Tower Issue #4 Volume 76 2019-2020 by Tower

Tower The Masters School

49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522

VOLUME 76, NUMBER 4

Editorial The new decade has kicked off with a chaotic start, filled with bleak news headlines and seemingly unfixable problems. In this issue, Tower discusses the importance of keeping our heads up and focusing on making progress forward, one step at a time.

FEBRUARY 7, 2020

tower.mastersny.org

MLK Celebration creates platform for advocacy Logan Schiciano Editor-in-Chief

he Masters School community commemorated the work of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. through a series of presentations, speeches and activities on Thursday, Jan. 16. The day, which began with an all-school assembly in the Fonseca Center gymnasium, was an opportunity for members of the Masters community to share personal stories and shed light on various topics of social justice. The theme for this year’s MLK Day celebration was, ‘Speaking, Hearing, and Opening Up Together: ‘How and why do we stand up in the face of resistance and adversity?’” The assembly is a long-standing tradition; this year, Director of Equity and Inclusion Karen Brown headed the operation for the first time, with the help of Upper School Diversity Coordinator and Dean of the Class of 2021 Eric Shear, CITYterm Director of Res-

idential Life & Equity and Inclusion Coordinator Jayde Bennett, student Diversity Ambassadors and club leaders. In previous go-arounds, former English Department Chair Robert Cornigans played a crucial role in the planning of the event, and had been a participant in the program since 2006. Following Cornigans resignation just days before last year’s celebration, K. Brown – who formerly played a supporting role in the organizing – steppedup and facilitated the final rehearsals and the day. Both of K. Brown’s parents were activists and her family was the first family of color to purchase a home in the neighborhood of Miller Beach, Ind. She surprised the audience towards the end of the morning assembly when she invited her mother, Cornelia Brown, to share, first-hand, her experience of life during the civil rights era. C. Brown told the story of when she first felt discriminated against, recalling when she took a trip from her hometown in Iowa to visit relatives in South Carolina. Her family was forced to give up their seats on the train,

only to move to the black-person car where they were left to sit on the floor. She also recalled the assasination of King and said that in the wake of his death, people of color had to overcome feelings of hopelessness to see King as a martyr. Head of School Laura Danforth spoke to the day’s theme in her remarks at the opening of the assembly. Like C. Brown, she shared an anecdote from her past. Through much of her childhood, Danforth dealt with the impairment of stuttering; when she was in the seventh grade, one of Danforth’s classmates stood up for her – an act that she said required a great deal of courage. Danforth and her classmates had each prepared to do a recitation, but when Danforth’s teacher skipped over her, claiming that she would take too long because she stuttered, she recalled one of her classmates who said, “If Laura doesn’t read, I don’t read.” Looking back at the experience, Danforth noted the act displayed

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DIRECTOR OF EQUITY AND Inclusion Karen Brown (right) discusses the civil rights movement with her mother, Cornelia (left), SOPHIA VISCARELLO/TOWER

who came to Masters as a guest to participate in the annual MLK Day celebration. This was K. Brown’s first time as lead organizer of the event from start to finish.

SOPHIA VISCARELLO/TOWER

Newcomb and Carnevale: Interim positions made permanent

SOPHIA VAN BEEK/TOWER

DEAN OF STUDENTS JEFF Carnevale converses with Senior Rosemary Termini and Junior Zachary Battleman in his office in Masters Hall. His position as Dean was officially made permanent last month. ence at the school. They will work with the students, faculty and trustees on a Sophia Van Beek variety of affairs, from disciplinary decisions to executive committee proposals. Copy Editor Carnevale began his employment in 2004 as a technical director for the An entire room of faculty erupted in Department of Performing Arts and, in cheers when Jeff Carnevale and Peter the fall of 2016, became the dean to the Newcomb’s respective permanent po- Class of 2020 and, in the fall of 2016, sitions as dean of students and head associate dean of students. Last June, of upper school were announced in a he assumed his current role of dean of meeting on Jan. 6, according to English students on an interim basis. teacher Miriam Emery. Carnevale said he has a passion for “It’s one of the longest applauses I’ve connecting with people in the Masters ever heard from the faculty… People community, which is why he enjoys bewere just super happy,” she said. ing the dean of students. The decision was subsequently an“What really interested me was nounced in a school-wide email sent on working with students and families, Jan. 7 from Head of School Laura Dan- navigating difficult issues, building reforth. Newcomb and Carnevale origi- lationships, and dealing with and renally held interim positions after last pairing harm,” he said. year’s Upper School Head Nikki Willis Carnevale added that his history bevacated the position last June. ing a technical director in theater arts According to Emery, Danforth spoke has guided him as a leader in a unique to the value of national searches in the way. faculty meeting, a process which led the “I approach things from an artist’s school to Dean of Faculty Samuel Sav- perspective: with feeling. Feelings matage. However, Newcomb and Carnevale ter,” he said. were ultimately selected. This philosophy shows in his goal to Both Newcomb and Carnevale are bring restorative justice, an approach long-standing members of the Masters to addressing harm, to the school comcommunity with over a combined 18 munity in a greater way. He currentyears of teaching and leadership experi- ly teaches restorative justice in ninth

grade seminar. “We can develop more ways to communicate with each other, talk with each other about what we’re experiencing, listen to each other, and learn and grow together,” Carnevale said. He hopes to bring what he loves most about Masters, “working with everyone, supporting our students, and making school as meaningful as it can be for the teachers, students, everyone who is involved,” to his now permanent position. Senior Gabriela Seguinot said Carnevale succeeds both as a class dean and dean of students, though he has brought a different energy to the two positions. “As a class dean, he really makes an effort to make sure that the environment we’re creating for each other – especially with college stuff buzzing around – is an environment of positivity and support,” she said. “He tries to foster that as dean of students as well, but it’s a different job, because dean of students requires handling discipline, while our class dean is making sure our class is being the best we can be in our four years.”

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SOPHIA VAN BEEK/TOWER

UPPER SCHOOL HEAD PETER Newcomb shows off his numerous rubber ducks, gifted to him by members of the Masters community.

COURTESY OF SHELL BENJAMIN

AMINA CHOUDHRY‘19 (left) ENGAGES in teambuilding games on the 2018 summer trip to Senegal. This year’s trip was canceled due to insufficient applications.

Senegal trip canceled kira ratan

Web Editor and Social Media Manager After pushing back the application deadline from Dec. 4, 2019 to Jan. 8, 2020, Director of Global and Civic Exchange Robert Fish announced that the upcoming trip to Senegal this June would be cancelled because of excessive costs and a very small group size. Several students, along with chaperones Abdoulaye Ngom, Shelly Kaye and Shell Benjamin, were set to travel to Dakar, Senegal shortly after the school year ended, from June 10-29. In Senegal, participants would have lived with a host family from Masters’ sister school, Cours St. Marie de Hann, and explored the cities and the culture of Senegal together. Fish said just over ten people had applied for the trip, which was less than they had expected. Fish spent several days trying to work out logistics, but ultimately decided that it would not be feasible for the trip to take place, as it would be too expensive. It is unclear why so few students applied for the trip this year, considering the popularity of the 2018 trip and the number of students who hosted Senegalese exchange students last Spring. “We always have to work very hard to get participation in the Senegal trip historically, but I’m not sure what the reason is for the very low numbers this

year,” Fish said. Junior Shamira Guillaume wasn’t planning to apply for the Senegal trip at first, but after hearing more about it decided to apply. She said she had been looking forward to going and sharing new experiences and opportunities with her classmates and host family before the trip was cancelled. “One thing that was pointed out to me when I was considering applying was the difference in culture. Ms. Benjamin told me that when you’re there, everyone is so warm and welcoming. In a state like New York, not a lot of people are like that, so I was excited to feel the love,” she said. Faculty members and students who had applied were upset to hear that the trip was cancelled, but Fish said he is hoping to offer the Senegal trip again next year as well as host the Senegalese students at Masters again next April. “It’s disappointing, as I do think it’s a trip that’s had a tremendous positive impact on students who’ve gone in the past. I think it’s very important for the School to maintain this program.” Fish concluded that visits to places like Senegal are integral to his mission of helping students interact with others beyond the boundaries of The Masters School. “Our goal is to create meaningful conversations and participate in meaningful activities, whether it be kids in the United States or kids overseas in Senegal and elsewhere,” he said.

NEWS

TOWER/FEBRUARY 7, 2020

Coronavirus inspires fear and philanthropy at Masters michelle Wei Editor-in-Chief Three days before her flight back to Beijing, Karen Li woke up to a text message from her dad saying he’d canceled her flight. Like many others, Li’s plans to spend Chinese New Year with her family were interrupted by the spread of the coronavirus.

New coronavirus discovered in China The World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed the outbreak a global health emergency but are confident in China’s capacity to contain the virus. Because the virus was discovered in December 2019, research has just begun. The novel coronavirus, also known by its scientific name 2019nCov, is reminiscent of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus outbreak in 2003. As respiratory viruses, both can travel through the air when droplets form after someone coughs, sneezes, breathes or talks. According to Karen Li’s father, Richard Li, this reminiscence is what drew his attention to the discovery of the new coronavirus back in December, before infection rates rose. Richard Li recalled the panic of the SARS outbreak 17 years ago when he was living in Beijing. However, there are some differences between the 2003 SARS virus and this new coronavirus. As of Thursday, there have been 564 deaths according to The New York Times. On Tuesday, regarding the recovery to death ratio, China’s Health Commission reported there have been 632 recoveries and 425 deaths nationwide due to the coronavirus. While the number of deaths has exceeded the number of deaths from the 2003 SARS outbreak, the SARS outbreak had a mortality rate of about

PHOTO CREDIT HUMAN/POSITION

Photo illustration by MICHELLE WEI/TOWER

FACE MASKS HAVE BECOME scarce amidst the novel coronavirus outbreak, for individuals and hospitals in China alike. Other major citiies like Hong Kong have also experienced a surge in face mask purchases. The Chinese government has ordered citizens to don face masks every time they walk outside in order to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. 9.6 percent, whereas only about 2 percent of those infected with the new coronavirus have died, The New York Times said. Another New York Times article reported that the death rate may be even lower because people with mild cases may never visit a doctor, or on the other hand, the death rate may be higher if people die without being able to see a doctor. 28,080 total cases have been confirmed within China and the virus is spreading faster than the SARS outbreak did. Outside China, there are 225 confirmed cases and one death. In the United States, only 12 cases have been confirmed. Due to the contagious nature of the disease, Chinese authorities have closed off the city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus originated.

Home to 11 million people, buses, subways, and ferries have been suspended within the city, while plane rides and train trips leaving the city have been canceled. With limited testing kits, medical supplies and ambulances, and long lines outside hospitals, the Chinese government has pledged to build new hospitals in Wuhan. Additionally, the existing Wuhan hospitals have turned to the public for aid.

