Tower Issue #6 2012-2013

Tower The Masters School

April 30, 2013

Volume 69, Number 6

The Masters School, 49 Clinton Avenue, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522

Ives selected as Frost’s successor for head of the Upper School

by Noah Buyon Web Editor-in-Chief

Students can expect a familiar face to grace the stage of the very first Morning Meeting next year. Matt Ives, a 16-year veteran of the History and Religion Department and Dean of the Class of 2014, has been selected to assume the role of head of Upper School after current head Chris Frost announced his departure in December.

A search committee, headed by Associate Head of School for Faculty Affairs and Program Development Adriana Botero, was launched very shortly after Frost made his decision to retire. Résumés poured in for the position, but Ives was finally chosen after he and the other four finalists went through a daylong interview process. Word of his selection came out during the second week of Spring Break.

Botero listed three of the main reasons why Ives was chosen.

“He has proven himself as a leader, he knows our culture and is a part of it and he is respected by

Photo by Debbie Shure

MATT IVES (left) AND CHRIS FROST PERFORM in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, last year’s faculty musical. Ives played Charlie Brown and Frost played Linus. Ives was chosen out of four finalists to fill the position of head of the Upper School, as Frost is retiring after this year.

colleagues, students, administrators and parents.”

An important part of the application process was the student-hosted luncheons, where select

upperclassmen spoke to the finalists face-to-face.

Alex Minton, cochair of community government, helped organize these meetings.

and the Upper School in the past few months.

“We need students to help develop what will work,” said Head of School Maureen Fonseca.

She referenced the presentation given last year by Katie Koestner, a speaker on Internet safety whose presentation was widely disliked by the student body.

“We expected Ms. Koestner’s presentation to be useful but I now recognize that student input would be beneficial in achieving our goals in this area.”

She asked, “How do we use older students, who have a higher level

of cognitive and emotional intelligence [than younger students], and who are closer to the digital age, to help us get ahead of the curve? How do we make our students very aware of protecting themselves?”

Incoming Head of the Upper School Matt Ives has organized a showing of Submit the Documentary, a film about the dangers of cyberbullying, for eighth and ninth graders. On May 22, the students will watch the film and then engage in discussions, which will be led by student leaders.

In addition, a select

He noted, “Mr. Ives really stood out from the other finalists because he knows the ins-and-outs of Masters life. I think what was most impressive was how honest

he was about what Executive Committee actually can or can’t accomplish.”

When asked why he pursued the position, Ives said, “Throughout the interview

process I think that was the first question almost everybody asked me. Quite honestly, it’s the first question I asked myself, because I have an awesome job. The idea that I get paid to do what I do is almost like a fantasy because it’s the most fun.”

He continued, “I wasn’t unhappy with what I was doing, and getting the position wasn’t something that I was necessarily gunning for, but it was an opportunity that just happened to be there, and after a lot of thinking and talking to my family, I decided it was something that I really wanted to do.”

Report of Ives’ appointment has generated much excitement among the student body. He already cuts a prominent figure on campus thanks to his musical talent: he starred in last year’s faculty production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and will be involved in this year’s production of Annie.

Hannah Weber, a senior who has taken two of Ives’ courses, said, “Being taught by Mr. Ives is continued on page 2

Admin targets student leaders to help combat cyberbullying

by Tyler Pager Editor-in-Chief

In response to recent cyberbullying incidents, the administration is calling upon experts—the students—to help develop programs to combat the problem.

Through the use of sites such as ask.fm, on which users are asked questions from anonymous viewers, and Masters-related Facebook pages such as “Masters Crushes” and “Masterz Complimentz,” which have now been shut down, multiple instances of cyberbullying have been reported in both the Middle School

Opinion Struggling to find a graduation dress Page 5

continued on page 2

Photo by Tyler Pager

JUNIOR CHELSEA STRONG AND TRUSTEE ELISE GRIFFIN ‘47 DISCUSS the prevalence of cyberbullying on April 19. The administration, in conjunction with the Ethical Leadership program, has organized various events for student leaders to discuss the dangers of social media with younger students.

Features

Sports

Boys basketball wins state title

Evaluating the school’s grading practices Photo by Anne Marie Leone

Pages 6 & 7

Illustration by Sang Bae

Page 12

Photo by Bob Cornigans

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newsbrief New MISH Co-Chairs Elected Juniors Luke Davoren, Stephanie Sherman, Elijah Jackson and Sophie D’Orchimont were elected to lead the school’s community service program, MISH. Sherman and Davoren were elected co-chairs and Jackson and D’Orchimont will serve as the vice-chairs.

Sherman said, “I am really excited to work with the three other chairs for next year; we have a really great group of people, and I really feel that the four of us will work well together next year. I am also excited for our MISH projects.”

Davoren added, “My goal for next year is to make MISH something that people want to participate in. I want people to feel some sort of connection with the events that MISH sponsors.”

-Lily Herzan

New Director of Admissions Selected Starting on July 1, Keith Holton will fill the position of Director of Enrollment and Financial Aid, replacing Chris Downs.

Holton has served as the Director of Admission at the Canterbury School in Connecticut since 2002.

As a member of the Executive Board and the past Executive Director of the Catholic Boarding School Association (CBSA), Holton has extensive experience with boarding schools.

Holton was attracted to Masters because of the location, faculty and administration. He said, “There will be more responsibility for me at a larger school, and I am very excited to work with an accomplished and collaborative head of school.”

Wessely inducted into both DAA and Phoenix

by Teerin Julsawad features editor

Last month, sophomore Serena Wessely became the first student in 27 years to be inducted into both the Dobbs Athletic Association (DAA) and Phoenix, the school’s respective honorary athletic and drama societies.

“It feels awesome and scary at the same time to be in both DAA and Phoenix,” she said. “I’m committed to a lot of things but I think it’s really a testament that I really love this school. I like sports and theatre a lot.”

Cassy Evans ‘86 was the last student to be a member of both DAA and Phoenix.

As a student, Evans involved herself in a wide variety of activities. She played soccer in fall, operated the theater lights for the winter musical and played lacrosse in spring.

She also served as a proctor in the dorms, participated in community service with MISH and gave admissions tours through Gold Key. “I love being with

different types of people and I wanted to be well-rounded, as my mother would tell me, so I tried a ton of different things,” Evans said.

Similar to how it is today, she said that there were very few students, if any at all, in both DAA and Phoenix.

“It was uncommon and a very unusual thing that people were on both,” she said. “It’s a big commitment to do a play and be on the field everyday.”

However, Evans ultimately believes more students will be able to balance both activities considering the direction in which the school is moving towards.

Wessely was eligible for Phoenix due to the recent change in the club’s eligibility rules, which makes students eligible after participating in only one show.

She believes the school is changing and things will have to adjust and accommodate to these changes.

“I think that the changes to the eligibility requirements were valid with where the school

might be going,” she said.

“You’re going to have kids who love theatre and want to do theatre all the time, but with the ACR, that isn’t possible.”

Drama Department Chair M.A. Haskin consents and believes it was a brave decision for the Phoenix members to make the changes.

“I’m very proud of Phoenix because they initiated the idea of not having

continued from page 1

kind of transformative, and while I’m sad to see him stepping out of the classroom, I’m glad that he’ll be stepping into the administration with the same great attitude he brings to each class.”

Chair of the Science Department Frank Greally has known Ives for over ten years.

“Mr. Ives understands his students extremely well, so it’s a benefit to

a three-play requirement,” she said. “This came from the students and their desire to understand that as the school changes, the clubs have to change and the ideology has to change.”

Additionally, Haskin believes Wessely’s dedication has earned her a well-deserved recognition that hasn’t been achieved in over three decades.

She added, “Somebody like Serena is really

multi-talented. She’s an incredibly athlete, actor, singer and dancer. She can do all of that. What makes it all really special is her dedication. I have seen her running track with the same dedication and focus that she showed us every day at musical rehearsal. So I think that is really why she stands out: dedication, commitment, hard work and going above expectations.”

have him as the Upper School director because he already knows the culture of the school,” he said.

Ives praised the legacy of Frost and Priscilla Hindley, the retiring dean of students, saying, “I’m really looking forward to building on what Mr. Frost and Ms. Hindley have been doing over the past decades-- taking a [place] that really is awesome, and building it up.”

