Junior Issue 2

Volume 119 Junior Issue 2

The Record Horace Mann’s Weekly Newspaper Since 1903

Isabella Ciriello Staff Writer

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE Students meet their fellow classmates.

Senior English elective studies with incarcerated women in Maine From last Friday to Sunday, the senior English elective “Monster Lit: Human Monsters, Monstrous Humans” visited the Southern Maine Women’s Reentry Center (SMRC). In the class, students from the school spend the year studying alongside women from the center.

“Monsters Lit,” offered last semester as “Bridging the Divide,” was created

by Simon Schackner (12) and Upper Division English teacher Rebecca Bahr.

Bahr taught both classes with Abbie Embry-Turner from SMRC to students from the school and to women at the reentry center, who connect over zoom, Bahr said.

Schackner was inspired by the documentary “College Behind Bars” by Lynn Novick, which he watched during an assembly in the fall of his sophomore year. The documentary led him to realize how much he and his peers take their education for granted, he said.

When thinking about establishing a class at the school, Schackner wanted to diversify the classroom experience, he said. “We talk a lot about diversity in the classroom, but at the end of the day, most people at Horace Mann are from a certain background, age, and location,” he said. “But with these students, they are incarcerated in Maine and range [in age] from their 20s to 70s, so it’s really about broadening our perspectives.”

Bahr too was moved by the documentary, as it connected with her familial experiences, she said. “My whole family has done work in prisons with education.” Bahr’s mother took part in a pen pal program and ended up becoming very close friends with one of the incarcerated members through the exchange. When given the opportunity to create a class with Schackner and

the SMRC, Bahr was enthusiastic to continue her mother’s work, she said.

Schackner created the class with help from the school’s Alexander Capelluto Award, an annual competition among sophomores and juniors that awards grants of up to $2,500 for students to start a community project.

In the first semester class “Bridging the Divide,” 11 students at the school and seven women from the center studied modern American literature and America through poetry, Bahr said. The class read “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “Sigh, Gone” by Phuc Tran, and other formative documents along with the movie “Dakota 38,” she said. This semester, 16 students from the school and new women from the center took “Monster Lit” and read short stories from Stephen King, “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, and are currently finishing the poetry anthology “Felon” by Reginald Dwayne Betts.

The trip to Maine has been in the works since the beginning of the year, but was unable to occur until this weekend, Bahr said. “There’s only so much you can do through the computer screen, so we always wanted to eventually meet in-person and hang out.”

The trip to Maine has been in the works since the beginning of the year, and finally occurred this weekend, Bahr said. “There’s only so much you can do through the computer screen, so we always wanted to eventually meet inperson and hang out,” she said.

Before going on the trip, Sunshine Quinones (12) was both excited and nervous that it would be awkward to meet the women because of their age difference. “I was scared we wouldn’t mesh well,” she said. Luckily, they were able to relate through shared

experiences from when women were younger and through the women’s kids at home, Quinones said.

The class also visited a farm together where they ate lunch and did various activities, Quinones said. “You can make connections online, but there’s something really special about physically being in a space with them.”

The visit showed her the privilege she holds to go to the school and further underscored the phrase “don’t judge a book by the cover,” she said. “Meeting these women and getting to know them as people and students has taught me that you never know a person’s story by just [the] fact that they may be incarcerated.”

As part of the trip and the course, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly also donated $10,000 to an education fund started by the women at the center.

The fund will be used to pay for books, transcript fees, late fees, and other materials needed to support the women’s education, Bahr said.

The class is important for students as it shows that no one is incapable of learning and that education is a powerful force to open people’s minds, lives, and hearts, Bahr said. “The kids get to hear real life experiences from these women, and they also bring such richness to the table,” she said. “The idea that we can all be students together is this kind of radical idea, but we’ve forged really close knit relationships.”

Next year, Bahr plans to run the class again though it may not be with the SMRC, Bahr said. She also hopes that the next class can visit their partners at the beginning of the school year as well as the end, and that this program can expand to other high schools, she said.

“My real hope is that this expands to a lot more schools who have resources to do something like this.”

Autism Acceptance Club hosts guest speaker Anya Mirza and Julia Bouchut Contributing Writers On Monday, the Autism Acceptance Club (AAC) invited Amanda Rioux, the Director of Hire Autism, and Courtney Carroll, Associate at Hire Autism, to teach Upper Division students about what the job search is like for people on the autism spectrum.

“We’re going to be the employers of the future, so we’re going to have to find ways to make our work environment more inclusive and it starts at school,” Co-president of the AAC Hannah Moss (11) said.

Hire Autism is a branch of the Organization for Autism Research (OAR), a group dedicated to improving the everyday lives of people on the autistic spectrum, Rioux said. Hire Autism helps people on the spectrum

April 29th, 2022

Second annual STEMs conference highlights female STEM leaders

Courtesy of Rebecca Bahr

Erica Jiang Staff Writer

record.horacemann.org

find employment opportunities and obtain the accommodations they need to succeed in the workplace, she said.

One factor exacerbating the difficulties of finding employment for people with autism is the failure of typical workplaces to cater to the needs of those individuals, Rioux said. For example, fluorescent lights in some office buildings can distract some people on the spectrum and can affect their ability to be productive.

Despite their simplicity, these accommodations remain uncommon due to the lack of awareness about autistic people’s needs, both in their workplace and throughout the job search, Rioux said.

The school can help increase the employment of people with autism, Rioux said. During large events, the school can use vendors that hire autistic people or are autism-friendly, such

as Luv Michael, Girl Again, Good Reasons, and Popcorn for the People.

Students who attended the presentation felt hopeful about the expanding employment opportunities for individuals with autism, Ariela Shuchman (11) said. “It was really amazing to hear about the jobs that are available for autistic people,” she said.

Moss shared Shuchman’s sentiment.

“I was really happy to hear that a lot of companies are making progress in terms of their accessibility and eagerness to have more autistic people join their workforces,” she said.

While the AAC has been more active in the past year, Moss hopes to expand the club in the future and partner with Kingsbridge Heights Community Center after school program for disabled kids, she said.

The second annual Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEMs) Conference: Planting the Seeds for Female STEM Leaders of the Future hosted by Bela Tinaj (11) and Emma Colacino (12), discussed sexism in the STEM industry and inspired young women to become involved in STEM fields, Tinaj said.

The virtual event featured keynote speaker Dr Hao Wu, a professor of structural biology at Harvard Medical School, and two panels with college students and accomplished leaders in STEM fields.

Tinaj and Colacino selected each speaker by considering how their perspective would contribute to the discussion of women’s involvement in STEM fields, Tinaj said. “We tried to find women in STEM who really advocate for the cause of empowering women in STEM and girls who want to pursue STEM,” she said.

When organizing the conference, Tinaj wanted to have a range of experience amongst the panelists to allow the attendees to learn about the different challenges of being a woman in STEM at various levels, she said. “It showed the reality that regardless of how established you are — whether you’re starting off or you’ve been established for a long time in the STEM field — there’s going to be challenges that you face as a woman,” she said.

Three college students, Siona Prasad, a Harvard undergraduate, Valerie Robert, a Northeastern undergraduate, and Audrey Pe, a Stanford student, spoke in the Future Leaders Panel about their non-profit organizations and their involvement in STEM fields.

It was encouraging to see women in leadership positions, Kang said.

“Women are going out looking to hire women and that was really inspiring, because it shows this kind of solidarity in a field where women aren’t really that present.”

Additionally, there is not enough encouragement and mentorship available for women looking to pursue STEM, Tinaj said. “Historically, STEM is a very male-dominated field,” she said. “Girls who are interested in pursuing STEM get discouraged and pushed away and told, ‘you cannot do this, you’re not smart enough to do this.’”

There have been changes in how women are treated in STEM fields since Strasser first got involved in civil engineering in the 1990s, she said. “As a young woman in engineering, people didn’t take me seriously or

Sophia Liu/Staff Artist

thought I was the cute one in the room, not someone who should have a real seat at the table,” she said. “But the way the world is today, nobody stands for it.” Strasser is proud that a new generation is enforcing these changes and hopes the STEM world will eventually become a completely unbiased workplace, she said.

Despite more people becoming aware of these broad changes, no male students attended the conference.

Tinaj had wanted her male peers

“It showed the reality that regardless of how established you are — whether you’re starting off or you’ve been established for a long time in the STEM field — there’s going to be challenges that you face as a woman.”

- Bela Tinaj (11) Robert discussed obstacles that prevent women from entering STEM fields, such as the sexism they face from their male colleagues. “Another thing that might be holding women back is because there aren’t many women in the room, they may feel intimidated to even join,” she said.

Elise Kang (10) was encouraged by Wu’s presentation, she said. “There’s a huge emphasis on everything being innovated, and it certainly is a field for the young generation.”

After the undergraduates spoke, Nita Madhav, Favour Nerrise, and Jennifer Strasser P ’23 ’26 answered questions from Colacino and Tinaj about their experiences as women in male-dominated fields. Madhav is the CEO of Metabiota, a company that researches epidemics; Nerrise is pursuing a PhD in electrical engineering; Strasser worked as civil engineer at Cambridge Systematics.

During the panel, Strasser stressed the importance of women holding leadership positions in companies.

“You’d be so surprised to see how many important, senior level, high-visibility women are interested in talking [to students] simply because they were in your shoes, and they didn’t have help,” she said.

to participate because they could benefit from learning about women’s experiences navigating a maledominated field, she said. “We were hoping that if male attendees would come, they would be able to hear from the female perspective because I feel like a lot of the sexism can be subconscious on the male end.”

