The Hourglass 2021-22 Issue I

hourglass
OCTober/NOVember 2021
VOLUME 60 ISSUE I DISCE VERUM LABOREM 1888 701 MONTGOMERY AVENUE, BRYN MAWR, PA 19010
Why does baldwin want us
to “be there”?
A look inside Baldwin’s recent fundraising efforts
and what they reveal about private schools.
visionary
$2.5m
INVESTING IN
THE FACULTy’S
STRENGTHS
AND SKILLS
ready
funding the
$2.5m innovation center
$6m
toward the endowment
there
$8m
boosting
the baldwin fund
resilient
One of the many “The Future
is Baldwin” campaign
signs popping up
around school.
$6m
enrich teaching
and curriculum
fearless
MARIN HORWITZ ‘24
Sports Editor
A
few weeks ago, new signs studded
with phrases such as “Be Fearless,”
“Be Ready,” and “The Future Is
Baldwin” appeared around campus. This
is a part of Baldwin’s recent “The Future
Is Baldwin” campaign, a 25 million dollar
fundraiser.
According to the Baldwin website,
the newly-raised money is to be allocated
to five areas:
$2.5 million each for the Be Ready
and Be Visionary initiatives; the first aims
to fund the new Innovation Center and
the second to “invest in [the faculty’s]
strengths and skills.”
The Be Fearless initiative aims to
raise $6 million for “enriching teaching and
curriculum.” Be There has the same aim
but is focused instead on the endowment.
Finally, a goal of $8 million in the
Be Resilient campaign would boost the
Baldwin Fund.
Laura Armstrong, the school’s Chief
Director of Development, said Baldwin
decided to launch the new campaign “to
address strategic needs for the school now
and into the future.”
But why does Baldwin need 25 million
dollars?
According to IRS tax filings on
ProPublica, in 2019, Baldwin made
around $2.9 million in donations, or 12%
of the school’s total revenue. The number
fits in with other all-girls schools, such as
Agnes Irwin ($3.7 million).
However, the key to understanding
Baldwin’s fundraising is not how it
compares to AIS, but how it compares to
co-ed or all-boys schools. One study in
the UK by ToucanTech found that all-boys
schools have four times more donations
than all-girls schools, and according to
a study at Indiana University, parents are
more likely to donate to their sons’ schools
than their daughters’. In addition, female
alumni are less likely to donate to their
alma maters than male alumni, likely due
to the gender wage gap.
According to ProPublica data, the
all-boys Haverford School, considered to
be the “brother school” to Baldwin and
AIS, received $9.6 million in donations in
Design by Anna Wang ‘22 • Photography by Izzy Antanavicius ‘22
2019, over three times more than Baldwin
that year.
The endowments of the schools
further emphasize the sharp discrepancies
between all-boys and all-girls schools.
In spring 2021, Haverford had $90.2
million in its endowment, and its current
“Character At Our Core” Campaign has
already raised more than $50 million.
Baldwin’s endowment only had $18
million.
Outside of being compared to other
all-girls schools, Baldwin is far behind in
donations, endowment, financial aid. Here,
$25 million no longer seems unreasonable–
in fact, it is overdue and necessary to keep
Baldwin at the top of Main Line private
schools, regardless of gender.
opinion p. 4
dear sweatpants,
we miss you
When asked to take off their
sweatpants after a year of
lax uniform policies, how
did Baldwin students react?
features p. 5 centerfold p. 6 Arts p. 8 Backpage p. 12
human trafficking
in new jersey
After visiting the BAPS
Temple in New Jersey,
my mom said, “Have you
heard about that temple
that was build by slaves
here a little while ago?”
canvas vs. google
classroom
Over the past three years, Baldwin has
cycled through three different online
classroom applications: Powerschool
Learning, Google Classroom, and Canvas.
But were all of these changes necessary?
artist of the issue:
megan Magee ‘22
Few would expect the
understated and evenkeeled
Megan Magee ‘22
to be the self-proclaimed
“wild child” of the
Baldwin art scene.
zoom vs. in-person
meetings?
As we begin to transition from Zoom to
in-person meetings, we can reflect on the
benefits and drawbacks of both formats.
Eesha and Lauren are back at it again to
debate a new topic: Zoom or in-person
meetings?

2 | editorial the hourglass | OCTober/NOVember 2021
Design and graphics by Cathy Wang ‘23 • Photos courtesy of Grace Halak ‘22 and Lavender Huang ‘22
An Uncertain Future:
Reckoning with the
Lasting Effects of a
Post-Pandemic Society
What should Baldwin students learn from the pandemic to build a better future?
GRACE HALAK ‘22
LAVENDER HUANG ‘22
Editors-in-Chief
Last year was defined by unprecedented change.
Now, more than a year and half after the start of
the pandemic, things almost feel more unsure.
Where 2020 was defined by isolation and lockdown,
2021 seems to be defined by disquiet and uncertainty.
In the first few months of the pandemic, the phrases
“when this is all over...” and “when things go back to
normal...” were ever-present self assurances that COVID
was a temporary blip in the rhythm of our lives. But as
the months have passed, it’s becoming more apparent
that COVID will continue to affect our lives long after
its start.
Masks indoors, hand sanitizer stations, and
vaccination card checks are the more overt symbols of
a post-pandemic world. But there are other, more subtle
signs of the pandemic’s reverberating effects on how we
live and function.
Our relationship with technology has completely
changed, with digital connection becoming just as,
if not more, common and utilized than face-to-face
interactions. The amount of time we spend on social
media and screens has increased significantly, and the
lines between the digital world and the “real” world are
becoming blurred.
For many, the pandemic stole important milestones.
Graduations, proms, school traditions, and normal school
years were lost for a year, leaving us to reckon with the
fallout now.
For high school students, the disruption of formative
high school years, which are essential for adjusting to the
LAVENDER HUANG ‘22
Baldwin UNsolved: Part I
Grace Halak ‘22
increased responsibilities and workload of high school,
left many unprepared for the tempo of a “normal” school
year. Although the adjustment to the ultra-virtual school
of 2020 was difficult, the transition back to ordinary is
proving just as challenging.
