AimeeYang/StaffArtist COVID responsepolicy 2 4 School breakdowntraditions @ HM: Time to BeReal! 6 7 Welcome to the MD! Naomi Yaeger (11) reacts to school’s loosed COVID restrictions What do they mean? Mascot, maroon, mission statement, motto, mater, crest, core values. New social media app has students scrambling to selfie. 6th graders share reactions from their first week at HM.
The Record
“I also think that it is unfair to blame all the wrongs associated with the British Empire on one person.”
Blake Bennett Staff Writer
Courtesy of Zachary Kurtz
Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (UK) and 14 other Commonwealth realms, died at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle, the monarchy’s official summer residence in Scotland. Having ascended to the throne in 1952, she served as Britain’s longest reigning monarch for 70 years and led the nation through postWorld War II reconstruction, the decolonization of Africa, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, withdrawl from the European Union, and far more.
newOnebooks.”new feature on OPAC is the “Visual Search” function. which allows students to search by book cover rather than text. Additionally, students can perform an “Advanced Search” or “Custom Search” which can be helpful when looking for specific resources. Other features are available to students who log into the site, such as writing reviews and accessing “My List,” where users keep track of books they want to check out and books they have on hold. Clicking on a book displays subject tags that students can click on to find similar selections, along with book reviews published online and posted by fellow students or faculty.
Milo Mandelli-Valla (11), a student in Link’s G period class, enjoyed the in-class discussion about The Queen’s passing as it gave him time to reflect, he said. “I knew that she had been in bad condition for some time, in addition to her old age,” MandelliValla said. “While the news was sad, it was not totally unexpected.”
Following the dissolution of the British Empire in 1949, the Commonwealth of Nations was formed from former British colonies. According to the Commonwealth Website, the group represents an equal partnership between nations and races that has no resemblance to the British Empire of the Commonwealth,equalintoainanthatDavidsonpast.believesTheQueendidexcellentjobtransformingdyingEmpireafellowshipofnationsthroughtheshesaid.
The new website is more interactive for students, Kazan said. “One of the best features is that our students and staff can now write reviews for books once they are logged in that will be posted on the OPAC’s homepage.” This addition allows students to help each other find books, she said.
“I do think King Charles should pay reparations and give back the crown’s jewels and diamonds since they are stolen goods and an offensive remnant of British Imperialism.”
Horace Mann’s Weekly Newspaper Since 1903 record.horacemann.orgSeptember16th,2022Volume 120 IssueLast2
those events occurred prior to Her Majesty’s reign, he said. “I think that these are really important questions that the UK needs to grapple with in relation to its Commonwealth partners. So I think that there’s the potential for some real reckoning here around a number of issues related to colonialism.”Mandelli-Valla thinks that there are more pressing and urgent matters than recognizing Britain’s role as a colonial power, he said. “I think that while claims about Britain’s role as a colonial power may be legitimate and may have validity, there is no reason to bring them up right after the death of such an important figure,” he said.
talked about The Queen’s last photo in front of her fireplace at Balmoral Castle, which has a Latin phrase on it.
Nonetheless, Davidson acknowledges the role the British Empire played as a colonial power prior to Elizabeth’s reign, she said.
The new system, Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC), can be customized at any time — for example, the library added a ‘Recommended Reads’ section to the homepage. “We were impressed with the way AccessIT looked and the different functions available to users,” Middle Division Head Librarian Rachael Ricker said.
“I was shocked because it felt like there was something so permanent and stable about her,” Kim said. “Her passing is symbolic, like the end of a whole“Evengeneration.”though [The Queen’s death] wasn’t a surprise, it was one of shock, because she has been the only British monarch I’ve known my whole life,” History Department Chair Dr. Daniel LinkLinksaid.was walking into his G period Global Cold War History class when he found out about Her Majesty’s passing. “My thought was that since this news has just broken, it’s probably a good idea to give the students some time to think about it and discuss their reactions,” he said.
Link recognizes that many Britons feel that the monarchy is anachronistic and outdated, while others argue that the monarchy connects the past to the present and plays a symbolic yet
Kelly echoed this. “Let’s not forget, 9/11 happened in our own backyard, in fact, many alums continue to talk about that horrific day and one’s feelings when fighter jets flew over Alumni field inbound to New York City,” he wrote.
Davidson believes that The Queen’s death will not have a major effect on the school community. However, she thinks that Her Majesty’s passing will open up many discussions about her leadership and legacy. “Beyond acting as a springboard for the discussion of public service, duty and leadership, colonialism and post-colonialism, and to compare her style of leadership with recent or current world leaders, I don’t think it will truly affect the HMLikecommunity.”Davidson, Link believes that The Queen’s passing may bring up discussions about the British Empire and its legacy of colonialism, even if
Jorge Orvañanos Staff Writer
believesKim that despite The Queen being the sovereign of a foreign nation, her passing will have a global influence, she said. “I think it was all over the news because of how influential and respected she was, not just in her country but around the world. Even though she was The Queen of another country, I still cared because she was one of the few world leaders who seemed like a calm and steady presence. I can’t think of anyone in the US who is like that.”
“Last year, it was very difficult to find books I wanted to read using the website, but with the new website, it is so easy and efficient,” Matthew Simpson (10) said.
Link acknowledges that The Queen reigned during a period of major transition for the UK, which was starting to move out of being an Empire when she took the throne after World War II, he said.
The new system is more efficient and easier to navigate, Kazan said. “Patrons can easily log in to their own account on the OPAC to see what books they have out and what they have on hold,” she said. “For the library staff, almost every function is easier than in our former LMS — especially cataloging
“[The Queen] was actively antiApartheid and fought Prime Minister Thatcher on this issue,” Davidson said. “She actively promoted peace in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and was the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland.”
‘Nemo me impune lacessit,’ meaning ‘No one provokes me with impunity.’”
EMERALD SOCIETY MARCHES IN School honors 9/11 victims.
Math teacher Tom Petras was on campus on 9/11, and appreciated the flag ceremony and bagpipers, he said. “I vividly remember hearing the news while I was teaching a class of 6th graders,” he said. “It is very nice that the school takes some time to commemorate the day.”
Ella Shaham Staff Writer
Furman believes that the British monarchy serves to provide stability in the British constitutional system and preserves the continuity of government, he said. “Whether you agree with her rule or the throne upon which she sat, there is no denying the role she had in forming the national identity of and unifying the UK.”
World Languages teacher Dr. Jillian Davidson, who grew up in the UK and lived there until 1990, believes that The Queen was an integral part of the structure and framework of British life, she said. “90 percent of Britons, including myself, were born during her reign and she therefore represents one of the few consistent aspects and constants of British life,” Davidson said. “Brits were beginning to think that she was an eternal part of the fabric of BritishSimilarSociety.”toDavidson, Anna Kim (9) felt that The Queen had a sense of immortality, she said.
