Tower Issue #6 2018-2019 by Tower

Tower The Masters School

@MastersTower

49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522

VOLUME 75, NUMBER 6

Editorial After Paris’ beloved Notre Dame was damaged in a fire, an outpouring of financial support for its reconstruction has sparked a massive debate in the public sphere. It is possible to support cultural icons like Notre Dame without neglecting the humanitarian and environmental crises plaguing today’s globe.

FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2019

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Five students, four female, run for two co-chair spots AmitA khurAnA Lead Features Editor

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out two different stickers. The blue signified that you support the Day of Silence but may choose not to be silent throughout the day and the purple signified that you not only support Day of Silence but also choose to be silent throughout the day. Students take this day-long vow of silence to symbolically represent the silencing of LGBTQ students. “While LGBTQ rights, visibility and acceptance have come a long way recently, there are still many school districts where students do not feel safe enough to be open about who they are for fear of harassment, violence, or a combination of the two. That is why Day of Silence is so important; to highlight and honor the struggles of LGBTQ teens everywhere,” senior Bridget Slakas said. GSA, the Gender Sexuality Alliance club, teamed up with Q+ to organize a bake sale raising over 230 dollars. They sent all proceeds to GLSEN. Senior Q+ member Sage Francis said, “I think Pride was definitely a huge success. One thing we wanted to accomplish, which I think we did, was creating a sense of celebration. We also wanted to get the whole Masters community involved and I think we accomplished both of those goals. Wearing a different color every day was a simple but great way to show pride/allyship and the big bake sale allowed everyone to get together and celebrate, whether or not they identify as part of the LGBTQ+community.”

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The week of April 8 was a colorful week; students donned in multi colored outfits and a pride week flag swayed in the wind. Yet the week ended quietly, with GLSEN’s Day of Silence. The GLSEN’s (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) Day of Silence is a student-led national event organized in thousands of schools, bringing awareness to the silencing effects of anti-LGBTQ name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Students from take a vow of silence in an effort to encourage peers to address the problem of anti-LGBTQ behavior by illustrating the silencing effect of bullying and harassment on LGBTQ students. This year Q+, the campus LGBTQ affinity group, hosted Pride Week. From April 8 through April 13, Pride Week consisted of a wide variety of activities, including bake sales, wearing a different color of the rainbow everyday, and dance parties on quad. “Having Pride Week doesn’t just mean that Masters acknowledges the gay community but that they support us. Having that allyship is a privilege that not many other LGBTQ students have,” Sachi Singh, sophomore Q+ member, said. GSA and the Diversity Ambassadors gave out stickers for those who wish to support the Day of Silence on April 13. This year Q+ was handing

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Pride week shines AminA Choudhry Web Design Editor

As the 2018-19 academic year comes to a close, co-chair elections took place to determine next year’s student heads of government. Today, Apr. 26, five juniors, Evelyn Sabety, Sarah Faber, Audrey Lockett, Nova Rivers and Lawrence Azzariti, will run for the two spots of co-chair. Each candidate delivered a short speech explaining why they want to be co-chair at Morning Meeting. This year, the elections were supposed to take place on Apr. 15, but are now taking place on Apr. 26. Head of Upper School Nikki Willis stated that this change occurred due to Executive Committee meetings being pushed back. “There were snow days that backed up meetings and Executive Committee was canceled for other reasons. Obstacles got in the way and we wanted to make sure we had enough meetings for all of the candidates to attend,” Willis said. The job of co-chair entails a wide range of responsibilities. In addition to running Morning Meeting, co-chairs act as representatives for the Upper School, by running Executive Committee, speaking at new-student orientation in August, organizing the co-chair elections, and meeting with Willis once a week. Current senior co-chair Rachel Aideyan also notes that the job extends past meetings. “If you want to make change or start a conversation about things, then that requires more time and effort. Since you have the easiest access out of everybody in this whole school, you can start a lot of courageous conversations. You should also make the position your own by doing stuff you love. It is overwhelming at times, but that is why I keep saying self-care is important,” Aideyan said. Aideyan wanted to run for co-chair to be a voice for people, especially people of color. “I want to be an advocate for people. People that look like me don’t really have leadership positions so I want students of color to see that they can be a leader,” she said. Current senior co-chair Elijah Emery stated that co-chairs always have to stay on top of meetings, get along well with people and keep track of emails. He noted it is also inconvenient

rearranging the scheduled Morning Meeting slots. Emery’s advice to future candidates is to stay more on top of Executive Committee. “That is something I wish we had done better this year. We spent a lot of time talking instead of taking action,” He continued, “It’s my hope that next year’s co-chairs learn from the things we didn’t do as well and improve in those things. But I do think we did very well managing Morning Meeting and making sure it was an enjoyable exTHE FIVE CO-CHAIR perience for everyone CANDIDATES are running this year.” for two positions. Co-chairs Willis also touched run Executive Committee on the high energy and lead Morning Meeting. and optimistic deThis year, four of the candimeanor of working dates are female and only with the co-chairs. one is male. Since the pass“They were passioning of the gender neutral ately committed to bill in 2018, there is a highthinking about school er statistical likelihood that culture and commuthe first female co-chair nity culture. Senior duo will be elected. year is hard. My advice is to manage your time, be humble and listen to each other,” Willis said. Candidate Lawrence Azzariti hopes to improve the important to make sure everyone is community aspect of Masters as co- heard. I like seeing people come togethchair. “I want to increase communi- er as a community to really try to fix cation within [between] the adminis- certain school issues. I think being in tration, executive committee, and the Executive Committee and seeing this is greater community, as well as within showing that people have diplomacy,” the community itself. Masters has a lot Rivers said. of seemingly bubbled off, almost clique[Along with Rivers, candidate Sarlike, groups,] and I really want to start ah Faber finds Executive Committee to open that up a bit,” Azzariti said. to be a meaningful experience. “It’s Candidate Nova Rivers is looking always been really interesting to forward to bringing the Masters com- see the different ideas that students munity together during Morning Meet- come up with and what they can pass ing. “I like the Morning Meeting atmo- in Executive Committee. I want to be sphere. I feel like it will be really fun co-chair because I want to help facilgoing up everyday and just connecting itate that. I want students to have with everybody,” Rivers said. She also ownership in their education and in touched on her experience in Executive their experience at Masters,” Faber Committee: “When you are moderating said. She hopes to make Executive a group like Executive Committee, it’s Committee more of an open environ-

JACOB STRIER / TOWER

ment. “I want to advertise it more so people know what’s happening and can go and contribute their ideas,” Faber said. Candidate Evelyn Sabety also wants to improve on communication within Masters. “As a school we are going into a period of a lot of change, especially with our new schedule, and I feel like it’s going to be important to have a good person who can serve as a mediator between the faculty and the student body, to appropriately represent the student body. I would be really excited to serve as a figure-head, especially for new incoming students,” Sabety said. On the other hand, candidate Audrey Lockett wants to focus in on the smaller changes at Masters. Lockett

stated how she would want to fix the girl’s bathroom stalls on the third floor and add calorie counts to the cookie placards in the dining hall. She also wants to be a role model for the community. “The energy I want to exude if I were to be co-chair is to show that you don’t have to be perfect to be a proper role model. I want to stress that you can be great without achieving perfection,” Lockett said. Emery reflected on his time as cochair. “It is an introductory experience in community service and public service, which I thought would be valuable. I really do care about Masters and I wanted to do my part to improve it in a way I thought I’d be good at,” Emery said.

