Issue 6: Summer

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U.S. POSTAGE
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PERMIT NO. 163
COMMACK, NY
Vol. 15, No. 6. Summer, 1999
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Townsend Harris High School at Queens College
149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367
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Reflecting on her years at Townsend Harris, valedictorian Karen Gluck writes her speech
for graduation. She and salutatorian Jenny Mandell gave their addresses at the commencement
ceremony, which took place at Colden Auditorium on June 24. The keynote speaker was the
Honorable Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General, State of New York. Parent-Teacher Association
member Ed Martin and alumnus Lester Friesner, '36, were honored with plaques. Senior
awards were distributed earlier at the Baccalaureate ceremony on June 8. For more
information on the class of '99, and who's going where to college, see pages 6-7.
Consulting art teacher Anthony Morales, artist Bing Lee chooses artwork tp display in the
'International Visual Arts Competition for Teenagers, 'which will be held in Beijing, Hong
Kong, and Maiau July 27-August 4. Mr. Lee first noted the artisitic talent of Harrisites when
he collaborated with students to design the tiles which adorn the walls on the second floor. He
has selected seven pieces, ranging from photographs to graphic images, to be exhibited with
artwork from other countries. Artists whose pieces reveal an independent approach to art and
best elucidate the theme, the Millennium, will be awarded prizes.
Spurgeon, Srour, Fried bid fond farewell to 'family'
by Christina Lesica
As the Class of 1999leaves, so will
three members of the staff. History
teacher Judith Fried, Broadcast Journalism teacher Jeff Spurgeon, and Paraprofessional Margaret Srour will prepare fo r life after Townsend Harris.
Judith Fried
Declaring that it is very hard to go to
another school after Townsend Harris,
Ms. Fried is leaving because she was
hired for only one term to replace history teacher John Hynes, who went on
sabbatical. When Mr. Hynes comes
back next year, there will no longer be
an open position for her.
"I was crying all day; it makes me
very sad to leave," said Ms. Fried.
Above all, she will miss "the kids, who
are wonderful. They Jearn and they do
their work. They are just outstanding
in every respect."
Ms. Fried calls Townsend Harris "a
dream school." She also admits, "The
teacher workload is enormous, but it is
worth every bit of work."
"She was a hard teacher, but a funny
person," said senior Tina McDay, an
economics student of Ms. Fried.
"Ms. Fried is hilarious. She always
cracked me up with her stories during
class," said senior Pamela Hilton, another economics student of Ms. l'ried.
Ms. Fried admits she was pleased
when she saw the Global History Regents, which was given Friday, June 18.
"My students told me that they laughed
when they saw the essay part because
everything I said that would be on it
was," she explained. "I was happy because I knew that I had done my job."
The administration, Ms. Fried says,
has been "very nice and helpful" as she
searches for another teaching position.
She teaches all kinds of history and has
taught at other schools, as well as worJ6.
Judith Fried
ing with Russian immigrants and for
Prudential Insurance Company.
Jeff Spurgeon
Mr. Spurgeon received "an offer I
couldn't refuse" to be a full-time radio
announcer at radio station WQXR FM,
which plays classical music. "It is too
good a professional opportunity to pass
up," he said.
Despite looking forward to working
full-time at a radio station once again,
Mr. Spurgeon says, "I will miss the students and the work [at Townsend Harris], which I enjoyed very much."
Townsend
Talk Live
page3
'
"It was exciting to start the Broadcast Journalism program, but it still has
a great distance to go," said Mr.
Spurgeon. He added that his biggest
· ·---·--- - - · -··---- ~
Who's Going
Where?
pp. 6-7
Jeff Spurgeon
frustration while working at Harris was
that he could not get everything he
wanted done.
Summer
Entertainment
page9
In addition to the Broadcast Journalism program, Mr. Spurgeon has also
been involved with the Election Simulation; the Tech Crew; Townsend Talk
Live; the first school radio show; an,d
the _s~~ vi~~~,_f.gjsoij!) '99.,
Jumor Ahce Ahn, who 1s a member
of Townsend Talk Live, said, "One of
the really great things about Mr.
Spurgeon is that although he technically
has the last word on what is broadcast,
he always lets us decide which stories
we want because we're the students and
we know what is important. More important, he knows how to teach us to use
the equipment. And he is really funny."
"It's sad that he is leaving since he is
an important part of this school. But, I
know that he has a good job waiting and
hopefully he will become successful,"
said senior David Abraham, who
worked with Mr. Spurgeon on Episode
'99 and during the Election Simulation.
Mr. Spurgeon came to work at
Townsend two years ago, though not
always full-time. He has worked at numerous radio stations since he was 17,
including KOLT in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, his first station, and Mix 105.
Even while he taught at Townsend Harris, he worked at a station part-time.
Margaret Srour
An employee of Townsend Harris
since the opening of the new school in
1984, Ms. Srour is retiring because her
husband wants to move to Florida,
"where his daughter and grandkids are
and where it is sunny and warm."
Continued on p. 5
1-
Sports
page 12
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The Classic
Summer 1999
Security we can count on
Earlier this month, a Harris
freshman fell victim to the violent
threats of three junior high school
girls, demanding money from her
in front of the school. Refusing to
comply, she ran and sought the aid
of security guard Alice Gatling,
who went outside, approached the
delinquents, and asked for identification. They refused to cooperate and, in fact, began to curse. At
this point, Ms. Gatling called for
additional help from her security
station and the Queens Mobile
Task Force. She and fellow guards
Marlene Lee and Mohd Nizam
cuffed and detained the girls. The
police ultimately arrested the trio
of delinquents on charges of attempted robbery, criminal trespassing, and misconduct. The
freshman's family is now pressing
charges.
As per usual at Harris, flagrant
rumors of half-truths began to circulate, as friends heard about the
incident from their friends who
heard it from their friends who
didn't even witness the crime.
Also as per usual, a common sentiment among the students, who
knew nothing of the threat, was
that security guards and administrators had overreacted again.
Harris students must learn to
judge only after knowing the
whole truth of a situation. In fact,
the guards' actions in handling the
aforementioned crime exemplified
the care, responsibility, and professionalism of Harris security, which
many students take for granted or
misconstrue as overprotection.
