Issue 19

Asia Night tonight in the Recital Hall @5:30. Come for dinner and a great show!

JANUARY 31 2020 || VOLUME 117, ISSUE 19

Record The Horace Mann

One-Acts in the Black Box next week: Thursday @4, Friday @3:30 and @7, Saturday @7!

HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903

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Novick ‘79, Caines, and Lewen ‘82 headline assembly on higher education programs in U.S. prison system Sam Chiang & Liliana Greyf Staff Writers When the school’s students imagine higher education, most do not envision receiving that education behind bars. However, the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) offers prisoners an opportunity for education and reform at the Eastern New York Correctional Facility.

On Tuesday, Lynn Novick ‘79 spoke to the school about “College Behind Bars,” her newest documentary, which details the work of the BPI. Novick was joined on stage by BPI graduate Wesley Caines; they both responded to the audience’s questions about the documentary and their experiences. While the assembly only featured Novick and Caines, Jody Lewen ‘82, who leads a college program at San Quentin State Prison, was also present during an open question-and-answer talkback session during D and E periods.

The presentation began with a short clip from Novick’s documentary where a BPI student defends his senior paper in front of three professors. “Lynn grabs onto topics that are important for people to know about,” science teacher Dr. Susan Delanty ‘79, who was in the same class as Novick, said. “Her work speaks to history and to justice and to truth.”

“I think it is impossible to watch the documentary and not really, seriously, think about what our criminal justice system looks like, what our prison system looks like, and the power that education can have,” Upper Division Dean of Students Michael Dalo said.

Throughout the assembly, Novick and Caines spoke about multiple elements of the documentary and the justice system, including the

exclusion of the Federal Pell Grant Program from prisons. “I think it’s very important to bring attention to the fact that there’s no government funding for these types of programs and how they’re understaffed,” David Maydan (10) said.

While a student at the school, Novick was aware of the importance of politics and engagement, as the Watergate scandal had broken a few years earlier, she said. In her junior year, Novick took an Urban Studies elective. “We read some seminal texts about inequality, about American society, about urban renewal, [and] about politics in New York that really opened my eyes,” she said.

Initially impressed by the BPI, Novick said she contacted the program and taught an eight week course about history and documentary in 2013. The professorial relationship that she built with her students only further intrigued her and Sarah Botstein, Novick’s co-producer, and they began filming in 2014, she said.

“Lynn’s work is similar to investigative journalism. It’s highly structured and really wonderful,” Art of Film Teacher Joseph Timko said.

The importance of her discoveries are embedded in the type of media she works with, especially since film is a major part of today’s culture in this time, he said.

A history major at the BPI and a member of the first graduating class, Caines wrote his senior paper on “a survey of black conservative thought in America,” he said. BPI was a grueling process: Caines would take one or two classes a night after a full day of work. He said that he would then return to the dorm around 8:30 p.m. and complete three to four hours of homework before waking up the next day at 8:30 a.m. for work.

“Bard is a far superior opportunity

at education than I had previously had,” Caines said. In fact, he pins his success to his BPI experience because “there’s a big difference between walking out with a graduate degree and walking out with nothing but a smile,” he said. “I learned how important education is for incarcerated people because it can help them assimilate back into society when they are released,” Rohan Buluswar (10) said.

During his time at the program, Caines said that his favorite memory wasn’t a single moment, but rather the metamorphosis that takes place during the course of a semester: students initially feel almost disoriented, but they and their professors challenge one another through discourse. After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree, Caines continued to stay involved by tutoring other individuals to help them prepare for the admissions essay.

The BPI admittance process is highly competitive and includes essay writing and multiple interviews, Caines said. No more than 16 people are admitted each year, while almost 200 candidates apply.

Last year, Upper Division Director of Student Activities Caroline Bartels and Delanty were discussing alums returning to speak about their work when PBS started to show advertisements for “College Behind Bars,” Bartels said. Delanty had a connection with Novick because they graduated together, and the assembly grew from there, she said. “I think it’s just so important for people to think about how lucky we are,” Bartels said.

“If life were just a little bit turned on its axis, that could be any one of us.”

After the assembly, Lewen joined the assembly’s speakers for a talkback session. At the beginning of her career , Lewen co-taught a course

Sam Siegel/Staff Photographer

DOC TALK Novick and Caines discuss the importance of educating prisoners. at San Quentin College, she said.

Lewen credits some of her success in her line of work to the school, she said. At the school, she “saw what an academically high-functioning school looks like,” which she sought to implement at San Quentin, she said. Additionally, Lewen said that the school gave her the confidence she needed to be successful. “It made me very determined. I learned to be very empowered and entitled, in the right way.”

The assembly was necessary not only because of its topic, but because of its audience, Lewen said. “I often find that young people understand this work better than older people do,” she said. “They often have a more recent experience with being powerless. So maybe they can relate to the experience of incarceration.

They have more sensitivity towards incarceration.”

Sogona Cisse (11) was impressed by how the assembly shifted

her perspective on correctional facilities with access to educational opportunities, she said. “It’s amazing that the Bard Prison Initiative was able to transform the lives of so many, and the low recidivism rates and even the film show how effective education is, and how important it is in rehabilitation.”

Additionally, the younger generation is often really good at navigating the technology that spreads knowledge to other people, Lewen said. “When young people get influenced by these ideas, they are really well equipped to teach others.”

“It’s important for students to really reflect and all of us really to reflect on the fact that education is a privilege, and it’s one that we are lucky to have,” Dalo said. “I think we’re even more lucky and more privileged to have the education that we have at Horace Mann School and to recognize that it’s not something that most people have access to.”

Remembering Frederic S. Berman ‘44, leader in NYC rent reform Henry Owens Staff Writer

On Sunday, January 19th, Frederic S. Berman ’44 passed away at the age of 92. He was a valued member of the school community both as a student and alumnus, and he had many accomplishments in New York as a commissioner, judge, and state legislator.

During his time at the school, Berman was deeply involved in academics, extracurriculars, and sports.

He served two years as the vice president of his class, and upon graduation, he was inducted into the Archon society, the school’s highest award recognizing leadership and contributions in extracurriculars. Berman was a sports editor for The Record and played on the basketball and baseball teams at the school. “Somewhere I got the idea that I was going to be a professional baseball player. I was doubly sure when I played on Varsity at Horace Mann,” Berman said in a 1965 New York Times interview. “But when I got to Columbia, I discovered the curveball. I couldn’t hit the curveball. I couldn’t begin to hit the curveball. I sat on the bench and began to dream of other things.”

After realizing he would not be a

professional baseball player, Berman earned his bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in 1949 and a law degree from New York Law School (NYLS). He practiced as an attorney at the law firm Berman & Berman for about a decade before devoting his life to public service. Berman was elected to the New York State Senate in 1964.

The New York Times did not endorse Berman during that election, prompting Arthur Aronson, a NYC judge, to write in a letter to the editor: “You have overlooked the entire question of ethics in the State Legislature. Frederic Berman has subscribed fully to the contents of the original ethics code.”

Berman was later appointed as Rent and Housing Commissioner for New York City in 1966 by Mayor John Lindsay, a role in which he helped pass the monumental 1969 Rent Stabilization Law, which helped protect tenants who were no longer receiving assistance from rent control.

“His work to protect over one million tenants in rent-controlled apartments in the ‘60s continues to serve everyone well today,” Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly wrote in an email. “Rarely does any institution have the privilege of being a part of someone’s life who is as well respected and honorable as

Frederic Berman.”

In 1973, Berman was appointed as a Criminal Court judge and later served on the State Supreme Court for over two decades. He was continually reappointed, lasting through four mayors all with different political standings. In addition to presiding over thousands of criminal and civil cases and hundreds of felony jury trials, Berman used his power as a judge to perform dozens of Valentine’s day weddings on top of the Empire State Building.

While working as a judge, Berman

also held a position as an adjunct professor at NYLS. From 1958 to 2003, he taught courses on criminal law, personal property, municipal law, and post-conviction remedies and procedures. In 2006, he was given the title of Adjunct Professor Emeritus “in recognition of his tremendous contributions to the School,” according to the NYLS website.

Throughout his career, Berman stayed involved in the school community.

