Grit: The Secret to Success

As MHS seniors graduate and embark on their next adventure, there is great optimism about their prospects. Mamaroneck’s educators and parents of these graduates want to see students thrive and succeed. But what do most people say is the secret to success? Intelligence? Talent? Socio-economic status? College choice? All of these factors play a role, but according to Angela Duckworth, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, the most important variable in success is grit.  In her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Duckworth defines grit as passion and perseverance toward long term goals. She explains that the highly successful people of the world have a “ferocious determination” that inspires them to work hard, face adversity with resilience, and stay focused on their goals. Contrary to popular belief, Duckworth’s research suggests grit may be more important than intelligence or talent. Grit goes hand-in-hand with achievement. Studies show grit is also associated with life satisfaction and well-being. Given the importance of grit, it stands to reason that educators, parents, and employers might want to learn how to encourage “gritty” qualities.

Historically, Americans have been more impressed by talent than by hard work. The notion of natural talent may be more interesting than considering this drudgery of hard work and persistence. We favor “naturals” over “strivers,” which explains our attraction to shows like America’s Got Talent, the X Factor, and So You Think You Can Dance? In the mythology of talent, Americans tend to idolize those people who seem to be born with innate skills, not taking into consideration that most individuals at the top of their fields are also spending thousands of hours working to develop whatever innate talents they posses. Our intense focus on talent sends the message that other personal traits are unimportant. This might cause us to look at talented individuals and think I’m never going to be as successful as they are. It’s probably not even worth trying. This refers to spending less time improving and pushing ourselves to our maximum potential. A Harvard psychologist, William James, explained this phenomenon: “The human individual usually lives far within his limits; he possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use.”

Seniors Off to Serve: Hannah Hanley (Naval Academy) and Beatrice Karp (R.O.T.C.)

Hannah Hanley

As a young girl, Hannah Hanley would go sailing with her family off the coast of Annapolis, Maryland. While sailing, she could see the midshipmen, cadets in the US Navy, training and thought the campus of the Naval Academy was beautiful. This summer, Hannah will be taking the first step to becoming a midshipman herself. In July, Hannah will be attending The Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island. One year later, she will enter the United States Naval Academy.

The process to get accepted was not easy, and Hannah feels fortunate to have been chosen. Her first step was applying for the Naval Academy Summer Seminar last summer.  She was accepted and stayed there for one week, living how an actual student would. She loved it, despite its challenges. She enjoyed testing her limits and “being a part of something bigger than herself.” After the program, she knew she wanted to someday have a leadership role in the Navy, and knew attending the Naval Academy would provide her the best opportunities to fulfill that dream.

The application process for the Naval Academy is quite different and more challenging than most other colleges. A prerequisite for applying is to receive a nomination from either a congressman, vice president or president. Hannah received a nomination from Congressman Eliot Engel of New York. In addition, she had an interview with a local alumni and took a multitude of tests, such as fitness and medical exams. This long process started in the summer before her senior year, rather than September when most do.

Internship Program Finds Success

At MHS, a major part of many students’ senior year is taking part in an internship program. They are based on an aspect of what the student wishes to pursue in their future. In general, they last about two months (or six to seven weeks). Some of the most popular internships at Mamaroneck High School are done at Habitat for Humanity (building homes), Discovering Me (a nursery school), and local elementary schools like Chatsworth, Murray, and Central. A few notable internships done by seniors include: iHeartMedia (done by Wyatt Feldman), 1-800-NYBULBS (done by Jessica Barrios and Garret Katz), and the New York Red Bulls (done by Matt Frank). Another unique internship is done at Penguin Random House, the famous publishing company. This was done by Samantha Lurie, Paula Torres, and Jordan Steinberg. Since this internship was done at a prestigious company, we decided to find out more from one of the seniors taking part: Sam Lurie.

Holocaust Survivor Wants Remembrance

How much do students know about the Holocaust? A recent article published by The New York Times alleges that 41%  millenials don’t know what Auschwitz is, 41% believe 2 million or less Jews were killed and 22% say they haven’t even heard of the Holocaust. Mamaroneck High School is making sure that our students do not fall into that category. In May, the sophomores in Mr. Madin’s english class had the unforgettable experience of meeting a Holocaust survivor. Dr. Salomea Kape, a 92 year old woman who lives in Larchmont, came in to share her story of surviving the Holocaust in the Lodz Ghetto in Poland until 1945.

