Inside News Cancer Awarness Sports Blackout page 1-3 page 4 page 6- 7 page 8 News...... 1-4 Opinions...... 5 Sports...... 6-7 Backpage...... 8

CURTIS LOG 105 Hamilton Ave. 718-390-1800 Volume CV, Issue II November 2011 , 10301 Curtis opens without power

BY:NINAAD DAVE AND NICOLE CLEMONS but soon realized it was building Joy Faber, the problem seemed to heat or electricity, Chancellor the decision to keep Curtis open, re At exactly 4:28pm Wednes- wide outage. Practicing for the be with the electrical feeders. Con 'HQQLV:DOFRWW¶VSUHVVVHFUHWDU\ )HLQEHUJUHVSRQGHG³7KHUHZDV day December 7th, Curtis High Pajama Game just a day before its (GLVRQ ZRUNHUV  WULHG WR ¿[ WKH 0DUJH )HLQEHUJ VDLG ³&RQ (G partial power and Con Ed pro- School, The Richmond Terrace debut, Nicole Ayalla, freshman, problem overnight. When power had a generator on site and in YLGHGDJHQHUDWRU´,QD¿QDODW- Houses and the Cassidy Lafay- had to evacuate without her be- could not be restored in time, a consultation with the principal, tempt to get information, the fol- ette Houses experienced a black- longings into the stormy weather. JHQHUDWRUZDVEURXJKWLQ³6LQFH the school remains open.” In a ORZLQJHPDLOZDVVHQW,¶PVRUU\ out. Left in the dark, an emer- With the lights off, students were RXUVFKRROZDVQ¶WWKHRQO\EXLOG- request to clarify her statement of to keep asking you questions but I gency evacuation was quickly not allowed to retrieve their be- ing that experienced a blackout, ordered for Curtis High School. ORQJLQJV³,OHIWP\ERRNEDJDQG the apartment complexes in the A swim meet, a play clothes in the auditorium so now neighborhood were given priority rehearsal a game, pm ,¶PIRUFHGWRZHDUP\FRVWXPH´ to have their electricity restored,” school and club meetings were continued Ayalla. Eventually the said Assistant Principal Pete Dev- LPPHGLDWHO\ FDQFHOHG³, ZDV students were escorted back in to lin. Faber went on to predict that watching the game [girls varsity the darkened building to retrieve WKH VFKRRO¶V SRZHU ZRXOG EH UH- basketball]and then the lights their belongings. stored by noon. ÀLFNHUHGOHDYLQJXVLQWKHGDUN The only part of the Despite this prediction Screams pierced the air and it be- school with any electricity was of a noon restoration of power came chaotic as we tried to get the pool. Ms. Boylan the MSIT and an in place evacuation plan, through the exits. No one knew FRDFK MRNHG ³, WKLQN P\ FRP- the Chancellor ordered the school what was going on or if it was petitors were happy that the meet to stay open. With a lack of pow- temporary,” said Jon Grogan, ju- was cancelled. Thanks to the new er till 1PM, students were kept nior. renovations to the natatorium, the in a building without heat, and Joe Gerhek, senior, emergency lights kept us out of the only lighting was in the over- who was in the auditorium ini- complete darkness.” said Boylan. crowded student cafeteria. When tially thought it was just a light- According to the asked to comment on the decision 7KHMRXUQDOLVPVWDIIXVHDÀDVKOLJKWDSSRQDQLSDGWROLJKWURRPDIWHUWKH ing problem in the auditorium spokeswoman for Con Edison, to keep a school open without any power went out during a meeting. Select students XC wins city champs and teachers onship in six years. school. Placing eighth out of 137 Girls’ varsity cross Teeming with mounted with a time of 20 minutes and 31 travels to Israel country edges Port tension and barely containable seconds, junior Corinne Birchard Richmond to secure city excitement, the Lady Warriors ¿QLVKHG ¿UVW IRU &XUWLV³7R ZLQ American-Israel