In 1957, he became the head of the Alumni Association, serving a large role in running events and fundraising. He

also came to the school on numerous occasions to discuss his law career. In 1994, he co-organized his class’s 50th high school reunion. In a 2005 interview with the Horace Mann Magazine, Berman reflected upon the impact the school had on him: “We were taught to question, to debate, but to have respect for one another and for our teachers even as we were asking questions. That helped us develop a sense of ourselves, of intellectual curiosity, and it made for strong friends. We were given this wonderful sense of confidence, and that is a gift that has served me all my life.”

THROWBACK Left: Portrait in Mannikin 1944; Right: Berman (center) in WNH Quiz Show, from Record Vol. XXXVII.

OPINIONS

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Editor-in-Chief Julia Robbins Managing Editor Mayanka Dhingra Issues Editor Jude Herwitz Features Nelson Gaillard Gabby Kepnes Kiara Royer News Amelia Feiner Madison Li Sam Keimweiss Simon Yang

THE RECORD OPINIONS JANUARY 31, 2020

Hello my name is... more than my activities

Julia Goldberg Sitting on a cushy blue examination table in an orthopedic center earlier this month, I thought it quite possible that large, glassy tears were going to well up in my eyes and run down my cheeks. My doctor had just broken the news of treatment plan to me: one week of anti-inflammatories and a boot followed by four weeks of physical therapy, during which there was to be no kicking, no flip turning, and most definitely no racing.

Five weeks from the date of my appointment would take me to early February, which is the end of the Horace Mann swim season. In fact, our championship meet—Ivies—would take place that very week. I knew that even if I did recover in time to compete, there was not a chance I’d be adequately prepared; obtaining any personal bests was unfathomable. And though I hadn’t quite been hitting the times I would’ve liked to in the season, I had been focusing on pushing myself out of my comfort zone at practices and meets. When I heard the news, I felt like the tremendous

amount of energy I had poured into the season was a waste of my time. I was absolutely miserable—but even more than miserable, I was surprised at how miserable I felt.

When I returned home, I realized that I should have seen my sadness coming.

Swimming is my reset button; aside from sleeping, it is often the only period of two or more hours in any day during which I do not think about school. It sounds like an exaggeration, but it isn’t: though I’m slightly ashamed to admit it, there have been times when I have fallen asleep repeating formulas or vocabulary words to myself and woken up only to have the same test material be my first thought.

I understood that my sadness was prob-

Courtesy of Julia Goldberg

ably shocking because I had never honestly acknowledged where swimming stands in

Lions’ Den Darius McCullough Mark Fernandez Ranya Sareen Andrew Cassino A&E Nishtha Sharma Eliza Poster Eddie Jin Middle Division Ben Wang Isabella Zhang

Art Directors Annabelle Chan Gabrielle Fischberg Katya Arutyunyan Photography Griffin Smith Ahaan Palla Jake Shapiro Faculty Adviser David Berenson

Staff Writers Izzy Abbott, Adrian Arnaboldi, Abby Beckler, Bradley Bennett, Sam Chiang, Sogona Cisse, Jack Crovitz, Adam Frommer, Andie Goldmacher, Julia Goldberg, Andie Goldmacher, Alison Isko, Avi Kapadia, Marina Kazarian, John Mauro, Yesh Nikam, Henry Owens, Oliver Steinman, Emily Shi, Samuel Singer, Natalie Sweet, Sasha Snyder, Vivien Sweet, Joshua Underberg, Talia Winiarsky, Chloe Choi, Emma Colacino, Yin Fei, Lucas Glickman, Claire Goldberg, Liliana Greyf, Lauren Ho, Walker McCarthy, Maya Nornberg, Morgan Smith, Patrick Steinbaug, Katya Tolunsky, Nathan Zelizer Staff Photographers Julia Isko, Daniel Lee, Ava Merker, Kelly Troop, Halley Robbins, Sophie Gordon, Amanda Wein, Maxwell Shopkorn, Emma Colacino, AJ Walker, Lucas Glickman, Lauren Ho Staff Artists Wilder Harwood, Sarah Sun, Rachel Zhu

lieve that it is imperative to label ourselves in one finite way, proving to whoever it may

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

be—our peers, colleges, the world—that we know ourselves.

However, these labels do more harm than good, as they impose unnecessary restrictions on us. They weaken our desire to explore opportunities unrelated to what we believe will be our careers, and they hinder our ability to see what is valuable to us now.

By refusing to see myself as a swimmer simply because I won’t have a career involved in swimming, I miscalculated how lost I would feel without it.

I know we can predict that a few students at the school will definitely grow up to become athletes or lawyers or whatever it may be, but at our age, predictions aren’t necessary and shouldn’t be a strong focus of ours. Instead, we should allow ourselves to explore multiple sports, clubs, and activities and allow each of them to define who we are now, regardless of who we may or may not become in the future. If swimming wasn’t a part of who I was seven years ago, or a part of who I’ll be in two years, it still is most certainly a part of who I am now.

Is a plant based diet a gamechanger?

Opinions Victor Dimitrov Abigail Salzhauer

Design Editors Euwan Kim Reena Ye Chris Ha

my life. When considering my relationship to the sport, I tend to focus not on the hours I devote to it, but on the fact that in five, 10, or 15 years, I won’t be competitive anymore.

Because I only began swimming in seventh grade on the school’s Middle Division team, and because I’m not planning on swimming competitively in college or anytime after, I struggle to see myself as a swimmer.

At our school and many others nationwide, there is an increasing amount of pressure for high schoolers to know who we are, what we want to study, and who we plan on becoming. This pressure leads us to categorize ourselves—to say we’re humanities students or STEM students, athletes or artists—and to stop there. It leads us to be-

Avi Kapadia As the New Year begins, all of us are striving towards new goals, many of which revolve around health. These are great objectives, but maintaining and improving our health can be difficult. The media frequently communicates mixed messages about diet, which makes it tough to know what is best. In this op-ed, I want to share my experience with nutrition and what I have learned.

A few days before the New Year, I watched the film “The Gamechangers”. In the film, James Wilks, an elite special forces trainer and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter, documents his quest to find the optimal diet for athletic performance. He ultimately concludes that a plant-based, no dairy diet is best. The movie featured several interviews and studies with a wide range of athletes, from track stars to powerlifters to National Football League (NFL) players. Four of the many advantages that the film highlighted about plant-based foods were improved energy levels, increased blood flow, enhanced muscle efficiency, and reduced inflammation. To better highlight the benefits of this diet, it is important to fully understand the science behind these advantages.

Improved energy level: In diets centered around animal

O

products, fats are often consumed at the expense of carbohydrates; However, fats can’t produce energy fast enough to meet the demands of intense exercise as carbohydrates can. Plant-based diets tend to be very high in carbohydrates, which can help athletes maintain an intense level of energy during training.

Increased blood flow: Oxygen and vital nutrients travel through our blood flow to the cells in our muscles, brain, and the rest of our entire body. In the film, an experiment was conducted on three NFL players which showed that a single animal-based meal can quickly thicken blood, slowing down the flow of oxygen and nutrients. On the other hand, plant-based meals help allow our blood to remain fluid and flow quickly.

Enhanced muscle efficiency: Nitrates in plant foods allow our muscles to contract more efficiently, effectively saving energy and accomplishing more work with the same amount of effort. This effect translates into better performance, specifically endurance.

Reduced inflammation: Inflammation can prolong recovery from injuries, sickness, or soreness. Plants naturally contain high levels of anti-inflammatory compounds, including thousands of powerful antioxidants. According to a study in the film, plants have on average 64 times the antioxidants of animal foods.

The movie was so convincing that I decided to try the plant-based, no dairy diet for myself. From the start, I struggled to find foods that I could eat. I found myself eating the same meals over and over again. To add some variety, I went to the supermarket and bought packaged plant-based meat. I began questioning the quality of these foods given their processed nature and whether this diet was even healthy anymore. In addition, I started losing weight, which was not my objective.

As a result of these challenges and side effects, I ended my experiment after two weeks, but I came away with a couple of valuable lessons. I learned that it is important to not sacrifice the quality of food just to comply with a diet. For instance, there are many processed plant-based

options (i.e., burgers, breakfast patties, etc.), but it is more important to prioritize whole foods (i.e., fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains). I also learned that your diet should be aligned with all of your goals and, in my case, losing weight was not one of them.