More importantly, this incident has
shown that our basic, daily security measures are at least as effective in ensuring school safety as
any of the recent measures taken
in the wake of the student rampages at Littleton, Colorado, and
Conyers, Georgia.
In September 1998, security
guards in New York City public
schools became members of the
police department. However, Harris security guards seemed to have
followed the police motto of"courtesy, professionalism, and respect"
long before they officially joined
the police. The added care that our
guards have put into their jobs has
always been evident, and their handling of the freshman incident only
demonstrated this fact. According
to Sheila Orner, Assistant Principal of Pupil Personnel Services,
Ms. Gatling "was wonderful in
caring for and calming down the
student" after the crime.
What further differentiates the
guards at Harris is each one's apparent effort to become acquainted
with, and often befriend, individual students. This effort, which
is obviously not required of them,
is invaluable in working toward
school security by enabling the
guards to recognize who belongs
in the building.
In reaction to the Littleton and
Conyers tragedies, schools across
the nation have made a priority of
working toward school safety. As
previously reported in The Clas-
sic, Townsend Harris responded by
forming a tolerance committee that
seeks to identify and solve problems among students and to stimulate communication between students and faculty. According to
ABC News (4/29/99), such measures of prevention and intervention "can be very effective over
time." However, in implementing
such programs as Harris' tolerance
committee, experts say that
schools often "neglect more immediate security concerns." Fortunately, Harris has not done so, as
seen in the handling of the attempted robbery.
In order to ensure more complete and constant safety, school
experts overwhelmingly advocate
"a balanced approach, combining
preventative steps with security
measures." We owe a great debt
of gratitude to our school's security guards for following such an
approach and constantly going
above and beyond the call of duty
to maintain the security of us all.
Letters to the Editor
Faculty comments on arts, senior pranks
To the Editor:
I really enjoyed the latest issue of the
Classic, and appreciated the wonderful
double-truck on the visual arts at
Townsend Harris. The articles were
carefully researched, accurate and written to stimulate interest in the school's
art renaissance. J was also impressed
with the handsome symmetrical layout
and design which re-enforced the visual
theme of the feature.
As the "fly-on-the wall in your lair,"
I know how diligently everyone works
on each issue and over the course of this
year, I've seen the publication mature
and improve; there's more confidence
and scope in your stories, features, and
editorials, and the visuals have been
transformed thanks to "Athena's
magic." I praise you not, just because
I'm the center-fold, but because the
newspaper's consistent and careful coverage of the arts since the inception of
Project Arts, has been a major force in
directing the artistic awakening at
school.
Now that the reins of power are being turned over to next year's staff, I
congratulate the senior staff, wish you
all the luck in the world, and hug each
of you because it has been a joy sharing
the "dorm" with you. (Here come the
"salty pretzel tears.")
Lois Polansky,
Photography teacher
Project ARTS Coordinator
To the Editor:
Early Thursday morning on June 17,
1999, one of my colleagues called me
to come up to the sixth floor ... immediately. He said, "You're not going to use
the elevator, are you?" "No," I replied,
a bit puzzled. He added, "By the way,
use the middle staircase."
My mind raced as to what could have
possibly happened. With the security
of the Regente exam on my mind, I
rushed to the middle staircase and
headed upstairs. Just as I reached the
landing, I saw hundreds (maybe thousands) of cups filled wiht water, making passage from the fifth floor to the
sixth floor impossible. Standing there,
all I could see (aside from the cups) was
a number of seniors with a look of smug
CORRECTIONS:
In "Gruber grabs spotlight in Pippin" (4/99, p. 14), it was written that senior
Brian Gruber "enjoys being able to receive the good grades his sisters did
not." This statement was not meant to be taken seriously, but rather
jokingly, in the same humorous spirit of the entire article. We apologize for
any misunderstanding that may have occurred.
satisfaction. It did not take me very long
to realize that that my colleague did not
intend for me to actually make it to the
sixth floor, but rather to be stopped by a
diabolical senior "prank." Not to be
outdone, I went to another staircase (no,
I did not take the elevator) and trudged
up to the sixth floor. As I looked down
at their handiwork, I saw that they had
spelled out "Seniors 99" in red and ble
cups.
In the past, there have been a few
senior pranks -- some successful, and
some decidedly not. The most difficult
part of a senior prank is for students to
understand the difference between what
is humorous and what is malicious.
We all acknowledge the academic
ability of the students at Townsend Har-
ris, but I have always had this special
feeling about our school, that it is the
most "gentle" high school in the city.
This little stunt combined these two attributes with style. I certainly don't advocate every day being like Senior Day
or Halloween, but once or twice a year,
when they do it with class and taste, the
students can make our school, which can
be perceived as rather conservative and
traditional, a whole lot of fun.
Kudos to the seniors, whose
absurdist-but-safe prank made me (and
other people on the staff) laugh. Congratulations also on understanding that
after you pull a prank, you are responsible for cleaning up as well.
Harry Rattien,
Assistant Principal of Mathematics
Alan Fu
Editor-in-Chief
Christina Lesica
Andrew Goldberg
News Editor
Feature Editor
Brian Griffing
Athena Ledak.is
Sports Editor
Photography Editor
Julia Kohen
Business and Circulation
Manager
Bosede Adenekan
Rebecca Munoz
Lucy Hong
Art Editor
Townsend Harris High School at Queens College
149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, N.Y.ll367
Readers are invited to submit letters to the
editor. Letters should be placed in Ms. Cqwen's
mailbox in the general office. The C/w·sic reserves the right to edit all letters. Letters must
include name and official class. Names will be
withheld upon request.
Rachel Nobel
Lauren Paley
Assistant Editors
News Staff: Lauren Amorillo, Afton Baff, Noreen Bukhari, Karen DeVita, Lorraine Kapovich, Danielle Lord, Julia Perratore,
Carol Pruss
Feature Staff: Jonathan Cofsky, Emmy Favilla, Surabhi Jain, Alice Lee, hene Lew, Christina Pagan, Michele Potofsky,
Emily Rubinstein, Steven Seidenfeld, Allison Slotnick
Snorts Staff: Tabitha Hsi, Eric Trager, Mark Von Ohlen
Photography Staff: Laura Bassolino, Stephanie Bakirtzis, Venu Dhanaraj, Alice losifescu, Karen Parado, Lisha Perez,
Lisa Schapira, Shara Siegel, Kendra Thompson, Eric Trager, Tristan Visconde, Yvette Warenam,
In "Five gain insight at Whitney" (6/99, p. 5), contemporary American artist
Glenn Ligon's last name was misspelled as Lygon.
