untitled

8
http://record.horacemann.org HORACE MANN SCHOOL | WEEKLY SINCE 1913 December 9, 2011 Volume 109, Issue 12 FIRST-CLASS MAIL US Postage PAID Bronx, NY Permit #185 e Record 231 West 246 th Street Bronx, NY 10471 The Horace Mann Record Two debate clubs each won “Best Large Delegation” awards, the highest prize presented to any one team, at conferences last weekend. Competing against a group of 1,200 delegates from around the United States, the Model UN delegation at the annual Princeton conference brought home the first “Best Large Delegation” award since 2006 and broke the Dalton School delegation’s 21 conference winning- streak, faculty advisor Mitchell Francis said. In New Haven, meanwhile, Model Congress earned top honors at the Yale conference Twenty-three of thirty-six Model UN delegates won individual awards, including “Best Delegate” awards won by Cora Bae (10), Max Bernstein (11), Colin Mark (11), Nathan Raab (11), and David Shapiro (10). e performance placed the club ahead of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 9th, and 10th best ranked teams in the country, according to the Model UN education company’s bestdelegate.com. “is year, we have been trying to recalibrate the mission of the club and the mindset of our members,” Secretary-General Zander Daniel (12) said. By teaching younger delegates that conferences should be “learning experiences,” rather than “merely ways to win pieces of paper,” Secretaries- General said they tried to increase the emphasis on treating conferences as pathways to, as Daniel put it, “becoming more knowledgeable, articulate and worldly people.” For many members of the club, the victory against Dalton’s team, which won Outstanding Large Delegation, was the most rewarding aspect of the conference. “For the past four years, I and other seniors have watched Dalton take best Large Delegation at every single away conference both of our schoolsattended,” SG Sarah Gertler (12) said. “For the first time in a long time, the roles have reversed. Words cannot describe how proud we are of what our team has accomplished.” In addition to Model Congress’ “Best Large Delegation” win, the team captured “Best Delegate” awards, won by many participants, including Junior Officers Nicholas McCombe and Stephen Paduano (11) and club President Andre Manual (12), McCombe said With “very strong juniors and underclassmen” as well as “one of the best senior classes we have ever seen,” Model Congress “just needs to make sure that we remain at the same level of excellence,” to maintain this weekend’s positive results at future conferences, Paduano said. Leaders of both clubs said there is still much to be done in order for the delegates to reach their potentials. By setting higher goals, raising expectations, and attending more conferences, each team hopes to improve and grow as the season progresses, club presidents said. For Model Congress, an immediate goal is to “make sure we don’t get over-confident from our conference at Yale and stay focused for Harvard,” Paduano said. ough the weekend’s performance was “quite an accomplishment,” the team members “still have to work to prepare for the future conferences,” he said. Model UN’s “goals for the rest of the year are new,” based on the extremely successful outcome at Princeton, Matt Meltzer (11) said. “Now we see that we’re a team that won’t settle for second place. We’re going to keep going for ‘Best’ every single conference because now we have that expectation.” Delegations Win Best with Model Performances Melissa Rodman & Michael Reiss Staff Writers Leſt: Model Congress delegates celebrate their Best Large Delegation award. Right: Daniel Brovman (12) simulated the 2012 Republican Convention with other delegates at Princeton’s Model UN conference. e holidays arrived a few weeks early for some victims of domestic violence who enjoyed a festive dinner and entertainment at the annual Santuary for Families Holiday Party this Tuesday. e event “is a really special event for the women and children in attendance,” Sanctuary for Families Volunteer Coordinator Emily LoBue said. “Many of these families have been through a lot, and this is one of the few opportunities for the mothers to sit back and relax while their kids enjoy themselves.” Before and aſter a turkey dinner and ice cream sundaes, student volunteers took groups of kids to a face painting station and to decorate holiday ornaments and cards. Lower Division Security Officer Luis Maldonado donned a red Santa suit and fluffy white beard to take photos with each family. “Last year, I helped a group of kids give their mom the picture, and she actually started tearing up a bit when she saw it,” student organizer Samantha Rahmin (11) said. “It was just such a touching moment that you could feel the joy in everyone around them.” Many participants donated their time to share in the holiday spirit with others, they said. “In my family, it’s a tradition to celebrate Christmas with a large dinner, and I want to make sure everyone has the same opportunity to celebrate that I do,” student organizer Phoebe Gennardo (10) said. “I think it’s a wonderful, generous activity to provide a nice environment for people who are struggling, but it also shows the kids volunteering that not everyone has it easy,” said Science teacher Janet Kraus, who has helped out at most dinners in the past twelve years. “is is an opportunity for students from all divisions to come together and to work as a team,” said Director of Community Service Dr. John McIvor, who has led the organization process since 1999. While about forty UD students volunteered their time, the LD collaborated by stuffing and decorating stockings for each guest Students from the Diversity Team and faculty members grappled with issues of diversity at a national conference in in Philadelphia last weekend, ey discussed issues specific to “affinity groups” based on race, nationality, and sexual orientation Director of Diversity Initiatives Patricia Zuroski said. At the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) participants listened to addresses by keynote speakers including Wes Moore, author of One Name, Two Fates. e 1,500 students were divided into “families” of approximately sixty students and further divided into “homes” of approximately ten students. ese smaller groups tackled issues stemming from SDLC’s eight cultural identifiers that framed the conference: “Ability, Age, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Socioeconomic Class.” On the last day, HM students collaborated with students from Riverdale, Fieldston, and Rye Country Day School to create a diversity workshop for the adults from those schools who had been attending the joint National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference. According to the Office of Diversity, the students adopted the 140-character format of twitter and had the adults at the conference “tweet” a message in response to the prompt: Share something about diversity that you love in your school community. Courtesy of Max Moran Courtesy of Mr. Francis Holiday Spirit in Dining Commons Teo Armus-Laski Staff Writer Courtesy of Ruth Seligman Students hosted a Holiday Party for victims of domestic violence Tuesday. Students Discuss Cultural Identifiers at Diversity Conference Colin Mark Staff Writer Additional Reporting by Colin Mark Continued on Page 3 Continued on Page 3

Upload: jeff-barg

Post on 27-Oct-2014

26 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Untitled

http://record.horacemann.org

HORACE MANN SCHOOL | WEEKLY SINCE 1913

December 9, 2011 Volume 109, Issue 12

FIRST-CLASS MAILUS Postage PAID

Bronx, NYPermit #185

The Record231 West 246th StreetBronx, NY 10471

The Horace Mann Record

Two debate clubs each won “Best Large Delegation” awards, the highest prize presented to any one team, at conferences last weekend.

Competing against a group of 1,200 delegates from around the United States, the Model UN delegation at the annual Princeton conference brought home the first “Best Large Delegation” award since 2006 and broke the Dalton School delegation’s 21 conference winning-streak, faculty advisor Mitchell Francis said. In New Haven, meanwhile, Model Congress earned top honors at the Yale conference

Twenty-three of thirty-six Model

UN delegates won individual awards, including “Best Delegate” awards won by Cora Bae (10), Max Bernstein (11), Colin Mark (11), Nathan Raab (11), and David Shapiro (10). The performance placed the club ahead of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 9th, and 10th best ranked teams in the country, according to the Model UN education company’s bestdelegate.com.

