September 2013 Vol. 30 No. 1 the CLASSICTownsend Harris High School at Queens College Regents grading accuracy questioned All bands meet by Suswana Chowdhury by Stephanie Geier and Sandhya Sewnauth A new Regents grading policy imple- With a new bell schedule now in effect, mented to streamline the grading process teachers, students and administrators spent the and increase accuracy has come under fire early weeks of September adjusting to change. for doing the opposite. Numerous technical The community’s response is decidedly mixed, difficulties marred the city’s new plan for with the issues of time management, homework, computerized, centralized grading, resulting and public transportation drawing the strongest in an expedited grading process that rushed reactions. teachers to finish grading before graduation The current schedule consists of forty minute ceremonies in late June. Following a sig- bands meeting everyday and eliminates enrich- nificant drop in the rate of students achiev- ment as a mandatory component of teacher sched- ing mastery level on the English Regents ules. It became official after a series of meetings, at Townsend Harris, many members of the negotiations, and an official vote late last school school community have questioned the ac- year. The previous schedule included fifty min- curacy of the grades. Save one, all appeals ute bands meeting four times a week (though to the city and state to review grades deemed certain classes met for forty minutes five times “questionable” have been denied. a week) with mandatory after school enrichment The change in grading policy is in re- for teachers. sponse to a state mandate meant to ensure Timing quickly became an issue as the school that individual teachers do not grade the ex- year began, with some teachers finding it difficult ams of students in their classes. Whereas to adjust to shortened bands. most other schools in the state responded English teacher and Assistant Principal of to the mandate by continuing to grade the Humanities Rafal Olechowski said he often ran exams ‘in house’ but requiring teachers out of time during classes and thus has had to ad- to grade the exams of classes they did not just his “internal teaching clock.” teach, the New York City Department of “I’ve been putting the end time of the class Education went a step further and decided on the board to be more mindful,” he said. “My that teachers at city schools could not grade lesson plans have to be recalibrated and even re- an exam taken by students enrolled in their written. Things that initially inspired lessons now schools, whether or not they taught them. demand more time.” In mid-June, teachers from high schools Music and Japanese teacher Mariko Sato also across the city had to report to grading cen- prefers longer bands in terms of her music class- ters to jointly grade the exams of the entire es. She finds it difficult to teach them with shorter city’s student body. bands because a considerable amount of class After conducting a series of small-scale time is already used attending to equipment. pilot programs over the past two years, the “It’s also hard with my AP Music Theory Department of Education declared an elec- The English Regents has generated the most controversy. class because they’re very pressed for time,” she tronic scanning system to be more efficient Though Mastery levels remained consistent on other exams, adds. than the traditional pencil and paper grad- the English Regents Mastery dropped significantly. The Eng- Students and teachers have expressed that the ing system. lish Regents requires more writing (and thus more individual new schedule is somewhat monotonous. “We found that it saved time since grading) than other exams. Given the issues raised during “There’s a simplistic regularity about the teachers didn’t have to unpack the exam scoring, many are wondering if the grades are accurate. new schedule, which can be boring,” continued and then repack it, and they didn’t all have Infographic by Yash Sharma. Mr. Olechowski. “I spend less energy teaching, continued on page 5 continued on page 2 Lisa Mars departs, becomes principal at LaGuardia HS by Vickie Savvides Students and faculty were shocked to learn that Lisa “When I came to this country I was lucky to be inter- Mars, former Assistant Principal of Language, Art, and Mu- viewed by her,” she said. sic has left Townsend Harris to become principal of Fiorello Ms. Ezquerra, who recently began advising Festival of H. LaGuardia High School of Music, Art and Performing Nations (FON), also emphasized Ms. Mars’s determination Arts in Manhattan. Principal Anthony Barbetta has taken to protect her staff during hard times. over Ms. Mars’s responsibilities, with no definite plans to “She has fought for her staff in times of budget cuts and find a replacement formed as of yet. defended the Classical Languages, which I think is very im- Members of the administration found out about Ms. portant to a humanities school like THHS,” she said. Mars’s departure at the very end of August, just days before Senior Amanda Ramsaroop, last year’s FON Coordina- teachers reported back from summer vacation. tor, grew close to Ms. Mars during the time they worked Spanish teacher Christian Castillo commented, “It was together. sudden and very shocking. No one knew about it. It must “Her office became a safe place for me; when friends have been a last minute decision.” looked for me the first place they went was the LOTE office,”

photo courtesy of the Yearbook Ms. Mars worked at THHS for over ten years. She she recalled. “Through late nights spent working on—and founded the Festival of Nations, coordinated school perfor- stressing over—FON, as well as those wonderful lunch band mances, and (on occasion) taught French and Spanish. She dates, and the inspirational conversations, Ms. Mars has been forged many relationships with both students and teachers wonderful.” throughout the years. Assistant Principal of Organization, Health, and Physical Ms. Mars is now principal of LaGuardia Spanish teacher Beatriz Ezquerra recalls how welcome Education Ellen Fee said that Ms. Mars “had a calming pres- HS. Ms. Mars made her feel when she first applied for a job at ence during all the chaotic moments at THHS.” THHS. Ms. Mars was unavailable for comment. INSIDE: New Advice for the NSA Spying Broadway’s First Teachers new year debate Date reviewed page 4 pages 10-11 page 12 page 17 news/features The2 Classic September 2013 Custodial staff offers more than cleanliness to THHS By Rachel Chabin and Asmaaul Chowdhury With Harrisites usually drowning in work, it’s no surprise some forget their Another custodial staff member, Luis Perez, is the school’s handyman. He school is home to more than just students and faculty. The maintenance staff–a is mainly responsible for routine repairs throughout the building. He’s been at crew made up of an engineer, foreman, handyman, and a few janitors–is the be- the school for nearly twenty years and is the second-in-command under Hector. hind the scenes team in charge of keeping the school up and running. He works from eight in the morning to five in the evening and is usually on the Hector Benitez, the school’s foreman and one of the heads of the mainte- third floor. nance staff at Townsend Harris, has responsibilities unknown to most of the stu- This silver-haired, spectacled man has the same easiness and laid-back at- dent body. Hector arrives at school around 4:30 each morning to oversee his co- titude as his co-workers. He recalls some of the senior pranks as the highlights workers, and get the school ready for the of his career. upcoming day. As part of his daily morn- “Ten years ago, the seniors let chickens ing routine, he opens the gates and shuts out as a senior prank and we had to chase down the alarms, turns on the lights, per- them. We finally caught them and brought forms a series of tests to make sure fire them to the American Society for the Pre- alarms are working, examines equipment vention of Cruelty to Animals,” Luis de- to see if everything is running smoothly, scribed. and paces the halls to make sure that “Another good one happened in 1998, nothing is amiss. when the principal said, ‘When life gives The maintenance component is only you lemons, make lemonade.’ So the se- part of the job that Hector loves. In ad- niors threw a box of lemons in the lobby, dition to fixing, checking, and tinkering and we had to clean it up: we made lemon- with different objects around the build- ade that day. If we had kept the chickens, ing, he enjoys having the opportunity to we would have eaten them too,” he added. interact with the Townsend Harris com- Mario Vasquez makes up yet another munity. He says that he always tries to member of the staff. If you have ever heard lighten the mood and make people smile rock music praising the virtues of Jesus on photo by David Heifitz at any given situation. the fifth floor, that would be nothing other Staff members and students have a The crew poses together on the first floor. than Mario’s affinity for Christian rock. He shared affection for Hector, though they occasionally participate in friendly teas- has been a custodian at Townsend Harris for the last twelve years, and works ing. from two in the afternoon to eleven at night, cleaning and preparing the school During an interview in the lobby, one of the security guards lightly mocked for evening functions, events, and after school programs. It’s a demanding job, Hector from behind. Upon seeing her, Hector laughed and explained, “One part but he enjoys it. of my job is handling people like her.” “I love how pleasant the teachers and students at this school are. There’s only Hector said, “This school has such a serious atmosphere and I like to liven been one serious incident in the last 10 years, whereas cops are always present at things up. I also feel the need to help people when they need it. I remember when other schools,” Mario explained. a student had convulsions and I stayed with her and I prayed for her.” His most memorable moments on the job, however, involved Townsend Har- Many students have fond recollections of Hector joking around in the hall- ris students at their most unruly and mischievous. ways, and even bursting into song during lunch. “I remember he got up last year Like Luis, Mario described the senior pranks as a great source of anticipation during my seventh band lunch to sing ‘Feliz Navidad.’ It was funny, and [every- and, for the custodians, subtle apprehension. body in] the cafeteria began to sing,” recalled junior Raina Salvatore. “One year, the seniors put fish in every imaginable place in the school. They From speaking with him about his experiences at Townsend Harris, it’s clear put fish in the lockers, down the stairs, and behind the heating vents, which made that he has a lot to smile about. “I have a wonderful boss, and the employees the school stink for days,” recounted Mario. “Another year, someone cemented behave themselves,” he said. “What is there to complain about?” the school gates shut. One of the best parts of the job for Hector is seeing former students return to These three men keep the school a safe and clean place for students to spend the school to chat, reminisce, and catch up with what’s going on in their lives. He a majority of their day in. Senior Maham Ghani said, “We’re lucky to have such said, “when students come back, you can tell that they’ve reached the light at the a good staff to take care of everything and make this school such a nice place to end of the tunnel, and it’s great seeing them feel gratified and successful.” walk into everyday.” Community reacts as bell schedule changes take effect continued from page 1 but it’s more consistent. [The schedule] requires a vious system of missing each class once per week has more traffic at these times. different type of energy. I have to pace myself now.” also sparked mixed reviews from students, although “It really interferes with the MTA schedule, and Freshman Eileen Jimenez, who said her middle teachers are largely indifferent to it. The policy re- I end up getting home much later,” said junior Mer- school had different classes on different days, also quires teachers to give homework only four times aldina Ziljkic. finds the new schedule to be tedious. a week with each assignment taking no more than Students on athletic teams find that the later dis- “The schedule is so repetitive. I have gym every- thirty minutes to complete. missal interferes with team practices and competi- day on the first floor and then I have to go to the sixth Mr. Hagerty commented, “The homework policy tions, with members often getting home much later floor. It’s exhausting, and I’m always scared I’ll be is fair. In the end it’s for students and doesn’t af- than before. “I have to rush to Brooklyn everyday for late. There’s no variety.” fect me as a teacher, but standing up and saying ‘no practice, and we end up getting only an hour in the However, others see advantages in shortened homework today’ makes me popular for a second, pool because it’s so late,” said junior and swim team bands. which is nice.” member Ariana Stergiou. Although Social Studies teacher Charlene Levi Junior Nijah Phills feels that the mandatory AP Junior Paula Fraczek, a member of the soccer prefers fifty minute bands, she admits that seeing her U.S. History outlines defy the new policy, with each team, said that the team often doesn’t have time to classes everyday facilitates scheduling homework taking well over thirty minutes. warm up before games after school and noticed that and tests so that her classes move at the same pace. “Teachers get around the policy by assigning practices tend to last shorter. Classical Languages teacher Andrew Hagerty more homework, but making it due in two days,” she Generally, however, seniors have been unaffected enjoyed certain aspects of both schedules. said. by the new schedule because of their extensive free “I thought the old schedule was unnecessarily Mr. Olechowski predicts that some subjects will bands. Senior Annie Medina feels like the schedule complicated but it made the school unique. I do see end up taking more time to finish homework for than “affects underclassmen more.” advantages of a less complicated schedule—it does others. Overall, Mr. Barbetta finds that the schedule has away with certain problems like scheduling tests and Students have also expressed concern that they been successful so far: “I don’t have any strong feel- homework.” won’t be able to attend tutoring now that enrichment ings about it. But from what I’ve observed and what Still others are unaffected by the new schedule. is no longer required for teachers. I’ve asked students and teachers, it’s been a smooth Junior Woo Jung Yi doesn’t mind the new schedule Junior Lina Rob said, “What if teachers are busy transition. I have not received any problems, but it’s because the homework level is the same and short- when we have lunch? It doesn’t work out.” early.” ened bands make the days seem faster. Students have also complained that the earlier ar- Although Spanish teacher Beatriz Ezquerra finds “I honestly don’t see a change,” she said. rival and later dismissal disrupt their daily commute shortened bands difficult for her AP classes, she A new policy designed to compensate for the pre- because public transportation is fuller and there is thinks that “it’s all a question of getting used to it.” news/features The Classic3 Septetmber 2013 Clubs, activities weather changes New Standards by Stephanie Geier by Magdalena Grabos

