The Horace Mann Record HORACE MANN’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1903
JANUARY 12TH, 2018 || VOLUME 115, ISSUE 13
RECORD.HORACEMANN.ORG
Student finds firearm in school bathroom Security guard dismissed over neglect of weapon Eve Kazarian & Gustie Owens Managing Editor & Editor-in-Chief Nikki Sheybani/Design Editor
WATERGATE Swim team members complain about pool’s murky water.
Water shortage and cold weather cause difficulties for sports teams Betsey Bennett Staff Writer
Student athletes and P.E. students alike returned from winter break to find that Prettyman Gymnasium lacked running water. According to Director of Facilities Management Gordon Jensen, the issue stemmed from a temporary feed from Fisher Hall to Prettyman Gymnasium that was installed last spring when the original water line had to be removed due to the construction. This temporary feed was exposed to the elements, and a section of it froze due to the cold weather, Jensen said. The maintenance team resolved the issue and returned the gymnasium’s water to full pressure in time for students’ arrival on Tuesday morning, Jensen said. Athletes encountered several obstacles while practicing on Monday without water. Co-Captain of the Boys Varsity Swim Team Brian Song (12) was
unable to shower after practice, he said. “I turned the shower on, and only a little dribble came out, that’s it,” Song said. Since the water fountains were not working, members of the athletics department brought in water coolers so that athletes would stay hydrated during practice, Director of Athletics, Health & Physical Education Robert Annunziata said. “I think the time when I wanted a drink the most was at the end of practice,” Ben Chasin (9), a member of the Boys Varsity Basketball team, said. “There were no working water fountains, so I went into the trainer’s room and drank four or five cups of water from the tap.” Annunziata also encouraged athletes to use the bathrooms in a limited manner. Although Annunziata was surprised by the lack of water, he was expecting the cold temperatures that athletes practicing in the Lower Gym faced. “We have the one heat unit that’s
up on the track heating the entire gym, so obviously with the extra cold weather, it’s a little chilly,” Annunziata said. Jaden Kirshner (9), a member of the Boys Varsity Basketball team, noted the cold at practice. “I had to wear a long-sleeve jersey, which I have never had to do,” Kirshner said. “And it’s hard to play basketball in cold weather.” The pool has also been uncharacteristically cold and murky, Jeren Wei (11) said. “On the first day back, the pool was so murky that when I put my hand in the water, I could barely see my fingertips,” Wei said. However, Jensen said that the pool conditions are normal. During the swim season, the pool is always set to a colder temperature of 79 degrees, he said. “Some cloudiness is typical for this time of year with the usage of the pool,” Jensen said. “Filtration always happens and levels are checked three times a day to make sure the chemistry is correct.”
UD students host after-school workshops Eliza Poster & Izzy Abbott Staff Writer and Contributing Writer
inside
Every Wednesday, the school opens its doors to local elementary and middle school kids to participate in HM 246, an afterschool program offering Upper Division student le educational and interactive classes in art history, ceramics, robotics, music, entrepreneurship and more. The program, which began three years ago, was created for students who were interested in working on community service projects which fit a curriculum for kids, but were not capable of joining the Service Learning Team, Director of the Center for Community Values & Action Dr. Jeremy Leeds said. The program gives students, ranging from ages five to 13 and from the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, Riverdale Neighborhood House, PS 37, and Ittleson Center, the opportunity to learn and become passionate about topics which are not widely available, HM 246 Coordinator Drew McCann ‘13 said. “The reason we call it HM 246 is because we’re on 246th Street, to emphasize we’re part of the neighborhood here,” Leeds said. “This is part of the Bronx and we’re opening up our facilities to our neighbors in the Bronx.”
Thinking about #MeToo
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Hari (12) reflects on what this movement means for our generation.
The program makes the school an open environment to the community, McCann said. “It’s starting to feel like they are also welcomed here and they can explore the environment,” she said.
