Record The Horace Mann
FEBRUARY 7 2020 || VOLUME 117, ISSUE 20
RECORD.HORACEMANN.ORG
HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903
EWWW hosts annual Asia Night, celebrates diverse cultures Vivien Sweet Staff Writer Last Friday, after weeks of creating decorations, choreographing Korean pop (K-Pop) dances, and rehearsing runway walks culminated in East Wind West Wind’s (EWWW) annual Asia Night. Some elements of Asia Night are kept in the program every year, such as the fashion show and the dance, which is always performed to an Asian song. This year’s show featured previously unseen presentation acts from students such as Ben Vahradian (12), who presented about his summer abroad in China; EWWW Board member Ashley Chung (10), who sang “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars; and Grace Qiao (8), who performed a traditional Chinese dance. Unlike previous years, the planning process to put Asia Night together started in early January as opposed to early December, subsequently giving the group “a sense of motivation to get everything together as soon as possible,” EWWW Board member Rachel Zhu (11) said. The time crunch made it especially difficult for Samantha Tsai (11) to teach the 12 dancers, ranging from freshmen to seniors, the K-Pop dance medley that she put together, she said. Unlike the dance that Tsai taught last year, this year’s dance featured six songs—some of which were popular among EWWW members, such as “Boy With Luv” by BTS and “Chicken Noodle Soup” by j-hope and Becky G, and other songs by girl K-Pop groups that Tsai enjoyed, like “Psycho” by Red Velvet and “Snapping” by Chung Ha. The majority of the 12 dance participants were not experienced
dancers, which is typical of Asia Night dances, Tsai said. “In the Asia Night performances and dances, we’re never looking for perfection or anything like that; it’s mostly just to have fun,” she said. “[We’re] dancing while keeping in mind that it’s supposed to be fun, and [we’re] smiling throughout the whole performance; it doesn’t really matter if you do the choreography correctly.” In order to master the choreography, the group practiced for hours on end, staying at school until 8 p.m. during the week leading up to Asia Night and occasionally going to Tsai’s house to practice. “Individually, we knew what to do, but putting it together and making it look like it flowed was definitely difficult,” dancer Madison Xu (9) said. This year’s Asia Night was Xu’s first. Towards the beginning of the year, she was looking to join clubs that involved Asian culture, and a couple of the EWWW Board members on the Girl’s Varsity Fencing team helped convinced her to join Asia Night, Xu said. “I wanted to join something like [EWWW]— this huge community of people that are very similar to me.” Similar to Xu, English teacher and EWWW faculty adviser Jennifer Huang had never attended Asia Night prior to this year. Since this was also Huang’s first year as an advisor, she decided to let the EWWW Board handle most of the performance planning, she said. “I wasn’t at first completely sure what I was getting myself into, but it felt important to me that a club that’s based around this idea of Asian identity would have an Asian faculty advisor.” Ultimately, Huang said that she came away from the night with a new sense of her responsibilities as an
EWWW faculty advisor, as well as an understanding of the “celebratory” atmosphere that was characteristic of the entire night. “I was sitting in the audience and smiling the whole time; it’s just a really nice mood in the air,” she said. Prior to the actual show, the club hosted a dinner featuring homemade Chinese, Korean, and Indian food, an event that EWWW Board member Daniel Lee helped put together. Lee, who also participated in the fashion show and the K-Pop dance medley, said that Asia Night serves as a way to display Asian culture both to those who aren’t usually exposed to it and Asian students. “As cheesy as it sounds, [EWWW] has helped me come in touch with my Korean roots, whether that be through discussions with other members of the club or just the activities that we do,” Lee said. Zhu, who reached out to the South Asian Family Alliance as well as the Chinese and Korean family networks to organize performances, interviewed Japanese teacher Nobuku Weiler with fellow EWWW Board member Tomoko Hida (10). The pair asked Weiler about the culture shock she underwent upon emigrating from Japan to America as well as her experiences as a high school Japanese teacher. By helping put together the “enormous project” that was Asia Night, Zhu was able to connect with her fellow EWWW members on a deeper cultural level, especially in terms of their collective Asian identity, she said. “Because [Asia Night] takes so much time and effort, it really establishes such a tight-knit Asian community and fosters so many new friendships, which I think is probably the most valuable aspect of the event.”
Courtesy of Sam Tsai
Courtesy of Rachel Zhu
CULTURE Top: Students dazzle in finale; Bottom: Students interview Ms. Weiler. To Hida, the tradition of Asia Night reflects a greater embracement of Asian culture within the school’s Asian population. “I feel like a lot of the Asians at this school can be whitewashed,” she said. “[Asia Night]
is about going back to our roots and singing songs that we’ve heard when we were kids and wearing clothing that we’ve seen our parents wear.”