Specifically, he

mentioned promoting more dialogue between the Board of Trustees and current students, as well as reforming the oft-criticized Executive Committee. “[I’m also looking forward to] taking some initiatives that have been talked about for many years and bringing them to fruition… I think the school is really poised to become a ‘hot’ school-- in the next 10 years the schools is going to go amazing places.”

Ives’ Goals For Next Year:

Work with Executive Committee to develop clearer guidelines for writing practical proposals Develop a system by which Executive Committee can write reports reflecting and explaining community opinions and making recommendations to the administration

two students run marathon

- Alex Minton

Photo by Tyler Pager

Serena Wessely performs as the understudy for Bertha in the winter musical, Pippin. In addition to theatre, Wessely plays on the girls’ varsity soccer in the fall and runs on the spring track team.

Strong and DuBeau New head of the Upper School selected elected co-chairs

- Wen-Xuan Ni

Seniors Jessica Hella and Jackie Hueneke ran in the Pennsylvania Garden Spot Marathon last month. Hella finished in 4 hours, 33 minutes, 46 seconds and Hueneke finished in 4 hours, 44 minutes, 34 seconds. In the 13-19 age group, Hella placed second and Hueneke placed third.

“It was a challenging race because of the hills on the course, but overall it was an incredible experience,” Hella said. “I am already planning on running another one next year.”

Hueneke added, “During the marathon, I was really excited that we finally got to run the actual 26.2 miles after all the training runs. Even though it was longer than anything we ran before, it went by faster than I thought.”

TOWER/April 30, 2013

NEWS

Create time for student leaders to make reports to trustees Clearly explain the school’s Sanctuary Policy to faculty and students Develop student trust of the Sanctuary Policy Work with student leaders and interested faculty to continue to improve the recycling system Photo courtesy of Henry DuBeau

JUNIORS HENRY DUBEAU AND CHELSEA STRONG have been elected co-chairs of community government for the 20132014 academic year. “Since freshman year I always looked up to the co-chairs, Jackie and Joe. They were funny and inspiring and I wanted to do something like that,” Strong said.

Create more spaces for students to post flyers Work with students to plan effective future use of the new Community Athletics and Arts Center (CAAC)

Graphic by Noah Buyon

Students lead efforts to prevent cyberbullying continued from page 1

group of students were asked to meet with the Board of Trustees on April 19 to have a discussion on cyberbullying.

“We came to the conclusion that cyberbullying is very age-specific,” said senior Micah Jo Davoren, who attended the discussion. “It mostly affects students at the end of middle school and the start of high school. It’s an age thing that most

people grow out of.”

Co-Directors of Ethical Leadership Matt Kammrath and Eileen Dieck have also brought student leaders into freshman seminars to create dialogue about appropriate behavior on social media sites.

“Given that it is a very kid-centric problem, hearing about it from other kids who have probably gone through the same thing in the last four years, may have more of an impact

than a teacher or administrator going up on stage and just saying ‘Don’t do this,’” Kammrath said.

The student leaders led Harkness discussions, in which, they shared their experiences with social media and answered questions from the freshmen.

In the Middle School, teachers have addressed the issue of cyberbullying in the classroom setting following an alleged altercation between a parent and

some students and faculty.

In late March, a student in eighth grade allegedly accidentally hit another student, which prompted that student to call her father who had just dropped her off in the morning. The father reportedly returned to the Middle School and yelled at both the student who hit his daughter and some of the Middle School faculty.

The girl’s father allegedly reacted in such

a manner because his daughter said she was being cyber bullied. Fonseca reported that even after 15 hours of discussion with all participants that were involved, it is still unclear exactly what occurred.

Fonseca added that the incidents have “led us to realize we need to be even more proactive in guiding young children to foster strong emotional development to help students make the best judgments.”

TOWER/April 30, 2013

NEWS

Ten seniors pursue projects this spring This spring, the senior class will shrink by 10 students who are taking advantage of the opportunity to pursue their own pre-approved projects Seniors, which allow

second semester seniors to design their own curriculum as long as they fulfill the graduation requirements. Inaugurated in 2011, only three students took advantage of the program last year.

“The program is building momentum which

Dana Greene

Jessica Bernstein

by Lily Herzan News Editor

Working in the school’s Admission Office

Interning at Rebecca Minkoff

takes time,” Academic Dean Chris Goulian said.

“And like any other program, this will need fine tuning.”

Projects are approved

by Goulian and a committee of 10 faculty members and administrators, and then supervised by a

Matt Fasman

Designing a table top game

selected faculty advisor.

More students than ever are opting to participate in their own projects, which range from working in the school’s admissions office to working on the farm at Stone Barns.

Sabrina Hilfer is interning at Curtis and

Josephine Demme

Creating a compilation of poetry and illustrations

Ginsberg Architects in New York City. Hilfer will sit in on meetings and assist major architects with their latest projects.

She said, “I’m really looking forward to having a real-world architecture experience before I study it in college.”

Morgan Lily O’Connor Recording an original CD

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newsbrief The house I live In Director speaks to community On April 18, the entire Upper School community watched the documentary The House I Live In, which was directed by Eugene Jarecki, the uncle of freshman Tyler Jarecki. Following the film, students and faculty had the opportunity to ask Eugene questions The film documents the detriments of the Drug War in a narrative context and won the Grand Jury Prize in the documentary category at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

“I have compassion for the drug dealer, cop, warden, everyone involved,” Eugene said.

He explained that it is this compassion that allows him to tell a more comprehensive story, and arrive at his own conclusions over the course of the filmmaking process. He also hopes that audience members are able to do the same while viewing the film.

- Johanna M. Costigan

Jack Bynum

Reading Latin American novels

Annie Mesa

Working at Stone Barns Farm

Darrien Pulos

Working at Dobbs Ferry Hospital

Sabrina Hilfer

Working at Curtis and Ginsberg Architects

Tiffany Smith-Cofield Working for Los Angeles mayoral candidate

CITYterm student makes millions with original necklaces

by Johanna M. Costigan Editor-in-Chief

Maddie Bradshaw is the founder and president of a million dollar company. As a result of the success of her company, m3 Girl Designs, current CITYterm student Bradshaw has made a fortune on her own, as her company has totaled more than $5 million in sales since 2006.

Last year, Bradshaw and her two business partners, her mother, the CEO of the company, and her 13-yearold sister, the company’s vice president, appeared on the ABC reality TV show Shark Tank, in which entrepreneurs pitch their business to a panel of potential investors.

Bradshaw and her family agreed to sell 30 percent equity in the business for

$300,000 to Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Canadian millionaire Robert Herjavec and “Queen of QVC” Lori Greiner.

Bradshaw’s success derives from her creation of Snap Caps-- “the original interchangeable bottle cap necklace,” as stated on the m3 Girl Designs website’s description of the product. The idea for the Snap Cap necklaces came to Bradshaw as a result of her desire to decorate her locker with magnets she designed herself.

“I loved my designs so much I wanted to wear them,” she said.

When she was 10 years old, Bradshaw created 50 Snap Caps and brought them to a local toy store.

She asked the proprietor

if she would be interested in selling them, and she said yes. Two hours later, all 50 of them were gone.

Bradshaw spends a few hours after school every day, more hours on the weekend and all day during the summer at the m3 Girl Designs office, where she works with her mother and brainstorms about the most recent trends amongst adolescent girls with her sister, Margot.

The company’s headquarters are located in Dallas, Texas, where Bradshaw has lived her whole life.

It includes a large office, multiple storerooms and stockrooms, a reception area and a production room.

After Bradshaw finishes creating a new design, the thirty production workers replicate her

painting. All Snap Caps are hand painted in Texas.

“We’ve had opportunities to outsource and make more money, but it’s not really about that for us,” Bradshaw said.

Although she is a selfproclaimed “Texas girl,” Bradshaw, a junior at The Hockaday School in Dallas, jumped at the opportunity to spend a semester in New York at CITYterm.

“I’ve gone to the same school my whole life and I wanted something new,” she said.

Bradshaw is grateful for her experience at CITYterm.

“I’m learning constantly, but I don’t feel like I’m being forced to learn, and everyone here is really nice.”

But as President, Founder and Head Designer,

Bradshaw’s absence from home has taken its toll on the daily operations of the company. They have shut down production and are only selling online during her semester at CITYterm.

Additionally, Bradshaw plans on terminating the business once she goes to college. She explained that she values the freedom to explore new passions and interests over maintaining a business she has led since she was ten years old.

“I want to do something different,” she said.

But Bradshaw considers her experience leading m3 Girl Designs to be a rewarding one.