“This year, we have been trying to recalibrate the mission of the club and the mindset of our members,” Secretary-General Zander Daniel (12) said. By teaching younger delegates that conferences should be “learning experiences,” rather than “merely ways to win pieces of paper,” Secretaries-General said they tried to increase the emphasis on treating conferences as

pathways to, as Daniel put it, “becoming more knowledgeable, articulate and worldly people.”

For many members of the club, the victory against Dalton’s team, which won Outstanding Large Delegation, was the most rewarding aspect of the conference. “For the past four years, I and other seniors have watched Dalton take best Large Delegation at every single away conference both of our schoolsattended,” SG Sarah Gertler (12) said. “For the first time in a long time, the roles have reversed. Words cannot describe how proud we are of what our team has accomplished.”

In addition to Model Congress’ “Best Large Delegation” win, the team captured “Best Delegate” awards, won by many participants, including

Junior Officers Nicholas McCombe and Stephen Paduano (11) and club President Andre Manual (12), McCombe said

With “very strong juniors and underclassmen” as well as “one of the best senior classes we have ever seen,” Model Congress “just needs to make sure that we remain at the same level of excellence,” to maintain this weekend’s positive results at future conferences, Paduano said.

Leaders of both clubs said there is still much to be done in order for the delegates to reach their potentials. By setting higher goals, raising expectations, and attending more conferences, each team hopes to improve and grow as the season progresses, club presidents said.

For Model Congress, an immediate goal is to “make sure we don’t get over-confident from our conference at Yale and stay focused for Harvard,” Paduano said. Though the weekend’s performance was “quite an accomplishment,” the team members “still have to work to prepare for the future conferences,” he said.

Model UN’s “goals for the rest of the year are new,” based on the extremely successful outcome at Princeton, Matt Meltzer (11) said. “Now we see that we’re a team that won’t settle for second place. We’re going to keep going for ‘Best’ every single conference because now we have that expectation.”

Delegations Win Best with Model PerformancesMelissa Rodman & Michael ReissStaff Writers

Left: Model Congress delegates celebrate their Best Large Delegation award. Right: Daniel Brovman (12) simulated the 2012 Republican Convention with other delegates at Princeton’s Model UN conference.

The holidays arrived a few weeks early for some victims of domestic violence who enjoyed a festive dinner and entertainment at the annual Santuary for Families Holiday Party this Tuesday.

The event “is a really special event for the women and children in attendance,” Sanctuary for Families Volunteer Coordinator Emily LoBue said. “Many of these families have been through a lot, and this is one of the few opportunities for the mothers to sit back and relax while their kids enjoy themselves.”

Before and after a turkey dinner and ice cream sundaes, student volunteers took groups of kids to a face painting station and to decorate holiday ornaments and cards.

Lower Division Security Officer Luis Maldonado donned a red Santa suit and fluffy white beard to take photos with each family.

“Last year, I helped a group of kids give their mom the picture, and she actually started tearing up a bit when she saw it,” student organizer Samantha Rahmin (11) said. “It was just such a touching moment that you could feel the joy in everyone around them.”

Many participants donated their time to share in the holiday spirit with others, they said.

“In my family, it’s a tradition to celebrate Christmas with a large dinner, and I want to make sure everyone has the same opportunity to celebrate that I do,” student organizer Phoebe Gennardo (10) said.

“I think it’s a wonderful, generous activity to provide a nice environment for people who are struggling, but it also shows the kids volunteering that not everyone has

it easy,” said Science teacher Janet Kraus, who has helped out at most dinners in the past twelve years.

“This is an opportunity for students from all divisions to come together and to work as a team,” said Director of Community Service Dr. John McIvor, who has led the organization process since 1999.

While about forty UD students volunteered their time, the LD collaborated by stuffing and decorating stockings for each guest

Students from the Diversity Team and faculty members grappled with issues of diversity at a national conference in in Philadelphia last weekend,

They discussed issues specific to “affinity groups” based on race, nationality, and sexual orientation Director of Diversity Initiatives Patricia Zuroski said.

At the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) participants listened to addresses by keynote speakers including Wes Moore, author of One Name, Two Fates.

The 1,500 students were divided into “families” of approximately sixty students and further divided into “homes” of approximately ten students. These smaller groups

tackled issues stemming from SDLC’s eight cultural identifiers that framed the conference: “Ability, Age, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Socioeconomic Class.”

On the last day, HM students collaborated with students from Riverdale, Fieldston, and Rye Country Day School to create a diversity workshop for the adults from those schools who had been attending the joint National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference.

According to the Office of Diversity, the students adopted the 140-character format of twitter and had the adults at the conference “tweet” a message in response to the prompt: Share something about diversity that you love in your school community.

Courtesy of Max Moran Courtesy of Mr. Francis

Holiday Spirit in Dining CommonsTeo Armus-LaskiStaff Writer

Courtesy of Ruth Seligman

Students hosted a Holiday Party for victims of domestic violence Tuesday.

Students Discuss Cultural Identifiers at Diversity ConferenceColin MarkStaff Writer

Additional Reporting by Colin Mark

Continued on Page 3

Continued on Page 3

Page 2: Untitled

2 The horace Mann recordFriday, December 9, 20112

The Horace Mann RecordEditor in ChiefSarah Pyun

NewsJenna Spitzer

Elizabeth Weingold

Lions DenMatthew CottThomas Kim

FeaturesAmbika Acharya

Opinions & EditorialsCourtney Hodrick

Arts & EntertainmentHillary Winnick

Middle Division Olivia El-Sadr Davis

Photography EditorsRachel Essner, Laurence Ge, Justin Gilston, Kimberley Sarnoff

Faculty AdvisorDr. Glenn Wallach

Editorial Board Volume 109

For a complete listing of our staff, please visit:record.horacemann.org/masthead

Letters Policy: The Record welcomes letters from its readers as part of its commitment to an open forum. Letters can be submitted by mail (Letters to the Editor, The Record, Hor-ace Mann School, 231 West 246 Street, Bronx, NY 10471), e-mail ([email protected]), or can be left in the Record mailbox in the Deans’ office. All decisions regard-ing libel, anonymity, length, and clarity are subject to editorial discretion. All submis-sions must contain the writer’s name to verify authenticity and should be limited to 250 words. All letters will be printed on a first-come, first serve basis, space permitting. To be considered for publication in the next issue, letters should be submitted by 4:00 on Wednesday afternoon.

The Record is published weekly by the students of the Horace Mann School during the academic year. As a student publication, its contents are the views and work of the students and do not necessarily represent those of the faculty or administration of the Horace Mann School. The Horace Mann School is not responsible for the accuracy and contents of The Record, and is not liable for any claims based on the contents or view expressed therein. The opinions represented in the Op-Ed section are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the editorial board. The editorial represents the opinion of the majority of the Editorial Board. All editorial decisions regarding grammar, content, and layout are made by the Editorial Board. All queries and complaints should be directed to the editor in chief. Please address these comments by e-mail, to [email protected]. For information about subscribing to The Record, please visit record.horacemann.org/subscribe.

Managing EditorChristine Kim

Design EditorBaci Weiler

Online EditorAramael Peña-Alcántara

Senior EditorEden Sung

Assistant Design EditorSeth Arar

Opinions & EditorialsOpinions & Editorials

Get Inspired; Get ActiveBoth Model UN and Model Congress won Best delegation at their

respective conferences, crafting and debating legislation relevant to issues national and international. Vikram Gidwani (11), and a colleague, meanwhile, is on the road to curing cancer. A number of students traveled to Philadelphia to wrestle with issues of diversity. Finally, it only takes a minute in the StuPub or the library to hear heated and excited debate on current events.