Faculty engage in wellness program better doing it just once. I’m excited about the future,” he said. To start off, the first session consisted of faculty Opinion Design Editor and staff splitting into teams of four and rotating every minute through A new Health and Wellness initiaten different stations. Gormley said tive for faculty and staff on campus is this was a fun way to keep him enin its fourth week of operation. The gaged. program is the brainchild of wellness Because of the program’s success specialist and strength and condiin participation, Addison sees the tioning coach Edmond Addison. In program continuing into the fall. He his second year at Masters, Addison pointed out that wellness is importproposed the idea in an email to Peant for a better work environment ter Newcomb, Dean of Students.They and school environment. He believes had met twice and conversed over it can help faculty love their job and emails and the program commenced positively affect students as well. during the first week of April, after “The adults are role models for spring break. the kids. If I can help the adults with There’s been so much interest in wellness, kids can feed off their vibe. the program that the first session had Fitness and wellness is a lifestyle. My about 30 to 40 attendees, and Newjob is to create an atmosphere of hapcomb received 41 emails from piness and make their lives faculty responding in intereasier. I try to make them est. Since then, participants smile and keep the environhave been assigned a day in ment excited. ” Addison said. the week to participate in the According to Addison, the key program. The program takes to having participants return place on Mondays, Tuesdays is to have a positive, encourand Thursdays. Each particiaging attitude. pant attends a session that is Newcomb said, “The fac30 minutes long once a week. ulty health and wellness proAccording to Addison, one gram is a beginning step. This session consists of anywhere program is the beginning of a between 8 and 20 people, esticulture that focuses on wellmating a total of 30 to 40 peoness and nutrition.” Newcomb ple regularly participate. hopes that the program placMICHELLE WEI / TOWER The idea sprouted from es emphasis on wellness, and Addison’s experience as a fit- ARCHIVAL INTERN RACHEL O’CONNELL participates in that a greater spotlight on ness trainer at New York Ath- a new health and wellness programs for staff and faculty. wellness for the whole comletic Club, in the city, where The program has been well-received, with a total of 30-40 munity--faculty, staff and stuhe still works part-time. At people regularly particpating in sessions. dents--will follow as a result.

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the club, Addison mainly works with adults. Transitioning into Masters, he worked with numerous students but noticed there were few adults that used the facilities to exercise. As a result, Addison designed a program for faculty and staff. Addison said, “Each day is different. I focus on all aspects: circle training, core mobility, weight training, improving bone density.” In addition to the physical aspects, Addison also focuses on nutritional diets for the participants. Participants keep weekly dietary logs that they send to Addison at the end of the week for guidance. Ed Gormley, Director of Student Activities and Transportation, is one of the members involved in the program. “I went into it thinking it was going to be very difficult, but I felt

NEWS

TOWER/APRIL 26, 2019

Alumna Mirna Valerio to speak at graduation Drew Schott Opinion Design Editor Ultramarathon runner, author and professional speaker Mirna Valerio (‘93) will be the graduation speaker for Masters’ Class of 2019 Commencement Ceremony on June 8. She began the blog “Fat Girl Running” in 2011, which described her experiences “as a larger woman in the world of thinner athletes.” Since then, Valerio has raced in marathons and ultramarathons across the globe and has been praised by various print and media outlets for her accomplishments. Valerio’s passion for running began at Masters, where as a boarder she “would begin each day running a couple laps across (Clarke) Field and feel amazing for the rest of the day.” The Brooklyn native attended Masters for four years while the school was still all-female. She was one of 39 students in her graduating class. Valerio then attended Oberlin College and Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she graduated with dual Bachelor Degrees in Spanish and Vocal Performance in 1997. In 2000, she returned to Masters to teach piano and voice until 2003. While working, Valerio limited her running, but after a cardiologist appointment in 2008 revealed a health scare, she knew she needed to change her lifestyle immediately. “The day after the appointment I was on the treadmill,” she said. Valerio completed her first marathon in 2011 and her first 50 kilometers (31.07 mile) race in 2013. It was during training for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington,

D.C. in 2011 that Valerio began to write her blog. Expressing herself as a large woman in the thinner world of endurance sports, she said her blog had an “incredible effect” on others, helping inspire all types of people to pursue their own journeys and be comfortable showing who they are. “A lot [of people] assume that because I am a bigger woman there will be an issue running and that I am trying to lose weight,” she said. “But those who ask, ‘How much weight have you lost?’ don’t know my story. I love running and people don’t understand that you can go work out not to lose weight, but because [you] love it.” As an extension of her blog, Valerio wrote A Beautiful Work in Progress, a memoir published in Oct. 2017, in which she shares her belief that a person can be an athlete in whatever body they have. “This book shows that anybody, no matter where you are from or what your body looks like, can achieve whatever they want to,” she said. Valerio currently resides in Montpelier, Vt., a location that offers ample access to mountainous terrain for training and allows her to focus on running full-time. Running between 35-50 miles per week during peak training, Valerio is now focused on running ultramarathons. She has raced in events such as the Transrockies Race in Colorado, a 6-day, 120 mile challenge, as well as a 32 km stage of the Marathon des Sables, a six-day, 156-mile stage race in Morocco that is considered one of the hardest events in the world. Valerio, who is sponsored by numerous companies including Merrill, was named one of National Geographic’s 2018 Adventurers of the Year. She has been featured on CNN twice, in addition other networks such as NBC News. Her story was featured on the cover of Women’s Running Magazine

COURTESY OF MIRNA VALERIO

BESIDES BEING AN ULTRAMARATHON runner and participating in various events accross the globe, Valerio has been featured by many news organizations and speaks at various engagements where she talks about size diversity and the benefits of outdoor living. Her careeer has allowed her to defy various stereotypes and inspire others. in 2017 and has been reported on by other publications such as The Wall Street Journal. In 2017, an 11-minute online documentary, The Mirnavator, was made about her experience as an ultramarathoner to promote women in the outdoors. During filming, Valerio checked her phone during a run and found an email titled “Running” that was actually from an online troll who called her a “liar” and a “fraud.” The event ended up being the first scene of the documentary, which combined with the notoriety already held by Valerio, caused The Mirnavator to gain millions of views on Facebook. It is still on film festival circuits, according to Valerio. Currently, Valerio does speaking engagements across the country about topics ranging from size diversity to

the benefits of outdoor lifestyle. Valerio’s career as an ultramarathoner has allowed her to fight various stereotypes and misconceptions–about the relationship between people of color and the great outdoors, about female athletes and particularly about athletes who don’t match society’s visual image of physically fit. Such stereotypes are those that Head of School Laura Danforth believes Valerio wholly defies. After any graduation speech, Danforth said she believes that students should walk away from it feeling humble, grateful and inspired–qualities she believes Mirna’s speech will express. “She will inspire [when] she speaks to the Class of 2019 in a way that people can hear...” Danforth said. “....

What she is currently doing for her life, she is doing it with her might. She is being a power for good in the world because she is making people feel good by living her true self.” Valerio was a member of the Alumni Board from 2016 to 2018, where she helped raise money for the Alumni Fund and led an Instagram takeover for Masters’ Annual Giving Day in 2018. Valerio is currently in the first year of a three-year term on the Board of Trustees and was given the Eliza B. Masters Award, that according to Valerio, “exemplifies what it is like to be a Masters student and alumna/i.”

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Culture and food served up at Int’ l Heads Dinner Vincent alban Photos and Illustration Editor

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IN ORDER TO CELEBRATE Earth Day, EFFECT hosted Masters’ first GREEN week, which featured various environmentally friendly initiatives such as “Mash the Trash”, “Pack the GarDEN”, a sustainable farmers market and a tree planting. Pictured LEFT, student compost on the quad for “Mash the Trash”. Pictured RIGHT, senior Kendra Cooper-Smith sells homemade treats inlcuding “compost cookies” and vegan brownies at the farmer’s market.