Similarly, panelist Pe thought the conference could give everyone a better understanding of the obstacles women in STEM face and how to combat them, she said. “Non-female attendees of the conference can also take away that allyship is very important and that in order to really tackle and ultimately solve gender issues, accessibility issues, it’s not just going to take proactiveness from the immediate group being affected,” she said.

Everyone can learn a great deal from the event, not just women interested in STEM, Strasser said. “I think anyone who ever feels [isolated] because they identify as some form of minority in their profession, what we discussed at the event holds true: you should still go seek out a mentor, you should still go find a support network, or consider building a community of people like you.”

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THE RECORD OPINIONS APRIL 29TH, 2022

School must start educating students about the Holocaust

Emily Salzhauer My family, friends, and I like to joke around and call me a “superjew.” While I don’t consider myself religious, being Jewish is a fundamental part of who I am. I proudly wear a Magen David necklace every day, I take pride in my Jewish heritage, and I try my best to educate myself about Jewish causes and issues. So, I was surprised to realize how little I have learned at this school about the Holocaust, one of the most significant events in Jewish history.

Last summer, I visited Yad Vashem, the International Holocaust Remembrance Musuem, with a group of Jewish teens. There, I realized I had barely been taught about the Holocaust. Everyone around me knew the names of important figures from World War II and the Holocaust that I had never heard of, such as Adolf Eichman — the architect of the “Final Solution,” the Nazi plan to kill Europe’s Jews — and Dr. Joseph Mengele — a Nazi doctor referred to as the “Angel of Death” who performed inhumane medical experiments on prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Since then, I have tried to learn more about the Holocaust through books, classes, and programs outside of school. However, my lack of education

on the Holocaust is not a personal failure, but rather the failure of the Horace Mann School to educate its students about this horrific event.

How is it that this Thursday — Yom HaShoah, or International Holocaust Rememberance Day — passed without any recognition from the school.

The Holocaust was the systematic murder of six milllion Jewish men, women, and children — roughly twothirds of Europe’s Jewish population — by the Nazi Party of Germany. In their effort to establish a “pure Aryan race,” the Nazis also murdered LGBTQ+, Roma, and disabled people of all religions. The final death count totalled 11 million.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed German chancellor and established “The Third Reich,” also known as the Nazi State. In 1935, the Nazi party enacted the Nuremberg Race Laws that categorized Jewish people as a separate race from Germans , thus revoking German citizenship from Jews and forbidding marriage between Jews and “real Germans.” The violence that many people associate with the Holocaust began with “Kristallnacht” or “the night of broken glass” on December 9, 1938, when Nazi leaders and German citizens alike attacked, vandalized, and burned down countless Jewish homes, Jewishowned businesses, and synagogues.

The Nazis then used concentration camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, forced labor camps, death camps such as Trenblinka, and mass execution sites such as Babyn Yar to aid in their genocide of the Jewish people.

I have been a student at this school since I was three years old, and yet during my fourteen years here, the only time I have been taught about the Holocaust was when Mrs. Rubenstein, my fifth grade English teacher whose father was a Holocaust survivor, assigned “Number the Stars” by Lois

Lowry — a book about a Jewish family’s escape from Denmark during World War II. Antisemitism is rapidly increasing worldwide. According to the American Jewish Committee (AJC), one out of every 12 hate crimes in the United States in 2020 was anti-Jewish, despite the fact that Jews make up only two percent of the American population.

Holocaust denial and distortion is a driving force behind these antisemitic incidents. According to the AJC, Holocaust denial is “an attempt to negate the facts of the Nazi genocide of the Jewish people,” with the central belief of Holocaust deniers being that “the Holocaust did not happen or was greatly exaggerated.”

A nationwide

Sophia Liu/Staff Artist

survey of a du lt s under the age of 40 conducted

by NBC news in 2020 revealed that one in ten respondents “did not recall ever hearing the word ‘Holocaust’ before,” particularly millennials and Generation Z. The survey also showed that 63 percent “did not know that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust” and over half of those people “thought the death toll was fewer than two million.” Nazis created approximately 44,000 concentration camps, ghettos, and incarceration sites to conduct a genocide of the Jewish people, yet half of the respondents

could not name a single one of the camps.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Holocaust distortion and denial has reached an all-time high. Holocaust denial is no longer an obscure fringe belief; it is on our social media feeds and present in large movements across the world. Unvaccinated people wore yellow stars similar to those the Nazis forced Jews to wear during the Holocaust to compare vaccine mandates to the murder of over six million Jews, while others claimed that Jews deliberately spread the virus to gain control of the world. Even prior to the pandemic, some people believed the Jews deserved the Holocaust and stood by the horrendous actions of the Nazis, despite survivors’ testimonies and historical evidence of the tragedies that occured. Antisemitism even exists in our own community. Just last year, four synagogues in Riverdale were vandalized with swastikas on a single weekend. A few years before that, the front door of a Jewish family’s house a block away from school was also vandalized with swastikas.

Although both incidents occurred over 70 years after the Holocaust ended, they are proof that the symbols of the Holocaust are still widely used in antisemitic attacks.

The best way to stop this hate and misinformation is through education.

The State of New York mandates that public schools teach the Holocaust, yet Horace Mann has chosen not to do so. Our school prides itself on being inclusive and exposing its students to a wide range of topics and perspectives, yet the Holocaust has not been discussed in the classroom since I was in fifth grade — almost seven years ago. Teaching the Holocaust should not be up to a teacher’s discretion, but rather a mandatory part of the school’s

curriculum. It is not only important because students must understand why Holocaust distortion and denial is so problematic, but also because students should learn how the intersections between racism, prejudice, stereotypes, and hate speech culminated in the murder of six million Jews.

The Holocaust should be taught in Middle Division and Upper Division English classes because, as I have learned here, literature is one of the most powerful ways to understand events and experiences that seem foreign or abstract to us. It should also be taught in history classes like US History, where teachers could cover the Holocaust through the lens of US intervention in WWII, or the lack thereof. There could even be a history elective that covers the Holocaust and other key events in Jewish history. My family and I have long struggled with the question of why Horace Mann does not speak about the Holocaust.

It is not because the Holocaust is “too much” or “too dark” to cover in the classroom, because we go over other disturbing matters in detail. It also isn’t lack of interest among families, because I have spoken to many students and families who are also frustrated that the school ignores the Holocaust. The truth is, there is no excuse for the lack of attention the school gives to the Holocaust.

Now more than ever, the school must do better. One of Horace Mann’s goals is to give students the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed.

In overlooking the Holocaust, it has failed that goal. The Holocaust is a historical event that cannot be ignored. How can we say “never again” if we do not even know what happened?

Confronting gender disparities in STEM Bela Tinaj and Lamia Chowdhury At Horace Mann’s second virtual Women in STEM (STEMs) conference, which took place last Saturday, Audrey Pe, founder of the nonprofit Women in Tech (WiTech) and a sophomore at Stanford University, discussed how she had once been the only young woman in the room at a tech conference. Pe’s experience was by no means unique among many women and girls.

However, the conference Pe referred to contrasted starkly with the absence of young men at STEMs. This conference featured eight female speakers who have either pursued or are looking to pursue careers in STEM fields. In particular, these women addressed the gender disparity present in STEM fields. There is so much we can say about the event, from panelist Valerie Robert’s The Circuit, a tech media platform that covers the intersection of social justice and tech innovations, to Dr. Hao Wu’s work in structural immunology at Harvard University, but what we would like to highlight is not these inspiring accomplishments, but a disappointing reality: not one male student registered for the conference.

Women make up 50 percent of the American workforce, yet only 27

percent of women hold careers in STEM fields. As such, STEMs aimed not only to empower young women in pursuit of the sciences, but to tackle how sexism often discourages girls and women from pursuing STEM careers. Creating a platform to openly speak about these issues is important, but it is perhaps more important that a responsive and appropriate audience participates in these conversations. The goal is to highlight the challenges women face in male-dominated fields, including unequal pay, lack of representative mentorship, and imposter syndrome, as well as to think about the steps that can be taken to combat sexism. In order to do this, men and boys, who are the group perpetuating this issue, must involve themselves in the conversation.

The absence of male students at the conference suggests that they think the topics addressed were “women’s issues” that did not pertain to them.

Science-related events are often flooded by men, but in an instance where women were spotlighted not only for the adversity they overcame, but for their achievements, no men attended.

Listening to these lectures should not be a priority exclusive to women.

Girls often face sexism in STEMoriented classes and clubs as well.

Young boys are often told that they can be an astronaut or scientist, while girls are stereotyped as being better at

Junior Issue 2 Editorial Board Head of Design Avani Khorana

Editor in Chief Emily Sun

Managing Editor Emily Salzhauer

Features Hannah Katzke Alex Lautin

News Allison Markman Max Chasin

Opinions Vidhatrie Keetha Zack Kurtz

A&E Ayesha Sen Audrey Carbonell

Middle Division Audrey Moussazadeh Rachel Baez

Lions’ Den Celine Kiriscioglu Sean Lee

Art Directors Isabelle Kim Sohpia Liu

Design Editors Ceci Coughlin Emily Grant

Photo Directors Ben Rafal David Aaron

Online Editor Lucas Glickman

Faculty Adviser David Berenson

humanities subjects. As a result, boys tend to feel comfortable with calling out in class with no regard for whether or not they are correct, while girls are generally afraid to speak up in a class unless they are certain they will say the correct answer. However, at STEMs, men who were once loud do not even feel the need to be present when male power is being criticized, condemned, or put at risk. When women speak against the sexism that allows men to uphold such power, like at the STEMs conference, men do not feel the need to listen.

