Issue 2: December

ol.17, No.2, December2001
•
ass1·c
Townsend Harris High School at Queens College
149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367
First Amendment ideals prevail:
School wins award for freedOm of express,ion
by Daniel Bloch
Honoring Townsend Harris's upholding of the principles of the First
Amendment, a committee composed of
four scholastic journalism organizations
and the Freedom Forum presented
Townsend Harris with the Let Freedom
Ring award for the second year in a row.
Representatives from the Columbia
Scholastic Press Association (CSPA),
Journalism Education Association
(JEA), National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), the International Quill
and Scroll Society and the Freedom
Forum, a foundation dedicated to free
speech, recognized Townsend and nine
other high schools from across the country at a ceremony on November 8 at the
Sheraton Hotel in Boston.
"I felt wonderful when I heard that
we won [for the second time],"-said a
beaming
Principal
Thomas
Cunningham, who accepted the award
on behalf of the school community. ''I'm
a big believer that responsible journalism should be the norm for every
school."
High schools nationwide were eligible for a Let Freedom Ring award, instituted in 2000. Applicant schools completed detailed questionnaires concerning their attitudes toward First Amendment values, as illustrated by their
school publications and policies.
Lois Polansky, advisor to the school
yearbook, Crimson and Gold, said she
"felt very proud of us." "As an advisor
of a school publication, I know how hard
it is to really maintain all the principles
involved in the First Amendment," she
explai·ned. "I am grateful that the administration gives me and the students that
flexibility."
"It is a privilege that we \¥On such an
award," added English teacher Farah
Khan, who serves as the advisor to the
Founder's .Day ceremon·y
literary magazine, The Phoenix.
Alumnus from the class of 1990
David Herszenhorn, former Editor-inChief of The Classic and currently areporter for the Metropolitan Desk at The
New York Times, noted some of the
unique qualities that make Harris a First
Amendment High School. "The unfortunate reality is that students inAmerica
do not have full press freedoms," he
said. "There are only a few places where
the principal and the staff at a school
have publicly embraced the reality that
to be the best educators they can be, they
have an obligation tQ afford their students press free~oms apd to teach them
how to use their freedoms."
Standing in the principal's conference room beside its twin from the year
before, the 200 I Let Freedom Ring
award is made of clear glass and on the
front is etched: "For protecting and respecting First Amendment freedoms."
The award's arrival is timely, noted
lisa Cowen, advisorofThe Classic . "In
the aftermath of September II, the First
Amendment has become a burning issue as the country seeks to Jind a balan.c e betwee.n . fostering security and
maintaining our cherished constitutional
rights," she said.
"At Townsend Harris, students have
the ~pportunity to learn about those
rights first-hand. The school is truly a
place where, to use the terminology of a
1969 Supreme Court decision, First
Amendment rights do not stop at the
'schoolhoijse gate,"' she continued.
·w \hen the award was pla'ied in his
hands on November 8, Mr. O ,mn.ingham
held it up in front of the approximately
I ,000 audience members because he is
"proud of what it signifies, and of the
hard work and effort put into keeping
both our school and our school newspaper bast'ions of freedom ."
S.imulation"'mirrors city ele·ction;
mourns tragedy, offers hope Bloomberg squeaks out victory
rumors ... that it's not going to be as good
by Tina Wu
Founder's Day featured the theme of as the past because the times have
"Heroes All." The annual event held at changed. Well, times have changed, and
Colden Auditorium on October 26 took we're here .. .to celebrate that change and
to deal with that
notice of the many
change," she said.
changes in everyPrincipal Thoone's lives since
mas Cunningham
September II while
not only observed
continuing to emthe changes since
brace the Townsend
the World Trade
Harris traditions .
Center attack and
The event opened
the losses of the
with Assistant PrinTownsend Harris
cipal of Humanities
community, but
Lynne Greenfield
also praised the
speaking
about
school's resilFounder's Day and
ience.
"These
its importance in
..c::
]
events will not de"showing off who
r./1
... ter us from our due
we are, where we've
<E
·a
ties," he said. Mr.
been, [and] where
" Cunningham ex~
we're going." She
;>,
.D
pressed his pride
also noted the special
0
0
in the "vibrant, ...
..c::
meaning of this
c..
eager, creative and
year's Founder's Fireman Matt Heffernan addressed the
Continued on p. 11
Day. "We heard Townsend Harris student body and faculty.
"We were disappointed by our defeat
by Karen Hendershot
Victorious i.n both the real election because we thought we all did a good
and tbis year's election simulation, Re- job and put in a l0t Qf effort. We really
tried to reach out to
publican
Mike
the und~rclassmen
Bloomberg emerged
and \\-\ere surprised by
as the new mayor of
the huge margin with
New York City, dethe sophomores," said
feating his opponent
senior Anna Olson,
Mark Green by a
who played a Green
small margin. The
campaign
staffer in
businessman and methe
simulation.
dia mogul won 50.4%
This year's mock
of 1.3 million votes
New York City
cast citywide in the
Mayoral Campaign,
actual election, beat..c::
the sixth annual
ing Public Advocate
]
election
simulation in
Green by approxir./1
...
~
Townsend
Harris
mately 40,000 votes.
a
history,
got
off
to a
In the simulation, Mr.
"
~
;>,
rocky
start,
facing
Bloomberg won by a
.D
B
delays brought on by
slim 37 votes, thanks
0
..c::
c..
the World" Trade
mainly to the sopho~
Energizing
the
crowd
at
a
rally,
Center
attacks and
more class which
Kristofer.De Paola, senior, portrayed
programming
gave the mayor-elect a the role of Mayor-J;:Iect Michael
Continued' on p. 11
significant majority of Bloomberg during th is year 's election
their votes .
simulation.
r-
Newest Clubs
Page4
College Stats
Pages 8-9
Movie and CD
Reviews
Page 10
' Sports
Pages 14-16
The Classic
2
Bloomberg ·must reflect our new priorities
December 2001
-
If the events of the past two months have taught us anything, it has been to take our blankets; we have not and will not be trapped within our grief. When a Januout the garbage, even when we know it is our sister's turn to do it. Or maybe it has ary northeaster dumps two feet of snow, what happens? First, we start the process
taught us the importance of talking with our parents about our day for a few more of digging ourselves out. Even as the snow continues to fall, we trudge out and
minutes than usual, even if we have a test to cram for and a paper to write . One of begin brushing off our cars and salting our sidewalks. It is our instinct to recover.
But we must recuperate with our new priorities in place. Mr. Bloomberg must
the most vital bits of emotional fallout that has settled on our lives since September II is the value of putting things into perspective. We can only hope our new take the lead and be the first to get rid of the partisan garbage. Our mayor has to
work directly and confidently with the entire city to assure recovery. Only then
mayor learns this lesson quickly and well.
Sadly, the worth of this realization completely evaded Mike Bloomberg and his will our skyline shine as majestically as it once did.
rival Mark Green in this year's mayoral race. Instead of prioritizing the issues to
provide relief for a bruised city, both candidates dumped political trash all over
each other, resorting to mudslinging and name-calling in an effort to win the attention (and votes) of New Yorkers . If only Mr. Green and Mr. Bloomberg had realized how untimely their politics-as-usual behavior was.
With the destruction of the World Trade Center, New Yorkers have lost their
patience for pettiness. The events of September II have made us realize that time
cannot be regained; therefore, the ego trips and vague pledges that pervaded the
200 1 mayoral r:ice were particularly intolerable. One would think that the two
men who ~anted to-leaq
city through its dimmest hour would have known
·
better.
'
Our cityscape has changed too horribly and · too suddenly. With the election
now over, New Yorkers can only hope that their next mayor remembers the neces- sities of humility and clear-headedness. Now, more than ever, is the time to recognize the problems our city faces and, more importantly, to work in unison to mend
the cracks and fill in the holes. To mayor-elect Bloomberg we say: Put your
partisan creed on the shelf for a while and work with all your neighbors to make
our blocks safer and playgrounds and parks cleaner. Roll up your sleeves and
combat the' bureaucracy and inefficiency that are causing our schools to ·fail and
our students artd •teaohers· to become tlrsillusioned. And, above all, help us to repair our .fra'ctuted economy and further provide for New Yorkers most affected by
the September assaults.
New Yorkers now realize their vulnerability; they now know that even their
famously resilient skins can be cut and can bleed. But we have not hidden under
'our
letters to
A--ch.a.nce t.o -,l:au.gh
To the Editor:
I am a graduate of Townsend Harris
and am now attending Tufts University.
Part of Tufts' core curriculum is to take
English I, a class that refines your writing skills, and is taught in a seminar format. The ourrent unit we are reading and
writing about is schools in the United
·States. For homework, we were told to
read the essay "What High School Is,"
by Theodore R. Sizer. The discussion in
class the next day was how this essay
compared to each of our high school experiences. In a class of 16, about 14
people could say that their high school
experience was very similar, if not exactly the same as, the one described in
the essay.
Sizer followed a junior boy around a
high school in an unnamed place, The
essay talked about things like a mari- ·
juana deal in the hallway, doing math
homework in his Englis-h class,
cheerleading, and an assembly where no
one paid attention ... Sizer gave the
reader the impression that the teachers
did not care about what the students
were doing, and that the students in return were apathetic about school.
With the tragic events of September II and the more recent plane crash of Flight
587 in the Rockaways, there is a.need to escape these trying times and find chances
to enjoy ourselves whenever we can. It is this feeling that caused many students to
be disappointed with this year's Founders Day. This traditional ceremony is something t~at many look forward to with great anticipation as an opportunity to unwind, escape stress, and most importantly, laugh.
Although it is essential to cope with these events that have impacted our lives
and our natiW\, :it js, ~nderstandable that some students felt they needed to escape
their worriesl .and
_s<J.PJlt<S~ on a.day' that istradrtionally hum0roi.ts. While the per.·
.•.
• .,
'
...
formances tried to strike a balance between' the serious and the funny, the usual
song parodies were nqt performed and there were fewer comedic pieces than there
have been in the past. In addition, the majority of the speakers expressed their
feelings regarding the tragic events in their speeches. Many students said they kft
Colden Auditorium with a depressed feeling, as opposed to the usual happiness
that Founders Day brings.
The school did, however, try to add extra elements of fun and humor to this
year's Spirit Week. There were two surprise Karaoke Days, and even though Halloween Dress-Up Day was cancelled by order<:ifthe Boatd ofEducation; the school
rescheduled it for the following Mmiday. It is very important to take advantage of .
all oppor~nities pre's ented to :us so we ·can· achieve a healthy balance between
coping with ihe· world 'arourid us and escaping our concerns from time to time by
laughing, having run, and spending time with family and friends.
The Classic would like to present all students and faculty with a new opportunity to engage the school community with humor. Please get together, make up,
and submit any funny song parodies or other humorous pieces that are on an appropriate topic to The Classic .. The best ones will be selected and fJrinted in the
next issue. In this time of sadness, it is essential for us to seek the silly and find
·
happiness in humor. ·
.
·\
t.
Daniel Bloch
Allison Slotnick
Co-Editors-in-Chief
Jamie Gullen
Feature Editor
Jennifer Gong
·Sarah Schnee
· Co-News Editors
News Staff: Lily Chu, Bi.!th Ouhin, Akshta Kalla, Bry:ul Kirschcl1, Steven ~1.!. Sh:at-:1 Siegel
Feature
Arianna C Freyre, Swvic
Binshh:yn, Marh) Duhlin,
Nadia Kahnauth, K;1ti.c Kugim. Syhil Knllappallil, Tcrmm.:l:
Umara Saleem, Ann M~1rgilrct Santa-lncs, Rad1cl Schiffman. K;1thcrinc Shi, Ben Straus!';. Tina Wu
Rachel Acusta, Stephen Berger. Carulin:1 Ch;mg, Chloe Ch:l\l, Jnsh f,,x,
Ed'itor
I told my class that my high school
experience was not even remotely like
the one we had just read about. My class
said that this was impossible; high
schools are all the same. I decided, in. stead.of arguing with them, to ask them
how many of them knew their school
song. A few did, but most didn't. I followed this by reciting to them the Ephebic Oath (which I still know by heart).
My class, to say the least, was shocked.
And, while I did get some questions like;
"Are you sure you went to high school
and did not join a cult?," most people
were sufficiently impressed.
I know that this sounds like probably
one of the "dorkiest" things someone
can do, but wha_t I've really learned
quickly here at Tufts is that I have a
much better background and work ethic
than most of my friends. The fact is that
as much as some weeks are incredibly
stressful here (I am an Engineering major), it isn't as much work as THHS.
THHS is a totally different high school
experience, but that does not mean th:;1.t
this is a bad thing. I promise.
-Emily Rubinstein, Class of 'OJ
Letters continued· on page 3
Townsend Harris High School at Queens College
149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, N.Y. 11367
The Classic is an open forum for the expression of
student views. The opinions expressed therein should
not be taken to represent those of the administration
or faculty or student body as a whole.
Ely.sc Lcc,Taly:1 Lichcm1an
DianeTiao
Entertainment Editor
Steven Lee
Kerry Purtell
Emily Rivlin-Nadler.
Ashley Pillsbury
Editor
N;~taliy;~
Sports Staff:
Assistant News Editor
Ph~tography
lsrou~Jian.
Jennifer Bhuiy:m.
Angela Hom
Karen Hender~hot
Art Editors
Bcr~cr,
Managing Editor
Jessica Wang
William Yang
Jessica
L01i, Lina Lee, Linda Luu, Christina Munnz, Amm Ohon,Jimn:athan Pas;111a, Sunayn:a R:1mdco,
Assistant Feature Editor
Copy/Online Editor
Staff:
th~ e
s ·p<>rts Editor
Artists·
Amy Blauncr, Beth Duhin, Annie L:~u, Duris Onc~a. Ra~.:hcl Sc.:hiiTm:m. Emm:~
Xi:ul, Stcph;mh! Zap;1la
Photography Staff: Jtlhn Btmcta, Gltlri:l Chi, K.tvccta
Kirschner, Hill:ary Humlcr, Janlic Liu, Linh Ly,
Laur;~ N~.
Layout Staff: Pamela Ch;m, Matthew Kaufman, K:a(ic
lisa Cowen
David Belsky
Advisor
Layout Editor
Online· Staff: . Wa4as Shaikh
Dcs;~i,
Jamie Gullen, Matthew
Shara Siegel. Jennifer Sheth
Ko~an
Readers are invited to submit letters to the editor.
Letters should be placed in Ms. Cowen 's mailbox in
the general oftice. The Classic reserves the right to
edi! all letters. Letters must include name and ofticial
class. Names will be withheld upon request.
Principal - Thomas Cunningham
-
The Classic
3
December 2001
Anthrax:· Know_the facts
by Angela Hom
tion of the problem again and taminated meat, he or she may ·
A sprinkle of white powder again to the exclusion of any- experience stomach pains,
is stuck to the outside of an en- thing else going on in the world vomiting, diarrhea, and fever.
velope . .Is it sugar from the creates a heightened sense of Antibiotics can also treat this,
and the death rate of untreated
mailman 's breakfast donut? Is anxiety," she said.
it plaster dust that drifted over
To ease fears, it is important cases is 25% to 60%.
from a neighbor's construction to know that anthrax is not conThe rarest way of contract- _
project? Or is it anthrax in its tagious. A person can only con- ing anthrax is also the deadlidormant spore form? America's tract anthrax by coming into est. Inhaled spores settle in the
latest crisis is not only situated direct coritac't with some IUJ1gs and may' take up to 60
abroad in Afghanistan, but also spores. It is a disease c-aused by days to become -active. Two
at home in post offices and · a bacterium that grows in the leading scientific journals remail rooms across the country, · soiL Since sheep, cows, horses, cently released analyses of I0
and the enemy is named Bacil- and goats sometimes eat it, this cases of inhalation anthrax.
