The Record Volume 120 Issue 6
Horace Mann’s Weekly Newspaper Since 1903
record.horacemann.org October 28th, 2022
Changes to student clubs and publications funding promote equity Courtesy of Emily Salzhauer
GET PSYCHED FOR NEUROPSYCH Club hosts I period meeting.
Ariella Frommer Staff Writer This school year, Dean of Students Michael Dalo made changes to student organizations’ fund-request processes, bake sales, fundraising, and merchandise. Dalo implemented these changes to create more equity across organizations, he said. “I want every student group to feel that they’re supported by the school in the same way.” The process of creating the club budgets starts at the end of the school year. Like every department at the school, Dalo requests a certain sum of money from the Business Office based on past spending that he will allocate to clubs and publications the following year, he said. At the start of the year, leaders of student groups register their clubs and request funds that they think will cover their group’s operations for the year, according to the Student Publication Registration Form on the Upper Division (UD) Student Life Page. “Any group that is requesting funding and has a reasonable use for that funding, is going to get the money as long as I have it available to me,” Dalo said. “I don’t think any club did not receive what they asked for, as far as allocation goes.” Dalo does not allocate all the money dedicated to student groups at the beginning of the year, he said. He saves some in the clubs and publications general account for groups who ask for more money to run a certain activity or groups that start during the year, he said. StudioHM, a new visual arts club this year, the club leaders calculated their projected spending depending on which materials are available in the art department and which they would need to buy, president Heidi Li (11) said. “We didn’t really need to ask for a lot of money because all we need are extra materials for projects like ribbons for our upcoming breast cancer awareness project.” Another new club, the Cryptocurrency Club, decided to not request funding this year, president Emma
Chang (10) said. “The student life page says preference is given to long established groups when granting funds, [and] as a non-competitive, discussion-based club, we don’t really need funding.” In past years, certain “legacy” clubs and publications were automatically guaranteed a certain amount of funding each year, Dalo said. There is no official record of which organizations are “legacy” or how an organization earns that designation. “Legacy” organizations were promised a certain amount of funding every year, regardless of their activity or the money they had used in past years. Aside from that, the label is arbitrary and does not confer other privileges, Dalo said. “Now, [funding] is really more dependent on how active that group has been in the past few years and what they’re looking to do for this coming year.” This change allows for a more equitable distribution of the money, Dalo said. Certain legacy publications received significant funds but did not produce more than one issue per year, while newer publications consistently produced multiple issues of high quality writing per year with less funding. Another reason for the shift to a more thoughtful allocation policy is because the school spent more money on safety precautions during the pandemic, and is finding places to save money this year, Dalo said. Debate clubs and publications generally receive more funding than other groups because their expenses are higher, Dalo said. All debate clubs travel to tournaments and printing magazines is an expensive process. Public Forum (PF) Debate’s allocated funds are not enough to cover all club activities, Research Director Hanzhang Swen (11) said. The funds are not enough to cover three nights at a hotel, team dinners, and buses to tournaments, so students usually have to cover a large part of tournament costs themselves, Swen said. “At a school like Horace Mann where the tuition is already so high, we should be able to have these opportunities
for free.” their finances after bake sales to see if The school’s encouragement of they should keep their profits or doclubs to think more carefully about nate them, president Giselle Paulson their spending will be beneficial, (12) said. “Last year, we didn’t necesEditor-In-Chief of The Review Jiy- sarily have to, but we hosted a bake on Chatterjee (12) said. He does not sale and donated the profits to a deexpect these changes to take a toll bate program in the Bronx,” she said. on The Review’s operations. “We If they decide to keep their profits, planned our budget pretty carefully, they will likely go towards merchanand we got basically as much as we dise or tournament fees, Paulson said. requested,” he said. FUNDRAISING BAKE SALES Last year, the school eliminated At the end of September, student large student-run fundraising events. organization leaders received an One reason behind this is because email from Administrative Assistant fundraisers highlight the socio-ecofor Data Management Laura Cassi- nomic differences within the student no. It listed their allocated budget, body, Dalo said. “During the last Cythe account number from which they cle for Survival event, there was a TV would make deposits or withdrawals, that showed this family donated X and a new policy for bake sales: clubs amount.” that receive between $500 and $2,999 Given that tuition costs $59,800 and publications that receive between yearly, the school will not ask parents $500 and $1,999 must run at least one for money aside from the Annual bake sale per year to help cover their Fund, Dalo said. “If the parents of expenses. Clubs that receive $3,000 one club have more means than anor more and publications that receive other club, that club is going to come $2000 or more must run at least one in with more money because the parbake sale per semester. Organizations ents of the kids in that club are going receiving less than $500 can also host to be able to donate,” he said. bake sales, but are not required to. Limiting student organization “It made sense to me that the funding to school allocation and bake groups that are receiving more mon- sales promotes equity between clubs ey and have more expensive activity because it sidesteps parent contribushould be required to do two bake tions. If groups would like to fundsales to cover a bit more of their ex- raise for either their club or penses,” Dalo said. an organization, r The school also distributthey can only do to c e t Dir ci/Ar ed a document of so through bake Cora n ia Viv “Rules for sales, Dalo said. Student In the past, Run Bake the Cancer Sales” that Aw a r e n e s s set prices for Club (CAC) common items. ran Cycle Bake sales must for Suralways offer an vival and item that is $1 or Relay for less, nothing can Life to cost more than $5, raise and a slice of pizawareza must be $3.50. n e s s Students must mark about prices for all items and cancer can only decrease, not and money increase prices. for cancer research. “There have been “Relay for life used to be a huge problems with this in the event with a carnival, speakers, and past when there are no rules around entertainment,” CAC president Ariebake sales,” Dalo said. “It’s ridiculous la Weber (11) said, “All the money we that one group is selling Broadway raised went a very long way in cancer Joe’s for three bucks and another research, and every single penny was group is selling it for five.” donated to battling cancer.” Clubs and publications leaders Eliminating fundraisers prevents filled out a form to request a Wednes- the CAC from fulfilling their purday, Thursday, or Friday to host their pose, Weber said. “I understand why bake sale, and received a calendar we can’t raise money for equity realast week from Cassino. Twenty or- sons, but if we can’t even raise awareganizations will host bake sales in the ness at these big events, then why are first semester, out of around 110 total we even a club?” she said. Since they clubs and publications. The money cannot ask families to donate money, that a group makes from bake sales they plan to attach a public cancer goes into their own budget, which fundraiser link on emails to families, they can then use towards different Weber said. activities. MERCH PF Debate leadership will evaluate Starting this year, the school will
only pay for t-shirts if clubs would like merchandise. If they want to purchase something else, the school will contribute the estimated amount for each member in the organization to get a t-shirt; the organization must make up the difference through a bake sale or students paying for it themselves. In the past, the school covered club merch in any form and from any vendor. “It was a huge expense that the school was covering completely, ‘’ Dalo said. There are also new rules surrounding the specificities of merchandise. Now, merchandise needs to say “Horace Mann” or “HM” on it, and it must be maroon with white lettering or white with maroon lettering. “If the school is paying for merchandise that is supposed to be representative of the school, it should represent the school,” Dalo said. The Manntra, a health and wellness magazine, hopes to get merchandise for the club this year, Editor-In-Chief Molly Goldsmith (11) said. “We’re probably going to have to pay for that ourselves this year because we do not want t-shirts, so I understand that not everybody is going to want to pay for it.” Goldsmith also wants to host bake sales this year, but the club would not use that money for merchandise, she said. Instead, they will donate the profits to various organizations the club cares about, such as mental health organizations, she said. If possible, the editorial board of The Review will pay for their sweatshirts using proceeds from bake sales, but they will consider various other options if they do not raise enough money, Chatterjee said. PF Debate did not plan to buy anything more expensive than t-shirts anyways, so these changes to merchandise do not affect the club greatly, Paulson said. “Most of our priorities for our budget would be going to tournaments, getting coaching, and making sure that the costs aren’t too high for tournaments, so the important functioning of our club is mostly unaffected.” While some club leaders may not be excited about the new changes, they will have to accept these changes, Subramanian said. “If the school can’t afford it, the school can’t afford it,” she said, “There’s other ways we can make money and pay for our team.” At the end of the year, clubs and publications’ funds do not rollover into the next year. Instead, the unused money from the student activities budget transfers to the following year’s Student Assistance Fund, where any student may request money for school-related activities outside of financial aid, Dalo said.