Since trying this diet, I have reincorporated certain meats to help me gain and maintain mass. However, I have begun to integrate a much larger amount of plant-based foods into my diet because of their numerous benefits. I highly suggest watching “The Gamechangers”, doing some of your own research and trying something new. Through trial and error, you can discover a diet that works best for you.

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

EDITORIAL: The need to challenge our assumptions

ne of the biggest themes of the assembly on Tuesday was the idea of questioning our assumptions: Who do we believe deserves an education, does the prison system meet its set-out goals, and other vital questions that the speakers raised. They presented some ideas that we should all consider in thinking about such questions, but it should also prompt us to reconsider how we think about all aspects of life. Every day, we go through classes, conversations, and arguments

without questioning underlying concepts that we hold as absolute truths. This could be about the economic system that we live in or about who we think should have certain rights. There are at least two main reasons to question our long standing assumptions. One is that we might realize that our beliefs should change. The second is that without fighting against our beliefs, we are less successful in defending what we believe is right. We need to look at our beliefs, with their pitfalls and all, in order

to understand where our preconceived notions fall short in their potential. Also, without challenging our assumptions we are unable to realize where we should advocate for change in our society. Whether this advocacy lies in prison reform or elsewhere, we need to see where our ideas can grow so we can find new solutions to longstanding problems. Let’s not let this call for challenging our assumptions die with this assembly. We need to take this clarion call into all aspects of life.

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HORACE MANN NEWS JANUARY 31, 2020

Sophomores participate in grade-wide Service Learning Day Andie Goldmacher & Louise Kim Staff Writer and Contributing Writer This Thursday, sophomores participated in the school’s first tenth grade Service Learning Day, marking a shift in the service learning requirement from a project composed of direct experience and reflection opportunity to a mandatory Service Learning Day for each grade.

The year-long project system had presented logistical challenges, especially the unevenness of the projects students chose to participate in, as some students perfomed far more service than others, but received the same amount of credit.

“We wanted to move away from a one-way community service model and the idea that you’re counting the time you do something rather than the meaning of what you’re involved in,” Director of the Center for Community Values and Action Dr. Jeremy Leeds (‘72) said.

However, some students were concerned with the changes to the program. The structure this year may reduce the amount of involvement of each individual student in the service learning program, and there may be a newfound disconnect in actually giving back, Dalia Pustilnik (10) said. Still, others are hopeful that the reforms will reignite fervor for service learning. The new structure may make the day exciting for all students, Walker McCarthy (10) said.

Tenth graders were involved in the planning of the day; students on the Service Learning Committee, the Service Learning Team, and HM 246 spearheaded workshops and spread awareness among classmates, Leeds said.

The workshops were held by students, faculty, and various alumni, Mekhala Mantravadi (10) said. Certain clubs held workshops, like the Cancer Awareness Club (CAC) and Glam4Good, she said. “60 multifaceted workshops will be offered by the CCVA and have been generously chaperoned by HM faculty and staff,” Associate Director of the CCVA Dr. Kimberly Joyce-Bernard said.

“The unique thing about the structure [of Service Learning Day] this year is that we can customize our day instead of being told to go somewhere, so we can partake in something we’re interested in,” Mantravadi said.

Glam4Good’s workshop, “How You Can Use Social Media in Your Community to Make a Difference,” featured a discussion with the founder of the organization, world-renowned stylist Mary Alice Stephenson, explaining Glam4Good’s work and how to use social media to make an impact, founder of the HM Glam4Good club and Service Learning team member Sarah Taub (10) said.

The CAC presentation discussed the state of can-

cer in America, the premise, makeup, and impact of the CAC in school, and ways students can get more involved in the CAC and make a difference in their community, Pustilnik, the CAC junior coordinator for the MD Committee said. After the presentation, there was a Sunshine Mail activity where the students wrote and decorated cards to children in the hospital with cancer, she said.

The Service Learning team held a panel to explain to the rest of the tenth grade students what the team does every Tuesday and Thursday. A few representatives from each partner site the Team visits explained each site, how they are different from each other, and different activity groups they participate in, such as art, music, science, and literacy, Taub said.

Alumnus Anthony Ramirez (‘96) and Paul Ramirez ran a workshop called “Taste of the Bronx,” where they discussed their Bronx-based businesses, The Bronx Hot Sauce and Mainland Media, and the importance of social entrepreneurship.

“The Committee for the Tenth Grade and Dr. Joyce-Bernard queried the grade and asked what issues were most important to them,” Leeds said. Students asked for workshops on the environment, so alumni presented many environmental workshops, as well as a workshop on journalistic ethics.

McCarthy didn’t have concrete expectations because this year is the first time this structure is being run, he said. This year is very important in that it is a fresh start for this program and it will show the strengths and weaknesses of the structure, he said.

Service Learning Day started with an A period assembly in the Recital Hall, led by Dr. Leeds, the Dean of the Class of 2020 Dr. Glenn Wallach, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly, and Dr. Joyce-Bernard.

The students participated in various workshops B through F period, and the day culminated in a screening of the film “A Decade of Fire” by filmmaker Vivian Vásquez followed by a talkback with Vásquez during G and H periods. “This film provides a complex and meaningful narrative about the assets within the Bronx, and the ways in which the voices of those who have been historically marginalized in the U.S. can have their perspectives centered in conversation,” Joyce-Bernard said.

The day was filled with tons of activities, both educational and fun, just as Shaari had expected, he said.

Shaari found the movie interesting because it sheds light on one of the most controversial topics in the South Bronx, the decade of fire. It taught him how the government’s systemic inequity and racism was involved, he said.

English teacher Rebecca Bahr went to the “Taste of the Bronx” workshop. She was impressed by the men’s story and hard work they put in to establish themselves in this business that also has a social purpose, and inspired to learn more about the Bronx, she

said.

Many students found the format similar to Book Day, a day centered on a specific book where students can choose from the many workshops held by students, teachers, and guests. “Last year’s Book Day was really enriching, and I hope that Service Learning Day is as fun and insightful as Book Day,” Mantravadi said.

Many students also compared the structure of the Tenth Grade Service Learning Day with Ninth Grade Service Learning Day. Shaari found Ninth Grade Service Learning Day to be too structured. He wished that the day gave students more freedom because all students partook in similar activities, he said. He liked the meaning of the day but felt like the day was designed mainly for students to complete their service requirement, he said. “Compared to last year, especially since students run their own workshops, I think it’s going to be a much more authentic and genuine day where people share interests with their class and grade,” he said. Though the workshops appealed to a variety of interests, the day followed a particular theme.

Every Service Learning Day this year has a theme, Leeds said. The tenth grade’s theme was getting to know more about the school’s community partners and more about the Bronx, he said. Some community partners that held workshops were the Ittleson Center, Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, Riverdale Neighborhood House, Riverdale Senior

Services, and Kingsbridge Heights Community Center.

Although the CCVA looked forward to their first-ever Tenth Grade Service Learning Day, there were various challenges in the planning of the day.

“As much support and enthusiasm as the school has shown, it has been a huge effort to get everything in place. Since this is the first time this day is happening, the challenge is to put into practice what the vision of the day will be,” Leeds said. Leeds hopes the day “grows and becomes a part of the fabric of the school.”

“Students can sometimes feel disconnected from service— in school, you go to your classes, you learn and do homework, but on this day, you stop and realize that as a school, you can do something with the things you have and help other people, and help ourselves in a way,” Pustilnik said.

“It’s exciting to lead a presentation and be part of a panel, but I’m also excited to see what my other peers and classmates have in store,” Pustilnik said.

“I hope to see students get exposure and experience a wide range of different experiences and meanings of what service could be by hearing from their classmates and learning what the wide spectrum of community-based activities in the greater New York City area are,” Wallach said.

tally—in a safe environment where a free and open discussion occurred.

Since the forum was optional and the groups were self-selected, the people who attended were the people who wanted to be there, Jordan Ferdman (11) said. “Obviously, everyone has a hundred other things they could be doing, but the people who attended were making an active discussion to spend a period discussing mental health.” This enabled positive and productive discussions about mental health.

