Tower Issue #5 (2021-2022)

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VOLUME 78, NUMBER 5

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TOWER The Masters School

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MARCH 11, 2022

Masters unmasks, students react

Gisele Cestaro & Maia Barantsevitch

A

News Editor & Features Editor

fter two long years of masks, dividers, and Zoom, The Masters School has officially gone mask optional. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020, students, faculty, and staff have all been required to wear a mask in order to protect themselves and others, but now people can make their own choice. This groundbreaking news has prompted various student opinions regarding this new decree.

Laura Danforth, head of school, sent a schoolwide email explaining the new guidelines. As of March 3 2022, Masters now has a mask optional policy. In addition to that, pooled testing will be stopped after this week [March 1st], and if cases go up the mask mandate can be reinstated. Danforth also called an all school meeting to discuss the importance of respecting one another’s choices of wearing or not wearing a mask, as not everyone knows the reasoning behind such personal choices.

Masters latest pool testing results have declared over 873 testing samples to all be negative, completing the now 6 week streak of all negative testing results.

Senior Clyde Lederman, is in agreement with the administration’s choice to lift the mask mandate.

Lederman said, “It makes sense that they [Masters] are aligning themselves with CDC guidelines.

We’re in a position where we have most of our students and faculty and staff vaccinated which protects us.”

While the mask optional guideline

has been widely accepted, reaction to ending weekly PCR testing has not been as favorable. “That protocol in particular [PCR testing] to me, seems like the one that they [Masters] should maintain. Not the virtual aspect, but rather the testing after spring break because of a lot of travel.”

Junior Eleanor Dundas, is still chosing to actively wear a mask with the new mask-optional decision in place. Dundas believes that the administration should have waited longer to get rid of the mask mandate, especially without the pooled testing in place.

“I was hoping they would wait a bit longer. We’ve always had so many different protection methods, and instead of repealing them one at a time, the fact that they got rid of both at once makes me nervous,” Dundas said.

Dundas also maintains that when it comes to the pandemic, our school has responded really well when it comes to mandating vaccinations and masks, which she believes is the smartest decision to keep the community safe. With the mask-optional decision, Dundas was hoping that the school would still recommend a facial covering, instead of sending a message to not make fun of those who choose to wear a mask.

“All it does is effectively alienate those who still choose to wear masks and tell the student body that those people are different,” Dundas said.

Sue Adams, the director of health services, and the healthcare team have worked diligently to make this important decision for the community. Most of the decision making process involved following the CDC, who changed their guidelines last week due to low infection rates and hospital activity. “I feel confident at this point that we can do this safe-

SUNNY SHI/TOWER

JOSIE LEFF ‘25, AMONG others, chose to remain masked, despite the Masters community becoming mask optional on March 3. This change was made to align with the CDC’s decision to remove the mask mandate in New York schools. ly. If we have individuals who are concerned, and they want others around them to wear a mask, we’ve asked people to be respectful and considerate of that,” Adams said.

Adams said that the administration has not received much backlash while making this decision. It has been a tough two years with this pandemic, but she recognizes that this shift is a big

deal for the community since COVID is going from a school organization responsibility to a personal one.

“I think we are just going to take it one step at a time. We just had five weeks of negative pooled testing results, so that was a really good condition to go into all of this because it’s reassuring,” Adams said.

Both the healthcare team and she

acknowledge that it is possible modifications may have to be made as the virus could possibly start spreading again, which means back to masking up.

Junior class president, Tyler Hack, has taken advantage of the mask optional policy but still chooses to continue wearing a mask during certain classes Hack said, “I want to respect all my

teachers in any way I can, and if that means wearing a mask in their class then I am completely okay with that.”

Hack believes that Masters has been following enough safety protocols to be able to make the decree of optional masks. He said, “Based on our current case counts, it seems to make sense, but after wearing a mask for two years, it feels super weird to take it off.”

Attacks on Ukraine strike close to home Oliver Kreeger & Alexa Murphy

T

Contributing Writers

he ongoing war in Ukraine is the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II. What has been oddly shocking is the slow yet unstoppable feeling of escalation, as Russia had begun to make demands over Ukraine’s territory earlier this year.

Conflict in Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014, when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, the sovereign territory of Ukraine. Additionally, conflict

in the largely Russian-speaking Donbas region of eastern Ukraine erupted between separatist militias and the Ukrainian military.

Since, there have been thousands of casualties on both sides.

“I was a refugee eight years ago because there was a war in my region before,” said junior Nataliia Kulieshova. She is from a small town on the outskirts of Donetsk.

“By saying that these regions were independent, Putin said that all the cities that are controlled

by Ukraine right now, including my city, would be attacked by Russian troops to ‘denazify’ and things like this. I was extremely anxious. I thought my town would be one of the first to be attacked.”

“Russia uses a lot of weapons that are banned from the Geneva Convention, and I think that people don’t know this in the U.S., but Russia used vacuum bombs, which is like one step away from the nuclear bombs. They have vacuum bombs that have a bigger impact than some nuclear bombs; the fact that they’ve used it already in civilian cities—it’s just… It’s terrible,” Kulieshova said.

Kulieshova and junior Viktoriia Sokolenko, who comes from Kyiv, are both Ukrainian students who attend The Masters School. From different regions of Ukraine, both have families currently sheltering every day from Russian aggression.

“I was sitting and people said they were hearing the explosions in

CARLOS HEREDIA/TOWER

ENGLISH TEACHER PAUL WEST lights a candle around the labyrinth during the Candlelight Vigil for Peace in Ukraine on March 6. There were about 60 people in attendance.

Kyiv, and I was checking in on my family. It was kind of scary because it was the morning and we were calling them on all different messengers to see if they’re okay and where they are,” Sokolenko said.

Vladimir Putin cites Russia’s recent recognition of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” and the “Luhansk People’s Republic” as independent, largely Russian speaking, nations as one of the reasons for the invasion. Putin has used this language divide – along with unfounded allegations of genocide at the hands of the Ukrainian government – to justify supporting the Donetsk and Luhansk separatists.

Kulieshova, who hails from the Donbas region, completely rejected the notion that the Donbas is rightfully Russian because of language.

Both Kulieshova and Sokolenko mentioned that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky grew up in a Russian-speaking family.

“Especially after eight years of war, I feel like every Ukrainian has some sort of skepticism about Russia, and especially right now, people actually go out, they go unarmed, and go out on major highways of their cities to block the tanks of Russian people. Some people block the tanks of Russians with tractors. We don’t want you [the Russians] to save us.”

Putin’s decision to invade remains largely incomprehensible to many experts in the West. Dr. Robert Fish, who teaches international relations at Masters said,“I don’t know why Putin is pursuing this. I don’t know. I don’t see, strategically, why this was so important to him. I just don’t. I don’t see Ukraine as an intensely important strategic location.”

Olga Tymchenko, a violin instructor at Masters, grew up in

CARLOS HEREDIA/TOWER

MISH SELLS UKRAINIAN CANDIES in the Dining Hall during lunch to raise money for Razom, a organization aiding Ukraine.

Soviet-era Kyiv before emigrating to the U.S. in 2000. Many of her family and friends still live in the Kyiv area. Tymchenko also emphasized how crucial it is to remember that there are millions of people seeking safety at this very moment.

“Every single moment, it’s heartbreaking. During the night, I’m picking up the phone, I’m checking on my friends, and during the day, getting the urgent calls, saying a prayer, or the bomb is right near our house. Sunday morning I received a picture from the city of Irpin, which is in the outskirts of Kyiv. My parents’ church was there; I would go there every Sunday. And right now it’s under siege, and on Sunday I received a picture of a family trying to escape. And they were just shooting. A friend of mine also wrote ‘we are under siege, there is no water, no electricity, no heat, no food, nothing. They are shooting at everything that is moving,’” she said.

Most of Tymchenko’s family escaped to Poland days before the war

broke out. “But then my brother came back to Ukraine to help the war effort, so he was trying to escape, and then he brought his niece to Poland, and then he came back to Ukraine to bring more people to escape. My nephew is now in the hospital and the patients of that hospital are taken as hostages.”

Sokolenko and Kulieshova have taken fundraising into their own hands, selling Ukrainian candy during lunch, the proceeds of which go to Razom, a lauded aid charity currently working in Ukraine. Tymchenko placed a particular emphasis on reaching out to those in power and with high influence. “If everyone could do what they possibly could - calling their representative, and calling to their senator, asking to close the skies...Ukraine is fighting for democracy, Ukraine is fighting for freedom, and for every citizen of every free country - I think it’s our right to help. It’s our responsibility to help in the way we can.”

