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+
+Op-Eds +
+ +Addressing gender inequality in Physical Education + + +Abigail Kraus + + +As an athlete, I often think about the issue of gender inequality in the sports world, but somehow I’ve always been blind to its presence at the school. +Drawing from my recent experiences as well as the experiences of other students, it seems clear to me that the Athletic Department perpetuates sexist practices to greater degree than the rest of the school, which is most likely a result of its isolation from the rest of the school community. +Of course, sexism is not unique to the gym, as it is definitely a widespread issue at our school, but I think it is important to explore the reasons behind why the Athletic Department seems to stand out from the others in this respect. +There are definitely many explanations for how this divide formed, and they are not necessarily the fault of the department itself. For many years up until a few weeks ago, athletic coaches missed school-wide C period assemblies, which occur during their weekly department meetings. Missing these gatherings means they were often excluded from conversations about diversity that occur during assemblies. +I think this separation was quite a loss for the Athletic Department, as it means the gym faculty aren’t learning about gender issues along with the rest of the school. It sadly isn’t such a surprise that so many girls are having problems during gym class. +For example, sometimes gym teachers offer students the choice of playing a sports game or walking the track. Ashley Dai (9) said her coach assumes that the girls will want to opt out of the planned activity. +The stereotype that girls can’t play sports has been reinforced many times in my experiences by my male compatriots who refuse to pass to me and who don’t treat me equally as a teammate. Therefore, it’s problematic that the coaches themselves sometimes perpetuate this discouragement instead of working against it. +I’ve witnessed first-hand how a coach’s comments can make it that much harder for a girl to choose the sport over the track, which is already an intimidating decision to begin with. Often, I am the only girl playing. Recently, my coach asked me to “stay with [him]” while the guys played rock-paper-scissors with their partners to determine the teams. I had already gotten a partner, but I was singled out and made “other.” +After the teams were set up, my coach turned to me and told me I could “pick any team [I] want.” I was taken aback because it was clear that the only reason why I had been separated from the rest of the students was because I was the only girl. +This was not the first time something like this had happened, and I am angry that I’ve become so accustomed to this treatment. +James Gluck (10) told me that his coach resisted letting the class play dodgeball because he was afraid “the boys would throw too hard” and that “some people” would not want to be as involved, subtly gesturing to the girls sitting in front of him. +This is a harmful assumption to make because it undermines the athleticism of the young women in the class and implies that female students are still bound by a severely outdated stereotype. We must acknowledge and react to this incorrect assumption about so many women in this community because not only is it degrading to female students, but it is also reinforcing and teaching sexism. +When splitting up the teams for another game of soccer, my gym teacher chose two male captains per team and asked that they choose fairly. He then pointed at me and asked that the boys not pick me last. I felt demeaned. It was not only an insult to me but also a fundamentally sexist comment in and of itself, even though it was made with the opposite intention. +This problem is deeply rooted in the culture at the school, so solutions are difficult to find. I strongly believe that speaking about your experiences as members of this community is vital to change. Whether you are the victim or a witness, tell your stories to others and spread awareness. +Additionally, male students in gym classes are automatically in a position of privilege. It is important to notice when these things happen and to inquire about why they do. Stand up with your female classmates - chances are you will be better heard than they, as terrible a reality as it is. +I also think it would be beneficial, if I were in the position of an administrator, to directly intervene with the department and engage in constructive discussion about how the coaches can teach all students in a more equal and effective manner. It is not about disregarding the fact that we are women, but rather acknowledging that we are women and can still be the best athletes in the room. + +
+ +
+
+Letters to Editor +
+ +An argument to be present on “A Day Without A Woman” + + +Alexis Dahl + + +Dear Editor, +After what was undeniably a powerful worldwide celebration of women’s rights, many marchers returned home on January 21st thinking about their next steps. How do we keep the needs, concerns and inequalities that preoccupy women at the forefront of social discourse? +As March is Women’s History Month and March 8th is International Women’s Day, many women and their allies ­anyone who is passionate about women’s rights as human rights ­have decided, under the leadership of the organizers of the Women’s March on Washington, to spread the seeds of support and solidarity further. We join in “making March 8th A Day Without A Woman, recognizing the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socio­economic system­­while receiving lower wages and experiencing greater inequities, vulnerability to discrimination, sexual harassment, and job insecurity.” +Many women will elect to stay home on March 8th in order to demonstrate the effects of their absence. However, we, as teachers at HM, believe that by coming to work, we can also be effective in highlighting the important roles of women. We will not stay home, but will come to HM and affirm our solidarity with the cause in a variety of ways. We may wear red, or sport buttons or stickers. We may stay silent for all or part of the day. We may lead silent activities in class or teach lessons focusing on the contributions of women. +Our goal is not to admonish but to urge a dialogue with the HM community to consider the consequences of overlooking or minimizing the contributions of women throughout history and in the present day. +With that in mind, we are choosing to be present while “[acting] together for equity, justice and the human rights of women and all gender­oppressed people, through a one­day demonstration of economic solidarity.” Please support us by honoring our silence. We welcome you to join us by wearing red, choosing to remain silent for all or part of the day, or sporting a button or sticker. + +Sincerely, +Alexis Dahl, Morgan Yarosh, Eva Abbamonte, Molly Johnsen, Emily Salitan, Caitlin Hickerson, Avram Schlesinger, Denise DiRenzo, Rachael Ricker, and Alison Kolinski + +
+ +
+
+News +
+ +Feminist Students Association visits Sanctuary for Families, looks to host discussion on transgender rights + + +Mayanka Dhingra + + +This past Saturday, four students from the school’s Feminist Students Association (FSA) visited Sanctuary for Families, a nonprofit organization located in the East Bronx that provides shelter for victims of gender inequality and domestic violence. +During their monthly visits, students get the chance to connect with women and their children seeking shelter at the organization by providing support and enrichment activities for families, such as craft making with children and their parents. During this trip, the FSA helped the kids make paper ladybugs. +Gabi Sheybani (12), a frequent participant in trips to Sanctuary, decided to get involved after working with a similar organization for women with serious mental and physical disabilities in Iran. +“The hour we spend at Sanctuary is incomprehensibly impactful because we have the opportunity to make a positive memory; giving the children an opportunity to be kids,” she said. +Sanctuary Coordinator Sofia Gonzalez (11) said this time she left feeling rewarded after reconnecting with families returning to the organization. “There are definitely moms who come almost every month so it’s really nice to continue to connect with them,” she said. +FSA co-president Azure Gao (12) said that she is a firm believer in the positive effects the presence of students can have on people seeking shelter at the organization. +“The experience of attending Sanctuary is not only powerful for the people who go, but it’s also really powerful for those who are there to find support in people from the school,” Gao said. +Gao and Gonzalez both have a broad vision for the club’s future and hope to expand FSA’s outreach to include all matters of intersectionality in feminism. People experience feminism in distinct ways depending on their various different social identifiers, Gonzalez said. +By bringing other social injustices into the scope of gender-related issues, the club hopes to attain various new perspectives that will enrich their discussions, Gao said. So far this year, FSA plans to host a discussion on intersectionality and has already held a discussion regarding statements made by President Donald Trump circulating in last year’s presidential election campaign. +Due to President Trump’s recent weakening of civil rights protections for transgender individuals, the FSA is hosting a joint meeting with the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) on Monday to provide a forum for open dialogue. +Because “A Day Without Women,” a one-day strike orchestrated by women, is coming up, the joint meeting is an excellent opportunity to discuss common issues, GSA faculty adviser Jonathan Nye said. + +
+ +
+
+News +
+ +School’s Robotics Teams participates in FTC tournament + + +Abby Kanter + + +Two of the school's Robotics Teams competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) NYC Regional State Championships last Sunday. Team 4326, also known as the FTC Basement Lions, placed 12th, while Team 9681, the Parallel Lions, finished 19th out of 30 participating teams. +In the FTC tournament, teams from seventh grade to 12th grade design, build, program, and operate robots in order to perform tasks in a game and earn points. The five teams with the highest number of points move on to the FTC Super-Regional Championships. +Tasks ranged from shooting whiffle balls into a center vortex to pushing them up a ramp to lifting and depositing a 20-pound exercise ball, FTC Captain Audrey Yu (10), who worked on hardware for Team 4326, said. +"Team 4326 won three out of five of our matches, but we had a lot of technical issues with our robot, which were just a lot of bad luck," Yu said. +Although neither team placed high enough to move on to the FTC Super-Regional Championships, Team 4326 won the Motivate Award, given for outstanding outreach and inspiring STEM and robotics in the school or local community, Silvia Wang (10), Head of Public Relations for Team 4326, said. +As Head of Public Relations, Wang manages business connections and partnerships with other teams, works on team branding and design, and organizes outreach events, in addition to helping out with the actual building of the robot. +"For 4326, our judging interview went really well because we were able to cover all the outreach we've done, and this was probably one of the key components that put us up for the Motivate Award," Wang said. +Although no more competitions for Teams 4362 and 9681 are scheduled for the rest of the year, an outreach event is scheduled in April with Techno Chix, a Girls Scouts team from Westchester, Yu said. +To prepare for future competitions, the teams will focus on doing even more outreach during post-season. They are currently in the process of planning "Roarbotics Day" for the Lower and Middle Divisions, Wang said. + +
+ +
+
+News +
+ +Black Parents Union hosts second annual Multicultural Night + + +Ricardo Pinncok + + +On Friday Feb. 24, the Black Parents' Union (BPU) hosted its second annual Multicultural Night, which featured music performances by faculty members, dances by HM Stomp and groups outside the school, and a fashion show, among other performances. +Assistant Security Manager Pete Clancy, Security Manager Bill O'Sullivan, and Security Specialist Thomas Nolan started the night off with a collection of songs played on the bagpipes and the drums. Clancy, O'Sullivan, and Nolan of the Emerald Society of the New York Police Department once performed in the St. Patrick's Day Parade; their performance was a testament to Scottish and Irish heritage. +Akida Joseph (10) and Cara Hernandez (12) co-choreographed a dance to "Do Like That," a song by Korede Bello, a Nigerian pop star. The choreography was inspired by African and Afro-Caribbean traditional dances. +Music teacher Alan Bates showcased his talent for the West Indies instrument by playing three songs on a gold single tenor steel pan. The steel pan is a common music instrument in the West Indies, but Bates was specifically representing Trinidad and Tobago, co-Chair of the BPU Jennifer Hippolyte-Thomas P'20 P'22 P'26 said. +Following a dinner highlighting Asian, Greek, Italian, African, and American cultures, the audience enjoyed a hip-hop dance workshop, a fashion show, and another round of performances, Hippolyte-Thomas said. +Deena Clemente, an adjunct professor at Hunter College and a hip-hop historian, gave a small demonstration and taught the audience hip-hop dance. Clemente, known by her dance crew as Snapshot, is well connected to the Bronx Music Heritage Center, Hippolyte-Thomas said. +"I thought the woman who gave the talk on hip-hop was really cool because I had never gotten a history lesson like that before. She seems very in touch with what she was talking about and in tune with her craft," Tishiya Carey (12) said. +As Bollywood music played in the background, sixth graders modeled traditional Indian lehengas and shararas that incorporate modern fashion trends. +"I especially enjoyed the fashion show because I never knew there was such a wide range of garments for different Indian events," Akida Joseph (10) said. +Students wore dashikis and caftans to honor African cultures. Dashikis used to be the choice of dress for royalty, but they have recently become more widespread. Additionally, students modeled garments from the Dominican Republic and South Korea. +After the fashion show, the audience enjoyed the second portion of performances. A group of sixth graders put on a Bollywood performance set to the tune of "Radha on the Dance Floor," and Eshan Mehere (6) played the tabla, an Indian percussion instrument. +"The night was a joyous night of community building because the parents' incredible work in pulling in different members of our school community and the greater Bronx community," Diversity Associate John Gentile said. +To close out the night, four students from the Deirdre O'Mara School of Irish Dance performed the Irish Hornpipes and a dance called the "The Vanishing Lake." +"The community needs to recognize culture past the international food festival; there are so many aspects of culture, like dance, clothing, and even musical instruments and style. I think Multicultural Night got it right," Jahmire Cassanova (11) said. + +
+ +
+
+News +
+ +Advocacy group for learning differences holds first meeting + + +Tiffany Liu + + +Students' Learning Style Advocates and Mentors' (S.L.A.M.) first meeting last Monday during I period gathered over 30 students. The new club strives to empower students at the school to be advocates for others and themselves by raising awareness for learning differences and mentoring younger students with different learning styles, President Audrey Shapiro (12) said. +During the meeting, Shapiro gave an introductory presentation which included information on the two branches of the club, the mentorship program and the advocacy program. +Shapiro stressed that the club is not just for people with diagnosed learning differences, but also for those who have different learning styles, which is one of the most important aspects of the program, she said. +"I know that I have a different learning style from other people; it's not that I have a disability, but it's just that everyone has different styles," Paul Jang (12), who attended the meeting, said. +On a form that Shapiro handed out to everyone during the meeting, individuals were able to circle what their learning style consists of, including visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, social, and solitary. +Shapiro was happy that a lot of people showed interest after originally thinking that only six people would show up, she said. +Abigail Salzhauer (9), who has several learning disorders, found that "even in the world of educators, there is 100 percent a stigma still around learning differently," she said, do she plans on participating in both the mentorship and advocacy programs. +Shapiro started the club due to her personal experience of struggling with ADHD in sixth grade, she said. At first, she did not seek help, dismissing the problem by saying, "You know what, I must just be stupid or something." It was not until her mother brought her to a specialist, got her diagnosed with ADHD, and started to get her help, that she was really able to start doing well in school, she said. "I would never want someone to feel the same way that I felt in sixth grade." +Sometimes the way people learn is not conducive to the school's class structures, "but I think if we start to accept the different ways in which we learn, that's when success can really come," Shapiro said. +"Celebrating diversity in our community includes embracing the different ways our minds work, think, and learn. It's time for the HM community to start thinking about these things, understanding these things, and celebrating them," school psychologist Dr. Liz Westphal said. +Over the years, Westphal has floated the idea with colleagues and other students, but "it's not going to be a meaningful experience if it's not student-driven and student-run," she said. +Even though she is laying the foundation for it right now, "it's really up to Horace Mann students to see where this goes," she said. "Luckily, we have a bunch of really engaged juniors." +As of right now, SLAM is still finding mentors for the mentorship program, and the advocacy branch is planning a workshop for Wellness Week, Shapiro said. In the future, they hope to hold assemblies about personal experiences with learning differences and accommodations and hold forums for questions regarding learning styles and differences, she said. + +
+ +
+
+News +
+ +Students and faculty celebrate Japanese culture through food, performances, workshops on Japan Day + + +Gabby Kepnes + + +l occur with different performances, plays, and speeches, followed by food and workshops all arranged by teachers and students studying Japanese. +The students in Japanese classes have been preparing for the day for the past month and a half, Charlie Wallach (11) said. +"We often go down to the Recital Hall and use the stage; we've also had help from many different outside-of-school and in-school mentors, such as a Japanese actor from the Japan society in New York, as well as Mr. Timko, who has come to give us critiques on our play," Gabi Rahmin (11) said. +From B to mid-C period, students will put on Japanese plays, followed by a Japanese drum presentation from the Advanced Placement and honors classes. +Later in the day, special lunches, workshops, and food tastings will take place in Fisher Hall, including free mochi, yakisoba, "and the other stuff for the younger kids like yo-yo fishing." Japanese teacher Mami Fujisaki said. +"Every year it's a little bit different based on what the group of students bring to the day and the different energy levels and the different attitudes that each student brings from him or herself." Rahmin said. +"Ms. Fujisaki shakes up the plays every year and as you get older, you get more freedom in the plays and you get more freedom with what you want to do with it; like the characters that you do, sometimes she lets you write your own play," Wallach said. +While hoping every student leaves Japan Day with more thoughts and questions, Fujisaki also wants students, parents, and teachers to know that "the more languages you know, the more experiences you will enjoy, the more people you will meet, and the more food you can try," she said, +"When I started taking Japanese and then experienced Japan Day, I've noticed that it really takes you into a glimpse of what Japanese culture is and how broad it is because it has something for everyone," Wallach said. From a Japanese tea ceremony to Japanese calligraphy, you really get a cool perspective, he said. +This day is not just for people who have studied Japanese or who think they want to study Japanese, Rahmin said. "Japan Day really teaches everyone about all different aspects of Japanese culture and aside from all the different learning opportunities available throughout the day, it's just purely fun," she said. +To any students, teachers, and parents who are thinking of coming and participating in the different activities involved in Japan Day, "the world is yours, so explore the world," Fujisaki said. + +
+ +
+
+Middle Division +
+ +Middle Division Mentoring Begins Tutoring Initiative + + +Betsey Bennett + + +The Middle Division Mentoring Program began a new tutoring initiative after winter break to assist MD students with schoolwork during I period every Monday. +Each Monday, MD mentors, led by Tutoring Coordinators Sophia Fikke (11) and Lily Kessler (12), provide extra help with subject-specific material, study skills, and organization. +"High school mentors are perfect to provide this service, because they have an established relationship with the students in their homeroom and they have been through middle school recently," Fikke said. "We also know that sometimes it is difficult to give up free periods, so the after-school time slot is ideal." +The mentors are stationed in rooms in Rose Hall to assist students during the I period program. They also stop into the Academic Center to provide help for those who have unanticipated trouble with homework or do not know about the tutoring services. +Emily Salzhauer (6) recently met with a MD tutor during the I period program. "My friend and I went right before we had a Spanish test that we didn't understand the material for," Salzhauer said. "I liked that when we showed up, we asked who of the mentors could help us in Spanish and we went in a room and started working and understanding the material within the next 5 minutes." +"I feel that many middle schoolers want or need help on studying for tests, homework, and many other aspects of HM life, but their parents cannot really help with some of the stuff because they haven't learned it the way that we do at HM, for every school is different," Lara Jones (7) said. "I think that it is good to have fellow HM students who understand the struggles that some of the kids go through." +According to Bella Colacino (7), high schoolers offer a non-intimidating tutoring presence. "I think that having a tutor from the high school would be easier to connect with, and therefore you would feel more comfortable," Colacino said. +In addition, UD mentors can be an especially useful resource for those who would like extra help but do not have a tutor outside of school, Emma Colacino (7) said. +"I also think it is really good for the high schoolers to have the opportunity to work with a younger student," Maria Weaver Watson P '19 '21 said. "That is just another form of volunteering and giving back." +There is no dedicated tutoring office in the MD like there is in the Upper Division. +"The UD tutoring office seems like an amazing place to go if you are struggling with anything," Madison Wu (7) said. "In the MD there is the Academic Center, which is not that similar. I have only seen students get help if they are really struggling, otherwise people just go there for a quiet place to do homework or study." +The Middle Division Mentoring Program, along with Director of Middle Division Guidance Wendy Reiter and Administrative Assistant Claudia Gomez, have worked to provide a large network of academic support for students, Fikke said. +In the past, Fikke and Kessler have worked with Reiter and Gomez to pair MD students who would like to be tutored with mentors in one-on-one sessions. This new I period initiative will allow for students to receive help in a group setting, which may be more inviting, Fikke said. +"I think it is a really great initiative because I period is a convenient time for both middle schoolers and high schoolers to get together," MD Mentor Hannah Long (10) said. "It is a solid forty-five minute period dedicated just for mentors to help tutor middle schoolers with anything from test preparation to organization, and there is a four o'clock bus to take you home afterwards." +One potential problem that Jones foresees with the program is that it may conflict with some other clubs and activities in the MD. +"I have HM Lead on Monday afternoons, and therefore am not able to attend the high-school mentor program," Jones said. "However, I think it would be great if I could." +"I am really excited about the new Monday tutoring option, as it is a great chance for mentees to see and connect with their mentors, and benefit from the older students' advice and experience," MD Mentor Katie Goldenberg (10) said. "I am planning to encourage all of my mentees to attend if they need any help, and to take advantage of the amazing services the program provides." +"We think the idea of an in-school program is terrific," Michael Salzhauer P '18 '20 '23. "It is a particularly great spot for help understanding specific topics, and that this help comes from folks that might have experienced the same courses and teachers. Students helping students is good community-building path for the school." +Recently, MD Mentor William Golub (10) created a tutoring survey for every MD student to complete and distributed it to homeroom advisors. "We wanted students to think about their academic performance and where they needed support," Golub said. "We also wanted to remind them that after school tutoring is available, and that we are able to help with almost all academic issues that arise." +Tutoring options in the MD are still being explored. "We plan to keep promoting and expanding our I period tutoring initiative and the tutoring program as a whole as we see fit based on the needs of the Middle Division students," Fikke said. + +
+ +
+
+Lions' Den +
+ +Varsity Squash keeps spirits high, improves record to 5-7 + + +Isha Agarwal + + +After a slow and difficult start to the season, the Varsity Squash team has overcome four tough losses with three recent wins against Riverdale, Fieldston and Fordham Prep. +"Now, we have the gears running and we have a lot more experience, so we have some momentum going into the latter half of the season," co-Captain Siddharth Tripathi (11) said. +The team had a strong 6-1 win against Fordham Prep this past Tuesday. The team’s number one seed co-Captain Aman Sanger (11) performed extremely well, with a 3-0 win, Peter Lehv (9) said. The Lions enjoyed watching Aman play because it created an entertaining environment, with all of the players offering their support from the sidelines, Lehv said. +The team fell to Dalton 2-5 on Wednesday. Against Dalton, Sanger, the #7 ranked squash player in the country, had a chance to play against the #1 squash player in the country, and regardless of the loss, it was a great learning experience for the younger players and an enjoyable match to watch due to the high level of intensity, Rhea Sanger (9) said. +The Lions have been training during practices by working on fitness and playing conditioning games, in which players focus on developing certain skillsets by only being allowed to score a point by hitting a certain shot, Tripathi said. +Not only is physical fitness an important aspect of the sport of squash, but mental toughness is equally important, Lehv said. +"We need to approach every match, every practice, every game with focus, with mental toughness, and a freeflowing atmosphere," Varsity Squash Coach Ron Beller said. +The lack of seniors on the team has made it harder for some of the new talent to get comfortable in the setting due to the lack of experience, Beller said. +Regardless, some of the older members on the team have been offering advice and tips to the younger players on improving their game, Sanger said. +Even with the absence of seniors, many underclassmen have adapted, such as Connor Morris (10), Ryan Hoang (10), Lily Seckendorf (9), and Lehv Seckendorf in particular has helped strengthen the middle of the line-up, following the well-rounded top three players, Tripathi said. +Some of this challenge was created deliberately while setting up the schedule, Beller said. He wanted to help introduce the competitive environment that came with the varsity level sport and help prepare them to deal with di culty and adversity. +The team took a trip to the Tournament of Champions to watch professional squash players in action. +"Watching the pros taught us about the mental aspect of the game," Lehv said. +They were able to watch the comeback of a player who was down 0-2 in a match, and was able to win the match 3-2, which taught the team to persevere and showed them how di cult the game could prove itself to be, Lehv said. +With the second half of the season and Squash Nationals still on the calendar, the Lions look forward to more wins and personal development by closing out matches and focusing on their mental game, Sanger said. +"We just want to try our best and put our heart out on the court every single match, regardless of whether we win or lose," Tripathi said. + +
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+News +
+ +Service Learning Team celebrates its 10th year in seventh annual dinner + + +Katie Goldenberg + + +Students, faculty, and alumni gathered in the Cohen Dining Commons Tuesday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Service Learning team at its seventh annual dinner. With parents, partner organizations, and broader members of the Community Values and Action (CCVA) also in attendance, the team discussed and celebrated its initiatives, collaborating sites, and support from the community. +The dinner commenced with a speech by Dr. Jeremy Leeds, Director of the CCVA, regarding the history, mission, and development of the team. Following Leeds, a group of students on the team spoke about their experiences with service learning and personal connections to the program. +"The original idea was to speak to parents of team members about the work their kids were doing, and to recognize what we do as a part of a larger family," Leeds said. "Over time, we started to invite more members, the agencies that we work with, and the parties that we connect with all year, so it's a much larger group with the same feeling." +"The original idea was to speak to parents of team members about the work their kids were doing, and to recognize what we do as a part of a larger family," Leeds said. "Over time, we started to invite more members, the agencies that we work with, and the parties that we connect with all year, so it's a much larger group with the same feeling." +Major contributors to the CCVA's endowment, representatives from partner sites, including the Riverdale Neighborhood House, Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, and Riverdale Senior Services, visited to partake in the gathering. +"We work with our partners each week at Service Learning," Tyler Jonas (10), one of several student presenters at the dinner, said. "We have groups of students who visit the sites and teach different classes; this year we've added even more subjects, like Literacy and Computer Science, and we're still expanding." +"We have an awesome group of students of team, many of whom joined as freshman this year," Service Learning Fellow Josh Goodstein '11 said. "One beautiful thing about the team is that the upperclassmen take the underclassmen under their wing and set a wonderful example." +In addition to its recent progress, the team still looks to grow and improve. "We want to accommodate all the students we're working with since we've expanded," Administrative Assistant for the CCVA Walter Koshel said. +Sadie Lye (12), a member of the Service Learning Team's leadership, originally joined to fulfill her community service requirement, but "fell in love with working with the kids," she said. "It's amazing to go back week after week and have them know your name and be excited about what you're doing; they've taught me so much about myself and what I value." + +
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+Editorials +
+ +Extending our voices, post-protest + + +The Editorial Board + + +There is no way to change the results of this election, but that does not mean those of us who disagree with the president's policies and values are powerless. +Voting is only part of what gives the people power in the United States. We get the rest of our power from our right to free speech, our right to assemble, our ability to express what we think should happen in this nation. We are afforded the luxury of having a voice. We should use it. +How can we make our voices heard? +Primarily, we need to stay informed. Pay attention to where your news comes from. Be aware that everyone is biased. Try to counter this. We need to avoid falling prey to hate-mongering or falsehoods. Go to Feminist Students Association, Gender-Sexuality Alliance, and Union meetings and listen as hard as you can. Take others' opinions and experiences seriously. +Armed with your knowledge, defend your peers. Do not let the United States revert to a place where marginalization of women, people of color, and religious minorities is commonplace or acceptable. +If you want to march, the next peaceful protest is taking place in many cities on April 15. If you have the funds, donate to public media. National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service are losing funds. Do what you can to help them. If you don't have the funds but you do have the time, organizations like Planned Parenthood are in need of volunteers now more than ever. +When you've done what you can within your own community, reach out. Call or write to your senator and house representative (scan the QR code to find their address and number). The website womensmarch.support even has postcards that you can print and send. Midterm elections are in two years, and many members of our community will be able to vote- make sure you participate. +As President Barack Obama said, "If you're disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself. Show up. Dive in. Persevere." +Don't give up hope. + +
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+Arts and Entertainment +
+ +Show Edition: Dancers present student-choreographed concert + + +Natasha Poster + + +Imagine being transported from Chicago to Salem to a place within your own mind all while sitting in your seat. In pastel leotards, metallic wrap tops, and jeans, dancers in the student-choreographed dance concert on Thursday carried audience members to places all around the world and beyond. +The concert featured a wide variety of styles, such as modern, ballet, and tap, that conveyed the essence of a place the choreographer had in mind. Horace Mann Dance Company (HMDC) Co-Presidents Lauren Smith (11) and Karen Jiang (12) came up with the theme of places because they thought it was a unique concept, Smith said. +"Dances can really change where you are in a moment, and they can make you feel different things and put you in different places in a sense," Smith said. "This way, choreographers do not have to form a dance around a certain idea, they can choreograph and showcase their own individual place." +The show began in Atlanta, Georgia with HM Stomp, the school's step team, performing a song in camouflage shirts. They made their own beat by clapping and stomping and added spoken lyrics from Beyonce's song "Formation." +Aided by lighting that shifted from magenta to white to blue, dancers in themed costumes twirled, jumped and ran around the dance studio to communicate the feeling of being in New York, in Orlando, and in Washington Square Park. +It was a good theme because everyone got to do something that meant something to them, dancer Arriana Serrano (11) said. +Smith played a witch in a production of "Macbeth" over the summer, an experience that inspired her to choreograph a dance based on the Salem witch trials, she said. The dance involved three witches casting a curse before they fell to their deaths, she said. +Cara Hernandez (12) had a great experience choreographing her dance, especially because her dancers had previous experience, she said. Her dance was an energetic tap number performed by a group of girls channeling dancers at the Cotton Club in glittery flapper-esque dresses and headbands. +As presidents, Smith and Jiang each choreographed and performed her own dance solo. +Smith performed a song taking place in Neverland, while Jiang performed one that evoked home, each incorporating graceful contemporary and ballet moves and telling a story through motion. +Jiang also choreographed a dance taking place in a supernova, in which dancers dressed in black robes and eventually took them off to reveal colorful leotards and skirts as they performed graceful kicks and elegant twirls. +Cameron Chavers (11) choreographed a dance taking place in purgatory, where she and two other dancers were angels judging the other dancers at the gates to heaven, she said. +The dancers wore light and airy dresses and moved gracefully and effortlessly across the floor. +Choreography of the dances began in November, and there were showcases throughout the year to check on the progress that the choreographers and dancers were making, Smith said. +Because the show was entirely student-run, dancers were able to express exactly what they wanted without being influenced by anyone else, Serrano said. +Manager of Theater Department Jonathan Nye and Theater, Dance and Film Studies Department Chair and HMDC faculty advisor Alison Kolinski were always available to help if needed, but they never inserted themselves, Grace Hill (11) said. +The students found time on their own to rehearse and worked through a few difficulties to make sure the show ran smoothly. Chavers held rehearsals for her dance during frees and after school and showed her dancers the steps she choreographed by demonstrating them herself first, she said. Because there were nine people in her dance, she had many one-on-one practices to ensure that everyone was on the same page with the choreography, she said. +Due to her dancers' different levels of experience, Chavers had to spend more time teaching the dance than she would have expected, which made it more difficult to learn other peoples' dances due to scheduling, she said. +"This was my first time choreographing, so finding the courage and the creativity to put together a piece was my biggest challenge," Stephanie Carrero (12) said. +It was hard to organize everything so that everybody learned a certain amount at the right time, but the end result was amazing, Smith said. +"I've become friends with a lot of people and become close with a lot of people that I hadn't known before," Hill said. +"Dancing in and of itself is always great, and dancing with your friends and doing something together is even more fun," Chavers said. + +
