difficult course, Math 55 is also known for having an overwhelming majority of men take the class compared to women, Woodruff said. In her class, only five women are currently enrolled in the course compared to 30 men.

Even though every woman enrolled in the class

i s Rachel Zhu/Art

qualified, Woodruff has observed that there are underlying uncertainties about whether they belong in the class. When working on problem sets with her female classmates, she has noticed that they make self-deprecating jokes about their abilities in class, Woodruff said. “Even though they’re just jokes, I think it does reveal an attitude of imposter syndrome that is permeated throughout the classroom.”

Jacoby and Woodruffs’ observations surrounding distinctions between the sexes in their STEM classes are based in scientific evidence. In 1990, psychologists Clance and Joe Langford analyzed the findings of scientist James Beard on the ways in which imposter syndrome manifests itself in different genders. “For female imposters, feelings had low correlations with impulsivity and need for change, consistent with the usual description of imposters as cautious and unlikely to engage in risk-taking,” the article stated. “For males, on the other hand, imposter feelings were associated with high impulsivity

5

HORACE MANN FEATURES DECEMBER 4TH, 2020

Students struggle with Imposter Syndrome and a strong need for change, as well as a low need for order.”

Beard said that as opposed to the reserved and withdrawn response of female “imposters,” male “imposters” attempt to combat feelings of inadequacy in a “frenetic manner” in order to prove their self worth and intelligence.

Although Clance and Immes’ original study primarily focused on women, a later paper written by Clance

emphasizes that while the sexes may deal with imposter syndrome differently, males have the same likelihood as females to develop characteristics of the syndrome.

Xander Cox (12) is taking Seminar in Literary Studies this year, and he is the only boy in a class with 16 girls. In the first few days of class, Cox felt out of place in the class, he said.

“It was me not feeling like I was somewhere I belonged.”

Having the feeling of not

Director

belonging in an academic setting is not unique to the distinction between genders. Uddipto Nandi (11) is currently taking Physics Honors, and because of the mathematical nature of the course, his classmates are more focused on studying advanced math than students generally in his science classes, he said. Because Nandi is not as passionate about math, he sometimes feels out of place in his class.

At the beginning of the school year, Nandi said he did not participate in the class for fear of saying the wrong answer. “That’s the most difficult thing about it,” he said. “It becomes a cycle because the less you participate, the less you understand,” he said. In order to avoid feelings of self-doubt, Nandi took extra time outside of class to ensure that he understood the material so he felt comfortable speaking during class.

When Cox encountered feelings of self-doubt, he used his discomfort as motivation to work harder, he said. “I don’t think I’ve experienced it to a point where it discourages me,” he said. “For me, personally, it’s something that motivates me

to prove myself.”

While working to combat imposter syndrome, Cox said actively participating in class has always been the most effective strategy for him. “The second a thought comes into my head, I raise my hand, and I try to say it as best as I can even if I can’t come up with the right words.” For Cox, freely releasing his thoughts lets his teacher and those around him know that he is paying attention, he said. “Especially in advanced classes, that’s something that you always need to be doing to feel like you belong.”

When going into advanced classes, students feel as though they have to prove that they are “advanced” students and that they deserve to be in that class, Cox said. “The mentality that students at Horace Mann have is that you constantly have to be excelling, no matter how difficult the class is,” he said. “Students at our school have the mindset that they can never be below anybody else.”

Jacob Schorsch (12) has attended the school since he was in kindergarten, and throughout his time as a student, he has noticed a “competitive atmosphere” surrounding academics. “A lot of classes are achievement-oriented rather than effort-oriented, which is somewhat problematic,” he said. “It fosters a toxic environment where students are trying to be in the most advanced classes and get the best grades instead of learning.”

From his experience, students in Schorsch’s classes ask questions without the intent to actively learn, which creates a toxic environment in advanced classes, he said.

“Kids ask a lot of trivial questions to game the system, like, ‘Is this going to be on the test? Is this going to be on a quiz?’”

