The Hotchkiss Record – March 9, 2017

T he R ECORD THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017

Vol. CXVIX, No. 1

The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CT, 06039

Mardon Appointed Dean of Faculty Tina Guo ’19, Staff Writer

Dr. Merrilee Mardon, Dean of Academic Life, will step into the role of Dean of Faculty on July 1.

In December, an advisory committee of ten faculty and staff members was formed.This committee was joined by Mr. Craig Bradley, Head of School, and Deirdre Ling and John Mackenzie from Educators’ Collaborative, a consulting service for administrative hiring. By January, the advisory committee had narrowed the pool of applicants from 70 to 27 candidates. During February, through interviews with the committee, some via Skype, the pool was cut to three candidates.

The finalists, including Dr. Mardon, then came to campus for a day of interviews.

After graduating from Smith College, Dr. Mardon earned her Ph.D. in economics from UMass Amherst. She taught Economics and Gender and Women’s Studies at Connecticut College.

She joined the Hotchkiss faculty in 2008 and was appointed Associate Dean of Academic Life in 2013. She has served as Dean of Academic Life since 2014. Mr. Bradley said, “She’s a very clear thinker, she’s willing to be a little creative and she is interested in supporting some experimentation.”

PHOTO/GUO As the new Dean of Faculty, Dr. Mardon (From left to right) Sumin Goh ’18, Will Chartener ’18, Andy Scheerer ’17, Nia Warren ’19, Jiah Norman ’17, and Darren Mok ’17 perform You Give Me Something by James Morrison at SMS last Saturday. The show was dedicated to Peter Hart ’16, who recently passed away, in honor of his love of music and performing.

Students Celebrate Diversity Amy Wang ’19, Contributing Writer

PHOTO/E. GUO

(From left to right) Josiah Utsch ’19 learns Chinese calligraphy from Lily Chen ’17 at the Culral Fair on Saturday, February 25.

Rarely do students get to experience culture from many countries in just one week, but from Tuesday, February 21 to Saturday, February 25 the school’s multicultural club provided just that opportunity.

Claire Hawthorne ’17, Lucy Paddock ’18, Saba Rahimi ’19, Sampriti Saxena ’17, and Wendy Wang ’18 shared stories about their backgrounds in an all-school meeting

What’s INSIDE?

in Elfers Hall on February 21. Wang said, “I urge everyone of us to reconsider owning different facets of our identity instead of repressing the parts of ourselves that we think may not be accepted by others.

Never erase any part of yourself just to fit in, because it’s part of you; it’s beautiful, and it shouldn’t go away.”

On Friday, February 24, students wore a variety of cultural clothing to represent where they are from. The clothing ranged from traditional attire, such as the Chinese QiPao and the Indian Salwar Kameez, to a jersey from a local sports team.

LinkAge also held a Cultural Fair from 9:00 to 10:45 p.m. on that Saturday night. Ten cultural clubs, including Hillel, the Jewish Affinity Club, El Club and the Hispanic Cultural Club offered foods such as Korean Mandu dumplings, West African puff-puff fried dough, and Chinese chrysanthemum tea. Along with the food, several outside acts such as henna artists, Brazilian Capoeira performers, a Native American drummer, and a yoga instructor

engaged with students.

Jennifer Zhai ’17, co-head of LinkAge, said, “By having students present their own heritage and bringing activities and food unique to different cultures into our community, we hope to offer firsthand perspectives and experiences, raise awareness of subtle cultural differences, and enhance the bond of a common humanity.”

PHOTO/ASSAKUL

Dr. Merrilee Mardon, pictured above, will become the new Dean of Faculty in July.

Jay Lee ’18 (back) and Emilia Game ’17 (front) serve food on behalf of El Club at the Culutral Fair on Saturday, February 25.

will be in charge of hiring faculty and working with Department Heads, Co-Directors of Athletics, and the Dean of Residential Life. She will also oversee the evaluation of faculty members, their professional development, the quality of teaching, and co-curricular involvement.

Dr. Mardon, who currently lives offcampus, will move on campus this summer. She said, “Since my time at the academic office, I have grown to appreciate and have observed the Dean of Faculty role and how it’s important operationally, providing leadership and guidance for faculty and students. I can start imagining myself not only doing this work but also doing it well and contributing to the wellbeing of students, faculty, members, staff, spouses and families.”

Features

Opinions

Sports

Checking in with the Health Center

Hate Incident Inspires Discussion

Athlete of the Issue: Grace Schreiber ’17

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PHOTO/E. GUO

p. 8

p. 5 p. 6

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The Hotchkiss Record: NEWS

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Ambassador Discusses Refugee Crisis Maura Thompson ’20, Staff Writer

Last Wednesday, more than sixty students and faculty members gathered in the Faculty Room to welcome Ambassador Mark Storella, Deputy Assistant Secretary to the State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, for a discussion on the refugee crisis and the international response.

In June 2016, Ambassador Storella became responsible for admitting refugees to the United States from the Near East and Asia regions after serving as the United States Ambassador to Zambia from 2010 to 2013. He works with more than 50 UN agencies and international organizations, including the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration.

In the talk, which was arranged by

PHOTO/ASSAKUL

Ambassador Mark Storella spoke to students and faculty about the international refugee crisis in the Faculty Room on Wednesday, March 1.

Ambassador Robert Beecroft ’58 and Mr. David Thompson, Director of International Programs, Ambassador Storella discussed the international support achieved through humanitarian diplomacy and donations from the UN. Sophia De Peña ’18 , who attended the event, said, “I enjoyed Ambassador Storella’s focus on the moral side of the story.”

Ambassador Storella addressed why the United States should provide refugees with shelter, water, food, and medical support. He said, “Refugees have the potential to be very destabilizing, and we need to invest in dealing with refugees so that countries like Jordan and Turkey are not destabilized by the large number of refugees they are hosting.”