“Every day after school when I need a break I’m drawing anyway, so why not make money off of it?”

Photo courtesy of Maddie Bradshaw (left) and Tyler Pager

MADDIE BRADSHAW, pictured above, started a highly successful jewelry-making business at the age of 10. Bradshaw, who has always enjoyed drawing, invented her highly successful product, “Snap Caps,” which are pictured to the left. Snap Cap necklaces are sold for approximately $7 each and are sold in stores and online.

Annie Chosen for Faculty Musical Annie, the timeworn story about a poor young orphan girl in the midst of The Great Depression, has been chosen for this year’s faculty musical. Following last year’s success with You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Gillian Crane and Katie Meadows are leading over forty members of the faculty and staff that are involved in the production.

Middle School music teacher Jennifer Carnevale is playing the title role of Annie and Middle School art teacher Bruce Robbins is playing “Daddy” Warbucks. In addition, Science teacher Kristen Tregar is training her dog, Peanut, to play Sandy.

Annie will premiere on June 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the theater. For more coverage of the production, please visit Tower’s website.

- Sang Bae

Mandel ‘11 Named AllAmerican Adam Mandel ‘11 earned All-American honors in men’s fencing. Mandel, a sophomore at Brandeis University, finished in 12th place at the 2013 NCAA fencing championships in San Antonio, Texas in the sabre division.

Mandel entered the second day of competition in 18th place with a 6-9 record.

In his first four matches of the second day, Mandel posted a 1-3 record. However, he had a tremendous recovery in his final four matches with a 3-1 record.

- Tyler Pager

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TOWER/April 30, 2013

Op-Ed

Editorial: Director visits school in model demonstration of civic engagement The ideal Masters graduate is brimming with talent academically, artistically, athletically, creatively and morally.

There is no doubt that the school expects a lot from its students and typically provides them with the tools, resources and inspiration required to achieve their potential.

But the school’s emphasis in one category of development is disappointingly and uncharacteristically weak. Opportunities by which to participate in the pursuit of “ethical action” (as the mission statement words it) are not adequately provided by the school; social justice and

civic engagement have traditionally been areas of interest students must make time for themselves.

One recent exception to this trend was the required screening of The House I Live In and the Q&A session with the director, Eugene Jarecki, held afterward.

Regardless of one’s opinion concerning The War on Drugs (the effects of which were explored in the film), the chance to meet a director and public figure, who is actively attempting to right a pattern he perceives as wrong, is more than admirable; it’s moving.

Interaction with the personification of one’s most desired career

path is the most effective form of motivation.

Students who dream of becoming scientists, drummers, poets, journalists, Art historians, economists, basketball players or teachers can interact with their role models on a daily basis; they need only talk to their teachers or coaches.

But what about those students who want to work on a campaign, for a candidate or a cause? What about those who want to grow up and publicize an injustice until it is so well known it has to be fixed?

Activists cannot be bred.

Furthermore, unlike mathematicians and musicians, they cannot necessarily

be trained. They can only be given the support and encouragement necessary to strengthen their existent passion for action.

As a result, it seems counter-intuitive that the school should be burdened with the task of spoon-feeding its students an activists’ mentality. However, one privilege that innately civically engaged students deserve is the opportunity to act.

The student body should be given the chance, voluntarily, to directly connect with a conviction or conception of correctness and be provided with the chance to take advantage of the tools needed to pursue justice.

EUGENE JARECKI DESCRIBED his filmmaking process and answered students’ questions regarding the War on Drugs and what he believes to be a destructive cycle of minimum sentencing laws for non-violent drug crimes.

Dear Editors,

“We are a community” is the most commonly heard phrase at Masters. We are a community, and we appreciate each individual student. That is, until the student makes a mistake; in that case, we don’t want him or her anymore. In the amount of time needed to take a hit or a sip, you can go from being a valued member of the community to becoming an outsider.

But, we have sanctuary, a confidential program where students with a dependency

on drugs or alcohol can get the help they need. The problem is zero-tolerance and sanctuary cannot coexist; they inherently contradict each other. In order for one to survive, the other must be eradicated and this hasn’t been lost on the student body.

There is too much ambiguity surrounding sanctuary and with the punishment that comes with it. I know a handful of students who would benefit from sanctuary, but I am too scared to get them help. Because as

much as I’m told that they won’t get in trouble if they go to sanctuary, that sanctuary is confidential and void of disciplinary action, how am I supposed to believe that when our school has a zero-tolerance policy?

Let’s say a student at our school, Sally, becomes depressed and turns to alcohol to cope. Sally doesn’t tell anyone that she’s upset or drinking. Her friends don’t know, so they can’t request sanctuary for her, and Sally isn’t going to

reach out for help herself.

The only logical way the school could find out about Sally’s drinking problem is by accident, if a member of the faculty happened to see Sally drinking. And if that happens, Sally is expelled. She gets no sanctuary, no support and no sympathy. How is Sally being helped? She is depressed, and how will expulsion make her any happier? How will it make her drink any less? It won’t. Chances are it’ll worsen the problem.

Photo by Johanna M. Costigan

Letter to the Editors: Zero-tolerance policy does a disservice to students It’s been a few years since the zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy was implemented, and although the initial shell-shock of the policy has worn off, the flaws of the system haven’t subsided along with the initial outrage.

First and foremost, we are high school students.

We are supposed to make mistakes. But even more than the unfairness of the lack of a second chance, zero-tolerance goes against this school’s core beliefs.

Corrections: An article Tower printed in the last issue entitled “Seeds of tolerance: The genesis of racial diversity at the school,” Christine Scott was misquoted. The quote should have read: “It’s not because schools didn’t want them, but because rich people of color were in a very narrow network.”

An infographic Tower printed in the last issue entitled “Winter Sports Records and Highlights,” the boys’ epee team was cited as finishing 2nd in the league, but in fact, the team finished 4th.

Tower regrets these errors.

Tower 2012-2013

Editors-In-Chief: Johanna M. Costigan and Tyler Pager Web Editor-In-Chief: Noah Buyon News Editors: Lily Herzan and Sofia Linden Opinion Editor: Alex Minton Features and Arts Editors: Teerin Julsawad and Jackie Liu Sports Editors: Abigail Costigan and Wen-Xuan Ni Managing Editor: Casey Chon Photo Editor: Declan Considine Web Content Manager: Kiera Wilson Advertising Designer: Sang Bae Columnists: Max Borowitz, Nick Fleder and Ryan Rosenberg Staff Photographers: Bob Cornigans, Sam Miller, Ken Verral and Eve Wetlaufer Staff Artist: Annie Mesa Contributing Photographers: Brooke Kammrath, Anne Marie Leone and Debbie Shure Faculty Adviser: Ellen Cowhey

The Masters School 49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 Volume 69, Issue 6

Distribution Process Tower is hand-delivered on the day of publication to the Upper School. 500 copies are printed, and one is put in each faculty member’s mailbox. In addition, a copy is sent to each of our advertisers.

Scholastic Press Affiliations and Letter Policy Tower is an award-winning member of the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), Journalism Education Association (JEA) and Quill and Scroll. E-mail TowerEditors@Mastersny.org to send Letters to the Editor. See the subsequent page for information regarding letters to the editor. Published approximately eight times a year, Tower, the student newspaper of The Masters School, is a public forum, with its Editorial Board making all decisions concerning content. Unsigned editorials express views of the majority of the Editorial Board.

She paints Masters in a negative light and she is weeded from the school like a broken leg that Masters would rather amputate than put a cast on and wait for it to heal.

Zero-tolerance hasn’t stopped the student body from doing drugs. It places such a great emphasis on the punishment of breaking the rule that any real problems I or a friend may have takes a backseat to the fear of expulsion.

-Susie Plotkin ‘14

Stars and Stripes with Nick Fleder:

A blueprint for activism Rewind to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. Millions of folks were handed an infection that was essentially a death sentence; politicians actively shunned and spoke against research and funding for the illness because of the omnipresent stigma of homosexual intercourse during these years.

Agencies like the Federal Drug Agency (FDA) certainly lacked sensitivity towards the predominantly homosexual populous of infected people. They neglected leads on research and kept prices stubbornly – if not inaccessibly – high for the single-formula drugs that were often the one and only lifeline for victims.

Yet against the circumstances and odds, there turned out no better David and Goliath story than the battle between AIDS patients and the bigoted medical and government practitioners of the time.

What these victims accomplished when brought to the brink should be studied and emulated today

by any budding activist.