Within Baldwin, the aftereffects of the pandemic
are evident in the structure of the school itself. The
Schoolhouse is now exclusively used by the Upper
School, while the Middle School has shifted to the
Residence. The cafeteria is no longer a hub of social
activity, a role which has been replaced by the Middle
and North Door Fields. Assemblies are no longer with
the entire Upper School, but on different days with two
grades at a time.
All of this change has profoundly affected our
outlook and psyche. The turmoil of the pandemic taught
us to adjust to living day-to-day, week-to-week, and
month-to-month, with the unspoken acceptance that
anything can change at a moment’s notice. We have
learned adaptability in the face of the most prolonged
uncertainty in most of our lives.
We can no longer look towards a return to the
pre-pandemic world we knew in its entirety; we can
no longer promise ourselves a definitive “end” to
COVID’s presence in our lives. Our world has changed
fundamentally and permanently, but so have we. If the
past year and a half has proved anything, it is that we can
get through anything. As we approach the end of 2021,
let’s look towards the future with hope and courage...and
whatever storms arrive in the future, let’s weather them
together.
CARLEY TAYLOR ‘23
Staff Writer
Our school has been around for over a century, so naturally, there are countless rumors of ghosts and other
supernatural phenomena in its halls. You may have heard about the Residence’s ghost, Priscilla: once a
handbells-loving student, now haunting the shadows. Or maybe you’ve experienced strange happenings
firsthand, such as a door mysteriously shutting during class. But are such minute occurrences enough to prove that
ghosts are real, or even active at Baldwin?
One of the most popular locations where ghosts are said to be active is the Residence, which is not much of a
surprise considering it is the oldest building in the school, built in the 19th century. The scariest area of the building is
the fifth floor, which—if you survive the impractical hike there—certainly lives up to its reputation. The dusty books
scattered on the floor of dark empty hallways makes the floor a perfect horror movie set.
But how telling is the fifth floor’s spooky appearance of the true nature of the Residence? Its notoriety suggests
that spirits roam the floor, haunting the building that once housed many students, and now some faculty. Of course,
rumor isn’t strong enough evidence to prove that ghosts really haunt our school, but many students claim to have
witnessed unexplainable sights during their adventures up there. [ CONTINUED on the WEBSITE ]
hourglass
the baldwin school
OCTOBER/NovEMBER 2021
Volume 60 Issue 1
701 Montgomery Avenue,
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Editors-in-Chief
Lavender Huang ‘22 · Grace Halak ‘22
creative Directors
Anna Wang ‘22 · Sophie Cai ‘22
Junior Creative Director
Emily Zhang ‘23
JUnior media director
Sophia Ran ‘23
Photography EditorS
Melody Hao ‘22 · Izzy Antanavicius ‘22
News Editor Izzy Thompson ‘23
Features Editor
Makenna Walko ‘23
Opinion Editor Anna Wetzel ‘22
Sports Editor Marin Horwitz ‘24
Arts Editor Camille Murray ‘22
Media Content Editor
Kaitlyn O’Malley ‘22
FACULTY ADVISORS
Dr. Daniel Benjamin · Ms. Janice Wilke
mission statement
The Hourglass is The Baldwin Upper
School’s newspaper dedicated to
publishing student articles. The
views expressed in The Hourglass
do not necessarily reflect those
of the school or the editors.
content
All content published in The Hourglass
(including but not limited to articles,
designs, graphics, photographs, and
illustrations) is created by Baldwin
students for the exclusive use of The
Hourglass unless otherwise indicated.
corrections
The Hourglass aspires for its content
to be fair and correct, and regrets
when it is not. If you have questions
or comments about our coverage,
contact the Editors-in-Chief at
lhuang@baldwinschool.org or
ghalak@baldwinschool.org.
support
The Hourglass is made possible
through the generosity of the Ruth S.
Hochberger ‘68 Hourglass Sustainability
Fund. The Hourglass is affiliated
with the Columbia Scholastic Press
Association.
Be sure to check us out online at
www.hourglassnewspaper.com
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@hourglassnewspaper

the hourglass | OCTober/NOVember 2021
news | 3
The Caliber of Instagram’s
Effect on Teenage Girls
What does Facebook executives’ fight with The Wall Street Journal mean for its users?
IZZY THOMPSON ‘23
News Editor
Facebook executives pushed
back against a report in The
Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on
Instagram’s detrimental effect on
teenage girls’ mental health. The
article, “Facebook Knows Instagram
Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company
Documents Show,” caused a social
media storm and invited people
to ask the question: Is Instagram
really that harmful to youth’s mental
health?
The WSJ’s analysis of
Facebook’s published research
includes statistics on how Instagram
affects teenagers in many different
ways, whether by supporting suicidal
thoughts, eating disorders, or general
anxiety and depression.
It is a well-known fact that
Instagram promotes the active
demonstration of teen bodies and
beauty standards. The entire purpose
of the app is to ensure that young
people consistently engage by
posting their bodies, daily activities,
and important life moments, never
not highlighting the most perfect
parts of their lives.
This can lead to unhealthy
obsessions with looks, status, and
popularity among peers, as many
Baldwin students can certainly attest.
An Upper School student, who chose
to remain anonymous, said “seeing
the beauty standard of skinny girls
in bikinis on my Instagram feed
creates this conflict about how I feel
about my body. I feel sad that I don’t
achieve that standard and not good
enough because I can’t look that
way.”
The Wall Street Journal
investigated—through Facebook’s
own internal research—just how
precisely Instagram affects young
girls in the United States, stating
that “the tendency to share only the
best moments, a pressure to look
perfect and an addictive product can
send teens spiraling toward eating
disorders.”
A former Facebook executive
said, “people use Instagram because
it’s a competition. . . that’s the fun
part.”
While Facebook claims they
were not attempting to hide their
research, in the past they had
intentionally cited other sources
(such as Oxford Internet Institute)
in reference to teens’ mental health
in lieu of providing their own. A
former data scientist at Facebook,
Frances Haugen, leaked documents
containing this internal research
before leaving the company. She
shared these documents with the
WSJ, and the ensuing article is what
spurred such a reaction from the
public.