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+News +
+ +A Loss In Our Community + + +Eve Kazarian + + +On Jan. 14, 2017, former Board of Trustees Member Neil Underberg passed away. +Underberg graduated from Syracuse University and Cornell Law School to become a prominent real estate attorney in New York. When not at work, Underberg enjoyed boating. +At the school, Underberg served as a legal advisor and made donations to various causes. He was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1977, served as an Emeritus Trustee from 1998 to 2013, and did pro bono real estate tax work for the school until his passing. +"While Mr. Underberg wasn't keen about taking a bow, we have generations of HMers who had new soccer uniforms, calculators, textbooks, bus money and the like without ever knowing that it came from Mr. and Mrs. Underberg," Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said. +Underberg was always passionate about the school and doing what was right. +"He brought about the best in others and never hesitated to speak his mind or speak truth to power. He read The Record cover to cover, and he was forever proud of the students' accomplishments from year to year," Kelly said. +In his household, Underberg perpetuated the message of "always doing the right thing, +even though it was not the easiest path to take, his son Dr. James Underberg '79 said. +This mentality carried over to Underberg's relationships with clients and has become something Underberg passes on to his children, Dr. Underberg said. +The Underbergs remain connected to the school; two generations have attended the school: James '78, his children Joshua '21 and Samantha '25, and Amy (Underberg) Applebaum '82 and her children Carolyn '16 and Julia '21. +"We'll miss seeing him on campus," Kelly said. + +
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+Middle Division +
+ +Interview with Director Denise DiRenzo + + +Sadie Schwartz + + +Q: Why did you choose The Phantom Tollbooth? A: I read a lot of scripts and felt that this one was so cleverly written that both the students and the teachers would appreciate it. For instance, the kings of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis are fighting over who is more important. This sort of goes along with how divided the country is at the moment, and how we all take what we believe to be of utmost seriousness and disregard others’ viewpoints. +Q: Can you speak about your history as a theatrical director? A: In my 20s and 30s I directed many book shows, meaning your standard musical-- in New York, around the US, in Japan, and in Europe. I was in four Broadway shows. I was Diana Morales in A Chorus Line, I was in the original company of 42nd Street, Cats, and Sophisticated Ladies with Gregory Hines, who was a famous tap dancer. At the school, I directed the Middle Division musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and choreographed the dance concert the previous year. +Q: What challenges have the students faced during rehearsals? A: Many of them have never acted before, so facing front towards the audience and projecting their voices for everyone in the entire Gross Theater to hear has been their greatest challenge. +Q: What would you choose as your next play to direct? We do a musical one year and a play the next year, so next year we will do a musical for sure. Next year’s musical might be something more traditional like The Lion King Jr., but I haven’t decided that yet. The reason we switch on and off is to give the students who don’t sing an opportunity to act. +
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+News +
+ +A look into two MD publications- students explore self expresssion through the written word + + +Janvi Kukreja + + +Two Middle Division (MD) publications, the HM Journal and Muse, modeled on Upper Division publications have made an impact on the MD. +The Journal features articles about current events, and Muse allows students to share their creativity through poetry and prose. +This publication "is completely student-based, just like the high school," English teacher Morgan Yarosh, HM Journal's faculty advisor, said. The team of Upper Division student editors, led by Elizabeth Raab (11), edit the MD students' writing and keep the publication on track. Yarosh only proofreads articles before they go into the magazine and arranges for the funding and the physical publication. +"Sophomores and freshmen edit the articles that are sent in, and the MD students email me if they are interested in writing, and we work together to find a topic they'd like to write about," said Raab. +On Muse, teachers have a larger involvement in the production of the publication. "There were attempts to have an advisory committee of peer students to handle preparing the work for print, but that was tough to sustain in the Middle Division," faculty advisor Isaac Brooks said. "In response, we've deputized the English Department faculty to act as editors." +While several students have topics in mind, other students that know they want to be involved have a conversation with Raab to find something they feel comfortable writing about. "It's actually a very interactive process," she said. +"Because the students are still new to writing in general, we try to stay relaxed regarding deadlines on when we receive the articles," Raab said. +There is only one edition of the Journal printed every year, which ensures that the editing process goes smoothly, and the students are able to take their time when writing their pieces. The hope is that this lengthy writing and revising process will benefit students' quality of writing in their classes, Yarosh said. +As a teacher, Brooks views writing for a publication as an important addition to the usual classwork. "Writing for a larger community is a wonderful challenge and an amazing validation of our students' communication skills beyond the classroom," he said. +As a writer of the HM Journal in middle school, Raab sees her participation in the publication as beneficial to her writing. It not only prepared her to write longer articles, but to think about pertinent issues that are happening around the world. +"Especially in the middle school, I think it's very important for students to know that they can write about things that matter and things that they care about. It also lets them know that they can end up writing very eloquent, interesting articles," Raab said. +"Because these publications have one issue every year, it's hard for Middle Division students to maintain their motivation," Yarosh said. "They usually need immediate responses and gratification." +"As long as we're mindful of a balance between artist and audience by making the medium available and beholden to both sides of that equation, we should succeed," Brooks said. + +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +Indoor Track Profiles: Jephtha Prempeh + + +Solomon Katz + + +Jephtha Prempeh (12) is in the middle of his 11th season of running at the school, and he is working harder than ever to improve. The first time he ran was in an afterschool program in 5th grade. +“Running was the first extracurricular activity I got to try out, so when I came to Horace Mann, I looked for every single opportunity I could get to run,” Prempeh said. +In middle school, Prempeh ran both cross country and track, but quit cross country in high school to focus on sprinting in track. Prempeh is also the co-Captain of Boys Indoor Track, and he uses that role to keep the team energized. +“Our practices can get physically and mentally tiring when you have to do the same kinds of workouts everyday. I try to let the younger kids know that it’s okay to feel that tired, but the gratification is worth it,” Prempeh said. +“Although training everyday is difficult and running a race is painful, after I sprint I feel amazing. Running is a game of willpower, accomplished and in control,” Prempeh said. +In past seasons, Prempeh has had specific time goals that he strives towards, but this season he is aiming to bring a different mentality to his running. +“In the past when I’d get overwhelmed by school, I use the track to work through the stress. But this year I have a little less responsibility and a little more freedom to make track focused about the run and not have me thinking about anything else that will just distract me,” Prempeh said. +Over the course of high school, Prempeh’s times have gotten faster, but he is most proud of his improvement with hurdles, he said. +“When hurdling, I used to have mistakes in technique that were glaring, but now I’m able to execute it without a second thought. Through years of practice and muscle memory, I don’t have to think about my technique as much,” Prempeh said. In addition to hurdles, Prempeh sprints and long jumps. +“It’s rare that a runner participates in such a wide range of events, but Jeph excels at them all,” Boys Indoor Track Coach Jon Eshoo said. +Prempeh’s teammates admire his dedication to the team and commitment to strength training in the weight room. +“Jeph taught me how to be so much faster." + +
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+News +
+ +Students and faculty react to inauguration at protests in Washington, New York + + +Mahika Hari + + +Last Saturday, students and faculty members took part in the Women’s Marches, both in Washington D.C. and New York City. Photography teacher Karen Johnson attended the March in D.C. with other school faculty. "I knew the March would include a broad coalition, but the diversity of participants still exceeded my expectations," she said. +"We were in human gridlock," theatre arts teacher Alexis Dahl, who also marched in D.C., said. The marchers could barely move because the entire route they were supposed to walk was packed with people, she said. +Middle Division English teacher Morgan Yarosh said the March in New York was well organized, especially since they weren’t sure how many people would show up and there were so many that did. +"The energy was infectious - everyone was excited and feeling great," Yarosh said of her walk from Grand Central to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, the starting point of the March. "As we walked, I began to feel like I was a part of something big, positive, and elective." +The most powerful moment for Ethan Matt (11) was when he and Charlie Wallach (11) climbed a traffic pole and joined in with a call and response chant in which hundreds of women would shout "my body, my choice" and hundreds of men would shout back "their body, their choice," Matt said. +The sheer size of the crowd and breadth of issues represented were shocking, Walker McCarthy (7) said. He carried a sign with a photo of Trump as a marionette being controlled by Putin as the puppet master, referencing the issue of Trump and his cabinet’s relationship with Russia that is concerning to him, he said. +Zarina Iman (11) had been planning to go to D.C. with the school, but made other arrangements easily, she said. She attended the March in New York with her neighbor, and her train from Westchester was packed with women going to the March, she said. +"Seeing so many men at the March reminded me how important it is to fight for equality even if you don’t feel like the specific case directly affects you, because in the end, inequality hurts everyone, not just the oppressed," Aidan Futterman (12) said. +Nikki Sheybani (11) was involved both as a marcher and volunteer, directing marchers around barricades and helping as needed. +"Being a woman fortunate enough to have grown up under the Obama administration and in the diverse area that is New York City, I feel that it is not just my privilege, but my responsibility to fight for the rights of largely marginalized groups in any way that I can," she said. +"It was so indescribably empowering to stand in a sea of people, working towards the same goal," Sheybani said. +Skylar Rosen (12) took a bus to the D.C. March with Planned Parenthood and held a sign with Audrey Shapiro (12) saying "Girls just wanna have fun(damental rights)." +Nicole Warszawski (10) went to a protest right outside the inauguration in D.C. "When standing in the crowd and just looking at the people around me, I felt so in place," she said. "We may not be swaying the president, but we are getting our voices heard." +Attending the March allowed Rosen to think seriously about women’s health and inspired her to get more involved with organizations like Planned Parenthood, she said. +"We are not alone. Kindness can prevail," Johnson said. "Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work to build the possible future." + +
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+Arts and Entertainment +
+ +Students and faculty showcase talents to raise funds for charity + + +Rebecca Salzhauer + + +Drums crashed and electric guitars wailed, reverberating off the walls of the Cohen Dining Commons, as an audience of over 100 students, parents, and faculty members cheered and clapped, adding to the pulsing, energetic finale. +This past Friday, community members gathered to share their talents and watch each other at the second annual The Show, a talent show featuring a variety of student and faculty performances. +The $2735 raised through the night's ticket sales, food sales, merchandise sales, and raffle ticket sales were donated to the Joyful Heart Foundation, a charity founded by Law and Order: Special Victims Unit actor Mariska Hargitay to aid victims of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault. +The event was organized by Lauren Simpson (12), Michael Wang (12), and Nikolas Elrifi (12), assisted by volunteers throughout the planning process. +In creating The Show, Simpson wanted to "bring light to unknown talents and create an intimate, fun environment for people to perform and have a good time," she said. +The performers ranged in style and experience from ninth graders to French teacher Micheal Dale, who has been performing for over 45 years, and from magic to stand-up comedy. +Some performers, like Abigail Kraus (10), were inspired to perform after having seen The Show last year. +"It was my first time performing solo since sixth grade, so it was good experience to start performing again; I'm looking forward to more performances, both in groups and ensembles," Kraus said. +Others like Ben Rosenbaum (10) had performed at The Show last year and wanted to continue to gain experience and confidence. Rosenbaum began performing in the audience, making his way to the stage with a microphone held close to his face amplifying his explosive beat-box sounds. +"I really like to perform, but I get nervous beat boxing in front of other people, so this was a good opportunity for me to get experience for a good cause," he said. +The playful and upbeat mood of the evening was set by Elrifi and Wang as the emcees. The two exchanged banter between acts, introducing performers by their "spirit animal" or what ice cream flavor best represents their personalities. +In addition to celebrating the talents of the community, the theme of awareness dominated the event. Before the first performance, a video was shown to introduce the Joyful Heart Foundation and the significance of its work, along with its two joint campaigns, End the Backlog, which ensures that manufactured rape kits do not go unused, and the We Say No More social media campaign created to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault. +The crowd was engaged in the performances, waving their hands in time with Dale's guitar strumming his original song, clapping during Kraus and Craig Murray's (10) rendition of "Love Song" by Sara Bareillis and laughing during Spencer Kahn's (9) stand-up comedy routine. +"I loved being backstage and seeing all the performers freak out and then own the stage," Giramnah Pena-Alcantara, who volunteered at The Show, said. +English teacher Harry Bauld confounded the audience with a magic trick involving "thought-reading." +He chose two students to read the first sentences of a randomly chosen page of a book he had provided. While the students read the passages silently, Bauld wrote elements of the passage on a white board. When the passages were read out loud and Bauld's predictions proved to be accurate, there was a collective murmur of bewilderment and amazement among audience members. +The night was concluded with a performance from the band, Spectrum, which consisted of Eunice Bae (10), James Gluck (10), Olivia Kester (10), Allen Park (10), and Niall Hutchinson (10). Bae's powerful vocals combined with Gluck's full piano, Kester and Park's formidable bass and guitar skills, and Hutchinson's show-stopping drum solo drew loud cheers from the audience. +After Spectrum's performance, Simpson, Wang, and Elrifi announced the band members as the organizers of next year's The Show. +"They're all very interested, passionate, and great musicians; I have no doubt that they will do a great job," Simpson said. + +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +FENCING PROFILES: Alexia Gilioli + + +Simon Yang + + +“Alexia Gilioli is a force to fear definitely, she is one of the people that is spoken about by other teams out of sheer respect and sometimes fear of fencing her,” Fencing Coach Errol Spencer ‘16 said. +In this year’s ISFL (Independent School Fencing League) on January 28th, Gilioli won gold for the Girl’s foil. +Gilioli started to fence at 10, following her sister’s steps as a fencer. “I started fencing because my sister fenced and I wanted to try it too because it looked cool,” she said. Now, she is a skilled player who thinks everything out, Phillip Chien (9) said. +“I am a pretty technical fencer, although sometimes if I am ahead I will try to make touches that I know have a low chance of landing,” Gilioli said. “My strengths include my experience and technique in the sport.” Her school teammates praise Gilioli for her commitment and passion for the game. +“She is definitely one of the most committed people on the team, always sending out emails for the team. She is the peppiest, always doing team spirit even when some people don’t,” Edward Ahn (10) said. +“I consider myself to just be any other member on the team, I try to support everyone and I help out in coaching when I can since we don’t have a foil coach,” Gilioli said. + +
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+News +
+ +Model Congress wins at Yale conference despite last-minute complications + + +Gustie Owens + + +Last weekend, 22 students from the school’s Model Congress team attended its first away conference of the year at Yale University, competing against 1,000 delegates and claiming the award for Best Large Delegation. +While the team met its goal of winning Best Large Delegation, it ran into challenges on the road to winning, co-President Sophie Maltby (12) said. The team was initially supposed to have 28 delegates, but due to the Holiday Concert last Friday and two students’ recovering from injuries, six delegates were unable to attend the conference at the last minute. +Even though the team had the number of delegates that would constitute a small delegation, by the time they knew how many delegates would be missing, it was too late to switch from a large to a small delegation. Therefore, the team relied more heavily on newer delegates to get enough points, Arianna Laufer (11) said. +The school’s delegation was composed of students from many grades: five seniors, eight juniors, and nine underclassmen. Last year, the team did not have many sophomores and freshmen, but more students joined this year, co- President Ben Harpe (12) said. +Maltby also found that the gender balance was better this year than it has been in the past, a goal that is important to the leadership of the club, she said. +“In Model Congress, you can’t really prepare that much because you don’t know the topics going into it. +It’s more about practicing rhetoric, how to speak, and becoming more informed on issues as a whole so you can apply that in committee,” Harpe said. +Before the conference, the team held three mock committees to help familiarize the underclassmen with Model Congress and refresh many of the upperclassmen, Laufer said. +The mock committees focused on the skill of debating two sides of an issue, reviewing the format of Model Congress, and preparing students for the responses to the bills that they would receive at Yale, Govind Menon (11) said. +Additionally, the co-Presidents created a mentor system, assigning a junior to every underclassman as a designated point person to serve as a resource for new delegates to ask questions about their bills, the functions of Model Congress, and the style of presentation, co- President Mehr Suri (12) said. +In the coming year, the team anticipates attending fewer conferences than it did in previous years, as the administration has implemented a new policy preventing clubs from traveling during the end-of-trimester testing period, Suri said. +Due to its success at Yale, the team intends to prepare for the next conference, at Columbia University in March in a similar way, Maltby said. +
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+News +
+ +ANNUAL SANCTUARY PARTY ORGANIZES HOLIDAY GATHERING FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS + + +Jonathan Katz + + +This past Tuesday, the school hosted 150 people for its 24th annual Sanctuary for Families holiday party. +The event, run by both student and teacher volunteers, provides activities and dinner to families of domestic abuse. +“They light up when they walk in and they cheer. They see all of the decorations, and they have a good meal, and all of their families are there, and it’s just a fun time,” Grace Hill (11) said. +The Cohen Dining Commons was transformed with streamers, paper snowflakes, metallic balloons, red tablecloths, and cutouts of Santa and reindeer. “It was a lot of fun putting up all of the decorations and seeing the space become such a great holiday environment,” Sam Harris (11) said. +Additionally, the jazz band played a series of songs, with Henry Hunt (12) singing “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra. +The event took one month to plan but had been on the calendar for the whole year, party coordinator Caitlin Hickerson said. It was Hickerson’s first year planning the party after the retirement of previous Director of Community Service Dr. John McIvor, she said. +“It’s an amazing, important, and fun event and I wanted to make sure it continued. We can host and have a good time, which can lighten the load when tests and quizzes are coming up. +One of our missions is to have a safe, and secure environment and I want to extend this to everyone,” Hickerson said. +Both Upper and Middle Division students help take care of children throughout the dinner by playing games or doing arts and crafts. +This year, the crafts station had a picture framedecorating station and a candy cane h o l d e r -ma k i n g station. +The highlight of Hill’s experience with Sanctuary was at the dinner last year when she gave a busy mom with five children a break by playing with one of her daughters, she said. “I took her and I played games with her and I led her around so the mom wouldn’t have to worry about it as much. It was fun and it feels great to help out,” Hill said. +The mothers of these children also get to have a relaxing time at the event, Sanctuary Director of Development and Communications Emily LoBue said. +“I think it is a special dinner because the school has the ability to accommodate so many of our families in one of the largest gatherings Sanctuary holds. Moms or guardians can have a little time to share community and a meal with the adults. It’s an event with some relaxing and down time, which is rare for our families,” LoBue said. +For the past 24 years, the event has mostly stayed the same, LoBue said. +“It’s one of the highlights of our holiday programming which I oversee for our clients. It tends to be the same program because it’s such a wonderfully planned event that it works out every year,” she said.The one aspect that makes this year difference is the larger role that the eighth graders play in planning the event, LoBue said. +“We get to play games with the kids and learn their stories. It’s nice to help out whenever we can, even if it’s just smiling,” Aidan McAndrew (8) said. +In the middle of the dinner, the kids get surprised with a visit from Santa Claus and have the opportunity to take pictures with him, Hickerson said. “I got very emotional when Santa walked in the door. It felt like everything came together in a real success,” Hickerson said.The event is focused on everyone’s giving what they can to contribute a fun and safe environment, Abigail Kraus (10) said. “It’s not even about solving their problems; it’s about giving them a time when we can make them smile and they can have fun, even just for a few hours,” she said. +
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+Op-Eds +
+ +The bipartisan system: an impediment to communication + + +Jamie Berg + + +In the Federalist Papers, when asked why a nation-wide democracy was superior to one centered in the states, James Madison responded with the argument that the larger the democracy, the more democratic it must be. His claim revolved around the assumption that there are more "factions" in a nation, as opposed to a state, that can support or reject movements with great fluidity. +A faction, per Madison, is an association of people bound either by ideological stance or passion, like a political party. This condition would, in turn, allow for the constant development of the democracy and ensure that no one majority group would be able to consistently oppress or silence another. +However, due to the entrenchment of the current bipartisan political system and such widespread obsession with partisan loyalty, our country is limited to only two main "factions," preventing fluidity and political development. The proceedings of the 2016 Presidential Election have made this fact clear. +Horace Mann students, who, like the rest of the country, largely subscribe to the bipartisan system and operate within it, overwhelmingly identify as "Democrats." The presence of such a large majority at a school whose true diversity of opinion I've seen firsthand perfectly demonstrates the heart of the issue that this rigid bipartisan system creates. This phenomenon ultimately impairs our discussion-focused community from reaching our goal of truly listening to each other and learning about the experiences of the people who surround us. +The Electoral College was created with the goal of balancing elitism and populism in the American democracy; it would limit the ability of unqualified or immoral populist candidates from achieving executive power while simultaneously ensuring that power is not held at too great a distance from the people. +The Electoral College may have functioned in the years following America's inception, but due to the entrenched nature of two-party politics in the United States, the institution has ceased to perform its envisioned function. +In our current system, people choose to see only Democrats and Republicans and demand that everyone not only associate with, but identify as one of these two dominant factions. The conflation of the terms "liberal" and "democrat" is just one example of how the bipartisan system glosses over the nuance of political opinion. +Regardless of the presence of Libertarian and Green Party candidates in the 2016 election, there is no middle ground in the eyes of most Americans. +Electors' obsession with partisan loyalty has led to the issues at the core of the failure of the Electoral College. Electors are chosen by political parties in each state, and since modern political parties engage in self-interested and often petty opposition to one another, prioritizing the good of the party over that of the nation, it is impossible for electors to be anything but puppets of their political affiliations. +Although the Electoral College undeniably requires reform, its flaws are a result of a greater system-spanning problem that is certainly prevalent in the HM community too. I have had the opportunity to observe the stigma at Horace Mann against identifying politically as anything other than a "Democrat," which severely limits the opportunities to engage in meaningful discourse at our school. +The majority of the student body responds to admissions of divergent politics with aggression or derision, and this extends beyond political discussion, since, as a community, we often fail to distinguish between political affiliation and personal identity. The HM community must attempt to overcome our partisan divisions and confront the fact that political associations cannot interfere with our basic morality. Only then will our conversations and understandings of each other flourish. + +
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+Op-Eds +
+ +Understanding systemic racism through this year’s Book Day book + + +Jeph Prempeh + + +It may have taken six years, but I can finally say that I have both fully and excitedly read through our Book Day book. Between the World and Me is a gripping open letter authored by Ta- Nehisi Coates to his son in an effort to make sense of the ever-present injustice toward black people, which Coates himself has known first hand. While his experience is presented in the form of a letter, they reach out to black people of all walks of life, and I think everyone can learn from the lessons they teach. +Growing up as a black boy, racism crept up on me like my first Hell Week, throwing me into a state of numbness, confusion, and ultimately defeat. To me, Coates and other authors writing about their understandings of racism are like the upperclassmen who assured me that with experience, even if I can’t avoid Hell Week, I would learn to recognise it and be prepared to put up a good fight. But racism is not a fight that can be won, at least not alone. +I take pride in the mission of this school, as the goal is to champion diversity and maintain a safe environment in which a plurality of identities can thrive, but honestly, I am ashamed at the lack of effort I’ve see to uphold it. I have worked hard to voice the inequality at the core of my relationship with the world around me, and while publicly met with sympathetic eyes and kind words of reassurance, I have yet to see significant change. +While my reflection may sound disdainful, I share it out of authentic faith in my community to make an effort to understand the problems I and many peers face. +When it comes to academics, I see a community that stands together and picks each other up when down, because nobody wants to feel as though they are less than others or unworthy of a Horace Mann education. +However, rarely can I talk to someone about social issues I face or see in others’ lives, as I am typically met with silence or a quick response. +It is tough to understand a reality that you don’t see as your own, but it is lazy to simply disregard or refute someone else’s truth. +But leaving your shoes at the door and stepping in their house slippers, you might come to better understand struggles even when they can’t affect your own identity. Reading Between the World and Me is yet another shot at taking in new perspectives, and I believe the raw emotion and unashamed truth to the narrative will inspire many to continue digging deeper into white supremacy and its history and current effects on our communities both inside and outside of school. +I commend this year’s Book Day Committee for choosing a book that is not only captivating, but is relevant to community needs and has the potential to focus more of our collective energy on caring for each other- even the needs we don’t understand. +“To acknowledge these horrors [of systemic racism] means turning away from the brightly rendered version of your country and turning toward something murkier and unknown,” Coates says. And I think it’s time we hold hands and dive in. +
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+News +
+ +Expert educates students on first written language + + +Sandhya Shyam + + +Dr. Alexandra Kleinerman visited the school this past week to talk about Ancient Mesopotamian society in several history and art history classes. Kleinerman, a faculty research associate at Cornell University specializing in Sumerian economics, literature, and education, talked about her research and passed around Sumerian artifacts that students were allowed to touch and examine. +Students in Advanced Placement Art History and History of Ancient Art have reviewed the basics of Ancient Mesopotamian history in class, art history teacher Dr. Anna Hetherington said. However, there were also some students who were being exposed to the material for the first time. +“It was so interesting to me because I didn’t even have any idea of the existence of Mesopotamia or Sumerian,” Nyle Hutchinson (10) said. +Sumerian is the language that was spoken in the southern part of ancient Mesopotamia, or modern day Iraq. +The lecture focused on the beginnings of written Sumerian. +Throughout the class, Kleinerman passed out various artifacts showcasing Sumerian from the private collection at Cornell’s lab, such as clay tablets schoolchildren used. +“One challenge for scholars was deciphering Sumerian, a dead language unlike no other, and cuneiform script,” Kleinerman said during one lecture. “However, after Sumerian died out, it was still taught in schools, similar to how Latin was to taught to children in the Middle Ages, or even to children today.” Kleinerman, through tablets, then pointed out different aspects of clay tablets of Akkadian school-children learning Sumerian that were very similar to modern day school life. For example, one tablet had a doodle of a smiley face on it, which was one of Kleinerman’s favorites, she said. +The lecture “put a lot of things into perspective,” David Shen (10) said. +“We often think of technology as advancing in society throughout the ages, but perhaps a better way to think of it would be as a period of increase and then collapse, then increase again, like a circle.” Hetherington, who had been best friends with Kleinerman since high school, brought Kleinerman to the school. According to Hetherington, Kleinerman had been interested in archaeology back in high school. +“I went on a dig and found out archaeology was not my thing, but language was,” Kleinerman said. “So junior year of college I changed my major to focus on Sumerian culture.” “In art history, we spend a lot of time talking about objects on a screen, which is a really false way of looking at them,” Hetherington said. “I think the ability to touch objects that are 5000 years old, some of the earliest things written in human civilization, is an incredible opportunity as a Horace Mann student.” +
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+Features +