in celebration of the Sabbath. prepared for their 5k race. With was just amazing,” said Birchard, These upbeat and exciting ac- title. the knowledge that their rival ³LWZDVDWRWDOWHDPHIIRUW´7KH Friendship League tivities helped distract from the BY: KATIE MADDEN AND team, Port Richmond, had been last two years racing against Port somewhat nerve-wracking at- sponsored a three week KAILEY WALTERS undefeated in the previous sea- Richmond had been very close. trip for select students. mosphere, complete with armed Revenge felt both beau- son, the Warriors were deter- Thanks to the teamwork of the guards. tiful and powerful. After losing mined to show their A game. In Lady Warriors, Curtis pulled BY:SHANNON RAYMOND AND SHAWN  ³,WZDVQRWXQFRPPRQ to Port Richmond last year, the the end, their best proved to be WKURXJK  :LWK WKH UXQQHUV¶ GH- REILLY WR¿QGVROGLHUVSDWUROOLQJ7ZR Curtis Warriors were determined HQRXJKWRODQGWKHPD¿UVWSODFH termination, Curtis managed to  ³,W ZDV WKH WULS RI D three, four soldiers together, in to take home the championship, ¿QLVK³,GLGQ¶WEHOLHYHLWEHFDXVH get four girls, junior Corinne lifetime,” said Ms. Christine full uniform, armed with ma- and that they did. we had to pull out the fourth girl, Birchard, sophomore Anna Clair Gaworecki on her recent jour- chine guns,” commented Ga- On November 12th, a Henriquez, since she was hurt,” Piersiak, junior Tiffany Saw, and ney to Israel. On November ZRUHFNL³(YHQZKHQZHYLVLWHG cold Saturday morning at Van said Coach Joe Sicilian. senior Denean Dixon, in the top 20th, three female students and the sacred city of Jerusalem, we Cortlandt Park, the girls edged In cross country, the twenty. Freshmen Diondra Bry- two Curtis teachers set out to had an armed guard with us.” out Port Richmond High School score is determined by the places ant and Brianna May-Elliot also what was going to be a ten hour During her travels, Gaworecki to win their fourth City Champi- RIWKHWRS¿YHUXQQHUVIURPHDFK placed for Curtis. ÀLJKWWR-HUXVDOHPDWULSVSRQ- found the soldiers unnerving, sored by the America-Israel EXW GLGQ¶W IHHO WKUHDWHQHG ³,W Friendship League, in which ZDVSHDFHIXO´VKHVDLG³,FDQ¶W an effort is made to strengthen VD\,ZDVQ¶WQHUYRXVEXWLWZDV the ties between Israel and the just precautionary.” The sol- United States. Skye Wright, diers would come onto buses, Rachel Aigen, and Susannah and other common places. Af- Dolinar were all accepted ap- ter a quick check, they would plicants to the program. Once leave, and the people would go they received their acceptance back to their regular lives. In Is- letters, they began their prepa- rael, everyone goes straight into rations for their trip. The girls, advised by Ms. Gaworecki and Ms. Urso, were able to experience many aspects of Jerusalem. Once they arrived, they were in com- SOHWH DZH ³,W ZDV EHDXWLIXO and ancient,” said Susannah 'ROLQDU RI -HUXVDOHP WKH ¿UVW city they visited. They visited monumental sights such as the 0DVDGDD³IRUWUHVV´RYHUORRN- ing the Dead Sea, as well as the Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Skye Wright, Susannah Dolinar, and Museum. The group saw danc- Rachel Aigen at a beach in Israel. Corinne Birchard, Tiffany Saw, Anna Clair Piersaik, Denean Dixon, Diondra Bryant, Taylor Henriquez, and ing in front of the Wailing Wall Brianna May Elliot after they became PSAL city champions. BLACKOUT POWER OFF 4:28pm Wed. Power goes out in Curtis High School, Richmond Terrace and Cassidy Lafayette Houses. 4:35pm Wed. Entire school is evacuated into rain.