Public schools across America are experiencing an era of change. Since 2010, 46 states have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), a set of educa- tional guidelines designed to ensure that students at each grade level learn similar material and acquire the same classroom skills. Common Core changes have been af- fecting schools all around New York, beginning when the New York State Board of Regents opted to use the standards in January 2011. Though Townsend Harris has been incorporating the CCSS for the past two years, this year will see an increased focus on the implementation of the new standards. Humanities Assistant Principal Rafal Olechowski said that THHS is ahead of most other schools, since it started early. Two years ago students completed a proj- photo by Suswana Chowdhury ect under the Common Core, and last year’s teachers Karen Su working on the JSA board for the club fair. aligned at least one unit to the standards. This year, the plan is to have all lessons in all subjects following the Due to the new schedule eliminating tenth stress free atmosphere of tenth band jazz. CCSS. band and mandatory after school enrichment for “It was honestly more exciting after school “It is difficult not to use Common Core, since most teachers, some after school activities have been because people would stick around and just hang teacher lesson plans include the principles. Also, any altered, but many have found creative ways to out, but now everyone is hustling to get back to content can be adjusted to fit the Common Core,” com- continue on into the new school year. class and it’s kind of exhausting,” she said. “Jazz mented Mr. Olechowski. Jazz band class has been moved from tenth was definitely a nice release after a long day of Some teachers will have to adjust their lesson plans, to zero band, creating both positive and negative school, but many people never used to show up but others are not experiencing any changes so far. changes in how the class is run. and it really affected our grades. It might just take English teacher Joseph Canzoneri said, “Most of Jazz band instructor Peter Lustig said he’d time, but jazz isn’t the same zero band.” what we do in AP English is higher level, so we meet the been nervous about the time change but admits During the first week of school, there had also criteria. Now, there is a greater emphasis on non-fiction that the class has been running smoothly. Howev- been confusion over which clubs would be run- writing, but I’ve always done that with my students so at er, he believes that there are cons to the change. ning this year. least for now changes have been minimal.” “My impulse was that it was going to be ter- Prior to the schedule change teachers had to He believes that it will take a year or two before any rible, but it’s fine,” he said. “I miss how after tenth either tutor or advise a club after school. Now af- major changes become noticeable. band students would stay, hang out and jam, but ter school activities are voluntary. Other teachers are seeing the changes and think that now they can’t because they have to get to class. The change left certain clubs without ad- they are beneficial to students. However, now they’ve been coming earlier to visors, so a memo was sent to teachers asking Biology teacher Sarah Oberlander is now planning practice, as early as 7am.” which clubs, if any, they would advise. to include weekly science articles into her curriculum. He’s disappointed that the jazz band can no On September 17, Coordinator of Student Ac- “The goal is to have students become more science longer make recordings for concerts in the audito- tivities Aleeza Widman and Club Liaison, junior literate and be critical thinkers. This starts with students rium, which is full of students during zero band. Karen Su, emailed an official list of clubs that practicing reading, analyzing, and forming their own Junior and jazz band member Sarriyah Hanif would be running. opinions,” she said. also has mixed feelings on the change. She likes One big change was the merging of Amnesty Ms. Oberlander hopes that this will force students how there is more opportunity to do other leisure International and Free the Children into one club, to not just memorize facts, but analyze the readings and activities after school and that more students are International Love, due to the advisor of Free the actually learn from them. showing up to practice during zero band than they Children being unable to stay for enrichment. Both Principal Anthony Barbetta explained that Townsend did during tenth band. However, she misses the have the common goals of helping others on Harris is not seeing many changes yet because the school continued on page 8 meets most of the requirements. “We are now just waiting to see what the exams will look like. That is where we might need to make some Ms. Wallace selected for major trip changes later, because teachers will need to adjust to By Poonam Dass and Simrankaur Wahan the tests and standards. Our curriculum will remain the same, we might just slightly need to adjust,” explained by the National Endowment for the Mr. Barbetta. Humanities (NEH). States around the country will release new tests that The NEH is a national agency meet the criteria of CCSS within the next few years. As dedicated to supporting educa- of now, it appears that they will not replace the Regents tion and services in the Humani- in New York State, and students will take both tests. ties through grants of money to However, there is nothing that is decided yet, and the relevant institutions and indi- only thing that students and teachers can do is wait. viduals. Ms. Wallace was one of Most states approved the standards because they are sixteen Humanities teachers in supposed to eliminate the possibility of students on the America chosen to participate in West Coast learning something different from students the program, receiving a $3,900 in the Midwest or the East Coast. The Obama Admin- stipend for a trip to Italy aimed at istration also tied adoption of the standards to funding, exploring Dante’s epic, The Divine which served as an incentive for most states to adopt the Comedy. standards fully. Photo courtesy of Ms. Wallace “It was inspiring to associate Since teachers all over the country will have the with so many fine colleagues from same guidelines to follow, hypothetically, no student all over the country,” Ms. Wallace should feel unprepared or at a disadvantage once they Ms. Wallace in Orvieto, Italy. said. get to college or into their selected careers. Whether it’s through her “Culture Vulture” The trip focused on a series of seminars Something new that the standards will apply is a projects or her annual coordination of student on The Divine Comedy, which is a philosophi- less-is-more approach, where students will cover fewer trips to Europe, English teacher Georgette Wal- cal tale about a pilgrim who travels through the topics in the year, but will learn them more in depth. lace is renowned among Harrisites for her love afterlife from hell to paradise. This new method will apply to all subjects – not just of culture and international experience. This The sixteen honorees worked with Professor English – because the idea is that students should be past summer, Ms. Wallace once again immersed Ron Herzman of SUNY Geneseo and Professor able to take information from one class and understand herself in global travel after being selected for Bill Stephany, a retired scholar from the Univer- it enough to use it in another. a prestigious five-week program in Italy offered sity of Vermont. continued on page 12 4 news/features The Classic September 2013 A new addition to math A legacy of teaching by Rachel Chabin by Maham Ghani Students are welcom- Ms. Christine Duffy is as new to ing a new face to the sixth Townsend Harris as the freshman she will floor classrooms this year, be teaching in her English and Writing as Ms. Maggie Christod- Process classes this year. olou joins the Townsend She joins us from her previous school, Harris staff. As the succes- the Academy of American Studies, and al- sor to Ms. Reilly, who left ready believes that this will be a different last year, she is teaching experience because of Townsend’s “repu- five classes of Geometry tation for academic excellence.” and Algebra II / Trigonom- Ms. Duffy comes from a family of etry. teachers who have inspired her to pursue Ms. Christodolou for- this career. “I’m passionate about literature merly taught Mathemat- and writing, and I hope to instill a love of Photo by Kseniya Davydova Photo by Kseniya Davydova ics Research and ESL English in my students. I believe that the (English as a Second Lan- skills students develop in an English class guage) math at Oceanside are essential to success.” Middle School in Nassau She admits that there will probably County, Long Island. She be a lot of note-taking happening in her has returned to her roots, class, but hopes the information will come as she graduated from the from student-generated discussions. She Artwork by Nadia Ali. Artwork by Nadia Macaulay Honors College explains, “There is a lot of collaborative Ali. Artwork by Nadia right at Queens College. She added that despite learning in my class because students and at my previous school I was able to in- She is currently still in school, pur- Townsend’s reputable focus on aca- learn from each other, and an English class corporate this into my classes. I would love suing a Master’s degree at New demics, she wants to go to some of requires the exchange of ideas.” to someday teach a class on novel into film York Institute of Technology. Her the school’s extracurricular events She is also trying to keep the work in- adaptations or a film analysis class.” favorite part of teaching math is in addition to her teaching respon- teresting, although she believes that some Additionally, she is interested in sci- showing students how to use the sibilities, so that she could get to old fashioned assignments are just as effec- ence fiction and horror, so she would love subject in their everyday lives. know her new students in a differ- tive. “Assigning creative projects is impor- to teach a class “looking at dystopias or an- More than anything, Ms. ent light. tant, but it’s vital that students write essays alyzing the relationship between monsters Christodolou said that she is inter- She is looking forward to this in English because they need to learn how and society.” Teaching a class on feminism ested in integrating with the school upcoming school year, and con- to clearly communicate their ideas.” also makes it on the top of her list. community at large. “I am most cluded, “I am also excited to attend Ms. Duffy is hoping that in the future For now though, she said that she is looking forward to getting to know sporting events and musical con- she will also be able to teach a creative writ- looking forward to challenging her stu- my students and colleagues, while certs. It is so wonderful to see my ing or short-story writing workshop. She dents and becoming a part of the Townsend becoming a part of Townsend Har- students shine in other areas.” described, “I come from a film background Harris community. ris,” she said. Bienvenida Ms. Gonzalez Student teacher goes pro by Kseniya Davydova by Roxanne Lewis The Modern Languages Physics teacher Joel Heitman has re- department has just inducted cently joined the Townsend Harris High its newest member: Señora School community as the newest faculty Heidi Gonzalez. member of the Science department. The Peruvian native This year, Mr. Heitman is teaching graduated from Queens Col- Physics, Robotics, and is assisting Chem- lege with a Masters in Span- istry teacher Philip Porzio with Junior ish Language and has had Science Research. He is not entirely new the chance to be a student to Townsend Harris, as he has been both teacher in this school along- a student teacher and observer for the past side Mr. Castillo, her mentor four years. and guide. “It is a privilege and honor to be in- Initially, Ms. Gonzalez vited to teach at Townsend Harris High Photo by Kseniya Davydova worked with students at the School,” he said. “The teaching philoso- Photo by Kseniya Davydova neighboring John Bowne phy at Townsend Harris is a good fit with High School. There, she said my personal one.” that she dealt with noisy, un- Mr. Heitman has been fascinated with motivated students who made the sciences from an early age. As a child teaching slightly more diffi- he gained an interest in applied science cult. She described her transi- and math.