Ericka Familia (12), who transferred into an honors math course from her regular geometry class the year before, noticed that the advanced class was more competitive than her previous course, she said. “In honors math, there’s an understanding that the class is challenging for everyone, but it’s very hard to avoid the competitive atmosphere.”

Math teacher Charles Worrall teaches both regular and honors math classes, and he has had more students experience symptoms of imposter syndrome in his advanced classes, he said.

At the beginning of the year in many of his classes, Worrall has had students arrange meetings with him to let him know that they will be trying as hard as they can and that they will need to receive additional support in class, he said. In some cases, after looking back on that meeting in the following months, Worrall realizes that it was not necessarily for the reasons the student mentioned. “They implied that they have lesser ability and potential in the subject matter than the average student, and it’s just not true,” he said.

In some of her advanced classes, science teacher Dr. Lisa Rosenblum has had students come to her before a test when they clearly understand the material. “There could be a little bit of a disconnect where they’re an incredibly strong student, and they do really well in class but then they will want to meet to make sure they understand absolutely everything,” she said.

Even at the end of the year, some students in honors classes still have self-doubt after receiving concrete achievement in the form of grades. “I’ve had kids who have gotten A’s all year long, and who even by the end of the year, still seem to seem to perceive some lack of ability in themselves,” Worrall said. “They think that the A’s are just masking it, and they’re lucking out, or earning them in some way that is different from the elect who earn them in the right way.”

Worrall attributes these feelings of inadequacy to the culture at the school surrounding taking honors courses, he said. “Many of the kids at Horace Mann think that being in honors classes brands you as a certain type of person, a better person in a lot of ways, which is false,” he said.

From his experience, this culture originated from a preconceived idea of honors students and what they are expected to achieve, Worrall said.

“The school community is full of really nervous kids and parents who are nervous about falling off of some path that they imagined.” From infancy to adulthood, both parents and their children create an ideal “path” of advanced courses and

high grades that ideally lead to acceptance into a prestigious university and eventually a successful life, he said.

However at the same time, there is an overarching fear of failure towards achieving these goals, Worrall said. “There is a pervasive sense that if you fall off of that path, you’re just done, and your life is fundamentally changed for

to support their students, the school has implemented other strategies aimed to reduce pressure and competition in the classroom. By discouraging students from discussing their grades, not providing class ranks, and not giving students their GPAs until junior year, the school does what it can to stop students from comparing themselves to others, Pustilnik said.

Felix Brener/Staff Artist

the worst,” he said. “That’s a really difficult cultural story that gets told at our school.”

In order to combat imposter syndrome in his classroom, Worrall looks for students displaying signs throughout the school year. If he notices a student struggling with self-doubt in class, he provides reassurance and support. “If I perceive that they have that implication that they are not worthy and whatever our conversation topic is, I call it out,” Worrall said. “I will say, ‘I know that you don’t think that you’re really smart or potentially really smart, and you’re doing great.’”

If Rosenblum observes that a student feels unsure, she will try to get them to respond to questions related to the topic in class. By answering these questions, she hopes that her students realize that they do understand the material even when they think they do not, she said.

Even after they move on from his classes, Worrall talks to his former students in the hallways and asks how math is going each year.

Throughout the school, many teachers are generally aware of the feelings of self-doubt that some students experience, and they try their best to ameliorate them, he said. “Kids come into the Upper Division living and breathing the idea that this path exists, and we have to try to push back on it and reroute it to some extent.”

Through its hired faculty members, Worrall said the school is constantly working to help students who might struggle in their classes. “I think that one of the best things that the school does to help kids is to hire really good people who are trained in good ways, and are also sensitive to as many of the tough things that kids have to go through as possible,” he said.

In addition to hiring teachers that are able

Along with these implementations, some students use other resources at the school to ensure they are qualified to be in advanced courses and that they are understanding the class material. For Nandi, actively participating in class and asking clarifying questions help him understand the material and feel qualified to be in class, he said.