2
THE RECORD OPINIONS OCTOBER 28TH, 2022
School should reinstate remote option for sick students adults in the community advise otherwise. The pressures of a fast-paced academic environment and the lack of an online option give us little choice but to come to school while sick. Instead of “work from home” or “WFH,” Horace Mann students “WFSWS” — “work from school while sick.” Maybe the school is afraid “school from home” will become as prevalent as “work from home,” compromising a “back to normal” for in-person instruction. Fortunately, I know how awesome and enriching the HM in-person experience is. Most, if not all, students prefer in-person instruction since they can participate in class and socialize with friends. There is a slim chance for students faking sickness to stay home, and that low possibility should not hinder us from allowing sick students to Zoom in. I see no reason for the administration to shrink from this challenge and make HM the secure and healthful environment we strive to be. ci/ ra Co
t Ar
re Di
r cto
The school’s decision to remove the Zoom school option has had a negative impact on our community. At the height of the pandemic, any student who tested positive was mandated to attend classes on Zoom. The school installed microphones and cameras in classrooms to make remote learning more convenient, productive, and accessible. However, removing this option at the start of this year — even for students quarantining with COVID — has worsened the spread of sickness and increased anxiety among students. In September, a cold-like illness swept through the student body. Many students, including myself, suffered from a sore throat, stuffy nose, and a cough. I did not want to miss any class material so I came to school with a bag of cough drops. Many students talked about feeling unwell, but refused to stay home. Even kids who threw up and had fevers the night before showed up to school the next day. One junior in my class said they did not feel well and didn’t want to come to school, but couldn’t stay home because missing school would be too stressful. Another friend of mine attended school after a fever the night before because she didn’t want to miss the review session for her upcoming math test or the lab in her science class. The spread of illnesses will only worsen in the upcoming colder months if the school does not make a change. Health officials predict a bad flu season this year, increasing fears
but being forced to come by their parents. Some parents even support the idea of their child not testing for COVID if they have symptoms because they do not want their child to be quarantined at home. Emails from the school advise against this, but many parents end up ignoring this advice because they worry their child will fall behind. Considering these reasons, the removal of Zoom school was a poor decision by the administration. It has led to greater amounts of sickness and increased anxiety. Without an online option, students must choose between school or their health — many prioritize the former. The technology for Zoom school is already installed in each classroom, so it would not be a burden to allow sick students to listen from home. While Zoom may hinder class productivity as teachers take a few minutes to log online, the benefits outweigh the costs. It is still extremely valuable for sick students to listen in on a class. With remote learning, students can directly hear the teachers’ explanations and comprehend the material. It is a far more effective method of learning than a packet of notes from a classmate that may or may not be complete, with little context. If it is difficult for teachers to call on in-person students alongside online ones, students on Zoom can compromise — they can participate by actively listening, rather than speaking. No teacher who is sick would have to come to school to teach their class; a substitute would teach the curriculum for them. However, there are no substitute students. Teachers also have less incentive to come to school while sick because they have more control over their class schedule and lack the pressures of a GPA. They do not have to worry about preparing for upcoming assessments or understanding course material in an extremely timely manner — students do. Any attempt by school administration to compel teachers to attend school when they are sick would be met with stiff resistance, and rightfully so. Yet, the school does not explicitly mandate that students forgo health for class, and many
n via Vi
Ava Lipsky