In a study with 40 teenagers
from the UK and the US who had
reportedly “not been satisfied with
their lives,” all “blame[d] Instagram
for increases in the rate of anxiety
and depression.”
Facebook refuted this claim and
said, “The same teenage users say
the overall effects of Instagram are
positive for them.”
However, it would be
irresponsible to disregard the initial
statement, which shows that from a
randomized and general consensus,
without prompting, teens agreed
that Instagram led to anxiety and
depression.
Additionally, from teens who
reported experiencing suicidal
thoughts, “6% of American users
traced the desire to kill themselves
to Instagram.”
Facebook fired back, again,
with a statistic from the data stating
that only 1% of American teens
credited their suicidal inclination to
Instagram.
This does not mean Instagram’s
very real grip on teen girls’
mental health and lifestyle can
be disregarded; girls in the study
felt as though they were stuck in a
never-ending loop of addiction to
the app. They could not leave even
though they knew that staying was
detrimental for their mental health.
An anonymous Baldwin student
said, “it was one of the harder things
I’ve had to do. To quit Instagram,
I mean. It had this—to put it
seriously—stupid hold on me. How I
saw myself and how I treated myself.
But there was just this magnetism
that drew me in every day until I
had had enough and forced myself to
delete my entire account.”
Instagram has its benefits: it’s
excellent for product promotion,
spreading awareness about crises
and current events, staying
connected with friends, and sharing
life accomplishments. The Wall
Street Journal highlighted the worst
parts of Instagram and its seemingly
indefinite reach to young peoples’
lives, a narrative Facebook has
fought hard to keep from spiraling
out of its control.
Design and graphics by Cynthia Zhang ‘24

4 | opinion the hourglass | OCTober/NOVember 2021
Dear sweatpants,
we miss you.
When asked to take off their sweatpants after a year of lax
uniform policies, how did Baldwin students react?
KATIE MCMAHON ‘22
Staff Writer
School during the pandemic? Bad.
Getting to wear sweatshirts and
sweatpants every day? Amazing!
Last year, the dress code took a
flexible turn. The once (highly) illegal
sweatpants made an appearance every day
in the Baldwin Upper School.
I started the 2020-2021 school year
wearing my uniform, abiding by the dress
code. As the weeks went on, I started
wearing out-of-uniform sweatshirts with a
kilt to school. Then came the leggings with
a sweatshirt. Then came the sweatpants.
By winter break, I was wearing pajama
pants to school, and I wasn’t the only one.
With few infractions being doled out, the
use of sweatpants rose.
Essentially, last year there was no
dress code. There was no out-of-uniform
dress code either. But now, as everyone is
making their way back to in-person school,
the uniform is back and in full swing again!
Personally, last year was paradise for
me. My sophomore self was an avid dress
code breaker. Though I am not proud of
it, it was nice to leave junior year feeling
like a changed woman with no uniform
infractions, despite wearing the most
hideous combination of clothes I have ever
worn to school (e.g., green pajama pants
with a bright orange sweatshirt). Although
there are times when I like wearing my
uniform and feeling put together, I prefer
comfort any day.
Now that sweatpants are again
banished from the school, along with yoga
pants and fun sweatshirts, there are mixed
reviews.
Josie Stockett ‘22 said that she
misses sweatpants as she now has to
wear just her kilt outside in the cold
months. Stockett said, “I refuse to be seen
in leggings, and it feels like my legs are
suffering in them.”
Clara Page ‘22, on the other hand,
didn’t enjoy the flexibility of last year’s
dress code. Page said, “the uniform is what
makes us all look put together, and it was
frustrating when people wore whatever
they wanted last year because I wanted
something to feel normal after our COVID
year.”
To those of you who miss their
comfortable clothes during the pandemic
last year, I am with you! However, as
this is such a hot and controversial topic,
many different sides and perspectives are
expected. Stay strong everybody!
A New Perspective on
Mainstream Feminism
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
HAFSA KANCHWALA ‘25
Staff Writer
Mikki Kendall’s book Hood
Feminism offers a new
perspective on mainstream
feminism through the intersection of race,
class, and gender. It is an insightful book,
challenging media misconceptions and
flaws of modern-day feminism.
Feminism is the advocacy for
equity amongst the sexes. Kendall
argues that mainstream feminism,
however, is inherently problematic,
as it only acknowledges a small
percentage of women: those who
are white and privileged. It fails
to consider that feminism must
represent all women and include
the impact of gender on unequal
access to resources such as
food and education.
Throughout her
book, Kendall
questions the
status quo and
how feminists can dismantle patriarchal
systems in order to create a more equitable
society. Kendall not only uplifts the voices
of marginalized women, but also shares
personal experiences from her own life to
connect with her readers more intimately.
For example, Kendall shares her own
struggles with food insecurity and relying
only on insubstantial food stamps. She uses
her personal experience to discuss how
issues like poverty and food insecurity,
despite deeply affecting women, are still
overlooked by mainstream feminism.
Her book explores further how
systemic poverty and racial oppression are
the primary factors in creating inequality
amongst women. Kendall argues that
feminists should advocate for and
support, rather than judge, society’s most
vulnerable women: those who are unable
to sufficiently provide for themselves.
Kendall writes, “indeed, we treat
poverty itself like a crime, like the women
experiencing it are making bad choices for
themselves and their children on purpose.”
She argues that if feminists fought to
alleviate women from poverty, they would
ultimately be advancing the growth of the
entire movement.
Kendall also provides a glimpse into
how the media is detrimental to racially
marginalized women because it circulates
stereotypes and biased representations
of women of color. She urges women to
work together to challenge harmful media
narratives.
This book is also a very manageable,
200-page read covering a wide range of
topics relevant to the female experience,
from food insecurity to gun violence. I
would strongly recommend this book if
you are passionate about social justice or
simply want to further educate yourself.
