Issue 16

Volume 119 Issue 16

The Record Horace Mann’s Weekly Newspaper Since 1903

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Feature: Gender presentation beyond the binary, reflecting on society and self Emily Sun Staff Writer “It all started in eighth grade,” Dylan Acharjee (12) said. They always wore their hair down to their lower back until one day, they decided on a whim to tuck it under a hat so it looked like they had short hair.

All the signs of their identity as a transgender person, from when they said “I wish I was a boy” in fifth grade recess, to when they wanted a flat chest like the boys from their swim unit, clicked into place. “I was like, ‘hang on, I kind of like being seen as this more masculine version of myself,’” they said.

Acharjee is a nonbinary transgender man, which means their gender falls between male and nonbinary, they said. For both transgender people — those whose gender does not align with the gender they were assigned at birth — and cisgender people, gender norms shape how they choose to present themselves through their appearances, styles, behaviors, and mannerisms.

Gendered expectations set the terms around which styles are open to who and how much effort is socially acceptable. “As a woman, there’s a lot more societal pressure

and I don’t want to take up as much space as because I feel like I’m showing myself off.”

That internalized anxiety shaped her behavior in classes when she was younger, Hida said. Even if teachers did not expect her to, she felt the need to seem subordinate for a better grade. “I used to think that I had to form my responses in such a way that they were less confident,” she said. “I would preface with, ‘I’m not sure’ or ‘I think it’s a stupid idea.’”

Recently, Hida feels more comfortable in masculine styles such as loose sweatpants and sweatshirts that cover her physique, rather than form-fitting, feminine items that show her body.

“It doesn’t make me think so much about whether my stomach’s out, if I have a muffin top, or if my waist is being sucked in constantly because my waistband is two sizes smaller than it should be,” she said.

Cisgender men also have to defy societal norms for authenticity, Joaquin Ramirez Villarreal (12) said. He has grown more comfortable with his selfexpression, but expectations for how men should dress still limit his choices. “I don’t think I’m as adventurous as I could be — I think it’s really cool when guys go out and wear crop tops and stuff, and

“People feel a need to label certain things, certain clothes, certain mannerisms feminine or masculine because they are uncomfortable with ambiguity. It just hurts society because it tells people a way to live, and it hinders authenticity.”

- Joan* for me to look good all the time, even if I’m just going to school,” Lian Ayedemir (12) said. Ever since she was 12, she planned her outfits the night before and woke up early to do her makeup. The pressure was especially apparent in junior year, when she caught herself worrying about what to wear even after she stayed up until 3 a.m. for schoolwork.

Ayedemir stopped dressing for others after that realization, she said. Instead, she wears the skirts, lace dresses, cardigans, and jewelry that she likes, she said. “I always keep in mind, ‘am I putting so much effort into how I look just because I like it, or do I subconsciously want external validation, especially male validation?’”

The male gaze describes the pressure to retain social value from men by being pretty, smart (but not too smart), and timid, Tomoko Hida (12) said. “Despite my will to pursue the feminist agenda in all parts of my life, I still fall victim to pining after male validation.”

Hida noticed how she catered her appearance and actions to how men or people of higher status might perceive her because she worried that they might lose respect for her otherwise, she said. “I often make myself very small when I am wearing more feminine clothes,

I haven’t been able to get to that stage,” he said. “An implicit bias of mine is worrying that I’m going to go too far with an outfit, or that I’m going to make myself the object of ridicule because I’ve been too liberal with my expression.”

Gendered norms for men have made Matthew Aponte (12) second-guess choices over his appearance, like painting his nails or wearing pink clothing, he said.

Even when societal standards are not overt, they still have a subconscious effect by steering people towards certain styles depending on their gender, Avi Rao (11) said. His usual outfit is a long-sleeved shirt and tan corduroy pants, with a dash of pink on his shoes. “I don’t try to look traditionally masculine or conventionally feminine, and I don’t think gender really plays into what I choose,” he said.

“If I wanted to wear more conventionally feminine clothes, I totally could, but I personally just have a preference.”

Cultural signifiers set masculine presentation as the default, math teacher Benjamin Kafoglis said. For

example, the signage on bathrooms shows men as the standard, while women are identified by the addon dress. Rather than a set of identifiable qualities, masculinity is sometimes defined as the absence of femininity, he said.

societal expectations to present as their gender identity,” computer science teacher Avery Feingold said. “I, as a nonbinary person, have a sort of relative privilege compared to binary trans folks where I feel comfortable being perceived in a variety of ways, rather than having a particular identity that I want to strive for.”

Vivian Coraci/Art Director

Kafoglis’ style leans masculine — long pants, collared shirt, short hair — though he has considered deviating from the norm and tried painting his nails, for example. He found that he feels more comfortable presenting in traditionally masculine ways, he said. “It feels good to know that this is an active choice, not something I’ve just fallen into because it’s the male thing.”

Gender presentation intersects with sexuality, as certain signifiers incorrectly connote homosexuality, especially for men. Aponte worries that others might mislabel his sexuality based on stereotypes that gay people are involved in theater and “flamboyant,” since the tone of his voice fluctuates as he talks and he punctuates his speech with hand gestures — mannerisms that deviate from the expectation for heterosexual men to be monotone and stoic, he said. “It’s as if people are talking about you behind your back, but I don’t know what they are saying,” he said. “That’s where the anxiety comes from — not knowing how people will react.”

Joan*, who is anonymous because she does not want to out herself as queer, said that the more authentic version of herself is a mix between feminine and masculine qualities — she wears

January 28th, 2022

crewnecks and her dad’s sweaters, as well as tight-fitting crop tops.

However, social representations of women’s beauty through the eyes of men pushes Joan towards a strictly feminine appearance and demeanor when she talks to men she is romantically interested in, she said. She is more comfortable with a fluid gender expression when she is with women or nonbinary people. “I’ve been trying to be more authentic, no matter who I’m talking to, but it’s still a work in progress,” she said.

As diverse as gender presentation is between cis and trans folks collectively, there is as much diversity again within trans communities. “Cis people have the privilege of not actively f i g ht i ng against

The unease that arises from an incongruence between one’s socially perceived gender and their true identity is termed gender dysphoria, Trish Tran (11) said.

They are nonbinary and experience dysphoria when others group them with women, they said. “It’s a discomfort and agitation, but on a deeper level, it’s feeling like I’m not being respected.”

see Gender Presentation on pg. 3

Felix Brener/Staff Artist

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THE RECORD OPINIONS JANUARY 28TH, 2022

“More than just a dream”: Reflecting on MLK’s radical legacy

Destiney Green “Please don’t act like everyone loved my father. He was assassinated. A 1967 poll reflected that he was one of the most hated men in America. Most hated. Many who quote him now and evoke him to deter justice today would likely hate, and may already hate, the authentic King.”

Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King. Jr, one of the most influential figures in US History, tweeted these words around MLK Day of last year. Amidst the rise of social and racial tensions in America and the attack on the United States Capitol that left five people dead and many more injured, MLK Day was supposed to inspire unity and remind the country of the work that remains ahead. However, King’s nonviolent movement for civil rights has become a weapon to devalue and reframe the fight for social justice.

His pacifist approach to civil rights has been misrepresented to depict a “right” way to fight injustice when, in reality, it does not exist.

King, a Baptist minister and social activist in the 1950s and 1960s, became

the face of the civil rights movement through his rhetoric of peace and love. For much of his life, King faced violence, resistance, and injustice perpetrated by white supremacists and people who refused to examine their prejudices. Though King grew up on Auburn Avenue, known as “Black Wall Street” and home to prosperous Black businesses and Black churches, he was not exempt from the suffocating racism in America. At the age of six, one of King’s white playmates announced that his parents would no longer allow him to play with King as they would now be attending segregated schools.

As King grew, so did his hatred for racial segregation. In response, he developed a tactic of nonviolence to dismantle the nation’s prejudice. King’s commitment to the Baptist church and his experience at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania amplified his nonviolent approach to dismantling racial segregation. He also became acquainted with Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence and the teachings of contemporary Protestant theologians.