What do these accomplishments and habits have in common? They all show a concern for the realities that exist outside the walls of our school. Our days, and the pages of our paper, are filled with examples of students taking the initiative to educate themselves on the problems that do and will continue to plague our world, and pursuing solutions to these problems.

And why shouldn’t we? If, for example, the Euro collapses, as many have been worrying in recent months, aftershocks will resonate through the world economy straight to New York City. In the 2012 presidential elections, in which some of us will have the chance to vote, we will cast our ballots to decide how we fix our education system, approach immigration and foreign policy, and resolve—or escalate—the revolution of the 99%.

If we never look up from our textbooks, we’ll miss the chance to witness the forward march of history. More importantly, though, we’ll miss the chance to shape the path of that march.

The same gifts that allow us to excel in science classrooms can be put to use, we saw this week, as the first step towards the alleviation of the suffering of millions. In debating the policies that drove WWII in our history classes, we learn how to formulate and express the ideas that may someday be the key to preventing WWIII. And a freshman working on her first Record assignment may someday win a Pulitzer for a piece of investigative journalism that topples a government or a corporation.

Your workload isn’t heavy enough, we hope, to prevent you from picking up a newspaper this weekend and reading the front page. If change is to begin with us, then it will begin when we educate ourselves both in and outside of the classroom. Let the successes of your classmates be your inspiration.

It’s ours.

Since coming back from my second trip to the Student Diver-sity Leadership Conference in Philadelphia, I’ve gotten a chance to re-evaluate not only myself, but also my school. While I’m aware that the community at SDLC was completely open to tackling diversity issues because everyone was there for that purpose, I believe that it is the duty of our school delegates to come back and try to instill similar feelings of openness here. The freedom to be myself at SDLC made me proud of who I am and if I can bring this same feeling back to Horace Mann, I know this place will be much more enjoyable.

My years at SDLC have made me appreciate the little successes within a community, so the “in your face” bullying in the November 1st assembly was especially painful for me. I feel that our first step to return a sense of security must be to adopt a zero tolerance policy for any bullying targeted at someone’s religion, age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation,

gender, class, or ability. Creating a firm set of consequences for mem-bers of the community who act out of hatred or prejudice will create an even more inclusive environment.

Dr. Kelly alluded to this idea at the Union’s I period forum by explaining how “mutual respect” is an essential characteristic of any member of the HM community. He also mentioned that anyone who wasn’t able or willing to abide by our core values does not have to remain a member of our school reminding all that it is a privilege to be here. We’re all lucky to go to such a great school and we should show our appreciation of the community by respecting its values and its members. While the assembly was a prevalent example of the bully-ing within HM, we cannot forget that bullying was quite present way before the assembly.

Although we may not be able to change the policies of the school as a whole, students and faculty are far from powerless in the fight for justice. While it may not appear like this on the surface, last month’s assembly was a manifestation of the masked but not uncommon bullying that I observe daily at Horace Mann. As I mentioned in last year’s bullying assembly, the only way to stop a bully is to take away his stage. Bullies thrive on the power struggle with their weak victims and their inherent power over these victims.

To stop this unnecessary bullying and ignorant prejudices, we must all transform from passive bystanders into activists. Instead of standing by and letting offensive comments or actions go “unnoticed,” it’s essential for any member of the HM com-munity (student, faculty, staff, etc.) to express his or her disapproval. If you hear something that offends you, remember: if it offends you, it may hurt someone else. Don’t refrain from speaking out because you hope someone else will say something. Become your own advocate, because creating a safer community starts with you.

As the school year continues, I pose a new mission for the HM com-munity to undertake. I challenge each and every one of you, whether you’re a student, a teacher, or a mem-ber of the staff, to take the plunge from bystander to activist. Speak out against what you know is morally wrong because if you don’t, who will? I know this is hard, but I have faith in the HM that we’ll rebound from this tragedy and become an even stronger, closer, and more aware community. I was lucky to have twice experienced such a beautiful community as the one created at SDLC. All I wish is for all my peers and teachers at Horace Mann to have the chance to experience it as well. I know I’m ready to make a change. Are you?

Transforming Ourselves Into Activists

Elliott Weinstein

CorrectionsIssue #11 was mislabeled as Issue #10.

When I was first presented with the opportunity to travel to Philadelphia for the Student Diver-sity Leadership Conference, I was excited for the sake of being excited because that’s just who I am. I was excited to escape from school and home, and in gen-eral to experience something differ-ent. I couldn’t pre-dict the journey that I was about to take.

S t e p p i n g through those glass doors of the Philadelphia Marriott, I could already feel the difference in at-mosphere; I could see and hear the bustling of the mix of students from different schools. The opening ceremonies set the tone for the rest of the conference, where the theme was “updating your status.”

The keynote speakers were beyond motivating, and they were relatable and keen, which was core to our understanding. The keynote speakers shared their stories and made us eager to share our own.

During the conference, we went through a series of activities and discussions in which we related to eight core identifiers: age, gender, socioeconomic class, sexual orienta-

tion, religion, ability, race, and ethnicity.

With 1,499 students sitting by my side, you would expect me to be intimidated. However, this was a special group of 1,499 ready, open-minded listeners, wanting everyone to succeed, but with their arms outstretched to catch me in the event of a fall. This huge group of incredible students came with 1,499 stories and testimonies, just to be heard by the open ears of the people around them.

Leaving SDLC, I felt a mix of emotions. I learned so much from

this conference, and I am grateful for an opportunity to meet such amazing, inspirational people. I was able to be in a place that was the closest thing to a utopia that I’ve ever seen in my fifteen years of life. When I left SDLC, I wanted to cry tears of sadness because I realized that the world we live in is not a Utopia.

After having left the conference, I found myself back in the abrasive arms of society, a place full of igno-rance, a place where I am identified

as something I really am not, a place where it is hard to be myself without having to conform or to compro-mise.

Even so, I wanted to cry tears of joy because, even though I was going back into the sphere of reality, I felt armed. I did not feel naked or alone like I had before the confer-ence, because I was coming back with all of the concepts, ideas, tools I had gained.

I came home with a newfound sense of empowerment. I could accept going back into this world because I am now prepared to

take on any of its challenges. I felt hopeful because there were students from all over the country, as well as from Bermuda and Canada, and we all left SDLC with some kind of motivation to change something, whether it be big or small.

We are not superheroes yet, but we have the power as the young students and future leaders of this

world to start small and build up, to stand up and say we’ve had enough. We have the power to initiate and issue change. The opportunity to go to SDLC was incredible because it made me more equipped to handle anything the world throws at me, be it intolerance or ignorance. I wish that everyone could have a chance to experience this conference, be-cause it is a unique, beautiful oppor-tunity for education, and it can help anyone and everyone find a sense of empowerment, just like I did.

Cynthia Irobunda

Back From Utopia and Ready to Create One

Ethan Yaro

/Staff Artis

t

Bands in Concert!

Tonight at 7:30Cohen Dining Commons - $5 for students

Page 3: Untitled

The horace Mann record Friday, December 9, 2011 3NewsNews

Caring in Action: LD Reaches out to Community

Students, parents and faculty wrote holiday cards to soldiers and children at hospitals, stuffed holiday stockings and sorted and boxed food for the homeless in the Lower Division cafeteria to celebrate Caring in Action Day this past Saturday.