Additionally, meeting with teachers outside of class can help students maintain their confidence.

In order for Nelsen to move past her feelings of self-doubt and to make sure she stays on track in her classes, she regularly checks in with her teachers to ensure that she understands the material, she said.

Even though reaching out to teachers about imposter syndrome can be difficult, the support that they are able to provide can help, she said. In some of her meetings with her teachers, Nelsen did not plan to bring up imposter syndrome, but after she discussed her feelings of inadequacy with her teachers, they were able to provide extra support to help her in class. “After class, even them saying, ‘You did a great job in class’ can be really validating,” she said. “I would suggest talking to your teachers about it if you feel comfortable enough.”

When Pustilnik deals with self doubt, she reminds herself that she is not unique in her struggles in class and that she deserves to be there, she said. “Everyone at the school is here for a reason,” Pustilnik said. “This is not the first time a kid has been stressed out about being in honors math at this school. Teachers have seen students that have the same issues as you, and if they thought there was an issue with your placement, they would do something about it.”

Tips for dealing with self-doubt Advice from Dr. Liz Westphal

Remind yourself that you are not alone in feeling this way! The reality is that 70% of your classmates and teachers (including those you admire most) have experienced bouts of self-doubt. (Consider asking a teacher you trust about this!

Chances are they’ll have their own stories about a time or times when they were plagued by self-doubt.)

Spend some time seeking out and identifying the spaces and relationships where you feel most competent and validated (i.e., heard, understood and appreciated). This could be when you’re with a certain friend, or engaging in a beloved hobby or sport, or writing in a journal, etc. Carve out some time everyday, if only a few minutes, for that space, person or activity. If you don’t have time to be with that friend or engage in that activity everyday, set aside a few minutes each day to devote your headspace to thinking about and remembering how it feels to be in that validating space.

If all else fails, stop in to speak with someone in Counseling & Guidance (or, during remote school, click this link to schedule a Zoom appointment). We have a lot of experience speaking with students about self-doubt! Even one counseling session has the potential to help.

6

HORACE MANN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT DECEMBER 4TH, 2020

THE SHOW MUST GO ON! AN UNUSUAL START: ACTING I TURNS TERKEL’S INTERVIEWS INTO MONOLOGUES Alex Lautin and Lawson Wright Staff Writer and Contributing Writer For the first project of the year, the Upper Division Acting I Class released a series of video performances online. Their goal: bringing to life subjects interviewed by historian and journalist Studs Terkel.

Since the beginning of the year, the class has been learning the fundamentals of acting through group acting exercises, theater teacher Benjamin Posner said. This makes the students feel more at ease around each other. “[For this project in particular,] we focused on fundamentals of Acting from Uta Hagen and some of our own explorations into empathy and emotional access,” he wrote.

Terkel created works on the Great Depression and World War II. Posner’s class used a collection of testimonies from people in different occupations from a book called Working, an oral history that investigates the idea of work for different people under different circumstances, one of Terkel’s best known and most celebrated works, Posner said.

“

“We need to make these characters full people rather than just a couple pages a couple lines. They really have to have their own backstory and you have to know who you’re talking to and what your purpose is and why you’re telling these stories.”

- Yasmeen Masoud (9) The acting classes always start the year with monologues because they are individual assignments, Posner said. “They’re a good way for the students to practice some of the skills that they have been learning.”

Instead of the monologues from plays that Posner typically uses, he chose to incorporate a collection of interviews from Terkel because it would pose a challenge for the students, he said.

“I think it’s really good material for the actor because it really asks the performer to inhabit these people,” he said. “The interviews by Terkel were written in the 70’s, so it’s a little bit of a stretch in terms of the language.”

The students were tasked with taking these monologues and making them their own, Yasmeen Masoud (9) said. The students needed to embody the characters, rather than just Courtesy of the HMTC Website

reading their stories, she said.

Students were able to choose their roles from the collection of interviews from Terkel’s Working, Posner said. “I said ‘skim through it, find somebody who resonates with you, somebody you know, read their words out loud, and deeply connect.’”