Despite his peaceful approach to fighting racial injustice, King was demonized for his attempts to dismantle the systemic racism that permeated American society. He refused to accept Jim Crow and demanded that Black Americans be fully acknowledged as citizens of the United States. But when people quote King’s popular “I Have A Dream Speech,” it is not to depict the reality of King’s radicalism that vigorously protested injustice, but rather to use his words to present an inaccurate and amicable picture of King that focuses solely on his tactics of nonviolence rather than the content of his arguments. Depicting King’s

“pacifism” as only representing a nonconfrontational and harmonious force detracts from the gravity of the issues he highlighted. King understood that for equality to be achieved, disruption would be necessary.

It was not until people worldwide took their anger to the streets and demanded reform that the oncedemonized rhetoric of peace finally became acceptable. King’s legacy prevails today through the Black Lives Matter movement and through countless others who fight for social justice. These activists, like King, recognized the violence marginalized communities face every day — now, they march in the streets, fighting to be heard. Yet many conservative politicians who love to quote King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on MLK day oppose those very protests.

Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted on MLK Day this year, “Dr. King was a true fighter for social justice who believed in the potential of America. His vision for our nation was best summed up by his quote — ‘We may have all come on different ships but we’re in the same boat now.’ Let us continue to honor Dr. King’s legacy and works both today and in the days to come.” Graham, along with nearly every Republican Senator, refuses to even debate the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Voting rights was the heart of the Civil Rights movement. To praise King and then undermine suffrage is the definition of hypocrisy. Moreover, when Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick engaged in a peaceful protest, kneeling during the national anthem, he was defamed, derailing his football career. In these ways, those who opposed the efforts to fight injustice then are thus embracing their version of “peace” to reject the

Sam Stern/Staff Artist

validity and respect that recent acts of resistance deserve.

Malcolm X and King are painted as two opposing forces, where King seems to be much preferred. In actuality, they both possessed a hatred for white supremacy, and if King were alive today, he would likely be loathed by many of the same people quoting him. The King who criticized American militarism, spoke out against the Vietnam War, and advocated for education and employment for Black Americans would continue to advocate for these progressive policies today. He would be one of the millions of faces seen demanding change while marching down the streets of New York City, one of the faces being told by people like Graham to stop protesting.

Stop telling those who have the most justifiable anger to settle down and embrace love and amiability when that love is not reciprocated. Martin Luther King Jr. reflects a devotion to combating racial injustice, but not definitively how to approach this goal.

No protest will ever be seen as right by those who are complicit in injustices.

So save the tweets, comments, and critiques telling people how to protest

if you are unwilling to address the root issue: individual, systemic, and systematic racism. That is the whole point of MLK Day. Following the rare instance of justice that emerged from the George Floyd case, and countless other cases, MLK Day last week sparked serious reflection for me. In the following days, as many took to social media to repost King’s “I Have A Dream” Speech, I recalled the voices of my peers and people I knew who refused to criticize the unjust systems in America last year, using King to support their ignorance. Rather than an immediate repost of King that depicted only the most surface level of his activism, I had hoped for an acknowledgement of his profound devotion to resistance, and an incentive to do more.

As we continue to reflect upon the essence of King, I encourage the community to examine the ways they can honor the true intent of King’s stance: by taking action that is both non-violent and still radical. MLK Day is about more than just his dream — it is about how to make that dream a reality.

experienced

and environmental pollution. However, those who thrift should be aware of the clothing they are potentially taking away from those who need them most.

The negative impacts of the popularization of thrifting should not go unnoticed. Recognize where your clothes come from, and acknowledge that intending to thrift and resell thrifted pieces for outrageously high prices takes away from the underprivileged. In addition to fast fashion and its bad reputation, naive thrifting practices can be unethical as well. Avoid reselling thrifted items at marked up prices. If you are a buyer in a thrift store, try limiting the items in your shopping cart and be aware of the amount of clothes you might be taking away from those who need them. If you are considering ethical and sustainable shopping, try buying items from friends or shopping from ecofriendly companies. However, not all “eco-friendly” brands are entirely free of environmentally harmful practices, so if you can avoid replenishing your closet with new clothes each season, the reduction of your consumption can also reduce clothing companies’ consumption of Earth’s resources.

Pay attention to the harmful effects of thrifting

Celine Kiriscioglu In case you haven’t noticed via the recent wave of Instagram posts and TikTok trends, thrifting is now cool.

A method of buying clothing once considered “cheap” and “dirty” has now transformed into a hobby, or even a business, seen as “trendy” and “affordable.” The increased popularity regarding thrifting — the collection and sale of reasonably-priced secondhand clothing — has garnered generally positive reactions as a sustainable way of recycling clothes.

The process of frequently restocking one’s closet with new clothes has been worsened by fast fashion: the rapid

production of clothes by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends. Because of its production and disposal of waste, fast fashion also has an enormous environmental impact.

The manufacturing of clothing requires significant amounts of energy and resources such as toxic fabric dyes and other chemicals that contaminate bodies of water. Because thrifting allows clothes to be worn by many people before being thrown out, the impact of recycling clothes ultimately reduces the production processes of fast fashion that output massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and use significant amounts of resources. When initially considering second-hand shopping, it therefore appears to be a helpful way of reducing the number of new clothes bought while providing an inexpensive way for people to shop on a tight budget.

Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, thrifting is more complicated than that.

Although it might seem like a great alternative to the cycle of fast fashion, thrifting’s increased popularity has fostered a new set of problems in the fashion industry. As thrifting has gotten more popular amongst the middle class, “there are less quality items left on the

Volume 119 Editorial Board Editor in Chief Hanna Hornfeld

Managing Editor Liliana Greyf

Features Mia Calzolaio Emma Colacino

News Claire Goldberg Katya Tolunsky

Opinions Devin Allard-Neptune Yin Fei

A&E Purvi Jonnalagadda Arushi Talwar

Middle Division Jade Ciriello

Lions’ Den Lauren Ho

Art Directors Vivian Coraci Lauren Kim Riva Vig

Design Editors Avani Khorana Myra Malik Arin Rosen

Online Editor Lucas Glickman

Head of Design AJ Walker

Photography

Daniel Schlumberger Ailill Walsh Sean Lee Sam Siegel

Faculty Adviser David Berenson

thrift store shelves for those who truly have no other affordable options,” a Berkeley based study states.

Additionally, the rise of consumers also resulted in the rise in prices of the items sold at thrift stores.

In recent years, Goodwill, one of the biggest chain thrift stores, has altered its pricing system.

This rise in prices might seem insignificant to the wave of teenagers searching thrift stores for unique, vintage finds, but to the people who thrift out of necessity to save money, it may cause them to struggle finding sources for affordable clothing.

Along with the rise in thrifting, Depop and other websites on which people resell clothing have recently

Lauren Kim/ Art Director

exponential growth. Now, online resellers scavenge thrift stores for trendy finds and buy products in bulk to sell at marked up prices online, ultimately taking away products purchased by struggling communities.

The action of thrifting itself is not wrong; however, reselling thrifted items for higher prices and taking resources away from those who need them is unethical.

I strongly believe that second-hand shopping is one of the most significant ways to minimize our contribution to unethical fast fashion brands which contain exploitative labor practices

Staff

Staff Writers Alex Lautin, Alexandra Yao, Allison Markman, Audrey Carbonell, Audrey Moussazadeh, Ayesha Sen, Cecilia Coughlin, Celine Kiriscioglu, Divya Ponda, Emily Salzhauer, Emily Sun, Hannah Katzke, Jillian Lee, Jiya Chatterjee, Max Chasin, Rachael Baez, Sean Lee, Vidhatrie Keetha, Zack Kurtz, Ariella Frommer, Athena Rem, Ben Rafal, Ella Shaham, Erica Jiang, Etta Singer, Heidi Li, Kate Beckler, Lucy Peck, Maeve Goldman, Naomi Yaeger, Neeva Patel, Nia Huff, Rani Ogden, Samantha Matays, Sophie Rukin Staff Photographers Aanya Gupta, Allyson Wright, Amelia Hirsch, Anna Miller, Aryan Palla, Ben Rafal, Catherine Mong, David Aaron, Dylan Greenberg, Harper Rosenberg, Jiwan Kim, Lynn Egan, 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, Samuel Stern, Serena Bai, Sophia Liu, Sophie Li

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.

THE RECORD FEATURES JANUARY 28TH, 2022

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“Perception is truth”: A reflection on gender presentation, continued from Gender Presentation on page 1 Robin*, who uses she/they pronouns and is anonymous because they are not publically out, also experiences dysphoria when people categorize them solely as female, they said.