Audley Wilson, Dawn Wing, Hye Kyung Yang, William Yang, Young Yoon
Alliill;. Raymond Baro, Vivian Chang, Doris Ortega, Kelly Purtell, Emily Rivlin-Nadler
Advisor - Ilsa Cowen
-- --- ·-- -- -----::--------- -- ------ - - ~--·
Principal • Dr. Malcolm Largmann
.
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The Classic
Summer 1999
3
New video yearbook stores senior memories
by Julia Perratore
The Class of 1999 will be the first to
be graduated with living memories of
their senior year captured in a video
yearbook. This film, which is currently
available and is approximately one hour
long, chrOnicles this year's social activities and features every member of the
senior class.
Pioneering what is hoped to be a new
tradition, a committee of seniors headed
by Michael Inwald and supervised by
Jeff Spurgeon, broadcast journalism
teacher, has been working on the project
since late February. The objective of
this film is ''to store a big piece of [a
senior's] memory," according to
Michael, who initiated the idea of a
video yearbook and has been instrumental in bringing the project into action,
With the broadcasting studio as their
headquarters, this group of students has
been filming in and around the school,
catching the seniors ''signing in and
sleeping in the hallways," said staff
member Caryn Kerman. The video
yearbook seeks to record the everyday
life of seniors as they go to classes and
hang out, and to compile footage of major events of the year, such as Founder's
Day and the election simulation,
The ability to watch live-action footage of senior year is what differenti-
enough, this film provides them with the
opportunity to see and hear cla!!smates
long after graduation. Senior David
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M"kln11 the final edits on the Senior VIdeo Y!l..rbook, aenlors Michael Inwald and
David Abraham hope to start a tradition at Harria.
ates the video yearbook from the
traditonal version. For those who feel
having still photographs on paper is not
Abraham. a staff member, said, "You get
a different feeling when you watch it all
happen, and it's an enjoyable way to rc-
member the past fou~years.'' Unlike the
yearbook, which features all four grades,
this video only spotlights the seniors.
Michael t>aid he got the idea of the
video after hearing of other s_tudents'
middle schools creating similar video
yearbook projects.
Response to the video yearbook by
fellow seniors has been less enthusiastic than was originally e~pected.
"People have not taken the project seriously, partially because it is so much
work," Michael said, He affirms that
the constant filming and editing is timeconsuming, and also points out that the
committee did not begin work on the
yearbook until late February.
Those on the video yearbook staff
have already decided their favorite segments. David and fellow committee
member Nicole Zuchelli cite the ''senior
montage,'' which features candid shots
and clips of each graduate, as their favorite part. The committee members are
proud of their work and nope to inspire
future graduating classes to create their
own video yearbooks.
"I hope other grades will view ours
and see how important it if> as a tradition," said Michael;
Radio show features news, music Five win honors at history semifinals
by Lorraine Kapovlch
Hear anything good over the loud
speaker lately? Besides the pledge and
the usual announcements, you may have
heard the new radio show called
Townsend Talk Live. It hit the air waves
on Apri120, leaving many students surprised to actually hear modern music
overtheloudspeake~
Townsend Talk Live informs students of breaking Townsend Harris
news, and includes sports as well as features. There are also music cuts to spice
things up a bit.
Townsend Talk Live began as an idea
conjured up by junior Andrew Falzon,
who is the show's creator, producer and
director. "I wanted to do a media,oriented show ever since I got into the
school,'' said Andrew. When he saw all
that equipment in 515, he knew something had to be done, so he sent a proposal to Principal Malcolm Largmann.
With the approval of Dr, Largmann
and the guidance of broadcast journalism teacher Jeff Spurgeon, Townsend
Talk Live's staff was ready to create the
first show,
The staff, made up of about seven
students, believ~s that producing the
broadcast is by no means an easy task.
"It takes a long time to do stories and
there are a lot of problems,'' says
Townsend Talk Live's assistant director, junior Hari Kondabolu. The staff
spends many mornings, afternoons, and
lunch bands in room 515 keeping up to
date with the news, After choosing the
most relevant stories, they do everything
from interviewing and researching to
producing the show. The final product
must be approved by Mr. Spurgeon before it is aired.
Mr. Spurgeon is happy to see that the
radio broadcast is effective. ''The point
of the show is to get students' hands on
equipment in a way that puts something
at stake for them; that's the best way to
learn," said Mr. Spurgeon. He adds,
"We also want to increase a sense of
community at Townsend Harris through ,
better publicity of teams, achievements,
and activities."
According to an agreement between
Dr. Largmann and Townsend Talk Live,
the broadcast can be no longer than five
minutes. The staff spends long hours
editing to make sure the broadcast
doesn't exceed the five-minute limit.
The show is run every other Monday or
Tuesday during 9th band, depending on
how soon they are able to complete it,
Because some teachers decided not to
have Towns~nd Talk Live broadcast in
their classrooms, some students may not
have heard the radio show.
The Townsend Talk Live staff says
that anyone who has an idea for a story
should contact Andrew Fal;z;on. "Hey
Andrew, I have an idea; give me a tape,"
said staff member Alice Ahn, junior.
Andrew says he would like Townsend
Talk Live to have an email server so students could email their Ideas and comments about the broadcasts.
The staff of Townsend Talk Live is
always looking to improve, and to meet
their goal of making each show one that
will Inform the students in an entertaining fashion. They plan to expand the
show by writing editorial pieces and by
getting input from the students. All in
all, the staff says they just want to make
Townsend Harris a "happier, brighter
place." ·Andrew Falzon swears by his
philosophy; "stop, look, and laugh."
by Steven Seidenfeld
Under the leadership of social llci-
ence research teacher Anthony Scamati,
five 11tudents won recognition at the
semifinals of New York State History
Day in Cooperstown, New York on
April 30. Each of the nine competitors
from Harris had been a winner at a local History Day Fair. The aemi-f!nals
took place at several venues, including
the National aaseball Hall of Fame, the
Farmers Museum, and the Fenimore Art
Museum.
