The Horace Mann Record RECORD.HORACEMANN.ORG
HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903
SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2019 || VOLUME 117, ISSUE 3
Brian Wu (12) wins $10,000 Davidson Fellows Scholarship HMTC changes fall program. “He had such enthusiasm production due to about all the extra stuff that he did outside of class,” Garcia said. “He appropriation concerns would bring it in and inform me— Courtesy of Brian Wu
STARS GALORE Brain Wu (12) presents his planet research at a TEDx event in Jacksonville, Florida.
Henry Owens Staff Writer Brian Wu (12) ignored his mom’s call one day in July, thinking she would tell him to come home. Only when she called a second time did he pick up to find out the news: he had been awarded a Davidson Fellows Scholarship. There are only 20 Davidson Fellows selected every year, each of whom underwent an intensive application process to have their projects in STEM, music, literature, or philosophy considered for the award, according the Davidson Institute website. In February, Wu had to submit a 60-page research paper, a PowerPoint presentation outlining his project, two essays, and a 10-minute video, he said. “They want a portfolio that shows how your work is able to change the world,” Wu said. “For something I’ve been
working on since freshman year of high school to be recognized by people who are so high up in the field; that’s just an amazing feeling,” Wu said. The title of Wu’s project is “Tatooine Found! Discovery and Characterization of the First-Ever Circum-binary Planet Detected Using Doppler Spectroscopy.” Fans of Star Wars may be familiar with the famous image of two suns setting over the fictitious Tatooine horizon. A planet, such as Tatooine, that orbits two stars is scientifically known as a circum-binary planet. The first real circum-binary planet was not discovered until 1993, 16 years after the concept was illustrated in Star Wars. Only a handful of these planets have been discovered, most often by looking at them through telescopes. However, in his research, Wu was the first to discover one of these circum-binary planets by focusing
on the stars and searching for “wobbling” due to the gravity of the surrounding planets. According to the Davidson Institute, “Brian’s work in advancing the field of radial velocity astronomy will greatly increase the number of stellar companions discovered using this method.” Some of the research Wu did during his junior year overlapped with the astronomy aspect of the Physics Honors curriculum, science teacher Oleg Zvezdin, who taught the course, said. At the end of the year, Wu delivered the TED Talk about his research to his peers in the class. “I think that was really nice, because they had all the background to get an understanding of the sort of research that he did and how he did it,” Zvezdin said. Math teacher Charles Garcia was Wu’s teacher for his sophomore and junior years in the honors math
not that I understood everything he was talking about. He’s really brilliant.” “[Wu] is a really independent learner, which I commend him for,” Zvezdin said. “He’s a very creative kid and he’s also the type of kid that, if he is interested in something, he will go the extra mile.” Garcia also noted Wu’s genuine interest in the projects of the other Davidson Fellows. “He has this infinite curiosity,” he said. Wu is grateful to the science and math departments for helping inspire him in STEM, he said. “I came into high school not knowing what my interests were, or where I would be at the end of senior year, and now I’m here,” Wu said. “It’s very surreal.” As part of his prize, Wu was awarded a $10,000 scholarship and will be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington DC on September 27th. Each of the 20 Fellows will have a chance to present on their project and its impact on society, Wu said. That weekend, Wu will meet with Congressional representatives and Bob Davidson, a major philanthropist for gifted education and the founder of the Davidson Institute. “I hope, as a Davidson Fellow, to be using my experience to inspire other students to pursue STEM,” Wu said. “STEM is like a toolkit that has the power to solve many of the world’s problems. If you can embrace the power of STEM, you have the power to change the world.”
Hanna Hornfeld Staff Writer Last Friday, theater teacher and director Joseph Timkó confirmed to members of the Horace Mann Theatre Company’s (HMTC) fall production that the rumors which had been circulating throughout the week were true: they would not be performing The Good Person of Szechwan (GPS). Concerns about the play’s use of racial stereotypes in its portrayal of Asian characters left cast members unsettled, leading the theater department to change it from Bertolt Brecht’s 1941 drama to Alan Ayckbourn’s Comic Potential. GPS tells the story of Shen Tei, a prostitute living in the Chinese province who demonstrates moral and religious righteousness despite the shame and condemnation she endures from society. Brecht, a German playwright, had a profound interest in East Asian societies, but knew very little about real Chinese customs and culture. Consequently, certain aspects of the play quickly became problematic among the cast, as they contained offensive racial tropes, cast member Yana Gitelman (11) said. “Before I even read the script I was slightly concerned,” she said. “Brecht wrote a play about Chinese culture as he saw it, and I don’t think he saw it in a very real way.” HMTC Co-president Dylan Chin (12) feels that the play portrays a very stereotypical image of Chinese culture that has not aged well over time and can be seen as insensitive today, he said. “The play had fanciful ideas of what it means to be Chinese,” said history teacher Isaac Brooks, the production’s dramaturg. “We’re talking about a pre-WWII German trying to write about being a Chinese sex worker, which I think was out of his depth.” HMTC Co-Publicity Officer Jordan Ferdman (11) questioned how much research Brecht had put into aspects of the play such as the characters’ names and the representation of Confucianism, she said. “A big issue was that GPS had these problematic elements, but whether or not to gloss over them wasn’t a decision that was up to us, as white people, to make,” she said.