Her discomfort stemmed from the hyperfemininity associated with their larger chest, which her mom and friends had commented on ever since they were younger. “I’ve always been uncomfortable with my body, but only recently did I really realize that it’s not just uncomfortable in my body, it’s also uncomfortable in comparison to what I want to project,” they said. “I don’t want to be feminine all the time.”

While many nonbinary people assigned female at birth present as androgynous — between masculine and feminine — or masculine, some lean into their feminity, which creates another set of challenges when others assume they are cis girls. Chris Smith (11) is nonbinary and dresses in a stereotypically feminine manner because it is more authentic to their style, they said.

past six years. They are constantly working on setting boundaries when it comes to

“There are a billion trade-offs every day on that axis of my own comfort versus other people’s comfort.There are times when I prioritize other people’s comfort over my own, and sometimes that’s just as much about keeping myself safe, as it is about keeping myself happy.”

- Avery Feingold misgendering, they said. It is important to assert their boundaries but there is an unease around creating conflict when they correct people, so they appreciate when someone else talks to people who misgender them privately, Feingold said.

Vivian Coraci/Art Director

It is frustratingly common for people to use she/her pronouns for Smith and view them as cisgender after they introduce themselves, they said. “It’s like they don’t hear what I’m saying, they only look at me and think, ‘oh yeah, we’ve decided who you are,’ even though that’s not me.”

Tran did not come out as nonbinary until their sophomore year because they did not want anyone to see them as anything other than “normal,” they said. Now, they introduce themselves with their correct pronouns. “The amount of support and respect that I got from my teachers was absolutely mind-blowing,” they said. One interaction that stands out is when their math teacher immediately corrected himself after using “she” to describe them.

label certain things, certain clothes, certain mannerisms feminine or masculine because

“That’s a really great ally move — take [misgendering] away from the trans person’s responsibility and help hold other people accountable.”

Perception and gender presentation is a central concern for trans people, as they assert themselves in a largely transphobic society that sets limitations on how people are allowed to act. “It’s something that’s literally always on my mind,” Feingold said. “I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about what to wear, how to put my hair, how to do every specific detail for every interaction I’m going to have with people.”

Shay*, who is anonymous because they are not out, acts more feminine to pass as cis when they are closeted around people such as their family, they said. It is frustrating when others’ perceptions of Shay differ from how they perceive themselves, they said. It throws their identity into question, causing them to feel like they have something to prove.

“Perception is truth,” they said. “If people perceive me in a certain way, that’s how I am, but if I perceive myself in a certain way, it’s also how I am. I’m cis to them — but I’m also just not.”

It can be exhausting to dress and act based on fears over how others might perceive them, Feingold said.

“There are a billion trade-offs every day on that axis of my own comfort Vivian Coraci/Art Director versus other people’s comfort,” they “Hearing said. “There are times when I prioritize other t h a t people’s comfort over my own, and sometimes happen was that’s just as much about keeping myself safe, one of the as it is about keeping myself happy.” first times I Feingold walks the line between wearing felt seen and things that make them happy in their recognized as identity, and presenting in a way that is myself.” perceived as professional. They often wear a Before the masculine-coded metal watch, Feingold said. first day of “People want to be able to categorize you, school, Feingold so finding details that allow them to do that practiced how they while maintaining your own sense of self is would introduce helpful.” themselves with Being socially constructed, the binary their pronouns, categories of masculine and feminine do which they have not serve any purpose outside of enforcing been using for the conformity, Joan said. “People feel a need to

they are uncomfortable with ambiguity,” she said. “It just hurts society because it tells people a way to live, and it hinders authenticity.”

While binary gender stereotypes are often negative in the cisgender community, trans people can utilize or usurp them if they want to be perceived in line with their gender, Tran said. They use mannerisms and clothing to outwardly represent their identity such that others cannot tell if they are a boy or girl at first glance, they said. “People get very confused by the way that I look, the way that I dress, or my energy, and I think that’s a very beautiful thing.”

For example, Tran observed how to display more masculine body language by sitting open-legged and talking from their chest in a low, slow tone. They wear thick and heavy rings that add weight and size to their hands, their favorite being a skeleton ring that wraps around their middle finger. They also learned that layering creates a boxy body shape, which can distract from their chest or stomach. Lifting weights and gaining muscle helps them feel more with their body, and their hair — shoulder-length with shaved sides and streaks of green — completes the image.

“When I get dysphoric, I touch the sides of my head and I’m like, ‘you still have this part of your identity, that’s not going away,’” they said.

On the flip side of dysphoria, gender euphoria describes feeling confident in one’s gender and its presentation. “It’s a sense of comfort after a long span of discomfort, like sitting down in the shower after a roll in the literal mud,” Feingold said. “I feel it when I’m alone — I feel safe and I feel happy and I feel excited about the person I am, in the body I’m in.”

Feingold sometimes finds euphoria in the clothes they wear, such as flowy tops, unusual accessories, and the multicolored bandana their partner gifted them for Christmas that they use to pull back their hair, they said. “My hair in particular gives me a lot of opportunities to present intentionally, whether I do something traditionally feminine like wearing a bow or something that just looks wonky like letting my curls hang free.”

Similarly, Robin gravitates towards outfits that spark gender euphoria, such as sweatshirts, flannels, and a pair of jeans they bought from the men’s section, they said. It helps her look the way she feels so that others see her the way she sees herself day by day.

While there might not be a visual distinction between a cisgender girl or a nonbinary person in an androgynous outfit, clothing choice resonates differently on an internal level, they said. “When I wear masculine or androgynous clothing, I think ‘oh, this is really affirming.’”

There are limits to how much fashion can ease the dissonance between Robin’s perceived and true gender, they said. Even

though she shops in the men’s section or looks for baggy clothing in the women’s section, the clothing they buy still fits wher body differently. “Something that’s not talked about a lot is androgyny for different body types,” they said. They have tried binding — where one compresses their breast tissue to create the appearance of a flat chest — but there are no equivalent techniques for hips or other feminine body parts.

Medical transitions are another part of gender presentation that can be a genderaffirming practice for trans people, Acharjee said. They plan to get top surgery, a procedure that removes one’s breasts for a masculine chest. “When I get dysphoric it’s mostly about my chest, so the thing that really helps me get through it is this hope that one day, I’ll be able to have top surgery, and I need to hang on to this body that I have in the meantime,” they said.

Transitions happen one step at a time; they are not an all or nothing process, nor a required step for every trans person, Acharjee said. “Once I have top surgery, I’ll see whether I’m happy with my body or whether I could do more to foster more comfort in it.”

Until then, Acharjee’s biggest source of euphoria is when others use their correct name and pronouns, they said. “It reminds me that there are people who don’t see me as a girl, who will get used to my pronouns and adjust to my true expression to see me as who I am.”

When it comes to envisioning a more accepting future for people outside of the gender binary, Feingold prefers a progressive lens over an idealized lens.

“It’s all incremental, right? I’ll always t r y to find better ways to make myself happier, but I don’t have an end point,” they said.

Vivian Coraci/Art Director

“Trying to conceptualize the perfect society is a little impractical, and also it makes me a little sad to think about the distance we would need to travel to get from here to there.”

Whether it is their pronouns, clothing, or how they do their hair, Smith is also looking for ways to present that affirm their gender and their sense of self. “I’m trying to figure out how to feel as authentic as possible,” they said. “How do I be more me, whatever that is?” * Any name with an asterisk represents a student granted anonymity.

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THE RECORD NEWS JANUARY 28TH, 2022

Students attend Q&A with Secretary of State Antony Blinken Allison Markman Staff Writer

Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed “21st century global challenges facing the U.S.” at a Q&A session on Monday, which students were invited to attend. Blinken was the guest speaker at the 33rd annual Fran Eizenstat and Eizenstat Family Memorial Lecture Series at the Ahavath Achim Synagogue, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly wrote in an email.

Stuart Eizenstat, who moderated the event on Zoom, was the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union from 1993 to 1996 and the U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001. He is the grandfather of Julia ‘25, Caroline ‘28, and Eric ‘32.

“We are fortunate to have many within HM’s family willing to enrich the experience of today’s students; Monday’s lecture was no exception,” Kelly wrote. “The former Deputy Secretary of the

“We read and hear about foreign policy every day in the media, but actually hearing an analysis by someone in the room where it happens, as it were, by someone who makes those decisions, was incredibly interesting”

- Steve Yang (11) Treasury was kind enough to include HM in his invitation to a much larger community.”