Townsend Harris's citywide winners .
went to the State competition where five
won recognition. Marcia Regen and
Ilana Rosein, sophomores, finished first
for their documentary entitled "The
Impact of the Space Race on Society,"
Eric Trager and Steven Seidenfeld,
sophomores, finished second and third
-in the hi~>torical research paper competition for their respective papers on red
light traffic cameras and 0.1. Joe. In
addition, . sophomore Adrienne
Brailsford received special recognition
from The New York Times for her
project on the Tuskegee syphilis e~peri­
ment and a free one-year subscription
to The New York Times for the school,
Sophomore Cathy Dounis received recoanition for the mo11t relevant proiect
to New York State with her documentary on "The Effects of PCB Contami·
nation on the East River," for which she
won a $100 cash award,
The final competition for the National History Day program took place
from June 14 to 19 at the University of
Maryland. Marcia Regen, Ilana Rosein,
and Steven Seidenfeld represented Harris. They competed for prizes that in·
eluded four-year college scholarships
and cash priz.es but did not win any.
Many Harris students were given a
flavor of National History Day on April
20, when the social science research
class presented assembly programs during the eighth an~ ninth bands. Students
from Global History and English classes
were invited to watch video presenta•
tions narrated by Eric Trager and Steven
Seidenfe.ld. Those Harrisites who had
entered the competition in the performance categories pre-recorded their entries. Those who used other media, such
as research papers, spoke briefly on their
topics, explaining their research mrth·
ods, the significance of their subject;· and
its impact on history. ·
Overheard In Class...
"It's from the Board of Ed. I can't imagine why it wouldn't work."
·Physics teacher Phillip Jone$
"It's the Coulomb Law, named after a person called Law."
• Physics teacher Phillip Jones
"That's the comment I made 15 minutes ago. I noticed that's the speed of
sound in Queens.''
• Latin teacher Richard Russo,
commenting on a remark by a student
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The Classic
4
Summer1999
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Sigety, '39, shares history through rare documents
By Noreen Bukhari
A Massachusetts Son newspaper
from July 17,177~ which contained a
copy of The Declaration of Independence, a survey of property in Virginia
made by George Washington, and an
issue of The Oxford Gazette, the first
newspaper ever published, were among
the plethora of original documents presented in the library by Charles Sigety,
an alumnus of Townsend Harris, class
of '39, and his colleagues Bruce
Gimelson and Mark Mitchell. These
guest speakers, who brought rare documents from their private collection, gave
a hands-on historical show and fell in
the library on April 29, all as part of
Principal for a Day, an annual citywide
program sponsored by the Pencil Company.
The purpose of the Principal for a
Day program, according to Principal
Malcolm Largmann, is to give people
in business professions an opportunity
to experience New York City public
schools and to become interested
enough to build a lasting relationship.
This year, several politicians also participated in the program, including
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who was principal ofPS 123 in Bushwick, Brooklyn,
and First Lady Hillary Clinton, who
served as principal of a New York City
junior high school for the day.
Global and American History
r
classes were invited to the library to see
the documents during their class time.
Mr. Mitchell showed the global history
classes documents connected with world
events, such as an original issue of the
Montreal Daily Star, which stated erroneously that the Titanic had been rescued, and a newspaper that contained the
agreement for the Louisiana Purchase,
with arguments for and against the $15
million purchase. Global history teacher
Susan Getting, who was impressed by
the size of the collection, said, "Looking at documents is a great way to learn
history because when you see them in
person, it makes history more real than
textbooks."
American history classes perused
presidential correspondences collected
by Mr. Siggety and Mr. Gimelson, including a letter written by President
Truman to his wife and the minutes of
the Continental Congress sessions. "I
learned that when I grow up, I should
collect bounced checks of presidents;"
said junior Lucy Mo after viewing the
exhibit.
- Mr. Sigety, whose favorite document
is a land survey which was written by
George Washington at the age of 18,
recalled that the first document he collected was a letter from President James
Polk to his Secretary of the Treasury.
"The notion of holdirtg a document written by a President [was] amazing," he
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said. When questioned about why he
decided to start his hobby, Mr. Sigety
responded, "When you succeed in life,
you make a decision about what to do
with the money. Some people choose
philanthropy. I have chosen to collect
rare historical documents." Mr. Sigety,
who has alre<;tdy acquired documents
signed by Elizabeth I and Henry VIII,
says his current goal is to collect documents signed by every European monarch.
This is not the first time the
Townsend Harris newspaper is writing
about Mr. Siggety. The last time was
on October 24, 1938, when The Stadium,
the "old" Harris newspaper, reported on
his promotion to editor of Crimson &
Gold, the school yearbook. After speak-
ing with many students about their plans
for the future, and recalling his years at
the old Townsend Harris at City College,
Mr. Sigety suggested that Townsend
Harris set aside a Career Day to introduce students to the various business opportunities available to them in the
working world.
Besides presenting documents in an
attempt to personalize history for students , Mr. Sigety and his colleagues
observed classes throughout the day.
Mr. Gimelson, who noted that "the urgency of acquiring knowledge [at
Townsend Harris] was amazing," was
particularly impressed by what he saw.
After touring the school, he said, "My
faith in the youth of America has been
restored."
Bri·efly
Once again, Newsday has
awarded Townsend Harris a grant
with which to run next year's Election Simulation.
Sophomores Nishant Ceyyur,
Michael Chau, Amy Herzog, Alice
Iosifescu, Craig Kerman, Michele
Potofsky, and Collette Spalding aH
received perfect scores on the National Latin Examination.
Junior Roushan Rahman won the
WNYC poetry contest and will read
her poem on the radio.
The following Harrisites were
among the top 50,000 highest scorers in the National Merit Scholarship
Program for the Class of2000. Their
scores represent the top 5% of the
country. Congratulations to Alice
Ahn, Steve Berman, Jonathan Blum,
. Jack Bouba, Jessica Bynoe,
Samantha Carfi, Eugene Dubovoy,
Alejandro Fernand.e z, Andrew
Franklin, Ariela Fryman, Dara
Goodman, Angela Kontopanos,
Jasmin Kovarsy, Kimberly Kozma,
Diana Lang, Patricia Maloney, Kofi
Mensah, S:hivana Naidoo, Divya
Narendra, Magdalena Podlecka,
Jackie Rubin, Konstantin Rubinov,
Tina Shih, Joshua Stem, Jane Storck,
Corrine Tam, Venessa Tari,
Margarita Vrettos, and Anne
Zangos.