Women do not have the choice of avoiding places where they may feel like their agency, power, or dominance is being taken away, because this is the case in most spaces. It is a luxury to be able to avoid difficult conversations regarding discrimination; women are motivated to do the work necessary to create change, but this can only be done with a mutual understanding and relationship with those who hold the power: men.

This is not exclusive to STEMrelated spaces at school. Women are often expected to initiate and sustain conversations about sexism, but these conversations should not be seen as “by girls, for girls.” Conversations about sexism in all fields should be conducted in educational environments. As the systemic gender disparities that exist in

society are rooted in sexism, it is vital to have conversations about sexism in schools in order to deconstruct it.

Participation in these conversations should not be optional. The school should take action to make participation in dialogues mandatory.

These dialogues may appear as schoolwide assemblies or smaller interactive workshops that not only inform individuals about the magnitude of gender disparities, but also provide tangible steps for change, such as addressing stereotypes, attentiveness to targeted language, and brainstorming strategies to create more inclusive and empowering classroom settings.

We both have friends who have told us they have felt like they are the only ones reading a text in English class through a feminist lens, and felt the need to justify their interpretation during a group discussion. We also have friends who were reluctant to write papers about gender roles because they believed that they would be perceived as an “angry feminist.”

These conversations are not simply a series of observations about how a female character is being oppressed or is defying gender norms. They often reveal the nuanced and complex ways in which a literary text reinforces the gender hierarchy. Even so, neither of us have heard our male peers expand on such commentary in a class discussion,

Staff

Staff Writers Ariella Frommer, Aryan Palla, Athena Rem, Ava Lipsky, Ben Rafal, Clara Stevanovic, Ella Shaham, Erica Jiang, Etta Singer, Hanzhang Swen, Heidi Li, Isabella Ciriello, Joshua Shuster, Kate Beckler, Lucy Peck, Madison Kim, Maeve Goldman, Mira Bansal, Naomi Yaeger, Neeva Patel, Nia Huff, Rani Ogden, Samantha Matays, Sophia Paley, Sophie Rukin, Audrey O’Mary, Emily Wang, James Zaidman, Leah Marquardt, Malachai Abbott, Oliver Konopko Staff Photographers Aanya Gupta, Allyson Wright, Amelia Hirsch, Anna Miller, Aryan Palla, Ben Rafal, Catherine Mong, David Aaron, Dylan Greenberg, Harper Rosenberg, Jiwan Kim, Madlyn Yoon, Matthew Jacobson, Nicole Au, Oliver Konopko, Trisha Tran Staff Artists Aashna Hari, Addy Steinberg, Aimee Yang, Amira Dossani, Christian Conner, Dani Brooks, Dylan Leftt, Elena Zhu, Felix Brener, Isabelle Kim, Ishaan Iyengar, Karla Moreira, Kayden Hansong, Kristy Xie, Lauren B. Kim, Sam Gordon, Samantha Strasser, Serena Bai, Sophia Liu, Sophie Li

let alone initiate discourse through a feminist lens. We urge our male peers to make an effort to be active participants when we talk about “women’s issues,” because male students have the power to address and end the perpetuation of sexism that contributes to gender disparities.

More efforts need to be made to combat sexism in STEM, and it is equally as important to highlight the accomplishments women have made in STEM fields. Pe accomplishes this through her nonprofit WiTech — a blog that celebrates women in technology.

Her most recent post commemorates women who have been integral in advancing our understanding of computing and programming. These women include Grace Hopper, the developer of FLOW-MATIC, one of the first programming languages, and Katherine Johnson, a NASA employee who verified the calculations of one of the computers used on the Apollo mission.

Horace Mann should aim to incorporate such important women into its curriculum, and to feature their stories in a way that treats them with the respect and attention they deserve. This would not only provide young women interested in STEM with role models to look up to, but would also urge male students to recognize their privilege.

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.

3

THE RECORD NEWS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT APRIL 29TH, 2022

Angela Saini speaks to UD on subjectivity in science Ariella Frommer Staff Writer “Angela Saini does a great job of pushing us, as an audience, to rethink what we know about the world around us,” Science teacher and Dean of Faculty Dr. Matthew Wallenfang said. British journalist Angela Saini highlighted how race and science interact at Tuesday’s Upper Division (UD) assembly.

Saini, an award-winning science writer, has published three books, including “Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong” and “Superior: The Return of Race Science.”

After Wallenfang taught “Superior” to his AP Biology class last year, he suggested Saini to the school’s assembly committee.

Saini began her presentation by discussing the origins of race as a social construct. She explained how Enlightenment scientists invented racial categories as an arbitrary way to classify humans — a framework that continues today, she said. “Race isn’t biologically real,” Saini said. “It’s a social myth that’s used to justify the unfair way we treat one another.”

She then spoke about the inf luence politics and personal biases have in the scientific fields. Skewed understandings of race bred misinformation during the first COVID-19 outbreak in London, Saini said. Since the virus hit the largely non-white working class the hardest, some prominent scientists

falsely speculated that COVID-19 affected different races at varying degrees, rather than accounting for societal conditions that caused the disparity, she said.

After hearing Saini speak, Liam Kisling (10) reconsidered his understanding of the intersection of race and science, he said. One thing that stuck out to him was the message on one of Saini’s slides: “If bias exists in society, it exists in science.” Society is quick to accept discoveries in science more often than English and history, which feature more subjective topics, Kisling said. People do not always realize that science is actually quite subjective as well, he said.

Saini’s presentation on eugenics showed Kisling that not all scientific discoveries are completely based on facts, he said.

He learned that some discoveries are a product of scientists’ prejudices, Kisling said. “Typically we are taught that science is factual when obviously race science has very little scientific evidence.”

While pseudo-eugenic understandings of race appear as a relic of the past, Saini explained how they continue to affect institutionalized medical practices like with hypertension. Doctors routinely assign different hypertension medication to Black and white patients, despite no proof that the condition is linked to skin color, she said.

Alexis Gordon (9) was surprised by this disparity, she said. “It was hard to believe that trained medical professionals make decisions based on skin color that are proven

medically incorrect.”

After Saini’s presentation, students in the Molecular Genetics, Evolution, and Ecology and Molecular Genetics, Cells, and Biology courses who read “Superior” for class led a Q&A session. Each student in the courses submitted at least two questions for Saini, Pustilnik said.

Wallenfang had not learned anything about scientists putting forward racist ideology in school before, so he taught Saini’s book to show his students about how biases inf luence seemingly factual science, he said.

The idea that humans are f lawed plays into

how students should understand research, Wallenfang said. “We do experiments, collect data, and analyze that data, and believe that to be the truth,” he said, “But, humans are f lawed, and we will always bring our biases into our research.”

Saini’s presentation taught students to take scientific research with a grain of salt, she said. “Students with a passion for science of any kind should be aware of how seemingly objective research can be skewed to prove a certain point.”

Courtesy of Barry Mason

SAINI SPEAKS Angela Saini debunks myths surrounding race and science.

Steve Yang (11) places first in National Political Science Bee Oliver Konopko Staff Writer “I knew that I had won because I did some math in my head and after two more questions, [I] knew I had it in the bag,” Steve Yang (11) said right before winning the Political Science Bee National Championships.

Political science first caught Yang’s attention when he was in fifth grade. “I used to live in Canada and the 2015 federal election was a pretty big deal,” he said. “After that, the 2016 presidential election came

[in the US] so that increased my interest even more.”

The competition, held last Thursday in Arlington, VA, tested students’ knowledge on topics related to politics, ranging from law to elections.

On the train ride to the competition, Yang studied to ensure he had all of his information prepared , he said. To study, he used online resources such as Wikipedia, The New York Times and Politico, even though his knowledge was a product of natural interest rather than formal studying, he said. “I

Gustie Owens ‘18 wins NYT Crossword Fellowship Lucy Peck Staff Writer Gustie Owens ’18 recalls working on the New York Times (NYT) crossword in history class when history teacher Barry Bienstock suddenly said from across the room, “12 across is alligator.” She realized that the crossword had been reflected in her glasses, she said.

Last week, Owens joined the NYT inaugural Diverse Crossword Constructor Fellowship, a three month long program which offers opportunities to a diverse range of crossword creators. The program will run from April 18 to July 18.

Owens has always enjoyed word games, she said. She first began to solve crosswords when she was in middle school, and in high school it became an integral part of her daily routine, she said. “I find a lot of ways to procrastinate, and crosswords are one of those ways.” She began to create crosswords in high school when she was EIC for The Record and made them for family and friends as gifts, she said.

When she was 16 years old, Owens submitted her first crossword to the NYT, but it was rejected, she said. However, she continued to submit crosswords to publications like the NYT and the Los Angeles Times.

To construct crosswords, Owens makes clues that are relevant to the

current times, she said. For example, she used Kylie Jenner’s daughter, Stormi Webster as an answer for one of her clues. “I love the idea that my dad will learn who Stormi Webster is.”

As a part of the NYT application, Owens created a crossword and questions about her passion for the puzzles, she said. She included a list of words she wanted to publish in her crosswords and how she would define them, she said. Owens found “red flag” to be especially funny because it can be interpreted in different ways by different generations, she said.

The NYT program aims to increase diversity in the crossword world and offers opportunities to women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people, which is important because it makes the puzzles more engaging to a wider range of people, Owens said. In the program, she hopes to make crosswords more accessible to younger generations by omitting clues about obscure subjects or older celebrities whom they may not know.