Lastly, he focused on permanent solutions: helping refugees either return to their native countries, assimilate where they are, or resettle overseas. He discussed how the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, in collaboration with the UN Refugee Agency, vets every refugee coming through the United States with the intelligence community and law enforcement.

Following the talk, Ambassador Storella hosted a question and answer session. He said, “The refugee crisis is going to be a part of their [students’] lives today and it’s going to be a part of their lives tomorrow.

I hope that the students will find ways that they themselves can take action in some small way or in some big way to contribute to solutions to this problem.”

Students Clinch Victory Over Faculty Emma Contiguglia ’19, Contributing Writer

Students and faculty converged at the In this year’s five-on-five basketball Mars Athletic Center last Wednesday night game, 75 Seniors played against 20 faculty for the annual Stu-Fac basketball game. members for eight-minute quarters. Board The game raised funds for the Habitat for members of the Habitat for Humanity club Humanity Club’s spring break trip to Taos, and varsity basketball players served as refNew Mexico to build affordable housing for erees. Mrs. Letty Downs, Instructor in Math, families in the area. This year, Mrs. Kathleen said, “I play every year, with the goal of not Pillsbury, Director of Student Activities, Neil getting injured, because I love the whole specDabholkar ’17 and Elliot Wilson ’17 set up the tacle of the evening. I think it is wonderful for teams and hosted community bondthe game. The event ing and it’s just raised $620. Mrs. plain and simple Pillsbury said, “The pure, wholesome game is all intended entertainment. The for good fun and whole event is a camaraderie. It’s an pick me up and the opportunity for peoschool can use that ple to get out and at this point of the have some fun.” winter term!”

In previous By the end of years, the Habithe game, the Sentat for Humanity iors came through Club raised money with a victory of PHOTO/E. GUO through tickets to 38-26. School the game. This Vij Sivalingam’17 and Mr. Patrick Boor face off President Jelani year, however, the at the Stu Fac Basketball Game last Wednesday.

Hutchins-Belgrave club sold t-shirts, Students won 38 -26. ’17 said, “I would baked goods, and definitely say this accepted donations instead of requiring was one of the best Stu-Fac games that I’ve tickets. Dabholkar said, “Having to pay for attended because everyone was enjoying the an event the majority of the school attends game and the Seniors had some nice buckets. is exclusionary, and we thought that wasn’t The faculty never had a chance.” part of our vision as a club.”

PHOTO/LOCK Flanked by other faculty members, Mr. Marc Dittmer, Dean of the Class of 2019, sings “Get Your Head in the Game,” in Elfers Hall on Wednesday, February 22.

Faculty Sing for Head’s Holiday Abby Sim ’20, Staff Writer

Decked out in luaus, cowboy hats, snuggies and bathing suits, students packed Elfers Hall after study hall on Wednesday, February 22, after Mr. Craig Bradley, Head of School, called a mandatory all-school meeting.

Faculty and staff then surprised students with a lively adaptation of High School Musical, which was immediately followed by the announcement of a Head’s Holiday.

Mr. Marc Dittmer, Dean of the Class of 2019, starred as Troy Bolton, alongside Mrs. Kadeine Peterson, Instructor in Biology, who played Gabriella Montez. Mr. Dittmer said, “We have done a musical in a cycle of every five years, so that means that there’s a time where every Hotchkiss student has that experience once, whether you’re a Prep, Lower Mid, Upper Mid, or Senior.”

Ms. Carita Gardiner, Instructor in English, chose the musical and organized the auditions, scripts, and rehearsal. Mr.

Marcus Olson, Director of Theatre, Mr. Danny Musha, Director of Blue Notes and Calliope, and Mr. Derek Brashears, Director in Theatre, assisted with learning lines, choreography, and sound. Ms. Gardiner said, “I selected High School Musical [because] I knew from my daughters that many kids in this age group grew up watching these movies.”

Auditions occurred in December, and the 43 selected faculty and staff began practicing in early January. Smaller rehearsals took place at Frank House, while the full cast rehearsals took place in Elfers Hall after check-in. Mr. Olson, who directed the show, said, “We all had to sneak around [Elfers Hall] so students couldn’t see us. We were there, peeking out the windows and rehearsing. We really did our best, and I think we succeeded, in keeping it a secret!”

Mr. Bradley called the holiday in honor of Alexandra Chen ’06, the recipient of this year’s Community Service Award.

Let Them Eat Cake Amanda Hill ’19, Contributing Writer

What better way to celebrate your birthday than with a Frank House feast?

While dinners in the Frank House to celebrate sports records or theater accomplishments are familiar to students, Mr. Craig Bradley, Head of School, now holds birthday feasts each month.

At these gatherings, students whose birthday falls within the month gather for food, conversation, and celebration. The feasts for January, February, and March birthdays have already taken place, and Mr. Bradley plans on continuing to welcome students into his home every month to celebrate. Mr. Bradley said, “Being away from home on your birthday isn’t always so fun, so it’s nice for people to be in a home for their birthday and have a birthday party.”

For each feast, the dining hall staff prepares a sheet cake, ice cream sundaes, and drinks. Nneka Okoli ’19, who attended the January feast, said, “I really appreciate that Mr. Bradley is taking the initiative to reach out to the student body, and it was fun getting to know other students that I don’t normally see.”

“We want people to see Frank House as a part of campus and part of the student experience, and it gives us an opportunity to speak with students in an informal way.”

Mr. Bradley said, “We want people to see Frank House as a part of campus and part of the student experience, and it gives us an opportunity to speak with students in an informal way. It’s a random cross-section of different people getting to know each other; it’s not based on where you live or what team you’re on but just when you were born.”