In the weeks leading up to Caring in Action Day, the PA Community Service Commitee held community drives in the Lower Division to collect coats, food, coins and toys, committee co-chair Karen Ferdman said. The LD community collected over one thousand dollars worth of coins to donate to various charities, wrote over one hundred cards for hospitalized children and soldiers abroad, collected bags of coats to donate, wrapped toys for children and packaged 19 boxes of non-perishable food to send to a food pantry, Ferdman said. In addition, they collected felt hands that will be assembled and used to create a mural outside the Lower Division Gym celebrating the “solidarity of our community,” she said.

The money and items collected during the day were sent to organizations such as the Westside Campaign Against Hunger, the Kingsbridge Community Center and the Riverdale Mental Health

Association, the New York-Presbyterian Phyllis and David Komansky Center for Children’s Health, Marine Parents and NY Cares. In addition, Ferdman said the Community Service Committee delivered 150 stockings that were stuffed with candy and toys to the holiday party Upper Division students hosted for Sanctuary for Families, a domestic violence organization.

The annual community service event is celebrated to help Lower Division students and their families “participate in hands on giving activities and help them expand their view of the world,” PA Community Service Committee co-chair Karen Lim said. The day provides students a way in which they can fulfill the Horace Mann mission statement while also building up the community, she said.

Assistant Head of the Lower Division Deena Neuwirth said the Community Service Committee worked alongside parents to think about what organizations were in need the most this year and “what activities we can do with the children in a developmentally-appropriated way” that could appeal to kids from the age of 5 to the age of 11. She said the basis and structure of the day has remained fairly consistent

in deciding on which activities to incorporate into the program.

The Lower Division has participated in Caring in Action Day since 2001, Special Projects Coordinator Susan Fraleigh-Cronin said. Unlike last year’s event, the LD Community Service Committee decided to bring back the food drive, created a station for letter-writing to US Servicemen, and rescheduled the Soles4Souls shoe drive for the spring to coincide with the school-wide Service Learning Day, Lim said.

The cafeteria was “packed” with students, parents, friends and faculty members and gave the Lower Division students an opportunity to come together and help the community in a meaningful and active way, Steinthal said. “The children really care a lot about these kinds of things,” Neuwirth said. “The whole notion of ‘from the heart’ was really there, which focused on the kind and caring community we’re trying to build.” The PA Community Service Committee is now planning for spring drives and designing activities for LD children and their families in preparation for Service Learning Day on April 21st, Lim said.

Chloe TsangStaff Writer

A senior won the Cum Laude Society’s national paper contest with a study of the “prisoner’s dilemma.” James Ruben (12) began working on the project as an assignment for his PreCalculus BC Honors teacher and Mathematics Department Chair Chris Jones.

Each year, the National Cum Laude Society honors “a single outstanding example of original work, either creative or researched-based in secondary schools” and invites each of its 360 chapters to submit one original piece.

The assignment was to take a topic that a contestant learned throughout the year and then apply it any way he or she wanted. In his paper, Ruben explores the mathematical aspect of decision-making. Two individuals might not cooperate, even though it may appear that it is in their best interest to do so.

“I chose the theme because I am constantly making decisions throughout my life, Ruben said. “How humans make decisions has always interested me; I wanted to balance sheer mathematical probability with intuition.”

Jones called Ruben’s paper “a superb piece of work.” The “explanation of the mathematics was first-rate, but what made the paper special was his original work. He crafted a set of three carefully-worded survey questions that asked the participants to explain what decisions he or she would make in certain scenarios.”

Survey participants were asked questions such as deciding whether he or she would betray his or her partner or join them. Ruben received up to 226 responses, from staff, teachers and students, which he analyzed “in wonderful detail,” Jones said.

“It was great fun reading his work,” Jones said. “James’ excitement about doing what amounted to actual research jumped right off the page. He

turned my open-ended assignment into a memorable learning experience and I was so impressed with his work that I submitted the paper as our school’s representative in the National Cum Laude Paper Competition,” Jones said.

A faculty committee looked at all the papers and selected one to be the school’s entry. “It was unusual to receive a submission based on mathematics,” committee member and Head of History department Dr. Elisa Milkes said. “More importantly James’ paper had a winning combination of interesting research, mathematical sophistication, and elegant presentation.”

Recent Horace Mann winners have included Devon E. McMahon ’11 for her submission “From Midwives to Obstetricians: The Fixed Maternal Mortality Rate in America from 1750 to 1930 and 2005,” and District 3 winner Thomas Dolinger ’05 for his submission “Women, Class and Geography in Early Modern Europe.”

Ruben (12) Wins 2011 Cum Laude Paper PrizeVivien IkwuazomStaff Writer

Courtesy of James Ruben

Gidwani (11)Wins National Honors for Innovative Drug

Vickram Gidwani (11) and his research partner Blake Smith placed fourth in the national finals of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology this past weekend, winning a $30,000 scholarship for a project on lung cancer.

After having been selected from 1,541 entries by the Siemens Foundation and competing against 30 other teams at regionals, six final teams presented their projects in front of a panel of judges in Washington D.C. “We put in a lot of hard work and that was rewarded,” Gidwani said.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and all patients treated develop resistance to the available therapies, Gidwani said.

The compound that Gidwani and Smith created has the potential to shrink lung-cancer tumors by killing mutated cells.

Typically, pharmaceutical companies study and create new protein structures, Gidwani said. Rather than building a new structure from scratch, the team modified a preexisting psychoactive drug by

removing its psychoactive properties and enhancing its ability to inhibit cancerous cell growth.

Gidwani and Smith will continue testing to prepare their drug for US Food and Drug Administration approval and ultimately clinical use. The project has now been passed on to a medical school student who will carry on experiments and Gidwani plans to continue research during winter break by examining the effects of the drug on the kidneys and liver of mice and primates, he said.

At the competition, Gidwani and Smith spent time not only setting up their presentation but also meeting their fellow competitors and watching their presentations, Gidwani said. Every project explored a different issue with topics ranging from using Xbox as a tool for analyzing human motion to post-starburst galaxies. “The competition was really exciting because all the kids there were so smart and it was such a pleasure meeting them,” Gidwani said.

By the time the pair presented, they had already presented their project over thirty times between preliminary rounds, regionals and practice.

“Right before we felt a little bit nervous but after the first couple

slides we settled down and nailed the presentation,” Gidwani said. “We were very happy with how it came out,” and after seeing tension between

partners in some groups, “I am fortunate to have a partner as good as Blake,” Gidwani said.

“Lung cancer is almost like an

unsolved problem and I hope that my research has helped to develop a solution to that problem,” Gidwani said.

Vickram Gidwani (11) and his research partner Blake Lewish earned fourth place and $30,000 at the Siemems national competition for their lung cancer research.

Courtesy of the Siemens Foundation

Amy HoodStaff Writer

Sanctuary Dinnercontinued from Page 1

Diversity Conferencecontinued from Page 1

James Ruben (12) was awarded the National Cum Laude Award for his mathematic paper on the study of the “prisoner’s dilemma.”

to take home. “I enjoy not only the appreciation the guests have,

but also seeing how happy students get working together and helping out,” McIvor said.

McIvor “is usually not able to help out at a Habitat for Humanity build or go on a midnight run, so working side-by-side with students on a particular project is a unique experience,” he said.

This year holiday dinner, marked twenty years of collaboration between the school and Sanctuary for Families.