Ius anthracis.
disease used to be mainly lim- They explained that it is diffiThis disease is a source of ited to those who worked with . cult to recognize this type of anfear for many, since it was dis- · livestock or livestock products. thrax because many of its _
covered to be travelling by the When the bacteria is not active, symptoms are like those of
United States Postal Service, a it forms hard-shelled spores, "common respiratory and gasmajor means of communication and goes into hibernation until trointestinal illnesses," accordfor the country. The American it can once again find ideal liv- ing to a November 18 editorial
in the New York Times.
government is urging people to ing conditions. .
stay calm, however, and has
There are three ways anIf left untreated, difficulty in is then high. Chest X-rays were \nclude penicillin, tetracycline,
sent out a postcard with ames- _ thrax can be contracted. The breathing follows, caused by a taken of the 10 inhalation an- doxycycline, and Cipro. The
sage on "How to Handle Sus- most common is through skin build up of toxins released by thrax patients. According to the most popular is Cipro, but acpicious Mail" to all households. infection. The spores can enter the bacteria, and then death oc- New York Times editorial, one corqing to Time, magazine, it
Vijaya Varadarajan, junior, is through cuts, blisters, or other curs. There is a 90% death rate revealing sign fo.und in the X- .sho\lld only t)e used if a person
complying
with '
the breaks in the skin. A rash ap- from untreated c~ses-. Howev,er, rays is a "widenjng,ofthe. space bas beell' ex,posed-to .a strain of
government's request to remain pears wtthin two days.. The the disease is curable ifcaught lie tween the lungs and fluid , .the disease that has been geneti~
calm."We should only be on the bumps progress to form blis- early enough. Antibiotics are around the lungs." It goes on to cally mutated to r:esist the other
al~rt for [anthrax], ... not
ters, which turn black. This only effective if they are taken comment that "the anafyses of antibiotics. No vaccine is curalarmed [by it]," she said. How- ferm of anthra~ is 20% fatal in a few days after infection.
this admittedly small sample rently available to the public.
ever, Susan Brustein, Assistant untreated cases. Antibiotks can
With the help of laboratory leave one with the encoura-ging
However, too much of a
Principal of Science, thinks it effectively cure it
tests and clinical examinations, impression that anthrax attacks good thing can be bad. As
is hard not to fear the disease
A second way to contract signs of anthrax can be found can be successfully . G<?Untered . _Shebif:lg Shtm,_biol<?gy teacher,
because of the media's cover- anthrax is via ingestion. If a at an early ~tage, when the po~; ; : by.th~ll!~~if-41 prof~~sjo.n." .-. · :: ·p~ntl' <;)u£,J~tt~oye..~umens -·<~
-Antibiotics to treat anthrax.
~
Continued on p. 11
age of it. "Tpeir sheer r~peti- person eats ~nder~ooked, con- sibility of 'sticcessful treatment
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Arist~
welcomes inductees;
says good-bye to advisor
by Rachel Schiffman
The annual Arista Induction ceremony on December 6
at Colden Auditorium at
Queens College-not only hon"
ored the inductees, but also celebrated former Arista advisor,
Margaret Landry. After serving ·
as the Arista Advisor for eight
years, she is ·stepping down.
Ms. Landry was presented with
tlowers for her years of commitment by the new Arista ad. visor, Mariet D'Souza. Jennifer
Sheth, junior, is sad to see Ms.
Landry leave as. Arista advisor
because she has done so much
for the society.
Throughout the ceremony
there were speeches from prin- .
cipal Thomas Cunningham; the
Parent-Teacller Association copresidents, Daphne Manhart
and Joseph Dubowski; and
Queens College liaison, Dr.
Marvin Leiner. Arista President, Laura Kim, along with
Maryann Tan, secretary; Susan
Cheng, 2nd Year Vice-Presi~
dent; Susan Chang, treasurer;
and Marina Polyakova, 3rd
Year Vice-President, each lit a
candle that represented a quality an Arista member should
possess: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. ·
'Eskimo Luau' guestd(3_nce
receives hot/cold reactions
Letters to the
Following the candle lighting
ceremony, Assistant Principal by JenJtifer Bhuiyan .
-·; , :upon first h~aripgttiatonly,one, .
·Editor.,· -Palm trees and new. fa<;es- · d~ejay - was scheduted.tq appefl~ .. . , .. , . , .. -· . . . -. _., . , _,
of Pupil Personnel Services,
at .the.Kick-OffMixer
Joan Walsh, administered the · filled the ·gymnasi\lm at the. . becau~e
.
' . .
. ..
. .. ,., ' . Continued from p: 2 ' ·
. .
.. .
,
'induction pledge . She was winter guest dance on Decem- -. there were two·. .·
Ashley McFarlane, freshTo the Editor: ' ·
joined by the Arista Board, 1st be~ 7 from 7:00-9:30 prri. The
man,Jelt the dance should have ·
hvould like to take this
Year Vice-President, Eimear . theme was "Eskimo Luau."
Amongst the paper palm had two deejays: "The environopportunity to commend
McDermott~ and faculty members Harry RaHien, Assistant trees hanging from basketball ment of having two deejays . Ms . .lisa Cowen, and the
editor~. and writers of The
Principal of Mathematics; hoops, students and their guests playing in separa~e rooms
Classic for the special ediWanda Nix, Dean; Miriam danced to a wide .variety of would give ,everyone more
tion d~:voted, tp the World
Zambrano, Assistant Principal · inusic. Some expresse~ concero . roo.m .to qan<;e. instead :of.hav: ;
ing to ,bump jn.t o someone : .·Trfl<!e' _G;<enter ,tra~eAy . .
Continued on p. 13
els-e,'~ she said. · Dianne. Seo, . , WNJe rel?or~ing; .t,hi~ tr"g- freshman, · disagreed .with _ ~dy, yqu cove~ed the, specAshley: "I don't understand> trumofour reactions, from .
why everyone believes having
our first h~aring what hapone deejay is so bad. So far, I've _ pen eo to our uniting. You
The All-City Qrchestra appointed freshman -yiolinist
been having a great time and
did it aiL
Sharon Lim as Concert Master for the 200l-2002 school
The Letters to the· Edi~ __
ypu can tell others are.• too," .. ,
year. Junior Demie· Komma~s, who plays the oboe, is a
Senate.cJasses had been~on~
tor showed a very dlve,rsi- ·
part ofthe orchestra as well as ~he All-City Concert Band.
suited regarding the theme, and
fied opinion , on how to
Junior Susan Cheng, a tlutist, is also a member of the
the senators had then voted for ·
handle what happened. It
Concert Band. Seniors Stephanie Lew and Jennifer
. which one they thought would
wa.s interesting to read the
Bartlett play the clarinet for the All-City Marching Banq.
manyopinions offered by
be best.The ''Eskimo Luau"
Sophomore Amy Ortega is a soprano in the All-City Cho- ·
decorations, however, didn't
the staff and student body.
rus.
1-- appeal to everyone; Freshmar.
The United States is one
Jennifer Shi, alumna from the class of 200 I, is the recipi~
of the Jew places where
Hyon-Jin Chong said, "Tonight
ent of the 2001 GE Fund Global -STAR Scholarship. In
I arrived expecting an 'Eskimo , such journalism can take
additionto winning money for herself, she also earned a
Luau.' All. I saw when I walked
'place, .Keep up the good
$500 grant for Townsend Harris.
work to protect our First
into the gym was a couple of
Jessica Polish, sophomore, and Claudia Chiu, senior, won
paper palm trees. practically
Amendment rights.
scholarships in the Japanese Language Program's "Study
falling off the basketball hoops
-Rosemary Von Ohlen,
Tour of Japan" contest. They received a ten-day trip to
and probably two or three·
·_ School Aide ·
Japan lastJuly.
people w.ith Hawaiian shirts,"
{
Briefly ... .-
~·:
-'
4
The Classic
·
December 2001
New club.;p·ro.motes
joy=of classical m.u·sic
.....
Bibliophiles meet bi-weekly
to
share~ zest
-\
by Tina Wu
fotrner is trying to tell . I feel that I would by Talya Lieberman
About 15 girls sat comfortably in th~
The Chamber Music Club, a new af- like to make an effort, however small,
ter-school activity promoting the appre- to try to give back that same sense of Student Activioffice,
ciation of classical music, started its joy I feel when I hear music to the people ties
regular meetings on November 21, who will listen to my club perform,"said munching on
some·cookies on
,
200 I. Advised by English teacher Debra Jessica.
Michelwitz, the club · welcomes
Once the club becomes an on-going Monday, OctoHarrisites to enjoy and perform the.clas" · · activity, members hope to use their mu- ber 22, at 7:15
sical pieces of such composers as Bach, sic to help others. They look forward to a.m. Members of
!fandel, and Beethoven on Wednesdays · performing in .small concerts, charging the Book Advoat 2:45 in room 236. The club also aims a fee for the· tickets; the proceeds will cation Moveto use music as a medium to donate to be donatedto various charities. In this ment Club, also
society. Members "hope people will find way, the club will be able to "assist known as BAM,
[the club] a relaxing, rewarding, ,and re- . people in ways that music cannot do had officially
· started their first
freshing experienc~," said . sopt;Jomore "' .direetly,': m;cording to Jessica.
Jessica Polish, club.' founde~ an~.pre;f_. •·: · lhe clubhm;'alre~dy hel,d ~bake sale. meetirig. They
· · ·.
.. ·
·'The-proceeds will pay for sheet music, will continue to
dent.
Designed for the classical music , folders, listening aids and other needed meet bi-weekly
on
Monday
performer, the c.lub is open to all supplies.
Harrisites with previous experience with
"Many times we forget that music mornings, alterthe flute, oboe, French horn, clarinet, isn't always about competition and ad- nating with Artrumpet, violin, cello, viola, and piano. vancement, but rather it is a form of chon, the service
"When I hear some~ne perform, my expr,ession that allows us to understand honor society.
A small wel~ood can bt; <;hangesl, . and can take that people truly share more similarities
coming talk by
co~rag~
fr<;>~,
the
.Wiry,
~h,ich
t~e
·
P.
t
<~than
differences,"
said
Jessica.
:
· '
d
.... .
, · , .,
• ..
.
I,
..-· . ·
co-presidents Katherine Seid and Sharon
. '
! •t' \ : : . ' . i - ~ ~.I
Chin, juniors, emphasized the idea thanhis
club is "for your own enjoyment," and not
something to be stressed over or seen as a
burden. The meetings will consist of disby Allison Slotnick
Through the discussions at the meet- cussions of the books selected, and perhaps
It is Monday afternoon and a group ings, Jessica hopes to "expand people's writing a few book reviews. ·
of students sit huddled around a televi'- knCiwledge ·Of the culture of Japan and
.Index cards were then passed around,
sion in'ro'Oin' 4 ')). \Vnttihl'ng ctirtooninin<t other Asb:n tountries.'' By watching an on which the members stated the genre they
disCuss\t\·g ·what' tfreY~ve '.Viewed': , ..,•'' ., · episode 'ofanlme: studehts can learn 'a rr~fe·~ a~d suggested a ·o~o( .coordi~at~r
,... · 1 Tht! : shoWs ~u . . . J(~.: ) ; · r > · .·· .; . .· l i., r, ~~- ., . , ·.>· .) {=- "' ,,_, ·' ./ .. , ':)
1 · ·: :j ..
or Student Activities (COSA) Adam
are ariime, and '·
Storiehill, the club's advisor, .was the first
the students
suggested Interpreter of
to chime in.
are part of the
Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, a collection of
new Anime
short stories about South Asian immigrants
Club.
in the United States.
The club is
run by'a' group· ·
r
·~
I
·•
l
'.
~
\. ' )', • : (
~
.•
:
!)
• ! .
'
;: : :
, ,
Art of anime links cultures
He
of '>
for reading
Katherine threw in the idea of reading
books that had been adapted into movies.
"You always
see good movies, and then
everyone tells
you how the
book is even
better," she
said. Based on
this, everyone
agreed to read
The Hobbit,
the basis for
the upcoming
movie Lord of
the Rings.
Quite impressed by
their choice,
Mr. Stonehi II
said that he
"never expected a group .
of girls to pick
science-fiction for their first book!" After
some discussion, however, the group had a
change of heart and, following a suggestion by another member, decided to read Tht
Cider House Rules, by John Irving.
"But this isn't just aboutbooks," claimed
Sharon. Among the activities planned for
BAM is a Book-a-Thon fundraiser where
each member will be expected to read, as
tit~c"h
rossibie: Fharging suggested
pnce of! 0 cents for every 20 pages read. A.
book drive might take place as well.
The members of BAM encourage
one who enjoys reading to indulge their
bibliophilic spirits and join. They promise
fun and a fulfilling year of reading.
as
a
'any-
Budding actors find new _h ome
·sopho~ "'
mores ·:'' ·Ti I'Hi ~ •'.
Wu, president;
by Jessica Wang
tation, the first half hour of each meetJ e s s i c· a
Aspiring actors and others with an . ing is planned to be a session where
interest In performing now have· a ha- . members can feel free to talk about their
Grodzki and
D e v i n
.· ven where they can express themselves theater experiences and to share other
Sugameli, cocreatively: the Drama Club. The group ideas. "We don't want to be leaders or
vice-presimeets on Wednesday afternoons in teachers. The other members will have
dents; Aida Ana Branez, secretary, ana great deal aboutAsian culture, much Rooni 413, advised by social studies a' lot of say," said Elizabeth.
Cindy KwaA, treasurer: Charlene t.evi, · _ more than one might"suspect' possible teacher Charlene Levi.
Before founding the Drama Club,'
social 'stu<ile:s teacher,' serves as advisor; · from viewin'g a carto'on~ There are marty
The Drama Club is open to both ex-. both Emily and Elizabeth were active
As Jessic·a puts it, the chib' ''is a juint' layers to each episode, including both perienced actors and to people who have participants in SING!, the annual comeffort among friends. We all had a part ail entertainment and educational value. never acted before . Senior Emily petition between the grades to produce
in the creation."
"Ani me is more than just form of en- Fishbaine, co-president of the club, said, the best performance.
At a typical meeting, students watch tertainment; it is also a reflection of the "I really encourage anyone who has an
"SING! was the only opportunity for
an anime episode for about 20 minutes society and people that it entertains," interest in drama to show up. There's people interested in dramatics to act, and
and then have an open discussion of Tina claims.
no training and no experience required ... itonly lasts for two months. We thought
just interest."
what they viewed. Students "are encourit was important to have a c'lub that alM~my may be unaware of exactly
aged to discuss different cultural aspects what sets anime apart from other carEmily and her co-president, Eliza" lowed those people to a'ct all year
ofJapan and see how those aspects com- toons. The Japanese animation is "of- beth Renieris, also a senior., hope to give round," said Elizabeth. Emily also
pare and contrast with customs in ten associated with big eyes and exag- the club a solid start so that' it will con- pointed out that SING was musical theAmerica," Tina said. Despite the fact gerated expressions," according to Tina. tinue after they graduate. Possible ac- . ater, and added, "A lot of people love to
that the episodes watched are dubbed Rather than just being characterized as tivities for the year include attending a act, but don't necessarily love to sing and
over in English, Tina has seen yers ions a cartoon or a genre, Jessica sees it as a Broadway or off-Broadway play, send- dance. In Drama Club, they can just
in their original, Japanese form and de- completely "separate type of entertain- ing members to professional auditions, focus on acting." Still, Emily and Elizascribes them as "being artistically ment."
and producing an 9riginal work, writ- beth want to encourage all club memappealing ... filled with well-developed
bers to join SING and will make the
If anyone wants to learn about ani me ten and performed by club members.
characters and cultural themes." The outside of the new club, there is an enMeetings will take place four times . club's schedule flexible enough so that
discussion held after the anime view- tire "subculture on the Internet ... an over- a month, with a cycle of activities. The Drama Club members can do so.
ing is essentially an open arena for stu- whelming amount of information, ... even first week will be devoted to mono"We want the club to have fun," said
dents to explore cultural differences
entire websites devoted to th'e analysis logues, the second to scenes, the third Emily: "We want it to be a place where
well as express their general opini,ons of just one character," according to Jes- to auditions, and the fourth to theater you'll want to be, a place you'll enjoy
of the ani me.
and playwriting. In addition to this ro- coming to."
sica.
a
as
"-
-
1~~
~
.