During her teenage years from age thirteen to eighteen, Kape experienced the daily horrors of living in the crowded ghetto. She recalls one of the main natural killers, hunger, and how it can change a person entirely: “Hunger kills in you, your ability to be a human being. It dehumanizes you. [The hungry people] would look around and not actually see.” She remembers that in desperation, many Jews would become informants for the Nazis in exchange for an extra ration, but would later face the common fate shared by most in the Ghetto: transport to Auschwitz.

As an only child, she was saved multiple times by her mom. One dramatic example of this was during one selection in the ghetto, where the remaining Jews were divided into those who would be transported away to certain death and those who would be left to clean up the ghetto after it was liquidated. Her mother, an intelligent midwife, noticed that the line they were put in was composed of primarily weaker, older people. To save her daughter, she sneaked them into the other line, an offense punishable by certain death if caught. If not for the courage of her mother, she might not be alive today to tell us her story.

New MHS Gym Needs More Accessibility

Since the beginning of the school year, the remodeled athletic facilities in Palmer have been open. This $11.64 million dollar renovation has certainly improved our workout spaces, which are now filled with turf, fitness machines, weights, and even a climbing wall. However, there remain many questions among MHS students as to whether or not the new workout rooms are being used to their full potential, as they are only easily accessible to gym classes and after-school sports teams. PE teacher Ms. Byron approached the Student Council with an idea: could MHS fund after-school hours in the workout rooms for any student to exercise? Ms. Byron believes that it would be beneficial to implement open-gym hours to allow students the privilege of getting active without the added cost of paying for a gym membership.

Farewell Globe Seniors

Editors-in-Chief

The Globe staff of 2017-2018 excelled under the leadership of Jordan Steinberg and Liam Katz, two of the three Editors-in-Chief for this past school year. Their enthusiasm and passion was shown through their dedication to the Globe and the two left a great impression on the staff.

        Jordan Steinberg began writing for the Globe his freshman year and became an Assistant Op-Ed Editor sophomore year. At the end of his sophomore year, Steinberg applied for Editor-in-Chief but did  not expect to get the position. Steinberg applied for the position because he knew he would put in the work and was a very active staff member. Steinberg’s hard work paid off and he was selected as Editor-in-Chief and held that position for two years. In addition to holding the head position for two years, Steinberg balanced that with the school’s Model Congress, of which he was the president, the Force, and music discussion club. One of Steinberg’s fondest memories of his time at MHS was being Editor-in-Chief. He went on trips to Columbia University, where the Globe staff attended lectures, conferences and met other publications from across the country. He added that he will also miss the “general community atmosphere” in the Globe room. Steinberg made the Globe room a welcoming place and formed bonds with many staff members. Steinberg demonstrated strong leadership skills and was respected by all of his fellow staff members for his positive and friendly attitude. After graduation, Jordan will attend Georgetown University and is planning to major in political economy.

The Man Behind the Tiger Mask

Meet Noah Wolfson: president of the school, DJ in the overpass, and the man behind the tiger mask. Noah first entered the Student Council world his freshman year when his orientation leader encouraged him to put his name on the ballot. Much to his surprise, he ended up becoming the freshman class president. The following year he continued his reign as the sophomore class president. During his junior year, he took a break from the presidency run and took on the position of vice president of social affairs. However, the break did not last long as he ran for, and was elected to, president of the school for his senior year. Looking back, Noah’s favorite Student Council memory was gaining the support of fellow Student Council members to invest in rally towels for the hockey playoff games his sophomore year. He enthusiastically sold the towels at a game against Scarsdale, in which the team came back from a 2-0 deficit and won 3-2. He recalls the rally towels making him feel as though he had “just won the Stanley Cup.”

Senior Proposals

Every year here at MHS Seniors creatively ask their dates to prom by making a sign or another sort of proposal, known as a “Promposal.” We chose some of the best ones.

A Mindful Year for MHS

Photo courtesy of Dganit Alma: Ms. Whalen’s pre-calc honors class made 1,000 page cranes during their mindfulness period.

In the past year at Mamaroneck High School, the schedule has been altered to allow students to practice mindfulness during the first three minutes of first period and the period after lunch. Overall, the program has been a success, with students learning new strategies with how to manage their stress. However, just like anything, there have been some challenges.

