Blue Continues Three Year Streak

Blue Continues
Three Year Streak
News
A Generation of
Unloyal Rayers
Sports
Nurses and Medications in School
Opinions
How Students R a y Today
Features
THE SCHREIBER
IN
THIS
TIMES
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2008
ISSUE
NEWS.
The
School p r a n k p. 3
S p i r i t Week p. 12-13
Sports N i g h t p. 24
Schreiber
Times
Editors-in-Chief
Amanda SchifT
OPINIONS.
E r i n Szulman
Over-the-counter meds. p. 4
Dishonesty on appUcations p. 5
E a r t h D a y p. 7
Managing Editors
Copy
Editor
Jordan Lewis
Technical/Design
FEATURES.
Editor
Stefan Muller
News
F a s h i o n F i l e p. 10
Senioritis posters p. l l
O n l i n e videogaming p. 14
Editors
David Becker
Melanie Fried
Assistant
Ai&E.
Editors
Lauren Effune
Ryohei OzEiki
Charlie Bartlett p. 15
Ah, Wilderness! p. 16
Lipstick Jungle p. 18
Opinions
Editor
Meghan Doyle
Melis E m r e •
SPORTS.
V a r s i t y S o f t b a l l p. 22
Boys J V lacrosse p. 22
E d i t o r i a l p. 23
For his concentration assignment in AP Photography, senior Zach Hirsch
photographed a boy standing in a puddle. The reflection of the puddle was created
using computer technology to produce a sense of mystery and eeriness.
N E W S
Mardi Gras
The
Foreign
Language
Honor
Society and the M o d e m Language Club
recently hosted i t s a n n u a l M a r d i Gras
Celebration.
The event was held i n
the cafeteria on Mar. 4, d u r i n g Foreign
Language Week, a nationally celebrated
annual event.
M a r d i Gras is a grand carnival the
day before A s h Wednesday, the first day
t h a t t h e C h r i s t i a n holiday of L e n t is
observed. I t is celebrated throughout
the w o r l d , a n d many
Americans
associate i t w i t h the state of Louisiana,
where celebrations include massive
parades, games and food.
Throughout the night's event, music
and games were set up to e n t e r t a i n the
guests. The Shags, a band made u p of
seniors L a r r y Baglio, Ryan Castro, N i c k
Otte, and Stephen Herce, performed a
selection of different, songs including
one by t h e Foo Fighters and one by
Rage Against t h e Machine.
Between
songs, c u l t u r a l music was played i n the
background w h i l e students participated
i n games such as m u m m y w r a p p i n g ,
limbo and musical chairs. I n addition
to these activities, students designed
M a r d i Gras masks using beads, feathers
and confetti.
Students could not attend M a r d i
Gras unless they contributed food a n d
refreshments to the celebration. M a n y
foreign language teachers encouraged
t h e i r students to attend £ind participate
i n the celebration.
" M a r d i Gras is a wonderful event t h a t
helps to enlighten a n d expose students
at Schreiber to different cultures. The
games and food were great a n d t h e
evening was a n i g h t to remember," said
B R I E F S
sophomore Danielle S t e m .
- S a h i l Doshi
Polar Plunge
Every year, representatives
from
all over Long Island congregate a t
B a r Beach Pfirk to take p a r t i n t h e
Polar Plunge. T h is year, t h e Plunge, a
fundraiser for the Special Olympics of
New York, took place on Mar. 8 and had
thousands of people i n attendance.
A t the Plunge, teams and individuals
j u m p e d into the cold water at Bar Beach
at noon. This year, athletes, coaches,
families and supporters were a l l present
to participate i n the Plunge.
Teams came from the length a n d
breadth of Long Island to participate.
The Suffolk County Police Department
T r a i n i n g Academy came w i t h a force of
more t h a n 50 people a n d donated over
$20,000. They d i d j u m p i n g jacks a n d
ten push-ups prior to j u m p i n g i n t o t h e
water.
A l t h o u g h t h e PIxmge took place
noon, t h e festivities started a t nine
o'clock, when Panera Bread, a key
sponsor, provided both breakfast a n d
a $10,000 donation to t h e Special
Oljrmpics.
Before t h e Plunge took place, there
was food a n d activities to e n t e r t a i n
those who arrived early.
Various
musical artists played on t h e portable
stage w h i l e tents provided cover for the
wide arra y of food available.
The
pre-plunge
activities
also
included a c h i l i cook-off between fire
houses from throughout Long I s l a n d.
M r . Richard S a l i n a r d i , t h e c h a i r m a n
of t h e Special Olympics, made a n
appearance, as d i d various officials from
Published by the student body of Paul D. Schreiber High School. Letters to
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J a y Lewis, principal
Craig Medico, Evelina Zarkh, advisers
© 2008, The Schreiber Times
Editors
Sidny Ginsberg
Stephen N a s h
Assistant
Editor
Andrew Seo
the Town of N o r t h Hempstead.
Poor weather conditions forced t h e
organizers of the event to begin a few
minutes early. Despite t h e abundance
of umbrellas and raincoats, by the t i m e
the plungers were out of the water a n d
under shelter, m a n y bystanders vyere
soaking wet.
Even though many of the plungers
came dressed i n b a t h i n g suits a n d
towels, a large number a r r i v e d i n other
outfits. One team came w i t h plungers
attached to t h e i r heads; another person
came i n a dress, w h i l e others wore
m a t c h i n g homemade T-shirts.
The Special Olympics of N e w York
holds a series of year-round events t h a t
give intellectuall y disabled individuals
an opportunity to participate i n Ol5rmpic
manner
training
a n d competition.
The Polar Plunge is one of t h e m a n y
fundraisers t h a t support t h e Special
Olympics.
The Specied Olympics of N e w York
has been identified as one of t h e 100
most w o r t h w h i l e charities by W o r t h
Magazine a n d was named t h e N o n p r o f it of the Year i n 2001 by t h e Direct
Meirketing Association.
The Special
Olympics, w h i c h provides aU services
to the athletes a t no expense to t h e i r
families, w i l l use t h i s money t o set u p
t r a i n i n g facilities, h i r e coaches a n d
house athletes for t h e following year's
competition.
There are seven Polar Plunges t h a t
occur i n New York State. They a l l take
place between November a n d M a r c h ,
the B a r Beach Plunge being the last to
occur.
~ L a u r a Werle
Staff W r i t e r s : Sahil Doshi, Alex Hohauser, M a x Mancher, Blake Mergler, Reid Mergler, Leah Nash, Graham Potters, Morgan Quigley, Taara
Sajnani, L a u r a Werle C o n t r i b u t i n g W r i t e r s : Christina Zhou C o v e r
Chris Cottitta, M a x Garett, Andrew Martinohgh C e n t e r f o l d : David Becker, Melanie Fried, Ryohei Ozaki B a c k p a g e : David Becker, Lauren Efiune
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Melissa Quigley
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Myles Potters
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THE SCHREIBER
TIMES
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH
3
26, 2008
Despite the frigid temperatures, prank season starts early
Practical joke leads to a 2-hour evacuation, endangering
BY Stephen Nash and A m a n d a SchifT
Featurvs Editor and Editor-in-Chief
Beginning with
the
infamous
"Chicken Prank" of 2004, Schreiber
has been home to several pranks over
the past few years. Prior to these more
serious offenses, seniors looked forward
to the day when they could have a
barbeque on the front steps or park
in the upper lot as part of their rite of
passage, the legendary senior prank.
However, i n recent years, disturbances
to the school day have become
increasingly dangerous and potentially
life-threatening, and have resulted in
criminal charges.
At 1:30 in the afternoon on Mar. 12,
a sophomore student lit several pieces of
paper on fire in a trash receptacle in the
technology wing. The student proceeded
to the second floor to set a book on fire
outside of room 201. The final step in
the student's pltin was to pull the fire
alarm in the C-wing.
The fire alarm sounded right in the
middle of fifth period and the school
was evacuated within four and a half
minutes.
T h e evacuation was calm and
orderly. The Schreiber student body
was cooperative and responsive during
the evacuation," said Principal Mr. Jay
Lewis.
Within three and a half minutes,
police cars arrived, followed by an
ambulance, a bomb squad, and fire
engines.
The average emergency
response time in Port Washington is
from three to five minutes. Considering
the response time was on the lower
end of the spectrum, the risk of injury
decreased dramatically.
After students and faculty waited
for approximately 30 minutes outside,
school officials transferred students
to Weber. After the fire marshal gave
the go-ahead for students to be moved
to Weber, the student body and faculty
members filled the cafeteria, auditorium,
and gym of the middle school.
"Unfortunately when we
were
evacuated from Schreiber, I was in gym
class which meant 1 was wearing shorts
and a short sleeved shirt. I , like almost
everyone else, was freezing standing
outside. I was so happy and appreciative
that the staff moved us down to Weber,"
said senior Kristi Ressa.
"The plans for evacuating everybody
to Weber went flawlessly," said Assistant
Principal Mr. David Miller. "The Weber
staff was spectacular."
"The students conducted themselves
well at Weber, and returned to Schreiber
with ease," said Mr. Lewis. "The high
school administration could not have
been more pleased at how the student
body conducted itself."
Since 2004, school officials have
been working diligently with local law
enforcement and security experts to
prepare for emergency situations. Part
of this preparation included simulated
emergencies, the new
ConnectEd
system, and enhanced communication
between administrators in emergency
situations. A l l of these preparations
were utilized during this incident.
"Our ability through a special
program [Connect Ed] that the district
students
Christina Vlahos
Firetrucks, poiice cars, and tlie bomb squad could be seen parked in the circle
after the fire alarms were set off by a sophomore. Students were evacuated to
Weber for the remainder of the school day as investigators scoured the school.
subscribes to that places automated
phone calls to residences, work
numbers, and cell phones was put into
effect at about 2:30 p.m. The calls were
completed shortly aft«r 3:00 p.m.," said
Mr. Lewis.
The student who committed the
crimes was apprehended and charged
with two felony coimts of arson.
Although the student admitted to
the crimes, faculty members and
students were instrumental in getting
information to the administrators to
catch the student.
"There's always a consequence,"
said Mr. Miller. "Is it worth the risk to
disrupt people's Uves? Thirty different
fire department folks, school officials,
and the arson bomb squad had to come.
When there's somebody who may be
sick or dying or have a heart attack in
another location and everyone is here
because some [individual] pulls a prank,
you put people at risk."
New club dedicated to pursuing interests in English Language Arts
Chapter of English Honor Society attracts 109 sophomore and junior
BY L a u r e n Eflune
Assistant News Editor
I n September of 2006, English
Department Chair Ms. Joan Lisecki
received a pamphlet about the National
English Honor Society. Together with
junior D a ^ Becker, the two decided
to incorporate this program into
Schreiber's plethora of clubs. Official
plEuming started at the beginning of
the 2007-2008 school year. In Feb.
2008, appUcations became available
for students interested in becoming
members.
The National English Honor Society
(NEHS) was founded in 2004 by Sigma
Tau Delta, the International English
Honor Society for college and university
students. Sigma Tau Delta then fiirther
extended the program to high schools.
The NEHS recognizes students who
display an excellence in academic grades
and performance, further encourages
these students to develop their skills in
Enghsh Language Arts, and promotes
participation in commimity service. The
club also recognizes excellence in high
school writing.
In the past, the NEHS has
participated in a variety of activities
related to community service, field trips
and fundrEiising. They have sponsored
book fairs, created bookmarks to sell,
sponsored different types of writing
contests for students around the covmtry,
and hosted SAT and ACT preparation
classes. They also volimteer to read in complete two fiill semesters at Schreiber
children's hbraries, go on field trips to prior to the formal induction, and have
see plays and performances, and attend previously demonstrated dedication to
Enghsh through various activities, such
conferences and discussions.
Ms. Lisecki decided to incorporate as completing an English honors project
this program into Schreiber because or participating in a club that focuses on
she had a strong desire to encourage literature or writing.
interest in Enghsh Language Arts, ^3kn addition to the apphcation,
students also had to include a writing
sample that they felt best expressed
their
persontd character.
"Prior to the
English
The club will officially start off by
Honor
Society,
there abiding to the original guidelines that
NEHS provides. However, there are
have been no departmental the
plans to modify it each year to be more
representations
of
the on par with Schreiber's other honor
societies.
language
arts,
only
the
There will be office
positions
offspring organizations
of available to any student in the club,
and elections will be held prior to the
its faculty," said Becker. ^ ^ induction ceremony.
For the club's first project, i t plans
to participate in Long Island Reads, a
foster literacy, and excite students about yearly event in which people in Nassau
the different possibilities in reading, and Suffolk coimty read the same book,
participate in discussions about i t and
writing and communication skills.
"Any opportunity to celebrate English attend events related to the book in
is exciting and to celebrate i t with public hbraries.
passionate students is exhilar'ating,"said
In the ftiture, the club wants to
Ms. Lisecki.
become involved in community service
Approximately
109
current activities regarding Enghsh Language
sophomores and juniors applied this Arts.
year. In order to become a member
Ms. Lisecki also hopes to initiate a
of Schreiber's English Honor Society, peer-tutoring program to help students
students were required to have a with sentence structure and essay
minimiun weighted cumulative CPA of writing, similar to those of other honor
3.5, be a full-time sophomore or junior. societies. Members will also have the
applicants
opportunity to become peer responders
in the Writing Center.
One goal the club is to encourage
members to participate in various
extracurricular
activities
related
to English Language Arts, such as
Kaleidoscope or The Schreiber Times.
"Honor societies should actively
promote not just tutoring for the subjects
in a department or support for the
department's causes but rather a real
love for the subjects in the department
and real talent. There should be
advertisement of the abimdance of
resources a great department has to
offer, and that's what the English Honor
Society is going to be," said Becker.
The official induction ceremony will
take place on June 5. On that same
night, Ms. Lisecki plans to present the
Junior English Awards to juniors who
meet the specific criteria, regardless of
whether the students are members of
the English Honor Society.
"English and the Himianities are
underrepresented at Schreiber. Prior to
the English Honor Society, there have
been no departmental representations
of the language arts, only the offspring
organizations of its faculty. Relative to
the opportunities available, motivated
sophomores and juniors have the
most to gain by focusing on English.
The Enghsh department advertises
more contests and nominates the most
awards before senior year than any
other department," said Becker.
THESCHREIBER
Point i
TIMES
OPINIONS
WEDNESDAY,
MARCH26,
2008
Counterpoint
Should nurses be allowed to distribute over-the-counter meds?
BY L e a h Nash
Staff Writer
Nearly every student at some point
in his or her high school career will
have an accident, injury, or become ill
during a school day and venture off
to see the nurse. When we go to the
nurse's office, we have confidence that
we will find a tr£iined professional
who has nursing experience and the
requisite skill to provide proper first-aid
to treat minor illnesses and injuries.
Nurses are responsible, competent,
and savvy enough to administer pain
relievers or other over-the-counter
medicines that are necessary to a
student, and thereafter direct the
students to obtain more extensive
medical help or assistance if needed.
The thought that the school nurses
cannot provide students with any
type of over-the-counter medicine
should be viewed as an insult to tfeeir
training and skill. The only reason
why anyone would hesitate in having a
trained nurse provide over-the-counter
medicine to a student is a fear of some
potential legal liability.
But as a practical matter, what
are they really prescribing - a Tylenol
tablet, a Turns, a Benadryl? Perhaps
there may have been an isolated case or
two where a student had a bad reaction
to these types of over-the-counter
remedies, but certainly nothing life
threatening.
Nevertheless, the rare exception
certainly should not be the rule. I
am quite sure that if monitored by a
trained professional, no child is likely
to die or suffer a debilitating illness
as a result of taking a Tylenol tablet.
Conversely, many children can get
needed relief from headaches and colds
from lyienol, and then can resume
their normal school day instead of
missing class time.
I am not suggesting that nurses
should act without parental notice
or approval. But, it is easy to obtain
standing authorization from parents to
provide Tylenol or other stomach aids
to children through telephone, fax, or
e-mail because parents can be easily
contacted through these means. I n this
day and age, a Tylenol tablet is not
much more different than a Band-Aid,
and is often taken to relieve the pain
of an ache. Yet, even without direct
communication with the parents, if
a child becomes sick in the middle
of the school day, and cannot have
consent from their parent or doctor
for being allowed to take an over-thecounter remedy, the professionally
trained nurses should be able to use
their discretion in giving the student a
moderate form of medicine.
"The school nurses are very
competent, and I would be comfortable
with them giving me, or other students,
over-the-counter drugs if they thought
it was appropriate," said freshman Reid
Mergler.
If nurses were allowed to administer
over-the-counter meds to children, a
record of what a student has taken
would be a necessity. As a result, no
child could abuse the system, and the
nurses would have a detailed record
of the type of medicine that was taken
by the student and how often. It is
unlikely that a student would abuse the
system and ask for medical help when
he or she did not need it. However,
if the child did abuse the system, or
if the nurse misdiagnosed a student, •
the student would probably not be
harmed too much by a tablet. The
nurses should already have on file what
students are allergic to, and therefore
administering the over-the-counter drug
should be no problem.
It would be unnecessary for a
student to have to miss class, and go
home for a headache or because of
allergies that could be easily cured
by the nurse. I f the student were a
freshman or sophomore, that student
would need to
have permission
from a parent to leave school anyway.
The best interest of the student
would be served if they could stay in
school. Wouldn't it make more sense for
the nurses to get verbal consent from
a parent to give a remedy instead of
getting consent for the child to leave as
a result of their ailment?
Overall, the school nurses are
excellent, and they are successful in
helping many students find relief when
they need medical assistance. I n many
cases, a simple over-the-counter remedy
is needed for relief. The school nurses
are certainly competent enough, and so
they should be allowed to give over-thecounter medicine to students.
BY Morgan Quigley
Staff tVriier
Many students go to the nurse's
office to ask for pain medication.
Usually, the nurses tell students
that they are not allowed to dispense
medications without parental consent.
This is what the answer should be.
School nurses should not be allowed
to freely give out over-the-counter
medications because there are too many
possible problems with such a policy.
Mainly, school nurses may not know the
side effects a medication has on a given
student. This could result in many
legal problems for the school.
Let's say there is a boy who goes
to the nurse's office and says that he
has a splitting headache. The nurse
gives him an over-the-counter pain
medication, even though she is not
allowed to. A few minutes later, the kid
comes back to the nurse with unusual
symptoms. Turns out, he had an
allergic reaction to the pain medication.
The boy is rushed to the hospital, where
after spending hours in the emergency
room, he tragically dies. I n such a
situation, the school would be to blame.
There would be a multi-million dollar
law suit, and the school would get into
huge financial problems. Additionally,
the school's reputation would likely
be damaged, and parents might be
reluctant to send their kids to Schreiber
in the future.
This is obviously the worst case
scenario possible. And I'm sure that
those of you reading this article are
Schreiber Speak^
"It's good that the school takes precautions by asking parents permission before
giving out things like Advil, but it can be reaUy annoying and you're often left
without many options in the middle of the day if you feel sick."
-Learni L i , senior
" I t would help some kids to have access to over-the-counter drugs in school, but
there is a lot of substance abuse nowadays, and the school would be liabel if anything happened."
-Kristin Y u , freshman
probably thinking that the odds of such
a thing happening are slim to none.
And you are probably correct. But
there are also many other undesirable
scenarios that could result from school
giving children medications without
parental knowledge. I f there is a child
on a prescription medication who is
not supposed to take any other drugs
(for fear of a negative reaction) and a
school unknowingly give this child an
over-the-counter drug, this student's life
could be placed in jeopardy. Who would
be accountable for this student's wellbeing?
For nurses to give someone an overthe-counter medication they would need
to call the parent of the student to make
sure that it is okay. School nurses
should always check if parents have
any problems with their children taking
drugs, and preferably, nurse should
get a signed consent form from legsd
guardians that gives them permission
to dispense medication.