Masoud said that she looked into actors and photographers because their careers represent some of her biggest passions. Ultimately, Masoud chose the character Jill Freedman, an aspiring photographer, because she felt that she could best relate to Freedman’s experiences.

Celia Stafford (9) chose to play the character Jill Torrence, a model, because the role was different from what she’s used to, she said.

“I chose her because I felt like she seemed really complex, and she seemed like a really interesting character.”

The purpose of the project was to stretch the class’s acting abilities and play a character that was a real person, Stafford said. Stafford learned how to play a role that was more serious than her typical comedic role in plays, she said.

One of the main tasks for the students was to find clues about the characters’ personalities from the interviews to use when developing their characters, said Manager of the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Film Studies Jonathan Nye. Masoud spent a lot of time figuring out her character’s personality by closereading her character’s interview, she said.

“I definitely learned that our characters have to be multifaceted,” she said. “To have a good performance, you really need to know who this person is.”

The move to HM Online 2.0 has added difficulty to the project, Nye said. “You’re just in a screen, so it’s just your face,” he said. Putting in the time and effort to develop and show a character’s emotions is extremely important now more than ever in order to get that character effectively across to the audience, he said.

Since students had practiced and prepared for their performances to be in person, it was difficult to go online at the last minute and film performances at home, Masoud said. “We were all used to rehearsing in person,” she said. “It’s still not the same when you’re just looking at people virtually.”

Stafford made it her goal to get into character before her performance. The hardest part of her preparation was trying to make it seem genuine, she said. “I want[ed] to make it seem like I was actually this woman who was talking about her experiences.”

“Posner really showed us that we need to make these characters full people rather than just a couple pages and a couple lines,” Masoud said. “They really have to have their own backstory, and you have to know who you’re talking to and what your purpose is and why you’re telling these stories.”

Courtesy of the HMTC Website

ACTING THROUGH A SCREEN Stafford (9) and Masoud (9) perform their monologues.

Courtesy of the HMTC Website

BACK TO THE BASICS Evann Penn-Brown (12) and Shin (12) act in Schorsch’s (12) film.

ACTING FOR THE CAMERA: STUDENTS SET THE STAGE IN SILENCE Yin Fei and Alara Yilmaz Staff Writer and Contributing Writer “It’s rewarding to tell a story without talking because we are very dependent on vocabulary and words in order to communicate,” theater teacher Haila VanHentenryck said. “It’s liberating to discover that most of what you say isn’t actually said through your words, but through your body language, your tone, and your facial expressions.”

VanHentenryck’s Acting For The Camera class recently finished its second unit on silent films. Each student created and acted in films that revolved around topics ranging from being trapped in elevators to winning the Nobel Prize.

After their first unit on improvisation, which emphasized being present in the moment, VanHentenryck thought it was only natural that they moved into the silent film genre, she said. Rather than storytelling with dialogue, the students could connect their physical movements to their characters, she said.

Prior to the production of their films, students were not told that they were going to be tackling the in-depth project in order to maintain a free and relaxed spirit, VanHentenryck said. “I told them I wanted them to write a one minute silent scenario, and I didn’t even mention that they were going to direct it.”

Alexander Shin (12), who directed a dramatic film based around a single chair, was surprised by the impromptu assignment, he said.

“At the end of class one day, Ms. V just handed out sheets of paper and then said, ‘Okay, come up with a silent film idea,’ and so I wrote down my chair concept,” Shin said. “There was a chair in the middle of the blackbox and Ms. V was using it as a demonstration, so I just modified it, made the chair into a character, and we managed to stitch it together.”

Emily Sun (10) said she and her classmates even bounced ideas off of each other while shooting. “Our scripts weren’t really set in stone. We just had a general outline, so we were still doing a little bit of improv as it went on,” she said. “It’s fun to find a common idea and then work with other people to bring that idea to fruition.”