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NEWS

TOWER/MARCH 11, 2022

School celebrates first in-person MLK day since 2020 Hanna Schiciano & Carol Queiroz Associate Producer, Tower Broadcast News & Executive Producer, Tower Broadcast News

O

n Friday Feb. 18, the Masters community came together to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The annual MLK Day events were delayed from their regular date in January “in light of the current surge in COVID-19 cases and the health-related guidance we’ve received,” according to Associate Head for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Roland Davis.

This year’s theme, “The Beloved Community: Building Bridges Across Difference” was inspired by Dr. King’s vision for communities to embrace justice, love and equality. The day’s events are an opportunity for the Masters community to share personal experiences and discuss topics, such as race, gender, culture and sexual orientation.

The day began with an all-school assembly in the Fonseca Center,

which opened with a performance from sophomore Sage Weinstock singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (The Black National Anthem).

Weinstock was followed by performances from 1877: Band Edition, MUSE and the Justice Choir.

“In addition to the day being an opportunity for reflection, it will also be an opportunity to learn and grow as a community,” junior Kuokor Ashie said.

Head of School Laura Danforth echoed Ashie and said, “I hope we feel more connected to one another, more committed to working through our differences and listening deeply to one another, even if you don’t agree with the person who’s speaking, and standing in a circle that includes everyone.”

Amy Bass, professor of sports studies at Manhattanville College and author of One Goal, the inspirational story of a soccer team in Lewiston, Maine, was the featured speaker.

“The Blue Devils [soccer team] made this improbable championship run in one of the whitest states in America, in a city that hadn’t talked about hope for a very long time… The

team didn’t tolerate difference, they didn’t embrace difference, they capitalized on it,” she said. Watching the film The Road to Justice, producer Andre Robert Lee spoke about the importance and process of making the film.

Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Selas Douglas said, “We got a chance to really experience, in a way that highlighted a number of different types of experiences for folk, as well as communicate with perspectives that we don’t always get to see as part of our lived experience.”

He continued, “Connecting to the history and the past I think helps to understand our current context so it’s really important for us to be able to do that if we are going to be who we like to be. ” Students and faculty attended workshops in the early afternoon. There were nineteen different workshops which were led by community members.

Junior Demi Oni who attended “The History and Politics of Black Hair” workshop, led by Davis, said, “It’s something to be proud of, to have Black hair, and you should

make sure not to make the stereotypes affect you, and be proud of your hair, your heritage, whatever your hair means to you, it’s yours to do whatever you want with it.”

The Poor People’s Campaign, a national call for moral revival started

by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, demands social justice for poor people in the United States. Representatives from the Poor People’s Campaign, Karen Collins and Arelis Figueroa, led one of the workshops.

The day concluded in the Claudia Boettcher Theatre with a parliamentary debate on the legalization of illicit drugs in the United States.

Owen Edelson ‘23, Xavier Rolston ‘24, Carlo Asam ‘24 argued the proside of legalization, while Arjun Ratan ‘24, Jessie Xie ‘24, Mahlet Messay ‘24 argued the con-side of legalization.

“There’s still an enormous amount of injustice in our world today and it [MLK Day] is an opportunity for us to remember that, not only on his birthday and all month during Black History Month, but all-year-round,” Karen Collins said.

RYAN GUAN/TOWER

STUDENTS GATHER IN THE Maureen Fonseca Center to participate in MLK Day events and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The Justice Choir and many student led groups performed during the assembly. Junior Kuorkor Ashie shares some personal reflections on the day (top right). Sophomore Sage Weinstock (bottom left) sings the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice And Sing.”

Opinion TOWER/MARCH 11, 2022

3

OP-ED

TOWER 2021-2022

Editors-in-Chief Kira Ratan Sophia Van Beek

EDITORIAL

Unity through unrest: Ukraine demands our action and compassion

O

n Feb. 24, 2022, after several weeks of rising tension provoked by Vladimir Putin, Russia invaded Ukraine, escalating unrest between the two countries that has been ongoing since 2014.

As of March 4, the United Nations has recorded at least 752 civilian casualties across Ukraine since the initial attack. Now, sources confirm that that number has almost certainly risen, as war spreads through Ukrainian city centers.

An estimated 2 million Ukranians have fled the country since the start of the invasion, and nearly half of them are children. Officials are predicting that Russia’s next target is the Ukrainian city of Odessa. Many civilians in and around the capital city of Kyiv are suffering ongoing attacks from Russia as they attempt to evacuate.

The situation in Ukraine is dire, and many of us are more aware than ever. In this case, too, the war feels far less ambiguous to us. Russia’s brazen attack on Ukraine left most of us horrified and perplexed. Perhaps it’s because we and our peers are older and have a greater understanding

of the world around us, or maybe this is simply something that requires all of our attention. In many ways, Masters has given us the opportunity to expand our global perspectives and increase our awareness of these issues, especially regarding how they affect our own community.

Our compassion needs to be with the people of Ukraine, and as we learn how to best support those suffering hardship, let us take this attitude with us when situations arise in other parts of the world. This invasion hits particularly hard because Ukraine looks familiar and we can easily imagine what our own world would be like were we to suffer a similar fate. As we move forward, we also need to remember that people outside of Europe have dealt with, and continue to deal with, similar trauma in many ways, and deserve the same level of empathy that Ukraine rightfully deserves, as well.

What we need to do is help. So much has been put into perspective for us in the last several weeks. The immense privilege many of us hold of having a roof over our heads every night and access to three meals a day, let alone not having

to worry about imminent attacks on our homes, should be put toward the people who are bearing the brunt of Russia’s unprovoked violence.

Support your friends and classmates who are dealing with so much more than we could ever imagine by asking them what they need from you, if they need anything at all. Be proactive and support efforts in Ukraine directly by donating to Razom, a fully-vetted organization sending aid to Ukraine, if you’re able to, or send letters to local elected officials urging them to take federal or state action in solidarity with Ukraine. Don’t lose sight of what is happening as we sit in classrooms and don’t necessarily need to think about how we’re going to survive to the end of the day.

This war is not far away. This war has ties to the very ground we walk on every day. Our friends need our support; Ukraine deserves our support. We have a responsibility to look after those that we see hurting around us, so don’t sit back any longer, not today and not anytime in the future. Let’s put in whatever work we can for this fight because it’s simply the right thing to do.

Let’s curb ‘clapping culture’ Kira Ratan

T

Editor-in-Chief

here’s only one thing to do at Masters when a faculty member comes up to the front of the Theater and scolds 300 people for disrupting Morning Meeting. Give them a standing ovation.

The “clapping culture” here has been a hallmark of my high school experience. And, 90% of the time, I love it. There’s nothing better for an adolescent growing into themselves, or someone who built up the courage to come up and speak about something that means a lot to them, than positive support and reinforce-

even finish his thought, people had already started clapping.

“Reminder: Today is Testing Tuesday! Don’t forget to turn in your sample on the first floor of the Dining Hall by 2:30 p.m.” Clapping.

“Please pick up after yourself and throw your own garbage in the trash.

The maintenance crew should not be subjected to that.” Clapping.

“There’s a black Toyota Sedan double parked in the senior lot. If RYAN GUAN/TOWER this is your car, please move it right CLAPPING CULTURE HAS OVERTAKEN morning meetings at Mas- after Morning Meeting.” More clapters. Kira Ratan argues that we need to think about clapping care. ping.

When we clap for every single ment. Masters is really great at giving epidemic infiltrating our meetings: thing that anybody says, it all losthat to people; we are known for that the empty clap. During a Morning es meaning.

Our sincere celebraMeeting recently, Mr. Newcomb generosity. tions get lost, because we’re going Now that we’re back to gathering came up to the podium and began through the motions without intenas a community in-person, it’s be- to say, “let’s give a big round of aptionality. come clearer that there’s a different plause to…” and before he could

As I look back on the last five years, the moments when we’ve gathered for meaningful connection as a community have been some of my favorites. I want everyone who deserves the love and support Masters knows how to give in abundance to get it, but I want it to be genuine.

Next time we sit down at Morning Meeting, listen to what’s being said.

Clap for senior speeches, and team wins and performances. Clap loudly, and celebrate that feeling of saying something, knowing that the entire school will hear. And the mundane announcements that are there to remind us about the little details in our community, be aware of those, but don’t let them drown out what really matters: gathering together and being deliberate in our kindness.

Clap conscientiously.