The best thing for students to do is
to bring in the pain medication of their
choice with a note from their parents/
doctor saying that there is nothing
wrong with them taking it. Students
could leave their medications in the
nurse's office so that whenever they
needed them they could go to the office
and get their medications without any
fuss.
This seems like a simple and
rational solution, but there is still
a problem with students taking
medications during school hours.
Oftentimes, even everyday medications
have side effects such as nausea,
heartburn, and drowsiness. I t is
important to take these side effects
into account when deciding whether or
not to take medications. For example,
what if a student reacts negatively to
a medication while he/she is taking an
exam. How do you think this kid would
do on tite test if he/she is feeling ill?
The bottom line is that it is unsafe
for nurses to give students medications
without parental consent. And while
some argue that it is better fornurses
to give students Advil than it is for
students to get medications from their
peers, there is really no difference
between the two scenarios. Ailer all, no
questions are asked in both situations,
and either way parents are unaware of
the drugs their children are taking.
Besides, students should not be
taking large quantities of over-thecounter medications anyway. E v e n
these relatively mild drugs can have
serious consequences when they are
overused. I n addition to causing
damage to the liver, excessive use of
Advil can destroy the internal lining of
the stomach. So really, everyday pain
medications can have deadly side effects
if a student abuses them. Students
should learn to only take medications as
a last resort, and nurses should not be
allowed to pass out Tylenol to every kid
who complains of a headache.
THE SCHREIBER
TIMES
WEDNESDAY. MARCH
26. 2008
Learning life lessons from a button-down insomniac
BY Melis Emre
Opinions Editor
A few months ago I had the pleasure
of watching the slightly disturbing
yet oddly enlightening 1999 movie
Fight Club. From the moment the
end credits began to role, I knew that
I had stumbled upon something big,
something bigger than just another cult
film or satirical hit.
For those of you who have never
watched the film (for shame!), Fight
Club tells the story of the average,
American, middle-class, white-collar
consumer and his weekly adventures
with his polar opposite and best friend,
Tyler Burden. Tyler is completely
unhke the narrator. He is ah impulsive
neo-luddite and anarchist who deplores
the materialism of the modem day and
the himidrum mentality of the vast
majority of the populous. He is tired of
the world around him, tired of seeing
people turned into machines that
gobble up every fad corporate America
spits out. Basically, Tyler struggles to
help the narrator fully realize who he
is, all the while batthng consumerism.
jolt out of dizzy stupor. 7 am "Jack's
inflamed sense of rejection."
After I came to this realization
(which, admittedly took me a rather
long time, but hey, it was a slow few
months) I began to watch the people
around me more carefully. What
I noticed was frankly alarming.
Everywhere I looked, I saw characters
from the film.
Why do we do the things we do and
value what we value? Why is it that
we pursue our education so that we
can work at a job where we will make
lots of money that will later be used
to purchase things we do not need or
even really want? When did we begin
defining ourselves by our GPAs and our
SATs and the smorgasbords that are
our co-curricular activities?
Think about this: why do you want
to go to college? Is it because you
actually wish to acquire knowledge,
or because you want to get a good job?
How do we define a "good job?" How
many things i n your house are
necessary? And how many things do
you buy simply because you (or more
accurately, your parents) can afford to?
" O u r society has become completely
dominated by all things materialistic,"
said junior Tatiana Mouarbes. "People
identify themselves by what they
earn and what they can afford. It's
ridiculous. There is so much excess
in the modem world. Too often
people confuse this overabundance of
unnecessary goods with progress. It's
pretty twisted."
the movie itself is the fact that Fight
Club is part of a larger trend. I n
recent years, nvunerous books, films,
short stories, and T V series have been
dedicated to America's (and the world's)
growing abuse of technology and all
things material. Such works (like
Mtirgaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake)
warn people against the extremes
to which things can go. Technology,
productivity, and consumerism could
eventually be the cause of our race's
downfall.
One of Fight Club's many important
lessons is that we cannot define
ourselves by what we e a m , whether
it be grades or money. As Tyler says,
"You're not your job. You're not how
much money you have in the bank.
You're not the car you drive. You're not
the contents of your wallet."
Similarly, you're not your report
card or your CV. You're simply you.
Perhaps even more importsmt than
"It's really scary to think about
some of the technological 'progress'
that's being made," said junior Dahlia
Hassan. "There are a lot of things
being done that are questionable. A
lot of lines that are being blurred. It's
very unnerving to think that what we
believe to be making our society better
could actually be making it worse."
Obviously there is no need to revert
back to a completely "uncivilized" way
of hfe, just as there is absolutely no
sense in shunning education because
it can lead to financial gain. What is
necessary is for us to consider why we
actually do things and how important
the material things in our life really
are. Without proper perspective on life,
we might as well be walking aroimd
with our eyes shut, boimcing off the
walls.
E v e r since the fateful day I first
watched the film. Fight Club has been
nestling in my mind, interrupting my
everyday thoughts and occupying hours
of my time. For months it has haunted
me, as I'm sure it has haunted many
who've watched it. Fight Club: "the
little scratch on the roof of your mouth
that would heal if only you could stop
tonguing it—but you can't."
A few days ago, I finally realized
what it was about the film that really
bothered me. I n a way, I am the
narrator of the film, the everyman that
the book was written for, the buttondown worker the movie was meant to
So next time you find yourself
obsessing over the latest Gucci
sunglasses or your most recent grade
in math class, consider how necessary
such things are to your life. Sure, you
may be momentarily bummed that
you didn't do as well as you wanted on
that quiz, or that you weren't able to
purchase the latest fashion craze, but
believe me, the liberation the comes
with realizing grades and clothes and
s<u^ doesn't define you is well worth it.
Eunice Kim
Dishonesty has become the new best policy among students
Bv Stephen Nash
Features Editor
From college visits to SATs, junior
year is marked by added stress, an
increase in responsibilities, and an
abundance of time-consuming tasks to
be completed.
One such tedious, yet necessary,
task is filling out applications for
various clubs, like National Honor
Society. These applications are very
similar and ask students to answer
basic questions, many of which appear
on college admission forms.
For example, one standard
question asks students to list their
extracurricular activities. I t was my
impression that students were actually
supposed to list the clubs that they
participated in during high school.
I was quite surprised to l e a m that
this supposedly "naive" point of view
was incorrect, and that it is standard
procedure for students to embellish
what they did.
This all started in one of my classes
where a student whom I knew fairly
well was filling out one of the Honor
Society applications. He proudly told
me that he put down a club in which
he had a minimal, at best, and nonexistent, at worst, rol*.as one of his
extra-curricular activities. I was a
member of this club who had put in far
more hours, work, and effort than he
had—all he did was go to a single club
function, one club function, and now he
proclsiims himself a proud member of
that club.
Outraged at this blatant lie, I
questioned him on the ethics and
simple fallacy of his statement. Indeed,
he had to put his signature at the
bottom that everything he wrote was
the tmth , yet this did not deter him.
The whole time he sat there with a
smirk on his face, trying to come up
with clever answers to each question I
posed.
Knowing this student I knew that
this was not so surprising for him,
but what I did find shocking was the
response from my peers.
" O f course you should lie, everyone
does it," S£ud one who heard the
conversation.
"When we are applying to college,
no one is going to be completely honest.
Everyone has to lie a little bit. I f you
only tell the t m t h you are putting
yourself at a disadvantage," the student
continued, lecturing me on my "naive"
belief in integrity.
Student after student agreed: there
is nothing wrong with not telling the
whole t m t h , and even lying a little
if you need to. I n fact, many of my
classmates reprimanded me for arguing
otherwise. Ultimately, the verdict
of my peers was that the student
who "embellished" his Honor Society
application is that he was in the right
and I , with all my silly ideas about
honesty and tmthfulness, was wrong.
Maybe it's just me, but is anyone
else actually frightened by admissions
hopes to attend. Moderate competition
can actually be beneficial in high school.
But this mindset that one has almost
an obligation to lie about what one has
accomplished is just plain wrong. I f
this is truly what the competitive spirit
has wrought, isn't it time to take a step
back and reevaluate our priorities?
Surely such competition is detrimental.
The most ironic part of this whole
situation
like these? Isn't it scary to think
this is what our high school has
come to? I f you lie, you're doing
what's right, and if you tell the t m t h,
you're hurting yourself. Extend this
dishonesty further (after all, the high
school kids of today, are the world
leaders of tomorrow) and not only
is our educational system put at a
disadvantage, but society is as well.
We've all heard
about how "children
are the future of this
CLV9S
country." Well is this
really the fiiture we
have to look forward
«5Ne
to? Seventeen-year-olds
are now dishonest, cutthroat competitors who
do what it takes to get ahead,
regardless of who they step
on in the process. What ever
happened to the old-fashioned
idea of going to school to l e a m
something? Something like,
I don't know, the value of
hard work or, heck, honesty?
Moreover, how effective can
we expect these people to be
in the future if they receive
opportunites based on "alleged"
experiences? What will happen
when they are put on the spot
and expected to accomplish a
task he or she are not equipped
to handle?
Every student cares about
coUege and is passionate about
getting into the school he or she
•f
•{ •
i ; V
i
OR
HHW...IU
is that the
students who
lie on their
applications
end up hurting
their fellow
classmates,
the ones who
also believe in
"embellishing"
one's
credentials
as well as the
old-fashioned,
honest ones.
If two people
are equally
qualified, but
one adds to his
or her resume,
that can meike all
the difference. A n d
my final question is, when
two students who advocate
"embellishing" resumes apply
to the same college and only
one gets in, what will they have
to say to each other then?
THE SCHREIBER
TIMES
WEDNESDAY, MARCH
26, 2008
Sex appeal trumps skill at Blue and White Night Schreiber Ethics
BY E r i n Szulman
BY Meghan Doyle
.Assistant Opinions Editor
A l r i g h t , I ' l l a d m i t i t . I've been a
bit of a h e r m i t t h r o u g h o u t m y h i g h
school c a r e e r — w e l l , a t least w h e n i t
comes to school events. D u r i n g pep
r a l l i e s , I t e n d t o r o l l m y eyes o r p u l l
o u t a n o v e l as t h e r e s t o f t h e s c h o o l
chants some t r i b a l message t h a t I
a m far from understanding. B u t I
. decided t h a t I've been m i s s i n g o u t o n
something important here—the typical
h i g h school experience. I've m i s s e d t h e
w h o l e r a h r a h go S c h r e i b e r b i t , a n d
n o w as a s e n i o r , I figured t h a t I s h o u l d
at least a t t e n d some of t h e events,
even i f I ' m not cheering along w i t h the
crowds. I t h i n k maybe w h e n I t u r n
30-something, I m i g h t regret not ever
g o i n g a n d t h e n i t w o u l d s i m p l y be too
late.
A n d so, I w e n t . I w e n t t o t h e m o s t
t a l k e d a b o u t e v e n t of t h e school year:
Sports N i g h t . O r forgive me, we n o w
r e f e r t o i t as B l u e a n d W h i t e N i g h t ,
p a r t i c u l a r l y for t h e lack of "sports."
S t r u t t i n g m y b r o a d w a y tee s h i r t , I
attended Blue and W h i te N i g h t to
see j u s t w h a t f u n I h a d m i s s e d f o r t h e
past three years. A f t e r a l l , there are
so m a n y g i r l s w h o t a k e p a r t i n t h e
e v e n t a n d so t h e r e m u s t b e s o m e t h i n g
exhilarating i n it.
The t r u t h is, t h o u g h , t h a t I d i d have
an enjoyable n i g h t out, w h i c h w o u l d
have otherwise consisted of r e a d i n g
and annotating. A n d I appreciated
the e n t e r t a i n m e n t p u t on for me by
m y fellow students, a l t h o u g h I w i l l say
t h a t at times I felt like I was watching,
w e l l , too m u c h of m y fellow s t u d e n t s , i f
you know what I mean.
I was under the impression that
w i t h t h e m e s s u c h as S h r e k a n d
T h e Flintstones, t h e innocence of
t h e cartoons w o u l d be d i s p l a y e d b y
t h e students i n b o t h t h e dance a n d
s k i t . Y e t , w i t h n a m e s s u c h as S i z z l i n '
Shreks, Luscious L o r d Farquads,
and Bed Rockin' B a m Bams, most of
t h a t innocence was lost. M a n y of t h e
dances i n c l u d e d suggestive moves t h a t
left me wondering w h a t the parents
and grandparents of the performers
w e r e t h i n k i n g . A n d as m y c o m p a n y f o r
t h e n i g h t s a i d , " W a s t h a t really j u s t t h e
worm?"
H o w e v e r , I do u n d e r s t a n d t h a t i n
h i p hop t h e r e are p l e n t y of moves t h a t
m i g h t seem suggestive b u t are a c t u a l l y
j u s t a n e x p r e s s i o n o f s o m e t h i n g deeper.
B u t I believe t h a t t h e r e is a l i n e a n d
that at times throughout the night,
t h a t l i n e w a s crossed. A l t h o u g h I don't
necessarily
blame the girls for
this. When
you're dancing
to lyrics t h a t
say, " S h e
turned around
a n d gave t h a t
b i g booty a
smack," you
can't help b u t
choreograph
moves to
match. A n d i t
is those p o p u l a r
tunes that an
audience can
relate to, and
dance along.
I even found
myself bopping
along to m a n y
o f t h e songs, t h a t is, u n t i l I s t a r t e d
seeing p a r t s of the performers, m a n y of
t h e m m y friends, that I hadn't intended
on seeing.
D o n ' t get m e w r o n g . I ' m a dancer,
a l s o . I k n o w t h a t d a n c e a t t i r e m u s t be
suitable for performance a n d t h a t t h e
m a t e r i a l m u s t n ' t get i n t h e w a y of any
m o v e s . T h e r e f o r e , t h e c l o t h e s m u s t be
t i g h t fitted so t h a t i t d o e s n ' t b e c o m e a
d i s t r a c t i o n to t h e dancer. Yet, I ' m n o t
s u r e i f t u b e tops are a g r e a t choice,
especially w h e n y o u are s h i m m y i n g a n d
s h a k i n g i n front o f a n a u d i e n c e . I w a s
p l e a s a n t l y s u r p r i s e d t o find o u t t h a t
points are t a k e n off for inappropriat e
outfits, t h o u g h I ' m not sure m a n y paid
attention to t h a t rule.
A n d another t h i n g , not every g i r l
has the same body type! There are
m a n y teenage girls w h o actually have
curves. I f y o u are t h i n k i n g of costumes
for a t e a m of diverse y o u n g girls, y o u
would t h i n k captains would have t a k e n
i n t o a c c o u n t t h a t n o t e v e r y o n e fits i n t o
t h e s a m e size. I t w a s v e r y a p p a r e n t
w h i c h girls felt uncomfortable dancing
i n t h e i r costumes, w h i c h is honestly
u p s e t t i n g because m a n y w e r e v e r y
t a l e n t e d dancers. T h e y constantly
pulled shorts down, shirts up, a n d
readjusted themselves between moves.
" I d i d n ' t feel v e r y comfortable i n
m y o u t f i t b e c a u s e i t w a s so r e v e a l i n g , "
said senior Gabby D ' A n n u n z i o . " I
love dance a n d I t h i n k t h a t i t t o t a l l y
affected m y performance, w h i c h is
u p s e t t i n g b e c a u s e w e p u t so m u c h
work into it."
However, I w i l l say t h a t t h e r e
were several costumes w h i c h were
completely appropriate. I n fact, i n
the skits, man y included the actual
masks of t h e characters. A n d even
t h o u g h some of t h e inside references
d u r i n g t h e skits left t h e audience
confused, t h e overall performance w a s
interesting to watch . The character
voices w e r e e n t e r t a i n i n g a n d appealed
to t h e younger audience. I commend
t h e girls for i n v o l v i n g themselves i n a
n i g h t t h a t w a s once d e d i c a t e d t o t h e
i n v o l v e m e n t of w o m e n i n sports, even
t h o u g h t h e o r i g i n a l concept for t h e
n i g h t has changed over t h e years.
I t seemed t h o u g h t h a t t h e dances
I enjoyed t h e mos t w e r e scored t h e
lowest by the judges. For example, the
Wilma, Dino, B a m Bam, and Dragon
teams a l l incorporated advanced a nd
technical dance moves w h i c h weren't
t a k e n i n t o account by t h e judges.
" I thought that i t was pretty
obvious t h a t t h e more promiscuous
dances
got better
scores. I
.
d o n ' t t h i n k i t ' s so g r e a t t h a t i t e n d e d u p
t h a t w a y , b u t w h a t c a n y o u do?" s a i d
senior S a m a n t h a Lange.
I w e n t to a couple of practices to
witness the intensity of preparing
such a performance. T he "love" t h a t
I saw after the performance between
the girls was not w h a t I witnessed at
practices. I n fact, m a n y teams h a d to
h a v e t h e r a p e u t i c sessions t h r o u g h o u t
t h e w e e k before B l u e a n d W h i t e N i g h t
because t h e y h a d such problems w i t h
each other. I w o u l d u n d e r s t a n d i f t h i s
w a s j u s t one t e a m w h o h a d issues, b u t
i n fact several of the teams h a d such
s t r o n g h a t e t o w a r d each other t h a t
these sessions b e c a m e a necessity.
"Yeah, I m e a n , shouldn't the event
be a b o u t b o n d i n g a n y w a y ? " s a i d senior
K a t h e r i n e Corteselli. " I t h i n k it's
ridiculous t h a t the team members have
such h a t e t o w a r d each other. A n d y o u
could t e l l , too. T h r o u g h o u t some o f t h e
dances, t h e r e w e r e g i r l s w h o looked
like they were ready to k i l l each other."
I always imagined that Blue and
W h i t e N i g h t was a major bonding event
between girls who m i g h t not ordinarily
h a n g out together. A n d I ' m sure t h a t
t h e r e were some t e a m s w h o d i d bond,
b u t t h e f a c t t h a t t h e r e w e r e so m a n y
who did not, makes me wonder i f the
girls are p e r f o r m i n g to have f i m a n d
m a k e friends or s i m p l y for t h e i r o w n
personal satisfaction.
I n the end, I t r u l y appreciate
the h a r d work that was p u t into the
n i g h t to e n t e r t a i n the h u n d r e d s of
Port Washingtonians who attended.
However, because t h e event w a s
originally a way to have women
involved i n sports a n d was i n m a n y
ways a very feminist event, I w i s h
t h a t some of t h a t w o u l d have been
incorporated throughout the night.
T h i s year. B l u e a n d W h i t e N i g h t
fell on I n t e r n a t i o n a l Women's Day, a
day t h a t celebrates t h e achievements
of w o m e n t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o r l d . B u t
n o t once w a s t h i s m e n t i o n e d , despite
t h e f a c t t h a t so m a n y g i r l s t t i k e p a r t i n
some w a y d u r i n g t h e event.
I hope t h a t i n t h e future . B l u e a n d
W h i t e N i g h t can become a n event t h a t
a l l ages c a n a t t e n d , w i t h o u t p a r e n t s
h a v i n g t o c o v e r eyes o r e a r s . I t i s
one o f t h e b i g g e s t w a y s f o r a s t u d e n t
to become i n v o l v e d i n school s p i r i t ,
w h i c h I t h i n k is a w o n d e r f u l t h i n g for
a c o m m u n i t y to have. B u t w h e n t h i s
becomes d e g r a d i n g a n d offensive, w e
have to question i f there are other
w a y s to s h o w school s p i r i t t h r o u g h
dance a n d t h e arts.
^
.liiiTY .