Malcolm Furman (12) enjoyed having time to reflect and discuss The Queen’s death in his English class. “I was not surprised by her death. I know that the royal family had been called into her Scotland residence due to health concerns, so it was not surprising that she died shortly thereafter,” he said. “At the same time, I realized the importance of this moment in the history of not only the UK but world politics and
On the day of The Queen’s passing, during the 11th grade I period grade meeting, students took 60 seconds of peace to reflect on Her Majesty’s legacy.Davidson, like Link, chose to host an in-class discussion about The Queen’s legacy. “I think students needed to talk about her death rather than remain silent for a minute. Her death wasn’t tragic, she died at the age of Davidson96.” incorporated in-class discussions about The Queen’s passing into her Latin classes, she said. “In my eighth grade class, I
School honors victims of 9/11 with bagpipe ceremony
Director of Public Safety and former NYPD Captain Mike McCaw arranges for the Emerald Society, the NYPD’s bagpipe band, to participate in the ceremony, Kelly wrote. “HM has tried awfully hard to work through several versions of a memorial service only to land on the format you saw today that feels right for our community for
several years now,” he wrote. During the annual ceremony, the Emerald Society, composed of Irish-American police officers, marched down the field towards the flagpole playing the bagpipes.Stephanie Lee (11) watched the ceremony from her classroom. The music brought a sense of positivity to the usually very serious ceremony, she said. “It’s important to always keep this day in our memory, especially since HM is in New York and it probably impacted many in our community.”
The end of an era: community reflects on death of Queen Elizabeth II
Katz Library revamps catalog
Over the summer, Katz Library transitioned to a new catalog website. The school decided to switch to a new Library Management System (LMS) last spring, Upper Division Head Librarian Melissa Kazan said. The former LMS, Symphony eLibrary, served public library systems with many branches or universities with large collections. “It was difficult to navigate and had too many features we paid for but didn’t use,” she said.
Every year, the school holds a ceremony on Alumni Field to honor the victims of 9/11. “Beyond honoring those lost on 9/11, the families affected, those in the HM community affected, and the heroic effort of NYC’s first responders during and after the bombing, the ceremony is also HM’s way of honoring history and the Class of 2011’s decision to create our 9/11 Memorial,” Head of School Tom Kelly wrote in an email. “In order to appreciate the value of a human life, it is only appropriate to respectfully stop and honor the memory of those lost through war, terrorism, or other conflicts,” he wrote.
see QUEEN on page 3 INSIDE
The harmful effects of microtrends
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I could never wear outside clothes on my bed — it’s too gross. I sleep in my bed, and who knows what gets on my clothes.
microtrend travesty was House of Sunny’s green Hockney dress. Model Kendall Jenner popularized the piece when she posted a photo of her wearing the dress on her Instagram page that has over 250 million followers. The piece cost $128 on House of Sunny’s website and caught attention for its flattering fit, swirling graphics, and ethical manufacturing process. I still adore this piece and was very tempted to buy it at the time, but I could not pay for a $128 dress at the age of 14. However, within a week of Jenner’s post, Amazon sold dupes of the dress for $36. With a cheaper option available, thousands of influencers and internet users bought the duplicate from Amazon, Aliexpress, or SHEIN. Everyone posted photos of themselves wearing the dress until — as expected — the novelty had worn off and the dress was shoved into thousands of closets, never to be worn again. Despite the dress’s beauty and uniqueness, few people would wear it in public now because everyone would know that they were part of a mindless, oldRevisitingtrend. previous trends is not new to mainstream fashion, but the practice has increased with the rise of microtrends. In early 2021, the “fairy grunge” aesthetic took hold of social media and a glossy green corset lined with gold fabric rose to fame. All over TikTok and Instagram, influencers flaunted their new Amazon-purchased corset adorned with (now-sociallyunacceptable) elf ears and pleated skirts. The aesthetic went from cool to uncool within a matter of weeks, and by December 2021, consumers had tossed their fairy grunge pieces in the trash and began to focus on “twee.” This
To protect our community and to prevent the need for a mandatory masking requirement, I urge the school community to self-test for COVID after an exposure or getting sick. In my opinion, occasionally taking a rapid, 15-minute test for COVID is a much smaller imposition than having to wear a mask for a 7+ hour long school day.
trend drew inspiration from actress Zooey Deschanel and revived pieces that were popular in the early 2010s, such as penny collars and polka dotted skirts. Like “fairy grunge,” “twee” barely lasted a month and is now taboo and unhip.But how can a trend from a few months ago already be unfashionable? In the past, trends have lasted for decades, if not centuries — why has that changed? A main driver behind microtrends, in addition to mass production and advertisements, is human psychology. Behavioral psychologist Carolyn Mair and author of “The Psychology of Fashion” explains how “the desire to buy trend after trend isn’t about attention span — it’s about habituation. When we experience something for the first time, it excites us and gives us pleasure, but with repetition over time, the pleasure dissipates because we habituate to the experience.” After we become accustomed to one aesthetic, we move onto the next to feel that retailinduced high once again. Although this psychology has long existed in humans, quick and cheap fast fashion allows us to achieve this excited state more constantly than ever.
2 THE RECORD OPINIONS SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2022
StaffVolume 120 Editorial Board Editor in Chief Emily Sun Managing Editor Emily Salzhauer Features VidhatrieAyeshaKeethaSen News Zachary Kurtz Opinions AudreySeanCarbonellLee A&E Hannah Katzke Allison Markman Middle Division CelineRachelKirisciogluBaez Lions’ Den Max Chasin Art Directors AmiraVivianDossaniCoraciSophiaLiu Head of Design Avani Khorana Photo Directors Sam Siegel Ben AryanRafalPalla Online Editor Emily Grant Faculty Adviser David Berenson Design Editors Arin Rosen Alara Yilmaz Sophie Pietrzak
In the words of ethical fashion writer Maggie Zhou, “microtrends take what you know about trends and accelerate the process.” The life spans of trend cycles are becoming shorter than ever. This speedy system is the fault of social media platforms such as TikTok, but the microtrend cycle is also inextricable from exploitative manufacturing procedures and low quality fabrics that companies use to keep up with increased demand.Before TikTok and Instagram influencers took over pop culture, we looked to models, celebrities, and magazines to determine trends. This group of influencers was small and our access to them was controlled. This limited our exposure to new styles and kept fashion cycles from speeding up. Nowadays, there are hundreds of thousands of “trendsetters”
Last week, The Record reported on two of the school’s new COVID policies for the 2022-23 school year: students who contract COVID must isolate for five days without access to remote education, and the school will no longer test students for COVID. Combined, these policies discourage testing for COVID-19 and lead to more people contracting the deadly virus.
COVID is more dangerous than the flu and the common cold. According to the New York Times, over 300 Americans continue to die from COVID everyday, while less than 77 Americans died daily from the flu in 2019. Unfortunately, many Americans have chosen to ignore these statistics, sick of hearing about COVID and unable to comprehend the staggering number of lives lost. However, ignoring the numbers does not magically make them disappear, and we don’t get to choose when the virus stops spreading.
As a nation and as a school, we have made so much progress in fighting COVID — we have finally returned to a normal year with sports games, field trips, and club activities back in-person. Unfortunately, if COVID rates rise, the school will have to reinstate protective policies such as mandatory masking to protect students, faculty, and families.
Harper Rosenberg
Earbuds are better than over-the-ear headphones. They take up less space and are easier to pop on and off.