Design, graphics, and photography by Grace Halak ‘22

Design and graphics by Elva Chen‘22
the hourglass | OCTober/NOVember 2021
opinion | 5
Human Trafficking
in New Jersey
When I first walked into the temple, I remarked at its elegance and artistry, but
now I see the true abuse hidden beneath the polished marble grace.
AVANI SHAH-LIPMAN ‘25
Staff Writer
Afew months ago, my grandmother excitedly
called me and my cousins and told us we would
be joining her on a visit to the Bochasanwasi
Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha
(BAPS) Temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey. Her
enthusiasm wasn’t due to the religious meaning behind
the temple, but rather the beautiful and detailed marble
structures in and around it.
Upon our arrival, we noticed many construction
workers continuing to expand the already massive place,
and we couldn’t help but wonder how the ornate pillars
had been carved. After leaving the temple, our thoughts
were occupied by its beauty and the delicious dosas we
ate until my mom said, “Have you heard about that temple
that was built by slaves here a little while ago?”
With a bit of investigation (otherwise known as
a Google search), we realized with shock that she was
referring to the temple we had gone to, which is currently
under FBI investigation for forced labor. With the BAPS
temple front and center in my mind, I knew I needed to
look deeper into its tragic and distressing story.
According to The Independent UK, workers at the
temple “claimed that they worked at the construction site
as far back as 2012,” and came from a very low level of
India’s caste system. If they spoke with people outside
the grounds, the workers “​were threatened with pay cuts,
arrests and return to India.”
Many of these workers spoke no English and had
their passports confiscated when they arrived. They were
earning only $1.20 a day and working over 80 hours a
week. In no way does this abide by New Jersey’s laws,
where minimum wage is $12 an hour and overtime pay
is required for those working more than 40 hours a week.
NJ.com gives us more insight into the living
conditions of the 200 people forced to work at the BAPS
temple. In the lawsuit that the website cites, the workers
came to the US on religious visas, which are “for persons
who want to enter the United States to work temporarily in
religious capacities,” according to travel.gov.
However, the workers weren’t actually working in
religious capacities, just on religious grounds. Allegedly,
they were woken up at 6:30 AM and could only stop at
7:30 PM, with a few brief breaks throughout the day. Their
already minimal pay could be seized for minor offenses
such as forgetting to wear their helmets, “idling, smoking
or ‘otherwise not acting in accordance with temple rules.”
Even worse, “they had to manage stones that weighed
several tons,” and “were exposed to and breathed dust
from cut stones and chemical solutions used to soak the
stones,” which is very damaging to one’s health.
These circumstances led me to question how
something so terrible could happen right next door for so
long. Masked by intricate, marble works of art, the BAPS
temple had countless skeletons in its closets.
The atrocities committed by the owners of the temple
clearly show how easy it is to hide behind a cloak of beauty.
By using religious visas, they tricked the government
while raking in unethical money. As reported by WHYY.
org, BAPS supported COVID-19 relief in India while
exploiting the lower class in India struggling the most.
Essentially replicating the caste system in India, the BAPS
temple forced the lower class to work in unimaginable
conditions in order to support their struggling families at
home.
It is frightening that something like this could happen
in America, one of the richest countries in the world. I
had no idea that a situation involving human trafficking
could occur in a place that I enjoyed visiting. Knowing
what happened in the BAPS temple encouraged me to look
deeper than the shiny, clean surface. When I first walked
into the temple, I remarked at its elegance and artistry,
but now I see the true abuse hidden beneath the polished
marble grace.

6 | centerfold the hourglass | OCTober/NOVember 2021
Is Baldwin’s Return to Normalcy
Too Much, Too Soon?
How are students dealing with post-Covid stress?
EMMA BARNES ‘24
SAMANTHA PIERCE ‘25
Staff Writers
What makes Baldwin students
“break”? Some say the pandemic
was the so-called tipping
point, some say we are
rapidly approaching burnout, and others
think that we’ve been breaking for years.
No one can deny that stress levels
among Baldwin students are quite high
right now. Ask any student in Baldwin
about their sleep schedule, and they’ll
tell you it has been decimated because
of an essay they simply had to finish.
“I slept two hours because I was busy
working on multiple projects after having six
cups of coffee,” said Adriana Truscello ‘24.
To put this into perspective, the
necessary amount of rest for a teenager
is eight to ten hours a night.
These sleep patterns can have major
negative effects on our physical health.
The most common side effects of staying
up late are fatigue and lack of focus, but
continuing this behavior is even more detrimental.
Falling asleep in class becomes
disturbingly frequent, and mental health
conditions can worsen significantly. This
creates a rather vicious cycle, pushing
students to stay up later, as they gradually
are not able to be as productive as before.
Last year, it felt like sleep was easier
to get due to an 8:30 am arrival time,
decreased amounts of homework, fewer
tests, minimal end-of-the-year exams,
and online school. Baldwin’s return to a
pre-pandemic schedule does not allow
for any leniency in the sleep department.
Schoolwork is not the only component
in our general lack of rest.
Baldwin’s competitive academic environment
pressures students to polish
assignments to ensure an A.
“Because students strive
for perfection, success is expected,”
said Hafsa Kanchwala ‘25.
““
“Because students
strive for perfection,
success is expected.”
And finally, there are numerous other
factors in a student’s life besides school,
such as sports, extracurriculars, family, social
life, and mental and physical health.
Many feel that there are simply not enough
hours in the day to balance all of these things.
To get some more context about
the increased stress at Baldwin this year,
I consulted a new history teacher and
advisor to the Class of ‘24, Ms. Smith.
Ms. Smith was new to Baldwin during
the 2020-2021 school year, advising
and mainly teaching the freshman class.
I asked her about how Baldwin’s curriculum
has changed for the teachers since
last year. Ms. Smith answered that because
of the expectations that this year is supposed
to be a normal school year, many are treating
it as a return to life before COVID-19.
“We’re starting to see where expectations
of teachers and students are
not aligning as they might have before
the pandemic,” Ms. Smith said.