The. Classic
·~
· ~~~~
f
December 2001
5
· ·
Ki.ck-offcmixer moves to new lo.cale
by Rachel Schiffman
. school building, that did not put a empty and one room always crowded," leadership team, and student senators
Deejays spun tracks and dancers damper on the highly anticipated event. said junior Amy Patel. Junior Kevin helped to make sure that the dance progrooved in both the gymnasium and caf- "At first, I didn't like the idea of having Wallenstein concurred and said lhat it gressed in an organized and efficient
eteria at this year's Kick-Off Mixer on · the Mixer in school," said senior Kristin was "crazy because they [faculty mem- manner. All bags and outer garments
Friday, October 12. This year's dance Castle, "but having it in two rooms made
could not take place in the Student it lots of funbecause if you didn't like
Union building on the Queens College the music in one room, you could easily
campus, as it traditionally has, because go to another. It was a great Mixer beof scheduling problems.
cause of the music."
Although holding the Mixer within
People who did not feel .like dancing
the school was more economical than were able to .go outside to the open
renting a room on campus, many stu- courtyard adjacent to the cafeteria,
dents still want to have next.year's Kick- which provided a place for free refresh- .
Off Mixer in the traditional Student ments and an opportunity to play hac key
Union Building. "I had fun at this year's sack and chess. "I played hac key sack
Mixer, but I always enjoyed having the which made it the best mixer ever," said
first dance of the year outside of the senior Dante! Wallenstein. ''The court- ,
school building," said junior Jennifer yard was cool because you didn't have
Sheth."Having the Mixer in the Student to· stay inside the building and dance,"
Union building sets it apart from other said junior Emma Xiao.
With raving., grinding and using
dances and makes it more appealing .to .
all grades, especially thefreshrrien,;, she . glowsticks, students were able to relieve
Seniors Mary Pipinias, Emily Fishbaine, Eiizabeth Renieris and Amanda BJancke enjoy
said.
their daily stress and socialize withtheir
their last mixer.
."I was worried that having the Mixer peers,
·
in school would notallow the grades to ·
Some students found the entire ar~
.
mix," said juniorAngelYau, "but once rangement of the Mixer perplexing, ''I· bers] kept inspeCting our shoes to make ' were:checked in and students were '
I was there, I saw everyone just having. · was confused because I could never find · sure that we were wearing sneakersin checked for proper :Townsen.d Harris·
.
fun and dancing." .
.• my friends. There was always a mass the gym.''.
identification cards before entering d1e
Although many upperch1ssmerrwere migration of people from one room to
In spite of the confusion, faculty dance. Tickets for .the Mixer were sold
leery abouthaving the Mixer in the theother; leaving one room always members, · security guards, .the school ·· for $5 in school and $6 at the door.
'
Delayed·HaUoweenwraps upSplrit Week
by Jennifer Gong
This year's Halloween celebration
was postponed to November 5, creating
an eventful ending to Spirit Week; which
was originally supposed to end on October 31.
After the Board qf Education banned
costume wearing ill an schools on Hal~ ··
loween,PrincipaiThorrias Cunningham
called Chancellor Harold 0. Levy for .
approval to move the costume .day to the
tollowingMonda:y as a''moraie builder"
for the school community.
.
. Tht< main... .reason Chancellor
.Levy
.
.
.
· did not allow New York City pub! ic high
school students to wear costumes was
the possibility o.f strangers entering
schools wearing masks and disguises. ·.
The school board had to have a ''heightened sense of . awareness," said
Mr.Cunningham. "[It was done] to be
on the safe side.''
Many students were disappointed
and were left (o Wonder aboutthe rea~
soning behind the sudden cancellation,
which · was announced the day before
Halloween . .Others brushed it off and
dressed up subtly anyway. On October
31, junior Johnson Chong sported an
army shirr and camoutlaged pants as a
commando soldier, but didn'·t wear face
paint as he had previously planned . .
Excitement and the spirit of Halloween Dress-Up Day was displayed during lunch bands on Monday, November
5, It consisted of three major components: surprise karaoke, the annual costume .contest and a new mummy-wrapping contest, in which students were
wrapped in toilet paper and judged on
who did the nicest job. Winners of the
two'competitions received pizza as their
prize. All activities were sponsored by
the Student Union. ·
-
. The patriotic Spirit Week kicked ott their elementary scnool days and dress and a winner was chosen for each indi. the same way it ended; with surprise Up in either pajama~ Of TJ1l,S.'Jl~tth,eq vidu~J $~a?e; p~igil')a,ll:(thep~iZC;;· ~~S
karaoke ·during :lunch bands ·qn Thurs" clothes. SophomoreSarah.Hochi'ad de- .either. a. one~m·onth elevator pl\ss pr,:a.
day,, October 18.Many .students rushed scribed .the day as "a good excuse to · $3(1 gift certificate of tbe .win;ner's
.
choice. Howev.er, Coordinator of Stu" .
· up 'to the front of the cafeteria to sing · come to school inyour PJs.'~
their favorit.e tunes. Some chose songs ·
Milk and cookies were dis·tributed dentActivities(COSA)AdamStonehill
such as "New York, New York'' and during lunch bands whilesomestudents . did not clearthe request of an elevator,
"Hero'~to exhibit their patriotism,while went outside to the courtyard tG]U111P pass wifhthe~ guid~nce department, so
others sang ''AreYoti That Somebody," .... rope or wr-ite. with washable sidewalk . studentscouldonly get the $30 gift cer~
in ,honor of the late singerAaliy'ah.
. chalk ~ But the chaJ·k evidently;Wa$ not · tificate·. Senior Jackie Shao participated
'Tm addicted to karaoke," said se~ ..·. authorized;.arrcl e~Qsed quit~ a stir with · b~ca~s~~h,e·'~h?d so fh:Uch free,tim,e and :
nior Paulina Davis. ·.
.
. . . the adrpinistration.· Securitfguards~ad- .•• notbio~b;e(t.er'~9~d~; h:nd req~.ivt<d a gift .
. Streamers and balloons marked the vised sorrie stud-ent~ .t o clean up . th~ .- b~J:tifiCate:to ~~cy,'s: ;Othet ,winnets.of .
next Spirit Day on Monday, Octobec22, .. chalk. "The courtyard needed ·a good . gift certificates toMacy's, Sam Goody's
which was the traditional color war. This · . cieaning ~uiywa)l,", said .senior ·Jenna or the d<tpincluqed junior Sotia Huttner~
year each grade' was given acolorin ac- Sangastiano.
sophoriwre ,S ara Sultan; and freshman
. · Onthatday, part of the student body Lori ann Tan~ .
.
..
.·
cordance with the American tlag.
Seniors were given blue and .deco- was away on the Juni'Df trip to.
Red; whiteand. blue tlags and cosrat~d the third tlo~r with footprints on , Tarrytown, New York. "I was very up- tumes were displayed on American icon
the t1oor as well as the word "seniors" seuhat I missed Kindergarten Day," said . Day, wl;!ich occun'ed on Thursday, Dehanging from streamers across the ceil~ junior CatherineAnicama. "I wanted to · tober 2$. Freshlllari Chantal Bruno
ing. They also wrapped banisters in blue dress up and be. a little kip again.'' , .·· dressec) up as a {,loctor helpingjn. the
ribbon and posted signs promoting the . · . "My favorite thingab~ut Spirit Week· World Trade Cen~er relief effort. ~.'Docsenior class,
was the scavenger hunt [wtiich was next tors played a very important role on Sep"
Juniors adorned the fourth tloor with · in the ·spirit Week lineup],'~ said junior tember .J land they're constantly helpred streamers and' handprints along the · Stephanie Kazane: "It wasfunandeasy ing in the lives of people every day;"
walls as well as with orange balloons, to get everyone iiwolved ... arid you could she said . Other notable costumes were
because red ones could not l:ie obtained. get a prize." Freshman Jackie Parvels history teacher Chris Hackney's ,''Yan,
Sophomores used cotton and toilet pa- agreed, "It was good because you got to. kee barbarian rugby shirt;" which reper to cover the fifth tloor with their find out mote aboutthe school.'' .
sembled the American tlag, and junior
grade color of white, and freshmen used ·
Yet some didn't respond very excit- Umara Saleem's Miss America enaluminum foil and streamers to show edly to the idea of a scavenger hunt. "It . semble. English and history teacher
their school spirit on the·sixth tloor with was a waste of time because you had to Debra Michelwitz wore an American
silver/gray. They also posted signs in the countthe tiles on the tloor,'' said sopho- patriot outfit. "It w,as serendipitous,'' she
doorways, which read "Stop: New York more Kaveeta Desai, referring to a said."American Icon~ Day and [th~ day]
Freshmen Only.'.'
search given to sophomores andjuniors. I was teaching the Declaration oflnde~.
Color War Day aroused a competi- Another question required seniors and pendence were ... the same day, so I had
tive spirit among the classes. "People juniors to obtain the "signatures of a pair . to wear it."
participatedbecausetheywantedtodis- of twins in school."' Junior Seth
Theweekclosedwiththetraditional
tinguish themselves from other grades,'' Steinhoff, whose twin, Sarah, also at- Founder 's Day celebration on the last
said sophomore Susan Li.
tends the school, commented "They all Friday of October (see article on page
The first-ever Kindergarten Day was . charged at me."
I). Spirit Week then took a one-week
next in. the Spirit Week line-up, offerEach grade had its own list of 20 hiatus and ended on Monday, Noveming students a chance to revert back to things to find and questions to answer, ber5 with Costume Day.
6
-
The Classic
December 2001
~!:!!m!~£g~ ItyMaiJ:!n~~nbe· ~"~on!l!ft~t,!,~,~I~ H,U,!£h~'~":,,nn
add their own threads to our school's
fabric of learning. The following articles
ofler an insight into their backgrounds,
interests, and dedication. Physics
teacher John Tsai, who replaced Ray
Rapaport in October, will be featured in
the next issue.
Jolin O'Malley
Previously a Park Ranger for the Palisades Interstate Parkway Commission
and a soda jerk in an ice cream store,
John O'Malley decided to become a "history teacher because he loves the subjeCt. He is very excited about relaying ·
information to younger generations, and
really wants to "awaken-their minds."
Currently teaching four global history classes and one American history
course, Mr. O'Malley has had six years
of teaching experience at the High
School of Economics and Finance in
After her first assignment teaching
history at Grover Cleveland High School
for two and a half years, Maureen
Lonergan has "never thought of doing
anything else since then."
Although she wasn ' t sure what she
wanted to become while in college, she
always loved teaching, and during
graduate school, enrolled in an education program . That's when she decided
to take the test for her teaching license.
After that first job at Grover Cleveland,
she taught mostly American history, as
well as government and Advanced
Placement classes at Seward Park High
second grade . She wanted her two chil dren to be older before she devoted her
time to teaching. When her children did
become older, Ms. Wolf took a leave of
absence from her job, went to Queens
College as a full-time student, and
earned a degree in three years .
She began as a student teacher for ·
lisa Cowen last term. "I had a very rewarding experience observing Ms .
[Judy] Biener, Ms. [Paula] Weyne and
student teaching for Ms. Cowen," she
said.
""''ve always found English to be an
intellectually stimulating subject," Ms.
Wolf said. Since it covers such a broad
range of topics, and since reading just ·
one novel can help one learn about philosophy or math or history: she feels ·
English encompasses everyt,hing.The
fact that just one page or one chapter
can be open to many interpretations, she
finds, inspires stimulating dialogues in
class.
and th~ Academy of American Studies
for five years has prepared her for this
positi on.
As C oordinator of Foreign Languages in the Academy of American
Studies, Ms . Zambrano opened aFrench
department. She also took on the roles
as dean and parent liaison. She started
clubs, was in charge of the library, and
responsible for training new teachers .
Ms . Zambrano has also taught art history, ESL classes, and conducted listening labs to improve second language
skills for three years at York College.
She went to France for one year to receive her Master's degree from the
c::
15
8
.,
..<:
co
»
.90
.0
..<:
Q..
' . Maureen Lonergan
Miriam Zambrano
School for 23 years.
Ms. Lo~ergan loves history. SheJjkes
getting students excited about ideas and
Manhattan. ·
He decided to come to Townsend
Harris because of its excellentreputation. Since his arrival, he has found the
teachers and staff friendly and supportive. · He feels the students are great and
especially likes that they "share a lot and
are willing to participate in class."
Family is a very important aspect in
Mr. O'Malley's life. By working at
Townsend, he gets to spend more time
with his wife and five-year-old son becauseofthe easier commute from home
to work.
When Mr. O'Malley is not busy with
family, housework or preparing his lessons for class, he likes to visit a farm in
upstate New York. While he's there, he
stays with his friend of 18 years, a 76year-old man by the name of Bob Fong,
and plants peaches, corn and other crops.
"I love the outdoors," he said, and
with his 200 I Ford Taurus, has been to
the Catskills and the New Jersey shore
with his family as well. He also enjoys
·listening to 70's and 80's music in his
free time .
For the past six years, Mr. O'Malley
has been busy with his son and with
work, and wishes he "had more time for
reflection and contemplation," because
he feels thinking is more important than
doing. He also wishes he could dance ·
more with his wife and "go out on the
town with her and friends," but because
of his busy schedule, he has yet to find.
the time to do so. However, he looks forward to what the s<:hool year will bring
and is excited about teaching in a new
environment.
-Diane Tiao ·
working with young people. "It's never
boring," she said.
Ms. Lonergan chose to come to
Townsend Harris because she has always heard wonderful things about the
school. Currently teaching three Arneri -~an History Classes and two se)lior Participatory Democracy classes, she likes
that .the school offers a wide range of
interesting courses and activities, and
tinds the kids here wonderful.
In her free time, Ms . Lonergan enjoys cooking, listening to music, going
to restaurants and gardening. She likes
cooking anything with chicken, and listening to folk, classical and country .
music . Ms. Lonergan's favorite flowers
are roses and daphnes, but she plants
other flowers as well. When gardening,
"you're creating something that's beautiful and you don't have to think about
anything .else," she said.
-Diane Tiao
Alice Wolf
Alice, ,W olfhas always wanted to become an English teacher. Her fa~her was
an English teacher and a great storyteller. He would tell her stories when she
was little and instilled in her the love of
reading. Her brother is a math teacher,
and when she would come to visit him,
she saw the wonderful impact he had
on the students because they would go
and visit him years later. He made her
see how "intensely gratifying" teaching
is. She admires his connection with the
students, and no~ she is thrilled to be
teaching.
However, Ms. Wolf didn't start out
as an English teacher. For eight years,
she was a paraprofessional for special
""c::
Nanterre and the Censier. She decided
to go to France to get her degree because
~
French was the fourth language she
~
»
learned, and she wanted to master it
.0
completely before she got to teach it.
~
A native Italian, her father believed
4JL·-·- · - - ,....:J._,La..Jif
that communication was the most imAlice Wolf
portant thing in life, and the more lan"It doesn't take long to recognize guages a person knew, the easier he/she
how unique this school is," Ms. Wolf could communicilte. He would teach
said . She feels the students here are Ms. Zambrano and her sisters Italian
highly motivated, and the staff is sup- grammar every day after school and beportive and extremely accommodating. cause of "that quality of being a teacher,
Currently teaching three Writing Pro- that love and passion for languages,"
cess classes and two sophomore English Ms. Zambrano decided to .become a
classes, Ms. Wolf is "constantly wired," teacher. "I wanted to continue and pass
but in a·good way. She is excitedabout on that passion for languages that he
coming to work every day and teaching instilled in me," she said.
because this is a dream come true for ·
Ms. Zambrano decided to come here
her. She feels she has realized her dream because Townsend Harris offers many
in "such an ideal setting." Teaching modern and classical languages . As As"gets the .adrenaline rushing, and the sistant Principal, she gets "the best of
excitement's at a peak. It's such ail in- both worlds." She gets to work with both
tense gratification that' you forget to eat students and adults. She is curre_ntly
or sleep," she said.
teaching one Spanish Literature class
. When Ms. Wolf is not busy with while she heads her three departments.