Masters celebrates Earth Day with EFFECT’s GREEN week Mitchell FinK Web Content Editor Kate Sibery Contributing Writer This year, EFFECT, the student led sustainability initiative at Masters, hosted the first-ever GREEN Week from April 22-26. Earth Day kicked off the weeklong celebration that included a host of environmental festivities ranging from a “Mash the Trash” to a “Pack the GarDEN” event where members of the Masters community helped compost on the quad and plant the campus garden. Junior Sophia Forstmann, a co-communications and marketing leader of EFFECT spoke about the initial inspiration behind GREEN Week. “For the past three years we’ve been having the farmer’s market, which is almost always this week unless there’s rain; and because it’s almost always the week of Earth Day, we decided to do a GREEN Week, because we noticed that Earth Day and Arbor Day were in the same week,” Forstmann said. Friday is Arbor Day, another holiday that celebrates the role of trees in our lives and promotes the care and planting of trees. If there has been one major goal of

GREEN Week, it would be to promote further involvement from the entire Masters community in sustainability initiatives and Earth-friendly lifestyle changes. Junior Olivia Sharenow, who shares the role of communications and marketing leader with Forstmann, said, “A big thing we talked about at EFFECT this year was more about making it less of a club, and more of something like MISH, where everyone participates in it whether they know it or not. I think that was one of the big goals behind GREEN Week.” Each day of the week, EFFECT hosted events to further engage the entire campus. On Monday, students and faculty were encouraged to wear green to participate in a “Green-Out,” there was a campus cleanup (that had to be rescheduled due to rain) and Brock held the usual Meatless Monday in the Mann Dining Hall. However, Brock prepared their weekly Meatless Monday lunch on Earth Day with even more of an emphasis on sustainability than usual. According to General Manager of Dining Services Lee Bergelson, Brock typically prepares a vegetarian and meat option for Meatless Monday. However, in recognition of Earth Day, and in coordination with GREEN Week, Brock pledged to go fully meat-free. Bergelson said,

“We did make the commitment that for the Meatless Monday related to Earth Day we would actually have a Meatless Monday where all the food on the hotline would be prepared without meat.” On Tuesday, EFFECT moved compost to the quad for “Mash the Trash,” where over 30 students composted about 50 lbs of compost on the quad. Wednesday marked the 3rd annual Farmer’s Market, where more than 10 student vendors sold products varying from metal straws, bath bombs and homemade baked goods to thrifted clothing and sustainable smoothies. Almost $300 in funds were donated by the student vendors to EFFECT initiatives. On Thursday, EFFECT prepared the campus garden and begun planting at the “Pack the GarDEN” event during both lunch and after school. Students planted a variety of crops that will be harvested later this year. GREEN Week is set to be wrapped up today, on Arbor Day, where a tree planting ceremony will be held at the campus garden at 6 p.m.. Two apple trees will be planted: one in celebration of EFFECT 2018-19, and the other in memory of former Director of Maintenance and Engineering Al Ghiotti who passed away Feb. 22, 2018 after a twoyear-long battle with cancer.

36 unique cultural food dishes were chopped, fried, diced, baked and sauteed into formation on Sunday, April 7for the International Head’s Dinner , a longstanding annual tradition for more than 20 years for the boarding community. Each dish was prepared by the international student(s) from that country. Some of the dishes included peanut butter chicken vegetable stew from Djibouti, bratwurst from Germany, stuffed lotus root with sticky rice from China, saffron chicken and rice from Iran and mochi ice cream from Japan. At noon, the kitchen started bustling with students preparing food for the meal. Students created appetizers, entrees and desserts. According to Brock General Manager Lee Bergelson approximately 500 pounds of protein was used, 15-20 dishes were made and 28 students were cooking. The International Dinner is known for how it ties the community together. “Coming from a country and trying to have a dish represent that country is very important. If you are here with your peers, food is a big thing that ties people together, and if you have the opportunity to prepare something that your mother or grandmother or family has made for generations, that is a great thing,” Bergelson

said.

Senior Hanlin Liu, president of the International Club, along with International Club faculty advisor Robert Fish, had a large part in coordinating the event with Brock, creating the menu and working with the international students to see what food would be prepared. “Every single one of the international students is excited about the dinner every year, as well as the faculty too,” Liu said. The dinner also featured musical performances, many of which were from international students and faculty such as Abdoulaye Ngom, Upper School French Teacher, from Senegal, and Wendi Liu, Lantao (Victor) Li, Zhiyan (Alex) Wang and Guangli (Roger) Ping and Wennan (Avivi) Li. Variety and diversity are always very important to the dynamic of the international dinner. According to Fish, there were more dishes proposed to be made than could be accommodated. The International Club also works to accommodate every country by having Brock workers cook a meal if an international student cannot. Fish added, “It is a day that puts the international community front and center, and helps to define and highlight the international community broadly. It creates curiosity and interest amongst the community for students who are not from abroad because it is interesting and fun when their friend makes the food.”

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OpiniOn OP-ED

TOWER/APRIL 26, 2019

editors-iN-Chief alexandra Bentzien eMMa luiS

EDITORIAL

An imbalance in donations marginalizes humanitarian crises

housands of Parisians sang, wept and bowed their heads in silence as flames engulfed priceless French landmark and beloved cathedral Notre Dame on April 15. Footage of the collapsing spire played again and again throughout news outlets across the world, with onlookers shocked and moved to extend their sympathy for what French President Emmanuel Macron called “our history, our literature, our imagination” in the form of heartfelt Twitter condolences, vacation throwback photos – and also donations, some numbering in the tens of millions. We should strive to preserve important cultural icons, like Notre Dame. The church is an ancient symbol of French history, culture, and more broadly, the Catholic faith, and is a location of enormous significance to a great many people. Vast donations—amounting now to over $1 billion, most given by some of the wealthiest families in France, and $370 million greater than the total cost of rebuilding the church— shadow other causes that also demand our immediate attention and action. Each donation to Notre-Dame’s rebuilding symbolizes human empathy and dedication in the face of tragedy. But such empathy should not be limited to Notre-Dame. Sadly, contributions to Notre-Dame are emblematic of an uneven distribution of donations globally, with the vast majority going in times of crisis towards Western and developed nations with strong economies and governments, and the technological aptitude to react to many of these crises. Smaller under-developed and developing nations lack these capabilities to solve crises, as do many organizations focused on lesser-known or marginalized causes. 80 percent of the Yemeni population is in need of humanitarian aid; Sri

Lanka is grieving for one of the deadliest terror attacks since 9/11; and locally, the Ramapough Lenape Nation of Mahwah, N.J. is burdened by over $4 million in fines for building restrictions as they fight to keep their sacred religious structures and to practice ritual on their land. In sharp contrast to the overwhelming amount of money given to Notre-Dame—which remains structurally sound, and while tragic, did not result in any deaths—various small donation campaigns that have been started by the Sri Lanka Red Cross society to support the victims of the Easter Sunday Massacre remain miles away from achieving its $400,000 goal, having amassed only $88,323. It is this cause— and others like it—that need our money the most. Notre Dame has been damaged—but St. Sebastian’s Church, and St. Anthony’s Shrine, and the Zion Church of Sri Lanka have been the sites of atrocious murder rooted in hate. Notre-Dame has been damaged— but no one was killed, and that tragedy in no way compares with the gravity of the famine faced daily by 12 million Yemeni children or the ethnic cleansing of Myanmar’s Rohingya. It is unjust, unfair and shameful that humanitarian crises which have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths fail to receive the same outpouring of support and empathy which has been offered to a single edifice, no matter the symbolic importance of that building. On April 21, 359 Sri Lankans lost their lives in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks, a staggering loss of life accompanied by the burden of burial costs, the reconstruction of holy sites and the longer-term financial aid crucial to help the more than 500 wounded. Sri Lanka’s national emergency, and the countless lives affected by the horrific terrorist attack, needs and deserves our assistance.

We must give humanitarian crises the attention and funding they deserve. Coverage of an issue as it happens and in its immediate aftermath remains hot for as long as the media continues to publish and broadcast the shock of its urgency, but rarely are the depth and breadth of its effects ever observed in full capacity, and rarely do lesser-known or more complicated crises get fixed in the absence of sustained action. Flint, Mich., still struggles to recover from a drinking supply threatened daily by lead poisoning five years after the initial discovery of the water crisis. Puerto Rico is still in desperate need of aid following a duo of hurricanes in 2017 that severely depleted sustainable sources of food, power, and water and destroyed hospitals. One reason that these crises have not been solved is the lack of sustained media attention: public awareness of these continuing emergencies declines as footage wavers on screen. Too often, news outlets emphasize tragedies in the white Western world while inadequately focusing on, or ignoring, crises elsewhere, a practice which is as outdated in our modern age of globalization as it is irresponsible and problematic. It is the responsibility of the media to highlight the impact a crisis has on individuals across the world still suffering and in need of aid as much as it is our collective responsibility to give to these causes. Tragedy does not cease to exist when we aren’t shown it. Though reports, images and videos of each global catastrophe – and there are sadly far, far too many – may not be published at all times, the truly empathetic thing to do is for the media to publish these tragedies and focus on their needs, and for individuals to give to these causes. Notre-Dame will be rebuilt; humanity has seen to that. Humanity should not close its eyes and now claim victory over tragedy.

