TOWER The Masters School
49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522
VOLUME 76, NUMBER 1
Editorial In an unprecedented time in the United State’s history, listening to understand has never been more important. With leaders across the political spectrum sowing division, Tower encourages the Masters community to listen to opposing viewpoints with an open mind, as the 2020 Presidential Election crawls closer.
tower.mastersny.org
OCTOBER 30, 2020
Masters announces pooled testing plan
MITCH FINK AND KATE SIBERY Editors-in-Chief Weekly pooled testing began this week after Director of Health Services Sue Adams announced that Masters would be shifting its Covid-19 testing approach from an initial single round to a pooled testing regimen in a community-wide email sent on Friday Oct. 16. The school collected its first samples on Monday Oct. 26. The testing is being carried out in coordination with JCM Analytics, a health consulting firm based in Durham, N.C. Pooled testing involves the collection of individual testing samples, which are then grouped together in “pools” and analyzed for traces of Covid-19. The approach has become increasingly popular across the nation, due to its capability to test large groups of people accurately. In areas which are not suffering from a major spike in cases, the method works well, because a majority of the pools will come back negative. However, when a significant number of pools test positive, each individual sample must be retested, which can result in a loss of key resources. Every student and faculty member received a testing kit, which consisted of a nasal swab and a plastic vial, which they used to gather their own samples while at home. Individuals who were not cleared by the AUXS Safety App were not allowed to participate in the testing. The AUXS Safety App is a tool which the school has used to keep potentially symptomatic individuals off campus. “The health advisory team felt [pooled testing] was needed to pursue the
most accurate picture possible of asymptomatic occurrences,” Adams told Tower. Masters shifted to pool testing after completing an initial round of testing, where students and faculty were each individually tested on campus before the campus reopened for hybrid live and remote classes on October 5. No test results returned positive. Many students and faculty have reacted positively to the news, citing the frequency and convenience of the program. Senior Brooke Tatarian said, “I think it’s more effective, in comparison to having everyone cominto school to test individually,” adding, “You’d rather be safe t h a n sorry.”
Jonathan Karpinos, chair of the Modern and Classical Languages Department and Upper School Latin teacher, echoed Tatarian’s sentiment. “It feels like a manageable way to keep the testing going,” he said. Head of School Laura Danforth and other top administrators worked closely with the health advisory team to make the decision, weighing the convenience, cost and effectiveness. “We h a v e
about 1,000 people coming and going on our campus every day and if you do individual testing, it’s a lot more expensive, like 55 dollars a test. With pool testing you still get a great sampling of how we’re doing healthwise on our campus.” Both Danforth and Adams expressed that the shift came after researching the testing methods of other schools in the area. Among the schools researched were Rye Country Day in Rye, N.Y, The Hill School in Pottstown, Pa. and Hackley School in Tarrytown, N.Y. Hackley has employed a pooled testing system since it opened in early September, and according to Peter Sawkins, the school’s director of auxiliary services, the program has been successful. Hackley has reported zero cases of the virus. Upper School History Teacher Andrew Lopez was pleased with the shift, not just because of the accuracy of pooled testing, but also because it forces the students to take on social responsibility. “It is a weekly reminder for the students to take their behavior seriously as it relates to preventative measures,” he said. “You don’t want to be the one kid to fail the pool test, and so maybe you make the decision that ‘I’m not going to go out tonight’ or ‘I’m not going to engage in risky behavior’.”
M. BRODY LEO/TOWER
VIVIANNA SIMON ‘24 USES a testing swab for her self administered test. Each in-person student received a testing kit on Oct. 23, and submitted to the health office by early the next week. Students were told to put the swab in their noses, rotate four times in each direction, and wait for eight seconds before taking it out.
New schedule: students react CAROL QUEIROZ Ad Manager and Copy Editor After four months of learning from home, Masters students, faculty and staff made their way back to campus for in-person learning. As the school tries to accommodate both on-campus and virtual students, the remote schedule which has been used since April has been replaced by a new in-person schedule. There are a number of standout differences between the old and new schedule. Breaks between classes are shorter, classes were extended from 60 to 70 minutes, the day now begins and ends 15 minutes earlier and a 50-minute long lunch replaces the hour-long break of the virtual schedule, as it is now combined with alternating shift 3rd period classes. For Junior Teddy Diamond, the lack of breaks and designated club meeting time during the school day was a concern. Diamond is a co-president of two newly-founded clubs, Quantum Everything and the Card Club, and the new schedule left him struggling to plan meeting times which work for club members. “Seeing that there were no breaks, the first thing that popped into my mind was there won’t be...