Jacob Schorsch (12) said it was interesting to decide what he wanted his characters to do at any given moment. “To play all the roles of the production team director, cameraman, and have everything in our complete control was very exciting,” he said.

Similarly, Shin enjoyed the creative choices involved in directing the shots and seeing his vision for the film all come to life at the end. “I found it exciting to be able to experiment with the black and white and the music, though it was still hard, since I’d never done anything like that,” Shin said.

VanHentenryck said she believed it would be more educational to have students direct each other to get an appreciation for filming and editing. “A good screen actor needs to have an awareness of angles and shots and camera movement, and on set lingo and directing,” she said.

Both VanHentenryck and Schorsch said that despite a relatively low number of hiccups throughout the process, the actors still encountered obstacles along the way. “It was definitely tough with masks, just because it was more difficult to convey emotions and since it screws up the whole idea of emoting with all of your face,” Schorsch said.

Sun, who performed in the One Acts last year, said she joined the class to better her performance on camera. Even though it was hard for her to use only her body language to exhibit her character’s story, she said the silent films felt like a proper starting point.

“It’s different from acting in a play because you have to actually watch yourself act, and there’s a bit of insecurity that comes with that, but I think this class has helped to overcome that in a way,” Sun said. “After a while you just get used to seeing your face in the camera, so it’s not as awkward anymore.”

Schorsch, who plans to pursue acting in the future, found that techniques such as “breaking down beat,” which is when actors approach their emotions and reactions beat by beat, were especially critical in allowing the audience to visibly see the acting through the camera, he said.

Although he is new to acting, Shin said he appreciated the space that the class has provided him. “It’s nice having a small group, being able to try new things, and do activities without feeling as though you’re going to be judged,” he said. “We are able to have a pretty close community which makes it a lot easier to freely express yourself.”

Sun also enjoys the intimacy of the course, since it fosters a more laid back atmosphere where students can joke around, have fun, and casually check in with each other while acting, she said. “In academic classes you don’t really talk about your feelings, or your thoughts outside of the subject.”

VanHentenryck was delighted to see the whimsical and humorous natures of the groups’ final products and hopes to continue to help be more comfortable with performances in the future, she said.

“There’s kind of like a spectrum of acting,” she said. “No two actors will prepare for a role in the same way, so my aim is to sort of help them try it and see what is going to be working for them.”

7

HORACE MANN MIDDLE DIVISION DECEMBER 4TH, 2020

MD faculty form White Affinity Group hanna hornfeld Staff Writer The Middle Division (MD) Faculty White Affinity Group met twice over the summer and had its first of five meetings of this school year on November 18, Louise Parms and Dr. Christina Nichols, the group’s leaders, wrote.

In their meetings, group members aim to become more actively anti-racist by identifying ways in which white privilege shows up in the school and impacts people of color (POC) in the community.

The space was created by a group of white MD faculty members who wanted to create a smaller space for white MD faculty and staff to further their discussion of the book “White Fragility,” Parms and Nichols wrote.

Approximately 10 to 15 faculty members have consistently attended each meeting so far.

MD history teacher and MD Faculty White Affinity Group attendee Caitlin Hickerson wrote that it is important for white people to have this group. “Since having a white affinity space does not preclude other spaces, it only serves to support necessarily multi-faceted work,” she wrote. “I want to do the messy work of processing my own racial journey in a space that doesn’t ask folks of color to carry the burden of seeing me along. These spaces help me enter cross-racial spaces with a better understanding of my privilege so I can act with intentionality.”

MD math teacher Tom Petras said the space is productive because it allows white people

to unpack their own experiences without repeating information that many people of color have been aware of for a long time.

During one meeting, for example, he realized that all but one of his teachers growing up had been white. “I don’t think there’s a benefit to having a conversation like that with a mixed group,” he said. “I think that non-white people would go, ‘yeah, I know that all your teachers are white. I noticed that years ago.’”