The war is here March 5, DOBBS FERRY, NY: Head of School Laura Danforth received a letter from a former student now back in his home country of Russia. He shared his story of protest and repression from within Russia, and she shared it with the faculty. Olga Tymchenko, a private violin lessons teacher here at Masters, who grew up in Ukraine, shared the following message, which she graciously agreed to share with our wider community. For security reasons, we cannot share the student letter and will refer to the former student only as X. Dear Laura, Thank you very much for sharing the letter from very brave X. My thoughts and prayers with him. The threats he is receiving are very real. I grew up under the Soviet Union, which Putin now is trying to rebuild. I remember constant fear and threats my family was receiving. I hope X and his family will be safe! He is a hero.

As I am writing to you now, the dearest places from my childhood (Bucha, Irpen, Vorzel) are taken by Putin’s army. My friends there are besieged, without gas, heat, electricity, food and water. I don’t know who is alive or not. This morning Putin’s army was killing civilians–families who were trying to escape from these cities.

My nephew is in Vorzel in the hospital.

Few hours ago I received the news: this hospital is taken by Putin’s army. The patients are taken as hostages…

My brother is in Ukraine helping people.

He is older, so not in the army. But he is driving refugees to the Polish border. His wife is helping on the border with refugees days and night.

Tonight Putin’s army is trying to get into my city, where I’m from: Kyiv. It’s devastating and horrifying. Hoping for the miracle.

I hope America and NATO would close the skies, to provide a no-fly zone. We need more military help to stop this aggression. Ukraine once had the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world. But Ukraine gave it up in 1994 in

exchange to the promises from America, Britain and Russia not to attack and to defend Ukraine in case of an attack. We hope America stands by its promises.

We hope that the horrible war would be stopped and the aggressor would not be able to rebuild the Soviet Union. Ukraine is an independent, democratic and free country. We desperately need help to fight for our freedom.

Thank you very much for your support!

And thank you once again for sharing the letter from X.. I’ll keep him in my thoughts.

Best, Olga Tymchenko Music Teacher

New intro to broadcasting course opens Maya Phillips

I

Opinion Editor

n addition to Tower and Intro to Journalism, Masters will officially offer an Intro to Broadcasting course for the 2022-2023 school year. This year-long minor will teach students how to explore and make sense of the world using a broadcast news medium. The course will be dedicated to building both reporting and technical skills.

Half of the class will learn how to do field reporting and gather video footage to edit, whereas the other half of the class will learn how to use the studio equipment and do video editing, then the teams will swap for the next news cycle. Students will be taught

the skills needed for script-writing and visual composing. Additionally, the students will be taught a certain level of performing for the camera as a news personality. This course also offers students who have an interest in video production another opportunity to apply those skills with a wider audience than they might otherwise receive on an independent project. This course has an emphasis on working collaboratively. Students will develop teamwork skills as they work extensively with their peers.

“This class will give students an opportunity to learn the necessary skills in broadcasting before they join the TBN staff. It also will bring in more interest to broadcasting and create a stronger staff for years to come,” TBN Associate Producer Hanna Schiciano said.

Chief Design Editor Ellie Yang News Lead Editor Andrew Mitchell News Editors Gisele Cestaro Marianna Gu Opinion Lead Editors Sabrina Wolfson Rowan McWhinnie Opinion Editor Maya Phillips Features Lead Editors Lexi Wachen Kwynne Schlossman Features Editors Maia Barantsevitch Lucas Seguinot Sports Lead Editor Ethan Schlapp Sports Editor Noah Kassell-Yung Social Media Manager Matthias Jaylen Sandoval Web Editor Carlos Heredia Staff Writer Aurora Rose Horn Photo Editor Alejandra Pagano Advertising & Distribution Mgr, Asst. Social Media Mgr. Lily Zuckerman Executive Producer, Tower Broadcast News L. Leys Carol Queiroz Associate Producer, Tower Broadcast News Hanna Schiciano Contributing Writers Oliver Kreeger Alexa Murphy Staff Photographers and Illustrators McKarthy Grimes Charlie Cooper Alpha Zerfu Ryan Guan Ethan Yankey Patrick Phillip Haoqing Shi Tim Yang Joshua Markowitz Phoebe Radke Dosi Weed Sonali Rao Sydney Starkey Faculty Adviser Ellen Cowhey Matt Ives Online Media

For more information, follow Tower on the following platforms: Website: Tower.MastersNY.org Facebook: MastersTower Twitter: @MastersTower Instagram: @MastersTower

Distribution Process

Tower is hand-delivered on the day of publication to the Upper School. 650 copies are printed. A copy is sent to each of our advertisers.

Scholastic Press Affiliations, Letters and Editorial Policy

Tower Broadcast News

NEXT YEAR, A NEW course called Intro to Broadcasting is going to be introduced to Masters. This is the first course of its kind and will teach students how to report, gather video footage, and do video editing.

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 five 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.

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TOWER/MARCH 11, 2022

OPINION

UNMASKING THE ISSUE

Pro: masks should be

optional to the vaccinated Matthias Sandoval

Social Media Manager

“P

ut your mask up”.

“Mask over your nose please”.

“You have a beautiful nose but I don’t want to see it”.

These phrases have become all too familiar to us but on Tuesday March 1, Head of School Laura Danforth announced that the school could finally breathe clearly again. The Masters community will no longer be required to wear masks indoors.

The mask mandate imposed on schools by Former Governor Andrew Cuomo and continued by current Governor Kathy Hochul has finally ended. This is the end of an era, and we as a community have taken a step forward in getting Masters back to normal.

Let’s be clear, earlier in the pandemic Masters absolutely needed to require masks. The world was a scary and uncertain place when we didn’t have the tools and research like we do now but I can assure you that now is the perfect time to drop that requirement.

According to the CDC, Westchester county has low COVID-19 levels. Per every 100,000 people in Westchester county, there are fewer than 200 positive cases. Masters also requires every community member, unless they had an exemption, to receive both doses of the vaccine and the booster shot. With Covid numbers relatively low in Westchester County, plus the vaccine mandate at Masters, we are all protected. and there is really nothing any community member should be worried about.

Who are we to question the health guidance from professionals like the HAT or even the CDC? The CDC was created to protect and advise citizens of the United States. The CDC knows what’s best and what is safe for us through all their extensive and exhaustive research. The CDC is not scared to offer guidance that restricts a “normal” life and activity so their research and guidance is very trustworthy. Should

any individual not feel comfortable with taking the masks off, that is totally okay. I even encourage those who feel uncomfortable without a mask to keep them on. That should be an individual decision, not a mandate that should be burdened on to the whole community.

No one should have any worries about catching the virus. Since the start of the pandemic, Masters took incredible initiative creating the Health Advisory Team (HAT) and they don’t make their decisions lightly. Every member of the HAT is qualified to lead this community and they have every community member’s best interest in mind. They would not have made this decision without considering all the possible risks. Knowing that they finally made that decision tells me that all the possible risks are very minimal.

Students including myself have been sick and tired of wearing masks for about two years now.

The mask makes it difficult to breathe and it’s extremely annoying to wear.

The mask has also stopped us from seeing each other and what we really look like without a mask on. I can barely understand or even recognize basic facial expressions anymore because the mask has been covering them up.

We as a society are losing that social aspect of life. People on campus wore masks with no issue because we needed too if we wanted to actually be in a normal classroom setting to learn. That danger and need is no longer present, therefore the masks are unnecessary. We’d be doing our community a disservice if most schools were to take masks off and we

Con: masks should be required for community

were one of the only school’s in the state to mandate the masks.

Ally Pagano

Photo Editor

R

ecently in New York State, the school mask mandates were dropped which means that The Masters School has lifted their policy as well. Students and faculty are allowed to be on campus and in buildings with no mask but that begs the question as to whether or not this shift is in everyone’s best interest. Personally, I feel that dropping the mask mandates is happening a bit too soon. Along with them dropping the testing, it’s going to make it harder to know who has COVID and to keep us all healthy.

It all seems to be moving really fast in such a short time.

The school should’ve had us keep them for a little bit longer before dropping them. Even though positive COVID cases have been on a decline as of late, there is still a possibility of new variations and spikes, particularly combined with the removal of masks and testing. If we look back at how many people had suffered from COVID cases, which was 4.92 million cases in New York alone, and 66,907 deaths, we can see how quickly it can spread and how many people can be affected. For example, everyone thought the pandemic was over before and then the omicron variant hit and something like that can happen again at any moment.