Over the three months in the program, she will attend seminars led by professional NYT crossword constructors about puzzle development and work with a mentor, Owens said. She is excited to receive feedback on her crosswords and collaborate with other puzzle enthusiasts. “Creating crosswords will be more fun the better I am at it.”

look over the news and Wikipedia pages about politicians basically every single day.”

During the competition, contestants were separated into four rooms in groups of eight where they answered questions for three rounds. 18 of the original 33 qualifiers then went on to the semifinals, Yang said. The 18 people split into three rooms and the top two competitors from each room advanced to the finals to compete in the fifth and final round, Yang said.

Yang became more assured as the competition went on. “I didn’t

do too badly [in the beginning] but I didn’t do my best … but as I got more questions I felt more confident,” Yang said.

Y a n g ’ s history teacher and advisor Dr. Elisa Milkes had not heard about the c omp e t it i on until Yang told her he would be absent for one day o f class to compete, “I was thrilled for him,” Milkes said. “He sent me an email, which was very exciting saying that he had placed first.”

Milkes admires Yang’s depth of knowledge and his desire to learn about political science across the globe, she said. “[Yang’s w i n ] reflects his d e e p , g e n u i n e , authentic interest in politics of all kinds.”

Felix Brenner / Staff Artist

Crossword by Gustie Owens ‘18

Across 1 A code hosting platform 7 12-hour toggle on clocks 11 Crow relative 14 Work too hard 15 Geometric plane curve 17 Playful chitchat 18 Spoon tag 19 Garten (Barefoot Contessa) 20 Sinus clearing tool 22 Musical ensemble of metallophones, xylophones,

Answers on p. 7

flutes, gongs, voices, and more 25 Called 28 What’s left behind?

31 Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album 33 “Brave” princess 36 Granola ingredients 39 “Don’t Smoke” for example 40 Magna est veritas 43 Subtraction, without the vowels

44 Go ___ great length 45 Name well suited to the person, place, or thing named.

46 Some neckwear 48 Cause of weird weather 50 Coup d’___ 52 Where money is sometimes held 56 Senior spring bag, perhaps 60 N.F.L.’s Manti ___ 61 Acne medication

64 Gave the boot 67 Horace Mann Record, casually 68 Why some New York minors are “from” Oregon 69 Amt. of time 70 “___ we forget!”

71 How to act towards a crush, maybe

Down 1 Or go home 2 A Trump ex 3 Morning break time 4 Hormone Replacement Therapy 5 Iké (NigerianAmerican Photographer) 6 Like some Christians 7 Mtg. 8 French husband 9 Stage item 10 Like some keys 11 ‘What’s up, ___?’

12 Keyboard key 13 Candle dripping 16 Alpha followers 21 Bambi’s aunt 23 Lamb alias 24 Brought on 26 It may be intended 27 Windy, now and then 29 Panna ___: Italian more 30 “Uh-huh” 32 ___ Emanuel,

Obama’s first Chief of Staff 33 “Kids” band 34 ‘Rubber Duckie’ singer Sesame Street regular 35 Start over 37 Starting a golf game 38 Double’s job 41 ‘My Gal ___’ 42 Mascot cry 47 Stopped slouching 49 Actress Vardalos of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ 51 Add up 53 Complete 54 “Now you ___, now you don’t” 55 “Hot” alcoholic drink 57 Scotch and Duck 58 Hydrocarbon suffixes 59 34-down’s grumpy “roommate” 61 Cash machine 62 Ho ___ Minh City 63 One hundred yrs.

65 Delta rival: Abbr 66 Hit the slopes

Correction: In last week’s issue of The Record, the news article about the alumni benefit was written by Clara Stevanovic and Jacqueline Shih. The Arts and Entertainment article about students persuing music oustide of school was written by Neeva Patel.

4

THE RECORD FEATURES APRIL 29TH, 2022

FACULTY FAMILIES FIND A H

George Epstein and Doug Epstein “I’ll just be around campus minding my own business, and someone will come up to me and say that they know something personal about my life,” science teacher George Epstein said. “I will sigh and say, ‘I know where you heard that from.’”

George and his father, music teacher Doug Epstein, both work at the school and share passions for science and music, Doug said. Doug first came to the school in 2000, where he worked as a consultant for the music department and built the recording studio, he said. Later, in 2012, Doug became a full time employee.

In the winter of 2014, Doug took his wife and George to a Christmas party at the school, where he first introduced George to the head of the school’s science department, Steve Palfrey, Doug said.

At the time, George had just graduated from college and knew that he wanted a future in science education, he said. “After the party […] in the car [Doug] was saying, ‘so I think that was just a job interview,” he said. That summer, George served as a teaching assistant for a summer physics course at the school and later became a full-time staff member, he said.

Ever since George started working at the school, students have started to notice that the two are related, Doug said. “I think word has gotten out [that we are father and son].”

Although many students know that George and Doug are related, some still accidentally email the wrong one, Doug said. The mishaps with emails are all in good fun and part of the ups and downs of working

with his son, he said. “I get a little chuckle out of them.”

To avoid confusion, George starts each school year by telling his students that there are two Epsteins, he said. But even with the warning, students will sometimes forget.

“Occasionally, there are these revelations where someone comes up to me saying, ‘I just talked to your dad, and I didn’t realize it.’”

On one occasion three years ago, George ordered supplies from Amazon that accidentally went to his father, George said. “Next thing I know, [Doug is] sending out an email to the faculty asking who’s stuff it was,” he said. “I see the email and reply to everyone saying, ‘well... it was bound to happen at some point. [The package is] mine.’”

While the two occasionally communicate by redirecting emails to the correct Epstein, they do not see one another too often at school, Doug said. “We see each other much more than [in years past] because we share a lunch period, but even so, I have to work through lunch a few times a week, and so does [George],” he said.

Part of the reason it is hard for them to interact at school is because of how far apart their classrooms are, Doug said. “[George] is in Lutnick and I’m in the classroom that’s furthest away from everything else on campus [in Fisher].” However, sometimes, they spend time with each other on the commute to work; when the two can, they will bike to school together, Doug said.

George’s favorite thing about working with his father is when they perform at Music Week together, he said. This is because music week

allows George to pursue his love of making and performing music with his dad, he said.

Music has always been a part of both of their lives, Doug said.

“George was listening to the Thomas the Tank Engine Theme song and Sharon, Lois, and Bram from the time he was a baby,” he said. “They were simple guitar tunes, so I would play the songs, and we would sing them together.”

Doug and George have performed together ever since George could sing, Doug said. When George was a Freshman in high school, the pastor at his church asked him and Doug to perform “Deportee” by Arlo Guthrie in support of immigration policy, he said. “I pulled it all together and wrote out a part for him, and he and I just nailed it,” Doug said. “It was one of those ‘one off ’ performances, and working it

Sophie Rukin Staff Writer

together made it so much better.”

This year, the duo performed “Elements” by Tom Lehrer at the school’s Music Week assembly.

“George being a science teacher and me being a music teacher, you put science and music together and get the Periodic Table Song by Tom Lehrer — that’s the only answer,” Doug said. He enjoyed performing the song since it gave him a chance to do a live show with his son, and it added a little bit of humor to the performance, he said.

While Doug spends most of his time around music, he especially likes making music with his son, he said. “There’s something about DNA harmonies,” he said.” Making music with my family is a great thing, and to do it here with George, particularly at our place of work, is fabulous.”

When they harmonize, George

often sings the higher part, and Doug will sing the lower part, Doug said. “We bring each other songs we want to do, and then we will either teach it or work it out and just adapt to each other,” he said. “There’s no leader and follower dynamic, but rather just a collaborative effort.”

George likes to watch Doug teach other kids and see the impact he has on them, he said. “I remember the first time that I came to visit [one of his classes] and how nice it was to see the person that I know as a father be a wise and fatherly figure for other people that aren’t just his children.”

Doug loves to share his passion for music with others, especially while working with George, he said.

“It’s a blast to look at this guy whose diapers I changed and actually treat him as a colleague and as a mature adult man.”

Courtesy of Barry Mason

DNA HARMONIES Epsteins combine passions for music week performance.

Nancy Jensen and Gordon Jensen “We’ve been together [for] 40 plus years, and it’s been nice to be near my best friend and partner,” Nurse Nancy Jensen said. For the last two years, Nancy and her husband, Director of Facilities Management Gordon Jensen, have worked together at the school.

The two met in a church youth group in 1982 when they were teenagers, Nancy said. “For me, [the connection] was instant,” she said.

“I remember calling my friend and telling her that I really wanted to date that Jensen kid.”

The two got married in August of 1986. “Our parents thought we were too young and not ready and that we should finish school,” Nancy said. Ignoring their parents’ advice,

the two gathered up the money they had between them and eloped, she said. “We went away for a weekend, got married on a Friday, and we were back to work on Monday.”

When they married, Nancy was working at a nursing home in Brooklyn, and Gordon was working for the National Maritime Union, she said. Soon after, Gordon started working as the Facilities Manager for the Spence School, where he stayed for 24 years before coming to the school in 2014.

Gordon came to the school because he was ready for a change, he said. The school was also getting ready to build Lutnick Hall and he had previous experience in construction, he said.

At the time, Nancy was working

Courtesy of Nancy Jensen

FAMILY ROUNDUP Jensens get together with their grandkids.

as a nurse at the Morristown Medical Center where she had been for around 20 years, she said. During the pandemic, the school was looking for a second nurse, so Gordon pushed Nancy to apply and put her in contact with Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly, she said.

While Nancy was excited to work with Gordon, she was somewhat nervous to leave her old job that she knew so well, she said. “I knew [Gordon] would support me, but I had never worked as a school nurse before, and that was nerve-wracking.”