4:55pm Wed. FDNY arrives to assess the situation. Relieved to have the power back on, stu- Power is still out. dents were directed to their eighth period All after school class. activities were

cancelled. College Con Edison provided several generators to power Curtis and the Richmond Terrace and Cassidy-Lafayette Financial Aid night Houses. Thursday night at 4:30 p.m., the power supply was fixed, Curtis went off of the generator and back on was cancelled as well. power grid. 6:00pm Wed. School was told by Con Edison power Lights would be restored as soon as possible. 9:00pm Wed. Off “Something like this never “The problem was that many “It was hazardous to have Students received happened before.” of the emergency contacts the students in school robo phone calls were wrong. No one got the when it occurred and stating they would message.” when it continued.” receive further notice John Crowdell, Joe Sicilian, Coordinator of AP of Mathematics Patti Newman, School about the decision Student Activities Aide on whether school would be open or closed. Continued from front page to make sure my story is accu- 7:00am Thurs. an informal survey many students rate. The cafeteria lights and the made their decision to stay home Students reported emergency lights in the main hall based on the information posted to school and were were sufficient to service a school on the Silive website. directed to cafete- of 2400?” Marge Feinberg did not In the first hours many ria. Flood lights and reply to this final email request students who were in attendance from The Curtis Log. emergency lights contacted their parents requesting Mr. Hepworth, parent pick ups. The line of parents and were used in the first coordinator used the automated guardians in the main lobby was hallway. call system to inform and up- almost out the door. Parents were date parents about the blackout frustrated with the situation. “It 9:00am Thurs. and the opening of the school. “I sucks and I wish the power was Proper lighting still not don’t understand why we opened back on so the students can be in available. Con Edison the school under almost the exact school learning,” said the person same conditions that we evacu- predicted that by noon picking up Michael Martinez, ated in the night before. It was a sophomore. “I wish they would To keep warm, students cuddle under a blanket in Feldman the power would be non-decision. We failed to con- have let us leave by ourselves,” Auditorium. restored to the whole sider the safety and well being of added Michael Martinez. school. our students. If we had, we would Assistant Principal Pete mation on the blue cards. To avoid Even his smart phone lost its 12:45pm Thurs. have considered that many of Devlin along with the help of these issues in the future, students appeal. School lights flickered. them lived in the buildings that the staff was able to organize should submit blue cards with the Power was restored at The cafeteria lights were also affected by the outage students into the auditorium and most updated information so we 1 pm and students were directed were fully restored. and should have had the opportu- later the cafeteria to provide cold can contact their parents or guard- to their eighth period classes. nity to spend the day in a facility lunches. “70% of the students ians in an emergency,” said Dev- Period nine and ten also ran, 1:00pm Thurs. with heat, hot water and electric- in this school depend on school lin. however most classes had low ity.” Power was fully lunch, it may be their only meal Left without electricity mo- attendance. Approximately 1200 of the day,” said Devlin. restored to the school. ments seemed like hours in the In an announcement students attended school, about Through the power cri- dark. Students filled the time by to the entire school Thursday 50% attendance. Silive, posted 1:45pm Thurs. ses Devlin remained calm. “The listening to music playing games morning assistant principal of at 6:45 that the school was closed teaching staff, deans and security or talking to friends. Boredom security, Jose Burbano stated, Students were told due to lack of power. Throughout guards were a tremendous help. was the biggest problem. “It was ”In true Warrior spirit you to report to their the day the website flipped from Everyone stepped up to make horrible, I was siting for eight showed patience and model 8th, 9th and 10th open to closed and to open again. sure that the students were safe. hours, few things were done to behavior throughout this hectic period classes. Unfortunately no city agency The biggest problem we encoun- make the experience more toler- ordeal, We did not have a single could provide information about tered was the process of parents able,” said Maxfield Park, fresh- incident of misbehavior.” the school closing or opening. picking up their children. It was man. “The worst part of yester- Throughout the morning 311 calls difficult for parents to pick up stu- day was siting in the cafeteria for POWER ON did not yield any information. In dents because of inaccurate infor- five hours,” said Alfred Morris.