Fencer Michael Pasinkoff, senior; has been named the 1999 Iron
Horse Winner, the outstanding
fencer in New York: City. Michael
also finished ftrst in the Under 19
North Atlantic Foil Sectional, and
third in the North Atlantic Men's
Foil Sectional competitions.
Juniors Krystai Roopchand,
Stephanie Mandell, and Eiiz:abeth
Patti are semi-finalists in the Quality of Life contest, sponsored by
Solomon Brothers I Smith Barney I
Merging Business and Academics.
They identified a quality of life issue, researched it, and proposed solutions. K.rystal studied the effect
of music instead of bells on students'
moods, and Elizabeth and Stephanie
partnered on the use of recycled rubber on city playgrounds. They were
all awarded summer internships.
Stefan Muehlbauer, junior, received third place in the 1999 International Science and Engineering
Fair for his work on conservation..
Jonathan Cofsky, sophomore, and
Eva Raj, junior, were awarded Honorable Mention in The DuPont Challenge, a nationwide science essay
program.
Kudos to junior Cathy Lin, who
made the New York City All-State
Orchestra, for violin, and to sophomore Janie Lin, who was also accepted for flute. They passed their
auditions and will join the orchestra
ne'X.t year.
Several seniors distinguished
themselves in the Bertelsmann World
of Expression Scholarship Program:
Lauren O'Connor won $2,000 for her
poetry; Julia Perratore received
$1,000 for her poetry as well; Julie
Heimrath won $1,000 for her personal essay; and Michael Inwald was
awarded $1,000 for music. Congratulations., also, Jo music teacher
Peter Lustig, who received a $1,000
grant for submitting the most entries
in Queens.
Senior Emily Bloch is this year's
winner of the Theodore Roosevelt
Oratory Contest. Emily wrote and
rendered a five-minute speech from
the point of view of Roosevelt's
grand-daughter. Congratulations to
EmHy and Debra Mic:hlewitz, her
English teacher.
Senior Annette Orzechowski was
a top winner in the English Speaking Union's annual essay competition. She received $500.
Senior Alan Fu was chosen by
People Magazine as a Teen Scholar
for his work on the school newspaper. He has received $5,000 and a
summer internship at Teen People,
and will have his profile published
in the magazine.
..
'4
The Classic
5
New study satiates thirst for truth about water
Summer 1999
by Allison Slotnick .
When you are thirsty for water, do
you turn on the tap or go for a bottle?
Many Americans, including Townsend
Harris students, choose bottled water.
The majority of Harrisites seem to be
under the false impression that bottled
water is always healthier than our own
tap, according to a survey taken in May
of 150 Townsend Harris students. This
impression has made the bottled water
industry a $4 billion a-year business.
However, many people are not aware of
what is in their bottled water, and that
the tap may be much safer.
The National Resources Defense
Council (NRDC), a non-profit organization, recently conducted a study of
103 brands of bottled water to test for
bacteria, inorganic contaminants and
synthetic chemicals. In general, about
one-third of the waters they tested contained some level of contamination.
Anna Olson, a freshman, said she
prefers to drink bottled water because
"it is much healthier than tap." Nearly
25% of those surveyed assumed bottled
water to be healthier. Shara Siegel, a
ninth grader, always thought that bottled
.water was healthier because "the government requires filtration of the bottled
water and makes sure there is no bacteria; also, the label always shows a clean
stream and says the water is pure." However, according to the NRDC's study,
many of the companies selling
bottled water use this technique as
a way to lure consumers into a
false sense of security. One brand
whose label said "Spring Water"
and featured a picture of a lake surrounded by mountains, actually
came from a parking lot located
next to a hazardous waste site,
according to the NRDC's
study. In 1995, however, The
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that misleading labels are illegal.
Ninety percent of those
surveyed preferred Poland
Spring water to all other
brands of bottled water. The
NRDC's study placed Poland Spring on the 'Selected
Waters To Watch' list. Its
reasoning was that Pola~d
Spring broke a bacteria count
guideline, and the water exceeded legal chlorine levels.
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is in charge of testing tap
water, while the FDA must make sure
that bottled water is safe. The standards
for the two waters are extremely different. Disinfection is required for tap, but
not bottled water. Bacteria is
tested for only once a week in
bottled water, but hundr/eds of times a
month in tap. Tap water is required to
pass a test for viruses while bottled water is not. Even the bottled water health
rules allow for some contamination
by E. Coli or fecal coliform. Despite these differences, public
concern has risen about tap water and bottled water sales have
tripled in the past 10 years.
When asked to rate bottled
and tap water on a scale of one
to five, with one being the
worst, students gave tap water
a three on average while bottled
water obtained a four. Since the
school fountain water comes
from the New York City reservoir system, it can be concluded from the NRDC's
study that it is much safer
than many bottled water
brands. All of the Townsend Harris students surveyed who responded that they
Reiterating an old message:
SPE strives to foster recycli.ng
by Lauren Paley
Peanut butter and jelly-gum-applejuice-popcorn served in a soda can and
decorated with a ripped brown paper
bag. No, it's not a new treat at the Student Union store. It's not even a new
science research experiment. It's simply the combined garbage of students
after three bands oflunch have met. But
it's nowhere near a tall white garbage
can. Instead, it's found lying in the large
blue recycling bin where a sign hanging over it reads in large red letters;
"BOTTLES AND CANS ONLY."
According to New York City law and
Department of Sanitation regulations,
"Principals, custodians, food service
staff, teachers and students all have responsibilities to make sure materials
designated for recycling are kept separate from garbage and properly placed
out for collection." Townsend Harris
custodians, however, confirm that regular garbage is often thrown into recycling bins, "contaminating" the
recyclables. Once recyclables in the blue
bins mix with trash, they must be bagged
together as garbage and no recycling is
accomplished. The smaller green paper and blue can bins in classrooms also
have run into the same problems.
Most Harrisites randomly interviewed in the hall said they felt the only
place where recycling was reliably done
was in the science rooms on the sixth
floor. "Lunch lab is really when it's enforced," remarked Yvette Wareham, a
freshman and Students for the Preservation of the Earth (S.P.E.) member. The
cans and bottles in these rooms tradi-
tionally have never been organized by
color-coded bins. Instead they are left
out on shelves and counters where members of the environmental club collect
and sort them.