Staff Writers Ariella Frommer, Ava Lipsky, Clara Stevanovic, Erica Jiang, Etta Singer, Hanzhang Swen, Harper Rosenberg, Isabella Ciriello, Jorge Orvananos, Joshua Shuster, Kate Beckler, Lucy Peck, Maeve Goldman, Mira Bansal, Naomi Yaeger, Neeva Patel, Samantha Matays, Sofia Kim, Sophia Paley, Sophie Rukin, Spencer Kolker, Audrey O’Mary, Brody Grossman, Emily Wang, Jacqueline Shih, James Zaidman, Malachai Abbott, Nikita Pande, Oliver Konopko, Rena Salsberg Staff Photographers Nicole Au, Jorge Orvananos, Trish tran, Aanya Gupta, Jiwan Kim, Emily Wang, David Aaron, Harper Rosenberg, Evan Contant Staff Artists Sam Stern, Dylan Leftt, Sammi Strasser, Kristy Xie, Addy Steinberg, Ishaan Iyengar, Sophie Li, Serena Bai, Kayden Hansong, Aashna Hari, Karla Moreira, Isabelle Kim, Christain Connor, Sam Gordon, Dani Brooks, Aimee Yang
extracurricular commitments, and those five days of “rest” become five days of Nowstress.consider that students don’t have to quarantine unless they test positive, and the choice to test is entirely up to them. I understand the temptation to avoid testing, especially because when I had COVID, my symptoms were pretty mild. In fact, if I wasn’t afraid of spreading COVID to my family, I probably wouldn’t test at all.or most students, testing is simply an inconvenience. Many won’t test even after being notified of close exposure to avoid the mandatory quarantine. Without a positive test forcing them to stay home, students who have asymptomatic or light symptoms will continue to attend school, and students with worse symptoms will miss as little school as possible, staying home for only a few days and returning even if they continue to feel sick.
Microtrends’ significance is demonstrated via statistics which show that the fashion industry causes 10% of carbon emissions and 85% of textiles are thrown into landfills every year. These fast fashion clothes are made in sweatshops, often by children, for long hours and low wages. At a school like Horace Mann where many students are privileged, fast fashion may not be a necessary purchase. Thousands of TikToks made by wealthy, thin influencers demonstrate huge SHEIN hauls worth over $1,000. Unnecessary mass consumption of fast fashion from privileged people contributes to the harm of microtrends and the speeding up of trend cycles.
Farhan Rafat (12):
If you want to contest or share a Hot Take, email the Opinions editors! (audrey_carbonell@ horacemann.org and sean_lee@horacemann.org)
Cocotogether.Trentalancia (12):
The keyboards in the library are the worst things ever. I’d rather hand-write things at this point (my writing is trash)—they are unbelievably useless and impossible to type on. Annoying noise, no tactile feedback, and weirdly low keys that are both too big and too closely spaced
videos have popped up within the last two years, exemplifying how an item can become uncool just weeks after it was a part of mainstream aesthetics.
who can receive millions of views just using their phone. Companies then use this to their advantage and market via the masses of influencers who will promote their products for the sake of beingFor“cool.”example: SHEIN, the most popular fast fashion company in the mainstream fashion industry, releases thousands of new items on their website every week. With the help of the internet, SHEIN has been able to popularize their cheap prices, variety of styles, cute designs (many of which are stolen from small designers), and size inclusivity. By having such a large number of online consumers, they can quickly collect feedback, predict consumer behavior, and release new items. “Because SHEIN is so digitally versed in data, it can pre-empt what will sell before a product is even made,” TechCrunch reporter Rita Lao said. Using their new wide-range access to data from consumers, companies like SHEIN increase profit and publish new styles even Celebrityfaster.influences on pop culture shed light on the increased, but shortlasting, obsession with certain pieces of clothing. For example, HBO’s teen drama “Euphoria” had a chokehold on microtrends when its second season released at the start of 2022. One of the show’s main characters, Maddy Perez, wore a black cut-out dress in an episode. As a result, there was an 890 percent increase in internet searches for the item. But, once the new season was out for a few months and all of its hype faded, the dress and other popular designs from the show were no longer in fashion.Another example of a mainstream
Consumer culture has normalized tossing out clothes that people never even wore. On TikTok, there is a trend where users display clothes that they regret buying, most of which are microtrends. For example, user @mir. kat, with 12.9k followers, received 242.5k likes showing clothes that she wishes she never bought, captioning, “POV: you were influenced to buy all the microtrends last summer and now you’re disgusted.”
Luke Harris (12):
Sophia Liu/Art Director
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.
Additionally, the school can make the isolation period easier for students by reinstating a virtual learning option for those who contract COVID. Students who are exposed to the virus will be more likely to test if testing positive doesn’t mean they need to miss class. While five days at home may feel like an eternity, protecting the health of our families and our community is a much more urgent goal.
“We follow trends because we want to belong. When we follow a trend, we show our belonging to others who follow that trend and dissociate ourselves from those who do not,” Mair said. It has become part of our culture that members of certain aesthetics and pieces feel a sense of cohesion due to their common tastes. However, we need to ask ourselves, “do you love this item or do you want it because you think it’s trendy?” After recognizing that I used to buy items solely because they aligned with the trends of the time, I have learned to think more carefully about each purchase I make. One of my favorite quotes comes from fashion icon Iris Apfel: “I buy things because I fall in love with them.” Keep these words in mind the next time you want to expand your wardrobe.
Editorial Policy
Students should test for COVID
Almost every week, social media concocts a new “must-have” clothing fad, characterized by an aesthetic that will be socially compelling for a month before it falls out of fashion.
As necessary as it is to quarantine after contracting COVID, any Horace Mann student who can avoid missing school will do so. Missing five days of school means making up five days worth of classwork, homework, tests, projects, and quizzes. Add
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Naomi Yaeger
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year.languageoffensivepolicyintheircoursesyllabithisWhileteachers
English teacher Jennifer Little included the statement in her course syllabi due to her course material, she said. “For many students, to see a hurtful word on every single page of books like Huckleberry Finn, even though you know that it is being expressed [as a statement about racism], stillLittlehurts.”does not use words that have explicitly hurtful meanings in her classes and encourages students to examine the offensive language that they encounter in texts, through both historical and contextual lenses, she said. “The thing that I think can be problematic for Horace Mann students is being afraid to talk about something,” she said. “[The change] is trying to encourage a policy of mutual respect and inquisitiveness, so that we can learn and people don’t have to be afraid to say what they are thinking or what their questions are.”
SophieLi/StaffAtist
The Queen recognized her role as sovereign as a ceremonial head of state, with no executive or government power, in her 1957 Christmas Address, in which she said “I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice
as these are key to teaching, Valencia said. “In teaching, very few things should be written in stone. It’s seeing your students, seeing the circumstances, and rethinking what is the best way of creating a fruitful environment for the students to learn.”
This year, the school made several clarifying additions to the Family Handbook’s Grading section. In the past, teachers have used three main grading metrics: the 10-point scale, 100 point scale, and letter grades. The additions standardize grading using a chart to demonstrate the conversions between all three metrics.“Wespent the last two years as an Upper Division Faculty thinking a lot about grading [...] and making sure that the way we grade is aligned with our values,” Upper Division Head Dr. Jessica Levenstein said. “It’s in the student’s best interest if there is a kind of uniformity in grading policies across teams [within departments].”Thegrading conversion table prevents situations in which a student gets a specific grade in one class but would have gotten a different grade in another class with the exact same scores, Dean of Faculty Dr. Andrew Fippinger said. He hopes it is comforting for students to know that the grading scale is the same in all of their classes, he said.
Aanya Gupta/Staff Photographer
were not required to do this, Fippinger encouraged them to disclose the policy to students in his August email to the UD faculty, he said.
The school has also standardized rounding as part of the grading policy edits. “That way, a grade on the cusp between two letter grades will be rounded up or down at the same numerical threshold no matter what class they are in,” Fippinger said.
The Queen devoted seven decades of her life to public service. “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family,” she said during a 1947 speech on her
From class to caf... Lions are back!