^
Editor-h-Chief
I n m e m o r i u m of E l i o t Spitzer's
p o l i t i c a l career, t h i s c o l u m n is t a k i n g
a b i t of a break f r o m convention. H o w
d i d Time's 2 0 0 2 C r u s a d e r o f t h e Y e a r
become m o r e k n o w n for h i s i n v o l v e m e n t
w i t h a prostitution ring?
It's i m p o r t a n t to keep t w o t h i n g s i n
m i n d . F i r s t , a n y p e r s o n c a n be f o u n d
g u i l t y o f p a y i n g f o r sex. S e c o n d , S p i t z e r
is a p u b l i c official w h o has sacrificed h i s
p r i v a c y i n order to represent his people.
T h e actions of Spitzer are twofold: w e
m u s t v i e w S p i t z e r as a n o r m a l c i t i z e n
w h o h a s b e h a v e d i l l e g a l l y as w e l l as a
public official w h o has acted i m m o r a l l y .
N o w w e c a n assess S p i t z e r ' s a c t i o n s .
Questionable activity was t a k i n g
place i n Spitzer's accounts w i t h i n h i s
money transfers. Federal prosecutors
believed the Spitzer m i g h t have
been t r a n s f e r r i n g money to pay for
prostitutes.
Meanwhile, a federal court i n
M a n h a t t a n charged four individuals
w i t h r u n n i n g a prostitution and moneyl a u n d e r i n g r i n g , E m p e r o r s C l u b VTP.
Ten clients were identified, and Client 9
w a s believed to be E l i o t Spitzer.
Spitzer was caught t h r o u g h a
w i r e t a p ordering a p r o s t i t u t e to
Washington's Renaissance M a y f l o w e r
H o t e l a f t e r t e s t i f y i n g before Congress
e a r l i e r t h a t day. S p i t z e r p a i d $ 4 , 3 0 0
i n cash to t h e agency to t h e w o m a n
i d e n t i f i e d as " K r i s t e n . " I t w a s l a t e r
found t h a t Spitzer h a d repeatedly used
the C l u b , p a y i n g u p to $80,000 for
prostitutes.
W h i l e Spitzer has not been i n d i c t e d
f o r a n y t h i n g as o f y e t , h e i s i m d e r
i n v e s t i g a t i o n for m o n e y l a u n d e r i n g
a n d s o l i c i t i n g a n d p a y i n g f o r sex.
A d d i t i o n a l l y , t h e f o u r people accused
of n m n i n g the club are being charged
w i t h violating the M a n n Act, used to
t a r g e t those c a r r j d n g w o m e n or girls
between state lines for prostitution,
w h i c h is r a r e l y u s ed y e t c o u ld m e a n j a i l
time.
Yes, S p i t z e r o u g h t t o f a c e p e n a h t i e s
for his actions. I t is u p to t h e courts to
determine his punishment. For Spitzer
t o b e v i e w e d as a n y s o r t o f h e r o i n t h e
p a s t d e c a d e , h e m u s t be h e l d t o h i g h e r
standards t h a n the men and women
h e p r o s e c u t e d n o t t o o l o n g ago. W h a t
Spitzer did was i m m o r a l , illegal, and
disappointing for constituents. H e
m u s t be h e l d a c c o u n t a b l e f o r h i s actions
a n d i t is a b i t odd he didn't expect t o get
c a u g h t . I t is n o t o u r place t o feel g u i l t y
f o r h i m , as h e a c t e d w i t h c o n s c i o u s
t h o u g h t . I t is a p p r o p r i a t e t o feel b a d l y
for Spitzer's f a m i l y since t h e y are n o w
facing embarassment. I f we've learned
a n y t h i n g , i t w o u l d be t h a t t h e m e d i a
never gives up .
T h e final q u e s t i o n i s w h e t h e r
Spitzer had a moral responsibility to
s t e p d o w n from office. H i s a c t i o n s d o
n o t reflect t h e person t h a t t h e people
of N Y voted for a n d he has disobeyed
t h e l a w s t h a t h e is s u p p o s e d t o be
upholding. H u m a n s aren't infallible;
yes, w e a l l m a k e b a d decisions. P u b l i c
officials are people, a n d r e p r e s e n t t h e
c o n v i c t s o f t h e s t a t e as m u c h as t h o s e
o n t h e U p p e r E a s t Side. However, a
p u b l i c official m u s t act i n accordance
t o t h e h i g h e s t set p f m o r a l s . S p i t z e r
demonstrated t h a t we're a t a d more
idealistic about politics t h a n we claim,
and u l t i m a t e l y prostitution is m o r a l l y
reprehensible.
Tyler Travis
THE SCHREIBER
TIMES
OPINIONS WEDNESDAY.
MARCH
7
26. 2008
Going green for Earth Day has never been easier
BY Christina Zhou
Contributing Writer
As the days get warmer and the
volume of birdsongs increases, we get
closer to the most anticipated holiday of
the year: Earth Day.
That statement might as well be
made in an alternate universe. Besides
a small minority of students, most of
Schreiber fails to truly acknowledge the
holiday or even the purpose behind it .
"What's Earth Day?" asked a fellow
sophomore.
Now, while most of us are probably
aware of the holiday's existence, there
is a general lack of energy and interest
surrounding Earth Day, mostly because
many students feel no connection
whatsoever with the environmental
movement. In fact, many view Earth
Day as nothing more than an idealistic,
abstract event for hippies that in effect
involves very little action
This, however, is untrue.
Traditionally, the southern hemisphere
observes Earth Day in autumn, while
the United Nations celebrates the
holiday on the March equinox. But
the date we need to remember is the
one that started it all in 1970, founded
by then Wisconsin senator Gaylord
Nelson. True, fate gave him an odd
name, but how many of you can say
you started a holiday? For us, the day
of environmental awareness occurs
on Apr. 22, and despite popular belief,
many around the world take action to
make Earth Day special by giving back
to the environment. Unfortunately,
nowhere near enough people celebrate
this important hoUday; a fact that is
disappointing. Yet perhaps this will
soon change, as students in Schreiber
begin to become more involved in the
environmental movement and take
steps to make our school a more Eeirth
friendly place.
" I think a lot of students really
want to do something to help the
environment," said Eliana Theodoreau.
"Conservation of nature emd natural
resources has become an increasingly
important issue to many people in
the past few years, and Earth Day is
a great time for people to take action.
We don't have school on Earth Day
this year, but we're hoping to make
April 'Earth Month' by ushering in the
new white paper recycling program.
We can really do a lot as a school for
the environment, considering the
amount of paper, energy, water, and
other resources we use. Maybe in
future Earth Months, Schreiber will be
welcoming the addition of solar panels
on the roof, or a wind turbine."
Alright, so it may be a few years
before we become an
eco-friendly school,
but even now there
are numerous events
in Port Washington
that will be held in
honor of Earth Day.
Schreiber too is taking
measures to make
Earth Day more prominent this year.
As mentioned above, the Treehugger
Environmental Club has designated
the month of April to be "Earth
Month," a move accompanied by the
reinstatement of the paper recycling
program. But reintroducing recycling
will do no good i f people don't actually
recycle.
Perhaps Schreiber can not only
reinstate the recycling program, but
bring in a fresh mentality with i t
as well. I'm sure we can take steps
forward, no matter how small or large
they are. After all, recycling really
doesn't take that much effort; an
extra pace towards the appropriate
bin at most. Think of these additional
steps not as sacrifices, but as progress
made in the right direction. Slowly,
this progress will move us towards a
"greener" school, and ultimately benefit
everyone.
In reality the state of
our school comes down
to the students. Can we
as a whole really change
our ways and clean up
our acts? I mean, this
is a school where water
bottles are found in
garbage cans when there
is a recycling bin next to
it, where students have complained of
unnecessarily high temperatures in the
winter, and where spring is marked by
styrofoam cups and other trash strewn
across the grass of the circle.
Quoting the presidential hopeful
who seems to have acquired a cult-like
following lately, I say "Yes we can!"
We are the generation who will soon
have the world in our hands, and the
responsibility that comes with it.
Many students are an exception
to what is seen as an apathetic cloud,
expressing a great interest in topics
such as water, air, and environmental
sustainability in general.
" I think it's very sad that we take
water for granted. We leave tap water
nmning and take ridiculously long
showers while thousands of emaciated
children in poor countries die each
day from lack of clean water," said
sophomore Kevin Wong.
I'm not going to leave you with a
list of the top ten things you should be
doing to be eco-friendly; I've seen such
lists too often and while they help, they
don't help enough. Instead, here are
some concepts that we should embrace
and general steps we should take to be
more conscious citizens.
First, we should master the art
of not wasting. For example, trying
to reuse things—like water
bottles—before you throw
them away, turning things
off when you're not utilizing
them, not making unnecessary
purchases are all steps in the
right direction. Second, adopt
an earth friendly view on life.
We have one Earth, treat it with
respect. And finally, spread
the word about eco-friendly
behaviors and support any and
all measure to make the world a
more positive place.
High school poHtics dominate this year's presidential race
BY Alex Hohouser
Staff Writer
At first glance, it might seem
that there is little that a high school
student could learn from the race to the
White House. After all, presidential
campaigns merely consist of—or should
consist of—policies and visions. These
things, while very important, are not
what the average high school student
pays mind to in daily life.
However, this race, while
comparatively tame to past campaigns,
has already gotten pretty ugly, even
before the general election. The attacks
that Senators Barack Obama and
Hillsiry Clinton have been dropping on
each other are rare for members of the
same party, especially those who claim
to be "friends." Ultimately, it seems
as though the csmdidates have learned
much from the cunning masters of
high school sabotage, while high school
students could learn a thing or two
from these distinguished elders.
There is little comment-worthy
news on the Republican side, Arizona
Senator John McCain locked i t up after
some squirming from ex-Massachusetts
governor Mitt Romney, and the
Democrats could look to his strategy
usefully. As TIME writer Michael
Scherer wrote in January, John McCain
represents the "cool guy," the laid back
one everyone wants at their parties, the
man the press fawns over relentlessly.
Mitt Romney was the "type-A
valedictorian," and look where that got
him. The American people essentially
had a referendum on high school
stereotypes, and it's hardly surprising
who they picked.
I f emything, the Democrats have
taken on these persona. HLUary
Clinton repeatedly refers to Barack
Obama as the cool one; the one
everyone swoons over. She paints
herself aptly as the valedictorian type,
who works hard to gain results. Only
the situation is getting much, much
dirtier. "This is where the fun begins,"
said Clinton of beginning her attacks
on Obama, a process that is largely
known as the most shameless part
of politics. I f you've seen the movie
Election (or read the excellent book it
was based on) you know exactly what
I mean. Hillary easily fulfils the Tracy
Flick role, as was funnily presented in a
YouTube video by the online magazine
Slate, to the degree that it is unclear
which is a model of the other. Both
campaigns have learned that i t is
much, much better to be sneaky about
attacks. When an Obama £iide referred
to Clinton as a "monster" she was
forced into resignation; when Clinton
proclaimed that Barack Obama was
not a Muslim "as far as she knew,' the
press responded with outrage.
But when Clinton appears on
television and claims that Barack
Obama is running the exact kind of
campaign that she is, employing dirty
tactics coined by Republican strategist
Karl Rove in the 2000 election and
lying to the American people, it works.
And one has to wonder who really is
in high school, us or them, because
this is exactly the type of thing we try
to get away with all the time. Doing
something wrong and covering tracks
by accusing someone else of doing the
same is nothing new, but it's a clever
way to gain voters. Clinton won many
of the following contests handily,
proving that acting like a high school
student works. She beat us at our own
game.
This almost makes me wish that
Schreiber had a more traditional
student government arrangement—
could you imagine the backstabbing,
the drama, and the saga of a high
school election
similar to that of the Hillary-Barack
melodrama? I t would be epic, precisely
because high school students have no
obligation to be cordial like these two
do. Catty behavior is expected from us.
The "kitchen sink" strategy employed
by Clinton's campaign of throwing all
their negative information at Obama as
of late is no different from the typical
high school sabotage campaign—it's
just like old friends feuding and turning
others against them.
While this is fun, the Presidential
c£mdidates are hardly apt role models
for students. This is fine: politicians
have not been looked at as models of
integrity in quite a while, and probably
will not in the future. However, many
of the tactics employed seem to be right
out of the high school playbook—we
don't have anything to learn from these
candidates on tactics, simply because
have learned from us.
Andrew MartinoUcb
THESCHREIBER
E ditorials
Cell phone use in
emergencies
During the last student prank,
teachers were irritated to see kids
trying to contact their parents by cell
phone. I n this sort of situation (where
rumors fly and feelings of panic can
spread) i t is natural for people to want
to speak to someone they know. This
sounds reasonable enough, but to
the administration such action was
unacceptable.
While e-mails from the school are
helpful, as is the ConnetEd phone
service, direct calls from students
to parents are often more efficient.
After the last prank, several parents
complained that the phone calls and
e-mails came too late. By the time
they realized what had happened, the
emergency situation was over.
It is one thing for various teachers
and administrators to tell students
to get off their phones in the halls,
but in an emergency, i t is different.
As much as the staff may want to
keep students' attention, they have
to realize the fears of the students
and the parents who may be trying to
reach them. I t is important for us to
be able to contact our parents. Our
ages range from fourteen to eighteen,
and we are old enough to accurately
inform our parents we are being
evacuated to Weber.
Many parents have extremely busy
work days, and thus do not always
answer their phones the first time
they receive a call. I n these cases,
students can try different numbers
to reach their parents. Maintaining
contact during fire drills and
emergencies is important, and many
times students can be more effective
at getting through to their guardians
than the school.
While we do respect the
administration's efforts to maintain
order, i t is unfair to treat high
school students as inept infants who
cannot dial phones. The Schreiber
Times applauds the student body for
their excellent emergency behavior,
and submits that since we are mature
enough successful evacuation, we are
more than able to inform our parents we
haven't died.
Parking once again
ignites conflict
Before school started the Board
of Education made the decision to
remove the approximately thirty
spaces along Campus Drive. Many
students and faculty contended that
the presence of a crossing guard and a
sidewalk across the street effectively
mitigated any possible safety concerns.
Despite these efforts to reinstate these
parking spaces, the Board maintained
its initial stance that the area was
simply too dangerous.
This decision set into place a
parking problem for students and
teachers alike. After much debate,
discussion, and hard work put in by
all sides, roughly thirty more parking
spots were added to the student
section in the Monfort Parking
Lot. The immediate benefits of this
remedy were felt by students and the
solution was successful at easing the
initial parking tensions. Despite this
solution, parking is and seemingly
always will be an issue the Board of
Education has to handle. Accordingly,
the Parking Committee set forth
multiple long-term parking solutions
for the district to consider.
Even though tremendous progress
and effort has been made on all ends
to solve this parking issue, i t is still
undeniable that the initial decision
to remove the parking spots along
Campus Drive made a bad situation
much worse. And although temporary
solutions have proven to be effective
band-aids to this problem, those thirty
spots would have made a significant
Drawing Conclusions
TIMES
OPINIONS
WEDNESDAY.
difference for many Weber teachers
who have to walk from Monfort to
Weber every morning.
The Schreiber Times finds i t
particularly troubling and disconcerting
that now as spring sports are underway
parents are seemingly permitted to
park in this declared "danger zone." On
any given weekend, one can see cars
lined up in the same spots teachers
had, as parents watch their children
practice or play in the game. Similarly,
parents also use the area as a parking
lot to pick up their kids after school.
To prevent parking in this lot, the
district constructed yellow barricades
in the front of the parking lot. Yet,
parents simply drive through the
opening on the side and use the same
opening as their exit.
I f the district declared this a
"dangerous" place for teachers to
park, why isn't i t a dangerous place
for parents to park? The Schreiber
Times strongly believes that the same
rules must apply to everyone. I f it is
a "danger zone" for teachers, then i t
must be a "danger zone" for parents.
There should be no debate about it.
"Conversely, i f the Board of Education
now believes that i t is an acceptable
location to park then it should be reopened to teachers to utilize the space.
The current situation, however, is
not only illogical but simply unfair to
everyone involved. I t is not the fault
of the parents for parking in this lot
because most of them probably do
not realize that i t is off-limits. I f the
Board of Education was not aware of
this issue, then hopefully this editorial
vvdil serve as notification of what is
happening. The Schreiber Times
recommends that either the Board of
Education reinstate parking in this lot
or block i t off to all.
Spirit Weeic proves to
be a surprising hit
This year Schreiber became one of
many schools all across the country to
host a spirit week. Students all across
Schreiber Eire known to often complain
about the lack of spirit among students
and teachers. This year, however,
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to inform its readers of events, issues, and
ideas affecting Schreiber High School. The
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MARCH26.
2008
that trend seemed to be changing.
Beginning with the new cheering
squad, more Schreiber students went
to football, soccer, and basketball
games as well as many other events.
This year's Spirit Week embodied the
growing support for more enthusiasm
in Schreiber and The Schreiber Times
feels i t was a tremendous success.
Many students were apprehensive
when they heard that Schreiber was
going to have a spirit week. Students
had no clue what i t meant or how i t
would affect them. There were multiple
assemblies all trying to get the student
body enthused behind the idea of spirit
week. Additionally, teachers seemed
less than excited about classes being
shortened. Many teachers complained
about the entire premise of spirit
week, as well as the timing and the
importance of the event. In the days
before Spirit Week it seemed that i t was
going to be either a hit or miss.
From the first day i t was clear that
Spirit Week was a success. Students
from every grade were wearing
their grade's appropriate colors and
costumes. The main lobby was filled
with students getting "checked-in" for
their outfits and gaining their much
desired points. The penny war was one
part of the entire success of the week.
Hundreds of dollars were poured into
each grade's jar as students' spirit and
competitive nature mixed to make a
powerful combination.
The three assemblies successfully
caught the attention of the student
body. I t was a rare to see such an
electric atmosphere from a student
body that was alleged to have very
little spirit. I n fact, many teachers who
began as critics and opponents of the
week grew to love i t .
Spirit Week unleashed the spirit of
Schreiber students and faculty which
was waiting to come out. Anytime a
school exhibits that much wide-spread
enthusiasm i t is good for everyone
involved. I t was an event that a
significant amount of people said could
not happen, should not happen, and i f
i t did happen would never be a success.
In the face of the uncertainty. Spirit
Week plowed on to be the success that
nobody saw coming.
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choose a representative letter from a group
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editors. Ifthe situation warrants, minority
editorials will be published. Editorials do
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The Tim£s will follow the policy described
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common sense and reason.
THE SCHREIBER
TIMES
FEATURES
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2008
Murals lighten up the hallways and represent history
BY David Mam
Slal) Writer
Artwork is not constricted to picture
frames, it can also be plastered along
walls. Many diverse murals span the
Schreiber hallways and light up the the
school, making walking through it a
much more enjoyable experience.
A large abstract nature scene,
painted with vivid colors, begins the
series of murals and is located on the
wall across from the main office.
Farther down the hall rest sciencerelated murals— paintings of astronomy,
ecology, chemistry, earth science, marine
biology, and even physics — followed by
a painting of a boat on a bay. The science
hallways house the most murals, while
the art hallways hold the fewest.
The AP Environmental Science
classes Eire large contributors to the
beautification of the science hallways.
In 2000, the class painted a scene of
a split world, half contaminated and
dirtied with pollution, and half left
clean. The AP Environmental Science
classes struck again in 2003 and painted
two food webs in the second floor science
hallway. It's been five years since the
Environmental Science classes have
painted, and perhaps another mural
will appear soon.
The foreign language hallways also
have quite a few paintings decorating
their walls. Throughout the hallway
there are flags from all different
countries painted above the the lockers.
Larger paintings represent the different
languages taught at Schreiber. For
Spanish, a matador is seen fighting
a bull, for Latin, there is a picture
from the Roman legend of Remus and
Romulus, for French, the Eiffel Tower,
and for Italian the Leaning Tower of
Pisa.