Everyone wants a reprieve from
the stress of COVID-19, but forcing
a normal school year on a generation
that is still recovering from a not-normal-year
does more harm than good.
“I wasn’t aware of the degree to
which everyone was so stressed out and
overwhelmed. I think you all are very
good at having a stiff upper lip and tamping
all that emotion and anxiety down,
putting on a brave face,” Ms. Smith said.
Baldwin’s competitive environment
and intense workload, especially in the
aftermath of a pandemic, contributes to a
student culture of academic success rooted
in toxic, unsustainable living habits.
It is unreasonable to expect top-tier work
from a student body struggling to find
time for their mental and physical health.
So what is the solution? Pacing. Ellie
Delaney ‘22 and Ms. Smith both noted the
pacing of school work when asked about
the reasons for increased stress levels.
Delaney said, “We go through periods
where there’s not much homework,
[only] a reading or two, and
then all of a sudden, [there are] hours
of homework and all these tests, and
you’re completely unprepared for it.”
For a better insight on the administration’s
perspective, we talked with
Mrs. Reed about student stress and actions
the faculty are taking to combat it.
“This is an environment where there
is what I refer to as contagious stress,”
Mrs. Reed said. “I don’t know what breaks
that. Last year wasn’t a year off. Everyone
was working, but it was not a usual year.”
Baldwin’s faculty have been
brainstorming since the very beginning
to find innovative pacing
solutions for this complex issue.
Mrs. Reed said, “We are on the same
team,” meaning that this is not a student
versus administrator or student versus
teacher situation, but the Baldwin students
and administration are working together to
combat stress and the effects of COVID.
Overall, the stress levels at Baldwin
are rising drastically. While the administration
is trying to support and help
with these problems, students are still abnormally
overworked and overstressed.

the hourglass | OCTober/NOVember 2021
centerfold | 7
GRACE COLUCCI ‘23
Staff Writer
Over the past three years, Baldwin
has cycled through three
different online classroom
applications. As a brand new
freshman, I learned the ins and outs of Powerschool
Learning (PSL). When Baldwin
transitioned to Google
Classroom in the spring
of my freshman year, I
had to reteach myself
the program that I had
used in middle school.
Now, in a year
when things are slowly
going back to normal,
we started using Canvas,
a learning management
program that is
completely new to most
of the student body.
But were all of these
changes necessary?
The system overload, in addition
to the scrambled layout of PSL, made
a change to a simpler application necessary.
I could never find where my assignments
were, I had to click each
individual class to know my homework assignments,
and communication when turning
in assignments was completely absent.
Bella Gormley ‘23 agreed, and said
that “disorganization was the common factor
of both our dislikes. We needed a pro-
gram that explicitly clarified assignments.”
So when Baldwin announced the
change to Google Classroom, I was elated.
As someone who used Google Classroom
in my old middle school, I was already
familiar with the terrain. Students
who were unfamiliar with Google Classroom
enjoyed it for the same reasons I did.
Canvas
vs.
Julie Brose ‘23 loved Google
Classroom because it was “orga-
Google Classroom
The original
switch from Powerschool
Learning to
Google Classroom
was due to the termination
of PSL, along
with technological
difficulties. In the first
Why did we switch to Canvas?
days of online classes
in 2020, we clicked
on the Powerschool
link and the website
was so overloaded that it simply crashed. nized, neat, and simple, and everything
and an online test-taking tool, both of
was where it’s supposed to be.” which Google Classroom did not
provide.
In essence: Google Classroom
was everything Powerschool was not.
It was clean, simple, easy to use, organized,
and, most importantly, allowed
for an easy transition between the virtual
and nonvirtual 2020-2021 school
year. Students loved Google Classroom
- so why make the switch to Canvas?
When Baldwin announced its
switch to Canvas, I was confused. We
as a school had grown accustomed to
Google Classroom and switching platforms
again seemed unnecessary. We
didn’t need another platform to navigate
- Google Classroom was enough.
Baldwin librarian and member of
the Canvas support team Ms. Friedman-Way
explained the change from the
teacher’s end, saying that they required
a higher level of classroom organization
Ms. Friedman-Way also stated that
the change to Google Classroom was never
intended to be permanent. She said, “We
knew going into it that Google Classroom
was just a temporary tool, and, because
we knew this, we had a team of faculty
spend about 18 months researching more
robust learning management systems.”
Unfortunately, for many students,
the transition was not an improvement.
If anything, Canvas reminds me
of Powerschool Learning. The layouts,
the organization, and the modules
are all reminiscent of the long-forgotten
platform that I disliked so much.
Izzy Thompson ‘23 said she is “not a
fan of how incompatible Canvas is with everything.
[When submitting assignments],
Google Docs, Google Slides, even linking
videos just takes so many extra steps.”
These inconveniences
are not even
the worst parts of Canvas,
though. The most
unpopular aspect of
Canvas is the new ability
for parents to view
both students’ grades
and their assignments.
This new addition puts
student comfort at risk,
creating a space where
parents see grades
that are not reflective
of an overall average.
An anonymous
student said, “It’s uncomfortable
having
[my parents] be able
to see absolutely everything
I do. I would
rather they just get the
report card at the end
of the quarter, where
my work is displayed
in a predicted manner.”
The change from
PSL to Google Classroom
was necessary, but the switch from
Google Classroom to Canvas was not.
Google Classroom was simple, easy, and
organized, whereas Canvas is inefficient,
unclear, and overly transparent to parents.
Despite the student body’s quick adaptation
of Canvas, I believe Google Classroom still
reigns supreme among the three programs.
Design and graphics by Sophie Cai ‘22
Photography by Izzy Antanavicius ‘22
and Melody Hao ‘22

8 | arts the hourglass | OCTober/NOVember 2021
Artist of the Issue:
Megan Magee
Wild Child of the Baldwin Arts Scene
Megan Magee draws inspiration from the details of her life.
ANNA WETZEL ‘22
Opinion Editor
Design by Greyson Walko ‘25 and Emi Maeda ‘25
Photography by Jaclyn Dichter ‘22
Paintings by Megan Magee '22
Few would expect
the understated and
even-keeled Megan
Magee ‘22 to be the selfproclaimed
“wild child”
of the Baldwin art scene.