Clara Stevanovic Contibuting Writer
Elise Kang (11) said that although the change to the policy on dehumanizing expression clarifies expectations about offensive language, enforcing the multilingual policy will be difficult, she said. To make sure that other languages are not used when expressing hateful speech, it is necessary for members of the school community to speak multiple languages. “I don’t know many people that speak more than four languages, so even if the sentence adds clarity, I’m not sure how it will change practices,” Kang said.
Family Handbook revises grading charts, adds rounding policy
3THE RECORD NEWS SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2022
SophiaLiu/ArtDirector
In World Language classes, the change will clarify how to address potentially harmful speech when certain words or ideas may not translate directly from one language to another, World Languages Department Chair Pilar Valencia said. “We just have to provide more context and explain how words reference different things across languages,” she said. “Language that is very offensive when spoken in English may have a completely different group of connotations in Spanish or in French.”
and examine the context of potentially harmful words on a deeper level as they study languages, Valencia said. “The spirit is the same for every language — every word that harms or makes reference to harming someone is a word that we should not use.”
21stDavidsonbirthday.believes that much of the nation’s future will be decided by The Queen’s successor, King Charles III, and how he reshapes the monarchy, she said. “I don’t foresee any change in the US-UK relationship, since the relationship is determined by heads of government rather than heads of state.”Asthe UK mourns the loss of their
This clarification will resolve teachers’ doubts about grading as well, Levenstein said. The correlation chart in the Family Handbook provides clarity for teachers who have already used this grading standard with no guidance from the school, she said.
Revisionsdown.such
On the other hand, Asher Seifan (10) said this change will positively impact his grades because if he is in between two letters, he will be certain whether it will round up or
School updates offensive language policy
Many teachers chose to include the
from QUEEN on page 1
“I don’t really consider myself a monarchist, but I am a fan of Queen Elizabeth II. I feel a strong sense of ending and think she deserves our respect and gratitude. If it weren’t for her qualities, the British monarchy might not have survived,” Davidson
failing grades up to 50%, will have a positive effect for those grading out of 100 points, she said.The 10-point scale only has one corresponding grade for an F — zero. If a student receives a zero on one assignment and a 10 on the next, it would average to a 5 or a B-. This was not the case for the 100-point system. Prior to this year, the possible grades on the 100-point system ranged from 0-100%, with the bottom 60% of grades considered to be failing. This meant it was much more difficult for students graded on the 100-point scale to recover from a low grade, even if they showed a lot of improvement later in the semester, Valencia said.
The lack of flexibility in the grading system’s rounding rules can be an issue for students who are very concerned about their grades, Amaris Christian (10) said.
“The emergingpotentialoffenses],”unacceptablejustverbalitwantsadministrationtomakeclearthatthoseoffensesareasinjuriousand[asverbalFippingersaid.“Formanystudents,theforthesewordsinclasscanbe
Thus, teachers and students must be cautious
but I can do something else, I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of [the Commonwealth].”
Teachers in other departments such as World Languages prefer to use the 100-point scale because it has been their standard for many years, World Languages Department Chair Pilar Valencia said. She believes one of the new policies in the Family Handbook, rounding low
Queen, her funeral procession has already begun, as her coffin traveled from Balmoral Castle and returned to London on Tuesday morning. Her Majesty’s state funeral has been scheduled for this coming Monday.
Anya Mirza and Clara Medeiros Contributing Writers
a source of anxiety that impedes their ability to learn,” Fippinger said. He hopes that the revised offensive language statement creates a safe learning environment by reassuring students that offensive language will not be spoken by their peers or teachers in class, he said.The statement clarifies what hate speech encompasses, even though expectations for personal conduct are the same, Upper Division (UD) Head Dr. Jessica Levenstein said. “[The change will] make sure that everybody knows what the expectations are for a conversation that could include offensive language.”
said. “At a time when it is so difficult to place your confidence in leaders around the world, The Queen earned our confidence and admiration.”
The school administration began revising the grading policy last year during a series of small group meetings, Fippinger said. “We spent a lot of time last year as a faculty talking about grading in general.”Both grading scales in the Family Handbook are necessary because, depending on the class, one method might make more sense than the other, Levenstein said. “I’m an English teacher, so if I were grading a paper, I would have a hard time saying what the difference is in a paper between an 88 and 89.”
This summer, the school amended the Family Handbook’s offensive language policy on dehumanizing expression, adding the sentence: This rule is applicable to languages other than English as well, in addition to symbols and gestures.”Theaddition was part of an annual update, Dean of Faculty Dr. Andrew Fippinger said. Although no specific incident prompted the change, adding the statement was necessary because people can express hateful speech through offensive symbols and nonEnglish languages.
crucial role as the head of state within the UK, he said.
The Mission Statement is crucial in highlighting how we can bring community norms into the classroom, Sophie Li (11) said. “We need a mission statement because learning is a very collaborative process,” she said. “You can’t fixate on individual achievement and forget about the collaborative part of learning: discussing ideas, listening to different sides of argument,” she said. “Welcoming multiple perspectives helps everyone enhance their knowledge.”
Introduced in 1958, the school mascot’s origins trace back to the Mann family coat of arms, according to an article from Volume 52 Issue 04 of The Record.
The Mission Statement was last updated in the fall of 2008, Head of School Dr. Kelly wrote in an email. “The then Curriculum Council was charged with reviewing and reaffirming the Mission Statement as part of an upcoming accreditation,” Kelly said. “At that time, the Mission Statement was
“We’re a school steeped in tradition, while never losing sight of the school’s need to maintain its relevance in the lives students will live after graduation,” Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly wrote in an email interview. “Our Core Values, Mission Statement, shield and even mascot are reminders that we are a family enterprise, one that celebrates the
color, and mission statement represent what the school has been and what it aims to become. AsthewalkstudentsunderthesilverlettersofLatin
integrity to do the right thing when nobody’s watching,” Joan Yu (11) said. “Everyone should take Latin so that they can translate the motto and understand its deeper meaning.”
Found everywhere from our school crest to the alma mater to the walls of Olshan Lobby, the school motto, “Magna est veritas et praevalet” translates to “great is the truth and it prevails.”
4 THE RECORD FEATURES SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2022
truth’ is pretty self-explanatory,” he said. “Praevalet” has a couple of different meanings: “valet” means to be strong; “prae” means in front or before,” Mccaw said. “It is this power of knowledge and the idea that learning is truth,” he said.
Horace Mann,” he wrote.
“Horace Mann School prepares a diverse community of students to lead great and giving lives. We strive to maintain a safe, secure, and caring environment in which mutual respect, mature behavior, and the life of the mind can thrive. We recognize and celebrate individual achievement and contributions to the common good.”
The lion costume was introduced in 1992 when the Pep Rally Club wanted a mascot, Barile said. “There was this old rusty lion costume in a storage closet that was used in multiple Buzzell games,” he said.
richness and importance of the relationships developed and nurtured here, alongside the lessons taught.”The school’s core values, alma mater, crest, mascot,motto,
SophiaLiu/ArtDirector
“If you’ve ever been at a Buzzell game or a pep rally, what do you do when the lion comes out?” Coach Ray Barile said. “Cheer.”
Overall, the color maroon symbolizes school pride, Saanvi Sherchan (11) said. “Red historically represents power, confidence, and strength,” she said. “As our school’s color, it ties those characteristics to the identity of Horace Mann as a whole.”
“I remember feeling really
“Essentially, what we as teachers are trying to instill in our students.”
Mascot
For students, the Mission
Today, the motto represents the core values of the school, Latin teacher James McCaw said.