+ +Admissions: A look into diversity across divisions, the admissions proccess that chooses the student body, and the admissions criteria for prospective students. + + +Joanne Wang + + +THE INTERSECTION OF ADMISSIONS AND DIVERSITY IN ND and LD +According to data from the 2016- 2017 school year, the school's student body is composed of approximately 40 percent students of color. +While the Nursery and Lower Divisions are more racially diverse now than in previous years, there is still a disparity in the population of people of color in these divisions in comparison to the Middle and Upper Divisions, Director of Admissions Jason Caldwell '97 said. +Looking at the pool of applicants that apply to the school, the Middle and Upper Divisions are certainly more diverse - socioeconomically, racially, among other ways, Caldwell said. +Geography plays a role in this disparity, Caldwell said. Although the majority of applicants to the school are from Manhattan, this margin is particularly evident in the Nursery Division, he said. Coming to +the school would be a hard commute for younger children who live farther away, Director of Institutional Research and Enrollment Management Lisa Moreira said. +Another potential source of this imbalance could be the large financial commitment that the school requires, Moreira said. +"For families for whom it will be a challenge or a struggle to pay the tuition, it is an easier commitment to make for four years or for seven years than it is for 13 or for 15 years," she said. +According to the 2015-2016 Financial Aid Distribution table on the Institutional Research page of horacemann.org, while the tuition is constant from Pre-K to 12th grade, the average amount of aid provided to a single family on financial aid increases through the divisions. +In the 2015-2016 school year, students on financial aid in the Nursery Division were provided an average of $27,650 while Upper Division students on financial aid were provided an average of $34,737. +1.4 percent of students in the Nursery Division from the 2015- 2016 school year were awarded financial aid while 20.1 percent of Upper Division students from that year were awarded financial aid. +The Admissions Office is always looking to improve its outreach, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said. +The Admissions Office reaches out to several groups including religious and community organizations, the Office of Diversity, and in-school parent affinity groups to encourage more students of color to apply to the +school, Caldwell said. +In addition, the school holds an annual LGBTQ Parents Admissions Reception, which began two years ago, and the Office of Diversity Fall Family Gathering at the beginning of the school year. +These two gatherings are "part of the organic growth of our admissions practices," Kelly said. +Not only have events like the Fall Gathering become a diversity gathering for current students, but also they act as informal open houses for families, Caldwell said. "It's very down to earth, very low key, and I think that this has really helped with the rise with the applicants of color and also increasing enrollments." +The school also works with different organizations that help to prepare students of color to attend independent schools, such as Prep For Prep, Breakthrough New York, and Early Steps. +Admissions aims to make each class "the most diverse and capable, intelligent, active student body possible," Caldwell said. +A diversity of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, geographic region, and interests creates an environment that promotes development and learning, Moreira said. +The school's diversity and dynamism is what makes it unique from other academically challenging schools in New York City, especially Nursery through 12 independent schools, Caldwell said. The abundance of different students is a breeding ground for the multitude of available sports, clubs, and publications, he said. +As of this year, around 40 percent of the school's population is composed of students of color, which the school is pleased about, Caldwell said. However, "the mission is never accomplished," Caldwell said. "We always want to be as diverse as we possibly can be." +While Admissions tries to create a diverse community during the application process, the school never seeks to fill a certain quota, Moreira said. "We don't admit anybody we don't think is qualified and isn't going to be a good fit for the school," she said. +"If we seek to put a number on it, it makes it kind of a... checked box," Caldwell said. Accepting students solely with the goal of reaching a certain amount of students of color would make the diverse population of the school 'artificial,'" he said. +SCHOOL ADMISSIONS CRITERIA +Instead of setting quotas, Admissions searches for particular qualities in prospective students. "We are looking for kids ... who are excited about learning" and "ready to be in our program," Moreira said. Some other important traits include being intellectually curious, having good study skills, and willing to engage with the community, Caldwell said. +Being willing to engage with others does not necessarily mean being an extrovert, he said, but rather, it is about having the willingness to communicate on some level with classmates and to connect with the faculty. +Additionally, Admissions receives yearly updates from Division Heads about the makeup of each class and tries to create classes made up of students with a diverse range of interests, Caldwell said. +For example, if a class lacks athletes or musicians, that fact will be taken into account during the admissions process, Caldwell said. +Admissions learns about not only potential students, but also their families. "We're looking for families that understand that being in a school community like this one really does require a real commitment to education and the life of the mind" due to the academic rigor, Moreira said. +Through a variety of sources including the parent interview, parents' feedback on the child's current school, and the information that the current school provides on the applicant and their family, the admissions office searches for indications that the parent of an applicant supports the school's values, Moreira said. +Interviewers usually ask parents what qualities they look for in a school environment. "Most parents are going to say things like 'We want them to love learning,' 'We want them to be excited about coming to school,' 'We want it to be a challenging environment,' all of which are good answers," she said. +Furthermore, the admissions office takes into account whether or not an applicant has a sibling at the school, Moreira said. An applicant who has a sibling who attends the school is "likely to come whereas another student who maybe has applied to five or six great schools and is admitted to three or four schools might make a different choice," Moreira said. "We do give some preference in the process to siblings and legacies but never at the expense of our core values or our commitment to growing an increasingly diverse student body," she said. +Although parents are asked about their educational background in the application, whether or not a parent attended college is not a factor in the admissions process, Moreira said. "If they didn't attend college, that isn't a negative, but instead can be one of those examples of how a family is making education a priority for their children even if opportunities weren't available to them," she said. +Admissions evaluates each applicant by piecing together a student's overall profile, Moreira said. This includes the essay, teacher recommendations, standardized test scores, transcripts, and interviews, among others. "I don't think there's one particular piece that carries the most weight— it's a combination of all of those things," she said. "99th percentile scores are not the be-all and the end-all." +Developing a comprehensive picture of a student requires taking into account how an applicant's background may affect their application: some applicants may have had the opportunity to accomplish more than others, and applicants from more rigorous schools may have higher standardized test scores but lower grades in school. +The aim of the interviews is to attain some sense of who the applicant is: what their interests might are or might be turning into over time, what they would bring to the community, if they are engaged, and if they give an indication that they are excited about learning, Moreira said. +A typical interviewer would ask an applicant for Middle or Upper Division about their favorite activities inside and outside of the classroom, Caldwell said. +At the Nursery and Kindergarten level, applicants are brought into a playgroup with three or four other students in order for admissions officers to observe how the applicant interacts with other students. The committees at those levels review the information from the playgroups, school reports, parent interviews, and, in Kindergarten, scores from the Admission Assessment for Beginning Learners, Moreira said. +"At the kindergarten process... we're also interested in hearing a little bit about parenting styles and the kinds of things that parents find challenging or particularly rewarding," Moreira said. +Interviews for the Middle and Upper Divisions are more flexible. They usually start with relaxing the applicant with broad questions in order to coax "nervous wrecks" into comfortably speaking about what they enjoy doing, she said. +A Middle Division applicant answering truthfully with the comical response of "I don't really like to read.... Don't tell my mom I said that," does not mean they are not qualified for the school. In fact, it just simply indicates that "they're 10 years old, and 10 year olds are not so polished and poised, and that could turn into a really great conversation," Moreira said. + +
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+Editorials +
+ +A call for support during decision week + + +The Editorial Board + + +Over the course of this week and the next, many members of the senior class are receiving college admissions decisions. In addition to homework and extracurriculars, college decisions are now one more thing on seniors’ minds. +As a board, we would like to wish fellow seniors all the best in their application process. In this trying time, we also offer a few suggestions to make the next two weeks as pleasant as possible. +Avoid asking people where they applied. Their choice of schools should be shared solely at their discretion, and asking places them in an awkward position. It is important to acknowledge that some may be emotionally damaged due to stress about decisions or disheartening decisions. +Try to be supportive of each other. It will be difficult if someone you know is admitted to a school that does not admit you, but try your best to be happy for them and celebrate their achievements nonetheless. Let your friends know that you will be with them every step of the way, and be there for each other after bad news. +Take care of yourself. Constant worry about decisions and essays can be detrimental to one’s mental health, so we encourage periods of leisure. While this does not necessarily mean binge-watching six hours of Netflix with hummus and chips to cope, make sure to schedule some time in between writing supplements and studying to relax and recharge. +Enjoy the holiday season as much as you can! Take a well-deserved break and spend time with those who make you happy. What happens during the next month should not compromise the happiness and joy we should be feeling with friends and family during the holidays. That means having faith that everything will work out in the end, even if it doesn’t feel like that now. +For the underclassmen, try to enjoy high school as an experience in and of itself rather than a means to an end. Although we call ourselves a prep school, only looking ahead to the next institution we will attend can cause us to lose sight of the amazing environment of peers, faculty, and staff currently around us. +Go meet with teachers and have conversations with them beyond asking for extra help–you might find out something you never knew about them. +Try out that club you’ve been eyeing but haven’t joined yet. Also, trust in the College Counseling office. They are extremely experienced and know what they’re doing! There is no need to rush the process. Once again, this school is a wonderful place–try not to lose sight of that in the mad dash for the finish line. Love your friends. Do the readings. Eat the caf ’s fried chicken. +
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+Op-Eds +
+ +Standing out, loud and proud + + +Elizabeth Chung + + +In every book I’d ever read as a kid, it was always the weird, special kid who had awesome adventures and would turn out to be the hero of the day. It was the kid who looked the most unique, acted the most authentic, and didn’t bend him or herself to meet the standards of the people around them (think Harry Potter, or Percy Jackson). +This model of the different kid always having the most fun has stuck with me throughout my life, from elementary school to present-day high school. It’s made me believe that the more I try to highlight what makes me feel like an individual without regard to others’ opinions, the more self-confident and self-possessed I’ll become. +Of course, there are a million reasons why one might have some problems with my above statement. Being distinct can subject someone to social exclusion, and give one a sense of self-doubt, which seems like the opposite of what I said I believed happens. And I won’t lie- it definitely happened to me at first. +But I managed to push past that by owning the way I felt, by being shameless about it, which infused me with a sense of pride in my own individuality. +I remember the first time I really had this play out in my own life. I was in first or second grade, and during recess a lot of the kids in my grade would play tag around the Lower School grasshopper. +And I tried to play with them, but honestly, I just really hated the game tag (still do). +So, one recess, I put my little foot down and decided that that was it- I wasn’t playing tag anymore. I hated it, and I didn’t want to do it. I then spent the rest of those thirty minutes pretending to be a cat, scrambling over rocks and loudly meowing. And I felt awkward at first, a little like a loner. +But eventually, a friend of mine came over and commented that she also hated tag, but didn’t want to be left out. I then invited her to play cat with me. Our cat game spiraled into a four-year saga that included 12 other girls who would all roam and jump around the arboretum, which was basically the highlight of my childhood. +The game alone gave me a sense of pride and confidence because I knew I started it on my own, all because I decided to just do my own thing. +Of course, as a high-schooler, that exact example isn’t really applicable anymore. But the mindset is the same. +I never hesitate to wear a bold lipstick, or statement heels, because I’m worried about what others will think. +After all, I haven’t always had the most glowing reactions to my own behavior. My friends jokingly laugh at my tendency to overdress, and I’ve gotten mixed reactions over my shoes. But none of that bothers me, since I’m not trying to be what they think I should be. +In my experience, when I do what I feel the most like doing on the inside, without trying to fit others’ expectations, I carry myself higher, and with more selfconfidence. +It’s then that I feel the most comfortable. +
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+News +
+ +AP Computer Science classes visit Yahoo headquarters + + +Joanne Wang + + +Two sections of AP Computer Science A and one section of AP Computer Science Principles went to Yahoo Inc.’s New York headquarters Friday, Dec. 2 to learn more about computer engineering in the real world. +After Yahoo Project Manager Hannah Springwater gave a brief tour of the finance engineering floor, the students, along with Computer Science and Robotics Department Chair Jason Torres, Computer Teacher Glenda Guerrero, and Computer Science Teacher Danah Screen, had a question and answer session with programmers for Yahoo Finance. +This was the school’s first visit to Yahoo. Although other schools can go there, Torres’ connection to an employee there allowed the school to go on the trip, he said. +The discussion was focused on what a typical day at Yahoo is like and the process of creating products, Joanne Wang Staff Writer STUDENTS WHO CODE Clockwise from upper left: A group photo of all three AP Computer Science classes; a shot of the Yahoo Inc. New York headquarters; programmers talk shop with students and answer questions about the field.Photos courtesy of Jason Torres, Danah Screen, and Ankit Gupta. +starting from submitting ideas to collaborating with the multitude of teams within the NY Headquarters and the main headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, Sarah Derecktor (12) said. +“We learned a lot about how a large tech company runs from the highest levels to the lowest, such as how decisions are made on what to program and how those commissioned tasks are carried out by the programming teams worldwide,” William He (11) said. +Although the team of programmers was divided up, with some coding for Android and others for iOS, their ability to work together efficiently culminates into one project, Kate Buquicchio (12) said. +In AP Computer Science Principles, the students often work in teams for a variety of projects, and the importance of collaboration was relayed by the Yahoo employees, Torres said. +While in AP Computer Science Principles they focus more on computational thinking skills, AP Computer Science A students learn the specifics of programming in Java. +Though the Yahoo programmers did not elaborate on their coding methods, “the overlap is how what we do now can connect to a career in the future,” Derecktor said. +“This is really relevant; the world is changing into a very technological place,” Buquicchio said. +The engineers talked about the importance of learning to code at a young age and how this knowledge helps with career advancement, she said. +“Some of the employees didn’t have CS background but it was interesting seeing how and why they ended up picking up a job at Yahoo,” he said. +Guerrero appreciates that someone with a background in art and little computer science experience could still apply themselves to a company like Yahoo, she said. +The question and answer session was followed by a more informal conversation, where students met the engineers and asked questions personally. +They spent so much time conversing at the end that their trip was extended an hour, he said. +“I wanted them to ask good questions, but to also get answers that weren’t sugarcoated— a real world answer about how it is to work with a group of engineers, how it is to learn a particular coding language, how it is to just in general be a part of this field,” Torres said. “You need to hear from people who work in the field to accurately get a sense of what it’s like to be a part of it.” It was a worthwhile trip, as students saw what they are learning being utilized in the real world, he said. “I think it’s important not just for Comp Sci, but for all different subject areas to have an opportunity to take their students to see something in action.” The Computer Science and Robotics Department strives to show students the practicality of the tools they learn in class, which can lead to opportunities such as internships and college majors, Guerrero said. +Though this was the AP Computer Science classes’ first field trip this year, having another trip is unlikely, Torres said. The Computer Science and Robotics department is small, and for this trip they had to cancel all of their usual classes for the day, as not enough teachers could substitute, he said. +In future years, Torres hopes to visit other tech companies in New York City for AP Computer Science trips, he said. +
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+News +
+ +Debate team members advance at Princeton conference + + +Sam Heller + + +Last Friday, 10 members of the school’s debate team headed to Princeton University for a weekend long conference of over 500 high school debaters from around the country. Four of the school’s five teams made it to the elimination round, and one team made it to the conference’s quarterfinals. +The tournament started with seven preliminary debate rounds that each team competed in. Each debate dealt with whether the United States should end Plan Colombia, a war on drugs led by America in Colombia. Teams that finished with a record of 5-2 or higher moved on to the elimination rounds held on that Sunday. +Of the 250 teams that competed, only 59 of them made it to elimination rounds, and four of those were Horace Mann debaters. +In the first round of eliminations, known in the debate community as “triple octafinals,” two of the school’s teams lost. Although debater Natasha Gaither (10) and her partner Richard He (10) lost, it was their first time advancing past the preliminary rounds, she said. +More experienced debaters Honor McCarthy (11) and team co-President Asher Spector (12) were impressed with Gaither and the other underclassmen debaters’ overall performance and initiative they took in the tournament, Spector said said. +Two rounds later, when there were only 16 pairs left, another one of the teams, consisting of Spector and co-President Alex Karpf (12), was eliminated. +“Alex and I hoped to do better than we did, so there is only so much you can do,” Spector said. “One of our judges in the round we lost wasn’t really paying attention. I guess we just have to tell a better story to the judges.” McCarthy and her partner Siddarth Tripathi (11) were the last team from the school remaining past the round of 16. Their first round debates had been held in classrooms, but by the time they were in the round of eight (the quarterfinals), they were debating in an auditorium in front of a crowd of 70 people, Tripathi said. +Although they ended up losing that round, it was the furthest the pair had ever gotten made, Tripathi said. +Beyond doing well as a school within the debates, the debate team has also changed its overall mentality in preparing for debates, which has proved very helpful, McCarthy said. +Previously, the debate team has had a much more competitive mentality, and by taking some of the focus of the weekend away from preparing, it made the weekend less stressful, McCarthy said. +Even when preparing, the team stripped away competitive attitudes toward each other. In starting their preparation, they began by working individually in their partnerships extensively researching the pros and cons of the topics and preparing for each counterargument, Gaither said. +Following this initial preparation the individual groups came together as one team, comparing notes and helping one another out, Tripathi said. “The teammate aspect of debate is always going to be so important to have moving forward as the team moves onto more advanced tournaments.” Even throughout the weekend, they made sure to work as a singular unit, Tripathi said. Beyond just answering other teammate’s questions, pairs that were eliminated would sometimes sit in on the debate of another pair’s competition to take notes for them, faculty adviser Jonathan Nye said. +“I’m really excited for the rest of the season. We have five or six more tournaments left, and I am just looking forward to a great rest of the season,” Tripathi said. +
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+Features +
+ +Without dress code, students express themselves through fashion + + +Natasha Poster + + +It is a Wednesday afternoon, and Jackie Lee (11) walks down the hallway in a navy polka dotted skirt and orange patent leather ballet slippers. +To Lee, clothing is an art form. She appreciates not having a strict dress code because it allows her to express herself through clothing, she said. +For Ananya Kumar-Banerjee (12), choosing clothing to wear is a form of problem solving, though many see fashion as a shallow pursuit, she said. +Kumar-Banerjee dresses predominantly for herself, by wearing “a lot of funky clothes” and makes her own clothing, she said. +Priyanka Voruganti (9) appreciates that she can wear the clothes that inspire her, she said. +Voruganti spends time picking her outfits along with jewelry and makeup because she enjoys investing time into how she presents herself, because it shows who she is, she said. +A dress code has never been part of the culture of the school for as long as Head of Upper Division Dr. Jessica Levenstein has been here, she said. +“There are a lot of areas in the school where we give students a huge amount of freedom and hope that they exercise good judgment with that freedom,” Levenstein said. +“The school dropped its jacketand- tie dress code in 1969, under Headmaster Robert Thomason,” according to The Record Volume 73, Issue 8. After this, a less formal dress code was put into place, which was inspired by the British school system, the article said. +When there was a uniform, students believed that “when you’re better dressed, you perform better,” math teacher Lyall Dean said in the article. +Currently, the school’s attitude towards a dress code has been to allow students to make their own choices with what they choose to wear, and to let them know if they are not making good choices rather than dictating the choices from the beginning, Levenstein said. When English teacher Harry Bauld came to the school in 1981, the t-shirts and jeans that he sometimes wore were not the standard for teachers, he said. +Dressing less formally was comforting for Bauld as a young person, and set a tone for his classes, he said. +Over his years of teaching at the school, the clothing that teachers wear has remained the same for the most part, Bauld said. However, students are more susceptible to fashion changes, he said. +“There is always an implied dress code if not an explicit one,” Bauld said. +Some students choose to participate in it while others disregard it, he said. +When Kumar-Banerjee was in middle school, she received backlash for the clothing that she chose to wear, she said. +“I wore loose pants, which I thought was a really cool look, and there were a lot of really misogynistic comments from guys about how I should be wearing skinny jeans to show off my legs,” she said. +Because of this, her clothing choices became a source of empowerment, she said. The Family Handbook states that “clothing should reflect individual choices; it must also, however, conform to an environment in which all community members feel comfortable.” Additionally, “ostentatious displays of lifestyle or sexuality are inappropriate; excessively revealing shirts or shorts are not permitted; T-shirts with inappropriate images or messages are not permitted.” If adults feel that students are not dressed appropriately for school, they will mention it to those students, Levenstein said. There have been rare occasions when students have been asked to put a sweatshirt over particularly revealing clothing. When this happens, it is only for the benefit of the students, she said. +“I see that we have students who use their clothing as a way to express their creativity,” she said. +It is important for people to be able wear what they want in order to express aspects of themselves such as their political affiliations, regardless of whether they are conservative or liberal, Lou Katz (12) said. +“As long as there is a certain level of respect going on within the expression, then I am fine with it,” Katz said. +Bauld believes that it is important for students to be able to express themselves through their clothing, he said. The fact that FAD is such a popular club shows that “there is a notion of fashion as a costume and as something fun and expressive,” he said. +However, “the intersection between fashion and commerce is often an unholy one,” he said. Especially in a high school setting, fashion can become “a way of asserting social status or privilege in ways that are not just fun.” There is a lot of brand-name clothing that people at our school wear, and it there can be a pressure for students to conform to that environment, but it is a conscious choice to disregard those pressures, Kumar-Banerjee said. +However, the idea of not being able to access clothes that are only accessible to people in a certain income bracket has the power to have a damaging effect on self-worth, she said. +“I have seen people wearing typically more expensive clothing, but I haven’t seen it really affect the social aspect of the school,” Katz said. +The main benefit to having a uniform would be to try to decrease the display of socioeconomic status and make getting dressed in the morning less of a hassle for students, but Levenstein does not believe that having a uniform “completely eradicates clothing as a signifier of wealth,” she said. +Levenstein, who attended a school with a uniform, recalls that if the uniform was a white shirt, there was “the right white shirt,” which was always the more expensive one, she said. +Having a uniform at her old school made it much easier to get dressed in the morning, Pippa Adelman (11) said. +However, people were constantly trying to get around it, she said. +Adelman appreciates being able to wear different things every day, as opposed to having to wear a skirt and sneakers every day regardless of weather conditions, she said. +Having a dress code would reduce levels of stress for some people, but there would also be opposition to it, Voruganti said. +
+ +
+
+Features +
+ +Butterflies, poetry, iPads: Parms combines passions with teaching + + +Abby Kanter + + +From her love for monarch butterflies to poetry to natural sciences, Louise Parms has always found a way to mix her passions with the courses she has taught. Parms has spent her 22-year career at the school working in a variety of departments, starting as an administrative assistant in the Lower Division in 1994 to providing academic support in the Middle Division counseling and guidance department today. +As a high school student, Parms spent time working in her school’s nursery program. She spent her summers working in day camps, and she decided early on that she wanted to be an early childhood educator. +When the administrative assistant to the Head of the Lower Division retired in 1994, Parms applied for the job at the suggestion of a friend. +She began her career in the support staff of the Lower Division, a job she would hold for two years, while she was in school working on a BA degree in creative writing at a low-residency adult-degree program at Vermont College of Norwich University. +The program involved working with a faculty member through mail or electronically during the semester, so it worked well for Parms as she balanced it with her work in the Lower Division, Parms said. +Working in the Lower Division publishing center through the 90s and early 2000s, Parms oversaw the involvement of students in the bookmaking process, such as creating anthologies on computers or sewing the binding of books. +Simultaneously, during the 96-97 school year, Parms began teaching poetry units in the lower division, and she later moved to the Middle Division as a sixth grade English “bridge” teacher, bridging the fifth and sixth grade curriculums. +While initially “scared” of Parms’ notoriously difficult poetry curriculum, Danny Mindich (12) quickly found her English class to be his “favorite of middle school.” Mindich often met with Parms to talk about books, grammar, or tests whenever he was confused, he said. +“I think that doing something the same all the time can be a challenge, because, sometimes, you have to keep things fresh,” Parms said. “Adults and students alike need to be challenged and try new things and stretch themselves. I think that’s the way people learn best. For me personally, it’s been great to have opportunities to try different things.” Parms then became a fifth grade general science teacher for four years, where she was able to share her enthusiasm for the natural world with her students, adding a unit on monarch butterflies. +“The plight of the monarchs has been a concern of mine since my children were young and studied the monarch butterfly in their kindergarten curriculum,” Parms, who helped create Butterfly Hill, a natural habitat waystation for the monarchs at the Lower Division, said. +“Poetry and science are very similar in that poets and scientists both have to pay very close attention to what’s going on, so it all fit together for me,” Parms said. +For the past two years, Parms has been working as an Academic Support Resource Teacher in the Middle Division. In addition to helping students bolster their organizational skills, study habits, reading comprehension, test-taking strategies, and time management, Parms works with teachers as a consultant to brainstorm ideas for working with students. +Outside of the academic sphere, Parms is an avid photographer, painter, and gardener. Two of her photographs will be included in an exhibition entitled In Stillness at the Darkroom Gallery in Essex Junction, VT, and on December 16th, Parms will be offering a program on iPad sketching at the Upper East Side Apple Store. +“I do a lot of different things. +I’m an artist, I write, I love natural sciences, I have a lot of interests, and being a teacher has always been a passion of mine, so I’m blessed to have been able to combine my interests at HM.” +
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+Middle Division +
+ +Phantom Tollbooth transports audience to world of childhood imagination + + +Ricardo Pinncok + + +Actors rush onto the stage chasing demons in a massive fight scene at the end of the Middle Division play, “The Phantom Tollbooth.” The play, based on a book by Norton Juster originally published in 1961, is a fantasy tale of young boy named Milo who finds a tollbooth that leads him to a world of adventure with mystical and eccentric characters. +“The plot was extremely interesting as there were many plot twists which kept the audience captivated,” Patrick Wu (8), who plays Humbug, said. +“The storyline of the play followed along closely with the book. The book itself is very good, and it is even more impressive that it was written so long ago but is still looked at today,” Liliana Greyf (7), who plays Tock, said. +Milo, the main character, acquires peculiarly outlandish friends like Speller Bee, Humbug, Tock and Dodecahedron on his journey across a magical world and through the skies. +Of the group’s many adventures, the most magnificent is when the group travels across the sky to a wonderful and enchanting castle that is levitating in the air. +“It was crucial that the cast worked as a cohesive unit especially for the castle in the sky scene and the final fight scene,” Wu said, “It took us a while to get used to interacting with each other and to learn the blocking. After a while it became natural to us.” “When communicating with each other backstage, we had to be mindful of our volume because we couldn’t make too much noise,” Matthew Aponte (7) said. +After having spent just about two months preparing for the play by learning lines and rehearsing with each other, the students’ efforts culminated in three performances: one during the day for their peers on Thursday, another after school performance on Friday, and an evening performance on Saturday. +“As far as rehearsals went, we rehearsed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays regularly,” Zoë McNicoll (6) said. +“The number of rehearsals increased this week from three days a week to every day,” history teacher Natalie Wiegand, who added musical accompaniment on the violin, said. The increase in rehearsals sealed any potential cracks and brought to light what was not running smoothly, she said. +“The most enjoyable part of the play for me was the props and costumes. The play is supposed to be set in a dream-like world, so the costumes were pretty cool,” Aponte said. +Matthew Peeler (7) “[wears] a giant geometrical shape on [his] head” to signify his role as a dodecahedron, Aponte said. +Wiegand’s violin playing set the tone for some scenes, reinforced the mood of other scenes, and enhanced the play in addition to providing smooth transitions between each scene. +“There is a scene where the characters are at a circus, so I played a circus-like tune to emphasize that aspect of the scene,” Wiegand said. +“I did not do the play just because I liked theatre, but rather I did the play because I thoroughly enjoyed the play itself,” Wu said. +“My favorite part about theatre is the fact that I can entertain my friends and become another person,” Aponte said. +The faculty worked closely with the students to ensure that their tones and movements reflected the personalities of their characters. +McNicoll played the role of a Lethargarian, who is a lazy and irresponsible critter that alternates between sleeping and dilly dallying. +Her role is just one of many characters who give the play a lighthearted and imaginary feel. +Each character had a unique personality, and only after combining all of the personas does the play truly take on a majestic and whimsical sense. +Speller Bee compulsively spells out words as a means of promoting education and learning, while Humbug constantly annoys the other characters but has a monologue in the first act that helps to set the tone for the rest of the play. The cast performed for their peers during B and C period on Thursday, with evening performances for parents, teachers, and students continuing into the weekend. +
+ +
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+Middle Division +
+ +Set and costume design: behind the scenes of The Phantom Tollbooth + + +Betsey Bennett + + +For this weekend’s Middle Division performance of The Phantom Tollbooth, outside designers and Upper Division students created imaginative sets such as a massive projected clock and elaborate costumes like Tock, a dog-clock and the Dodecahedron, a twelve-sided shape. +Guest costume designer Stewart Lee has been creating costumes for the school’s theater productions since 1999. +“From reading the script, I observed that the world in which Milo journeys through is wild and uncertain,” Lee said. “I took this as a reason to explore unusual costumes that were wild and weird too.” In creating the costumes, Lee and Guest costume designer Wendy Kahn have used a mixture of costumes from previous productions, costumes purchased specifically for the show, and costumes made from scratch. +Lee and Kahn have worked together to design the challenging and whimsical costumes of the Awful Dynne, a sound, Tock, a dog-clock, and the Dodecahedron, a shape. +“It was hard to represent something so definitive as a mathematical shape, and there are practical challenges of making it so an actor can wear it,” Lee said. +As the set designer for the play, Zachary Troyanovsky (12) directed the construction of a circle that is about twelve feet in diameter and attached to one of the pipes in Gross Theatre. During the performance, slides will be projected onto the circle to resemble a clock. Other elements of the set include a flat castle with stairs where Princesses Rhyme and Reason are trapped, and a bed and desk that mark Milo’s bedroom. +For Troyanovsky, the atmosphere of the first scene sets the play up well for the audience. +“The sharp contrast between the bedroom on stage left and the giant clock on stage right immediately creates an environment where the audience suspects that things are not as they seem,” Troyanovsky said. +Stephen Angelakos (11) is the lighting designer for the Phantom Tollbooth. +“I have found that throughout the play, there is a lot of duality between characters,” Angelakos said. “So when lighting the stage itself, I tried to use contrasting colors for different characters.” One of the challenges that Angelakos faced was creating an eerie and bleak atmosphere during scenes in the mine and in the Doldrums. +“For the Doldrums scene, I did a cool lighting where, as the Lethargarians get closer to Milo and the car, the lights on the sides go dim until there is a single light on Milo,” Angelakos said. +Adam First (12) and Nora Nickerson (11) are the two technical directors for the play. +“It is my job to take the vision of the designer and translate it into a reality,” First said. “I talk to the designers and look at their concepts, and figure out the technical details that their designs may require.” First and Nickerson will work behind the scenes during each performance to project the images of the clock onto the circle, move scenery, and make sure that everything runs smoothly. +“The costumes are quite extravagant and abstract because of the imaginative nature of the show, and the sets are built in a way that really help the show without being boring or stealing focus,” Henry Owens (8), who plays the role of Milo, said. “They all enhance the show by captivating the audience and helping convey the plot in an entertaining way.” +