In addition, New York is even dropping the vaccine requirements to enter restaurants, gyms, and movie theaters. This

means someone could easily go into a public area without being vaccinated, potentially be sick, and spread it to other people they’re around, causing another outbreak. I understand that the other people in those work areas could be vaccinated but it doesn’t mean they can’t get it, they would just be less sick. If that were to happen to someone that attends our school, it could easily be spread to peers and affect the entire community. Everything that Head of School Laura Danforth had worked towards to keep our school safe, could come crashing down in a matter of days.

There’s also been talk about the testing going away along with the mask mandate. Ongoing testing allows the school to know who may have COVID and allows them to take steps from there about what they want to do. If monitoring COVID stops, then a student could mistake symptoms for a common cold or any other small illness, come to school, be in close proximity, and spread it. I think this is something that should be in place for the rest of the school year because with the masks off, I feel that testing is one of the only ways left that students and faculty, whether they have chosen to continue to wear masks or not, can feel safe in the buildings.

These are honestly a few concerns that I have with the mask mandate being dropped. I’m glad that the community is enjoying the freedom of no masks and being able to have a feel of what it used to be like before the quarantine but I think we should be cautious because it’s not totally over and another strain can start at any time. I think we should enjoy this while we have it but we shouldn’t get too comfortable just yet.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION OF LUKE PUTHIYAMADAM BY ELLIE YANG/TOWER

THE EFFECT COLUMN

How the pandemic affected sustainability: tips on avoiding the waste from masks

W

ith society emerging from one of the worst pandemics in the world, it’s reasonable to think that not many people are paying attention to their efforts of being sustainable. While we did give the Earth a break during a somber 6-months quarantine, it is crucial to continue to make more environmentally friendly choices, especially considering that carbon emissions

EFFECT TEAM this year are predicted not only to rise to those of pre-pandemic levels but exceed them according to the International Energy Agency.

The center of media attention in this pandemic has almost shifted entirely to the protective masks.

Some people wear reusable masks, others use disposable ones, but many still continue to throw away their mask after one-time usage.

Some even go so far as to throw their masks away on the roads or in the grass, instead of the trash cans.

Masks have accounted for 3.4 billion pieces of waste daily, and PPE (personal protective equipment) produces much of the plastic waste in the world currently.

So, when you are thinking of throwing your mask away after a trip to the grocery store or returning home from school, think again. Try washing it. While it may seem a little counterintuitive, it has been found that if you wash a mask after using it once, it is still as effective and clean as it

was in the beginning. If this is a little too laborious for you, consider buying a reusable mask. In tandem with other acts of reusing such as washing plastic bags and bottles after using them, you can decrease the amount of the waste you produce and, thus, reduce your carbon footprint. The next time you grab a mask, make sure that you keep in mind the impact it has on the environment.

TOWER/MARCH 11, 2022

FEATURES

The mental wellbeing of adolescents An inside look at the mental health of high school students think I’ve got depressive and anxiety disorders, and it really helps to be able to talk about my self-diagnoses with someone I trust.”

Another anonymous respondent highlighted the size and expectations of the school. “It’s a small school.

It’s easy to imagine what .you say being traced back to you,” They said. “It’s not like everyone’s doing peachy keen, either. I’ve been seeing a therapist for my anxiety, and I’m sure other people have to do that as well.”

Lydia Whitney, Masters counselor, said that students should be seeking out the resources that help them the most. “I truly believe this is a community who does care about its students.

Bad experiences are entirely valid, but nobody should let that supersede their general concerns.

The counseling center prefers to keep things slow and keep students safe.”

TO W KE Y/ ST AR EY N

STUDENTS STRUGGLE WITH MENTAL health during adolescent years. The counseling team encourages students to reach out with any concerns, if they are comfortable.

Resources

ing I can’t handle doing it.”

Although it isn’t standard procedure for dorm parents to bar students from outside activities based on conjecture, the fear of that happening is real for this student. .

When asked who they felt comfortable talking with, this student emphasized the importance of their friendships. “I don’t talk with my family much because I never really have the time, but my friends are always there for me.

I

ER

who asked to remain anonymous, said that it was hard to imagine talking with an adult about their problems without there being consequences. “As a boarder, I can’t imagine talking to my dorm parents about my struggles,” the student said. They continued, “I play sports outside of school, and I don’t want to risk losing that outlet if I say something that gets them think-

D

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at Masters, each equally distributed across the grades.

Participants were asked questions about their mental wellbeing and what resources they relied on. Of those 71 who answered, only six respondents reported that they were seeking counseling help through Masters.

Overall, only one third of the respondents said they were seeking psychiatric care in any capacity, despite over half of the total respondents having some degree of concern about their own mental health.

O n e Masters s t u dent,

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know generally how they are doing in therapy but Executive Producer, TBN not give specifics. There may be times when the igh school therapist thinks it is importstudents are ant to involve the parents p s y c h o l o g - and they generally will ask ically fickle their client’s permission to creatures. That much makes speak to the parent about sense, as they are between something specific. Howevthe developmental stages of er, when a therapist thinks early childhood and adult- that their client is at risk for hood. serious harm to themselves “It’s a transition period or others, they must tell because high schoolers are the parents (or appropriate learning how to be adults adult) and do not need their who can manage and un- permission,” said Dr. Linda derstand themselves,” Ilana Sadler, another WestchesRosenberg, Westchester ter psychologist specializing psychologist for children in adolescents and young through adults, said. adults.

And so, there’s a core An issue complicating method within therapy. the process of getting help “There are many kinds of is the current caseload of therapies, but all of them re- most psychotherapists withquire trust.” Rosenberg said. in New York. “In Westches“Without trust, you don’t ter and the New York area have a therapeutic relation- especially, it seems many ship. It’s hard to talk about mental health professionals certain things, especially for have their hands full. This high schoolers, so they need has been the case especially to know that nothing they since the start of Covid,” say will leave the office.”

Sadler said. “The cost of Client confidentiality is therapy can be expensive, an industry standard for li- but some mental health censed psychotherapists. It providers accept medmeans that nothing a client ical insurance or their shares within the office will fees can be reimbursed be revealed to any degree to a good extent by many with anyone else, including medical insurance plans. the caretakers of a minor. It Also, many mental health can only be broken when a providers have sliding psychotherapist has reason scale fees so there may be to believe their client is a some negotiation based on threat to themselves or oth- a client’s ability to pay.” ers, or that they’re at risk of Having served as Former being hurt by someone else. Head of Support Services at At Masters, it’s hard to Hackley up until this past say who is the caretaker of year, Sadler has come to apboarders. Both a student’s preciate school counselors parental guardian and their in her current role as a pridorm parents are responsi- vate-practice psychologist. ble for their wellbeing.

“When a student is having an “It is often helpful and acute mental health crisis, it important for the parents or is often helpful to work with guardians to be involved to the school to support them. some degree in their child’s School counselors, especialtherapy. Most therapists ly those at Masters, are well working with clients over 12 trained in dealing with these will protect their confiden- kinds of crises.” tiality and only involve their A poll was sent out to 110 parent/guardian to let them randomly selected students L. Leys

MHA Westchester The Mental Health Association of Westchester www.mhawestchester.org (914) 345-0700

WJCS Westchester Jewish Community Services www.wjcs.com 914-761-0600

The Center The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Community Center gaycenter.org 914-384-5333

The Loft Community Center A LGBTQ+ Community Center loftgaycenter.org (914) 948-2932

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TOWER/MARC

FEATURES & ARTS

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the classes listed below are samples of f eatured clas ses for the upco ming school year, 2022 - 202 3. There are more classes that are currentl y foreseen to be run next year including th e broadcastin g class featur ed on page 3 .

Check with your advisor s or dean for the final class list for next yea r.

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FEATURES & ARTS

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DIT : E Y S B N IGN URE DES FEAT OSSMA L D LEA NE SCH N KWY R : ITO O D T E PHO URES NOT I T FEA S SEGU A LUC

8

The Ennui of

Licorice Pizza

S

Acapulco:

a telenovela the world needs

Sophia Van Beek

Aurora Horn

Editor-in-Chief

omething about “Licorice Pizza” resonated with me.

The comedy is directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, known for his discordant dramas starring very-adult actors like Daniel Day Lewis and Julienne Moore. On the other hand, “Licorice Pizza” is a colorful period piece, a portrait of adolescence in 1970s California, and much less obvious in its conceit. Anderson’s previous films were heady and ambitious, but “Licorice Pizza” is ambling; he spends more time establishing a sense of setting and less time developing a forward-moving plot.

In fact, the film doesn’t aim to capture the protagonists’ growth.

Alana and Gary, who are ten years apart, meet when Alana is taking yearbook photos at Gary’s school.