In past years, S.P.E. members would
also search for redeemable cans in the
large blue recycling bins. But recent
conditions in recycling have been so bad
that numerous sanitary and health codes
forbid them from coming in any contact with the contents of a bin. "I look
in the [bins] every time I pass them and
students don't recycle," said S.P.E. adviser Susan Getting. "I'm beginning to
think that kids need to take reading
classes to read signs on how to recycle."
The signs Ms. Getting refers to were
put up early last fall to try to encourage
correct use of the big blue bins in hall
dividers. Last December, a meeting was
held with the custodial staff, S.P.E. and
fornier S.P.E. adviser Odile Garcia. One
of Ms. Garcia's main concerns was the
fact that the school still does not have a
separate dumpster for recycling. Ever
since the move from the old Townsend
Harris High School building on Parsons
Boulevard five years ago, "recycling has
not been the same," said Ms. Garcia. It
took a few years to get the Department
of Sanitation to recognize the new
school building for recycling and even
now pick ups are only once every two
weeks. Custodians say this long time in
between pick-ups makes it harder to
keep recycling bins clean.
Custodial
engineer
Joseph
DiGiacomo said another problem is that
the Department of Sanitation is unde-
pendable. "If it's not picked up recycling
day," he says, "it goes in the garbage."
Mr. DiGiacomo explained that unlike
residential recyclables which may eventually get picked up, school recyclables
have been left untouched in the past.
The custodial staff, however, is
making trash cans more accessible to
where garbage used to be thrown away
in the large blue bins. Also S.P.E. began an educational campaign about recycling in the school last January with
100% recycled signs. Besides their
peers, they also hope to reach school
staff who may be able to reiterate their
message during classes. Many members
admit it does get tiresome repeating
themselves over and over, but as sophomore Athena Kalogiannas described it,
"It is effective because it gets on
everyone's nerves to the point that you
just do it!"
S.P.E.'s main focus now is re-teaching the school about the recycling program. They are also keeping a watchful eye on legislation in City Hall which
may increase recycling pick-ups to once
a week in Queens. The original 1989
recycling law was modified as early as
two years ago to include mixed paper.
What it all comes down to is the law,
and S.P.E. agrees with freshman Sabrina
Banham, who says, "Garbage is garbage, but you have to recycle [the] other
stuff."
Sources:
The Department of Sanitation <http://
www.ci.nyc.ny.us>
Environmental Defense Fund <http://
www.edf.org>
drank bottled water for health reasons
also indicated that they would switch
waters if they found out that it was hazardous to their health.
Linda To, freshman, feels that
"bottled water laws should be altered
and a filtration system should be made
mandatory." The NRDC seems to concur with Linda in its list of recommendations for improving bottled water
safety. Among the suggested precautions were that "the FDA should set
strict limits for contaminants in bottled
water." They also feel that "a pennyper-bottle fee should be initiated on
bottled water to fund testing, regulatory
programs, and enforcement at both state
and national levels."
It is hard to tell whether or not the
NRDC's study will impact bottled water sales or how the FDA will treat the
results. Now, though, the public is more
informed and can decide on their own
which type of water they will drink.
Sources:
Lambert, Victor. "Bottled Water: New
Trends, New Rules." <www.fda.gov>
"Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype?"
NRDC Online. <www.nrdc.org>
"Water Requirements." Encyclopedia
Britannica. CD-ROM. Britannica. 1998.
Three staff members
depart from 'family'
Continued from p.l
At first, Ms. Srour worked at
Townsend as a health aide. She has
worked in the attendance office under
Harriette Blechman, English teacher and
Attendance Coordinator, for 12 years.
"Ms. Srour will be greatly missed. I
am losing my right arm. She is a good
friend; I will miss her on a personal
level, too," said Ms. Blechman.
Ms. Srour says she will miss her coworkers, "the wonderful people who
gave me a great surprise party." Some
of the friendships she made here will last
"for the rest of my life."
Comparing Townsend Harris in 1984
and 1999, Ms. Srour notes that not much
has changed, saying that the kids and
staff are still "sweet and friendly." One
thing that she misses from the old building, however, is the closeness of the
staff. Ms. Srour says that since the new
building is so large, "the staff does not
see each other as often," though she admits that in the old building, the staff
was "too close at times."
,.
Ms. Srour counts among the "benefits" of her work experience the oneto-one contact with students, ~articu­
larly the seniors and the attendance
monitors. "It is nice to get to know
them," she says.
"Ms. Srour is very nice and friendly;
she greets us tired seniors warmly when
we come to sign in," said senior Adriana
Paska.
At the beginning of her retirement,
Ms. Srour plans to watch her grandson
until he starts kindergarten in a few
years. She then hopes to venture back
into the workplace, though "it will not
be back at a school, but in another field."
6 8::~~~~::9 t ' ,.,. .. '''""'
. " . . -..
~.
,.
The Class of 1999
by Alan Fu
During a college application
season which The New York Times
called "the most competitive in the
nation's history," the class of '99
at Harris managed to do "very, very
well"- and break several records in
the process, according to college
advisor Marilyn Blier.
The size of this year's senior
class was in itself a record-breaker.
Standing at 263 students, the class
of '99 is the largest ever to be
graduated from Townsend Harris. This class was also awarded the
most scholarship money won by a '
graduating class: $18,247,322.
Despite the larger size of the grade,
this feat is "still phenomenal," Ms.
Blier asserted.
The class of '99 managed to
break more records with individual
colleges. With 12 of 18 accepted
students going to Cornell Univer-
sity, this is the largest yield of students ever to go to Cornell. This
year, Harris also saw the largest
number of its students go to
Queens College with honors scholarships.
This year's seniors ultimately
succeeded because they "were
very, very bright, had done s
cant school and communit
vice, and could write very
said Ms. Blier. In effect, ",
one got into a place that they
feel proud of," she added.
In retrospect, Ms. Blit
served one unique quality
The Classic
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6 .dJ:i+rNAW?
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.! Summer 1999
7
Going Where?
class of '99. "This year's class was and what kind of situation they
a much more individualistic class," wanted to be in."