Thursday, March 9, 2017

The Hotchkiss Record: FEATURES

Taking the Temperature of the He alth Center

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Abby Sim ’20, Staff Writer; Noa Kimura ’18 and Alya Kalra ’18, Features Editors; Zoe Bank ’19, Layout Editor Only current four-year Seniors lived with the Red Card system. Did getting rid of Red Card help? Prompted by this year’s “flu epidemic,” we take a closer look at the day-to-day details of the Health Center.

What Was Red Card, Anyway?

The 2012-2013 BluePrints (a handbook for students and parents) reads: “Medical excuses from class and athletics (“Red Cards” in the Hotchkiss vernacular) are the responsibility of the nurse on duty, the counseling staff, or the Medical Director. Students too ill to attend classes should go to the Health Center... If the nurse or physician gives a medical excuse, students will either be supervised in the Health Center day rooms or be released to their room for the remainder of the day (known as having Red Card). Students on Red Card will be expected to stay in their rooms without visitors except for meals.”

Red Card: With (2013-14) and Without (2015-16)

Q&A With Staff

The Features team checked in with Ms. Quincy McLaughlin, Dean of Student Health, Ms. Danielle Shippey, Director of Nurses, and Dr. Jared Zelman, School Physician, and asked questions regarding policies in the Health Center. Below are excerpts from the discussion.

Why was the Red Card system changed?

Ms. McLaughlin: The old Red Card habit was changed at the beginning of the 2014-15 academic year. It used to be that students who described themselves as being too ill or fatigued to attend classes would be given a Red Card and could spend the entire day off in their room.

Though we know that many of these health center visits and requests for a day off were sought by students who were genuinely tired and seeking an extended rest, we also recognized that the system inadvertently encouraged some students to avoid academic commitments by representing themselves as ill when they were not.

Many faculty expressed concern, as did many parents. An additional concern was that our dorms are not intentionally supervised during the day as they are in the evenings, so sending many students back to the dorms during the day was problematic.

Finally, students who were genuinely in need of rest in order to recover from mild illness or significant fatigue often didn’t get the rest they needed when they took a Red Card.

We surveyed peer schools and learned that most had discontinued the practice of allowing students to take a full day off in the dorms.

How is the current system different from Red Card?

Ms. McLaughlin: Now, if you arrive at the Health Center requesting the day off due to

illness, fatigue, or stress, you will be invited to rest in the Health Center free of the distractions posed by your computer or phone. After a short period, the nurse will wake you up, so you can get to some of your classes, if possible.

Again, sleeping for the whole day is seldom advisable, even when exhausted, as it can make getting back to a regular sleep routine very difficult.

How many students are being sent back?

How do you screen if a student is truly in need of the day room?

The graph above compares data from the last year of Red Card (2013-14) to last year (2015-16). Accounting methods may not be the same for these comparison years.

GRAPHIC/KANG

Students Weigh In

Features editors asked students their opinions of the Red Card system, what they like and dislike about the Health Center, and what improvements could be made.

Dr. Zelman: There is no gold standard test to determine if a student needs to be in the health center or can go back to class.

We listen to the student carefully, and consider if this is a public health issue or a student health issue here. Is there more anxiety to going back to class and being sick? The decision is typically made from what the student tells you.

Kali Ryder ’20

How have wait times changed?

Ms. Shippey: Wait times in general can vary greatly. During the past few days, wait times have been fairly quick, with the vast majority seen in about 10 minutes. Back during the flu season in January, wait times were longer.

For students taking medication, we have two blocks of time. During those times it goes pretty quickly; however, in mid morning when we only have one nurse and have 5 or 6 students coming in, it can be a little bit longer.

“The wait times are very long and it’s difficult when you are actually sick and still have to wait the same time as students that are there with less pressing needs.”

Claire Jennings ’18

“The wait time is pretty inconsistent. The biggest thing I would say about the health center in terms of its improvements is the computer system.

When you log in, it puts you into an entire database, and it doesn’t sort you by whether you are sick or hurt versus if you need meds. So sometimes if you have meds, they don’t recognize you as a person who comes for meds. It would be nice if there were an option to put down why you are being seen.”

Jack Eichen ’17 “I got here the year after they took Red Card away and I think it has its benefits. It just leads to kids being a lot more stressed out, but I also think students shouldn’t just be skipping class and sitting in their rooms.

The only aspect of the health center that I don’t really like is that they always doubt you when you say that you don’t feel good because they always think you are using it as an excuse.”

GRAPHIC/BANK

Nia Warren ’19 “Hotchkiss is a very stressful place, at times, and everyone has those times where they need a day to themselves or a chance to sleep in, which is why I think Red Card is important to bring back. But I do understand the opportunity to abuse Red Card so I think each student should have one Red Card a semester so it cannot be abused all the time.”

Ryan Pinckney ’18 “I think that students that are sick don’t want to spend all their time in the health center because it’s easy to catch other illnesses and things are often very slow there.”

The Hotchkiss Record: OPINIONS

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Thursday, March 9, 2017

Winter Takes A Toll Bobby Doar ’18, Contributing Writer

When looking back on their Hotchkiss careers, students always seem to remember one time period as their most difficult here. They remember these times for innumerable reasons, whether due to particularly gruelling practices or mountains of work. One thing that most reminiscing veterans of Hotchkiss have in common is that the times they remember as the most difficult fell in the dark days of winter.

Indeed, winters at Hotchkiss are known to be particularly cruel; whether it be in the form of mountains of snow and ice, sub zero wind chills on your morning commute, or walking back from a four o’clock practice in complete darkness, the weather can certainly be unpleasant. Additionally, some of the school’s most notorious academic challenges fall during the winter months: upon returning from winter break, lower mids face daily themes and research projects, upper mids buckle down for their careers as standardized test takers and add meetings with college advisors to a crowded schedule, and seniors anxiously await news from colleges, or finalize applications. These aspects of a Hotchkiss winter can suppress the normally good cheer and high morale of the place.