+ +
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+Arts and Entertainment +
+ +Saturday morning tutoring program: students make a difference through music + + +Malhaar Agrawal + + +On most Saturday mornings during the school year, the basement of Fisher Hall fills with drumbeats and piano and violin melodies. +Now in its third year, the Saturday Morning Music Program consists of a committed group of six Upper Division students who provide hourlong tutoring sessions free of charge to middle school children from the Bronx area. +They teach skills ranging from music theory to instrument practice and composition. +“It gives kids an opportunity to demonstrate their interest in music when they may not be able to have a chance to express that interest in school. They are passionate about music, and we help to support them,” Jane Frankel (11), who has tutored for two years, said. +The founders of the Saturday Morning Music Program, Wendy Jo ’15 and Austin Rahmin ’15, began the project with a grant from the Alexander Capelluto Foundation, named for former student Alexander Capelluto ’04. +The Alexander Capelluto Foundation awards $2500 annually to sophomores and juniors who create programs to improve their communities. +The program is filling a void for the students who participate, one of the co-presidents and percussion tutors, Giramnah Peña-Alcàntara (12), said. +“Our program is improving the Bronx community,” Peña-Alcàntara said. +“With arts programs under attack in public schools, kids aren’t getting the opportunities they used to when it comes to playing an instrument.” Although the tutors do their best to provide this extra enrichment, due to the relatively few number of tutors, each tutor works with multiple students, a setup that makes it challenging to individualize the lessons. +“The gap in proficiency between students makes it difficult to teach sometimes. One kid might need help learning how to hit a drum, while I might have to write a hard piece of music for another. A third student might have missed the last session, causing us to waste lots of time trying to remember what we should be doing this class,” Peña-Alcàntara said. +Lesson plans can also come from experience tutors have had with their teachers. “I try and teach the same way my piano teacher taught me,” Asher Spector (12), co-presidents of the club and piano tutor, said. +“I give the competitive students games or challenges to play. I try and modify what is done based on who I’m teaching.” Spector says. +The program never ceases to motivate both the tutors and students to come back every week. +“The atmosphere of the program is familiar and warm,” Peña-Alcàntara said. +“The tutors are all very friendly with each other. And the students are excited too; everything is exciting for them, between banging on the drums, listening to their favorite music, and learning how to compose a piece,” Lower Division music teacher and faculty advisor Barbara Marin said. +Parent Dianne Anirudh’s three children enjoy the Saturday program more than the group music classes at their schools, due partly to the more individualized attention, One of them, Jasmine, liked her lessons with her piano tutor so much that she decided to pursue piano instead of clarinet, which she plays at school, she said. +“Besides learning new artistic skills, the students are also learning discipline and commitment by coming weekly, Marin said. +In addition, students learn not only how to play an instrument, but also the skill of “building friendships and relationships, not only with the tutors but also with the other students,” she said. +As faculty advisor, Marin reaches out to guidance counselors in nearby public schools, such as Van Nest Academy and PS 95, to identify students interested in participating in the program. +The students are consistently committed, Marin said. “They are excited to be here and learn their instruments, whether it be the piano or the drums.” +
+ +
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+Arts and Entertainment +
+ +Student profile: Elizabeth Raab (11) shines as only bassist in orchestra + + +Becca Siegel + + +The chaotic life of a Horace Mann student allows little time for leisure. +Piled on top of the graduating classes, the work becomes increasingly hard to escape from. +However, some are able to rise above this fervent evaluation and find an activity that relieves them of this stress. +This to Elizabeth Raab (11) is the upright bass. “I love the sound. I really like how low the range of the bass is, and how much it resonates,” Elizabeth Raab (11), the sole bassist of the HM orchestra, said. +Raab’s music experience is a long and detailed one that begins in the fourth grade. +Determined to begin with an instrument, Elizabeth chose the most crucial, tone-setting one. +In Raab’s elementary school, there were many opportunities to study an instrument, many of which start in the fourth grade when Elizabeth began, Sue Fleishaker, Elizabeth’s long-time bass teacher, said. +While the violin, viola, and cello were always the more popular instruments because of their size, Raab was drawn to the resonance of the bass. +Her family and friends aided her in this pursuit. Beforehand Raab was being classically trained in piano, and her training for the bass was a small deviation from this. +The bass was a chance to learn a new instrument and fully understand the crevices of classical music. +From the fourth grade, Raab was participating in an orchestra at her elementary school and receiving lessons. +Athough she was surrounded by a sea of young male bassists in her orchestral world, Raab felt at place. For years she practiced her skill; spending hours learning how to mimic the deep bass tones that the masters of classical music had brought to her disposal. +The bass brings a very low and mellow note to these songs and acts as the backbone of all the other fruitful music that plays at a higher pitch. +Her melodies are almost unnoticeable when blended with the rest of the instruments, but without the sound of the bass, the orchestra would be unfinished. +“[Bass] is the heartbeat and foundation of the orchestra,” music teacher Nathan Hetherington, the director of the classical music department, said. +Believed by anyone that has experience with the orchestra, the bass is crucial to classical music, and Elizabeth demonstrates it as such. The orchestra is her place of relaxation. +She comes to play her bass for 45 minutes every other day and then practices after school because of her love for the sound, Raab said. +Her dedication to the music is what creates a deeper level to her bassplaying in the school’s orchestra. +“There are 35 other violinists in the orchestra and only one bassist. My orchestra experience has always been playing with a larger group, while hers is completely self-reliant.” Peri Brooks (10), a first violinist in the school’s orchestra, said. +Raab is highly regarded in the school’s music community because she plays a part no one else can. +“She is incredibly hardworking and incredibly thoughtful,” Natasha Gaither (10), one of Raab’s close friends, said. +“She cares very much about her friends. She is very driven,” Amrita Acharya (11), another one of Raab’s friends, said. +Raab’s drive and commitment are evident in her relationship to both her friends and her instrument. Raab has proven inside of the orchestra and out to be a valued member of the community. +
+ +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +Girls Indoor Track begins season with relay win, works on endurance + + +Amir Moazami + + +Girls Indoor Track began its season at the Armory with a 4x200 relay win in its heat and strong performances in long distance races, Zahra Thiam (11) said. +The 1600 meter runner, Madison Li (9) and the 3200 meter runner Freya Lindvall (11) both ran near the front pack in a long race that tested their endurance. +“It was a tough heat for them because Freya and Madison faced against runners from other schools who also had some of their best times,” co-Captain Sophia Friedman said. +The event featured teams from the Ivy Preparatory School League along with a few other independent schools. +The big change for the Lions coming into this season was having nine new runners, Friedman said. +“Initially I was really nervous running next to seniors in my first high school race, but I felt better as the race started,” Li said, who beat her practice time in the one mile race by 30 seconds. +To prepare for the event the Lions practiced at the Armory on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and spent the rest of the week training at school. +School training largely served as conditioning and staying in shape, while the Armory provided the team with more opportunities to practice racing, Lindvall said. +Throughout Friedman’s four years on the team, the training routine has largely been the same, with a personal emphasis on dynamic training, she said. +Runners who participated in relays during Wednesday’s meet also prepared by working on their handoffs, which is when one runner passes the baton to her teammate. +However, during a real race, feelings of fatigue and anxiousness change “the timing of the hand offs, which is something that is hard to take into account when you’re just practicing them,” Thiam said. +This season also marks a change in the landscape of the team with runners more spread out across the four different grades. +“The team being more balanced in terms of grades allows people to comfortably get into their routines,” Harmon said. +Enjoying the season remains the most important goal for the team as a whole, but placing competitively in each event for Ivies i s n o n e t h e l e s s a n outcome, Harmon, Friedman, Lindvall and others are striving for. +“This being my last season. +I really want to perform well in the Ivies and personally place in the top three for my events,” Friedman said. +However, for Lindvall, this season presents an opportunity for redemption and battling personal adversity. +“My times haven’t gone up since freshmen year because of an injury last season and for me I really want to get back to the numbers I put up as a freshman,” she said. +Although Li beat her record in practice at the meet, her ultimate goal is to run a mile in under five minutes and 45 seconds. +“I will get there by just continuing to focus and working hard in practice,” she said. +
+ +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +Boys Track members excel at first track meet of season + + +Janvi Kukreja + + +This past Wednesday Boys Varsity track competed in its first meet of the season, multiple members placing first and second in their individual races. +Ricardo Pinnock (11), the reigning Ivy league champion in boys shot put, placed in first place for shot put. +Jeph Prempeh (12) finished in third for the 55 meter hurdles and fourth in the 55 meter dash, as well as helped his 4x200 meter relay, with Chidi Nwankpa (11), Charles Simmons (9), and Melchior Lee (10) to finish in fourth. +In addition to participating in the relay team, Lee came in second place overall for the high jump, which is typically a weak area for the Lions. +In preparation for the first meet of the season, the Lions have been building muscle, working on technique, and becoming closer as a team. +“Typical practices start off with a 30 minute warm-up run, dynamics, and then the runners would be split up for the rest of the workout based on which events they run,” Lee said. +“The workouts for different types of runners are very specialized because the long distance runners are trying to build endurance and lean muscle while the sprinters are working on speed and energy,” Solomon Katz (10) said. +“The team has been training hard repeats, but depending on their events it can range from 55 meter repeats to 1000 meter,” head Coach Jon Eshoo said. +Repeats, which consist of multiple runs in a row around the track, not only build endurance, but also force the athlete to endure a more strenuous run than they would participate in at the meet. Every Tuesday and Thursday practice takes place at the Armory, an indoor track facility in Upper Manhattan, which is where most meets take place. +“Going down to the Armory is very helpful for getting used to the curves of the track, because it is a 200 meter track while most tracks are 400 meter,” Katz said. +For the rest of the week, practice remains on campus where the team works on technique and dynamics. +“Sprinters usually do a burpee workout, where we do five burpees and then sprint around the track a couple of times,” Nwankpa said. “These workouts are really centered around speed to get our bodies used to sprinting all out.” After the team finishes its assigned running workout, they usually end practice in the weight room to build even more muscle, which will help build strength and endurance, Katz said. +“Although there are more short distance runners than long distance runners this season, the team has a wide variety of events being run on Wednesday, which makes our team really strong,” Eshoo said. +The team’s chemistry is its greatest strength, Nwankpa said. +“Everyone pushes each other to do his best, encouraging other team members to keep running, and upperclassmen are always helping the underclassmen with form and strategies,” he said. +Nwankpa is also looking forward to breaking his personal record in the 55 meter sprint and the 4x200 meter relay. +Many new students with previous track experience have joined the team this year, which can help bring in points in areas where the team is typically weak, Prempeh said. +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +Varsity squash kicks off season with one win, one loss + + +James Arcieri + + +This week the squash team lost its first match of the season on Tuesday to St. Ann’s School, but prevailed against the Portledge School on Wednesday. +During its first match the team ended with a record of one match for six, with Eric Suh (11) winning his match. +Four of the lost matches, however, were a result of a fifth game tie-breaker. +On Wednesday, the team won against the Portledge School with standout performances from underclassmen such as Peter Lehv (9), Lily Seckendorf (9), Chloe Kim (9). +“We used to have an Ivy match as our first match of the season, but now we have scheduled two matches before in order to dust off the cobwebs and hit the ground running,” Squash Coach Ron Beller said. +On Tuesday, the team’s talent was shown but also a lack of experience was apparent when a match was down to the wire, Beller said. +“We have to learn mental toughness to gain confidence and push away nerves so when we mess up, we forget it and still look to win,” he said. +“Tuesday’s match tested us mentally and physically; most importantly, the meet got our gears running again in preparation for our big match on Friday against Dalton,” co-Captain Siddharth Tripathi (11) said. +During Wednesday’s match, Coach Beller gave the bottom of the lineup a chance to play stronger players, and they were up to the challenge, co- Captain Aman Sanger (11) said. +“I think this gives us some confidence for the next match since the team knows we have the potential to beat some stronger players than we’re used to,” Sanger said. +“Wednesday’s match was a grind. +Everyone put their best foot forward,” Tripathi said. “I was impressed with everyone’s tenacity and determination; there were tough moments where the momentum could have swung to Portledge, but we maintained our quality and came out with the win,” he said. +In practices, the team has been stressing fitness through court sprints, the beep test, or intense jogs, Tripathi said. +“Squash is a game that involves both the mind and the body—if the fitness isn’t there, however, then it is tough to win the big matches,” he said. +“My preparation was mainly going over routine drills and stamina as I knew my match would come down to who could push through longer,” Suh said.We are also one of the few squash teams that practice everyday and play almost everyday, Beller said. +Led by Tripathi, Sanger, and Morris at the top of the lineup, the squash team is young with freshmen including Lehv, Seckendorf, Kim, Rhea Sanger (9), and Tommy Kagan (9). +“Many of our players have not played on the team before but are talented,” Beller said. +“Our strength is our unity,” the coach said. “The players watch each other’s matches; they are very vocal and tight-knit with a good team camaraderie,” he said. +The squash team will play Dalton at home courts in Sarah Lawrence College on Friday at 4 pm and it will be the first match against another Ivy League team. +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +Boys Varsity Fencing falls to Rye in saber, épée + + +Connor Morris + + +On Wednesday, the Boys Varsity Fencing team faced Rye Country Day in the team’s first match of the season. Each match consisted of nine bouts fought by three fencers and subs in each of three weapons: foil, saber, and épée. The weapons differ in the type of blade and the target area to score points. Only Men’s foil came out on top, with both co-captain Jacob Chae (12) and Ben Jacobs (11) each winning all three of their 5-touch bouts for an overall result of 6-3. +Chae surrendered just one touch in all three bouts for an overall score of 15-1. Men’s sabre lost 3-6 and Men’s épée fell 2-7. +Overall it was a good first match for a team with many new fencers, Chae said. +“The team is off to a great start. We have many new freshmen that are stepping up,” he said. +The Lions had hoped to win saber as well, but a few fencers had not yet participated in enough practices to begin competition. Co-captain Daniel Lee (12), Faijul Rhyhan (10), Ethan Kim (10), and Pierson Cohen (9) competed in sabre. +Edward Ahn (10), Muhaiminul Ashraf (10), Liam Bodurtha (11), and Mahdid Uddin (11) fought in épée. “I feel everyone fenced pretty well because this was their first bout for a lot of fencers and they were surprisingly resilient,” top épée fencer Ahn said. +This year the team has made some coaching changes, with the departure of a foil coach but the addition of a new sabre coach, Errol Spencer ‘16, and a new épée coach Walter Koshel ‘09, who both fenced for the school. +Foil is without a coach, but veteran fencers such as Chae currently lead the team’s practice. +Koshel agreed that the match went well and showcased some new talent. The team hopes for a better result when it has a full squad for its next match against Avenues, which is today. +Practices take place down at the Lower Division’s Hazen Gym, where the Lions begin by stretching, jogging, and working on lunges and footwork. They then set up equipment which helps record points and time, and move into full fencing and drills. These drills include situational bouting, such as coming back from being down or fencing only on the offensive or defensive, full bouting, and other specific tactical drills, while coaches work with individual fencers. +Throughout the season, the Lions compete in six Independent Schools Fencing League (ISFL) championships, and are always in contention for best, a title which, as a team, they have won in three out of six championships last season. +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +Girls Varsity Fencing defeats Rye in saber, foil + + +Peter Borini + + +This Wednesday, Dec. 7 the Girls Varsity Fencing team had its first competition of the season against Rye Country Day School. The team did well with strong performances all around, and victories by women’s saber and women’s foil. +Led by team captain Emma Jones (11), the lions have been working hard to prepare for the season. The coaches focused some practice time on conditioning to make sure that everyone is back in shape for the start of the season. +“I think the team as a whole is pretty strong,” Lucinda Li (11) said. “I think what we are lacking is experience.” The strongest members on the team are those who have been on the team the longest, and those who fence outside of school, Li said. In the future, the team is hoping to get its new fencers used to the sport so everyone can improve, Li said. +Strategy-wise, the Lions are trying to play to each fencer’s individual strengths, and improve on any weaknesses, Li said. +To do this, the team generally fences against one another, Tasfiah Tabassum (11) said. In some cases, the team also practices specific situations that could arise during a match, she said. +Team members also rely heavily on critique from teammates. +“As teammates we work hard to find weaknesses in one another since its hard to tell what you’re doing wrong, and we really rely on our teammates to bridge the gap,” Tabassum said. +There were many new members to the team this year, which has made it difficult to function as a cohesive unit, Tabassum said, but the team is continuing to work hard and its performance at the meet on Wednesday shows how much its members care about one another. +Considering that there are many first-time fencers on the team, Tabassum is pleased with the Lions’ performance at the team’s first meet of the season; however, since there are so many members on the team now, getting feedback from coaches has been tougher because the coaches need to work with a lot more people, she said. +According to Tabassum, everyone is looking forward to the team’s next big meet, which will be next Tuesday. Before that however, women’s Foil will be competing against Avenues today, Dec. 9. +The team hopes to continue to improve, become a more cohesive unit, and win as many trophies as possible at the Independent School Fencing League (IFSL), which is later on in the year. +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +Boys, Girls Varsity Basketball dominate in Peg Duggan Tournament + + +Charlie Silberstein + + +and both the Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball teams already have a trophy to put in their cases. In the 19th annual Peg Duggan tournament, both teams commenced their seasons by sweeping the competition, winning a combined four games. +The tournament, dedicated in memory of Peg Duggan, has served as the official beginning of the Lions’ season ever since the sudden and tragic passing away of the athletics department administrative assistant after a surgical mishap 20 years ago. +“It’s very personal to our department, and we decided to name the tournament in her memory,” Girls Head Coach Ray Barile said. “The family comes back for the reception after the Boys’ championship game.” On Friday, the Girls Varsity team wore green for team spirit in honor of Duggan’s favorite color. +“The girls knew how special she was to me,” Barile said. “It was great to see them pour their hearts out and eventually win the tournament.” The Peg Duggan tournament is relatively small, as Horace Mann hosts only three other teams in addition to themselves. In the Girls bracket, the first-round games consisted of Portledge against Marymount and Horace Mann against Friends Seminary. The Lions cruised in their first game, dominating Friends by a score of 59-8. In the finals, the Lions topped Marymount with a score of 39-34. +The first game against Friends was a “warm-up,” co-Captain Skylar Rosen (12) said, as the team’s immense lead from Julia Robbins’ (9) 18 points and co-Captain Jojo Levy’s (12) 11 rebounds allowed the team to practice and finetune for the championship game. +The competition against Marymount was stronger, as the team started off slow on offense relative to their previous game in which the team immediately jumped out to a 23-0 lead, Barile said. +After scoring only 10 points in the first six minutes of the game, and only ten total in the first quarter, the Lions managed to get into an offensive flow and settle down in the second half, played better on defense and started to move the ball on offense, Barile said. +The Lions ended up winning the tournament, outplaying Marymount and eventually pulling away to a 39-34 lead at the end. After the game, Robbins, who averages 17 points per game, won most valuable player honors, while Levy’s 10 rebounds per game earned her all-tournament honors. Other players who stepped up included Jane Frankel (11), who averages five assists and five rebounds per game, and Zaie Nursey (11), who led the team in scoring with 11 points in the championship game. +The team has many new freshmen so it may take them some time to completely get settled, but the team has the potential to do very well this season, Frankel said. +As for the Boys, the team had a slightly tougher road to the championship, as the Lions beat York in a close affair with a score of 53-48 in the semi-finals, but dominated Regis 69-53 in the finals to take home the trophy behind impressive performances from freshmen Robby Mantz (9) and Kelvin Smith (9). +In the first game against York, the Lions were able to get their offense going, as they found open shooters, crashed the boards, rebounded successfully, and moved the ball, Alec Ginsberg (12) said. +Additionally, the defense stepped up clutch in the second half, as they were able to take some key charges which helped the Lions ultimately come away with a win, Matthew Zeitlin (12) said. +In the championship game against Regis, the Lions were able to get their offense and defense going, and they were winning the whole game, Zeitlin said. The Lions ultimately pulled away and put the game out of reach, winning 69- 53 behind Mantz’s 29 points and Kelvin’s 25 points. “Kelvin Smith and Robbie Mantz were huge,” Ginsberg said. “As two new freshmen on the team, they showed no fear and were able to put up big numbers, drawing tons of fouls and hitting the shots they needed to.” After the game, Mantz’s performance attracted the likes of social media when Lions Report posted a video of Mantz dribbling down the court, crossing up a defender, and draining a three point shot. “That’s the kind of thing Robby did all tournament,” Ginsberg said. +As for the rest of the season, the Lions have their expectations high and intend to feed off their recent success. +“With the underclass talent we have in Robert, Kelvin, Ben Metzner (10), Kyle Gaillard (10), and Sangmin Lee (9) you can bet this team will be competitive in the years to come.” As displayed this past weekend in the tournament, both the Boys and Girls basketball teams have a lot to look forward too, Barile said. The freshman group of basketball players are no joke, and might just be what the Horace Mann basketball program needs for a revival that they are desperate for. +
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+News +
+ +Student Body President assembly features debate, performances, and student reflections + + +Surya Gowda + + +During the second Student Body President (SBP) Assembly of the year on Tuesday, students had the opportunity to watch and support several students and faculty members as they gave performances and speeches on topics that appealed to a variety of student interests. +The issue of Trump’s travel ban was brought up by both Zarina Iman, (11) a representative for the Muslim Student Association (MSA), and co-SBP Zack Gaynor (12). They wanted to make it known that everyone is trying their best to be supportive, understanding, and ready “move forward with some nuance,” Gaynor said. +Though Gaynor was unable to attend the assembly, he pre-recorded a message about the recent Executive Order on the travel ban “to follow up the letter I sent out about understanding and unity after the election with some words on President Trump’s current actions, and how we must stand as one,” he said. +“As a school community, everyone here has committed to treating one another with mutual respect and to providing a safe and secure environment for all students,” Iman (11) said. +Juniors from the Model United Nations, Debate Team, and Model Congress debated the pros and cons of standardized testing. Each speech was relatively short, with each speaker having only one minute to make his or her argument. +“We want to expose the audience to an activity that we all love, so we definitely wanted to make it a compelling debate,” Siddharth Tripathi (11) said. +Some of the students researched “different arguments for a variety of aspects of standardized testing and its effectiveness in gauging accurate academic capability and its long-term effect on students,” Tripathi said. +“We threw in the debate into the assembly because we thought it would help alleviate some students’ stress if we would toss around a seemingly unapproachable topic in a debate setting,” co-SBP Noah Shapiro (12) said. +Tishiya Carey (12) sang the song, “Tears Dry on Their Own,” by Amy Winehouse, and Lou Katz (12) performed a song entitled “Lifeline” that they had written for their Independent Study project. The performances received a roar of applause and support on social media from audience members. +“I was overwhelmed with the positivity, love, and support everyone showed me,” Katz said. +Two seniors, Jonny Mansbach (12) and Joanna Kuang (12), shared senior reflections on their time at the school. +Mansbach spoke about his time with his English teacher of three years, Rebecca Bahr, and Kuang wrote about her past struggle with an eating disorder. +Since she first heard of the opportunity to share her story through the Senior Reflection Program, Kuang knew she wanted to partake in it. +“The assembly gave me a platform to communicate something that I’m really passionate about and spent a large portion of my high school experience working with,” Kuang said. +“I am so very happy that Joanna left us with her piece because I think it was so powerful, genuine, and heartfelt that it struck a chord with people who might not even be affected by eating disorders,” Shapiro said. + +
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+News +
+ +Model United Nations competes at Philadelphia conference, earns individual honors and awards + + +Megha Nelivigi + + +This past weekend, the school’s Model United Nations (MUN) team traveled to Philadelphia for the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference (ILMUNC) in which they did not receive a Best Large Delegation award, but did win six Honorable mentions and three Outstanding awards. +The team had been preparing for this conference for around three weeks, Secretary-General (SG) Bella Muti (12) said. +“It is widely regarded as one of the hardest Model UN conferences,” Radhika Mehta (11) said. “Schools attend from all over the nation and the world. People are willing to do anything – within reason – to win.” During this conference, as in most others, there were crisis committees, which differed from the normal General Assembly (GA) committees. +At ILMUNC, some of the crisis committees included the Nintendo Board of Directors and the Bonaparte Family Dinner. Mehta, a member of the Bonaparte committee, said that the crisis committees differed from GAs in that students represented people, not countries, and instead of solving a single issue, multiple issues and updates could arise at any time. +“We are coming out of ILMUNC more determined than ever to succeed and I am confident in our team’s ability to reclaim our place as number one in the nation,” SG Henry Shapiro (12) said. +The team was “one of the top five schools at the conference in terms of awards out of the hundreds of schools in attendance,” Muti said. +To prepare for the next conference, the team will start planning even earlier in advance; they have already started preparation for an upcoming conference in March, Muti said. “The team is taking this conference as a learning experience and is hoping to use what we learned in upcoming conferences,” she said. + +
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+News +
+ +Student lounge closed to ninth grade due to insensitive language and behavior + + +Seiji Murakami and Ricardo Pinnock + + +Earlier this week, the Upper Division administration banned all ninth graders from the newly-constructed student lounge due to inappropriate behavior exhibited by a few students. +Despite reminders to clean up after themselves, students often leave the lounge in poor condition on a daily basis, Head of Upper Division Dr. Jessica Levenstein said. The decision to prohibit the ninth graders from using the lounge was a combination of their violation of the physical space, as well as the core value of mutual respect, she said. +Since the opening of the student lounge in the fall, the administration has been hearing about instances of offensive and hurtful language that reportedly comes from the lounge, Levenstein said. +There were reports of students misusing the furniture, breaking parts of the wall, writing on the wall, and using offensive language aimed at other students, Dean of Student Life Dr. Susan Delanty said. Classrooms in the area were able to hear the noise coming from the room, she said. +Sofia Gonzalez (11) said she overheard freshmen boys in the lounge who were making offensive jokes and using homophobic slurs towards each other. “These boys were laughing about the rape joke, which made me very uncomfortable. I think it would make anyone uncomfortable,” she said. +After these instances, rules and norms were set for the space and posted clearly in the lounge but were repeatedly ignored, Delanty said. +In response to these repeated offenses, the administration decided to close the lounge to all students last week from Tuesday to Friday. +After a unanimous decision among members of the entire administration, Delanty announced that the lounge would be closed to ninth graders until further notice, she said. “We kept on trying to do things to help people to remember that mature behavior and all core values still existed in this space,” she said. +“I have seen really respectful ninth graders using the space appropriately, so we get that it is unfair to restrict the entire grade. We get how those students feel,” Delanty said. +“It’s unfortunate that ninth graders who are genuinely doing work and treating the space with respect will be negatively affected,” Levenstein said. +“It is great to see students use it productively, but there is concern when the rules and administration become too relaxed on students. We need to find a balance,” Upper Division Dean of Faculty Dr. Matthew Wallenfang said. +“I really liked the lounge, I was able to put my bag down there and easily get settled in to do work, but other students were being very disruptive, and so I stopped going,” Amman Kejela (9) said. “But I am happy that they closed it, I applaud their decision,” he said. +“It is definitely hard to selectively ban students so I’m not surprised that it was closed, but I don’t think it will make a significant change in the kids in our grade,” Irati Egorho Diez (9) said. +Students have come into the dean’s suite complaining about what they have heard from the student lounge, and there have been disciplinary actions taken against specific ninth graders. “We know, in fact, that the ninth graders make most of the offensive comments,” Levenstein said. +Due to the snow day last Thursday, the ninth grade mandatory grade meeting to discuss the issue was postponed, Levenstein said. +However, that meeting would not have been the first time the school has discussed the concept of treating others with respect. At the Unity Week assembly, the assembly the day after the election, and the assembly on the first day of school, various speakers highlighted the importance of treating peers with respect and upholding the school’s core values, Levenstein said. +Despite the warnings and the assemblies, the students made no behavioral changes. The prohibition on the student lounge was not the first punishment dealt out and is one attempt to fix the problem out of many. +“We would love to revisit the opening of the student lounge to ninth graders, but until then, we think this closing will give them time to reflect and understand why the school made this decision,” Delanty said. +“People should be able to police themselves and know what they are doing. Students should not have to police each other and nor does the administration,” Kejela said. +“It’s disheartening to me to think that kids can’t walk around school without the fear of hearing a slur,” Levenstein said. The administration can not catch all of the instances, so it must be a communal responsibility to call each out on hurtful speech, she said. + +
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+News +