The conversations not only let students reflect upon the first semester in terms of struggles and accomplishments, but also allowed them to navigate worries and resolutions about the second semester, Marks said. “Everyone was very open with each other and able to relate to one another in a productive way.”

The conversation topics ranged from the college process to the intense work environment at the school. “I think that it’s really important to talk about mental health, especially in such a high-pressure school,” Jonas Jacobson (11) said. I think that the more open people are, the more authentic conversations are, [and] the more real we can be about issues here at [the school].”

“In a general sense, many things about the school are great and unparalleled, but one thing I’ve seen more and more is that a lot of conversations tend to harp on the negative.”

Gitelman said.

Therefore, one of the goals of the forum was to start positive conversations. For example, the first prompt asked listeners to state three good things about their semester, of which at least one had to be non-academic.

It is necessary for the school to create spaces

like this forum that allow students to verbally express both academic and nonacademic struggles. “Horace Mann is a tough place. In addition to difficult classes, students are also faced with a tremendous amount of pressure to succeed in their extracurricular endeavors.”

Brooks said. Students also are confronted with all of the social stresses that come with being a high school student, he said.

The school’s academically rigorous nature often elevates student stress levels to high degrees. “I shouldn’t be walking into the bathroom during any given period and see someone crying,” Ferdman said.

However, some stress is inevitable under these conditions, so it is important to the community to discuss stress and mental health, Brooks said. “We want to destigmatize mental health and encourage members of our community to seek out help from both guidance and other members of our community.”

Because of this, it is important to have a space where mental health can be freely discussed, Paul Wang (12) said. “The questions they asked and the small group environment they had were very conducive towards personal discussion and introspection.”

For Jacobson, the discussion helped him destress and collect his thoughts, he said. “Hearing other people’s problems, and knowing that people are going through the same thing as me, and that I’m not alone with my struggles, and that others feel the same way as me, was helpful.”

Wang believes that the space was conducive towards reflecting on how he can improve on managing stress and his workload in the future. “I’m going to take lessons I heard from

listening to my peers and how they deal with things and apply them in the future.”

Although school psychologists Dr. Ian Pervil and Dr. Liz Westphal attended the meeting, the two took spectator roles and let the students lead the discussions. “Events that are student driven tend to be the most successful; they draw in more people,” Westphal said.

The WIC hopes to host forums that cover more non-academic themes in the future, but they were pleased with the outcome of Monday’s forum, Marks said.

With regards to Wellness Week, the theme of this year is “stress and anxiety,” said Marks.

During Wellness Week, workshops will be held every day, and the WIC will have a guest speaker come to HM for an assembly, Marks said. “I’m really excited that we have students who care about mental health awareness in the community who can make events like this happen,” Westphal said.

Max Shopkorn/Staff Photographer

SERVICE FROM THE CLASSROOM Students attend a workshop as part of the new curriculum.

Students promote wellness, host Mental Health Forum John Mauro & Jillian Lee Staff Writer and Contributing Writer

On Monday, January 27th, the Community Council (CC) and the Wellness Initiative Club (WIC) held a Mental Health Forum during I period in preparation for Wellness Week.

“The objective was to give students an open environment to talk about mental health,” Brooks said. At first, students seemed hesitant to share, but as the conversations began to progress, more and more students opened up about their thoughts. The groups were led primarily by CC member Yana Gitelman (11), WIC leader Emily Marks (11), and CC Chair Zachary Brooks (12), who moderated and guided the conversations.

The forum was split into two groups, and students were then able to participate in discussions facilitated by Marks, WIC leader Kate Bown (11), WIC leader Natalie Baer (12), Gitelman, and Brooks. The participants shared their thoughts on a variety of questions about the school year—both academically and men-

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

Gabby Fischberg/Art Director

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THE RECORD FEATURES JANUARY 31, 2020

Don’t worry, be happy: Happiness Club spreads joy Vivien Sweet Staff Writer Whether it’s by blasting music in Olshan Lobby on Friday mornings or sending the school colorful weekly emails, Happiness Club co-Presidents Kelly Troop (11) and Leah Rakhlin (11) have made it their mission to brighten everyone’s day.

Though the activities that the Happiness Club plans for the 15 minute break in the library—such as the wreath toss grade competition in December and the Halloween-themed cookie decorating in October—may seem easy to organize, Troop and Rakhlin call each other every night to discuss the club’s upcoming pursuits.

The executor of all of the Happiness Club’s initiatives is Director of Upper Division Student Activites Caroline Bartels. “I basically say to [Kelly and Leah], ‘Whatever your crazy ideas are, just tell me, and I can tell you whether we can make them happen or not,” Bartels said.

However, Bartels has been involved with activities in the library long before the Happiness Club was created in 2015 by Rahul Kukreja ‘16. When the school first decided to have the 15 minute break in the morning, a handful of students asked to help her figure out fun things to do in the library during that time, thus creating the Fun Committee, Bartels said. Though the committee no longer exists, the Happiness Club

has since stepped in to serve the role of promoting liveliness in the school’s library, which is the “hub of the school,” according to former Student Body President (SBP) and Happiness Club co-President Janvi Kukreja ‘19, who is Rahul’s sister.

Recently, the Happiness Club has been extending its initiatives beyond the library’s purview. Since both Rakhlin and Troop are also leaders of Maroon Monsoon, the pep squad for student activities, they have been trying to bring more life into all extracurriculars whether in the

arts or sports, Troop said. “[Maroon Monsoon] is about school spirit, but school spirit isn’t only sports, even though that’s a large part of it,” Rakhlin said.

Often times, sports games garner a lot of the school’s attention, especially for large events such as Buzzell and Homecoming, while theater productions tend to get less recognition, Troop said. In light of that, earlier this year, the Happiness Club has offered pizza before various student productions and concerts to encourage students stay after school to watch their classmates perform.

Showing her peers support in their activities is very important to Rakhlin, which is why she and Troop, with the help of Bartels, brought flowers to those involved in the fall play Comic Potential and the Student Choreographed Dance Concert — a tradition they plan on continuing for all future theater and dance productions, Rakhlin said.

Although Troop initially joined the Happiness Club as an underclassman because she hadn’t yet found an activity that she was particularly passionate about, the club has since become a large part of her school life, Troop said. “Sometimes I’m sad, and I’m like, ‘I really want to do something for Happiness Club this week.’”

Rakhlin joined the Happiness Club as an underclassman simply because she liked the idea of a having an activity called ‘the Happiness Club’ at the school, and she anticipated that it would be a pretty low-commitment extracurricular,

Rakhlin said. Now, as co-President, it has been her goal to alleviate some of the pressure students feel with food and fun activities to look forward to throughout the week. “Even just chalk drawing gets people outside and moving and thinking more positively, [which] helps,” Rakhlin said.

However, for Jaden Richards (11), the Happiness Club’s initiatives haven’t effectively improved his emotional well-being at the school, he said. “I hate to sound so evil, but it all just seems like it’s trying

Photos courtesy of Kelly Troop

to put a band-aid over a bullet wound. If students are unhappy, then a bouncy castle isn’t really going to fix it, honestly.”

To Troop, the purpose of the club is to “do any small thing to make people feel better” given the stressful and competitive nature that is a large part of the definition of the school, she said. The initial purpose of the club for Rahul was very similar: simply to spread happiness, club advisor Dr. Jessica Levenstein said.

During Rahul’s time at the school, he was known to be “constitutionally one of the happiest, most optimistic human beings,” so he sought to create an official organization to promote positive energy within the student body, Levenstein said.

Since 2015, the club has grown mainly through its initiatives. In the early years of the club, it was primarily just Rahul Kukreja organizing small events, such as a bubble day where the club brought in bubble wrap and a bubble machine, Levenstein said. Eventually though, as the club grew in size, Rahul’s ideas grew in ambition, leading the school to bring in a bouncy castle in the spring.

When Janvi took over the Happiness Club in 2018, she recognized that there were some similarities in the missions of the SBP position and the Happiness Club, but she deliberately distinguished the two, she said. “I loved being silly with SBP too, but with [the] Happiness Club it was important for me not to let it get overlapped or lost in each other.”