tion to Townsend Harris: “[It He found his passion for teaching Ali. Artwork by Nadia Artwork by Nadia Ali. Artwork by Nadia is a] huge difference. There while working in the airline industry, Her goals as a Spanish teacher fields and aspects of science. “I took the is better classroom management and where he mentored new employees. He remain intact. Her prime objective is seventh and eighth graders to the Hayden the students are more prepared and recalled, “Several of my trainees would for her students to be able to converse Show at Queens College. I also intro- respectful.” come to my office and tell me how much with one another outside of a school duced audience response technology into She feels privileged to have this they appreciated the time and effort I in- setting and to be able to maintain a the classroom. In collaboration with other opportunity, and hopes to gain expe- vested in them. As time went on, I realized conversation with native speakers. middle school teachers, the school’s very rience at one of the best schools in that teaching others was something that Along with most other foreign first Science Olympiad team participat- the city. “The students here are more came naturally to me and I wanted a fu- language teachers, she is also a firm ed in a competition and won “Best New eager to learn,” she remarked, ex- ture career centered on helping others gain believer in teaching Spanish culture School.’” plaining that she is very enthusiastic knowledge and acquiring the tools for suc- because it “brings people of different With all of Mr. Heitman’s science and about her job. cess.” backgrounds together.” teaching experiences, he feels well pre- Ms. Gonzalez is also grateful His love for both teaching and sci- With her friendly personality and pared to officially join the Townsend Har- towards Mr. Castillo for making her ence led him to his previous career at I.S. professional demeanor, Ms. Gonzalez ris staff. feel more at home. He introduced her 61 Leonardo DaVinci school in Corona, is likely to lead her students straight “I am expecting a great year full of to the present seniors and made her Queens, where he taught general science to a perfect score on the Spanish Re- the usual successes achieved by Townsend feel more comfortable in our educa- and a Gifted & Talented class. There, he gents. Harris and its talented students, and then tional community. tried to expose his students to different some!” news/features 5 The Classic September 2013 E-grading raises more questions than it corrects (continued from page 1) to be at the same site to grade them,” said Shael points. faster to grade them on the computer,” said Ms. Yan. Suransky, chief accountability officer of the New Since the English Regents requires students to “Normally I wouldn’t be able to grade 20 exams an York City Department of Education. reference texts they’ve read, students often refer to hour. This was much easier; you just click and go on To facilitate this system, schools shipped student texts taught in their schools. In the past, this made to the next one.” exams to Connecticut, where McGraw Hill scanned it easier for teachers at their school to grade the ex- Ms. Levi added that while the graders “still had the exams for grading. Teachers at grading sites then ams as they would be more likely to be familiar with to read kids’ handwriting, it was cool to have it come received the scanned version of the exam (without the texts the students analyzed. At Ms. Yan’s grad- up on the computer.” the student’s name or the school’s name) over the In- ing site, supervisors reprimanded teachers for ask- ternet using software developed by McGraw Hill. ing each other questions about tests, so if “someone “I think the system doesn’t trust us to be When implemented, the system experienced a behind you didn’t know anything about Lord of the professional and I’m disappointed in that.” lag due to the high volume of exams processed. This Flies, they couldn’t ask any questions. Students are resulted in teachers staring at blank screens for hours writing about all different texts and they can’t ask on end. about it, so it might be hard to accurately grade some- Despite the positives, the participating teachers “There were times when nothing was coming body else’s student.” did not approve of the new policy. up because we had to wait for scanning,” said So- Social Studies teacher Alex Wood served as “It feels like we can’t be trusted, like we’re going cial Studies teacher Charlene Levi, who graded the a content supervisor at Brooklyn Technical High to compromise our integrity over Regents Exams,” Global History and Geography Regents at Martin School. Mr. Wood said that, though he didn’t dis- said Ms. Yan. Van Buren High School. courage people from talking to each other, the com- Mr. Barbetta agreed: “I think the system doesn’t Ms. Levi said that, had she been grading the ex- puters made “teachers feel like they’re grading ma- trust us to be professional and I’m disappointed in ams in-house, she would have graded 350 exams and chines and it hindered them from asking advice to that.” would have been done grading in two days. With give accurate scores.” The Department of Education did an audit two the computers, after two days of work only 42% was Senior Jonathan Chung did very well on both the years ago and found that there were some schools completely graded. AP English exam and the SAT subject test for Eng- where teachers were inflating grades. The new grading system had little effect on the lish, yet he received below the mastery level on the “The way we know that is when we re-graded majority of the tests taken at Townsend Harris, with English Regents. He said the Regents was “more them, some of the exams that were at the passing one notable exception: the English Regents. This like a test to see how well you can spell things out for mark weren’t in fact passing,” said Mr. Suransky. “It past June was the first time in several years that the people, and not so much of insight and comprehen- doesn’t benefit the student to pass them if they’re not, passing rate for the English Regents was below 100 sion.” so the question came up of how can we create an ef- percent. More surprising was that the mastery level With parents, students, teachers, and administra- ficient system where teachers grade Regents that are (students receiving a grade of 85 or higher) decreased tors skeptical of the results, the option for appealing not their own and we came up with a possible number 15 percent from 2012. the test grades became more and more desirable. of options, one of them being electronic scoring.” The principal must send appeals to the super- After the delay in getting all exams graded, which “The results on the AP exam shows intendent. If there are a small number of appeals, resulted in many students going to graduation with- that something went very wrong with the the superintendent makes the call on whether they out knowing if they did indeed pass the necessary ex- scoring of the regents.” are valid, but if there is a larger number, the appeals ams, Mr. Suransky determined that “the technology might get sent to the state. of [McGraw Hill] was not good enough.” The disparity between some students’ grades on Principal Anthony Barbetta appealed all “ques- On September 13, the Department of Education the Regents and their grades on the AP English Exam tionable exams, meaning students who failed or who cancelled the remainder of the $9.6 million, three- has members of the Townsend Harris community just missed mastery by a point or two.” year contract with McGraw Hill, opting for the cus- questioning the reliability of the results. Only one appeal went through; all others were tomary paper and pencil grading this upcoming year. On the AP English Exam, which is widely ac- denied. Teachers, however, will continue to be sent to scor- cepted as the more challenging test, the class of 2014 “They basically wanted us to find clear cut an- ing sites to grade the work of students from schools had the highest passing percentage and received the swers that were marked wrong but we couldn’t find other than their own. most 4s and 5s in the history of the building. it,” said Mr. Barbetta. “Teachers will be sent to different sites to grade “The results on the AP exam show that something Since the essay grading depended upon live the Regents…[and] they won’t be scoring their own went very wrong with the scoring of the Regents,” scorers, it was the focal point of the appeals, but the kids but they won’t be doing them on the computer,” said English teacher Joseph Canzoneri in an email school did not receive the actual grades scorers gave said Mr. Suransky. “I hope we can get the technology he sent to his AP English students after the release of to students’ essays; they only received the scans of to work in the future, but we are not comfortable with the AP scores. In a later interview he said, “It doesn’t the essays back. This made it difficuly to prove that this company and its technology,” he added. make sense how kids could increase greatly with the a student who received a grade below the Mastery According to Niket B. Mull, Executive Director AP scores and tank the Regents. It’s a statistical im- level was graded improperly. of Assessment, the city has “a number of practices to possibility.” One of Ms. Levi’s students appealed after receiv- ensure a fair grading process” when teachers grade English teacher Katherine Yan, who graded the ing a grade below mastery on the Global Regents. the Regents next year with non-electronic methods. English Regents at Thomas Edison High School, ex- “Because it was a passing grade the department didn’t “I don’t think the problem was the scanning,” plained that there “may have been several factors” even want to deal with it,” Ms. Levi said. said Ms. Yan in response to news of the city letting that affected the drop in the mastery level rate. During the process of shipping the exams to McGraw Hill go. “It’s hard to read those essays when Ms. Yan said, “If the training is different and [the Connecticut, the DOE lost the exams of numerous you don’t have knowledge of the text and then be graders] are from different schools, and they have students from other schools; these students had to re- able to accurately grade them. Maybe if the money different standards, it’s hard to get everyone on the turn in August for retakes. For Townsend Harris, one was put into school funding then students would be same page. The rubric is there to keep us objective exam was not scanned. “Originally it was put in as a able to perform better and then there would be no but it’s still hard to do that with so many teachers failing grade, and it turned out to be in the high 90s,” issue of cheating on Regents exams because there from different schools.” She said that the difference said Mr. Barbetta. would be no need.” between one grade and another on the scoring ru- However, not all feedback was negative. The city will receive a refund from McGraw Hill bric can affect the final Regents grade by “a lot” of Once the scans were available “it was much for the June portion of the contract. Watch Classic TV at thhsclassic.com NEW EPSIODES OF OUR WEB SERIES PREMIERE EVERY FRIDAY!

“From the Block” “DIY” “Hangry and Chungry” Andrew Mitchel explores the different neighborhoods of Stephanie Yeh offers you monthly tips on how to make Stephanie Han and Jonathan Chung cook for you. THHS students. Each episode, a student takes Andrew and produce things inexpensively and creatively. Epi- Each month they find recipes from a different interna- to his or her neighborhood, shows him what makes the sode One teaches you how to create your own tote bag tional cuisine and offer you tips for how best to cook it. area unique, and finds the best slice of pizza available. using simple supplies. Episode One focuses on food from Korea. 6 news/features The Classic September 2013

SU PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT What’s the job? What’s the job? What’s the job? She’s in charge of His responsibilities She takes notes dur working to improve include representing ing SU meetings. after school func- the student body, She also looks over tions, planning introducing more the finances of the trips, and being school spirit, and SU store and responsible for the trying to keep the ages the school initiatives within the school a safe and suggestion box. school. happy place. What’d she do? What’s her plan? What’d he do? “I want to increase “For the first time, He is president of underclassmen re- the Society for the get people excited ceived apparel...I Preservation of the also started the Earth club, and is school. My involv trend of going ice a teacher’s assis- ment in this school skating sophomore tant on Sunday. He makes me want to year and planned works alongside the the junior banquet.” SU president.

JUDY KWON JOSHUA MERAI ANGEL SONG

CLUB LIAISON TREASURER JUNIOR QSAC What’s the job? What’s the job? What’s the job? She’s responsible Generally, the ma- The junior and for managing club jor requirement of senior QSAC have aendance, ad- school treasurer to aend many dressing the needs is to manage the meetings from high of each club, and budget, specifically schools all over the helping them find for club and team borough and apply advisors or funding. the advice received classrooms. towards their own What’s his plan? school. What’s her plan? He hopes to take She’s preparing part in improving What’s her plan? a Student Union communication “I’m glad to be a website with within the student part of the SU. I Yash Sharma, body by utiliz- like the cleaning townsendsu.com, ing popular social and organizing which will help websites such as we did with the people learn about Facebook, and as- SU store. It’s these clubs and see sisting in develop- baby steps that what’s available to ments regarding teach future mem- fit their interests. school conven- bers they need tions. commitment.”

KAREN SU HARRY PETSIOS HANNAH JANG Layout by Christina Wang. Photographs (Except for Dillon Mahabir) taken by Yash Sharma. Information gathered by Rachel Chabin, Asmaaul Chowdhury, Suswana Chowdhury, Yelena Dzhanova, Magdelena Grabos, Roxanne Lewis, Katherine Maradiaga, and Erin Robinson. Note: Senior SLT Brianna Cassidy and Senior QSAC Karan Chachlani were unavailable for pictures; see their profiles online. news/features 7 The Classic September 2013

SECRETARY PUBLIC JUNIOR SLT RELATIONS What’s the job? What’s the job? What’s the job? She takes notes dur- Along with the se- He uses graphic de- ing SU meetings. nior SLT, she shares sign to create flyers She also looks over updates on the stu- and announcements the finances of the dents’ daily lives, to publicize events, SU store and man- interesting events, and collaborates ages the school and debatable issues with Ms. Fee, Ms. within the school suggestion box. Widman, and Karen community. What’s her plan? Su regularly. What’s her plan? “I want to increase What’d he do? “I’d like the SU school spirit and Even before the Board to be more get people excited school year began, involved so stu- about coming to he was working on dents are able to school. My involv- P.R. projects, the approach any of the ment in this school most notable be- SU members and makes me want to ing an independent let us know what’s give back to the website for the Stu- on their mind.” community.” dent Union. ANGEL SONG YASH SHARMA AMANDA LEE

SENIOR CLASS JUNIOR CLASS SOPHMEN CLASS JUNIOR QSAC PRESIDENT PRESIDENT PRESIDENT What’s the job? What’s the job? What’s the job? Typically, the Se- Nina assists the Sherin follows the nior Class President junior grade lead- junior class presi- is responsible for ers, helps plan the dent’s example planning the yearly Junior Prom, listens and tries to come hall decorating, the to her fellow class- up with new and senior mixer, the mates, and express- innovative events senior trip, and the es their concerns at for her fellow senior prom. meetings. sophmen. What’d he do? What’s her plan? What’s her plan? He’s been a sena- She is focusing Sherin Shibu tor for the last two a lot of her time plans on holding years and is also on Junior Prom, another scaven- president of the wanting to have an ger hunt for the Trivia Knowledge aractive venue for freshmen, geing Club. He’s wanted an affordable price. grade apparel for this position since She’s also preoc- both sophomores he’s been involved cupied by THHS’s and freshman, in the SU board as Hall Decorating and changing the a freshman. event. freshman grade trip. DILLON MAHABIR NINA LEEDS SHERIN SHIBU Layout by Christina Wang. Photographs (Except for Dillon Mahabir) taken by Yash Sharma. Information gathered by Rachel Chabin, Asmaaul Chowdhury, Suswana Chowdhury, Yelena Dzhanova, Magdelena T Brianna Cassidy and Senior QSAC Karan Chachlani were unavailable for pictures; see their profiles online. 8 news/features The Classic September 2013 Seniors test iPads in QC seminar Clubs cope by Sarah Iqbal (continued from page 3) an international level, so the merging is It’s apparent that technology has been increasingly compatible. International Love will be ad- making its way into education, with many teachers in- vised by Robert Babstock. tegrating it into their everyday lessons. Chris Lore and “Although it will be a challenge, our Brian Sweeney, instructors of the Humanities Seminar clubs will coexist and merge in both events at Queens College, have similarly integrated the use of and fundraising,” said International Love iPads into their courses in lieu of traditional textbooks. co-president, senior Leanna Narain. “We

Robin Hizme, the Director of the College Prepara- photo by Fran Horowitz will also have more members that will tory Program (CPP) at Queens College, worked with contribute to our club and help us in our Principal Anthony Barbetta and Assistant Principal Rafal fight to essentially reform the society we Olechowski to launch this program in the Fall of 2013, live in. Both club leaders plan on using our using grant money earmarked for the CPP. time efficiently and using the advantage of Professor Hizme said “the idea was definitely a more members to get things done.” group effort and we were eager to implement it, even Although the student body has been though funds had never been allocated towards technol- under the impression that clubs were dy- ogy in our program. Principal Barbetta was pivotal in the ing out because teachers no longer wanted initiation and support of the idea.” to stay to advise them, Ms. Widman notes Both Professor Lore and Mr. Sweeney have used Students in the seminar can use their iPads at THHS. that this is a misconception. She says that club activities are “in good shape” and technology frequently in a classroom setting. Professor “It takes up so much of class time to set everyone up feels that they were largely unaffected by Lore set up an online discussion board for his classes last and half the time [the iPads] don’t work with the Wi-Fi,” the schedule change. year. Although it was successful, he noticed that students said senior Katherine Kulesza. As a result of the prob- “To be honest, I don’t think there “had limited access to technology within the classroom it- lems, Katherine feels the iPads haven’t been worth it. “It are any clubs that won’t run,” she said. self, so comments on the discussion board did not surface is nice reading on them but other than that there is nothing “Around forty clubs for a school with during time in the classroom.” too special about them to continue the funding.” 1100 kids is pretty good. We have a good Mr. Sweeney discussed the role of the iPads in the Others felt the Wi-Fi issue to be less impactful. mix of things.” class thus far. “Despite the technical difficulties we had in the be- While certain clubs had trouble finding “The iPads don’t replace in-class discussions,” he ginning, I find it very beneficial,” said senior Laura Caba. advisors she adds that teachers have been said. “The best thing they do is facilitate discussions dur- “Reading books on Subtext is incredibly helpful. Every- gracious about staying for enrichment. ing the reading process by allowing students to share one comments and participates in discussions. And when- “Teachers are advising clubs because comments while reading each e-text. Students can come ever I have a question [while reading] people answer so they want to. Everybody’s doing it on a to class ready to continue and improve a conversation that I’m rarely confused. I’m glad the iPads have been intro- voluntary basis,” she said. has already started.” duced.” Karen feels that the situation was han- The app that does this is called “Subtext.” With it, “We want to emphasize that this really is meant to be dled in the best possible way, expressing students have constant access to digital libraries. Use of a test,” said Mr. Sweeney in response to questions about thanks to the teachers for their coopera- Google Drive for student e-notebooks has also increased the Wi-Fi. “Even after the Wi-Fi is fixed, if students don’t tion. student collaboration. find this useful and we don’t see results, we won’t con- “I highly suggest that we move away “We think that this collaboration will break down the tinue it. Our hope is that the iPad enhances the experi- from the negative light shed upon this barrier between time in and out of class, and result in a ence.” situation,” she said. “Instead we should more well-rounded and comprehensive learning process,” Professor Lore added, “The acquisition of knowledge focus on the positive aspects such as more said Professor Lore. and the honing of skills, in my opinion, is not a one-way quality in clubs, and a bright future for A real concern that arose and remains troublesome in- street from teacher to students, but multifaceted and di- student involvement and school spirit here volves Queens College’s Wi-Fi, which hasn’t been able to verse, and the more ways we can provide to allow stu- at Townsend Harris.” handle the amount of students logging in all at once. dents to make their opinions heard the more successful the The Hawk’s Nest opens for student sales by Poonam Dass With its enhanced school colors, vibrant murals, SU logo was designed by Public Relations Officer, and upcoming promotions for student involvement, junior Yash Sharma, to “show the change of admin- the Student Union store, which was refurbished over istration.” the summer and renamed the “Hawk’s Nest,” is up “We ended up using a lot of our creativity by re- and running. cycling old wooden boards, brushes, or any material The 2013-2014 SU board members decided to we could find. Price-wise, I felt that we tried as hard revamp the store last June because they felt it lacked to renovate without major costs so we volunteered student appeal, choosing a name that gave it a great- a lot of our time to make the changes,” commented er sense of school spirit. Club Liaison, junior Karen Su, on the renovation’s “We weren’t really utilizing the SU store to the allocated $200 budget. best of our abilities,” said junior class president In addition, students will have the opportunity to Nina Leeds. “We noticed that there was a lot more apply for a managerial position that oversees earn- we could be doing with it.” ings and activities of the Hawk’s Nest during each The SU Board also wanted to increase student lunch band. awareness of the actual items sold in the store. “The addition of a student manager will make “The products in the store always stayed the this less of a “school store” and more of a “student same: books and uniforms,” said junior Harry Pet- union store,” said Harry. sios, SU Treasurer. “During the cleanup, SAT and Although it is already functioning, the Hawk’s United States History books resurfaced that hadn’t Nest is still developing. The SU Board plans to