It was very helpful to have Gordon to lean on when she first started at the school, she said. “If I didn’t know who to call about something being broken or if I didn’t know who to contact for

various issues, [Gordon] was always helpful.”

Another added benefit of working together is the shorter commute, Gordon said. “Part of my job requires me to live on campus, so I live in one of the [houses] at the Lower School,” he said. “Not having to drive either [Nancy] or myself for an hour to get here is nice because we get to spend more time together outside of school.”

Before Nancy came to the school, the two lived in a house in Sparta, New Jersey, 63 miles from school, Nancy said. “After a few years at the school, [Gordon] got on-campus housing, and we would split up our time between the two houses while spending weekdays [on campus] and weekends in Sparta,” she said.

At the time, Nancy would commute between the school’s campus and her work in Morristown, New Jersey, she said. she appreciates living on campus and how close she now is to work, she said. “I can walk to work every day, and I almost even forgot how to drive.”

Even though they work on the same campus, their schedules do not align with one another, so they do not see each other too often during the school day, Gordon said. When Nancy first started at the school, he made an effort to visit her throughout the day to see if she needed anything or to just say hi, he said. Now that she has settled into the school, they do not see each other as frequently, he said. “We are both busy people who have totally separate and different jobs.”

Nancy appreciated Gordon

Kristy Xie/Staff Artist

checking up on her and all his support when she first started at the school, she said. She also appreciates the time, as infrequent as it may be, that she and Gordon spend together on campus, like eating the occasional lunch together in her office or co-organizing COVID-19 testing on Fridays, she said.

Despite having the same last name, many students do not know that she and Gordon are married, Nancy said.

“It’s funny because sometimes the students will come in, they’ll look at my picture, and then they’ll be like ‘wait,’ and a couple of them will put two and two together,” she said.

Gordon has also had funny experiences with people finding out they are married, he said. “I was dealing with an event, and some parent who was dealing with [Nancy] put two and two together,” he said.

Being within walking distance of both her work and her husband has made Nancy love her experience at the school, she said. She looks forward to making more memories and using her connections with Gordon to her advantage, she said. “Occasionally, I’ll stop by and go, ‘how are you doing?’

He’ll be like, ‘I’m good, how are you doing?’ and I’ll say, ‘oh, while you’re here can you fix this?’’’ she said. “It works. It just works.

5

THE RECORD FEATURES APRIL 29TH, 2022

HOME AWAY FROM HOME Sandra Duran and Jefferson Reyna “I miss seeing her every day, I more on taking care of her daughter miss the interactions that we had instead of dating,” he said. “Once face to face, I miss the little jokes, I I left [FLIK], the rules were more miss everything about her being on lenient, and she felt more okay with campus,” Mailroom and Delivery us dating,” he said.

Services Coordinator Jefferson As soon as Duran gave Reyna a Reyna said of his partner, Library chance, they instantly began dating, Assistant Sandra Duran. Duran has he said. “We didn’t really need to go been on maternity leave after giving through the dating phase,” he said. birth to their son Alexander one “We had already worked so much month ago. and so well together that we already The two first met when they knew all we needed to know about both worked for FLIK at the school. each other,” he said.

At the time, Reyna worked at the Everyone that the pair knew sandwich bar and Duran worked through work was super supportive as a supervisor, Reyna said. “I fell when they found out that they had in love with her as soon as I met started dating, Reyna said. “My her,” he said. However, Duran was FLIK coworkers were not surprised Reyna’s superior at the time so because it was obvious that I she was nervous to be in a liked [Duran],” he said. “They relationship with him, he said. always knew that we would It took Duran a little while to maybe just get together.” see Reyna in a romantic way, Now that they are she said. “At first, we didn’t together, Duran looks talk much, but then we forward to seeing Reyna became friends around school, she and it took a few said. “One of my Isabelle Kim/Staff Artist years for me to favorite things see him as more is that through than a friend,” work we both get she said. to know the same people Due to strict and build long friendships, e m p l o y e e especially in this guidelines, the community two did not start that is very close.” dating until seven R e y n a years after they often s e e s met, Reyna s a i d .

D uran during “[Duran] f e l t school since a part of pressure t h a t his job is to deliver mail and we weren’t allowed packages to the library, to date within where Duran works, he the company, and also felt that it said. “I bring packages wasn’t a good time for her to be in over to her all the time, a relationship, since she was focused and she’s always contacting

Courtesy of Jefferson Reyna

NEWEST CUB Duran and Reyna welcome their son Alexander. me with things to do in the library or other tasks she needs help with,” he said. Interacting with Duran everyday is one of Reyna’s favorite parts of his job at the school, he said.

Reyna also likes when Duran stops by the Business Office to have lunch with him, he said. “She knows all my coworkers in the office so she would come over and talk with me and then [have] lunch with us, which was awesome.”

Throughout their time at the school, the pair have made a lot of memories, Reyna said. He loved to work and attend events with Duran while they worked for FLIK.

“My first [Homecoming] after we left FLIK and started working [at the school] was great because we brought [Duran’s daughter], Jacqueline, and she had a great time,” he said.

Reyna also enjoys seeing alumni whom he was close with at the schoolwide events, he said. “They got to see us together as well, which was very nice,” he said.

One of Duran’s favorite moments at the school was when the pair attended the Dorr Family Picnic two years ago, she said. “That day my daughter had so much fun and got to know many of the people we work for and played with my

colleagues’ children,” she said.

“Occasions like these are very nice to have because we can share with the people we work with as well as with their families and create beautiful friendships.”

While Reyna loves all the memories he has made with Duran over the years, his favorite experience with her was the birth of their child, he said. Even though he misses Duran during the school day, now that she is on maternity leave he is happy that he got to spend some time with their child earlier and that Duran gets to stay with the baby now, he said.

Catherine Garrison and Chris Garrison

Courtesy of Catherine Garrison

LONGTIME LIONS Garrison family at faculty event.

“I don’t think either of us ever really expected to come back to Horace Mann,” Registrar Chris Garrison ’04 said. After spending 13 and nine years respectively as students at the school, both Chris and his sister, Middle Division (MD) History Department Chair Catherine Garrison ’01, decided to return as staff members.

They are following in the footsteps of their now retired mother and father — math teacher Susan Garrison and Head of the Tutoring Center Lionel Garrison.

The school has been a part of Chris’ life for as long as he can remember, he said. “My father first came [to the school] in the 80s, and then I started in kindergarten the following year, my sister started in fourth grade about a year later, and then my mom started six years after,” he said.

While Catherine never thought she would return to the school, she is

happy she did, she said. She initially planned on pursuing a role in foreign relations and was not looking for a teaching job, she said. “My parents worked [at the school] at the time, so I was not pursuing [the school] because I thought it was nice to have my own independence and autonomy,” she said.

Catherine ultimately changed her mind and applied as an assistant teacher at the Lower Division (LD) in 2009, she said. “Dr. Kelly will often reference that for alumni who return, it’s like coming back home,” she said.

“When you’re thinking about being a teacher or working in education, you have really fond memories of Horace Mann, and it draws you back.”

When Chris first came back to the school, he only intended to work on a short term software project in the nurse’s office, he said. “I happened to graduate college just before the Great

Recession in 2008 and just needed some temporary work,” he said. While Chris did not expect it, the project took off and lasted a couple of years before he transitioned to working in the Admissions Office.

Even though all four family members were working on the same campus, they did not see each other too frequently. “There was a long stretch of time where my father was mostly in high school, my mom was mostly in the Middle School, my sister was in the Lower Division, and I was in Spence Cottage,” Chris said.

“So we were really separated in a way that allowed us to do our own thing a little bit, but still allowed us to stay connected in a way that I think is harder for young people to do with their parents.”

For Chris, the biggest perk of working at school with his sister is the time they get to spend together,

he said. “Normally, I would maybe only see my sister on occasion or talk on the phone a little bit,” he said. “It’s really wonderful to be able to have real conversations with her and to just see her on campus.” Chris feels lucky that he gets to be in close proximity to his sister and that he can spend time with her and see her so frequently, he said.

Chris especially enjoyed seeing Catherine online during remote school. “My sister was staying with my parents, and it was fun on Zoom meetings to see where she was [in their house],” he said.

Working together makes talking with Chris outside of work much easier, Catherine said. “It’s really nice because we can have conversations outside of school and reference things that only each other understand,” she said. Working together allows them to support each other well, especially when life gets busy and stressful, she said.

Since the two do not see each other too often at school, they use time outside of school to check in, Catherine said. “We often catch up when we drive to New Jersey to visit my parents,” she said. During the car rides, the two of them chat about work and other things going on in their lives, she said.

Catherine also appreciates that Chris can be a familiar face for her students as they enter high school, she said. In the beginning of each year, Catherine often tells her students about her brother, so that they know that he works in the high school, she said. “We do a three-year rotation with advisories [in the MD] and the advisory group I’ve had since sixth grade just went to high school, and they were hoping they would have Mr.

Garrison [as their advisor],” she said.

“It provides a little bit of continuity.”

Catherine hopes that her students get to know Chris as they enter high school, she said. “Some of them have felt comforted by the idea of knowing someone who is close to Ms. Garrison because it can be a big adjustment to go from eighth to ninth grade,” she said. While she does not bring Chris in to meet her students, occasionally his role as Registrar will bring him to the MD and students will get to meet him, she said.

Chris always found it funny when he would meet students who happened to interact with each of his family members in all these different ways, he said. “When I was running the [student] ambassador program, there would be ambassadors who had both my sister and my mom as teachers and then also worked with my dad in the math tutoring center, which was a little insane,” he said.

