Record The Horace Mann
MARCH 6TH 2020 || VOLUME 117, ISSUE 23
HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903
RECORD.HORACEMANN.ORG
School implements new Coronavirus policies Julia Goldberg Staff Writer
Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly has stayed in close communication with the school’s community as New York confirmed its first outbreaks of the novel coronavirus, writing several emails over the course of four days to share that the school has cancelled all after school events from Thursday through Spring Break, including all Middle Division (MD) and Upper Division (UD) programs involving air travel and all Nursery Division trips. Specifically, the MD and UD orchestra concerts, formerly scheduled for Thursday night, were postponed indefinitely, and weekend programming such as the Saturday Morning Tutoring Program and the MD Mentor Booster Training Session were suspended. Kelly also stated in one of the emails that the administration has reached out to faculty and staff to ensure that no one has been in contact with the Salanter Akiba Riverdale (SAR) community, which temporarily closed after a student’s father tested positive as the city’s second case. Later, the student, her mother, and her brother tested positive for the virus. As of Wednesday, one MD teacher—unaffiliated with SAR but whose spouse had traveled to a potentially dangerous area of the country—had been sent home to self-quarantine, though this action was taken only out of “an abundance of caution,” Kelly wrote. The aforementioned UD programs included the annual college trip and trip for boys tennis to California, and trips for boys lacrosse,
girls lacrosse, baseball, softball, and golf, all of which were headed to Orlando, Florida. Alexis Fry (11), who signed up for the college tour, was greatly disappointed by its cancellation, she said. “Not only would I get to go to California with my friends and have fun, but I’d get to see a variety of schools I probably wouldn’t see on my own.” Nevertheless, Fry believes in “better safe than sorry” about the coronavirus. Although the news may have been disappointing, the students who signed up for the college tour have now been notified that the College Counseling Office will be offering a series of day trips to colleges during the first week of Spring Break, which will be open to all juniors, not just those originally traveling to California. The spread of the virus has also led some families, such as Rhea Patel’s (10), to cancel travel plans that were unaffiliated with the school. Patel and her family had been planning on traveling to Japan over the break, which would have been the first time Patel and her sister stepped foot in an Asian country and would have allowed Patel to put her knowledge from Japanese class to the test, she said. However, as of last Wednesday, Patel’s family had cancelled all bookings. “[Originally,] most of the cases in Japan were concentrated on a cruise ship, so we thought it’d be okay,” she said. “Then, we started reading more news articles, and it started spreading, and we decided we just didn’t want to take the risk.” Patel and her family briefly debated traveling
Courtesy of News 12/The Bronx
STUDENT CASES The SAR High school presents first NYC cases.
to Florida instead of Japan, but ultimately will not travel to stay safe. As the virus continues to spread, the school has taken a few other measures to upkeep the health of the student body. Kelly has asked that students refrain from shaking hands, touching their faces frequently, and congregating in Cohen Dining Commons; instead, a greater number of “grab and go” items are now available to take elsewhere on campus. “While all of our physical spaces are deep-cleaned nightly, current best practices suggest that we minimize large gatherings when and where possible,” Kelly said. Though the possibility of an extended spring break is still up in the air, were it necessary, the school “would do [its] best to keep the instructional ball in play by using PowerSchoolLearning.” The online experience would vary greatly from teacher to teacher depending on the teacher’s comfort level regarding technology, but no matter what, the lessons will have been approved by grade level leaders and department chairs. One possible method for having class online is Google Meet, a video conferencing app. Teachers had an optional I period training for the program on Thursday. Although AJ Walker (10) agrees that the coronavirus is upsetting, he thinks that there is no reason to put learning on hold. Lest numerous students are suffering from the virus or show related symptoms, closing school would be extreme, Walker said. “It would create panic among students and could elevate the issue to negatively affect students.” Horace Mann is not the only school taking precautions as a result of the virus’ multiple outbreaks. On Tuesday, Dalton had a half day so that their teachers could discuss how to best prepare for the coronavirus. Riverdale Country Day School has also cancelled all school-sponsored spring break trips and established “virtual classrooms” for classes on their website; if school does close, a student will be able to click on a certain period on their online schedule and a phone number will appear for video chat. As of now, Riverdale has rescheduled exams intended for this coming week, but has not yet made any statements concerning a lengthened break. Going forward, Horace Mann will “err on the side of caution when making decisions,” Kelly said. For now, he said, “Take care of each other and your teachers. If someone isn’t feeling well, encourage them to see the nurse and ultimately go home.”