been opened since 2005.” have the two remaining murals painted and will try photo by David Heifetz Various SU Board members began renovating to create a “Rewards Card” for students. Although during Regents week last June and finished during the store’s merchandise will stay the same for now, the first week of September. In addition, a mural con- the SU Board wants to soon sell new items that ap- One of the new murals in the Hawk’s Nest. test was held over vacation with the winning design- peal to students. However, SU President Judy Kwon ers, sophomore Cindy Xu, senior Selina Feng, and noted that it’s “not very easy to bring items that are Although SU members admitted that coordinat- junior Jessica Mgbeojirikwe, receiving gift cards to approved by the Department of Education and items ing and brainstorming for the renovation were dif- Michael’s Arts and Crafts store. During the revamp- that the students can enjoy.” ficult, they enjoyed the experience. ing, SU members repainted much of the store crim- The SU Board sees success for the Hawk’s “Not only was it a thrilling experience in the son and gold, and Cindy painted her mural. They Nest.“I definitely think students will come into the sense that we were making near-permanent changes also added an LED light-board conveying messages store much more,” said Yash. “With all the new stuff to the school,” said Harry, “but it also offered some to students in the cafeteria and a suggestion box to we’re adding, it’s really a great and convenient place assurance that the Executive Board performs “hands- encourage input on the store. Furthermore, a new to get certain jobs done.” on” jobs, and doesn’t simply deliberate school pol- icy.” news/features 9 The Classic September 2013 Clubs cope Harrisites too young to cast ballots volunteer instead by Harry Quinn

In Townsend Harris, Government as a tenth-grader in my Constitutional Question: Why/How did you get Q: Tell me about how that trans- and Participatory Democracy classes Law class develop organizational skills involved with the campaign? Why de lated on primary day. How did you feel require all seniors to contribute ten and become the friendly, sweet leader I Blasio over other candidates? during the day? How did you feel when hours of service to a candidate or local knew she could be,” teacher of Social Answer: Initially, I was working you found out you won? politician in New York City. The goal Studies Linda Steinmann remembers. for Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder of A: There was a huge countdown is for students to better understand the “She then came back and recruited District 23. There a team leader from probably three weeks before primary legislative and democratic processes Townsend students for the Shafran the de Blasio campaign recruited me. day. behind local leadership and current Campaign. She developed skills she This was during petition season. On primary day, straight after events. Additionally, underclassmen never knew she had because of the For me, petitioning was the test run. school I went home and took my par- participate in summer campaigns to experience. The most important skill Ethically before joining, I researched ents to vote. [Later] I went to headquar- bolster their academic resumés and students learn in the ideal internship is Bill and was drawn in by his willing- ters in downtown Brooklyn and phone gain work experience and leadership organization, which allows them to be ness to tax the wealthy and invest in banked, making sure all the contacts we skills. With local elections dominating better leaders and better deal with high early childhood education. I like his made went out and cast their ballot. the 2013 election, numerous students school.” idea of using this money to establish a There was a huge party for the spent their summers on the campaign Spinner raved about the involve- universal Pre-K system which would campaign that very night. We never trail. ment of Townsend Harris students: “[It] further snowball into fewer struggling fully acknowledged the fact that Bill Many campaigns were ecstatic was an absolute pleasure working with schools. But overall, I met Bill several had won until Thompson conceded, about having Harrisites volunteer. my fellow Harrisites. This summer I times and have come to know him as a but the feeling of a job well done, that Rebecca Pineiro, Field Organizer wound up having around 150 people earnest family man. His campaign was is–campaigning with a victory–is still from the Peter Vallone Jr. Campaign for from Townsend Harris as interns and stellar. He didn’t discriminate because quite surreal. Queensborough President, said, “Be- volunteers. These interns were the in- of our age but rather listened and re- fore working on the campaign, I didn’t frastructure of our organization [and] spected our ideas. Q: How has working with de Blasio know much about Townsend Harris or they were a great team to work with. changed your outlook on local politics, the people who went there. However, I will really miss working alongside Q: How did you contribute to the your community and New York City? the quality of interns from Townsend them.” campaign? Tell me a little more about A: At first, I really wasn’t inter- was always amazing, and convinced With an inside perspective on the some of the work you did. ested in politics at all. The interest was me that on my next campaign, recruit- intense fights for positions for New A: I was a Queens Intern early on sparked by my first internship with Mr. ing at Townsend Harris will be a prior- York City Mayor, Queensborough in the campaign and eventually became Goldfeder doing constituent affairs. I ity.” President, and City Council District a Queens leader training other volun- think the most important thing I learned Sometimes this volunteer work 19, Townsend Harris students shared teers. I attended press conferences. I from the de Blasio campaign is that we has led to graduates of THHS return- their experiences in multiple inter- went to a rally in Rockaway that was the people actually do have a say and ing as official members of campaign views. All of the interviews are col- against the closure of St. Johns. I went can contribute change. Concerning staffs. Alumna Sydney Spinner served lected at thhsclassic.com. Below is an to do visibility at the Colombian Day NYC, de Blasio opened my eyes to the as Volunteer Coordinator for the Aus- excerpt from an interview with senior parade at the Jamaican Jerk Festival, crisis of inequality, what he termed “a tin Shafran Campaign for City Council Lilly Rada who worked on Bill de Bla- and I also accompanied Bill on streets tale of two cities,” that is going on in District 19. sio’s successful campaign to become and subways of Queens to greet people the city and the urgency with which we “I got to watch one student I had the Democratic nominee for Mayor. and hand out literature. must act to change it. Mayoral candidates’ views on NYC education by Yelena Dzhanova Bill de Blasio and Joe Lhota, the candidates in amount in the city during his tenure. the 2013 Mayoral Race, have differing views when it On the issue of standardized testing, both appeared negative on comes to education. the subject. Aspiring to put more funding into the New York De Blasio commented that, “[They’re] poisoning our system.” City public school system in general, de Blasio plans Lhota said, “We really need to work with our faculty and our teachers to raise taxes from 3.86% to 4.3%, which will only im- to have them not train for tests. Train for the core competency of math pact those who receive an annual income of $500,000 and arts, as well as English and language.” or more. Lhota also wants to fund public schools, but Regarding class size and teacher jobs, de Blasio said that he wants through other means aside from taxation. to hire more experienced teachers. Lhota wants to institute a merit With these new funds, de Blasio plans to make pay system that would reward teachers with bonuses for proven suc- pre-K programs universally available to city children. cess in the classroom. Claiming that high salary should be earned, Lhota claims that he can offer the same type of pro- he believes that it is the teacher’s responsibility to verify a child’s gram without raising taxes, since “we’re the highest education. De Blasio has not yet expressed his formal opinions on taxed city in the United States.” this topic. On the issue of charter schools, de Blasio believes On at least one issue both appear to fully agree: students should be charter schools that share space with regular public permitted to bring cell phones to school. Art by Maya Grodzka schools should have to pay rent. Lhota is a larger proponent of charter schools, hoping to increase the Candidate Joe Lhota. theCLASSIC Trivia Contest: Win an iPad! Every month, the print edition of The Classic will provide you with four clues. Can you guess the identity of the staff member who matches these clues? If you can, buy a ‘guess ticket’ during your lunch band from the Classic staff. We’ll add your guess to our treasure chest, and at the end of each month, we’ll pick a ‘guess ticket’ at random. If we pick your guess, and it is a correct answer for any month’s clues, you’ll win a prize. Buy as many guesses as you want. We will leave your guesses in the chest for the whole year. In December the prize will be an iPad mini. Note: the iPad may be a refurbished product. Here are the clues for September’s mystery teacher! If you decide to research the mystery, do so in an appropriate manner and at an ap- propriate time. WHO AM I? I have spent more I’ve eaten dog meat I am the current than two weeks of many times and I used to own and president of a my life in complete have found it not ride a motorcycle. 14,000 watt radio silence. unappealing. station. 10 news/features The Classic September 2013 NEW YEAR, NEW RULES

Preparation is the key to the start of a smooth ride during school, FRESHMEN SURVIVAL:so take the time before school starts to prepare your supplies, or you may become MYTHBUSTERSthat student constantly asking for pencils. by Vincent Chu, Zach Ooi, and Jennifer

High school, a place where only jocks, cool kids, and nerds exist, where teenagers make out behind bleachers and teachers bore you to tears. In reality, high school - at least ours - is so quiet, you’d almost wish those stereotypes existed. To help freshmen out, some of us at the Classic (that’s the school newspaper you have in your hands) decided to test some myths about Townsend Harris.

I won’t get any sleep because of The senior mixer is insane. stress and homework. - The senior mixer is a CONFIRMED! - Despite what some of your class MYTH! rite of passage that all freshmen should experi Re- ence since it’s the only dance of the year. mates will claim, it’s If totally you start possible your tohomework get a good night’s sleep. member to keep your dance moves PG - you early and don’t take long breaks, you’ll be don’t want to have to take the walk of shame to done in no time! English after twerking with your friends. - All my peers are really competi The school’s dress code is unbearable. tive and will sabotage me. I’ll melt in the summer heat now! You can definitely look good while While there are students who are - MYTH! MYTH! competitive with their grades, it’s more of a meeting the dress code requirements despite the healthy competition. Everyone helps each other weather. Just be prepared to measure your skirts, and is friendly - this isn’t Mean Girls. shorts, or dresses.on AndWednesdays don’t forget we thewear most pink! im (... portant rule - Not really). SOPHOMORE by Magdalena Grabos and Daniel Restifo DECLASSIFIED During freshman year everyone’s pretty much confused… about everything. But then it’s over and now you’re sophomores. There’s no confusion that freshmen face, no college stress that juniors deal with, but instead a chance to learn more about yourself. Here are some tips to make your sophomore year run smoothly - you’ll be glad someone warned you in advance. Your !rst AP exam is a Sophomore year is the time to have Day ONE, so big deal and the college Latin starts on fun and take advantage of the free credit is nice, but the - don’t forget the basics in De time. During junior year you’ll be key is to treat it like any cember. Keep practicing until other test. The more you worrying over SAT’s, ACT’s, and col- stress, the more di"cult you can decline in your sleep lege. Learn more about yourself and it becomes, so remem- - you’ll relax more during what you like to do. Test out your in- ber to breathe and you’ll junior year if you do. recall everything you terests, and make new friends. studied! news/features 11 The Classic NEW YEAR, NEW RULES September 2013

READERS BEWARE,

JUNIOR SCAREby Anna St. Clair If you haven’t lost your sanity yet, don’t worry, you will soon. Everyone you see will be constantly remind- ing you how important junior year is. Even more, this will be your first time with college admissions ex- ams and your first time giving college some serious Decide which college Believe entrance it or not, youexam. you want to take. thought. Here are some tips to hopefully delay the loss of your sanity. don’t actually have to take the SAT to get into college You may take SAT subject tests, which test specific subject material learned in school. You can also opt for which some find easier, plus you don’t have to Start checking out colleges. Start reading the ACT, Princeton Review and Kaplan - bother with subject tests. those college pamphlets you kept throwing out as a fresh offer a testing option in which you can take both the man. Dig deeper past the pretty scenery and eternally If ACT and SAT and have your scores Take compared AP courses for you.in your happy students on the cover to find real information. you know what you want to study, find a place with a Classes count too! - strong program or a lot of students studying the same - favorite subjects. Though it may be tempting to take subject. Plan college visits, as they’re helpful for un every AP course there is for college credit, you’re likely derstanding the school and its students. There are also going to die by December.Take something You shouldinteresting also butmake challeng your online forums like College Confidential where you can ask elective count. questions and get information not on the brochure. ing instead of blowing it off with an easy A class.Art & Design by Christina Wang

Severe Outbreak: Fight Senioritis by Suswana Chowdhury and Katherine Maradiaga You’ve made it this far, but you’re not quite ready to relax yet. Queens College classes are added to your workload and you have to spit out stellar college applications. Eventually, senioritis will kick in and you’ll be tempted to give up. But although it’s the last year, it still counts. Plus, you still have extra free bands, senior trip, and prom to look forward to. Here are some tips to survive it all, so soon enough, you can kick off your shoes, rest your feet, and finally say “I’m done.” Thanks to graduates Ella Leviyeva, Genna Mastellone, and Catherine Moskos for consulting on life as a senior.