Throughout their many years at the school, Catherine most valued having Chris for support when their parents were retiring in June of 2019, she said. “It was a pretty monumental experience for both of [my parents], and there were moments where I got sentimental or even excited for my parents, but it was nice to lean on [Chris] in those moments,” she said.

Having a sibling connection is very powerful, Catherine said. She finds it even more powerful when they work together and live through the same experiences, she said. “There really is that connection there amongst siblings that most people just don’t understand.”

6

THE RECORD ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT APRIL 29TH, 2022

“Step into a ghoulish state of mind” with HMTC’s “The Addams Family” Mira Bansal and Maeve Goldman Staff Writers

Costume and Props Off stage, Costume Designer Sara Vandenhuevel alters the hem of a Victorian ball gown while Prop Coordinator Sophie Costanzi craft glues feathers onto a plastic bird carcass. The costumes and props of “The Addams Family Musical” pay homage to the old gothic theme of the original play while incorporating a modern twist: “spooky with a little bit of quirkiness,” Costanzi said.

The costumes follow with a color pallet of dark red, black, and purple, Vandenhuevel said. “All of the Addams Family have an out of time look — it’s a little bit retro, a little bit vintage,” she said. “It’s somewhat ostentatious, but in a fun goth way.”

Before designing costumes, Vandenhuevel did some research, she said. “Since it’s The Addams Family and not a historical play, there is this ridiculous fantasy that lets me look at more fashiony stuff,” she said. Although Vandenhuevel had artistic freedom for her designs, she still made sure that they would reflect the essence of the characters, she said. For the Beinekes, whose defining trait is that they are from Ohio, Vandenhuevel searched Facebook and Instagram to see what clothing people from Ohio wore, she said. Vandenhuevel then settled on a modern JC Penny look with lighter colors, she said.

For main characters, Vandenhuevel stepped into their headspace and shopped for outfits in the school’s costume shop, she said. “I think, ‘would Wednesday wear this?’

‘Would Mortia like this shirt?’” She also combined thrifted clothing with new items to create a modern-vintage look that reflects the nature of the characters, she said.

Vandenhuevel’s costumes emulate

Choreography

the classic black Addams family attire — Wednesday is decked out in 1950s Rockabilly style complete with swing dresses, while Fester has a postapocalyptic vibe, she said.

Contrasting the main cast, the Addams Family ancestors wore white and gray period costumes that ranged from prehistoric cavemen to Victorian era men, flappers, and saloon girls styles, Vandenhuevel said.

The ensemble’s costumes allowed the cast the opportunity to piece together the historical lineage of the Addams Family, actor Serena Bai (10) said. “We all got to choose the historical character we wanted to be,” she said. “I chose this Edwardian ankle length gown.”

Prop design began with the script, Costanzi said. “I read through the script and compiled a list of everything an actor needs to hold,” she said. “I try to be pretty true to the source material.”

Once Costanzi completed her research, she compiled supplies for the props, Vandenhuevel said. “We are very lucky to have a well stocked prop and costume shop, and I start by

going through and looking at what we do have.” While Costanzi found most of the props in the school’s costume shop, she filled in gaps by online shopping on stores ranging from Amazon to lesser-known sites such as Feathers.com, she said.

In addition to the props used in scenes, Costanzi wanted to include small details that were not inherently spooky to match modern elements of the show, she said. For example, instead of a traditional ornate silver tray — which matched the gothic theme of the props -— Costanzi gave the Grandmother a bright pink tray with stripes as a nod to the candy striper outfit the actor wore, she said. “I tried to include these little moments of fun as a little bit of a wink to the audience.”

The props are exciting for actors as they allow them to suspend their disbelief and really feel like they are a part of the Addams world, Jarrett said. “There’s Gomez’s sparkly orange cigars, Wednesday’s bow and arrow, and this really gruesome dead hand,” she said. “Having costumes and props allows us to literally walk in and exist in the shoes of our characters.”

David Aaron/Photo Director

FAMILY FACE-OFF Morticia and Alice exchange looks.

As the curtain lifts on Gross Theater stage, a flurry of jazz hands and grapevines emerge: the opening number, “When You’re an Addams” has begun. “Classic musical theater dance, salsa, flamenco, and tango have all been combined into one show,” Choreographer and Dance Teacher Angela Patmon said.

Patmon drew inspiration from past productions of the musical, ranging from high school shows to the official Broadway production, but she also left her own unique mark, she said. For the

iconic Addams Family snap, instead of simply placing actors around the stage, Patmon choreographed them to snap in a cluster, she said. “Everyone is snapping — it’s this vogue feel,” she said.

Patmon created the unique language of the show’s choreography through special moments, she said. Motifs such as the snaps and the cast placing their hand on their heart in the opening number repeat continuously throughout the production, connecting each number to the show as a whole, Patmon said.

In order to ensure that her

choreography blended seamlessly into the production, Patmon collaborated with theater teacher and Director Benjamin Posner and music instructor and Music Director Emma Weiss, she said. Patmon’s choreography emphasizes Posner’s vision for each dance number, as well as Weiss’s interpretation of certain sections of the score, she said. For example, Posner and Patmon collaborated on the number “One Normal Night”, which includes both acting and dancing.

Because there were less than two months between auditions and opening

“The Addams Family” features a live orchestra for the first time in two years due to COVID-19, music instructor Dr. Amir Khosrowpour said. “The musicals have always sounded so great here with a live orchestra, so I’m very excited.”

The orchestra is composed of professional musicians, including a drummer, bass player, guitarist, clarinet player, saxophonist, trumpet player, percussionist, trombone player, cellist, violinist, and a pianist, Khosrowpour said. The players are a mix of musicians that work at the school and elsewhere, he said.

Live performances give the musicians flexibility in their phrasing and timing so they can respond to the actors on stage, Khosrowpour said.

That freedom is taken away when the music is prerecorded, he said.

“We, down in the pit, are pretty focused on the music and hitting all the cues and the notes and the rhythms and being in sync with each other,” Khosrowpour said. The orchestra sits underneath the stage and cannot see the performers, so they rely on Musical Director Emma Weiss to coordinate cues between the two groups, Khosrowpour said.

Despite the challenges of performing live, Khosrowpour believes that live music is always better, he said. “Live music gives the show this intangible quality that adds the oomph,” he said.

“There is an energy that is shared with the actors on the stage and the musicians in the pit.”

“From the trees, to the gravestones, to the monsters, I feel like I’m transported out of the Horace Mann campus and into the world of ‘The Addams Family,’” Bethany Jarrett (10) said. “‘The Addams Family’ stage has been set.”

Painted in hues of blue and purple, a castle surrounded by cardboard trees and gravestones sits on the center of Gross Theater stage, Set Designer Yunshu Wang (12) said. “All of the elements, whether big or small, tie into the story of ‘The Addams Family,’” she said.

The stage will be transformed by a haunting glow of saturated lavenders, deep blues, indigos, reds, and greens, Lighting Director Ming-Xing Hawkins (12) said. “The show goes through around 300 different lighting looks.”

Although lighting’s primary purpose is ensuring that the stage is visible for the audience, it is also crucial in setting the tone of a scene, Hawkins said. “Lighting is key in helping to differentiate location and time of day, as well as the emotions of the scene.”

Hawkins prepared by researching locations of key scenes in the show, such as Central Park, she said. “I wanted to see what Central Park looks like at night and then figure out how to translate it best to stage lighting,” she said. Hawkins also experimented with more abstract effects, such as using washes of saturated backlight to create a silhouette on the actors, she said.

Music

David Aaron/Photo Director

MUSICAL MARRIAGE Lucas asks for Wednesday’s hand.

Set and Lighting

Rehearsal Process David Aaron/Photo Director

CAULDRON BUBBLE Grandma talks shop.

The Horace Mann Theater Company (HMTC) premiered their spring musical, “The Addams Family,” yesterday with shows today and tomorrow at seven p.m.

This production marks the school’s return to in-person musicals after two years. At the end of last year, Director Benjamin Posner did not pick a show for the following spring because he did not know what COVID-19 regulations the school would have in place, he said.

As the school year approached and COVID-19 regulations eased, Posner became increasingly hopeful that the HMTC would be able to perform a show, so he decided to include the HMTC leadership in the decision, he said. Choosing the right play is a big responsibility, Posner said. “30 percent of the success of the show has to do with choosing the right material and casting.” He made a list of options for the HMTC leadership to pick from, and the students researched the plays by reading their scripts and listening to their music, he said.

In addition to the play’s repertoire, HMTC leadership looked at the racial, ethnic, and gender breakdown of the characters and considered whether or not the school had students who matched those demographics, he said.

After much debate, the HMTC and the theater department agreed on “The Addam’s Family,” Posner said. “We kind of kerplunked our way to this show.”

The cast had met for two hours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday since March for rehearsals, Matthew Aponte (12) said. Along with their after-school rehearsals, they also had three Saturday practices that lasted over eight hours each.

“It amazes me how much time these students have given to put this show together,” Posner said. “After hours and hours of rehearsal, the show is going to be performed three times and then it’s gone.”

Posner is proud that the cast will perform in front of an audience after missing out on live performances throughout the pandemic, he said.

“They’re not hiding behind a piece of paper, they’re not hanging their art on a wall and walking away, they are literally putting themselves in the spotlight.”

Aponte is also excited to be back in person for this performance, he said.

“It’s kind of mind-boggling,” he said.