"It's pretty cool how many flags, are
painted," said sophomore Tyler Travis.
" I like how i t represents a lot of different
countries, even the ones with languages
not taught at Schreiber."
Many of Schreiber's murals are not
located in the hallways. The Student
Commons is one of the most decorated
areas of the school, with paintings from
the AP Studio A r t class of 2004-2005.
Among the pieces are a large fantasy
scene vwth the moon and rainbows, a
large Viking drawn with great detail, a
sailboat scene and smaller paintings on
the colvunns which show classic famous
art pieces as i f they £u-e hanging on the
walls of the room.
A few classrooms also have murals.
The least seen mural is located in the
largest science classroom and depicts a
murder scene. This mural is one of the
biggest single paintings in the school,
spanning an entire wall of the classroom.
There is also a painting in one of the
foreign language rooms representing
various works of literature. Ms. Mills
decorated her classroom, "Millsville"
as i t is commonly called, with paintings
representing different literary works
from the curriculum. These paintings
help students to recall what they have
learned throughout the year, bringing
back memories of the stories they have
read.
Schreiber's Own
Radio Station
Listen Live at
w w w .portradio.org
Gabrielle B a l a b a n
Th e colorfu l, nature-oriented m ural pict u red a b o v e is locat ed near the s c i e n c e
w ing on the m ain floor. Th e p r e s e n c e of m urals t h rou gh out the hallw ays a d d s
c o l o r to the w alls and creates a m ore posit iv e and artistic learning at m osph ere.
"At flrst I thought i t might be
distracting to have so many paintings
up, but it's actually kind of nice to
not just sit in the same plain white
classroom edl the time," said sophomore
Max Segal, a former student of Ms. Mills
who has worked in her classroom.
These murals show the work of
Schreiber students from different eras,
leaving marks from graduating classes
since the turn of the millennium. These
murals allow those who aren't Intel
Finalists or sports superstars to leave
their mark on the school for years after
they graduate, while also beautifying
the school building.
Overall, the murals throughout
Schreiber really lighten up the mood
of the hallways. Though they often go
unnoticed, the halls and classrooms
of Schreiber would not be the same
without them. "The hallways and
classrooms with murals are really nice
in contrast to the bland, plain white
hallways which fill most of the school,"
said senior Maddie Mirzoeff.
The
murals are successful in adding some
life to the walls of the school, making
them unique and much more attractive
to the eye.
10
THE
SCHREIBER
TIMES
FEATURES
[Foshioni ^^^^'^
BY Amanda Schiff
Editor-in-Chief
A l t h o u g h the w i n t e r blues may seem
interminable, and those 80 degree days
of summer appear distant , clothing
stores have begun to house the flirty sun
dresses, the b r i g h t colors, and the t i n y
b i k i n i s . S p r i n g '08 is slightly different
from the past couple of seasons d r a w i n g
influence from the 70s and the 90s.
Here are the top eight styles of spring to
keep you on the A - l i s t for the remainder
of the year.
3. Bright Colors
As always, w i t h the w a r m e r months
come w a r m e r colors. Reds, tangierines,
yellows, and hot pinks are j u s t a few of
the it-colors of the season. You really
cannot go w r o n g w h e n choosing a
b r i g h t color to wear i n the s u l t r y days
of summer as a l l of these hues a t t a i n
the level of electricity t h a t you w a n t i n
a bold, summery color. The volume d i a l
has been t u r n e d way up by designers for
the spring season t a k i n g sheer, b r i g h t
color to a new dimension of opaque
oranges and saturated p i n k s .
1. Light Denim
The u l t r a - d a r k washes are a n y t h i n g
b u t pass6, b u t the latest look to flood
the stores is the light-washed jean. The
l i g h t wash t h a t was so popular w i t h
C a l v i n K l e i n circa 1995 are back w i t h a
vengeance. The Chambray-like shades
have a more casual feel t h a n the deep
navies t h a t have been so popular for
the last three years. The l i g h t e r color is
great for daytime events and seems to
m i m i c the l i g h t and airy atmosphere of
the spring and summer months. L i g h t
denim may appear more i n t i m i d a t i n g
since brighter colors a t t r a c t more
attention. However, the color is actually
great for contrasting outfits t h a t you can
manipulate i n order to draw a t t e n t i o n to
any p a r t of your figure.
2. Ekat
Last spring, mod p r i n t s from the
60s dominated the fashion industry.
Two-tone trapeze dresses took over
the runway. This year, t h e exotic I k a t
p a t t e r n t h a t was so popular i n the 70s
is t a k i n g the reins. I k a t is actually
a type of weaving t h a t uses a d y i n g
process s i m i l a r to tie-dyeing to create an
interesting p a t t e r n w i t h threads. The
p a t t e r n is certainly bold, so do dress
w i t h caution. P a i r a n I k a t m i n i dress
w i t h a solid legging or straight-leg j e a n
to balance the busy p a t t e r n w i t h a more
subdued solid. A n I k a t dress or top
w i l l certainly be a staple i n your spring
wardrobe, b u t do not stock u p on the
complicated creation.
www.sergiorossi.com
This rust studded leather sphere heel
sandal is the quintessential extreme
heel shoe. With its 10 centimeter heel,
the sphere heel sandal will casually
walk into the fashion world for spring
2008.
I n the past few years, sprin g dresses
have gone from short to m i c r o - m i n i .
This year, the hemline is dropping
and the maxi-length dress is t a k i n g
center stage. The chic long line of a
comfortable, flowing dress is a m u c h
more forgiving option t h a n a super-tight
m i n i . W a r n i n g ! Long is not synonymous
w i t h tent. Long dresses s t i l l have
a structured look w h i l e g i v i n g off a
sophisticated image. The babydoll and
sack-like dresses of last year are not
compatible w i t h a long silhouette. Be
sure to buy long dresses t h a t have shape
and style to avoid the bubble look t h a t
comes w i t h excess fabric and lack of
structure.
Floral p r i n t is a classic spring t r e n d
t h a t is both feminine and classy. The
p a t t e r n is so popular from year to year
because of its versatility. N o t only
can the p r i n t be bold and colorful, b u t
also sheer and petite. F l o r a l p r i n t s
w o r k w e l l on sun dresses as w e l l as on
cardigans and t a n k s . Use discretion
w h e n purchasing p r i n t e d pants as they
may overwhelm an outfit and negate
your intended effect. Nevertheless, the
t r e n d is here to stay, so use i t to your
advantage and have f u n w i t h the playful
and y o u t h f u l p r i n t .
www.neimanniarcu.s.com
t h a t became a n i n s t a n t h i t t h i s year i s
getting a l i f t from the wedge and the
heel to make the super-strappy look a
l i t t l e more flattering. The ancient t r e n d
is not for everyone, b u t i t can certainly
top off a t r e n dy outfit w i t h a l i t t l e extra
kick. A l t h o u g h gold and silver are the
most popular colors for t h i s GrecoRoman h i t , b r i g h t colors w o r k j u s t as
w e l l wdth the ubiquitous shoe.
7. Neutrals
Safari-inspired
trends
venture
out from season to season i n the
f o r m of n e u t r a l k h a k i s and off-white
hues.
Accessories are j u m p i n g on
the n e u t r a l bandwagon for the season
and showing up i n tans and beiges.
Handbags are one of the most noticeable
accessories and are receiving t h e i r
fair share of a t t e n t i o n . B l u s h tones
and beiges are t a k i n g the top spots
t h i s season, pushing the paper-white
hues of last spring to the bottom of
the list. These colors are great for a
m u l t i t u d e of reasons. Firstly, d i r t is not
as noticeable on t a n as i t is on b r i g h t
w h i t e fabrics. Also, the n e u t r a l tones
are not d i s t r a c t i ng and can mold to fit
any outfit or color scheme. So i f you are
not the g i r l t h a t needs a different bag for
every outfit, t h i s is definitely t h e t r e n d
for you.
MARCH
26,
2008
"ok-etght
Clothing
stores
have begun to house
theflirty sun dresses, the
bright colors, and the
tiny bikinis. Spring '08
is slightly different from
the past couple of seasons
drawing influence from
the 70s and the 90s.
8. Extreme Heels
Fantastic details t h a t n o r m a l l y call
camis and cardigans home are flocking
to your feet. Designers set t h e i r w i l d
imaginations free w h i l e d e s i r i n g t h i s
season's hottest pimips. The sky is the
l i m i t w h e n purchasing over-the-top
fashions for your feet. E v e r y t h i n g f r o m
butterflies to flowers to metallic spheres
are t a k i n g the place of the conventional
stiletto or teacup heel. This seemingly
m i n u t e detail makes
a w o r l d of
difference w h i l e completing an u l t r a chic look for spring. A l t h o u g h most of
these pumps are outrageously priced
to t h e i r designer label, larger chains
w i l l inevitably follow suit and produce
moderately priced eye-catching heels.
4. Long Dresses
5. Floral Prints
This Ikat-print dress is bold and daring.
The Ikat print dominated the fashion
industry in the 60s and is back for the
spring of 2008. Ikat is a type of weaving that uses dying to create an interesting pattern with threads.
WEDNESDAY,
Birth Contrci
,?r:4 GYN Ore.
For FREE.
For REAL.
Call C516) 750-2538 or go to www.ppncorg
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6. Gladiator Sandals
Russell Crowe had n o t h i n g to do w i t h
this sandal phenomenon, b u t the fad is
almost as popular as his a w a r d - w i n n i n g
film. The Grecian sandal t r e n d i n flats
4t iNiaimej ^wntKood pfhbssm Oourrty
THE SCHREIBER
TIMES
FEATURES
11
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2008
Posters mock fake second-semester senior disease
Mystery senior, with the support of the administration, launches poster campaign against senioritis
BY Sidny Ginsberg
Features Editor
Senioritis is an ailment that can be
cured with glue, colored markers, stickon letters, catchy slogans, and pictures
of Hayden Panettiere.
Schreiber
seniors, who wish to remain anonymous,
have decided to lead the battle against
the infamous disease.
They made
posters which, through humor and color,
dissuade seniors from falling victim to
laziness, boredom, and other symptoms
of senioritis.
"I hope the poster
campaign got some kids
thinking. If we consider the
immature and ill-advised
senior cut or 'skip day' that
took place in February
anything that we can do
to remind seniors of their
responsibilities we will do."
Mr. Miller, the Assist£uit Principal in
charge of the class of 2008, sanctioned
the campaign against senioritis. When
Mr. Miller had a senior in his office who
was in trouble during midterm week, he
wanted to devise a creative penalty and
came up with the idea of having a poster
ceunpaign on senioritis.
'The student, who I promised
anonymity to, worked hard to make
interesting,
fun,
attention-getting
posters.
He used humor to make a
point." For some students, humor may
even be the only thing that will get
through to them. "Subtle humor, or
sometimes not so subtle humor, can help
to get the point across," said Mr. Miller.
The posters are a new way of
addressing the concerns that the
administration has with the attitude
of seniors towards the end of the
senior year. For years, it has become a
tradition for seniors to miss school in the
name of senioritis.
To deal with the problem, the
administration is trying to engage
seniors and make their second semester
more meaningful. The 2008-2009 school
year will mark the start of the "senior
experience program" that Mr. Lewis, Mr.
Weiss, and Ms. Torres worked on with
faculty, parent, and student support.
Until then, seniors will look to
the halls and walls of the school for
humorous motivation.
"I thought the posters were funny
and eye-catching," said senior Artemis
Sapoutzi. The posters depict
the
symptoms of senioritis using pictures
of skunks, seniors Grady Levine, Matt
Siegel, Ricki Segal, and even little boys
and little girls who say "I don't want to
kiss you because I don't want to contract
senioritis."
"I hope the poster campaign got some
kids thinking," said Mr. Miller. "If we
consider the immature and ill-advised
senior cut or 'skip day' that took place
in February, anything that we can do to
remind seniors of their responsibilities
we will do."
The administration reported that
ninety seniors signed out on Feb. 4
claiming it was "senior skip day." The
administration wants seniors to know
there has never been and there never
will be a "tradition" of regular senior cut
days at Schreiber.
"This senior class has gone too far,
and, in some cases, placed graduation
at risk for some kids who are in danger
of falling due to the 85% rule," said Mr.
Miller.
The posters are a part of campaign against the fictitous second semester senior
disease "senioritis." Although the posters defied student posting zones and
were taken down, the administration endorses the anti-senioritis effort.
"Whenever seniors have tried to
take a senior cut day in the past, those
days have been marked as unexcused
absences. That has always been our
policy and will always be our policy."
Hopefully the satirical outlook on
senioritis presented by the posters will
reach seniors and motivate them, or at
least entertain them, through the end
of the year.
uranl Review
Bv Stephen Nash
Features Editor
For Port Washington residents, it
seems that every time you turn around,
the restaurant occupying the ideal
waterfront location on Shore Road
changes names and/or owners. But,
Prime View, the always-crowded crowd
favorite is here to say.
Prime View's decor is simple and
not overwhelming. As you walk into the
restaurant, there are black-and-white
pictures of the building dating back to
the late nineteenth century. The large
room boasts walls of windows, allowing
customers to enjoy the restaurant's
excellent view.
The superb appetizers are the perfect
start to the unique dining experience
that is yet to come. The "Esca" Roll
consisting of sausage, golden raisins &
shitake mushrooms wrapped in escarole
with tomato sauce was a surprisingly
delicious combination of flavors. The
classic caesar salad was also superb
for a lighter, more refreshing start to a
typical meal.
Prime View offers a diverse group
of entrees ranging from grilled skirt
steak to linguine and clams to pan
PrimeView
seared salmon.
The New York strip
steak was cooked to perfection and
was complimented by onion rings, wild
mushrooms, and sauteed spinach. The
portions are generous and all entrees
are presented beautifully.
From the moment you walk in, you
are greeted with friendly, helpful, and
professional service. The waiters are
knowledgeable, outgoing, and attentive
to their clients' needs.
For a restaurant of this caliber, the
prices are quite affordable. The entrees
range from $15 to $30. These prices
allow you to run in for a quick, mid-week
lunch or a nice, leisurely dinner on the
weekend.
The flexibility and range
of Prime View is one of its greatest
aspects.
Finally, it seems that Port residents
have a high quality and lasting
restaurant occupying the waterfront
hotspot on Shore Road. The food is
superb and the convenient parking is
just an added bonus. Prime View more
than deserves its five-star rating due to
its all-around excellence.
• • • • •
First annual Spirit Week Competition
The five days of school d u r i n g
the week of Mar. 3 were filled w i t h
excitement, v i b r a n t costumes
and
spirit. Schreiber's first S p i r i t Week was
planned a n d organized by seniors Nicole
Rothstein and A m a n d a Schiff. The pair
also gathered a group of representatives
from each grade to compile a plethora of
activities t h a t w o u l d appeal to a wide
range of students.
Since early f a l l , t h e girls have been
p l a n n i n g the week's themes, events,
and games w i t h the a d m i n i s t r a t i on so
t h a t they m i g h t restore school s p i r i t to a
school t h a t usually only sees h i g h draws
for i t s October Pep Rally and Blue and
W h i t e N i g h t , w h i c h followed S p i r i t
Week on Mar. 8. The week's activities
raised money for The Children's H e a l t h
F u n d Medical Van w h i c h is an ongoing
c o m m u n i t y project.
Rothstein and Schiff used every
possible resource to publicize t h e i r
ambitious project. The duo messaged
students v i a Facebook, created posters,
made announcements, and utilized
Student Council meetings to get
students excited for the new event.
"When N i k k i and A m a n d a came to
me w i t h idea, i t seemed lik e a great
w a y to fight a perceived lack of school
s p i r i t i n the dead of w i n t e r when spirits
were low," said Principal M r . Jay Lewis.
"We're hoping to make i t an a n n u a l
event."
The Monday, Wednesday and Friday,
of S p i r i t Week h^d shortened periods to
create t i m e for the various interactive
assemblies. A l l classes gathered i n the
g5rm after sixth period to w a t c h each
day's scheduled events.
" I commend the two senior leaders
for sticking w i t h i t t h r o u g h thick and
through t h i n , " said M r . Lewis. "We've
had no experience w i t h a n y t h i n g like
this before, and they were incredibly
good about advertising i t , m a k i n g i t
appealing to students and I hope t h i s
legacy continues."
The week prior to S p i r i t Week,
students attended a t w e n t y - m i n u t e
assembly w i t h t h e i r grade and assistant
principal to be briefed about the events
t h a t would be going on. The overall
theme of the week was "battle of t h e
classes" and each student was given
a yellow sheet of paper, detailing each
day's themes and the various ways i n
w h i c h to earn points.
Because of the numerous ways i n
w h i c h people could earn points for t h e i r
grade, those who d i d not desire to wear
a costume could participate by simply
wearing the designated color for t h e i r
grade.
" A t first, I wasn't really looking
forward to the week, b u t after w a t c h i n g
all of the games and events, I began to
like i t , and became really motivated,"
said freshman E m i l y Waldman . 'A lot
of people were able to show s p i r i t , since
there were so many ways to do i t . Even
by p u t t i n g pennies i n a j a r , people could
support t h e i r grades."
Penny Wars was the race between
the grades to earn points by collecting
pennies for charity. Each non-penny
coin counted for a negative number
of cents. The winner, t h e grade w i t h
H e a l t h F u n d , w h i c h helps supply
money for a mediced v a n t h a t w o u l d give
medical attention to children i n need.
Students got extremely involved i n the
competition and collected money i n the
f o r m of dollar bills and exchanged these
dollars at a bank for pennies to place i n
t h e i r own grade's j u g .
"The Penny Wars was a great w a y to
both encourage school s p i r it and unity,
w h i l e at the same t i m e r a i s i n g money
for t w o good causes," said sophomore
C h r i s t i n a Zhou.
Amanda Schiff
S en i o r s M ax Garett, K ate H ugties, a n d A n drew M artinolich pay tribute to the 80s
o n D ecad e Day, the first day of Spirit Weelc.
the most points, w i l l be awarded h a l f
of the money collected i n t h e i r j u g to
be used for t h e i r class. The rest of the
money was donated to t h e Children's
" I t h o u g h t i t was a n interestin g
idea and i t was very f u n . The students
seemed to be enjoying i t too," said
E n g l i s h teacher M s . Jennifer Sacha,
who participated i n the student-teacher
wheelbarrow race event.
The week began w i t h Decade Day.
M a n y ambitious seniors started the
week off strong donning 80's a t t i r e . The
sophomores beg£m the week w e a r i n g
t h e i r 60's clothing and actuedly earned
more points on the first day t h a n any
other grade. The freshmen (50's) a n d
j u n i o r s (70's) wore t h e i r decades too, b u t
i n fewer numbers; a slow s t a r t indicative
of t h e i r overall l a g g i n g participatio n i n
the week.
The assembly t h a t day featured t h e
talents of the m a n y grade participants
in
a break dancing competition.
Seniors D a v i d Gass and
Matthew
Podobinski hosted the assembly, but
w h e n Podobinski competed against
j u n i o r Arjelis Alvayero, he was soundly
defeated. Sophomore Dean Takahashi
danced against freshman Jared Roberts,
and came out strong.
The competition between Alvayero
and Takahashi was more contested
where Alvayero demonstrated polished
technique i n spinnin g on his side a n d
head whereas Takahashi resorted to
backflips and unsuccessful i m i t a t i o n s of
Alvayero's moves, leaving Alvayero the
j u n i o r victor of the day.
The following day offered some
relapse t i m e before the next "pep r a l l y " siyle
assembly,
a l t h o u gh students
welcomed Celebration D a y spirit . O n
t h i s day, the seniors were assigned to
represent Independence Day, w h i l e the
j u n i o r s represented Valentine's Day.