“The dinner has really become a tradition that our clients look forward to each holiday season,” said SFF Children’s Programs Coordinator Michelle Lawrence.

Attendees said SDLC created a safe space for students to express themselves in. “You would think that with 1499 right next to you, you’d be very intimidated,” Cynthia Irobunda (10) said. “But these weren’t any random group of 1499 students – they were a group of 1499 students who were ready, openminded, eager, listeners that were there to support you.”

Conference attendees described the experience of attending SDLC as “life changing.” Irobunda said, “It made me want to go out into the world and be a superhero and change the world.”

Page 4: Untitled

The horace Mann recordFriday, December 9, 20114 FeaturesFeatures

Beyond the Limit: Seniors Study PassionsVictor Wang (12) wondered, “wouldn’t it be cool if robots could actually behave like humans?” Intrigued,

he decided to learn why computers are unable to function as human beings. Wang saw “Watson, the IBM supercomputer destroy everything at Jeopardy,” and this inspired him, he said, to learn more about how computers process human language.

Wang started his study by examining a field of computer science called Natural Language Processing, or NLP. “Typically, computers receive and give information in very specific, algorithmic ways and aren’t able to understand sentences the way a human would,” Wang said. “NLP is the study of getting computers to understand ‘natural’ language, that is, language you would use to speak to another human.” Computer scientists in the field research ways computers can identify and process this information from the human tongue, he said. NLP is also a subtopic of Artificial Intelligence, AI, the way in which a manmade system, such as a robot, can perform human tasks based on inputs from the environment, such as touch or sound.

“That’s where NLP comes into play because the human voice can be an input that the robot will have to process to complete a task,” Wang said. As a member of the Robotics team, Wang plays with how motion sensors on robots can trigger them to do tasks, and through his independent study he hopes to understand ways in which a human can talk to a robot.

A basic example of AI is challenging a computer to a board game, as “the computer is receiving input from the human’s move, and it decides on an action based on that,” Wang said. Thus, to understand AI better, Wang programmed a game of connect four. The algorithm he used “processed the human’s move, then searched ahead an x number of moves, ranked the possible outcomes after the x moves and picked a move based on that comparison,” he said. “After working so hard to debug every mistake, if felt so good to lose a game to my own program,” he said. Wang presented this program to his class and students played against the computer. The program went undefeated.

For the second trimester, Wang hopes to create programs that incorporate NLP, such as a program that an identify sentence structure upon hearing a human speak.

When Olivia Spector’s(12) mother was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago, Spector struggled with understanding it and explaining it to her younger brother. She thought

writing a storybook about breast cancer for little kids would be able to help children comprehend what was going on.

For her independent study, Spector is writing a book that explains the science behind breast cancer and the treatments in an easy to understand way. She

wants children to understand “why his or her mom might be losing hair, or to be too tired to go to his or her soccer game,” she said.

Originally, Spector believed that the book was just going to be about a “little girl spending the day with her mother and family but then I fell in love with the idea of a superhero story.”

The book has two simultaneous stories in it: “A girl spending the day with her mother who has breast cancer, wig shopping and spending time at home,” but also “a superhero story of Chemero and Radia-man who are battling Mr. Maligno,” she said.

Chemero stands for chemotherapy; Radia-man represents radiation, and Mr. Maligno, breast cancer. In her storybook, Spector goes into detail about “what happens to the body when one has breast cancer” and is explaining the science in an easy-to-understand manner.

So far, Spector has outlined the book, tested different plot schemes and looked into overall aesthetic quality, she said. “Because pictures are

so important in a children’s book, I’m doing an outline of what I want each page to look like now, but I’m going to spend the majority of second trimester

illustrating,” she said. She hopes the book “will be a story that parents can read to young children

in order to explain breast cancer,” she said. Spector hopes to finish the book second trimester and work on illustrations to go along with the text.

The sky was murky and a slight drizzle hit the pavement of the dark alley pellet by pellet. Her heels barely made a sound as she tiptoed on the disintegrating cement. The police officer, leaning back in his chair, sorted through a pile of reports. The scenes of film noir, a film movement from the 1940s to 1950s, are all disturbingly familiar, as are the archetypal characters: the hard-boiled detective, the dangerously alluring femme fatale, and the well-heeled villain surrounded by gun-toting thugs.

It has always been Dan Froot(12)’s dream to direct, cast and write the screenplay for his own movie, specifically a film noir piece.

During the first trimester, Froot spent weeks watching various films noted to be classical noir films, he said. “I went through each film I watched and read about; then, I evaluated the film on what it did well,” he said.

“For me, its canted camera angles, deep-focus shots, high-contrast lighting – and ultimately subversive message, the hallmarks of classic film noir that excite me,” he said.

Froot’s film features a comedian as protagonist and plays with the use of humor in film noir. Though he is not starring in his film, Froot hopes to learn more about being a film noir actor through directing. So far Froot has started his screenplay and has shot parts of it.

To design his film, Froot read many articles about the time period and wrote a paper for every film in the noir period that he studied, he said.

Once the “casting, making and editing has been finished, I will be presenting it to the class,” he said.

In the second trimester, he will be studying the end of classic noir films- neo-noir films. “This is when color came in and I’m studying whether or not noir can continue after the visual black and white theme disappears,” Froot said.

It took Victor 11 hours to finish his

Connect Four Game.

In his game, if the human beats the

computer, the program crashes!

The responses of iPhone

organizer “Siri” are all

calculated using Natural

Language Processing algorithms.

Victor WangTalking to Computers: Natural Language Processing

Olivia SpectorMom, You’re My Hero: Portraying Breast Cancer in Children’s Books

Dan FrootLights, Camera, Shadows: Directing & Writing Film Noir

~ Diana Li

~ Diana Li

~ Vivien Ikwuazom

For inspiration, Olivia

asked her independent

study class for advice

on what types of

children’s books were

the most interesting and

informative. The top

three favorites were The

Lorax, The Berenstain

Bears and Franklin.

1940: Film Noir, a uniquely American film genre, is born.

Sweet Smell of Success(1957) is Dan’s

favorite noir film.

Dan will start filming his

own movie, a neo-noir/

stand up comedy hybrid,

in the 3rd trimester.

Illustrations by Ethan Yaro

Victoria McKaba/Staff Photographer

Victoria McKaba/Staff Photographer

Courtesy of Elizabeth Weingold

Page 5: Untitled

The horace Mann record Friday, December 9, 2011 5Arts & Entertainment

MoMA’s current exhibit, “de Kooning: A Retrospective,” organized by Curator John Elderfield, features nearly 200 works of the seven-decade-long career of Willem de Kooning (1904-97), a 20th century artist who redefined abstract painting.

The retrospective includes drawings, prints, paintings, and sculptures from every period of de Kooning’s artistic development, revealing the immense scope of his styles and subject matter. The masterpieces range from his famous Woman series, garish portrayals of beastly women, to his black and white compositions, made up of abstract shapes that drip and intertwine energetically on the canvas. Arranged mostly chronologically, but in some cases thematically as well, the exhibit demonstrates that de Kooning worked in multiple styles simultaneously, with a constant back and forth between abstraction and figuration. He “never abandoned the figure,” and even his most abstract works contain elements of the figure, the show’s Curatorial Assistant Jennifer Field said.

Born in the Netherlands, de Kooning moved to New York at age 21 and was part of the abstract expressionist New York School, a group of artists that included Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Franz Kline, and Arshile Gorky.