Editorial dissent: charitable donations are a personal choice After a devastating fire partially destroyed the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, the church community received an outpouring of moral and monetary support. Due to the excess of donations, many have criticized the attention and funds directed toward the Notre Dame restoration fund, and have cited the neglect of tragedies in Sri Lanka, Flint, Michigan,

and Puerto Rico. But, we don’t have the right to tell people what to do with their money. Notre Dame has been an incredibly significant cultural, historical and religious icon for over 1,000 years, and the fact that no human lives were lost should not discredit the gravity of the fire. Many who donated to Notre Dame did so not as a humanitarian act, but as a contri-

bution to rebuilding a structure that held enormous personal, religious or patriotic value. Suffering does not need to be a competition. It is absolutely true that more attention and funds need to be directed towards non-Western (and non-white) tragedies, and the ignorance towards these communities is devastating. The Notre Dame fire

has exposed this. But a false dichotomy of supporting one cause over another does not have to determine what we care about– we can grieve for Notre Dame and also grieve for Sri Lanka. People can donate money to Notre Dame and also to Sri Lanka.

Lead News editor Sophia BrouSSet News desigN editors MorGan BrettSchneider JacoB Strier Lead opiNioN editor JoSeph GoldStein opiNioN desigN editors drew Schott Michelle wei Lead features editor aMita khurana features desigN editor annie ruBinSon Lead sports editor Shawn Farhadian sports desigN editors eliJah eMerY loGan Schiciano Lead web editor aNd adobe, aesthetiCs & arts editor tYler conwaY web CoNteNt MaNager Mitch Fink web desigN editor aMina choudhrY web produCtioN MaNager JacoB kriSS soCiaL Media MaNager GaBriel keller staff writers Sarah FaBer nora FellaS Mitchell Fink GaBriel keller aCCuraCy & aCCouNtabiLity aNd advertiseMeNt MaNager YaSMine paScal photos & iLLustratioNs editor Vincent alBan staff iLLustrator ziqi wanG CoNtributiNg writers

kate SiBerY Max leVY CoNtributiNg photographer

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College admissions scandal: not shocking to highschoolers Shawn Farhadian Lead Sports Editor In what has become the most “shocking” higher-education scandals in recent memory, 50 individuals were charged by federal prosecutors for gaming the college admissions process, paying top-dollar bribes in order to send their children to some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions. The exposed schemes have sparked debates on how much wealth plays a role in the college admissions process. However, these findings shouldn’t surprise anyone. Those involved with the scandal include renowned actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, other prominent figures in the business and entertainment industries and a slew of admissions officials and athletic coaches at Georgetown University, Stanford University, the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, Yale University and more. Still, there are a few pieces to this situation that are quite shocking. It is surprising that, with the help of devious college counselors such as William Singer (the most prominent middleman involved in the bribing scandal), many of these families were able to work their way around an already difficult path to college. It is surprising that each university mentioned in the scandal had a dis-

turbing number of employees willing letters, and decisions can be swayed to accept large-dollar compensations significantly. to aid with blatant cheating. RegardThe sentiment felt across these less, however, what is not surprising higher-level institutions was similar is the broader fact at hand: those and widely shared by their students, with wealth, power and influence as reported in interviews with mulmay very well use such resources to tiple media outlets. “[The scandal] achieve the end goal of having their may be disappointing, it may be unchild attend a top university, no mat- fair, and it may be alarming, but the ter the negative outcomes that may reality is that it is nothing new,” one arise. student told The New York Times. The belief “Though that many [the] college who attend application prestigious “Applicants do not truly know what [process] is colleges are occurs behind the closed doors of each supposed not academcollege’s admissions office during the to [be] fair ically qualidecision-making process, no matter how and unbified to do so, transparent admissions representatives ased, peoin addition can be, which only adds to the complexity ple will look to the idea of the situation.” after their that such - SHAWN FARHADIAN own interstudents are ests first, attending especially if such a colthey have lege for extraneous reasons, is not enough money to bend the rules.” too surprising to many high schoolBut even without the bribes, lies ers, especially juniors beginning and cheating, it is safe to say that their own research and seniors who the college admissions process is, to are currently enrolling in colleges. a certain extent, random, non formuSome prospective students have a laic and irregular. Applicants do not financial advantage, allowing them truly know what occurs behind the to hire standardized testing tutors closed doors of each college’s admisand outside counselors and to avoid sions office during the decision-makthe separate process of applying for ing process, no matter how transparfinancial aid. Others have an advan- ent admissions representatives can tage with legacy, in which they have be, which only adds to the complexity familial ties to certain institutions. of the situation. Seeping incentives Factoring in more miniscule de- through this already convoluted and tails, including a student’s location, ambiguous process is an action that co-curriculars and recommendation could easily go unnoticed.

“

I feel fortunate to be attending a prestigious university in the fall and proud of my efforts to reach this point; however, the more-than-yearlong process to reach this point felt excruciatingly tedious, tiresome and, at some points, unnecessary. In 2018, my breaks were spent visiting colleges rather than on a sunny beach and my summer was all about finishing SAT workbooks. I joined my fellow classmates in constantly stressing over supplemental essays while our first semester grades loomed over us like a shadow. Depending on who you ask, some seniors may say that it was all worth it in the end. However, I still feel for those future applicants who will undergo this painstaking process, especially with all of the advantages and disadvantages, financial and familial, that will surely be headed their way. Firing coaches, administrators and admissions representatives can only go so far in preventing similarly egregious actions to occur in future acceptance rounds. We must understand, and accept, that the current college application process is imperfect and that trying to simplify it will only create more complexities than there currently are. Instead, with spiking application numbers and falling acceptance rates, colleges need to better inform their applicants on the status and evaluation of their admissions files. In the college application process, ignorance is not bliss.

faCuLty adviser ellen cowheY oNLiNe Media

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sChoLastiC press affiLiatioNs, Letters aNd editoriaL poLiCy Tower is the winner of the Pacemaker Award for Overall Excellence, an award-winning member of the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), Journalism Education Association (JEA) and Quill and Scroll. We encourage Letters to the Editor, which can be submitted to the following email address: TowerEditors@MastersNY.org. Published approximately seven times a year, Tower, the student newspaper of The Masters School, is a public forum, with its Editorial Board making all decisions concerning content. Commentaries and opinion columns are the expressed opinion of the author and not of Tower and its Editorial Board or its advisers. Furthermore, the opinions conveyed are not those of The Masters School, faculty, or staff. Unsigned editorials express views of the majority of the Editorial Board.

FEATURES AND ARTS

TOWER/APRIL 26, 2019

Features & arts Seniors showcase interests with senior projects Gabriel Keller Social Media Manager elijah emery Sports Design Editor With the end of the academic year on the distant horizon, many seniors have begun reflecting on their time at Masters and what it’s meant to them. Some will be compiling their highlights at Masters into senior projects, which provide a unique opportunity where each student can focus on what they want to study and what they want to highlight from their Masters experience. Each student presenting a project also has a faculty advisor to oversee their projects. Eric Shapiro has been running the senior projects for eight years and has been involved in them since they started in 2009, with a petition from a student. “A senior wanted to do a project where she could go to Kenya and teach photography at a school there. She brought forward the idea that in the last quarter of her senior year, she would be able to drop some classes and work on her projects,” Shapiro said. “The idea is that it is a chance to do something different senior year and to pursue a passion for something that they couldn’t do during the school year,” Shapiro said. Another vital part of the projects is the requirement to present your project, and these presentations take place anywhere from mid to late May. These presentations can happen in a broad range of ways depending on the project. “[The presentations] can range from coming and speaking to a class to speaking at morning meeting to having exhibits in the Wenberg gallery,” Shapiro said. A maximum of ten students can do a senior project