ACT UP, a coalition of ordinary men and women who all had lives turned upside down by diagnoses, was the main advocacy group of focus in the Academy-Award nominated documentary How to Survive a Plague. Instead of cowering away from battles with bigger, stronger, and more hateful parties, the AIDS victims collectively lowered their shoulders; they led sitins and protests, happily traded handcuffs and jail cells for the top story on the nightly news, and confronted some of the most powerful men in the world with unabashed courage.

The power of flash banners in Grand Central, a storm-in on a live CBS News broadcast, a newsworthy protest at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral (an outspoken anti-contraceptive parish), and demonstrations at the FDA’s headquarters is unmistakable in hindsight.

Slowly, the government and subordinate agencies

lowered the prices of drugs, prioritized research, and helped treat millions who would not have otherwise survived AIDS, even as lawmakers like Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina unleashed rhetoric like, “Nothing positive is likely to happen to America if our people succumb to the drumbeats of support of the homosexual lifestyle.”

If nothing else, the story of ACT UP serves to remind us that in the hollow, frustrating political landscape of today, faith should remain; that David can beat Goliath, and that the voiceless can wrestle and scream and sigh and not rest until they are heard.

And in these monumental days for our future, with movements towards LGBT equality – with cases having made it to the highest court in our land – and against the Keystone XL pipeline – the environmentally toxic Canadian-American pipeline proposal currently on President Obama’s desk– there is hardly a brighter reminder.

TOWER/April 30, 2013

Op-Ed

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Second semester woes: Finding the “perfect” graduation dress

by Jackie Liu Features Editor

Come Thursday night, an attack of senioritis renders me utterly useless; my homework is abandoned on the floor among the scattered textbooks and scrap paper. I sit before my computer and think, “What better way to procrastinate than online shopping?” Typical girl, I know; I’m sorry, not really.

Seniors have are two special events to look forward to at the end of the year: prom and graduation.

Finding a prom dress is easy enough. There are no limitations or requirements. I’ll get that some other time.

Now the graduation dress, that’s my main concern. White, knee length, and not strapless.

White of all things. A piece of computer paper white. Where do you find that? As a girl with a predominantly black ward-

robe, this was a problem.

A quick Google search for “white dress” and a rather unwise choice of “I’m feeling lucky” led me straight to the infamous David’s Bridal Shop. I had no idea I was getting married; I hadn’t even set a date. After praising Google for its vast wisdom, I quickly closed the tab.

Okay. Let’s try again.

Away I went, traversing the web and looking for a white dress that fit requirements (and I would most likely never wear again after graduation). Modcloth, Forever 21, Asos, Nordstrom, Shopbop even Victoria’s Secret. I found seethroughs and straplesses, barely covering butts and floor lengths, lace and polyester, and flashy glitter and backless tops.

And, some sites have a serious problem with the term “white”. Under the term “white dresses” I’ve found cream, pearl, ivory,

beige, and antique white among others. Unfortunately, I found no option for “startling-blindingyour-eyes white” so I browsed through the other colors as well, bemoaning of why such a pretty dress was just not the right color.

I found dresses ranging up to $600 and sighed.

High school graduation is a once-in-a-lifetime event. It is special, I have to admit, but no one is going to remember the dress I wear in five years. Heck, I probably won’t even remember.

So for this day, I wanted something that was not overly short, fancy, or revealing. I wanted my dress to look nice and not make me go hungry for the next few months.

Maybe it was time to dig out a black dress from my closet and just bleach it.

White dress: $198.99 Bottle of bleach: $3.95 I think I can live with that choice.

AS GRADUATION APPROACHES, girls in the class of 2013 are struggling to find a graduation dress that meets all of the school’s stylistic standards. There are few “pure-white” dresses that aren’t out of the graduation dress code and still affordable. This year’s graduation will be held on June 8.

there are any other) liberal ‘raised Catholic-but also a little Jewish’ teenager, I sat in church during Holy Week this year and could not help but think, “This is a little like a cult.” However, for me, being connected to a faith has little to do with some sort of quest for salvation or the hope of going to heaven or nirvana or becoming a cool ghost like in that bad Ricky Gervais movie, Ghost Town.

I may not identify as particularly religious, but, I can appreciate the comfort that a belief in a ‘higherbeing’ or power can bring.

Like plenty of people, I like the idea that we humans are not the be all,

end all. That maybe, there is some higher celestial, extra-terrestrial or yes, heavenly force watching us and balancing the bad with the good and giving

faith is completely separate from their ‘church.’

I appreciate some of the messages of the Catholic faith but in no way connect myself to the rigid

Cartoon by Sang Bae

Looking beyond Adam and Eve for the benefit in modern religion

by Alex Minton Op-Ed Editor

Go see The Book of Mormon on Broadway and at first you may be a bit shocked by the way it appears to crassly denounce and satirize modern religion. Then of course, you’ll laugh until your stomach hurts. But amidst the offensive (yet hilarious jabs), you may come to realize, as I did, that criticizing religion is not really what this show is about.

You may also come to realize, as I did, that there is a true benefit to organized religion in a modern, forward thinking world.

Like every other (if

Why focus so exclusively on what one man did or the logistics of the Bible, when the true benefits we reap from modern religion have little to do with

“I like the idea that we humans are not the be all, end all. That maybe, there is some higher celestial, extraterrestrial or yes, heavenly force watching us.” us gold stars and rewarding us at some point in our lives. As I am finishing up the college process, I have heard a lot of “everything happens for a reason” lately. If anything, organized religion gives us the hope that this is true, and that is comforting.

Additionally, peoples’

and outdated social and moral principles that the Vatican propagates.

Who knows if there really is a God, or if Jesus really did rise from the dead? I don’t think that we reap many benefits from believing wholeheartedly that one way of thinking or religious idea is true.

our quest for the afterlife (or our fear of death)?

The fact is, religion brings people together, and not like a barbeque brings people together; the spiritual connection that religion offers is attractive and mentally beneficial to people in that it offers them the idea that someone

is ‘looking out’ for them and potentially calls them to a higher ethical standard of social justice.

By the end of The Book of Mormon, religion helps the people of Uganda end their violence and gain a true appreciation for one another. Sure, they believe that the Mormon prophet had sex with a magical frog (among other things), but does the fine print really matter?

Religion can benefit us all when we realize that it is not necessarily about what we believe, but rather what we may gain from believing in something, even if that something is a sexy, magical frog.

Mastering Style:

by Ryan Rosenberg

Playful Prints The recent death of Lilly Pulitzer (aka the “Queen of Prep”) has inspired me to focus on prints. As spring slowly makes its entrance, boys, girls and teachers alike seem to have been unafraid to sport bold, patterned or ‘printed’ clothing.

However, especially when paired with clothing of basic shapes, prints are a fun, playful risk to take when deciding what to wear.

In the past few weeks I have spotted lots of army prints and variations on the classic checkered look.

I particularly like the contrast of a crisp collared shirt and a spirited print. Some students are even pairing clothing items of two different, bold patterns.

Even more surprising: they’re making it work!

Certain prints have a noticeably whimsical quality. When I saw a yellow, red, and blue Hawaiian shirt, I was reminded of the wallpaper I had in my bedroom as a baby. Prints tell a story. They trigger a feeling that reminds us of wallpaper from a special

place, or illustrations from a favorite childhood book.

The wallpaper print was of bunnies building sand castles on the beach.

So, as we puzzle over how to dress for these unpredictably warm and not-so-warm days, lets remember to have fun with what we wear and dress for personal joy, even if that means scouting for some vintage, bunny printed piece of clothing.

As Lilly Pulitzer once said, “Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.”

6

TOWER/April 30, 2013

FEATURES

FEATURES

7

by Johanna M. Costigan and Tyler Pager

GRADING AT MASTERS I

t is the end of the semester. Students line up outside their advisors’ offices and eagerly wait to see the series of numbers printed on pink sheets. The combination of a numerical value, skills assessment scale and a narrative comment serve to evaluate a student’s academic performance. However, members of the community question whether the school’s current grading system serves as a beneficial form of feedback.

A school-wide survey of 207 students, faculty and administrators found that 45.9 percent of respondents do not believe that numerical grades serve as a beneficial form of feedback.

Participants were asked to exclude the college process from their consideration when answering this question. When asked which component of the report card they think is most important, 57.5 percent said the numerical value, 33.3 percent said the narrative comment and 9.2 percent said the skills assessment scale.