Anticipate how hard your Don’t feel obligated to men- “Don’t procrastinate applications! The ear- course will be after becoming tion everything you’ve done lier you finish them, the more time you familiar with the professor over the years. Colleges have to perfect them. Don’t wait until the and syllabus. Give everything would rather see dedication last day, because the sites do crash and a due date--whether it is the to a few activities instead you could miss your deadline!” professor’s or yours. of a huge list of everything Ella Leviyeva ‘2013 Regarding college applica- you’ve done. tions, do all your essays early. Sign up for scholarships Sending them close to the now, even if you don’t fully “I wish I didn’t buy college apparel to due date is fine if you have meet the requirements. schools I liked because I didn’t get into recommendations or test Many scholarships are not some and then had to burn the clothes in scores to back you up, but given out because of few frustration.” they should be done by then. people signing up. Catherine Moskos ‘2013 12 The Classic September 2013 OPINION THHS For and Against: NSA Spying Voices I don’t spy a problem Not So Appropriate Community members share by Zion Kim by Igor Portnoi opinions on the NSA’s spy- ing scandal. There are children in Egypt who go to sleep every night lis- Let’s face it––nobody is safe on the Internet these days. tening to the sound of angry protesters and mobs outside their Hackers have gotten more ingenious over the years, and it doesn’t doors, afraid that when they wake up they might find their par- look like that trend will stop. To make things worse, our own ents dragged away by government officials. There are child sol- government has hired these same hackers to snoop through all of diers scattered throughout Africa that wake up every morning not our files and information in a violation of our basic rights. The knowing if it will be their last. These people would give anything National Security Agency, or NSA for short, has been monitoring to know that they will be safe. And what life-threatening situation Internet traffic not only in America but in many nations around do we Americans face? People reading our emails. the world since around 2005. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they In 2001, President Bush issued a presidential order that au- also have phone records from nearly everyone in the country. “I understand that they thorized the National Security Administration to conduct war- This issue has gone unnoticed for too long, and I believe now is had the “safety of the rantless electronic surveillance of the time to draw the red line and United States” as their any American citizen’s telephone preserve our privacy. priority but there are and Internet communications in an Edward Snowden, a for- boundaries that they attempt to counter the threat of ter- mer NSA employee, revealed crossed which should not rorism. This has raised controversy to The Guardian, a British have been crossed.” among Americans who claim that newspaper, that the U.S. had --Junwoo Shin, junior their privacy is being violated. But a secret surveillance system just how important is privacy when called PRISM set up to moni- it comes at the cost of our security tor all communications in the and protection? U.S. and around the world. Psychologist Abraham Maslow Snowden even had thousands has observed that people have five of files pertaining to what in- sets of needs that must be fulfilled formation the NSA held. As in a particular order to achieve the the news leaked out, Snowden “I honestly don’t think it level of comfort in life that hu- Photo by Reuters quickly fled to Hong Kong and matters. Hackers do it all mans naturally strive for. Accord- was later granted asylum in The NSA Headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland the time. People shouldn’t ing to Maslow’s social hierarchy Russia. The U.S. reacted force- be mad because it doesn’t of needs, the second level is a sense of security and protection. fully and demanded the return of Snowden to the U.S., which impact their lives.” Without a sense of security, we forfeit a basic need: to feel safe Russia was unwilling to do. Why go to such great lengths to --Ross Bonete, sophomore and secure. Safety is the intent of the National Security Admin- catch someone whose crime is revealing the truth to the public? istration, and our safety is the very reason President Bush gave In the book 1984 by George Orwell, “Big Brother” is men- the NSA his consent to freely investigate any American citizen’s tioned quite frequently as the ruler of a totalitarian state who electronic communication lines––to shield us from the incessant, spies on every single action. This is exactly how we can describe ever-present threat of terrorism that looms over our lives. the actions of the NSA. America is supposed to be the land of the The ugly truth is that we are not safe from our fellow Ameri- free, not the land of the watched. can citizens. The suspects of the Boston Marathon bombings of It would be fine if the government was actually spying on April 2013, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, were brothers who the criminals and terrorists, but that is not the case. Thousands of immigrated to the United States as refugees in 2002. Dzhokhar reports have been filed about how the NSA targeted law abiding “I don’t have anything il- became a naturalized American citizen on September 11, 2012. citizens. Facebook and Google are two of the companies that legal to hide so it doesn’t Who would have suspected that an American citizen would at- have released transparency reports on the user information they have a big impact on me. tempt something so tragic in the land of their own citizenship? give up and how many requests were filed by countries. The U.S. Although I don’t agree with According to Eli Lake, senior national-security correspondent for had an astonishing 11,000-12,000 requests to Facebook authori- the invasion of privacy, I Newsweek and The Daily Beast, the majority of convicted terror- ties in the last year, 79% of which were fulfilled. If that is not bad understand why it would ists in the United States are American citizens. If we are not even enough, only a dozen or so terrorist attacks have been averted come in handy.” safe from our fellow Americans, can we really complain about by the NSA (numbers differ from 1 to 54). How can you justify --Casey Ramos, freshman the potential violation of our privacy by measures that are taken the use of private information from over 10,000 people when the to protect our lives? results are minimal? The Boston bombings are one example of The NSA has a responsibility to protect the lives of the Amer- such failure. It seems that while the NSA was going through mil- ican people. Isn’t it only reasonable that we support everything lions of our personal files, they failed to notice the actions of the done to ensure that we can live our lives knowing that we are safe suspects from Chechnya, which were, according to the govern- and secure? Events of the past have proved that no amount of pre- ment, under surveillance for suspicious activity. It’s a shame to cautions taken are ever enough to guarantee our safety. With this know that the NSA was probably snooping through some random in mind, isn’t it in our best interest to support security measures posts on Facebook rather than attempting to catch terrorists. “I don’t really care because whenever possible? Is our privacy really more important than our Do we really have to deal with a government that feels as I feel it doesn’t really affect lives? The fact that Americans complain about the NSA having if spying on law abiding citizens is the right thing to do? The me that much. This spying too much access to information about their lives reveals that we answer is no. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “When the people has a higher purpose than prioritize our privacy over our safety. It seems that we would rath- fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government regular civilians.” er suffer terrorist attacks than have people read our emails. fears the people, there is liberty.” --Emma Noblesala, junior

From the News Section: THHS teacher receives prestigious honor continued from page 3 Both are experts on Dante, and Ms. Wallace had nothing but praise for their work and guidance. The students in the program were a mix of music, art, English, and history teachers. Ms. Wallace believes that they each gave and received better perspectives about Dante when they pooled their knowledge together. For instance, the art teachers shed light on the “I think it’s an intrusion work’s artistic background while the history teachers gave insights on its history. on my privacy and that The daily routine consisted of classes starting at nine in the morning and lasting three to six hours. The group would also travel it’s foolish for the NSA to to nearby cities that were pertinent to Dante’s life. waste resources on every- “After travelling, I would stay up until midnight doing a lot of reading and taking notes for my classes,” she recalled. one in the nation.” Ms. Wallace had to submit an essay and recommendations to apply for the program, and she believes the trips she organized for --Jordan Brandwein, se- THHS during her twenty-four years at the school enhanced her application to the program. nior When asked about what she took away from her trip, she said, “I learned a lot about Florentine history and Medieval Art. I fell in Photography by Vincent love with Italy, its history, and its culture. It was truly a life-changing experience.” Chu and Zach Ooi. Quota- Ms. Wallace, who felt that the trip was “refreshing to the soul and the spirit,” encourages students to “be open to new experiences tions compiled by Vincent that might seem daunting at first.” Chu and Zach Ooi opinion 13 The Classic FROM THE EDITORS: September 2013 On Regents, DOE earns another F To say that the DOE’s new Regents grading system proved itself more inefficient than useful would be an understatement. Last June’s grading blunder not only skewed the results of many test scores and delayed some seniors’ graduation plans, but it wasted millions of dollars that could have been used elsewhere, and wasted the time of educators who are already hard-pressed for it. Under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the city govern- ment has delighted in grading everything it can as a prelude to closure or termination; after this fiasco, would EDITORS-IN-CHIEF any independent assessor call the mayor’s latest educational policy anything but a failure? Suswana Chowdhury The grading system--a partnership between McGraw Hill and the DOE--was meant to streamline the Katherine Maradiaga supposedly messy practice of scoring tests by hand. However, the execution was filled with glitches: grad- ers weren’t able to log in to the servers, pages took minutes to load, and some test answers were partially NEWS EDITOR SPORTS EDITORS obscured. Hours spent looking at unresponsive computer screens no doubt frustrated the teachers who were Stephanie Geier Bianca Dilan working overtime to make up for the system’s shortcomings. Worse, the city budgeted $9.6 million dollars for Michelle Gan the faulty program, when the whole scoring process could have been done at no cost, and in a quicker time FEATURES EDITOR Daniel Restifo frame. Magdalena Grabos Even if the online scoring had worked, the cost mitigates the system’s true impact. Graders may have done LAYOUT & DESIGN their jobs a bit more efficiently, and perhaps it’s preferable to scoring tests manually, but it certainly doesn’t OPINION EDITORS EDITORS change the state of education that so many elected officials and the elected-to-be describe in political rhetoric. Vincent Chu Christina Wang Why are we more concerned with finding out who exactly is failing a test instead of figuring out how exactly Zach Ooi Amanda Yan to help everyone--schools, students, teachers--succeed? For Mr. Bloomberg, who approved the program, this failed system adds little to his legacy of soda bans and bike lanes, all small, Upper East Side issues in com- parison to what middle-class residents face every day. A&E EDITORS PHOTOGRAPHY Initially, the scoring system was introduced to deal with the suspicion that some teachers were grading Anna St. Clair EDITORS their own students’ Regents exams too easily. This may have been a valid concern, but it was wrong to place Jennifer Walsh Asia Acevedo the localized practice of scoring exams in the hands of a third party that scanned each hard copy from Con- Fran Horowitz necticut, another state, and couldn’t even manage to have them viewed from its own servers. COPY EDITORS The system was trying to solve a small problem in an extravagant way, and it failed to deliver. Not all Laura Caba ONLINE EDITOR teachers were inflating the grades of their own students, and the ones who were suspected of doing so should Evan Mancini Christopher Artun have been dealt with separately. Even worse is the fact that the system appears to have produced unreliable results. How can a student here ADVISOR earn a high mark on an AP test and not achieve Mastery on a Regents? The fact that officials refuse to hear our Brian Sweeney appeals--likely because they believe we shouldn’t be complaining with a 99% pass rate--is unacceptable. If a The Classic is an open forum for the expres- teacher misgraded an exam, refused to reconsider, and withheld the specifics of how she determined the scores sion of student views. The opinions ex- then DOE officials would do their best to fire her and would lament their inability to do so. How could high pressed therein should not be taken to rep- stakes exams not be held to the same standard? We desire transparency and accountability from the DOE. resent those of the administration or faculty, The fact that this scoring system was only implemented in NYC, and nowhere else in the state, reflects or of the student body as a whole. a mistrust of teachers in urban settings, who face bigger pressures of having to do their jobs well in spite of larger class sizes and a less personalized curriculum. Taking away all of the teachers’ rights to score their own We always welcome E-mail letters to students’ exams, in effect, places a barrier between educators and the city government that shouldn’t exist, opinions. Address all let- [email protected] especially not now, when they have to work together to improve students’ performance. ters to the editors to: The multi-million dollar McGraw Hill program, originally a three-year contract, has since been aban- doned by the DOE. It remains to be seen whether or not the alternative--moving the physical tests around Townsend Harris High School The Classic reserves the the different NYC schools to be graded by different teachers--will be any better. With the inauguration of a 149-11 Melbourne Avenue right to edit letters for new mayor in the coming months, we will hopefully see funds put towards improving the big picture for both Flushing, NY 11367 clarity and concision. students and teachers. CHOOSE YOUR TEACHER’s HALLOWEEN COSTUME! Throughout the next month, Classic Staff Members will sell ballots for you to vote on the costume you want five participating Faculty Members to wear on Halloween.