Masters students mobilize In response to seeing a Wuhan hospital post a list of needed materials on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media app, freshmen August Liu and Jesse Xu organized a fundraiser with 22

other non-Masters Chinese students studying abroad in the United States. Using WeChat, the group raised over 80,000 RMB--roughly 11,840 USD. The group used the money to buy surgical face masks, which have become scarce after the outbreak. Liu said that tighter government control might limit the delivery of further purchases. “In the future two weeks, it is not guaranteed materials bought personally will be delivered. But it’s good that the government has taken more control of specific hospitals because they can prevent more people from becoming infected and they can support citizens better.” Liu also emphasized that he believes things will get better. At Masters, Liu and Xu are involved

with another fundraising campaign for a nonprofit organization that will send aid to Wuhan. Liu and junior Victor Lantao Li announced the campaign in an all-school meeting. After seeing that the Wuhan hospital had asked for public assistance on Chinese New Year, Victor was moved to act. “The following Monday, the first day back in school, I approached Ms. Danforth and Mr. Newcomb. It was so urgent. I knew I had to do something. They were totally supportive and told me to talk to Ms. Torino.” Torino, who is the head of MISH, then helped Liu, Xu and Victor Lantao Li connect. Victor Lantao Li is hoping to raise as much money as possible.

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Trump era alters political discussions in classrooms

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SHAKES hands with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump was impeached on counts of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power for witholding foreign aid to gain advantage in the 2020 election.

Annie Rubinson News Lead Editor History teacher Colleen Roche has been working at the Masters School for 24 years, but she said the Trump presidency has marked a true turning point in the ways in which she has covered current events in her classes. “This presidency is off the charts,” she said. “I never used to be partisan, but it would be unethical for me as an educator to overlook a lot of what Trump has said and done.” Roche was one of thousands of teachers nationwide who, following the 2016 presidential election, increased the place of discussions of politics and other current events in the classroom. But, according to a 2016 survey by the Southern Poverty Law Center, only half of the 10,000 surveyed educators nationwide felt the same way, while the others reported to have been “hesitant to discuss the election in class.” Three years after he was elected, on Dec. 18, 2019, the United States House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump on the grounds of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. Allegations of misconduct against Trump were brought to light with the release of the 2019 Mueller investigation, in

which former FBI Director Robert Mueller declared that Trump had engaged in 10 potential obstructions of justice, including foreign coercion during the 2016 election and pressuring ex-Attorney General to un-recuse himself from the investigation. Additional obstruction and abuse of power charges that led to impeachment emerged after initially hidden phone calls between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were uncovered through a whistleblower complaint. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi initiated an impeachment inquiry soon after. Roche said she noticed a more heightened sense of unrest within the Masters community during the impeachment proceedings than in previous years amid similar situations. She recalled the aftermath of President Bill Clinton’s 1999 impeachment for obstruction of justice. “It was a novelty,” she said. Clinton’s obstruction occurred after he lied under oath about his sexual relationship with his intern, Monica Lewinsky. Most members of the Masters community believed that Clinton’s actions, while incondonable, “didn’t rise to the level of impeaching and removing,” Roche said. She added that many viewed Clinton’s impeachment as a “political maneuver.” Trump’s impeachment evoked a stronger reaction. “Many people have made the ar-

gument that it’s worse than what Nixon did,” she said, referring to the 1972 scandal, in which then-President Richard Nixon had operatives break into the Democratic national headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. “It shakes the foundations of the government.” Roche said it is possible that the predominantly liberal culture of the students at Masters has played a role in the heightened sense of intensity surrounding the impeachment, as Trump is a Republican and Clinton was a Democrat. “I’m sure we could find schools in America where they feel that impeaching President Trump is terrible,” she said. History and International Relations teacher Brendon Barrios agreed, adding the demographics of Masters students impact sometimes their ability to “rationally” discuss current events. “Being in Westchester, N.Y. impacts our ability to talk about Trump” he said. “Whenever you bring up the idea of impeachment, it’s a pile-on.” Emma Suttell, a senior at Boulder Creek High School in Arizona, a traditionally red state, described the culture of political discussion at her school as “nonexistent.” On top of teachers not being permitted to share their political opinions in the classroom setting (as it is a public school), Suttell said students rarely engage in political dialogue or political activism. After the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., she said only between 200 and 300 students out of 2,600 participated in a school-sponsored walk-out. With regard to Trump’s impeachment, Suttell noticed similar trends. “People have kept their beliefs to themselves, [and] a lot of teachers try to brush it under the rug if you try to bring it up,” she said. Having taught history for over two decades, Roche said she looks forward to seeing how history treats this impeachment as more information comes to light. “Right now we’re reading the newspapers, but newspapers aren’t history,” she said. “I don’t think the story gets any better for Trump.”

GEORGE CHANG/TOWER

SOPHOMORE DECLAN MYERS-BROWN (RIGHT) and senior Judah Francella play basketball during a free period. Sophomore frees were recently passed under an executive committee bill.

Study hall bill passed Reed GilmoRe Ad and Distribution Manager

Boarder Representative Caio Lanes passed a bill in Executive Committee on October 2nd that would limit sophomores to a maximum of four study halls per eight day cycle, replacing any extras with free periods. With the recent change in schedule, Lanes saw study halls becoming increasingly less effective, given students now had 80 minutes in an individual study hall, compared to the previous 55, but have an equal amount of work as previous years. “Having so many study halls has become unnecessary… Those who don’t have any work go on their phones or become distractions to the other students who have work to do,” Lanes said. The newly implemented study hall strategy has been the third change in protocol in the past six years, according to Carnevale. When the Dean’s List was employed, students with an average grade-point average of at least an A- and no class grades lower than a B were placed on the “Dean’s List” which granted them free periods rather than study halls. However, the Dean’s List criteria was later done away with. According to current Dean of Students, Jeff Carnevale, “It didn’t promote desired study habits in students and left many of them out which created a divide in the grade.”

Sara Thorn, associate head of the upper school, agreed that this system needed to change. She said, “I didn’t think it was fair and I was glad to see that go. No matter your grades I think it is important that you learn good study habits.” She continued, “I sometimes still hear students say that there is nowhere quiet on campus to get work done and study hall is the place to do that. So, providing that for students is really important. Learning how to structure your time is what study hall is really good for.” After the Dean’s List policy was revoked, all underclassmen were placed in study halls. Later, Carnevale implemented further change by limiting sophomores to no more than one study hall per day. If a sophomore was assigned to multiple in a single day, they would only need to attend the first and the rest would become free periods. With the introduction of the new schedule and the number of periods per day lowered from six to four, increasing the individual study hall time from 55 minutes to 80 has resulted in excess study hall time and loss of effectivity. Discussions in administration began early in the year as to what changes would need to be made. Carnevale said, “We figured this would be better decided by the students themselves given the many changes that had been made previously… Caio’s bill will hopefully help end this.”

TOWER/FEBRUARY 7, 2020

NEWS

Senior service may replace finals

Kate Sibery Features Lead Editor By a margin of 16-7, Executive Committee passed a bill that would require seniors to participate in 15 to 20 hours of compulsory community service projects in place of final exams. The passed bill must now be presented to department chairs and members of the administration before finally being reviewed by the Academic Advisory Committee. While the bill garnered overwhelming support as evidenced by the Executive Committee vote and was written with the intent of bringing the senior class together through group volunteer work, members of the faculty have shared concerns as to the proposal’s potential to be successfully enacted. The bill was co-sponsored by senior class president Michelle Wei and sophomore class MISH representative Patrick Curnin-Shane, both of whom expressed a desire for a more meaningful experience to culminate the seniors’ final days at Masters. The bill’s statement of rationale asserts that, “Aside from senior transition day, there is no collective senior experience to end their high school experience. Moreover, finals can cause excessive stress for seniors who are already preparing for change.” Curnin-Shane said he feels that the collective experience of giving back through community work will foster greater connections between seniors as graduation nears. “I really hope that people take advantage of this opportunity to do com-

munity service and build community within the senior grade because it’s unclear a lot of the time, besides a grade-wide trip or a MISH project, as to when the grade actually gets together and works together,” he said. At present, most seniors take very few finals, if any at all. Those enrolled in AP courses or semester-long courses and language seminars aren’t given any final exams in those classes. There still remains the question, however, of whether or not seniors in courses that consist of students in different grades will be expected to take final exams. A subcommittee, to be led by both the bill’s co-sponsors and Head of Upper School Peter Newcomb, has been formed to further clarify and outline the mechanics of the bill, yet this lack of clarity is what Richard Simon, chair of the Modern and Classical Language Department foresees as motivating possible concerns from his department. Simon explained, “I worry about what the dynamic would be like if say we’re in a level four language course and half the class is made up of juniors and half is seniors, when the review period starts, the seniors are now just delirious with joy, not doing anything, not focusing on the course, while the juniors are really sweating every minute in class and trying to make sure they’re ready for the final exam,” Currently, the graduation requirement, as it relates to the Language Department, stipulates that one must complete at least three years of a foreign language or must complete the first three levels of the course. It remains unclear whether or not a senior in a level three language course would need to complete the final exam in order to meet graduation requirements under the new bill.

Newcomb and Carnevale bring experience to permanent roles Continued from page 1 Newcomb has lived on campus with his wife, math teacher Marianne van Brummelen, since 2009, before accepting the position of dean of students in 2016. In June, he assumed the interim role of head of upper school. Newcomb said he is proud to have personally engaged with the community and dedicated himself to the institution, even before he began working at Masters. He said that while Masters already fosters an “inclusive atmosphere and culture,” there are still areas to improve upon. “There are still stigmas surrounding mental health issues. I think one of the taboo subjects that

has been at every school that I’ve worked at has been socio-economic diversity,” Newcomb said. Carnevale added that the school is always looking to grow and learn, a sentiment Newcomb echoed while reflecting on the changes made to the student handbook in regard to the sexual misconduct policy. “The work and thought that went into that with Mr. Carnevale in terms of making sure it was student-centered and student-focused is another endeavor that I’m pretty proud of,” Newcomb said. In the upper school-wide email, Danforth said that Newcomb and Carnevale have demonstrated “a steadfast commitment to our student community and a thoughtful approach within their respective areas.”