However, being co-President of the Happiness Club does not come without its fair share of stress.

Troop sometimes feels nervous that the club’s initiatives are overbearing, especially the music played on Friday mornings and during break, she said. “I don’t know if people are like, ‘Shut up.’”

On the contrary, Levenstein feels that having music on Friday mornings is true to “the original mission of the club,” which to her is “being together in community and enjoying each other and trying

to find moments of happiness,” she said. “[It] costs no money [and] is a just a bright way to end the week.”

The Happiness Club’s activities during break have made transitioning into the school more seamless for Cecilia Coughlin (9), who is new to the school this year, she said. “I wouldn’t say that I necessarily participate in these activities, but they’re fun to watch, and it’s kind of a stress reliever in the day.”

Although the Happiness Club has certainly made break more “lively,” and she wouldn’t want Troop and Rakhlin to reel back their initiatives, the music during that time sometimes makes it difficult for Grace Ermias (12) to study on the second floor of the library, she said. The library is already too loud anyways, and the music just serves as “fluff that causes more people to crowd into that area,” Richards said.

Kate Bown (11) has heard a similar sentiment reflected among her peers, who are occasionally annoyed by their peers dancing to the music during break when they’re in a bad mood, but it doesn’t negatively affect her, she said. “If I’m in a bad mood, I just won’t come here, so usually when I’m here during break I’m excited to be involved in whatever’s happening.”

When Bown was a freshman, she thought that the presence of the senior class during break, especially when music was played, was scary.

“They’d all be dancing, and you just didn’t really know how to fit into it,” she said. Now though, since the Happiness Club plays music every day during break, Bown thinks that the environment of the library is holistically more welcoming to all grades.

“The thought of having fun in the library or having a dance party is less intimidating,” Bown said. “It used to be an event, so you didn’t really know what to do, but now that it’s almost every day you just go with it.”

Record Crossword

by Henry Owens Down

Across

HORACE MANN LIONS’ DEN JANUARY 31, 2020

MD holds Diversity assembly Yesh Nikam & Oliver Steinman Staff Writers

Last Thursday, Upper Division (UD) students shared heartfelt personal stories during the Middle Division (MD) Diversity Assembly hosted by the MD Mentoring Program.

The MD Diversity Assembly occurs triannually and serves to expose students to different experiences and stories. Faculty Advisor Wendy Reiter said. By featuring UD students and their impactful personal stories, the assembly hopes to broaden MD students’ understanding about the challenges our community faces, she said.

The themes of this year’s assembly are “fitting in, tolerance, and inclusion,” Reiter said.

While most of the presenters are MD mentors, other UD students who felt that they have an impactful story to share, participated as well, Reiter said. The presenters’ reflections are their own stories and struggles, and are not necessarily reflections of their MD experience. “It’s their generic story of their unique diversity,” Reiter said.

This year’s assembly has been organized by eight Middle Division mentors: Leyli Granmayeh (11), Nshera Tutu, Charlie Shapiro (11), Nicholas Potash (12), Diana Shaari (12), Ben Wang (12), and Sarah Acocelli (12), Shaari said.

Similar to previous, this year’s assembly featured seven speakers sharing personal stories tackling race, gender, sexuality, and learning differences, Reiter said. The assembly also included a facilitated dialogue with the UD students at the end of the assembly.

“We wanted to put together an assembly where students could hear from a handful of students and look at diversity in its fullest definition,” Reiter said.

Shaari, Potash, Wang, and Acocelli, opened up the assembly by providing their thoughts on what diversity means to them. They stressed that everybody lives varied lives, even if it does not always appear so, and that this assembly is a chance to celebrate these differences, Acocelli said.

Shaari hopes that the event provides MD students with comfort and support in discovering their own identity and in realizing that everyone has internal struggles regarding their identity at school, regardless of how it may seem, she said.

After the opening remarks, the assembly moved into a panel with other MD mentors.

This panel included Nshera Tutu (11), who spoke about her younger years when she struggled to fit in, whether with her Ghanaian family or her friends at HM. During middle school, she was not allowed to have sleepovers with her friends because her parents were very strict about school, she said. She told the MD students that she often felt embarrassed by this cultural gap but over time she embraced her Ghanaian roots.

One of the ways she was able to embrace her culture was by learning Ghanaian traditions, such as dances, as well as learning about black history in America, Tutu said.

Jack Eagan (12) shared his unique experience of growing up

with two fathers. In his 15th year at HM, Eagan looks back at his time in the middle division as a time of growth. Eagan said that he was appreciative of having this unique experience even if it did lead to some uncomfortable situations at times, he said.

Co-Director of the Office for Identity, Culture and Institutional Equity John Gentile said that middle school is a vital time to discuss matters of identity and diversity.

“It is important for students who have been through Middle school and identify in so many different ways to share their experiences so [MD] students have windows into an experience different from their own,” Gentile said.

Karam Malhotra (8) expressed gratitude that the school was promoting diversity in the MD. Malhotra believes that experiencing other cultures, viewpoints, and ideas is beneficial to young students because it opens up their mind to experiences they may not have been aware of.

The MD held its first diversity assembly in 2009. At the time, the main impetus behind the event was to increase the involvement of the MD mentoring program in the MD, and to reflect the needs of a more diverse school, Reiter said.

Though the school was apprehensive about the community’s reGabby Fichberg/Art Director

5

sponse to the assembly, the initial attempt was a success due to the powerful and moving stories every participant shared; the audience members were so engaged in the anecdotes—“you could hear a pin drop,” Reiter said. “The event was well received by the Middle Division community and they have decided to make it a tradition.”

“When you think about how much time is spent here on campus, it really is a home away from home, and we think of ourselves as a second, bigger family,” Reiter said. “ [The assembly] is about learning about the people in your family and some of the things they’ve had to grapple with.”

While the assembly does not directly reflect the conversations in MD homerooms, it furthers those conversations and creates a stronger bond between the mentor and mentee, Shaari said.

Potash, who also helped orchestrate the event, said that his advisory is usually relaxed and that the assembly serves as a chance to engage in a more profound conversation with MD students.

“One of the ultimate goals of the MD Mentor program is to bring the two divisions closer together, and this assembly will hopefully contribute to that goal,” Shaari said.

Potash said that the assembly is important because MD students only experience it once. “It is the only [diversity assembly] they’ll get until high school,” he said. He hopes that the assembly exposed MD students to different perspectives and will help them engage with their mentors in a new and exciting way.

Shaari hopes that the event assures students that if they are struggling with anything, their mentors and other individuals in their community are ready and willing to help them, she said.

7th & 8th graders shoot to thrive in basketball Courtesy of Flickr

HOOPS Bella Harrison(8) goes up for a layup.

Arushi Talwar and Joshua Underberg Staff Writers Because the 7th and 8th-grade Basketball Teams are led by different coaches, members of the 8th-grade teams are faced with the challenge of adapting to a new coach every year.

In the midst of this transition, the 8th-grade Boys Basketball Team has found immense success, Brady Winter (8) said.

The players have learned to trust Coach Drew Samuels’ game plan, which involves playing unselfishly by moving the ball around as much as possible, Winter said.

The main purpose of Middle Di-

vision (MD) basketball is to prepare the athletes to play in the Upper Division (UD) programs, Edwin Santiago, Coach of the 8th-grade Girls’ Basketball team said. To further prepare the players, the MD coaches teach various plays and techniques which the UD teams use as well, Santiago said.

As the 8th-grade Girls team has started to become accustomed to the season, they have refined their skills significantly, Santiago said. “We have improved our knowledge of the game and our roles on defense, and once we accomplish our goals, the team will get better and move forward.”

Head Coach of the 7th-grade Boys Basketball Team Quentin Brooks

believes the squad has great skill compared to previous years, beginning the season with an undefeated record.

The team continued its streak to 4-0 on Tuesday after a 22 point win over Trinity. Owen Zabel (7) led the Lions with 34 points, teammate Harrison Licht (7) said.

The outcome of the game, however, was ultimately a result of teamwork, Zabel said. Despite the fact that Trinity started with a 10-point run, the Lions pulled themselves to within just three points of their opponents by halftime.

“In the second half especially, we hit a lot of threes, got to the freethrow line more, and played extra tight defense, which took away momentum from the opposing team,” Zabel said.