Blinken first responded to questions about Russian troop advancements along the Ukrainian border. He provided historical context for the current conflict and discussed the U.S.’ response

and potential consequences of Russian aggression.

“If we allow these basic principles to be violated with impunity, then we are opening a Pandora’s box that will be not only seen and felt throughout Europe, but around the world, and it will take us back to a time of division, conflict and worse, that so many of us labored for many years to move beyond,” he said.

Steve Yang (11) found this part of the discussion particularly interesting, he said. “The historical background and contextualization he gave along with his discussion of America’s response and the role of sanctions in it was really enlightening.”

Blinken then addressed the ways in which collaboration between China and the U.S. can be beneficial to addressing global issues. For example, no one country can work to reduce global emissions alone. At the same time, he emphasized the importance of holding China accountable for their human rights abuses and their exploitation of smaller countries in their One Belt One Road Initiative — a global infrastructure development strategy spearheaded by the Chinese government.

Blinken discussed the impact that this infrastructure can have on other nations. “One of the problems we’ve seen, just in terms of the way it goes about making these investments in infrastructure, is that it’s had a tendency to burden countries with tremendous debts that they couldn’t afford,” Blinken said. “In order to pay China back for these investments, they have to divert resources from other parts of the economy or in effect default and have China own the asset.

[China has] often brought its own workers to build these projects at the expense of local workers.”

Blinken’s discussion of China was enlightening for Federica Italiani (12) because she had not previously thought about how countries need to collaborate on issues such as climate change, and hold each other accountable

Courtesy of Allison Markman

TALKING POLITICS Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks on global challenges. at the same time, she said. “His discussion of China’s investments in their infrastructure and its potential consequences I found particularly interesting because I do not normally consider the ramifications of these actions,” she said. Italiani attended the event believing it to be a unique opportunity to hear the head of U.S. diplomacy discuss foreign policy.

The last topic Blinken discussed was Iran’s nuclear weapons program. He emphasized the importance of rejoining the Iran nuclear deal, otherwise known as the JCPOA, to place limits on the country’s ability to produce nuclear weapons, which would lead to global destabilization. “The best way to try to put Iran’s nuclear program back in a box and to allow us to at the same time, deal with all of the other excesses in Iranian policy,” he said.

Yang was grateful for the opportunity to attend the event, he said. “We read and hear about foreign policy every day in the media, but actually

hearing an analysis by someone in the room where it happens, as it were, by someone who makes those decisions, was incredibly interesting and I enjoyed it a lot.”

Kelly particularly enjoyed Blinken’s comments on the U.S.’ involvement in stabilizing countries globally, he said. “Without a lot of background noise and politicking, I found it fascinating to hear a senior, now retired former member of the Treasury engage the current Secretary of State in a conversation about world affairs.”

Kelly would be interested in continuing the conversations on Monday by inviting Eizenstat to speak to the school, he wrote. “As evidenced by our co-curricular offerings, we have a rather large, genuine and forward-thinking interest in the state of our country’s affairs and the role our country plays in the well-being of other countries. I’d love to see someone invite Mr. Eizenstat to campus for a conversation or two.”

Class of 2023 attends virtual Service Learning Day Sophia Paley and Clara Stevanovic Staff Writer All 11th graders attended a series of virtual workshops on Thursday for service learning day called “Environmental Justice and Stewardship: Exploring Sustainable Practices and Working as a Collective.” Each student chose two workshops to attend during the day.

This year, the topic for service learning day is similar to last year’s theme. Director of the Center for Community Values and Action Dr. Kimberly Joyce-Bernard said that the program was intentionally designed to provoke thought about lived experiences, and also reflection upon conversations about environmental justice from service learning day last year. She says that that the model for Thursday wa The Class of 2023 engages with community partner agencies, and explores servicelearning through a critical social justice lens as they participate in conversations, presentations, and activities that address environmental justice and stewardship,” Dr. Joyce-Bernard wrote.

Community partners, students, and alumni led the workshops, CCVA Program Associate Conasia Watts said. The community partners included the Riverdale Neighborhood House, Nutritionist at Riverdale Senior Services Deborah Johnson, the VanCortlandt Park Coalition for the Daylighting of Tibbetts Brook, Oko Farms, the KHCC Food Pantry, Muslim Volunteers for NY, and Summer on the Hill, Watts said.

Like last year, the day took place online, with students Serena Bai/Staff Artist

attending workshops from home over Zoom.

In order to structure the day well and provide students with the most engaging learning experience possible, Joyce-Bernard, Watts, and UD Science Teacher and Program Coordinator for the CCVA Melissa Doellman worked closely with the organizations to make sure each topic was coincided with this year’s theme, Joyce-Bernard said.

The CCVA chose the topic of Environmental Justice and Stewardship because it was brought up consistently by UD students, through the CCVA grade-wide conferences, All School Service-Learning Day, and the Service-Learning Team/HM 246 initiatives.“Many of the CCVA’s community partner agencies are addressing the detrimental impact that the environment has on the health, food access, and housing of the communities that they serve. An example is the Northwest Bronx Food Justice Coalition which Riverdale Senior Services, Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, and Riverdale Neighborhood House are all members of,” she said.

Although the annual themes for service learning day are the same across grades for the purpose of continuity, every workshop is unique to the grades, Watts said.

Johnson’s workshop and KHCC Food Pantry both discussed the importance of food. Johnson addressed how food can affect people’s mood and help people with anxiety and depression. KHCC Food Pantry spoke about food inequalities, which

have been exacerbated by the pandemic, Watt said.

Riverdale Neighborhood House workshop taught the students about food sustainability and sovereignty, and summer internship opportunities. Phoebe Rice (11) attended the Riverdale Neighborhood house workshop and learned about the friendly fridge, something she had seen before but never knew exactly what it was. “Today I learned that the purpose of the friendly fridge is built around a network of volunteers who help to recover food that might be wasted and redistribute it to the people that need it the most,” Rice said.

Louise Kim (11) also attended the Riverdale Neighborhood House workshop and learned about food insecurity in the Bronx.”I learned more about practices of mutual aid, of collective and communal efforts to sustain each other, including community fridges and gardens, and the workshop has inspired me to look more into how I can be more involved in food access and equity in my community,” Kim said.

Another participant Natalia Hecker (11) said “I learned that systematic racism and climate change intersect in that minorities are disproportionately affected by environmental issues.”

Students made Valentine’s Day greeting cards for City Meals on Wheels at the Muslim Volunteers for NY workshop, Watts said. This is an organization engaged in charitable work pertaining to education, health and wellness, and environmental work in the New York Area.

Other students joined a Summer on the Hill workshop, which is an organization centered more in The Bronx, Washington Heights, and Harlem area and aims to educate low-income public school students. Amelia Resnick (11) said “I’m glad we are engaging with an organization that helps communities near our school.” The participants learned about the organization’s current programming as well as how the pandemic has affected them, Resnick said.

The Van Cortlandt Park and Oko Farms workshops discussed environmental justice. Isa Jamira ‘15, who ran the Oko Farms workshop, talked about sustainable and modern ways of farming, specifically aquaponics. Resnick attended the Van

Cortlandt Park workshop and learned about sewage runoff, she said.

In addition to the various workshops, all students watched a documentary called “The Sacrifice Zone,” Joyce-Bernard wrote. This documentary allowed students to see the experiences of a low income community of BIPOC people, who are negatively affected by a waste management facility in Newars, NJ, she wrote.

There are many steps involved in crafting a virtual conference, Watts said. After deciding on the theme for this year’s service learning day, the CCVA team sought out the school’s community partners and coordinated the logistics behind making sure that the day would run smoothly, she said. 11th graders were required to fill out permission forms and choose workshops they were interested in, she said.

As a student at the school, Watts was a three-season athlete at school and did not have the time to join the Service-Learning Team. However, Watts has always been inspired to participate in community service, she said. While a student, she was an avid member of the NYC Diversity initiative, Watts said.

Today, Watts is proud of the progress that the SLT has made towards developing meaningful experiences for students to engage in. “I have seen so many changes in the service program from when I went here,” Watts said. Now, school athletes, like Watts formerly was, do do not have to choose between their athletics and participating in joining Service Learning. “Currently there is a fellowship with Summer on the Hill that meets on Saturdays,” she said, “This is the perfect way for students who are athletes to still get involved.”