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PASSED A bill that would replace senior finals with 20 hours of community service. The proposal is now under the review of the academic committee

Additionally, for Simon, the final exam lends the course a sense of completion and reflection that is beneficial to a student’s educational experience. Dean of Faculty Sam Savage foresees concerns from faculty members who, like Simon, see final exams as educational tools. “Based on my previous experience, a critical piece of the discussion that would happen at the faculty level is a discussion of what we believe is the value of the exams that we offer and what is the value of this new opportunity and how would we value one against the other.” Despite the proposal’s passing in Executive Committee, it requires approval from Academic Committee to be officially enacted. Savage, who acts as Chair of the Academic Committee, remains in support of the proposal’s aims but holds reservations as to whether or not the proposed community service requirement considers the personal needs of all students. “If you look at the fact that the proposal is for 15-20 hours of community service, there’s just an equity piece when considering what this looks like for a day student and what it looks like for a boarding student. We should try to make sure that this presents as an exciting opportunity for everybody,” he said. If a community service requirement were to be adopted, the proposal indicates that it would be the responsibility of the class dean to record and keep track of each student’s completed hours. Dean to the class of 2021, Eric Shear, sees less of an issue in the actual tracking of community service, but rather in the value of compulsory community service. “I think it’s feasible, it’s definitely not impossible. However, I think it should be something that isn’t compulsory because I don’t want kids doing community service because they feel like they have to, I want them doing it

because they’re excited about it and it’s something they enjoy,” he said. Shear also said he feels that charging the class deans with the responsibility of tracking their students’ community service hours would change interactions between the seniors and their class dean. He said, “You’re asking in a lot of ways for the relationship between the seniors and the class dean to be strained at the end of the year, when you have the class dean chasing down seniors and saying ‘You have to go help people.’” In her 22 years of teaching at Masters, chair of the Math Department Michele Dennis has seen Executive Committee proposals aimed at eliminating senior finals fail to pass the Academic Committee several times. Her reservations relate to the value of final exams in math courses. “My major concern is that the final exam is a way to really tie together all the concepts from the whole year, and I don’t think most students realize that when they [seniors] have to go take a math placement test in college they are going to have appreciated that review.” English teacher Miriam Emery is a faculty representative on Executive Committee, who served on the Faculty Advisory Board in years past. She chose to vote in favor of the proposal in the hopes of supporting a more enjoyable senior experience at the end of the school year. “Ideally, the year would culminate with what is often called the ‘peak-end experience’ or a memorable end experience. That is one reason that in ninth grade I have my students perform Shakespeare scenes, which definitely is not everyone’s favorite thing, but for most students it is a good end of the year, just something that they’re doing together and enjoying,” she said.

Epidemic inspires philanthropy Continued from page 2 In the all-school meeting, Victor Lantao Li introduced a raffle for prizes after donating. “If 10 percent of the school donates, about $250, there will be a prize worth $60. If we get 20 percent, about $500, there will be a $100 prize. If we reach 45 percent, about 1100 dollars, there will be a $300 prize. If we receive 5,000 dollars, which is about 100 percent participation, there will be a $1,000 gift.” After the money is collected through cash or Venmo, the money will be given to the school and then the school will write a check to the organization chosen. Although the specific nonprofit has not yet been chosen, Victor said it will definitely be a “reliable organization, like the Red Cross.” For international students such as Victor

The school prepares for spring break and considers options Lantao Li, Liu, and Xu, Masters is trying to accommodate their needs over spring break, according to Global Exchange Program Director Robert Fish said. Fish and other faculty members have met individually with students who are concerned or have family members that are concerned. The school held a meeting on Jan. 27 open to boarding students and others interested in learning about the coronavirus. For spring break, Fish said that there are a number of options being considered. “The school response always needs to relate to information from medical experts who have access to data and know how to interpret it. As new information comes out, we need to adjust our school response.” Fish said. As of now, during spring break, students could stay with their American sponsors. There are also a number of organizations the school is considering, who have created special travel programs for boarding school students such as Student Cultural Exchange or Envoys. Fish said there are also discussions

of keeping the dorms open to certain international students over spring break. “Students’ health and safety are our top priorities. We have to think about serving the needs of our students and their families, and how to make sure all of them will be taken care of over spring break,” he said. Regarding the schools’ response to the outbreak, Richard Li, who facilitates the connection between Chinese families and Masters said, “The school responded very quickly, promptly, and proactively. It’s very impressive.” Richard Li added that he had an initial conversation with Danforth about the coronavirus two weeks ago, and she recently emailed him for input and his personal opinion on how to protect the students and address the concern. Both he and Karen Li also said that this period of time should not give leeway to harmful comments. “I’ve already seen a lot of xenophobia on social media in the form of memes and random posts but people should be more sensitive to the real people and families who are being affected,” Karen Li said.

Health Center responds This necessity for sensitivity towards others was echoed by school nurse Sue Adams in an all-school meeting. She also emphasized that students should wash their hands regularly, cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing, and not sharing utensils or dishware to prevent the spread of illness. “If we had anything we were concerned about regarding a coronavirus case, the Department of Health would work with us. Influenza is much more likely; it’s all over Westchester. People who are feeling feverish or sick should come to see me as soon as possible,” Adams said. Adams added that behind the scenes, Christian Sotto, who heads the custodial staff, led the custodial staff to transition to hospital-grade cleaning supplies immediately after news of the outbreak, which are used daily to clean school spaces. “They are so willing to go and do extra cleaning if a student in the dorms is found to have the flu or another sickness,” she said.

OP-ED

TOWER/FEBRUARY 7, 2020

OpiniOn

editors-iN-Chief loGAn schiciAno michelle Wei

EDITORIAL

Small steps to combat big problems

haos in Congress; fiery destruction Down Under; pandemic stemming from the PRC - 2020 has been off to a dreadful start. And MISH was collecting money to save chickens and goats; it might seem inconsequential, but in reality it is a significant step. In his State of the Union Address on Feb. 4, President Donald J. Trump – who was impeached at the time – proudly exclaimed, “The years of economic decay are over...This is a blue-collar boom.” While it is true that unemployment has dropped by 1.2 percent since Trump took office and the stock market has risen by 20 percent, income inequality has increased and young people graduate from college with ever-increasing piles of debt. Aside from the increasing wealth gap, we constantly engage with our own carbon emissions. Whether it be natural disasters or lack of access to clean water, the world is plagued by the effects of climate change. Young people will bear the burden of a rapidly heating world. According to Pix 11 News, the temperature in New York City set a record high on Jan. 12, eclipsing 68 degrees and surpassing the previous record of 66 set just three years ago in 2017. New record highs are increasingly commonplace. Recently, the coronavirus has burst onto the forefront of global turmoil in recent weeks. Within our own community, there are many families impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. While there have been fear-mongering reports, the World Health Organization has confirmed

28,080 individuals have been diagnosed and 564 individuals have died within China, as of Thursday. Other complex issues of abortion, police brutality, gentrification, international conflicts, and mass incarceration continue to surround us. In a time where compromise and progress are needed, Congress is gridlocked. The parties of our nation are divided and compromise is becoming less and less of a reality. Staring at the splatter-painted wall of misery, high school students can only wonder if and how our societal problems can be remedied and futures can be formed. If politicians can’t react efficiently, if renowned scientists are struggling to find solutions, and if as a society, we cannot cross bridges of difference, it can be hard to imagine how the passion of one teenager could ever be powerful enough to stimulate monumental change in society. But one is a crucial number. At The Masters School, a long tradition of donating one dollar to a charity to wear jeans on Friday has been altered this year. Because of the change in schedule, wearing jeans and donating a dollar are no longer linked. Average daily donations, collected once every eight days (the new schedule has also meant that there have been roughly half as many collection days thus far this year as there were at this time last year), have dropped by 25 percent. In a place where teens regularly carry one-thousand dollar iPhones, one dollar might seem insignifi-

cant. How is one green, paper bill going to solve the massive problems of the world? One is a crucial number. While the problems of the day seem overwhelming, and as powerless as we may feel in the face of such insurmountable issues, we must not throw our hands up and surrender to an inevitable horrible fate. When faced with a daunting homework assignment, students have been taught to break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Turn off the Netflix and take the first step. And once that’s done, move on to the next. And eventually, through hard work and perseverance, the work gets done. The movement towards a better future can not get off the ground if there is not full commitment. Showing up to events makes a difference. One person’s presence might seem insignificant but if everyone thought that way, nothing would ever change. One sophomore donating, one junior showing up, one senior voting has an impact. The puzzle cannot be solved in the blink of an eye; it is a process. Taking small steps will help us tackle our biggest problems. So turn off the lights when you’re not in the house to save energy, wash your hands frequently to keep clean, give a dollar on jeans day for whatever the cause might be, showcase your first amendment rights, go out and cast your vote. Don’t wait – do now. One step at a time.

News Lead editor Annie Rubinson News editor m. bRody leo opiNioN Lead editor noRA FellAs opiNioN editors sophie GRAnd Tim mAThAs features Lead editor kATe sibeRy features editors yAsmine pAscAl oWen sTRieR sports Lead editor miTch Fink sports editors TyleR conWAy GAbe kelleR web editor & soCiaL media maNager kiRA RATAn photography aNd iLLustratioN editor mATTilynn sTone aCCouNtabiLity & aCCuraCy maNager JAcob kRiss Copy editor sophiA VAn beek

Tower celebrates Stacey Tisdale, black female journalist, parent and power for good Nora Fellas Opinion Lead Editor

LINDSAY AIKMAN/ MICAHEL PRIEST PHOTOGRAPHY

n honor of Black History Month, Stacey Tisdale, the first black woman to report from the New York Stock Exchange, spoke to The Masters School community about “what we can learn from the financial history of blacks in America,” on Friday.

Her talk explored black history and themes of resilience. Tisdale, a 20-year veteran TV broadcast financial journalist, won the U.S. Department of Education’s Excellence in Economic Education award and has appeared on NBC, CBS, and the Oprah Winfrey Show. She is also the mother of Masters sophomore, Chistopher Gatty. It is especially important to recognize black female journalists as they are underrepresented in the

American newsrooms, with black women making up 2.62 percent of newsrooms compared to 6.5 percent of the United States population, according to womensmediacenter. com and the americanprogress.org. Tisdale and other journalists of color, as well as other minorities, provide an important perspective that is often overlooked in the media. Tisdale was honored by The HistoryMakers, the United State’s largest African American oral history collection.

Mandatory community service: do it with thy must Gabe Keller Sports Editor Recently, a bill in Executive Committee was passed to allow seniors, starting with the Class of 2021, to forgo their final exams, and instead, having to fulfill a 15-20 hour community service requirement. This bill has yet to be passed by administration, but it was passed by the students. While this change is both a nice gesture towards seniors and a way to benefit our community, it also brings into question the overall place of community service in the Masters environment. At Masters, we like to see ourselves as strong proponents of community service, with MISH’s regular morning meeting time and continued presence throughout the school. Every year, each class has a service event planned by the four MISH representatives in each grade, and all students and faculty are encouraged

to donate a dollar on community donation days. All of these are clearly positive components that clearly help the community. However, despite all of these traditions, something that we unfortunately lack is a service requirement to graduate, which has been implemented at many other schools, both public and private. In the mid-1990s, numerous high schools in the United States began mandating community service for students as a requirement to graduate. This was in an attempt to involve students with their surroundings more and make service part of their high school experience. This addition was met with mostly positive feedback from students, due to the fact that it benefitted both the students and the community involved. As the bill passed by the Executive Committee states, many high schools around us have some service requirements for seniors. However, there are also schools that require service for all ages. At The Poughkeepsie Day School, a private institution in Poughkeepsie, NY, 20 hours of community service are required every year. Students have participated in projects spanning from hands-on labor to planning benefit concerts. It has been received well, with students praising how they are able to gain perspective about the world around them, while also getting some work experience.

staff writers eThAn schlApp cARol QueiRoz advertisemeNt & distributioN maNager Reed GilmoRe CoNtributiNg writers AndReW miTchell clARA kolkeR cARolyn hohl lexi WAchen moRGhAn lAVeRy kWynne schlossmAn Russell Wohl lAWRence AzzARiTi staff photographers GeoRGe chAnG sophiA ViscARello staff iLLustrators oliVeR peTeRson JiAyun (ellA) TAnG ellie yAnG faCuLty advisers 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 d istributioN proCess Tower is hand-delivered on the day of publication to the Upper School. 650 copies are printed. In addition, a copy is sent to each of our advertisers.