In fact, during the winter months, it seems as if the students walk around in a perpetual state of exhaustion and sickness. When the days become dark and cold, the easy option becomes holing up inside the dorm, letting the inbox overflow, and waiting out the storm with some Netflix and Halls cough drops. Joseph Richards ’19 said the early sunset makes him “feel lazy so I don’t feel like doing work.” Richards is not alone in this conviction. Julian Bahramipour ’19 said “There is nothing like a dark winter day, with the prospect of endless

Who is to say that it is right (or wise) for the administration or student government to be responsible for coddling Hotchkiss students when they are sad because it’s cold outside and gets dark early?

Inevitably in life, students will be faced with challenging work in less than optimal conditions; they should be prepared for that eventuality by teaching themselves how to deal with such a situation here.

Ultimately, the powers that be are faced

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CARTOON/KANDERS

work, to get me down.”

These experiences may be just another life lesson, but the seasonal effect on students during the winter months has spurred school presidents’ and the administration’s efforts to lighten the mood with fun activities. But does more need to be done? One option to make winter more bearable is fewer Saturday class days in the winter. This would allow students to enjoy the limited daylight. Additionally, one major factor of the winter blues, exhaustion, would be greatly reduced. Students could get more than one night of good sleep every week. There is no better way

to aid recovery from sickness than a decent rest.

A calendar with fewer Saturday class days also opens up the schedule for even more fun and entertaining activities, which could be useful in keeping the mood around Hotchkiss light.

On the other hand, maybe the problem of winter blues is not even worth addressing. Bahramipour also mentioned that although he finds himself less able to complete his school work in the winter, “the weather really should have no effect; I - as a Hotchkiss student - should be able to complete the work that is assigned to me regardless of what season it is.”

When the days become dark and cold, the easy option becomes holing up inside the dorm... and waiting out the storm with some Netflix and Halls cough drops.

with a balancing act; the preparation of students for life after Hotchkiss is an absolute necessity, but it is in everyone’s best interest to install bulwarks in the community against the brutal winter and the blues that come with it.

Discrepancies Arise in Homework Zayba Qamar ’18, Contributing Writer

The amount of work that students receive varies from course to course, and even within individual courses, different sections sometimes receive different amounts of work depending on the teacher. Teachers should be more mindful of a student’s overall workload, outside commitments, and age when assigning homework because these factors influence the amount of effort that a student will put into the class. The Almanac states that students can expect to receive around forty-five minutes of homework in a non-AP or non-honors class per class period, and I have had teachers who have told my class to stop at forty-five minutes if we do not finish the assignment.

However, my classmates and I rarely

CARTOON/KANDERS

followed this rule because we knew that multiple people in the class would finish the work regardless, and we did not want to be viewed by the teacher as less committed to the class. Thus, I have spent more than the suggested time on a myriad of assignments purely because I expect the same from my classmates. Not enough of us are stepping back and considering the danger of this practice. Students who are determined to always finish the assignment, no matter the amount of time it takes, put the students who actually listen to the instructions of the teacher in a disadvantaged position.

On the other hand, some teachers decide to not assign regular homework but rather sporadically require work. For example, the teachers of AP Physics 1 this year stated, “It is our belief that in the case of physics, students master the material through experimentation and debating the meaning behind those results. This allows us to assign fewer problem sets in favor of more group assignments.”

The teachers assign one major project for each unit (which changes every few weeks) that requires extensive group meeting outside of class over a span of a few days. This approach leaves students with a week of no homework but then a week of frequent meetings in order to complete an eighty point group project. During the time of no homework, I am always much less stressed about the class and can use that

free time to focus on other classes. However, the time period when the project is assigned can be stressful and take a toll on students.

The justification is that we receive breaks in between projects, so the amount of work balances out, but this calls into quesiton the concern that some teachers do not consider the work given in other classes. Organizing group meetings during weekdays is very difficult when taking into account sports, club meetings, proctor duty, rehearsals, and last but certainly not least, other homework.

While the cumulative amount of homework in a course may seem reasonable, distributing it in an uneven manner often makes the

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...I have

spent more than the suggested time on a myriad of assignments purely because I expect the same from my classmates...

completion of the work more stressful.

Frankly, the purpose of homework is

not for the benefit of the teacher but for the student. Homework should reinforce what students are learning in class, build their knowledge, and help them prepare for an upcoming test, essay, or other assessment.

Teachers of lowerclass students should be stricter about homework in order to build these skills. We see this policy reflected in other aspects of our school. For example, preps and lower mids have study hall and lights out, because the school strives to instill good learning and study habits in younger students before giving them more freedom as well as responsibility, as they grow older.

Moving into their later years here, students take several AP, honors, or generally rigorous courses, and because of scheduling, may have five classes on one day and two the next. Having more flexibility on completing assignments, especially those that will not hinder a student from participating in the next day’s discussion or activity, allows students to distribute their work in a more balanced manner. Realistically, given the academic standard to which many students hold themselves and the good work habits they ideally developed in their younger years, most students would probably do the work on time anyway. However, in the event that they find themselves overwhelmed on a certain day, having the option of more flexibility regarding due dates makes sense considering the academic rigor that they face everyday.

The Hotchkiss Record: OPINIONS Anti-Semitism Is Not a Joke Editorial: Time is Ticking, Get Involved

Thursday, March 9, 2017

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Liz Ostermeyer ’18, Staff Writer

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Our community is flawed if there is even a single student who fails to understand that Nazism, Hitler’s regime, and the Holocaust are simply not funny.

As rumors of the incident were floating around and it was still unclear who the perpetrator was, a classmate of mine asked if the intentions of the student were hateful, or if he was “just doing it as a joke.” At first, I was utterly appalled at the notion that using a swastika as a joke was somehow better intentioned than using a swastika as a threat.

