Tower The Masters School
49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522
VOLUME 74, NUMBER 3
Editorial The administration’s decision to remove Ahnaf Taha as co-chair is a rebuke to the community that elected him. Taha served diligently and his ouster is a disservice to our community, removing an important role model. Worst of all, this strict discipline violates a core Masters’ tenet: “assume good intent.”
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017
tower.mastersny.org
VINCENT ALBAN/TOWER
STUDENTS STOOD IN SILENT protest of the removal of Ahnaf Taha as co-chair during announcements at Morning Meeting on Tuesday. Protesters turned their backs to the stage and held up signs in support of Taha, who was removed for allowing an unauthorized senior speech to take place. That same day, more than 100 students attended Executive Committee to voice their concerns.
Co-chair deposed; students have his back Sophia BrouSSet Copy Editor DaviD okS Opinion Editor The peaceful calm of Morning Meeting was shattered with a protest reacting to the news that the school’s co-chair, senior Ahnaf Taha, had been removed from office he news came after a controversy about Taha’s allowing senior Jaiden Feliciano to give a senior speech despite Feliciano not having permission from the school because the speech was submitted late aha’s removal marks the first time since 2013, when a co-chair was expelled from the school during the summer, that a co-chair seat has been vacant he school’s other co chair, senior June itahara, remains in office and aha’s seat will be filled temporarily by senior Phoenix Jackson, the secretary of ecutive ommittee According to Upper School Head Matt Ives, Executive Committee will determine “when and whether” to hold a special election to replace aha
Though the process for replacing Taha has begun, his termination has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many students he decision to permanently terminate his term as co-chair has drawn an angry reaction from students, especially seniors “ ased on what I know, what the school did wasn’t justified at all,” senior ichael argolis said ome reactions were even stronger “I’m appalled by the reaction that the school had to this I’m so upset It’s bulls t,” senior aroline i arro said Feliciano disputes the administration’s story e said that administrators were unclear in saying when he should have his draft in and he defended aha’s decision “It’s not like he did something heinously wrong that should cost him his position,” he said he school’s actions are “like what happens in an oligarchy ” After Taha’s suspension, word of the administration’s actions, and of the fact that Community Council was considering further action, spread rapidly among the student body n email from
Ives, in which he said the revocation of Taha’s position was “as a result of his decision to allow a senior speech to proceed, despite being explicitly told not to do so,” angered many students hortly after the official announcement was made, student discontent e ploded enunciations of the decision spread on platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and acebook secret acebook group was formed to protest the decision and even plan a possible walkout on uesday, ec during orning eeting hange org petition demanding Taha’s reinstatement, addressed to Head of School Laura Danforth, circulated and attracted the support of more than 300 people in less than 24 hours of the announcement, including the support of more than alumni The day after Taha’s removal was announced, hundreds of students, stood up and turned their backs to senior class presidents Dan Cienava and Ciara Escobar as they made announcements, the largest Morning Meeting protest in years any seniors raised
signs saying, “Standing for Ahnaf” or “ tanding with hnaf ” sign saying “‘elections mean: WE decide” was posted on the doors of the c night oom Ives defended the decision “ e followed the process we do for all disciplinary processes,” he said “I thought about it very seriously his was not an easy decision his was not a decision I en oyed making I like hnaf, I think everyone does, that’s why he was elected co chair ” Some alumni, too, were concerned by the decision “The school has no right to punish him for letting another student express himself in a public setting,” Andrew Ciacci said Teacher opinion appeared to be relatively divided “ e speak of the idea of restorative ustice oes this decision reflect the idea of restorative ustice ” Chair of the History & Religion Department keff oung said Associate Dean of Students, Jeff arnevale, said, “It’s always difficult because of confidentiality and because we respect privacy that not all the de-
tails regarding certain situations can be shared very publicly, and that can often make it very difficult and challenging to have a full picture and make a deeply informed decision without all the facts ” Carnevale, who also serves as community council’s co-chair, and sat on both cases, added that he “had no emotional attachment or investment in seeing either one of them be punished ” At the Executive Committee following the announcement, around 100 students showed up, gathering in the corner and airing their displeasure with the decision Taha, though apologetic, still wants the co chairship “I have tried my best to make sure that wrongs are corrected,” Taha said, but “what I feel I need to do, for the community and for the principles of leadership, can only be done with the position that has humbled me over the past months ” For further reading, visit: tinyurl.com/CoChairRemoved
Danforth and Kane raise Masters’ profile in Asia trip elijah emery Investigative Journalist Head of School Laura Danforth and Associate Head of School Tim Kane, visited alumni and prospective students in hina and Japan from ov and ov , ane described the main aims of the ourney “ he goal of the trip was sort of multifold hina’s our largest international cohort here, and it has arguably the largest language barrier with the parents ” efore her departure, anforth prepared for her trip Junior hyllis an said, “She asked us what suggestions we could give to the future boarding community and what some of our parents’ concerns are ” nd in hina, anforth relayed much of what is happening at asters to parents “I talked about all kinds of things that are going on at this school right now, from the capital campaign to the Master Plan, to college counseling and admissions,” anforth said “ he parents want to make sure that their kids are safe, they want to hear about the
food, and they want to hear about college counseling ll our parents in hina are just as important to us as our parents here at home, and we have to make an effort to keep those relationships strong ” Kane described how an in-person visit is able to break down the language barrier in a way that pamphlets or emails cannot “ e are able to go there, with an interpreter, so that we can talk about the college process, weekends, dorm life, the curriculum, with families that don’t necessarily have an understanding of all the nuances of an education in the United States,” Kane said “ eason two is we raise money Part of our job is to raise money from alumni and from parents, and we’ve spent the last five years working really hard to help educate international families about philanthropy e talk a lot about why, beyond your 60,000 dollars in tuition, that we would be asking you to give more and what that means nd the third part, the Japanese visit, really was to visit alumni ” Kane described his favorite experience of the trip, connected to a visit to The Masters School by a Japanese
PHOTO COURTESY OF ADRIANA HAUSER
LAURA DANFORTH AND TIM Kane dine with Masters parents during their trip to China. Though the nine-day trip was aimed at building relationships with parents and alumni, there was also an emphasis on fundraising. film crew filming a show about independent schools his e perience began when ane received an email “It was from a gentleman who said ‘I’ve seen your show twice, and my first grade son has totally fallen in love with your school and I’d like to come to your event if I could ’” he man said that his wife
would move to the US while his son attends asters his, according to ane, is an example of a larger phenomenon with international, and especially Chinese, students Kane also described in detail the reception that he and anforth received “One of the events in Shanghai felt like
a wedding reception, we had lots of people, different tables, and lots of people taking pictures veryone greeted us individually, so we would stand up and shake hands, and talk to people about their child, and they’d talk about our trip, and it was very cordial and enjoyable, but festive at the same time ”