of a “twindemic” this winter. After someone tests positive for COVID, the CDC recommends quarantining for five days to minimize the risk of spreading the virus to others. One of my friends who contracted the virus tested negative on her second day of quarantine and felt completely fine. She complained about not being able to Zoom into class and felt that she should not have to miss out on a week of class unnecessarily. Those who contract COVID or those who need to recover from other mild illnesses should be allowed to access their classes remotely. This would alleviate the stress of missing class, prompting students to test themselves for COVID when needed and allowing them to recover quicker and safer while keeping up with academics. Missing just a few days of classes can set students behind, compounding the already taxing experience of being sick. My friend had to make up a math, physics, and French test the week she returned. Not being at school is stressful, but returning after being out is even worse because there is so much to catch up on. The problem is especially pronounced for upperclassmen — juniors do not want to fall behind on their hefty workload and seniors have to worry about mid-semester grades that appear on their college applications. One senior told me he couldn’t miss school because his mid-semester grades were his last chance to raise his GPA. Given that difficulty, it is not surprising for students to minimize their symptoms and come to school sick. Students might not test for COVID when they have symptoms because they do not want to miss five days of school. Even though the community is fully vaccinated, these decisions put people at a greater risk of contracting this highly trans-
“Those who contract COVID or those who need to recover from other mild illnesses should be allowed to access their classes remotely.” missible virus. Even for illnesses less transmissive and dangerous than COVID, such as the flu, fear of missing class incentivizes students to force themselves into attending school when they are sick. It hurts both their wellbeing and others’ by spreading illness. Some parents also worry about their children missing school. This pressure can be an additional stressor for students who are debating whether or not they should attend school sick. Some of my friends talked about feeling ill and not wanting to be at school,
Volume 120 Editorial Board
Staff
Staff Writers Ariella Frommer, Ava Lipsky, Clara Stevanovic, Erica Jiang, Etta Singer, Hanzhang Swen, Harper Rosenberg, Isabella Ciriello, Jorge Orvananos, Joshua Shuster, Kate Beckler, Lucy Peck, Maeve Goldman, Mira Bansal, Naomi Yaeger, Neeva Patel, Samantha Matays, Sofia Kim, Sophia Paley, Sophie Rukin, Spencer Kolker, Audrey O’Mary, Brody Grossman, Emily Wang, Jacqueline Shih, James Zaidman, Malachai Abbott, Nikita Pande, Oliver Konopko, Rena Salsberg
Head of Design Avani Khorana
Editor in Chief Emily Sun
Managing Editor Emily Salzhauer
Features Vidhatrie Keetha Ayesha Sen
News Zachary Kurtz
Opinions Audrey Carbonell Sean Lee
A&E Hannah Katzke Allison Markman
Middle Division Celine Kiriscioglu Rachel Baez
Lions’ Den Max Chasin
Staff Photographers Nicole Au, Jorge Orvananos, Trish Tran, Aanya Gupta, Jiwan Kim, James Zaidman, Emily Wang, David Aaron, Harper Rosenberg, Evan Contant
Art Directors Amira Dossani Vivian Coraci Sophia Liu
Design Editors Arin Rosen Alara Yilmaz Sophie Pietrzak
Photo Directors Sam Siegel Ben Rafal Aryan Palla
Staff Artists Sam Stern, Dylan Leftt, Sammie Strasser, Kristy Xie, Addy Steinberg, Michelle Grinberg, Lauren Kim, Sophie Li, Serena Bai, Kayden Hansong, Aashna Hari, Karla Moreira, Devan Joseph, Elena Zhu, Isabelle Kim, Aden Nathoo, Sarah Aaron, Dani Brooks, Aimee Yang, Heidi Li, Duo Duo Dai, Eliana Son, Christian Connor, Ayden Ergin
Online Editor Emily Grant
Faculty Adviser David Berenson
Editorial Policy
About Founded in 1903, The Record is Horace Mann School’s award-winning weekly student newspaper. We publish approximately 30 times during the academic year, offering news, features, opinions, arts, Middle Division and sports coverage relevant to the school community. The Record serves as a public forum to provide the community with information, entertainment, and an outlet for various viewpoints. As a student publication, the contents of The Record are the views and work of the students and do not necessarily represent those of the faculty or administration of the Horace Mann School. Horace Mann School is not responsible for the accuracy and contents of The Record and is not liable for any claims based on the contents or views expressed therein. Editorials All editorial decisions regarding content, grammar, and layout are made by the senior editorial board. The unsigned editorial represents the opinion of the majority of the board. Opinions Opinion columns represent the viewpoint of the author and