Continued on page 4
Courtesy of Dr. Jeremy Leeds
SEW COOL Sofia Gonzalez (12) teaches students how to sew at HM246.
Extra! Extra!
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Quick takes on the latest issues of student-run school publications.
Milen Nelivigi (9) walked into the bathroom directly under Olshan Lobby and saw a firearm balancing on top of the toilet paper dispenser in one of the stalls. The firearm was left there by a security guard, who was dismissed following this event, which occurred on Dec. 5th, Director of Security Mike McCaw said. When he first saw the gun, Nelivigi thought it was a toy, but after realizing that it looked shiny and metallic, he decided to report it, he said. Nelivigi spoke with his grade dean, Dr. Susan Groppi, who immediately went to the security desk in Olshan Lobby. Security Specialist Glenn Smith, who was sitting at the desk, followed protocol and went to the firearm and safeguarded the weapon, McCaw said. According to McCaw and Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly, Nelivigi followed the correct protocol for the given situation. “He did exactly what we would have wanted him to do -he saw it, he didn’t touch it,” McCaw said. Nelivigi decided not to touch the firearm because he did not want to mess with a gun or accidentally fire it. “After, a lot of people told me that they would carry it up, but I figured if I was a kid with a gun in school, that wouldn’t have gone too well for me,” he said. “I’m deeply appreciative of how the student responded. Any student coming across an unsupervised firearm or explosive device should act immediately to notify either an administrator or a member of our Security Department. At no time should the student handle the firearm or device,” Kelly said. Seven security guards on the Riverdale campus carry concealed firearms, McCaw said. Off campus, a part-time maintenance person at the John Dorr Nature laboratory also carries a firearm, since he is a retired Connecticut police sergeant. In order to carry a firearm at school, the security guards must have a license to carry a concealed weapon and approval from Kelly. Everyone who is licensed to carry a gun at the school is retired from the Police Department, with the exception of Smith, who is a retired New York City Fire Marshall. The guards are also required to complete annual training, where they are required to shoot their guns
Star athletes
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Students balance commitment to school and sports teams.
and get a certain score to maintain their licenses, McCaw said. They must qualify each year with their weapon. According to McCaw, the decision to fire the security guard was a joint decision by Kelly and himself. “The guard is a good person, but he made an unforgivable mistake,” he said. The officer had received a telephone call with unsettling news and left the restroom to deal with the family emergency, Kelly said. “While the security officer was highly valued, the school must have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to dealing with our most sensitive security measures. Make no mistake, given the circumstances, and the extent of the family emergency at hand, the decision to terminate was a difficult one, but the right one,” Kelly said. The security guard worked numerous years in police and security -- over a dozen in both the New York Police Department and a private company. He had an unblemished record, McCaw said. According to McCaw, who spent 21 years in the NYPD, one of the most important things you learn as a young police officer is to safeguard your firearm. “A firearm that’s not safeguarded, someone can get a hold of that -- they can shoot the police officer, they can shoot someone else, they can shoot themselves, they can do a lot of damage. This is top priority in police work,” he said. The decision to have security guards start carrying firearms was made after a former alumnus threatened to burn down the school and kill an administrator in 2015. The school’s security guards already had New York pistol licenses and armed guard licenses for several years when Dr. Kelly and the Board of Trustees made the decision, McCaw said. Now, the firearms are constantly carried because there always is potential for a threat. “Since Sandy Hook, there have been over 220 school shootings, so when does the threat really ever go away?” McCaw said. Additionally, while the New York City police department provides backup, its response time of 3-5 minutes means an incident may occur before the police arrive. “[Carrying firearms] gives us the advantage. We’re here already. If we get a report of some issue in Tillinghast, we’re going to respond to that and do our best to terminate whatever the issue is,” McCaw said.
@hm.record @thehoracemannrecord Horace Mann School 231 W 246th St, Bronx, NY 10471