Zabel, who plays outside of school for the New York Renaissance, is one of the multiple players who play competitively on club teams. This gives players like Zabel the opportunity to practice more often.

“Our team dynamics are really solid this year because we were able to practice as a team for three months before actually playing in our first game,” Licht said.

“This team has a good balance,” Brooks said. “We have an equal amount of players who can score, rebound, play defense, and pass.”

Brooks said that despite the successful start to the season, there is still room to improve, mainly in defensive strategies. Practices are centered around everyone understanding their roles and honing the basic skills of the game.

“With 7th grade, I focus more on honing their skills and making sure they understand the basics,” Brooks said. “As they transition from 7th to 8th grade, there is more of designing offense and defensive plays, but the

primary goal is to learn the basics of basketball.”

During games, Brooks ensures that everyone has at least some playing time, regardless of their skills or abilities.

UD Girls Varsity Basketball Coach Ray Barile also works with the MD coaches to introduce their players to different basketball concepts, many of which their varsity counterparts use. In addition to basic offense and man-to-man defense, the players are learning how to do a one-to-one half-court trap, Barile said.

When the season comes to an end, many 8th graders will transition to the UD teams next year, hopefully bringing a positive mindset with them, Brooks said.

“By that point, many of them will have been playing together for several years, so forming that bond within the team itself is important,” he said.

Most of all, the coaches hope the players bring their same passion for basketball to the UD teams. “This year’s team is very good and they love the game, so hopefully they can keep carrying that on,” Santiago said.

The transition from the MD teams to the UD ones will definitely require practicing during the offseason, especially with the athletes’ ball-handling skills, Barile said.

“Players are made during the offseason,” Barile said. “During the season, we work on team concepts and fundamental skills.”

Regardless, middle school basketball is meant to prepare players for a higher level of basketball in the future, Santiago said. “[The] most important [thing] is that they play together,” Brooks said. “Win or lose, as long as they are playing together and learning from each other, that’s what I look forward to.”

Courtesy of Flickr

TEAM MEETING 8th Grade Boys Basketball team meet in a huddle.

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THE RECORD LIONS’ DEN JANUARY 31, 2020

The NFL: America’s Civil Religion Talia Winiarsky Staff Writer An unofficial American holiday, the Super Bowl enthralled 98.2 million on television last year. The National Football League (NFL) championship, however, is more than a game and an evening filled with parties, witty commercials, and a glitzy half-time show: the big game underscores America’s religious fascination with the NFL and its traditions.

This Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers will face off in Super Bowl LIV at 6:30 p.m. at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.

Many fans watch American football religiously, and attending a Super Bowl is like making an expensive pilgrimage; this past Thursday, the cheapest ticket available was $4,675.

Since the tradition began in 1967, when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 3510, it has amassed millions of passionate fans. More than 50 million people watched Super Bowl I and since then, the Super Bowl has trumped any single regular event in the U.S. in television viewership. According to Nielsen data, 18 out of the 19 most watched television broadcasts in American history have been Super Bowls.

With the internet and the vast possibilities of streaming services, Americans have lost the experience of sitting in front of their televisions at the same time every week to watch their favorite shows. On Sundays, however, an average of 16.5 million Americans devote their time to watching football, one of the few remaining shared American experiences.

Sociologists and authors alike have proposed psychological reasons for why Americans feel so strongly about their sports teams, why they paint their faces, wear the jerseys of their favorite teams, and give up hours of their week to watch the games.

In both scientific studies and an array of essays, it has been shown that the football fandom emulates religious qualities. According to religious scholar Ninian Smart, religions include seven dimensions: ritual, narrative, emotional, social, ethical, doctrinal, and material. Football seems to fit five out of these seven requirements. Games are rituals, famous games and plays are narratives, and the feelings of anticipation as a viewer watches their favorite team provide emotional tension. Games and Super Bowl parties are social, and jerseys worn in admiration of players are material. Although watching football does not encompass the ethical and doctrinal aspects of traditional religions, football is more than a mere sport.

Author Michael Dovak theorized that sports serve as America’s civil religion in his book “The Joy of Sports.” He hypothesized that sports are a part of a larger trend of human behavior that stems from a natural religious instinct.

Larry Merchant, a former American

sportswriter, said that television networks treat the Super Bowl “as though it were a solemn high mass.”

When presented with this theory, James Thomas (JT) (10) pondered for a few moments and then agreed. “The way that people dress up and make bets and they have all these different traditions, it could be seen as beliefs or something spiritual,” he said.

In the school community, football is considered more important than other sports, Nshera Tutu (11) said. During Homecoming, the Varsity Fo o t ball Te a m garners the most support of all of t h e

The development of football in America has been intertwined with religion. The rise of football’s popularity was sparked by Americans seeking examples of masculinity in a virtuous, Christian way, Vox writer Tara Burton reported. Since man’s body was a gift from God, it was his responsibility to maintain it. This mentality, combining Christianity and the idea of masculinity, gave rise to American sports.

Some churches respect the tradition of football, which can coincide with Sunday mass; a quarter of pastors change the times of their services so that churchgoers can both pray and watch the Super Bowl, according to a 2017 study by LifeWay Research.

Tutu attributes football’s popularity in the US to its promotion of the ideal male, she said.

“To a certain degree in America, we do value brute force and we expect men to be very strong and aggressive. It makes sense that one of our nation’s pas-

war. The first football game, ostensibly a college match four years after the end of the Civil War, resembled a battle; the two teams lined up on their respective sides, eager to viciously attack the other. During the early days of football, tackles and sacks could mean death. In the book “Rebirth of a Nation,” author Jackson Lears tells the story of “Soldier’s Field,” a football field at Harvard.

Wealthy donor Henry Lee Higginson purposely gave the land its name to highlight the connection between football and duty.

Volume 12 Issue one of The Record, published in 1913, expressed the importance of football for the male mind and body. “The man who does not play [football] in high school or college loses his most important opportunity for improving his nerve,

Annabelle Chan / Arts Director

games, even though there are teams with better records, she said. “People definitely worship football to an extreme that it doesn’t deserve.”

In 1981, in Volume 75, Issue seven of The Record, an editorial responded to complaints that the paper featured too many articles about football. It contended, “We think [football is] an important part of America and a lot more important than field hockey, not to mention soccer.” In Volume 20, Issue two of The Record, published in 1926, the team’s schedule was featured prominently at the top center of the front page, alongside the major news of the week.

times would be a sport where brute force is the norm.”

In fact, President Theodore Roosevelt believed that football was synonymous with manhood. When football was on the verge of being abolished because of its risk for injuries, Roosevelt helped save the sport by bringing together Ivy League football coaches, their representatives, and the Secretary of State to craft a plan to make football less dangerous. He wrote in a 1900 essay titled The American Boy, “In life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is: Hit the line hard; don’t foul and don’t shirk, but hit the line hard!”

Football became a way for men to display their masculinity in the absence of

quickness of thought and action, ability to fight hard under any conditions of physical pain or defeat,” an article with no attributed author read. At the time, the school had both male and female pupils, and according to The Record, young men needed “open air every day to make up for the lack of motion necessitated by school life.” Women were not mentioned in the article.

With an increase in white-collar jobs, football became a way for men to maintain the aggression that made them strong. Industrial jobs “do almost nothing to make one sturdy and enduring,” William Blaikie, a former Harvard football player wrote in 1889

in his piece How to Get Strong and Stay So for Harper’s Magazine. For students at Horace Mann, football was a way to counteract the declension of masculinity provoked by sitting in class and studying.

Sociologist Émile Durkheim studied the behaviors of societies who worshipped divine forms in his book, “The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life,” which he published in 1912. He observed that when people gather to perform rituals, they feel a vivacious passion, which he dubbed “collective effervescence.” The Atlantic writer Michael Serazio applied Durkheim’s theory of collective effervescence to the solidarity of sports fans.

Arman Kumar (12), a self-described “die-hard Eagles fan” said a community between the Philadelphia Eagles fans at the school was created through discussions of their shared passion. “My dad and I and my brother, when we go and watch Eagles games, we go to Eagles bars sometimes, or we’ll hang out with other Eagles fans, and it’s definitely fun to be around Eagles fans,” he said.