Much like her persona,
Magee’s creative process
ebbs between precision and
frenzy.
“Sometimes [my
artistic process] is just
impulses, but occasionally
I will have all this
work stockpiled into a
sketchbook. There are
recurring themes and
whatever I create will
expand upon them,” Magee
said.
Magee is able to
practice her technical
and compositional skills
through Ms. Wilke’s
Drawing and Painting
class, one of the many ways
in which she is involved in
the arts at Baldwin.
“I have [Drawing
and Painting] first period,
and it’s wonderful to have
it first thing in
the morning and
get my brain juices
flowing,” Magee said.
While Magee
prefers to work in
oil paint, she finds that
sharpening her drawing
skills and keeping a
sketchbook are vital to her
creative process. This habit
paid off in the creation
of one of her most
impressive works:
a portrait of a woman
peering out a window.
“I did challenge
myself when making it
because I do studies of
certain features, but it’s
difficult to put all the
pieces into something that
is whole,” Magee said.
She continued, “This
started during Christmas
break last year. I went to
Michael’s and I bought
myself this huge canvas,
and I had no idea what I
was going to do with it. It
was 10 pm when I came up
with it, I sketched
it out, and I just
started to paint away.
I was sort of in this
manic phase for a few
days.”
Through both
calculated, technical
study and spontaneous,
creative impulse, Magee
is able to create her best
work. Painting runs in
her family, and Magee
draws inspiration from
generations of family
artists.
“My grandma is a
painter. Every time I would
visit her, she would always
bring me to the basement to
show me whatever project
she was working on. One
time we even decided to do
a project together,” Magee
said.
Beyond the visual arts,
Magee’s 10 years of piano
playing lend well to familial
artistic collaboration.
“Sometimes I’ll play
piano and my dad will play
trumpet, and we’ll have a
duet. We used to have a jam
‘sesh’ almost every week,”
said Magee.
In all realms of her
artistic practice, Magee
finds ways to embrace
her familial and cultural
identity.
Magee said, “There
was one time when I went
to this traditional Chinese
dance, and I was quite
intrigued by the flowing
of the fabric and also the
movements of the people,
so I shifted into figure
movement from that.”
As a Senior
representative of Arts
League and the founding
member of the Fine Arts
Club, Magee is able to
support her fellow student
artists and bring the
arts to all sectors of the
Baldwin community. Her
involvement in the arts,
both within and outside
Baldwin, is as generous
and collaborative as her
character.

the hourglass | OCTober/NOVember 2021
sports | 9
Athlete of the issue:
izzy Antanavicius
The Emory-bound tennis athlete discusses her love for the sport.
OLIVIA STEPHAN ‘24
Staff Writer
Izzy Antanavicius ‘22, cocaptain
of the Baldwin Upper
School Tennis Team and
previous Main Line Athlete of
the Week, is both a dedicated tennis
player and a diligent student.
Antanavicius haws been
playing for eight years, starting at the
age of nine. She plays competitively
all year round, playing for Baldwin
in the fall and playing tennis as
independent physical education
(IPE) in the other seasons. IPE not
only involves a ten hour practice
beyond difficult mentally. I think it
has taught me a lot of life skills,”
Antanavicius said.
When asked how to stay
motivated during low points,
Antanavicius said, “I try not to let
that one day affect me. I know that
there are always going to be good
and bad days. I look at the positives
and try to move on from it; just gotta
keep going.”
One of Anatanvicius’s athlete
role models is pro tennis player
“
“It teaches me hardwork and commitment…The
game itself might seem simple, but when you’re
on court and playing a match, it is beyond difficult
mentally. I think it has taught me a lot of life skills.”
team’s nurturing atmosphere and the
beautiful campus.
“I was debating between other
Division I schools and Emory, but
in the end decided to do Division
III … [because] I wanted to focus
on my education more. I decided
to go to Emory for pre-med so that
I could balance [school] and tennis
at the same time instead of having
to worry about focusing on my sport
too much,” Antanavicius said.
Antanavicius’ advice for other
Baldwin student-athletes, who often
are very focused on their academics,
is that they should “look at sports as
a way to relax, a way to step away
from all work and have fun!”
schedule weekly, but also includes
tennis tournaments.
Antanavicius’s love for tennis
stems from its mental complexity,
which has taught her valuable
lessons that she has been able to
apply to other aspects of her life.
“It teaches me hardwork and
commitment…The game itself
might seem simple, but when you’re
on court and playing a match, it is
”
Maria Sharapova. Since they are
both very tall, they have similar
playing styles.
Antanavicius recently
committed to Emory University,
where she found the balance
between sports and academics she
was looking for. She also loved the
Design by Grace Halak ‘22 • Photo courtesy of Izzy Antanavicius ‘22

10 | features the hourglass | OCTober/NOVember 2021
Flowers at baldwin and
the stories behind them
Learn about what’s blooming on our campus.
LIGHTHOUSE WU ‘23
Staff Writer
You might not have noticed the
variety of flowers that have
been blooming on Baldwin’s
campus for months. Be prepared
to say goodbye to most of them,
as the weather is turning cooler, and they
wither a bit more with each passing day.
In the meantime, why not learn a bit more
about them so that you will recognize more
of their beauty the next time they bloom?
Garden Cosmos
According to Flora of North America,
Cosmos bipinnatus is commonly called
the garden cosmos or Mexican aster, and is
a flowering herbaceous plant in the daisy
family. At Baldwin, those cute pink-purple
flowers are located beside the benches on
the left side of the North Door.
Each flower has eight petals arranged
radially around its yellow stamen, and if
you look closely, you’ll see that every petal
has a unique white edging. Interestingly,
this variety of cosmos is rare in most
flower shops. Gardens Illustrated, a garden
journal, categorizes 16 varieties of cosmos,
with different shades including scarlet, orange,
lemon, pink, purple and white. Although
three varieties share the tinted edges
of Baldwin’s cosmos, none of them are
the exact variety as Baldwin’s.