+ +Administration responds to swastikas carved into school property + + +Yeeqin New + + +Last Wednesday, Head of Upper Division Dr. Jessica Levenstein sent out a school wide email notifying the community of the discovery of two swastikas carved into the surface of a table located in Tillinghast Hall. +“I wanted to make sure that the people who saw it already knew how seriously we were taking the incident,” Levenstein said. The two carvings have since been sanded away. +While this incident was addressed in a faculty meeting, teachers were not given instructions on how to discuss the issue in their classrooms other than to notify Levenstein if they discovered other instances of offensive graffiti in classrooms, Levenstein said. +“The English faculty, who had been aware all week that this graffiti had appeared, were already very involved and felt a strong sense of urgency to getting on top of this situation,” Levenstein said. +English Department Chair Vernon Wilson spoke with his classes briefly about the incident, he said. +“I was shocked, disappointed, and I was a little angry that someone had put that kind of symbol with the weight that it carries in the middle of an environment of learning and a safe space,” Wilson said. +His main message to his students was that the issue “wasn’t so much defacement of property, although that is an issue, but it was really about core values and more importantly basic human values of respect and empathy for our peers and the people we share the space with,” Wilson said. +Wilson has heard mildly offensive language used between students in his classroom and always takes the time to address the issue in class, he said. +“I think that we as teachers have a really important role to play in trying to create an environment with our students in which they feel comfortable talking to us,” Wilson said. “We can’t solve the situation by ourselves, but the work we can do is keeping kids’ minds open and seeing each other as equals.” The usage of symbols of hate, including the swastika, are discussed in a historical context in history classrooms, Chair of the History Department Dr. Daniel Link said. +When discussing current events, the usage of these symbols in a contemporary setting are also brought up in the classroom, Link said. +Dean of the Class of 2020 Stephanie Feigin did not address this recent incident in her Biology class, she said. +“It just didn’t occur to me to address it,” Feigin said. “When I walk into the classroom, I think of myself as just a Biology teacher, but if a student had brought it up I would have been more than happy to discuss it.” While Lou Katz (12) was not necessarily surprised when they found the swastika carved into the table, they “didn’t expect it to be that blatant,” Katz said. +Katz posted a picture of one of the swastikas carved into the table on Facebook in order to spread awareness about the issue and start a conversation, Katz said. +People have claimed that complaints about an uptick in this sort of behavior are exaggerations, but Katz wanted to show that “it exists in our space, and we need to talk about it,” Katz said. +The post was met with shock and comments suggesting ways to transform the carving into other images, such as a peace sign or the flag of Jainism. +Katz expected less shock than they received, but “that may be because of my own cynicism,” Katz said. +Katz has felt a shift in the school community regarding the usage of offensive rhetoric over the last two years, they said. +“Now it’s just become popularized to sort of not care about what you’re saying,” they said. +Naomi Cebula (11) has heard students use homophobic slurs, make jokes about gas chambers, play Nazi propaganda on school property, and she discovered a swastika drawn on a window earlier this year, she said. +“It got a lot worse around the time of the election and specifically in the student lounge and from the same group of students,” Cebula said. +She tries to “call people out” as often as she can, but “I can’t get involved in everything involved in everything I hear, so I try to stay quiet, write down who it was, and report it,” Cebula said. +Katz was not sure how the administration would react, they said. +“While they often do a lot of good, I have also been let down by the way the administration handles stuff like this,” Katz said. “I just brought it to them so they could get it removed, if I’m being honest.” While Levenstein has heard general anecdotes from teachers and students about offensive language used in school, the school cannot act on incidents it does not have details on, Levenstein said. The school has responded to any specific incidents that they have been notified about, she said. +“I have dealt with these issues this year and not in the past, but I can’t say that there has definitely been an uptick in this sort of behavior recently,” Feigin said. +Because there has been a recent increase in these sorts of offensive acts in the country, Levenstein would not be surprised if these sentiments existed in students as well, Levenstein said. +Katz believes catching these offensive acts will be easier after Levenstein’s email was sent out because the whole school is now aware of the existence of this hateful mentality, Katz said. +“We’re only aware of what’s been told to us, so it’s important to know there’s always a place to go and let us know these things happen so we can address them,” Feigin said. +“This school community has been unbelievably mature and thoughtful and sensitive this year around really difficult issues,” Levenstein said. “It’s not without hiccups, but I see us making steady progress toward a space of open dialogue and inclusion.” + +
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+News +
+ +LGBTQ+ summit at school inspires advocacy, allyship, awareness + + +Gustie Owens + + +Last Saturday, students and allies from 25 schools came from as far as Maryland to attend the school’s first LGBTQ+ conference. The attendees heard from writer, TV host, and transgender rights activist Janet Mock and attended an array of workshops and affinity group session. +“Being of an LGBTQ+ identity in high school is something that can be really overwhelming if you have no support network and even more so if you get stuck in the mindset that no one else out there is like you,” co-Student Body President (SBP) Noah Shapiro (12) said. +Shapiro was initially inspired to create the conference when he attended the Diversity Awareness Initiative for Students last year, and felt that LGBTQ+ issues were not granted a lot of attention, he said. “Rather than forcing a whole new agenda onto one event, I thought it would be great to have an entirely new one for LGBTQ+ high schoolers.” Shapiro and co-SBP Zack Gaynor (12) began discussing the need for an LGBTQ+ summit when they were running for office in the spring of last year. “It’s definitely an underserved group at city schools, and we wanted to address that,” Gaynor said. +The day began with a panel discussion featuring Mock and four of the school’s students. When summit faculty advisor and Diversity Associate John Gentile invited Mock, she accepted the invitation because of the event’s focus on intersectionality and under the condition that she would be engaging in a discussion with students, not just talking at them, Gentile said. +During the panel, Mock asked the students questions about their own identities, their experiences “coming out” – which she prefers to call “inviting in” – and the role that greater access to information and the internet have played in discussions of identity. +Mock also answered questions from the audience that addressed issues of being consumed by one’s identity and using it as a crutch, how to engage in conversations with those that have radically different views, and how to address the exclusions of LGBTQ+ people from the Women’s March and similar movements. +Following the panel discussion, students attended one workshop in the morning and one in the afternoon, broken up by lunch and meeting in an affinity group. +The workshops included discussions of allyship, LGBTQ+ in the media and music industries, the LGBTQ+ community, heteronormativity, and the idea of coming out. +Ashley Dai (9), who identifies as a member of and activist for the LGBTQ+ community, led a workshop on LGBTQ+ inclusivity and representation in the media. +“Focusing on the music industry allowed us to discuss music as genres which haven’t always been LGBTQ-friendly, like country and hip-hop, while highlighting the role of music in the normalization of queer culture in mainstream media,” she said. +Shapiro initially expected around 300 attendees, but 150-200 persons ended up attending, he said. “I think it was better in the end to have a smaller number to start out with, because the workshops felt comfortable and not overcrowded with around 10-20 students rather than 20-30.” Dai found the smaller groups beneficial, as they were able to conduct productive discussions, she said. +Gentile led a workshop for the adults attending. They discussed how to better support students, reflected on the first moment they realized that they had a sexual orientation, and thought about a moment they wished they could have a redo. “It’s important to recognize these ‘redo moments’ later and process them because that’s how we change our actions in the future,” Gentile said. +In the affinity spaces, which were divided into LGBTQ+ and allies, students discussed issues corresponding with their identities. +Faculty advisor and science teacher Michelle Lee found that the affinity spaces helped her spend time processing the information she heard at the panel and in workshops, she said. +In the affinity group Shapiro was in, “one kid said that he was really happy because he was so thankful to get the opportunity to just sit in a room and talk about issues with people who were also LGBTQ+, and at that point I really felt like we had succeeded. The fact that I made that kind of difference in even just one person’s life because of that summit made me feel like all of the hard work we put in as a team of student leaders and advisors had really paid off.” + +
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+Editorials +
+ +The injustice of Trump’s immigration policy + + +Gabi Sheybani + + +My grandfather was the last Minister of Foreign Affairs in an imperial Iran. +In 1979 he was imprisoned in Tehran and held for six months. Because the Revolutionary Guard could not hold prisoners without claims of fraud or corruption, he was released. +In 1979, my grandparents, uncle, aunt, and mom were granted entrance into the United States as political refugees. They did not come here to “steal jobs” or hurt Americans, but to flee the oppressive, hypocritical rule of tyrant Ayatollah Khomeini. +In 2017, a nation of immigrants, founded on the principles of diversity and opportunity, has greeted refugees, like my parents, and immigrants from across the Middle East with the same discriminatory, unlawful, and undemocratic treatment they fled from. +Oftentimes, abstract political issues such as the “Muslim Ban” that affect refugees or the nondescript “immigrant” seem distant and intangible to members of our liberal, shielded community. I ask all members of our community to recognize the very real impact that President Trump’s administration has on the rights and livelihoods of minority groups who are an integral part of the student body. +I’m not going to romanticize Iran and the other banned countries. +I’m aware that Iran has sponsored terrorism through the Hezbollah, a Shiite Islamist militant and political group, and that Iraq is a hotbed of ISIS activity, but there are still millions of innocent people who are being denied the chance to flee the horrors of war and oppression under dictatorial rule. +In fact, the countries that have caused real harm to Americans, most notably Saudi Arabia and Egypt, were not included in the ban, most likely to preserve oil and arms trading, not to mention how President Trump has personal investments in both countries.Thus, it seems that Trump’s ban is not about politics, safety, or ethics but rather about fear mongering and bolstering his nationalist appeal. +Ultimately, the ban will do little to protect our nation from perceived terrorist threats, as it seems organized around a commercial, populist agenda. +The worst part of this ban, in my opinion, is the ambiguity. My sister and I both have dual-citizenship to Iran; my parents were born in Iran, my father’s Iranian name is Hossein, and we have traveled to Iran in the past four years. +I doubt we will be able travel back to Iran in the next four years to see friends and family, and I am uncertain if family members with French or German dual-citizenship, as opposed to American, British, or Canadian citizenship, will be able to visit us in America. +I say “doubt” and “uncertain” because the executive order was so quickly and so poorly implemented it lacks any semblance of logistical clarity, thus leaving many families like mine suspended in a state of unsettling uncertainty. There are no guidelines and there is no precedent. +In light of the executive order, I implore everyone to remember the poem “First They Came” that Mr. +Werner Reich read to us at an assembly last year. Obviously, it is harder to extend oneself to sympathize with and to stand up for someone else’s struggle than it is to stand up for your own. +Many people believe that the fight for rights is a zero-sum game, that there are a finite number of rights available. But the truth is that gestures of love, support, and acceptance will carry us. We must all step up and extend ourselves to those in need, and it starts in our hallways. + +
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+Op-Eds +
+ +Responding to The Body Project and harmful body image ideals + + +The Editorial Board + + +As recipients of a grant from the Capelluto Foundation, Marissa Parks (12) and Joanna Kuang (12) brought The Body Project to the school last week. The Body Project is a discussion-based course in which a group of girls and faculty facilitators discuss and reflect on body image and appearance ideals. For one of the course’s assignments, students were asked to write a letter to a “younger girl who is struggling with body image concerns” about the costs of trying to pursue society’s ideal standard of beauty. In response, the Editorial Board decided to write the following, addressed to any individual in the school community who is in a similar situation. +To anyone who feels the weight of an unattainable standard of perfection on your shoulders, The costs of these body image pressures are incalculable. They exceed the thousands of dollars you could spend on weight loss pills and regimens, cosmetic procedures, and workout classes in order to achieve society’s beauty ideals. The costs include not only the physical toll that unhealthy eating and exercise habits have on your body, but also the mental toll of never feeling good enough, convincing yourself that this unhealthy behavior is justified by the pounds that slip off the scale. Holding yourself to this unachievable standard of perfection is harmful because you should feel less worthy simply because you do not conform to society’s expectations. Conversations about dieting and insecurities about physical appearances are commonplace, but we should not continue to normalize them. It’s your responsibility to speak out against these conversations when they happen. If you feel pressured by these ideals, know that you’re not alone - they are widespread and deeply entrenched in society, and we should all take part in changing them. + +
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+Letters to Editor +
+ +Letter to the Editor + + +Rebecca Bahr + + +In last week’s assembly, Jonny Mansbach (12) read his senior reflection, which focused on his growth as an English student over the course of the three years he has spent as one of English teacher Rebecca Bahr’s pupils. In his speech, Mansbach recalled the moment during his junior year when Bahr remembered the specifics of one of Mansbach’s compositions from his freshman year. Mansbach expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to learn in Bahr’s classes for so many years and thanked Bahr for her years of instruction. +I felt so honored listening to Jonny’s reflection a few weeks ago at our assembly. I remember the moment exactly - the JRP discussion - when Jonny told our class of his subject, Uncle Steve. I did have a flashback to ninth grade when Jonny had written about another uncle, and then the shock on Jonny’s face as he realized I remembered writing of his from two and half years previous. +But that is the magic of teaching students more than once in high school. You can witness a mind unfold and grow. +This is the long term thrill of being a teacher, what we live for, the continuous growth and expansion of the mind and heart we try to cultivate in the young people we see around our tables, in our labs, and on the fields. I was lucky with Jonny because we had three years together, so I could see clearly the leaps and bounds as Jonny’s gifts as an English student developed from ninth to eleventh grade. +And of course, Neruda fan-girl that I am, I was particularly thrilled and moved that Jonny knows the opening to “The Word” by heart: The word was born in the blood, grew in the dark body, beating, and took flight through the lips and the mouth. +I feel fulfilled since I know Jonny will forever walk around with a little bit of Neruda woven inside of him. +It is a rare gift for a teacher to be honored, to be really seen and appreciated by a student within the years of high school and so publically. And I want to thank all my colleagues who were moved by Jonny’s reflection. I feel Jonny’s words reflect on all of us, on the culture of this school, where dedicated and passionate teachers keep the light of learning alive. I am inspired by my students and fellow teachers all the time to keep learning, and I do indeed love what I do. +Thank you Jonny, and thank you to the community of Horace Mann. +Sincerely, Rebecca Bahr + +
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+News +
+ +CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST AND FORMER MATH TEACHER BOB MOSES SPEAKS AT ASSEMBLY + + +Jude Herwitz + + +Civil rights activist and former mathematics teacher Dr. Robert Moses visited the school last Tuesday. +While speaking at an assembly and running two classes, he described his experiences during the civil rights struggle and drew comparisons to modern day activism. +A Harlem native and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, Dr. Moses was critical in organizing Freedom Summer, a program in which volunteers from all over the country, predominantly white college students, went to heavily segregated Mississippi towns during the summer of 1964 to help African Americans register to vote. Moses also founded the Algebra Project, which helps teach Algebra in underprivileged schools. +Moses explained the importance of the Algebra Project by remembering when a federal district court judge in Mississippi asked him why he wanted to register illiterates to vote, which fostered his belief that Algebra and mathematics are part of today’s literacy. +Moses started off his portion of the assembly by asking the audience to recite the preamble of the Constitution, which he later described as “a tool, but you have to decide to open it up to make it your own.” One of the two classes Moses attended was History Department Chair Dr. Daniel Link’s Advanced Placement (AP) United States History course, in which Moses challenged students to define a movement and the internet’s role in activism. Moses stressed that while there are indeed protests and marches planned via the internet, “underneath that, there’s very little actual organizing going on that is targeted and proactive,” he said. +History teacher Barry Bienstock invited Moses after hearing him speak at Rutgers University two years ago. +“He’s someone that I’ve been interested in for nearly 50 years,” Bienstock, said, “but then I saw him at Rutgers--Newark two years ago where he gave this really fiery speech and I spoke to him afterwards, asking him if he would be interested in coming back to Horace Mann.” Bienstock hoped for students to see how recent the civil rights struggle was, and to hear from someone who was instrumental in organizing the movement. +Griffin Smith (9) said he found the assembly engaging and interesting. +Smith had discussed the civil rights struggle in class, and being exposed to a first hand account enhanced his learning experience, he said. +“ S ome t h i n g else that made the assembly so interesting was the fact that he was from Horace Mann and part of our community,” Smith said. +Diversity Associate John Gentile also found Moses’s history at Horace Mann to be “something incredibly powerful” that shows “the incredible legacy of Horace Mann educators,” he said. +“I think it is critical to hear from someone so important in shaping our country’s history,” Dahlia Krutkovich (12) said. Krutkovich, as one of Dr. Link’s AP US History students, attended both the assembly and subsequent class taught by Moses, and was “really appreciative of the school for organizing such experiences that really impact how students view the world.” + +
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+News +
+ +Kuang (12) and Parks (12) bring The Body Project to the school to help girls with issues of body image + + +Ella Feiner + + +The Body Project, a discussionbased course aimed at improving high school girls’ body image, launched at the school this week. +The initative’s coordinators, Joanna Kuang (12) and Marissa Parks (12), brought the program to the school through the Alexander Capelluto Foundation Award. By reaching out to a contact at the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), Parks found out about The Body Project, a course designed by researchers to help high school and college aged girls deconstruct beauty ideals. +“The great thing about the project is that it’s a prevention program, not a recovery program,” Parks said. “It targets any teenage girl, and the things that it targets can really be applicable and meaningful to anyone, whether or not they struggle with food issues.” Several years ago, Kuang and Parks realized that they both had experienced similar disordered eating behaviors and body image issues, Kuang said. +“Although we have a good health curriculum, it didn’t really cover body image and eating disorders,” she said. +“It was very scientific – there were a lot of facts thrown at us, but we thought it would benefit people to have a way to talk about it from a more emotional standpoint.” After receiving Capelluto funding, Kuang and Parks met with members of the administration to find a way to work the project into the school curriculum. Ultimately, they decided to allow students to sign up for the program during their gym classes, since there was no room in the academic curriculum, Kuang said. +Two weeks ago, NEDA representative Chelsea Kronengold trained 12 teachers, including Head of Student Activities Caroline Bartels and physical education teacher Meredith Cullen, in the Body Project curriculum, Kuang said. Almost 60 students will take part in the program this trimester, with more opportunities to sign up later in the year, Parks said. +As the Girls Cross Country coach, Cullen has helped multiple girls through their own body image issues, she said. She thinks the program has the potential to help students change their mindsets about appearance ideals, she said. +At the training session on Saturday, Bartels found that the questions asked in the curriculum “really made you think,” she said. “It made us think about our own issues when we were younger and our own issues that stick with us as adults,” she said. + +
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+News +
+ +Water bottle embargo campaign led by Sustainability Committee begins in effort to conserve plastic use at school + + +Whitney Dawson + + +The school’s sustainability committee put Embargo, a ban on plastic water bottles, into action on Tuesday. The initiative will continue every subsequent Friday. +The initiative started on Valentine’s Day because it symbolizes loving the earth by using reusable water bottles. Arts teacher and Head of the Sustainability Committee Karen Johnson sent out multiple emails leading up to Valentine’s Day to build interest in the campaign. +According to Brenda Cohn, Head of Flik and a member of the committee, the Flik staff made the cafeteria available for the committee to set up their posters and stopped selling bottled water to support the initiative. +“I think it was quite successful for the most part. I saw students who were very much engaged in not buying the bottled water, I saw them filling their reusable vessels that they had with them.” Cohn said. +“118,000 water bottles were sold at HM last year. That’s a lot of plastic. +It gets into the ocean supply, there’s bioaccumulation. It gets into the animals’ systems and can kill them,” Nick DePreter, the co-chair of the sustainability committee, said. +DePreter said that one way students can get involved in the embargo initiative and help the environment is to join the Green HM club, make posters for the poster contest, and remind their families to use reusable water bottles. +“A general attitude of not wasting, a general attitude of caring will help the environment, and with that attitude, we can all become water protectors,” Johnson said. +Another goal of the campaign is to bring awareness to the lack of clean water on a global scale. +“Clean water should be a human right, not a privilege. There are places that don’t even have clean water, and that’s why Flint was such a big deal,” DePreter said. +There is also a poster contest involved in the embargo initiative; students will be creating posters to put up over the water bottle display in the cafeteria on Fridays, Johnson said. Johnson plans to hang posters showing the earth inside of a heart will also be posted around the school. +The sustainability committee has plans to continue the initiative and take part in the upcoming climate march in Washington, D.C. + +
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+News +
+ +College counselors visit Upper Division classes in hopes of seeing student experience + + +Mahika Hari + + +Over the past few weeks, members of the College Counseling Office have been visiting Upper Division classes in the five core subject areas, as well as arts courses, to get a better sense of what students experience in school every day, Director of College Counseling Canh Oxelson said. +This idea was proposed several years ago, but members of the Office struggled in finding the right time of the year to do it, Oxelson said. The best time is now, between January and just before Spring Break, because the counselors haven’t started meeting with juniors yet and are winding down their meetings with seniors, he said. +One of the counselors reached out to all teachers and asked if any were interested and willing to have a college counselor come and sit in on their classes, Oxelson said. They heard back from many welcoming teachers, he said. +The Office visited math teacher Linda Itani’s F period Advanced Placement Statistics. “I don’t mind if anyone wants to come visit, learn more about the course, and see their students in class. It didn’t bother me at all,” she said. +Math teacher Chris Jones’ E period Math Seminar class had four visitors, he said. Jones has been asking each of the visiting couselors about the last math class they took. “It’s a fun question so that they can share what the varieties of their math backgrounds are. They’ve been totally forthcoming about it, and it’s been good for their students to hear that they are real people too,” Jones said. +Bella Muti (12) had two classes sat in on by college counselors, Seminar of the Hispanic World and Math Seminar. +“When Mr. Jones asked about the last math class they were in, I remember some of them said Calculus and another said Precalculus. It was funny to see how different our interests were from the college counselors,” she said. +“The goal is for us to have a better sense of what the interactions are like between students in classes, between students and teachers, and between students and the material,” Oxelson said. +The counselors learned a great deal from the visits, Oxelson said. “First of all, you guys work really hard. Also, we were amazed at the amount of collaboration there is in classes.” Associate Director of College Counseling Toni Miranda agreed with the impressive amounts of collaboration in classrooms. Miranda had wanted to visit classes since she first started working at the school, she said. +In classes of all different subjects, Oxelson saw the expression of ideas being encouraged, regardless of whether they were right or wrong, he said. “It was all about pushing the conversation forward so that everyone could be a part of it. It was amazing to see that.” “Kids are always talking about how the school is very competitive, and I get what they are saying, but I think that they are only talking about grades and not what actually takes place in class,” Oxelson said. “I think that there is a level of collegiality that exists in the classroom between students and teachers that you don’t really see in other places.” Miranda had heard a lot about the school before she started her job, but said it was different to see the students in their classes in person. One of the classes she visited was science teacher Dr. Jane Wesely’s Physics class. +Wesely had asked her and Associate Director of College Counseling Frank Cabrera about their interests in science beforehand, in order to make their visit enjoyable, Miranda said. Wesely had them make batteries with lemons, and the counselors ended up needing the help of the students, Miranda said. +The visiting process will also help the counselors in writing students’ recommendations, Oxelson said, “not about specific students but about the academic culture here. I can now write with certainty that the amount of collaboration we see in classrooms here is more than we would expect to see.” Next year, the Office plans to shadow a handful students for a day. “That would really open my eyes and show me what students go through every day to get from class to class,” Oxelson said. + +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +SKI WRAPS UP ITS FOUR-RACE SEASON, FACES TOUGH CONDITIONS + + +Seiji Murakami + + +The Ski team competed in three races in the past weeks to complete their four-race season within the New York public school league. +The weather conditions made it difficult for the team to practice and complete the usual five-race requirement for the l e a g u e , which was a common problem for all of the schools in the league. +When it is too warm, the snow can become icy and slushy which slows down racers and makes it more difficult to remain in control, Coach Morgan Yarosh said. +“There are ruts, or hard packed ice, that are created when it is too warm out and can cause your ski to slide out if you panic,” Nelson Gaillard (9) said. +Especially when the skiers all use the same slope, the snow becomes more packed and makes it more difficult as the competition progresses, Sam Harris (11) said. “The key to being on this team is to be very flexible with timing because the commitments become difficult when there are constant cancellations and rescheduling,” Yarosh said. +In addition to the weather, the mountain that the skiers used last season has recently closed which was a difficult adjustment for some of the skiers, Caroline Troop (11) said. When they had to compete, there was no order to the races, which was different from last year and made it difficult to adjust to the new mountain, Troop said. +In the races, the skiers have to compete against all of the schools to stay in the New York Public School League. “Due to the fact that we are not a public school team, we are not going to sectionals but the league allows us to compete with them,” Morgan Yarosh said. +“Sophie Maltby (12) improved a lot from the beginning of the season; she almost got third in the race on Monday,” Troop said. +“Sam really pushed himself to beat someone on the Clarkstown team and got first on Monday,” Troop said. +Kai Galvan-Dubois (10) skis outside of school, which makes him a good addition to the boys, Harris said. +“Ryan Leung (10) had really improved his times this season,” Yarosh said. +As the new and only freshman addition to the team, Gaillard has been doing very well, Troop said. “He was scared at first because Wednesday was his first race but I just told him not to think about it and pretend like the race meant nothing,” Troop said. +“In the races, you just have to figure it out on your own,” Yarosh said. +“I was really nervous because in practice we would slalom with cones down the slope but the race has real gates which felt much more different” Gaillard said. +“It is scary to feel like you are skiing right into a gate during the race,” Yarosh said. “We have students who have skied before but have never raced, so they make large sweeping turns rather than sharper turns around the gates.” The way the skiers prepare for these obstacles is to address them verbally and condition for stamina and leg strength off-slope, Yarosh said. +“In practice there is a lot of running and dry-land training. Last week we did two laps around Van Cordlandt park,” Troop said. At the races, the team works together to map out the course they will take down the mountain, which makes it easier to understand “the nooks and crannies” of the course, Gaillard said. +“I want the students to guide each other, especially those who are new to the team, and see the team as something meaningful,” Yarosh said. +“The team is a really good group of kids. I have seen them work really hard and dedicate themselves to improving; of course, I want them to win races and be the fastest too,” Yarosh said. + +
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+ +English elective invites speakers to discuss the Holocaust + + +Joanne Wang + + +Guest speakers Dr. Eva Fogelman, Bernhard Schlink, and Werner Reich provided insight into the Holocaust in “Man’s Search for Meaning,” English teacher Dr. Deborah Kassel’s English elective exploring multiple genocides. +Psychologist and activist Fogelman shared her research regarding Holocaust rescuers, professor and author Schlink discussed how he envisioned The Reader’s narrative, and Holocaust survivor Reich shared his experiences during the war. +Their visits tied into themes from movies “Hotel Rwanda,” “The Stanford Experiment,” “12 Years a Slave,” and the Holocaust-related “Incident at Vichy” and “Night,” Matthew Zeitlin (12) said. +A major theme they have discussed is how everyone may make a difference and prevent evil by not being a bystander, Sophia Friedman (12) said. +Fogelman addresses how qualities such as tolerance, resourcefulness, and stoicism have more weight compared to being of a certain class, religion, political party, or gender. +“In times of strife… there’s always going to be an excuse to not help people,” Aidan Futterman (12) said. +“There really isn’t a right thing to do,” Rachel Cheng (12) said. “You’re judging what lives matter more to you: your family’s or the lives of strangers.” Though a horrific scene was laid out, Reich details how “humor was the only thing that truly took us away from reality,” he said. “It kept our sanity.” Reich “helped bring a historical event to life and helped us understand a horror that isn’t easily communicable in text,” Krystian Loetscher (12) said. +Studying these genocides “shows how people… have a tendency to create an ‘other,’ a person of a different religion or complexion who somehow doesn’t deserve to have the right to the same quality of life,” she said. +The conversation with Schlink about “guilt, the struggle of reconciliation with the actions of a loved one, and the participation in something terrible was interesting because it’s relevant regardless of the time period,” Lexi Kanter (12) said. +Reich encourages the use of the Holocaust “as a lesson to try to avoid something bad from happening,” he said. +With these discussions, Kassel aimed to enrich her students’ experiences and “remind them of their responsibility to the larger world beyond Horace Mann’s walls,” she said. +“In today’s political climate the question is if you feel strongly about something, what are you going to do about it?” Kassel said. “A moral dilemma, as Dr. Fogelman pointed out, involves two arguably moral options. +Are you going to protect your family? Your job? Your reputation? Or are you going to uphold another moral principle, which is your duty to history, duty to the world at large, duty to the next generation?” + +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +FENCING PROFILES: Jacob Chae + + +Simon Yang + + +“My passion for Star Wars as a little kid and my advantage as a left hander really clicked together, and that’s why I started to fence,” co-Captain Jacob Chae (12) said. +Chae has been fencing foil locally and nationally since sixth grade, and joined the school’s Boys Varsity Fencing team his sophomore year. Chae fences foil as his main event, and has won many awards in his weapon category. +Chae has won both the Individual School Fencing League (ISFL) Boys foil gold medal, and in his undefeated sophomore year won the ISFL Boys Foil season Individual Record Holder . In his junior year, Chae once again won ISFL men’s foil season Individual Record Holder, and earned silver for men’s foil. In this year’s ISFL, Chae won a silver medal for men’s foil. +Out of school, Chae has competed at four consecutive Fencing Junior Olympics and many other competitions, attaining impressive rankings. A handful of colleges recognized Chae’s talent and recruited him to fence for their schools, but Chae chose not to commit. +Chae currently co-Captains the fencing team, contributing his knowledge to the boys foil team, particularly with the foil coach gone. With three years of experience on the team, Chae’s role is to not only organize the team, but to gain momentum as well, he said. This year, Chae aims to help the freshmen on the team. +“Jacob is a passionate and bold fencer,” Phillip Chien (9) said. “He went against a fencer from the Serbian National Team in the ISFL finals, but he didn’t back down and played an impressive game. He definitely is a positive influence for the foil fencers on the team.” Chae’s teammates value his devotion to the team, and think highly of him both as a fencer and a captain. +“Jacob’s captain style is definitely different from what people would normally expect. He contributes a lot, and is objectively a good fencer,” Edward Ahn (10) said. + +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +FENCING PROFILES: Daniel Lee + + +Simon Yang + + +Daniel Lee (12), co-Captain of Varsity Fencing, won a gold medal in the ISFL Individual Tournament for Boys sabre on January 28th. +This is Lee’s third time winning gold for Boys sabre, yet Lee was still thrilled to win the award. With other schools such as Hackley, Masters, and Riverdale competing, the ISFL tournaments are never easy, Lee said. +“The award really means something because I think that it’s a culmination of the hard work that the HM team has collectively put in throughout the season,” Lee said. +Lee believes that though the awards are given individually, it would be hard to fence as well without the advice and support from his teammates and coaches. +Lee started fencing in eighth grade at the Manhattan Fencing Club. He was attracted by how fencing was more accessible to practice regularly compared to other sports. +“Daniel is a sabre fencer, so his strength mostly lies in his fast speed and good blade work,” Jacob Chae (12) said. “Daniel has been on the team for three years, so he definitely has experience, and that definitely helps him as a co-captain.” As co-Captain this year, Lee aims to teach the underclassmen more advanced skills and strategies. Lee also devoted time encouraging a stronger sense of team spirit. +“Daniel is a good captain. He tells us to do footwork and what not. He is a tall fencer, but he’s still fast and agile with huge lunges, so it’s hard for opponents to go against him,” Phillip Chien (9) said. +Fencing in his last season for the school, Lee wishes to keep training with the fencers in lower grades. +The team has shown significant improvement across the three weapon categories, Lee said. Lee is confident that the current juniors will do a great job next year when he’s gone. +“Daniel definitely cemented a legacy and now has a record that I hope someone someday at HM can break. As for the team, it gives them something to strive for and to surpass,” Fencing Coach Errol Spencer ‘16 said. + +