The sophomores t u r n e d out i n even
greater numbers t h a n the day before
to "celebrate" M a r d i Gras, while the
freshmen, assigned to Halloween, s t i l l
did not canvass the halls w i t h spirit .
A clever p l a n n i n g point was t h a t the
sophomores wore M a r d i Gras the same
day as the Foreign Language Honor
Society's M a r d i Gras celebration.
O n Tuesday, students from each grade
took the t i me to decorate hallways i n the
theme of t h e i r celebration. Showings
from the freshmen a n d sophomores
were weak, b u t t h e j u n i o r s and seniors
made t h e i r assigned hallway s m a r k e d
territory.
The j u n i o r s were i n a close race for
the gold w i t h t h e i r lavishly decorated
Valentine's Day hallway, i n a rare
showing of such s p i r i t from the grade.
The seniors decorated the EngUsh
department hallway i n the theme of
Independence Day w i t h a sea of red,
w h i t e , and blue streamers and props.
Wednesday
m a r k e d the
official
m i d w a y point i n S p i r i t Week. The day
was deemed S u r v i v or Day, a n d students
from every grade were instructed to
4
rings out the inner Vikings in students
dress i n army-related attire, such as
cargo pEints, dog tags and ceunouflage.
ceunouflage.
T~v
:
11
L1 -.
11
During
the assembly,
there
was a
teacher and student stand-up comedy
competition, as well as a tug-of-war
battle between the grades.
English
teacher Mr. Corey Block represented
the seniors, guidance counselor Mr.
Joseph Lorge represented the juniors.
Director of Guidance Mr. Hank Hardy
represented the sophomores, and math
teacher Mr. Joe Lederer represented the
freshmen.
After the teachers performed,
each
selected
representative, as
voted by his or her grade, performed
a two minute stand-up act. Senior
Matthew Podobinski, junior Albert
Suh, sophomore Harrison Remler and
freshman Dan Miller created their own
original stand up comedy to present to
the students and faculty.
Miller began by talking about his
lukewarm feelings for the morning
announcements, including a light jab
at sophomore Nick Gardella's weather
report. Remler, on the other hand, began
by joking about how he "wasn't funny,"
and how he just didn't want any seniors
to kill him. Suh spoke briefly about the
merits of Spirit Week and how it made
normal teenage angst "spirited!"
Bit
Podobinski closed
by dancing
interpretatively in black spandex to
"T>
1:i".. 1"
1
; J
A
.;I
"Beautiful"
by Christina
Aguilera.
IT n
the end, Mr. Block and Podobinski were
declared the winners of the contest,
earning points for the senior class, while
Mr. Lederer and Miller each placed
second for the freshmen.
Afterwards, a tug-of-war contest
placed the seniors in a battle against
the freshmen, giving" the seniors an
effortless win. Next, the juniors beat the
sophomores, and i n a final battle versus
the seniors, the juniors were victorious
in an overwhelming upset that resulted
in a resounding senior "boo."
Thursday was deemed Sports Day,
when students came to school dressed
in attire that related to their assigned
sport or color. The freshman class wore
football attire or brown clothing, and
sophomores wore basketball jerseys or
orange.
Juniors demonstrated their
grade's spirit by wearing hockey attire
or black clothes, while seniors showed
their pride and wore baseball hats and
imiforms or the color blue.
"The choice of colors instead
of wearing a jersey worked to my
advantage because I didn't own a hockey
jersey, and still wanted to represent my
grade," said junior Vickie Roedel.
Before Spirit Week officially
came to an end, there was
one more day for students to
\ partake in. The halls were
filled with spirit, literally, as
Friday was deemed "Spirit
Day"
In order to gain 50 points
for their grade, students
had to come dressed as a
Viking, Schreiber's mascot.
Upperclassmen came to school
wearing blue clothing, and the
underclass donned white.
Friday's assembly was filled
with a variety of different
activities,
ranging
from
teacher-student wheelbarrow
races to a rap-off between the
grades. The first competition
that day was the three-legged
teacher-student race. Science
teacher Ms. Jen Paradis and
sophomore Rachael Fox won
the race, earning points for
the sophomore grade. A second
win was declared for Ms.
Paradis, who was paired this
1
Eric Glasser
Sophomore Harrison Remler
performs in Last Comic
Standing.
time with senior Alyssa Hansen i n the administrators
administrators to create a fur
fun week
wheelbarrow race.
that would get
get everyone
everyone involve<
involved," said
T^l
1
i 1
1
1
*
o
^
L
'.a'
The
hula-hoop
race marked
the
Schiff.
midpoint of the pep rally when senior
"We would like to thank Mr. Lewis
Kate Hughes, junior Jackie Browne, and the entire Schreiber faculty for
sophomore
Taylor Wilsey
and freshman
Guy Greener
represented
theirrespective
grades.
The
four
battled
each other to
earn
points
for their grade,
resulting
in
an
ultimate
win for Wilsey.
Guidance
counselor
Ms.
Nori
Cemy, physics
teacher
Mr.
Thom Johnson
and
math
Amanda Schiif
teacher
Mr. Principal Jay Lewis and social studies teacher Mr. Jeremy Klaff
Joseph Lederer announce the winners of Spirit Week. Seniors took first place,
represented the
followed by the sophomores, freshmen, and juniors.
seniors,jvmiors,
and freshmen,
respectively.
working with us to make the week a
Ms. Paradis represented sophomores, huge success. Knowing that we started
making the hula-hoop competition the new Schreiber tradition makes all of the
third contest she participated in that day. hard work worthwhile," said Schiff.
In the end, Mr. Johnson wowed the crowd
At the end of the week, the seniors
with his hula-hooping skills and became were declared the winner of Schreiber's
the winner of the competition.
first Spirit Week. The race between
Soon after, a rap battle between the the seniors and the sophomores was
grades allowed Arjelis Alvayero and Shan a real nail-biter. The two grades had
Sitafawalla to claim another victory for very close cumulative scores thanks to
the juniors. The final competition of massive overall turnouts for costumes
Spirit Week involved teachers, their baby and colors during the week's themed
days.
pictures, students, and pies.
Despite winning many assembly
Again, a student and teacher
representative were paired together events during the week, the juniors had
to earn points for their given grade. relatively low participation in dressing
Students had to correctly match a baby up for the day which was crucial to their
picture to their teacher. I f the students success. But as Assistant Principal Mr.
were correct, they could pie that teacher. David MiUer implied in his public
All of the student participants were announcement battle cry, the current
correct with the exception of sophomore junior class might take after this year's
Sam Schneider who wound up with a seniors and feel the impetus to win i n
future years' Spirit Weeks.
face full of whipped cream.
"Spirit Week was a great idea; all of
"Spirit Week was a way to bring the
Schreiber participated and i t was a good school together to combat the apathy
break from the normal school routine," that inevitably creeps into many high
said junior Adam Vojdany. "Everyone schools," said Rothstein. " I t really
was proud to be a part of their class. The bonded students as they joined forces
week's goal was executed perfectly and to help each grade compete."
even those who doubted the event had
Reporting by:
spirit by the end of the week. "
David Becker, Lauren Effune,
"Nicole and I started planning Spirit
Ryohei Ozaki, Taara Signani and
Week early in the fall and worked
L a u r a Werle
tirelessly with Mr. Lewis and the
14
THE SCHREIBER
TIMES
FEATURES
WEDNESDAY, MARCH
26, 2008
The virtual playground is now open
Games have gone from the streets to the couch
1950s
2008
MaxGarett
rink for a night of 'good, clean fiin.'
Students now gear for battle in the
Assistant Features Editor
virtual world, as online video gaming
The twenty-first century, although provides players with the opportunity to
short in duration, has already changed face off in a virtually strenuous football
the way high school students in the . game followed by a grueling simulation
country interact and socialize with one of tennis in just a matter of minutes. As
another. No longer is there a need to the courts and fields remain neglected,
ride a bike down the street to become video gamers enjoy comparing athletic
informed of the latest news and gossip; a prowess without having to leave the
simple text message or instant message couch.
now suffices. No longer do adolescents
Over the years, video game consoles
meet at the sandlot for a game of pickup have advanced from '16 bit' systems
baseball or gather at the local roller that utilized game cartridges, to BluBY Andrew Seo
A
Senior Tuesdays:
D i s c o u n t s t o a l l members o f t h e
CLASS
OF
2008
Upon t h e p r e s e n t a t i o n of
t h e i r student ID.
3 Main Street at Port Washington Blvd. across from North Fork Bank
516-883-0717
Ray playing, web surfing, motion
sensing media entertainment centers.
The seventh generation of video
game consoles is the latest in gaming
technology and has marked a new age
in the gaming experience. This era in
video gaming is also the most familiar
among high school students today, as
the quintessential seventh generation
consoles are Sony's PlayStation 3,
Microsoft's Xbox 360, and Nintendo's
Wii.
T h e leap of the technological
advances from systems like Nintendo 64
to modem day systems is amazing," said
sophomore Daniel Levinson. "Today,
you can play any type of game that you
can think of, and there is no limit as to
what you can do. Meanwhile, Nintendo
64 had a greatly limited selection of
what could be done."
With each system characterized by
different attributes and features, online
gaming capabilities is one of the few
aspects found on each console. Xbox Live
is Microsoft's online multiplayer gaming
service for its Xbox 360 system. Besides
online video gaming capabilities, the
for-pay service offers users the ability to
access a virtual marketplace that offers
new game content, video/voice chat, and
even compile a list of friends to interact
with.
Each Xbox Live user has a
'Gamertag" that is unique and serves as
a means of identification in the virtual
world. With the use of this function,
players are able to find friends, compile
and then compare statistics.
Students have utilized this service
in order to interact with one another.
The communication abilities that are
offered by the system provide users with
the opportunity to converse without
having to be in the same room as one
another. The service has also gained
tremendous popularity for its online
gaming capabilities. Users can face off"
against each other electronically, thus
creating a twenty-first century virtued
playground.
'Tfechnology has advanced so far
these days that with these new systems,
high schoolers like myself can now hang
out virtually. We can also communicate
over the Internet now with these
advanced technologies," said sophomore
Dylan Balaban. " I know of 25 friends
who use the Xbox Live service. We
usually play Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3.
We mostly play as teams, but sometimes
against each other."
According to this student, hanging
out and spending time with one another
in person will be a pastime that wiy not
be replaced anytime in the future.
" I prefer hanging out in person, but
Xbox Live provides me with a way to
hemg out with others when I otherwise
cannot," said Balaban.
Another video game system that
has gained enormous popularity among
high school students and households
across the nation is Nintendo's Wii.
Unlike its movie playing, high definition
capable counterparts, the Wii has
found its niche in the market with its
motion sensing abilities. With this
revolutionary feature, the system has
become the leader in the pack in terms
of total sales.
T h e motion detecting capabilities
are truly impressive.
"rhe precision
of the motions you make and how
it corresponds to the screen is
unbelievable," ssdd sophomore Adam
Epstein.
A popular game on the system is Wii
Sports, which enables users to play a
variety of sports including baseball and
tennis. Playing this game is another
way in which high school students are
utilizing technology in order to pass the
time.
"Playing with friends [in Wii Sports]
is a great experience. I t enables me to
be active when I cannot actually leave
the house to play the sport. There are
times when you can get serious in boxing
or laugh about a missed backhand i n
tennis," said Epstein.
The video game revolution is taking
this high school by storm. The seventh
generation of video games has made
entertaining oneself and one's friends
easier and more accessible. Online video
gaming has gained great popularity
for its ability to unite friends on the
battlefield and compare skills. Groups
of friends can now gather to compete
in athletic, events to strive for virtual
gold.
Whether or not this gaming
revolution will eventually triumph over
hanging out in reality and competing
against one another on the playing
fields is uncertain. However, i t can be
widely agreed upon that the seventh
generation of gaming consoles is here to
stay and users are being entertained in
the process.
THE SCHREIBER
TIMES
A&E
WEDNESDAY, MARCH
arts
15
26, 2008
entertainment
Prep school drop-out turns drug dealer i n Charlie Bartlett
Bv
"Well duh dude, this place sucks.
But I just worry that one day we're
gonna look back at high school and
wish we'd done something different,"
says Charlie Bartlett to a
fellow
student in a bathroom stall. Recently
Charlie Bartlett opened in theaters as a
comedy for the "indie type." The film is
directed by Jon Poll. Poll has directed
the Austin Powers series, and both Meet
the Parents and Meet the Packers; these
films have made him a very sought after
director, and the quirky humor shown in
his other movies is exhibited in this true
coming of age movie.
The stars of Charlie Bartlett are
made up of somewhat noteworthy
people. Charlie Bartlett is played by
the awkward, good looking nineteenyear-old Anton Yelchin {Alpha Dog,
House of D). Murphey is portrayed by
One Tree Hill's sweetheart, Tyler Hilton.
Awarded the title "Best Actress" by the
New York Film Critics, Hope Davis
(Proof, Duma, American
Splendor),
plays the disgruntled teen's mother.
Susan Gardner, Bartlett's girlfriend and
the principal's daughter, is played by
Kat Dennings (40 Year Old Virgin and
Raise Your Voice). Her father. Principal
Gardner, is played by Robert Downey Jr.
(Zodiac, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Gothika),
and he is not a fan of Charlie.
The movie starts out with Ein
idealistic dream of a younger starry eyed
teenager: Charlie Bartlett. Charlie is
dreaming he is on a stage, larger than
life, as a motivationed speedcer. His
dream is interrupted when his Resident
Advisor says, "your mom is here."
After getting expelled from every
private school he has attended, Charlie
Bartlett finds himself trapped in a
rambunctious public school. On his
first day of school, Charlie Bartlett is
made fun of by the local bully, Murphey
Bivens, for his "prep school" attire
and his brief case. When trying to
defend his honor—or really his clothes,
Murphey forces his head into the toilet.
Before the day is done, he has another
encounter with Bivens: he beats him up
in a staircase, while his friend films the"
entire occurrence. When he gets home,
and his mother Marilyn Bartlett (Hope
Davis), sees the state of his face, she
calls the family psychiatrist.
This is Charlie's first encounter with
his psychiatrist. He remarks about how
his family is abnormal in that their
psychiatrist, Dr. Stan Weathers, is oncall 24/7. His doctor prescribes him a
small dosage of Ritalin.
The filming oi Charlie Bartlett takes
place in Ontario, Canada. Bartlett's
home is actually the Parkwood Estate.
It was the first estate to have an indoor
pool in Canada, and the drained pool
is where Charlie spends his first three
days high on Ritalin.
Subsequently
www.eclipsepictures.ie
Charlie Bartlett (Yelchin) writes a depressed peer a prescription and receipt, that
he obtained by reciting exact symptoms to his psychiatrist.
Charlie feels okay on the Ritalin, so
he prescribes himself two pills a day,
leading him to run down a street in his
underwear—under the influence.
"The character of Charlie Bartlett
bothered me; he reminded me of an
inferior and more self-absorbed version
of Holden Caulfield. The movie humor
was quirky, and I laughed at certain
parts, but for the most part I found i t
to be rather dull. The movie simply
was trying too hard," said junior Isamar
Pena.
In school he meets Susan
Gardner
(Dennings)
and
instantly falls for her, unaware
of the fact that her father is
Principal Gardner (Downey).
While he is befriending Susan,
Charlie also decides to befriend
Murphey Bivens, and they
become business partners.
They promote his business at
the local school dance. Murphey
and Charlie sell Charlie's
Ritalin to their classmates.
One day, a rumor spreads
that Charlie can get a hold
of prescription drugs, and a
depressed student seeks his
help. Charlie then reiterates
the same symptoms to his
family's
24-hour-on-call
psychiatrist, who prescribes
him appropriate depression
pills.
Once the rumors
accumulate all the students
www.collider.com
Susan Gardner (Dennings) sits in the adjacent stall telling Charlie Bartlett (Yelchin)
start telling CharUe their
about her issues with her father.
symptoms, and after reading
up in the DSM-IV he visits all different
psychiatrists, who
prescribe
him
medicine. People line jip outside the
bathroom door and down the hallway,
just to talk to Charlie. Throughout
the course of the movie he talks to girls
about getting breast implants, people
with personality disorders, and other
very serious psychiatric disorders.
Things seem to be going well
for Charlie, too well. He has a fun
girlfriend, is finally fitting in, and
people start looking to him for answers.
However, the depressed student overdoses on his medicine and Charlie faces
suspension. His mother sends him back
to Dr. Weathers who asks him what
he thought would happen i f he gave
teenagers drugs. Charlie sarcastically
says, "Oh trust me doc, bringing
teenagers and
psychiatric
drugs
together, is like opening a lemonade
stand in a desert".
In the end, Charlie does learn his
lesson and he and Murphey flush all the
prescriptions down the toilet, and even
without the medication students are
still lining up all around the hallway
just to sit in the bathroom stall adjacent
to Charlie Bartlett's.
The movie made a mockery of modem
psychiatry in every way possible. The
cast was good, but the movie tried too
hard to be funny. I t missed the mark
in several ways, and did not really have
a very strong main character. In spite
of this, it could be a fun movie to watch
with your fKends on a Friday night i f
you decide to stay in.
16
THE
D r a m a ' s production of Ah,
Wilderness
BY Christina Vlahos
A&E
Assislanl
Editor
After some previously disappointing
performances, i t was a little uncertain
whether Ah, Wilderness would be a
play to laud and rejoice in, or whether
it would result in another regrettably
unhappy reviewer. •
Therefore, I am ecstatic to say that I
was pleasantly surprised by the Drama
Club's production of AA, Wilderness. I n
addition, considering that the play was
reviewed opening night, it was wonderful
because it was nearly flawless.
Ah, Wilderness is the only comedy
written by Eugene O'Neill. I t is set
in a small town in Connecticut on the
fourth of July, 1906. As the play begins,
the audience becomes acquainted with
the Miller family. The relatively laidback and sensitive father, Nat Miller
(portrayed by senior Tim Sherman), is
the owner of the "Evening Globe," a local
newspaper. His wife Essie (freshman
Sarah Lyons) is an overbearing, frazzled
woman whose favorite thing to do is
scold people.
They have four children: Arthur
(junior Bob Ferris), a student at Yale
who attempts to act wise beyond his
years. Tommy, a mischievous little boy
(Nate Krantz), Mildred (sophomore Zoe
Blicksilver) a town flirt, and finally,
Richard (senior Nicholas Pray), a
lovesick, college bound boy enthralled
with anarchist literature, radical poetry
and philosophy. They live with their
uncle, Sid Davis (senior Nick Otte), and
their aimt, Lily Miller (junior Eleah
Burman), who are in love with each
other but will never get married because
of Sid's alcoholism.
Essie incessantly scolds her family
as the rest bf them make plans for the
fourth of July. She accuses Richard of
reading "inappropriate" books relating
to the French Revolution and sexual
philosophy, but the father insists that i t
is just a rebellious phase.
David McComber (senior Aaron
Schweitzer) accuses Richard of morally
corrupting his inocent daughter Muriel
(sophomore Phoebe Sherman)
by
sending her inappropriate excerpts from
his radical novels. Richard insists, "I'm
proud to be a cynic. That's the only thing
you can be when you really face life."
Uncle Sid and Lily return from
a picnic, at which Sid had gotten
inebriated to the point at which he
proclaimed to his famDy, "Your Uncle
Sid is the man who invented lobster,"
before proceeding to fall asleep.
Muriel writes Richard a letter
stating that she loves him no longer,
which drives Richard to go with one of
Arthur's college friends to a bar with
"bad women."
Richard gets drunk
for the first time and does his best to
resist the advances of Belle, a lascivious
woman portrayed by senior and Drama
Club president Kate Hughes. He gets
very flustered and overwhelmed and
ends up stumbling home out of the bar.