China Rose
Rosa chinensis is a flowering shrub
with sharp thorns on its stems. Because
it originated in southwest China, it’s also
known as the Chinese rose. The variety
that Baldwin grows has magenta petals
that curve slightly, forming simple, precise
shapes, while their dark green leaves have
zigzagged edges. They can be found along
the sidewalk leading to the Lower School.
An article in Flora of China states that
many forms of Rosa chinensis are edible,
explaining, “The young vegetative plant
parts, flower buds and flowers are brewed
and eaten as a kitchen herb, for example,
as a soup. From the rose-hips, a thin fleshy
layer that surrounds the seeds is eaten raw
or cooked. The seed hair must not get into
the mouth and throat. The seeds are a good
source of vitamin E [and] can be ground
and mixed with flour or added to other
foods.”
Chinese Snowballs
Not just one kind of flower at Baldwin
is from China. If you play tennis, you’ve
likely noticed those large, dodgeball-sized
flowers by the tennis courts. The flower
heads are made up of numerous smaller
flowers blooming in all directions, like
thousands of white butterflies.
salvia officinalis
viola tricolour
Cosmos bipinnatus
rosa chinensis
viburnum
macrocephalum
Design by Emily Zhang ‘23
Graphics by Emily Zhang ‘23 and Sabine Kim ‘25
Viburnum macrocephalum, or the
Chinese snowball, is native to mainland
China and is usually white or light green.
The Chinese snowballs growing at Baldwin
are unique for their scattered pinkish
petals.
Because of their similar appearance,
Chinese snowballs are often confused
with hydrangea plants. A fun fact about
hydrangeas is that they will appear in different
colours when fed with different acid
and alkaline preparations according to the
Journal of Chinese Urban Forestry. Hydrangeas
planted in acidic soils are blue,
those planted in alkaline soils are pink, and
those planted in the soil of a mix are purple.
Common Sage
Salvia officinalis, or the common
sage, is a small shrub and herb. Sage has
greyish fluffy leaves, woody stems aiming
straight at the sky, and blue-purple flowers.
It looks like lavender, but is much sturdier
(without losing its elegance!). It is a member
of the mint family and native to the
Mediterranean region. Monks brought the
plant to Germany in the Middle Ages, and
it has flourished ever since. Several bushes
grow a few steps away from the front of the
school store for decorative purposes.
Sage leaves are often used to cure
minor illnesses like coughing, sweating,
and digestive problems, and can be used
as a pain reliever too. According to Garden
Pearl, sage is one of the oldest plants used
for medical purposes. In an article in the
Journal of Traditional and Complementary
Medicine, researchers found that sage has
substantial medical benefits, and may even
be able to treat serious illnesses like Alzheimer’s
disease, diabetes, autism and high
cholesterol.
Wild Pansy
Viola tricolour, or the wild pansy, is
a three-petal purple flower that is new to
Baldwin, arriving only this early October.
They can be found in the pots in front of
the Schoolhouse. They have many funny
nicknames such as “tickle-my-fancy,”
“Jack-jump-up-and-kiss-me,” “come-andcuddle-me,”
and “three faces in a hood.”
They are common European wildflowers,
and the unofficial national flowers
of Poland and Iceland. References to
wild pansies are widespread in literature.
Shakespeare referenced wild pansies in
Hamlet, saying, “There’s pansies, that’s
for thoughts,” and also in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, with the line “a little western
flower that maidens call love-in-idleness.”

Design by Trisha Yun ‘24 and Isabela Ahn ‘25 • Graphics by Trisha Yun ‘24
Photography by Amelia Skawinski ‘25
the hourglass | OCTober/NOVember 2021
features | 11
What HOGWARTS HOUSES
are Baldwin’s
Teachers?
The sorting hat will tell you where you belong!
MAKENNA WALKO ‘23
GREYSON WALKO ‘25
Features Editor and Staff Writer
Imagine that you’re a Hogwarts student
entering the Great Hall for the first
time. You gaze in wonder at the four
tables that stretch the length of the room,
each bedecked in a different color: red,
blue, green, and yellow. With mounting
excitement, you place the Sorting Hat on
your head, eagerly awaiting the answer
to the question that will define your next
seven years: what Hogwarts House do you
belong in?
We posed this question to Baldwin
teachers across a range of subjects, and the
answers we received showed an intriguing
pattern. Of the ten teachers interviewed,
six of them listed Ravenclaw as a House
they might be sorted into, though a few
teachers were torn.
Dr. Boger, who teaches history,
has been sorted into both Slytherin
and Ravenclaw. When she first took
the Pottermore sorting quiz, she was
disappointed to land in Slytherin. She said,
“My kids keep trying to persuade me that
that doesn’t mean one is evil, but I’m not
convinced.”
She took the quiz again a few years
later and she “felt relieved and much
more comfortable to land in Ravenclaw.”
However, she added, “isn’t defying
the Sorting Hat just the type of thing a
Slytherin would do…?”
Dr. Boger also thinks that history gets
a raw deal in the Harry Potter world. She
said, “Book 6 reveals how critical figuring
out wizarding history is to Harry’s life and
the wizarding world’s survival.”
How could the History of Magic
class level up? Well, according to Dr.
Boger, “The history teacher should use
the Pensieve to do a little visiting of the
past with the class….Never with time
turners, of course. Too dangerous. But
select use of the Pensieve raises all kinds
of possibilities for projects on memory —
the gap between sources and what actually
happened. Plus, how could history class be
boring with ghosts around to interview for
research projects?”
Surprisingly, though, Dr. Boger
wouldn’t be a history teacher in the
Wizarding World. In her eyes, “Potions
seems to me like the most fun to teach.”
Sr. Mathias, who teaches Spanish,
took an online quiz to discover
which Hogwarts House he
belongs in. He found that
he is a mix of Houses,
predominantly
Gryffindor. “In
terms of what
subject I’d teach,
transfiguration
sounds
awesome,”
Sr. Mathias
commented,
then added: “I
could also coach
Quidditch.”