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+News +
+ +School’s two Science Olympiad Teams rank 6th in Naussau West Region Competitition + + +Rebecca Salzhauer + + +The school’s two Science Olympiad Teams earned sixth place in the Nassau West Regional Science Olympiad Competition on Saturday, Feb. 4. The school’s A team won medals in 11 out of the competition’s 25 events, and the B team medalled in several events. +The team’s ranking barely missed qualification for the next round of competition, as the top five advance to the state level, President of Fusion Karen Jiang (12) said. +This was the team’s first year competing in the Nassau West region, as opposed to the less competitive New York Metropolitan region, President of Science Olympiad Ella Feiner (11) said. +In preparation for the competition, which included challenges ranging from Disease Detectives to Remote Sensing to Ecology, the team met weekly for two months prior and took practice tests and worked in the robotics lab, Feiner said. +“Every single year, the competition is a great learning experience for the leadership to see what worked and what didn’t,” Jiang, who was the Science Olympiad President last year, said. +“We’ll work off of what happened this year and we can pinpoint what areas need work,” Jiang said. +Although there was an increase in interest for the team this year—60 people competed for 30 competition spots—the leaders struggled to find students who were eager to compete in the building events over biology and chemistry-based events, Feiner said. +In order to combat that challenge, the team focused on the technique and strategy involved in building events this year more than they had in previous years. +One of this year’s leadership goals was to increase each team member’s skill in all areas, not just their specialized area, Jiang said. +“The actual competition day is such an amazing bonding experience for us as a whole: we stay in a team room and prepare but also joke around and tell stories. It’s a great way for the under-classmen to feel integrated,” Jiang said. +Next year, the team hopes to continue to grow their building program and learn from their past challenges, Jiang said. +“The underclassmen are paving the way to leading the club to great things in the future.” + +
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+Middle Division +
+ +Dylan Rem (6) wins GeoBee + + +Georgi Verdelis + + +On Feb 2, the Blue Team watched as its competitor, Dylan Rem (6), won the Middle Mania Geography Bee. Even though he was the sole contender from the Blue Team and the youngest student in the entire competition, he prevailed in a final tie-breaker round. +Rem’s victory reflects seven years of profound passion for geography, he said. Since Rem was four he has studied geography due to his own personal interest in the subject. +Rem initially developed an interest in geography from reading various atlases and has recently continued his study with a YouTube channel, “Geography Now,” he said. +In addition, Rem began exploring Google Earth in his free time to study for the Geography Bee. +After winning, Rem took a qualifier test on Feb 3, which will give him the chance to move on to the state competition in Albany and possibly the national competition. + +
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+News +
+ +East Wind West Wind hosts Asia Night + + +Tenzin Sherpa + + +On Friday, Feb. 3, East Wind West Wind’s (EWWW) annual Asia Night displayed an array of culture and talent of the school’s East Asian community. +Included in the performances were students’ playing taiko, a type of Japanese drum; the Woorigarak Korean Cultural Art Center’s performing traditional Korean sword dancing and fan dancing; Stephanie Choi’s ‘05, performing jazz saxophone; and students’ modeling in a fashion show displaying traditional Asian clothing. +“We wanted to show the audience that East Asian cultures are evident in the Horace Mann community, so we asked EWWW members to showcase some of their talents. We also looked for students that may be currently working on a school project relating to East Asian cultures,” EWWW co- President Grace Sander (11) said. +“We hoped that the audience was able to see how much of an impact Asian culture has on our school,” Sander said. +“My favorite part of Asia night was seeing HM students themselves perform,” rather than invited professional acts, Sander said. “It’s so rewarding to see just how many people contributed to the night, whether it was agreeing to model in the fashion show, or to sing a song, or even to help with stage crew,” she said. +The night garnered significant positive feedback, EWWW co- President Alec Choi (12) said. +For EWWW junior officer Analisa Gagliardi (10), “Asia Night was a total success. Things ran smoothly and just as we had planned. This was my first year as an officer and to see and help the different acts come together was an amazing experience. +Although putting it together was stressful at times, it all worked out in the end.” + +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +RUNNING THE SCHOOL: AN INSIDE LOOK AT MAINTENANCE + + +Amir Moazami + + +It’s 6:00 a.m. on a cool Tuesday morning in the midst of the fall foliage. The afternoon before, the Girls Varsity Soccer team played an intense match against the team’s closest rival Riverdale, and the grass on the field is still suffering from the encounter. +That is until Dan Recco begins to, as he does every morning, water the field, draw the lines, mow the lawn, and rake any of the leaves that have found their way onto Alumni Field. +Dan knows that the foot traffic or potential vehicular traffic of the day will erode the top of the grass, or even that the spike ball nets, strategically placed in the shade, will mean the top of the grass will further be eroded, but he takes pride in the work that he does. +He is also confident that the roots of the sand-based field, one of the very few in New York City, will be okay because he checks the irrigation meticulously. +However, the effort also bears tremendous financial costs to ensure the more than 15 sprinklers are functional, but an effort that the school and the board of trustees emphasize as valuable, Director of Facilities Gordon Jensen said. +Neighboring hill schools such as Fieldston have transitioned from a grass-based field to artificial turf, which is significantly easier to take care of and can be cheaper. +Riverdale also recently announced plans to undertake the same transition because of similar concerns. +The result is not only an aesthetic difference and a change in the way the space feels to athletes who use it, but also shifts the nature of athletic competition. +In soccer, on any given day the field can be bumpy or the grass can be coarse, making passing and dribbling harder, Boys Varsity Soccer co-Captain Josh Newman (12) said. Newman also said fellow students “disrespect” the field by leaving trash on it. +In lacrosse, there are similar tradeoffs- the turf heats up very quickly causing more rug burn-type injuries, but grass fields are inherently patchy and bumpy making fielding the ball difficult, Stephen Angelakos (11) said. +The main field also hosts different schools, such as La Salle, for their respective school events such as graduations. The grunt of the work in setting up is done by the school’s maintenance staff to ensure the events run smoothly. “It’s all part of being a good communal neighbor,” Jensen said. +Aside from managing the main field, the maintenance staff also takes care of the pool and the tennis courts. The pool undergoes usage in the winter and requires laborious upkeep. +The 110,000-gallon pool is brominebased and receives treatment three times a day. The pool, which was constructed several decades ago, is older and smaller than those of peer schools. “HM’s pool has only four lanes where as schools like Trinity, Fieldston, Riverdale, and Hackley have six lanes. +Practices are very crowded,” Jonny Cohen (11) said. +“The defining aspect of keeping our school as pretty is the dedication and pride of work of the maintenance staff,” Jensen said. + +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +The Buzzell Games: Girls + + +Katie Goldenberg + + +With a 12-8 record and the Buzzell Games rapidly approaching, the Girls Varsity Basketball team has high hopes to replicate last year’s win in the team’s biggest game of the season. +With a string of wins in the past few weeks, the team has celebrated recent improvement and success, Head Coach Ray Barile said. +The girls started the season with a record of 4-0 against easier teams. +Then, for a period of four weeks, the team “wasn’t playing good basketball,” Barile said. +“About three weeks ago, Friday, something clicked – we started sharing the basketball, everyone was scoring, and our plays looked really clean,” Barile said. +Although the team has suffered recent losses to Dalton, Poly Prep, and Rye, schools with excellent records, the team “was playing the best schools very well,” Barile said. As an example, the Lions lost to Rye in overtime by two points. +Since then, the team has embarked on a five-game winning streak, culminating in a victory against Holy Childs last Friday with a score of 44- 32. Although the streak was recently broken by Wednesday’s loss against Columbia Prep, the team continues to maintain a positive attitude with the long-awaited Buzzell Game just around the corner. +“We have a huge amount of talent on the team, especially among the freshmen,” Olivia Kester (10) said. +The team starts three underclassmen on the court: Ella Anthony (9), Julia Robbins (9), and Halley Robbins (9). +All three play offensive positions, and “can shoot inside and outside, as well as handle the ball very well,” Barile said. +“It’s been a blessing and a curse to have such a young team, because some of us have been playing together for three years in a row, and with new players you’re still figuring out strengths and weaknesses,” co-Captain Skylar Rosen (12) said. +The team also relies on upperclassmen for skill and guidance; Jane Frankel (11) is the team’s “threepoint specialist”, and co-Captain Jojo Levy (12) “plays with lots of energy and passion,” Barile said. “Each player does something very special for the team.” The girls also hope to capitalize on their team chemistry. “We don’t play for the school as much as we play for our team,” Kester said. “We’re like a family: we love each other, and we’re really close.” Heading into the Buzzell Games, the team hopes to use these strengths to their advantage to repeat last year’s win. The game will be different from others in the season due to the larger Manhattan College court, typically low scoring game, and sizeable crowd. +“It’s a lot of pressure to play in Buzzell, because you have a really big audience, but it’s probably the most fun day of the year for us,” Rosen said. +The Lions have already celebrated a victory against Riverdale earlier in the season with a score of 37-30, and will win if they “play under control,” Barile said. +“The team is calm, cool, and collected, and get along very well,” Barile said. “There’s no ego on that court. They all play as one.” Following the Buzzell Games, the girls will compete in the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) tournament against New York’s six other private school leagues. +The games will begin next Wednesday and will be determined by the Lions’ season record as compared to other schools’ records. The team is excited to compete in states and optimistic about its success, Barile said. +“Our greatest strength is probably that we never give up,” Kester said. +“We can be down 20 and still have a fighting chance; we fight to the end.” + +
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+News +
+ +Renowned historian James Oakes visits AP US History classes + + +Natasha Poster + + +Renowned historian and professor James Oakes visited two Advanced Placement U.S. History classes last Thursday. +AP U.S. students have read parts of Oakes’ books “Slavery and Freedom,” “The Scorpion’s Sting,” and “Freedom National,” so they are very familiar with his arguments, History Department Chair Dr. Daniel Link said. +Oakes is a colleague of history teacher Barry Bienstock’s wife, historian Jan Ellen Lewis, and has visited the school multiple times. +“We wanted to have him at this specific time of the year because the students are now very familiar with his work at a deep level,” Link said. +It is a great opportunity for students to meet a professional historian who has published work so that they can get a sense of what it is like to write a history monograph and also interact with him, he said. +He spoke to the classes about his books and his present project, which is about the history of the Civil War. The book claims that slavery was the driving cause, as opposed to the popular belief that the war did not initially revolve around the issue of slavery, he said. +It was surprising to hear that the North opposed slavery so adamantly that they voted against it 97 out of 100 times in the federal government, Sam Stein (11) said. +It was especially interesting that Oakes discovered this information while one of his students was writing a research paper about it, Stein said. +It is important to understand that “we live in a post-abolitionist reality in which we all believe that slavery is horrible, but it used to be accepted as a normal part of human societies because it existed for thousands and thousands of years,” Oakes said. +Oakes drew a parallel to the abolition movement and today’s political climate but explained that recent events Tenzin Sherpa Staff Writer English elective invites speakers to discuss the Holocaust including marches and protests cannot be considered a political movement in the same way that the abolition movement was. +The abolition movement was “aimed at the political system with a specific agenda and a constitutional justification,” and while he believes in everything that the marches today stand for, it is not structured enough to be considered a political movement, he said. +“It is really incredible to hear from the person that you have been reading works from for the past months or even years,” Annabel Kady (11) said. “He’s a brilliant writer, and hearing from him was inspiring.” + +
+ +
+
+Lions' Den +
+ +The Buzzel Games: Boys + + +Janvi Kukreja + + +Boys Varsity Basketball hopes to finish its season with another win at the Buzzell Games, one of the biggest events of the year, today against Riverdale. +With the buzzer beater win last year, the suspense and hype has been building for the last couple of weeks to make this Buzzell even more memorable, Noah Simon (11) said. +Depending on the outcome of the game on Friday, the team may secure a spot in the playoffs, so while it’s going to be a fun game, it’s also very important, Ben Metzner (10) said. +The team has a 4-9 record for the season, so its chance at making the playoffs can go either way, Simon said. +“The boys have been competitive in each game, and they’re a really cohesive team,” Boys Varsity Basketball Coach Tim Sullivan said. +As the season has progressed, the team has started to utilize each other’s strengths more and more, Robert Mantz (9) said. +“We’ve been getting good at seeing which player is on fire and making it a priority that he gets the ball,” Mantz said. +Due to their experience, the seniors serve as good examples for the rest of the team and help facilitate communication on the court, Metzner said. +“Since the beginning of the season, the boys have been good at talking to each other inside the lines and out,” Sullivan said. +Although the Lions have had their ups and downs throughout the season, they beat Riverdale earlier this month by 10 points, and they hope to do the same on Friday. +Riverdale has improved since last year and throughout this season, so it’s going to be a close game, Sullivan said. +“They have a good shooting game, but we’ve been working on our defenses so hopefully we’ll be able to overcome that,” Sullivan said. +“Compared to many other teams, we’re considered small height-wise, which can be a disadvantage as well as an advantage to us,” Simon said. +While Riverdale has some older players with more experience in their careers, the Lions have some new, young additions which will help during the game, Sullivan said. +“We have a new and improved team this year with two very good freshmen, so even though last year’s game was very intense, Friday will be a close game as well,” Noah Simon (11) said. +“We’re a young team, with a lot of talented freshmen as well as great senior leadership, which is a big advantage,” Metzner said. +Outside shooting is one of the team’s biggest strengths, and that will help the team score more points, Mantz said. +One of the reasons Buzzell was so memorable last year is because of the number of people that came out to watch, and the more fans that come to watch the more entertaining it will be, Metzner said. +“Horace Mann isn’t necessarily known for its team spirit, so this is really the time for the Lions to show their support,” Simon said. +“Even though it’ll be hard to follow up last year’s game, I’m looking forward to being out there and feeding off of the crowd,” Mantz said. As his first year on the team, Mantz said he is even more excited to play in this type of environment. +As for the four graduating seniors, Coach Sullivan is looking forward to watching them give it their all and compete one last time in front of all their friends, he said. + +
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+Middle Division +
+ +QandA with Mr. Aguilar, new seventh grade dean + + +Seiji Murakami + + +Interview conducted by Seiji Murakami, Staff Writer The Record: How did you become the Dean of the Seventh Grade class? Carlos Aguilar: I was asked by Mrs. Ingram, the Middle Division head, if I was interested in becoming the dean for the seventh grade. She told me that based on my experience of more than 17 years teaching here that she and Dr. Tom Kelly felt that I would be a good fit. I met with Mrs. Ingram, and she explained the job description and what my responsibilities would be like. +TR: Why do you think you were chosen to become the new dean? CA: I think there are different layers, based on my résumé and my experience. Before I came to the school, I worked as a counselor in Costa Rica and I studied psychology on top of teaching Spanish. Being able to work with teenagers for more than six years gave me a better understanding of the emotional and cognitive minds that teenagers have. I think that also made my experience as a classroom teacher more fruitful because I was able to understand what was going on mentally and all the physical changes that all teenagers experience. My position here is not just working with the kids, it is also working within the community with all of my colleagues, whom I respect highly, working with the administration, and working with parents, which is an important piece of the puzzle. +TR: How will this affect your teaching schedule? CA: At this point, I’m the Head of the Language Department, and I’m still teaching my full load of three classes while Mrs. Valerie Mate-Hunt transitions into my position. I would say for the last two weeks, we have been doing both. It’s been very hectic because unlike the other deans who only teach one other class, I am teaching all of my classes, but I will eventually transition into having one class in the third trimester. That departure from being in the classroom has certainly been hard because I love my students, and I connect very well with all of them. +TR: What do you hope to accomplish as the new dean? What changes, if any, do you want to implement as a dean? CA: I think that with any new position, I’m going to be observing a lot and learning a lot from the other deans and my colleagues, so I don’t anticipate changes right away. Being new to the position, I believe that I need to be humble, observe my surroundings, and certainly be there for my students as their dean to help them to be ready for the Upper Division by the end of next year. My goal is to make that transition as smooth as possible for them and make sure that they can thrive in an environment of respect, which is a main personal goal for me. +TR: What are you most excited for as the new dean? CA: I love their energy. I love how I started to see signs of being more connected, more responsible, and more aware of their surroundings and how their decisions affect others. I start teaching them in September, and there is an evolution and growth along the way that perhaps they do not see, but as a teacher and adult I get to experience it. So all of that is exciting and an inspiration for me because I do believe that kids are our future, so we should support them in anyway. +This interview has been edited for length and clarity. + +
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+Middle Division +
+ +MD Robotics teams compete in Bronx qualifiers + + +Lutie Brown and Jonathan Katz + + +16 robotics teams from the Bronx, Westchester County, and Queens competed at the school on Saturday, Feb 4 at the Bronx Qualifier for the First Lego League (FLL). Two teams from the school participated; one consisting only of sixth graders and the other with members from both the seventh and eighth grades. +Each team had around 15 students who worked together “to build and program a fully autonomous robot that completes a number of challenges relating to the year’s theme, and also prepare a research project where they must identify a problem relating to the theme and come up with a solution using engineering,” MD Robotics mentor and the event’s head referee Will Golub (10) said. +The sixth grade team won the Champion’s Award, given to the team with both a strong robot and project, and the seventh and eighth grade team won the 2nd Place Award for Core Values, which focuses on teamwork. +This year’s FLL theme is “Animal Allies,” and the sixth grade team worked on combatting roadkill by building natural habitats that stretched over highways, Robotics Coach Jason Torres said. The overpass would save deer and other woodland creatures from harm, Torres said. +The project helped sixth graders develop their problem solving and public speaking skills, team member Avi Kumar (6) said. “We knew everything we were going to say, were able to answer all their questions, and there was nothing they asked about our project that we didn’t know,” Kumar said. +The teams practiced after school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, beginning in September. “We spent the early part of the year getting accustomed to building and programming robots, and started focusing on the competition in January,” Torres said. +UD Robotics students came in and mentored during practices, and “because we have experience judging, we were able to run through mock judging with them to help them improve before competition,” Golub said. +Torres split the MD Robotics team into two sections because “the sixth graders were enthusiastic and worked hard, which clearly showed in the competition,” he said. +“I was excited to help create something that a lot of people would remember, since we are the first sixth grade team. I was originally afraid that not many people would join, but then was happy to see so many people at the first meeting,” Luke Harris (6) said. +“We worked really well as a team and it’s cool to program your own machine,” Kumar said. + +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +Girls Swimming finishes second in the Ivy Championship + + +James Arcieri + + +The Girls Varsity Swimming team concluded its season last Tuesday with a second place finish at the Ivy Championship. +Almost all of the swimmers, including freshmen, qualified for the Championship the day before in the qualifier rounds, “which is rare and exciting to see and says a lot about our future as a team,” Girls Varsity Swimming Coach Oleg Zvezdin said. +Individually, the team placed well. Nathalie Eid (12) broke several school records and an Ivy League record, swimming a 4:56:23 500 meter race, which is eight seconds faster than the previous Ivy record. +Eid also placed first in two other events, swimming a 200 meter free in 1:52:67 and the 400 free relay in 2:42:24. Co-captain Ailee Mendoza (12) broke a school record swimming the 100 backstroke in 58:06, placing first in the event. Other members of the team including co-captain Sarah Derecktor (12) and Betsy Bennett (10) broke school records as well, and the majority of the team beat their personal records. +“I think the outcome was one of the best we could hope for, and everyone ended on a strong note,” Eve Kazarian (11) said. +“The team’s success stemmed from its versatility and positive attitude,” Honor McCarthy (11) said. +McCarthy swam two events she does not normally swim: the 100 meter backstroke and the 100 meter fly, in which she placed eleventh. +“Each swimmer was flexible and willing to try out events they weren’t used to swimming, making for a dynamic and innovative lineup each meet,” McCarthy said. +After the Ivy Championships, the team attended a swim dinner with their parents and the coaches. +“The captains talked about the coaches, and the coaches shared their experiences with the seniors,” Kazarian said. “It was a great way to end the season.” Earlier in the season the team focused on endurance swimming in practice but recently started sprinting more and resting in order to get the athletes to feel more comfortable swimming faster, Zvezdin said. +“A week before Ivies, we began doing sprints, starting with 200 meter sprints, and tapering before Ivy’s to 50 and 25 meter sprints,” Nikki Sheybani (11) said. Sheybani swam the 200 IM and also placed first in her heat in the 100 meter breaststroke, shedding two seconds from her qualifying time for that event. +The team divided themselves into different lanes by event so that they were able to train specifically for what they were swimming, Parul Sharma (11) said. +On Saturday the team had their last meet of the season at The Masters School where they placed first. +“Despite missing some of our top swimmers, we persevered and both the girls and boys teams won,” Derecktor said. “Although there were no PR’s, we had great team spirit and there was a lot of sport because it was an alumni event.” Looking back on the season, Zvezdin says that the team has achieved its goals. +“What is most important is having fun while working hard and seeing results. I was excited to see kids drop time and swim their best, whether winning or losing,” Zvezdin said. +The team has also faced trials over the season, Zvezdin said. +“It has been hard for us with so many meets late in the season and not as many practices,” he said. “Sickness has also been a big problem, but we are finishing the season at full strength.” The team ultimately posted new school records in the 500, 400, and 200 meter free, the 400 meter free relay, the 200 meter IM and IM relay, the 100 meter backstroke, and the 100 meter breaststroke. +“As a team, we worked hard and grew from our losses,” Derecktor said. “Overall, we had a close knit group of athletes, continuing the legacy of our swim family.” “Our biggest success happened outside of the pool—the team bonded so much,” McCarthy said. +“We might overuse the words ‘family’ and ‘cult’ to describe the team dynamic, but nothing could be more accurate. I’ve never encountered a more supportive, enthusiastic, and inspiring groups of friends at HM,” McCarthy said. + +
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+Arts and Entertainment +
+ +Review of A Midsummer Night's Dream + + +Gustie Owens + + +Unlike the trash that formed the set and costumes, the Horace Mann Theater Company’s (HMTC) production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was the opposite of garbage. +While the house lights were still lit, the core cast of 14 Upper Division students casually walked onto stage, as conversations in the audience teetered out. +The cast asked the audience who some of the characters were, prodding them with questions like, “Wait, so what was the name of that fairy queen?” The audience shouted back, “Titania!” and set the tone for the high-energy and interactive show to come. +“This is really confusing, I still don’t get it,” Charlotte Pinney (10), who played Hippolyta, said in reference to the plot, as the actors began to file offstage. However, I felt the opposite; the casually-performed review of the characters and relationships in the show before the official start served as a great refresher on a familiar plot, and made it significantly easier to follow scenes with dozens of actors on stage. +Throughout the play, stage crew and cast members rolled on and lowered dark-colored set pieces, many of which were covered in plastic bags, wrappers, and other garbage. This looming dark set and the implication of environmental destruction lent itself to create the futuristic feel that Director Alexis Dahl was aiming to achieve. +The costumes furthered the futuristic and otherworldly nature of the play. All of the female characters in the play wore pants or jumpsuits, while many male characters wore skirts. While men do not frequently wear skirts in the present day, in many societies, it was traditional for men to wear skirts and robes. The play’s futuristic setting, combined with the historical costumes, suggests that history has a tendency to repeat itself. +One of the greatest feats of the play was the sheer size of the production. +At the beginning of the performance, Dahl warned the audience to turn our phones on airplane-mode because Wi- Fi was necessary to communicate with the approximately 150 cast members performing that night. +Despite the child-wrangling and technical feat of creating an alldivision performance, the show ran seamlessly, and the number and diversity of students involved added a unique energy to the show. +While the mechanicals in the play within the play rehearsed their production in the woods, approximately 20 sixth graders poked and jeered the actors as they ran their lines. In addition to the undeniable cuteness of the younger actors, adding many actors to the scenes that traditionally require only a few actors, contributed more dimensions, humor, and context to the scene. +Two of the older classes acted out select scenes in the play featuring the four lovers: Helena, Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius. In these scenes, multiple actors played each role, “tapping out” mid-scene and being replaced by another actor. This added a unique depth to each of the characters. +After one actor played Helena in a very submissive and shy manner, another would assume the role and become very sassy and confrontational. +The diversity and size of the cast combined with the multi-dimensional and historically rooted interpretation of a dystopian future created an engaging and thought-provoking performance. The play involves a lot of characters acting against others before evaluating the consequences of their actions. +Because the play also suggests the future destruction of the environment, it was difficult not to immediately think about the unintentional consequences our actions have on the environment. +However, the natural humor throughout the text of the play, in the play within a play, and in many of the scenes with younger students made the heavier ideas in this play easier to process. + +
+ +
+
+Lions' Den +
+ +Boys Swimming ends season with a 5-3 record + + +Mark Fernandez + + +The Boys Varsity Swimming season came to a close this past Saturday with a 5-3 record. The Lions look back at their season with pride as they finished fourth place at the Ivy Championship. +The main goals of the team for Ivy’s was “for everybody to get their best time and be the loudest team on the pool deck,” Boys Varsity Swimming Coach Michael Duffy said. +With the seniors swimming their last races for Horace Mann, it was a day of glory for Noah Shapiro (12), who secured the third and seventh fastest times in the 50 and 100 freestyle races in the swim team’s history. +The Lions put up a tough fight at the Ivy Championship, and they showed what they are made of. +“We had a really fast 100 freestyle with Chris Shaari (12), Will Han (10), and Noah Shapiro performing really strongly. Our performance was strong in the 50 free with Noah and Chris again,” Christian Eid (12) said. +“Coach Duffy is a big part in how we do and how we perform,” Allen Park (10) said. +“I think the freshman all gained a lot of valuable experience. They saw some really fast swimming, and I think that will definitely help them in the future,” Duffy said. With many freshmen on the team, the future is vibrant with their young talent. +An example of their young talent is Eddie Jin (9), who qualified for the Ivy’s. +“I was just looking to make it to the top eight and score some points for the team,” Jin said. +“The underclassmen stepped up this season. There’s high praise from the older and more experienced people on the team,” Eid said. +Among the team’s accomplishments this season is its win against Riverdale. +“We were able to take down Riverdale, who in the previous years we haven’t been able to beat,” Eid said. +“One of our strengths is the bonding and teamwork aspect because we are all supporting each other,” Jin said. +With the Lions already excited to return next year, they are ready to jump back into the pool to make a big splash. + +
+ +
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+Arts and Entertainment +