The affinity group is necessary beyond personal growth, as faculty members have the responsibility of supporting their students’ growth as well, Hickerson wrote. “In order to do that, we have to actively explore our inner selves — our biases, our assumptions, our default approaches — and how they show up in our behavior and potentially get in the way of making the classroom a brave and inclusive learning environment,” she wrote.

Theatre teacher Haila VanHentenryck said that the group’s last meeting was one of the best anti-racism professional developments she had ever attended at the school. She had expected the meeting to involve mostly passive participation — listening to speakers and looking at powerpoints — but it was actually an active and intimate conversation. Listening to and analyzing everybody’s individual experiences, including her own, was extremely helpful, she said.

To deepen their discussions, members have watched Michael Bungay Stanier’s TED Talk “How to Tame Your Advice Monster” and Ali Michael’s TED Talk “How Can I Have a

Positive Racial Identity? I’m White,” Parms and Nichols wrote. Currently, they are excavating Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones’ “White Supremacy Culture Norms” to learn more about internalized notions of white supremacy.

To prevent the potential one-sidedness of white people talking about their experiences with race amongst themselves, Alex Felberbaum (7) said the group should simply open up to all faculty members regardless of race. Felberbaum does not believe there is a real need for a group exclusive to white people, and that such a space can end up doing more harm than good. “Minorities need a place where they can be safe and be recognized and have people they might not have in their daily lives, people they can relate to,” he said. “But white is not a minority.”

The words “white affinity” might seem to imply a celebration of whiteness, in the way that other affinity groups celebrate the people in marginalized communities, VanHentenryck said. However, the space is an affinity group in a different way, she said. “It is an affinity group in the sense that it is white people only, investigating what it means to be white and how we can actually be allies rather than being performative white allies to our colleagues of color and our students,” she said. “It’s a matter of looking in the mirror and saying ‘What am I doing that’s harmful? What do I need to do to change? How can we change together and support each other?’ It’s not ‘yay, we’re white!’ it’s ‘oh, we’re white, and we need to do better.’”

English teacher Drew Samuels, who has not

yet been to any meetings but hopes to attend future ones, said that this space is essential because, as he learned from reading White Fragility, racism is white people’s problem to solve. “There is room for cross-racial discussions, but I think only one of those rooms has the real work to do in terms of working on racism, and that’s the white room,” he said.

A white affinity space provides a level of comfort that can lead to more honest and productive conversations, VanHentenryck said. “Perhaps a lot of white people like me feel obligated to be performative allies and won’t necessarily do an honest, frank investigation into their own biases with people of color present,” she said. “I certainly feel that pressure to not say anything wrong or to be a ‘good white person.’ I think that fear of mine gets in the way of actually taking a cold, hard look at things I am doing that are wrong and inappropriate.”

Overall, group members have thoughtfully and seriously engaged with the content they are presented with, leading to productive conversations, Parms and Nichols wrote.

“Racism isn’t going to be solved in a day, a single meeting, or a series of meetings over the course of a year,” they wrote. “Our goal is to hold ourselves accountable by leaning in to actualize our commitment through anti-racist cultural practices that will result in concrete actionable changes as individuals and as a collective with a unity of purpose.”

Advice from your MD peers for HM Online 2.0 “Social distancing isn’t social; it’s just physical.

Don’t be afraid to call your friends, and keep in touch!”

“I would keep your phone in a different room entirely, because you’re going to pick it up. I wouldn’t test it.”

“It’s normal to feel stressed out, but email your teachers or advisors if you need help.”

“We all get stressed out sometimes. Let your lunch breaks be a break from work as much as possible. Use it as your free time.”

“Keep calm and carry on!”

“It may be difficult, but this is only for a while.

Just try your best, and you’ll get there.”

“Use blue light glasses!

They help with the drowsiness from staring at a screen for a long time.”

“Keep a planner and stay VERY organized! It’s much harder to stay focused and productive online so this really helps!”

“Zoom school is more repetitive and it’s harder to stay focused. Taking time away from being online helps you to refocus.”