The next morning, Richard admits
that he had a horrible experience being
drunk and that he will never drink
again, and his sister Mildred gives him a
note from Muriel saying that she really
did love him and that she wanted to see
him that night. He anxiously agrees to
and they meet in the moonlight at the
dock and share their first kiss together
in a very romantic scene. The play ends
with everyone content and happy.
Considering this play was supposed
to be a comedy, I thought that the
cast was certainly able to draw a few
chuckles from the audience, but there
was not enough laughter. Junior Sarah
Sidford, who played the maid, Norah,
spent quite a lot of time, almost three
minutes actually, setting the table,
which was rather extensive and which
concerned me because i t seemed to be
the only giggle-inducing part of the
first act, at least until Otte, drunkenly
swayed about, slurring ridiculously
and pantomiming behind Tim Sherman
while he was telling a story.
In the second act, i t was Nick Pray's
turn to act as though he was under the
influence^ and he too was amusing as he
drunkenly swung at the bartender and
tried to resist being seduced by Belle's
charms. Finally, during the third act,
both Phoebe Sherman and Pray were
quite entertaining as they bickered and
then finally gazed into each other's eyes
in the "moonlight" and gave into each
other's affection.
The cast was wonderful for this
production, and there were some
memorable performances.
Tim Sherman was loud, clear, and
expressive, and he was very invested
in his role as the head of the household.
Lyons was also
very expressive,
but I believe
that she was
perhaps
not
suited for the
part of mother,
if only because
she
is
very
young and that
the
mother
was a role that
requires a more
mature
actor.
Lyons'
efforts
were admirable,
and I was happy
to see that she
reaUy did try
her best.
SCHREIBER
TIMES
A&E
WEDNESDAY
MARCH
26,
2008
is wildly entertaining
a better job at being obstinate with
Uncle Sid in a couple of scenes.
Ferris was also entertaining and
expressive, and his singing was lovely,
to say the least, during the scene in
which he was singing to accompaniment
on the piano. Hughes' performance as
Richard's inappropriate lady friend
from the bar was also noteworthy and
hilarious.
"The show was great this time
around! I especially loved Bob Ferris'
solo in the scene with the piano," said
sophomore Jonny Schechner.
Sidford spoke with a very heavy
accent, and though i t was great that
she was able to make i t sound so
genuine, members of the audience
had trouble understanding her much
of the time. In addition, senior Jesse
Stayton, who portrayed the bartender,
was inconsistent with his accent, but
fortunately their performances were
brief so they did not take away from
the play.
In general, the nature of this play
was all-around good-natured and fiin.
There weren't really any uncomfortable
moments and i t was just a happy
atmosphere. The cast was well-rounded
and appropriate for this light-hearted
play
As usual, the crew did an excellent
job, and I was happy to see that unlike
in other school productions, we did not
have to watch people walking across
the stage positioning props while people
were acting.
"This play was funny, all of the actors
were great, there weren't mistakes, and
I really enjoyed this show. However, I
did have one problem. The play was far
too long," said sophomore Eunice Kim.
" I really enjoyed AA, Wilderness and I
thought that the drama club did a great
job. The music and crew were great, and
it was just a little long," said sophomore
Melanie Hirschberg.
A common conclusion drawn from
the production is that the play was
extremely long and next time a shorter
production should probably be selected
to be performed. Though i t was not
boring at anytime, two and a half hours,
as well as two intermissions, was really
too long.
In general, the Schreiber Drama
Club's production of Ah, Wilderness
was very pleasing and I would like to
commend the cast and crew for a job
well done. I hope that they continue
to impress the audience and that they
are able to perform equally well, i f not
better, the next time around.
HELP SCHREIBER
RECYCLE!!
P A P E R R E C Y C L I N G B E G I N S ON
Praywasvery
entertaining
and despite the
fact that his
character
in
the
beginning
was annoyingly
self-pitying,
pessimistic and
cynical, he really
made Richard
an
endearing
boy whom the
audience could
not help but root
for.
Otte
once
again
was
settled
into
the
role
of
a
laid-back,
entertaining
man
and i t
seemed
that
portraying
Uncle Sid was
well within his
comfort
zone.
Burman made
the semi-tragic
character
of
Lily Miller quite
believable, but
she
probably
could have done
A P R I L 1^*
TO M A K E THIS W O R K ,
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Please recycle WHITE PAPER ONLY in the
blue receptacles in your classrooms.
IT DIDN'T W O R K L A S T T I M E B E C A U S E T H E
C O O P E R A T I O N O F T H E S T U D E N T B O D Y WAS L A C K I N G
P L E A S E DO Y O U R PART
-The Treehuggers Environmental Club
THESCHREIBER
TIMES
A&E
WEDNESDAY, MARCH26,
2008
AT
Watch out America, foreign films win big at the Oscars
BY Ryan L a r k i n
Staff
Writer
For seventy nine years, Oscar Night
has been regarded as the most popular
and prestigious award ceremony i n
the world of filmmaking. Its annual
broadcast has consistently attracted
millions of viewers. I t was accustomed
to such high ratings that the cost of
sponsoring a thirty-second ad during its
commercials had risen to approximately
1.8 million dollars. And unfortunately, it
had come to be known as a good source
of entertainment for American filmlovers.
When the eightieth Academy Awards
ceremony was aired on Feb. 2008, large
pockets of Americans gathered around
their TV sets and eagerly anticipated
the triumph of their favorite actors. As
the ceremony proceeded, however, more
and more of these Americans found
themselves changing the channel i n
boredom or disgust.
From the moment the show began,
it was clear that the 2008 Oscars had
badly suffered from the recent fourmonth writers' strike. The initial sign
of this was the ceremony's chosen host.
Jon Stewart was not new to the Oscars;
this effectively eliminated the element
of intrigue that encourages many to sit
through the early hours of the program.
To make matters worse, Stewart's
performance two years ago is largely
remembered as somewhat mediocre;
the fairly good performance he wound
up giving this time came too late to
bring back those whom his presence had
discouraged.
Additionally, the writers' strike had
left ABC without any new installments
of Grey's Anatomy
or Desperate
Housewives, its two blockbuster shows.
These shows would have been a key
promotion, as most fans of the series
would have watched the Oscars i f they
had intended to watch TV anyway.
Their absence meant that the network
could do nothing to encourage viewers
to "stay tuned" as the Academy Awards
proceeded.
Finally, there was the show itself.
The speed with which the ceremony
needed to be composed this year
resulted i n an inordinate amount of
video clips. "The show was incredibly
overstocked with duU filler clips from
really old movies; I found them about as
funny as having a pop quiz first thing
in the morning," noted freshman Chris
Verdi. Indeed, nearly all of the clips
shown were said to have been rather
dreary and depressing; maybe one i n
ten of them contained the element of
humor.
Many of the worst elements at the
2008 Oscars had no direct cause; they
were just unusually disappointing.
Prominent among these elements was
the "Red Carpet" show, the arrival of the
celebrities. For all who do not know, this
event is considered a miniature fashion
show designed to display "exciting new
trends i n Hollywood." Unfortunately for
this year's fashion-lovers, the trends
displayed at the 2008 Oscars were not
all that exciting. There is a general
consensus within the fashion world that
far too many "flops" walked down the
aisle, and that most of the "hits" were
far too conservative.
"The Red Carpet show? I t was
pretty much a bore. And the fashion?
Nearly all of it was as safe as the event
itself," commented fashion critic Sonya
Magett.
With the Red Carpet show coming off
as a failure, viewers turned to the actual
ceremony for entertainment. This led to
their subsequent disappointment over
the "dreary TV show with hiccups"
that was made from the nominations.
Indeed, a comparatively low number
of comedies or well-known films seem
to have secured nomination. Nearly tdl
of the candidates for the Oscars were
rather obscure and/or foreign films that
few had even heard of before they were
annoimced.
The "last straw" for viewers at
the 2008 Oscars were the actual
recipients of the awards. Like the films
themselves, many
of the winners
were foreign and
little-known actors
and
filmmakers
whose work had
passed
virtually
unnoticed outside
their home country.
When asked how
he
felt
about
Javier
Bardem's
accomplishment
(he won the Best
Supporting Actor
award
for his
performance i n No
Country for Old
Men), sophomore
Brian Burchman
simply
replied
"Who?"
Few of these
actors had actually
expected to win,
and fewer even had
a speech prepared.
Marion Cottilard,
the
surprising
winner of the "Best
Leading Actress"
www.oscar.com
award
for her
Jon Stewart hosts the 80th annual Academy Awards.
performance i n La
Vie en Rose was only able to repeatedly of foreign victories this year made the
say "Thank you" to various members of speeches kind of bland; the language
her family and production studio before barrier seemed to unnerve the winners
announcing that she was speechless and to the point where they had trouble
working up the confidence to even
leaving the podium.
Those who did have a speech prepared speak, much less mtike jokes," said
would often keep i t annojdngly brief junior Eleah Burman
to avoid extensive grammar mistakes;
Overall,
the
2008
Academy
Philippe Pollet-Villard (winner of the Awards ceremony was a fairly big
Short Film award for his Le Mozart des disappointment. This is most clearly
Pickpockets) began his speech with a brief reflected by its ratings, which have
thank-you to his family and production fallen twenty percent since last year and
team, injected a modest comment i n might never fully recover. Movie fans
French, then left. The incorporation of throughout America have not lost hope,
one's native language into the speech however. Provided the writers' strike
seems to have been a popular strategy does not resume i n the near future,
that night. Javier Bardem finished his we can all (hopefully) look forward to a
speech with a brief salute to his family better ceremony next year.
in rapid Spanish. "The imusual number
Spring Coffee House: another lump of success
Hollander who sang and played guitar.
Hollander's performance—a
single
Slaf
Writer
song, "Sweet Surrender" by Sarah
The lights were dim and David
McLachlan—was quieter than Drift's
Becker's caustic voice echoed as he in terms of style as well as actual
proclaimed that this year's annual volume; i t was nevertheless very
Coffee House had begun. Coffee House good, soulful and melancholy. After
is a charitable event held by the Student her was sophomore Christina Zhou
Outreach Club i n which student and
on the guzheng, a traditional Chinese
faculty musicians can perform to raise instrument that sounds a little bit
money. This year's Coffee house was like a harp. Zhou's playing was exotic,
held on Mar. 6, beginning at around
delicate, unpredictable, and very
six p.m. I t was co-hosted by juniors pretty.
Becker and Dan Ehrlich, who appeared
I f the musicians were the lifeblood
late.
of the event then David Becker was
This year's program included twelve its heart, its irritating, offensive, but
acts; for the flrst time i n the history extremely funny heart. When not
of the event, there were no teachers giving each a lengthy, circuitous, and
in the show. The band Drift, made up largely irrelevant introduction with
of sophomores Dave Marx and Dan Ehrlich for each act, he was prowling
Bernstein and junior Frank Misciosia, about the audience, muttering to
were up first. Their performjmce was himself and occasionally exchanging
spirited and lively with Misciosia insults with the performers.
on drums and Bernstein and Marx
Becker's antics aside, the show
both singing and playing various went along fairly smoothly with
instruments. They played two original
senior Sammy Eilenburg on guitar.
songs, which were a little repetitive, Eilenburg's performEmce was good,
and then followed up with a very good though her vocals could have been a
rendition of the Black Eyed Peas', little stronger. Succeeding her was
"Where is the Love?"
senior Aaron Silberstein, who actually
They were followed by senior Mara played i n three of the night's twelve
BY John Heiden
acts. Silberstein was originally going
to play three songs, as he explained to
the audience, but he downgraded to two
because of the small size of the marimba
on which he was playing. His first song,
played with four mallets, was frolicsome
and brief; his second, with two, was
different, more wandering and less fun.
After Silberstein came sophomore
Sung Kim on guitar and senior Andrew
Lee with vocals. They played Christian
rock and they played i t well, but i t
wasn't until their third and final song
that they really shined, when they were
joined by a friend of theirs from the
audience. After them was senior Disine
Wong on another Chinese instrument,
the erhu. Wong played well, but her
performance was a little brittle: it could
have used more life.
The refreshments provided to the
audience were the standard pizza pie
and assorted desserts. Attendance that
night was off, however, both i n terms of
spectator size and number of acts. The
audience tended to degenerate, too: by
the end of the show there was an eighth
of the people there that had been, i f
that.
Sophomores Jerry Lange, Peter
Bogdanich, Dylan Swain, and Matt
Brown made up the next act, i n their
band called Sonic Sex Storm. Despite
the elegance and refinement of their
name, they played surprisingly well,
with Lange on drums. Swain and Brown
playing guitar and bass, respectively,
and Bogdanich plajdng the violin. It was
that violin that distinguished them, i n
fact; i t lent a unique voice to all of their
songs, which had verve and bounce.
At this point, at least officially,
the show had ended, with Becker and
Ehrlich out of acts (and jokes) and
with the lack of an audience. However,
three more acts (including a makeshift
Sonic Sex Storm II) continued to play
until about 8:30. Ironically, these three
were among the best of the night, with
an original piece written by sophomore
Solomon Hoffman especisJly standing
out. Despite its haphazard organization,
this year's Coffee House was a night to
remember.
" I thought that this Coffee House did
not feature enough acts. The music was
still great, but I think I liked it better
when the teachers were included in the
performaces. Christina Zhou's Chinese
instrument playing was amazing
though," said sophomore Jennifer
Mamo.
18
THE SCHREIBER
TIMES
A&E
WEDNESDAY, MARCH
26, 2008
Three month writers' strike ends and leaves viewers celebrating
BY Tatiana Mourabes
Staff Writer
Last November, American audiences
were stunned when the Writers Guild of
America (WGA) went on strike. Many
of America's most popular shows, Grey's
Anatomy, 24, The Office, in addition to
many others, were postponed or cut off
mid-season. The Writers Guild was
striking against the Alliance of Motion
Picture and Television
Producers
(AMPTP). The AMPTP represents the
interests of 397 American television and
film corporations, including CBS, NBC,
Paramount Pictures, and Sony Pictures
Entertainment. The strike lasted for a
grueling fourteen weeks and two days.
The last writers' strike of such longevity
was i n 1988 and lasted for twenty one
weeks and six days.
A number of issues propelled
writers to walk out and strike against
the AMPTP. The WGA negotiates its
contract every three years with the
AMPTP. I n 2007, these negotiations
were thwarted by a deadlock when the
WGA authorized the writers' strike,
which began on Nov. 5. The basis
for the strike was disagreement over
compensation for programs, movies and
digital media watched or downloaded
over the internet. Key issues that led to
the divide included the union authority
over animation and reality show
screenwriters, amends for texts written
for new media, and DVD residuals.
A large portion of the television and
film industry is dominated by reality
and animated content.
The WGA
has requested administration over all
reality TV, film, and animation that do
not encroach on the rights of a separate
union. The AMPTP refused to accept
these terms.
Another critical issue i n the
writers' strike concerned
compensation
for new
media, or content watched
or distributed over the
internet. The WGA had no
contracts regarding use of
online content. The WGA
believes that streaming
and downloading from
smart
phones,
the
internet,
and
other
delivery channels
will
soon be the most common
form of digital media;
therefore, the writers
should receive residuals
for the distribution of this
content.
The WGA also proposed
a double i n residual rates
for DVD sales, from 0.3%
to 0.6%, since residuals,
or the profit made from
the airings or sale of a
program, are essential to
.hoUywoodtoday.net
a writer's income and the Representatives of the Writers' Guild of America picketed outside Paramount Pictures to proinflux of which is heavily
test against unfair contracts.
relied on during periods
of unemployment and inactivity. The
"The writers' strike was beyond
NY air Apr. 2, CSI au-s Apr. 3, CSI:
AMPTP argued that the studios' horrible: half way through the season
Miami airs Mar. 24, Law & Order: SVU
DVD earnings were fundamental i n of Gossip Girl i t was stopped. I t made
airs Apr. 15, and Without A Trace Eurs
neutralizing the increasing production keeping up with the show impossible,"
Apr. 3. Desperate Housewives airs Apr.
and marketing expenses. The WGA also said junior Ali Sussan.
13, ER airs Apr. 10, House returns on
requested that residuals for other digital
Thankfully, the prayers of millions its new Monday time-slot with four new
media be inflated. However, the AMPTP of Americans have been answered episodes Apr. 18, Grey's Anatomy, Ugly
contested that the standard rate of a and shows are returning this spring. Betty, and five new episodes of Lost wiU
0.3% residual be maintsuned.
For those faithful 24 fans, a two hour air Apr. 24, My Name is Earl airs Apr.
The negotiators for the strike finally TV movie is scheduled for fall 2008 3, six new episodes of One Tree Hill are
reached a conditional agreement on to prepare viewers for season seven, set to air Apr. 14, and of course. Gossip
Feb. 8, 2008, and the WGA and AMPTP which has been postponed to Jan. 2009. Girl will begin airing on Apr. 21. For the
approved of the deal on Feb. 10. The Thursday nights on NBC are coming past four months, audiences have been
WGA was not granted control over back with 30 Rock and The Office, airing holding their breaths, hoping for the
reality and animation content; however, Apr. 10. Our beloved crime solving and return of their favorite TV shows, and
leaders say they are continuing to crime fighting shows return, Cold Case now they can be put to rest, knowing
airs Mar. 30, Criminal Minds and CSI:
pursue these goals.
ymmm
mmmA
ON
Welcome to the jungle—we've got shoes 'n' a r m candy
living i n New York City. Wendy (Brooke
Shields) is a movie executive and tries
to balance work and family at the same
When thinking about what shows time. Nico (Kim Raver) is the editor
could top Sex and the City, most people in chief of a popular fashion magazine
would reply none. Lipstick
Jungle and is in the middle of a steamy affair
comes pretty close to topping the with a twenty five year old, one that her
legendary show, and even comes with husband does not know about. Victory
billionaires, secret affairs, and oh yes, (Lindsay Price) is a determined fashion
designer who wants to be successful
more high style fashion. While Lipstick
Jungle is a brand new show, I can say while also dating a billionaire.
that this will be another high fashion,
All three of these women have one
low morality show complete with apple thing i n common; they all want to be
martinis, Burberry coats, and Manolo high powered, well-respected, wealthy
Blahtiik stilettos.
women, and New York City is the perfect
The show is based on the best-selling place to film this type of show. Nothing
book written by Candace Bushnell. I t can get boring to the point of exhaustion
follows three high-powered best friends in New York City, and this setting
really helps the
show
maintain
its
element
of
excitement.
The plot of
Lipstick Jungle is
somewhat similar
to Sex and the
City but has a
twist every now
and then. Wendy
is struggling to be
successful in the
movie
business,
and to keep her
family just as
important, when
www.nbc.com
suddenly she finds
Wendy (Shields) and Victory (Price) gasp at the car accident herself
playing
that happened at Wendy's movie premire.
the biggest role i n
BY Nicole Botsaris
Cotttrihuting Writer
her husband's success. Nico is having
a difficult time staying loyal to her
husband who pays no attention to her,
and decides to tackle a twenty five year
old photographer who fills her needs
and desires, and Victory is trying to
overcome the obstacles of being an
up and coming fashion designer, but
has her billionaire boyfriend getting
in the way of every little thing. The
plot can sometimes get redundant and
predictable.
What really draws us to this show,
besides the obvious gossip, is the
fashion and most of all the scandals.
What would a show be without some
good scandals? I n almost every show
there are secret love affairs, hidden
drug addictions, or biUion dollar
lawsuits that attract viewers, and
Lipstick Jungle has all of that and
much more.
On the other hand, how much of the
same scandal can you possibly see? The
plot from week to week doesn't really
change all that much, except maybe
the switch to go to the newest, most
expensive night club instead of the
newest, most expensive restaurant.