the Winning Costumes will be Announced on THHSCLASSIC.COM. THE FACULTY MEMBERS: THE COSTUMES CHOICES Ms. Fee VIKING, HELLO KITTY, JULIUS Ms. Figelman CAESAR, CHEERLEADER, SUMO Mr. O’Malley WRESTLER, TOOTH FAIRY, BA- Mr. Owens CON, RAPPER AND MORE! Mr. Porzio

Don’t see your teacher? Vote for ‘Most Wanted’ and we’ll invite them to join the list! 14 opinion The Classic September 2013 Saved by the bell… too soon by Harry Petsios Following last year’s controversy, the class- they had already left. Without the rooms of Townsend Harris High School reopened to promise of after school tutoring, the sounds of a new bell schedule. Not even a week students are now forced to learn after its implementation, the schedule has already re- everything in class. ceived mixed reviews from both the faculty and stu- However, the burdens of the dent body. The bell schedule’s primary mission was new bell schedule extend beyond

to ensure that classes don’t fall behind one another the complaints of the student body. Photo by Katherine Maradiaga anymore. However, from my standpoint, this bell Indeed, the faculty of Townsend schedule offers little to no benefits, and has in fact Harris also seems pressured by proven to be counterproductive in certain classes. the changes. Several teachers, in- Among all the changes to our daily routine, the cluding Mr. Owens (LOTE) and cuts on classroom time present an immense challenge Mr. Scardino (Humanities) com- to teachers. Mr. Canzoneri, a teacher known for his mented that they miss the break in-depth explanations, stated that, “with bands being in between bands. This break gave forty minutes rather than fifty, I have to concentrate teachers fifty minutes to decom- on getting through all the material.” Never before press and ready themselves for Students make their way to class during the second week of the new schedule. have teachers truly stressed a lack of sufficient time the next class. to finish a subject. If you thought the complica- In order to accomplish this, we sacrificed lesson This new focus on finishing material, rather than tions brought about by the new bell schedule were time from each band. Although the cuts on classroom explaining it, has serious long-term ramifications. condemned to academics alone, think again. time only amount to ten minutes a band, those ten Granted, Harrisites are no strangers to self-study and This schedule also presents a problem to Physi- minutes represent twenty percent of the lesson. Cu- self-assessment, but understanding information in- cal Education teachers. Essentially, it compresses the mulatively, this could lead to classes falling behind in side the classroom certainly helps. Without allocat- activities of the class into a shorter interval. Physi- the course curriculum. ing enough time to properly explaining the material, cal Education teacher Ms. Caiaccia expressed that Thus, the new bell schedule essentially fails to some students could find themselves lagging behind she “…needs to make sure that workouts are more accomplish the goals for which it was created. In others. concise and planned to conform to the new sched- fact, this new schedule only intensifies the problem Logically, in the face of these new time con- ule.” She added that “…the new schedule means less and spreads it across the board in a subject. straints, a student may seek a more thorough explana- timed runs over twenty minutes and fewer full-period Although many hold the opinion that this is a tion after school. However, enrichment activities are games.” matter of simply adapting to the new schedule, the now considered volunteer work for teachers because As of yet, the new schedule change has failed to loss of teaching time will ultimately diminish the of the new bell schedule. As a result, many teachers offer any substantial benefits to either the students quality of teaching. The way I see it, not too many have decided to leave school earlier than they previ- or the faculty. In theory, the new bell schedule did Harrisites are going to be saved by the bell anymore. ously did. Several times this week, I have roamed the promise results that kept classes across a subject at school at 3:15 looking for teachers, only to learn that the same pace. Mom was right: be yourself by Angelina Liu

Coming from an Asian family, I Perhaps there are legitimate rea- suppose it’s a no-brainer that I’ve al- sons that explain why we just could not ready visited many of the country’s top schedule in all of the after school activi- colleges. I’ve also amassed a collection ties we had planned to do. How can we of books with titles such as “50 Suc- possibly fit our life stories on the lim- cessful Harvard Application Essays,” ited number of pages of a college ap- and of course, I’ve listened to plenty plication? of lectures about getting ready for col- How can admissions officers, mere lege from Mama Liu. All of this I ex- strangers, truly understand who we are perienced before I even entered high by simply reading a packet of paper? To school. me, the answer is clear: they can’t. It’s true that the college admissions This summer, I read Acceptance, process has become more competitive a stimulating narrative by David L. in recent years, given a 37% increase in Marcus that follows the life of Gwyeth college enrollment since 2000. In order Smith, a nationally recognized guidance to keep up with the pressure that comes counselor, as he helps seven particular with the larger volume of applicants, students find where they belong during students today have had to work harder the admissions process. to stand out amongst their peers. As Unlike most guidance counselors, admittance to colleges becomes more Smith has a technique that emphasizes competitive, some students have for- self-discovery rather than test scores gotten that there is a fine line between and grades. It seems to me that we may caring about your future and letting col- have had our solutions in front of us all leges take over your life. along –– we should just be ourselves. It Ask any high school student, and may sound cliche, but there’s something they will probably tell you they have strange about the fact that we spend so begun to prepare for college in some much time selling ourselves without way, shape, or form. Hearing people ever wondering what exactly it is we talk about their plans to hang out after are selling. Do you really know what school seems to be a rare occurrence. makes you a great buy? How could it not be? It isn’t the information on the paper Being the perfect applicant has be- that draws in the admissions officers. come so vital these days that students It’s the way in which your voice and often forfeit their individualism. They your personality comes through that become too focused on cookie cutter gives it a unique edge. templates based off of admission tips. Perhaps grooming yourself into the But if every student becomes the book- “perfect” applicant may be taking away smart Student Body President, then the very part of you that makes you where’s the diversity in that? stand out. arts & entertainment 15 The Classic September 2013 New fall fashions debut at New York Fashion Week by Hallie Wolff What’s interesting about by one, stepping to the beat of Fashion Week is not only the the music, each of their styles collections that appear on the complete with slicked hair runway, but the outfits of the plastered to the sides of their attendees. From buyers and heads and bright orange lip- editors to designers and A-list stick. The pieces were mostly celebrities (and those who fall a range of solid colors: white, in between), everyone at Fash- cream, blush, peach, aqua, ion Week shows is flawlessly silver, orchid, and black. The styled from head to toe. At the soft shades of pink and blue in Rag&Bone show last Friday crepe and silk stood out against there were a variety of unique glistening black leather. The styles in the crowd. I saw ev- starkly different colors and erything from angel wings and fabrics did not battle each other patterned kimonos to a classic for attention; they created a pink Chanel tweed suit worn contrast that looked fantastic by the famed editor-in-chief of on the models. Vogue magazine, Anna Win- Two things in particular tour. All attendees wore their stood out in the collection: a outfits, no matter how strange, minimalist, sporty theme, and with complete and utter confi- an emphasis on layering dif- dence. ferent textures and fabric.The While some ensembles designers made a point to use stood out in the crowd of a plethora of different fabrics: the well-dressed guests, oth- suede, cotton, crepe, embroi- ers seemed like clones. Short dery, and leather, leather, leath- black leather booties and la- er. Sport jackets and synthetic ser-cut leather skirts were an fabrics gave off a workout-chic indisputable trend among the The styles on display during fall fashion week. Photograph by Hallie Wolff. vibe, but were spruced up with young women sipping cock- colored pieces layered over or tails outside the Moynihan under. Models could be spotted Station bank where the show was held. Cat-eye sunglasses and structured calf- wearing leather skirts, leather jackets, leather pants, leather cropped tanks, and skin handbags also made an appearance, but these accessories were tucked away leather bags. It is no secret that leather, in every color, is a huge trend for both this under the seats as soon as the plastic covering was removed from the metallic fall and also next spring/summer. runway–the signal that indicates the starting of the show. For the designers of Rag&Bone, Marcus Wainwright and David Neville, it The music began to pound and the attention of everyone in the room was was another successful New York Fashion Week show and a beautiful collec- directed at the opening at the very top of the runway. The models paraded out one tion.

For many students at THHS, watching shows and movies on- line is a favored pastime. We are the Netflix generation, and for those of us who come into school and talk at length about the great shows we’ve spent our online time watching, we are very much a part of a growing ‘Net Clique’ of instant video watchers. Sometimes, however, it’s not easy to dig through the endless pro- grams available online to find something really worth your time.

