Issue 6

Volume 118 Issue 6

The Record Horace Mann’s Weekly Newspaper Since 1903

record.horacemann.org October 16th, 2020

Fry (12) and Paulson (12) host conference with renowned women in STEM Lauren Kim/Art Director

School reduces classtime for HM Online 2.0 Lauren Ho and Damien Dwin Staff and Contributing Writers Both the Upper Division (UD) and Middle Division (MD) shifted to HM Online 2.0 for two weeks because of four COVID-19 cases in the community.

Since the transition to HM Online 2.0, the UD has been following a new schedule to prevent students from having too many classes in one day. Full-credit classes meet twice a week and half-credit classes will only meet once a week, Dean of Students Michael Dalo wrote in an email on October 5.

Additionally, on days with synchronous classes, teachers can assign a maximum of 30 minutes of additional work, while on asynchronous days, teachers can assign up to 60 minutes of work.

During HM Online in the spring, teachers determined when they were going to hold synchronous and asynchronous classes, which caused many students to have a full day of class on some days and few classes on other days, Dalo said. This difficult schedule sometimes caused “Zoom fatigue” on full days of classes, he said. “I just do not think that that’s healthy, and it is not something that we should be doing.”

The biggest problem with HM Online in the spring was the inconsistency of the schedule, so HM Online 2.0 has been better, Arman Azim (10) said.

Sophie Gordon (11) said the schedule of HM Online in the spring was confusing because teachers would sometimes change the days their class met. “Since teachers foresaw [that the school might go online] and thus prepared how they were going to teach, it feels much better.”

The schedule is much more organized than the schedule of HM Online in the spring, which makes it easier to follow, making the transition fairly straightforward, Juliette Shang (11) said.

“By having classes every other period, it increases engagement, or at least increases the opportunity for us to engage in meaningful ways,” Dean of the Class of 2023 Chidi Asoluka said.

Ideally, Morgan Bart (10) would like to meet with her classes as per her in-person schedule, but she recognizes that it is difficult to be on Zoom for many hours during the day since it strains her eyes and it is difficult to stay focused, she said. “It is difficult to be at home because home and work are now combined.”

The administration is encouraging teachers to be thoughtful about how they allocate their asynchronous class times, Dalo said. This may mean asking students to familiarize themselves with topics on their own so that more synchronous class time can be spent answering questions about homework or practicing, he said.

“I don’t like all of the asynchronous work, because it is much easier for me to get distracted and lose focus than if I were actually attending a class and also because it’s harder to ask my teachers questions,” Bart said.

Ria Chowdhry (11) likes that with the new schedule she is able to wake up later and

complete all of her work during her frees, she said.

Gordon likes HM Online 2.0 because the extra free time allows her to sleep in, avoid her daily commute, and read more, she said.

Since Sean Lee (10) is a new student, he wanted school to be in-person for the first few weeks so that he could get used to his classes, so he is happy that he was already familiar with his teachers prior to starting HM Online 2.0, and found the transition to be fairly smooth, he said.

However, Brett Karpf (11) found the transition to HM Online 2.0 to be tough because the assessments he would’ve completed the first week of HM Online 2.0 were pushed back and became piled up, he said.

Bart said the transition was complicated by the abrupt switch and multiple days off which have both impacted the schedule, she said. “Especially with all of the changes to the schedule due to not having school both Mondays, I found that a lot of my teachers were trying to make up for the missed classes.”

Physics teacher George Epstein experienced some small challenges while adjusting to HM Online 2.0, such as technical hiccups with Zoom and adjusting to the schedule, but overall the transition was fairly smooth, he said. Since there are opportunities for additional optional periods and one-on-one meetings, there is still plenty of time to cover questions that may not have been answered in class, he said.

After the school went online in the spring, Epstein realized he prefers teaching on an actual whiteboard as opposed to a virtual one, so he purchased one which allows him to stand up and move around for classes, he said. “It makes it easier to interact with a full class, and I am enjoying it much more than using the virtual whiteboard.”

With the new schedule, Wednesdays are reserved for advisory or assembly, SOI, HMO, and meeting with teachers.

Gordon enjoys having only advisory on Wednesdays because it allows her to take a “mental health day” in the middle of the school week, which is especially important with all of the stress from the pandemic, she said.

Similarly, Juliette Shang (11) enjoys that there are no classes on Wednesdays because it gives her an opportunity to meet with her teachers and have a relaxing day, she said.

On the other hand, Azmi dislikes the schedule for Wednesdays. “It’s kind of an awkward day,” he said. “You finish your work early in the morning and like the rest of the day there’s nothing to do, so I’d rather have a couple classes.”

Lee wishes the schedule were more easily accessible, since at times, he finds it difficult to keep track of, since the only sources of information are Dalo’s emails, he said. “I have to go through all of the club emails and notifications from Google Classroom to finally find the schedule,” he said. “I didn’t know that we didn’t have classes on Wednesdays.”

All things considered, Dalo said that the first week of HM Online 2.0 was successful. “I think that there was some confusion about which classes were meeting each day, but I think for the most part the transition was pretty smooth.

Claire Goldberg Staff Writer Last Saturday, over 160 people from around the world attended the STEMs conference — spearheaded by Danielle Paulson (12) and Alexis Fry (12) — to empower young women in STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Attendees at the four-hour conference first heard from keynote speaker Jelena Kovačević, the Dean of New York University Tandon Engineering School, followed by the “Tech Leaders” panel and the “Next Gen Tech Leaders” panel. To finish the conference out, attendees heard from keynote speaker Leanne Caret, the President and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space, and Security.

The event was inspired by similar events held at The Dalton School and Hunter College High School last year, Paulson said. This conference plays an integral role in exposing young people to prominent women in STEM and confronting the gender gap in STEM, Fry said. “I wanted this conference to help young women see themselves in places of leadership in technology and leadership in general,” she said.

In preparation for the event, Paulson and Fry reached out to the keynote speakers and panelists via email, LinkedIn, and Instagram, Fry said. Dean of Students Michael Dalo helped plan the logistical details of the event by setting up the webinar, she said.