was able to turn that fascination into a senior project,” Mathas added. Mathas will be working with history teacher Colleen Roche as her advisor. Amita Khurana is creating a dance program and providing it to children who wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to dance. Her original plan was to go to Springhurst Elementary School in Dobbs Ferry, but she is unsure where her projCOURTESY OF ELLIOTT FEDER ALEXANDRA BENTZIEN/TOWER MORGAN BRETTSCHNEIDER/TOWER ect will end up happening due to lack of communication from Springhurst. Another possibility for Khurana is to teach dance to staff children. This project will culminate with the children performing on May 31 with Muse at the Dopa palooza. Khurana owes the opportunity of her project to her Masters experience. “Since I’ve been able to choreograph for Dance Company since junior year and for MUSE NORA FELLAS/TOWER ElLIJAH EMERY/TOWER since freshman year, I’ve had a ELIJAH EMERY/TOWER THIS SPRING QUARTER, SIX seniors, Elliott Feder, Alexandra Bentzien, Emma Goodman, Julia Mathas, Amita Khurana and lot of opportunities to develop my Casey Li will be working on independent projects until the end of the school year, to be showcased to the Masters community. teaching skills and get better,” Khurana said. She will be working with in a given year. vasive species on the grounds, remov- Center on the war through the eyes History and Religion department This year, there are five senior ing them and then leading a walking of the soldiers that fought in it. “It teacher Lisa Berrol as her advisor. projects. One project, by Elliott Fed- tour to show invasives on campus and took a lot of time to select all of the Casey Li is studying psychological er and Alexandra Bentzien, involves instructing how to remove them. The soldiers I want to highlight. The sol- influences on rates of participation filming two music videos, with origi- project was inspired by her work over diers are categorized into three main in the recycling program within the nal visuals and music, to be present- the summer with the Westchester groups: ten immigrant soldiers, ten Masters boarding community and ed in May. Feder will be writing, re- Land Trust in Bedford Hills, which white natural-born soldiers and ten will be working with White as her cording and producing two songs and also centred around identifying and black soldiers. I wanted to view the advisor. “I’ll be looking into psycholBentzien is directing, producing and removing invasive species. war through many different lenses ogy and behavior, more specifically editing the videos to represent the “When I came back to Masters in so that I could show how it had a lot means that can induce a desired bemeaning of the songs. the fall I had the opportunity to do a of impact,” Mathas said. havior, and how that applies to con“My entire Masters career has senior project, and I wanted to leave The museum will follow the his- servation efforts. As part of my projbeen very music-focused. I’ve been the Masters Community better than tory of the war through various ect, I will be collecting data on the able to become close with the music I found it, so I decided to do what I timelines and newspaper headlines. recycling rate in the boarding comfaculty and that’s helped me grow as know and work on invasives,” Good- Mathas has been fascinated by the munity and conduct an experiment a musician,” Feder said. Feder and man explained. She’s been collecting war for a while and believes that in which I test various approaches to Bentzien will be working with DoPA data so far, and still has to work on several curricula, including the one boost participation,” Li explained. teacher Gilles Pugatch and Film removal, writing an essay and lead- taught as part of AP U.S. History, Each of these projects reflects the teacher Raleigh Capozzalo as their ing the walking tour. Goodman will tend to neglect the importance of unique interests of those presenting advisors. be working with science teacher World War I. “The school initially them and even though they are all Emma Goodman wants to benefit Courtney White as her advisor. provided the opportunity to present very different, they will all reflect Masters studying invasive species on History nerd Julia Mathas has for the World War I centennial and I the Masters experience. the campus and how to contain them. compiled her interest in World War I did that, and that’s where I became Her project consists of identifying in- history into an exhibit in the Fonseca really fascinated by the war and I

Great Gig in the Sky presents: Houses of the Holy itself was inclusive and inspiring, and appreciated the school’s willingness to tackle important social justice issues, many felt that the integrity of the rock album was lost. “An album is a full story, the order of the songs is important to the story,” junior guitarist Sam Levin said. “Last year’s performance was not very organized; this year we have an actual album, it’s a good album, and is more rock and roll,”junior drummer and vocalist, Buster Scheuer said.

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It is the one show at Masters that brings together all different types of artists.

GEORGE CHANG/TOWER

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Senior Elliott Feder, junior Haley Schickman and junior Annie Rubinson perform Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven in a rehersal of Great Gig in the Sky: Houses of the Holy. The production combines several art mediums, including video, light and sound design, and music. The show premiers on Friday, April 26, and closes on Saturday, April 27.

Nora FellaS Staff Writer Kira rataN Contributing Writer Great Gig in the Sky has reached its seventh year and, after a departure from tradition last year, it is going back to its rock and roll roots, with Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy.

Great Gig is the only musical event at Masters that is completely student produced and that features all types of musicians and technicians -- from singers to drummers to spotlighters. Junior videographer Matteo Pagano said,“It is the one show at Masters that brings together all different types of artists.” Pagano works on a team with other students that produce a live feed of the concert. “I love video, and Great Gig is a place where I can put that together with music,” he added. The unique quality of Great Gig is the

concentration on one album in its entirety, allowing a focused interpretation of an artistic product. In the past, Masters has performed The Joshua Tree by U2, and American Idiot by Green Day. Last year, however, the creative team chose to transition to a more conceptual program, centered around the theme of social justice. Many artists and styles were featured, for example, George Michael’s “Freedom! 90,” Jimi Hendrix’s “The Star Spangled Banner,” and Beyonce’s “Freedom.” While many students felt the concept

- MATTEO PAGANO ‘20

The rock and roll feel of Houses of the Holy allows students to showcase particularly their instrumental skills. “It’s very ‘rocky,’ but it has its chill moments. There is so much variety and the album has a huge force -- much more than previous years,” Pagano said. Often Great Gig puts more of an emphasis on vocals, but this year, instrumentalists will have more of an opportunity to shine. “It 100% lends itself more to instrumentals. There is more to it than just the singers, everyone is working really hard,” Levin said. Rehearsals have been sporadic for the past few months. “The students have had more freedom to make their own time for rehearsals this year,” Scheuer said, who meets his bandmates during lunch weekly. But this week, the full ensemble came together for a grueling rehearsal schedule. They had a full day rehearsal on Monday, Apr. 22 to light each number and had practice from 6-8 p.m. during the week leading up to the performances. “Sometimes when we run through it at first it sounds bad, but then they do it

According to a survey sent to the Masters community, 52.1 percent of student respondents will be eligible to vote in the 2020 presidential election. But, as ballot fatigue continues to be a trend in the United States, it has become evident that eligibility does not guarantee action. With the 2020 presidential election fast approaching, it is imperative that voters are educated about each candidate in order to maximize voter participation.

2020 Candidates

FEATURES AND ARTS

New York State plastic bag ban impacts Masters and Dobbs Ferry jacob Strier News Design Editor New York State legislators approved a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags which is set to take effect in early March of 2020, a sweeping move which will transform consumer life throughout Westchester County and the wider state. According to The New York Times, New York State lawmakers’ goal was to reduce the amount of plastic wasted by New Yorkers, and the 2020 law will match those already existing in several states and scattered counties throughout the United States. Paper bags will be available for purchase by consumers if municipalities opt-in to a 5-cent fee, of which some funds will go to environmental protection causes and the rest will be used to provide free reusable bags to New Yorkers, according to the New York Post. Dobbs Ferry Walgreens Shift Leader Ysi Tamo said he thinks about 10 percent of customers at the store already use reusable bags. While the Walgreens sells its own reusable bags for approximately $2, they are unpopular, according to Tamo. Tamo said the new legislation will eventually cut company costs and “save the health of the town and the environment,” since many customers will request single-use bags for just one or two items. Walgreens cashier Angel Delcid said that in his year working at the store, he has only sold a few of the reusable bags, which hang untouched by the checkout. At the counter, he goes through roughly a foot-thick roll of bags per day, which amounts to several hundred plastic bags. Delcid is wary of the legislation, since he uses single-use plastic bags for myriad purposes in his home, including outfitting his trash cans. Dobbs Ferry’s Custom Crystal Creations owner Stephanie McCauley said that 50 percent of her customers bring reusable bags, but said her small business does not go through enough single-use plastic bags for the 2020 change to have a huge impact. McCauley also said that many of her customers simply request she wrap up their purchases in tissue paper, before placing them in a purse or tote. Stop & Shop in Dobbs Ferry, which

