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A Time to Unwind From School — at School
Though Mr. Cogliano has only been at Bronx Science for a few months, he is quickly trying to improve student life. balancing extracurriculars, and making the effort to get enough sleep, it seems that adding anything else to a typical Bronx Science student’s already busy schedule would be impossible. However, Cogliano is working to help students better strike a balance between work and leisure. He is adamant about opening resources to all students to ensure that they do not forget one of the most important aspects of high school, having fun. “I never see mental health as a problem. In fact, it affects everyone sometime in their life,” Cogliano contends. “It’s just the way that we deal with it that impacts us day-to-day.” Starting in February 2018, Cogliano plans to host mental health sessions during 10th period, so that
this “SGI,” though all students will be welcome to come. Mental health SGI differs most from usual SGI classes in that during these periods, small groups of students from all grades can come together to create an open forum to discuss personal and school-related issues with both Mr. Cogliano and their peers. Furthermore, Mr. Cogliano expects these sessions to foster a greater sense of community among students of all different grades, who would offer moral support and advice after listening to others during this time and vice versa. In addition to helping students to destress by discussion, Cogliano hopes to teach students other methods to relieve anxiety, in-
Zimbabwe’s Coup and the End of an Era By MAX STEIKER On Tuesday November 21, Robert Mugabe stepped down as the president of the Nation of Zimbabwe, after thirty-seven years of rule marked by corruption with the seizure of Rhodesian Corporations, prejudice and genocide Ndebele people, and severe inflation during a nationwide 2006 recession. Robert Mugabe had been notorious for being politically ruthless, purging dozens of ministers and clergy members over his tenure as president. After leading the Zimbabwe African Nationalist Union- Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF for short), he became the leader of the nation of Zimbabwe at the end of the Rhodesian Bush War. Only three years into his reign, Mugabe demonstrated his prowess at eliminating threats to his power, and revealed his intention to rule unopposed. Mugabe ordered the massacre of upwards of twenty thousand native Ndebele people in a targeted genocide in the Matabeleland region of Zimbabwe. His motive for the massacre, known as the Gukurahundi, was to eliminate his political opposition, which was comprised of the Ndebele. Mugabe then spent decades implementing failed socialist policies that bankrupt-
cluding muscle relaxation and aromatherapy, specifically introducing calming scents to students that would help them unwind from the external pressures of school. “I work very closely with the school’s guidance counselors,” said Cogliano. “If a student is noticed to be struggling in a class, oftentimes, his or her guidance counselor will refer them to me to speak with them to see if anything else is wrong besides the material.” Cogliano aims to hold a test run with some of these students as he explores the possible activities that he could carry during these meetings before officially setting a date for the first session. Though he believes in the importance of addressing mental health, Cogliano notes how it is ultimately the student’s choice if they want to talk to him. “In the end, it’s only a person’s choice if they want to come to me or not,” he reasoned. “However, I’ll always try to make time for anyone who needs to talk to me about anything.” “You’ll only be in school for so long, but how you treat yourself internally affects you for your whole life,” Cogliano also noted. “It’s important that a person maintains their mental health, because that lasts with them forever.” So far, the mental health SGI program seems to have already generated much interest amongst the student body. “I would stay after school for Mental Health SGI. A lot of students in the school are really stressed and struggle to manage everything. If we learned how to relax and manage our stress, it would be really beneficial,” said Katherine Doss ’19. So stay tuned, Bronx Science, as Cogliano brings you a way to rest your minds.