The conference started with Kovačević’s 45-minute presentation, “Our Hidden Figures,” during which she spoke about her upbringing and how she came to be a woman in STEM. Kovačević was born in the former Yugoslavia, where she did not experience gender-based discrimination, she said. Kovačević first encountered the implicit biases in STEM when she became a department head at Carnegie Mellon University. “One day, I looked at the number and was shocked to see that only 20% of the undergraduate students were women,” she said.

Kovačević stressed the importance of teaching young children that inclusion is a priority and that female leaders in STEM are natural. “I want women to know it is okay for them to be average at something STEM related without reinforcing a stereotype,” she said. “They do not always have to be the best in the room,” she said.

This message resonated with Louise Kim (10), who has also experienced pressures to succeed based on her race and gender, Kim said. “Her message helps me to accept the fact that I don’t have to be perfect at everything just because I’m AsianAmerican.”

Following Kovačević was the “Tech Leaders” panel, consisting of female executives from technology companies. Panelists included Swarna Kakodkar, the Head of Product Management at Amazon Web services; Julie Nemirovsky, the Regional Vice President at Salesforce Dana Lorber, the Technology advisor at Mastercard; and Dana Warren, the Head of Enterprise Platforms at Stripe, a payment processing company.

The panelists discussed their own backgrounds, their careers in STEM, and offered advice to young women. Warren said Rachel Zhu/Art Director women should always take a seat at the table and offer their opinion.

However, once Warren was able to make her voice heard, she realized that she had to help other women do the same, she said. “Now that I had the seat at the table it was my job to bring another chair up for another woman in the room.”

Dalo said he had never thought about this additional responsibility of women.

“I can just imagine that

that has to be exhausting,” he said. “It’s clear that even after a woman has succeeded and secured her spot at the table, her work is never really done.”

At the “Next Gen Tech Leaders” panel, Fry and Paulson interviewed four female college students who have impacted the STEM community.

Catherine Yeo, a junior at Harvard, spoke about making code more accessible to visually impaired individuals by coding with voices.

Audrey Pe, a freshman at Stanford University, spoke about founding WiTech, a nonprofit organization in the Philippines that educates and empowers the youth to close the gender gap in STEM. “My team and I are building towards a future where all youth, regardless of their socioeconomic status or gender, have access to tech and the ability to create amazing things,” Pe said.

In order to make technology equitable and accessible, closing the gender gap isn’t enough, Pe said. “It has to be a socioeconomically diverse 5050,” she said. “If it’s just that top 1% [included in STEM], then the technology being developed will only be developed for that 1%. So we have to make a deliberate effort to go out and teach low-income students how to code and bring tech into their lives.”

The “Next Gen Leaders” panel was Kim’s favorite because the panelists were younger and more relatable, she said. “They provided a lens through which I could see our own generation in the industry of STEM, and I could see myself represented in them in just a few years.”

The last keynote speaker was Leanne Caret, the President and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space, and Security. According to STEMS NYC, Boeing is a $26 billion company that provides solutions for defense, government, space, intelligence, and security.

In her talk, Caret spoke about Boeing’s commitment to inspiring women to pursue STEM. She spoke about the early days of her career where she was often the only woman in the room and told not to sit at the table. “For the ladies on this call, my hope is that you won’t be the only woman at the table, but if you are, speak up and make your voice heard.”

Paulson hopes that the conference motivates young female students to pursue their passions, she said. “By instilling them with this motivation, hopefully in the future we’ll see greater gender equality in STEM fields,” she said.

Building awareness about gender disparities is a key part of the job of educators, Dalo said. “Through events like these, we are building awareness amongst all students and acknowledging that we do see the gaps and gender disparities,” he said. “We are also hopefully empowering young women to follow their own paths.”

STEMs conferences will likely become a tradition, Fry said. Future conferences will be spearheaded

by Esha Gupta (10) and Bela Tinaj (9). “We want to make STEMs a tradition because we believe that increasing women’s representation in STEM fields is something that HM should continue to standby in years to come,” Gupta said.

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THE RECORD OPINIONS OCTOBER 16TH, 2020

Every vote counts and deserves respect

Eli Scher “Your vote matters.” If your experiences over the past few months have been anything like mine, that message has been drilled into your head, primarily by an impassioned group of Joe Biden’s supporters in and out of the HM community. The importance of voting cannot be understated, and as someone who will be 18 just in time for the election, I am thrilled to be able to exercise one of the most important rights as an American. On the flip side, it is important to remember that there are ways to tell others that their vote matters that are both effective and compassionate and ways that are neither.

A few weeks ago, I came across a post on Instagram that several of my peers had shared on their stories. It read “If you vote for any third-party candidate, then you are supporting Donald Trump,” to which I took exception. To be fair, to the creator of the post, I don’t believe they had cruel intentions. However, the post should have said that voters who are deciding between Biden and a third party candidate should consider the electoral impact of their choice to not give a vote to the major candidate that aligns more closely to their beliefs, which can theoretically help the opposing candidate.

However, the post was short-sighted and used language against such voters that suggested that they had motives in mind. Voters are not

actively trying to support a different candidate than the one they vote for, or any at all if they choose not to vote. After reflecting more, I was reminded of two specific things I had heard.

The first was a video from one of my favorite political commentators on YouTube, Kyle Kulinski. He holds mostly left-wing views and calls himself a “social democrat,” but has stated that he won’t be voting for Biden this November. He will either vote for Howie Hawkins, the Green Party’s candidate, or abstain from voting for the first time in his life.

I found this position to be somewhat confusing and ineffective, but I began to understand and respect his perspective after watching a video

why a vote not cast for either major party is almost always perceived as a vote for Trump rather than Biden, regardless of with whom the voter is more ideologically aligned. I have never heard that argument used as a way to grab votes for Trump, though not all third party voters actually align more with Biden than Trump. This point brings me to my other thought after seeing the Instagram post.

Last month, I had the privilege of interviewing the Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee, Spike Cohen for an online publication. Clearly, the Libertarian Party’s ticket is what one would call third-party and has a very minimal shot of winning the presidential nomination. However, Lauren Kim/Art Director

of his in which he explains his stance and makes a broader statement on voter-shaming.