I would have to say that this is the
weakest point in the show. Instead of
showing us the same scandals growing
week after week, show us something
brand new and intriguing every week,
and make the show that much more
scandalous.
Lipstick Jungle is also extremely
similar to another show on ABC called
Cashmere Mafia. These two shows are
so alike, and could be due to the fact
that the producers of these two shows
once worked together on Sex and the
City. And how many times can we really
see the same show over and over again?
Sex and the City was one of the longest
running television shows, and brought
about a new standard for women, and
changed the way we look at these high
powered women. Lipstick Jungle is
just another knock off of Sex and the
City that will probably fade away in
the near future. I f people continue to
see the same shows being created, i t is
only a matter of time before they decide
to steer away from this Jimmy Choo
wearing bimch.
I would not say that Lipstick Jungle
is a horrific show, and you shouldn't
waste your time watching i t . I would
say that i f you happen to be flipping
through the channels on Thursdays at
ten o'clock p.m., and happen to come
across channel 4, you should watch this
show. Otherwise, don't go out of your
way to TiVo, or record this show to make
sure you don't miss a minute.
While Victory is still shining over
her clothing line, Nico is beaming over
her new boy toy and magazine, and
Wendy is arguing over smother movie
deal, i t is only a matter of time before
Victory's Jimmy Choos, Nico's high
fashion magazine, and Wendy's big time
movie deal will all go out of style, and
we will be caught up in the next wave of
Lipstick Jungles.
19
THESCHREIBER TIMES A&E WEDNESDAY, MARCH26, 2008
u
i
X
Independent music thrives at N Y C club Rain: The
BY Meghan Doyle
Assistant Opinions Editor
I f you're looking for The Jonas
Brothers or Britney Spears, Highhne
Ballroom isn't the place to start. Located
next to a Western Beef supermarket in
the meat packing district, the recently
opened music venue has brought i n
some of the more independent and local
bands, as well as the downtown crowd.
On March 9th, the venue welcomed
Old Springs Pike, whose band members
include James Cleare, Heather Robb,
and James Smith. Playing every
instrument from the melodica to the
hi-hat. Old Springs Pike is an energetic
and spontaneous band who mix country
and folk-pop to create a uniquely
entertaining sound.
The band Elizabeth and the Catapult,
who sound something like Norah Jones
meets Joni Mitchell, opened with a
few of their newly recorded songs that
kept the audience on their feet. Fans
had no problem with jumping up i n ,
the rather tight spaced isles to dance.
And although during her most popular
song, "Momma's Boy," Elizabeth had
some trouble with her piano, the crowd
joked along with her as she sang, what
she called, the "ultra acoustic version"
of the hit. Fellow band mates, Peter
Lalish and Dan Molad, helped her out
though and both the keyboard and the
concert were saved. Elizabeth and the
Catapult later played a new hit called
"Race You Back Home" which brought
everyone back to childhood memories
of ice pops and, well, racing back home.
The local indie band put on a wonderful
performance, ending with
a new song, while decked
out i n propeller hats.
The
audience
was
ecstatic after the Elizabeth
and the Catapult show
and
welcomed
Old
Springs Pike on stage
with such enthusiasm
that James Cleare turned
about as red as his hair.
And if you don't know how
red that is, I will tell you
that he has been mistaken
for Ronald McDonald by
numerous
neighborhood
children. The band kicked
off the night with favorites
such as "Reply" and
"Goodbye Midnight. "And
while John Gallagher Jr.,
who won a Tony Award
for his performance i n
the popular teen musical
Spring
Awakening,
recently left the band,
the power of the threepart harmony was just
K r i a t i n a Tbrtoriello
as strong. Heather Robb
sung a beautiful version Old Springs Pike's guitar player, James Cleare, jams
out in his unique fusion of bluegrass and folk-pop.
of "Breath and Soimd,"
which brought a few emotional audience their fan base," says senior Kristina
members to tears. The band turned the Tortoriello.
mood of the house around with a few
To end the night. Old Springs Pike
upbeat times, such as "Little Bug" and asked Elizabeth and the Catapult
"Drowning i n Sobriety."
back on stage to sing a song about
"The concert was amazing! I love veggies and yes, they were still in
Old Springs Pike and their unassuming ' their propeller hats. The night was
kindness, humility, and general love enjoyable and i t seemed everyone left
for their fans. They are truly dedicated feeling good, humming and skipping
to both musical and personal growth. down 14th Street.
They're constantly reaching out to
Classic Album: Phish: The Story of the Ghost
BY Andy Werle and J o r d a n L e w is
Senior A&E Editor and Managing Editor
When one reflects on the music
written during the past two decades,
there are coimtless bands that stick out,
whether you think of them fondly or not.
From New Kids on the Block to Sugar
Ray, Nirvana to Cyprus Hill, or Poison
to Cannibal Corpse, memy phenomena
exploded, deflated, and then came back
for a reunion tour. But there is one band
that has weathered every bad trend or
worthless fad, produced quality albums,
and sold out arenas through i t all.
Phish, a J£un band started i n the
early 1980s by four college students
from Vermont, has been a constant for
many music lovers. They performed for
over twenty years together, imtil they
broke up in 2004. They are almost
xmiversally adored due to their honesty,
integrity and talent.
While both fans and music critics
feel that Phish's strength is i n their
dynamic live show, where songs can
routinely drift along for half an hour or
more, their studio albimis reflect their
ingenuity and creativity just as well,
even through repeated listens.
Their 1998 album. The Story of the
Ghost, encapsulates all that is Phish.
The slow grooves, harmonized vocals,
and quirky lyrics are all present,
as guitarist and lead vocalist Trey
Anastasio takes Phish and the captive
audience through a vague but delicious
journey of spiritual awakening. While
Phish has explored seemingly every
alleyway i n modem music, this album
focuses on one genre predominantly:
funk.
The story starts off with "Ghost," a
surreal song with a strong groove and
some fantastically deliberate bass work
by Mike Gordon. Trey's singing is light
and airy, which perfectly compliments
the relaxed and peaceful atmosphere
the song will creates.
The album ebbs and flows through
avant garde expressions of personal
turmoils. Picture The Story of the
Ghost as a musical as a great stream of
consciousness flowing its way through
the waterfalls and great valleys of
maturing.
While
Trey Anastasio
clearly
comprehends and attempts to capture
the beautiful visage of nature rushing
past him, his attempts to reconstruct
what only the eternal could manage to
swallow, evaporate into brief and forced
comical interludes.
In many ways, songs such as "Limb
by Limb" and "Guyute" are the essence
of Anastasio. It's playfulness, which
almost boarders on the verge of sarcasm,
is necessary to provide the musical
duality which is created through the
contrast of comical inter-jeims and more
serious renditions of natural expression.
The most beautiful of these "natural"
expressions is likely one of Phish's finest
achievements as a band: "Wading in the
Velvet Sea." Conjuring various shades of
purple and lakes of softness, Anastasio
and the rest of Phish transfix the
hstener. The purple imagery instantly
reinforces the track's title and is the
perfect foil to Phish's more "himaorous"
moments.
Given even the most superficial
listen, "Velvet Sea" makes even the
most unassuming of surroundings seem
almost whimsical. The song's power is
such that one can imagine that i f it were
played to the soldiers in the Battle of
Iwo Jima, the dueling sides would lay
down their arms in order to fully enjoy
Anastasio's brilliance.
The Story of the Ghost is a fantastic
introduction into the realm of Phish, as
most of the songs are pretty accessible
to the uninitiated ear. Full appreciation
of Phish seems impossible to obtain, but
there is nothing wrong with enjoying
their brilliance i n any way that you can.
Beatles
Experience
BY Andrew Martinolich
Graphics Editor
It is virtually impossible for a
musical group to resurrect the very
same dynamic and personahty of an
original band. This feat is made even
more impossible when the original band
happens to be the Beatles, arguably the
most popular band in human history.
However hard this task may prove to
be, a few select bands come as close as
humanly possible to sounding precisely
like the Beatles. Quite recently, C.W.
Post's Tilles Center was graced by "the
most renowned tribute to the Beatles."
Their name is Rain, and they have
spent the latter halves of their lives
sharpening their sounds to replicate
those of the Fab Four.
Rain was created i n the early
1970s by keyboardist Mark Lewis;
its members recruited from the ever
popular Broadway hit, Beatlemania.
The four current members, united i n
1997, are Steve Landes, Joey Curatolo,
Joe Bithom, and Ralph Castelli, who
are the spitting images of John Lennon,
Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and
Ringo Starr respectively. Mark Lewis
accompanied with keyboard.
The spectacle begins as the lights
dim £md iconic cUps from the 1960s,
such as President John F. Kennedy's
inaugural address, Vietnam protests,
and Neil Armstrong's first strut across
the moon, draw i n the audience. These
clips conclude with the landing of the
four British godsends themselves; the
sound drowned out by the hundreds of
hysterical howls of hormonal women.
Rain starts out with " I Want To
Hold Your Hand" as the lights explode
with brilliance. The crowd is quickly
mesmerized by the nostalgic and genius
music. The band's opening licks included
"Yesterday" "Hard Day's Night," and
"When I'm 64." Later changing into
the costumes from the legendary
album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts
Club Band, Rain cranked out some of
the Beatles' most beloved songs such
as "Eleanor Rigby" "Girl," and "With A
Little Help From My Friends." Other,
later tracks were " I Am The Walrus,"
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and
"Revolution." The spectacular night
ended with the encores of John Lennon's
"Imagine," and "Hey Jude," all the while
with a completely transfixed crowd of
Beatles lovers swaying their open hands
in the air.
A good chunk of the audience most
likely walked into the venue with
some doubt for tribute bands and their
abilities. Rain, though, was remarkably
impressive and instilled its audience
with awe. A l l five musicians nearly
perfect the sounds of the Beatles,
bringing back beautiful memories for
the older viewers and bringing the
younger viewers as close as they'll ever
be to the real Beatles. Rain's show was
captivating, hauntingly realistic, and
lovingly nostalgic. The group's expertise
will soon be heard across the imiverse.
Have you ever dated someone who tried to tell you
what to do, how to act, or what to wear?
Have you ever dated someone
who hit slapped, or pushed you?
Have you ever dated someone
who made you feel bad about yourself?
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE.
T E L L YOUR STORY.
Natural Helpers and The Schreiber Times want to publish anonymous stories
about unhealthy relationships, stories that are important and common but
rarely covered by mainstream media.
WE WANT YOU TO T A K E BACK THE NEWS.
E-mail your story of an unhealthy relationship
to mweidenrS-portnet.k 12.ny.us or ezarkhfii portnet.k I2.ny.us
along with your name and grade.
The Schreiber Times will publish your collected stories ANONYMOUSLY in the May issue. Your identity will not
be revealed to any students, including the staff of
Schreiber Times.
Submit stories by May 7.
THE SCHREIBER
TIMES
SPORTS WEDNESDAY,
MARCH
21
26, 2008
Athletes of the Month
Kelly Short
BY Blake & Reid Mergler
Slafflfmers
S t a r t i n g off her t h i r d season on the
boys v a r s i t y golf t e a m , sophomore K e l l y
Shon t r u l y stands out as an impressive
golfer. Shon used to be a m u l t i - s p o r t
athlete, plasdng both soccer and golf.
However, as she continued to succeed
i n golf, she made the sport her first
priority, p u t t i n g a l l of her effort i n t o the
sport a l l year round.
As a freshman, she qualified for t h e
Nassau County Championships. W i t h a
stroke average of 38.2 on nine holes, she
was 14th out of a l l the boys i n Nassau
County. Shon never lost a m a t ch last
season; she won seven and tied only
one. I n addition, she also received the
team's Most Valuable Player a w a r d
last year and was given A l l County
Honorable M e n t i o n .
The boys golf
team's coach, M s . K a t h y Doughty, a
physical education teacher at Sousa, is
very content w i t h Shon's achievements.
"She's both a very good golfer and
teammate," Ms . Doughty said. "We a l l
look up to K e l l y and as the only g i r l , we
a l l appreciate h a v i n g her on the team."
I n addition to her success on the team,
she has also succeeded independently.
She w on the last America n Jxmior Golf
Association t o u r n a m e n t and finished
i n 2nd place i n the previous Women's
Western Giolf Association t o u r n a m e n t.
One of her m a n y goals is to m£ike
the New York State Championships this
year. A n even tougher accomplishment
t h a t she longs for is to r a n k among t h e
top t w e n t y competitors i n girl's golf
worldwide.
To achieve these goals,
Shon practices h a r d everyday a l l year
round. To show her dedication to the
game, she travels across t h e n a t i o n
d u r i n g t h e school year to compete i n
golf tournaments and to improve her
skills. She hopes to continue to excel i n
golf t h r o u g h o u t her h i g h school career
at Schreiber and the following years i n
college.
Facebook.com
Shon hopes to be among the world's top
twenty teen female golfers.
Out ofBounds
BY David Becker
News Editor
Every m o n t h I struggle to find a topic
to w r i t e about for O u t of Bounds except
i n those months i n w h i c h K r i s t i n N o r t o n
resigns from her temporary r e s t r a i n i n g
order. (By the way, she has been ranked
first place i n the Eastern division for
singles, and accomplishment w h i c h
invites the nickname "The Beast of the
East.")
T h is m o n t h , I've been forced to look
beyond N o r t o n to the members of the
gymnastics team. I've learned t h a t
the culture of t h i s team relies on t h e i r
speUing of certain words.
Q: Hello. W h a t is your name?
A: Yo. L a u r e n Valenti. I t h i n k .
Q: Please t j d k briefly about y o u r
accomphshments i n gymnastics.
A : I scored most of the perfect tens.
Q: So w h y aren't you captain?
A: I ' m already t h e i r n a t u r a l leader.
I don't have to r u b i t more i n m y team's
face.
Josh
r
Cohen
BY G r a h a m Potters
Staff WHler
Senior Josh Cohen has had a very
successful h i g h school tennis career.
He started p l a y i n g tennis at the varsity
level i n e i g h t h grade.
" I started p l a y i n g tennis w h e n I
was four, and have been p l a y i n g and
i m p r o v i n g for over t h i r t e e n years," said
Cohen.
Cohen plays tennis often, t r a i n i n g at
the Port Washington Tennis Academy
almost every day.
" I play pretty m u c h every day at the
Port Washington Tennis Academy. As
w e l l as p l a y i n g tennis, I t r y to do a lot
of r u n n i n g to keep i n shape. Keeping i n
shape is very i m p o r t a n t for tennis," said
Cohen.
Ta help keep his skills sharp, Cohen
also works p a r t t i m e at the PWTA.
There, he monitors younger and less
experienced players w h i l e they practice.
Cohen can play w i t h t h e m and even give
some helpfiil advice on how they could
possibly improve t h e i r games.
Cohen has also participated i n many
tournaments outside of school.
"I've played i n a lot of USTA
toumeunents to improve myself," said
Cohen.
As a result of t r a i n i n g at the PWTA
and p l a y i n g i n m u l t i p l e tournaments,
Cohen has been very successful p l a y i n g
for the V i k i n g s .
"I've been on Varsity since e i g h t h
grade, m a k i n g t h i s m y fifth year on
Varsity," said Cohen.
W o r k i n g his way t h r o u g h the r a n k s ,
Cohen is c u r r e n t l y p l a y i ng first doubles
on Schreiber's varsity tennis team
alongside fellow senior M a t t Odell.
Cohen's abilities as a tennis player
have proven to be very critical to the
team throughout the many seasons he
has had w i t h the v a r s i t y team.
Overall,
Cohen
enjoys p l a y i ng
tennis. The sport has been w i t h h i m a l l
his life.
"Tennis is a really exciting and
enjoyable sport," said Cohen. " I t is
also a really underrated sport. It's a lot
tougher t h a n people t h i n k . "
Courtesy of Josh Cohen
On top of playing varsity tennis at Schreit)er, Cohen works part time at the Port
Washington Tennis Academy.
and off the chain
Q: Who's t h e most i n f l u e n t i al player
on y o u r team?"
David Becker, was going to be on the
gymnastics team t h i s year?
Q: T a l k about the prevalence of body
consciousness i n gymnastics.
A : Definitely M a l i k Parchment. He's
a h i g h scorer on the v a u l t and has k i l l e r
leaps.
A: W e l l , I d i d , b u t I always thought
you were more of a Portette.
A: A l l gymnasts should t h r o w up
everything they eat. J u s t playin'.
E a t i n g disorders may be prevalent on
other teams, b u t our girls are phat.
[Side note: J u n i o r M a l i k Parchment
is a male. He is not on the gymnastics
team.]
Q: Would you call the
gymnastics anti-feminist?
sport
of
empowered
A: Does t h a t meam it's l i k e . . . not
for feminists? No, b u t seriously, I don't
t h i n k so at a l l .
A: We're not being judged by boys.
We're being judged for our talents
versus how we look.
Q: W h y not?
A : Because women look damn sexy
i n dem leo's, and I t h i n k t h a t moves the
women's rights movement forwEird.
Q: How has gymnastics
you as a woman?
Q: Summarize your experiences w i t h
the team briefly.
A: We w o r k i t l i k e , as I believe Missy
E l i o t once said, d u h - n u h - n u h , n u h - n u h n u h and reverse i t likewise. A n d it's not
"gymnastycks," by the way.
Q: Who ever said i t was?
[ A t t h i s point i n the intervie w j i m i o r
A m a n d a Ostrove adds, "Yeah b u t i t does
k i n d of m a t t e r how we look." Finishes
Valenti, "Yeah no one wants to give
the larger girls the perfect t e n . It's j u s t
unfair."]
Q: It's said t h a t gymnastics parents
are as intense as show parents.
A : You know, t h a t movie, "Stick I t . "
O h nevermind.
A : U m . No... Gymnastics parents
aren't intense at a l l . M y mom like doesn't
even know t h a t I ' m on the team.
Q: Is gymnastics competitive based
on looks, then?
Q: O h. So w h o m w o u l d you t h a n k for
your success?
I n conclusion, i f L a u r e n Valenti
is indicative of the crop of possible
interviewees t h i s season, t h e n I ' m going
to have to w a i t i m t i l K r i s t i n Norton's
next r a n k i n g update before I can w r i t e
another cohesive column for sports.
I f you w a n t to be interviewed for the
next O u t O f Bounds, please t e l l Lane
Mergler, senior. He cares so much about
t h i s column.
A : I t doesn't really occur to me
because there's no competition for m y
skills. Wait, that's skillz w i t h a "z." I ' m ,
l i k e , t h a t good.
Q: Have you heard rumors t h a t I ,
A : M y sister. Coach Kiddy.
[Amanda Ostrove i n t e r r u p t s again:
"It's K i t t y , w i t h t w o t's and a y, not w i t h
d's."]
22
THE
SCHREIBER
TIMES
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY,
MARCH
26,
2008
P R E V I E W
1^
BY Max Mancher
Staff Writer
With the new season of spring sports
underway, students get ready to support
the girls varsity softball team.
The team's coach, Miss Jeanne
Carroll, has a very optimistic outlook
about the upcoming season for the
squad. Although she knows that there
is much work that still needs to be done,
she is truly excited about the start of the
season.
Last season the team was successfiil,
but at the end of the season, eight
seniors graduated, a much larger
number than in previous years. These
less experienced players are now
going to be forced to increase their
performance without the support of the
former seniors.
The team is now relying on pitchers
senior Arianna Lucas and sophomore
Danielle Leibowitz to lead the defense
of the team.
They are also looking for leadership
from their returning varsity players,
including infielder Brooke Goodspeed
and outfielders Elissa Carron and Julia
Catalano.
These players are going to have to
act as role models to the newer players
so they can receive not only better
trsiining, but a better learning and
playing experience.
The team will be faced with another
tough schedule for the season. The girls
must play against Farmingdale and
Plainview JFK, who did not have many
graduating seniors and are projected
to be among the top few teams i n the
league.