not of The Record or the school. We encourage students, alumni, faculty, staff, and parents to submit opinions by emailing record@horacemann.org. Letters Letters to the editor often respond to editorials, articles, and opinions pieces, allowing The Record to uphold its commitment to open discourse within the school community. They too represent the opinion of the author and not of The Record or the school. To be considered for publication in the next issue, letters should be submitted by mail (The Record, 231 West 246th Street, Bronx, NY 10471) or email (record@horacemann.org) before 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening. All submissions must be signed. Contact For all tips, comments, queries, story suggestions, complaints and corrections, please contact us by email at record@horacemann.org.
3 Di rec So ph ia
Photos by Ari Palla, James Zaidman, Emily Sun, Emily Salzhauer
Liu /A rt
UD Advanced Ensemble Concert
tor
THE RECORD ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT OCTOBER 28TH 2022
JAZZ BAND
STEEL BAND CONCERT GLEE CLUB
JAZZ BAND
CHAMBER WINDS
TREBLE CHOIR SINFONIETTA
Lions’ Den Record Sports
4
OCTOBER 28TH, 2022
Varsity Water Polo concludes triumphant season
Rena Salsberg Staff Writer
The Varsity Water Polo team wrapped up a successful season this week at the school’s invitational on Wednesday against Riverdale and Trinity, and their game on Friday against Fieldston. “Friday is our last hurrah, so my goal for the game is to have as much fun as possible and to play my best,” Steve Yang (12) said.
The team went undefeated in all six of their games in the Ivy Prep League. The highlight of the season was homecoming, Noah Castillo (10) said. “Usually the water polo crowds aren’t that big, so it was really great to actually have people watching, as the crowd creates a new level of energy and enthusiasm.” Max Chasin (12) and Castillo helped facilitate the team’s wins,
Photo Director/Sam Siegel
WATCH OUT! Max Chasin (12) attacks the goal.
Yang said. The Lions’ ability to maintain a positive attitude in the games was also crucial to their successful season, he said. “When the games were close, or we were slightly down a bit, we always made sure to keep our heads high no matter the score or questionable calls made by the referees.” “Team Captain Max Chasin is definitely a stand-out player on the team, with 120 goals just this season,” Coach Michael Duffy said. Although the team will lose one of their strongest and most talented players next year, Chasin playing and practicing alongside his team members has helped improve the skill level of the other players, he said. “When you play against Max, now all of a sudden you challenge yourself to play against someone with so much skill that you may never even face in a game.” The seniors on the team have done an amazing job with setting a positive tone for the team, Duffy said. Additionally, the team’s two
strongest players, Chasin and Castillo have been great assets to the team. “Working both Chasin and Castillo together on the offensive side is really helpful, and our philosophy is to play really strong defense,” he said. The team’s ability to remain aware and attentive throughout the games has definitely led to the team’s success, Castillo said. In water polo, it is important to be aware of both finding the open people in the pool, and of your surroundings, which the team has really excelled in. “A lot of first-time Varsity players have definitely improved on the quickness from transitioning from offensive back to defense,” Castillo said. The team dynamic and skills the players have acquired over the season played a large role in their success, Jared Contant (12) said. “Our defense has been really well done because we’ve been able to effectively shut down the strongest players even if everyone on
our team isn’t the best shooter.” Despite the loss of last year’s senior class, the team remained close and was able to work well together, Contant said. “For these last two games, I hope that we continue having fun and don’t pressure ourselves to some unattainable standard.” As the season draws to a close, Yang will miss the adrenaline that he feels in games and practices. “Watching and learning from the brilliant plays that our players make will be something I will miss,” he said. “Also, when we play schools farther away in New Jersey or Connecticut, we use the bus rides to bond.” “Team sports have taught me to work better with others. Whether that’s nonverbal communication, seeing what is going on and making quick decisions, or even getting to know other people and understanding their strengths and weaknesses, or how you can best benefit the overall collective,” Contant said.