Ms. Blier also noticed a couple
she said. "This was a class that
could take a lot of responsibility, of trends in the class of' 99. "With
could make decisions and follow . the growing financial crunch, more
through on their own." She added, kids are opting to stay in New York
"This class was much more deci- to take advantage of TAP money,"
sive in terms of what they wanted said Ms. Blier, referring to how
students are more wary of financing a college education and the
benefits of New York State financial aid, called TAP. Ms. Blier further observed, "The love affair
with NYU continues," referring to
the 25 students who chose to attend New York University.
The New York Times states that
"there is every lndic(ltion that the
trend [of stiffer college competition] will intensify over the next
10 years." Anticipating this trend,
Ms. Blier continues to pursue one
goal: to expand students' horizons,
beyond NYU and the Ivy League.
She said, "Students' interests and
knowledge of schools have to be
broadened."
Source:
Bronner, Ethan. "For '99 College
Applicants, Stiffest Competition Ever." The New York Times.
June 12, 1999.
..
'"'
8
Custodial staff keeps building sa.fe, clean;
by Bosede Adenekan
Everyone sees the custodians cleaning and fixing things in the halls and in
classrooms. Maybe some give the men
in blue a friendly smile, or even make
a little small talk with Margie Mentz,
yet they still know little about the custodial staff members.
Joseph DiGiacomo
CUSTODIAL ENGINEER
Standing tall with jet black hair, Joseph DiGiacomo is not somebody one
would see roaming the halls every day.
Mr. DiGiacomo, the custodial engineer,
· usually stays in his office on the ground
floor. There, he does necessary paperwork, such as preparing payroll and filing reports. In this room, he is also
alerted about any maintenance emergency, such as a fire. The Alarm
Control Panel locates the site of
the problem so Mr. DiGiacomo
can contact the necessary custodians to investigate it. Then, Mr.
DiGiacomo reports the outcome
to Malcolm Rossman, Assistant
Principal of Organization, who is
often heard announcing, "Please
excuse this interruption. It was
a false alarm from Room 604."
To sum up Mr. DiGiacomo's position, he is the boss.
"I don't like my job," said Mr.
DiGiacomo, "I love it." His job
entails many aspects, ranging
from building facilities and plant
operations for the school to hiring and supervising the custodial staff.
"I try to maintain a safe, clean, and
healthy environment," he said. As a custodial engineer, he interacts with the
school community, including the administration. "Without communication,
there would be chaos," he said. Herecalled battling with contractors to raise
the quality of the school up to the standards of the Board of Education. "Mr.
DiGiacamo is very strong-minded," said
Ms. Mentz, a cleaner.
Mr. DiGiacomo has been working at
Townsend Harris since April 24, 1995,
when the new building opened. His career as a school custodian began in 1962
as a cleaner. Mr. DiGiacomo continued to rise in rank while he acquired
many licenses, which now hang
in his office. Such licenses make
him a certified station engineer,
refrigeration engineer, exterminator, and school teacher. Furthermore, he also has several licenses
required by the fire department.
With all these accomplishments under his belt, Mr.
DiGiacomo's goal is to improve
"our beautiful residence" mechanically and structurally. "The
job is very challenging but rewarding," he said.
Mr. DiGiacomo admits that
his job is a lot to handle. "Things
become strained," he said. "Stress
is the main challenge."
For many, this stressful career could
dampen their spirits, but this is not the
case with Mr. DiGiacomo. He has a
powerful weapon: meditation. "Meditation gives me a natural high and that's
the only good high you'll ever get- the
adrenaline's going, pure and honest,"
said Mr. DiGiacomo.
In order to meditate, Mr. DiGiacamo
said one must find a quiet spot with
minimum light and a comfortable chair
to sit in. Taking in deep breaths, one
must totally relax and release everything. "It is in this gap between the conscious state and the .trans-conscious state
where I place my wants and desires.
Then, they go out of the gap into the
universe, which takes these requests and
resolves them," said Mr. DiGiacomo.
Mr. DiGiacomo is a man willing to
share his wisdom, offering spiritual advice to his staff.
"Love is the key factor, love of everything, including oneself," Mr.
"I say, 'Have a good night. God bless come here, can I do that?' I would love
you ... Buenas noches. Vaya con Dios, to see her attend this school."
and adios,"' he explained.
Mr. Saez joined his first custodial
Mr. DiGiacomo is interested in psy- · staff in 1972. Like the custodial engineer, he worked his way "from
the bottom up," he said. He first
started out as a cleaner, moved up
to being a handyman, and now is
a fireman. Mr. Saez also acquired
many licenses for operating such
machinery as the boilers and
stand pipes, also known as the
sprinkler system.
Mr. Saez has little free time.
"I work six days a week and the
rest of the time is spent in my
church, Brooklyn Tabernacle," he
explained. Despite this, he still
has hobbies: fishing and bowling.
"Fishing is the best thing to do to
John Maderich
relax. You don't worry about
anything. You just think, 'Gotta
chology. "It is my major passion," he catch that fish."'
said. Of all the cultures he enjoys reading about, he is particularly impressed
with the Indian culture and the teachings of passiveness.
Most importantly, Mr. DiGiacomo is
a family man. In his office, pictures of
The cleaners are more familiar sights
his daughters and his wife adorn the to students. Hector Benitez (handywalls.
man), John Maderich, Margie Mentz,
Mr. DiGiacomo offers these motiva- Antonio Pellicane, Louis Perez, and
tional words to the school community: Julio White are all cleaners. The job of
"You must give and you will get back a cleaner is to "clean, maintain, and retremendously."
pair," said Mr. Maderich. The staff's
work encompasses many tasks, from
fixing an elevator to operating the air
Angel Saez
conditioner to cleaning the blackboards.
FIREMAN
"If a kid locks his car keys in his car
and needs the door to be opened, he or
If anyone can't recall who Angel she can come to us. We don't have to
do it but we do it," said Mr.
Maderich. "Sometimes Ms.
Iordanou ... leaves early and locks
the door of COSA so I can't get
my coat when I leave it there," said
Anjelique DaCosta, "I always go
to Louie to open the door and he
says, 'What do you want now? You
left your stuff in there again. I
knew it.' And he opens the door
for me."
The cleaners each have a kingdom, a floor. Mr. Perez's "domain" is the first floor and the
..
basement.