And while I still maintain the belief that these situations are equally atrocious and harmful, there may be reason to distinguish between attempting to make a joke and attempting to spread hate. While the effect is the same regardless of intention, and therefore punishment should be the same, prevention may be achieved differently based on intention.

A student acting upon explicitly hateful beliefs is likely to be perpetrating these beliefs on his own accord, regardless of what those around him believe. Of course, it is true that someone may be more likely to voice bigoted beliefs if they have the support of those around them, but it is not a necessity.

Judging from the accounts of the student’s behavior—immediate and sincere regret, turning himself in, an insistence that he was just trying to make a joke—I’d be making significant assumptions in claiming that this student was motivated by a true hatred of Jews, or any group that swastikas threaten. But for whatever reason, this student was under the impression from some peers that swastikas are funny, or that Nazi salutes make a great punch line. Jokes are told in an attempt to appeal to a perceived, correctly or otherwise, belief or attitude of the audience.

Still, people misjudge their audiences all of the time, and one could rightfully claim that the student was completely misinterpreting his classmates, or that he was getting the message that Nazi jokes were okay from someone outside of the Hotch-

kiss community.

However, as the event unfolded, details about several other students using the Nazi salute within their friend group arose. So even if the student misjudged the seriousness of his actions, which I strongly believe is the case, one can no longer make the argument that no other students here could be sending the message that anti-Semitic, racist, and homophobic Nazi jokes are funny. The student who drew the swastika is not the only student who incorrectly felt he could excuse such behavior as “just a joke.”

Equally important is the fact that there are students in our community who have felt or still feel the same way. Our community is flawed if even a single student fails to understand that Nazism, Hitler’s regime, and the Holocaust are simply not funny.

If not pure evil, an action such as this one can only be attributed to a fundamental lack of empathy among students. To those privileged enough to have never felt systemic oppression or discrimination, very few symbols evoke as much pain and terror as the swastika does for Jews and many other groups.

However, every student here has felt pain. At the core of any empathetic person is the ability to imagine how the pain he relates to is being felt by another in a situation he can’t relate to. Empathy is difficult, and there is definitely responsibility on the part of our school and teachers to help develop it in every student. The historical context of the swastika that we heard from Mr. Drake in Elfers last month is exactly the type of perspective that students need to feel empathy.

But we have to hold ourselves and our peers accountable, as well. Empathy requires work, and if we all made a genuine effort to practice it in our daily lives, Hotchkiss would be a safer and stronger place. We all have been presented with a spectacular opportunity to learn from the diversity of identity, opinion, and experience that exists here. However, we cannot benefit from this globalized and multicultural community if we are willing to tolerate these types of “jokes” that threaten the

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Empathy is difficult, and there is definitely responsibility on the part of your school and teachers to help develop it in every student.

humanity and safety of our peers.

When faced with incidents of startling lack of empathy, I often think of the message of Mr. Young, from the fishbowl held last month: we must listen to each other’s stories. It becomes much easier to understand those we’ve met and much harder to hate those we know. The first step to opening your heart is opening your ears.

At Hotchkiss, we are always going through some sort of change. New students become returning students, lowerclassmen become upperclassmen, board members become club heads, and seniors become alumni. Even if we don’t like being in this state of continuous change and constant exposure to new things, we all learn that it’s an integral part of our experience, and life in general. Nothing ever stays the same for too long.

We are entering the part of the school year where the amount of change rapidly increases.

Seniors are beginning to phase out of clubs while applications for various positions in the community flood student inboxes. Just when we think we are comfortable where we are, another curveball is thrown our way. While we are dealing with this constant state of change, we also want to make the most of our high school experience, all while keeping up with high standards and academic expectations.

There is a lengthy list of things we wish we had done when we were a preps: gotten out of my dorm more, not been so scared of upperclassman, attended school wide activities, not worried about our grades so much, etc. Prep and lower mid year are supposed to be the years where we do not worry about grades, and have fun exploring all of the new opportunities that we are offered.

As we get older, we lose more and more free time to leadership positions and heavier course loads.

If you are contemplating whether you should go to a club meeting or stay in your room, go to the meeting. Even if you don’t know what is going on during “nine to ten,” grab a friend and go explore.

While it may be tempting to ignore everything going on in the school to focus on our grades, we must come together as a community and support those around us. It may feel like there are changes constantly thrown our way, but we cannot overcome them by ourselves. If we decide that the best way to deal with our workloads and stress is alone, we will isolate ourselves in our rooms and miss out on friendships. Next time you’re finding a homework problem difficult, reach out to others who are in the same class as you and try to work out the difficult problem together. You can walk away with a better understanding of your homework and a new friend.

The recent loss of a member of our community, Peter Hart ’16, has helped open our eyes to the other people around us. An event like this offers us an opportunity to reflect on the way we interact with others and learn from Peter’s generous and outgoing personality. Saying hello to someone in the hallway can turn around a tough day. Letting someone know that they don’t have to deal with everything alone can turn around their Hotchkiss experience. While we are all caught up in the blur of daily life and the constant shifting, we must set aside time to get to know the people around us.