Service Learning Day helps us learn about organizations in the Bronx doing good work to help others, Rice said. “[Service Learning Day] gives us the opportunity to make a contribution and a difference where our time and effort can have a great impact,” she said. ‘ Watts believes that service is for everyone.

“I think the CCVAs current model is one that allows for many students from different backgrounds with different passions and abilities to get involved in a very meaningful way,” she said.

THE RECORD NEWS JANUARY 28TH, 2022

Dr. Tubbs educates Parent Institute about misrepresentation of Black mothers Hannah Katzke Staff Writer Author, activist, and educator Dr. Anna Tubbs discussed the misrepresentation and erasure of mothers, especially Black mothers, despite their critical influence on their children, at the Parent Institute (PI) BookTalk series event on Tuesday January 25. Julie LythcottHaims, a member of the PI’s advisory council — a council made up of experts in parenting, education, psychology, and psychiatry — moderated the event, Director of the PI Wendy Reiter said.

Tubbs is a New York Times Bestselling author and educator whose work focuses on issues of gender and race, according to her website. Reiter invited Tubbs to speak about her bestselling book “The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King,

“

gives Tubbs the opportunity to teach others and shift their perspective on motherhood — thus creating new representation for mothers. “In order to address all the policies and resources that mothers desperately need and deserve, we have to first shift our perspective on motherhood and it starts with a fuller and more accurate representation of what mothering entails,” she said.

Reiter chose Tubbs for the event because as Black History Month approaches, she wants to hold discussions on the diversity that are representative of the schools’ community, she said. In her work, Tubbs uses an intersectional lens to advocate for women of color and to educate others, according to her website.

Margot Lee Shetterly’s book “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the

In order to address all the policies and resources that mothers desperately need and deserve, we have to first shift our perspective on motherhood and it starts with a fuller and more accurate representation of what mothering entails.”

- Dr. Tubbs

Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation” at the BookTalk event, she said.

Tubbs’ book tells the stories of the mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin, and discusses how many people deny their contributions as mothers by disregarding their impact on each of their children, Tubbs said.

Discussing mothers in writing

Space Race” inspired Tubbs’ book, Tubbs said. “I was inspired, but I was also very angry that this was the first time I was hearing these women’s names. It was not a mistake that they’d been kept from our history.”

Like Shetterly, Tubbs wanted to find and tell the stories of “hidden figures,” she said.

The event consisted of a conversation between Tubbs and

Lythcott-Haims and was then followed by a discussion between the attendees and Tubbs, giving the parents an opportunity to ask her questions.

Reiter chose Lythcott-Haims to moderate the event because, in addition to being a member of the PI advisory council, she has a history of working with Tubbs, Reiter said. Lythcott-Haims was Tubbs’ Freshman Dean when she attended Stanford University. Preparation for the event was easier for Reiter because of that existing relationship, she said.

During the event, Tubbs addressed the misrepresentation of mothers and the lack of recognition they receive for their influence on their children. In particular, society often erases Black mothers from history, misrepresents them, and takes them for granted. “If even [Alberta King, Louise Little, and Berdis Jones Baldwin] who birthed giants in history are being kept from their due recognition as if their children popped out of thin air fully formed with all of these ideas on how to save the world, it is clear to me that motherhood more generally is not being given the representation, attention, and therefore the support that it deserves,” Tubbs said.

Tubbs is often asked, “if they were as important as you say they are, why were they erased?” she said. She credits this lack of understanding to people not knowing or recognizing the patriarchy’s workings in society. “[The erasure of women in history] was very intentional because it didn’t fit the patriarchal notion of who the heroes of our stories are, and therefore we just left them out of it,” she said.

Tubbs’ focus on the unsung nature of motherhood and how it is often an unexplored topic intrigued Erica Keirstead P ‘23, she said.

Tiffany Trunko P ‘25 was most interested in the independent identities of Alberta King, Louise

Courtesy of Sucheta Ponda

LAUGHING WHILE LEARNING Dr. Tubbs on Zoom with parents.

Little, and Berdis Jones Baldwin, she said. “Anna’s talk really opened my eyes to the fact that each of the mothers of these famous men had such strong identities, independent of their sons,” she said.

Karen Ogundimu P’23 attended the event because she rarely finds books about Black motherhood and parenting as a Black mom, she said.

She enjoyed learning and reflecting on the stories and experiences of Alberta King, Louise Little, and Berdis Jones Baldwin. Despite the important roles they played in their children’s lives, the world never hears about them, she said. This led Ogundimu to think about how mothers are often not given the support that they need, she said.

Lythcott-Haims encouraged attendees to watch movies or television shows with their families that promote critical thinking, like Hidden Figures, Black-ish, and Crazy Rich Asians. “These movies that are centering the experience of people who have historically been ignored, are opportunities for us to sit down and engage our kids,” she said.

Reiter chose Lythcott-Haims to moderate the event because, in addition to being a member of the PI advisory council, she has a history

of working with Tubbs, Reiter said. Lythcott-Haims was Tubbs’ Freshman Dean when she attended Stanford University. Preparation for the event was easier for Reiter because of their relationship, she said.

With her son, Ogundimu often introduces erased figures within topics that he loves like math, she said. She introduces him to mathematicians from different parts of the world. “It is something I’ve been doing with my son since he was little, just trying to let him be aware of individuals who are not necessarily in the forefront,” she said.

Trunko often tells stories about the women in her family, she said.

She believes it’s her job as a mom to make sure that the stories of the women in their family are known by her kids and are meaningful to her kids.

Reiter hopes that the people who attended the event will take away a much richer, deeper understanding of the mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin, she said. She also hopes that the attendees will understand the incredible influence these mothers had on their respective children as they evolved into such prominent leaders.

Mini Crossword Bonanza

Crossword #1

DOWN 1. Popular word game 2. Guidance counselor’s first name 3. A US intelligence agency 4. Roman numerals for Disney’s dalmations.

5. TV for the sports geeks 9. School team with delegates 10. Seven percent of the student population lives here 11. Potential energy’s BFF

ACROSS 1 The answer to Saturday’s 1 DOWN 6. A welcome mirage in a desert, and a rock band 7. Single-stranded bio term.

8. Four-leaf clover.

12. Come in!

Crossword #2

DOWN 1. NFL for lacrosse 2. A fearful exclamation 3. A mother,and a state.

4. Three-layered cookies.

5. Halt!

8. Used for tagging friends on social media.

9. A note to follow so.

5

ACROSS 1. Verne’s captain, and a fish.

5. Crystal.

6. Not a moose.

7. A box for valuable items.

10. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Crossword #3

DOWN 1. 21 days to create these.

2. Whose belt is in a constellation?

3. French-accented “the.”

4. Comes in overpriced cartridges.

5. Less difficult.

10. Latin for “in order to”

ACROSS 1. Wasteland, baby.

6. Stadium, amphitheater…

7. Prefix meaning two 8. Dorothy’s home state.

9. “I’ll get you next time.”

11. Their state bird: the American Goldfinch 12. Explosive.

13. He phones home.

14. Prefix for a civilian ship.

15. Raw iron.

6

THE RECORD ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT JANUARY 28TH, 2022

HMDC designs dynamic Choreographers’ Concert Julia Bouchut and Rain Li Contributing Writers Jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary were just some of the various dance styles featured in the Horace Mann Dance Company’s (HMDC) Choreographers’ Concert recorded last Thursday and Friday — after six weeks of hard work.

The show was recorded in Gross Theater with multiple cameras, providing many angles, dance and theater teacher Angela Patmon said. Since it was performed on-stage, rather than in the dance studio, the performance felt different from past years, co-president of HMDC Morgan Smith (12) said. “It feels so much more authentic like a

fun experience.

Nikki Pande (9), who signed up for HMDC at the Club’s Fair, decided to participate after receiving an email about the concert, she said.

Pande was nervous to perform in front of a large audience, but HMDC consists of a large group of dancers, which gave her more confidence, she said.

Dance teacher Patrick O’Neill as well as Patmon were responsible for coordinating the show and choreographing their own dances, Franco said. The teachers scheduled dancers for their piece, worked with students during practices, organized lighting, and oversaw the setup of the stage, she said.

Courtesy of HM Dance

JUST DANCE Dancers pose after first day of filming. real performance when you’re on this big stage.”