JACOB STRIER/TOWER

BEGINNING IN 2020, THE state of New York will be implementing a ban on plastic bags. Strier investigates how this will impact the Masters and Dobbs Ferry communities. uses single-use plastic bags, declined able vs. renewable aspect of the prodrequests by Tower to comment on the uct,” she said. legislation. According to CBS News, a reusable Environmental Science teacher cotton tote must be used “at least 52 Courtney White is a proponent of the times to have the same climate impact plastic-bag ban. She said in an inter- as a single-use plastic bag,” in terms of view that the plan is “superb,” and such carbon footprint. However, paper and a move is long overdue by New York cotton totes are biodegradable, while State. single-use plastic does not decompose White said the law will serve as a for decades. helpful reminder to bring reusable bags In her capacity as advisor of EFto the grocery store. “Conservation be- FECT, Masters’ sustainability initiative, White has also worked to raise awareness about single-use plastics of Any time there is legislation or other varieties. One ongoing project uninitiatives for public awareness, der her supervision is the collection of or prompts and signage, they are single-use plastic bottles in an effort to, helpful for everybody. eventually, fashion them into a greenhouse. - COURTNEY WHITE White said that the collection of bottles for the greenhouse is going slowly (they need 3,000, currently possessing havior and behavior modification is not only a few hundred), but acknowledged easy. We get used to our habits: it is not with a laugh that the waiting is good, easy to change them. Any time there because it demonstrates a low use of is legislation or initiatives for public plastic throughout campus. awareness, or prompts and signage, Another initiative White said she is they are all helpful for everybody,” thinking about for the Masters comWhite said. munity is a possible workshop in which Though the replacements, reusable students could come together to fashplastic and paper bags, can have some ion their own soaps, shampoos and negative environmental effects, such as cleaning products without toxins and the use of chemicals in manufacturing, then store them in reusable containers. White said it is critical to weigh the White said such an effort would mirror benefits and disadvantages. “There is the effects of comprehensive legislation always going to be some kind of trade- in some European countries which is off, it’s just looking at the rate at which beginning to ban single-use plastics of we are using materials and the renew- multiple varieties.

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Alumnus crowned NCAA champion

again and everything just comes together and it sounds so cool,” junior vocalist Evelyn Sabety said. Houses of the Holy is considered to be musically, the most difficult album in Great Gig history. The 1973 album should evoke nostalgia for parents and teachers, and the rock concert feel should be fun for students. While the album is Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin fans will happy to hear that Stairway to Heaven will be featured as an encore. “The audience should come ready to jam out,” Sabety said. There will be 83 students performing this at this weekend’s concert, on Friday Apr. 26 and Saturday Apr. 27 at 7 p.m. and the students are eager for a packed house to support their hard work.

LOGAN SCHICIANO/TOWER

TY JEROME’S MIDDLE SCHOOL yearbook photo. Jerome contributed to UVA’s victory over Texas Tech in the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

loGaN SchiciaNo Sports Design Editor

GEORGE CHANG/TOWER

SOPHOMORE MATT NAPPO PLAYS electric guitar in Great Gig in the Sky: Houses of the Holy. This is his second Great Gig performance at Masters.

On Mon., April 8, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, popularly known as March Madness, wrapped-up with the Virginia (UVA) Cavaliers edging the Texas Tech (TTU) Red Raiders in the national championship game by a score of 8577. One of UVA’s star players, guard Ty Jerome, has ties to The Masters School, having attended the school during his seventh and eighth grade years before leaving to play ball for Iona Prep in New Rochelle, his hometown. Science Department Chair, Frank Greally, who had the chance to coach Jerome on Masters’ JV basketball team when Jerome was in eighth grade, spoke about his game. “He was

an aggressive player on the court and had a nice three-point shot that he was never afraid to take. He always wanted to play and was a hard worker,” Greally said. Jerome, a junior at UVA, enjoyed a breakout season in 2018-2019, averaging 13.6 points per game along with 4.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists. He stepped up his production in the late stages of the NCAA tournament, which included a whirlwind Final Four contest against Auburn. Racking up 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists, Jerome, who wears number 11, joined NBA legends Larry Bird and Magic Johnson as the only players to ever record that stat line in a Final Four game, according to a tweet from Pete Newmann, a basketball information consultant. In the final game against TTU, Jerome had a strong first half which he capped off in style, nailing a three in the closing seconds of the period.

The bucket gave his team momentum going into the locker room, as it gave UVA a 32-29 lead. The game would go to overtime, where UVA dominated, pulling away and taking the title, their first in school history, by a score of 85-77. The Cavaliers celebrated by cutting down the nets, and Jerome, who also had 16 points and six rebounds, was recognized for his efforts throughout the tournament by making the All-Tournament Team; he scored in double-figures in each of UVA’s games according to Yahoo! Sports. Eighth grade humanities teacher Stephen Hildreth, who taught Jerome and was also his advisor, noted Jerome’s demeanor. “He was very energetic and super competitive. I wasn’t really surprised to see him have success because he was so driven. Basketball was his passion,” he said. Jerome and the rest of the team overcame some adversity to reach their zenith. The national championship win for UVA came only a year after getting shocked in the first round of the tournament by sixteen-seeded University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). For Jerome, he had been doubted for much of his high school and collegiate career for his lack of speed and athleticism, but with his eye-opening season and tournament, his draft stock skyrocketed this year. Jerome, who declared for the NBA Draft on April 15, is now projected to go as a late first-round pick by many expert draft analysts. Both Hildreth and Greally said they were very happy for Jerome and are excited to see where his basketball career will go. According to UVA’s Assistant Athletic Director for Public Relations, Erich Bacher, Jerome was unavailable to be reached due to “overwhelming interview demands.”

FEATURES AND ARTS

TOWER/APRIL 26, 2019

“

It is the one show at Masters that brings together all different types of artists.

GEORGE CHANG/TOWER

- MATTEO PAGANO ‘20

2020 Candidates

FEATURES AND ARTS

JACOB STRIER/TOWER

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Alumnus crowned NCAA champion

LOGAN SCHICIANO/TOWER

TY JEROME’S MIDDLE SCHOOL yearbook photo. Jerome contributed to UVA’s victory over Texas Tech in the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

loGaN SchiciaNo Sports Design Editor

GEORGE CHANG/TOWER

SOPHOMORE MATT NAPPO PLAYS electric guitar in Great Gig in the Sky: Houses of the Holy. This is his second Great Gig performance at Masters.

TOWER/APRIL 26, 2019

OP-ED

THE INTERNATIONALIST◄ CasEy Li Clumnist

WIKILEAKS TIMELINE On April 11, Julian Assange, the co-founder of WikiLeaks, was arrested outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London by British authorities for skipping bail. The U.S. Justice Department also charged him with hacking. After seven years of seeking refuge in the embassy, the Ecuadorian government withdrew his political asylum. Assange was wanted for a computer intrusion charge issued by the U.S. Department of Justice and for skipping bail in 2012 for a sexual assault and rape charge in Sweden, which was dropped in 2017 because he had evaded the arrest warrant. However, the country is considering resuming the inquiry before the statute of limitations expires in August 2020. While Assange’s dedication to exposing the wrongdoings of governments and to empowering people with the truth is commendable, his intentions should be scrutinized. His denial of Russian interference in the 2016 election and personal biases raise questions as to how selective he is with his leaks, whether he and his alleged sources can be trusted and whether his intentions are as heroic and altruistic as his ardent supporters would like to believe. GRAPHIC DESIGNED BY SOPHIA BROUSSET, CASEY LI AND MICHELLE WEI

Testing culture stifles genuine learning Emma Luis Edtior-in-Chief For the majority of my American education, I’ve been taught in preparation for a test. Whether it was for Minute Multiplication, a unit exam the coming week, a final at the end of the year or an AP (advanced placement) exam, most of what I was taught was followed by a reminder: you’ll need to know this for the test. The testing culture that many students have grown accustomed to, whether at public school or private, college or elementary school, ingrains the idea that our knowledge is only valuable for a grade instead of curiosity and diminishes the intrinsic value and act of learning that education is supposed to provide. Students are programmed so that when they are taught something in class, they’ll have to know it for later: valuing grades over learning. This issue is much greater than Masters, in fact, some of my courses in high school have provided a

refreshing disruption to the type of “learning” that I’ve grown accustomed to. But, while some of Masters’ courses are not geared towards testing, at the end of the day, most major courses a student takes will ultimately end with a test: whether it be during the semester, a final, an AP exam or in some cases, a culmination of all three. Many courses allow for the opportunity to create open dialogues and have assessments through projects, Harkness and collaboration, however the overwhelming culture globally still succumbs to the creativity-stifling nature of testing culture. While testing provides a means to judge students on how much of the information they know, students are straying from learners and understanders into sponges: soaking up facts until they have to squeeze it out onto a scantron. This testing culture that our education system is founded upon crushes the learning process toward which education is supposed to strive. In our current system, learning from

mistakes is nearly impossible. Tests are designed in a manner that limits students’ ability to learn from their errors by forcing them to memorize, regurgitate what’s been memorized and wait until you receive a grade back. After a waiting period and moving onto a new unit, there’s little to no time for reflection. Students are forced to move on, despite not having the opportunity to learn why the answers they chose were deemed incorrect and how they can improve. Test taking isn’t the same as problem solving. On tests, students are taught to respond in certain ways and to repeat those methods or facts on an exam, especially with standardized tests. Problem solving is beyond repetition: it’s about creativity. In what we call “the real world” (life beyond school), we are faced with challenges that need to be met with more than just a recitation of facts. We will have to use what we know, embrace what we don’t know and problem solve. Preparing students for specific types of questions that will appear on a test does the

opposite: it’s sheltering us from what we will have to do in the future. We won’t be able to hide from repercussions by taking a test and forgetting about it, we will have to face the fact