'
planning lessons or finding ways to
When Ms. Zambrano is not busy with
make class more interesting, she enjoys schoolwork, she enjoys spending time
watching movies, spending time with with her husband. "Family comes first,"
her husband and two children, listening .she said, and she calls her sisters whento music, and going to restaurants . She ever she-can. She also enjoys shopping,
loves the Beatles, and eating out with playing tennis, swimming and gardenfriends. It's great to "sit down and be ing. To keep her family happy, she preserved instead ofcboking," she said.
serves the Italian tradition of planting
-Diane Tia.o tomatoes, basil and parsley.
Ms. Zambrano loves the school's
Miriam Zambrano
multicultural environment that offers
Fluent in Spanish, French, Latin, Italseven languages. "The more you're exian and English, new Assistant Principosed to languages and cultures," she
pal of Foreign languages, Music and Art,
said, "the better off you'll be."
Miriam Zambrano is adjusting quickly
-Diane Tiao
to her new schedule. Having taught ai
;;:=
--t-
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The Classic
7
Show eagerness to share knowledge, experience
Irwin Steinberg
IFa.m·.l1I•ar. f.'ace·
, s f0 un.d
ti~us,.~OtJvated_and
~0
s~.e
i:n brand new positions
December 2001
~er arriva~. "Everybody's so consciencares much,",
: . .
sard. Students JUSt come m to say hr .
It was a warmer feeling than I had anticipate9."
Ms. Kramer, who will be advising
Judy Biener
students whose official classes end with
by
Daniel
Bloch
the numbers five through eight, is en"I felt a Uttle overwhelmed:," i>a¥s
thusiastic about many of the different
English te.aeher Judy J3iene.r as s·h e
aspects and traditions she is encounterre:til~cts on bejng a,ppointed the new
ing here. One such Harris custom is
Senior Adviso.r. "I kneyw it was a lot
Founder's Day. "It's a wonderful tradiof work. But I knew that the senior
. tion. It makes one feel as if they're part
class was a great group..''
of the family," she said.
Replacing health teacher Ellen
In previ_ous years, Ms. Kramer
Sch'wartz, wh0 served as S:enror Adworked as a counselor at Mineola High
visor for four years, Ms. Biener:'s
School in Nassau County. She has also
newp<Ysition entails coord'inati:ng all
advised students as an educational conthe
activities f"C>r ·the senie>r class:
sultant, doing private counseling on colcoHecling
seni0r clues, organizing
lege and graduate school admissions.
the
pFom,
and
the senior trip to a ski
Ms. Kramer wanted to become a high
resort
in
the
Catskills
..
school guidance counselor because she
But Ms. B,iener's biggest chalbelieves "a counselor can make a diflenge wiU also be one of her last for
ference in someone's life," especially at
the year: graduation. One of her
the
high
school
level
when
students
are
Irwin Steinberg
gcrals is· t0 see that "graduation goes
mature enough to know of the opportusuccessfully:" Ms. Schwartz handled
nities that are available to them.
Prior to his career as a teacher, Mr. ·
it in a very organized way;" she said_,
In addition to counseling, Ms.
Steinberg co-designed the dispatching
"and I'd like to fol:low in her foolKramer also enjoys the outdoors. She
system for the New York City Fire Desteps:" She adds half-jokingly, "I
participates in sports, such as tennis,
partment, and appeared on the front page
don'l t want to mess anything up."
of the second section of The New York
One of Ms. Biener's first duties
Times for it. He has also worked in the
as Senior Advisor was 0rganizing the
Brookhaven National Laboratories - a
Mixer, held on Friday, October 12.
center whose main focus is finding
(See article on page 3.) "I was told
peaceful uses of atomic energy~ designpeople had a good time," she reports
ing the major network accelerator that
cheerfull)'. "Over $1.,000 was r~lsed
transmitted data around the laboratory.
and I was really hap-py that the
He was co-founder of two companies
weather was great so that people
that are publicly traded in stocks, and a
could also be outside [in the courtCEO of a software company.
yard). I was happy people had a good
in
Although teaching is not his first caVi
time.''
reer, he "really loves the subject and the
~
Ms. Biener says that she is still
..c
interaction with the students ." His
<Zl
"learning the ropes," so she doesn't
>,
.n
proudest moment was when three of his
plan right now to do anything dif0
0
students, who happened to be learning
ferently. "Ms. Schwartz had it down,
5::
disabled, passed the Regents.
so my first strategy is to do everyCheryl Kramer
Mr. Steinberg started teaching four
thing like she did," said Ms. Biener.
years ago and has had two years of ex"After the Mixer, l went to Ms.
skiing, hiking and boating, and also likes
perience teaching in a high school. He
Schwartz and said, 'What's next?'"
to read.
graduated from Bronx High School of
Ms .. Kramer says she is very happy
Science, received a bachelor's degree in
to be working at Townsend Harris,
electrical engineering from Cooper
which she describes as "the best place I their lives."
Union and a Master's degree in engiMs. Teague first worked as a mathcould be. I hope we have a very proneering from Columbia University.
ematics teacher at Phillipa Schuyler
ductive· future together," she added.
Teaching four physics classes now,
-Jennifer Gong Middle School for the Gifted and TalMr. Steinberg chose to come to
. ented. After spending eight years there,
Townsend Harris because he thought it
she decided to become a guidance counwould be "a lovely experience," and
selor and advised students at East New
now that he's here, he feels that the "atAntoinette Teague
York High School of Transit Technoltitude of the students is superb."
ogy for nine years. "I majored in psyAntoin~tte Teague, new guidance
When Mr. Steinberg is not busy with
counselor, describes herself as a very chology, and I was more interested in
work, he enjoys playing chess. He used
"artistic and creative person." She en- guidance [as opposed to math)," she said
to play tournament chess at the Marshall
joys attending crafts fairs and working ·of the change.
Chess Club and once won four tournaMs. Teague will be counseling those
with all types of artistic mediums. Ms.
ments in a row. Mr. Steinberg also enTeague has done home improvement whose official classes end in the numjoys listening to classical music- Haydn
projects as well as some sewing and bers one through four. Upon her arrival,
is his favorite composer - and reading
knitting. "I enjoy trying to coordinate she had already known some of what to
about art history, especially writings on
things and arrange them in an artistic expect from Harrisites; Ms. Teague reAsian paintings.
ceived some advice from just-retired
fashion," she said.
-Diane Tiao
Although she has a great passion for guidance counselor James Murray, who
Cher~l Kramer
artistic expression, Ms. Teague is even "went over some of the case load" with
Guidance counselor Cheryl Kramer more passionate about her profession. her last June.
"Students and staff members alike
has only been a part of the Townsend "I like to work with and help people,"
Harris community for a short time, but she said. "I enjoy being a guidance coun- reached out to welcome me and support
already feels as though she's "been here selor because it puts me in touch with me in my transition," said Ms. Teague.
for years." Stie has encountered many the students and allows me the oppor- 'They are friendly, polite and helpful.
warm welcomes and good vibes upon tunity to help make a positive change in Townsend Harris is an unusual school
In addition to being a physics teacher,
Irwin Steinberg is an entrepreneur. He
has had over 40 years of .experience in
the field oftechn0logy, and held two patents by the age of 2 3 .
0)
-
Joan Walsh
by Jennifer GoQg and Bryan
Kirschen
For about 10 y.ears_, Townsend
Harris· students .n ave known Joan
Walsh te be the Assistant Principal
(AP) of Foreign 'Languag~s and
Fine Arts. But n:ow, she has assumed a differ~nt role as the acting
AP of PUFJiJ Personnel Serv1ces in
tche guidance department.. Shieta
Ornet, whb headed the department
since the sJ::hool 0pened in 1984,
retired last June.
Originally, Ms. Walsh planned to
retire and went to the Board ofEdu<:;ation on Brooklyn/Queens Day in
June of 2001 to hand in her retirement papers. "I felt that it would be
symb(i)lic since r was· ap>pointed I 0
years ago on that day," she said. ·
Then, later in the month, Principal
Thomas Cunningham asked Ms.
Walsh to rescind her ·r etirement and
take on the position of AP of Guidance since most of the guidance
department would be retiring In
addition to Ms. Ouner, guidance
counselors James Murray and Susan Rotter r;etired in. June, as did
science teach.e,r; Howard Wagner,
who served as College Advisor
Marilyn Blier's assistant.
After encouragement from her
family, Ms. Walsh decided to take
on the new role. "My husband,
knowing how special Townsend
Harris was to me, and me being a
founding mother pf the sct.wol, told
me that I should aocept it," she said.
Ms . Walsh has been working
hard to meet student needs, especially in response to the September
11 World Trade Center crisis. She
Continued on p. 13
with a high caliber student population
that offers a rigorous program of study."
-Jennifer Gong
"'
:E
:::J
Cl
-50)
o:l
>,
.D
8
..8
c..
Antoinette Teague
Ballpark figures: what it takes to get
8
~
The Classic
December 2001
by Allison Slotnick
Applying to college is a daunting
process, and whether you're a senior
who is,_in the midst of the process now,
or a freshman -'¥ho is just beginning to
embark on your journey toward college,
taking a look at the college admis-sions
statistics from last year's graduating
class can be very helpful. The follow-
ing chart was compiled by college counselor, Marilyn Blier.
Ms. Blier reminds students to note
that the SAT scores provided "are not
the lowest SAf scores accepted, nor the
highest SAT scores rejected, by the
school. They are the SAT scores of the
person who had the lowest average accepted, or the SAT scores of the person
who had the highest average rejected."
Other notes for the abbreviations used
·on the chart aFe provided at the end of
the table.
Townsend Harris graduates from the
class of 200 I fared especially well in
admission to Boston University, which
took 32 out of 42 applicants; George
Washington University, which accepted
all 13 of its applicants; Hofstra University, which accepted all of its applicants,
38 in total; the University of Maryland,
which took II out of 15 Harris seniors;
St. John's University, which provided
admittance to all 59 of its applicants; and
Syracuse University, which took 10 of
its II applicants.
As far as the Ivy League schools go,
Class of 2001
APPLIED
PRIVATE
ACCEPTED LOW AVER ,\CC
ADELPHI UNIVERSITY
9
9
80 17 560/480
ALBANY COLLEGE Of PHARMACY
1
1
88 7 610/570
ALBERT A. LIST COLLEGE
1
1
91.4 5001650
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
2
2
91 .6 6501600
AMHERST COLLEGE
3
0
BABSON COLLEGE
1
0
BARD
3
2
30
9
955 8001690
86 6501590
92.4 7001660
(SA)
BARD
BARHAAO COLLEGE
BENTLEY
80STON COLLEGE
1
1
86 6501590
8
88.9 15101640
32
89.5 590/710
1
1
93.3 7701710
18
5 (EO)
7
(SA)
BROWN UNIVERSITY
91
96 5901e10
91 600/620
ee0/86()
92.6 61QI670
95 6901680
93.3 5ot01700
88.1 8501820
96.4 7001750
BRYN MAWR
1
1 (SA)
CALIFORNIA. UNIV. OF (Berilelly)
1
1
93 690/690
CANISIUS COLLEGE
1
1
CARNEGIE MELLON
17
10
91 6001580
!11 89()(760
CATliOLIC UNIVERSITY Of' AMERICA
1
1
88.5 81016.c0
CHICAGO. UNIVERSITY OF
2
0
COLLEGE OF MT. ST. VINCENT
2
2
1115 520/<CISO
COLLEGE Of NEW ROCHELLE
1
1
82.7 580(520
4
3
au 790/760
85 5901630
33
13
93.3 71501730
!16.7 7701720
91
1
1
8<C.6 600/470
CONNECTICUT, UNIVERSITY Of
3
3
90.5 5701660
COOPER UNION
7
2
92.2 6201610
24
3
92.6 610/670
96.4 700f750
CORNELL UNIVERSITY (AGR. & LIFE)
10
7
9<C.1 15001100
!13 7701720
CORNELL UNIVERSITY (ENGINEERING)
5
5
CORNELL UNIVERSITY (HUMAN ECOL)
13
7 (EO)
92.7
CORNEILL UNIVERSITY (ILR)
5
3 (EO)
9015
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
7
6
916 65011500
1
95.7 7501760
96.4 8501770
DELAWARE. UNIVERSITY OF
7
,
86.3 5201550
85 5701580
2
85.2 5601550
83 53015-40
DOWliNG COLLEGE
1
1
86.2 5001570
DREW UNIVERSITY
1
1
DUKE UNIVERSITY
1
0
EMERSON COLLEGE
1
0
EMORY UNIVERSITY
12
3
898 790/780
FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY
1
1
9<C.5 540/&30
FIVE TOWNS UNIVERSITY
3
3
82 5801580
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
1
1
8<C.6 8001470
FRANKLIN & MARSHALL
2
91.2 5901630
1
1
83.1 5201570
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
9
2
954 n01800
(SA)
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
13
13
2
2
92 6701620
3
3
827 580.'860
10
4
95.7 7501780
(SA)
38
38
80.17 540/490
HOWARD UNIVERSITY
7
7
82.5 5301490
ILLINOIS, UNIV. Of (Urbana)
2
1
93.3 6001680
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
1
0
IONA COLLEGE
4
4
2
2
-·
- --- ---
96.6 710/690
82 5801580
83 630/620
2
COLLEGE
MANSFIELD UNIVERSITY
1
MARIST COLLEGE
1
15
MARYMOUNT MANHATIAN
1
MASSACHUSETTS, UNIV. Of
9
MASS. INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
3
MIAMI, UNIVERSITY OF
4
97.2 700fl40
1
MONMOUTH COLLEGE
1
MORAVIAN COLLEGE
1
MT. HOLYOKE COLLEGE
6
McGILL UNIVERSITY
3
NEW HAVEN, UNIVERSITY OF
1
NEW YORK INST. OF TECHNOLOGY
2
2
113
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
5
6
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
5
NOTRE DAME
1
OBERLIN COLLEGE
3
PACE UNIVERSITY
4
28
PENNSYLVANIA, UNIV. OF
PITISBURGH, UNIVERSITY OF
1
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY
6
:PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
I
6
jQUINNIPIAC COLLEGE
2
iRENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC
7
!RIDER COLLEGE
1
!ROCHESTER, UNIVERSITY OF
!ROCHESTER, UNIVERSITY OF (REMS)
. ROWAN UNIVERSITY
11
1
1
I RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
11
iST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY
59
!sACRED HEART UNIVERSITY
3
1
SARAH LAWRENCE
I SCRANTON, UNIVERSITY OF
1
\SETON HALL
1
!SIENA COLLEGE
1
-
1
-
1
;SMITH COLLEGE
3
;SPELMAN COLLEGE
2
!STANFORD UNIVERSITY
2
~ STEVENS
INST. OF TECHNOLOGY
iSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
8<C.3 580/750
1
13
MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE
:sKIDMORE COLLEGE
82.2 5901610
-·
2
MAN~.ATIANVILLE
'SIMMONS COLLEGE
92.3 6501790
HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY
ITHACA COLLEGE
86 520/<CISO
89.8 6001&40
HARTFORD, UNIVERSITY OF
HARVARD & RADCLIFFE
96.4 7001800
92.3 6501790
GEORGIA INST. OF TECHNOLOGY
HARVARD & RADCLIFFE
915 690/630
85.5 6301570
GENEVA COLLEGE
MANHATIAN COLLEGE
PENNSYLVANIA, UNIV. OF
i
92-.c 5901590
832 630r'820
2
2
PENN STATE- UNIVERSITY PARK
9<C.4 680(760
6201750
71.01710
«
LONG ISLAND UNIV. (C.W. Post)
LOYOlA OF MARYLAND
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
91 1590/760
DePAUW UNIVERSITY
54
2
1
NORTH CAROLINA, UN IV. OF(Chapel Hill)
93.2 630r'810
CORNELL UNIVERSITY (ART/SCI)
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
1
LONG ISLAND UNIV. (Brooklyn)
NYU -STERN
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
•,
3
LEHIGH UNIVERSITY
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
600/590
CONCORDIA COUEGE
LASALLE UNIVERSITY
NY INST. OF TECHNOLOGY (BAlDO)
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
ACC
4
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
. 93.6 680/680
COlGATE UNIVERSITY
(SA)
APPliED
MICHIGAN, UNIVERSITY OF
96 5901e10
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
PRNATE
JOHt'IS HOPKINS
MARYLAND, UNIVERSITY OF
93 620/580
590/570
42
7
BRANDEIS
BROWN UNIVERSITY
87 7
902 6201510
600/510
17
(SA)
BOWDOIN
89.0
92.4 8801680
BOSTON COLLEGE
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
I
VIM SAT HIGH AVER REJ VIM SAT
1
11
:TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
2
;TRINITY COLLEGE
3
:TRINITY COLLEGE
'TUFTS UNIVERSITY
9
iTULANE
2
r
-
I
The Classic
f
December 2001
9
into the college of your cho.ice
Brown University accepted 7 out of
applicants; Columbia University too~
of 33; Dartmouth College selecte'
from its 7 applicants; Harvard <
Radclitle chose 4 out of its I 0 ap
cants; the University of Pennsylva
accepted 3 from its 28 applicants;)
University picked 2 from its pool of
applicants, and Cornell Universit~
EO LOWAV£A ACC
r----- ·-
~
VIM SAT HIGH AV£R R£1 VIM SAT '
85.5 630/570
I
1
93.5 640/680
~
1
92 .2 550/550
I
2
83.5 500/650
85 570/580
86 .3 620/650
89.4 600/550
82 580/660
~- 1
83 520/570
1
94 5401630
~ 11
87 .9 600/630
1
89.4 600/550
8
82.2 590/610
90.1 570/570
85.5 630/570
~
82.2 590/610
I
I 8
~ 1
91 5 650/590
' 4
1
94 .7 7001660
90.5 570/660
1
82 580/660
I
1
1 (SA)
6
1
95.3 8001690
VERMONT, UNIVERSITY OF
1
1
89.8 6001640
91 2 590/630
87 8 590l57:l
!VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY
,
1
88.5
610~0
VIRGINIA, UNIVERSITY OF
1
1 (SA)
88
6101740
945 700/710
85!: 70/580
WAGNER COLLEGE
1
1
91 6001530
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
9
4
92.5 6301690
94 6601670
WELLESLEY COLLEGE
8
5
93.8 7001640
90 2 630/700
WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
9
4
91.7 6801640
95 .3 800/690
.