“I don’t believe in voter shaming, because I think it’s counterproductive to the whole point of trying to get people on your side,” he says towards the beginning of the video. “It’s responding to [the position] before you even understand the argument.” This is precisely my issue with the Instagram post, which I view as the definition of voter-shaming. Instead of explaining why Biden is the best candidate for our country, it delegitimizes the choice of voting for a third-party candidate through logic that is faulty at best.

Later in the video, he also asks his audience

through my interview, I realized just how much he cares about our country. His candidacy is far from a publicity stunt, and he, like many voters right now, wants to see real change in our country. When I read what the post said about voting third party in the election, and how it just seems to mean “supporting Trump’s ticket,” I felt insulted and disrespected both as a voter and on behalf of Mr. Cohen. People should be encouraged to vote for the candidate who aligns most closely with their beliefs, no matter if that candidate represents a mainstream party or not, and no one who decides to vote for a third party candidate is trying to help Trump’s re-election campaign.

As Kulinski puts it, “If somebody wants to disagree with me, I have no problem with that whatsoever, but all I ask is don’t fill in the blank with what you want to be what I believe — don’t build up a straw man as to why I’m doing what I’m doing and then knock down that straw man.” He means that instead of disagreeing with his view in a respectful way and engaging in a productive dialogue after, many people have chosen to decide for themselves what his motives are and argue against those instead of using Kulinski’s own criteria for his vote.

Everyone inside and outside of our community should support and vote for exactly whom they want to next month. I have always encouraged healthy political discussions and that applies to our candidates in this election as long as such conversations are honest and respectful and follow our community guidelines for practicing civic engagement.

Encouraging your peers to vote is important for a functioning democracy, even if it can feel like the message is a bit worn out by now. What is equally important is that if someone you know does not want to vote for one of our two major candidates, and you take issue with that, don’t assume that they do not care.

Instead, have a conversation with them.

Understand their views and why they feel a certain way. If you want to try to convince them otherwise and they are willing to listen, instead of attacking their character and their morals, describe why your preferred candidate is a better alternative. This is the only effective way to convince someone to change their mind because everything is private once a voter steps into the booth or, this year, seals their ballot envelope. Though I have seen only a few instances of it in our community, shaming and character attacks are never the solution and will not draw anyone over to your side.

CAPTION CONTEST EDITORIAL: Do your part When we return to school Monday, we must be diligent to help the school stay open. At school, students and faculty take proper precautions — and we need to be follow those same strict guidelines off-campus. While the school has not provided specific guidelines for off-campus activities, The Record urges its readers to be extraordinarily cautious so that we can stay in-person.

Do not attend large gatherings — whether inside or outside. Limit the people you hang out with to your inner circle and others you have been in close proximity to since the closing of the school in March.

Wear your mask — even when hanging out with Horace Mann friends.

Don’t party. And if you expose yourself, stay home.

We‘ll only stay safe if we can all commit; one misstep, and we’ll be Zooming again. Social distancing is hard. We get it. We’re a board of 30 seniors and one junior who would rather socialize during our last moments together, but this reality calls for a trade-off. If you know of friends putting the school at risk, have a serious conversation with them. And if you yourself can’t make the sacrifice, don’t come to school on Monday.

Rachel Zhu/Art Director

Winners Nobody told me we were doing stretches today. – Jacob Ziman (10) I think you’re on meowute. – Math teacher Benjamin Kafoglis

Volume 118 Editorial Board Managing Editor Talia Winiarsky News Sam Chiang Yesh Nikam Marina Kazarian

Features Henry Owens Emily Shi Vivien Sweet

Opinions Maurice Campbell Avi Kapadia Natalie Sweet

A&E Izzy Abbott Abby Beckler Oliver Steinman

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

Middle Division Adrian Arnaboldi Bradley Bennett Jack Crovitz

Staff 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

Issues Editor Adam Frommer Design Lowell Finster John Mauro Sarah Sun

Art Annabelle Chan Gabby Fischberg Lauren Kim Rachel Zhu

Photography Jackson Feigin Julia Isko Maxwell Shopkorn

Faculty Adviser David Berenson

Editorial Policy About Founded in 1903, The Record is Horace Mann School’s award-winning weekly student newspaper. We publish approximately 30 times during the academic year, offering news, features, opinions, arts, Middle Division and sports coverage relevant to the school community. The Record serves as a public forum to provide the community with information, entertainment, and an outlet for various viewpoints. 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. Horace Mann School is not responsible for the accuracy and contents of The Record and is not liable for any claims based on the contents or views expressed therein.

Editorials All editorial decisions regarding content, grammar, and layout are made by the senior editorial board. The unsigned editorial represents the opinion of the majority of the board.

Opinions Opinion columns represent the viewpoint of the author and not of The Record or the school. We encourage students, alumni, faculty, staff, and parents to submit opinions by emailing record@horacemann.org.

Letters Letters to the editor often respond to editorials, articles, and opinions pieces, allowing The Record to uphold its commitment to open discourse within the school community. They too represent the opinion of the author and not of The Record or the school.

To be considered for publication in the next issue, letters should

be submitted by mail (The Record, 231 West 246th Street, Bronx, NY 10471) or email (record@horacemann.org) before 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening. All submissions must be signed.

Contact For all tips, comments, queries, story suggestions, complaints and corrections, please contact us by email at record@ horacemann.org.

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HORACE MANN OPINIONS OCTOBER 16TH, 2020

A guide to improving your mental health

Destiney Green As we agonize about grades, social lives, physical health, and even future, we often neglect one of the most important factors that plays a role in who we are, how we navigate through the world, and how we respond to the curveballs life throws us: our mental health.

Our minds are more powerful than we know, and we must give them the necessary care and attention, as we would with anything else we value. Not only does mental health encompass our well-being emotionally and psychologically, but it helps us dissect the world in a way we can understand, navigate through, and thrive within. On top of that, our mental state influences the way we cope with situations, make choices, treat ourselves, interact with others, and handle stress. Our mental state plays an integral role in our productiveness and attitudes towards life, so it is crucial for us to look for ways to promote a positive state of mental wellness.

Amidst daily rituals and the overbearing competitiveness of Horace Mann, I find that instilling time for self-care and reflection is more important than anything else in order to nourish our minds and selves and support a healthy, thriving mental state.