Two years ago, Ms. Clain formed the “Promoting Student Health” committee, which is made up of student representatives, faculty, and parents. This was a direct response to continuous research showing that students have unhealthy stress levels. The group made decisions based off of two goals- to both help lower students’ stress and to teach them how to cope with it. The second line of thinking is what helped begin the mindfulness program. Initiatives were started to inform faculty members about the benefits of mindfulness, including a seminar by local Cheryl Brause, a certified mindfulness instructor. The decision to incorporate mindfulness into the school day was made when MHS Info was changed to only being aired on Fridays, not every day of the week. This allowed for six minutes on Mondays through Thursdays to be dedicated to practicing mindfulness.

In February, administration sent out a survey to MHS students asking them to reflect on their experience with the new mindfulness program. Out of 1,089 responses, 52% of students said that 1 of their teachers does mindfulness every day, 21.4% responded that 2 of their teachers do, 22.2% answered that none of their teachers do it, and 4.4% reported that they have 3 or more teachers that practice mindfulness every day. These are varied results, and show that only a small population of the school is actually following the guidelines provided by the new schedule. However, it is clear that students have been noticing some differences, with 54% reporting it has helped them feel more relaxed and calm, and 25.5% reporting reduced anxiety. Mr. Minotti, a health teacher at MHS, has noticed that his students are more focused and on task; he has also received mostly positive feedback.

Yanny or Laurel: Is it Science?

Back in 2015, a picture of a dress went viral on social media and the internet. Everyone seemed to be talking about the dress because people saw it in different colors. “It’s blue and black” or “it’s white and gold” was the debate in every household. But now, it is not a visual puzzle that people are arguing over, but instead it is an “ear-ilusion.” The audio clip of “Yanny and Laurel” has gone viral and is causing debate everywhere. A one word robotic recording is making people hear different words from the same recording. So how is it possible that people can hear two different words at the same time, from the same device? Studies about “The Dress” have shown that it was a brain assumption of the lighting in the picture (livescience.com). Similarly, the one word recording allows your brain to interpret the words “Yanny and Laurel.”  

Lettuce Eat Safely

Last month, Caesar salad enthusiasts got quite the scare when several cases of E. Coli-related illnesses were linked to the consumption of romaine lettuce. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the contaminated romaine was grown in the Yuma, Arizona region. Common symptoms of E. Coli include nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. Ultimately, the lettuce caused 172 cases of E. Coli across 32 states and resulted in one death. Romaine is now being grown in Salinas Valley, California and has been deemed safe to eat again by the CDC as the contaminated batch exceeded its 21-day shelf life on May 18th.

MHS Performances: The Year in Review

The 2017–2018 school year marked yet another excellent year of music and arts-related performances at Mamaroneck High School, and we’re not finished yet! PACE’s Senior Recital and Musical Revue are both coming up. Over the course of the entire year, Mamaroneck students put on over 20 productions/concerts spanning across PACE, the music department, and school-wide collaborations such as the musical. While all of the shows put on by MHS students this year are worth noting, there are a few that stand out in particular…

One of the first performances of the year was PACE’s two-cast production of Sense and Sensibility, which opened back in October. Directed by PACE theatre teacher Mr. Moore, auditions were held for the play in June of last year and rehearsals began just before school started. Based on the book of the same name, Sense and Sensibility tells the story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, as they learn what it is to fall in love. The two casts were led by Callie Zola (’18) and Lauren Kroll (’18) who played the role of Elinor. Lindsey Belisle (’19) and Abby Lee (18′) performed as Marianne. The two girl’s love interests, Willoughby and Edward, were performed by Grant Tucker (’19) and Sammy Pignalosa (19’), and  Ian Melemend (18’) and Chase Thede (18’) respectively. The play was well received by its audience, as many admired the wit, comedy and cleverness of the show and its actors.