1
-
-
(SA)
88
610/740
(SA)
86
520/460
86.1
6501620
94 650/640
91.8 7401700
'WILLIAM & MARY COLLEGE
1
0
WILLIAMS COLLEGE
3
1 (SA)
WISCONSIN . UNIVERSITY OF
5
4
88 .8 6601670
87 9 600/630
13
2
96.4 720/800
96.5 700/800
(ED)
~ 1
' 4
2
ED • EARLY DECISION
iA
Special Admit (SA) refers to an individual possessing one or more of the following characteristics
!deemed advantageous by the university: gender, ethnicity, special talents (musical, athletic) , family
!"le_gacy."
---------------- --·- ---
1!8 550/650
~ 56
91.5 690/630
93 .5 640/680
91 .2 700/700
91 .7 720/610
94.4 670/760
94 710/690
82.2 5901610
79 6 560/4.30
96.6 710/690
94.7 7001660
. Early Decision (ED) are students who applied to one particular college or university during the Ea~ly
Decision period. If accepted to that school, the sturlent must attend .
87.9 610/740
(SA)
Io
92 .7 6501730
~ 1
95.3 800/690
4
80 550/550
(ED)
95.6 6901700
3 (SA)
93 .3 5401700
1
86.3 620/650
6
0
87.4 570/530
2
93 610/610
6
91 6901760
1
81.3 510/500
7
92.5 630/690
90 2 620/510
96.5 7601750
APPROXIMATE CUT-OFFS:
96 .7 770t720
SUNY:
Albany : 83
Binghamton : 90
Buffalo: 83
Stony Brook: 83
Geneseo: 90
91.5 630/580
94.2 600/610
I o
95 .2 7401680
1
85 .5 6301570
11
89 580/610
59
79.6 5601460
3
84 .8 540/580
88.5 6001510
I
1
88.5 610/640
I
1
82.4 5001530
I
1 rSA)
1
92 .7 7301660
1
90.2 620/510
1
91.2 5901630
3
84.3 580/750
2
84 .7 620/620
94.8 7301680
0
1
94 6901670
10
88.5 610/640
2
82.2 560/470
82 2 560/470
88 .8 6601670
91.7 700/640
2
88.5 600/510
iSA)
3 (ED)
2
VANOERBIL T UNIVERSITY
1VASSAR
i
862 500/570
' 2
2
I
SAT HIGH AV£R R£1 VIM SAT j
91.9
__
·-·· ..,._.
,
·----
620/660
88.8 6601670
'
,NOTE: SA" SPECIAL ADMIT
88.5 6101640
93 .8 700/640
'
VIM
92.7 73C!660
90 7901760
' 1
1
~
ACC£,TEO LOWAV£11 ACC
1
iYALE UNIVERSITY
93.3 550/690
83 520/570
'
·· - .
2
,WHEATON COLLEGE
84 .6 600/470
91.9 620/650
·~o
jUNION COLLEGE
WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
97.2 700/740
' 0
4
nificant weight on the college application, other factors are taken into account,
such as extracurricular activities, teacher
recommendations, and essays. It is the
whole application package that helps
college representatives decide who will
be given admittance.
'IWATI
l
94:3 [6001700
~ 3
' 1
~ 2
. 21
Harris favorite, accepted 25 from its 57
applicants. For the second consecutive
year, Princeton University did not accept any Harrisites.
Although admission to eollege is
extremely competitive nowadays, one
should not be completely distressed over
GPA's and SAT scores, acconJing to Ms.
Blier. While it is true that they hold sig-
96 6 710/690 --· - -··
--,.- -
CUNY:
Queens College: 83
(Good SAT's : Above 1200)
(Binghamton : Above 1250)
If average is lower,
a correspondingly higher SAT is
needed.
!
0
1
.f
1
The Classic
December 2001
1~.,."
3ft0Dllffi00'
I
1
Bjork's Vespertine
invokes dreamworld
by Jessica Wang
Bjork has reinvented herself with the
release of her latest album, Vespertine.
Although the
Icelandic
singer's
popularity in
the United
States is not
as
widespread as that
of other musicians, she
has a knack ·
for garnering
attention, as
she did with
her appearance at this
year'sOscars
In a swan
dress. Vespertine is
guaranteed .to turn more heads, not because of Bjork's fashion style, but because of her immense musical talent.
Vespertine differs from Bjork's previous albums with its greater use of orchestral arrangements, choirs, and
harps and a lesser emphasis on electronic elements. In some songs, such
as "Hidden Place," the choir contributes. t~ the ~ihereal fee ling of t~e song;
suggesting that"love is something sacred, fragile, and beautiful. In others,
as in the case of "Pagan Poetry," in
which Bjork repeatedly sings, "I love
him," the choir taunts her, echoing,
"She loves him, she loves him." The
lack of electronic elements may initially
disappoint f~ns of Bjork's pa~t songs,
but her haunting voic.e still has the
power of drawing listeners in.
Bjork's vocals cover a range of
emotions throughout the album. In
"Undo," she sounds as if she is on the
verge of teats, while in "Cocoon," she
is in a state of complete bliss. In contrast to 1995's Post and 1997's
Homogenic, her voice is much calmer
and much less aggressive, as if the
singer has matuf€d and come to a spiritual peace with herself.
Though released in late August, Vespertine
gives the
impression of
winter's
arrival.
·"Frosti,"
h
e
album's
one instrumental track
p e r formed on
music
boxes,
thrusts the
listener
into
a
magi cal
world with visions offalling snowflakes
and icicles glistening in the light. The
transition from "Frosti" to the next song,
"Aurora," is smooth, with faint strains
from the music box and the sound of
footsteps trudging through the snow.
These evocations of winter bring memories of childhood, with its awe for the
enchanting season.
The CD case also adds to the suggestion that the album is out of the ordinary. The spine and back of the album
are pristine white, again suggesting
something celestial or related to winter.
The front cover of the sleeve shows
Bjork in her now famous swan dress,
while the rest of the booklet is filled with
black and white drawings. While assessing an album by its exterior may notalways b€ accurate, in the case of Vespertine, its cover prepares the listener for
something wonderful.
Intimate and personal, Vespertine
appears to be an invitation from Bjork
to join her in her heavenly paradise. Simultaneously beautiful and simple, it is
an opportunity that few people would
not jump at.
From Hell vividly rips
into infamous legend
by Diane Tiao
"One day men will look back and say I
gave birth to the twentieth century." These
infamous words are attributed to Jack the
Ripper, the most notorious serial killer in
history.
From Hell offers a vivid interpretation
ofthe horrific legend of Jack the Ripper. Directed by Allen and Albert Hughes (Dead
Presidents, Menace II Society) and based
on th€ screenplay by Terry Hayes and
Rafael Yglesias (adapted from Alan
Moore and Eddie Campbell's graphic
novel), this movie unravels a chilling conspiracy.
Although the Ripper was
never caught for his heinous
crimes, this movie offers the
most popular theory of who
Jack the Ripper was and why
he did whathe did. Dark, graphic
and gruesome, this thriller contains scenes that may shock
and disturb you.
Set in the fall of 1888 in
the Whitechapel district of London, the movie tells th€ story
of six prostitutes, all friends,
as they work the streets. Each
is oblivious to the dangers that lie just around
the comer, until one by one, each encounters a man in a black top hat and cloak.
Tempting his victims with grapes and liquor,
the Ripper lures them into his trap, gains
their trust, and murders them.
Wearing his spotless white gloves, Jack
takes out one of several polished knives from
his slim, rectangular surgeon's box and slices
and dices his way through the female
anatomy. Removing body parts here and
there, he creates a new form of murder that
is every bit as ritualistic as it is sadistic.
Inspector Frederick Abberline (Johnny
Depp) is in charge of the case. Abberline,
an opium addict who gets high on absinthe
mixed with laudanum (a poison), sees hallucinations of murders that have yet to take
place. Depp gives a wonderful, multi-faceted performance. He pulls off being an
opium addict, aguy with troubled past, a
loner, an inspector trying to solve the case
and save the day (as well as the girl), very
well. His accent and Sherlock-Holmesian
approach to the case enhance the movie experience.
Mary Kelly (Heather Graham), a fair,
peach-skinned prostitute and obvious target
of the Ripper, befriends Inspector Abberline.
Graham gives an enchanting performance
in this movie. She even makes viewers feel
sorry for the treatment of prostitutes and
shows the victimization of women during that ~ime period. With
her help, and with the guidance of Sir William Gull (Ian
Holm), physician to the royal
family, Abberline gets closer
and closer to finding out
who the Ripper is.
The plot is filled with
twists and turns and suspects range from learned
and scholarly men to
crime bosses looking for
their money. Abberline
pieces together information
involving the police, the or-~ der of the Freemasons (a se'<> cret English society made
up of the rich and powerful that ran England), and
a secret baby.
Visual effects and camera angles add to
the suspense of the movie. The identity of
Jack the Ripper is not revealed until the very
end. He speaks in a low, husky, ominous
tone. He appears throughout the movie in
shadows or in angles where bis face is hidden, but his hands are not. His hands are
focused on throughout the movie: as they
shake when he's pouring a glass of red wine,
when he's slipping on his white gloves as
he grabs his victims and slashes their throats.
Shots of bodies as they lie on the cold,
cobblestoned streets mutilated and violated
flash on the screen. This movie is not for
the squeamish.
Although it is a bit confusing in the beginning, everything clears up eventually.
The cast gives excellent and believable performances. This version ofthe Jack the Ripper legend is a little "hollywoodized," but
all in all, this two hour, 17-minute movie is
entertaining and worth your $10.
Ghosts Offers u·p empty-head·ed t.hrills
by Diane Tiao
Thirteen Ghosts is a bi·g:h tep.h
version ofWi'lliam Castle's original
I 960 horror flick of the same tl'$le.
Produced by Gilbert Adler (IJ'o«Se
Oft Haunted Hi'll, Tale'S from);he
Crypt) and Joel Silver (The Matrirx,
Swe.rd!fish) from a screenplay by
Neal Marshall Stevens and Riehard
o·;Ovidio, this moVi$! attempts to
scare. you with grues·ome an-d
wretched looking ghosts· at eNeryc
eorner.
Arthur Kriticos (Tony S,halhetib)
and his two children, Kathy {Sfiannon
Elizabeth) and Bobby (Alec Roberts),
inbefi.t a spectacular glass and ste€1
house -i n the middle of nowhere from
Arthur's mysterio.us ancl eccentric Uncle
Cyrus· (F. Murray Abraham).
The house seems to he.a ,dream come
f:tlue. With spacious rooms,· sumptuou.s
beds, personal bathtooms and glass
walls elegantly etched with Latin writing, the Jamily members, along witb the
house:keep.er (.ltah Di<gga). ,can hardly
believe their good fortQ.ne. Soon enough,
however, they discover the datk secret
hiding within the glass walls..
Loek.ed in their new home, they encounter powerful, vengeful, and savage
ghosts that attack and kill an;'one with
ease. It appears that the hoO·s e is a machine designed by the Devil and powered by the euergy of tbe· trapped spirits. Aided by a psychic (Matthew
Lillara), who feels the paip of every per~
son and ghost he encounters, and a detennined "spirit-saver" (Embeth
Davidt.z), the occupants are <'>.n a .race
against time to save themse!>v.es before
it's too tate.
Although Thirteen Ghosts cohexcellent visual e.ffects that are
guaranteed to make yo.ur stomach
churn, this movie is not for those
who want to be intelle<>tually stimulated . Events happen so quickly that
tbere is no time for chara~ter d:evelopm€nt. The movie is predictable
from beginning to end, except for
one or two curve balls that are interesting but hardly enough to carry the
movie. Performances from th€ cast
an~ not ex_eeptional, but good enough
to keep you .interested.
~ains
-
The Classic
December 2001
·Virus disables/new computer system
by Shara Siegel
Process Workshop. Teachers can bring
" Th ey 're qu ick er a nd they ' re their classes to the other two rooms, 51 4
slicker," said senior Roni Siegel about and 535, as long as the rooms are availthe new computers that have been re- able: A number of teachers volunteered
cently installed around the school. That to supervise these rooms so that any stuwas before a devastating vi rus ate into dent can use the computers during his/
vital system files, disabl ing the entire her free bands .
Brand new computers have replaced
· network. As of press time, experts had
bee n called in· to solve the problem and the slower, older ones in the library, and
were close to fix in g it, accord ing to all students have been able to use them
Computer Coordinator Joseph Horn.
since October 25.
IBM Pentium 3 high-speed computStudents can have access to the liers were hooked up in· August, and the brary from home. A firewall, which prechange-over to the new Microsoft Win- vents outsiders from having access to
dows 2000 Network System that re- computer files and databases, secures
placed the Novell oper.ating system was Mi'crosoft Windows , which also allows
web-based e-mail. Students additionally
completed last week.