“‘Magna est veritas’ or ‘great is the
motto in Olshan Lobby or sing the lyrics of the alma mater at an assembly, understanding the origins and meanings behind the school’s customs and traditions enhances their experiences as members of the community.
The motto was selected in 1952
The Mission Statement serves as a bar for which students continuously aim to meet, Tamiah Williams (11) said. “Horace Mann does prepare us to lead great lives,” Tamiah Wiliams (11) said. “However, where I think we need more improvement is that we don’t foster a community of mutual respect; for example, I witnessed one kid verbally harass
show what we are all about.”
Latin MissionMottoStatement
the statement reflects the type of community the school hopes to create, Jonathan Coleman (11) said. “It is very accurate and befitting of our community.”
SophiaLiu/ArtDirector
Maeve GoldMan Staff Writer Maroon
The color maroon gradually became more prominent on campus, becoming the official namesake of organizations from the Maroon and White sports teams to the Maroon Monsoon cheerleading squad in 1923, a Record Article from Issue 11 Volume 16 said. Now, maroon is everywhere: gym uniforms, branded mugs, wall decals, and more.
“We wanted to replicate what was here before, so we bought a lion — which is a copy of the lion found in the storage closet — and a lioness to in the costume and it’s a little hot in The Record and as fun costumes attention and
revised to include not only the core values but the school’s first official reference to the priority it places on a diverse community of students.”
Statement reminds us of how we are all a part of a larger community, Jasi Eyre (11) said. “To me, it means everyone has a form of contribution regardless of what it actually is,” he said. “There is no wrong or right way to contribute as long as your contribution is meaningful for the greater good.”
anotherOverall,kid.”
by a group of alumni and faculty members to replace the school’s original motto. The motto, “The patience to be thorough, the concentration to understand, and the persistence to grasp and apply,” was too long to fit on the school’s crest, according to an article from Volume 45 Issue 16 of The Record.
“When I see something maroon I immediately associate it with Horace Mann,” Gwendolyn Simon (11) said. “It’s nice to have a reminder of the school that when I leave HM, I will not forget.”
Despite falling out of fashion on campus, the traditional red and white school colors appear annually at graduation, Kelly wrote. “If you
excited in middle school when I learned enough of the vocabulary to be able to translate the motto,” Hanzhang Swen (11) said. “I didn’t know what it meant until my Latin teacher pointed out that the words we were learning were also used in the“Tomotto.”me, the motto talks about academic honesty and having the
“Great is the truth”: A look
look at our original graduation banner, it still reflects more of a red background, nowhere near close to maroon. When this banner does appear at commencement time, we do get asked a lot of questions.”
Although maroon has become an integral facet of the school’s identity, the color is not, in fact, maroon, Kelly wrote. “Our school colors are actually a deep red and white.” In fact, one of the original school songs, from when the school was still a teachers’ college, references “the red and white of
not too familiar with the alma mater. If you ask me to sing the alma mater or die, I’m dying,” she said. “I find the song archaic, and since it hasn’t been updated in decades, it is no longer representative of the current culture
The values were a new addition to the school after it faced a difficult period in the late 20th century, Upper Division (UD) history teacher
Core SchoolValuesCrest
SophiaLiu/ArtDirector
“I felt like I was at church the first time I heard it,” Jarrett said. “I was so amazed by how everyone in the community knew the Alma Mater and how it was a beautiful tune that brought everyone together.”
According to a Record article from Volume 105 Issue 14, the school’s core values emerged in 2001 after former Head of School Eileen Mullady proposed creating specific themes for each academic year. According to the article, she did so with the intention of clarifying
Although some students appreciate the core values, others think they are perfunctory, Sofia Filardo (11) said. “I don’t know any by heart because they are sort of
In 2002, after careful consideration by faculty and administrative members, the school officially published the Core Values in the family handbook to offer “a framework for analysis and critique of the issues and problems that inevitably arise,” Weiss said in the article.For Bethany Jarrett (11), the specific values matter less than the general concept of community norms, she said. “I rarely think about the Core Values in my daily life, but I think they help underscore an expectation of morality in the community,” she said. “Even if I might not remember the exact words, the behavioral and ethical lessons I learned will leave the school with me.”
Other students don’t think the crest is necessary, Fishberg said. “We don’t need a crest — it’s so collegiate that it becomes a little pretentious,” Fishberg said. “It doesn’t add anything to the HM image; we are a highschool and we should present ourselves as one.”
THE RECORD FEATURES SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2022 5
Hurried students crossing Olshan lobby often walk over an oversized silver emblem of the school’s official crest. “It’s a very regal and recognizable symbol for the school,” Sofia Filardo (11) said. “It’s nice to have a visual marker that we are one community.”Thefirstschool shield, consisting of a white chevron stripe for Columbia, a lion from the Mann family coat of arms, and a maroon background, was created in 1958 by former Director of Development Mr. Bonter, according to a Record article from Volume 52 IssueSince5. then, the seal has evolved. The current crest features the Horace Mann shield at the center, surrounded by plants on its right and left, the school’s Latin motto,
alignment with school values because lions are pack animals and we are fostering a community,” she said. “It is this idea that we are all looking out for each other.”
SophiaLiu/ArtDirector
In the end, the core values establish the culture that the school aims to foster, UD math teacher Chris Jones said. “The most cynical take on Horace Mann, that I disagree with, is that we are a factory that churns out kids who go to good schools. Our mission, what we are aiming for, is to teach students the tools they can use to
Alma Mater
Barry Bienstock, who has worked at the school for 41 years, said. “I don’t know that the school had anything quite like it when I started in the 1980s, through the 90s, or into the very early years of the 21 century,” he said. “They were a way of moving the school in the right direction and emphasizing that we were in a better place than where we cameFormerfrom.”Head of the UD Dr.
Campbell (11) said. “My favorite values are caring community and individual achievement because they are not only school values, but life values,” Campbell said.
For students, the school crest reflects the essence of the Horace Mann community, Celia Stafford (11) said, “The lion in the center is in
The ivy on either side of the seal historically symbolizes fidelity, friendship, affection, eternal life, endurance and dependence, prestige, and the passage of time, Kelly wrote in an email. “All ring true in terms of what HM represents and what it desires for its students and alumni when considering a life lived well.”
To Ho, the “Alma Mater” is emblematic of the school’s main mission, he said. “What stands out to me is the second half when it goes low — ‘great is the truth and it prevails, mighty the youth tomorrow hails,’” he said. “It is this Horace Mann idea of carrying out this tradition of knowledge and wisdom and truth for the next
minute and forty seconds of singing
experience as students at the school, Kelly wrote.
Inscribed on a plaque in every classroom on campus, the core values are a constant reminder of the school’s hopes for its students in and out of the classroom. 2022 marks the values’ 20th year as an integral part of the school’s philosophy.
After winning the Music Department’s contest in 1952 as a junior, Dr. Robert Ackerman’s ’53 “Alma Mater” became the official school song, according to an article from Volume 45 Issue 28 of The Record.Ackerman’s “Alma Mater” replaced former English teacher Kenneth Rogers’s 1920 “Horace Mann Hymn,” according to an article from Volume 45 Issue 28 of The Record. As a part time student of the Juilliard Saturday School
Some students think the school outgrown the decades old song, population,FishbergGisella(11)said.“UnliketherestoftheschoolIam
and the date the school was founded — 1887. According to Volume 113 Issue 3 of The Record, the round seal was created by Adam Kenner in 2009 alongside the debut of the school’s new website. The roundness was intended to make the seal appear more “fancy,” the article said.