At school, testing and academics are often overwhelmingly stressful and poisonous to our mental state. They can obscure the importance

of taking time aside for our mental health.

As a result, many of us deem our emotional and psychological well-being less important than all the things expected of us in school.

It’s easy to fall into self-destructive habits and overlook our mental health when we should be prioritizing it.

I am here to tell you that it is more than okay to skip that math homework that was stressing you out, or to close off studying because you are tired and not necessarily feeling the best and need to take some time to comfort and care for yourself. I know I have done that. How could you expect to thrive academically without adequately caring for and giving the one element that contributes to our success and refusing it the attention it needs and deserves? For me, self-care might not always look like not doing work when I don’t feel 100%. It might mean listening to music when I am feeling overwhelmed, getting a quick workout in, and even taking breaks or

Annabelle Chan/Art Director

“Not only does mental health encompass our wellbeing emotionally and psychologically, but it helps us dissect the world in a way we can understand, navigate through, and thrive within.” naps when I need to. Maybe it means taking brief phone breaks, shopping for things that make me feel good, and eating a crazy amount of pasta and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. These options are sometimes enough to help me cope with any negative emotions, thoughts, or experiences I might have had that day.

With mental wellness, not only will we feel better emotionally, psychologically, and even physically, but that improved attitude will be reflected upon the world and the way we interact with it, ultimately promoting a healthier environment for those around us.

When I indulge in self-care such as working out or taking a day to focus on myself, I feel good and think optimistically. I recognized that the way I treated others was a reflection of what was going on within me, so, as a result of treating myself well, I saw that I also reflected these positive sentiments to people around me, through compliments, words of encouragement, and friendly gestures.

Positive mental health enables us to work productively, cope with our emotions and thoughts, recognize our self worth and potential, and have positive interactions and influences upon one another. I encourage you to educate yourself about the importance and value of mental health. Being aware and informed of mental health opens the pathway to supporting mental wellness for ourselves and others. I urge you to connect and interact with others around you or people that you trust, whether with friends, family, or peers. Reaching out to those around us for a

shoulder to lean on is essential in maintaining mental wellness. Sometimes, just talking about how you feel and venting can feel like a huge weight being lifted, both metaphorically and quite literally. Furthermore, physical self-care helps to promote mental wellness.

Make sure you are staying hydrated, fueling your body adequately with proper nutrition, getting enough sleep, and staying active, through sports or even just a morning stroll.

Additionally, remember to take breaks from things when you need to. And don’t forget to treat yourself with some TLC (tender, love, and care).

The stigma around mental health can often cause us to neglect the health of our minds and not seek the necessary assistance when we know we need it. Remember, your mental health is most important. If you begin to notice that your emotional and mental health is taking a toll on the way you function, your relationships, or general happiness, reach out for that extra support! It is okay to ask for an extra boost! Don’t be afraid to reach out to a professional and get help when needed.

Capitalize on the opportunity to talk to a member of the guidance and counseling office that our school provides. Mental wellness and the journey to a healthy mental state are not linear. What is most important is that we start somewhere. As we dismantle the stigma surrounding mental health, remember to stay positive, indulge in self-care, and ask for help when needed.

You need rest to do your best

Purvi Jonnalagadda It’s nearly 5 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31. School starts in 3 hours. Children are asleep. Adults are asleep. Everyone is asleep.

But I am up making ramen and watching Netflix, debating whether I should pull an all-nighter.

After HM Online 2.0 was announced, I was frightened that I would revert to old habits. When the school first went online in March, I did not think sleep was important; I would not sleep until 3 a.m. or even 4:30 a.m. despite having A period class.

This terrible sleep schedule, combined with at least two cups of the infamous whipped Dalgona coffee and naps during free periods, was how I survived the last months of school last year.

Too tired to crawl into bed, I even remember falling asleep at my desk after many classes.

After I was notified on October 5 that all Middle Division and Upper Division students would have to attend school online for two weeks, I was determined to keep a steady sleep schedule and not commit the same crime of destroying my circadian rhythm. I know it may seem boring, but every night, before I sleep around 12 a.m. or 1 a.m., I set multiple alarms: one for 8:30 am, 8:35 am, 8:40 am, and 8:45 am.

Comparing my two experiences with online school, I am much more productive and well-rested this time around, using my time between classes to complete asynchronous work and homework instead of catching up on sleep. Don’t get me wrong; I miss attending school in person, but as far as online school goes, one thing I will be heartbroken about is the loss of not having to be at school until 10:20 a.m. During online school, I have been waking up at 8:30 a.m. This has been helpful because I get two extra hours of sleep (I usually wake up at 6:30 a.m.).

Usually, I would dedicate the free time I had during the school day to sleeping and would thus have more work to do later on.

Now, I do most of my assignments between classes and usually have more free time at night to unwind. With this in mind, when we go online after Thanksgiving again, I will keep my same beneficial schedule.

Moreover, because I followed a strict schedule during these two weeks, I expect it will be easier to default back to my old sleep schedule of sleeping around 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. and waking up at 6:30 a.m. when we return to school on Monday.

Despite both advantages and disadvantages, the circumstances of online school and in-person school are fairly different. With in-person school, teachers only give homework and somewhat acknowledge that many students return/arrive home late already tired. With that in mind, I can go to sleep earlier, because I use my frees at school to finish most of my work so that by the time I come home I only have a little left to do.

During online school, though, teachers give double the amount of work, which they justify by saying we only meet twice a week. HM Online 2.0 now mandates that classes meet only twice a week so that students do not have to stare at a screen the whole day. However, this is counterproductive, because I still have to stare at a screen to complete work that often takes more than 45 minutes. At the end of the day, I have a terrible headache and am also as exhausted as I was during in-person school. This makes me more likely to watch TV after school, putting off my homework until later. As a result, I sleep later because I am left completing an absurd amount of assignments at 11 p.m. or 12 p.m., which is later than I used to complete work during in-person school. The administration cannot do much to help students keep a normal sleep schedule other than the occasional reminders. Instead, it may be helpful if the asynchronous work resembles something that would be done in school such as group work.