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Online students share mixed experiences since reopening decided to remain remote because he believes that we don’t really know what is going to happen, going into the next few months. “I admittedly have been a little concerned that we might be going backwards to where we were a few months ago, and I don’t really want to be a part of that,” he said. Sophomore Chris Nappo echoed a similar sentiment. “I didn’t want to go back to school and be the first kind of test to go back- let’s say that there was an infection, I didn’t want to be among those group of kids, constantly worrying if I got COVID-19 or not,” he said. Yet despite worry, many who remained remote also mentioned the conflict they were feeling over their decision. Remaining remote was not going to be the same as
wasn’t such a bad idea.” An additional worry by the students Kyla Barantsevitch was that remote students would be forgotten by the teachers, and would have a hard Web Editor time participating in class. However, as the weeks go on with the new schedule, most feel as though students and teachers are adapting better Since stay-at-home orders were first isto it, despite technical issues. Grizzaffi sued in March, it has become clear that refurther mentions that utilizing the use of turning to normal may not be the case for student feedback proved beneficial in the a long time. This became even more true spring, and she hopes that the school will when over the summer, Masters issued an continue to use that going forward. email which stated the school decided to Overall, while there have been continremain remote for September, however ued downsides of staying online, such as on Sep. 24 it was then announced that a negative effect on mental health, lack in-person classes would resume on Oct. of social interaction and the increased 5. While many were eager to return, there screen time, Battleman, Grizzaffi, Gatty have been a number of day students who and Nappo expressed that it wasn’t worth have chosen to continue risking their health and with remote learning. safety to go back to school Due to pressure, many at this time. I didn’t want to go back to school and be the colleges and high schools That isn’t to say that the went back to their brick some students interviewed first kind of test to go back - let’s say that there feel as though the school and mortar institutions, was an infection, I didn’t want to be among those group albeit with changes in mismanaged their handling procedures and protoof the pandemic, as they of kids, constantly worrying if I got COVID-19 or not.’ cols. However, students were almost unanimous at Masters received an in saying they thought the -Chris Nappo ‘23 email in late July detailing school has done a great job the school’s plan not to in their response. Battleresume in-person classes man said, “I think as a plan in September, and to wait until Sep. 30 to when everyone was online, and they would overall it is great, I think in the scheme of decide whether to send students back. be facing a major transition. what the school could be doing, they are With the onset of fall, there have been Senior Carly Grizzaffi said, “Some- doing virtually everything they can.” a rise of cases in New York City specifical- thing that was really concerning was that Gatty furthers, “from what the little ly, which is in close proximity to Masters. my mental health could potentially worsen knowledge that everyone had [in regards New York City is now averaging 643 new because of a lack of social interaction with to COVID], I think the school handled it cases each day, an uptick of 19 percent my friends on a daily basis.” really well.” from two weeks ago. However, Sophomore Christopher Yet in the end, students interviewed The school hasn’t been immune and to Gatty was in a unique situation that said they felt as though remaining caudate, there have been four recorded in- prompted him not to feel this way. While tious is the best course of action. As to stances of Covid-19 on campus, with the he mentions that he too was initially un- when they plan to return, Grizzaffi menMiddle School even being shut-down for sure with how the school’s plan was going tioned said, “I am hoping that things a week after it was announced on Oct. 8 to work, he was stranded in The Caribbe- will become more steady and stable and I that someone had tested positive. Many an for five months due to border restric- will feel more comfortable going back to day students cite this as their main reason tions and, “I didn’t have to go through school everyday.” to decide to remain remote. [staying at home] when I was away so I Zachary Battleman, a senior, said he thought coming back and staying home
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RYAN FERGUSON/TOWER
ABOVE: SENIOR RYAN FERGUSON ATTENDS statistics class through Zoom at his at-home workspace. Ferguson said that online class is preferable for him due both to the commute he can skip and the working area that he has set up for himself. BELOW: JUNIORS SIT IN MASTERS Hall, looking at online students displayed on the whiteboard. In the first few days of reopening, students found that teachers struggled with juggling both online and in-person students. Since then, many believe that the situation has improved considerably.
RACHEL SCHWARTZ/TOWER