One of the most innovative aspects of de Kooning’s work was his gestural

abstraction, in which he incorporated his physical creation of the painting into its composition. Previously, paintings were neat, clean, and geometric- the brushwork was hidden, and therefore the presence of the artist wasn’t felt. The paintings in the exhibit, however, show his thick, sweeping strokes so that “you can feel him dragging his brush,” Associate Professor in the Department of Art History at NYU and former Curator at MoMA Pepe Karmel said.

Another one of de Kooning’s significant contributions to the art world was his ability to use abstractions to portray different kinds of subjects. His urban abstractions “opened up a whole new way of creating pictures that evoked urban life,” Karmel said. His abstract paintings of the countryside, such as Sag Harbor, are “powerfully evocative.”

The exhibit, which took six years to prepare, is the first posthumous retrospective of de Kooning, and an “opportunity to look at his body of work as a whole and demonstrate how much he was constantly changing and reinventing himself,” Field said. It was this constant self-reinvention that set de Kooning apart from other artists- he was always “setting up new challenges and pushing beyond boundaries,” and showed that it was “not necessary to become an established artist by honing in on one signature style,” she said.

After visiting the exhibit, Drawing and Painting teacher Kim Do assigned his students to copy de Kooning’s portrait drawing of de Kooning’s wife,

Elaine, who happened to be Do’s teacher for a semester in college. Though many students enjoy drawing faces, they often repeat the same forms without much improvement as they don’t want to go

through the awkwardness necessary to advance to the next level, Do said. De Kooning’s drawing “contains the keys to the traditions of representation and realism that were handed down

to me by my teachers, professors, and mentors,” Do said. “Part of how I see my job duties, life’s calling, is to continue to pass these traditions on to succeeding generations.”

Tunes by Trinidadian musician Ray Holman, American singer Stevie Wonder and Steel Drums teacher Alan Bates will be filling Gross Theatre during Steel Drums performances this Friday. While the band played these same songs at the Communal Meal Assembly, the drummers have been “preparing intensely for this concert in order to go above and beyond the expectations of viewers,” Charlotte Sands (12) said.

Daniel Henick (11) said the assembly performance was a “checkpoint for us” that “we’re happy about but we’ve been focusing a lot more since then, so this performance is going to be a lot better.”

All three Steel Drums classes will be performing a “much more polished version” of the two songs that were played in the assembly together in the concert, Troy Sipprelle (11) said.

“We love performing in front of an audience since it’s a fun and lively form of music,” Henick said. “We really feed off of the energy of our audience.”

As the classes begin new songs, they start off shakily since “it takes a long time to learn each

piece and we have to get through it section by section in order to create a strong foundation,” Sipprelle said. The group has been working hard after a slight misstep during the Communal Meal Assembly, “accessing our successes and failures so that we can find our weaknesses,” he said. Having established their weaknesses, drummers said they are looking forward to solidifying the performance tonight since they now know that they are able to perform much better.

The band has been hard at work with both songs every time it meets during class time every other day. Preparation for the songs has been rocky since “these are the two hardest songs we’ve ever played, but now that we’ve now had practice with harmonizing, we should be ready” Sipprelle said.

Audience members can “expect to hear some very talented students expressing themselves musically,” Bates said.

Sands said she hopes that more students will be able to attend the concert because it’s “a great place to experience amazing music” while giving the drummers an opportunity to redeem themselves.”

Molly WhartonStaff Writer

Tom EngStaff Writer

Diana Li Staff Writer

Woman Sag Harbor (left) and Woman I (right) featured in the MoMA’s full

story of abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning. His Women series in

particular is known for its vehemence and focus on the human figure.

De Kooning Retrospective: An Ever-changing Style

Steel Drums and Band Prepare for Concert

The bands will be jazzing up their final concert of 2011 “by experimenting with eclectic mix of genres,” Band President Richard Lee (12) said.

The Chamber Winds will be playing the frantic Sabre Dance by Aram Khatchaturian and Circus Days by Karl King, while the Symphonic Wind Ensemble will play more jazz-oriented music with an arrangement of Duke Ellington compositions. Both groups will join together to perform an arrangement of Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man along with a new piece by American composer Rob Romeyn. The Jazz Combo will close the performance with three blues numbers.

Over the course of the last few weeks especially, members said the band has been

working hard to become a better ensemble. In the past, the band has faced challenges with “creating a balanced band sound with limited low voices in the ensemble, such as the tuba and baritone,” Music teacher Michael Bomwell said. Lee said that the group’s “biggest challenge” this year though has been “recreating the band without the seniors from the previous years whose musical talents have been extremely influential,” Lee added.

“We have definitely come together and some newcomers show great promise and demonstrate great potential to continue forming an excellent musical group,” Lee said. “We have been working a lot this year on refinement of the music in terms of phrasing, entrances and cut-offs, dynamic sensitivity, and balance and blend,” Bomwell said.

“As always, we hope for a perfect performance,” Bomwell said.

steel drums

band

Emma Maltby/Staff Photographer

The Wind section, comprised of

flutists and clarinetists, from

the Chamber Winds Ensemble

rehearse Aram Khachaturian’s

The Sabre Dance. They will also be performing

Circus Days by Karl King.

Moma.org

Kimberley Sarnoff/Photography Editor

Steel Drums student Emily Erani (12) warms up before class on the single tenor in preparation for Friday’s performance.

Page 6: Untitled

The horace Mann recordFriday, December 9, 20116 Middle Division

For Once Upon a Mattress’s fairytale setting, the technical crew has created a combination of colorful platforms and a huge castle, director Woody Howard said. “We don’t define the set, because if we did we’d be

in trouble. At one point you have the courtyard of the castle, then it’s a hallway, then it’s a bedroom, but the set is like a unit set, and it never moves.”

Technical Director Joel Sherry came up with the design concept. The stage is filled with wooden platforms that required hours of cutting 2 by 4 plywood, student technical director Kenneth Zhang (12) said. The construction “required hundreds of screws, plenty of geometry and some good old shouting and pushing and shoving. The castle required lots of cabling, 1 by 3 wood, muslin (cotton cloth often used in set designs with painted fabrics), screws and some more geometry,” he said.

The set is designed for flexibility, Zhang said. “What the actors do on the set depends on what the scene requires; the set can be modified and interpreted to provide for every situation. You will find singing and dancing atop the platforms and even actors leaping off of the highest ones.”

Maxwell Kagan (8), who plays Prince Dauntless, loves being in Gross Theater and says the set “adjusts to each scene so well and really portrays the story.”

The Steps of the Castle

Once Upon A Mattress is a whimsical tale, based on the story of the princess and pea, about a submissive prince, who, in need of a wife, meets a charismatic princess despite his mother’s distaste.

Prince Dauntless’ mother, Queen Aggravain, played by Rebecca Salzhauer (6), tests hopeful young ladies to examine if the subject is a “real princess.”

Throughout the catchy music and strong dancing, there are moments of romance, indignation, slap-stick humor. The charming musical is “a little like Rocky and Bullwinkle,” Director Woody Howard said. “There can be a double message which some kids get and some don’t.”

The adult humor though safe and unobtrusive to the endearing story, makes for a show that can be appreciated by young kids and adults, as it was on Thursday’s performance. A prime example of this is the mute King Sextimus’ musical explanation of reproduction to the prince through a game of charades.