In March, my mental health was at an all-time low. One unforgettable moment was a stressful take-home assessment that I spent many nights completing. The last night before it was due, I was awake until 6 a.m., stressed about my work not being good enough. I was going crazy as I poured over my ten plus pages of work, looking for the slightest error. These kinds of moments were not healthy for me because I approached each day tired and dejected.

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

This time around, my mental health has been one of my priorities, and even though, like many other students, I still have the never-ending stress that comes with being a Horace Mann student, I am not pulling my hair out at 6 a.m. while rushing to finish an assignment. Rather, I am engaged in my classes (as much as a student can be during online school), and have an improved work ethic.

Whether the administration changes anything for online school after Thanksgiving, a good sleep schedule is the key to success. If you have an irregular sleep schedule, I urge you to make a simple but fixed schedule such as sleeping at 11 p.m. and waking up at 8 a.m.; this will make online school much easier on your mental and physical health (and you will not need multiple cups of coffee). I usually drink coffee at least once or twice a day, but in these past two weeks, I have consumed barely any. I never believed teachers when they urged me not to mess up my sleep schedule, but I learned from my mistakes and in these two weeks I finally understood that my teachers were right all along; a constant schedule makes for an overall better day.

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Nagini, Courtesy of Milen Nelivigi

THE RECORD FEATURES OCTOBER 16TH, 2020

Calvin, Courtesy of Isabella Binnmyr

Sunny, Courtesy of Samantha Tsai

Students’ Furry Friends Katya Tolunsky Staff Writer

Ringo and Lucy, Courtesy of Evann Penn Brown

Viva, Courtesy of Megumi Iwai-Louie

Chile, Courtesy of Samantha Tsai

Momo, Courtesy of Ethan Waggoner

“A pet is like a friend that you get to see every day — except this friend, you don’t have to social distance around,” Ethan Waggoner (11) said.

Due to COVID-19 and the resulting need for social isolation, animal adoption centers are emptying as adoption rates hit an all time high.

Some New York City shelters are seeing application numbers at 10 times the normal rate, and the rates of fostering have increased by 90 percent in New York and Los Angeles, according to WIRED. “When you can’t leave your apartment to socialize, and touch has become taboo, many have found themselves yearning for animal companionship,” USA Today wrote.

Having an animal companion around the house helps with stress relief and increases production of feel-good hormones like dopamine, according to USA Today.

Lucca Correia (11) adopted a bernedoodle puppy in June. “One of the biggest challenges of quarantine is finding something to do or how to spend your day,” he said. “I was able to distract myself from the boredom of quarantine b y working on training my dog and spending time with him.”

Although having a dog didn’t make up for the lack of human contact and relationships, Correia’s puppy still helped him cope with social isolation, he said.

“Building a relationship with my dog was something that I could look forward to and work towards, similar to one that you could make with a human — except not as complex, of course.”

Johanna Scher (11) began fostering dogs for the first time while in quarantine, and her family has since fostered seven dogs. Fostering a dog is the act of taking a homeless dog into your home, either for a predetermined period of time or until the dog is adopted. On average, Scher’s family fostered each dog for a little over a week. “The dogs rely on you,” she said. “You have to walk them and feed them yourself, and it gives you a real sense of purpose and fulfillment. You feel bonded to them, in a way.”

Many of the dogs Scher fostered had special needs and required special attention. “For example, some of my dogs couldn’t sleep anywhere but my room or my brother’s room, and they always needed to be with someone, which makes you feel not as lonely during these times,” Scher said.

Scher said that the process

of fostering dogs was extremely gratifying. “I think that having another animal to take care of really makes you feel productive,” she said.

“Dogs are social creatures that will always be around to play, and it’s really nice to have a reliable source of entertainment.”

Paul Wang ‘20 adopted a goldendoodle puppy and named him Sal, short for Salamander, a few months before quarantine began. “My relationship with my dog is definitely in stark contrast to interactions with friends that are socially distanced and through masks,” he said. “So I think that in a way, Sal has fulfilled, if not exceeded, the physical aspect of our relationship, but not so much the social aspect because he can’t talk yet.

But we’re working on that.”

A human’s relationship with their pet is largely based on touch a n d

Rachel Zhu/Art Director

physical contact. Waggoner believes there is a sensory aspect to the emotional support dogs provide. “My dog is the softest thing you will ever feel,” Waggoner said. “Dogs are called a man’s best friend for a reason.”

To a large extent, the reason behind the increase in adoption rates is the newfound free time in quarantine, according to the NY Times. Although Ellie Henes (11) was planning to adopt a puppy before the pandemic began, her dog happened to arrive right before quarantine started.

“Quarantine was the best time to get her because she always had all of our attention, and we had all of the time in the world to play with her,” she said. “We always had something to do, whether it was teaching her new tricks or going on walks and running around with her.”

Samantha Tsai (12) enjoyed the presence of her two slightly unusual pets throughout quarantine: a chinchilla and a turtle. Although her pets are very low maintenance, Tsai said they helped her cope with social isolation. “We tried to train them to do tricks, which is pretty hard to do because they’re not really trainable

animals,” she said. “But we’ve done a couple of things, like we bang on this sandbox and the chinchilla comes running to us, and also we now have our turtle follow our finger, which seems so small but feels like a victory to us.”

Even though chinchillas and turtles aren’t as affectionate as dogs, Tsai said her pets still reciprocate her love through small gestures. “Our chinchilla lets us pet her, which she doesn’t let any strangers do.” Tsai also is now able to feed her turtle by hand, which he wouldn’t let her do before quarantine started. “It feels like he’s accepting us more.”

In contrast to Tsai, Ariella Frommer (9) feels little to no emotional attachment to her turtle, she said. “We don’t really hang out with her a lot because she scratches and bites,” Frommer said. Her turtle didn’t help her cope with social isolation, as their relationship was solely based on maintenance.

Maya Nornberg (11) said her pets provide her with emotional support in ways she isn’t even aware of.

“Whenever my pets aren’t home, I feel like the house is empty,” she said.

“For a period of time, I had 30 minute cuddling sessions with my cat every day in quarantine, and it was just a part of my routine,” Nornberg said.