The HMDC consists of 15 to 20 members, all varied in skill level, Ella Franco (12), who has been a part of HMDC for all four years of high school, said. “There are so many different ranges of skills, and I think that’s what made us really diverse.”

The concert was performed as if it was for a live audience, Franco said. Lighting and staging decisions were finalized after getting into costumes, she said.

Aanya Gupta (9) was inspired to participate in the concert after learning about it through her Dance PE class, and she thought it would be a

For the show, students were given the opportunity to choreograph as well as dance, Gupta said. After filling out forms, students were either assigned solo performances or were placed into groups of between three and nine dancers based on their preferred dancing styles and availability.

O’Neill and Patmon both said they felt that scheduling rehearsals was one of the most difficult parts of their work. Having to sort through the students’ applications to figure out when students could meet while having them engage in styles they enjoyed was difficult, O’Neill said.

In November, after schedules were finalized,

students began practicing dances and choreographing, Gupta said. Rehearsals took place during the school day, where they mostly focused on learning new parts of dances and perfecting moves, she said.

During rehearsals, the first few minutes were often used to unwind and catch up, which helped build a sense of community, Pande said. Then, students reviewed the previous rehearsal and made sure everything was in good shape. For the last 30 minutes of rehearsal, Pande taught parts of the choreography she had prepared for the day. “I would sing a line or two, and then show them the moves that go along with the lines,” she said.

Pande, the only freshman who choreographed a dance, choreographed a three minute dance to the song “Woman” by Doja Cat for herself and three other dancers, Gupta, Aashna Hari (9), and Bethany Jarrett (10). While Pande first thought choreographing would be simple, in reality, it took longer than expected, she said. “There’s a difference about thinking of a dance move in your head versus actually being able to do it,” she said. Coming up with different dances for members while considering their skillset also presented an added difficulty, she said.

Franco also agreed that choreographing was much more than just coming up with a few dance moves. “We have to learn how to be creative and different with movement and think of how to move in a specific part of the song,” she said. “To make things flow and match different dynamics is really challenging.”

The rising number of COVID cases also posed a challenge to the dancers and choreographers, Pande said. There were times when dancers were online and Pande had to record videos demonstrating the moves. Even though she trusted that the dancers were practicing, Pande worried that something would not go well since she could not correct their mistakes, she said.

However, during the last week of rehearsal, Pande was able to smooth everything over, she said.

Gupta, who was online for a couple days, found it challenging to follow the videos since they were mirrored, she said. Similarly, Smith thought it was difficult for those who were out

sick to catch up on the new choreography, Smith said.

The new Omicron variant also forced HMDC to make a last minute shift to a virtual show and cancel their annual dance trip to Dorr, Patmon Courtesy of HM Dance

BEHIND SCENES Dancers backstage. said.

“I just wish that we were able to have people in the audience to watch, but I think we came to a good compromise with the recording and theater,” Smith said.

In the days leading up to the concert, the dancers and choreographers worked to get the specific details right, including hand movements, leg movements, facial expressions, and positioning, Gupta said.

The week before the performance was a really fun experience, Smith said. “Everyone was tired and staying late, but we got super close to the cast,” she said. “Everyone really pulled through and was present.”

Despite the challenges faced with some of the dancers being out, Pande was proud that everyone in her group did their best, she said.

“People really pushed themselves a lot during the concert, and were able to learn the limits of what they can do.”

The HMDC performance was a fun and creative experience that brought together people who shared a common passion for dance, Franco said. “I had a lot of fun with dance at HM, we are definitely a close community of people.”

A whirlwind of letters: Wordle takes the school by storm Audrey Carbonell and Gillian Ho Staff and Contributing Writers “My wife asked me, ‘Is everyone in your office talking about Wordle?’ and I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ She was shocked that an English teacher wouldn’t know what Wordle was,” English teacher Andrew Fippinger said.

Since this conversation, Fippinger has begun playing Wordle, the newly popularized online guessing game, daily. Four out of five of the English teachers in Fippinger’s office participate in a Wordle group, playing the game and using the sharing feature to send their statistics to the text chain they have together. “We aren’t really competitive with each other, but we like to joke around about how we did,” Fippinger said.

The word of the day, which is generated by the program at midnight, is broken down into six boxes. When a player guesses a word, the server color-codes the letters — gray if the letter is not in the word, yellow if it is in the word but in the wrong spot, and green if it is in the right spot. Each day’s answer is uniform for all players on the website.

“Everyone talks about [Wordle] every day so it’s good to do it to be in the conversation,” James Zaidman (9) said. “It’s good to keep your brain sharp and expand your vocabulary too.” Zaidman found out about Wordle after seeing a friend play the game during an English study hall last week. “It was hard at first, but now that I’ve been doing it every day it’s been getting easier,” he said.

Players use different strategies and goals for determining the day’s word. Math teacher Charles Worrall tries to use letters he knows are in the five-letter word from previous guesses to arrange new words in future guesses, he said. Although Charles Seo (11) is a new player, he has found that using vowels early on has helped improve his score, he said.

Furthermore, history teacher Melissa Morales tries to use words with common

consonants and vowels to try to figure out the word faster, such as ‘steak,’ Morales said.

Similarly, Emily Akbar (9) uses words with the letters R, S, T, and N, because they are the most common consonants in the alphabet.

Because a new Wordle is released every day, it has become part of a daily routine for many students. Maddie Yoon (11), for example, has integrated Wordle into her nightly routine, she said. “I play when it’s released at midnight so it does not get spoiled for me.”

“The fact that [Wordle] only comes out once a day is really important to its success — it’s like the equivalent of a TV show that only comes out once a week, and everyone waits for it to come out,” Fippinger said.

Other students take Wordle less seriously and see it as a fun pastime. Lucas Borini (11) is not bothered if he misses the daily Wordle, he said. “I might forget on some days, and it’s not really a big thing for me.”

Emily Wang/Staff Photographer

WORDLING Player deep in thought.

When a player completes the daily Wordle, they can send their results through a sharing feature. Although the actual word is not revealed, players can show their thought process during gameplay by sharing the order of the colored boxes which lead them to the final word.

Morales first learned about Wordle through Twitter after players used this sharing feature to post their number of attempts, she said.

While Morales was hesitant to begin playing as she plays a different word game daily, she ultimately found Wordle to be interesting and different from other word games. “If you have downtime for 10-15 minutes, it’s just a nice form of relaxation to solve a quick puzzle,” she said. “It’s not a big investment.”

Morales recommends the game to anyone, including teachers and students. The game has a proper balance of quickness, fun, and challenge, she said. “I think everybody could solve the puzzle every day.”

Although Nathan Robertson (9) is not an avid player, he thinks those who frequently play word games would enjoy Wordle, he said.

The sharing feature prompted Freddie Vogelbaum (11) to begin playing Wordle. “I was inspired by people who sent their Wordles in those text messages to a group chat,” he said. “Everyone flexes their score by using the share function.”

Wordle’s sharing feature has stirred up competition within the school community.

Nicolas Wong (11) and Vogelbaum had a heated debate on who consistently gets the word faster and who is the better Wordle player.

Seo, who heard about Wordle through Vogelbaum, has also been participating in fun-filled competitions, he said. “I share what I get and compare it with friends and family,” he said.

Unlike Seo, Fippinger has the opposite mindset: “I try to avoid thinking of Wordle as a competitive game.” Fippinger said.

Since there are six attempts allowed total, players such as Vogelbaum and Wong try to

Vivian Coraci/ Art Director

get their word in the least attempts possible.

Some players, such as Worrall, have guessed the word of the day in two attempts, and average around four attempts, he said. “I like it best when I’ve guessed incorrectly a few times and have to give some real thought to what word might be possible at that point,” Worrall said. “It’s less fun if I randomly guess too accurately at first.”

On the contrary, Akbar prefers to complete each day’s game in fewer attempts, “I’m really competitive, so I try to get it in [fewer] rows than everyone else,” Akbar said.

Beyond friendly competition, Akbar also enjoys Wordle because of the spontaneous words that are released occasionally.

“Sometimes the most unexpected word comes up, like a couple days ago it was ‘knoll,’” she said.

Worrall was first introduced to Wordle by math teacher Linda Hubschman, based on his interests in crossword puzzles, he said. “I tried it, and now I’m hooked.”