The show gave the performers a chance to showcase their acting, singing, and dancing skills, all of which were compelling and enjoyable to watch. The vocal projection was unexpectedly strong, the singing was pleasant and on key, and the dancing, choreographed by Alison Kolinski, was clean and illustrative of how much fun the cast was having onstage. “I hear back from parents who also say the kids are having a good time,” Howard said.

The maturity of performance that the students carried with them onstage was evident. “I loved it,” Greg Zuroski said. “But everytime

I come I can’t believe the level of performance and musicality. The biggest thing for me was the enthusiasm behind the music and dancing.”

Though the cast of 28 was split into nine principal roles and 19 ensemble roles, “you get a feeling that they are working as a unit,” Howard said. According to Howard the production is unique in that though the cast was large there were no dropouts. “To have this many kids pull together has been very gratifying,” he said.

“All the rehearsing was really fun—especially bonding with people.” Ellis Soodak (8) who played King Sextimus said. “I feel like I made such great friends in the process” of rehearsing, Salzhauer said.

“I hope that the lessons about working together as an ensemble, the lessons of self discipline, and the experience of joy in singing and acting and dancing together on our stage will still be in their hearts wherever they are,” Howard said in the directorial note in the program. “That is why we do this and why it is important for them to do this.”

This hilarious production, which is being performed 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday can’t be missed; these middle school performers are talented.

Asher BaumrinStaff Writer

Emma Maltby/ Staff Photographer

Emma Maltby/ Staff Photographer

Victoria McKabaStaff Writer

Page 7: Untitled

The horace Mann record Friday, December 9, 2011 7Lions DenLions Den

After a long season filled with punishing hits on the football field and dazzling foot skills on the soccer pitch, the New York Post announced the All-Bronx Teams for soccer, while the Hudson Valley League revealed its awards for football.

After a 30-22 win against Forman to finish the season, six players from the football team earned spots on the Hudson Valley League 1st Team. Among the players selected were senior Captains Braxton Brewton and Eddy Grafstein.

Brewton was the Lions’ starting quarterback, and used his strengths as a runner and as a passer to pick apart opposing defenses throughout the season.

“Braxton really helped us this year with his ability as a dual-threat quarterback,” Coach Matt Russo said. “He made it hard on the other team’s defense because they had to

defend the run and respect his arm.”Grafstein played center for the

Lions, and consistently provided good blocking and pinpoint snaps for the quarterback. Grafstein was also an invaluable leader for the team, players said.

“Eddy kept the offensive line together at all times for us, and he was also a really great captain,” teammate Adam Mansfield (11) said.

Joseph Cooper (12), Anthony, Gagliardi (11), and Andrew Schwartz (11) were also named to the 1st team. Cooper was recognized as one of the league’s elite linebackers, collecting the most tackles in the league. Gagliardi, who filled in for the injured Matt Cott (12) at running back, was a formidable offensive weapon. Schwartz was selected on the 1st team for his prowess on both sides of the ball, which “showed his versatility as a blocker and a very strong pass rusher,” Russo said.

Michael Lighten (9) was the only

freshman from any school to be selected to the 1st team. Lighten played a few different positions for the Lions, from situational defensive tackle to safety, and excelled at all of them. “He’s a really strong athlete and he could hurt teams from any position,” Russo said.

On the soccer field, Captain Toby Lee (12) and Andrew Silberstein (11) earned spots on the Post’s All-Bronx 1st Team. Lee, who led the Lions in scoring this year, was a major factor in the team’s first Ivy League Championship since 2008. Lee netted 2 clutch goals to seal the win in a crucial regular season game against Collegiate. Lee’s “Lee-dership” qualities also helped the Lions get pumped up for all of their games.

“Toby’s not only a potent scorer, but he’s also a great leader who provided motivation and inspiration for other players in games and in practice,” Coach Neil Berniker said.

A large part of the Lions’ success this season can also be attributed

to Silberstein. Voted MVP by his teammates, Silberstein commanded the midfield in every game and did “whatever it took to get the win,” Coach Neil Berniker said. In the NYSAISAA Postseason Tournament, Silberstein picked up 2 goals in as many games, including a long-distance rocket into the upper 90 in the semifinals.

“Andrew did everything for us this year. He scored, set up chances, and play defense,” Berniker said. “He was a dominant force wherever he was on the field.”

Owen Elliot (12) and Captain Bernie Rawlins (11) earned honorable mentions, as they were each deadly offensive weapons for the Lions all year.

For the Girls’ Soccer Team, Sarah Heintz (11) was named onto the All-Bronx first team, and Captain Gillian Miller-Lewis (12) got honorable mention.

Heintz scored the most goals of any player for the Lions last year, and was a fearsome offensive

threat that every team struggled to defend against. Midway through the season, Coach Tim Sullivan moved Heintz from midfield to striker, which provided a huge spark for the Lions offense.

“In the beginning of the season our team was struggling to score goals, but when we moved Sarah to the forward position we were able to score on every team from that point on,” Sullivan said. “She is without question the most tenacious player in the Bronx.”

Miller-Lewis was a steady force for the Lions and played several different positions. She was the sole captain of the team, and provided great leadership on and off the field.

“Gillian is a leader in every sense of the word. The example she set for her teammates says so much more than any words ever could,” Sullivan said. “She excelled no matter where she was on the field, and is without question the best captain I have ever coached.”

Record File Photos

Andrew ArnaboldiStaff Writer

Fall Athletes Receive Honors

Lions’ Soccer and Football players were recognized around New York City. From left: Sarah Heintz (11) attempts to cross it into the box, Anthony Gagliardi (11) lead blocks for Braxton Brewton (12), and Toby Lee (12) looks to control the ball in the midfield.

Spotlight: HM Coaches

Coach BuschmannCoach Sullivan, aka “Sully”Record: What do you like about

Horace Mann? I love the people here, both the

students and the faculty.

What is the best part about your job at HM?

It’s definitely the different athletes I get to coach here. We have a lot of dedicated and driven athletes here. Their effort and intensity makes my job fun and exciting.

What sports do you coach here?

I coach Girls’ soccer and Boys’ varsity basketball.

What is your favorite sport? Well, I have to say both

soccer and basketball, the two sports I coach. I love them both even though they are very different. I like the intensity and passion that both sports bring out.

What sports did you play in college?

I played division III soccer and basketball, the sports I now coach, at my alma mater.

What are your favorite

professional sports teams? My favorite baseball team

to watch is the Yankees, but in basketball I don’t really have a favorite team.

Record: What do you like about Horace Mann?

I like working with the kids that get hurt, but then seeing them back on the field succeeding is really the best part.

What are some of the most common injuries you see?

Ankle sprains and shin splints are common among athletes and runners. And in recent years, concussions have been more recognized in any trainer’s room.

Any tips for athletes to prevent injuries?

The best way to start would be a strength and conditioning program in the offseason with resistance training, including some cardio

and a lot of flexibility. It doesn’t have to be super-intensive, but flexibility is a must in most sports that can get overlooked.

What is your favorite sport?

I played baseball and lacrosse competitively personally, but have loved to watch soccer and football so far at school with all the exciting games this fall.

What are your favorite professional sports teams?

Well I’m a New Yorker born and raised so all New York Sports (Yankees, Giants, Rangers, and Knicks). Of those, my absolute favorite is the Yankees. I also like the Boston Cannons in

lacrosse.

What is something that students don’t know about you?