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GRAYAM CHURCH DRIBBLES DOWN the court in a charity futsal match between the girls and boys varsity soccer teams. The event was coordinated by MISH and DAA to raise money for victims of Hurricane Dorian this past Fall. Here at Masters, and in Westchester overall, we have rather fortunate living conditions, with 10 Westchester towns being listed in Bloomberg’s “America’s 100 Richest Places”. Living under these circumstances, it is too easy for many of us to lose sight of the world around us. The privilege that lots of us are fortunate enough to have can act as a blinder, and we run the risk of tuning out all of the struggle that exists all around our community. This is why it is imperative that all of us contribute to community service and benefit our community. Stronger service requirements will not only help students gain perspective but require them to give back to the community in which they were raised.

Currently, at Masters, most community service is optional, with the same group of people making appearances at every bake sale or charity walk. An argument supporting these optional events is that community service must be voluntary to be meaningful and that every student has opportunities. However, this leads to a lack of contributing anything from those students who aren’t as interested in service. Community service serves an important role in a well-rounded education. When service is mandated, its benefits can reach the entire school. Community service is an important source of education, one that branches outside the classroom, and it should not only be more accessible to students, but required.

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 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. 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.

TOWER/FEBRUARY 7, 2020

FEATURES AND ARTS

Features & arts OUTSPOKEN CAPTURES Yasmine Pascal Features Editor

rom Katharine Duval’s theme of living in the moment to Carolyn Hohl’s creation of a new holiday for the homewreckers and the binge drinkers to Zia Foxhall’s poem about her fleeting childhood, the Outspoken performance explored a range of different topics and personal narratives. At 6:59 p.m. on Jan 10., the Experimental Theater was filled with students, faculty and friends, all waiting in anticipation to watch the annual Outspoken Showcase. And at 7:02 p.m. the show began. Throughout the entire performance, the audience snapped their fingers and echoed “oohs” and “aahs”, the sound resonating through the theater. Junior Emerson Del Monte attended the showcase for the first time and was impressed by all the performances. “It was really fantastic the way different students were able to go up and share different aspects of themselves that you might not normally hear about.” In comparison to other forms of artistic expression, such as theatre, Del Monte believes spoken poetry has more truth to it. Outspoken faculty adviser, Miriam Emery, said that Outspoken is truly an important part of the Masters community. “Poetry is a wonderful way for people to express themselves. Often, spoken word poems have issues of identity or beliefs embed-

ded in the writing, though that’s not always true. It fits in terms of our community being interested in social justice, identity and honesty.” Outspoken co-president Carolyn Hohl was pleased with how well her team performed, especially after all the hard work and effort they put in. She admits that one of her favorite pieces of the night was “Chasing at the Tail” by Katharine Duval. “I loved the message of the poem. I took it to kind of be ‘Don’t let moments pass you by’. Kind of don’t focus on romanticizing a moment but focus on being a part of it, like living in the now.” Sophomore Finn Alexander is new to the Outspoken family. After attending last year’s showcase, he was so impressed by the performances, that he decided to join the group in the fall. Alexander said he has enjoyed being a part of Outspoken so far because he has been able to learn different spoken word techniques and how to incorporate movement into his pieces. Describing his first showcase, his nerves set in. “It was a little nerve-wracking. It was the first week after break, where every day we would stay until eight. It was definitely fun, but as the showcase drew closer, it felt like it would be impossible to memorize, but we ended up pulling through as a group.” Emery said she is proud of Outspoken and how well they performed, both in terms of the delivery of their poems, as well as how much they supported each other. She is thankful for the fact that poetry is taught at Masters, because she said oftentimes English

STUDENT NARRATIVES

GEORGE CHANG/TOWER

OUTSPOKEN'S ANNUAL WINTER SHOWCASE took place in the Experimental Theater on Jan. 10 and featured the spoken word poetry of 12 upper school students, including (from left to right) Carolyn Hohl '21, Zia Foxhall '20 and Clara Kolker '22. In addition to their showcase, the group hosts several "open mic" nights throughout the year, which are open to all members of the community. programs will cut poetry first if community is a place where many school where kids weren’t willing they need to fit more content into students love poetry and are into write original poetry and get their curriculum. terested in literature and the arts. together every Tuesday to work on “I’m just so happy that our The group couldn’t function in a their writing.”

Conditional loveseats: Installation awaits 100 percent senior class participation nora Fellas Opinion Lead Editor

t's a Masters tradition that the senior class donates a gift to the school community as part of its legacy. The Class of 2020 will be contributing new furniture – two purple leather loveseats and an armchair – for the McKnight Room, a space frequented by the senior class. Senior Class President Lawrence Azzariti said his goal is to reach 100 percent class participation in the donations, but currently, just over 30 percent of the class has donated. He added that 100 percent participation would create a sense of unity among the class. “It says that our class cares about this school and the environment we’ve grown up in the last four years,” he said. “It’s our way of leaving our footprint on this school for the next few generations.” Azzariti said he hopes to have the new furniture installed in the McKnight Room by the end of this winter so that the current seniors can enjoy it too. Usually, the senior class is unable to make use of their gift while at Masters. Senior Matt Pordy said he looks forward to enjoying the new furniture. “I love the purple leather,” Pordy said. “It would be great to have a lasting impact as a class. It will also make the McKnight Room a more wholesome place for future seniors to gather.” However, he added that he isn’t planning on donating to the class gift.

“I’m not gonna give them my money. I don’t want anything to do with the school,” Pordy said. In a senior class meeting, Carnevale revealed that the new furniture has arrived at the school, but will not be placed in the McKnight Room until 100 percent of the senior class has contributed, to incentivize participation. Azzariti responded to those who plan not to donate. “Even though you don't wanna do it because it’s ‘for the school,’ remember we’re gonna be the ones using the furniture,” Azzaritti said. “It’s not gonna be administration lounging around in the McKnight Room. It’s gonna be for us.” Azzariti addressed the rationale behind the furniture upgrade. “The furniture that we currently have is getting kind of old. This would be a really popular upgrade,” he said. Previous classes donated the Masters garden by Estherwood, the scoreboard on Reunion Field, and planted trees, Senior Class Dean Jeff Carnevale said. He added that the senior class gift is a chance for the class of 2020 to “make their mark.” Senior Zack Barnet has donated and urged his peers to donate as well. “I donated because I want the new furniture,” Barnet said. “Everyone should donate because new furniture is nice.” Carnevale said he isn’t concerned about the lack of participation, because in his experience donations have increased as graduation approaches. “At the end of the year it’s easier because people are excited and there are warm and fuzzy feelings,” Carnevale said. “At this time of year with college admissions, it’s challenging. But we’ll

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TOWER/FEBRUARY 7, 2020

NEWS ANALYSIS

The e

NEWS ANALYSIS

ects of social media on politics & advocacy Students rely on social media for news

OPINION: Digital gerrymandering: big data sways voters m. Brody Leo News Editor

hen Barack Obama blasted a generic “get out and vote,” message to his supporters on Facebook the day before the ballots were cast in the 2012 presidential election, he likely did not realize that he forever changed the way that we take part in our elections. Since Obama, social media has proven to be a crucial part of gaining public office, for better or for worse. The most notable example is President Donald Trump’s aggressive social media campaign in the 2016 presidential election. For his campaign team, a $90 million investment into digital ads used up the bulk of their $250 million fundraising total. This interest in social media advertising was not insignificant; it was built into their campaign strategy all along. “Facebook and Twitter were the reason we won this thing,” Trump’s Digital Director Brad Parscale said. But social media impacts run deeper than fundraising. As social media companies begin to collect more and more data on our likes, dislikes and everything in between, we become more vulnerable to manipulative, targeted advertising at the expense of democracy. In an article in Harvard Law Review, Johnathan Zittrain coins the concept of “digital gerrymandering.” He defines it as “the selective presentation of information by an intermediary to meet its agenda rather than to serve its users.” Much like a gerrymandered state is divided into groups by political alignment, many social media sites’ algorithms divide users based on political beliefs to better cater their feed. Both are equally exploitable. Russian hackers proved this in the 2016 presidential election with millions of highly targeted posts supporting Trump, undermin-

ing Democratic candidates, and encouraging a high voting turnout of Trump’s supporters while discouraging Democrats from voting. They took advantage of these algorithms in combination with the anonymity of social media to influence American voters far beyond we could ever expect from a sovereign nation. A controversial experiment conducted by Facebook in the 2018 Midterm Elections proved that this crafty, often subtle, type of messaging makes no small difference. Facebook created three groups, one of which they would show a simple “get out and vote” message, one of which they would show which of the user’s Facebook friends intended on voting, and one of which they showed no messaging. Sure enough, the groups shown messages encouraging their vote did have a higher voting turnout than those who did not receive a message. Beside demonstrating the effectiveness of targeted political messaging, the experiment exposed the amount of power that a social media company has, a frightening possibility for the future of our elections. With high amounts of data on their users, they could confidently predict who they would vote for in an election, and with this information, they could select a candidate’s supporters for one of those influential “get out and vote” messages. Many social media companies have instituted change in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Twitter recently announced that the platform would refuse to run ads advocating for any political cause starting Nov. 22, shortly after the 2020 Presidential Election Day. While policies like these certainly are a step in the right direction, social media sites will always be able to inherently sway voters, with or without ads. Anonymity and bytesized packets of opinions define social media, however potentially harmful they are. Without complete renunciation of social media as a whole, it will become impossible to browse the internet protected from outside influence.