Logo by Jenner Chen “Net Cliques” is a column devoted to guiding you to the shows and movies that you might not find on your recommended list. No time for TV? Give these online exclusive series a try by Joanna Wong Greetings NetCliques readers, and dancing, jazz, tap, and ballet, LXD try The Allen and Craig Show (avail- vised and the results range from shock- welcome to the new school year. With involves intricate choreography while able on Youtube from Evil Iguana ing to downright hilarious. With epi- all of your busy schedules you might also showcasing breathtaking scener- Productions). The web series parodies sodes extending to just fifteen minutes, be wondering how you’re going to ies and dangerous stunts (surprise, no the premise of internet celebrities in a you’ll be laughing over the punchlines have enough time to keep up with your green screens or wires here!). When it unique and funny way. Allen Murphy while still outlining notes for class. classes and keep up with your shows. comes to this show, you get a perfect (playing an exaggerated version of him- Did we miss any online show that Well, the solution isn’t to give up on combo of The Avengers with America’s self) wants to be the creator of the next you absolutely love to death? TV shows but try online-exclusive se- Best Dance Crew. viral video, so he drags his best friend, Visit us on thhsclassic.com and let ries. If you’re looking for dramas like Craig Deering (also playing himself), us all know in the comments section. Let’s say you’re upset that you’re Mad Men and Revenge consider view- on a quest to make it big online. Each Your suggestions are just as important going to be spending more time with ing the dramedy Orange Is The New of the episodes are completely impro- as ours. your textbook than with your fantasy Black (available exclusively on Netf- and horror shows like Once Upon A lix). Based on a memoir by Piper Ker- Time and Supernatural. No worries, man, Orange Is The New Black follows there’s an online show for that! The Le- Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) who gion of Extraordinary Dancers (avail- was sent to a federal prison in New able exclusively on Hulu) follows a York after she was caught with a suit- group of friends who discover their case full of drug money. Orange has dance moves have more power than the grit and setting of an intense drama they know. In fact, the titular heroes but light touches of comedy that tie ev- (which include Glee’s Harry Shum Jr.) erything together. With only thirteen realize that with each step they take to episodes there will be plenty of time the music, they begin to develop su- for you to return to that term paper. perpowers which they refer to as “The If you’re looking for witty and Ra.” With dancing styles including hip- memorable sight-gags and one-liners hop, krumping, contemporary, break- (think Modern Family or Community) 16 arts & entertainment The Classic September 2013 Movie Reviews ‘Rush’ races to the top by Chris Artun ‘Spectacular’ lives up to name Ron Howard’s latest by Anna St. Clair With your typical teen romcom you can often find yourself asking, “on film tells the true story what planet do people act like that?” Townsend Harris may be populated by of the bitter rivalry be- bookish overachievers, but we aren’t as one-dimensional as the jokes we tween two elite Formula make about ourselves nor are we high school students as simple as mov- One drivers: James Hunt, ies like to portray us. The Spectacular Now is one of those rare films that played by Chris Hems- portrays its teen characters as actual people with emotions, passions and worth, and Niki Lauda, problems, not as shallow stereotypes. played by Daniel Brühl. The introspective coming of age story, directed by James Ponsoldt, tells While giving viewers the story of Sutter Keeley (Miles Teller), the likeable, yet arrogant party kid their fair share of adrena- who begins to reevaluate himself when he meets Aimee Finicky (Shaliene line and edginess, this in- Woodley), the shy and studious nerd who loves reading sci-fi graphic nov- tense action flick exam- els. Sutter initially enters the relationship to teach Aimee a thing or two about romance and to amuse himself while he waits for his ex-girlfriend ines the highs and lows Cassidy to take him back. Eventually Aimee and Sutter’s relationship pro- of each driver’s career. Art by Jenner Chen gresses and it causes them to take a deeper look at themselves, their desires Rush re-enacts the for the future, and their family. Formula One championship of 1976. Howard develops all aspects of the charac- Both Woodley and Teller were excellently cast. They look and act like ters’ lives and viewers understand how the drivers came to their current positions. real high schoolers. It’s the small things that Woodley and Teller do that add Audience members are given a first-hand look into the nature of competitive driv- an authenticity to their characters, like Aimmee constantly brushing back ing and the intense desire for glory that comes with it. her hair or Sutter’s goofy grin. The film is free of 30-year-old abercrombie Lauda and Hunt couldn’t be more different in terms of character. Lauda, a models masquerading in letterman jackets. reserved Austrian, has the desire to win as much as anyone, but values his well- The film’s true strength lies in its depiction of Aimee and Sutter. They being over competition. He is also extremely blunt, so be prepared to enjoy his come off as so natural. They could be your best friend or the kid that sits next own brand of humor. Hunt, on the other hand, is reckless and lives life on the to you in English class. Part of this realism comes from the dialogue (written by Scott Neustadter). They are not constantly rolling out packages of wit, edge. The contrast in personality turns out to be a fundamental facet of the devel- rather they talk the way two 18-year-olds who like each other actually talk, opment of the plot. In reality, the two shared a bitter relationship, both on and off with a lazy stream of “oks,” “cools,” “yeahs,” and “whatevers.” the racetrack. The movie also succeeds in creating Aimee and Sutter as full individu- Rush doesn’t sugarcoat anything. Viewers are immersed in the world of Hunt als. They are not the free-spirited wonder kids pulled from the pages of a and Lauda, feeling what the characters feel. This is exactly what kept me on the John Green novel whose sole purpose for existing is to change the other’s edge of my seat at some points, and at other times left me with a heavy heart. life. The production of this film was meticulously done. Howard employs close- Too often in nerd-meets-popular-kid love stories we are left baffled as ups and long shots to emphasize certain aspects of each scene in a deliberate and to what the popular kid saw in the nerd in the first place. Here, it is perfectly engaging manner. One part of the film that bothered me was the use of sound ef- clear why Aimee and Sutter end up together. They meet in random circum- fects. I found the revving of engines and music selection sub-par, as it was either stances, outside the social structure of school, and they instantly bond while inappropriately timed or stole attention away from other things. discussing their family issues. Aimee and Sutter are not caricatures. When Sutter asks Aimee what her The tagline of this film is, “Everyone’s driven by something.” I think it’s im- “thing” is (meaning rich kid, stoner, etc.), she responds that she doesn’t have portant that viewers keep that in mind while watching this film. The things that a “thing”--she likes to believe that people are more than just one thing. Spec- “drive” each character inform their choices throughout the film, especially later tacular Now reminds us that people, even 18-year-olds, cannot be wholly on. defined by terms such as nerd, slut and popular kid. As much as Sutter Rush captures the essence of Formula One driving, as well as the human de- wants to believe that he is the fun partier trying to help out the studious and sire to succeed at any cost. Any sports enthusiast or action viewer would enjoy it shy Aimee, it is through their relationship that he discovers people, includ- as much as I did. ing himself, are much deeper than their “things.” One Direction’s new movie hits the wrong notes by Jennifer Walsh I am not a Directioner. I don’t own any of One in This is Us, either. Every time we get close to dis- Direction’s music or follow their every move. In fact, cussing those topics, we’re cut away to a song or a I’ve forgotten their names a few times. With that in shot of the boys horsing around. Eliminating a huge mind, it should be no surprise that I was embarrassed part of One Direction’s story from the film creates a to be seen headed into their new movie, One Direc- glossed-over, incomplete image that’s a tad too per- tion: This is Us. I sat down next to my 1D-loving fect to be believable. best friend, slightly afraid of what was to come. This Morgan Spurlock, known for conversation- is Us wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and for starting documentaries like Super Size Me and POM that, I’m grateful. Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, This is Us follows One Direction – a boy band seems like an odd choice as director. The cinematog- comprised of five members: Harry Styles, Liam raphy is pretty, giving us a band’s-eye-view of the Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Hor- world, but the film is definitely not his best work. an – on part of their 2013 world tour, giving fans a Unlike his other films, This is Us isn’t trying to make look behind the scenes at their life on the road. While Art by Christina Wang. a broader statement about anything and lacks com- their music is featured in the film, This is Us is more ages of 10 and 12) after a while, but their individual plexity and conflict, simply telling a story about a about the band’s rise to fame than their chart-topping reactions were nothing compared to the frenzied boy band. songs. crowds following One Direction everywhere. One of I am not a Directioner, but I now understand Most of the film is spent watching the members the best scenes in the documentary begins with the why others might be one. One Direction: This is Us of One Direction being goofy in different parts of band headed out shopping. Two girls see them, and is worth seeing if you’re looking for some lightheart- the world. Watching them zip around in golf carts dozens more begin to appear out of nowhere, swarm- ed fun or you’re curious to see what all the hype is backstage or joke around in a hotel room is candid, ing around them. The fans are omnipresent and only about. It’s not quite a blockbuster and certainly isn’t organic, and entertaining enough, and it’s easy to a little creepy, staking out hotels and stadiums in the Oscar material, but it will please its target audience see why they’ve garnered so many fans. The boys hopes of catching a glimpse of the group. – fans. themselves are personable and surprisingly down-to- This is Us finds heart in interviews with the boys earth, conscious of both their humble beginnings and and their families about the downsides of fame. the inevitable end to their stardom. These poignant moments are relatable and hu- However, the most interesting and bizarre thing manizing, showing one side effect of stardom. Naomi’s Kosher Pizza about This is Us is undoubtedly the Directioners, Notably absent from the film is practically ev- & Israel Falafael the band’s fanbase. I lost count of all the hysteri- erything related to the media’s treatment of the cally screaming/crying tweens (girls between the band, and there are no romantic interests present (718) 520-8754 arts & entertainment 17 The Classic September 2013 Bareburger brings the beef (unless you prefer ostrich, of course) by Sabrina Yu Austin Street to experience traditional sesame seed. It is a good light snacks, all natural sodas, desserts, why they were acclaimed by substitute for the regular brioche bun if etc. For kids they even have a list of Zagat and Michelin for hav- you are a vegan. “Cubby Meals.” ing one of the top ten burgers Within the burger, there was a nice The restaurant has a casual, vintage in New York City. proportion of ripe and crisp vegetables. look to it with a purposely rusted metal On the menu, there is a The beef was definitely the main star ceiling, wooden tables, colorful metal- variety of ways you can em- of the meal. The patty was fresh, juicy, lic chairs, and bears everywhere. The bellish your burger. and mouthwatering. The sauce on top service is quick and welcoming, but You can choose one of added a mysteriously thrilling flavor if you don’t have the time to sit at the their recommended styles of that was reminiscent of a lite Italian restaurant you can order online or via “Bareburgers,” or you can vinaigrette mixed with a smoky barbe- phone and have it delivered (you must start from scratch and make cue sauce. Altogether, the burger was live in the designated delivery area). a “Barest Burger” to your savory and left me wanting more even The prices of the food are moderate. pleasing. You also get to when I was full. In my experience Bareburger was choose your protein; some When you get yourself a burger, almost as good as the renowned Shake of their choices include the you always have to get french fries. I Shack. If you’re a burger fanatic you’re classic “buttermilk fried ordered the “Fresh Cut French Fries.” going to love Bareburger. chicken,” the vegan “farm- Surprisingly, for $4.95 I received a ers quinoa veggie burger,” large loaf pan full of golden, lightly and even an “ostrich” burger. salted, warm fries. On the side it came Then you get to choose your with three intriguing dipping sauces: an bread which also has vegan odd mix of curry ketchup, a gradually Images courtesy of Bareburger options. spicy habanero chipotle mayo, and the Today so many of our foods are I got the “Original Bare- same special sauce that they slathered processed and full of chemicals that it’s burger” which simply contained Colby on my burger. getting harder to buy a real meal, espe- Jack cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, As for my beverage, I got a choco- cially a burger. Scientists have even an- raw red onions, and their special sauce. late flavored “Bare Shake.” It was rich nounced that they can produce artificial I chose beef for my protein, which was and creamy. Besides that it was not too- beef in a lab. However, Bareburger is recommended. Finally, I got this all on sweet, and at the bottom there were ac- one of the few restaurants that serve a multigrain roll. tual pieces of crushed chocolate chips. only organic or all natural products. The burger as a whole was a gener- This shake is a splendid drink for cool- Bareburger is a franchise exclu- ous size for one and had a fresh look ing off after a long hot summer day. sively in New York. It started in 2002 and taste. The multigrain roll did not Though I didn’t get the chance to in Brooklyn but it has since expanded have a particularly unique flavor to order that many items, Bareburger of- into Manhattan, Queens, and even it, but it was interesting since it had fers a lot more. Long Island. I went to the branch on oatmeal on top of it as opposed to the They have salads, sandwiches, Fall in love with First Date by Morgan Wu Whether you know someone who has been on a blind date, have been on a blind date yourself, or have never been on a date in your life, you are sure to enjoy this show, which Broadway calls “a new musical comedy that explores the most dread- ed human endeavor in ex- istence – the blind date.” Zachary Levi (NBC’s Chuck, the voice of Flynn Rider in Tangled) and Krysta Rodriguez (NBC’s Smash, The Addams Fam- Art by Amanda Yan ily) star as Aaron and Casey, an unlikely pair set up on a blind date by mutual friends. As the night unfolds in a New York City bar, patrons and bartenders come to life as salacious figures from Aaron and Casey’s past, including a vapid ex-girlfriend, an uptight older sister, and the pair’s drastically different families. The musical comedy, which opened on Broadway just last month, is an un- precedented and rapid-fire ninety minutes long. The show chronicles every ob- stacle one could ever hope – or dread – to encounter on a first date, including Google background checks, mentions of past dating endeavors, awkward pauses, and bailouts. As the night unfolds, so do the characters – to each other, to themselves, and to the audience, through songs such as “Safer,” a ballad with a message that belies Casey’s apparently impenetrable exterior, as well as “The Things I Never Said,” a duet between Aaron and his deceased mother. With these and other songs you’ll be humming long after the curtain falls. The talented seven-person cast shines through the show with a fair share of sexual innuendo, stunning comedic timing, and more than a few “aww” moments that will have you inevitably rooting for the couple as their date draws to a close. So if you find yourself in need of a bit of comedy and romance, head on down to the Longacre Theatre for an hour and a half – you might just like what you find. I certainly did. 18 sports The Classic September 2013 Boys lunge into fencing with season opener by Sierra Berkel The PSAL boys fencing opener hosted by better competitors,” Restifo said. The atmosphere of the tournament was intense. Townsend Harris jumpstarted the boys fencing season “The team was pleased with how today went and Fencing is a combat sport that can easily evoke on September 15, just after the first week of school. we should be, but hopefully it leaves us even more emotions. It is not uncommon to hear loud yells of The all-day tournament had an frustration or aggression, which is early start at 9 A.M. and in- something that can be intimidating, volved schools from all over especially to less seasoned com- New York City. petitors. Although the team only That didn’t stop junior had a couple of weeks to Evagelos Armatas from compet- practice, the seniors paved ing in the first official fencing the way with their experience. match of his career. Evagelos “Andy was very impressive; didn’t shy away from the com- he was able to stay focused, petition, coming in 15th place and so were Dan and Jordan. overall. Jordan said, “We were all They were calm even when impressed by the performance of they were behind,” stated our newcomers. We all are look- Ms. Yan, head coach of the ing forward to more challenges team, about seniors Andy Ye- that we can face as a team.” ung, Daniel Restifo, and Jor- “It was exciting. Practice was dan Brandwein, who have all good; it paid off,” Evagelos said, competed on the team since reflecting on his performance to- they were freshmen. wards the end of the opener and With 50 fencers coming watching the finalists compete Photo courtesy of Kimberly Rodney. from 11 different schools, the for first place. boys team had a lot of tough While the usual strong com- competition, and it didn’t help petitors like Hunter College that most of the competition High School, Stuyvesant, and came from other boroughs. Mckee/Staten Island Technical High School were there, Ms. Yan Andy described his per- Senior epeeist Jordan Brandwein faces off against opponent. formance in the tournament, said, “I wish a few other Queens saying,“I placed ninth and then competitors showed up.” in the second round I screwed up,” before stressing excited and motivated to succeed as a unit as the sea- On the other hand, Ms. Michlewitz mentioned, that the competition was extremely early in their sea- son progresses.” He is already looking ahead, along “It is a good reminder of what fencing in other bor- son. with Andy, who thinks that the opener will help them oughs is like.” Volunteer assistant coach Ms. Debra Michlewitz get ready for playoffs. More Queens schools other than Francis Lewis added, “We didn’t make it to the top six, but another Ms. Michlewitz stated, “Usually this would es- and Cardozo would have offered a preview to who touch would’ve put us on to the next round.” She is tablish who would be a starter,” but due to the early Townsend Harris will face in the regular season. optimistic about the future, as are the players. nature of the tournament, she acknowledged that it Their first match will be held in late September “Now heading into the season we know what we would instead help them learn what they had to im- against Jamaica High School. can improve upon and just build in order to become prove. Girls varsity volleyball welcomes new coach by Evan Noblesala great experiences had with their fel- something to be overlooked. Ms. Nix was the coach low teammates. since the school’s inception and from 2001 to 2010 Sophomore Leann Senat said posted a 64 and 37 win-lose record. Hagenlocher that Coach Weinstein “is experi- posted a respectable nine and nine record over two enced and down to business” and yet years, making it to the second round of the 2011 also “enjoys the sport he coaches.” playoffs. In addition to coaching high Senior Bianca Dilan knows the challenges of ad- school varsity volleyball, Weinstein justing to a new coach; this is her third coach in four has coached the men’s and women’s years as a member of the varsity volleyball team. volleyball teams for SUNY Old Bianca, the only player who had played for Nix and Westbury and is a certified volley- Hagenlocher, said that “every coach has a different ball official. Besides coaching vol- way of doing things, and it’s your job as a player to leyball, Weinstein has coached high just keep your mouth shut and do as they tell you.”