While some believe numerical evaluation to be a meaningless and oversimplified representation of a student’s capacity in his or her classes, others consider the academic foundation of a school to be dependent on grades.

Academic Dean Chris Goulian is among those who support the use of numerical grades as a form of feedback.

“Students should keep in mind what grades are meant to represent: an assessment of the quality of work or performance, or the degree of mastery of a skill or body of knowledge, at a given point in time, falling along a scale, measured against a standard.” he said. “When put in perspective, grades can be quite useful.

But sometimes we place too much importance on grades,

Illustrations by Annie Mesa

and we should be careful never to allow them to define us as learners or symbolize who we are as human beings.”

He added, “Grades should be just one manifestation of assessment, and ideally, complemented by other forms, such as narratives and skill ratings.”

Alfie Kohn, an author and lecturer who has explored a number of topics in education, parenting and human behavior published a paper entitled, “From Grading to De-grading” in which he argued against the use of grades as a tool for educational growth and retention of concepts and material.

In reference to many studies including one conducted in 1986 by Ruth Butler and Mordecai Nissan, Kohn identified three major issues with grades.

He said that grades tend to reduce students’ interest in the learning itself, students’ preference for challenging tasks and the quality of students’ thinking According to an article on EurekAlert.org, however, Henry L. Roediger III, Ph.D., a scholar of human memory function and a professor at Washington University, conducted a study that proved testing was an effective form of feedback.

“Our study indicates that testing can be used as a powerful means for improving learning, not just assessing it,” he said.

He continued, “Students who self-test frequently while studying on their own may be able to learn more, in much less time, than they might by simply studying the material over and over again.”

SUBJECTIVITY Considering its holistic and interdisciplinary educational model, the school’s fundamental academic philosophy is not one that always lends itself well to numerical evaluation.

As a result, math teacher Michele Dennis is keener

l a c i r e Num alue v

% 5 .

7 5 on implementing a letter grading system, considering the fact that she believes the concept of grading to be beneficial and necessary, but cannot necessarily articulate the difference between, for example, an 89 and a 90.

“Math is probably the least subjective of all the subjects,” she said. “I can’t even imagine grading an English class. I wish we had letter grades because I think it would be more meaningful; even in math grades are not wholly accurate.”

English teacher Miguel Segovia attested to the difficulty of grading. He said that he especially struggles to give students a numerical grade for their Harkness participation.

During discussions, he takes notes and then meets with each student individually to give him or her feedback. However, he finds it difficult to translate his qualitative assessments into quantitative values.

“I always feel the grade is unfair to the complexity of the learning process,” he said.

Science teacher Elisabeth Merrill believes a stringent grading system is, for her, about fairness to the students. She prefers that students know exactly where their grades came from.

Merrill has a very precise method by

33.3%

Nar rative comment

t of n e n po m he o t c s i h W hic por t card ? u o y e o r tt n a t your r po m i t s mo

which she calculates her students’ grades.

“I take grading pretty seriously,” she said. “I try to be consistent because I think it’s important for students to know what each assignment is, how I am going to grade it, and what they can do to improve.”

Merrill utilizes a spreadsheet to calculate the total number of points a student acquired over the total number he or she could have accumulated in order to determine the grade each student earns.

She added, “My grading system is very concrete— maybe too concrete— but I like my students to have a clear understanding of what I expect and how they can go about meeting those expectations.”

“Students should understand the difference between mediocre effort and excellent effort,” she said. “If I reward them for mediocre work, then they don’t try to excel. Why should they?”

While she offers extra credit opportunities as well as a generous test re-take policy to her students, Merrill can sum up her grading system quite simply. “If you do everything I say, it’s a C, do it well a B, do it really

well, it’s an A. That’s it.”

The M otivation Factor For many students, the perks of high grades motivate them to work hard in school.

Junior Zach Oscar said that he has always been a hardworking student, but his inspiration to do well in school has shifted over the course of his high school career due to the impact his grades will have on his future.

“I’ve always been an A student; I’ve always been used to having high grades, and as a result, I wanted to maintain them,” he said. “As I’ve been getting older, especially in junior year, my motivation is becoming more and more college-related. As much as I enjoy my classes and I want to work hard in them, I would say half my effort is because of my own enjoyment, and the other half is because of college.”

Sophomore Spencer Berkowitz agrees with Oscar, and explained that even for younger students, the drive to do well does not derive purely from personal ambition.

“I would definitely not work as hard if I didn’t get frees for being on Dean’s

List,” he said.

“Underclassmen generally work hard for two things: college and frees.”

However, science teacher Leslie Reed believes that using grades to motivate students is an ineffective way of learning.

“You lose the inherent interest in learning when the student is focused on an extrinsic motivator, which is the grade,” she said. “Studies have shown that learning isn’t as effective when there are grades involved. A good example is kids who love reading and writing but as soon as it’s judged and graded, it takes the joy out if it.”

Chair of the English Department Darren Wood echoed Reed’s argument against numerical grading. He agreed that numerical evaluation is not helpful for students.

“People believe that grades are motivators,” Wood said. “I don’t think teenagers are motivated by judgment. What happens when students even get high grades is that they want to defend them and make sure they don’t drop in a class.”

“The fact that [the grade is] a number seems to suggest

rather than numerical or letter grades. Students rarely receive a grade on their written work, but Wood and Berrol write extensive comments for each individual assignment.

Additionally, at the end of semesters, the teachers sit down with each of their American Studies students to discuss in a more comprehensive manner in what areas students have room to improve.

These meetings give students the opportunity to voice concerns of their own or explain their learning process, making the feedback an interactive process.

As a student in the class, junior Jack Shaida has gained a new perspective on grades.

“In the past, I would get a grade on a paper and then just put that paper away,” he said. “Now every paper I get back makes me think introspectively about myself as a writer. There is a lot more focus on the process of the work rather than the product.”

Ideally, Shaida would prefer students to have more control over their grades.

“Maybe students could write drafts without getting graded and then receive a final grade later on,” he said. “This would yield better results, as students would not have grades always looming over them.

I’m striving to focus a lot more on understanding the content than the grade.”

Some classes utilize a similar multi-step assessment to what Shaida described. For example, in certain English and journalism classes, feedback with grades is given on first drafts, but a numerical or letter grade is not given until the final draft.

Merrill explained that many teachers are embracing alternative assessment procedures.

She said, “Sometimes I think I’m a dinosaur.”

9.2% Skill

t

en Assessm

Sheet

such authority and certainty but it’s actually a vague thing and teachers have to work quite hard to explain a grade. The explanation is not i n the 89 itself. Students are cognitively impaired in their ability to read feedback when they see a grade.”

Reed also argues against those who believe grades serve as a motivator for students. “We naturally want to learn because we are human beings and we’re curious,” she said.

Alternative Methods Of Grading As certain faculty members are dissatisfied with the current system of grading, they have pursued alternative methods and are advocating for an institutional reevaluation of the school’s current assessment policy.

American Studies, an 11th grade Humanities course taught by Wood and history teacher Lisa Berrol, emphasizes narrative feedback

Beyond the curve:

Schools without traditional grades

by Jackie Liu Features Editor

Imagine a school where numbers don’t exist. Not like the numbers in math classes, but rather the 89’s, the 94’s, and the 70’s that riddle typical school report cards. They dredge fear and worry in typical students, especially those in anticipation for college.

However, those feelings are not prevalent everywhere.

Academic Dean of CITYterm David Dunbar said, “The function of grades is for sorting, selecting, hierarchical ranking, and comparing. They are not designed to increase learning.”

He added, “At CITYterm, we’re trying to get students to understand that you are the author of your own learning.”

Saint Ann’s School, an independent school in New York City, believes in the same method. Teachers write a full-page report for each student in every class. Assignments receive comments rather than number or letter grades. The school’s mission statement states, “So that every child will flourish, we eschew grades, rankings, and prizes in favor of ongoing dialogue and teacher reports.”

A senior at St. Ann’s, David Finamore-Rossler, explained that students at Saint Ann’s receive feedback on tests indicating what questions they got right and wrong, but there is no cumulative grade on the test.

“On papers we get comments but there’s no cumulative letter or number.” he said.

Another senior at Saint Ann’s, Josie Hodson said, “I feel [this system has] allowed me to have a closer relationship with my teachers and that there is a real dialogue about my work as a student.”