In the film’s final scene, they run into each other’s arms, as they did at least three other moments in the two hour long film. This is not the fault of the characters (they did what they could, given the story they were written into.)

Instead, the time period (both the 1970s and the stage of the characters’ lives) Anderson takes so long to delineate is the obstacle of the film that must be overcome: a permeating boredom and sense of paralysis in one’s circumstances.

What gives the film a distinctly 1970s feel is not Barbara Stresiand, waterbeds, pinball machines, or even the clothing design, but the subtly and sparsely deployed political context. A mostly innocent film about adolescence is backdropped by rising gas prices, police brutality, and political apathy. We laugh when Alana and Gary run out of gas, but the ensuing sequence – a brilliantly-choreographed downhill roll in a truck full of kids that steadily gains speed – reflects most obviously Alana’s sense of crisis, but more ominously, America’s backslide.

Like the general malaise of the 1970s, the film dances around

TOWER/MARCH 11, 2022

FEATURES

S

ROBERT LANDAU

A LOS ANGELES HIGHWAY in the 1973, the year “Licorice Pizza” is set. In this coming of age film, protagonists Gary and Alana adventure through Los Angeles life, picking up odd jobs, meeting celebrities and developing an intimate friendship in the process. politics. Any references to current events exist not to make explicit commentary, but to characterize the life and movements of Californians at the time. There is a type of dramatic irony here – the characters’ apathy towards civil issues is like watching a car wreck – the audience knows where it’s going and can’t look away. When Gary is violently arrested by police officers then promptly released without so much as an explanation, he and Alana embrace then run through the valley. It doesn’t come up again.

There could have been music playing in the background. Maybe the Bee-Gees. I don’t remember.

And that’s sort of the point – “Licorice Pizza” is like a stupor.

Daze-like Hollywood dreaming.

The plot isn’t so much one story, but multiple vignettes of life in the San Fernando Valley. But what connects these vignettes – the through line for a wandering film – is Alana’s experiences with the multiple men who exploit her.

In the opening scene, Alana’s boss sexually assaults her. One of her romantic partners seems only to pursue a relationship for his own ego trip. (It doesn’t work out). She gets drunk with a much older, famous actor who literally throws her off a motorcycle and doesn’t recall

her name. The mayoral candidate she volunteered for led her on with office flirtation, only to use Alana as his fall guy. In a film all about entering adulthood, it begs the question: what is womanhood, other than a perpetual game of dodging men’s violence (physical or rhetorical)? Even Gary’s relationship with her is a form of exploitation: he positions Alana within his own coming-of-age story.

The real center of gravity of “Licorice Pizza” lies in the interactions between these two characters. Their flirtatious relationship seems to be as much out of necessity as it is out of genuine affection. This is what the film does so successfully; it captures the ennui of early adulthood – the fear that there must be something better than Jimmy Carter, abusive men, dating boys who you have no business dating – and the immobility in the face of these truths.

“Licorice Pizza,” took me by the shoulders and put me in front of a mirror. Although it was an uncomfortably accurate portrait of my life stage, I left feeling validated in my roaming, my boredom, my restlessness.

Staff Writer

ome of you may know Chord Overstreet for his music, or for his role as Sam Evans in the hit show “Glee,” which aired from 2009 to 2013. A role you may not know of his, though, is the role of Chad Davies in “Acapulco.”

“Acapulco,” streaming on Apple TV Plus, is a telenovela set in 1984 that follows a young man named Maximo Gallardo, who gets the job of his dreams as a cabana boy at Las Colinas, the hottest resort in Acapulco, Mexico. The story is presented as Gallardo in his older years (played by Eugenio Derbez) telling the story of his younger days to his 14-year-old nephew Hugo (played by Raphael Alejandro). Those of you who have seen the movie, “How To Be A Latin Lover,” may find that

these two actors look familiar: they were both in that movie, and their characters were also named Maximo and Hugo. “Acapulco” is kind of a prequel to “How To Be A Latin Lover,” but also kind of not; you don’t need to have seen the movie to understand the show.

Telenovelas, to those of you who may not be familiar with them, are a type of television soap opera that are popular in Latin America.

“Acapulco” checks all the boxes for a telenovela -- drama, a love triangle, half of it is in Spanish (not to worry, non-Spanish-speakers, there are subtitles!). You may be asking yourself, “Why do I need to watch a telenovela set in the 80s?

Why is this important today?” I could go on for hours about why you should watch “Acapulco”: from the star-studded cast to the fun 80s vibe (the resort where “Acapulco” was filmed was actually painted hot pink for the show), there are so many reasons to check

it out. What drew me to it, though, was the aforementioned Davies.

As someone who binged all of “Glee” in two weeks, rewatched it countless times since, and absolutely adores Overstreet, I’m a bit biased towards Davies, but in my opinion he’s the real main character of “Acapulco.” Davies, the general manager of Las Colinas and son of the resort owner, is ignorant but means well. At the beginning of the show it’s established that, despite having lived in Mexico for three years, he knows nothing about the country and the only Spanish he knows is “buenos nachos.” However, as the series progresses Davies tries to make an effort to learn more Spanish and to see the world outside of his mother’s resort.

In my opinion, Davies is the best character in “Acapulco” because, aside from the fact that he’s a great comic relief character, Davies’ character journey shows us that it’s never too late to educate yourself.

Photo credit: vagueonthehow, Photo Illustration: Ellie Yang

CHORD OVERSTREET AT 33 years old has worked in many hit shows such as Glee and The Middle.

Recently Overstreet has starred in the new Apple TV Plus show Acapulco as Chad Davies. Davies starts as an ignorant boss but with a change of heart Chad expands his narrow mind and explores the area around the resort.

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TOWER/MARCH 11, 2022

FEATURES

9

Alumni department fosters connections Maia Barantsevich

T

Features Editor

he number of Masters alumni climbs higher every June. Through community events, programming and emails, Masters has been working hard to maintain connections with these alumni while working around pandemic restrictions that have limited in-person visitation.

Sujata Jaggi, director of Alumni Engagement and graduate from the Class of 2001, has been working at Masters for seven years. Jaggi has been seeking new and novel ways to continue Masters’ strong alumni engagement through COVID. “I think that we'd like to just think about our alumni population as a whole and then break it out by generation and decade and cater events to those different groups as well as events that would appeal to the broader group at large,” Jaggi said.

As soon as it became safe to do so, all events became in-person with a virtual alternative for those unable to attend.

One of Masters' highly anticipated yearly events is the Sushi Soiree. This tradition includes the current senior class as well as the most recent class of alums. Unfortunately, due to COVID, the Sushi Soiree has been postponed since the beginning of the pandemic.

Recent alum Carolyn Hohl’21 attended Masters for six years.

She is currently a student at

Wellesley College, Massachusetts and had looked forward to this event and her chance to connect with the class below her. “All the young alum and seniors would just eat sushi and talk about life after graduation and basically

network for colleges,” she said.

Hohl saw the event as a good way to connect and stay in touch with people from Masters. She added, “I feel like it would’ve been interesting to see how Masters is now. I feel like we [class of 2021]

and how quickly everything was on zoom.”

Another aspect of Jaggi’s job as director of alumni engagement actually includes constant communication with these alumni to keep them informed and connected to Masters. The alumni office also is responsible for maintaining the alumnae/i and “class notes” sections at the end of the Bulletin, Masters’ community magazine that many alumni receive as part of staying in touch with the school.

“A big part of my job in general is engagement. I spend a lot of time on the phone; a lot of alums love to call me to hear what's going on at school,” Jaggi said.

Amie Servino ‘95, Masters alumni and member of the advancement department has been working at Masters since 2012. Servino has been helping the alumni office and SUJATA JAGGI Jaggi stay connected to the school's ON MAY 15, MASTERS held a virtual ‘Happy Hour’ for all alums to reconnect. Alums from the class of 1962 past while continuto 2015 attended. Prior to COIVD, Masters would hold annual events, like the Sushi Soiree, where all alumni ing into the future. are encouraged to come back to Masters and reconnect, as well as grade-wide reunions, but since the start “In particular, the of the pandemic, the almni dept. has been forced to grapple with maintaining connections through a screen. alumni office is main-

CRACKING THE CODE: Masters dress code through the decades Lily Zuckerman

Ad Manager & Assistant

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Social Media Manager

magine this: It’s the early 1900’s and only women fill the classrooms at Masters.

Everyone’s hairstyle is the same, and so are the length of their skirts. The only way that these young women could differentiate themselves was how they styled their uniforms with decorations such as bows, necklaces, ties, and handkerchiefs.