According to WIRED, having a pet around the house helps with sticking to a healthy routine during quarantine that can provide daily exercise and structure. Wang’s dog encouraged him to stay active and keep a regular schedule. “Having a dog really forces me to go outside in a time when I probably spend most of my time in my room,” he said.

Correia said that building a relationship with a dog is an incredibly rewarding and warming process. “A dog’s natural behavior is always energetic and happy, willing to play, and overall loyal which allows for dogs to provide great emotional support,” he said.

For Scher, fostering dogs led to a lot of interactions and conversations with her neighbors that wouldn’t have otherwise occurred. “It bridged connections within my own community,” she said.

Wang’s dog brought his family closer together during quarantine, he said. His whole family loves Sal, and they are unified around taking care of and playing with him.

“I definitely wouldn’t say that pets are a substitution for the friends we see when we go to school,” Correia said. “But to an extent I think my pet was something that helped me cope with my need for socialization and relationships.”

Sparko, Courtesy of Divya Ponda

Ford, Courtesy of Pascale Zissu

Lily, Courtesy of Ellie Henes

Shayna, Courtesy of Sabrina Freidus

Stella, Courtesy of Adam Frommer

Sprinkles, Courtesy of Maya Nornberg Courtesy of Ehan Waggoner

Winter, Courtesy of Abigail Morse Courtesy of Johanna Scher

Lefty, Courtesy of Emily Shi

Wilma, Courtesy of Johanna Scher

HORACE MANN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT OCTOBER 16TH, 2020

Composers visit music class

Courtesey of HM Theater, Dance & Film Studies Website

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Yin Fei and Emily Salzhauer Staff Writers Contrary to the name of the course, the Bach to Stravinsky: History of Music class decided to focus on the contemporary side of the music world by welcoming professional composers Anna Clyne, Jessie Montgomery, Angélica Negrón, and Dr. Reena Esmail to visit their class via Zoom to share their experiences in the current classical music industry.

A diverse selection of composers attended the sessions, each with their own specialties in music. Clyne, a Grammy-nominated English composer, is a fan of acoustic and electro-acoustic music, while Montgomery, an American composer, chamber musician, and educator, shapes her classical compositions with improvisation, language, and elements of social politics. Negrón, a Puerto Rican composer, writes music for various unusual instruments including accordions, toys, electronics, and robotic instruments.

Each class followed the same structure, Clio Rao (10) said. Their teacher started with a set of four questions for all the composers based on class topics, then the students could ask five of their own questions, which they wrote beforehand.

Prior to their arrival, Ayesha Sen (10) said the whole class listened to either one piece or one movement by the composer in order to get a sense of their style and to start thinking about questions to ask them based on their individual work.

The questions ranged from inquiries about the composers’ inspirations to their musical training, working life, and even to how they define classical music, which is an overarching theme within the class, Rao said.

Esmail, who visited earlier this week, has been composing for nearly 20 years and has an extensive background as both a pianist and a composer. After graduating from Juilliard, she received a Fulbright grant to study Hindustani music in India. She currently works to create equitable spaces for Indian and Western classical music.

Esmail opened her discussion to the ways in which she hopes to marry tradition and innovation in her work, she said. She discovered that there is a significant amount of resistance to mixing musical spheres, whether it be old and new, Indian and western classical music, or people from different demographics, she said.

“Right now we’re having this cultural reckoning where people are thinking about replacing or invading one culture with another culture,” Esmail said. “I’m trying to find a common ground for people to have really beautiful interactions through music, that they are able to take forward into deeper relationships with one another.”

This disconnect ultimately prompted music teacher Nathan Hetherington to change his teaching plan and start the class with present composers before moving backward in history, he said. Though the class typically covers the “common practice” period in classical music, which occurred from around 1700 to 1914, Hetherington has always been slightly frustrated with the lack of conversation around modern times, he said.

“Traditions might develop in Europe, but how does that connect to an orchestra in America or music students in America today?” he asked.

After contacting representatives and using his connections in the music world, Hetherington managed to invite the four accomplished composers to attend his class’ sessions to further discuss the reality of pursuing a music career and how each has approached their work.

Esmail said she was particularly happy to be straightforward about the logistics behind her composition career, as musicians and composers are generally secretive about such aspects of their lives.

“There is a lot of shame about the different ways that people make a living,” Esmail said. “My way of making a living has certainly changed a lot over the years, so I tried to be as transparent as possible [with the students] because it’s important to have real information, especially when you’re going into a career where we have to appear somewhat invincible.”

Rao said she found the topic of transparency in music crucial to their learning experience.

“They really described, in detail, how they grew from playing an instrument from a young age or just being interested in music to having best selling music scores and actually making a living as an artist in 2020,” Rao said.

Sen said the composers’ in-depth explanations of the individual components of their music were more critical to her understanding of their pieces than simply listening to them in class.

Not only did the composers share what the pieces meant to them, but they gave insight into the artists’ struggles and passion for the field, allowing her to relate to them on a personal level, she said.

“Something that came across [in] every composer, and which you can see clearly, is that they really love what they are doing,” Sen said. “The composer visits have just made me more motivated because it shows me that if I pursue what I want [with music], I can get somewhere, even if it’s just recreational.”

Hetherington hopes that the students also take into account how modern artists and composers deal with the difficulty and legacy of music that is carried from the past, he said.

“If you look at the pantheon of composers that are usually played in concert halls, you’ll see a lot of white European dudes from the past, whose music reflects their concerns within their times and places. But if you look at who’s writing classical music today, in America, and you listen to their writing, you’ll see and hear a significantly wider range of sounds and viewpoints,” Hetherington said. “Composers today are pulling in influences from all over the world and from sources that, traditionally, we don’t associate with Western classical music. And that’s what keeps this tradition alive and meaningful to anyone who cares to listen.”

MUSICAL PARODIES HMTC Leadership sings their version of YMCA.

Shenanigan Show shines

Emma Colacino Staff Writer

“It’s fun to be in the H-M-T-C!” sang Horace Mann Theater Company (HMTC) leadership in a catchy remake of the classic song Y.M.C.A. The song continued as students logged onto Zoom to watch the first HMTC production of the year, the Shenanigan Show, a compilation of six comedy skits put together and performed by the company last Saturday night.