The girls will also be facing some new
challengers. There were a few new teams
that moved up into the Viking's division
which will provide new experiences for
the Schreiber ladies.
The Lady Vikings' first few games
of the season are coming up. However,
because of poor weather conditions i n
the early stages of their season, the girls
are not usually able to practice on a real
baseball diamond.
This hampers the team's ability
to prepare during the preseason and
leaves them at a disadvantage i n the
early phases of the season.
The team has its first league game
at Uniondale on Mar. 27, and its home
opener is on Mar. 31 against Great Neck
South.
These two matchups look to be close
and could provide a good Utmus test as
to how well the team will perform this
year.
"Although we lost a lot of valuable
players last year, we have many new
players who I know for a fact will be able
to rise to the occasion and fill the shoes
of the past players, " said Goodspeed.
"Over the past few weeks that we have
had practice, a bond has developed and
we have come together as a team. We're
working well together."
2008
Schedule
DATE
OPPONENT
3/27
@ Uniondale
3/31
G. N. South
4/3
Elmont
4/8
@V. S. Central
4/10
Plainview Jb'K
4/14
@ Freeport
4/16
Hempstead
4/18
Uniondale
4/22
@ G. N. South
4/24
@ Elmont
4/29
Valley Stream
5/2
@ Plainview J F K
5/5
Freeport
5/8
@ Hempstead
LizCorten
S e nior Eliss a C a rro n w i n d s u p f o r a
pitch at a practice.
J V lacrosse anticipates success
BY Harrison Remler
Business Manager
After waiting out the long summer,
as well as the fall and winter seasons,
the boys junior varsity lacrosse team
has high aspirations and goals for the
2008 year.
"After an impressive season last
year, the team is very excited for the
upcoming season," said returning
sophomore Owen Caruso.
Under the direction of coaches Mr.
Henry Stanziale and Mr. Brian Condela,
the team complied an 11-4 record i n the
2007 season.
The Vikings had crucial wins over
Farmingdale and Oceanside. The team
will be forced to fill the voids of junior
Matt Quirk, sophomore Josh Potter
and freshman "Tyler Goldman who
have moved onto the varsity squad this
season.
This year, the roster will be heavy
on the defensive side of the ball. Led
by sophomores Markee Idelfonso, Luke
Klumpp, Mike O'Brien, Wilkie Jordan
and freshmen Eric Lewis and Spencer
Moslow, i t seems like i t will be difficult
for the opposing teams to score.
"Our defense is pretty good and
strong, but communication will be key
to our success this year as a team," said
Idelfonso.
A sudden transfer of sophomore
Tony Frocarro to the defense will give
the Vikings an even bigger arsenal to
protect the goalie.
Froccaro, who enrolled at St.
Anthony's High School i n Huntington,
New York this past fall has recently
decided to return to Schreiber. Tony
played a vital role in the Vikings success
last year.
"Tony's return will be a big help
to the te£im," said sophomore James
D'Agostino.
The \^kings will feature three goalies
this season, as sophomores Brett Buss
and Cody White and fi-eshman Patrick
Reardon battle for their chance i n the
goal.
Returning
sophomore
Brandon
Henne wiU lead a youthful group of
midfielders throughouLthis season.
Sophomores Mark C^^pESTti, Benny
Gronzalez, Tommy Jester, Rohit Khullar,
freshman Breig Bevilacque, and eighth
graders Joe Belley and Jake Frocarro
will be forced to play big roles on both
sides of the ball. Caruso recognizes the
hardships the middle school players will
face.
"The yoimger players are going to
have to transition well to the high school
competition for our team to win this
year," said Caruso.
At the attack position, sophomores
Caruso and Jack Vigilis will be forced
to score in big spots throughout • the
season.
"This year we are looking to possess
the ball and play the game at our
tempo," said Caruso.
Second year players, sophomores
James D'Agostino and Pat McCulloh
and fi-eshmen Jon Keren and Kyle
Manzione will also compete for time at
the attack spot.
The Vikings have big games against
some of Nassau's toughest schools. The
players are eager to compete versus
Farmingdale twice, Oceanside and
avenge a loss against MacArthur.
Coming soon to the Dot and Ed Slade
Performance Center (Choir Room)
2 Performances Only...
_
f H A p r i l 4 t h C8FM3
And
Sati^nilStliam)
/Heart The
F-Word
An original play written and
conceived by the students of
Schreiber's 3rd Wave Club
Directed/Choreographed by
Floryn Glass (Class Of '97)
(last year's director of the
wildly successful / Am A Woman)
Faculty Advisor, Helen Sachs
DONATIONS W I L L G O T O :
Long Island's Coalition Against
Domestic Violence,
Nassau County Chapter
THE SCHREIBER
TIMES
SPORTS WEDNESDAY.
MARCH
Calling
23
26. 2008
The Shots
Where did all the loyal athletes go?
Why the loss of Brett Favre from the NFL is the end of a generation
BY Lane Mergler
Sports Editor
C o n s t a n t l y r e f r e s h i n g m y Yahoo!
Sports page the other day, about once
every hour t o be exact, I had quite a n
epiphany. The reason for t h i s r o u t i ne
was finding out w h i c h football free agent
was going where, £uid, i n particular, i f the
transaction had any impact on t h e Jets.
The realization t h a t I had was t h a t
these players were being bought as i f they
were cattle, and yes, bought is indeed the
perfect wor d to use i n t h i s sentence. F o r
example, offensive guard A l a n Faneca
j u s t went to t h e Jets for $40 m i l l i o n over
five years.
T h is p r o bowler was on t h e P i t t s b u r g h Steelers since 1998, and i t isn't
as i f t h a t team hasn't had success over
the past few years. They d i d w i n the
Super B o w l i n 2006, largely because of
the strong oflFensive line, t h a t he was a
key part of, protecting quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger. A n d they did make playoff
appearances i n four of the past six years.
B u t for some strange reason he apparently t h o u g h t, 'well, those 4-12 Jets sure
do look like the best t e a m i n the league,
i n go there to get m y second r i n g . '
Maybe the signing j u s t showed somet h i n g a b i t simpler t h a n t h a t : players flock
to wherever the money is.
Unfortunately.
Please don't misconstrue w h a t I ' m
t r j d n g to say; i n no way a m I upset w i t h
Faneca j o i n i n g the Jets. I n fact, I a m
actually prett y happy w i t h h i m j o i n i n g
us, even though he d i d sell out a l l of his
fans back i n P i t t s b u r g h .
So, do you t h i n k t h a t the players feel
the least b i t sad for l e t t i n g t h e i r old fans
down i n exchange for money? Or did they
possibly j u s t t h i n k t h a t the extra money
I j ^ ^ o u l d pay for t h e i r therapy and t h e n some,
so i t was the better deal? I t h i n k t h a t
the answer is quite simple: no.
The era of players filled w i t h team loya l t y p r e t t y m u c h ended on Mar. 4, 2008,
w h e n we saw none other t h e n the great
B r e t t Favre go. H e stayed w i t h Green
Bay a l l his career after being traded from
A t l a n t a and never once t h o u g h t of where
the money was.
Goodbye old New York Yankees outfielder B e m i e WiUiams, hello current New
York Yankees outfielder Johnny " M r . ' I will-never-be-a-Yankee'" Damon. Where
d i d a l l of these loyal players go?
A f t e r m u c h thought and consultation
of fellow sports fans, I p u t together a
l i s t of players from a l l four major sports
who are active and have spent a career
of longer t h a n ten years w i t h only one
team: Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe
B r y a n t , Philadelphia Eagles safety Briem
Dawkins, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver
M a r v i n H a r r i s o n , N e w York Yankees
shortstop Derek Jeter, A t l a n t a Braves
t h i r d baseman/outfielder Chipper Jones,
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis,
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas
L i d s t r o m , Indianapolis Colts quarterback
Peyton M a n n i n g , Dallas Mavericks for-
w£u-d D i r k N o w i t z k i , New York Yankees
catcher Jorge Posada, M i a m i Dolphins
defensive end Jason Taylor, New York
Yankees closer M a r i a n o R i v e r a a n d
New York Giants defensive end Michael
Strahan.
the t e a m t h a t raised h i m and go over to
j o i n its biggest r i v a l .
It's not j u s t the Mets though. A m a n
who once looked like Jesus C h r i s t and
was loved by pretty m u c h a l l of Red Sox
N a t i o n looked i n his pocket one day and
Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre was the last of a generation
of players who remained loyal to the first team that accepted him. Despite throwing four attempts for the Falcons, he was a very durable asset for the majority of
his career in Green Bay and refused to be bought.
A t first glance, i t may seem Uke a
r a t h e r long Ust, b u t now t h i n k about a l l
of the other superstar players you can
t h i n k of who have been j o u r n e y m e n, who
seek a new mansion i n M a l i b u instead of
seeking of a r i n g . I would mention t h e m ,
b u t t h e n t h i s column m i g h t be about as
long as War and Peace, i f not longer.
I t seems as though i t s the b i g cities
t h a t have a l l the money and corrupt the
players. Despite being a Mets fan, I can't
say t h a t it's j ust the Yankees who paiHake
i n t h i s action.
Was I the only person who thought
" w a i t a second..." w h e n A t l a n t a Braves
pitcher Tom Glavine came over here?
Glavine, a long t i m e Brave who took p a r t
i n defeating us every season from w h e n
the Braves' monster streak of dominance
started u p i m t i l 2003, decided to betray
saw only a t h i n eight digits w o r t h of money
i n his wallet. Next t h i n g you know his
beard f r o m God and his so-called Boston
loyalty are replaced by a nice navy blue
N and Y w i t h some pinstripes r u n n i n g
down the vmiform.
As I mentioned earlier, t h i s is none
other t h a n the once oh-so-great Damon,
whose only two flaws are his t h r o w i n g
a r m and his word.
Please r e m i n d me to never befriend a
professional athlete because I really don't
w a n t to be stabbed i n the back five years
down the road because someone else gave
h i m enough money t o p u t t h a t original
Van Gogh on the w a l l behind his m i n i bar by the pool and the bazillion dollar
stereo set.
It's not j u s t i n baseball t h a t N e w York
seems to be the home of the sellouts.
Look at the Jets j u s t this offseason,
for example. I n preparation for our on
year/off year p l a n , we decided t h a t we
need to find a way to do w e l l this year to
keep the p a t t e rn alive. So we simply j u s t
bought Faneca, linebacker C a l v i n Pace,
fullback Tony Richardson, and oflFensive
tackle Damien Woody away from t h e i r
old teams as though they were pieces of
furniture.
As for basketball, I don't t h i n k I even
have t o say a n y t h i n g to get m y point
across. The Knicks roster flushes out its
system every few years, b u t one t h i n g
remains constant: everyone on the team
w i l l be overpaid.
It's as though p l a y i n g for the team is
the punishment t h a t is forced upon the
overhyped players of the N B A who w a n t
more t h a n they deserve. The only problem
w i t h the "punishment" is t h a t they get all
the money they w a n t , w h i c h seems to be
w h a t the players care about now.
As for hockey, i t seems as though every
team i n the league j u s t resets its roster
and keeps about h a l f of its team each year,
as the teams always seem to be signing
players and quickly t r a d i n g t h e m oflf or
losing t h e m to free agency.
Oh, where have you gone, Cal Ripken?
W h y couldn't you have told t h e younger
players i n the league on your way out t h a t
i f you are r a k i n g i n $10 m i l l i o n a year you
don't really need to go to t h a t team that's
offering you $12 million? W h y couldn't
any of the players who were a p a r t of your
generation say this? A n d when did a l l of
t h i s start?
Not saying t h a t we should p i n a l l the
blame on h i m , b u t t h e whole money
first/loyalty
second m e n t f d i t y skyrocketed w h e n t h e n Seattle M a r i n e r s outfielder K e n Griffey broke the $1 m i l l i o n
barrier.
After t h a t players constantly followed
suit and t h a t was i t . It's because of players'jealousy t o w a r d other players.
W h e n a player gets overpaid, another
free agent who completely disregards his
loyalty to the team t h i n k s t h a t his asking
price j u s t got a lot higher because he wants
to be treated like the first player. This
jealousy shows how greedy the players are
and how they look for any reason possible
to get t h a t extra m i l l i o n dollars added on
to t h e i r three year contracts.
The players of the 90s, the Brett Favres
of the N F L , the Tony Gwynns of the M L B ,
the Michael Jordans of the N B A , and the
Steve Yzermans of the N H L , all controlled
t h e i r fans'emotions more t h a n any player
can today.
Favre wiU be missed more t h a n any
other player to ever play i n the futur e
because he stayed t r u e to his team. H e
never begged teams for more money. He
stuck w i t h the team t h a t loved h i m and
never once considered signing to another
team.
However, a new age has dawned, an
age of greed and envy. M a y the few loyal
players who are l i v i n g t h r o u g h t h i s era
be respected more t h a n those who pursue
the money.
B L U E AND WHITE NIGHT.
2 0 0 8
Blue Team continues three year winning streak
BY Davi d Becker
NeHS Editor
A t Blue and W h i t e N i g h t 2008,
spectators
saw
a battle
between
animated characters from one m e d i u m
and animated characters from another,
similar to Blue and W h i t e N i g h t 2007.
Blue won for the t h i r d year i n a row
w i t h t h e i r portrayal of The Flintstones,
defeating the W h i t e team, w h i c h battled
as characters from Shrek.
The n i g h t m a r k e d a t u r n i n g point for
the event. For the first t i m e i n nearly
five years, there were no male dancers
despite the presence of more men i n ski t
and male " s p i r i t people," who opened
dance numbers.
I n the W h i t e team's skit , we saw
senior R i c k i Segal as the conflicted
Princess
Fiona, unable to choose
between suitors Shrek (senior Lindsay
Eisenman) and the Prince (junior
Jessica Sloan). W i t h the counsel of
L o r d Farquad (senior A m a n d a Neilan),
Shrek learns how to dance i n t i m e to
impress his beloved Fiona. The ski t
also made use of W h i t e S k i t a l u m E m i l y
Mottahedeh ('07). The team overall
received a 25 out of a possible 30 points,
losing to the Blue skit.
The first dance of the evening
was The Dangerous Dragons, led by
sophomore captains Amanda Ostrove
and Alexandra Rosmarin. The team
utilized the gymnastics f a m i l i a r to its
members and finished the number i n a
straight line. They received a 16 out a
possible 20 points.
Puss ' n Boots followed, although the
character received no representation i n
the skit. The team received 18 points
for its efforts. Led by captains senior
D a n i Sofen and j u n i o r M o l l y Radler, the
dancers also used gymnastics i n t h e i r
routine.
Following Puss ' n Boots was the
team Gingalicious, representing the
victimized Gingerbread
Man
from
the first Shrek f i l m . A k i n to Puss ' n
Boots, the Gingerbread M a n was
another character t h a t received no
representation i n skit. Led by captains
senior Rachel Postyn and j u n i o r Sydney
Gab B a l a b a n
Stein, the dance had the most interesting
of costumes, a felt backing was attached
i n the shape of a gingerbread m a n w i t h
frosted facied features. The team ended
t h e i r dance by dropping to the floor to
the sounds of bullet shots. This ending
became a t r e n d among the dances. The
dance received a score of 18 points.
The Sizzlin' Shreks danced next, led
by captains senior Casey Rup and j u n i o r
Nicole Cianciulli. The Shrek dance made
ample use of silly string. I n the middle of
the dance, senior Sam Colonna came out
d u r i n g a rock number used i n the m i x ,
to play w i l d l y on his guitar. The dance
received a score of 19.
The Popping Princess Fiona team
was one of two i n the W h i t e team to
be led by two senior captains, Melanie
Gorman and Jessica Liss. The fast paced
dance utilized the agility of its freshmen
as w e l l as the experience of its senior
Blue and W h i t e N i g h t veterans. The
Gab B a l a b a n
Blue and White Night 2008 invaded the Schreiber gymnasium with these two
senior-led teams, both earning top scores of 19 out a possible 20. Top to bottom:
The "Ballin Betty's" and "Frediculous,"both from the winning Blue team.
team received a score of 17 for its work.
The B a l l i n ' Betty's was another
The
Luscious
Lord
Farquads team t h a t utilized senior captains,
performed next. O r i g i n a l l y assigned to namely the veteran team of seniors
represent the Donkey, senior captains
Ruthie S m i t h and K r i s t i a n a Ressa,
J u l i e t L a b r a d o r f and E m i l y Ledner who had led the Princess Peach dance
refused. The dance i t s e l f opened w i t h
last year to victory. The dance utilized
seniors A a r o n Silberstein on the drums organized columns of girls i n precision,
and • A v i B l u m on t r u m p e t . H i g h l y and backflips. For t h e i r w o r k , the girls
stylized and sjTichronized moves earned
received a score of 19 points.
the team a score of 19.
Other veteran captains included
seniors M a r i a and R i t a Catapano who
W h e n the w h i t e presentation came
led Team Bowser last year. This year,
to a close, blue skitters took the stage i n
a presentation t h a t would contrast the the two led t h e i r team of orange-clad
Freds to a victorious score of 19 points,
glorification of competition i n the W h i t e
u t i l i z i n g b r o w n clubs w h i c h they tossed
Skit. I n the Blue skit , we see a decadent
to the side like batons.
Bed Rock City, i n w h i c h beloved heroes
Fred (senior M o r g an KurilofD and
The only Blue team w i t h t w o j u n i o r
Barney (senior Rich Imperatore) find
captains performed next to continue
themselves i n competition to keep t h e i r the streak of 19 points. Juniors Sade
jobs. The mayor claims t h a t he must
DaCosta and A m a n d a McPhatter led
fire one of the two workers because his
a team of 11, the greatest number of
divorce from Princess Fiona, a clever participants i n one dance on Blue and
plot tie to the W h i t e skit , has left h i m the second greatest of the evening. The
w i t h o u t the resources to employ two
dance used step choreography, and lik e
workers.
several other teams, closed t h e i r dance
We see coinpetition between t h e two by f a l l i n g down.
as adversarial and d e t r i m e n t a l to t h e i r
The last dance of the n i g h t was led
friendship as opposed to the healthy by captains senior Stephanie Seeman
sense of competition between Shrek and
and j u n i o r JuUet Dachowitz as the Bed
the Prince. The r i f t is eventually closed
Rockin' Bsim-Bams. The dance opened
by the remarriage of t h e mayor and w i t h Seeman carried Dachowitz on her
Princess Fiona, an imeven yet satisfying back. The t e a m received a score of 17
close to epic. The team earned j u s t one points.
point higher t h a n t h e i r W h i t e Team
New to the n i g h t was a finale t h a t
counterparts, however, w i t h a score of involved every dancer. The spectacle
26 points.
highlighted the clips of songs t h a t had
The Blue dance teams had, on been used most frequently t h a t n i g h t
average, fewer dancers. The Yabba i n c l u d i n g "Low" by Flo Rida, w h i c h was
used foiu- times d u r i n g the evening,
Dabba Dinos, led by seniors K e l l y Fahey
" C r a n k T h a t " by Soulja Boy, used
and Alexandra Schwartz, scored an 18.
twice, " W h a t Are You W a i t i n g For" by
The Whaddup Wilma's followed, led
Gwen Stefani, used twice and the same
by seniors Erica Fagelman and W i l l a
Jones. The dance utilize d s p i r i t people opening i n s t r u m e n t a l from "Calabria "
seniors Sidny Ginsberg and A m a n d a by Rune w h i c h was used a record five
Grieco, who hyped u p the crowd i n times. The n i g h t also celebrated Blue's
victory by offering attendees ice cream
W i l m a costumes by cheering and
doing backfhps, respectively. The team i n the cafeteria.
received a n overall score of 17 points..