One would think that such a method would prove

detrimental to a student’s chance of going to a good college. However, in 2007, The Wall Street Journal ranked Saint Anne’s as the number one high school in the USA in terms of percentage of graduating seniors who enroll in Ivy League and other renowned colleges. Furthermore, CITYterm touts its history of graduates attending Yale, Duke and Dartmouth among others.

Rossler recalled a story of when he went to a meeting of admitted students for his college.

“I met the woman who had read my report and it was so cool since she knew about me and all my interest,” he said. “There were no surprises for her since she got a really fleshedout idea of who I was.”

Also, certain colleges have also adopted the practice of replacing numerical or letter grades with comments and feedback.

Julia Foote ’12, a current freshman at Hampshire College, which does not give numerical grades to students, described the benefits of an education without grades.

“If you get a bad grade, you often become upset at the teacher, but when it’s just an evaluation pointing out what you can work on and offering to meet with you, the feeling of fighting against the teacher is removed,” she said.

Foote described the academic freedom and fortitude she feels at Hampshire.

She said, “I think that not being graded on assignments encourages exploration in learning.

Foote continued, “I know that I’ve taken more risks in my writing and thinking because I know I won’t receive a bad grade for taking a chance.”

6

TOWER/April 30, 2013

FEATURES

FEATURES

7

by Johanna M. Costigan and Tyler Pager

GRADING AT MASTERS I

t is the end of the semester. Students line up outside their advisors’ offices and eagerly wait to see the series of numbers printed on pink sheets. The combination of a numerical value, skills assessment scale and a narrative comment serve to evaluate a student’s academic performance. However, members of the community question whether the school’s current grading system serves as a beneficial form of feedback.

A school-wide survey of 207 students, faculty and administrators found that 45.9 percent of respondents do not believe that numerical grades serve as a beneficial form of feedback.

Participants were asked to exclude the college process from their consideration when answering this question. When asked which component of the report card they think is most important, 57.5 percent said the numerical value, 33.3 percent said the narrative comment and 9.2 percent said the skills assessment scale.

While some believe numerical evaluation to be a meaningless and oversimplified representation of a student’s capacity in his or her classes, others consider the academic foundation of a school to be dependent on grades.

Academic Dean Chris Goulian is among those who support the use of numerical grades as a form of feedback.

“Students should keep in mind what grades are meant to represent: an assessment of the quality of work or performance, or the degree of mastery of a skill or body of knowledge, at a given point in time, falling along a scale, measured against a standard.” he said. “When put in perspective, grades can be quite useful.

But sometimes we place too much importance on grades,

Illustrations by Annie Mesa

and we should be careful never to allow them to define us as learners or symbolize who we are as human beings.”

He added, “Grades should be just one manifestation of assessment, and ideally, complemented by other forms, such as narratives and skill ratings.”

Alfie Kohn, an author and lecturer who has explored a number of topics in education, parenting and human behavior published a paper entitled, “From Grading to De-grading” in which he argued against the use of grades as a tool for educational growth and retention of concepts and material.

In reference to many studies including one conducted in 1986 by Ruth Butler and Mordecai Nissan, Kohn identified three major issues with grades.

He said that grades tend to reduce students’ interest in the learning itself, students’ preference for challenging tasks and the quality of students’ thinking According to an article on EurekAlert.org, however, Henry L. Roediger III, Ph.D., a scholar of human memory function and a professor at Washington University, conducted a study that proved testing was an effective form of feedback.

“Our study indicates that testing can be used as a powerful means for improving learning, not just assessing it,” he said.

He continued, “Students who self-test frequently while studying on their own may be able to learn more, in much less time, than they might by simply studying the material over and over again.”

SUBJECTIVITY Considering its holistic and interdisciplinary educational model, the school’s fundamental academic philosophy is not one that always lends itself well to numerical evaluation.

As a result, math teacher Michele Dennis is keener

l a c i r e Num alue v

% 5 .

7 5 on implementing a letter grading system, considering the fact that she believes the concept of grading to be beneficial and necessary, but cannot necessarily articulate the difference between, for example, an 89 and a 90.

“Math is probably the least subjective of all the subjects,” she said. “I can’t even imagine grading an English class. I wish we had letter grades because I think it would be more meaningful; even in math grades are not wholly accurate.”

English teacher Miguel Segovia attested to the difficulty of grading. He said that he especially struggles to give students a numerical grade for their Harkness participation.

During discussions, he takes notes and then meets with each student individually to give him or her feedback. However, he finds it difficult to translate his qualitative assessments into quantitative values.

“I always feel the grade is unfair to the complexity of the learning process,” he said.

Science teacher Elisabeth Merrill believes a stringent grading system is, for her, about fairness to the students. She prefers that students know exactly where their grades came from.

Merrill has a very precise method by

33.3%

Nar rative comment

t of n e n po m he o t c s i h W hic por t card ? u o y e o r tt n a t your r po m i t s mo

which she calculates her students’ grades.

“I take grading pretty seriously,” she said. “I try to be consistent because I think it’s important for students to know what each assignment is, how I am going to grade it, and what they can do to improve.”

Merrill utilizes a spreadsheet to calculate the total number of points a student acquired over the total number he or she could have accumulated in order to determine the grade each student earns.

She added, “My grading system is very concrete— maybe too concrete— but I like my students to have a clear understanding of what I expect and how they can go about meeting those expectations.”

“Students should understand the difference between mediocre effort and excellent effort,” she said. “If I reward them for mediocre work, then they don’t try to excel. Why should they?”

While she offers extra credit opportunities as well as a generous test re-take policy to her students, Merrill can sum up her grading system quite simply. “If you do everything I say, it’s a C, do it well a B, do it really

well, it’s an A. That’s it.”

The M otivation Factor For many students, the perks of high grades motivate them to work hard in school.

Junior Zach Oscar said that he has always been a hardworking student, but his inspiration to do well in school has shifted over the course of his high school career due to the impact his grades will have on his future.

“I’ve always been an A student; I’ve always been used to having high grades, and as a result, I wanted to maintain them,” he said. “As I’ve been getting older, especially in junior year, my motivation is becoming more and more college-related. As much as I enjoy my classes and I want to work hard in them, I would say half my effort is because of my own enjoyment, and the other half is because of college.”

Sophomore Spencer Berkowitz agrees with Oscar, and explained that even for younger students, the drive to do well does not derive purely from personal ambition.

“I would definitely not work as hard if I didn’t get frees for being on Dean’s

List,” he said.

“Underclassmen generally work hard for two things: college and frees.”

However, science teacher Leslie Reed believes that using grades to motivate students is an ineffective way of learning.

“You lose the inherent interest in learning when the student is focused on an extrinsic motivator, which is the grade,” she said. “Studies have shown that learning isn’t as effective when there are grades involved. A good example is kids who love reading and writing but as soon as it’s judged and graded, it takes the joy out if it.”

Chair of the English Department Darren Wood echoed Reed’s argument against numerical grading. He agreed that numerical evaluation is not helpful for students.

“People believe that grades are motivators,” Wood said. “I don’t think teenagers are motivated by judgment. What happens when students even get high grades is that they want to defend them and make sure they don’t drop in a class.”

“The fact that [the grade is] a number seems to suggest

rather than numerical or letter grades. Students rarely receive a grade on their written work, but Wood and Berrol write extensive comments for each individual assignment.

Additionally, at the end of semesters, the teachers sit down with each of their American Studies students to discuss in a more comprehensive manner in what areas students have room to improve.

These meetings give students the opportunity to voice concerns of their own or explain their learning process, making the feedback an interactive process.

As a student in the class, junior Jack Shaida has gained a new perspective on grades.

“In the past, I would get a grade on a paper and then just put that paper away,” he said. “Now every paper I get back makes me think introspectively about myself as a writer. There is a lot more focus on the process of the work rather than the product.”

Ideally, Shaida would prefer students to have more control over their grades.

“Maybe students could write drafts without getting graded and then receive a final grade later on,” he said. “This would yield better results, as students would not have grades always looming over them.

I’m striving to focus a lot more on understanding the content than the grade.”

Some classes utilize a similar multi-step assessment to what Shaida described. For example, in certain English and journalism classes, feedback with grades is given on first drafts, but a numerical or letter grade is not given until the final draft.

Merrill explained that many teachers are embracing alternative assessment procedures.

She said, “Sometimes I think I’m a dinosaur.”

9.2% Skill

t

en Assessm

Sheet

such authority and certainty but it’s actually a vague thing and teachers have to work quite hard to explain a grade. The explanation is not i n the 89 itself. Students are cognitively impaired in their ability to read feedback when they see a grade.”