OPINION: Fake news versus cancel culture Tim maThas Opinion Editor Now more so than ever, our environment determines our knowledge, and consequently, it is essential to seek out environments that will challenge our perspectives. As great as the internet has been to provide us with information that we could not otherwise easily obtain, it creates echo chambers that are tailored to our pre-established views and thus give us a false and one-sidedsense of the world around us. Furthermore, companies such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon collect information based on their users’ search history and purposefully cater to their interests, making it even more difficult for users to interact with numerous viewpoints. As a result, oftentimes today when people are exposed to a viewpoint contrary to their own, they either feel the need to “cancel” that viewpoint or label it as “fake news.” This was seen in 2019, when a single altercation between conservative high school boys and a Native American elder at the Lincoln memorial became a rallying point, turning liberals and conservatives against each other. Each side saw what they expected to see. 80 years ago Orson Welles retold a

dramatic variation of H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, convincing many radio-listeners that the United States was under attack by aliens. During this era, news information was not nearly as accessible as it is today, and people believed almost every word a news anchor, broadcaster, or writer had to say–during the 1960s, Walter Cronkite, a news anchor, was considered the “most trusted man in America.” This ended up having a negative impact on people because they were often only exposed to a single viewpoint from a single news source. For this reason, a lack of information and viewpoint diversity, which resulted in ignorance, was responsible for a lot of the societal divisions between race and gender in the United States. This continues today as, for example, history textbooks in Texas and California, published by the same company contain different narratives about slavery and other controversial topics, according to a New York Times analysis. Students are not exposed to multiple interpretations of the same events. In 2020, many channels for news and media are available with a simple swipe of a finger, yet this abundance of viewpoints has, ironically, resulted in an outcome similar, yet slightly different, from what prevailed 80 years ago: de-

liberate ignorance. With a plethora of beliefs and insights at our disposal, we get overwhelmed with the hurricane of information before us and must choose which information to believe. More often than not, this information that we choose, is that which we already believe based on previous knowledge and experience. In order to enhance our understanding, we must first break the bonds that bind our pre-conceived notions. Journalism and other forms of news media are not the problem. Rather it is our inability to receive information and allow it to challenge our perspectives that has led to the birth of “fake news” and the desire to ignore or deny anything that doesn’t fit into our world view. Being exposed to new, foreign viewpoints can be uncomfortable at times, which is why it is of the utmost importance that we act with courage and don’t immediately “cancel” or strike down the viewpoints that threaten our own.

unior Jason McGuire opened Instagram on his phone one morning before school early this January, and it was then that he first learned about Australia’s devastating bushfires – from a post by one of his close friends, rather than from printed news or news organizations’ website. McGuire’s story is far from unique. In the wake of the decline of print news, news posted by individual users on social media sites has gained popularity. In 2019, 36 percent of Americans, ages 19 through 29, reported having used social media for news in combination with more conventional media, according to a Pew Research Center study. And over recent years, that number has been climbing. As these posts gain traction and a new generation tunes in, the accuracy of their worldview is at stake and they are forced to wonder whether they can count on these posts to reliably shape their perception of current events. The modern news anchor can be anyone with a phone and two thumbs to type. Sophomore Patrick Curnin-Shane considers this convenience for both the reporter and consumer to be one of the major benefits of social media. “In a lot of circumstances, like the Hong Kong protests [2019-2020], speed has been amazing. They’ve [protesters] really been able to organize quickly,” CurninShane said. However, high speed can sometimes result in less accuracy. Sensationalistic headlines and buzzwords, which are commonplace on social media, often catch the eyes of users who have the ability to spread the news with the push of a button, without fact-checking. Curnin-Shane said, “[Social media users] see something and just retweet or repost, and that’s why fake news can spread so quickly.” Social media’s lack of accuracy is a concern for some, but many give it credit for providing baseline information to readers on current events that they would not otherwise know about. Junior Tucker Smith said, “I think news from social media is definitely biased. It at least lets you get your news, but it definitely filters it through a specific lens.” Junior Drew Zukerman said he’s also noticed bias on his social media news feed.

“Often, there’s a liberal skew, especially on Snapchat. Issues are not as clear-cut as they make it out to be,” he said. The “lens” through which the news is filtered does vary: according to a different Pew Research Center Study, 48 percent of users generally notice a leftward lean on their social media feed, while 15 percent notice a rightward lean. The rest thought that the news on their feed was generally moderate. This variation can be likely explained by one distinguishing factor of social media: its content is user-driven. While other media outlets, such as newspapers or television networks, are controlled by news conglomerates, the social media news narrative is controlled by the millions of individuals who release information. User-driven content is the lifeblood of social media, but it is the platform’s Achilles’ heel to some. Freshman Jack Borwick said most of his news comes from individual social media users, and is often somewhat opinionated. “People post their opinions and try to make you believe what they believe, which is not always what you should believe or what is actually right,” he added. While some, like Borwick, fear being persuaded into something that isn’t actually true, others believe that social media news acting as constant reinforcement of already held beliefs may be a more pressing concern. With the push of a button, users can choose to see more of what they like and see less of what they don’t. Social media can become an echo chamber of repeated reinstatement of the user’s views – a potential breeding ground for extremism. As industry giants like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter become more prevalent parts of our day-to-day lives, it becomes increasingly difficult to avoid social media news. But, these posts capture only one user’s voice and, consequently, only one angle of a story. Diversifying coverage of an event only broadens one’s understanding, as freshman Tyler Hack believes. “I try to find articles about the news from both sides to see whether it’s credible,” he said. Sophomore Olive Saraf said she

finds that there are also several subtle cues that can indicate the credibility of an account. “I check the page to see their bio to see how many followers they have, or if their posts are for one group of people, because then it’s probably not reliable,” Saraf said. Others, like junior Maddy Ciampa, find it equally important to try to discern the motive of the poster. “You have to try to figure out whether it’s someone doing it [posting] just for publicity or for a good cause,” she said. The recent passing of NBA icon Kobe Bryant has illustrated the tendency of some users to post for publicity and likes rather than to serve the public. Shortly after the news of his passing broke, twitter user @OfficialKito posted a video of a helicopter crash with the caption, “#KobeBryant helicopter crash live footage.” The video quickly gained traction and was viewed by thousands. It was later discovered that the video was of an unrelated helicopter crash near Dubai in 2018. As technology continues to alter the ways in which we consume media, many are finding that the Age of Information has made no promises of accurate information. Junior Allie Koziarz said, “Getting news from social media can be hurtful because it gives us a false sense of reality. It makes us think that we are more informed than we are.”

ELLIE YANG/TOWER

OPINION: Posting with thy might I

n a world where the President’s primary communication with his constituents comes through Twitter, it is foolish to dismiss social media as an invalid outlet for politics, resistance, advocacy, and education. Some argue that social media encourages performative “slacktivism,” for example, posting an Instagram “story,” visible only for 24 hours to an account followed exclusively by your echo chamber of friends. This type of behavior comes across as self-congratulatory and is criticized for the minimal effect it has on the cause being advocated. However, to paint all social media advocacy as ignorant “slacktivism,” is itself ignorant. Social media creates awareness for causes, it opens dialogue and, through social media, people can find those with shared ideas and discuss, and also learn to defend their arguments to those whose opinions differ. Social media also allows people seeking to effect social change to mobilize support and win converts to their cause. Social media’s critics argue that simply sharing a photo isn’t enough to change laws or stop climate change. And while they are right that more has to be done, they ignore that it is often through social media that minds are changed, awareness is spread, and action is inspired. A Pew Research Center study found that nearly 70 percent of Americans believe that social media is important to accomplishing political goals and creating movements for social change. Without social media, The March for Our Lives, a student-driven anti-gun violence movement would never have taken off. Its leaders used Twitter and Instagram to share their traumatic experiences with gun violence and organize the national student walkout. Additionally, the mass numbers of likes and comments on these posts were a physical show of support for gun control to politicians. In the recent pro-democracy pro tests in Hong Kong, social media was used to mobilize people to appear at demonstrations in support of

their cause, but also to disperse when word got out that the police were to appear. In addition, the demonstrators used social media to win over support to their cause, by, for example, posting amateur footage of police brutality on Instagram and Twitter. These protests, the popularity of which were enhanced by the use of social media, led to dramatic results at the ballot box in the Hong Kong local elections last November. Turn out at those elections was the highest in 20 years, and more than half of the 452 district council seats changed hands from pro-Beijing candidates to pro-democracy ones. Social media is not simply a place to show support for a cause or to organize, it is also a platform to raise money for these causes. For example, Twitter model, Kaylen Ward, who goes by The Naked Philanthropist, sold her nude photos on Twitter to raise money for the Australian bush fires. It would be easy to write her off for using Twitter and nudity to raise money, but she raised over $1 million for this cause. This would not have been possible without the connection social media provides. Further, while awareness might not be enough in the case of the Australian bush fires, which loom large in our consciousness and represent an issue over which we can all unite, social media can make a difference when it comes to controversial or long-stigmatized issues. Thus, for an issue like sexual harassment, social media is a platform for those with a shared experience to come together. The Me Too movement began as a hashtag, and with one post, but as more posts were added, others were encouraged to bring decades of hidden sexual abuse and workplace harassment to light. The popularity and spread of “Me Too” posts are precisely what created a comfort zone for others to come forward. According to the Pew Research Center, 20 percent of adults “often” get their news from social media, while print newspapers are at 16 percent. Further, 36 percent of young people, ages 18-29 “often” get their news from social media. And while some may say, just pick up a newspaper, oftentimes, the newspaper is quoting the president’s Twitter feed. Additionally, respected newspapers chat’s TuneIn has videos from The Wall Street Journal, NBC, and CNN, and The Washington Post boasts over 350 thousand followers on TikTok, and posts meme videos and short news blitzes. Like it or not, socia media has become a part of our

news diet, and fighting it won’t get us anywhere. We want young people to be advocates, especially at Masters, which places an emphasis on social change. So why shame us for using social media to learn and grow? Social media is so easy to condemn; it is frequented by teens, uses pictures and short bursts of text, and anyone can share a post. And it is also true that misinformation has and continues to be shared on some platforms. But it is precisely because of its accessibility and power to reach young people that we must recognize its merits. Social media is free to use, it fosters connection across the globe, and it is certainly here to stay. Through social media, political advocacy has been transformed from a fringe or niche activity to a mainstream one. We should learn to harness its mighty power for good in the world.

ELLIE YANG/TOWER

TOWER/FEBRUARY 7, 2020

NEWS ANALYSIS

The e

NEWS ANALYSIS

ects of social media on politics & advocacy Students rely on social media for news

OPINION: Digital gerrymandering: big data sways voters m. Brody Leo News Editor

ELLIE YANG/TOWER

OPINION: Posting with thy might I

ELLIE YANG/TOWER

FEATURES AND ARTS

TOWER/FEBRUARY 7, 2020

Musical Revue invites creativity through storytelling

Sophie Grand & Kwynne SchloSSman Opinion Editor and Contributing Writer

group of strangers arrive at a country house for a weekend visit. The wine flows and emotions flare. Relationships break and are later repaired. Seventeen upper school students told this story in the 2020 Musical Revue through singing in solos, duets and ensembles. “An Invitation,” the title of the Revue, debuted on Friday, Feb. 1 and featured a selection of songs pulled from several underground musicals. Two years ago, theatre teacher George Croom came up with the idea to exhibit commonly unacknowledged numbers from short-lived musicals by intertwining them into a new plot, thus creating the Revue. The casting and directing for the Revue, led by Croom and theatre teacher Meg O’Connor, began with an audition testing vocal ranges, singing abilities and acting skills. The Revue and the winter Musical,“Side Show”, were cast simultaneously; students indicated their show preference and the directors tried to fulfill their requests. The two shows have stark differences though; the musical contains a medley of acting, singing, and dialogue, while the Revue featured little dialogue, expressing the story through songs.