Girls Varsity Volleyball finishes season on high note Oliver Konopko Staff Writer
With a final record of 4-8, the Girls Varsity Volleyball team finished their season last Saturday with a hard-fought win at Riverdale’s Homecoming. The team finished their season with games against Fieldston, Poly Prep, and Riverdale. The team played Fieldston last Monday and lost 0-3; Poly Prep last Wednesday and lost 0-3; Riverdale last Saturday and won 3-2. All of these games were away, which added a lot of pressure to the matches, Maddie Kim (11) said. In addition to the mental challenge, away games pose a physical one too, Bella Sepulveda (10) said. Different teams’ gyms affect how they play the game — in the school’s gym, the ball is still playable if it hits the scoreboard, whereas at Dalton, hitting the scoreboard ends the point. Despite the losses, they played well as a team, Kim said. “Everyone was putting 110% effort into the games.”
The Riverdale game was especially challenging due to the large crowd, Kim said. However, the team was extra motivated to beat Riverdale because they had beaten the Lions at their homecoming, Kim said. “Their crowd was absurd –– they had horns, cowbells, and were just loud in general, but I think that gave us the motivation to play well.” The team put an end to Riverdale’s roaring crowd when Varsity Captain Jaelah Taylor (12) won the game for them. “Jaelah just came up and spiked the ball and Riverdale was nowhere near it,” Girls Varsity Coach Jason Torres said. After the Lions won, the team ran out and celebrated on the court, Torres said. “I got the game video back and I replayed that moment several times — I really appreciated what a big moment it was.” Despite the great win, the Riverdale game was bittersweet, Brianna Wells (10) said. “We won, but then you think about how you won’t be on the same court with this team again and that was sad.”
As the season drew to a close, one thing that held the team back was how players got in their own heads and lost confidence in themselves, Sepulveda said. To combat this issue, the team called timeouts and reassured the players on the court to help them regain their focus. Another aspect the team struggled with this year was serving, Torres said. “Our serving could be hot and cold at times, and sometimes it’d happen in really close games.” A bad serve can end a point immediately or give the other team an easy opportunity to score, Wells said. Sepulveda was impressed by the team’s effort during these last few games. “There were times when one of the players would touch [the ball] and another player would run across and even off the court to save it –– it was really impressive,” she said. This season was Sepulveda’s first year on Varsity, and one thing that stood out to her was how demanding the team schedule was. “It was a reality check for me,” she said.
Despite the challenge, Sepulveda really enjoyed practicing with the team. “After school, you obviously want to go home, but it was nice to work on our skills each day,” she said. “It didn’t feel like we had to be there, but that we all wanted to be there and get better.” Some notable players this season were Brianna Wells (10), Michelle Orloff (11), Eva Campbell (12), and Sofia Kim (11), Kim said. Many players have had to play positions they don’t normally play, but everyone did a good job ad-
justing. Torres is going to miss the seniors’ leadership next year, he said. “I sort of sat them down at the beginning of this season and told them they had a chance to lead and create a great culture for the team, and they did.” Wells looks forward to her next two years on the team, she said. “I got a taste of what intense volleyball is and I really enjoyed it, so I’m super excited to get back to next season.
Photo Director/Sam Siegel
WIND UP Jaelah Taylor (12) goes for the slam.