Don’t wait until it’s your Upper Mid or Senior year to start participating in clubs and schoolwide events. Use these opportunities to get to know people and meet new friends, instead of looking back during your Senior year and regretting missed opportunities.

the

Last month, a student–who has since left the school–stained a dormitory hallway carpet with a swastika, a Nazi symbol that invokes a range of violent and hateful sentiments. As religiously biased vandalism, his actions constitute a hate crime. When an incident of such severity transpires in a small, residential community like ours, it demands that we reflect on what allowed it to happen. To characterize this incident as the misjudgement of one solo actor would portray him as a scapegoat, in order to avoid confronting the significant flaws of the community, a place where he felt comfortable using such hateful and powerful symbolism.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

RecorD

Jordan Feast ’18, Nick Fleisher ’18, and Kat Namon ’18

NEWS EDITORS FEAUTRES EDITORS OPINIONS EDITORS

Priyanka Kumar ’19 and Gregoria Serretta Fiorentino ’19 Alya Kalra ’18 and Noa Kimura ’18 Sawyer Bush ’18 and Chloe Kanders ’18

ARTS & LEISURE EDITORS

Michelle Na ’18 and Giordana Serretta Fiorentino ’19

Gemma Tung ’19, Andrew Wang ’18, and Tatiana Whitman ’18 PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Pete Assakul ’18 and Harry Roepers ’19 LAYOUT EDITOR Zoe Bank ’19 STAFF WRITERS Tina Guo ’19, Victoria Lee ’17, Hannah Liu ’19, Liz Ostermeyer ’18, Lucia Poggi ’18, Abby Sim ’20 SPORTS EDITORS

Edward Guo ’19, Mukisa Lumala ’18, Katherine Spencer ’17 Wan Lin Qin ’17 SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER Tina Guo ’19 and Victoria Lee ’17 FACULTY ADVISOR Bridget Dixon Moon STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS STAFF CARTOONISTS

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The Hotchkiss Record: ARTS & LEISURE

SMS Showcases Musical Talent

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Talya Li ’19, Contributing Writer

PHOTO/E. GUO

(Left to right) Olivia DiMichele ’17, Andy Scheerer ’17, Neil Dabholkar ’17 and Joe Bartusek ’17 open SMS. The entire auditorium turns pitch black with the exception of the stage, accentuating the silhouettes of the performers. Currently in its fourth year running, SMS was created in 2014 by Maggie Camillos ’15 and Simi Odugbesan ’15 as a winter co-curricular project. The following year, Sam Bartusek ’15 joined them, and named the show SMS (for Simi, Maggie, and Sam).

The show has gained tremendous popularity. This student-run performance offers students a chance to showcase their talents in music and dance.

This year’s performance took place last Saturday in Walker Auditorium.

Approximately 600 guests attended the 50-minute show.

The organizers for this year’s performance were four Seniors: Joe Bartusek

’17, Neil Dabholkar ’17, Olivia DiMichele ’17, and Andy Scheerer ’17. A total of 55 students performed nine songs.

Auditions for the production began after winter break, and the the final lineups for performances were decided in midJanuary. Vocalists were called back and assembled into groups based on songs that suited their voices. Performers followed an intense practice schedule, rehearsing each piece for at least an hour and a half every week.

DiMichele said, “Although it was a big time commitment, the SMS rehearsals were the best part of my day. It was definitely strange directing it this year as opposed to simply participating. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into getting permission to use all of the instruments and getting to use of Walker with the lights and the sound system, which I never really thought of before this year.”

Students performed nine songs including Rihanna’s “Love On The Brain,” Billy Preston’s “Nothing From Nothing,” Chance the Rapper’s “Finish Line,” and DNCE’s “Cake by the Ocean” and “Body

Moves.” Bartusek, Dabholkar, and Scheerer arranged each of the instrumental parts by listening to recordings of the songs. DiMichele then arranged the vocal parts.

Regarding song choices, Scheerer said, “Some songs have always struck me as songs that would be perfect for SMS because of the opportunity for a range of instruments and interesting vocal harmonies. Every song that I recommended for SMS this year centers around those principles: a fun rhythm section, a horn section and strings, as well as strong vocal melodies.”

After the last song, “Celebrate”

by Anderson Paak, the organizers came out on stage to introduce the artists for each song. Dan Pai ’19, who attended the performance, said, “My favorite part of SMS was ‘Fine by Me’ because there was great harmony and communication between the voices, drums, keyboard, and string instruments. I was amazed at how this was almost all student-led and how students were able to audition, rehearse, and perform.”

Academy Award Winner Inspires Students Michelle Na ’18, Arts and Leisure Editor

PHOTO/ROEPERS

Peter Werner ’64 answers a question during his talk on Monday night.

On Monday from 7:00 to 7:45 p.m., students had the opportunity to gain better insight into the film and television industry. Mr. Peter Werner ’64, an Academy Award-winning television director and producer, spoke about his experience at Hotchkiss, inspiration behind going into the film industry, and coping with failure.

Approximately thirty students and faculty members attended the talk in the Science Lecture Hall.

Mr. Werner’s history in filmography goes back to 1971, when he directed the

documentary Hidden and Seeking. Since then, Mr. Werner has directed 93 films and produced 12 television movies and series, including Grimm, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Ghost Whisperer.

Mr. Werner won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1977, for his work directing the film In the Region of Ice. He has also been nominated for multiple Emmy awards, and is a board member of the American Film Institute.

In his talk, Mr. Werner discussed his experience as a student here. He elaborated on how he became interested in films in college, and the inspiration behind his Academy Award winning film, In the Region of Ice. Closing his lecture, Mr. Werner said, “The film business is totally possible. You just need a lot of discipline, awareness, and patience. Film gets you out of your small space and allows you to meet extraordinary people.”

Kyle Davis ’17, who introduced Mr. Werner to the guests at the beginning of the lecture, said, “It amazed me how he felt unseen at Hotchkiss but still could make it to his dream job of being a director.”

Earlier in the day, Mr. Werner visited several classes, including an Advanced Film class, a Theater class, and an English class. He also attended Chapel, went on a tour, and ate lunch with current students.

PHOTO/LOCK

Annabel von Weise ’17 (front) and Emma Franklin ’17 (back) explore the “Dear John” exhibit.