At a Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field in Wisconsin, the home field of the Green Bay Packers, Jack Klein (11) said that he was one of the few New York Giants fans there. Shivering through the cold and surrounded by vociferous Packers fans, Giants fans sought each other out. “You’d see another Giants fan, and you’d have a general comradery,” he said.

Sam Korff (9) feels exhilaration generated by the fan community at football games, he said. At games, when the team he’s rooting for scores a touchdown, he gives high-fives to his fellow fans, cheering along with them in their shared love for their team.

“You really feel like you belong there,” Korff said.

Each year after the Super Bowl, the winning team hosts a parade in their city. Kumar attended the parade in Philadelphia after Super Bowl LII. “We were able to just have a viewing ledge [of the parade]. But even that, we waited maybe three and a half hours before the parade actually came to where we were. We were just sitting out there with Eagles fans in the cold, just talking and chanting,” he said.

The feelings of excitement, community, and tension at the Super Bowl are accentuated by the pressure of the game, Mikail Akbar (9) said. Unlike baseball and basketball, the championship game of football is one game, rather than a series; whichever team wins a singular game gets to claim the title.

Max Resnick (11) emphasized the fact that the football teams of America are the best in the world, so the winning team earns the title of champion of the NFL and the world.“It’s going to be a rollercoaster of emotions for me,” he said.

HORACE MANN LIONS’ DEN JANUARY 31, 2020

SUPERBOWL DEBATE Sports contributer: Max Resnick The score was 38-10. The Chiefs possessed a commanding third-quarter lead against the Indianapolis Colts in the 2013-14 wildcard game. The Kansas City faithful felt confident they were headed to the divisional round in no time.

Yet somehow, due to the heroics of Andrew Luck and the collapse of the Chiefs’ defense, the KC team managed to find a way to lose that game 45-44, commencing a common theme of the next few years in KC: playoff collapses. The 2015-16 season featured a rejuvenated Chiefs team: winning ten straight, including a wild-card beatdown of the Houston Texans 30-0. This marked their first postseason victory since 1993. The Chiefs headed to New England to play for a trip to the AFC Championship Game, with a losing mentality. As a result of poor clock management and getting outplayed, they did lose. The next year, Kansas City’s regular-season looked even better, securing the second seed in the AFC and a first-round bye. They hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ever-noisy Arrowhead Stadium, entering the game as huge favorites.

But the offense failed to keep up in the loss.

While quarterback Alex Smith was above-average, he did not have what it took to lead the Chiefs all the way. Smith was given one more chance to quarterback the Chiefs to the promise land. In the regular season he delivered. The Chiefs offense was explosive, accumulating 5488 total yards. In the divisional round, they faced the Tennessee Titans at Arrowhead. At halftime, the Chiefs led 21-3, however, they allowed the Titans to come back. The front office had a change to make.

The Chiefs possessed the 27th pick in the 2017 NFL draft. t seemed unlikely they would obtain a franchise signal-caller at that slot. The Chiefs moved up seventeen spots to draft a franchise QB. Even with a cannon arm, most critics felt Mahomes was too raw to be an NFL star. Analyst Steven Ruiz wrote, “Calling Mahomes a project is a major understatement. He’s nowhere near ready to play in the NFL.” The Chiefs disagreed and selected him.

While the Chiefs knew their future was in the hands of Mahomes, they still viewed Smith as a competent starting QB. Mahomes spent his rookie year learning from Smith, however, the dramatic choke to the Titans made it clear that the quarterback for the Chiefs for the 201819 season was Mahomes, so Smith was traded. In his first game, Mahomes threw for four touchdowns against the Chargers. He followed that up with six against the Steelers. Mahomes sent the entire football world into a frenzy, creating

WHO WILL WIN?

highlight after highlight. The Chiefs finished the year 12-4, and by the season’s end, Mahomes had accumulated 5,097 passing yards and 50 passing touchdowns, putting him in the exclusive company of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. The Chiefs secured the first seed, eventually hosting the same Indianapolis Colts that broke their hearts years before.

However, this game was different, as the Chiefs jumped out to an early lead and never let go, winning 31-13 against the under matched Colts.

Next, the Chiefs hosted the Patriots in what was a match between the greatest of all time and the future.

In the first half, Bill Belichick had Mahomes figured out, holding the Chiefs scoreless. The groans were audible, and Chiefs fans feared they were heading down an all-too-familiar road. However, the Chiefs had not lost faith, roaring back by putting up 24 points in the fourth quarter and 31 in the half. Mahomes dazzled once again, sending the game to overtime. However, the Pats won the coin toss, and Mahomes never touched the ball again.

Tom Brady marched his team down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown. Although the season was over for the Chiefs, their star QB was awarded the NFL MVP shortly after.

To open the 2019-20 season, Mahomes and the Chiefs did not disappoint. They won their first four games and looked promising again.

However, things took a turn for the worst, as they dropped games to the Colts and Texans. The next contest, Mahomes injured his knee and missed the next two weeks. Upon his return, the Chiefs offense improved, but didn’t look the same. The defense improved, so their offense played more of a ball-control style.

Thanks to a Patriots collapse to the Dolphins in week 17, the Chiefs earned a first-round bye. In the Divisional Round, the Texans entered Arrowhead in the hands of DeShaun Watson, who was selected two picks after Mahomes. The Chiefs came out flat, finding themselves down 24-0 in the second quarter. Nonetheless, Mahomes assumed a superhero-like role and provided the Chiefs with a lead entering halftime. The Chiefs scored touchdowns on seven consecutive drives and pummelled the Texans after the first quarter. While they expected to face the Ravens in the next round, they had been upset by the Tennessee Titans. Once again, the Titans entered Arrowhead and gained an early lead of 100. but eventually won the game. The Chiefs were off to the Super Bowl and it remains to be seen what will happen. If Patrick Mahomes plays like himself, expect to see the Chiefs Annabelle Chan/Art Director emerge victoriously.

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Sports contributer: Jonathan Mong

The San Francisco 49ers shocked the football world this season. After going 4-12 and losing starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to an injury, thereby finishing with the second-worst record in the NFL in 2018, many analysts had the team winding up under .500 before the season. But, the Niners suddenly began the season on a tear, starting 8-0 and ending up 13-3, with the best record in the National Football Conference (NFC).

Here’s why they were so good, and why they will win Super Bowl LIV this Sunday.

Most teams need to send five, six, sometimes up to eight or nine defenders (known as a blitz) to generate pressure on the quarterback. The 49ers only need to send four, because their defensive linemen are so dominant that they can generate blitz pressure without blitzing. This frees up the other seven defenders to do other jobs, such as double-covering a receiver that might be a problem or keeping up near the rushers if the quarterback runs. With their fourman rush, the 49ers were ranked first in the league, allowing the fewest yards per game. While their pass defense was worse than their run defense, both were dominant in almost all the games they played this season.

Even if Kansas City’s offense might be the most dynamic one the NFL has ever seen, the Niners’ defense is well-equipped to shut it down by stopping plays before they develop.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan is seen as an offensive genius around the league for his playcalling. The 49ers are able to pass or run on every play, regardless of lineup, formation, or game situation, even when they would normally telegraph a specific play. This is because of their ability to disguise what the play really is until the ball is in the end zone for a touchdown. They also ran the ball so often during this year’s postseason (in the NFC Championship Game against Green Bay, Garoppolo only attempted eight passes: the Niners ran the ball 42 times, leading to a 37-20 win) that the Chiefs’ poorly ranked (25th out of 32) run defense will be forced to commit to defending the run, allowing Garoppolo to disguise passes as runs and get the ball to his more than capable receivers and running backs for touchdowns.

During the regular season, the 49ers had seven of their sixteen games come down to the final possession or even the final play. For example, in their end-of-season matchup against rival Seattle for the division title, rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw stopped the Seahawks’ goahead touchdown mere inches from the goal line with nine seconds left, sealing the win. On both sides of the ball, they have players that keep their heads under stress, and in the

Super Bowl, that may mean the difference between winning and losing the championship. For example, Garoppolo and receiver Kendrick Bourne connected on several crucial plays to come from behind throughout the season, and Greenlaw often makes game-saving plays, such as the aforementioned tackle, to preserve slim leads. Star tight end George Kittle runs around, over, and through defenders to prolong plays and gain more yards, even when there’s a guy on his back and another grabbing his facemask. Meanwhile, Shanahan is able to call the right plays and manage the clock to ensure the 49ers come out of drives having scored points.