Ms. Wilson also broke the
Ravenclaw pattern. She told us she has
“used the Leaky Cauldron website to
figure out that I am a Hufflepuff (like
Newt Scamander!) and secondarily a
Ravenclaw.” True to her biology teacher
roots, she “would love to teach Care of
Magical Creatures or Herbology.”
Dr. Goldader sees
himself as a Ravenclaw through and
through. “I expect I’d be a Ravenclaw;
they were the ‘academic’ house, and I have
always enjoyed learning,” he said.
He ruled out each of the
other Houses, explaining,
“I am generally too
cautious to be a
Gryffindor; I’ve
never been
good at plots
and plans, so
don’t think I’d
end
up in
Slytherin;
and I don’t
usually have
the tenacity of
a Hufflepuff.”
If he were a teacher
in the Wizarding World, Dr. Goldader
would teach astronomy. He proudly
declared, “Professor Sinastra’s got nothing
on me!”
Dr. Sullivan was sorted into
Ravenclaw, a House she sees as fitting.
She told us, “I’m not brave enough for
Gryffindor, if I’m being honest!”
What
class would
she teach? “I guess
Transfiguration, since literature aims
to transform how we see the world and
ourselves,” she said. “Really, I suppose
anything but potions. I will leave that one
to Mrs. Davis!”
Dr. Forste-Grupp also fits the
pattern. “I have taken numerous Harry
Potter sorting hat quizzes and I’m always
sorted into Ravenclaw,” she said.
She also said, “I would advise the
competitive club Managing Magical
Mysteries,” and would teach a class
J.K. Rowling never even mentioned:
“Labyrinthine Symbology.” What’s that?
Only Dr. Forste-Grupp knows.
Mrs. Snead, who recently discussed
this same question with her daughter,
says that she definitely sees herself as
a Hufflepuff. “I’m loyal, fair, and hard
working,” she said, “and my profession is
helping people.”
What could be more Hufflepuff than
that? She also said, “And of course, I
would teach Quidditch!”
When asked about her Hogwarts
house, Ms. Greco said, “No need to
speculate—I have been sorted multiple
times, including via Mugglenet. I am a
solid Gryffindor,” referencing a quiz from
a popular Harry Potter fansite.
When asked what class she would
teach, she said, “I would certainly teach
Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor
Lupin is my energy.”
As Harry Potter fans, we loved
learning what House each teacher would
be in and why. We were left with almost as
many questions as answers, but one thing
is clear: a Harry Potter Movie Marathon
is long overdue, and we’ll be spending the
rest of autumn listening to the Harry Potter
Soundtrack on repeat.

12 | backpage the hourglass | OCTober/NOVember 2021
eesha team ZOOM
EESHA SHARMA ‘23
LAUREN HALAK ‘23
Staff Writers
As we begin to transition from
Zoom to in-person meetings, we
can reflect on the benefits and
drawbacks of both formats. While Zoom
posed a host of technological challenges,
it also allowed people to be more flexible.
During a time of social isolation, virtual
meetings brought the world together.
Eesha and Lauren are back at it again
to debate a new topic: Zoom or in-person
meetings?
zoom
vs.
in-person
Lauren: Pro In-Person
While Zoom was a perfect tool during
the height of the pandemic, the pros of
in-person meetings outweigh those of
Zoom. To choose Zoom over face-to-face
meetings means choosing an inattentive
audience, connection issues, and more.
Working or learning through Zoom
threatens individual productivity and
motivation. In person, everyone is seen
as an individual; on Zoom, participants
are minimized to squares on a screen and
categorized together as one large grid
of faces or names, rather than various
independent workers.
Many users also tend to turn their
cameras off, leading to an even more
unequal meeting. Participants who turn
their cameras off feel as if the rest of
their colleagues should participate in the
meeting, while they can sit back and relax.
On the other hand, an in-person
setting allows teachers to look around and
identify productive students and distracted
students. There is more motivation to
engage because people are not seen as little
squares on a screen, but as real participants
and contributors in the meeting.
Additionally, unsupervised screens on
Zoom leave room for endless distraction,
whether it’s scrolling through social media,
completing unrelated work, or playing
video games. While it is impossible to
remove all distractions in actual classrooms
or conference rooms, it is harder to get
distracted in a more engaging, in-person
learning environment.
Eesha: Pro Zoom
Although there are a few instances
where in-person meetings may be more
beneficial, the majority of meetings can
and should be conducted over Zoom. Using
Zoom over the pandemic has introduced a
more convenient and comfortable way of
sharing information with others.
Zoom provides a way for large groups
of people from all over the world to meet
conveniently anytime and anywhere.
According to statistics from Nira.com, the
number of Zoom users spiked in 2020,
reaching an all-time high of 300 million
daily Zoom meeting participants.
In-person meetings do not provide
the same convenience for a high number
of participants due to the logistics of travel
and coordination. Meetings that take place
online can include large numbers of people
without the hassle of finding a venue or
transportation.
Especially for international
circumstances, Zoom is clearly the superior
choice. Zoom meetings are also easier to
plan because participants can just log onto
a computer instead of traveling to an inperson
location..
Participants all take up the same
amount of space on a screen, meaning that
they feel like they are on an equal playing
field. This contrasts with a meeting room,
where people who may be sitting towards
the back would feel uncomfortable
speaking up due to them not feeling as
“involved” in the meeting or feeling like
they do not belong. Zoom meetings help
relieve the awkwardness of participants
not being able to hear each other or feeling
out of place in a space that may not fit
everyone.
Be sure to check us out online at
www.hourglassnewspaper.com
follow us on instagram
@hourglassnewspaper
Design by Anna Wang ‘22 • Photography by Jessica Lamontagne ‘22
meetings?
Lauren and Eesha discuss which is
the better meeting format.
word
search
find a taylor swift
lyric and email it to
lhuang@baldwinschool.org
to win a prize.
While the popularity of zoom
meetings decline as we return to postpandemic
society, some begin to wonder
whether or not Zoom should be our “new
normal” after all.
team IN-PERSON LAUREN
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