Tremaine Gallery Spreads Love Dajung Lim ’19, Contributing Writer

The new Tremaine Gallery installation “Dear John” displays a vibrant carpet patterned by hearts and splotches of paint.

3D printed figurines and glass sculptures also fill the space. The exhibit, created by Christopher K. Ho ’92, opened on Saturday, February 25.

“Dear John” incorporates the concepts of love and heartbreak with the rise of social media and technology. One figure in the exhibit stares into an iPhone, failing to notice the face of another. The hearts on the floor carpet represent falling in and out of love. The carpet itself utilizes lighting and color to spell out “Dear John With Love,” representing the start of a break-up letter.

Mr. Greg Lock, Director of Photog-

raphy, said, “The work is very different.

It is thoughtful and specific to this place.

Students who spend a lot of time with the work certainly understand the essence of Chris’s relationship with the place and how his life as a teenager at Hotchkiss affected him.”

Mr. Ho held an opening reception in Tremaine Gallery on Saturday, February 25, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Students and visitors had a chance to meet Mr. Ho and discuss his artwork with him. After meeting with him, Wan Lin Qin ’17 said, “Mr. Ho’s exploration of the relationships between self expression and institutional critique resonates well with the challenges faced by young, emerging artists.”​

Thursday, March 9, 2017

The Hotchkiss Record: SPORTS

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Diving Competes at Deerfield Tatiana Whitman ’18, Gemma Tung ’19, Andrew Wang ’18, Sports Editors

PHOTO/SORENSEN

Jillian Cudney ’20 swims the 50 yard freestyle, placing 2nd with a time of 23.89 seconds, a personal best.

Hotchkiss Swimming Hosts New Englands Caroline Kachadoorian ’18, Contributing Writer

This past Saturday and Sunday, Hotchkiss hosted the New England swimming championships. The Hixon pool welcomed roughly 400 swimmers from peer schools, including Deerfield, Loomis, Choate, Exeter and Andover. 15 Hotchkiss boys and 15 Hotchkiss girls qualified for New Englands and competed over the weekend.

Preliminary heats were held on Saturday and determined who competed in Finals on Sunday. Relays were also swum on Sunday. Swimmers with the top sixteen times in the preliminary heats qualified for finals.

On the boys side, every swimmer earned a personal best time on Saturday.

Head Coach Keith Moon said, “Hotchkiss was proud to host the New England swimming championships for the fourth time; it’s always a tremendous meet and we have the best facility in the league for it. Our boys’ team had a 100% success rate on Saturday - 26 swims, 26 best times. Coaches John McBratney and Tyler Clary join me in being thrilled for our young and rapidly improving team.”

Captain Egor Cherenkov ’17, Alejandro Sarmiento ’18, Addison Oberting ’19, and Noah Sorenson ’19 went on to compete on Sunday. Cherenkov placed 14th in the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 22.78 seconds on Sunday, his personal best this year. Oberting placed 15th in the 100 yard backstroke, with a personal best of 56.25 seconds.

Sarmiento swam a personal best time of 1:47.95 in the 200 yard freestyle on Saturday, and went on to place 13th on Sunday.

Sorenson swam a personal best time, 54.55 seconds, in the 100 yard butterfly, and came in 16th place on Sunday.

Jillian Cudney ’20, who broke the 200 yard freestyle school record earlier in the season, qualified for finals in two events, and swam a personal best time of 23.89 seconds to grab second place in the 50 yard freestyle. She won third in the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 52.67 seconds.

Tyler Clary, London 2012 Olympic

gold medalist in the 200 meter backstroke and new addition to the coaching staff this year, helped the swimmers perfect technique during the latter half of the season in order to prepare for New Englands.

Coach John McBratney said, “Throughout the season, especially with the addition of Tyler Clary, our team saw significant improvement in their turns, starts, and relay exchanges, all fundamental parts of short course racing.”

For the girls, the highlight of the weekend was beating out Sacred Heart for 10th place, as they had lost to Sacred Heart in the regular season. Assistant Coach Annie Hall said, “The girls did a great job at New Englands, with lots of season and personal bests. A great way to cap off the season!”

Coach Michelle Repass said, “They [the girls team] tend to be a small team compared to other teams that are there and it’s an incredibly fast and competitive meet.

They did better this year than they’ve done in all the years that I’ve coached them.”

Swimmers and coaches are optimistic about next season already. Coach McBratney said, “Our team was very young this year, a strong majority of our swimmers are underclassmen, so we’re looking to the underclassmen to help grow the program as they step up as leaders in the coming years.”

Last Wednesday, the diving team traveled to Deerfield Academy to compete in the New England Championships for diving. Olivia King ’19 finished sixth and Eden Oostenink ’20 finished 12th for the girls diving team, while Will Cassou placed 13th for the boys team..

Throughout the season, the strong performances by the boys and girls divers helped to boost the overall scores of the swimming and diving meets. Olivia King ’19 consistently earned high scores during the regular season. King said, “This season was the beginning of a successful next few years. With the new talent, we’ve placed better than PHOTO/PERRENOUD before and because we are a young team, Will Cassou ’17, Kristen Gotsis ’17, Eden Oostenink ’20, Audrey Roh ’17, and Olivia King ’19 pose for a photo at Deerfield last Wednesday. these high results will follow in years to come.”

Head Diving Coach Heather Perrenoud said, “Part of what they [the divers] learn is how to be supportive of each other while pushing themselves.

Even though it can be a very individual sport, they have a great team dynamic and I think that showed at New Englands.”

FAST FACTS:

400 Total Swimmers 11 Boys Teams 12 Girls Teams Personal Bests 26(Hotchkiss Boys) Personal Bests 25(Hotchkiss Girls)

PHOTO/SORENSEN

Noah Sorensen ’19 swims the 100 yard butterfly during the finals this past Sunday. He swam a time of 55:13 seconds.