The show was planned by HMTC presidents Henry Owens (12) and Sarah Taub (11) and club publicity officers Annie Wallach (12), Emily Sun (10), and Bailey Hecht (10) at the beginning of the school year, Sun said. Due to regulations with COVID protocols, the company cannot have their typical three show season, Sun said. “Our co-presidents Henry and Sarah said they wanted this format to be an asset as opposed to something that’s holding us back,” she said.

Since the return to online school, students have missed out on seeing acquaintances and teachers in the hallways, which is what made this show especially important, Owens said. “I don’t know if we could bring the full energy of campus, but I think we at least brought part of it,” he said. “We are bringing a sense of unity, and I hope people felt that and I hope we were able to make them happy and feel connected.”

While the format is not typical, it does come with advantages, Sun said. “With these smaller shows, we thought it would give students more opportunity to perform with less commitment time, since you wouldn’t have to go to rehearsals three times a week for many months, but also allows students to have more say in what they want to do,” she said.

The Shenanigan Show consisted of different comedy skits and a dance performance, which were filmed on the school’s campus before online learning began. The leadership chose to film at school to take advantage of the time that students had on campus, Wallach said.

The Shenanigan Show was designed to be similar to the Variety Shows that took place last April over Zoom, Hecht said. However, the Shenanigan Show displayed skits that were original works from students, Owens said. “I think that talent shows are absolutely wonderful, and I’m incredibly proud of the Variety Shows, but this was a lot more original, and I think we got to have a lot more humor in it,” he said.

Courtesey of HM Theater, Dance & Film Studies Website

GET FIRED UP Spirit Squad performs TikTok Dances.

The show also featured a comedy skit performed by Wallach, which was based off of the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update. To find material for the skit, Owens created a document where members of the HMTC contributed ideas for jokes, Wallach said. “School has given us a lot to work with between SBP being cancelled, the bees, and the bus video.”

In addition to the comedy skits, the Shenanigan Show showed a compilation of TikTok dances performed by members of the Horace Mann Dance Company (HMDC). “It was definitely different than the kind of dances we usually do, but it’s just fun to be dancing as a team again,” Spirit Squad Co-Captain Julia Grant (11) said.

All of the acts, including Wallach’s comedy skit, were pre-recorded and edited together.

“There’s very little to mess up,” Owens said. “We knew exactly what was going to happen, and there was no risk of someone forgetting their lines or doing something wrong.”

Wallach felt less nervous than she usually does before performing for a live audience, as she pre-recorded her skit, she said. “I used to struggle with stage fright a lot, and I still sort of get nervous—my palms get sweaty, and my heart beats fast—so that was sort of eliminated.”

Performer AJ Walker (11) used the online format of the show to include students who did not want to perform live, but did want to be involved in his skit about Dylan Chin ’20, and why he is still at the school after graduating last year. “I had an idea to make it like a documentary about [Dylan Chin] around the school, and then Henry added the idea to make it a horror thing where he’s here, and he just can’t leave,” Walker said.

Similarly, performer Athena Spencer (10), who played the introvert in the Introverts vs.

Extroverts skit, found that the prerecorded format was advantageous because it allowed her and Hecht to film in many locations all around the school as well as edit the video with sound effects and voice overs, she said.

On the other hand, Owens said that not having a physical audience had its cons. “You, of course, have the chat rooms and you can see people typing out ‘clap, clap, clap’ and stuff like that, but it’s nerve racking because you can’t tell if stuff is landing, and you can’t really tell if people are reacting positively,” he said.

Despite all of the skits being prerecorded, the hosts of the show, Sun and Divya Ponda (10), performed live. Sun was nervous about making mistakes during the show, and was also concerned about having low attendance, she said. “When we started seeing more people come in and saw the participants list grow, it was very exciting and very heartwarming,” Sun said.

Wallach said that the show was more meaningful to students now that school is online, because students miss the campus environment more. “I also think that it’s important for the HMTC themselves, because for a lot of kids it’s an important community.”

Rachel Zhu/Art Director

Lauren Kim/Art Director

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THE RECORD MIDDLE DIVISION OCTOBER 16TH, 2020

EXPLORING JOURNALISM & LITERATURE

IN THE MIDDLE DIVISION

THE SPECTACLE Audrey Carbonell Contributing Writer

The majority of the members of the publication are sixth graders.

As they adjust to the MD, The Spectacle provides an opportunity for them to discover their own individuality, Khorana said. “A lot of students in the middle school are trying to figure out what it is that they have a passion for, what they like and they don’t like,” she said.

“Hopefully, they discover that art and fashion is something that they want to pursue in the future.”

MD READERS FORUM Arushi Talwar and Jade Ciriello Staff and Contributing Writers

“I had never really seen students get so invested in a book before,” Middle Division (MD) Library Department Chair Rachael Ricker said in reference to the MD Readers Forum. “There’s always a lot of yelling and excitement and I love the energy.”

Readers Forum is unlike a typical book club because all the students read different books, Ricker said.

“The idea was to have a place for students to informally discuss their love for reading.”

Grace Yoon (7) joined the club last year to connect with other peers who enjoy reading. “I think the best part is being able to interact with people who share the same interests as you,” she said. “The sense of community is great.”

Loewy Miller (7) also joined the club as a sixth grader, and it was one of the best decisions he’s ever

made at the school, Miller said. He loves the club because it’s a warm community that feels very inclusive, he said.

Emily Park (7) believes that Readers Forum inspires students to become better readers by introducing them to new books. “I like getting book recommendations and how everyone’s just talking about books,” Park said.

Each year, the club hosts the Mock Newbery Award: the school’s version of the real Newbery Award that chooses the most distinguished American children’s book published that year. In Readers Forum, students begin with a selection of 60 books that have a wide range of genres, which they eventually narrow down to five and then one final book.

Yoon’s favorite club experience was last year’s decision-making process, which included controversy and debates over which book should win, she said. Eventually, Yoon’s pick won: “Lovely War” by Julie Berry.