Another PACE performance, this year’s Kinesthesia has actually made recent news. Choreographer Julia Hintz’s (18’) dance was performed at the 92nd Street Y Dance Up! Festival in April. Titled Girl with music by Jamie XX, the dance was selected from 75 other pieces to be performed at the nationally recognized festival. Originally choreographed for Kinesthesia, the dance features Sydney Chun (19’), Ava Cyruli (18’) and Lauren Sigda (18’). Kinesthesia itself was quite the production, showcasing over 15 dances choreographed by seniors in the PACE program. Performed in December, the show featured dance styles that ranged from tap to hip hop to modern dance, and pieces that included as few as two dancers to as many as 20 or more on stage at once. This years senior dance, choreographed by PACE dance teacher Ms. Parsley and performed by the PACE 4 Senior Dance class, was done to a lovely rendition of Andra Day’s Rise Up, sung by Lilou Bolieher (20’) and Lindsey Belisle (19’).

5 Things To Do in NYC this Summer

1- Go Stargazing on The High line

Visiting the High Line is a great activity in general, but it’s especially beautiful if you go on a summer Tuesday night to stargaze and hang out with your friends. There are even telescopes set up on Tuesday nights for the chance to see stars and planets.

2- Watch an Outdoor Movie

Grab a blanket and set up under the stars to watch a movie with your friends. Try NYC Parks Movies Under The Stars, SummerScreen, or Bryant Park Festival to find a time to see some of  your favorite movies under the stars. And, on top of that, most of them are free!

Summer Music Preview

The summer of 2017 was jam-packed with everything from politics to celebrity news. In addition, tons of new music was released over these past few months. Here is some of the new music of Summer 2017:

Tyler the Creator released his 4th studio album titled Flower Boy on July 21st. The release was announced days after the two lead singles for the album “Who Dat Boy” and “911 / Mr. Lonely,” which was subsequently followed by the releases of “Boredom” and “I Ain’t Got Time.” Controversy surrounded the album before its official release, when a leak of Flower Boy hit the internet. In this leak, people noted a multitude of lyrics which seemed to imply the rapper is gay. This comes with extreme controversy as Tyler has been put under heat in recent years for using extreme homophobic and offensive lyrics in his past albums. Tyler has made no official comment on his sexuality in the internet chaos surrounding the album, but despite the controversial lyrics, Flower Boy has turned out to be what many consider Tyler’s best work. The album was met with universal critical acclaim as well as reaching the number two spot on the Billboard 100, selling 106,000 copies in its first week. Tyler’s previous album, 2015’s Cherry Bomb was met with lukewarm acclaim, and and around half the sales of Flower Boy, proving that Tyler is here to stay in the world of rap, and is more relevant than ever.

Golf, No Longer Co-ed, is Growing

Originally, Mamaroneck’s golf team was coed, but now the team has been divided into a boys and girls team. In their first season the Varsity Girls Golf team has already begun showing themselves off. Even without the best record on the overall season, the team hasn’t let their losses deter them from moving forward to finish the year out strong.

With a packed schedule over the last few weeks of regular season play, at least one competitive round a week, it’s certainly been busy. Still, they haven’t let that stop them on their quest to cement themselves in Mamaroneck’s history books.

Tigerstyle Wrestling Thrives in New Facility

Although this team usually enjoys flying under the radar, they have  accomplished too much this year to remain from public knowledge. Wrestling is a sport that takes focus, hard work and more than anything: perseverance. Mamaroneck wrestling, also known as Tigerstyle wrestling, has taken all of these aspects to the next level.

Mamaroneck wrestling went 8-6 this year and placed 10th at sectionals out of more than 30 teams competing. The team’s success comes as no shock to the players or coaches as they were practicing hard all year round. During the summer, Mamaroneck wrestling could be seen 3 times a week at 6 o’clock in the morning, working out on the track.

2017-2018 Sports Year Records

Lacrosse Wins Section Championship

Photos courtesy of Sandra Wong Geroux. 

The Tigers defeated Lakeland/Panas 16-9 on Wednesday, May 30 to capture the Section 1 Class A Lacrosse Champion-ship. This win quali ed the team for regionals, which they lost on June 2 to Niskayuna after a close game that ended 14-13. The regionals game marked the end of the season for the team, but they’re looking forward to another great season next year, hoping advance even further.

 

Tennis Doubles Aylett and Levinson Take States

Photo courtesy of Sports News. 

Principal Clain Participates in Press Conference with Students

Photos courtesy of Emily Dombroff: Principal Clain takes questions. 

Students at Mamaroneck feel disconnected from the school’s administration and would welcome greater connection and communication. Mr. Madin’s first semester Journalism students had an opportunity to bridge that gap by conducting a “press conference” with Principal Clain.