GRAPHIC/KANG

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The Hotchkiss Record: SPORTS

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Athlete of the Issue: Grace Schreiber ’17 Lucia Poggi ’18, Staff Writer

Each issue, the sports editors choose a Senior athlete as the Athlete of the Issue. Typically, the athlete is in season at the time of publication and must be a standout athlete in at least one sport.

This edition’s Athlete of the Issue is Grace Schreiber ’17.

Schreiber is a three-year member of Girls Varsity Soccer, Girls Varsity Hockey, and Girls Varsity Lacrosse. During the past three seasons, she has played goalie in soccer, defense in hockey, and attack in lacrosse.

Zoe Wilson ’19 who plays alongside Schreiber on Girls Varsity Hockey said, “Grace is a always there for everyone on the team. She helps bring up our spirits when we’re upset about a game, and always tells me to keep my head up.”

Girls Varsity Hockey Assistant Coach Dan Hanley noted, “Grace is a model teammate who is usually the first one there to comfort and support her teammates. As a defenseman, Grace is known for her sound decision-making in the defensive zone and her howitzer of a shot.”

What’s your favorite part of being a Hotchkiss athlete?

My favorite part of being a Hotchkiss athlete is having the opportunity to represent Hotchkiss. Being on three teams, I have definitely met people that I would not have met had I not been on a team with them. The relationships that are formed are ones that will last a lifetime. Each team is a support system; we are all there for one another.

and you can’t breathe, but you keep going because you know that you are working hard for all of the girls standing next to you.

How do hockey, soccer, and lacrosse relate to each other?

I would say the agility needed for soccer helps with hockey in terms of being able to move your feet really quickly. Additionally, the endurance part of lacrosse definitely helps with hockey. The movements in all three sports are pretty similar.

In soccer, I’m a goalie, where reaction time is crucial. This helps me in hockey to react to loose pucks being thrown in the corner as well as being able to turn around much faster. The conditioning we go through to train for lacrosse helps me in hockey.

Hand-eye coordination is crucial in both hockey and lacrosse.

Going from hockey to lacrosse is generally a pretty easy transition.

When did you first start playing hockey and soccer?

I first started playing soccer on a boys’ team. One of the boys was in my secondgrade class, and his dad was the coach - we all played for a club team. For hockey, I saw a college game, and then I just decided that I really wanted to play. It was such a close game, and I was just like, “Wow, hockey is a cool sport.” With lacrosse I just saw it and picked it up.

How have the coaches impacted your Hotchkiss experience?

They’ve pushed me to do what I didn’t think I could do, especially in lacrosse where we run a lot. I didn’t think it was possible for me to run that much. In hockey, I would have never thought that it’d be possible that we could beat some of the teams that we did. They pushed us, and we even beat Loomis this year.

What do you enjoy most about hockey?

What I enjoy most about hockey is that the game is so fast paced. The atmosphere in Schmidt, created by the fans standPHOTO/SPENCER ing right over the bench yelling and cheering, really gets my adrenaline flowing. There is Grace Schreiber ’17 looks to pass in nothing better than a hard day at practice a game against Deerfield on Saturday, February 18. The team lost 0-4. when your legs feel like they are giving out

What has been the highlight of your hockey career at Hotchkiss?

Last year when we beat Lawrenceville in overtime was my highlight.

Lawrenceville walked into the game thinking that it was going to be an easy win. We fought the entire game, fighting for every loose puck. At the end, the game went our way. After we scored, the bench cleared and we made a huge dog-pile. Unfortunately, I was at the bottom of it. Coming back into the locker room screaming with excitement, jumping around, and hugging each other was a moment that I will never forget.

Courtside Snapshots Charlie Knight ’20, Contributing Writer

In spite of Boys JV Basketball’s 4-11 record, the team kept most of its games within ten points. After starting the season with nine straight losses, the team rallied and won four of its last six games. Seniors Jasper Morris ’17 and Chris Hemm ’17, and Prep Alex Tam ’20 led the scoring.

With five Seniors on the team, its strength was its experience. Head Coach Charlie Frankenbach said, “[The five seniors] led by example and by what they said; we had a pretty solid team dynamic.”

Girls Thirds Basketball finished its season with a 2-3 record. The team put on a strong defensive display throughout the season, allowing opposing teams an average of 25.4 points per game. Offensively, Louisa Essuman ’20, Caroline Phillips ’18, and Sephora Zeze ’18 were the team’s leading scorers. Head Coach Danny Smith said, “They developed a love for the game of basketball and now have a real competitive streak.”

PHOTO/ROEPERS

Alan Wong ’17 dribbles down the court in a game against Loomis Chaffee on Saturday, February 25. Hotchkiss won 47-31.

Boys Basketball: 10-14 Girls Basketball: 3-17 Boys Hockey: 9-14-2

Despite losing many key players to the flu midway through the season, Boys JV Squash crushed its competition and achieved a near-perfect record of 13-1, including nine 7-0 victories. Head Coach David Bolmer ’73 remarked,“There were some days in the middle of January when the flu was going around, and we only had eight players. Even though you might be missing the number two, the number six, the number seven, we still had a good team.

This [team] is one of the strongest JV squash teams I’ve coached in my career. The depth of the team is exceptional. ”

PHOTO/KREISLER PHOTO/ E. GUO

Louisa Essuman’20 looks to pass the ball in the team’s game against Rumsey Hall on Tuesday, February 14. Hotchkiss lost 9-33.

Jack Wolf ’19 reaches to play a boast shot in a match against Berkshire on Saturday, February 11. Hotchkiss won 7-0.

Final Winter Season Records Girls Hockey: 5-11-4

Girls Squash: 13-5

Girls Swimming and Diving: 2-7

Boys Squash: 15-5

Boys Swimming and Diving: 2-6

Wrestling: 9-7