LILY WANG / TOWER

that we made a mistake, learn from it and adapt. Our current American educational system is modeled as if a doctor wrongfully diagnoses a patient and walks away for three weeks, only to have the doctor receive a note saying that that the diagnosis was 20 percent correct. The doctors don’t know

what the mistake was, why they it was made and is not given the chance to fix it. Life isn’t so black and white: it’s not about what percentage right or wrong one is, or how quickly one can recite the role of the mitochondria. While there is no perfect solution to design an education that is productive and prioritizes internalization over memorization, there has to be a better way than regurgitation and short-term memory recall. Creating tests that challenge student’s minds opposed to memories and allowing creative problem solving is crucial to kindling innovation and thinking outside the box in our younger generations. These are the generations who will ultimately be faced with seemingly unsolvable problems in the real world like climate change, war and disease. Students must be encouraged to be curious, to lead the conversation astray, to think beyond what is being taught and to feel like understanding the material is more of a priority than recitation.

TOWER/APRIL 26, 2019

SPORTS

Baseball’s captains hope to lift team to victory in close games DRew schott Opinion Design Editor Last year, Masters’ varsity baseball team was able to capitalize off of their strong senior class and completed their 2018 season with a 7-4 record as some of their losses occurred in close games. This season, in order to improve the team’s record and player performance, Head Coach Dave Mueller hopes the team can build a finishing mentality so Masters can close out its games with wins. “We lost a few close games that could’ve probably gone either way,” Mueller said. “This year, we’d like to capitalize on those.” Despite a 5-1 loss to Fieldston in their first game on April 9, the team bounced back and defeated Loyola 5-4 on April 11 after junior catcher August Peterson hit a walkoff single that allowed senior

captain and shortstop Carter High School and Portledge Myers-Brown to cross home School, both 40 miles away. plate at the bottom of the sevMueller’s coaching pracenth inning. Senior captain tices, which are modeled and infielder/right-handed off of game situations, have pitcher Marcus Diaz addbenefited varsity accorded a triple in the victory. ing to Diaz, who believes The team continued their a focus on fundamentals winning streak with a 11-1 sets a strong foundation for victory over Staten Island the team. Diaz, playing his Academy, with a rotation of fourth year on varsity, beDiaz and freshmen Harrison lieves that the development, Blueweiss and Aidan Mcespecially of young talent, is Laren holding Masters’ opcrucial, in that underclassponents to a single run. AdELLEN COWHEY/TOWER men will gradually improve ditionally, Diaz hit a two-run JUNIOR TY LaCOLLA PREPARES to swing in an at-bat against their skills. home run during the game. “I hope everyone looks at Trevor Day School. LaColla also pitched five innings in the game. The team, which faces nine us as captains and aspires to more regular season games this year, they play a variety of opponents from be like us,” Diaz said. “We [hope to] give is led by Mueller and assistant coach- different leagues across the state. This them that competitive talent. I really es Mike Archer, Matthew Browne and season, the team has games scheduled want the younger talent to know that Brian Cheney. Since the team is inde- against members of the Ivy Preparatory they’re good and that they’ll eventually pendent, meaning they are not mem- School League, schools located in New become the starters.” bers of an inter-school athletic league, York City and Long Island Lutheran Myers-Brown has said that the cap-

tains-including himself, Diaz, second baseman Shane Halpin and Daneal Senderovich-are attempting to model their leadership off of the captains before them. For example, Myers-Brown said that this year’s captains wish to make this year about the team growing and improving as a collective unit, something they learned from last year’s captains. Myers-Brown shares similar goals as Mueller in that he believes the team needs to take advantage in close games and “come up on top.” Additionally, Halpin said a crucial goal of the captains is to analyze the younger players’ skill levels and aid them in their growth, especially since he believe this year’s team has the best talent level out of all of his four years at Masters. Varsity will host a tournament on Clarke Field tomorrow, followed by a trip to Brooklyn to face off against Saint Ann’s School on Tuesday.

Underclassmen serve boys’ varsity tennis team well annie Rubinson Features Design Editor While tennis may appear to be an individual sport, Masters’ boys varsity tennis team proves that camaraderie is still essential both on and off the courts–and across all four grades. Each year, senior-heavy teams are challenged with the task of recruiting younger players to serve on the team long-term. This year, the team welcomed several new underclass members of varying experience and has already benefited from the talent of each player. Members share the value of underclassmen on the team, as well as their goals for the 2019 spring season.

Junior Sam Holliday, a junior member of the team, shares that he believes having such a large concentration of talented ninth and tenth graders will serve the team well not just this season, but for years to come. “There is a much larger population of underclassmen, which is really nice because we’ll have them on the team for two or three years, if they choose to continue,” he said. Holliday added that in past years, it has been difficult for the team to readjust after a large group of seniors graduates from the team and therefore feels lucky that the team will be able to benefit from the underclassmen talent beyond the 2019 season. Sophomore and first-year varsity tennis member Brody Leo shared his

underclass perspective. “Coming up from JV, my favorite part of varsity tennis is the intensity and competitiveness.” He added that although tennis is technically an individual sport, everyone cares deeply about the success of the team as a whole. Leo is grateful that the upperclassmen on the team have been welcoming to underclassmen. “When you mess up, the upperclassmen try to help you improve, rather than criticise you,” he said. Senior and team captain Alex McGill added his perspective: “Accepting underclassmen on the team allows them more time to improve their skill set in a Varsity environment,” he said, adding that the underclassmen on the team have varying levels of experience.

Girls’ lacrosse bounces back with large roster Yasmine Pascal Accountability & Accuracy Manager The girls’ varsity lacrosse team has kicked off their season with an emphasis on team energy and perseverance. Led by captains Audrey Corrigan, Isabel Godwin and Mollie Roth, the team is looking to capitalize on having one of the largest rosters in recent memory with 25 girls. Thus far, the girls have won only one out of their eight games after beating Riverdale Country School on Wednesday by a score of 118, but they continue to face their practices and games head-on. Ninth grader Kwynne Schlossman joined lacrosse because it was good opportunity to meet new people. “All the girls are really nice and very supportive. If you make a mistake, everyone is like, ‘Oh it’s fine, don’t worry about it.’ We are getting much closer than I thought,” Schlossman said. She is also appreciative of all the fitness work in practice. “We get enough physical activity to be able to run in the games and we do enough fitness to make sure we are prepared,” Schlossman said. Sophomore Shamira Guillaume believes that the team has improved from last year, especially in terms of communication both on and off the field. She also does not mind the busy game schedule, which usually entails two or three games per week, because it helps her improve her skills as a player. “In games, whenever something is done [incorrectly], your coach is able to point it out. In practice, it is kind of hard to target the problem area,” Guillaume said. According to her, during games a player is no longer focused on academics, but on simply playing the game at hand. Junior team captain Isabel Godwin real-

izes that in order to become a better player, certain qualities are expected. “You need to be aggressive on the field, defense or offense. You can’t get down on yourself easily because it is easy to mess up in lacrosse... You always have a chance to redeem yourself in the end,” Godwin said. Godwin has also been entrusted with a lot of responsibilities. “There is more reliance on [the captains] to lift the team and give more direction,” Godwin said. The junior captain also has to continually find ways to keep her team motivated. “I just keep a positive energy for myself and I hope it radiates off to other people. No one should worry about messing up; it doesn’t matter, just try,” she said. Despite the major responsibility as captain, Godwin expresses her love for her teammates and their ability to work so well together. Head Coach Meghan MacWilliams said she is proud of her team’s effort and dedication and regularly holds them accountable to certain expectations. “I expect that they are committed to this team and, therefore, need to commit to each other by showing up to practice, showing up to games, and if they’re sick, just be a part of the team and encourage one another,” she said. MacWilliams expresses the hardest part of being a coach is managing everyone and accommodating to their various needs. “[Coaching] is just about making sure everyone is mentally and physically healthy, because this is meant to be fun,” she said. Girls’ lacrosse will look to bounce back from their challenging start to the season when they face off against Marymount School, today, at 4:15 p.m. on Greene Field, followed by another home game on Monday against The Chapin School at 5 p.m.