The Queens
High School have password-protected access to their
Superintendent'sOffice, theAiumniAs- accounts. Ms. Brustein and Mr. Horn
sociation, the Principal's Discretionary · warn that, with these given freedoms,
Fund and support from the Parents As- maintaining the secrecy of one's passsociation made all of this possible.
word is essential. Another benefit of
· "It's necessary to keep up with these computers is that students can use
changes in order for us to remain in the the Queens College resources via the
forefront of education," said Assistant computers with the bar code on their
Principal of Science Susan Brustein, identification card.
who is also in charge of the school's
The state-of-the-art Intel research
website. Three computer rooms have center is another addition that has just
been upgraded: 414, 514, and 434. beencompleted. All six science and soFreshmen and incoming sophomores are cial science research classes have access
assigned to room 414 for the Writing to new computers in room 634. Students
Founder's Day celebrates unity
.
Continued from p. l
.
decent" Harrisites he has encountered
and stressed the importance ofservice
as well as the "ability to wonder."
Dr. Marvin Leiner, Queens College liaison, delivered the welcoming. speech . David Herszenhorn,
· President of the Alumni Association
and graduate from the class of 1990,
told students that with the Alumni
Association,"You ha:ve thousands of
friends . .. you have not met yet who
are willing to help you succeed."
Matt Heffernan from the New York '
City Fire Department and husband of
English teacher Raquel Chung spoke of
the Fire Department and Police
Department's experiences on the day of
the World Trade Center attacks. He also
thanked Harrisites for the $2,000 raised
for the September I I funds. "[It] realiy
reaffirms my belief in [New York's]
being the greatest city in the world," he
said. E rik Scott, sophomore, believed
that Mr. Heffernan's speech "helped us
· all cope ... [with] the hard time we are
now going through."
Other speakers included Daphne
Manhart, Co-President of the ParentTeacher Association (PTA), Ilana
Golin, class of '96, and Henry Wong,
class of '98.
Between the speeches were musical interludes. Among these were
Sharon Lim's violin performance of
"Praeludium and Allegro" by Fritz
. Kreisler. She was accompanied by Paula
Zarmon, music teacher, on the piano.
The Concert B~nd, conducted by Peter Lustig, music teacher, played "We
Are Family" and "New York, New
York," and invited those in the audience to sing along; using the lyrics
provided in the program as a guide.
.
.
According
to
Kathy
Mu,
sophomore, "the highlight would have
to be the sing-along .... It was fun
and .. ,made people more involved in
the whole ceremony." In addition, .
sophomores Jessica Poli,sh, Alyssa
Ng, and Amy Ortega performed
"Empty Chairs," a musical selection
from Les Mise rabies. ·
Founder's Day challenges contributed by students coincided with the patriotic theme of Spirit Week and
Founder's Day. Presentations included
jokes on what it means to be a 'real New
Yorker' and a "Mission Impossible" skit
to show how to spot a Harrisite. On a
more serious note, the ceremony included the recitation of poetry and let. ters by Harrisites concerning the events.
of September II ,and its aftermath ..
Among these were "Lady Liberty" by
_sophomore Carrie Buchwalter and "Still
We Rise" by senior Jennifer Fernandez.
(See page 12.)
.
Student Union President Marc ·
Florman and Vice-President Jenna
Sangastiano otlered a special tribute to
Jennifer Wong, a 1993 alumna lost in the
World Trade Center attack. They asked
Harrisites to each contribute one dollar
to the Jennifer Wong Memorial Scholarship fund . Beginning in June 2002, this
annual award will be presented to the student who best exemplifies Jennifer's
spirit of devotion to community service.
Founders Day 2001 concluded with
the affirmation of the Ephebic Oath by
freshmen and incoming sophomores. By
taking this ancient Greek pledge, they
promised to leave their city better than
they found it. Archon Co-Presidents,
Chi Wan Ma and Shara Siygel, led the
recitation, which is part of the school tradition of service.
working on research proj'ects such as the
Siemen s-Westinghou se Competition,
St. John 's Symposi um, Solomon, Smith
Barney Quality of Life Competition, or
any other special projects can use this
equipment. Scanners and printers will
be readily available to these classes ,
Ms. Brustein says that the new systern has made information about school
events, clu bs and teams more accessible.
The Web Team plans to have a link for
every club president and team captain
so they can bee-mail ed.
Acquiring the new computer system
was a goal Principal Thomas
Cunningham pursued when he came to
Townsend Harris last February. This
whole process was completed within six
months . Lynne Greenfield, Assistant ·
Principal of Humanities, worked to
make the research lab a real ity by proposing it to the Alumni Association. Ms.
Brustein said, "She did all the groundwork to make i.t possible."
This is the beginning stage for the
school's modernization in the changing
world of computer technology. "This
will be an ongoing . process that will
eventually keep up with technology on
a day-to-day basis," Mr. Horn said. "It's
a constant process of upgrading."
11
Anthrax
Continued from p. 3
needs ''to make sure the public is
aware of the lthe effects of an]
overdose of antibiotics." Taking
too many antibiotics can cause
the 'bacteria to become resistant.
Sophia Huttner, j uni or, presents a calm perspective on the
prob lem: " I thi nk people are
over blowil)g an thr.ax . Not that
many people have died of it, and
it doesn't seem li ke it's affecting
the g~neral public. Also, mon~
people are dying per second of
other [things], like cardiovascular disease. I don't think we have
to be worr.ie<ilabout anthrax."
- "Source§;
Begley, Shnrqn u.nJ,l ISikoff, .Mic;-haeL "Anxious Ahout
Anthrax." fll•w.•week 22·0ctobcr 2m I: 28-35,
"H(}w to.Survive Anlhr.ax." Editorial. New, YtJrk Time.\'~
IR Nt>vem~r2tMU : AI2.
Janof.•ky. Michael. "At Post Offices, Whispered
Complah'!J..Ii About Latest EfiTlrtS tn Protect
Health." Ne.}1! }hrk Ternes 24 (i)Ctnher 2001 : 87 ,
Lemonicl, Michael D. "D"tadl}t E>elivery." 1iftU' 22
October 2tXll : 32-38.
Park, Al-i ce. "Bur-ning Ques~ions . •· Tfm,t' 22 Octoher
2tKH : 34-35.
For the latest. news, visit
The Classic online at:
http://www.thhs.qc.edu/elassic/
Bloomberg defeats .Green
Continued from p. l
Franco Scardino, Christobal Hackney
tr~ubles. The pressure was on for both ' and Maureen Lonergan distributed the
seniors and faculty to work very quickly, fundamental guides to all seniors. Harand within a short time, the ·Sefli.ors ris alumnae Maria Doulis and Zara Ziff
staged the first of three major campaign (both '99) offer.ed .additional help to the
events: the kick-off rally.
.
PD teachers.
"With such short notice, they manMs. Greenfield has played a key role
aged · to pull It off," praised Lynne since the launchingofthe simulation six
Greenfield, Assistant Principal of Hu- · years ago. She takes care of much of the
manities. "{thought the rally was done "administrative red tape" that goes along
with a great level of enthusiasm and with this major school-wide event every year. "Basically, I make it run," she
good humor."
The kick-off rally gave each candi- explained. Every year, in addition to her
date a chance to present his stance on many other tasks, she prepares a thick,
certain issues and announce his cam- approximately 80-page long Teacher's
paign plans. Along with speeches by Mr. Manual on running the simulation. She
Bloomberg (Kristofer De Paola), Mr.· . coordinates with Queens College proGreen (Peter Koklanos), Bronx Bor- fessors Michael Krasner and Jack Zevin,
ough President Fernando Ferrer (Jamar ·. directors of the Taft Institute, and
Banks), who was still in the running at Queens College liaison Marvin Leiner,
the time of the rally, and Mayor as well as helping run surveys. "Decic
Rudolph Giul iani (Erkhan Murad), sions on structure have to h: made each ·
mock interest groups such as the New year concerning things like the treasurYork City Tenants Association, the Gay ies of the candidates, what races to .
Men's Health Crisis, and the National cover, and how to go about it," she saia.
Association for the Advancement of
The tradition of the election simulaColored People (NAACP), shared with tion is one that is uniq.ue toTownsend
the crowd their endorsements and views Harris. "It couldn't happen anywhere
on topics such as education and city but here on the scale that we do it," exhousing.
plained Ms. Greenfield. She added that
"The main purpose of the rally was the first election simulation covered the
to Jet people know what the different 1996 Presidential race and that "we
candidates and interest groups stood came up with the idea because we didn't
for," explained se r.lior Angela want to do the same old thing . We
Muscolino.
wanted something different."
The kick-off rally and the other rna"We do the election simulation evjor events in the simulation, the debates ery year in hopes that you guys are goand the Interest Group rally, received ing to be the leaders of the city and the
much of their inspiration and informa- nation in the future," said Mr.
tion from the Source Book, a manual full Moskowitz.
of articles and press releases pertaining
Next year 's seniors will cover the
to the real candidates. Participatory De- New York State gubernatorial election
mocracy teachers Myron Moskowitz, in their simulation.
12
The
Classic
D!lcember 2001
Founder's ·. Day submissions: A sampling
New York City- Some Things
Never Change
Thefollowing poems, letters, cmd
artwork are samples from the wide
selection of Founder's Day Challenges completed by students this
year for their English classes. The
poems "Still We Rise" and "New
York City - Some Things Never
Change," were recited at the
Founders Day assembly. The artwork
by Eugene To, found on the top of this
page, was the cover design for this
year's program.
The people still walk,
hurrying along to work or to their
homes.
They crowd into the subway,
maybe pushing and shoving a little
less than before.
The buildings are still there;
casting their shadows, slender or
. stocky,
·
over their cracked sidewalks.
There are fewer shadows than before,
but the ones still there -are honored.
The skyline still shines,
jewels scattered across the night.
People, watching the colors and lights .
run together,
· sitting in their cars on bridges,
standing by the Hudson River,
· or the East, . _
they notice the glitter aild glimmer
andglow.
·.
The heart of New York is still there,
tucked into every pretzel anQ hot dog
.
stand;
.
heard ineveryrushed cell phone call;
·· swimming in every tall cup of decaf
. cappuccino with skim milk,
beating under the skin of every New ·
·Yorker;
- Hilary Homier; junior
Still We Rise
Based on "Still We Rise," by Maya
Angelou ·
lt will be written down in history
Terrorism so drastic and big in size·
Knocked down our great, twin
. buildings to ·
None but dirt .
But:still, like the dust, we~ II rise. ~
boes our.successfulness upset you?
· I Was the World Trade .Center
Why do you cominue to act with such
.· . . .. .· gloom?
I was the World Trade Center. I canvanish. Look at the rock and ash that I
'Cause of the fact that we're still
not grasp. what has happened to me .... l . . have become. Look closely ... My soul
movmg
was breathing fire, yet my insides were
dispersed into the hearts of millions of
arid not giving in to our so-called
· frozen. People came out of their rooms people all over the world.... .
·
doom.
my rooms- helping the disabled descend
· My dissolution was intended to blow
Just like moons and Jike SI:InS,
the staircase, holding . one 1another's
theseeds ofhatred in ourdtrection, ,mak~
•.
With the certainty of tides,
hands and guiding each other through
ing cruelty take root and bear new kirids
Just like hopes springing high,
· New York City's darkest hour. 1 started . of fruit, which should never be tasted.
·
Stillwe;ll rise. .
to crumble; and I felt myself start to give .Please, my family, don't resolve to vio.
. . ·
..
Did you want to see us broken? ··.· . way. I couldn't. hold on· much longer. hince. Don't cause any other people to .
Bowing our neads ;and lowering oitr :·~·. Ru~f ~uri,you are my on'Jy farriily!Aban- · feel the unbearable pain that I have felt . B . .d· . ·•s· ' k~~ub_ckS·h. l s·l
,.
?
· · ·
·
·
·
·
t' ··.
If.
d
. ·h h
.. _ase on tc . , y e . 1 verstem
eyes.
don-me,: leave before all is lost....
or you, my own. you_ o, l s a11 ave
· ·
·
·
Shoulders falling down like tear~rops
. The air became increasingly foul as I . b_een dest_royed in vain. Keep the sun in "1 don't want.to go to school today;".
ln acceptance of our slow demtse.
realized that this was an attack not only
stght dunng the day; but when the· sun Yelled a Harris student whose name
. . Does our unity offend you?
on my spirit, but my city's spirit; and my . sets and paves the way: for the velvety .
.
. is May; .
.
Are you upset there arefew tears?
country's. In fact; this was ari attack on
background ofthe silvery moon, be pre- ·· .
_l cari'tget up ou~ of bed.
'Cause you have only brought us
·.. the people of the world ... :
·. .
pared to know how to find your WilY US" ' My knowledge is draining from my .
closer
Prior to my downfall, 1 became witing the less apparent starlight... .. . . . .
. . head.. .
.
With your bombthteats and your ,,. ness.ofttie city. The people whowalked
. Don't choose to.have your love bur-·
I have 10 tests. a~~ a paper due.
scares. . ·
· down rriy sidewalks became mY family,
ied by the rubble that I now seem to be
. I lost my dictionarY,, too; .
·
'th
·
·
·
·
·
··
·
·
·
·
·
·
.
h
h
h
..
d
·
·
·
k
code
You· m~y have h't
1 uswt
your
. even tf they dtdn't reahze tt.I looked at
-sort t roug t ~ . estructwn; pte out _ ·The· ··dress
·
. hdoesn
. t fit my
1
. .
warfare,
.
.
them - the Italian. the Russian, the Chi- · · the fragmented pteces ofyour soul and ·.·1·th. ·k
h c lodt .~s,b . · ·
d' ··
··
h
d'
ti
h k.
· .
. . .
· ·
· ·
. .
.
.
. .· .
m my s ou er s. een expose .
You may ave rna. e us ea~ t e s . tes,
nese, th~ Vtetnamese, the homeless, the . _mo~e ~n! Perhaps you can · retneve And one thing more 1 forgot io say: . ·
You may have k1lled our mnocent
rich; the indifferent, the ambitious, the
somethmg out of my wreckage that you
1 feel iliiterate today.
.
citizens,
Muslim, the Christian, the Jew - all never had b7fore. Take that away with ·. I cari.' t talk good, I hurt rriy knee.
But still, like the air; we'll rise.
Americans, and .I adopted them and desyou and start again. Let thelights of your
Can't you see what's happened to
Does our patriotism upset you?
ignated a plac~- for them in my heart. I
individual souls illuminate your lives
.
. .
me?
Does it come as a suq)rise
housed the best 'qualities of humankind
and guide you through thistime of mis- · I ·have a collateral due next week. ·
That we wear our flags iJ1 allegiance ... because the people ·lent me portions of understanding. Doallofthisfor me,.the· Those on my bus t.hink l'm a!reak,
In the face of terror and above the
their souls. So many.things ceased to .. World Trade Center, the soul of ~oUI: · My art teacher wlll hate my tdea,.
· ?
· ·
·
· .. ,.tza t.ton.
cnes.
extslphystcally
on· t he· ·day· ·.<m w· h.tch the
ctvt
.
. .._ .
-My ·flute ·makes sounds
. . ·. · ·. you
. · don · t
Keeping our place in. hist.ory's name.
world cried -but everyone's spirits did not .
-Jessica Polish, sophorri9te
M
. . want to hear. .. ·
··
we R'tse . ·.
·
'
· ·
·
y 1egs are sore, 1 .r an stxty 1aps.
1. . d .
d . b
.
~
tne to stu ym etween-naps.
~
/-~~··
J~;
1 was put in c.horus, but I can
. 't si.ng .
Up from the past tha.t s rootedm pam ·
. We Rt~e
.
.
· ..
•
. ~.;Y
Y
1 should just send my resume ~o •
Our vast sot!, seethmg wtth pnde,
· . .., . "\ ftl~ .AI"
Burger King.
11
Welling and swelling in_honor of
.
~,... 'IJ'
"'~'·
I don't get math, my brain gets
those who have d1ed
•.,
.>cA!'