O’Connor said, “Everyone in the characters acted as a driving force dom the Revue brought. Whereas Revue has a solo or a duet. There are for sophomore Mali Black in her de- with the Musical, there is a set script some people in the musical who are cision to try out for the Revue. and set songs, and not much leeway.” in the ensemble, so they are more Black said, “I really like the freeO’Connor explained how the Repart of a group. Whereas everyone in The Revue has to be willing to be out front and center.” The performance included songs from a variety of musicals, most of which are unknown and overlooked, such as productions like Dogfight, Little Women, Finding Neverland and Drift. O’Connor and Croom worked together to ensure they had a diverse group of songs that delivered a standout performance. The Revue defies theater norms in its structure and ambiguity – combining an assortment of songs into a new plot – and gives actors the opportunity to have a creative license in portraying their characters. Junior Boris Beev explained, “Creating the meaning of our own show is quite challenging.” He continued, “We have to present it in a way to show the audience our message and what we want to convey.” Freshman Talia Leach agreed with that sentiment, “The Revue is a show that is based around you as a performer and an actor. Instead of [you] trying to fit into some sort of role, it is finding a role that fits you.” The open-ended persona of each ANA CAROLINA QUERIOZ/TOWER role enables the students to decide the nature of their character and AVA BASHEW ‘23, ESME Talenfeld ‘23, Tyler Paik ‘23, Mali Black ‘22, Caleb Jakes ‘22 approach their roles with a unique and Katherine Christie ‘23, all sang in the winter revue, bringing their diverse perstyle. This idea of personalizing sonalities to the stage.

vue is built on giving students the ability to use their own ideas and have them react to the simplistic plot which they are given. “There are themes and there is a set-up. Then you have each character singing from their point of view,” she said. While the Revue was directed by O’Connor and Croom, juniors Hilary Block and Samantha New held crucial roles in the production. Block, as the stage manager, was tasked with organizing props, managing communications and scheduling, as well as working to create a positive cast dynamic. New, working within both the Revue and the Musical, served as a liaison between the respective directors of both productions. The entire cast, including Block and New, had merged into a very close group. Freshman Esme Talenfeld shared her thoughts on how a positive cast dynamic is needed to succeed. “You get so close so fast doing something like this, because you have to be vulnerable and sing out.” Performing in this environment required great strength and courage. O’Connor explained how the cast supported one another in success and failure. “It’s a mix of students who have experience [acting] and students of whom this is their first experience. Everyone is really mindful of the bravery it takes. They’re each other’s cheerleaders.”

New “faceboards” build community on campus mattilynn Stone Photograph and Illustration Editor

he Masters School community is one step closer to being able to greet each person by name. It’s been a long-standing tradition in the Masters’ community for Manager of Administration, Andrea Minoff, to put up a student faceboard, which showcases each student’s school photo and grade. But for the first time this year, faceboards for all faculty and staff, including janitorial and kitchen staff, have been put up by three students. Last year, Ethical Leadership Coordinator Dr. Lee Dieck, challenged her Ethical Leadership students to create a project that would improve their environment, whether it be at Masters or in their own larger community. This sparked the idea for Carolyn Hohl ‘21, Shamira Guillaume ‘21 and Rachel Ji ‘21 to come up with the faculty faceboard.

KATE SIBERY/TOWER

JUNIORS SHAMIRA GUILLAUME, CAROLYN Hohl and Rachel Ji,( not pictured) created the faculty and staff faceboards, so that members of the community would recognize both the names and faces of every faculty, staff, dining and maintenance worker at Masters. Last year, Hohl took Ethical Leadership and she explained that she, Guillaume and Ji created a group to tackle the assignment. At first they had a lot of ideas, including easing the transition from the middle school to the upper school, and reforming sex-ed

at Masters, but came to the consensus that it would be too difficult to pull off. During the brainstorming stage, Guillaume brought up the importance of knowing exactly who plays a big role in making Masters work smoothly and ensuring the safety of the community.

“I started to think about how I was friends with two people on the Brock staff, but I didn’t know any other people. This was a catalyst that led me to think of all the people I didn’t know around Masters.” Guillaume said. She noted that with being an open campus and the amount of school shootings that have recently occured, knowing the faces in the Masters’ community could help students know when to report a suspicious face. With these thoughts in mind, together, they came up with the faculty and staff faceboard. Dieck noted that there were other good proposals that people had come up with, such as new co-curriculars, donating used college test prep books to a school in New York City, and developing a program for the Ronald McDonald House in the city. At the end of the year, the students present their final project using posters. “I was really surprised that they kept going with it once the class was done because everyone does a poster presentation about their proposal. There was

nothing requiring them to take it to the next step,” Dieck said. Hohl explained that one of the difficulties faced, after hours of work putting up the boards, was the multiple students who put their own photos in the faculty faceboard. “It hurts when we are trying to do something nice for the community and people are making it so we aren’t able to do it. We don’t want this to get passed off to Ms. Minoff because the students that are taking their photos off [student faceboard] and putting them in the faculty faceboard are kind of ruining it for the rest of us and actually giving Ms. Minoff more work. This isn’t fair to her. I don’t care about me, but the work she has to do.” Hohl said. Despite the difficulty, Hohl, Guillaume and Ji have persevered and continue to maintain their faceboard while waiting for a lock to be put on it. Carolyn noted, “Ethical Leadership is supposed to allow us to do something, so we said ‘Why not actually do it? It can’t be that hard right?’ Well it was that hard, but it was worth it.”

OpiniOn

TOWER/FEBRUARY 7, 2020

The Revolutionary War Can Wait

PRESIDENT TRUMP DELIVERED HIS State of the Union Address on Feb. 4; the speech is one of many notable political events that have occured since the start of 2020. Little time in most classes has been devoted to explanation and discussion of these events.

logan sChiCiano Editor-in-Chief

henever I’ve needed the definition to a word, had to make sense of a passage in a book or wanted to know more about the ever-changing, complicated world in which we live, my dad has been my fountain of answers. I often pick his brain in the car – I asked him about the impeachment – and moan when I expect a one sentence response but get a five minute animated news report. It sometimes gets annoying, but I’ve come to realize: if my dad wasn’t going to explain it to me, who was? This year I’m in a United States history class. We spent twenty minutes during one class talking about the impeachment – but other than that we’ve barely spent any time discussing current political events. School is where I come to learn, but I’m not receiving enough insight on the events that are impacting our nation right now, and that will affect my life, the lives of my peers and others in the future. I’ve never been a “news junky”; I’m a diehard sports fan. But I’ve come to understand that sometimes what is going on in the political sphere is too substantial to ignore. Scrolling through articles trying to make sense of what’s going on; watching CNN to hear analysis from Anderson Cooper can only take one so far. It’s like going on YouTube and watching math videos for hours on end, trying to understand how to do long-division. But somehow it just doesn’t make sense without working through it in class. The twenty minutes we spent in my history class talking about impeachment cleared up so much confusion; the five minutes I spent listening to my dad did the same. Understanding of these current events is vital; soon enough, the current generation of high school students is going to be the next generation of working people in America. Some will be politicians.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Others will be journalists. Some will be working on Wall Street. Whatever it may be, national and global politics are going to have an incredible impact on the lives of our generation and it only makes sense to best educate them for the future. It should be acknowledged that all courses at Masters are based off of a day-to-day curriculum that is often devised well in advance; this includes Advanced Placement classes, in which the teacher is required to teach, for the most part, to a curriculum that is set by an outside agency, often with very little flexibility. Political bias is also a major concern; who’s to say that teachers are the all-knowing gods of current events who should be influencing the political views of teenagers? But who’s to say that the New York Times or the Washington Post is the Bible either? Teachers are experts; they are passionate about educating and are incredibly qualified to do so. The in-person conversation with a teacher often holds significantly more weight than reading something off of a screen. They help others synthesize information and allow students to think more deeply on a topic or issue. Why should they be restrained from doing so when it comes to current events?

LOGAN SCHICIANO/TOWER

Teaching about current events is different from an opinionated analysis of current events. There’s a grey area in between, surely, but getting some exposure is better than hearing none at all. Perhaps students would be better prepared to have their own viewpoints and back them up with reasoning if they were better informed on the significant current events going on around them. Perhaps by better educating the next generation we can cultivate a population of individuals who understand how the government works, how our nation functions, and how the national and global events impact the lives of individuals across the world. The Masters School currently offers a political science class in twelfth grade; but these issues should not be constrained to a specific course but rather be implemented into all history courses across the board. As the old adage goes: “history repeats itself.” Therefore, we need to be informed on the past to better prepare for the future. What is happening now has immediate effects – it can not be ignored. The Revolutionary War can wait.

Superbowl Monday should be a holiday TyleR ConWay Sports Editor

n the Monday after Super Bowl XLIX (2014), my seventh grade chorus teacher arrived to class five minutes late and informed us that he was unable to lead class – he had lost his voice cheering for his hometown Seattle Seahawks the night before. He told us that we would watch a movie instead of having our regular vocal practice. It was then that I realized that America needed a national holiday on the Monday following the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is the championship for the National Football League (NFL) which takes place annually on the first Sunday of February. Having offices and schools operate each Monday after the big game – which is viewed by around 100 million people each year – results in unproductive activity that damages the respective environments. In my experience as a student, everyone is too busy sharing their experiences of watching the game to get any real work done. Having a day off of school after the Super Bowl would allow students to talk about the game for a full day, purging any potential football talking points and leaving stu-

OP-ED

dents more focused on their work unprepared for a full work day, it According to WorkforceInsti- is clear that action must be taken tute, an estimated 17.5 million to ensure that workplace producpeople planned to miss work on tivity is not tainted by the Super Feb. 3 2020, the day after Super Bowl. Bowl LIV, which tops the record A national holiday on the Mon17.2 million workers that planned day following each Super Bowl on missing work following Super would be beneficial for workplace Bowl LIII. With the number of productivity. If employees and workers staying home after the students were given the option to Super Bowl steadily rising, it is stay home from work and school clear that many Americans are on the day after the Super Bowl, knowingly incapable of performing the productivity losses that result their jobs the day after the game. from Super Bowl monday would be According to a 2019 study from minimized. Office Pulse, 12 percent of business professionals said they expected to be hungover or extra tired on the Monday following Super Bowl LIII, with the percentage rising to 19 percent for millennial men. This data highlights the fact that many citizens, especially younger ones, are unable to work productively after exciting GEORGE CHANG/TOWER nights out at Super Bowl parties. A GROUP OF BOARDING students watched the Superbowl With a sizable in the dining hall this past Sunday. The next day, the stuportion of the dents attended their classes, after a full day of festivities and workforce feeling traditions.