Lions’ Den Record Sports

8

DECEMBER 4TH, 2020

Changing the game: Sarah Fuller inspires Coughlin (10) and Moss (10) Cecilia Coughlin and Hannah Moss Coughlin on basketball

I played basketball throughout elementary and middle school, and I remember often experiencing a feeling of helplessness during recess. My few best friends at the time also played basketball. As a group of girls, we were frequently picked last in the drafts of our basketball scrimmages, even though we outperformed some of the boys picked before us. It felt nice to play well, but it didn’t change the fact that we were picked last, at least until we grew a bit older. I also remember hearing one boy talk about the WNBA, stating that “the best WNBA player couldn’t beat the worst NBA player. They all just suck.” As a young kid, I had no response to this and instead just let it sink in. I felt that I couldn’t idolize WNBA players like Elena Delle Donne or Sabrina Ionescu. Sometimes I still get that sinking feeling in my stomach — just last week while practicing basketball with some boys, they were silent when it came to joking around with me about missing shots or messing up as they did with their male friends. Although I didn’t come to Horace Mann until ninth grade, I have friends who had similar experiences as a young kid at this school.

Sarah Fuller pushes back against these negative messages that have been ingrained in me from a young age; she demonstrates how you can break that double standard, even if it singles you out. Fuller’s uniqueness as a woman among men on the field

gives young girls a reason to idolize her. I hope Fuller’s story will be able to help take away the doubt that I once had about female athlete’s ability to serve as role models for other young girls.

Moss on gymnastics

Throughout my childhood, I immersed myself in the intense world of gymnastics. I committed myself to long and tiring practices multiple times a week from a very young age.

I continued the sport throughout middle school and made it my first priority. As a female gymnast, I idolized other strong and talented female gymnasts. The boys in my elementary school classes would often tell me that gymnastics was not a real sport, because it was “girly” and it required “virtually no athletic ability.” Despite the inaccuracy and triviality of these comments, they made me question the validity of my femaledominated sport. I wondered whether the female athletes that I strived to resemble met the requirements of a “real athlete.”

As I grew older and formed my own opinions, I realized that gender was not a defining factor of a real sport. Sarah Fuller only further supports my realization that women’s roles in sports do not differ from men’s roles. Her participation alongside men perfectly demonstrates how female athletes can be equally as idolized as male athletes.

Coughlin and Moss on Fuller

On Saturday, when Sarah Fuller kicked off at the beginning of the second half for Vanderbilt University, she became the first woman to participate in a regular season Power 5 football game.

Her participation presented a historic moment in the history

Courtesy of the Columbia Daily Tribune

FACE THE FIELD Sarah Fuller looks out on the stadium.

of American Football and gender equality. Fuller’s achievement defied the belief that women should hold inferior positions in world sports, especially American football.

We are both female athletes, and even just within our respective sports at HM (soccer, basketball, and crew), the double standard in women’s teams is distinct. On the soccer team, we often find ourselves joking with our coach, saying, “is it because we are women?” whenever the boy’s soccer team is allotted more practices or field space. Yet our frequent, lighthearted jokes act in place of the deeply rooted issue of lack of recognition for female athletes, even throughout our own community.

The distinction between men’s and women’s leagues often includes an overt difference within the success of a male or female individual. Whether in terms of pay, audience, or recognition, female athletes are at a disadvantage. Statistically speaking, the wealth of an athlete correlates to their success, as wage is based upon the attraction of viewers. On the Forbes 2020 list of the top 100 paid athletes, only two women made the cut: Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams. Not only that, but female athletes are often sexualized. The outfits women are required to wear for certain sports such as cheerleading, tennis, gymnastics, and bodybuilding are blatantly sexist.

Football is a traditionally male-dominated sport with very few women involved, even on the sidelines. Fuller’s societal impact is immeasurable, as she embodies a strong and independent woman. She also represents what it means to be a resilient and confident team player who overcame the misogynistic barriers surrounding women on the football field. In fact, there are no rules in the NFL or in college football specifying the sport to be male-only. She serves as a strong role model for young girls who aspire to defy the gender norms imposed by the historic suppression among females in sports. This is marked by the fear that women will come across as “masculine,” which is often why they tend to be sexualized as athletes. Fuller showed up for Vanderbilt and gave her maximum effort.