·
numb,
_-1</,, ./
. I gotthree referrals for chewing
Leaving behind nights of terror and· ·
fear ·
gum.·
We Rise
I forgot my lunch for lunch recita-
.
·,
. .
- . J .-. ,., ,,, '_, . -- no
011
AIL_..
Into a daybreak tl}at's wondrously
·
1 ·
·
·
Wc ear
R'
e ISe
In honor of the land that our ancestors
secured,
We have a dream and we know we
will soar
We Rise
We Rise
We Rise.
-Jennifer Fernandez, senior
•
- ' ·,-::··;;;;
......., •. .
·
= "(_. -
. k
tion.
.
I thm I need a long vacation. ·
M y wntmg
· · sk'll
·
"l
1 s h ave Iost t h e1r
touch.
I've never disliked school this much.
~·m stupid and my grammar is~what?
What's that? What's that you say?
~ You think my grammar is perfect,
·
you say?
Great, but I'm still not going to
school today.
" -Jessica Berger, sophomore
d
-
The Classic
December 2001
13
Lights, Camera, Action.:
PBS fillns documentary on lnteJ parti·cipants
;
by Marlo Dublin
Ten Science Research students will
soon appear iri a Public Broadcasting
System mini-series on Channel 13. Ex-·
ecutive Producer John Merrow's documentary follows participants from both
Townsend Harris and Plainview High
School on Long Island as they prepare
projects for the Intel Science Talent
Research competition.
PBS has yet to announce the pre:
miere of the series~ which was originally
scheduled to air during November in 13minute segments on the NewsHour, because recen( events have been given airtime priority.
Accompanied by Assistant Producer ·
Donald Devet and a crew of camera. men, Merrow turned room 634 into a
makeshift TV studio where he interrogated the individual contestants and
probed the nature of their research, their
intentions and their hunger for scientific knowledge. Many of the students
are also entering the Intel International
Science and Engineering Fair, St.
John'~ Science Fair, and the Siemens
Westinghouse Competition.
By gaining a "three-dimensional
view" of his subject~ 1 Merrow wants his
program to show hc>w devoted some students are to the advancement of their
scientific world.
"I w<\s amaz:ed ' with the students,"
Mr. Devet said at the end of a taping
scss~<.>\1.- 'They were extremely articulate, co~fiderft and poist;d, and it is obvious that they hav.e .a .real passion for
..science." IAterviewed were Linda To,
Akshta Kalla, Yulee Juh, Amir Tusher,
Marisa Cohen, Gloria Lee, Vito Diienna,
Rio May Del Rosario, Sofia Bajwa and
Jin Hwan Choi, all seniors.
"It wasn't until I joined Mr. We.iss'
science club in ninth grade that I realized that science was my thing," Amir
admitted to Merrow. In his interview,
Amir elaborated on his devotion to sci-ence and his project, which has focused
on weight training and its potential benefits for patient~ suffering from hyper-
'"
I
''I've learned that it's okay to ask questhe participants, offering_, to read their
tions. By doing this project, we put eur- proposals and question any aspects that
might have seemed unclear. She has also
selves in a position to learn and we want
to get something out of it. Once you
served as a general source of support and
show your ignorance, you adn1i.t that
guidance throughout the grueling process.
you want to learn."
"I don't consider myself a nerd, but
"The l\tudents I work with arc amaznither-.an ining," Mrs. Brustcin said." The selfless
- rei rectual '" amount of work they do is extraordinary,
Amir tol(l
and the nicest part of the whole thing is
Merrow. " I that there's no competiti_on. Everyone is
have a life : there to help and support one another.
study when
I've learned throughout this whole reI h a v c to,
search process that you ' rc not part of a
TAfENT . SEARCH
and · go out
problem, but rather part of a solution."
with
my
Merrow returned to Harris on Octofrie nd s .
bcr l to speak with Amir, Marisa, and
· There is no
Gloria who arc submitting projects for
way you arc
the Siemens Westinghouse Competition .
going
lo
He returned once again on November 26
survive the
to interview all of the 10 research stu-process if dents before they prepared to meet the
you can't
other three contests' deadline~ .
have fun. "
" I really thought rhaUt was great that
I . - c. we wc·r~ gi,v.c n the .ciJ.q.r~c ,tq_h,c )nt9rBeaming next to the banner that declares Townsend Harris as an Intel
Semifinalist school. Assistant Principal of Science Susan Rrustcin looks
though fi- , viewed. In the beginni~g, I t"clt really
forward to hearing the results of this year's competition.
'
Jial propos- · nervous, hut as time went on; I was anlc
als and rcto ·ignore the lights and equipment sursearch
reports
had
to
be
submitted
no
rounding me and just m·c us on talking
ordinator of Stress Lab, Cardiology.
laicr
than
November
2H
for
three
of
the
with
Mr. Merrow," said-Rio May ... NorAlthough Amir has devoted .a great deal
four
major
compcliti<ins,
Amir
tlild
mally,
the only people that a_rc rctog:
oLtime and effort to his project's sucMerrow
t)lat
the
submission
of.~is
finizcd
for
participating in various science
cess, he believes that the whole process
has been a "persom11 challenge, which nal projpct \ViJI ,not stop hi~. ,qesir? ll>,_ , compat,itjqn~,;ar~ ~-~S ~inn~,t;s : ,t ,~e~y, inwitl · bri'n'g' gcrerit ·sal-isfaetio.n upon co.ndt~et{urthFr ~e,s(!<lr<.;h. , :'I ,wnul,4 )) ~~ , s; terv1 '1't'~· 8H~ ~J J4~ 6Wil1fbli9l!l-fi>kt'§~Pl:R h
to he a medica'! researcher when I .get , tion by f(>cOsing in on our individual stocompletion ."
ries, and neglecting the idea that win, During his interview with Amir, older," Amir said . "If not a researcher,
ning the competition is the most imporMerrow raised. many questions, -some then something in the medical field ."
Whilc the student inLerviews were . tant thing."
focusing on the.project's process i·n genMerrow encourages those who arc
eral (the pre,Jiminary research stages, being conducted, Susan B-rustein, Asinterested in the series to frequently visit
deadlines and regulations}, and others sistant Principal oi'Scicncc, sal (>n the
narrowing in on more personal issues, . sidelines , li\tcning .intently. As ,O!]C .of the PBS hnmcpage,,,,www.PBS.org/
t!;w· qmtcst, . M~. ,. Merrp:w, li~wad<liJ\\l~H~~ lilt~;f!>l~l]HIJiHJl :t,
such as his aspir~1tions . "I consider my- the Sl,lpcryisors
,,, ;;J•
self a dedicated, motivated and passion- . Bruslcin hHS worked alongside mpsi or .. .
ate person," Amir told Merrow. 'Tve put
my whole self into this project, and I
believe that even if I don't win the comthe ceremony because i.l wasn't too forpetition, I will he contributing some- Continued from p, 3
thing to the scientific world or to some Languages; Antoinette Teague and mal 'but welcomed all<.>f the incoming
Cheryl Kramer, guidance counselors;_. members. It was a place where every·other research stu.d ent."
When asked what he learned from Susan B_rustein, Assistant Principi\1 of one could he proud oUhcir accomplishments."
_,,
conducting research, Amir responded, Science; and Maria Laderoutc, Latin
Teacher; in presenting indiJ~tccs with .
Stephanie L,ew, :-;_onior, conduct,e d tl1c
pins and certificates. In order to b~ in- Concert Band in the pro~cssi(>nal ~ while
ducted into Arista, one must have a Peter Lustig, music teacher, conducted
minimum average of 90, have per- . them in "Suite from The Magic Flute"
late "every nig-ht for over a week and
formed at least 50 hours of community
hy W.A. Mozart. The ceremony cona half" because of pl'ogramniing iss·ervicc, and participated in at least one cluded With the Townsend Harris alma
sues.
school club.
mater and a performance of "We Arc
One thiJJg. Ms. Walsh said, she
Susan Cheng said that, "I cnj6yed
Famil~" from the Concert Band .
would mi·s!-iahout. h.er 6Id posi~ion is
organi'zing the annmtl Intcnul:riona:l
Festival of Nations. "Every year I
collapsed a happy woman cifter the .
perfori11ance," she said . "The production was so beautiful."
Although she misses being AP of
Foreign Language and Fine Arts, Ms.
Walsh is enjoying her new position
asAP of Guidance. "I love the people
I work with," she said . "I have great
I
respect for this office and can really
sec that all people involved in guidance issues, from the coui1selors to
the school aides , are at! truly professional and delightful to work with."
tension (high blood pressure).
Sacrificing summer vacations and
countless hours after school, Amir has
-spent two years conducting extensive research in one of Manhattan Veteran
Medical Center's cardiology labs. His
mentor is Muriel May, the Clinical Co-
__ i·nteJ. ___
SCIENCE
A
or
Arista welcomes inductees
New Positions
Continued from p. 7
Judy Biener
Senior Monique Edis.o n says that
she thinks "ifs great that Ms. 13iener
is Senior Advisor since she is so
humble and down-to-earth . She can
relate to how we feel and she 's very
kind and understanding."
Placing her anxiety aside, Ms.
Biener says that above all, "I want
the seniors to have fun ; it's an important year for them . I hope we have
a great year."
Joan Walsh
and the rest of the. guidance departn1ent set up support centers and have
always been available for any students to talk. Ms . Walsh also stayed
Queens Teachers of
Mathematics
&
Spanish
Private TUTORING in Your Home
(7l8) 843-1 302
14
-
The Classic
. December 2001
Turtles splash into second place
Fencers finish third in city
by Carolina Chang
swimmers. However, this small group of
of 14-2, with a total of 74 touches .
After two grueling hours of competia little over 20 girls worked hard through- by Josh F ox
tioti, the Turtles earned second place in
out the session, swimming consistently
The Fencing team placed third in M ichlewitz said, "Richard sets the high
the PSAL City Finals Championships, and with constant improvement. "The City Championships on November 14, mark for the te a m' s performance ."
behind Bronx Science . Swimming Turtles [came] through when we reaiiy behind Brookyln Tech, who came in sec- Through eight games ,Clark 's record is
I 0-6, with a fin al record of 60 touches .
against the top three teams, Bronx Scineeded it," said Lieberman.
ond after Bronx Science.
Katherine Yan and Waqas Shaikh
ence, Curtis, and Brooklyn Tech, was inA big difference berween this year and
They placed first in Queens Chamtense and every point contributed to the last year was the addition of two divers, pionships on November 7 , defeating fence at the B level. Shaikh is a novice
sophomores Kristina Kalpakis and Frederick Douglas Academy and who makes the most of his height and
success of the team . Because Curtis and
strength. Steven Torem and Jessie Chow
Harris tied in the Semi-finals, this meet Nicole Schnell. The two worked very Francis Lewis for the title.
· was a quad meet, meaning the point syshard, practicing ail summer to learn six
The Hawks were the top seed in this make up the C string of fencers . Torem
tern was very different. allowing the
basic dives so that they could give the ' year's competition and, along with was undeafeated as a c fencer and
Turtles "to sneak up to second place," said Turtles a fighting chance in the playoffs. Francjs Lewis, were the only represen- placed seventh in the invitational on
coach Jim Jordan .
During past seasons, the Turtles watched tatives from Queens in the City October 21 . When asked why Torem
The voices of Turtle supporters were
the diving competition from the side, as Championhips. They were joined by was placed as a C fe!Jcer, Michlewitz
drowned out by the screaming fans of the other teams gained points without a Hunter College, Stuyvesant, Bronx Sci- replied, "He is truly great in competiBronx Science, as they had .the home pool
real fight. With the gain of two divers, · ence, Frederick Douglas Academy, tion; however, many of the members on
the team know his tricks and control him
advanJage. Nevertheless, the spirit of the
the Turtles were able to pick up nine ex- Brooklyn Tech and Tottenville.
Turtles never died down as each girl
tra points that would give them an edge
Coach Debra .Michelwitz said that throughout practices." .
According to Michlewitz, the novover the other teams . "With diving, I'm the fencers "fought hard to the end" and
swam her fastest time. "We have a won~
derful team with a lot of spirit and heart," reaiiy helping the team," said Schnell.
that everyone "fenced very well while . ices are very motivated, and put effort
into learning the skills. She predicts that
saidjur\iorTalya Lieberman. The Turtles
With the completion of another season, thinking on their feet."
never stopped che~ring as they recited the girls are thinking about next year.
This team has been ignited not only next year the team will be in a rebuliding
their many energy-fiiied jingles. "Swim- They now· know what they are capable by its coach, but by the leadership of its phase, because they are losing both of
ming doesn't only involve the swimmers of and have the clear picture of gold in seniors, namely the A fencers Richard their A fencers after graduation . "We
and the divers. The fans and the support their minds. "[Winning second place] Cupolo and Patrick Clark. In eight · have a lot of spirit, so we should do well
of the other teammates are very . imporwas great closure for the season. It was a games, Cupolo holds a personal record next year." she said.
i
tant," said sophomore Amanda Chen.
very successful season and it's going to
The competition was tight and every bit encourage us to try even harder next year
of cheering gave the swimmers enough so we_can come in first!" said sophomore
energy and wil!,power to swim their best.
Dorota Sawicz. Many are determined to
"It was really close; we only beat Brookpractice year-long, including over the
Iyn Tech by one point. Everyone put in a summer, to perfect their dives, tlipturns, by Elyse Lee
Casale with a 146, .t~ough none of them
After an 8-4 record this season, the advanced to the city playoffs.
lot of effort," commented junior Diane and to shave a few seconds off their
Park.
times. "I'm going to swim over the sum- Boys' Varsity Bowling team finished
Ceraulo commented that they had a
Some sw.immersJ:wough~ marker,s and
mer and: maybe 11)y breaststroke. will be third in the Queens Division. With a loss good season, though most of the teams
body ,paint;ti:i>- deoorflte ~ach1 @ther w,ith , fasterthanwy freestyle," saidCpenjok- to Campus Magnet on November. 1, thatthey played were weak, except for
positive _and encouraging words that ingly. Maria Wojakowski, freshman, said, they relinquished their place in the playthe division champions, who are in the
would hopefully intimidate the other . "Being able to contribute something to offs to Martin Van Buren and Thomas
playoffs,
·
teams, while pumping up themselves. The the team as we took second place was Edison, who shared the division tit.fe
. Ceraulo has faith in his young team
turtles had turtle stamps all over their exciting and_it makes me determined to with a record of 11-1.
for the upcoming season. Ben Harson,
But coach Lawrence Cera{Jio did not sophomore, whohas an average of 147,
bodies or, as senior Angela Musco fino put work harder for first. place nextseason."
it "I have 'Turtleitis' !"
.''I was very surprised that after los- feel defeated. J.uniors Alvin Lee Gattoc
and Gattoc, with an average of 145, were
arid Ben Seo and senior Anthony Casale the toptwo scorers on the team this year.
The swimmers also found encourageingtw~lv.e seniors, we stiff ·came back
· m~ilt In 'the turtlt!'. beanie" traby provided-"··strbrig, taking second;'' said Jordan. "It ·made it to the individual playoffs Returning players also include juniors
by freshman Amanda Arn8'riUo. ,
• . was due to !he hard · work and dedica- against the top bowlers from the other Joe Miller and Adam Wiener. Casale,
tionofthegirlsorelsewewouldh'thave high schools in the Queens league, held
At first mention of the Swim team,
who averaged 144, will be graduating.
many ask, "Turtles? Aren't. they slow'?" : come this far! We know What we cando, on November 7. Gattoc finished with However, freshmen Jorge Cubas and
Sophomore Kristin Angelopoulo.s would . first place and no less!" As Lieberman ·. an average of 190, Seo with 150 and
David Joseph will help next year.
answer, "Only on land!" Like the animals, put it, "We're smart, we..' re talented and
our Turtles may not be the fastest, but are dang it, we can swim. Last yeai·we were
very determined and focused swimmers.
third in the city, thiS year wi'·~e second.