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FRESHMAN KWYNNE SCHLOSSMAN TAKES a shot in a game against Portlege School. Although the team lost the contest 14-3, they recently won their first game against Riverdale Country Day School by a score of 11-8.

According to coach Greg Lesser, the team has thus far maintained an even record, as they collectively won matches against Long Island Lutheran High School and Trevor Day School, and lost matches against King School and Rye Country Day School. He added that senior Jackson Freiman has won all three of his matches. Their JACOB STRIER/TOWER next match will be takSENIOR PARSA KEYVANI DASHES to hit his next shot ing place on Monday, in a match against Collegiate School. Masters could not April 29 at King School. muster a win in the home court contest.

SportS

SPORTS

Boys’ volleyball sets up strong season hard,” senior Ben Stein said. The team’s success can be further attributed to the efforts of Head Coach Chanel Flowers in addition to the help of returning players. As senior team member Youssef Aly puts it, “Returning players have been helping new team members quickly assimilate into the team dynamic.” Practice for boys’ volleyball takes place for two hours, five days a week after school but physical fitness is not the only skill required to succeed in the sport. Aly noted that the team-development aspects of volleyball are just as important. “The team’s success is really dependent on our ability to work efficiently together. Constant rotations and having to each play our

part in a larger process means that memorization of plays and knowing Jacob KriSS your responsibilities on the court at Web Production Manager all times is what makes it work,” Aly said. The boys’ varsity volleyball team Coach Flowers intends to return has started their 2019 spring seato the New York State Association of son off strong, despite the loss of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) boys’ key players from the class of 2018. volleyball championship. Beyond her They’ve swept their first three matchgoals for the team’s success this year, es three sets to zero against The UnitFlowers also hopes to guarantee that ed Nations International School, The the dynamic remains in future years. Berkeley Carroll School and Horace “My ultimate goals are for the team Mann School, followed by two losses to continue flourishing in the years to against Calhoun and York Prep. come. I also hope that over time and The season’s bright start has been as a result of our continued success, aided by the efforts of new team memmen’s volleyball at Masters can gain bers: “All the new players show a lot an equal amount of respect as womof potential and have been working en’s,” Flowers said. In order to attract players and keep the energy positive on the team, which both team captain Fritz Pingel and coach Flowers believe is a crucial aspect of the team dynamic, Pingel has worked to change the atmosphere at practice through his style of leadership. “There is a different vibe surrounding the team this year; we focus more on having fun while developing and getting better, as opposed to being extremely serious, which might make it harder for new players,” Pingel said. Boys’ volleyball will host their next match against the Lycée Français de New York VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER on Tuesday afternoon CAPTAIN FRITZ PINGEL SPIKES a ball over the net during a recent match against Calhoun. The team in the Fonseca Center has started off this year strongly; their goals are to qualify for and win the New York State Association of gymnasium. Independent Schools championship and to continue that success in years down the line.

TOWER/APRIL 26, 2019

New faces and talent throw softball a curve Gabe Keller Staff Writer After a spring 2018 season led by senior talent, Masters’ girls varsity softball team is continuing their success even after losing several of their key players last year. With only three returning members and four upperclassmen, the team’s roster now features a lot of fresh faces, including eight freshmen and five sophomores. Junior co-captain Sophia Herzberg is hopeful for the future of the team and the motivation of the players. “[The team members] have a lot of motivation and passion for the game, which is really promising. I see a lot of potential in them. Even though we are newer and less developed, we have a lot of progress to be made,” Herzberg said. She also noted that a few of the players had never played softball before and this season will be a learning experience for them especially. “Our main problem right now,

I think, is that we don’t have a solid full-time pitcher yet. I feel like the root of softball is in the pitcher, and to keep a steady dynamic we need to develop a person for the pitcher position,” Herzberg said. Despite the learning curve of the sport and lack of returning players, the softball team managed to win two of their first four games. Coach Shannon Nicholson is impressed with the effort so far and is excited to see what the season brings. Nicholson commented on the work ethic of the players, saying, “Our girls have really been hitting and they aren’t scared on the bases, even the new girls. They are willing to steal and slide even if they’ve never slid in a game before.” Coach Nicholson also talked about the hot start for the team. “Usually with a young and growing team, we don’t get our first win until later in the season. But for us to pull off two wins in a week this early on is really exciting,” Nicholson said.

Visit Tower.MastersNY.org for more sports content: Track and field team’s steady routine leads to promising results

Boys’ lacrosse team creams Columbia Prep. in crucial team win

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SOPHOMORE STELLAR SON STANDS at bat preparing to receive a pitch. This year, the team’s main challenge is rebuilding after losing some key seniors from last year.

Amped up Spirit Week aims to bolster Panther spirit Sarah Faber Staff Writer Every year, Masters’ honorary athletics club, Dobbs Athletic Association (DAA) hosts Spirit Week, a celebration that strives to bolster Panther spirit by supporting athletes on campus. While last year’s

Spirit Week consisted of three days of activities, this year’s spirit week will have events on all five days of the week, from Monday, April 29 until Friday, May 3. This year’s spirit week will contain classic themes, with Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as Pajama Day, Twin Day and School Spirit Day, respectively. However, some new themes will be implemented

this year, including Safari Day on Thursday and Meme Day on Friday. Each day will be filled with activities. On Monday, the day will start with a kickoff at Morning Meeting, followed by egg spoon races during lunch. Later, during the varsity girls’ lacrosse game, popcorn will be served to draw crowds, and KODE, Masters’ new K-Pop dance group, will perform at half-time.

On Tuesday during lunch, DAA will run a “chalk the school” activity. DAA members and students will advertise the varsity boys’ volleyball game to take place later in the day, during which concessions will be sold, and MUSE will perform at halftime. During School Spirit Day, a game of capture the flag will be run during lunch. Later, DAA will run a BBQ

PHOTO COURTESY OF DOBBS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

THE SPIRIT WEEK SCHEDULE for the 2019 Spirit Week. This year, Spirit Week will begin with Pajama Day on Monday and will finish with Twin Day on Tuesday, School Spirit Day on Wednesday, Safari Day on Thursday and Meme Day on Friday. There will be Morning Meeting and lunch events and numerous sports games throughout the week to help ensure that this Spirit Week is memorable. Notably, there will be a half-time performance by the Masters K-Pop dance group KODE.

following the boys’ varsity baseball game. In keeping with Thursday’s theme of Safari Day, during the varsity boys’ lacrosse game, animal crackers and fruit punch will be served. Urban Connection will also be performing at halftime. In addition, a scavenger hunt will be run during lunch. Finally, the week will end on Meme Day, a theme chosen by the senior class and a Pack the Den for the varsity girls’ softball game. “The schedule for this year’s spirit week was kind of serendipitous, we have a different sport each day so we can represent more of what Masters has to offer. We also started planning earlier, so we’re able to blow it out more,” senior and cochair of DAA Jackson Stanich said. Increased membership in DAA has also helped with the planning of spirit week – 19 new members were accepted during DAA’s spring takeons. The other co-chair of DAA, Kendra Cooper-Smith, talked about how increased membership improved the planning process. “We just accepted a bunch of people, so we could split up into subdivisions for each day and have more thoroughly-planned activities,” she said. Stanich and Cooper-Smith hope that this year’s spirit week can have a lasting impact on the Masters community. “I hope that people next year look back at the spirit week and want to do it again, and slowly, over time that spirit becomes instilled in Masters culture,” Stanich said.