In a Masters student handbook from the 1963-1964 school year, the dress code stated that “each girl is expected to be suitably dressed and wellgroomed at all times.”

Around the early 1970s, Masters, while still an all-girls school, removed the uniform and created a dress code.

Alumna Katherine Horn ‘80 explained that “The thought of the dress code was to teach us basic personal hygiene. It taught us to come to school put together, and to not look dirty or tattered, but like you cared.”

Even 20 years later, there was still talk about the dress code and finding the balance between expression and regulation.

Even as a coed school, alumna Natasha Bansgopaul ‘04, remembers the ways her peers would get away with breaking the dress code when they had to wear buttoned-up shirts and khakis all day.

She said, “I remember boys in my grade walking around campus when it was hot and they had taken off their button-up shirt, and a teacher would tell them to button it up, even though they had a shirt under it. So there would be guys who would just have their shirt hanging over their shoulder in the event of somebody saying that they needed to be in dress code.”

Bangsgopaul saw a benefit in the dress code, “Fridays [jeans day] was the day that everybody used fashion and creativity to do something different within the realms of permissibility.

It was good because it gave us the opportunity to focus on our schoolwork.”

Even six years later, there were

throughout pandemic

no significant changes to the dress code. Alumna Hannah Miller ‘10 described her thoughts on the dress code.

Miller said, “I did like the keynote.

I preferred the put-together overarching approach to the dress code because, at the end of the day, we were there to learn and be in a classroom.”

In 2016, Sarah Schurr ‘19 gathered a group of students together and started a petition against the dress code. This group of students gathered physical signatures all around school and suggested a “dress philosophy” which many neighboring private schools were practicing at the time.

Scheuer said she was fed up with the dress code “Because education

“

“Though no specific items of clothing are prohibited this does not mean that anything goes. We ask you to be thoughtful and respectful and to seriously consider the messages you are sending through the clothing you choose to wear. If a teacher in your class asks you to change or has a problem with your outfit, please make the requested change and bring the issue to me or the Dean of Students if you disagree with your teacher.”

Freshman Ellie Maiorino ‘25 spoke on her views regarding the current dress philosophy, noting the sense of creative independence it provides. She said, “I think it[the dress philosophy] lets people express themselves in ways they want without being judged.”

This being her 24th year as a teacher at Masters, Upper School Math teacher Michele Dennis has seen many changes to the dress code.

Dennis wore a uniform her whole life.“ It didn’t squelch my individuality.

I think the argument that teenagers often say about expressing your individuality through clothing is bogus. I express who I am through my personality, not through my clothing, because that is superficial.”

Dennis continued, “I feel strongly when we come to a place of learning it should be a mutual respect that we shouldn’t dress as we would dress for a Saturday morning, lounging around the house or going out.”

Eileen Dieck the Professional Development Coordinator, has been at Masters for eighteen years and seen the changes through the dress code. Dieck shared similar opinions of the dress code to Dennis.

She said, “I prefer the dress philosophy in that there isn’t shaming of people for what they wear. However, I would also like to see there be a balance struck so that people are conscious of what they’re wearing for the work that they do, whether they’re a student or a teacher, or staff member.”

Educati on is meant to inspire a more perfect future. And what are we doing? What are we doing by promoti ng these[d ress codes]? This paints sexist and classist ideas.”

- Sarah Schurr ‘19 is meant to inspire a more perfect future. And what are we doing? What are we doing by promoting these?

This paints sexist and classist ideas.”

Scheuer thought about the implementation of the dress code during 2016 when the presidential election was occurring. She said “there was a lot of perpetuating rape culture and classism.

For one in big ways, there were mostly female students being approached and reprimanded for what they were wearing on a daily basis, it made people extremely uncomfortable. Not to mention that Masters prides itself so much in being a place that promotes freedom of expression for students. And there were a few ways you could express yourself.”

Today, however, Masters has no formal dress code because of Schurr’s work. In 2019, Former Head of Upper School Matthew Ives replaced the dress code with a “dress philosophy.”

The dress philosophy states:

are more disconnected from the class of 2020. I haven’t been able to maintain the relationships that I had with the class of 2020 because of how sudden COVID was

taining the knowledge and history [of Masters] and transmitting it to our students today,” Servino said.

COVID has restricted the newly graduated class of 2021’s ability to stay connected to the Masters campus, but some alumni have still had the ability to visit the school and remain in contact with former classmates.

Jake Lehrman 21’attended Masters for eight years and is now at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

“COVID had more of an impact on my ability to stay connected with people and Masters while I was still there. But since I’ve left I feel like it has not really had any impact on my ability to stay connected, I've just been able to do so through text and online access,” Lerhman said.

Although COVID has restricted access to certain engagements with the Masters community, the alumni and advancement department have been able to create a new course of action and continue to keep students and alumni connected.

Jaggi said, “I feel like I’ve looked at COVID as an opportunity to engage with our alums.

We keep a database on all our alums, their contact information, and that's how we reach out to them. I feel like Covid has been a great opportunity for alums who want to stay engaged and hear what's going on and reconnect through zooms. I think it re-engages them in a new way.”

1935 PICTURED TO THE RIGHT is the class of 1935. During this time, the values of modesty and uniformity guided the dresscode choice. Note how every students’ hands are clasped identically.

2001 A 2001 YEARBOOK PHOTO displays the dresscode at the turn of the millenium.

No midriffs, no spaghetti straps, no t-shirts and no sweatshirts were allowed during this time.

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TOWER/MARCH 11, 2022

SPORTS

Off-base: loss of field and coaches leads to frustrating softball exodus

were left without a field. Without the leadership of a permanent coach and Gisele Cestaro a place to practice skills, more than half of the students have left the team.

News Editor Kira Ratan* is a senior who has been on the softball team for four he girls varsity softball team years and is a captain for the secis without a field this season ond year in a row. She talked about due to the construction of how not having proper practice can the new Innovation and En- affect the team’s skill development, trepreneurship Center (IEC). With especially to those who are new. The spring sports having commenced future of the team is at stake since March 1, the coaches and the team most of the experienced players will do not have a set location to practice, be graduating, meaning that there which will powill be many tentially affect younger future games who At first there was no field, players and consishave never tent training and then no coach, which had much time. Since was just one thing after another. time tossthe IEC conWhen there’s a team with a lot of ing the ball. struction is “At players who are eager to learn, but first there going to take several years, you don’t have the right resources, was no field, this raises the and then no it’s hard. question of coach, which what future was just one - Kira Ratan ‘22 lies ahead thing after anfor the softother. When ball team. there’s a team In past years, the team had with a lot of players who are eager to two coaches from Mercy College learn, but you don’t have the right and would practice every day as resources, it’s hard,” Ratan said. well as have their home games on Everything is in the air with Evans Field. This year those two the softball team as of now. They coaches are gone, and no perma- were originally going to practice nent replacement has yet been on Mercy College’s field, but it’s in designated. Mikelle Sacco, upper use for the sports season. Lexi Waschool assistant athletic director, chen*, who has also been a captain of who has lots of softball experience, the team, believes that this situation is currently the temporary coach. could have been handled differently.

With the new circumstances, “It could have been helpful if the team has been displaced onto the they came up with a plan beforeside of the turf on Greene Field as they hand and talked to us about it. It

T

“

RYAN GUAN/TOWER

COACH MIKELLE SACCO WORKS with team members on proper throwing mechanics during a practice at the Greene Field. So far, the team has practiced there as well as on Evans Field. From left to right: Kira Ratan ‘22, Briana Diaz ‘22, Sibora Sadrijaj ‘23. felt like they didn’t start thinking about how this would affect the softball team until our season started. I don’t think they still even really have a plan,” Wachen said.

As of now there are only ten people on the team, and the minimum to play is nine, which leaves little room for people to be sick or

injured without adequate players.

However, the more pressing issue is that games might not even take place this season. Since the team has been placed on the back burner, the decisions are still being made but it leaves those who want to play games in a hard position.

“Games are what motivate

you to go to practice every day and work hard so you can get to that level and compete for your school, so the idea of not having one is definitely harder,” Wachen said.

Since games have been a large tradition at Masters to celebrate players’ last seasons of doing their respective highschool sports, it poten-

tially makes not having games for the final season of the year a let down.

Ratan said, “The prospect of not having a senior game for the final season of athletics is pretty sad because it’s nice to be a part of that.”

Note: Kira Ratan and Lexi Wachen are members of the Tower staff.