+ +A review of A Midsummer Night's Dream + + +Yeeqin New + + +After months of coordinating storylines and working together, Lower, Middle, and Upper Division students and faculty showcased their efforts in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” an all-division play that opened last Friday. +Planning for the play began during the summer when a group of teachers from all divisions attended a teaching intensive hosted by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Director of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and theatre arts teacher Alexis Dahl said. +The RSC planned the training intensive to introduce English teachers at the school to the methods that teachers in the United Kingdom use to teach Shakespeare, Chris White, a teaching artist from the RSC, said. +The teachers who attended the training sessions were invited to take part in the play with their individual classes. +“I thought it would be a great opportunity to practice what we’ve been learning, and bringing the community into what has been an engaging and exciting process,” English teacher Dr. Adam Casdin said. +For second grade teacher Jena Costin, coordinating times to rehearse the play into the regular curriculum was difficult due to the amount of material she had to cover before the end of the trimester, Costin said. +However, other teachers found that the play fit well with their classes. +According to English teacher James Brink, incorporating the play with his regular teaching schedule was relatively simple because the sixth grade curriculum already included “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” during the year. +In Casdin’s English 11 class, performing in the play “naturally fell into the drama unit,” he said. +The group discussions and critical analyses of A Midsummer Night’s Dream led to a very collaborative and student-driven environment, Casdin said. In rehearsing their lines, students would offer opinions and suggestions to one another, he said. +“Now that we’re moving to talk about Hamlet, we’re already seeing that our conversations are a a lot more collaborative and intensive,” Casdin said. “I don’t think that would’ve happened without this experience.” Casdin’s class performed a scene of the play that features a group of mechanicals in play within a play. +Because this part of the play is a little isolated from the rest of the plot line, his class did not need to coordinate with the other casts of the play, Casdin said. +However, other classes had difficulty coordinating their scenes with one another due to scheduling conflicts between the divisions. +Dahl selected a committed Upper Division cast to act as the “thread” of the story in order to retain some stability for the audience, Dahl said. +Throughout the play, that cast would return to the stage to remind the audience of the continuity of each character. +Because casts in the Middle and Upper Division frequently rotated and played the same characters, different cast members playing the same role indicated their character by wearing the same costumes. +While organizing the play, she had make sure to “meet the needs of every student,” Dahl said. For example, each Lower Division teacher originally was in charge of their own scenes of the play, but now each of their classes rotate to share one section of the play, she said. +“When you put on an all division play, you might want each of the little fairies in the Lower Division to perform every time, but they’ve never performed before, and it could be very tiring for them,” Dahl said. +Costin’s class was able to meet with members of the core Upper Division cast a few times over the rehearsing period, and her students “were definitely motivated by the presence of the older kids and soaked in every minute of it,” Costin said. +Although Brink’s class worked with Upper Division students only two or three times over the course of the rehearsal process, teachers across the divisions communicated to ensure that they were “on the same page,” Brink said. +Teaching artists from the RSC also stopped by in each class and gave the performers advice on topics ranging from vocal work to understanding the heart of each scene. +“The idea was trying to get the group themselves to come up with ideas of the scenes instead of trying to fix an idea onto them,” White said. +Because the teaching artists visited each class, they also provided the casts with a clearer understanding of the general vision of the play and how each scene connected, Casdin said. +Brink thought it was exciting for the teachers and students to see the different ways the text could be interpreted, he said. +Unlike the trash that formed the set and costumes, the Horace Mann Theater Company’s (HMTC) production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was the opposite of garbage. +While the house lights were still lit, the core cast of 14 Upper Division students casually walked onto stage, as conversations in the audience teetered out. +The cast asked the audience who some of the characters were, prodding them with questions like, “Wait, so what was the name of that fairy queen?” The audience shouted back, “Titania!” and set the tone for the high-energy and interactive show to come. +“This is really confusing, I still don’t get it,” Charlotte Pinney (10), who played Hippolyta, said in reference to the plot, as the actors began to file offstage. However, I felt the opposite; the casually-performed review of the characters and relationships in the show before the official start served as a great refresher on a familiar plot, and made it significantly easier to follow scenes with dozens of actors on stage. +Throughout the play, stage crew and cast members rolled on and lowered dark-colored set pieces, many of which were covered in plastic bags, wrappers, and other garbage. This looming dark set and the implication of environmental destruction lent itself to create the futuristic feel that Director Alexis Dahl was aiming to achieve. +The costumes furthered the futuristic and otherworldly nature of the play. All of the female characters in the play wore pants or jumpsuits, while many male characters wore skirts. While men do not frequently wear skirts in the present day, in many societies, it was traditional for men to wear skirts and robes. The play’s futuristic setting, combined with the historical costumes, suggests that history has a tendency to repeat itself. +One of the greatest feats of the play was the sheer size of the production. +At the beginning of the performance, Dahl warned the audience to turn our phones on airplane-mode because Wi- Fi was necessary to communicate with the approximately 150 cast members performing that night. +Despite the child-wrangling and technical feat of creating an alldivision performance, the show ran seamlessly, and the number and diversity of students involved added a unique energy to the show. +While the mechanicals in the play within the play rehearsed their production in the woods, approximately 20 sixth graders poked and jeered the actors as they ran their lines. In addition to the undeniable cuteness of the younger actors, adding many actors to the scenes that traditionally require only a few actors, contributed more dimensions, humor, and context to the scene. +Two of the older classes acted out select scenes in the play featuring the four lovers: Helena, Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius. In these scenes, multiple actors played each role, “tapping out” mid-scene and being replaced by another actor. This added a unique depth to each of the characters. +After one actor played Helena in a very submissive and shy manner, another would assume the role and become very sassy and confrontational. +The diversity and size of the cast combined with the multi-dimensional and historically rooted interpretation of a dystopian future created an engaging and thought-provoking performance. The play involves a lot of characters acting against others before evaluating the consequences of their actions. +Because the play also suggests the future destruction of the environment, it was difficult not to immediately think about the unintentional consequences our actions have on the environment. +However, the natural humor throughout the text of the play, in the play within a play, and in many of the scenes with younger students made the heavier ideas in this play easier to process. +Courtesy of Bruce Fuller Courtesy of Bruce Fuller Although the form of the performance may be different, “my goal is to continue this kind of group collaborative work: developing a scene through a hands-on project to be displayed in the end,” Casdin said. + +
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+Lions' Den +
+ +The next chapter: Nathalie Eid (12) to take her talents to Yale + + +Caroline Goldenberg + + +Nathalie Eid (12) has seen momentous progress and achievements throughout her years swimming. She has qualified for highlevel meets and always put in a high level of commitment to practices and races, but the most exciting of her achievements has been her recruitment to Yale University for this past October, Eid said. +Last Tuesday at the Ivy Championship, Eid impressively broke five swimming records: the 500 freestyle Ivy Record (456:23 seconds), the 100 (54:14 seconds) and 200 (152:67 seconds) freestyle school records, the 400 freestyle relay school record (342:28), and the 200 medley school record (158:82). +Eid began swimming at seven years old when an instructor for a sailing program recognized her skill in the sport after she took a swim test. One of Eid’s earliest coaches in the sport from outside of school helped her develop a great passion for it. +“Nathalie is one of the most gifted swimmers we’ve ever had at the school,” Girls Varsity Swimming Coach Oleg Zvezdin said. “She has such a tremendous work ethic and love for the sport, which has been an inspiration for the efforts of the rest of the school’s team,” he said. +“She’s a very modest person,” teammate and co-Captain Ailee Mendoza (12) said. She works exceptionally hard and “leads by example,” she said. +At the beginning of her high school experience, Eid started as a backstroke and IM swimmer. However, she soon transitioned to train for and participate in the distance freestyle event. +“Starting from a lower level, it was easier to push myself to get higher because I was seeing greater improvements,” Eid said. +Eid has improved on completing shorter events with faster times as opposed to longer events with more pacing. +As a freshman, Eid participated on the school’s swim team, and then took a break during her sophomore and junior years to focus on her team outside of school. Eid then rejoined the school swim team for her senior year. +This year, however, she seems to be having more fun with swimming, Zvezdin said, something he enjoys to see as a coach. +This past summer, Eid qualified for the Summer Juniors Meet for swimmers under 18-years-old, which is a more competitive event that many experienced and advanced swimmers attend. Eid also qualified for the US Open Meet in January. +Eid hopes to be able to contribute in all the ways she can to the Yale Swim Team, she said. Being recruited by Yale had been something she had strived for, as she had watched older students go through the process, Eid said. +Eid participates in both morning and afternoon practices, swimming a total of eight to nine times per week with dry land sessions three times per week. +This year especially, Eid has “made a huge impact” on the team, Mendoza said. Eid takes her commitment to swimming very seriously, “and I think a lot of kids really look up to her for that,” she said. + +
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+Arts and Entertainment +
+ +A review of A Midsummer Night's Dream: Futuristic Costumes + + +Caroline Goldenberg + + +As all divisions of the school joined together to act in this year’s one-of-akind, whimsical Shakespearian play, students combined forces to showcase the futuristic theme through movement and costume. +The Royal Shakespeare Company helped the students to focus on their voices, actions, and facial expressions, Isha Agarwal (9), who plays Helena, one of the four main lovers, said. In her scene, the actors played a game of tag, each one trying to mesmerize the people they are chasing into place. +“I don’t have many specific actions except to try and avoid the boys, who are trying to grasp at my hands and follow me,” she said. +The specific movements that they are acting in the scene are supposed to help the audience understand the relationship between characters, as the core cast chases them around, she said. +Students from kindergarten, first, eighth, ninth, tenth, alongside the auditioned cast, rehearsed together on their specific scenes, divided by classes. +They wore extravagant costumes, designed by costume designers Wendy Phillips Kahn and Stewart Lee. +The theme and some costumes are somewhat inspired by Chris Jordan, an artist who visited the school last year who used recycled materials to raise environmental awareness through art. +“I am wearing all black and gray with a blue vest for Titania made out of recycled ‘trash’ made up of assorted blue cloths and spoons,” Audrey Moussazadeh (6), who is playing one of Titania’s goblins, said. +Along with the costumes of most sixth graders, many other actors are wearing costumes made from recycled materials. +“The ‘emanations’ of Puck, Titania, and Oberon needed to be represented by the dozen. The original concept was that they would be hiding in trash, but we discovered that those ubiquitous plaid laundry bags offered lots of design possibilities,” Kahn and Lee said. In the process of making the costumes, many hands helped to cut them apart and adorn the bags, they said. +“Puck and Oberon actually have more of trash incorporated costumes because they’re from the trash-filled forest, which is reflected in their costume,” Agarwal said. +Another way the play incorporates themes of recycled materials is with the props, which help convey the message of how the forest is a wasteland and the palace is beautiful in the play. Surya Gowda (10), who plays a spirit in a scene where Bottom, played by Alba Bryant (10), wakes up from a dream, said. +“I am an echo that is ‘putting’ ideas in Bottom’s heads by whispering and circling around him,” Gowda said. The echoes put newspapers on Bottom in the beginning of that scene, which, again, illustrates the recycled theme. +“One theme that Mrs. Dahl has really tried to incorporate is trash and [how people are] dirtying the city of Athens without realizing it. So, there’s trash in the set, trash on the stage, things like that,” Agarwal said. +Even the mechanicals got in on the theme. They wore a “motley collection of cast-off clothing” that is in coordinating colors, Kahn and Lee said. +“[The] colors suggest the earthiness that is missing from the well-off humans in the court,” they said. +“The costumes guide the audience into the different realms of the play and help them follow the many representations of the characters,” Kahn said. + +
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+Arts and Entertainment +
+ +Finding patterns: Platt (12) explores fashion through math + + +Spencer Kahn + + +When Ryan Platt (12) has a free period, she can often be found on a school computer using Photoshop to draw patterns on articles of clothing as part of her independent study project, which centers around the mathematics behind fashion design. +Platt grew up surrounded by fashion, and her independent study offers her the opportunity to combine it with math, another one of her passions. +The city itself has long been a source of inspiration for her. “I started liking fashion when I was young, being in Manhattan and seeing different styles that were diverse and interesting,” she said. +Platt said she draws inspiration from seeing other designers and trends and from locations around the city, like graffiti in the SoHo area of Manhattan. She keeps them in the back of her head to use later, she said. +Last summer, Platt took the Fashion Design Journal, Sewing for Fashion Designers, and Designing with Pattern classes at Fashion Institute of Technology and learned how to sketch, sew, and design her very first piece of clothing. The classes were created for beginners but many students had prior experience. “I could learn from professors and my peers,” Platt said. +She treasured the first piece of clothing that she made: a pair of cotton pajama pants, gray with little cloud designs on them. +Patterns and symmetry play a large role in her project, as Platt explores the way they are worked into pieces of clothing. Her independent study adviser, mathematics teacher Christopher Jones, prompts her to see how mathematical concepts are used in abstract patterns and graphic designs. +“Mr. Jones steers me in directions I wouldn’t know about, like if I show him an article of clothing or a specific pattern, he’ll say, ‘Oh, this reminds me of this mathematical concept,’” Platt said. +Although the connection between fashion and math may not be immediately obvious, “there’s a lot more than you would suspect: patterns and platonic solids, vertices and darts,” she said. She wants to emphasize patterns and silhouettes and explore what styles work best with which patterns and what styles are most flattering on different people. +Her project involves designing and making dresses and other clothing and delving into physical math. +“I’m trying to help her see how we can dig deeper into mathematics,” Jones said. “I see my role as helping her see the math she might not be aware of.” He introduced Platt to a graphing software called Grapher, which he presented as “a sounding board,” he said. +“Here are the tools, now you go play,” Jones told Platt. A large part of this study is about the transformation matrix and pattern generation. +There is no final result that she is searching for; rather, the study is about the process. “The project is like problem solving–there are many solutions for one question,” she said. +“There’s no clear cut answer. It’s really complex yet also simple.” Platt first conducts research online, sifting through fashion blogs and runway shows to take note of common themes or patterns and people’s responses to them. “A lot of it’s me making my own conclusions” from what other people have written, she said. +She uses this preliminary research to go in “whatever direction the fashion takes [her].” She is using a very free-form game plan to organize her study. +“The first trimester I studied pattern making from the book ‘Pattern Making for Fashion Design,’ and second trimester I found different ways using Grapher to actually make these patterns,” Platt said. +Now she takes images of clothing and inserts her own patterns, whose mathematical basis she has already examined, into them. She hopes to showcase a few garments of her own creation at the end of the year. + +
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+Arts and Entertainment +
+ +A review of A Midsummer Night's Dream: Cast Perspectives + + +Lutie Brown + + +The lights are dimmed, and one heard shuffling and mumbled voices coming from the back and sides of Gross Theatre. +Glistening fairies floated onto stage, surrounding their respective leaders, Titania and Oberon. Lower Division students by day, they became enchanted fairies by night. +The play included 280 actors, whose ages ranged from five to 18. +Theatre arts teacher and Director Alexis Dahl formed the notion of an all-division play over a year ago. +“I had a vision of connecting the whole school through an artistic endeavor that built off the professional development that teachers had with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC),” she said. +“It was wonderful being a part of a joint production. We are one school and collaborations like this one are very fulfilling. I’ve had a great time getting to know and working with teachers from all the divisions,” Kindergarten teacher Nora Meredith said. “Working together as teachers helps align our goals and broadens our perspective on how and what we teach. It is very rejuvenating and invigorating.” Teachers from all divisions have been working with the RSC since 2015 to help develop techniques for approaching texts, Dahl said. +RSC members dropped into classrooms to assist with acting choices, and to introduce acting exercises to aid students in better understanding characters, she said. +“When working on Shakespeare plays, there’s a fear of sounding funny or incorrect when speaking the words aloud; but the RSC residency is all about how Shakespeare is meant to be spoken, and you cannot perform incorrectly,” Dahl said. +Meredith began preparation with her class of fairies in January, when they worked several hours a week during class, she said. The students spoke the lines of fairies in unison, “so that they would see themselves as part of a group and so that they could be heard,” she said. +They also made forest noises and sang a lullaby written by Music Department accompanist Dr. Amir Khosrowpour. +Middle Division students also took part in the play, acting in scenes that they worked on in their English classes. +Obstacles included casting and blocking the various scenes, English teacher Morgan Yarosh said. “It was difficult to figure out how to divide a six character scene between 25 students, to cast, which I had never done before, and to block the scene, when I had never directed a scene that would be seen by people outside of my class before.” Another obstacle was finding rehearsal time for the full cast, which usually ended up being all day on Saturdays. However, many students had extra curricular conflicts on weekends and were not able to make every rehearsal. +“Initially, missing the majority of these rehearsals and performance times meant my students would be cut from the project. I felt that this ran contradictory to the spirit of RSC’s productions in England,” English teacher Isaac Brooks said. +Therefore, despite the shortage of full cast rehearsals, Brooks kept all his students in the production. +“These performers are students first, and actors second—not the other way around. In the end, many more students could participate and benefit from the experience,” he said. +“I don’t believe that production value was sacrificed despite my students’ peripatetic of ‘face time’ in the production process.” “I think that every single person who had worked on this play could look at the final production and know that they owned some piece of it,” Dahl said. “They know that the scene is happening because of a creative idea that they contributed.” + +
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+Arts and Entertainment +
+ +Music Week 2017 + + +Record Staff + + +Brahms Piano Quartet performs in Olshan Lobby. + Tishiya Carey (12) sang three songs Tuesday, H period, including “Chasing Pavements” by Adele, “What’s Best For You” by Trey Songz, and ended with “The One That Got Away” by Katy Perry. “Chasing Pavements” was the first song she performed at Music Week when she was in the sixth grade. “I sing songs that connect to me and I think it is important to sing songs that you can connect to.” Carey said. “Music Week is something I look forward to every year and it has given me the opportunity to perform in front of people that know and care.” Carey said. + G Period Tuesday the London Vocal Project sang several songs in the Atrium from their new project, the vocalese lyricization of Miles Davis’ album “Miles Ahead” by Jon Hendricks. Vocalese is a technique that jazz lyricists use to adds words to famous jazz recordings and turns them into vocal music. “I helped Hendricks complete the lyrics and then I rescored the whole album for the London Vocal Project; twelve parts and vocals to capture all the orchestrations of the album,” Peter Churchill, the head of the London Vocal Project, said. Hendricks is now 95 and began working on the lyricization of “Miles Ahead” in the 1960’s. Churchill and the London Vocal Project have come to New York to perform the finished lyricization for him. + Led by the London Vocal Project, the Concert Glee Club participated in a sing-along of a vocalese piece. + +
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+Middle School +
+ +A look into two MD publications - students explore self expresssion through the written word + + +Janvi Kukreja + + +Two Middle Division (MD) publications, the HM Journal and Muse, modeled on Upper Division publications have made an impact on the MD. +The Journal features articles about current events, and Muse allows students to share their creativity through poetry and prose. +This publication “is completely student-based, just like the high school,” English teacher Morgan Yarosh, HM Journal’s faculty advisor, said. The team of Upper Division student editors, led by Elizabeth Raab (11), edit the MD students’ writing and keep the publication on track. Yarosh only proofreads articles before they go into the magazine and arranges for the funding and the physical publication. +“Sophomores and freshmen edit the articles that are sent in, and the MD students email me if they are interested in writing, and we work together to find a topic they’d like to write about,” said Raab. +On Muse, teachers have a larger involvement in the production of the publication. “There were attempts to have an advisory committee of peer students to handle preparing the work for print, but that was tough to sustain in the Middle Division,” faculty advisor Isaac Brooks said. “In response, we’ve deputized the English Department faculty to act as editors.” +While several students have topics in mind, other students that know they want to be involved have a conversation with Raab to find something they feel comfortable writing about. “It’s actually a very interactive process,” she said. +“Because the students are still new to writing in general, we try to stay relaxed regarding deadlines on when we receive the articles,” Raab said. +There is only one edition of the Journal printed every year, which ensures that the editing process goes smoothly, and the students are able to take their time when writing their pieces. The hope is that this lengthy writing and revising process will benefit students’ quality of writing in their classes, Yarosh said. +As a teacher, Brooks views writing for a publication as an important addition to the usual classwork. “Writing for a larger community is a wonderful challenge and an amazing validation of our students’ communication skills beyond the classroom,” he said. +As a writer of the HM Journal in middle school, Raab sees her participation in the publication as beneficial to her writing. It not only prepared her to write longer articles, but to think about pertinent issues that are happening around the world. +“Especially in the middle school, I think it’s very important for students to know that they can write about things that matter and things that they care about. It also lets them know that they can end up writing very eloquent, interesting articles,” Raab said. +“Because these publications have one issue every year, it’s hard for Middle Division students to maintain their motivation,” Yarosh said. “They usually need immediate responses and gratification.” +“As long as we’re mindful of a balance between artist and audience by making the medium available and beholden to both sides of that equation, we should succeed,” Brooks said. + +
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+Middle School +
+ +Advocacy group for learning differences holds first meeting + + +Tiffany Liu + + +Students’ Learning Style Advocates & Mentors’ (S.L.A.M.) first meeting last Monday during I period gathered over 30 students. The new club strives to empower students at the school to be advocates for others and themselves by raising awareness for learning differences and mentoring younger students with different learning styles, President Audrey Shapiro (12) said. +During the meeting, Shapiro gave an introductory presentation which included information on the two branches of the club, the mentorship program and the advocacy program. +Shapiro stressed that the club is not just for people with diagnosed learning differences, but also for those who have different learning styles, which is one of the most important aspects of the program, she said. +“I know that I have a different learning style from other people; it’s not that I have a disability, but it’s just that everyone has different styles,” Paul Jang (12), who attended the meeting, said. +On a form that Shapiro handed out to everyone during the meeting, individuals were able to circle what their learning style consists of, including visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, social, and solitary. +Shapiro was happy that a lot of people showed interest after originally thinking that only six people would show up, she said. +Abigail Salzhauer (9), who has several learning disorders, found that “even in the world of educators, there is 100 percent a stigma still around learning differently,” she said, do she plans on participating in both the mentorship and advocacy programs. +Shapiro started the club due to her personal experience of struggling with ADHD in sixth grade, she said. At first, she did not seek help, dismissing the problem by saying, “You know what, I must just be stupid or something.” It was not until her mother brought her to a specialist, got her diagnosed with ADHD, and started to get her help, that she was really able to start doing well in school, she said. “I would never want someone to feel the same way that I felt in sixth grade.” +Sometimes the way people learn is not conducive to the school’s class structures, “but I think if we start to accept the different ways in which we learn, that’s when success can really come,” Shapiro said. +“Celebrating diversity in our community includes embracing the different ways our minds work, think, and learn. It’s time for the HM community to start thinking about these things, understanding these things, and celebrating them,” school psychologist Dr. Liz Westphal said. +Over the years, Westphal has floated the idea with colleagues and other students, but “it’s not going to be a meaningful experience if it’s not student-driven and student-run,” she said. +Even though she is laying the foundation for it right now, “it’s really up to Horace Mann students to see where this goes,” she said. “Luckily, we have a bunch of really engaged juniors.” +As of right now, SLAM is still finding mentors for the mentorship program, and the advocacy branch is planning a workshop for Wellness Week, Shapiro said. In the future, they hope to hold assemblies about personal experiences with learning differences and accommodations and hold forums for questions regarding learning styles and differences, she said. + +
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+Middle School +
+ +A Loss In Our Community + + +Eve Kazarian + + +On Jan. 14, 2017, former Board of Trustees Member Neil Underberg passed away. +Underberg graduated from Syracuse University and Cornell Law School to become a prominent real estate attorney in New York. When not at work, Underberg enjoyed boating. +At the school, Underberg served as a legal advisor and made donations to various causes. He was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1977, served as an Emeritus Trustee from 1998 to 2013, and did pro bono real estate tax work for the school until his passing. +“While Mr. Underberg wasn’t keen about taking a bow, we have generations of HMers who had new soccer uniforms, calculators, textbooks, bus money and the like without ever knowing that it came from Mr. and Mrs. Underberg,” Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly said. +Underberg was always passionate about the school and doing what was right. +“He brought about the best in others and never hesitated to speak his mind or speak truth to power. He read The Record cover to cover, and he was forever proud of the students’ accomplishments from year to year,” Kelly said. +In his household, Underberg perpetuated the message of “always doing the right thing, +even though it was not the easiest path to take, his son Dr. James Underberg ’79 said. +This mentality carried over to Underberg’s relationships with clients and has become something Underberg passes on to his children, Dr. Underberg said. +The Underbergs remain connected to the school; two generations have attended the school: James ’78, his children Joshua ’21 and Samantha ’25, and Amy (Underberg) Applebaum ’82 and her children Carolyn ’16 and Julia ’21. +“We’ll miss seeing him on campus,” Kelly said. + +
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+Opinion +
+ +Extending our voices, post-protest + + +Editorial Board + + +There is no way to change the results of this election, but that does not mean those of us who disagree with the president’s policies and values are powerless. +Voting is only part of what gives the people power in the United States. We get the rest of our power from our right to free speech, our right to assemble, our ability to express what we think should happen in this nation. We are afforded the luxury of having a voice. We should use it. +How can we make our voices heard? +Primarily, we need to stay informed. Pay attention to where your news comes from. Be aware that everyone is biased. Try to counter this. We need to avoid falling prey to hate-mongering or falsehoods. Go to Feminist Students Association, Gender-Sexuality Alliance, and Union meetings and listen as hard as you can. Take others’ opinions and experiences seriously. +Armed with your knowledge, defend your peers. Do not let the United States revert to a place where marginalization of women, people of color, and religious minorities is commonplace or acceptable. +If you want to march, the next peaceful protest is taking place in many cities on April 15. If you have the funds, donate to public media. National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service are losing funds. Do what you can to help them. If you don’t have the funds but you do have the time, organizations like Planned Parenthood are in need of volunteers now more than ever. +When you’ve done what you can within your own community, reach out. Call or write to your senator and house representative (scan the QR code to find their address and number). The website womensmarch.support even has postcards that you can print and send. Midterm elections are in two years, and many members of our community will be able to vote- make sure you participate. +As President Barack Obama said, “If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself. Show up. Dive in. Persevere.” +Don’t give up hope. + +
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+Opinion +
+ +Middle Division Mentoring Begins Tutoring Initiative + + +Bestey Bennet + + +The Middle Division Mentoring Program began a new tutoring initiative after winter break to assist MD students with schoolwork during I period every Monday. +Each Monday, MD mentors, led by Tutoring Coordinators Sophia Fikke (11) and Lily Kessler (12), provide extra help with subject-specific material, study skills, and organization. +“High school mentors are perfect to provide this service, because they have an established relationship with the students in their homeroom and they have been through middle school recently,” Fikke said. “We also know that sometimes it is difficult to give up free periods, so the after-school time slot is ideal.” +The mentors are stationed in rooms in Rose Hall to assist students during the I period program. They also stop into the Academic Center to provide help for those who have unanticipated trouble with homework or do not know about the tutoring services. +Emily Salzhauer (6) recently met with a MD tutor during the I period program. “My friend and I went right before we had a Spanish test that we didn’t understand the material for,” Salzhauer said. “I liked that when we showed up, we asked who of the mentors could help us in Spanish and we went in a room and started working and understanding the material within the next 5 minutes.” +“I feel that many middle schoolers want or need help on studying for tests, homework, and many other aspects of HM life, but their parents cannot really help with some of the stuff because they haven’t learned it the way that we do at HM, for every school is different,” Lara Jones (7) said. “I think that it is good to have fellow HM students who understand the struggles that some of the kids go through.” +According to Bella Colacino (7), high schoolers offer a non-intimidating tutoring presence. “I think that having a tutor from the high school would be easier to connect with, and therefore you would feel more comfortable,” Colacino said. +In addition, UD mentors can be an especially useful resource for those who would like extra help but do not have a tutor outside of school, Emma Colacino (7) said. +“I also think it is really good for the high schoolers to have the opportunity to work with a younger student,” Maria Weaver Watson P ‘19 ‘21 said. “That is just another form of volunteering and giving back.” +There is no dedicated tutoring office in the MD like there is in the Upper Division. +“The UD tutoring office seems like an amazing place to go if you are struggling with anything,” Madison Wu (7) said. “In the MD there is the Academic Center, which is not that similar. I have only seen students get help if they are really struggling, otherwise people just go there for a quiet place to do homework or study.” +The Middle Division Mentoring Program, along with Director of Middle Division Guidance Wendy Reiter and Administrative Assistant Claudia Gomez, have worked to provide a large network of academic support for students, Fikke said. +In the past, Fikke and Kessler have worked with Reiter and Gomez to pair MD students who would like to be tutored with mentors in one-on-one sessions. This new I period initiative will allow for students to receive help in a group setting, which may be more inviting, Fikke said. +“I think it is a really great initiative because I period is a convenient time for both middle schoolers and high schoolers to get together,” MD Mentor Hannah Long (10) said. “It is a solid forty-five minute period dedicated just for mentors to help tutor middle schoolers with anything from test preparation to organization, and there is a four o’clock bus to take you home afterwards.” +One potential problem that Jones foresees with the program is that it may conflict with some other clubs and activities in the MD. +“I have HM Lead on Monday afternoons, and therefore am not able to attend the high-school mentor program,” Jones said. “However, I think it would be great if I could.” +“I am really excited about the new Monday tutoring option, as it is a great chance for mentees to see and connect with their mentors, and benefit from the older students’ advice and experience,” MD Mentor Katie Goldenberg (10) said. “I am planning to encourage all of my mentees to attend if they need any help, and to take advantage of the amazing services the program provides.” +“We think the idea of an in-school program is terrific,” Michael Salzhauer P ‘18 ‘20 ‘23. “It is a particularly great spot for help understanding specific topics, and that this help comes from folks that might have experienced the same courses and teachers. Students helping students is good community-building path for the school.” +Recently, MD Mentor William Golub (10) created a tutoring survey for every MD student to complete and distributed it to homeroom advisors. “We wanted students to think about their academic performance and where they needed support,” Golub said. “We also wanted to remind them that after school tutoring is available, and that we are able to help with almost all academic issues that arise.” +Tutoring options in the MD are still being explored. “We plan to keep promoting and expanding our I period tutoring initiative and the tutoring program as a whole as we see fit based on the needs of the Middle Division students,” Fikke said. + +
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+Opinion +
+ +Service Learning Team celebrates its 10th year in seventh annual dinner + + +Katie Goldenberg + + +Students, faculty, and alumni gathered in the Cohen Dining Commons Tuesday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Service Learning team at its seventh annual dinner. With parents, partner organizations, and broader members of the Community Values and Action (CCVA) also in attendance, the team discussed and celebrated its initiatives, collaborating sites, and support from the community. +The dinner commenced with a speech by Dr. Jeremy Leeds, Director of the CCVA, regarding the history, mission, and development of the team. Following Leeds, a group of students on the team spoke about their experiences with service learning and personal connections to the program. +“The original idea was to speak to parents of team members about the work their kids were doing, and to recognize what we do as a part of a larger family,” Leeds said. “Over time, we started to invite more members, the agencies that we work with, and the parties that we connect with all year, so it’s a much larger group with the same feeling.” +“The original idea was to speak to parents of team members about the work their kids were doing, and to recognize what we do as a part of a larger family,” Leeds said. “Over time, we started to invite more members, the agencies that we work with, and the parties that we connect with all year, so it’s a much larger group with the same feeling.” +Major contributors to the CCVA’s endowment, representatives from partner sites, including the Riverdale Neighborhood House, Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, and Riverdale Senior Services, visited to partake in the gathering. +“We work with our partners each week at Service Learning,” Tyler Jonas (10), one of several student presenters at the dinner, said. “We have groups of students who visit the sites and teach different classes; this year we’ve added even more subjects, like Literacy and Computer Science, and we’re still expanding.” +“We have an awesome group of students of team, many of whom joined as freshman this year,” Service Learning Fellow Josh Goodstein ‘11 said. “One beautiful thing about the team is that the upperclassmen take the underclassmen under their wing and set a wonderful example.” +In addition to its recent progress, the team still looks to grow and improve. “We want to accommodate all the students we’re working with since we’ve expanded,” Administrative Assistant for the CCVA Walter Koshel said. +Sadie Lye (12), a member of the Service Learning Team’s leadership, originally joined to fulfill her community service requirement, but “fell in love with working with the kids,” she said. “It’s amazing to go back week after week and have them know your name and be excited about what you’re doing; they’ve taught me so much about myself and what I value.” + +