THE RECORD NEWS AND MIDDLE DIVISION JANUARY 28TH, 2022

Spectators allowed on campus for sports games and theater performances Ava Lipsky and Joshua Shuster Contributing Writers Parents and other spectators are now allowed to attend sports games and theater productions, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly wrote to the community in an email last week. With fewer COVID-19 cases in the community, Kelly said it was time to start bringing back some aspects Courtesy of HM Flickr

CHEERING CROWD Parents back in stands.

of pre-pandemic school life.

“As the number of positive cases of COVID-19 dramatically declined within the employee and student cohort, now is the time to begin responsibly allowing programmatic aspects of a pre-pandemic year to return to campus,” Kelly wrote. “Given the structure and controls we have around the winter athletic season, it is presented as the perfect place to start.”

Kelly considered several factors when making this decision. The success with parent spectators at fall athletic events made them ideal to welcome back to campus for the winter season, he said. Last season, the majority of parents and athletes complied with the need to show proof of vaccination and the “green checkmark” associated with Daily Symptom Check.

Kelly also looks forward to allowing more people to watch games and come to campus, he said. Family members, students and employees will be able to attend the One Act plays in person in February.

In order to keep the events safe, parents

who wish to attend athletic contests must show proof of vaccination and complete the Daily Symptom Check, Kelly said. There will also be supervision in place to ensure that masks are being used consistently and adults are socially distanced, he said.

Rachel Phillips P’24 attended a basketball game under the new safety protocols. There was a person waiting when she came in, she had to show her vaccination card, and she had to sign next to her child’s name because only two guests were allowed per player, she said. “I think they did a good job making everyone feel safe and everyone was wearing their masks.”

Those who cannot make it to games in person will still be able to watch a live-stream of events, Kelly said. “The live stream is a good option, but it’s so much more exciting to be there in person,” Phillips said.

Boys Junior Varsity Basketball member Matteo Monti (10) was pleased to hear about the decision.. “It feels great to have support at games,” he said. “It just increases the intensity, especially when the crowd gets involved and

7

starts chants. When people on our team score and the crowd gets excited, it’s an extreme morale boost to not only the player, but to the team too.”

Boys Varsity Basketball member Nate Wildman (11) shared a similar sentiment.

“From a team standpoint, parents provide a lot of support and having them there definitely contributes to the success of our team,” Wildman said. He said that the short period of time when parents were not allowed to come to games was disappointing. “We’re fortunate and grateful that parents are now allowed to come to our games.”

As for theater performances, Jeffrey Dai (10) is glad that parents will be able to attend the next performances in February in person, he said. While the live-streaming option is available for those who could not attend plays physically, Dai said that having some people in person heightens the experience. “[In person attendance] really makes it feel like normal theater for both the performers involved and the audience.”

Middle Division students participate in nationwide American Mathematics Contest 8 Emily Salzhauer Staff Writer All seventh and eighth graders, as well as sixth graders who volunteered, took part in the American Mathematics Contest 8 (AMC8) on Monday, January 24. This test challenges all of the math students, regardless of their level, Middle Division (MD) math teacher Tom Petras said.

Math students schools all over the country take the AMC contest, MD Mathematics Department Chair Quentin Brooks said. “It’s a nationwide contest and the students have the opportunity to solve problems outside the realm of our math curriculum,” he said. “It’s both a challenge and gives students insight to different types of mathematical concepts.”

Students at the school have participated in the AMC8 for many years, Petras said. “We have participated in this contest for as long as I’ve been here,” he said.

Students were assigned to classrooms and took the test with their math classes. The test had 25 multiple choice questions and students had 40 minutes to complete it. All middle schoolers take the AMC contest each year, so students who completed seventh and sixth grades at the school were already familiar with the structure of the test from years past.

When the students were made aware of the test, they were given the opportunity to take practice tests online, Brooks said. “Since we received the contest materials so late, the students didn’t have

adequate time to prepare. Any student interested could visit the AMC8 website to do practice problems,” he said. Some students studied outside of school, though they were not required to — no math classes prepared.

In the week before the test, Julia Lourenco (8) chose to prepare for the contest by looking over her notes from years past, even though preparation was not recommended by teachers, she said. “I reviewed the material I learned this year, and some from last year, in order to prepare adequately for the assessment,” she said. Lourenco hoped to place as well as she could given her skill level.

Although students did no official preparation in their classes, Francesca Finzi (8) studied using online tests before taking the official exam, she said. She used these practice tests mainly so she could get a sense of what would be on the official test. Ultimately, Finzi took two of the online practice tests before taking it in class on Monday, she said.

On the other hand, Sydney Kurtz (8) did not prepare for the contest, she said. Because there were some topics that students did not know that would show up on the test, Kurtz’s teacher recommended that they use their past knowledge from math classes to complete the test to the best of their ability, she said.

Kurtz found that the questions varied in difficulty throughout the test, she said. Some of the questions were difficult because the concepts are so different from what she has practiced in classes,

she said. One question that Kurtz remembers being especially difficult involved solving a set of equations that included shapes instead of numbers, she said.

Although the questions on the test were not what she would usually expect, Lourenco did not find the test to be stressful, she said. Lourenco watched the time carefully and was able to finish on time, she said. “I felt relieved that the test went well and proud of how I was able to pace myself.”

Overall, Kurtz is relieved to have finished the test, she said. “I felt happy and glad that it was over.”

Despite her practice, Finzi still felt that the test was difficult, she said. “I was prepared for it to be hard, which it was, but it was harder than anticipated,” she said. “That being said, it has no implant on our official math grades, so I tried not to think about it too much.”

The MD math teachers will send out students’ answer sheets to the AMC organization, Petras said. Students will move onto the next round of the competition if they performed very well in this week’s test, Petras said. Students who move on will be notified by their teachers, he said.

Library raises money for Homelessness Outreach club Zack Kurtz Staff Writer At the beginning of the school year, Upper Division (UD) Library Department Chair Caroline Bartels created a book sale cart from which students can buy books.

The proceeds from this week’s book selection, which includes a variety of physics books, will go towards funding the Homelessness Outreach Club’s hygiene kit packing event.

The book selection shifts every week, allowing students to purchase books that interest them, Bartels said. On the sale cart, hardcover books cost three dollars, and softcover books cost one dollar.

The summer before this school year, the library received a donation of approximately 1500 books from the Bauman family, Bartels said.

The family wanted to donate the books to the school where their children went because they knew the school would give the books a good home, she said. The family donated David Bauman’s entire library, which contained books in a variety of subjects including science fiction, chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, cooking, and travel.

With no place to store the books, Bartels decided she should start selling them little by little, which led her to create the book sale cart, she said.

The Parents Association Book Fair Committee has an in-person Book Fair tentatively scheduled for May, but due to ongoing pandemic restrictions, Bartels is unsure whether it will be a possibility.

The annual Book Fair is usually the main opportunity for students to buy books at the school, she said.

“The Book Fair was a big highlight for students every year to have this big moment where they could get these super cheap books.” Bartels hopes the book sale cart gives students a chance to buy books that they are interested in, even if it is on a smaller scale than the Book Fair, Bartels said.

In comparison to the Book Fair, students are better able to look through titles and purchase books of specific genres using the book sale cart, Bartels said. “It’s easier for kids to look through some of these weirder, sort of more esoteric titles and find things that might be of interest to them.” For example, if Bartels were to put all of the physics books currently on the cart onto a table at the book fair, she is not sure that they would have been purchased in the same way that they are being purchased at the sales cart, she said.

In order to bring awareness to the cart, Bartels sends out an email almost every week to update UD students and faculty as to what types of books are available that week, she said.

This past week, Bartels sent an email notifying the UD that physics books were available on the cart this week. In her email, she mentioned a couple of students who might have been interested in the books.

When Darson Chen (12) saw his name in that email, he knew he had to look at the books on the cart, he said. “I thought to myself, ‘You know, if she thinks that there’s something that I might be interested in, then it’s probably a good idea for me to go check them out,’” he said.

This week, Chen bought four books about physics, one of which is about string theory, which he finds particularly interesting, he said. Chen suggests that students pay attention to which genre Bartels puts on display each week, they may find the genre interesting, he said.

Like Chen, Cecilia Coughlin (11) thinks students should take a look at the cart since it is a great way to get new books for a reasonable price, she said. In November, she decided to buy a couple of books in order to give herself something to read outside of her school requirements, Coughlin said.