TOWER/MARCH 11,2021

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SPORTS

Sports betting legalization causes uptick in underage participants Andrew Mitchell

Lead News Editor

S

enior Jake Smith* has been sports betting with a bookie for a few years now, dealing with the risk, stress and inconvenience of unregulated betting.

However, on Jan. 8, the first online betting sites went live–FanDuel, Draftkings, Caesars and BetRiver– New York state officially became host to legal online and mobile sports betting for adults 21 and over. Smith and his friends quickly switched over their betting to FanDuel. Smith explained that even with the age restriction, the accessibility for minors has exploded.

“It’s pretty much open to everyone now,” he said. “All you need is the social security number of someone over 21 and a credit card and you are set.”

Prior to the legalization of e-betting in New York, the state lost millions of dollars in tax revenue to neighboring states, such as New Jersey. However, at a time where New York is aiming to rebuild after a financial struggle caused by the pandemic, the state hopes to source funding from other means of revenue, such as sports betting. Legalizing online sports betting has proven success-

ful in terms of state funding, leading to around $2 billion in bets, $138.5 million in sports betting revenue and $70.6 million in taxes in just the first 30 days through New York’s mobile sportsbook.

Much of the accumulated revenue can be attributed to the ease that online betting provides to its users, even those who are under 21. Sophomore Roy Jones* explained that even though using the information of a legal adult to register with a sports betting site is not necessarily legal, neither is the current alternative for minors.

“I used to bet with a bookie, but that felt really sketchy. It used to feel really illegal. Now, I just have to google DraftKings, and I can place any bet I want on a legit website. It feels much more legal even if it is not,” Jones said.

Smith described the impact that the legalization has had on the Masters student body.

“As soon as we could place bets online, it just exploded. Everyone is betting now. It spread like a pandemic.” He continued, “I started off by just placing a few smaller bets for my friends. When they made money off their first bets, they got their parents’ social security numbers and started placing bets. It’s so addicting.”

Jones explained that the widespread underage betting has been problematic for all of his friends.

Phoebe Radke/Tower

ONLINE AND MOBILE SPORTS betting has become legal for adults in New York state aged 21 and over. However, many of those under 21 have started to bet because of its easy access; all one needs is a social security number of a person aged 21 years or older and a credit card in order to bet online.

The large sum of money collected by the government comes from a hefty 51% tax on all profits made via online sports betting. This means that in order to profit, an individual must win twice as much as they lose.

Junior Mike Bennett* expressed his frustration upon realizing that half of his earnings were being taxed.

“I thought I had made about 200 dollars until I went to cash out after a big weekend of betting. Then I realized that I was actually down 100. It felt like such a rip off,” Bennett said.

In addition to the large tax that many are unaware of, Jones explained that his friends are betting “irresponsibly.”

“They make all of these stupid 10-leg parlays (a bet contingent on many different events occurring) that never hit. They love that they can make 100 dollars off of ten, even if it never happens,” he said.

Smith echoed Jones’ sentiment. “As teenagers we all have very addictive personalities. Once someone realizes they can win 300

dollars without doing any work, they do it again and again and again.”

*Note: Student names have been replaced with aliases for this article in order to preserve anonymity.

Positive drug test sparks racial controversy at 2022 Olympics Kwynne Schlossman

A

Lead Features Editor

s the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China come to a close, it seems like the world’s eyes are on athletes more than ever. Conversations about performance enhancing drugs, especially, have been a topic of recent discussion. Over the past decade drugs have exceeded expectations for popularity for high-level athletes across the world.

Kamila Valieva

K

amila Valieva, the 15 year-old Russian figure skater who was widely predicted to be a gold medal candidate in the recent Winter Olympics, became embedded in a doping scandal just before her debut on February 8. Following

her positive test, Valieva was at first suspended then admitted to compete prior to a hearing by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency. Valieva, who was the first woman to land a quadruple jump in a Winter Olympic Games, ended up falling short of the gold medal predictions, coming in 4th overall. However, the Russian figure skating team ended up finishing first, creating questions surrounding the legitimacy of their gold medal. The controversy over the recent doping scandal has resulted in weights of stress onto the teenage olympian. Even though the games are over, a close watch continues on Valieva and her unresolved case. If Valieva is convicted of doping, this could result in the 47th medal stripped from

Russia as a result of a doping case.

Trimetazidine, a heart medication commonly used to treat angina, was responsible for Valieva’s positive test. In athletic competition Trimetazidine can enhance endurance by increased blood flow to the heart. Valieva explained her grandfather commonly takes this medicine and believes the positive test is due to a simple mix up.

While Valieva’s test certainly triggered controversy this Olympics, the history of doping and using chemicals to enhance athletic performance dates back years, especially to the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The scandal consisted of a result of 99% of the Russian athletes competing tested positive for illicit drug enhancers. This ties back to a statewide sponsorship and government involvement of permitting the athletes to participate. The Luu/Wikimedia Creative Commons

KAMILA VALIEVA SKATES AT the 2019-2020 ISU Junior Grand Prix, where she finished first in the Junior Ladies division.

Crossword

Created by Andrew Mitchell

Russian lab ended up destroying more than 1,000 drug samples, as they were knowingly going to come out positive. The only reason this happened was because Russia was working from the inside to try to ensure their athletes were not caught. This resulted in the full suspension of Russian athletics; now Russia is only allowed to compete under the Russian Olympic Committee due to the suspension. Between Dec. 17, 2020, and Dec. 17, 2022 no Russian athlete can participate in the Olympics.

The reason Valieva got to compete was due to the fact that she was a minor, as stated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The organization feared she would bear lifelong “irreparable harm” if not permitted to compete.

past summer who also tested positive on a drug test prior to the Olympics but was restricted from competing. Richardson, the track star who tested positive for marijuana, explained that she was using the drug to cope with her mother’s recent passing.

After hearing about Valienva and her permission to compete regardless of her test results she said, ​​“Can we get a solid answer on the difference of her [Valieva’s] situation and mines?” Richardson wrote on Twitter on Feb. 14. “My mother died and I can’t run and was also favored to place top 3. The only difference I see is I’m a black young lady.”

Sha’Carri Richardson jenaragon94/Wikimedia Creative Commons

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ha’Carri Richardson, predicted gold medalist for the 100 meter sprint in the Beijing Olympics this

ACROSS: 1. Powerful people* 8. Cigar dangler 11. Part of a set 14. Non-living 15. Many an order at 1-down 16. Row boat rower 17. Sailing race 18. Wine; prefix 19. Consume, as in drugs 20. LA or MI, but not DO or RE 21. Microsoft founder* 24. Jr.s followers 26. Zilch 27. Merlot and Pinot Noir 28. Upper left key 31. Sponges up with bread 33. Watson creator comp.

35. Oozing mass 37. Garfield, for one 38. Pho bit 42. New York destination with 12,000 plant species* 45. Audio system 46. ___ Stopper (candy) 47. Hourglass content 48. Either T in AT&T 49. Bemoans 51. Ming of the NBA

SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON RUNS IN the women’s 100m at the U.S. Olympic trials which took place in Eugene, Oregon in June, 2021. Richardson won the race with a time of 10.86s, but was unable to compete in the Olympics after testing positive for marijuana.

52. Many a solo 55. “Hello” in Rio 57. Aliens 59. Seafood chain* 62. Sleeper’s woe 66. Pal, for Pierre 67. Calculus calc.

68. Book building 70. Roll-able bed 71. Indiana Jones foe 72. Sun-blocking astronomical event 73. Fury 74. Pigs’ dig 75. “Stayin’ Alive” singers, or a clue to this puzzle’s themed stared entries

13. Journalists as a collective 22. Photo-sharing app 23. Puts plates on 25. Professional people watcher 28. “Flows” partner 29. Coin receiver 30. ____ d’Ivoire 32. ___-man (arcade game) 34. Flamboyant prop 36. Bill for beers 39. Turning point of WWII 40. Funny Dunham 41. Opposite of “exo-” 43. “Once named” 44. Cindy ___ Who (young resident of Whoville) 50. Horse home 52. Counting machines 53. Grapevine item 54. Warning to one who gets too close 56. Like a bad mattress 58. Piece of parsley 60. Sadly 61. Commoner, in old Rome 63. “Pain in the neck,” site 64. Highland tongue 65. Votes of approval 69. Rocks, at a bar

DOWN: 1. Word following “monkey” or “gold” 2. “Suuuuuuuurrrrreeee” 3. Prefix for one billion 4. Capricorns 5. Whispers 6. Critique to “pick” 7. Scrape souvenir 8. Vowel heavy sauce 9. Contest with a bell 10. Get hooked?