Larry Weiss drafted the core values, Kelly wrote. Weiss drew upon conversations with students from all divisions regarding their
“In an effort to capture the focus of one’s journey through HM, Dr. Weiss was charged with stepping away from the group in an attempt to summarize the information shared earlier in the day,” he wrote. “Dr. Weiss’ draft, with some refinement, lives today as our Core
However, Fishberg appreciates that the crest can be incorporated into school memorabilia, she said. “The only thing I like with the crest is that it’s used on merch,” Fishberg said. “There is this sense of belonging to wear clothing that symbolizes that you are a HM student.”
The values are transferable to stages of life after school ends, Ellie
look inside school traditions
AmiraDossani/ArtDirector
Heumann no longer speaks at inperson presentations, so she spoke to the MD via Zoom, Abbamonte said. Abbamonte looked forward
-Tayla Bryden (6)
After reading Heumann’s book, Anusha Goel (7) was moved by the amount of times Heumann had to fight for her rights as a disabled person. “She had to push for something [that] she should naturally have as a human being… like accessibility [for educational institutions and] getting into buildings.” Goel was especially inspired by how resilient Heumann remains in her fight for disabled rights. “Even though it can be hard to constantly keep pushing when you’re repeatedly told to back down, I thought it was really amazing how [Heumann] is still fighting [for accessibility rights] to this day,”
During the assembly, students asked many questions about why Heumann wrote “Rolling Warrior” and about her experiences in protests, Goel Mavrides-Calderónsaid. asked
Corrections
Courtesy of Barry Mason
“I like the experience of finding new things everyday so it’s not just monotonous.”
“Rolling Warrior” was part of the MD’s annual summer reading, where students and faculty are expected to read a book, MD Dean of Faculty Eva Abbamonte said. “We always try to have the author of our ‘community read’ visit us in assembly. Last year, we read ‘They Called Us Enemy,’ and George Takei spoke with us in assembly.”
believe that the simple act of reading a book together and discussing it as a group helps to build community.”
Ricker hopes students will get to understand and empathize with Heumann’s experiences after they read her Abbamontebook. said Heumann is an amazing activist, an amazing person, and a real role-model. “I loved the book, and so did most of the Giuliakids.”Risa
THE RECORD MIDDLE DIVISON SEPTEMBER 16TH, 20226
teacher Dr. Rhashida Hilliard also admired Heumann’s resilience in her activism. Heumann mentioned that sometimes politicians might seem like they are on your side, but then do not promote any meaningful change, Hilliard said. “I just liked the idea of [Heumann] continuing to stay [on] the course, even if people try to sway or convince [her] they are on [her] side but then keep stalling [her].” Hilliard was impressed that Heumann continues to fight for disabled rights to this day.
A committee of faculty volunteers decides a book for the community read, Khan said. “This year, the committee identified Heumann’s book, ‘Rolling Warrior,’ and the people who read it said it was a great book and an accessible read for“Weeverybody.”thinkit’s important to have a shared reading experience in the middle division,” Ricker said. “We
Spanishsaid.
to meeting Heumann on Zoom. “I think it’s always compelling to hear a person’s story in their own words,” she said. Although she has read “Rolling Warrior,” and watched Heumann’s interview in the documentary,“Crip Camp,” seeing Heumann speak in-person about her experiences is more meaningful to ForAbbamonte.Isabel Mavrides-Calderón (12), meeting Heumann was “a dream come true,” she said. “I’ve been obsessed with [Heumann] since I was eleven years old. She is my idol because I know that so many of the rights I have and many other people have are because of her.” Mavrides-Calderón follows Heumann’s path in her activism for
The topic of abilities and disabilities is something everybody can learn more about, Head of Middle Division (MD) Javaid Khan ‘92 said. On Thursday, the MD welcomed Judith Heumann, disability rights activist and author, to speak via Zoom at their weekly assembly. Internationally recognized as a disability rights leader, Heumann has worked with various nonprofit and government organizations — World Bank and State Department— to develop legislation and policies that provide more accessibility for children and adults with disabilities.
We misprinted new faculty Kathryn Koontz’s pronouns as “he/him” in our last issue. Her correct pronouns are she/her. Koontz is the interim Test Center Coordinatorwhile Jesse Shaw is on leave this year. Previously, she taught at Westchester Community College. We also did not credit the writers for the new faculty articles in our last issue. Staff writers Naomi Yaeger, Maeve Goldman, Isabella Ciriello, and Kate Beckler reported on new UD faculty; staff writers Jorge Orvañanos and Joshua Shuster reported on new MD faculty.
Sixth graders’ first impressions of the Middle Division
(7) liked the book as well. “I learned that if you want something to change, you should make that change,” she said.
Heumann said that the ADA was in danger, and explained what young activists needed to do to protect the ADA, Calderón said. “I think that really empowered me to continue to fight. Hearing her answer my question and explain the next steps really gave me momentum to [keep fighting].”
- Natalie Zeitlin (6)
“I’m excited for the food, food trucks, and Mr. Softee.”
“I was scared and excited when I walked on campus because there were a lot of new people.”
Ricker recalled a touching moment in the book when Heumann could not receive an award because there was no way for her to get onto the stage in her wheelchair. “In [Heumann’s] story, she relays the humiliation and frustration when she realizes that the stage is only accessible by stairs and her father has to lift her wheelchair onto the stage so that she can accept her award,” Ricker said. Heumann considered small and big ways that the world is set up for able bodied people and what it feels like to navigate this world in a wheelchair, Ricker said. “I was struck by the honest and authentic way that the author related her experience as a
disabled rights, she said.
- Maya Tarlowe (6)
“It was a really big campus; I thought that I would get lost every day and not be able to find anything.”-Charles Daniel (6)
This summer, MD students read Heumann’s new book, “Rolling Warrior: The Incredible, Sometimes Awkward, True Story of a Rebel Girl on Wheels Who Helped Spark a Revolution.” The novel is a youngadult adaptation of Heumann’s memoir “Being Heumann,” which focused on her journey to achieve equal access for disabled people, MD Librarian Rachael Ricker said. Ricker reached out to Heumann about speaking at the assembly.
Heumann if she thought the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was in danger, she said.
Goel
- JuliaWassermanCapla-(6)
Author Judith Heumann speaks to MD about disability activism
“I like lunch because I get to hangout with my friends.”
disabled young person.”
Joshua shuster Staff Writer
HEUMANN VISITS ‘MANN MD welcomes disability rights’ activist.
sofia KiM Staff Writer
Pustilnik does not use BeReal, he acknowledges the uniqueness of the app, especially the well-known notification feature that makes it stand out, he said. “It’s a different way of interacting on social media because all users are posting once a day,” he said. “It’s a cool concept that everyone shows what they are doing at the same time, which sets it apart from other social media.”
Harper Rosenberg/Staff Photographer
When Bates moved back to New York City in 1990, he reached out to his old musician friends to let them know that he was back and that he could now play the steel drums. “Suddenly, I started getting all these calls and was busier and busier, playing all of my instruments at first,” he said. “But, slowly but surely, it was more and more the steel pans.”
Emily Grant (11) also heard about the app through friends, but has not downloaded it. BeReal does not encourage true authenticity as users can retake their photos or wait until they are doing something worth posting, she said. She believes that to attain a truly unfiltered persona, these features should be removed.