“There is a certain energy that you get from the audience that is hard to explain, and when you’re in a show, you feed off that energy.”

night, Patmon needed to choreograph the show quickly, she said. “It was really important for me to have material ready to put on the dancers in the rehearsal space,” she said. “I taught the movement and then once they had the movement down, we worked on spacing and detailed bits.”

During rehearsals, Patmon updated her choreography to account for the cast’s diverse levels of dance experience, she said. “It makes sense to me to set the choreography around the dancers I have in the room,” she said. For big groups, Patmon chose movements

that were simple but still “packed a punch,” she said. For smaller groups, Patmon worked to highlight the strengths of students and included more intricate choreography, she said.

“Our Morticia, Celia Stafford, is an incredible dancer so she does these beautiful fan kicks and pirouettes,” she said. “I just want to make sure they are all shining.”

Overall, Patmon’s choreography reflects the story of The Addams Family, she said. “It has these otherworldly moments,” she said. “I’m so excited — a little nervous, but excited.”

Serena Bai/Staff Artist

Wang started designing the set in November, she said. She researched set designs for past productions of “The Addams Family” and formalized the theme for the show — a “creepy, monster-y style,” she said.

The end product reflects efforts of both Posner’s and Wang’s ideas to create a cohesive vision, Wang said. “I was envisioning a blue color story but Posner was thinking more purplish.”

They compromised by adding purple details, such as the grinning square and circular monsters painted on either side of the blue castle’s door.

Hawkins’ lighting designs were built around Wang’s plans and sketches, as she needed to take into account how the light would reflect on the set, she said. “My color usage was a bit limited regarding yellows and other colors that wouldn’t read well over her purple set pieces.”

To illuminate the stage, Hawkins placed colored sheets of film into

different light instruments, she said. For smaller, more targeted beams of light Hawkins operated a Source 4 Ellipsoidal Reflector, she said. Parabolic Reflector and Fresnels were used to illuminate large areas of the stage at once, she said.

Once the set plan was finished, the stage crew brought Wang’s ideas to life, she said. Wang is also a member of the stage crew, so she participated in the building process. She mixed paint, pieced together furniture, and assisted students with the proper measurements for her creation, she said.

The actors loved seeing the set come together, Jarrett said. “Everyday there would be a new element of the Addams family’s world to experience,” she said. “I especially love the little monsters painted on the castle, which are very cute.” Lighting also helps the actors feel immersed within the story, Jarrett said “When the light goes up on the graveyard, I can step into a more ghoulish state of mind and really feel like an ancestor of the Addams.”

THE RECORD MIDDLE DIVISION APRIL 29TH, 2022

“Escape from Blackwell Island”: Teachers host professional development workshop Nia Huff and Samantha Matays Staff Writers Tuesday, Middle Division (MD) English teacher Isaac Brooks, English teacher Melissa Meléndez, history teacher Emma McFarland, and science teacher Noah Kaminsky held the first faculty-led professional developmental (PD) workshop since the start of the pandemic, titled “Escape from Blackwell Island: An Interdisciplinary Design Project.” The workshop showcased a potential class plan in which students investigate the Lunatic Asylum on Roosevelt Island, also known as Blackwell’s Island, bridging English, history and science.

Creating an interdisciplinary project means that all subjects are correlated, McFarland said. “The idea of working together and creating a project that would involve English, history, and science would allow students to dig deeper and become more confident in the material.” This collaborative approach allows students to enrich the ways in which they build connections through their writing, she said.

Teachers can apply connections between different disciplines into their own curriculum. “The purpose of the presentation was to light a fire under our colleagues, so they would start to think outside their disciplines,” Brooks said.

MD teachers might be able to put this Interdisciplinary Design Project into practice sometime next year, Brooks said. Students will study Blackwell Island and create an exposé, a letter to the editor, or a journalistic piece to

address the conditions at the asylum, Brooks said.

Different aspects of this project connect to different courses.

StudeLastnts write like they would in an English class, learn history by studying the Gilded Age and the journalism conventions established in the era of the Penny Press, and study the history of mental illness, what standards of care there were at the time, and how they were documented through a scientific lens, Brooks said. Overall, the project will allow students to understand how people govern social problems, he said.

As they planned the workshop, the four presenters tried to bring their disciplines together and teach using the same language, Brooks said. “We had to hash out what qualities and what language we shared about the assignment so we could both talk about it collaboratively and assess it universally,” he said. They decided to create a project based on writing because that was a throughline in all three of the subjects.

The project was based on the work of Nellie Bly, an investigative journalist from the 19th century who went undercover in the mental institution to study how it treated women, McFarland said. “We’ve worked with The New York Historical Society and they have a new curriculum called ‘Women and the American story,’” she said. This project would teach students about historical examples of advocates and show students the ways they could change the system, McFarland said.

Kaminsky, Brooks, McFarland, and Meléndez are still working on how they could practically implement the project, Brooks said. “It could happen in a History 7 class, then be researched and vetted through a Science 7 class’s lens, then written as a published newspaper article in an English 7 class,” he said.

During the presentation, the four teachers discussed their experience with interdisciplinary teaching, Brooks said. For example, both McFarland and Brooks taught a variety of disciplines in an elementary school before they came to the school, he said.

After the presentation, the presenters broke teachers into small groups to discuss their experiences with interdisciplinary teaching, Brooks said. The groups also allowed them to think about how their discipline might impact others, he said.

PD has always been a central aspect of the MD because teachers have a lot to share, MD Dean of Faculty and History teacher Eva Abbamonte said. However, monthly PD took a pause when the pandemic began. It was hard for teachers to plan presentations and stay after school at the height of the pandemic, she said. Abbamonte looks forward to the monthly PD meetings restarting in the upcoming school

7

year, she said.

Director of the MD Writing Center and English teacher Morgan Yarosh attended the workshop because she is always eager to learn from her co-workers, she said. “I was reminded how easy it is to connect to colleagues,” she said. During COVID, teachers weren’t able to connect easily with other teachers, so she felt this showed how accessible other teachers actually are. Yarosh was glad to learn a little bit about each of the four presenters, and felt that the workshop re-established connections, she said.

Although implementing this multisubject approach comes with challenges, there was a lot of energy among the other teachers, which made Head of the MD Javid Khan interested in making it possible, he wrote.

MD Science teacher Walter Wagner said he shared a similar feeling after attending the workshop. “I definitely learned that other teachers really want to do this kind of thing,” he said. “To see so many people there interested in this idea gives the impression that people are interested in this k i n d of work even though it is logistically difficult.”

Christian Conner/Staff Artist

Students give back to their communities with Mitzvah projects Neeva Patel Staff Writer While preparing for their Bat, Bar, or B’nai Mitzvahs — the celebration of becoming a Jewish adult — many Jewish students participate in charity and service projects to give back to their communities, Maxwell Lascher (7) said. “A Mitzvah project is a special chance to do something good as part of the Jewish tradition,” he said.

Mitzvah projects are often based around students’ interests or hobbies, Lascher said.

Mitzvah directly translates to “good deed,” and these projects are based on a Jewish value called “tzedakah,” which means charity.

For his Bar Mitzvah, Lascher’s synagogue

Courtesy of Sarah Korn

GIVING BACK Korn (7) collects trash in park.

connected him to different organizations to that it was more focused on the marble runs help him brainstorm ideas for his project, he instead of his parents’ donation, he said. “I said. From there, his synagogue helped him only conducted the class twice and then after create his own specific project, he said. “I that, the Y chooses how they spend the money heard that people in the past had held Zooms we donated, so in the future, I would work on with Holocaust survivors and made bagged making my part more impactful, he said.” lunches — really anything that was a good In preparation for her Bat Mitzvah this deed for others.” year, Sarah Korn (7) also completed a Since Lascher is interested in Mitzvah project, she said.“I always technology and robotics, he knew I wanted to do something assembled marble run kits that would help a community, for children with autism at so helping to save the Washington Heights’ the Y, environment and a park was a Jewish community center, something I was very interested he said. The kits included in.” Korn’s temple introduced materials to build a run: her to the concept of a Mitzvah marbles, pieces of cardboard, project, though her parents and rubber bands. mostly helped her come up with Once he sent out kits, the idea for hers, she said.

Lascher hosted two Zoom Korn decided to conduct her classes to teach the children project — picking up trash in how to build the marble Central Park — on a weekend runs themselves, he said. To because she wanted to devote as prepare for the class, Lascher much time as she could to it, she had Zoom meetings with his said. This plan worked out well Maddie Kim/Contributing Artist synagogue to help execute because she filled up two big bags his vision, he said. He also of trash by the end of the day. visited the kids at the Y, he said.

“Cleaning the park made me really “It shows that doing small acts of service can happy and I hope it makes other people make a difference in someone’s life,” Lascher happy to see that the bench they are sitting said. “I only had to take a few hours out of on doesn’t have a used Starbucks cup on it,” my weekend to host the classes, but the kids Korn said.

I helped said it was the best part of their Similar to Korn, Leya Hecker (7) wanted weekend,” he said. her Mitzvah project to be based around a Along with the marble run class, Lascher’s topic that was special to her, she said. Hecker family helped fund a robotics course for the started planning her Mitzvah project in Y’s Sunday Funday program, he said. “These February, about three months before her kids normally don’t have the funding for actual Bat Mitzvah, she said. “I didn’t really robotics projects, so being able to donate look for other ideas when planning because money so they could have two years of courses helping refugees was something my family was really enjoyable,” Lasher said. and I wanted to focus on most,” Hecker If Lascher was given the opportunity he said. Before she began her Mitzvah project, would have tried to rework his project so Hecker’s mom had met a refugee family

in person and was accompanying them to the doctor’s office. “The family moved to America just two months ago, so my mom’s act of kindness served as the inspiration for my project,” she said.