11. Waze suggestion 12. Relaxed Want to submit a crossword to Tower?

Contact andrew.mitchell@mastersny.org

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TOWER/MARCH 11, 2022

SPORTS

Sports

Masters alumna Sam Coffey prepares for pro soccer debut giately at Boston College. Coffey fondly reminisced on her high school playing days as some of her favorLead Sports Editor ite moments in her soccer career.

“And I think just my favorite hen Masters alumna Sam memories of playing at Masters Coffey’s (‘17) parents are really just focusing on having signed her up for a lofun while playing,” she said. “Becal American Youth Soccer Orgacause I think at that high school age nization (AYSO) team as a four or you’re getting recruited and at the five-year old, she had no idea where time I was going to a lot of youth the game would take her. Almost national team camps and there was twenty years removed from her time just a lot of pressure, but when I spent wearing the pink jerseys of was just out there with the team, the Hedgehogs, she finds herself as a second-round draft pick for one with my girls, my best friends, we of the top teams in the NWSL (Na- were just playing and it was so fun.”

After playing at Boston College tional Women’s Soccer League). for two years While and securing much has a handful of changed for awards and I’m just taking it all in stride, the star midaccolades, infielder over learning as I go, just trying to be a cluding being the course of sponge in that regard and learning named ACC her career, Midfielder of one thing from the people who have paved the Year in has remained the way for me and who have more 2018, Coffey constant: her transferred passion for experience. But I am loving it out to Penn State the sport. here and this is a really special team University It’s what mofor her final tivated her and a really special club and I’m just two years of to become a eligibility. In honored to be a part of it, professional her interview soccer player -Sam Coffey ‘17 with Tower, and has kept she spoke her coming about the back ever reasoning behind her transfer. since she first stepped foot on the pitch.

“Again, I’m so thankful for the “I always have loved [soccer]. time and the people that I met at And so that’s what’s led me to this BC, but ultimately it just wasn’t the point,” Coffey said. “It’s just the best fit, specifically just from a cullove of the game and having so ture standpoint and a longing to much fun when I’m out there.” grow,” Coffey said.

“I just felt like I At Masters, Coffey served as needed to be just a little bit pushed captain of the girls varsity team for more and challenged more and just two years and helped lead her team be in a culture where I was going to to the Fairchester Athletic Assobe sharpened every day.”

After enciation (FAA) semi-finals before committing to play soccer colle- tering the portal, Penn State’s head Ethan Schlapp

W

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coach Erica Dambach was one of the first to reach out to her, leading to her eventual commitment soon after. At Penn State, Coffey was instrumental in leading her team to the Big Ten Championship in 2019, scoring a penalty kick in the final against Michigan University.

Last year, after the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) granted student-athletes another year of eligibility, Coffey decided not to enter her name in the 2021 NWSL draft because she was uncertain about her future.

“I didn’t enter the draft because I did want that freedom to have the option [to stay at Penn State]. If you entered your name in the draft, you had to leave at the end of that spring season, and I didn’t know if I wanted to do that or not, so I didn’t enter,” she said. “I only found out a couple days before that I would even be in it; I didn’t know that that was a thing,” she continued.

Nonetheless, Coffey was selected twelfth overall by the Portland Thorns in the 2021 NWSL draft, which she describes as a “wild experience.”

Still, after consulting with family and coaches, Coffey decided that it would better serve her to stay at Penn State for that extra year so that she wouldn’t regret not taking advantage of available time there and so that she could improve her skills. Looking back, Coffey is satisfied with her decision.

“I grew so much [during] that last year at Penn State and I wouldn’t have changed that decision for the world and it’s ultimately set me up to be really ready to be [in Portland] right now,” she said. “It was tough to kind of put that [professional soccer] dream on hold for a little bit, but I have no regrets when it comes to that decision and I’m so glad to be here now and to have truly

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PORTLAND THORNS

SAM COFFEY TRAINS IN practice for the Portland Thorns. She was drafted by the Thorns in 2021, but chose to stay at Penn State University for an additional year before joining the team at the beginning of 2022. done and exhausted all of my time at Penn State because I don’t think I could have left without doing that.”

After arriving in Portland in mid-January to begin training for the season, Coffey has been settling into all of the changes in her life. From making connections with her new teammates to discovering new restaurants (including a New York-style bagel place) Coffey is excited about where the game has brought her.

“I’ve never had this much fun playing soccer before. I just am enjoying every second I’m out there learning from the best, playing with

Aidan Lothian crosses finish line of final indoor track season Ellie Yang

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Chief Design Editor

idan Lothian said that he has always loved running.

From being the fastest 4th grader in elementary school to now placing first in 600 meters

in Westchester County, track and running has been a big part of his journey. This season, Lothian broke personal and school records in 600 meters and one mile, and set a school new record 600 meters when he placed first in Westchester, ending his indoor track time at Masters on a high note.

Lothian started track at Masters his freshmen year, and has par-

ticipated in 11 total track seasons to be able to go for a run through across indoor track, outdoor track, the streets, just kind of mindlessly and cross country. However, Mas- running, and be able to break down ters is not the starting line of his any drama and stress that’s going track career. Lothian gained his on in my head.” Running has also passions for running at a young age become a thread that has strung when he realized that he had talent together his different life experiin the sport. He said, “As a little ences as he moved from Seattle, kid, you love being better than oth- to Dallas and finally New York. er people at things. But, as time “It’s given me so many of my best went on, I learned to appreciate the friends throughout life, whether beauty behind the track. Seeing the it’s been through school, through practice results come out in phys- camps, though moving…” he said. ical times and seeing myself imLothian said the team’s last prove over the years is something meet at the Armory, a track in NYC, I have become obsessed with.” left an impression on him. “I’ve The obbeen running session he there [Armentions mory Track] has led him Track is such a good since seventh to push himgrade even self to do the parallel to what life is. It has given before I came best that he Masters me an understanding that in order to could during so it’s been practices. He to succeed in something, you almost like a said “I think second home track is such really have to put in the work. for me.” He a good parcontinued, allel to what “So many - Aidan Lothian ‘22 life is. It has generationgiven me an al runners understandhave been ing that in order to succeed in there that I’ve looked up to my something, you really have to put whole life and so having my last in the work.” For Lothian, track meet there with all our friends is not an unpredictable sport. and teammates was emotional but “Your results are only going a very, very good experience.” to be based on how much work This season was not Lothian’s you’re willing to put in,” he said. final track season at Masters. He Because of the time he has will continue to pursue his passion spent running on and off the track, for running in a final season of outthe sport is now not only a chal- door track, his favorite of the three lenge for him to push himself be- seasons. He said, “You get those yond his limits but also a place for first few days where it finally starts reflection. He said, “Running has breaking 60°F, the sun’s out, we provided for me a place to really have our music playing, it’s just a think about things. It’s peaceful really great experience all around.”

“

PHOTO COURTESY OF AIDAN LOTHIAN

AIDAN LOTHIAN WITH TRACK coach Luciano Fiore after his final indoor track meet of the season. Lothian finished 2nd in NYSAIS which placed him in Westchester County.

the best, playing with World Cup champions, playing with FIFA World players of the year,” Coffey said.

“I’m just taking it all in stride, learning as I go, just trying to be a sponge in that regard and learning from the people who have paved the way for me and who have more experience.

But I am loving it out here and this is a really special team and a really special club and I’m just honored to be a part of it,” she later added.

It’s been a long journey for Coffey from the first time she tried on cleats and shinguards, and while there have been numerous ups and downs along

the way, she spoke on what has allowed her to reach this height of success.

“I have a very, very strong faith and so I’m not going to take credit for any of it; if I’m giving you the honest truth, it’s the grace of God,” Coffey said. “But with that, I think there’s no secret formula; like there is no ‘I eat vegetables at 7 a.m. and then I go and I watch film and I work all day.’ I’ve always tried to be the hardest-working person in the room. That’s been my foundation and my fallback. If nothing else, I want to work the hardest and just give my all to anything I’m setting myself out to do.”

Track Accolades

PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSE XU

MASTERS’ INDOOR TRACK TEAM after the NYSAIS championships. Multiple different runners claimed personal and regional achievements which include Oluwademilade Oni and Sarah Wu both topping the Westchester standings in their respective events. Camille Smith claimed second place in Westchester for her event as well.

Sarah Wu Ranked first place in Westchester for the long jump. (Second from right, back row) Camille Smith Ranked second place in Westchester for the 55m and 300m. (Third from right, back row)

Oluwademilade Oni Ranked first place in Westchester for the 55m. (Not pictured)