Miller’s favorite memory of Courtesy of HM Flickr

The Spectacle, a communal medium that aims to embody students’ artistic passions, is the Middle Division’s (MD) first fashion publication. Spectacle was founded two years ago by Avani Khorana (10) and BOOKWORMS Students gather to discuss literature. currently, there are eight members working on articles for this year’s first issue.

Although Khorana is currently in the Upper Division (UD), she continues to lead the publication due to her commitment and love for The Spectacle, she said. “When I started, I had to go around begging my friends to write Rowan Mally for The Spectacle,” she said. “Now, I have people emailing me asking to join and write articles. It’s a great feeling to “There’s also a lot of writing experience from a Staff Writer see something you started journalism standpoint,“ Courtesy of The Spectacle As Middle Division (MD) students grow and spark excitement in Khorana said. “The navigate their busy lives, the HM people.” writers are learning how Post provides them with an outlet to “She’s providing this to research and compile express their diverse interests with the outlet for kids who are information into an student body. very interested in and want article format. When The publication does not confine to celebrate their love for meeting with them, I talk its writers to a certain theme or fashion,” English teacher about the structure of a topic, English teacher and faculty and faculty adviser of The good article. So when they adviser Morgan Yarosh said. Rather Spectacle Morgan Yarosh finish their first drafts, than publishing about one topic, like said. they can learn through fashion, science, or literature, Yarosh Before The Spectacle, first hand experience with sees the HM Post as an outlet for there was never an artstheir own writing.” students to showcase their interests focused MD publication, as well as their reporting and writing Khorana said. Drawing Writing for The skills, she said. “We know what already inspiration from FAD, the Spectacle is a way to exists, so we use the HM Post to fill UD’s fashion, arts, and interactively talk about any gaps in between for the students,” design magazine, Khorana fashion, Jocelyn Goldberg she said. In the past, students have started The Spectacle to be a (6) said. “There’s many written pieces ranging from personal platform that represents any points to write about, poems to faculty introductions and MD student’s art interests. like being comfortable even book reviews.

In the past, The Spectacle wearing clothes that you Emily Park (7) was drawn to the has published one issue per feel good in,” she said. publication’s wide variety of genres, year, but this year, Khorana Writing articles can also she said. is planning to release a winter EYE SPY The Spectacle’s inaugural issue. help students learn how The publication’s flexibility was also and a spring issue. to edit and effectively an important factor for Evelyn Gross Last year’s issue consisted of four articles written by describe a certain topic, Hayley Silvers (6) said.

(6). “I joined the post because I love students from all three MD grades focusing on topics Khorana has found many ways to connect with the writing and really enjoy how we can such as gender-neutral clothing and modesty in modern MD members despite the age difference, she said. On write about anything we please,” she fashion. This year’s winter issue will focus on fashion campus, she held weekly meetings during lunch periods said. trends that are coming back into style, Khorana said. every Friday to work out any questions or concerns the The publication’s informality allows This includes fashion throughout the decades as well as club members had. “She’s got a great initiative and she’s it to flourish, Yarosh said. “I would current trends such as mask fashion, she said. really organized,” Yarosh said. “And the kids really like often just discuss ideas with students Even though Khorana is the Editor-In-Chief of The working with a high school student. She’s got a great as I passed them in hallways or in Spectacle, she allows the MD students to shape the vision rapport with them.” between classes,” she said. for each issue, she said. The students write articles, draw Khorana is an amazing leader that makes the meetings While online school has barred pictures, and take photos that they want to include in the fun, Malik said. “She gives great feedback on your article hallway conversations, Zoom does magazine. and helps you build on your ideas,” she said. “She’s have its advantages, Yarosh said.

“I joined with my friend so we could write about definitely one of the best parts of the club.”

“Now our meetings are much more different brands and fashion week,” Caroline Solarsh (6) To keep the publication functioning during remote said. learning, Khorana will try to keep the same format of “I want to look at some older fashion, like tie dye, that her meetings through weekly Zoom calls, she said. She are actually becoming a part of the latest trends,” Ayana also plans to keep in regular contact with the members Gupta (6) said. Gupta is working on an article with her through email to help guide them through their writing friend, Meshu Malik (6), about the current cultural process. impact of tie dye in the fashion industry.

Readers Forum was also last year’s Mock Newbery, he said. Although his favorite book was not chosen last year, Miller is still optimistic about this year’s award, he said.

Even during HM Online, Ricker feels that the students seem to be very engaged in the club. “It works really well over Zoom because I can present [the books] to the students and I have all of them in one place at one time,” she said. “I can record it so if someone can’t come, they can watch it later.”

Ricker is confident the students will bring the same excitement during virtual meetings as they did in the spring when school first went online, she said. “We were still able to have the same spirit of the club even when we were remote.”

Park prefers when club meetings are held over Zoom. “I know this is kind of surprising, even though it’s online, I feel like we can get a little more done,” she said. “When we’re in person, it can get very chaotic, and online, at least Ms. Ricker can mute people.”

Readers Forum also introduces students to new people they might not have been friends with before and brings together students who love to talk about books, Park said.

“I met a lot of new people and it was really nice.”

Yoon believes Readers Forum is a great club for students to join, regardless of whether they like books. “If you want to sit and listen that’s okay too, so it’s open to a wide variety of students.”

THE HM POST formalized,” she said. “We meet once a week, and it is at a time when we are all together to discuss ideas and the projects that the students are working on.”

Park’s interests have shifted from writing to reporting as the HM Post offered new opportunities, she said.

“Now, I love to interview my teachers who are new to HM, so the Middle Division can get to know them better,” she said. Gross also hopes to write more personal pieces and is currently planning to work on an article about important lives lost this year, she said.

The transition to a primarily digital format has made the publication’s work even more accessible and interactive, Yarosh said. “The digital format is especially interesting because now some students that are interested in design are trying to find ways to change the format of the site,” she said. “Yet another way for the students to express themselves.”

Gross hopes the digital format will allow even more of her fellow students to read and comment on her work.

“I’m looking forward to publishing, seeing all the replies, and telling people about my personal opinions,” she said.

While the HM Post is still in its early stages, coming into its third year of publication, Yarosh is seeing a rising number of students wishing to share their interests with the MD. “We are getting a more eclectic mix of student interest,” she said. “That is the goal.”