NYSAIS accredits school for next ten years Jack Crovitz Staff Writer
This week, visitors from the New York Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) came to observe the school’s curriculum, mission, and environment. This visitation is one stage in a longer accreditation process, said Head of Upper Division Dr. Jessica Levenstein. Members of the school community, including parents, faculty, and students, assembled a one-hundred-page-long self study for NYSAIS over the past year, Levenstein said. “Ideally, this process is not so much about an outside body looking at us but creating an opportunity for us to look at us,” she said. “It’s a valuable activity to have the whole school reflect on how we’re doing,” Louise Kim (9) said. The accreditation process can be an opportunity for the school to improve, Levenstein said. “It makes you proud of what you’ve done, but it also sets goals for the future…it’s healthy to reflect and consider where we want to head,” she also said. The accreditation process can also help the school connect with a network of other private schools around New York, said Director of the Office for Identity, Culture and Institutional Equity (ICIE) John Gentile, who chaired the Equity and Justice Committee. “NYSAIS helps us be a part of a larger community which helps set the tone around different policies, programs, and practices...and establishes us as a leader within that community,” Gentile said. In the past, accreditations have exposed issues and provided targets for improvement, Levenstein said. “The building of Lutnick Hall was the result of observations made in the last accreditation about us not having the space to do the kind of
science we want to do,” she said. “It’s always really useful to have other people come here so we can see the school through their eyes,” Gentile said. Students on NYSAIS committees also discussed areas for improvement, said Kim, who was on the Middle Division (MD) committee. “We talked about ways to improve both the academic and general wellbeing of students,” she also said. The NYSAIS accreditation occurs every decade, and the school has excelled in the past, Levenstein said. However, the criteria have changed this time, from a focus on the curriculum to a focus on the school’s core values, she said. This new focus on the mission and values are important, Taussia Boadi (12), who was on the Student Life committee , said. “I think that they’re trying to ensure that Horace Mann lives up to its mission and the values it promotes,” Boadi said. “NYSAIS saw our school as a place where students not only learn but can also grow as people,” Kim said. Some students participated directly in the NYSAIS visit by speaking on a panel about the school, their experiences, and their recommendations for reform. Madhav Menon (11) said that this changed his conception of the accreditation process. “At first it felt like we were acting for them, but eventually I think they got a real experience of what Horace Mann is like,” he said. The accreditation can also help us grow closer and more reflective as a community, Kim said. “I personally had very enriching discussions with the students and faculty in my committee,” she said. “NYSAIS encourages us to strive and aspire to be the best versions of who we can be,” Gentile said.
Ailil Walsh/Staff Photographer
SING IT Janet Christian (10) belts out a song.
Student talent showcase
Natalie Sweet & Maya Nornberg Staff Writers As students hurried into Alfred Gross Theatre and the Recital Hall after Tuesday’s New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) accreditation fire drill, performers took to the stage for a student showcase assembly. Showcase assemblies serve as a way for students to learn about talents their classmates have that they might not have been aware of, Upper Division Library Department Chair Caroline Bartels said. Many students bringing unique and previously unrecognized talents to the stage. The myriad of student acts kicked off with steel drums performance in the Recital Hall. Next, the Student Body Presidents (SBPs) introduced Dylan Chin’s (12) senior reflection. Chin recounted his experience of falling in love with acting, dramatically pointing out his desire to make people think and laugh. “If I can do that for the rest of my life, isn’t that the dream?” Chin said. In the next performance, Chin induced laughs from the audience as he co-starred in two student films from the Acting for the Camera elective, alongside classmates Spencer Kahn (12) and Wilder Harwood (12). Kahn introduced the silent films, “The Play’s the Thing” and “The Physics Test”, both directed, written, produced and acted by members of the class. After the films, Treble Choir performed “White Winter Hymn” originally written by Fleet Foxes in 2008, accompanied by a choreography of hand gestures, which took quite a few classes to learn, Treble Choir member Rosy Arora (11) said. “This year, that has been our most successful piece that we’ve worked on and also the hardest,” Arora said. Shortly after, Janet Christian (11) performed a cover of “Accidentally in Love” by Counting Crows. As she delivered a lively and engaging production, the audience cheered on with accompanying claps to the rhythm of the song. Next, members of East Wind West Wind (EWWW) donned onesies and danced to a medley of Korean Pop songs, including “Psycho” by Red Velvet, “Boy in Luv” by BTS, and “Chicken Noodle Soup” by J-Hope. The dance, first performed at Asia Night, was choreographed by Samantha Tsai (11) and was a culmination of all the hard work that EWWW put into Asia night, EWWW member Lindsey Cheng (11) said. “Everyone enjoys the dance, and I think that everyone enjoyed watching it at Asia night too.” Bartels said that student showcase assemblies are important to allow members of the community can shine by impressing themselves and others. “People like Janet Christian were a revelation,” she said. “Did anyone even know that she sang? I think those moments like that are just really good to have, especially when not enough people go to [school] concerts.” Due to the fire drill, some events had to be cut from the assembly, such as another movie from the Acting for the Camera elective and a second senior reflection. However, Bartels hopes that these performances can take place at the next SBP assembly, she said. “It’s important for kids to reach out and say ‘yeah, I’d like to perform,” [so I] can let them have that opportunity,” Bartels said.