The Iowa Caucus Failure Spells Doom for the Democrats laWRenCe azzaRiTi Contributing Writer We already knew how the impeachment trial was going to end up as soon as the Democrats announced an official inquiry in September. We already knew Trump was going to gloat about his achievements in his State of the Union. But nobody ever thought Iowa was going to become as much of a mess as it is now. Over 36 hours since the caucuses ended, and we still have less than three-quarters of the results. A failure to report back any results at all for almost a day is more than just an embarrassment for the Democrats: it is the ultimate failure of a system we are entrusting to accurately nominate a challenger to Trump. Regardless of who actually wins the caucuses, Iowa is an objective failure of the democratic system. Because of the reporting app’s failure and the lack of phone support, both the Republicans and some

candidates’ supporters are already fueling narratives that the Democrats are incapable of setting up fair and transparent elections. Liberals are already beginning to accuse the Democratic Party of rigging votes away from Sanders, while the Republicans seek to continue the 2016 narrative of a Democratic Party that is corrupt and a threat to the American way of life. The possibility of foreign interference hasn’t been taken out of consideration, either: The lack of transparency by the Iowa Democratic Party about the app’s name and how it works makes it less secure. These claims may not have concrete evidence yet, but they are believable enough for the Trump and Sanders bases to continue spreading them. Iowa is never about the actual delegates awarded; it’s about controlling the narrative going forward. Right now, the Democrats have dug themselves into a deep narrative hole that Americans won’t let them move on from.

CUMULUS CLOUDS / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Reusing_content_outside_Wikimedia/grayscale

THE FIRST ROUND OF voting to nominate party candidates took place Monday, but the results are still continuing to be reported, days later. The Democrats cited a glitch in the app being used to tally results.

INSIDE THE HERRICK ROOM

Peer teaching fosters healthy discussion Russell Wohl The recent disciplinary action taken following substance use on campus has since created a shift in attitude among the student body. As such, many have started wondering if there are other ways to encourage a healthy high school life other than the zero-tolerance policy or sanctuary. One of these students, junior Caio Lanes, has decided to tackle this issue at its root cause, proposing a peer education program where upperclassmen could apply to participate in discussion or assist teaching in Ninth Grade Seminar classes. Ninth Grade Seminar focuses on preparing students for the many challenges that they might face over the course of their high school career, making upperclassmen potential candidates to share their personal experiences in class. Critics argue that because students don’t have degrees in teaching, they may not be equipped to tackle sensitive topics such as sexed or drug abuse. Furthermore, an upperclassman presence could feel out of place, given that Ninth Grade Seminars are, well, — only ninth grade students. In Executive Committee there were also concerns about upperclassmen potentially being inap-

propriate, unequipped to answer questions, or making the class feel uncomfortable. There can be a lot of uncertainty and conclusion-jumping on the surface of the matter, but the details of Lanes’ proposal show a more promising plan of action. At first I was very critical of the idea, but I now strongly believe that implementing a program like this will be beneficial. The participation of older students in Freshman seminars is not so much a teaching role, but rather a guest in class who contributes to the discussion from a different and more relatable perspective. These students would have to go through an application process and multiple training seminars to ensure and maintain the current safe environment of Freshman Seminar. Students who are members of SADD should be primary candidates because of their already demonstrated commitment to spreading awareness about risky choices in high school. If implemented in a way that ensures that freshman seminars run smoothly and appropriately, this type of peer tutoring will help students create more meaningful connections with the material and feel safe enough to ask uncomfortable questions.

FEATURES AND ARTS

TOWER/FEBRUARY 7, 2020

WinterMISSION allows for an intermission By Ethan Schlapp Staff Writer

fter almost two years in the making and an announcement to the student body at a morning meeting in early January, The Masters School officially confirmed the launching of the new mini-term program, WinterMISSION (to be implemented in the 2020-2021 school year) in a Jan. 17 email. A four-day program, WinterMISSION is designed to act as an “intermission” during the school year where students and teachers can enroll in a variety of courses that are not normally offered. Though no courses have been finalized – a meeting will take place on March 30 to revise WinterMISSION, and a catalog will be released in the fall – teachers will collaborate to create these courses which are to be centered around the Masters mission statement. Director of Learning Initiatives and coordinator of WinterMISSION, Jason Hult, spearheaded the planning and developing of this new program and is excited about what it will bring to Masters. “Essentially there are going to be more than 40 new courses offered at Masters,” Hult said. “This is a chance to create a set of new experiences that are really rooted deeply in our mission statement.” While the idea of adding 40 new courses might sound overwhelm-

ing, the courses offered during the four-day term will be separate from regular semester classes. WinterMISSION is meant to act as an change to the routine, where a flexible schedule will allow for students to dive deep into certain areas while not taking up an extensive part of the school year.Not only does Hult expect that students will receive an enriching learning experience through the program, but he also hopes it can be enjoyable for all as well. “I hope that it’s really fun… I think the winter can feel long, so this is an opportunity to have a break in our traditional schedule and try something new,” he said. Dean of Faculty Sam Savage has also played a role in developing the ways in which students and teachers can learn differently during WinterMISSION. “This is a chance to disrupt those [normal] patterns and think about learning in a different way, both for teachers and for students. And for me, that’s always really exciting…It’s important to sometimes change your perspective and take a risk,” he said.

Although the program itself is new to Masters, it has been utilized before at other schools and yielded positive results. Miss Porter’s School, where Head of School Laura Danforth previously worked, has had a successful program sim-

even though only three “Jan Plans” are required to graduate, 90 percent of students complete a fourth. As for what WinterMISSION at Masters will look like, many teachers have already begun planning, thinking and collaborating about what types of courses they might like to offer, including science teacher Elisabeth Merrill and history teacher Matthew Ives. In their respective subjects, Merrill and Ives have begun to collaborate on an interdisciplinary course that takes a closer look at the biology and history of race and how that impacts society in the present day. “I think we’re at a time in the history of our country where there is a lot of misinformation about race and there’s a lot of tension and OLIVER PETERSON/TOWER anxiety about race… I would like to help ilar to WinterMISSION, Hult said. give students real information on Colby College offers a similar which they can base decisions.” program called “Jan Plan.” Ac- Merrill said. cording to the school’s website, Jan Though WinterMISSION is still Plan “gives students opportunities relatively new to the student body, to choose among hundreds of dif- sophomore Clyde Lederman has ferent academic experiences.” high hopes for the incoming proThe classes offered at Colby cov- gram. er a range of topics, from African “I certainly hope that we see a Music to Meteorology. The program diversity of courses, we allow stuitself has become so successful that dents and faculty to explore sub-

jects that otherwise couldn’t have [been explored].” Lederman is also excited about the fact that WinterMISSION will offer a whole new perspective on the utility of different facets of school life. “We’ll have the opportunity to engage in new materials and think differently also about how we use tools like homework and scheduling to create an engaging and interesting classroom environment,” he said. As for actual course content, Lederman believes that with New York City a stone’s throw away, courses should take advantage of the close proximity. To him, having these interdisciplinary courses themed around the city is a great opportunity to explore new areas. “I think the great thing is [that] because it’s interdisciplinary, you’ll see a lot of different courses that are really eclectic in nature and things I otherwise wouldn’t have thought about… I’ll have the opportunity to explore things that I couldn’t have even dreamed of,” he said. As for tying the courses back to the school’s mission statement, Hult and Savage are confident and excited about the ways in which teachers will do just that. Hult said, “Creating something beautiful, I think, is being a power for good in the world. Or listening deeply to another person. Creating something that inspires joy. There are lots of ways you can be a power for good in the world. And that’s been really neat to see as teachers think about what they want to do.”

Students speak, hear and open up during MLK Day Continued from page 1 kindness, dignity and vulnerability, all of which she said she values. She concluded by explaining that the moment made her realize that guilt was a wasted feeling, and she encouraged the community to “turn guilt into action, love… and compassion for others.” Though K. Brown acknowledged that some in the Masters community might not have a direct connection to the movement in which King was so heavily involved, she explained that there is still a lot students and faculty can take away from the celebration. “Martin Luther King benefited everyone. We wouldn’t be a diverse school, without people like King. He represents unity.” She continued, “I hope people can understand that this [the MLK Day celebration] is a day for everybody.” Senior Jaelyn Felton, who is co-president of ONYX – a student-run club which engages in discussions relating to black culture and black issues at Masters and beyond – voiced a similar sentiment. Prior to the day she said, “It’s important to treat this day with kindness and respect. If you don’t know much, listen. Be open to what others have to say.” Nevertheless, attendance was still a concern on the day as 51 students were absent. Senior Yeveen Shin was

shocked to hear that approximately one-tenth of the entire student body was missing. She expressed her disappointment. “You just have to be present and notice things. There’s no additional burden on you to come to school,” Shin said. Brown added, “I think sometimes people forget that there are a lot of things that might not be important to them, that are important to others. It’s unfortunate that they don’t give those people the same respect and support they would want if they were doing something that was meaningful to them.” One noticeable difference in this year’s celebration was the fact that the morning gathering was held in the Fonseca Center gymnasium; Brown explained that this was out of a desire to unite the entire school for the occasion, per MLK’s ideals. Aside from the location change, the format of the day was similar to last year’s celebration. After the all-school assembly in the morning, students were encouraged to “mix-it-up” and sit with other students and faculty who they might not know. Although this aspect of the day yielded a mixed reaction after its inaugural running a year ago, Brown explained why it remained an important aspect of the experience. “A lot of people don’t realize that one of the most segregated parts of a school is the dining hall. It is a place where people can feel very isolated,” she said.

In the afternoon, students and faculty attended two breakout sessions of their choosing where they had the chance to further explore the subject matter presented in the morning assembly. Junior Brooke Tatarian, who attended “The Effects of Bullying” and “What is Your Story of Overcoming Adversity?” reflected on her experience. “I was really able to relate to my own life during these ses-

sions. It was also meaningful to hear the stories of others in the community who I don’t necessarily know,” Tatarian said. In the symposium entitled “Water Accessibility and Environmental Justice” which was led by seniors Olivia Sharenow, Sophia Forestmann, India Isaacson and Eric Dowd, attendees responded to information presented in the morning assembly – regarding lack of clean drinking water in many impoverished areas of the

United States – by writing letters to members of Congress, urging them to support clean-water legislature. Learning Enhancement and Development (LEAD) Director Julee Matkins was impressed with the initiative that was taken by everyone who participated in the day’s activities. “I feel so much gratitude for the students. I’m just inspired by the thoughts and ideas expressed by them a n d their willingness to be vulnerable and think deeply,” she said.

SOPHIA VISCARELLO/TOWER

DANCE COMPANY MEMBERS,ANNIE Fabian ‘22, Mali Black ‘22, Jazmine Hudson ‘21 and Kate Sibery ‘21 (not pictured), choreographed and performed a dance to Shane Koyczan’s monologue “To This Day.” The dance highlighted the long term effects of bullying, especially within a school environment.