BeReal has varying levels of authenticity, Hannah Bodner (10), who uses the app, said. “Some people post as soon as the notification comes out while others wait until a specific time, which goes against the purpose of the Whileapp.”BeReal is supposed to portray what users are doing in the moment, these features allow users to make their lives seem different than they really are, Daniel Pustilnik (11), who does not use the app, said. Like Grant,
The BeReal addiction is real
Varsity Field Hockey win against Brearley, she said. “With the front and back camera feature, we were able to show everyone who played in theAlthoughgame.” viral memes show what fictional characters might post on BeReal, like Rory from Gilmore Girls or Bella from Twilight, many photos just show users in their room or doing work, Harris said. “BeReal almost shows the monotony of everyday life,” heWhensaid. the notification is later at night, most photos are of students doing their homework, Choi said.
Bates then spent the following year in the U.S. Virgin Islands playing the drums and the vibraphone professionally, he said. “I had bought my first steel drum right before we moved and sometimes, I’d bring the drum on the job with me and switch between the vibraphone and the steel pan. By the end of that year I was pretty proficient in both instruments,” he said.
While Bates’ interest in the steel pans took a backseat for thirteen years, his career went on. He picked up an instrument called the vibraphone, a metal xylophone. With this addition to his repertoire, many new opportunities opened up for him, he said.
Thirteen year later, Bates was finally reminded of his mental note when he saw a concert that included the steel pan. “I asked the performer where he got the pan which led me to his brother who makes them which led me to buying one,” he said.
Step aside Snapchat, a new social media app is in town: BeReal has become Gen Z’s latest obsession.
city for around ten years, directed a steel drum band at a church in Terrytown, and taught as an artist in residence at a high school in
been working hard to learn a song. The class period when they can finally play it all the way through, sometimes they just erupt into applause for themselves and for that sense of
2022-2023 School YearShows and Productions
KristyXie/StaffArtist
etta sinGer Staff Writer
he thinks the retake feature detracts from the “realness” of the app. “It’s more authentic than other forms of social media, but the app’s name should only be taken with a grain of salt,” he However,said.unlike Instagram, BeReal has no likes or followers, which creates less pressure to take filtered photos, Bodner said. “I find it fun doing the BeReals and seeing what my friends are doing… if they are hanging out together or at an interesting place. I am usually excited when I see the notification, especially if I am with myAlthoughfriends.”
Bates’ journey to the steel drums
Since taking Bates’ class for two years, Jacob Silverstein (12) has discovered his love for music. “Mr Bates has taught me about rhythm and reading music,” he said. “He works really hard to bring all of the different sections together to sound harmonious.” Silverstein has found Bates to be the glue of the band.
SENIORS ARE THE REALEST The senior class smiles for a BeReal.
Many BeReal users originally learned about the app through friends. Miller Harris (12) saw other people using BeReal before he decided to download it for fun, he said. “I had heard about it for a little while and thought, why not? There’s no harm,” he said. Harris spent his summer using BeReal at his internship or just in his room, also using the app to keep up with his friends’ activities.
THE RECORD ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2022 7
Two years after its release in 2020, BeReal’s popularity skyrocketed in mid-2022 downloaded over 28 million times worldwide with at least 10 million active daily users, according to Online Optimism. Encouraging people to be more “real” on social media, BeReal randomly sends a notification once a day to all users: “Time to Be Real,” punctuated by exclamation points on either side. Users must take a doublesided photo of what they are doing in under two minutes, then share the shot with their friends. The app does not allow edits or filters on the photo, though people can retake it within the two minutes, or post later in the day if they miss the time slot.
For Mignone, a memorable BeReal moment was taking a photo with her teammates and coaches after the Girls
decline, she said. “The app would be more interesting in the summer, where there is more spontaneity in activities,” she Audreysaid.
By eighth grade, Bates had gained an affinity for rock ‘n’ roll. “That was when I started playing the drums and getting pretty serious about it,” he said. Bates also learned the piano while continuing to play the drums throughout high school.
PAN-TASTIC Bates “steels” the show.
Courtesy of Morgan Bart
VivianCoraci/ArtDirector KarlaMoreira/StaffArtist
At school, students take their BeReals between classes in the halls, or during their sports team practices, Kayla Choi (11) said. Choi has posted many BeReals on the soccer field with her teammates after practice.
JoJo Mignone (11) finds that an app that prioritizes being authentic is more compelling to users because social media is often fake, she said. “The purpose of BeReal is to deconstruct the toxic nature of social media and see what people are doing when they are not online.” To capture the essence of the app’s name, it is important for users to post the unfiltered version of themselves, she said. Mignone often takes her BeReals wherever she is at the moment: in her car, room, or at Yankees games, she said.
After he graduated, Bates attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and went on to play drums for numerous bands, he said. In 1976, he discovered the steelBatespan.was in a recording studio at Northern Illinois University to learn and record traditional Ghanaian music when he heard steel drums being played for the first time from the studio next door. “I thought the sound was so unique that I made a mental note of ‘I need to learn this instrument’ but did not get around to it for several many years,” he said.
As schoolwork increases and life becomes more regular, Grant thinks BeReal’s popularity will
HMTC:November 10-12: UD Fall Play “The Good Doctor”- Black Box TheatreDecember 9-10: MD Winter Musical “James & theGiant Peach, Jr.” - Gross TheatreJanuary 19-21: UD/MD Dance Concert - GrossTheatreFebruary 9-11: HMTC Student-Run Play TBD -Black Box TheatreApril 27-29: UD Spring Musical “SomethingRotten!” - Gross TheatreMay 20: MD Spring Play “Much Ado AboutNothing” - location TBD
Choir and Instrumental:October 27: UD Advanced Ensembles Concert -Sanders Recital HallDecember 6: UD Bands and Steel Drums HolidayConcert - Cohen Dining Commons
Goldberg (11), who uses the app, agrees that the app’s popularity will die down as school begins as the app can become repetitive with little to no variation, she said. “While its objective is different from Instagram, there are more forms of entertainment like stories, reels, and shopping that make instagram’s popularity sustainable in the long run.”
Though music has been central to music teacher Alan Bates’ life for decades, he did not begin playing an instrument until sixth grade, when he joined his school band, he said. “My older brother played guitar and I wanted to be just like him, so I started playing cornet (a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but shorter and wider) for two years.”
Karla Zhu/Staff Artist
As Bates’ demand grew, so did his range of professional outlets. “At that point in my life, making a living was kind of a hodgepodge,” he said. He played at senior centers, country clubs, hotels, resorts, cruise ships, beach clubs in rock bands, R&B bands, country bands, cabarets, musicals, and also at recording
The victories of some of my favorites on the men’s tour made up for my early disappointment with Raducanu’s loss. I watched 19-year-old wunderkind Carlos
Varsity Football coach Matthew Russo said.“Because we beat them last year, we
In addition to Guyer and Mogelof, captain Nate Wildman (12) shined during the game, Eisner said. “That’s expected of a player who’s given his heart and soul for the last four years, and is a beast when it comes to football.”
Even though the team lost, the game was a great learning experience for them, Guyer said. “We [now] all know what it feels like to be in a losing position,” he said. “Our loss will definitely motivate us more in our practices and games, and I am looking forward to seeing us excel the rest of the season.”
NICE SHOT! Emma Cang (10) goes for the volley.
Courtesy of Barry Mason
Sam Spector’s (11) touchdown was a highlight of the game, Eisner said. “He was all the way in the endzone and he caught [the ball], which put the team back into the game and into the lead for a short period of time,” he said. “It was one of the most memorable moments from the game.”