In addition to being placed on the book sale cart, many of the books donated by the Bauman family have been sent to the organization Books Through Bars, which helps to get paperback

fiction and non-fiction books into prisons. “One of the big things that this family has donated was a ton of paperback science fiction novels, and Books Through Bars can’t use hardback books and can only take paperbacks. So I just was like, ‘let’s just send these off to Books Through Bars because I know that they’ll be appreciated,’” Bartels said.

Some of the proceeds from the cart are also going towards the cost of shipping the books to Books Through Bars, Bartels said. Many of the other paperback books that were featured on the cart, but never sold, have been sent to Mount Tamalpais College, formerly the Prison University Project at San Quentin, which was founded by Jody Lewen ‘82, she said.

The proceeds from the book sale cart have also been used to help fund a variety of initiatives and clubs at the school, Bartels said.

For the last two weeks the proceeds from the cart have been allocated to the Homelessness Outreach Club, for which Bartels is the advisor, to fund the club’s hygiene kit packing event, she said.

President of the Homelessness Outreach Club Sophie Rukin (10) was excited by Bartels’ idea to raise money for the hygiene kit packing event via the book sale cart, she said. “The sale cart is a great way to combine good causes together with students’ interests.”

Dylan Leftt/Staff Artist

Historically, there have been one or two students who move onto the next round each year, Petras said. “If a student does very well, [scoring] a 24 or 25 out of 25, they are invited to participate in the AMC10 with the UD.” Students who place well in the contest will receive a certificate and an announcement at their grade meeting, he said.

Crossword Answers (in order) from page 5

Lions’ Den Record Sports

8

JANUARY 28TH, 2022

Table Tennis Team upholds undefeated record with wins against Leman and Fieldston Stephanie Lee and Oliver Konopko Contributing Writers

The Varsity Table Tennis team continued their undefeated streak with a 4-1 victory over Leman Manhattan Preparatory School and 5-0 victory over the Ethical Culture Fieldston School on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.

The team competed very well on Monday, Varsity Table Tennis coach Caroline Surhoff said. She credited the team’s victory to their strong players at every seed and matchup, which makes them a threat in every match, she said.

In Monday’s game, Jiyon Chatterjee (11) beat an opponent whom he had lost to the previous week, Surhoff said. The matches in table tennis are played first to 3 games. After losing in five games last week, Chatterjee was able to win this match in four games, Surhoff said.

Both Avi Kumar (11) and Chatterjee — second and third singles — played well during their matches against Leman, Jisang Kymm (10) said. “They finished their matches really cleanly and won without too much trouble.”

Although the team won the Leman match by a comfortable margin, the team had a first singles loss, Kymm said. Leo Hess (12) played the same opponent and had won the previous match, however, he had a surprising 3-0 loss, Kymm said.

On Wednesday, the team was also victorious and all five of the players won their matches.

Both Hess and Chatterjee played excellently, Surhoff said. “They were both down 1-0 to start and came back to win 3-1,” she said.

“And then our doubles teams played very well, as usual.”

The team felt satisfied with their results against Leman and Fieldston, but still has to work hard to maintain their performance, Surhoff said.

Going into the games, the team didn’t have a particular strategy, Kumar said. Instead, they tried to implement skills they worked on during practices. Since most members have experience playing, Surhoff trusts players to dictate their own matches, Kumar said.

Some team members use certain personal strategies during their matches. To get in the zone, Hess likes to bounce the ball on his paddle a couple of times between the points, he said. “Focusing in on that helps me get in the right headspace to hopefully win the next point.”

In preparation for upcoming matches, players strategize a plan to counter their opponents, to clean up their technique, and to work on a new serve to throw their opponents off, Surhoff said. “We try to work on different skills and strategies because we never know what we’re up against,” she said. “I always like the third ball attack strategy, which is where you serve, receive, and then win on that third point.”

Additionally, the team does drills to mimic game-like situations, like practicing serves and returns, Kumar said.

Courtesy of Jiya Chatterjee

DOUBLES ON DEFENSE Levinson (11) prepares to return the ball.

During practices, the team often competes in round robin tournaments that determine the lineups for the next matches, Kymm said. “[These matches] make sure that everyone’s game is always polished and people are not being complacent just because they had a singles spot last game — it keeps people on their toes.”

Unlike many other sports, the pandemic hasn’t had much of an effect on the team.

However, the team has struggled with having multiple team members out due to COVID, Hess said. “It gets a little bit tough to manage the roster and make sure we have enough people due to COVID-19,” Kumar said.

As the Independent School Table Tennis League (ISTTL) championships approach, the team must continue to put their focus and hard work to hopefully win the league, Surhoff said.

Boys varsity squash continues to improve despite loss Julia Eizenstat and Hannah Becker Contributing Writers Despite putting up a strong effort, the Boys Varsity Squash (BVS) team lost 0-7 to Saint Ann’s on Monday. Saint Ann’s is known as the

best team in the division, so the Lions were prepared for a challenge going into the game, Cameron Sipp (10) said.

While all of the players put up a good fight, co-captain Marcus Lee (11) stood out amongst the team, playing extremely well against one of the best players on the Saint Ann’s team, Sipp Courtesy of Charlie Seo

WALL BALL Boys Varsity Squash player is ready for action.

said.

Lee was able to compete well against an incredibly skilled opponent, as he is a strategic player, BVS coach Ronnie Beller said. Lee was able to sustain rallies, dictate shot selection in terms of being in front of the tee, and play great shots, Beller said.

Another player that stood out during the game was Justin Scherer (12), Beller said. “He was using his drop shots a little bit more in the front, which is very nice to see because it’s something that he’s been developing for the last couple of years,” Beller said.

During the game, the tight-knit team was able to maintain their morale and support, which is an aspect of the team that many players value, Charlie Seo (11) said. “The squash team is a great environment to be in, the coach is great, and the players are very supportive,” he said.

“I had some very good drop shots throughout the game,” co-captain Will Bramwell (11) said.

In one game, he lost 12-10 to an opposing player, a close match in squash. “That was the game in which I felt like I followed my strategy the most, so if I kept going with that maybe I could have won,” he said.

The team has been on a losing streak after playing the two best schools in the league — Rye Country Day and Saint Ann’s — back-to-back, Sipp said. For the future, the team is focused on general improvement, having made big strides since the beginning of the season, he said.

Regardless of the loss, it is important to play against opponents on a higher skill level, in

order to improve at the sport, Beller said. “I wanted to challenge our team at least once or twice this year so we can kind of see where we stack up — it’s like a barometer or a measuring stick of where we have to be,” he said.

A common goal amongst team members was to try to win as many points as possible, minimize the point differential, and possibly win a game, Bramwell said. “The team had the mindset that if we’re going to lose, we might as well go down fighting as hard as possible.” Even as underdogs, the team tried extremely hard, exerting their best efforts in each match, he said.

Perfecting a serve is an important aspect of the game, Lee said. The team continues to improve their skills and is especially focused on serves and serve returns, he said. Another essential part of the game is the support teammates provide each other during matches, Lee said.

“I think that is really the pride of our team — there’s no one not supporting each other.”

For future games, the team continues to work on agility, endurance, and strategy, Beller said. “We actually have to focus a little more in practice on our cardio endurance because it’s so difficult to breathe [because of the mask requirements],” he said. Another goal of the team is to hit deeper, more powerful serves off the sidewalls, Beller said.

“We will continue to improve throughout the season,” Bramwell said. The team is looking forward to accomplishing their goal of beating Riverdale during the next game this Friday, he said.

LIONS’ BOX: Results from This Week’s games 1/24 - Varsity Table Tennis vs. Leman -- WIN 4-1 1/24 - Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Friends -- WIN 39-37 1/24 - Girls Varsity Foil Fencing vs. Chapin -- WIN 8-1 1/24 - Girls Varsity Sabre Fencing vs. Chapin -- WIN 5-4 1/24 - Girls Varsity Epee Fencing vs. Chapin -- WIN 9-0 1/24 - Boys Varsity Squash vs. St. Ann’s -- LOSS 0-7

1/26 - Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Collegiate -- LOSS 24-44 1/26 - Girls Varsity Basketball vs. Columbia Prep -- LOSS 34-55 1/26 - Varsity Wrestling vs. Trinity/Martin Luther -- 1ST PLACE 1/26 - Varsity Table Tennis vs. Fieldston -- WIN 5-0