Photo by Fran Horowitz school varsity basketball, soccer, This particular coach has a way of doing things softball, and handball. He is also a that some did not expect. USPTR certified tennis instructor. “At the end of every practice we do yoga,” said Accepting this position was not Leann. a difficult decision for Weinstein. Weinstein will be coaching high school varsity New girls varsity volleyball coach Harold Townsend Harris High School is a volleyball for the first time in ten years. As he pre- Weinstein. name he is familiar with. His mother pares to get back into the routine of having fun, he was a teacher and a senior advisor at Townsend Har- will also try to get the team back into playoff form. After two seasons of volleyball under Steven ris “back in the early days” when the school was still Hagenlocher, the girls varsity volleyball team will located on Parsons Bou- be playing this season with a new coach. Harold levard. Weinstein himself Weinstein, a physical education teacher from the worked at Townsend Harris Bronx, is taking over as head coach. years ago as the handball Weinstein, a former boys and girls varsity vol- coach; he said that since leyball coach for Forest Hills and Robert F. Kennedy then, his goal has been to High School, is “looking forward to a fun season– be a part of “this storied in- come what may in the win loss column.” stitution.” Although having the usual coach’s goal of win- In three years the team ning, Weinstein has stated that “having fun is a pri- has had two head coaches: mary goal and winning and losing just happens to Wanda Nix and Steven come with the territory.” He also wants his players Hagenlocher. The success to be able to look back at the season and think of the of these past coaches isn’t sports 19 The Classic September 2013 Harris Hawks right on track Boys soccer nish by Kristine Guillaume On September 14, the Lady Hawks overtime thriller tied opened their season at Van Cortlandt by John O’Neill Park in the Villa Bears Cross Country On September 13, the boys soccer team faced off Invitational. against Franklin K. Lane High School. Before this match, The freshmen were the first to run. they had faced Richmond Hill, who forfeited, resulting A total of one hundred thirty-seven in a win for the Hawks. After overtime, this game ended girls from all over the city ran the 1.5 in a 3-3 draw. mile course. The Hawks struck first when Sophomore Branco “Although I was excited at the Gamarra won a challenge, dribbled into the box and prospect of finally running my first placed the ball past the goalie on the left side of the net. official meet, I was getting more and Going into the second half, the Hawks were up 1-0, more nervous,” said freshman Noreen but Lane High School responded by scoring the first two Mohsin, who ran the course in thirteen goals of the half, giving them a one goal lead. Co-captain minutes. Mateusz Chrobak said, “We definitely cannot start the The junior varsity team finished second half flat like we did.” eighth in their 2.5 mile run with all Branco responded for the Hawks with a goal on a members completing the course in un- Sharma Photo courtesy of Yash Girls cross country team begins their race penalty kick. Lane took the lead on a penalty kick of their der twenty-five minutes. The varsity at Villa Bears. own heading into the final minutes. Then in the final play team, who ran a course of the same dis- of regulation, co-captain Daniel Yacar scored the game- tance, all finished in twenty minutes or less. Senior captain Stephanie Loo led the team across the finish tying goal on a 30 yard free kick. Daniel’s goal would line, setting a new personal record. force the game into overtime. However, no team scored, “It’s scary but awesome being the first one from the team to finish, but knowing that I’m leading the ending the game in a 3-3 tie. girls makes me run faster,” said Stephanie. “Since it was only the first meet of the season, none of us is Branco, playing in his first PSAL game, led many of going to settle for the times we ran today, but we’re all going to keep working harder in practice.” the Hawks’ attacks and scored two of the team’s three After the first meet, the girls and Coach Timothy Connor are hopeful and believe the team is strong. goals. He said “I didn’t feel any pressure. I just went out Nonetheless, they say there is room for improvement. and played my game.” As for how the game went, Bran- “We need to improve on foot speed,” Mr. Connor said. “The team average time is a minute off of co felt it was a “pretty decent performance from all of what we need it to be. I don’t know if we can make up that time.” [them].” “The team’s strong points are definitely our stamina and endurance. We’re mentally tough and able Both captains agreed that there is still improvement to keep running even when it gets hard. It’s really admirable how a lot of the girls are able to push past to be made but that overall they played well. “We still the pain and injuries they have,” Stephanie said. “I think one thing that we need to work on is running as have a problem opening up second halves, but other than a pack. Although cross country is an individual sport, it’s also a team effort and we’re going to have to that we played great soccer,” said Daniel. Mateusz add- work hard at trying to stay together while we run.” ed, “After a few tweaks here and there and less mistakes “We help motivate each other when things get tough,” said senior captain Maria Mahin, who could throughout the game we can be a very dangerous team.” not run due to an injury. “I’m confident that as a team, we’ll be successful this season.” The Hawks’ next game will be on Monday, Septem- Both under and upperclassmen are looking forward to achieving their goals this season. The Villa ber 30 against Grover Cleveland High School at Kissena Bears meet is only the beginning of what they think will be a very rewarding year of track. Corridor Park-West. Girls bowling team ready to strike by Thomas Sullivan The girls bowling team finished last season undefeated and made a deep playoff run into the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual champion Totten- ville. This year they are poised to make it three consecutive undefeated seasons and return to the playoffs. In addition to the difficult loss to Tottenville, their third in three consecutive playoff matchups with that team, girls bowling has another loss to cope with. Half of last year’s team consisted of seniors who have since graduated. These losses “will be a major hurdle to overcome this season,” said Coach Maria As- sante. With this many play- ers leaving the team, last year’s underclassmen will need to take big- ger roles. Senior captain Morgan Wu qualified for the Individual Champi- onships last year. She will be expected to con- tinue to bowl well as will all other members of the team. Even though the Ivy Global team is coming off of an Photo courtesy of Maria Assante Photo courtesy of Maria undefeated regular sea- Meet Our Team Recent Matriculation The girls varsity bowling team, 2012-2013. son, there are still things Jason P. they plan to improve on. “Picking up spares will be a major focus this season,” Yale Harvard Victoria C. said Coach Assante. She also added “our team has to work on not losing their Yale Harvard confidence even if they are behind. If they stay strong and never quit, they have Matt S. a great chance of beating the odds.” Harvard The bowlers also agree that strengthening their mind will strengthen their game. “I think we just need to doubt ourselves less and not be intimidated by the crowds of people that show up to our games in Staten Island [against Tot- Free Seminars Premium SAT Prep tenville],” said Senior Mahwish Waseem. The Townsend Harris High Senior Ellen Huynh agreed that getting better is a matter of mental strength, saying, “I think we should always keep focus, and remind ourselves of all the techniques we have learned through our practices, and all of the advice given to us to improve ourselves.” New York, NY | Long Island, NY | White Plains, NY | New Rochelle, NY The girls will get their season rolling Monday, September 30 against Hill- Princeton, NJ | Stamford, CT | Norwalk, CT | Boston, MA | Philadelphia, PA crest High School at Jib Lanes. www.ivyglobal.com The20 Classic September 2013

Opinion: Join a sport so you don’t miss your ‘glory days’ by Daniel Restifo High school is a memorable time. Townsend Harris is known for its academ- Physical education teacher and Townsend Harris alumna Lauren Caiaccia ics, but there is so much more to high school than hitting the books. In order to played basketball, volleyball, and softball during her high school years. Ms. Ca- make high school as unforgettable as possible, it is important to participate in a iaccia stated, “For me, being a member of three teams gave me something to look variety of activities, including athletics. forward to at the end of the school day, opened up opportunities for me, and kept Too often the case for joining a sport boils down to a question: does it add me a balanced individual.” She lists one of her most notable experiences from her something to my list of extracurriculars that makes me look better to colleges? high school athletic career as “being on the cover of the Queens section of News- In reality, the benefits of joining a team are far day.” Also a morning host of the local news paid the greater. team a visit, during which Ms. Caiaccia and her team A high school sport is so much more than a taught the news anchor how to shoot lay-ups. Now, sport; it is a passion. A high school athlete is an she coaches the girls varsity basketball team and boys amateur, someone who does something because varsity volleyball team. Ms. Caiaccia mentions that they love it. That is the most important part of all of her coaches left quite the impression on her, high school sports: loving what you do and em- saying, “Any coach that I played for gave me good bracing everything that comes with it, whether things to copy and shaped some of my ideas.” it be the challenges, the successes, the failures, English teacher and Townsend Harris alumna or the memories. Playing high school sports is a Katherine Yan fenced during her years at Townsend once in a lifetime opportunity. Harris. According to Ms. Yan, “Fencing gave me a Representing not only oneself but one’s sense of belonging, and a strong sense of connec- school is something that instills much pride and tion. It taught me how to communicate with people, school spirit in an athlete. Wearing the Townsend express myself, and provide help to others.” In her Harris name on a uniform is both rewarding and junior year, the fencing team, which was co-ed at the motivating. It is the result of countless hours of time, won the New York City championship. She re- training and preparation and is a true sign of dedi- counts how that victory gave all of them such a huge cation to our school, our teammates, and a sport sense of accomplishment. Since 2010, Ms. Yan has about which we care deeply. The bonds made been at the helm of the THHS fencing program, as- while being on a team are everlasting, surviving sisted by her former coach Ms. Debra Michlewitz. well beyond the high school years. Close friend- Principal Anthony Barbetta played baseball and ships are formed and mentors are found in upper- football at Bayside High School. Mr. Barbetta listed classmen and coaches. Everyone rallies around a his love for the game and his great teammates as common goal, trying to make themselves the best what made high school baseball so special for him. they can be as well as helping teammates do the He would go on to play baseball with those team- same every step of the way. A team is a welcom- mates for another fourteen years, and those team- ing group which is willing to accept anyone who mates would turn into lifelong friends. When asked shares the athletic spirit. about some of the benefits of sports, Mr. Barbetta When it comes to high school sports, winning answered, “Sports build bonds for life. It teaches you is not everything, but hoisting a championship Charts created by Michelle Gan. hard work, leadership, and discipline.” trophy or banner is a very special moment for any The memories that team sports leave, the lessons team. Building character is everything. Being willing to make sacrifices and take they teach, and the character they build are something a high school athlete car- on responsibilities for the sake of the team as well as being resilient in the face of ries with them for the rest of their life. High school is a formative time and sports adversity is what makes a true high school athlete. The skills they develop as an reinforce many positive attributes and help to develop the person behind the ath- athlete will extend past the arena of sports and be useful throughout life. lete. In addition, sports focus on the mental as well as the physical, providing one High school sports are generally not glamorous; only top athletes receive with the opportunity to develop oneself more completely and open more doors in recognition, no one gets paid, and improving requires devotion to the team and the future. Just as in class, improving requires effort, but more often than not, the self. However, fulfilling goals as an individual and part of a team make all the experience out on the field is gratifying. work worth it, and the glories of playing high school sports can never be taken Many teachers and faculty at Townsend Harris spent their high school days away. So join a team, play sports, and enjoy something that makes high school a as part of varsity teams. very unique time in our lives. Girls soccer wins season opener against Flushing HS by Natalie Gomez On Sunday, Sep- alone against what seemed to be the entire Flushing defensive line-up tember 8, the girls to score THHS’s second goal. After kicking the ball, Ivanka fell on the soccer team geared ground, looked up, heard her teammates’ cheers signifying that she had up for their rst made the goal, and fell back down, smiling. At that point, THHS was up game of the season 2 to 1. against Flushing By halftime, the afternoon sun began to take a toll on both teams. High School, who In the halftime huddle, Coach Sioukas gave his team constructive crit- last year held a re- icism. Jokingly, Coach told the girls not to be shy “to use the shoulder,” cord of four wins as unlike the Townsend Harris team, the other team was not afraid to be and ve losses. aggressive on the eld.

Photo by Maya Grodzka As the cap- To start the second half, sophomore Kristine Guillaume passed the tains led the team’s ball to sophomore Dina Goodger who passed the ball back to Kristine for warm-up, junior a goal. The show of teamwork and seless passing between fellow sopho- Sophomore Kristine Guillaume on the field. Nicole Gleizer was more teammates put Townsend up 3-1. constantly giving pep To wrap the game up, Olivia scored a corner shot against three de- talks and pumping her teammates up by saying things like, “What time fenders once again. is it? Game time!” With the game 4 to 1 in favor of Townsend Harris and the minutes of In the beginning of the rst half, sophomore goalie Hallee Pell Brown the nal quarter winding down, Chevaneice Lawrence tried one last time dove on the ground, making a spectacular save and preventing Flush- to score for her team, coming up short, as goalie Hallee grabbed the ball ing High School from scoring the rst goal of the game. Instead, senior before it could enter the goal. captain Olivia McFadden, scored the game’s rst goal off an assist from The win against Flushing gave the coach a chance to play all his play- teammate Paula Fraczek. ers and allowed the freshmen to prove themselves on the eld. Then, barely two minutes later, Flushing retaliated, scoring a goal on Junior Paula Fraczek felt that their rst game of the season was a good Townsend Harris in a moment of miscommunication where the only de- one. fense standing between Flushing senior Chevaneice Lawrence and the “I think it was a great start to the season. There was a lot of action on goal were the goalie herself and the rock of the team’s defense, senior the eld, we had a lot of good passing combinations, and we communi- captain Athina Mihaliadis. cated with each other. We played as a team, and that’s what won the game Right before halftime, sophomore Ivanka Juran brought up the ball for us.”