Reed also argues against those who believe grades serve as a motivator for students. “We naturally want to learn because we are human beings and we’re curious,” she said.

Alternative Methods Of Grading As certain faculty members are dissatisfied with the current system of grading, they have pursued alternative methods and are advocating for an institutional reevaluation of the school’s current assessment policy.

American Studies, an 11th grade Humanities course taught by Wood and history teacher Lisa Berrol, emphasizes narrative feedback

Beyond the curve:

Schools without traditional grades

by Jackie Liu Features Editor

Imagine a school where numbers don’t exist. Not like the numbers in math classes, but rather the 89’s, the 94’s, and the 70’s that riddle typical school report cards. They dredge fear and worry in typical students, especially those in anticipation for college.

However, those feelings are not prevalent everywhere.

Academic Dean of CITYterm David Dunbar said, “The function of grades is for sorting, selecting, hierarchical ranking, and comparing. They are not designed to increase learning.”

He added, “At CITYterm, we’re trying to get students to understand that you are the author of your own learning.”

Saint Ann’s School, an independent school in New York City, believes in the same method. Teachers write a full-page report for each student in every class. Assignments receive comments rather than number or letter grades. The school’s mission statement states, “So that every child will flourish, we eschew grades, rankings, and prizes in favor of ongoing dialogue and teacher reports.”

A senior at St. Ann’s, David Finamore-Rossler, explained that students at Saint Ann’s receive feedback on tests indicating what questions they got right and wrong, but there is no cumulative grade on the test.

“On papers we get comments but there’s no cumulative letter or number.” he said.

Another senior at Saint Ann’s, Josie Hodson said, “I feel [this system has] allowed me to have a closer relationship with my teachers and that there is a real dialogue about my work as a student.”

One would think that such a method would prove

detrimental to a student’s chance of going to a good college. However, in 2007, The Wall Street Journal ranked Saint Anne’s as the number one high school in the USA in terms of percentage of graduating seniors who enroll in Ivy League and other renowned colleges. Furthermore, CITYterm touts its history of graduates attending Yale, Duke and Dartmouth among others.

Rossler recalled a story of when he went to a meeting of admitted students for his college.

“I met the woman who had read my report and it was so cool since she knew about me and all my interest,” he said. “There were no surprises for her since she got a really fleshedout idea of who I was.”

Also, certain colleges have also adopted the practice of replacing numerical or letter grades with comments and feedback.

Julia Foote ’12, a current freshman at Hampshire College, which does not give numerical grades to students, described the benefits of an education without grades.

“If you get a bad grade, you often become upset at the teacher, but when it’s just an evaluation pointing out what you can work on and offering to meet with you, the feeling of fighting against the teacher is removed,” she said.

Foote described the academic freedom and fortitude she feels at Hampshire.

She said, “I think that not being graded on assignments encourages exploration in learning.

Foote continued, “I know that I’ve taken more risks in my writing and thinking because I know I won’t receive a bad grade for taking a chance.”

8

TOWER/April 30, 2013

Features

STUDENTS RESPOND TO BULLYING

“Bullying includes behaviors that focus on making someone else feel inadequate, or focus on belittling someone else. Bullying includes harassment, physical harm, repeatedly demeaning speech and efforts to ostracize another person.” — ­­ bullyingstatistics.org 166 OUT OF 438 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN A SCHOOL-WIDE SURVEY ABOUT BULLYING

70%

of students believe Indirect Bullying (spreading rumors, mean gestures, etc.) is most common

58%

by Declan Considine Photo Editor

Bullying is a timeless issue. Kids have always picked on each other; it is a fact of life. However, in recent years the problem has become more and more prevalent.

Some say its natural and can’t be stopped.

Others believe bullying

today is excessive and should be combatted.

There is no doubt that bullying plays a role in the typified high school experience.

However, in the modern age of technology, with sites such as Facebook and ask.fm connecting individuals in ways like never before, bullying is able

to stretch beyond its former constraints.

While traditional bullying still exists, cyberbullying is a growing problem, and unfortunately has a place at Masters.

Through a student survey, Tower gave students the opportunity to voice their opinions about bullying.

4 out of every 10 students have experienced some sort of bullying at Masters

35%

believe the school is doing a good job of dealing with bullying once informed

admit they have consciously engaged in acts that may be perceived as bullying

think that other students bully in order to feel more powerful

would be willing to confront the bully when witnessing a bullying incident

84%

39%

Photo courtesy of CartoonADay.com

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the Elegant Poster dobbs ferry

693-6631

Graphic by Teerin Julsawad and Jackie Liu

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Lunch Specials 11:30 am - 4 pm - Tuesday-Friday

-Serving Lunch & Dinner Tuesday thru Sunday-

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TOWER/April 30, 2013

Speak out:

FEATURES

9

Bullying is certainly a thing here, but on a much smaller scale than any other school that I’ve been at. I think we’re certainly at a good place as a school, but we can do better. ­­— Anonymous student

Throughout the year, this person [the bully] said things to me that, over time got progressively more hurtful. ­­— Anonymous student

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TOWER/April 30, 2013

Continuations

Students give back through class MISH projects

by Sang Bae

Advertising Designer

Every year, each grade plans its own MISH project for students to participate in. Director of Community Service Amy Atlee works with MISH representatives to plan the service learning activity. This year’s projects are:

Class of 2016 Representatives Kat Bartley, Henry Littlewood, Marianna Paez-Zapata and Matt Yarnall decided to host an Ecofest on May 4, which revolves around a hands-on approach to celebrating the environment. The students also plan to raise money during Ecofest to donate to the Green World Campaign, an

organization run that plants trees in Kenya and beyond in order to sustain the Earth.

Class of 2015 The sophomore MISH projects are split up according to their Model United Nations group topics: Non-Communicable diseases, Migration and Economic Development, Water-Access and Affordability and Conflict. MISH representatives Serena Wessely, Kaspar Huduk, Justin Friedman and Mpanja Rwakibale took the opportunity to incorporate these topics with various projects.

These projects include the Non-Communicable disease group visiting AFYA to sort medical supplies and the Affordability and Conflict

group setting up a workshop for people to think critically about conflicts and resolution. The Migration and Economic Development group hosting a potluck dinner with Cabrini immigration services and going to schools to help with literacy and the Water Access group taking on a “water challenge” in order to raise awareness about the importance of drinking water.

trips, on April 21, students participated in a breakfast run. Similar to a Midnight Run, students brought and sorted breakfast items and toiletries to be distributed to the homeless community in New York City.

“We really wanted our projects this year to encompass service learning and giving back to the community in a handson way,” Sherman said.

Class of 2014

Class of 2013

Taking a local approach to community service, representatives Chelsea Strong, Connor Linehan, Niall Higgins and Stephanie Sherman plan to tackle hunger and homelessness in the local community. Though they already held previous

Representatives Matt Rametta, Kiera Wilson, Phil Golodetz and Tess Greenwald saw success with the Hoops for Hope program last year and brought it back. On April 21, the program was for children at Andrus and Children’s Village rather

Photo by Tyler Pager

Senior Inken Hamlescher paints junior Acacia Hoisington’s face at the senior class MISH project, Hoops for Hope. The class MISH project is the only required community service activity for students.

than a fundraiser for Special Olympics. The funds that were raised were donated to the Nonceba Family Counselling Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.

For Matt Rametta, who saw Hoops for Hope as an inspiration to run for MISH co-chair, this was a unique event that was a lot of fun for those who attended.

Taking my talents to Tower:

T he

by Max Borowitz

Students at other private schools often ask me, “Masters-- isn’t that a

failure of the

school for arts kids?” I was once able to answer with a swift affirmative, but now, I pause, and say, “sorta.”

As I leave this school, I’m compelled to reflect upon my time here, and imagine the future of the institution that I am departing, an institution that one way or another defines my adolescence.

A thletic C redit R equirement

Masters was the only private school I applied to, simply because I knew I wanted to go. I identified with its vision, and I liked the brand. But now, despite the claims of administrators, virtually every student (and some teachers) candidly admit that the school has changed.

Undoubtedly, athletics

have become more and more prominent within our school. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I agreed with the decision to add the turf field, and I am cautiously optimistic about the (poorly named) CAAC. I recognize that athletics are an important part of this school’s financial future, and I respect

that. Furthermore, as a huge sports fan, I’m excited and intrigued by the idea of our school fielding strong teams.