see Fall Production Change on pg. 5
Natalie Sweet (11) advocates for climate policy reform with Zero Hour Abby Beckler Staff Writer
INSIDE
Natalie Sweet (11) has been fighting for climate policy reform as a youth activist working with the organization Zero Hour for almost three years and has been a major part of this Friday’s climate strike. Since 2017, Sweet has been working as the Deputy Communications Director of Zero Hour, a non-profit organization dedicated to taking action to end climate change. According to Zero Hour’s website, Zero Hour was founded by a group of teenagers who were frustrated with the lack of action taken by the government to put an end to the climate crisis. “Zero Hour focuses on harnessing the power of youth-led organizations and diverse leadership in forging a path towards a more equitable and safe future for all,” the website states. “Zero Hour is fighting for and demanding a Green New Deal,” Kevin Patel, Zero Hour CoDeputy Director for Partnerships, said. “Building on the Green New Deal resolution in Congress, this Green New Deal would call for transforming the economy to 100% renewable energy by 2030 while creating jobs and ending leases and permits for fossil fuel projects.” Sweet first heard about Zero Hour during the summer of her freshman year. “Around April, I went to a conference hosted by the Town School called ‘Sustainability Through Student Voices,’” she said. That conference initially sparked Sweet’s
fascination with the world of climate activism. Zero Hour was just gaining momentum when Sweet was approached after the conference and asked to help facilitate the Zero Hour NYC Chapter. Climate change has been a top priority of Sweet’s ever since the Town School sustainability conference, she said. “I think the lack of attention that’s given to people on the front lines is really the most devastating thing to me,” she said. Zero Hour focuses on not only the effects of climate change on biodiversity, but the effects of climate change on communities and agriculture as well, Patel said. “We are demanding environmental justice by investing in the communities affected most by poverty and pollution, and we demand sustainable agriculture by investing in regenerative agriculture and ending subsidies for industrial agriculture.” Sweet is a member of the core team of the movement, which consists of 12 leaders managing over 300 people, she said. Sweet’s job in managing the logistics team means she will be “determining march routes, getting the permits, and, most importantly, choosing speakers,” Sweet said. Patel believes that Sweet’s role has been invaluable to the movement’s success, he said. “She has a strong work ethic and truly we wouldn’t be where we are if it weren’t for her,” Patel said. “Natalie is just the best human being— she gets things done.” Zero Hour has not only given Sweet valuable experience in running an organization but has
Puppy Mills
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Pascale Zissu (11) discusses the merits of adopting dogs from shelters.
Published Authors
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Read about two students and a faculty member who have published books.
also given her an amazing opportunity to make a difference, she said. “It’s very worthwhile to see all the different voices that will come into the discussion on something as broad and diverse as climate change,” Sweet said. “There are so many people that I’ve talked to that I would have never imagined talking to, and I’m really glad that I was able to do it because not only does it help me, but as someone whose job is to amplify the voices of others, meeting new people with new perspectives is something that I always enjoy as an activist.” Sweet recently attended CNN’s first presidential climate town hall where presidential candidates shared their stances on the climate crisis. “The amount of diversity we got in the question process and the responses were just amazing, and I hope that this continues to be something that happens for every election,” Sweet said. The communications team at Zero Hour has recently been in the process of organizing their largest project yet: the September 20th Global Climate Strike, which begins at Foley Square and ends at Battery Park with a rally featuring many prominent climate speakers, notably Greta Thunberg and Jaden Smith, who were chosen by Sweet herself, she said. Both Thunberg and Smith are prominent young environmental activists. Thunberg, a Swedish teenager, is credited with raising global awareness about climate change and coining the term “climate crisis.” Smith, known mostly for his
music career and famous parents, created a brand of water called Just Water that is focused on reducing plastic waste from water bottles, Sweet said. “I actually had the chance to talk with Greta last Friday, and she is very excited to be speaking at this event.” “Climate change is something that we all need to pay attention to, considering the complacency of our world leaders,” Sweet said. “It’s going to be our generation that’s going to be affected the most, and since climate change affects the most people in comparison to any other issue, I think it’s what we need to be focusing on.” Courtest of Natalie Sweet
RESIST Natalie Sweet (11) rallies at a protest.
An Artist’s Aim
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The meaning and purpose behind Studio Art Technician Emily Lombaro’s art.
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