ed the country. In 2000, Mugabe forcefully reappropriated white-owned farms to political allies, destroying Zimbabwe’s last functioning industry. By 2006, the debt created by Mugabe’s failed initiatives caused runaway hyperinflation, leading to an 85 billion percent devaluation in the Zimbabwean currency. Under Mugabe, Zimbabwe went from being the second richest country in Africa to one of the poorest in the world. Robert Mugabe is now ninety-three years old, and on November 8, he purged his cabinet of members who were opposed to his wife, Grace, who he hoped would take power after his retirement. The firing of his Vice President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, on November 6 sparked a military coup that led to Mugabe’s forced resignation on November 21. With Mugabe gone, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has stepped up as Zimbabwe’s second President in thirty-seven years of existence. Zachary Lee ‘18, an avid follower of geopolitics, describes Mnangagwa’s prospective reign as leader somewhat pessimistic. “Despite my continued optimism for the southern African region as a whole, I remain dubious of the new resident’s ability to lead Zimbabwe into a new era. Many members of the current administration remain in power from Mugabe’s era and Emmerson Mnangagwa himself had a long standing relationship with the dictator.” Continued Online
“A Narrow Escape for Students with GOP Tax Plan” (continued from A1) million Americans currently remain in student debt. “The government is neglecting the future of the country to ‘compensate’ for the astronomical decrease in tax revenue that tax cuts to the upper class will get,” Sebastian Baez ’19 commented. Baez raised an important point that reinforced the controversy of the tax bill provisions: why should students be responsible for tax cuts on the upper class? Additionally, another proposal from the original tax bill would have taxed tuition waivers as income. This meant that students would have had to pay taxes on so-called income they were not receiving. This primarily targeted graduate students who receive tuition discounts, mainly those who work as teachers or research assistants or are working towards a doctorate degree. For a graduate student with a $40,000 tuition break, that would more than triple their typical taxable income, making some graduate degrees not financially viable at all, and thus affecting the participation at research programs in many universities. “This bill is not about your welfare as a student,” Dr. Todd Davis, a history teacher, commented. Reflecting on his experience as a graduate student, he said, “I would be obliged to pay taxes on a bunch of money that would not have been mine. It would have resulted in poverty, and I would not have been able to go to school, nor would most.” In response to those proposals, student protests of higher education swept the country to prevent the bill from being passed. Eight students were arrested during a Capitol Hill demonstration, and many other rallies and walkouts occurred under organized efforts of
graduate students. Through protest and debate, this controversy eventually propelled the Republican House to rescind the interest deduction and taxable income provisions from the tax bill. Many families could have also been impacted by changes to the American Opportunity Tax Credit and Lifetime Learning Credit that ultimately failed to pass through Senate. Under the final plan, which preserves the current American Opportunity Tax Credit, eligible families receive $2,500 in tax credit annually for every child enrolled in college, usable for four years of a child’s education. The plan also preserves the Lifetime Learning Credit, which bestows up to $2,000 per year for eligible families, usable for every year they use in higher education. In the earlier drafts of the tax bill, however, the Lifetime Learning Credit would have been eliminated, and the American Opportunity Tax Credit would have been expanded to a fifth year at a reduced benefit. Therefore, current and future eligible students pursuing higher education past their first four years of college would have essentially lost these valuable benefits, which would have made the entire process more financially difficult for graduate students. Bronx Science boasts a 98.3% graduation rate, with most students immediately enrolling into top colleges having received scholarships or merit-based financial aid. With college costs growing by the year, students are often dependent upon those scholarships to attend the prestigious schools into which they are accepted. With around 715 students graduating each year from Bronx Science, embarking on their journey into higher education, the fight for equal, accessible education remains relevant to all current and prospective graduates of our storied public high school.
“Annual Can Drive is Most Successful Ever” (continued from A1) Julia Gonzales ’19 explained why she donated. “I contributed because I think it’s important to provide for the less fortunate, especially during the holiday season when food is such a culturally significant thing, and I encouraged people to donate for the same reason.” One thing many students agree on is how the student organization’s efforts in advertising the can drive facilitated its success. Anthony Lim ’21 admitted, “The can drive was successful this year because of the ad-
mos shown in homeroom, and mentions in daily morning announcements, the student body was made well aware of the drive. John Aidan Feighery ’19, the social media chair of the S.O., was proud to see that the S.O.’s hard work paid off. “This year, the S.O. Cabinet made a huge effort to get fellow students to donate. By continuing the advertising practices employed this year and making this a strong part of Bronx Science tradition, I firmly believe Bronx Science can continue to be a major force in contributing to the welfare of our city’s less fortunate.” Indeed, the can drive has motivated students and increased their school pride. Can drive co-chair Ryan Yam noted that “this success shows our school has potential to do greater things than just school work, and that we can work together to accomplish things—that even with a little bit of motivation, we can achieve The S.O. and City Harvest representatives work things that have never hard together to cart heavy packages of cans been done before.” Can to the truck for donation. drive co-chair Umayma Hasan agreed: “The vertisements that were on the morning success of this can drive just shows how announcements and all of the posters.” motivated Bronx Science students acThe drive was also published during tually are, and how if we put our mind monthly senate meetings held during to it, we can accomplish anything.” lunch periods and through weekly With donors ranging from the staff and faculty to clubs, NHS members, emails to all homeroom senators. Through large colorful posters lining and the general student body—from hallways and stairwells, flyers placed in freshmen to seniors—this year’s bathrooms, weekly Wolverine TV pro- can drive was truly a great victory for Bronx Science as a whole. Image Courtesy of Kristen Parness / The S.O.
By TAYLOR HUANG students have an opportunity to de-stress together. Conveniently taking place during 10th period, when a majority of students can easily get home afterwards, these sessions allow students to create time for relaxation without worrying about leaving school late and falling behind in their studies. Cogliano hopes that these sessions will run much like SGI for academic classes, where teachers offer their students individualized help after school. Unlike for academic subjects, students will never be madated for Ben Wade / The Science Survey
After only a few months at Bronx Science, the school’s new social worker, Anthony Cogliano, has already made much progress in addressing students’ mental health — by making it an official part of the school day. As a specialized high school, Bronx Science is notorious for its rigorous academics and competitive atmosphere; it’s a given that many of its students often sacrifice their schoolwork at the expense of their physical and mental health. Yet, between scrambling to finish class assignments,