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+Opinion +
+ +Show Edition - Dancers present student-choreographed concert + + +Natasha Poster + + +Imagine being transported from Chicago to Salem to a place within your own mind all while sitting in your seat. In pastel leotards, metallic wrap tops, and jeans, dancers in the student-choreographed dance concert on Thursday carried audience members to places all around the world and beyond. +The concert featured a wide variety of styles, such as modern, ballet, and tap, that conveyed the essence of a place the choreographer had in mind. Horace Mann Dance Company (HMDC) Co-Presidents Lauren Smith (11) and Karen Jiang (12) came up with the theme of places because they thought it was a unique concept, Smith said. +“Dances can really change where you are in a moment, and they can make you feel different things and put you in different places in a sense,” Smith said. “This way, choreographers do not have to form a dance around a certain idea, they can choreograph and showcase their own individual place.” +The show began in Atlanta, Georgia with HM Stomp, the school’s step team, performing a song in camouflage shirts. They made their own beat by clapping and stomping and added spoken lyrics from Beyoncé’s song “Formation.” +Aided by lighting that shifted from magenta to white to blue, dancers in themed costumes twirled, jumped and ran around the dance studio to communicate the feeling of being in New York, in Orlando, and in Washington Square Park. +It was a good theme because everyone got to do something that meant something to them, dancer Arriana Serrano (11) said. +Smith played a witch in a production of “Macbeth” over the summer, an experience that inspired her to choreograph a dance based on the Salem witch trials, she said. The dance involved three witches casting a curse before they fell to their deaths, she said. +Cara Hernandez (12) had a great experience choreographing her dance, especially because her dancers had previous experience, she said. Her dance was an energetic tap number performed by a group of girls channeling dancers at the Cotton Club in glittery flapper-esque dresses and headbands. +As presidents, Smith and Jiang each choreographed and performed her own dance solo. +Smith performed a song taking place in Neverland, while Jiang performed one that evoked home, each incorporating graceful contemporary and ballet moves and telling a story through motion. +Jiang also choreographed a dance taking place in a supernova, in which dancers dressed in black robes and eventually took them off to reveal colorful leotards and skirts as they performed graceful kicks and elegant twirls. +Cameron Chavers (11) choreographed a dance taking place in purgatory, where she and two other dancers were angels judging the other dancers at the gates to heaven, she said. +The dancers wore light and airy dresses and moved gracefully and effortlessly across the floor. +Choreography of the dances began in November, and there were showcases throughout the year to check on the progress that the choreographers and dancers were making, Smith said. +Because the show was entirely student-run, dancers were able to express exactly what they wanted without being influenced by anyone else, Serrano said. +Manager of Theater Department Jonathan Nye and Theater, Dance and Film Studies Department Chair and HMDC faculty advisor Alison Kolinski were always available to help if needed, but they never inserted themselves, Grace Hill (11) said. +The students found time on their own to rehearse and worked through a few difficulties to make sure the show ran smoothly. Chavers held rehearsals for her dance during frees and after school and showed her dancers the steps she choreographed by demonstrating them herself first, she said. Because there were nine people in her dance, she had many one-on-one practices to ensure that everyone was on the same page with the choreography, she said. +Due to her dancers’ different levels of experience, Chavers had to spend more time teaching the dance than she would have expected, which made it more difficult to learn other peoples’ dances due to scheduling, she said. +“This was my first time choreographing, so finding the courage and the creativity to put together a piece was my biggest challenge,” Stephanie Carrero (12) said. +It was hard to organize everything so that everybody learned a certain amount at the right time, but the end result was amazing, Smith said. +“I’ve become friends with a lot of people and become close with a lot of people that I hadn’t known before,” Hill said. +“Dancing in and of itself is always great, and dancing with your friends and doing something together is even more fun,” Chavers said. + +
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+Opinion +
+ +Students and faculty celebrate Japanese culture through food, performances, workshops on Japan Day + + +Gabby Kepnes + + +l occur with different performances, plays, and speeches, followed by food and workshops all arranged by teachers and students studying Japanese. +The students in Japanese classes have been preparing for the day for the past month and a half, Charlie Wallach (11) said. +“We often go down to the Recital Hall and use the stage; we’ve also had help from many different outside-of-school and in-school mentors, such as a Japanese actor from the Japan society in New York, as well as Mr. Timko, who has come to give us critiques on our play,” Gabi Rahmin (11) said. +From B to mid-C period, students will put on Japanese plays, followed by a Japanese drum presentation from the Advanced Placement and honors classes. +Later in the day, special lunches, workshops, and food tastings will take place in Fisher Hall, including free mochi, yakisoba, “and the other stuff for the younger kids like yo-yo fishing.” Japanese teacher Mami Fujisaki said. +“Every year it’s a little bit different based on what the group of students bring to the day and the different energy levels and the different attitudes that each student brings from him or herself.” Rahmin said. +“Ms. Fujisaki shakes up the plays every year and as you get older, you get more freedom in the plays and you get more freedom with what you want to do with it; like the characters that you do, sometimes she lets you write your own play,” Wallach said. +While hoping every student leaves Japan Day with more thoughts and questions, Fujisaki also wants students, parents, and teachers to know that “the more languages you know, the more experiences you will enjoy, the more people you will meet, and the more food you can try,” she said, +“When I started taking Japanese and then experienced Japan Day, I’ve noticed that it really takes you into a glimpse of what Japanese culture is and how broad it is because it has something for everyone,” Wallach said. From a Japanese tea ceremony to Japanese calligraphy, you really get a cool perspective, he said. +This day is not just for people who have studied Japanese or who think they want to study Japanese, Rahmin said. “Japan Day really teaches everyone about all different aspects of Japanese culture and aside from all the different learning opportunities available throughout the day, it’s just purely fun,” she said. +To any students, teachers, and parents who are thinking of coming and participating in the different activities involved in Japan Day, “the world is yours, so explore the world,” Fujisaki said. + +
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+
+Opinion +
+ +Students and faculty react to inauguration at protests in Washington, New York + + +Mahika Hari + + +Last Saturday, students and faculty members took part in the Women’s Marches, both in Washington D.C. and New York City. +Photography teacher Karen Johnson attended the March in D.C. with other school faculty. “I knew the March would include a broad coalition, but the diversity of participants still exceeded my expectations,” she said. +“We were in human gridlock,” theatre arts teacher Alexis Dahl, who also marched in D.C., said. The marchers could barely move because the entire route they were supposed to walk was packed with people, she said. +Middle Division English teacher Morgan Yarosh said the March in New York was well organized, especially since they weren’t sure how many people would show up and there were so many that did. +“The energy was infectious – everyone was excited and feeling great,” Yarosh said of her walk from Grand Central to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, the starting point of the March. “As we walked, I began to feel like I was a part of something big, positive, and effective.” +The most powerful moment for Ethan Matt (11) was when he and Charlie Wallach (11) climbed a traffic pole and joined in with a call and response chant in which hundreds of women would shout “my body, my choice” and hundreds of men would shout back “their body, their choice,” Matt said. +The sheer size of the crowd and breadth of issues represented were shocking, Walker McCarthy (7) said. He carried a sign with a photo of Trump as a marionette being controlled by Putin as the puppet master, referencing the issue of Trump and his cabinet’s relationship with Russia that is concerning to him, he said. +Zarina Iman (11) had been planning to go to D.C. with the school, but made other arrangements easily, she said. She attended the March in New York with her neighbor, and her train from Westchester was packed with women going to the March, she said. +“Seeing so many men at the March reminded me how important it is to fight for equality even if you don’t feel like the specific case directly affects you, because in the end, inequality hurts everyone, not just the oppressed,” Aidan Futterman (12) said. +Nikki Sheybani (11) was involved both as a marcher and volunteer, directing marchers around barricades and helping as needed. +“Being a woman fortunate enough to have grown up under the Obama administration and in the diverse area that is New York City, I feel that it is not just my privilege, but my responsibility to fight for the rights of largely marginalized groups in any way that I can,” she said. +“It was so indescribably empowering to stand in a sea of people, working towards the same goal,” Sheybani said. +Skylar Rosen (12) took a bus to the D.C. March with Planned Parenthood and held a sign with Audrey Shapiro (12) saying “Girls just wanna have fun(damental rights).” +Nicole Warszawski (10) went to a protest right outside the inauguration in D.C. “When standing in the crowd and just looking at the people around me, I felt so in place,” she said. “We may not be swaying the president, but we are getting our voices heard.” +Attending the March allowed Rosen to think seriously about women’s health and inspired her to get more involved with organizations like Planned Parenthood, she said. +“We are not alone. Kindness can prevail,” Johnson said. “Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work to build the possible future.” + +
+ +
+
+Opinion +
+ +Students and faculty showcase talents to raise funds for charity + + +Rebecca Salzhauer + + +Drums crashed and electric guitars wailed, reverberating off the walls of the Cohen Dining Commons, as an audience of over 100 students, parents, and faculty members cheered and clapped, adding to the pulsing, energetic finale. +This past Friday, community members gathered to share their talents and watch each other at the second annual The Show, a talent show featuring a variety of student and faculty performances. +The $2735 raised through the night’s ticket sales, food sales, merchandise sales, and raffle ticket sales were donated to the Joyful Heart Foundation, a charity founded by Law and Order: Special Victims Unit actor Mariska Hargitay to aid victims of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault. +The event was organized by Lauren Simpson (12), Michael Wang (12), and Nikolas Elrifi (12), assisted by volunteers throughout the planning process. +In creating The Show, Simpson wanted to “bring light to unknown talents and create an intimate, fun environment for people to perform and have a good time,” she said. +The performers ranged in style and experience from ninth graders to French teacher Micheal Dale, who has been performing for over 45 years, and from magic to stand-up comedy. +Some performers, like Abigail Kraus (10), were inspired to perform after having seen The Show last year. +“It was my first time performing solo since sixth grade, so it was good experience to start performing again; I’m looking forward to more performances, both in groups and ensembles,” Kraus said. +Others like Ben Rosenbaum (10) had performed at The Show last year and wanted to continue to gain experience and confidence. Rosenbaum began performing in the audience, making his way to the stage with a microphone held close to his face amplifying his explosive beat-box sounds. +“I really like to perform, but I get nervous beat boxing in front of other people, so this was a good opportunity for me to get experience for a good cause,” he said. +The playful and upbeat mood of the evening was set by Elrifi and Wang as the emcees. The two exchanged banter between acts, introducing performers by their “spirit animal” or what ice cream flavor best represents their personalities. +In addition to celebrating the talents of the community, the theme of awareness dominated the event. Before the first performance, a video was shown to introduce the Joyful Heart Foundation and the significance of its work, along with its two joint campaigns, End the Backlog, which ensures that manufactured rape kits do not go unused, and the We Say No More social media campaign created to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault. +The crowd was engaged in the performances, waving their hands in time with Dale’s guitar strumming his original song, clapping during Kraus and Craig Murray’s (10) rendition of “Love Song” by Sara Bareillis and laughing during Spencer Kahn’s (9) stand-up comedy routine. +“I loved being backstage and seeing all the performers freak out and then own the stage,” Giramnah Peña-Alcantara, who volunteered at The Show, said. +English teacher Harry Bauld confounded the audience with a magic trick involving “thought-reading.” +He chose two students to read the first sentences of a randomly chosen page of a book he had provided. While the students read the passages silently, Bauld wrote elements of the passage on a white board. When the passages were read out loud and Bauld’s predictions proved to be accurate, there was a collective murmur of bewilderment and amazement among audience members. +The night was concluded with a performance from the band, Spectrum, which consisted of Eunice Bae (10), James Gluck (10), Olivia Kester (10), Allen Park (10), and Niall Hutchinson (10). Bae’s powerful vocals combined with Gluck’s full piano, Kester and Park’s formidable bass and guitar skills, and Hutchinson’s show-stopping drum solo drew loud cheers from the audience. +After Spectrum’s performance, Simpson, Wang, and Elrifi announced the band members as the organizers of next year’s The Show. +“They’re all very interested, passionate, and great musicians; I have no doubt that they will do a great job,” Simpson said. + +
+ +
+
+Opinion +
+ +The bipartisan system- an impediment to communication + + +Jamie Berg + + +In the Federalist Papers, when asked why a nation-wide democracy was superior to one centered in the states, James Madison responded with the argument that the larger the democracy, the more democratic it must be. His claim revolved around the assumption that there are more “factions” in a nation, as opposed to a state, that can support or reject movements with great fluidity. +A faction, per Madison, is an association of people bound either by ideological stance or passion, like a political party. This condition would, in turn, allow for the constant development of the democracy and ensure that no one majority group would be able to consistently oppress or silence another. +However, due to the entrenchment of the current bipartisan political system and such widespread obsession with partisan loyalty, our country is limited to only two main “factions,” preventing fluidity and political development. The proceedings of the 2016 Presidential Election have made this fact clear. +Horace Mann students, who, like the rest of the country, largely subscribe to the bipartisan system and operate within it, overwhelmingly identify as “Democrats.” The presence of such a large majority at a school whose true diversity of opinion I’ve seen firsthand perfectly demonstrates the heart of the issue that this rigid bipartisan system creates. This phenomenon ultimately impairs our discussion-focused community from reaching our goal of truly listening to each other and learning about the experiences of the people who surround us. +The Electoral College was created with the goal of balancing elitism and populism in the American democracy; it would limit the ability of unqualified or immoral populist candidates from achieving executive power while simultaneously ensuring that power is not held at too great a distance from the people. +The Electoral College may have functioned in the years following America’s inception, but due to the entrenched nature of two-party politics in the United States, the institution has ceased to perform its envisioned function. +In our current system, people choose to see only Democrats and Republicans and demand that everyone not only associate with, but identify as one of these two dominant factions. The conflation of the terms “liberal” and “democrat” is just one example of how the bipartisan system glosses over the nuance of political opinion. +Regardless of the presence of Libertarian and Green Party candidates in the 2016 election, there is no middle ground in the eyes of most Americans. +Electors’ obsession with partisan loyalty has led to the issues at the core of the failure of the Electoral College. Electors are chosen by political parties in each state, and since modern political parties engage in self-interested and often petty opposition to one another, prioritizing the good of the party over that of the nation, it is impossible for electors to be anything but puppets of their political affiliations. +Although the Electoral College undeniably requires reform, its flaws are a result of a greater system-spanning problem that is certainly prevalent in the HM community too. I have had the opportunity to observe the stigma at Horace Mann against identifying politically as anything other than a “Democrat,” which severely limits the opportunities to engage in meaningful discourse at our school. +The majority of the student body responds to admissions of divergent politics with aggression or derision, and this extends beyond political discussion, since, as a community, we often fail to distinguish between political affiliation and personal identity. The HM community must attempt to overcome our partisan divisions and confront the fact that political associations cannot interfere with our basic morality. Only then will our conversations and understandings of each other flourish. + +
+ + diff --git a/gen.py b/gen.py new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2bd8eb9 --- /dev/null +++ b/gen.py @@ -0,0 +1,28 @@ +import xml.etree.ElementTree +import bs4 +import os +import os.path +import urllib.parse +import shutil +import re + +def fileToInt(filename): + return int(re.search(r'\d+', filename).group()) + +DATA_PATH = "data" +ARTICLE_PATH = "articles" +ARTICLE_TEMPLATE = os.path.join("templates", "article.php") +dataFiles = [f for f in os.listdir(DATA_PATH) if os.path.isfile(os.path.join(DATA_PATH, f))] +topIssue = max([fileToInt(a) for a in dataFiles]) +for f in dataFiles: + issueNum = fileToInt(f) + + rootData = xml.etree.ElementTree.parse('data/16.xml').getroot() + for articleData in rootData.findall('article'): + soup = bs4.BeautifulSoup(open(ARTICLE_TEMPLATE, "r").read(), "lxml") + soup.find(id="title").string = articleData.find("title").text + soup.find(id="author").string = articleData.find("author").text + soup.find(id="content").string = articleData.find("body").text + + newFile = os.path.join(ARTICLE_PATH, urllib.parse.quote_plus(articleData.find("title").text.strip())+".html") + open(newFile, "w").write(str(soup)) diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh deleted file mode 100755 index 225535c..0000000 --- a/install.sh +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14 +0,0 @@ -# Downloads -brew install python3 mongodb || sudo apt-get install python3 python3-pip mongodb -sudo pip3 install flask pymongo flask-cors flask-httpauth gunicorn || sudo pip install flask pymongo flask-cors flask-httpauth gunicorn - -sudo apt-get install php php-mcrypt libapache2-mod-php - -# File structure -mkdir storage -sudo chmod 755 storage - -# Mongo DB required folder -sudo mkdir -p /data/db - -echo "Configure the proxy!!!!!! Port 5000" diff --git a/python/admin.py b/python/admin.py deleted file mode 100755 index 88f8ae8..0000000 --- a/python/admin.py +++ /dev/null @@ -1,104 +0,0 @@ -from functools import wraps -from flask import Blueprint, jsonify, request, abort, request, Response, make_response -from flask.ext.httpauth import HTTPBasicAuth -from bson.json_util import loads, dumps -import database as db -import configparser - -adminAPI = Blueprint('adminAPI', __name__) - -auth = HTTPBasicAuth() - -config = configparser.ConfigParser() -config.read("../config.ini") -ADMIN_PASSWORD = config.get("admin", "password") - -def checkAuth(username, password): - return username == 'admin' and password == ADMIN_PASSWORD - - -def authenticate(): - return Response('Unauthorized access', 401, {'WWW-Authenticate': 'Basic realm="Login Required"'}) - -def requiresAuth(f): - @wraps(f) - def decorated(*args, **kwargs): - auth = request.authorization - if not auth or not checkAuth(auth.username, auth.password): - return authenticate() - return f(*args, **kwargs) - return decorated - - -@adminAPI.errorhandler(400) -def bad_request(error): - return make_response('Bad request', 400) - - -@adminAPI.errorhandler(404) -def not_found(error): - return make_response('Not found', 404) - - -@adminAPI.route('/api/admin/article', methods=['POST']) -@requiresAuth -def createArticle(): - if not request.json or not db.createArticle(loads(dumps(request.json))): - abort(400) - return "good" - - -@adminAPI.route('/api/admin/article/', methods=['DELETE']) -@requiresAuth -def updateArticle(articleID): - db.deleteArticle(articleID) - return "good" - - -@adminAPI.route('/api/admin/staff', methods=['POST']) -@requiresAuth -def createStaff(): - if not request.json or not db.createStaff(loads(dumps(request.json))): - abort(400) - return "good" - - -@adminAPI.route('/api/admin/staff', methods=['PUT']) -@requiresAuth -def updateStaff(): - print(loads(dumps(request.json))) - if not request.json or not db.updateStaff(loads(dumps(request.json))): - abort(400) - return "good" - - -@adminAPI.route('/api/admin/section', methods=['POST']) -@requiresAuth -def createSection(): - print(request.json) - if not request.json or not db.createSection(loads(dumps(request.json))): - abort(400) - return "good" - - -@adminAPI.route('/api/admin/section/', methods=['DELETE']) -@requiresAuth -def updateSection(sectionID): - db.deleteSection(sectionID) - return "good" - - -@adminAPI.route('/api/admin/file', methods=['POST']) -@requiresAuth -def file(): - print(request.files) - filename = db.saveFile(request.files['file']) - print(filename) - if filename is not None: - return filename - return "bad" - -@adminAPI.route('/api/admin/test', methods=['GET']) -@requiresAuth -def test(): - return "" diff --git a/python/database.py b/python/database.py deleted file mode 100755 index 64a90b6..0000000 --- a/python/database.py +++ /dev/null @@ -1,130 +0,0 @@ -from pymongo import MongoClient, DESCENDING -from bson.objectid import ObjectId -from bson.json_util import loads -from werkzeug import secure_filename -import os - -client = MongoClient() -db = client.record - -UPLOAD_FOLDER = "../storage" - -REQUIRED_ARTICLE_FIELDS = ['title', 'content', 'sectionID', 'staffIDs', 'date'] -REQUIRED_STAFF_FIELDS = ['name', 'position'] -REQUIRED_SECTION_FIELDS = ['title'] - - -def updateDB(newDatabase): - global db - db = newDatabase - -def getArticles(query, number=None): - if number is not None: articles = [a for a in db.article.find(query).sort([("_id", DESCENDING)]).limit(number)] - else: articles = [a for a in db.article.find(query).sort([("_id", DESCENDING)])] - - validArticles = [] - for article in articles: - article['staffs'] = [] - - # Get authors - for staffID in article['staffIDs']: - staffs = getStaffs({"_id": staffID}) - if len(staffs) == 0: - break - else: - article['staffs'].append(staffs[0]) - if len(article['staffs']) < len(article['staffIDs']): - print("INVALID STAFF") - continue - - # Get section - sections = getSections({"_id": article['sectionID']}) - if len(sections) == 0: - print("INVALID SECTION") - continue - else: - article['section'] = sections[0] - - validArticles.append(article) - return validArticles - -def createArticle(article): - print(article) - if all(a in article for a in REQUIRED_ARTICLE_FIELDS) is False: - print("Not all fields") - return False - elif db.section.find_one({"_id": article['sectionID']}) is None: - print("Invalid section: " + article['sectionID']) - return False - elif any([db.staff.find_one({"_id": staffID}) is None for staffID in article['staffIDs']]): - print("Invalid staff") - return False - else: - db.article.insert_one(article) - return True - - -def updateArticle(article): - if all(a in article for a in ['_id'] + REQUIRED_ARTICLE_FIELDS) is False: - return False - else: - db.article.insert_one(article) - return True - - -def deleteArticle(_id): - db.article.remove({'_id': ObjectId(_id)}) - - -def getStaffs(query): - staffs = [a for a in db.staff.find(query)] - return staffs - - -def createStaff(newStaff): - print(newStaff) - if all(a in newStaff for a in REQUIRED_STAFF_FIELDS) is False: - return False - else: - db.staff.insert_one(newStaff) - return True - - -def updateStaff(newStaff): - print(newStaff) - if all(a in newStaff for a in ['_id'] + REQUIRED_STAFF_FIELDS) is False: - return False - else: - print() - db.staff.update({'_id': newStaff['_id']}, newStaff) - return True - - -def getSections(query): - sections = [a for a in db.section.find(query)] - return sections - - -def createSection(section): - if all(a in section for a in REQUIRED_SECTION_FIELDS) is False: - return False - else: - db.section.insert_one(section) - return True - - -def deleteSection(_id): - db.section.remove({'_id': ObjectId(_id)}) - - -def saveFile(file): - def allowed_file(filename): - return '.' in filename and \ - filename.rsplit('.', 1)[1] in ['jpg', 'jpeg', 'png'] - - if file and allowed_file(file.filename): - filename = secure_filename(file.filename) - file.save(os.path.join(UPLOAD_FOLDER, filename)) - return filename - else: - return None diff --git a/python/main.py b/python/main.py deleted file mode 100755 index 84ce3f3..0000000 --- a/python/main.py +++ /dev/null @@ -1,20 +0,0 @@ -from flask import Flask -from flask.ext.cors import CORS - -from public import publicAPI -from admin import adminAPI -import database - -app = Flask(__name__) - -app.register_blueprint(publicAPI) -app.register_blueprint(adminAPI) - -CORS(app) - - -def initDB(db): - database.updateDB(db) - -if __name__ == "__main__": - app.run(host='0.0.0.0', threaded=True, debug=True) diff --git a/python/public.py b/python/public.py deleted file mode 100755 index ab5b062..0000000 --- a/python/public.py +++ /dev/null @@ -1,47 +0,0 @@ -from flask import Blueprint, request -from bson.json_util import dumps -from bson.objectid import ObjectId -import database as db - -publicAPI = Blueprint('publicAPI', __name__) - -@publicAPI.route('/api/article', methods=['GET']) -def article(): - if request.args.get('articleID') is not None: - return dumps(db.getArticles({"_id": ObjectId(request.args.get('articleID'))})) - if request.args.get('lastArticleID') is not None and request.args.get('sectionID') is not None and request.args.get('numArticles') is not None: - return dumps(db.getArticles({"_id":{"$lt": ObjectId(request.args.get('lastArticleID'))}, "sectionID": ObjectId(request.args.get('sectionID'))}, number=int(request.args.get("numArticles")))) - if request.args.get('numArticles') is not None and request.args.get('sectionID') is not None: - return dumps(db.getArticles({"sectionID": ObjectId(request.args.get('sectionID'))},number=int(request.args.get("numArticles")))) - if (request.args.get('sectionID') is not None) and (request.args.get('sectionID') != "undefined"): - if request.args.get('sectionID') == "opinions": - return dumps(db.getArticles({"$or":[{"sectionID": ObjectId('5876f88977e0ad0674052a4a')},{"sectionID": ObjectId('5876f88977e0ad0674052a4b')},{"sectionID":ObjectId('5876f88977e0ad0674052a49')}]})) - else: - return dumps(db.getArticles({"sectionID": ObjectId(request.args.get('sectionID'))})) - if request.args.get('staffID') is not None: - return dumps(db.getArticles({"staffIDs": {"$elemMatch": {"$in": [ObjectId(request.args.get('staffID'))]}}})) - if request.args.get('title') is not None: - return dumps(db.getArticles({"title": request.args.get('title')})) - if request.args.get('lastArticleID') is not None and request.args.get('numArticles') is not None: - return dumps(db.getArticles({"_id":{"$lt": ObjectId(request.args.get('lastArticleID'))}}, number=int(request.args.get("numArticles")))) - if request.args.get('numArticles') is not None: - return dumps(db.getArticles({},number=int(request.args.get("numArticles")))) - return dumps(db.getArticles({})) - - -@publicAPI.route('/api/staff', methods=['GET']) -def staff(): - if request.args.get('staffID') is not None: - return dumps(db.getStaffs({"_id": ObjectId(request.args.get('staffID'))})) - elif request.args.get('name') is not None: - return dumps(db.getStaffs({"name": request.args.get('name')})) - return dumps(db.getStaffs({})) - - -@publicAPI.route('/api/section', methods=['GET']) -def section(): - if request.args.get('sectionID') is not None: - return dumps(db.getSections({"_id": ObjectId(request.args.get('sectionID'))})) - if request.args.get('title') is not None: - return dumps(db.getSections({'title': request.args.get('title')})) - return dumps(db.getSections({})) diff --git a/python/tests.py b/python/tests.py deleted file mode 100755 index 604b504..0000000 --- a/python/tests.py +++ /dev/null @@ -1,148 +0,0 @@ -import os -import main -import unittest -import tempfile -from bson.json_util import loads, dumps -from pymongo import MongoClient -import base64 -import copy - -INVALID_ARTICLE = {"title": "B", "content": "afds", "sectionID": "23", "staffIDs": ["69"], "date": "Blah"} - -STAFF = {"name": "Michael Truell", "position": "CTO"} -SECTION = {"title": "Sports"} - -CORRECT_USERNAME = "admin" -CORRECT_PASSWORD = "d" - - -def getValidArticle(db): - staffs = [a for a in db.staff.find(STAFF)] - sections = [a for a in db.section.find(SECTION)] - - if len(staffs) == 0: - db.staff.insert_one(copy.deepcopy(STAFF)) - staffs = [a for a in db.staff.find(STAFF)] - if len(sections) == 0: - db.section.insert_one(copy.deepcopy(SECTION)) - sections = [a for a in db.section.find(SECTION)] - - sectionID = sections[0]['_id'] - staffID = staffs[0]['_id'] - return {"title": "Article Title", "content": "Article content goes here.", "date": "May 28, 2016", "sectionID": sectionID, "staffIDs": [staffID]} - - -def getAuthHeader(username, password): - return {"Authorization": "Basic "+base64.b64encode((username+":"+password).encode("utf-8")).decode("utf-8")} - - -class APITester(unittest.TestCase): - - def setUp(self): - client = MongoClient() - client.drop_database("testRecord") - self.db = client.testRecord - main.initDB(self.db) - - self.db_fd, main.app.config['DATABASE'] = tempfile.mkstemp() - main.app.config['TESTING'] = True - self.app = main.app.test_client() - - def tearDown(self): - os.close(self.db_fd) - os.unlink(main.app.config['DATABASE']) - - def queryGET(self, endpointName, data={}): - request = self.app.get(endpointName, data=data) - return request.data.decode("utf-8") - - def queryPOST(self, endpointName, data={}): - header = getAuthHeader(CORRECT_USERNAME, CORRECT_PASSWORD) - contentType = 'application/json' - request = self.app.post(endpointName, data=dumps(data), content_type=contentType, headers=header) - return request.data.decode("utf-8") - - def testEmptyDB(self): - endpoints = ['article', 'staff', 'section'] - for endpoint in endpoints: - assert '[]' in str(self.app.get('/api/'+endpoint).data) - - def testGETInvalidArticle(self): - self.db.article.insert_one(copy.deepcopy(INVALID_ARTICLE)) - assert '[]' == self.queryGET('/api/article') - - def testGETValidArticle(self): - def isSameAricle(article1, article2): - for field in list(article1.keys())+list(article2.keys()): - if field not in ['_id', 'section', 'staffs']: - if article1[field] != article2[field]: - return False - return True - - validArticle = getValidArticle(self.db) - self.db.article.insert_one(validArticle) - - returnedArticle = loads(self.queryGET('/api/article'))[0] - assert isSameAricle(validArticle, returnedArticle) - - returnedArticle = loads(self.queryGET('/api/article', data={"sectionID": validArticle['sectionID']}))[0] - assert isSameAricle(validArticle, returnedArticle) - - returnedArticle = loads(self.queryGET('/api/article', data={"title": validArticle['title']}))[0] - assert isSameAricle(validArticle, returnedArticle) - - def testPOSTArticle(self): - # Should fail with bad object ids - try: - self.queryPOST("/api/admin/article", data=INVALID_ARTICLE) - assert False - except: - pass - - # Should store data and return good when given valid article - assert self.queryPOST("/api/admin/article", data=getValidArticle(self.db)) == 'good' - assert self.db.article.find_one(getValidArticle(self.db)) is not None - - def testGETStaff(self): - def isSameStaff(staff1, staff2): - for field in list(staff1.keys())+list(staff2.keys()): - if field != '_id': - if staff1[field] != staff2[field]: - return False - return True - - modifiableStaff = copy.deepcopy(STAFF) - self.db.staff.insert_one(modifiableStaff) - - assert isSameStaff(STAFF, loads(self.queryGET('/api/staff'))[0]) - print("id") - print(self.queryGET('/api/staff', data={"staffID": str(modifiableStaff['_id'])})) - assert isSameStaff(STAFF, loads(self.queryGET('/api/staff', data={"staffID": str(modifiableStaff['_id'])}))[0]) - assert isSameStaff(STAFF, loads(self.queryGET('/api/staff', data={"name": STAFF['name']}))[0]) - - def testPOSTStaff(self): - assert self.queryPOST("/api/admin/staff", data=STAFF) == 'good' - assert self.db.staff.find_one(STAFF) is not None - - def testGETSection(self): - self.db.section.insert_one(copy.deepcopy(SECTION)) - returnedSection = loads(self.queryGET('/api/section'))[0] - for field in list(returnedSection.keys())+list(SECTION.keys()): - if field != '_id': - assert SECTION[field] == returnedSection[field] - - def testPOSTSection(self): - assert self.queryPOST("/api/admin/section", data=SECTION) == 'good' - assert self.db.section.find_one(SECTION) is not None - - def testAdminAccess(self): - def request(username, password): - headers = getAuthHeader(username, password) - return self.app.post("/api/admin/article", headers=headers).data.decode("utf-8") - - assert request(CORRECT_USERNAME, CORRECT_PASSWORD) == 'Bad request' - assert request(CORRECT_USERNAME, "wrong") == 'Unauthorized access' - assert request("wrong", CORRECT_PASSWORD) == 'Unauthorized access' - -if __name__ == '__main__': - unittest.main() diff --git a/runTests.sh b/runTests.sh deleted file mode 100755 index e1f0568..0000000 --- a/runTests.sh +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4 +0,0 @@ -cd python - -sudo mongod & -python3 tests.py || python tests.py diff --git a/search.php b/search.php deleted file mode 100755 index aed4407..0000000 --- a/search.php +++ /dev/null @@ -1,37 +0,0 @@ - - - - - - - - - - HM Record Search - - - - - - - - - -
-

Record Search Results for “”:

- -
- -
-
- - - - - - - - - - - diff --git a/startServer.sh b/startServer.sh deleted file mode 100755 index 993658a..0000000 --- a/startServer.sh +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5 +0,0 @@ -cd python - -sudo mongod & -#sudo python3 main.py #gunicorn -b 0.0.0.0:5000 main:app -sudo gunicorn -b 0.0.0.0:5000 --reload main:app diff --git a/article.php b/templates/article.php old mode 100755 new mode 100644 similarity index 90% rename from article.php rename to templates/article.php index 3d86533..18f63cb --- a/article.php +++ b/templates/article.php @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ - HM Record: Article Title + @@ -36,7 +36,5 @@ - - diff --git a/index.php b/templates/index.php old mode 100755 new mode 100644 similarity index 95% rename from index.php rename to templates/index.php index 71e941a..2c94a19 --- a/index.php +++ b/templates/index.php @@ -40,7 +40,5 @@ - - diff --git a/staff.php b/templates/staff.php old mode 100755 new mode 100644 similarity index 96% rename from staff.php rename to templates/staff.php index 80bc7c0..3c09aa1 --- a/staff.php +++ b/templates/staff.php @@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
- + diff --git a/tests.html b/tests.html deleted file mode 100644 index 160d232..0000000 --- a/tests.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,19 +0,0 @@ - - - - - - QUnit Example - - - -
-
- - - - - - - -