This year’s US Open was the most remarkable one in recent history. A changing of the guard, hints of a new status quo, revolution in the rankings, and surprising upsets — the landmark tennis tournament in Flushing Meadows, NY truly had it all. Perhaps most importantly, the final Grand Slam of 2022 indicated just how far tennis has come since the beginning of the “Open Era” in the 1960s. I was particularly affected by 21-yearold Iga Swiatek and 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz’s victories in women’s and men’s singles, given their youth and their exciting new styles of play.
SophiaLiu/ArtDirector
“The interception happened so fast that I barely knew what was going on until I had sat down on the sidelines. I was really proud of myself,” Guyer said.
“The seniors, including Wildman and Matthew Jacobson (12), really played their hearts out and did a great job,” Harris said.
GVT’s main focus during the match was staying positive regardless of the score, Chang said. “Going in, we weren’t expecting to win or lose, we were just expecting to play our best and do our best to have a good start to the season.”
Even though the matches lasted longer than expected, the team did a great job keeping their spirits high and maintaining an energetic environment throughout the whole evening, Chang said. She and her doubles partner Sammi Strasser (12) were tired towards the end of their match, but their teammates’ energy rubbed off on them and encouraged them to keep playing. It was a close game and came down to a third tiebreaker set, but the Lions won.
The team’s close dynamic allows for them to push each other to their best, Chang said. “We each know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and among us, we can give each other helpful constructive criticism and motivation to keep working.”
Jiyon Chatterjee Contributing Writer
Even though Scarsdale won the state championship last year, the Lions kept a positive attitude throughout the matches, Diya Chawla (10) said. “We were all cheering each other on, trying to stay positive, and trying to have as much fun as we could.”
Record Sports
before they began the season, but the scrimmage was canceled, Guyer said. They would have really benefited from having a scrimmage and had a better chance to beat Riverdale, he said.
Last season, the team won their homecoming game against Riverdale.
The Girls Varsity Tennis (GVT) started off their season with a 3-2 win against Poly Prep Country Day School last Friday and a 1-6 loss against Scarsdale High School this Monday. Team morale remained high leading up to the game against Poly Prep — the first of the season and the team felt prepared coming out of preseason, Emma Chang (10) said. Their team spirit, dressing up like a country club member, also contributed to improving their mood pre-match. “It really gets you pumped up before [the game] starts,” Chang said. “It was fun going out on the field and taking photos of everyone.”
8SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2022
The weather at the start of the game was extremely hot, which made many of the plays more tiring to the players, Tucker Harris (10) said. However, despite their loss and the heat, the team’s morale remained high. “No matter if we were on defense or offense, or even if it was a timeout, everyone both on and off the field was pumped,” Harris said.
Coming into this year’s US Open, I cheered on my compatriot Emma Raducanu of Great Britain, the defending champion and teenage tennis superstar who, in 2021, became the first ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam. When I watched the tournament live during the first round, I stood outside her practice court for an hour, excitedly waiting for her autograph. I cursed myself for forgetting the “Marry Me, Emma” sign that I brought to the women’s final last year — maybe it would have helped catch her attention. Alas, she didn’t stop to greet the fans and left for the locker rooms, focused on winning her match only a few hours away. Later that night, I was met with yet more disappointment when the 19-year-old Brit lost in straight sets against frequent giant-slayer Alizé Cornet of France. It may have been a case of too much hype too soon for Raducanu, though I have no doubt that she will fight hard to climb her way back up the rankings after this unexpected loss.
Guyer also played well and was able to show off his skills and talent during the game, Eisner said. “[He] had this interception which was such a great play and was definitely a game changer.”
Most impressive about the two winners this year was their mental fortitude. For players only 19 and 21 years old, both Alcaraz and Swiatek exhibited point-by-point, resilient attitudes that allowed them to persist even
LOADING UP QB Nate Wildman (12) gets ready to throw.
Nikita Pande Staff Writer
Courtesy of Aden Soroca
In their season opener, Varsity Football faced a close but tough 14-16 loss against rival Riverdale last Saturday.
Going forward, the team’s focus for the rest of the season is to encourage one another to continue to improve, Chawla said. “When we practice, we work together a lot and try to make each other better,” she said. “That’s what makes it so fun.”
The team planned to have a scrimmage with another school
were pretty confident going into [the game],” Oliver Guyer (10) said. “This game felt more like an away game because the people that attended were mostly Riverdale friends and family, so everyone was cheering [for] Riverdale instead of us.”
male player), Alcaraz has a more complete game than Nadal did at 19, combining powerful, aggressive baseline groundstrokes with the ability to consistently finish points at the net. In three marathon fiveset victories from the round of 16 until the final, Alcaraz exemplified the ever-increasing physicality and endurance tests of the sport. His five hour 15 minute quarterfinal against Italian Jannik Sinner was labeled one of the greatest matches ever played at the US Open by several commentators, showing hints of a future rivalry that will hopefully be comparable to the one between the “Big Three” of men’s tennis: Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic.
One memorable moment from the Poly Prep game was Emmy Odell’s (9) match, Chang said. She lost her first set but won the next two in an exciting comeback, with a 6-1 third set. After the match, GVT Coach Rawlins Troop gave her the gameball, similar to an MVP award, for her performance. Odell won because of her perseverance, Troop said. She did not force difficult shots, instead focusing on consistently hitting the ball over the net, he Consistencysaid.is important when up against difficult opponents, like in Monday’s game. HM and Scarsdale are close competitors, which always makes for interesting games, Troop said. “Scarsdale was loaded with a lot of great players. We play them every year and some years we beat them, and a couple years they beat us.”
The retirement of Serena Williams, who played her final match during this year’s third round, captured most of the headlines about the Open. She leaves the sport as the player with the most Grand Slams in the Open Era, and many fear that a sizable void of consistent winners will open in her wake, given how Williams has dominated the tour for the past years.
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The team made a lot of plays in the second half after being down and showed their resilience, which will help the team for the remainder of the season, Russo said.
“Riverdale is always a tough game for us. They are a rival hill school, and the team is always excited for the challenge,”
During the preseason, the team attended a sleepaway camp for four days to bond and prepare for the season. The drills and scrimmages the team did at the camp impacted how the school played against Riverdale, Carson Eisner (10) said. “At school, we are limited in how [often] we can tackle and hit, but we really had a lot of freedom in terms of what we could do at football camp.”
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Still, the players and coaches on the sidelines cheered the Lions on and created an energetic environment throughout the entirety of the game, Eisner said. “Our coach really pumped us up and got us excited and ready to [play] Riverdale.” After halftime, the team put in a new group of players to play offense because the previous set of players was falling behind, Eisner said. “That shows we all have trust in each other to do something new. For a team to be successful, you need to do your part and trust that other people do theirs correctly,” he said.
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Iga Swiatek’s victory provides some recourse to women’s tennis fans in this regard: after attaining the number one ranking this year, she has backed up the label by adding two Slams to her previous French Open win. Swiatek is aggressive but methodical, wearing her opponents down with heavy topspin groundstrokes, and is a fantastic mover on the court. It is little surprise that she was a straight-sets victor in the final against Ons Jabeur, who also made headlines for becoming the first African and Arab finalist at the US Open.
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Jack Mogelof (11), who plays weakside linebacker, stood out for his impressive tackles, Eisner said.
Coming back against Riverdale was not the team’s only challenge: one of their most valuable players, Julian Harcourt (12), suffered a foot injury in the middle of the game, Eisner said. Despite this setback, the players maintained a positive attitude throughout the game, he said.