TOWER/FEBRUARY 7, 2020

SPORTS

Kobe inspires globally him before the launch of the world games. When I saw him, he was in Mitch Fink & tiMothy MAthAs such a peaceful place in what he was doing as far as trying to help Sports Lead Editor & Opinion Editor the game globally.” It was this passion and willingWhen current sophomore Alness to share his knowledge about len Ning was younger, he and the game of basketball that made his friend stared at the TV, mesKobe Byrant an icon. merized. Ning and his friend, who Ning, who now plays for Maswere young at the time, had come ters’ varsity boys’ basketball team, across the highlights of the late and was the only freshman on the NBA legend, Kobe Bryant. They team last season, said, “Kobe is saw his one-of-a-kind skills, his Chinese people’s favorite player of unmatched work all time; he’s at ethic, and the fothe same level as cus in his eyes, His consistency is Yao Ming, probaand decided that what spoke volumes bly higher.” they had to start in how he was able Even beyond playing basketto play at a high levBryant’s specball. el at all times. tacular perforBryant died mances on the tragically in a he- STEPHON MARBURY court, his relentlicopter accident less work ethic, in Calabasas, known as the CA. along with his daughter Gi“Mamba Mentality”, is a huge anna and seven others on Jan. 26. part of what has garnered Bryant He played 20 seasons for the Los the widespread respect he gained Angeles Lakers, was an 18-time throughout his career. NBA all-star, and won 5 ChampiMarbury added, “[Bryant] onships. Bryant’s exciting style-of- worked tireless hours at a high play, with his electrifying dunks level to put himself in a position and clutch jump shots, were hard where he was always able to play for NBA fans to miss. Throughat a high level.” out his career, Bryant was known for working extremely hard at his craft. Former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury told Tower, “His consistency is what spoke volumes in how he was able to play at a high level at all times. It was rare that he had a bad game. He may not have had a good shooting game, but when he wasn’t shooting well, he did other things that allowed him to get himself going on the court.” Even still, throughout his career Bryant averaged 25 points per game in his 20 years in the NBA, and will go down as one of the most consistent scorers of all time. Even after his retirement, Bryant strived to continue his widespread influence by spreading and COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS teaching the game in other parts of KOBE BRYANT SETS FOR a free throw the world. during a 2005 game against the GoldMarbury recounted, “I just saw en State Warriors. Bryant died on Jan. Kobe at the world games in Chi- 26 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, na and I did an interview with CA.

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GEORGE CHANG/TOWER

SOPHOMORE HAOQING (SUNNY) SHI takes on an opponent during a fencing match in the Francisco Martin Fencing Room. Shi won first in this year’s individual foil competition as a sophomore, and looks to continue her success in her remaining years at Masters.

Fencing foils opponents Andrew Mitchell Contributing Writer

or a serious fencer, the mere five hours of practice per week is just not going to cut it – or stab it. Between the complicated rules and typical fast pace, fencing can be confusing enough to watch, let alone putting on a mask and trying it yourself. “You may feel like you’re nothing when you just begin,” said Haoqing (Sunny) Shi, this year’s girls foil league champion. A truly competitive fencer has more than just a basic understanding of the sport and athleticism; in fact, that is just the beginning. Strategy is one of the largest differentiators between fencing and other sports. Each fencer comes to the strip with a different plan and

repertoire of varied skills; strategies can look very different depending on the individual. Fencing is a combination of manipulation, execution and reaction. “You have to be able to read cues and react accordingly,” explained boys sabre captain, Massimo Tossi. Strength is crucial to any prolonged success. The traditional “en garde” stance requires a great deal of muscle to hold for an entire match, let alone lunging and recovering too. This is where club fencing can come into play, claimed Tossi. “You go to a club, and you’re there for 3-4 hours.” It takes consistent training to acquire the proper strength. Perseverance can often be one of the hardest things to maintain during a bout. In a league of extremely talented and experienced fencers, “you can often go a couple of competitions and really just get destroyed,” added Tossi. “It’s easy

to get discouraged.” In addition, fencing is a game of comebacks and constructive mentalities; a rough start is often recoverable. It is important to stay calm and collected. “Experience is the most important thing in fencing” said August Grossman, boys’ epee captain. He further explained that once the basics of advancing and lunging are acquired, the sport becomes much more complex. A competitor must be able to balance their own intentions, while anticipating their opponents’ actions and maintaining distance, while simultaneously doing countless other things; can be extremely overwhelming. This draining multi-tasking can only be improved with years of practice and observing other fencers. Shi said, “It takes a few years to really know what you’re doing. You cannot improve immediately, it takes time.”

Decluttering and organizing can seem more than overwhelming – it can seem as difficult as getting to Mars. Call Allison Wohl for a fresh start in 2020!

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SPORTS

TOWER/FEBRUARY 7, 2020

S portS

Squash stars look to bright futures

Carolyn hohl & Clara KolKer Contributing Writers

GEORGE CHANG/ TOWER

EIGHTH GRADER REGGIE GRODIN possesses the ball during a varsity boys’ basketball game against Columbia Prep. Grodin averages 9.5 points per game for the boys varsity basketball team. During this game, Grodin filled in for starting point guard Michael VanDemark, who was sidelined due to an injury.

Middle school phenom boosts boys’ basketball Carol Queiroz & Kwynne SChloSSman Staff Writer and Contributing Writer Averaging 9.5 points per game, and with a strong motivation to win, eighth grader Reggie Grodin is taking boys’ varsity basketball by storm. Although the youngest and smallest on the team, he’s always out on the courts giving it his all. Grodin recalled his love for the sport starting in first grade, when he played on various club teams outside of Masters. Grodin has been training with his dad ever since he can remember. His years of training and exceptional skills made him the first middle schooler to ever claim a spot on the upper school boys’ varsity basketball team.

Head Coach Keydron Clark said, “He’s a kid that has a lot of energy, he plays the game the right way and everyone feeds off of him.” He continued, “When he makes a shot, everyone gets excited.” Grodin was crucial in securing the Panthers 70-67 win against The Harvey School on Jan. 10, scoring 15 points. After coming off the bench early in the first half, he settled into the game without hesitation, making quick passes to his teammates and sinking three-pointers that made the crowd go wild. His energy quickly spread throughout the team, helping them take back the lead and win the game. The eighth grader’s career high, however, was when he notched 21 points in a game against Salesian High School in New Rochelle on Dec. 10. Grodin accounted for nearly half of the Panther’s point total in the contest.

While some may have doubted Grodin’s skill at first, it became clear as the ball was passed to him again and again that he deserved his spot on the team. “To look at Reggie, he’s shorter and younger than all the other guys; but right when he starts playing, you can tell that he knows the game well and that he’s been playing for a while,” senior captain Michael Van Demark said. “He’s got the best shot of anyone I’ve ever seen.” Reflecting on first joining the varsity team, Grodin said, “I was kind of nervous at first, not going to lie, because everyone’s a lot bigger than me. But after all the hard work I put in, I realized that if I put my mind to do it, I’ll be able to do it. And I did.” The team’s next home game is Monday, Feb. 10 against Hackley. It is their senior game.

There is hardly ever a time during the year that you will not hear the sound of a squash ball hitting the side of the court from anywhere on the second floor of the Fonseca Center. And no one knows this sound better than senior Nouran Youssef, who said in her senior speech that there were few times where she was not spending her free moments practicing. Fellow senior Taha Dinana, a recruit to the University of Virginia’s squash team, shared a similar passion while talking about the recruitment process. “I started playing squash seven years ago,” he said. “Since the first day I played, my dream was to study abroad while playing squash [for college].” However, within Youssef’s senior speech, delivered to the upper school in early January, she noted how difficult this dream would ultimately be for her to accomplish. Youssef has played squash for more than a decade, was scouted by Princeton on account of her athletic prowess, told to stop talking to other schools, yet unexpectedly did not get into the prestigious university. “Her top school promised her something and then they took it away, which was very unfortunate, and her speech really touched me,” Dinana said. “My top choices were Columbia and Yale. I was so busy contacting

them and sending them videos of old matches, that I wasn’t focused on practicing at all.” As high school students, the college admission is innately a very difficult process for all; the ups and downs of potential sports recruitments complicates it even more. Freshman and new team member Hanna Schiciano reflected on how Youssef’s words resonated with her. She said, “It made me feel a little bit nervous, just because of the whole recruiting [process]. For me, I play tennis a lot outside of school, and I play squash obviously for school and the thought of ‘Oh, am I going to be able to be able to play in college?’ just hit me.” Among those on the teams who don’t play at the same ultra-competitive skill levels, thoughts about the college recruitment process and the effort involved creates a different response than one might initially think: being cheerful and dedicated to one another. While Youssef noted that many of her teammates can’t fully relate to the challenges of the recruitment process, she did acknowledge how she appreciated that the team was there for her. “Being in an environment where you’re wanted and accepted is better for you than an environment where you feel rejected… Here, I feel welcome.” Youssef intends to go to Trinity College next year and play on their Squash team, which is one of the best in the country. “And I [will] feel welcome at Trinity, too,” she said with a smile.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TAHA DINANA

SENIOR TAHA DINANA PLAYS in a boys ‘ varsity squash match. Dinana has dreamed of playing squash at collegiate level while studying abroad for years. In this coming fall, he plans to play and study at the University of Virginia.

Girls’ varsity basketball succeeds with short bench l exi w aChen & m orghan l avery Contributing Writers Seven players. Four losses. Thirteen wins. The girls’ varsity basketball team has put up quite the fight. Even with a small roster, they are already off to an impressive record. The Panthers won the New York State Association of Independent Schools last year with a record of 18-6. However, they have four fewer players from last year’s squad, including two seniors. Still, they haven’t let the loss of teammates intimidate them, and the small team has continued to excel in the first half of their season. Dakota Daniello, a freshman who has been on the roster since eighth grade, reflected on what it has been like playing with a smaller team. She said that having a smaller team has allowed the girls to bond, even if it makes competing difficult. Daniello said, “It’s pretty hard. Everyone has to work a lot harder since we only have seven people

and when we are tired, we have to overcome it. Everyone gets playing time though. And with a smaller team, everyone can get along better and perform better.” Captain and senior Noemia

Massingue said that the coach’s goal is to bring the girls closer together on and off the court. This inclusive environment has helped create a really strong dynamic and led to their successes on the court.

ISAAC CASS

JUNIOR FORWARD BROOKE TATARIAN drives to the basket in a game against Columbia Prep. Masters came back from a double-digit deficit to defeat the Lions 64-57. Tatarian finished the game with 22 points and 21 rebounds.

She said, “When you are close to somebody outside of the court, it is easier for you to trust them on the court.” Junior, Brooke Tatarian, recently recognized for scoring her 1000th point in her Masters career, reflected how the change in the number of players has impacted this season. “I really don’t think there’s a downside [of having seven players]. We’re all so used to being around each other and playing with each other on the court. We are going to get tired, but that’s not an excuse,” she said. Coach Volchok said that he’s aware that with such a small roster, the risk of injury and fatigue is greater. He still hopes that the team will be able to reach states by the end of the season and hopefully win, as they did last year. He said, “When you only have seven girls on a team it’s tough to think too far ahead because god forbid you get any injuries… We take this approach where it’s just one game at a time and we try to put out our best effort and we tell them to step on the court, but when you only have seven girls on the team,

For more sports coverage, visit our website: tower.mastersny.org Indoor track breaks records rowan mCwhinnie and Kate Stein Contributing Writers

Fencing team welcomes new coaches Sabrina wolfSon Contributing Writer it’s tough to think too far ahead.” Junior Allie Koziarz said, “We lost three close games. And for some of those games, I think we just didn’t come out ready to play. We have to always be ready to keep fighting and have a positive attitude like it’s the championship.” Koziarz has confidence going forward into the season. She said, “We just have to remember to keep fighting until the game is over.” dd