However, there are many ways Fuller’s participation in the game illustrates how hard it will be to achieve equal representation for male and female athletes: Fuller only played because COVID-19 testing required a number of male kickers to quarantine. It took a worldwide pandemic for a woman to get an opportunity to just kick on the football field.

Fuller was the third woman to ever participate in a college football game, and although she did not have the opportunity to score any points, she made an earth-shattering impact on the game. We should not overlook the physical strength and courage that Fuller worked for to play alongside the Vanderbilt players while a goalie on Vanderbilt’s women’s soccer team.

There is no doubt that Sarah Fuller defied countless stereotypes while pursuing her athletic career, and we should acknowledge the sexist barriers that required her strong and confident attitude. It was a small step considering the circumstances, but her bravery proved more than effective.

Fuller is an ideal example of a confident person to look up to, as she has no fear of being the only woman on the field. It is important to bring what Fuller fought for on Saturday to sports within the Horace Mann community.

Freshmen athletes adapt to restricted sports season Hannah Katzke and Audrey Moussazadeh Staff Writer and Contributing Writer

Ninth graders are facing the challenge of forming relationships with their teammates and adapting to their Upper Division (UD) winter sports teams over Zoom.

The teams had approximately two weeks of in-person practices before the closure of the school forced all activities to shift completely online.

Mira Bansal (9), a member of the Girls’ Varsity Squash team, said her team has not been able to form the same close-knit relationships she had grown accustomed to on Middle Division (MD) teams because of COVID-19 protocols. To combat the difficulties presented, members of the squash team randomly pair up in practice, which gives them the opportunity to learn more about each other, she said.

However, for Varsity Ski team member Elise Kang (9), the longer practices in the UD have allowed her to form closer relationships with her teammates, she said. When she joined

the team, Kang presumed that the team’s dynamic would be intense, but she has found the opposite to be true of her friendly, and motivating teammates, she said.

Even though the new protocols have limited the team’s interactions, they have retained a sense of community and team spirit through fun activities during practice, Heidi Li (9), a member of the Girls’ Track Team, said.

Jojo Mignone (9), who was on the MD swim team, has been making the adjustment to the Girls’ Varsity Swim team. It has been more challenging to adjust to the larger time commitment that comes with the UD team and shift quickly between her club meetings and her swim practices, she said. Despite the new change in protocols, Mignone has been able to seek guidance and get to know the upperclassmen on her team, she said.

“The older girls have made an effort to help freshmen get adjusted and in general have been extremely nice and understanding.”

Ella Shaham, (9) another member of the Girls’ Varsity Swim team, was able to introduce herself and meet other members of the team in the locker rooms while practices were still in person, she said.

Unlike the Girls’ Varsity Swim team, the

Boys’ Varsity Basketball team has been divided into smaller grade-level groups. Because of the team’s rigid COVID-19 restrictions, Clark Turchin (9) has not been able to form any relationships with the older students on the team, he said.

Like Turchin, Bansal has felt a shift in her team’s dynamic because of the COVID-19 safety restrictions. Without physical interactions such as high fives, it has definitely been more difficult to form new relationships this year, she said.

Online practices have provided the Girls’ Varsity Swim team with a new opportunity to strengthen their relationships through the team’s conversation on gratitude, led by Coach Thatcher Woodley, and through their senior-led team activities, Shaham said.

While improving will be difficult for Shaham since she cannot swim during HM Online 2.0, she will view online practices as a way to focus on different aspects of her sport.

“It could be advantageous to shift our focus to a less tangible aspect of swimming” she said.

“In-person, we focus so much on technique and speed and stamina, but this allows us to focus on the mindsets that we can use to better ourselves as athletes.”

Vivian Coraci/Staff Artist