All School PA Dinner announces changes for the upcoming school year Julia Goldberg and Vivien Sweet Staff Writers One day after the President’s State of the Union Address, Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly delivered his address on the State of the School. Organized by the President of the Parents’ Association (PA) Andrea Madaio P’23 and her team, the All School PA Meeting and Dinner provided parents with updates on programs across the school’s four divisions as well as notice of the PA’s future initiatives. The PA, which serves to raise funds and strengthen the community within the parent body, is the unofficial “fifth division of Horace Mann,” a phrase coined by Kelly, Madaio said. According to Chair of the Board of Trustees Laurence Grafstein P’11 P’12 P’15, the purpose of the dinner was to facilitate a conversation between parents and the school. “It’s important to be able to have channels of communication and transparency for the parents, so that they can evaluate and assess the priorities of the school,” Grafstein said. “It helps parents get a more granular feel for the school.” Kelly was the “main attraction” of the night, Madaio said. “Dr. Kelly is a phenomenal speaker; everybody’s here to find out what he has to say.” Indeed, Ian Harris P’23, whose son has been a student at the school since kindergarten, came to the dinner primarily to hear Kelly speak towards what the school’s latest initiatives are, where the administration is putting its resources, and what issues the institution
deems most important, Harris said. The night began when Madaio thanked Kelly, Grafstein, Executive Assistant to the Head of School Anne Joao, and Director of Development Melissa Parento for their help organizing the event. Following Madaio’s introduction, PA First Vice President Sally Zhang P’26 briefly discussed event highlights from each division, which included the Middle Division (MD) and Upper Division (UD) book fairs and international food festivals, the UD faculty and staff appreciation breakfast, and the Lower Division (LD) winter festival. Zhang then passed the microphone onto Grafstein, who introduced himself and his work at the school. Despite having never attended the school, Grafstein said he was drawn to the institution through his three sons—all of whom are graduates of the school—and his interactions with the school’s alumni during his college years. “[The alumni I knew] had more than intellect,” he said. “They all had a sense of grounded values and intellectual curiosity— and I didn’t think it could be random.” Now, as Chair of the Board of Trustees, Grafstein said he thinks that the board’s job is to keep the school “the marvelous place that it is.” To allow the school to hold itself to a global standard, the board will continue to be supportive of initiatives from students, staff, and teachers. “We really view ourselves in support of Tom and his team,” Grafstein said. “It’s the faculty, administration, and staff who make the magic at the school happen.” Kelly started his speech by thanking the board, which he described as invisible yet omnipresent. “Because of their intelligence,
because of their foresight, and because of their discipline, in celebration they’re with us, and in sorrow they’re behind us,” he said. “They give us the ability to care for kids that is not the norm in other schools.” Kelly then continued to describe the school beyond “the As and the Bs” by outlining a few changes in each of the four divisions. The Nursery Division has a new playground, Kelly began, and the LD is delving deeper into its study of diversity. “Decades ago, we would’ve said they’re too young; they’re too fragile,” he said. Now, though, the school strives to teach students as young as kindergarteners how to lead—and lead graciously. Furthermore, the MD is changing its approach in both advisories and assemblies with the goal of encouraging students to be “awake, engaged, and excited about the topics they are exploring,” Kelly said. And by next year, within the UD, there will be 15 new courses offered to make “AP courses look pedestrian.” “If this school is going to do something, it’s going to do it right,” he said. Above all else, Kelly’s speech furthered Bipasha Chatterjee’s P’23 understanding of the school’s new academic vision, she said. “I saw Tom Kelly’s interest in making the future for the kids quite experimental and creative, almost like a college environment.” Kelly also announced that the school will be giving students the day off for two more holidays next year: Lunar New Year and Eid al-Fitr, which helped Bharti Malkani P’23 P’27 see the the administration’s commitment to inclusivity, she said. From Kelly’s speech and the night in general,
Grafstein hoped parents came away with two major lessons. “Number one, that there’s an openness, a willingness, to talk about almost any issue that affects either an individual child or the community more generally,” he said. “[Number two,] that there’s a genuine desire to improve, because as great as Horace Mann is, and wonderful as the traditions it has are, there’s a necessity and imperative to continue to improve.” For Lou and Yuko Royer P’20, who habitually attend the school’s events such as musical performances and theater productions, going to this year’s dinner was especially meaningful since their daughter is a senior, Yuko Royer said. Both Lou and Yuko always look forward to speaking with parents from other divisions who they don’t usually cross paths with, Lou Royer said. Madaio, who has been involved in the PA since her daughter was in preschool, recognized that the school is a “commuters school,” so ensuring that parents feel connected to one another is key. Events like the all school dinner also allow Yuko Royer to compare notes about the school’s different divisions, she said. “That’s always fun; we can tell them our experiences because many people may not know about the Dorr activities and other things.” “We want to thank you for giving us your kids and for making us a priority,” Kelly concluded. From the ND to after college, the school will support their students and alumni, he said. “We’re here for life.”