But it is also important to take an honest measure about what our institutional priorities are. Yes, the economy is hard, and changes are absolutely required in order to make

the school more financially sound. But I am afraid that Masters is entering a sort of institutional purgatory, unable to maintain its reputation as a haven for artists, but not quite capable of competing with the Brunswicks of the world.

The truth is, ever since we adopted an illcontinued on page 11

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TOWER/April 30, 2013

Sports

Fencing program wins 11 trophies

11

Girls’ lacrosse loses players

by Wen-Xuan Ni

Sports Editor

With eight team members no longer playing for various reasons, the girls’ lacrosse team is suffering from a lack of players.

Freshmen Katie Scheuermann and Sam Reffold, sophomore Hannah Hardie, junior Jackie Lee and senior Emma Shepardson are among those who have missed extended periods of playing time this season due to injuries.

“We really need to form new plans with this smaller group of people,” said head coach Courtney DeStefano.

While DeStefano has had to cancel several games, the team has

benefitted from the addition of two middle school girls, as well as two more Upper School players.

Seniors Darrien Pulos and former captain Jessica Hella and sophomore Lexy Ginsberg quit the team.

Senior captain Julia Yankelowitz said, “Due to the many obstacles we have faced, we have had to adjust to drastic changes over and over again, and although we may not have won the majority of our games, the mere fact that we are on that field everyday working together to compensate for, and rise above the adversity we have faced, I think says something, if not more, than the ending score.

Photo by Wen-Xuan Ni

FRANCISCO MARTIN POSES with the 11 league and tournament trophies that 2012-2013 fencing teams won. These accolades were recently presented to Head of School Maureen Fonseca at a Morning Meeting. Under Martin’s leadership, the fencing program has flourished.

Questioning the impact of ACR on school’s future continued from page 10

conceived and ineffective ACR, we implicitly resolved to drive out artistic talent and appeal to athletic talent. My sister probably would not have come here if the ACR were around a decade ago, and I know plenty of people who are in the same boat.

Skeptics will argue that a mandatory athletic requirement and vibrant arts

program are not mutually exclusive. But such a person clearly does not understand the extent of the antipathy that many artistic people have towards an athletic culture. If the Board of Trustees, should they one day deign to ask the mass student population what they think about the direction of the school, actually spoke to the artistic students at Masters, they would understand

that there is a great deal of distrust that exists towards sports, and an even greater fear of the “jock culture.”

What this really comes down to is the idea of Masters building and maintaining a brand.

Masters fortunately has the reputation of being a haven for artistic kids who were not welcomed at their old school, a school that likely prioritized sports

over the arts. When we force unathletic, artistic kids to play sports, some of them will think Masters is just putting up a big “artsy kids need not apply” sign.

So what is the future of Masters? Well I can’t know, but I fear that Masters is on the long, slow march to becoming another version of Rye Country Day, and that is a future I can scarcely recognize.

Photo by Wen-Xuan Ni

JACKIE LEE IS CARRIED off the field by Athletic Trainer Ken Verral and head coach Courtney DeStefano during a recent game. Lee is among five players that have missed games due to injuries.

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tower/April 30, 2013

SPORTS

SPORTS

Boys basketball team captures state title

by Sofia Linden News Editor

Photos by Brooke Kammrath

For the first time in five years, and only the second time in school history, the boys’ varsity basketball team won the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Class “C” state championship by defeating Staten Island Academy 56-37. However, the road to the championship was not an easy one.

Following last season’s loss at the buzzer to Hamden Hall in the semifinals of the Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) tournament, the team was determined to come back stronger this year. But, with three new starters, the team had to spend a lot of time working on team chemistry.

“In the back of our minds we were asking how this new squad would work,” sophomore Mike Jurzynski said.

“We just wanted to come out and play as hard as we could.”

Head coach Matthew Kammrath said, “A lot of the beginning of the season was about getting the new kids up to speed.”

The team opened the season with a four-game winning streak, which was highlighted by winning the Hackley Holiday Invitational Tournament.

“The Hackley tournament was a good first test for us,” Kammrath said.

However, as the season progressed, the team struggled at the start of games and suffered losses against Brunswick, Greens Farms Academy (GFA) and Rye Country Day, some of the top teams in the FAA. In addition, junior captain Tim Reitzenstein missed three games, as he had to travel to Germany to attend a funeral.

“We didn’t have as much motivation,” said freshman Josh Bunch about not having Reitzenstein. “Tim is one of our captains and he always pushes us in practices and games. He is also our main rebounder and one of our leading scorers.”

However, the team bounced back and recorded key victories over Hamden Hall and King. They ended the regular season with a 12-8 record and received the #3 seed in the FAA tournament.

Photo by Bob Cornigans

THE BOYS’ VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM SHOWS off their 2013 NYSAIS trophies. The team rebounded from a tough loss against Brunswick in the FAA tournament to win the state title over Staten Island Academy 56-37. The entire starting five will return next year.

In the first round, they beat St. Luke’s 59-52 and advanced to play Brunswick.

The team knew that the Brunswick game would be close, as they had recently lost to the Bruins 46-44 on two last second free throws.

At the end of regulation, the teams were tied at 40 and Bunch hit a three with 28.9 seconds left in the first overtime to send it into double overtime. However, the Panthers missed critical free throws down the stretch and lost 58-56.

“We were playing like it was the last game of the season,” Bunch said. “We didn’t want to see our season end without a championship.

When we lost, we thought the season was over.”

However, what the team did not know was that they had already received the #1 seed in the NYSAIS tournament. While Kammrath knew this before the game, he did not tell the team until the game ended.

“It was an emotional lift-up,” said Reitzenstein about when the team found out their season was not over.

“The loss just inspired us even more to run through everyone at NYSAIS.” The team got a first round bye in the tournament and then beat their FAA rival

Rye Country Day 62-50.

Next, they beat Lawrence Woodm e r e Acade m y 56-46 and advanced to play Staten Island Academy in the finals.

“We felt like we had something to prove,” sophomore

Max Ishmael said.

“On the bus ride to the game, we were silent.”

From the start, the team dominated both sides of the floor and put the game out of reach by the middle of the second half.

“At first, it didn’t feel that powerful because the game was a blowout,” said junior captain Isiah Hayden about winning the championship. “But looking back, we are just happy to make history and put another banner on the wall.”

The championship has made the team set higher goals for next year.

“It made us hungrier to get the next one,” Reitzenstein said. “We were pleased, but not satisfied.”

Playing catch with Dazian Lizardo

by Kiera Wilson

Web Content Manager

Senior Dazian Lizardo has been playing baseball since he was five years old. He has played catcher on the varsity team since his freshman year.

Lizardo, who is captain along with seniors Alec Martin and Brandon Lamberty, is trying to change the perception about the baseball team.

Q: How is this year’s team different from past teams?

and getting better at something they love. Past teams didn’t have the dedication, they didn’t really want it.”

Q: Will that change help you play well?

A: “I feel like it definitely creates a stronger sense of brotherhood. Everyone is fairly comfortable around each other and we treat each other as a family. That will lead us to be a winning team.”

Q: When did you start to know baseA: “I feel like this year’s ball was a passion of team has a lot more dedi- yours?

Photo by Bob Cornigans

DAZIAN LIZARDO TAGS home plate to get a runner out against Rye Country Day School. Lizardo plans to play college baseball next year at Adelphi University in Long Island, New York.

cation to the game. They enjoy getting better. They like the idea of having the ability to keep working

A: “When I was 12, when I started playing travel ball.

When I began to play travel ball, it kind of clicked in my

mind where I was dedicated to the sport and I started to feel like I wanted to get better and I started putting in extra work – it just clicked ‘I want to play baseball.’”

Q: There have been a lot of changes in the athletic department: how has this affected your team?

of the new athletic director and the ACR and stuff, I think it just will better the program in general.

Us having a JV team makes people want to strive to be better. It makes people think – I want to make varsity, I want to be better.”

Q: What legacy do you hope to leave A: “I don’t think it af- behind in terms of fected the team negatively. baseball at Masters?

The gain of a new coach brought something different to the table. There are things that he can put in our minds that [Coach] Lacen really couldn’t.

The fact that [our new coach] played college baseball helped us a lot – he has a lot of things still fresh in his mind. In terms

A: “I just want to be able to prove people wrong.

I want to be able to get to a point where the team is better in general and we can kind of just wow the people at this school.

We can prove ourselves to a point where it’s like – we did what they thought they couldn’t.”