The 49ers have several players— Garoppolo, receiver Emmanuel Sanders, cornerback Richard Sherman, offensive tackle Joe Staley, and kicker Robbie Gould to name a few—who have already been to the Super Bowl before (although Staley is the only one who has gone with a previous 49er team) and know what it’s like, and they are already passing on wisdom to the team, which is primarily made up of first- and second-year players. For example, the Niners’ receivers were dropping passes and were generally not playing very well early in the season, but after trading for Sanders, Deebo Samuel and Bourne both took great strides in their game, with Samuel becoming a dual rusher/receiver threat and Bourne being Garoppolo’s aforementioned go-to on crucial plays.

The Niners have brought in team legends, such as Hall of Famers Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Jerry Rice (all of whom are pro football legends) to mentor the current team.

Rice, considered the greatest receiver and possibly greatest player ever, often runs routes with the current team, and passes along what he’s learned to them as well. Additionally, Shanahan brings with him one of football’s offensive legends: his father, Mike. The elder Shanahan, also considered an offensive genius, was the Niners’ offensive coordinator the last time they won the Super Bowl in 1994, designing one of the most prolific offenses in football history.

In fact, Young, their quarterback, set so many records that his 1994 season is considered the second greatest QB season of all time, behind only Montana’s 1989 season with the 49ers, which is arguably the greatest single season by a team ever. Shanahan has confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area that he sends his father practice footage and receives feedback from him, a connection that only the 49ers would have. With so many brilliant football minds in the facility, it is no wonder that the Niners got as far as they did, and it is why they will win on Sunday.

Lions’ Den Record Sports

8

JANUARY 31ST, 2020

Ski team wins three races in a row

Courtesy of Nelson Gaillard

Emily Shi Staff Writer

Though other winter sports may be starting to wrap up, the Varsity Ski Team experienced one of the peaks of their season winning three races in this week alone.

Although all members compete, only the top five times for races count toward the final race results. During their races on Monday and Tuesday this week, the Lions won against eight teams altogether.

The three races this week took place at the Campgaw Mountain Ski Area in New Jersey. Though it’s typically uncommon for any team at the school to have three races in one week, the public school league that the Lions participate in needed to fit more races in before the sectional and state competitions.

On Monday, standout performances on the team included Adam Frommer (11), who won the boys race, and Emma Djoganopolous (11), who won the girls race. Alexa Turteltaub (9), Luccas Correira (10), and Zach Kurtz (9) also skied quickly, completing their runs in 33.31, 27.1, and 30.73 seconds respectively.

Many of the successful skiers on the team train outside of school, Kelly Troop (11) said. “Just to watch them, their form, and everything they do is awesome.”

Typically in races, the Lions participate in the second flight of schools

AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME Snow-lions bond and celebrate victories. with a later start and end time. Right before the race, they line up in order of speed, ski one run, take practice runs while waiting for other schools, and take a second run. The better speed of the two runs counts towards the final scoring to give skiers multiple chances per race.

Coach Rawlins Troop said that he felt incredibly proud of the team’s performance, and noticed that each member skied faster and better with each race of the week.

After 10 days of being unable to race due to bad weather, the team took advantage of the perfect weather conditions by practicing and skiing on the mountain as much as possible, Jordan Wasserberger (10) said.

“This is really the time where it’s in that sweet spot – it’s not too late as the snow hasn’t melted, and it’s not too early, as you don’t have to make snow.”

Despite the better conditions than last week, Captain Nelson Gaillard

(12) said that on Monday, the soft and wet snow made it more difficult to ski on the terrain, but by Tuesday the trail’s quality improved.

Originally, the team only had two slalom races scheduled on Monday and Tuesday, but a third race was added after each team member wanted to participate in a third giant slalom (GS) race on Thursday. In slalom races, competitors turn numerous times in rapid succession to go through gates, or sets of poles, while in GS races, people tend to work on gradual sweeping turns with more distance between gates.

During their practice last week, the team went up to the mountain to practice skiing on edges and going through gates, especially to try GS racing, Rawlins Troop said.

“For slalom, it’s a lot of just pacing running a course, practicing blocking with your arms, and making sure that you’re maintaining the correct form,”

Wasserberger said. “We practiced with GS gates once just to get a feel of it, and we all really enjoyed it, but I’m not sure how a more rigorous practice would go.”

“Clearing a gate has an art to it, if you ask me,” Rawlins Troop said.

Members of the team focus on blocking gates with their shins and placing guards on their poles. The two types of gates used for practice are known as “leaners,” thin and long gates where skiers can go through with their pole up, and “stubbies” which are shorter gates that make people use their shins. Troop said that the faster skiers are able to go through all of the gates throughout the course.

Kelly appreciated spending time with her team for prolonged amounts of time, as the team hadn’t previously had multiple races each week, she said. “Being there for each other, and as I’m coming down the mountain to hear everybody cheering me on, it’s

pretty special.”

“I always like to say that Horace Mann is the most enthusiastic team in terms of team spirit because we’ll be waiting at the start gate, banging our poles together, screaming at the top of our lungs, and then watch the skier go through the start gate,” Gaillard said.

Furthermore, the team is one of the only ones at each race that waits at the bottom for the rest of the team to come down the mountain when finishing their runs.

“I think the ski team is the kind of team that flies under the radar, as when I first came to HM, half the [new] kids and even kids who had been here for years didn’t even know it existed,” Wasserberger said. “But it’s a really great thing to be a part of. It’s just a really nice group of friends to have.”

GVB DEFEATS NYSAIS RIVAL RYE COUNTRY DAY: BRINGING OVERALL RECORD TO 16-1

Art by Kiara Royer/Features Editor

Hanna Hornfeld Staff Writer 25 seconds into Monday’s Girls Varsity Basketball (GVB) game against Rye Country Day School, Devin Allard-Neptune (10) scored her first points out of 6. The team went on to score 25 points in the first quarter, ultimately winning the game by 30.

The team’s strong start was an important part of their strategy. Aside from playing well, being able to intimidate the other team can play a significant role in how the game unfolds, Halley Robbins (12) said.

“Those opening moments were very important for setting the tone,” she said. “You want your opponents

to be scared and feel like they’re the ones that have to dig themselves out of a hole, and I think we did a good job of putting them away relatively early.”

In the second quarter they slowed down a little bit, only scoring 9 points, but they came back with another 20 points in the third quarter. By the last quarter of the game, the team was up by so many points that Head Coach Ray Barile put in the younger, more inexperienced players. Those players worked together and ran the offense very well, Allard-Neptune said. Cecilia Coughlin (9), the only freshman on the team, scored the game’s final two points in the last minute.

Rye is not a part of the Ivy League, but the game could still influence the team’s seeding for the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) tournament, Robbins said. The team’s main goal this year is to win the NYSAIS championship, which they lost last year. Their win against Rye also sends an intimidating message to the other teams, Allard-Neptune said.

Monday’s game was not the biggest of the season, but players still came prepared because Rye was one of their stronger opponents. This season, the team has been playing extremely well, even against the

other top teams in the league, Barile said. Out of seventeen games this season, they have only lost one, against Pisgah High School during their basketball tournament in Orlando, Florida over winter break.

Before every game, Barile goes over the opposing team’s particular strengths and weaknesses and prepares scouting reports for the players. Scouting reports list the members of the opposing team and their tendencies: whether they’re a good shooter, their handedness, etc, Allard-Neptune said.

Rye has one offensive player who is exceptionally strong, so before Monday’s game, the team went over ways to defend against her, Robbins said.

The team is the best in the league, Barile said. What makes them so special is that each player is skilled in multiple areas -- they are all good at dribbling, shooting, and helping each other. They don’t have to rely on a couple of players in order to succeed, Barile said.

Looking ahead, GVB has a game next Monday, February 3rd, against Dalton, one of the stronger teams in the league. If they win that game, they will earn the title of Ivy League champions, Parikh said.