Hecker’s synagogue partnered with the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), an organization that works with refugees around the world. For her project, Hecker collected donations from her family and friends to help refugee families, she said. She also included a link to the HIAS website on her Bat Mitzvah invitation and asked guests to consider donating, she said. In addition to promoting financial donations, Hecker hopes to donate phones and participate in a sandwich-making program that HIAS hosts, which delivers bags of food to refugees, she said.

The Mitzvah project has inspired Hecker to become more involved with service learning both inside and outside of school, she said.

“I know that helping one family won’t solve all the world’s problems, but it is really nice to know that I have changed a couple of people’s lives for the better,” she said.

Crossword Answers from p.3

Lions’ Den Record Sports

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APRIL 29TH, 2022

Frisbee dominates with Ultimate win Rena Salsberg and Story Sossen Contributing Writers

“Ultimate Frisbee is actually one of the only self-officiated sports, meaning that there are no referees, so it’s entirely on the players to referee the game,” Varsity Ultimate Frisbee team captain Tuhin Ghosh (12) said.

“This also means that everyone on the field has to agree to make sure that the game is as fun as it can be.”

The team has had an impressive performance so far this season, Larry Tao (11) said. “We have a really strong and well-balanced team, in terms of skills and athleticism.”

The Varsity Ultimate Frisbee started their week off with a 13-5 victory on Monday against Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy (SAR).

SAR arrived late to the game, so the team received an automatic 2-0 lead.

Alex Nagin (12) said that the team effectively understood both their opponent’s and their own strengths

and weaknesses during the game, which contributed to their win.

“Identifying what strategies were working and continuously repeating them was how we were able to garner the score we did,” he said.

On Wednesday, the team played their second game of the week and lost against Solomon Schechter School. Despite their defeat, Nagin said he saw the team get more comfortable with the sport, which is exciting. They identified that short “give-and-go” passes were the most effective, he said.

The team is working hard to come up with new game plans for their upcoming matches, Arthur Caer (10) said. They also practice every day after school to prepare for those matches.

A typical practice begins with a lap around the field followed by some dynamic stretching, Rohan Buluswar (12) said. After warming up, the team breaks into groups of two or three for throwing practice, he said. They have a few standard drills that help

improve how they throw, catch, and cut — get free from a defender and into a position that enables them to receive the disk. Afterward, the team goes over set motions before scrimmaging, Buluswar said.

Each team member has different goals and aspirations for the remainder of the season. “I’m looking forward to the rest of the games, and really seeing how we are able to use the feedback that we’ve gotten from these past three games and really turn our mistakes around,” Ghosh said.

At the end of each practice, one team member leads a unique chant, Ghosh said. “The chants really bind us together and are a nice way to end the practice.” This tradition is one of the ways in which the team fosters a tight-knit community, he said. The team is very supportive of each other and they have built an environment where everyone feels welcomed and included, Ghosh said.

Riya Daga (11) is also proud of the supportive environment the team

Lynn Egan/Staff Photographer

HUDDLE UP Ultimate Frisbee discuss game plan. has built this year, she said. “There is this acceptance that even if you are a new player who’s not that good, it’s a community-building sport.”

The team is also unique since it is one of the only co-ed teams at the school. However, there is little gender divide on the team, Daga said. “The upperclassmen created

an environment where everyone [feels] comfortable with each other.”

Ultimate is just as much a team sport as it is an individual one, Daga said. “I think it is very much a group sport because it would be very hard to do well without the support of your team members.”

Boys Varsity Lacrosse wins first game of season Aryan Palla and Joshua Shuster Staff Writers The Boys Varsity Lacrosse (BVL) team started the season 0-6 until Monday, when they won their first game by defeating Harvey School in triple overtime. “We came into this game very hungry for our first win,” Jack Yoon (10) said.

Although the team struggled in the beginning

of the season, they improved over the past three games, Matthew Edelman (11) said. The lacrosse division is difficult, and the team faces many formidable opponents, Yoon said. “All the teams that we play have college recruits, so it’s been a challenge,” he said.

Despite their record before Monday’s game, the lacrosse players had high hopes for competing against Harvey. Wyatt Silverman (10) went into the game knowing that the

David Aaron/Photo Director

HEAR US ROAR Boys lacrosse cheers victory.

school would win, he said. “We are both fairly even teams skill wise,” he said. “We scoped out the players that they had and their record so we knew it was a winnable game.”

Throughout the game, Harvey’s team had a strong defense and was very aggressive on the offense, Winter said. “The opponents played well but we had to fight hard to stay in the game.” The team stayed competitive and played even harder in overtime, and remained very positive and full of energy throughout the game, he said.

At first, nobody scored any goals in overtime, Edelman said. In lacrosse, overtime is played with a “golden goal,” meaning there is a four minute overtime and the first team to score wins, he said. “The first four quarters were stressful in itself so to go to three overtimes was insane,” Edelman said. “By the third overtime, we were all so stressed but trying to give our final efforts and push our hardest.”

After a long fight, Silverman scored the winning goal with an assist from Winter, the boys lacrosse team’s coach Joseph Del Visco said.

Del Visco was excited for the team following the win, he said. “They grinded all game, and to get a victory in three overtimes shows a lot of determination.”

Silverman felt relieved after scoring the goal, he said. “After the shot, I turned and ran down the field as fast as I could and threw my stick up in the air,” he said. His teammates were excited about the goal and approached him to celebrate, he said.

When the team loses a game, they give it their all at practice the next day, Edelman said. Del Visco gives the team a breakdown of what he saw on the recording of the game, and the team goes back to practicing and working harder.

“After our six losses, we were definitely a bit frustrated with ourselves, but we are so happy the win came around,” Edelman said.

Progress has already shown itself in recent games, Carson Eisner (9) said. The game against Poly Prep on Wednesday was extremely competitive, despite Poly Prep having a larger team than the school’s, he said. “Our coaches have done a great job in identifying and working on our weak points,” Eisner said.

For the remainder of the season, the team hopes to win games against schools that they had previously lost to such as Riverdale, Dalton and Fieldston, Yoon said. “Now that we got our first win, we want to keep the momentum.”

Varsity Baseball starts season with success and strikeouts Naomi Yaeger Staff Writer Despite losing 10 to 0 to Poly Prep Wednesday, the school’s Boys Varsity Baseball team is off to a strong start this year with a record of six wins to four losses, Sam Spector (10) said.

“We’ve definitely performed above [my] expectations and it’s been fun to finally win some games,” he said. The team is looking forward to another game against Riverdale today, he said.

The team worked hard during spring training and focused mainly on skills such as fielding, catching, and hitting, Spector said. “We went over basic fundamentals and generally got into condition for the games,” he said.

In one drill, most of the team fielded while a few players acted as base runners, or runners already on a base, and players fielding worked together to make throws and to get the base runners out. “When the time came around for games, we were ready for any situation,” Spector said.

The team also worked on improving their swings during spring training, Lucas Alexander (12) said.

Players focused on hitting baseballs

off the tees. “You can work on your swing on a tee but you can’t work on it when you’re hitting real plays because the ball’s moving and it’s hard enough to focus on hitting it,” Alexander said.

Using a still ball allows players to focus on their technique, which they can then use in game settings, he said.

During one memorable week, the team held a two-game win streak against both Fieldston and Trinity, Julian Silverman (12) said. “We came into the week knowing that they were both very complete teams, and both near the top of the league. We ended up playing very well against both schools and came out of the week with two statement wins,” he said.

In a game against the Hackley School, the team was making a comeback when weather conditions grinded the game to a halt, said Alexander. “We didn’t get to finish the game in the seventh [inning] because [the coaches] decided it was too dark to finish the game,” he said. At the time, the team was only losing by one point and was making a comeback, he said. “We were supposed to finish it later, but then, the athletic directors of the Ivy League decided that any game past the fifth inning that couldn’t be

finished was over, so we have that as a loss in our record,” Alexander said.

During rough games, Spector finds it useful to take a step back and to refocus on what he and the team are trying to accomplish, he said. “One game when I was pitching against Collegiate, I was struggling to have control and [be in] command of my pitches,” he said. “Instead of letting it get to my head, I had to reset after every pitch and focus on throwing strikes.”

The season has been full of exciting and successful moments, such as a recent game against Fieldston on April 18, Alexander said. “Fieldston was a big game for us because they’re also contending for one of the top spots in the league,” he said. When The Lions played Fieldston, they hit at least three home runs, he said. “We all hit really well and we ended up winning eight to one.”

The team tries to keep its preparation before games consistent, Spector said. “Coach Russo always preps us before the game and tells us our game plan going into it,” he said. Players also do the same stretching routine

before each game, he said.

The team often listens to music to help focus and relax, Alexander said. “The baseball team, courtesy of me, has been listening to country

that it’s time to lock-in, and the whole team focuses on the task ahead,” he said.

Spector is excited for the rest of the season, he said. “I’m looking

Courtesy of Barry Mason

HOME RUN Ting (11) bats for Lions. music this year. The philosophy is that the best teams in the nation do it, so why don’t we?” he said.

Players combine by preparing individually and connecting as a team, Silverman said. “Each player has their own routine, whether it be taking a nap on the bus, listening to music, or just talking. But once it’s game time, everyone acknowledges

forward to winning some games and hopefully going far in the NYSAIS playoffs,” Spector said. “It’s been a really fun season, and if you’re a fan and you’re reading this, come out, support us, and watch the games.”