Unlike many big schools, Harris' student It's only Io_gicai that next yeatWE;'R~
body of I ,000 does not produce m'lny 'GONNA BE #·I !!!·l'
-. ·
'
·
'
.
.:
Boy bowlers third in Queens
-".
·..:,
.'
.
Girls bowl in playoffs;
lose 2nd .round .to . Lewis
....
Tllltllr
Spanish ·French
.''
I•
~
·Retired Teacher
(212) .· 721-3654
· . byAshley Pillsbury
.
TheGids'Bowling te~m
defeated Acorn on N overn. ber 13 during the first rou_nd .
' of the . pl(lyoffs, allowing
thern . to move forward.
However, they were de- ·
feated by Fran~is Lewis in
the second round on Monday, November 19._
"We were really disappointed because we beat
them twice in the regular
· season, and we just figured
that we could beat the~ in
the playoffs;'' explained
Megan Davidow, junior:
Davidow placed sixth in
the Individual Championships and averaged 150 in
three games, qualifying her
for the City Wide Inidividual
· Championships.
. . Bloom, taking over the coaching p-osition from health · teacher Ellen
Schwartz, does; not feel that teaching at
another school while coaching a
Townsend Harris team has affected his
relationship with the girls.
"I had~ most of t~em.for P.E. or health,
and -I only left at the e.nd of last year, so
it's like lnever left," he explained.
The team has no captain, ·at the request of the players. "It was nice. The
girls all wanted to be on the same plane
as a team. They didn't want, or need, a
captain," he said.
· Bloom said that Megan Davidow,
junior, and Kristina Casper, seriior, are ·
the two top bowlers . Davidow, who ·
holds an average of about 150, is de~
scribed by Blo<;>m as the "steadiest" on
the team. Casper, whose average is
around 135, is graduating this year,
along with Stephanie Lew, Cassie Chan
and Shekhinah Jay~
-
The Classic
December 2001
Girls' Varsity Volleyball
bumped out of the finals
by Josh Fox
Despite a good season, the Girls'
Varisty Volleyball team fell to Francis
· Lewis in the finals of the Queens
Championships on November 20, end~
ing their season with a record of7- 2.
When the first whistle sounded on
September I, signaling the beginning
of the Girls Varsity Volleyball season,
no one could possibly expect what it
would bring. Coach Wanda Nix said,
"Considering the short time this team
had to come together as a team, they
did a fabulous job." She added, "Everyone worked hard and grew not only
as players, but as people."
With the tragic events of September II, the team has lost valuuable
Boys' Track season · end·s weU
practice time, but as a result, the team
has learned a great deal about the
signlfigance of sports and teh importnace
of bieng a team.
·
Junior Alexandra LoRe commented
on the importance of everyone on this
team including the players on the bench.
"We could not have done it without the
cheering from all the 'benchees. "'
Along with the teams' leading
blocker, LoRe, some of the inspiring
stars have been Junior Nicole Watters,
the team's leader in kills, Junior Kristin
Newman and Senior Mary Pipinas, the
assist king of the Hawks. However, this
team would not have been as good without the leadership of Seniors Chi Wan
Ma, Christina Perdos and Jane Yoo.
Threats on soccer field
dampen successful season
by Ashley Pillsbury
Drama filled the Boys' Soccer season , closing with~ record of 5 - 6, their
best in four years. The excitement, however, was not in their score, but in the
conflicts that arose between Townsend
Harris and Hillcrest High Schools.
In the first game between the two
teams, on September 28 , Hillcrest took
the win, and expected the same outcome
in the second match on October 23. The
score for the second match was 1 - I,
angering fans and players of the
Hillcrest team.
According to the three co-captains of
the Harris team, seniors Arthur Goulian,
Marc Florman and Andrew Galmer,
Hillcrest fans verbally insulted Harris
players while team members threatened
them with metal poles. One of the
Hillcrest fans threatened to kill the referee, but the referee allowed the person
by Stephen Berger
The Boys' Cross-Country TFack
team finished their season at the City
Championships at Van Courtland PaFk
on November 10. The varsity team finished sixteenth in ·the city, the sophomore team finished seventh, and the
freshman team placed fifth. Senior
Alejandro Gonzalez completed the 3.1
mile race first in Queens, becoming, the
first Townsend Harris runner to do so.
He placed ninth at the City Championships, qualifying for ·the State Championships, where he placed twelftn.
Prev.iously, at tbe Queens Champi-nnshipme_e t at Cunningham. Park, he-fd
0n October 26, both ibe v.atsity ana jun~
ior var&ity division fin-i shed s.eeond in
Queens.
At the Fresbman/Soph0m-or.e
Queens Ch:am.pi()nsnips, on OctJ;Iber 23
at Cunningham Park, fhe freshmen finished first in Queens, wbile the sGphotJl.OF<!.S ,p'laced s~cond, behind Edison
H:igh Sehop-1.
"This y,e.;ar'·s team .is stronger beeause w~ have mqre in depth and ex-
perienc!i than last year;' commented
cQa~h George Rio. The team has a!Doat
twa :times the number of runners it had
last year, and many are returning runners. '"I was ve.ry surprised. at how
much this team has improved. The new
members of, the team have made us
even,.lilore com13etitive,'' said sophomore David Bas·s.
lti·o feelS that anyone who has determination can be a good. runner. No
pniorexp~ri.ence is required to join the
te~ as long as he is wining to give
tract< a tr.y,. The team started practice
-for the season on Au:g ust 27, and the
season ctmclude.d in mid-Nov.ernb~r..
P~t1ces ~e held a'fter soho0l on the
Qqeen-s Clt>il1ege track, Kissena Ji>ark or
Cunnin:gham Park. Runners compete
in Orand P11ix meets on Tuesdays, and
parttcip:ate in invitational. meets on
Saturdays at Van Courtland R:a.tk. Rio
ailtic0t~ated that the most vigorous
com~tit'i;~m wotild c~.me from. eith~r
Barside, Cttrdoza, or Campus Mag.net,
tb:!ilugh.E(lis.on f{:igh 8ch.ool tnrned out
to &e their taughesf contender.
tween the two teams, . stricter officials
to go unpunished.
The Harris boys, to avoid a physical would be placed on the games, and that
conflict, let down the goalie nets as a the rules would be better followed.
"The Hillcrest team is just mean. It's
blockade. There was no physical contact, but the police were called to break one thing to play hard, talk trash and
up the fight, and the game was put un- even to plll.y dirty, but it's another to be
der review by the Public Schools Ath- just mean," said Florman. "We. are not
entirely innocent, but none of our playletic League.
It was agreed by Dean Wanda Nix ers were waitingi:a}ioUnd after. the game
and the dean of Hillcrest, that stricter · to start trb'uble; ·and none> -of our .fans ··'
referees would be placed on games be- were threatening to kill the referee."
Driver -Education
Spring 2002
Kew-Forest High School
119..;_17 Union Tpke. Forest Hills, Queens 11375
(ONE BLOCK OFF QUEENS BLVD. ANI) UNION TPKE. INTERSECTION
CLOSE TO ALL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION)
For more information· call: 718-268-4667 (Day)
Student Completion Certificate
631-864-6753 (Evening) -·
(Blue Card-MV285)
Eligible for Senior License at 17 ·
Dual Controlled Cars
Experienced NYS licensed teachers
Student qualifies for insurance discounts
~ -A driver's permit ,i.s. not
where gra'nted by insurance company
necessary, to- take ,the course
You may1register in person or by mail. Tuition for entire course is $440. A deposit of $200, made out to l(ew- ·
Forest School, is due at or before Registration.
r-----------------------------~-------------------Kew-Forest School
Driver Education Application
Spring 2002
PRINT YOUR LEGAL FIRST AND LAST NAME
Date of birth
Home telephone
Home Address
I,
give iny son I daughter
(parent's name)
permission to enroll in the Kew-Forest School Driver Education course.
(student's name)
Name of student's s c h o o l - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
15 '
Parent's signature
Date
16
-
The Classic
December2001
Girls show there'·s more
to track than running
by Elyse Lee
The Girls' Varisty Track team returned triumphantly from their twoday trip to State Championships November 17. They had made history the
previous Saturday at City Championships by taking the first place title and
were the first team from Queens ever
to do so. At States on November 17
they placed 18 out of the 27 best track
teams in New Ybrk state. Math teacher
Joseph Horn praised his elite team of
seven on the following Monday. Seniors Arica Wade, Nicole Kresse, junior Jessic-a Krivac, sophomores
Kathryn Dubowski, Rosalind Adams,
Erika Russi and Faith Cummings repres-ented 'Townsend Harris at State
Championships, while at Cities
Shanay Fre,eman ran in Cummings
spot.
Against about 250 other competitors, Wade pla~ed 81, Krivac finished
133, Dubowski placed 135, Adams
finished 172, Russi fini-shed 189,
Kresse placed 230, and Cummings
came in 233. In City Championships
Wade placed $, Krivac : placed 9 and
Dubowski 11. Horn decribed the ~ar­
sity team as the toughest compeitors
he has ever coached. The emot.ion,
drive, determination, discp1ine, and
unity are dear in their actions and attitude towards each other. Senior Vicki
Lopez commented, "I am really proud
of our girls, we have eome a long way
in a short period of time." Freeman
added, "I am very proud of this year's.
cross country team and happy to be a
part of the best team in the city."
Townsend Harris wowed the
schools, coaches, crowds, and even
themselves earlier in the season at Borough Championships. The t~am had no
idea that they would make it this far at
the start of the season. Their expectations were to hopefully make top four
at City Championships, and to make
it to States, but now they are ahead of
the'ir expectations-. Wade said, ''We
came into the season with everybody
doubting us, including ourselves, but
1 think that we really proved to everyone that we can do it and do it well."
Adams sajd, "We dug dowfi de.e p and
btought out the best runners in ourselves; the best in the city.''
Horn admits that this is one of the
most unique, special and in'teresting
teams he has ever coached, consisting
of girls who are full of talent yet down
to earth and level headed. With States
behind them and indoor season beginning, tbey are all excited to be running
and their enthusiasm has sky rocketed.
Th-e freshmen express joy in the teams'
suecess, but are mod_e st about their
accomplishments. The sophomores ·are
in awe of the support and encouragement from their teammates. The older
girls take care of the team when the
coach is busy. They stretch in one big
circle in the middle of the track, linked
together by a passion for running and
a great respect for one another, laughing and talking . Surely this is more
than a team, it is a family.
C ..·' · . ..t •
Qtnrnefi ary •
Achilles prevents Cunningham
from running City Marathon
by Ashley Pillsbury
from his days on his high school track
Principal Thomas Cunningham team, and he was the one who introplanned to run in the 200 I New York duced his wife to the sport. "It's funny,
City Marathon, held on November4, but I got her into running, but she got me
was unable to because he sprained his into running marathons," he explained.
Achilles tendon . Although formally He and his wife ran together in last
withdrawing
year's marafrom the race,
thon, and his
he is guaranfinishing time,
teed a spot in
for 26.2 miles,
next year's run .
was four hours
With the funds
and 37 minthat he raises in
utes. About
2002,
Mr.
where to find
Cunningham
him in the
plans to instimass of people
tute the "Extra
he
joked,
Mile Scholar"Look for me
ship." It will be
in the back!"
awarded to the
To train for
student· who
the event, Mr.
not only excels
Cunningham
academically,
ran in the
but who also
mornings beexemplifies
fore going to
community
work, mainly
service and exin the summer.
tra-curric ular
He enjoys runinvolvement.,
~'fY''(P~ .
ning . in the
Last year s
·.
·
.,....
mornmg berace was the
/
cause
it's
first
NYC
cooler and, in
Marathon that Mr. Cunningham took the summer, it's light enough outside to
part in. "I had always thought about run- feel as if it's not really 5:30 am. His
ning it, but my wife is the one who advice to aspiring THHS runners is to
pushed me to do it," he said. He has long "Practice, practice and then practice
held a soft spot for running, starting some more."
Inspiration Behind the Cartoon
Achilles, son of the goddess Thetis,
was dipped by her in the river Styx when
he was born. By doing so , his mother
believed she was making him invincible.
However, she was careless and forgot
to put water over the heel by which she
was holding him. Achilles became a
strong and fearless warrior. During the
Trojan War, he fought well, and the Trojans retreated. Paris, however, shot an
arrow meant for Achilles. It hit him in .
the heel, causing him to die. People now
use "Achilles Heel" to imply a
vunerability.
To root or not to root, that is the question
by Josh Fox
I have come to watch every game of
the 200 I World Series wearing two hats.
The first hat I wear is that of a pure baseball fan hoping to be captivated by the
magic of the series. My second hat is
that of a New York Mets fan. It has been
instilled into my mind, since I was a
child, that it is only natural to despise
the sight of the pinstripes and root
against the team from the Bronx, the
New York Yankees. Since the events of
September II, many New Yorkers have
equated rooting for the Yankees with
being patriotic, implying that those who
root against the Yankees are not patriotic . I protest that association because
half of this city, let alone most of this
country, root against the Yankees.
I certainly consider myself a patriot,
especially in the past two months. Do I
get chills when a great singer comes to
Yankee stadium and sings the Star
Spangled Banner? I certainly do. Am I
proud to see the President of the United
States, the leader of the free world,
throw out the first pitch of a World Series game in New York? I surely am.
Was I filled with jubilee when Derek
Jeter hit the game winning home run in
the bottom of the tenth inning in Game
4? No way. Actually, I was cringing and
felt rather nauseous when watching such
Yankee exploits. I have come to a realization, however, that I wish to share: It
is all right to root against the Yankees
during these times.
The essential impact that baseball,
America's pastime, has on everyone is
the capability of building up to a certain climatic moment in either a game,
a series or a season, in which you forget
about everything else for those few
moments. That pitch, hit or fielding play
is one that will define our own baseball
memories forever. Both the diehards and
the casual fans can usually associate a
year with a memorable baseball moment. Ask any Mets fan about the year
1969, and he or she will not mention the
horrifying events going on in Vietnam;
rather he or she will describe, in precise
detail, Tom Seaver's near perfect game
against the Chicago Cubs on July 9 in
that year.
As we live during trying times today,
baseball serves the same purpose, no
matter which team we cheer. With the
background of the attacks on our country and the subsequent fighting overseas,
one of the greatest World Series in rec
ent history took center stage in a recovering city that surely needed it. Twenty
years from now, when Yankee fans are
asked about that October/November in
200 I, they will recall in vivid detail the
miraculous home run comebacks of
their team to win games 4 and 5. Those
two games will go down not only in
World Series history, but also in New
York folklore. When Diamondbacks
fans- yes there are Diamondbacks fans
in America- remember 200 I, they will
recollect with a gleeful grin the shoe
king "Mariano Meltdown" in the ninth
inning of game 7.
In spite of the immediate and ephemera! euphoria that a dramatic win or a
championship brings to a city, there is
another side of baseball, which is losing. It is ill advised to vicariously live
through the ups and downs of a team,
as though it were real life. Baseball is
just a game.
The outcome of baseball game will
certainly not comfort a mother whose
son is fighting in Afghanistan for the
a
blanket of freedom that we take for
granted every day. That is not what baseball is for and that is not what life is
about. Baseball is supposed to give
people, just for a few hours, a chance to
step away from their troubles and uplift
their spirits. It is only a short-lived emotion since we all have to face our prob!ems after the game is over.
Despite the Yankee's crushing and
shocking defeat in game 7 to the World
Champion Arizona Diamondback_s, this
team brightened many of its fans' seemingly gloomy days throughout the past
two months, and that is definitely a good
thing . I would like to convey to all
people, like myself, who root against
this former championship team that,
even though there have been many
·sleepless nights after heart-wrenching
Yankee victories, we can certainly take
solace in the results of tl)is past World
Series.
A note for the future, however, is that
we should not be brought down when
·"our team" does not win, since we are
all Americans and patriots. Baseball is
only flO escape and we are all on the
same team when the games are over.