I learned many of my athletic training skills from Ms. Mojica’s father, who is a certified trainer at my alma mater, and was my clinical mentor. By working with him at my school, I learned everything I use today from wrapping an ankle to other forms of treatment.

Interview Conducted by Evan Reinsberg Interview Conducted by Matt Cott

Page 8: Untitled

Lions’DenDecember 9, 2011 Volume 109, Issue 12

The Horace Mann Record

Varsity wrestlers opened up the season with a victory in its first quad meet at home against Xavier, Trinity, and Fordham Prep last Friday. “We did very well, and a lot of people surpassed expectations,” Matt Russo (11) said. “Most team members wrestled one or two matches and displayed a lot of bright spots, but there is still a lot of work to do in order to make each match consistent, and secure more decisive victories in the future.”

On Saturday, the Lions competed against seven other elite teams at Rye High School. “We had some tough competition at Rye, but the individual matches and overall outcome gave us insight as to where we stack up against the public school wrestlers, and what we need to work on in the practices before winter break,” Bennett Heller (11)said. He, along with Erik Derecktor (12) won

their weight classes.Head Coach Gregg Quilty said

“I’m very pleased with the team’s performance this weekend. Some guys wrestled eight times in just twenty-four hours, which takes a lot out of you. Job well done there.”

The Lions will take on Ivy League rival Hackley next Wednesday. “Wrestling against Hackley is like the Ivy Championship, because they are our best competition in the league; however, I’m very confident that we’re going to beat them,”Derecktor said. “Hackley came second behind us last year for the State Title, so this meet will be very telling about both the Ivy and State Championships,” Coach Quilty said

Quilty agreed with Heller that the first two meets are good indicators of where each wrestler stands. “We often win the first three and lose two on Saturday’s meet,” he said. “The team definitely has some weak spots; we’re pretty solid in the middle-weight classes, but our light

and heavy weight classes have some weaker areas. We lost two wrestlers to injuries, and now have a problem filling in there.”

“Because of unexpected injuries we’re going to need some younger kids to step up, take more responsibility and perform for the team,” Derecktor said. “It’s most important we focus now on Ivies and States, nationals

will be our focus later on.” .The Lions have won the Ivy

Championship for the past eleven years, and took states ten out of the past eleven. “Right now, we’re really working on finding the best competition we can, and learning from our mistakes. If we improve on our mistakes early, we can dominate the teams in our league and

prepare for a tough post season,” Quilty said.

Next Saturday, the team will wrestle in the Clarkstown North High School Wrestling Tournament. “It’s going to be a tough meet. We’re wrestling against public school teams, which present us with much more competition than the private school teams do,” Heller said.

After a hard fought and emotional game, the Boys’ Varsity Basketball team fell to the defending Class C Champion Columbia Prep in a 67-73 nail biter. With this most recent loss, the Lions dropped to 0-2 on the season.

Playing in a packed Prettyman Gym, the Lions were able to feed off the crowd’s support and roared out to at 26-17 lead. First-year point guard Andrew Bakst (10) was able to provide offensive support by draining four three-pointers in a row. “Bakst’s shot was on, so we wanted him to continue shooting the ball, and he did a good job of it,” teammate Thomas Schnepp (10) said. Bakst finished the game with 20 points.

Schnepp also contributed on the offensive end, scoring a team high 30 points, most of which came off of layups and inside game.

With the team’s strong offensive performance early on, it seemed as if the Lions were going to seize control

of the game and avenge last year’s defeat in the NYSAISAA tournament. However, the momentum shifted in the second quarter. The Lions quickly got themselves into foul trouble and many key players had to be substituted out of the game including Captain Thomas Kim (12) and Nick Wiener (12). By the end of the first half, they were well over the bonus with twelve fouls, and Columbia Prep was able to rack up points from the charity stripe. Heading into the second half, two of the Lions’ starters had already committed four fouls.

“Throughout the season, Coach Sullivan has pushed us to play with a lot of defensive intensity,” Schnepp said. “While we applied pressure, we drew many early fouls and some of our players got into foul trouble. That definitely hurt us today.”

Coming out of the locker room after halftime, the resilient Lions bounced back from a lackluster second quarter and grabbed the lead in the third quarter. By the end of the third quarter the Lions were clinging to a 59-57 lead.

“Going into the fourth quarter we

felt pretty good. We were doing a nice job of bringing the ball up and breaking the press most of the time,” Schnepp said.

However, in the last two minutes of play the Lions fell into a stupor and an experienced Columbia Prep team was able to force some turnovers and capitalize on those mistakes in crunch time. “We definitely outplayed Columbia Prep for most of the game,” Bakst said. “It was a combination of bad calls and untimely turnovers that ultimately led to our defeat.”

The Lions look to bounce back and snap their two-game skid this Friday against Loyola in the Peg Duggan Tournament. Last season, they were able to maul the Knights in a dominant 60-40 win. The team however lost in the final round of the tournament against a strong a Regis team 51-53.

“It is always fun to play on our home court in the Duggan Tournament,” Bernie Rawlins (11) said. “Hopefully, we can go out there and get a win against an improved Loyola team.”

Andrew SchwartzStaff Writer

The Girls’ Varsity Basketball team hammered Columbia Prep 64-33 in its second game of the season Thursday, advancing to the next round of the Peg Duggan Tournament with a home game against Loyola on Saturday.

The Lions dominated from the opening whistle, with strong defense, successful executions of their plays and good looks at the basket. They maintained their lead throughout the entire game and were able to put in all of their players.

“We passed well, gave a lot of effort, and fought the whole game,” Rachel Lander (11) said. Lander, point guard Maddy Gordon (12) and power forward Kaitlan Puglia (11) stood out, Assistant Coach Keri Hall said.

“Maya Levine (12) really stepped up and brought up the ball when we needed her to and made a lot of key 3’s,” Lander said.

To prepare for the game, the players have been reviewing their offensive plays and practicing inbounds and shooting. The team lost two seniors,

Samantha Schiff (’11) and Clara Hill (’11), who gave the team “flexibility on both offense and defense,” Harmon said. Schiff was a great ball handler with a lot of speed, and Clara was a “great outside shooter,” Rachel Essner (12) said.

Despite their success, the team struggled defensively and was not able to cover Columbia’s screens because of poor positioning and communication, Head Coach RJ Harmon said. Though the whole team contributed,

The team will hopefully be able to continue to improve with addition of three new team members, including Jennifer Reiss (9) who “provides skills to help us bring up the ball if we get into trouble,” Lander said.

Although the starting lineup is set, roles of substitutes off the bench have not been set. “We’re trying to get a flow of our chemistry,” Harmon said.

Looking forward, the girls are going to focus on improving their defending and rebounding. “All I ask is that we work hard in practice and prepare, because those are the things we can control,” Harmon said. “You can’t control the outcome of the game, but if you prepare and give a good effort, everything else is a byproduct.”

Molly WhartonStaff Writer

Bernie Rawlins (11) drives past his defender in the 67-73 loss to the defending Class C Champion Columbia Prep.Kimberley Sarnoff/Photography Editor

Maya Levine (12) blows by her defender in the 64-33 win.Kimberley Sarnoff/Photography Editor

Boys’ Fall Short in Leonine Matchup

Erik Derecktor (12) attempts to pin his opponent in the team’s first meet. Justin Gilston/Photography Editor

Wrestlers Start Off StrongSarah HeintzStaff Writer

Girls’ Dominate Columbia