''I'm in charge of
Anget.Saez
sweeping the gym floor before
Saez is, just remember that little girl each game," he said. Mr. Maderich rules
with black hair who rides around the the second floor, where he cleans the
school in her big toy car and hangs out bathrooms and sweeps the floor. Ms.
with her daddy. Yes, that little girl's Mentz, the only female custodian, is the
daddy is Mr. Saez, the fireman.
queen of the land ofthe seniors, the third
"I am the second one in charge. I do floor. Meanwhile, Mr. Pellicane reigns
command and make sure everything is over the fourth floor, Mr. White, the fifth
running smoothly. I make sure the doors floor and Mr. Benitez , the sixth floor.
are open, the water is running, and the Mr. Benitez is the handyman. "I fix and
air conditioning is fine. Then, I report clean. There is a specific way to put
to the boss," Mr. Saez explained.
down wax. I wax floors and strip them,"
Mr. Saez has been here since the he said.
school's new building operied five years
The cleaners have high standards.
ago. He says that he likes his job; the "The table in the classroom is not for
pay is good and the students are well- sitting or eating; it is to write on," said
behaved. "I worked in a lot of schools Mr. Pellicane, who is notorious for orin Brooklyn and they don't compare to dering any student to get off the desk
this," said Mr. Saez, "It's a good school. he/she is sitting on.
When my daughter visits here, she sees
The cleaners find many positive asthe kids dancing and doing whatever pects to their jobs. "I like my hours: 1they're doing, and she says, 'When I 10. I don't have to get up early in the
I THE CLEANE.RS I
Margie Mentz
DiGiacamo said. For this reason, he
admits that he cannot even kill a roach;
he no longer puts his exterminator license to use. "Roaches have been
around for millions of years; they must
have a function," he said. If a mouse
were found in the school, Mr.
DiGiacomo would call an exterminator,
rather than do the job himself. "I have
chased flies and beetles out of the building, rather than kill them. Everyone deserves to live," he said.
Despite his temper, for which he
claims to apologize whenever he loses
it, Mr. DiGiacomo is considerate to his
workers. "Mr. DiGiacomo is very caring. He doesn't like to say no to us,"
said Angel Saez, the fireman. At the end
Antonio Pellicane
of his work day, Mr. DiGiacamo always
announces that he is leaving over the
walkie talkie, which all custodians carry.
~·
~~p
The Classic
'~L<I~--·
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;·,
·.,
· '. s ummer 1999
9
from fixing· to cleaning, they like their jobs
morning and if I want to go out, things
don't start until late," said Mr. Perez.
The custodians agree that the environment is good. "The students are not
here to goof off; they're here to get the
but the chemical to remove the wax
made the ground slippery. We heard,
'ow, ow' and turned around. There was
the fireman on the floor. He had gotten
shocked but didn't get hurt. We all
Hector Benitez
education they need," said Ms. Mentz,
"I make jokes with the teachers and the
kids are cool. It's like a second home
here."
"We watch the seniors grow up." . . we
see all," said Mr. Maderich with a smile,
recalling some funny experiences he'd
encountered on the job. "Every day it's
something different," he said. Mr.
Benitez said, "Once we were cleaning
stead, she chooses to wear regular everyday clothes: jeans and a shirt~ "It's
an option to wear the uniforms; I am
more comfortable in rugged <;:lothes,"
Ms. Mentz explained.
Julio White
laughed as he went one way and the machine went the other."
While this is the first cleaning job for
Ms. Mentz and Mr. Maderich, the other
cleaners have been doing this for 3-12
years. "They [staff members] are like
my big brothers, always there for me,"
said Ms. Mentz. As the only female
cleaner, she is the only one who does
not wear the regular blue uniform. In-
The cleaners all have many interests
outside of their jobs here at school. Mr.
Maderich and Mr. Perez both love
horses. "I love the freedom, being on a
horse with a nice gallop, being able to
control a 2000 pound animal," said Mr.
Perez, who explained that he gave horseback riding lessons at Prospect Park.
Horse racing is Mr. Maderich's favorite
hobby. "That's my baby, my passion,"
he said. Another sports fan is Mr.
Pellicane, a proud soccer player. "I used
to play semi-professional for six years
in Italy. Then I played here for four
years," he said, "That is my sport. It
Louis Perez
gives you this feeling that you have to
win. If you fall on the ground and stay
there for three minutes, that's good for
the other team. So you have to get up
and continue.. It's exciting."
Like many of his co-workers, Mr.
White is a devout Christian. He is also
an outdoorsman. "I love nature; it's
beautiful. I like fishing and camping,"
he said.
The Classic guide to summer entertainment
by Alan Fu
From Will Smith bringing the Wild
Wild West to the movie screen to the
return of Run DMC to the music scene
to the final launch of Lilith Fair, there's
more than enough entertainment to occupy your time this summer.
MOVIES
AlA= Action/Adventure
C= Comedy
D=Drama
F= Family
HIS = Horror/Suspense
SIF = Science Fiction/Fantasy
June 25: Big Daddy (C) (Adam
Sandler); An Ideal Husband (D) (Rupert
Everett, Minnie Driver, Cate Blanchett).
June 30: South Park: Longer, Bigger, and Uncut (C); Wild Wild West (AI
A) (Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth
Branagh).
July 2: Summer of Sam (D) (Mira
Sorvino, John Leguizamo).
July 9: American Pie (C); Arlington
Road (D) (Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins).
July 16: The Blair Witch Project (HI
S); Drop Dead Gorgeous (C) (Denise
Richards, Kirsten Dunst); Eyes Wide
Shut (D) (Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman);
Lake Placid (HIS) (Bridget Fonda, Bill
Pullman); The Wood (C) (Omar Epps,
Taye Diggs).
July 23: Bowfinger (C) (Eddie
Murphy, Steve Martin); The Haunting
(HIS) (Liam Neeson, Catherine ZetaJones); Trick (D) (Christian Campbell,
Tori Spelling).
July 30: Deep Blue Sea (AlA) .
(Samuel L. Jackson, LL Cool J); Runaway Bride (C) (Julia Roberts, Richard
Gere); Muppetsfrom Space (F) (Andie
MacDowell, Ray Liotta, David
Arquette).
August 4: Dick (C) (Michelle Williams, Kirsten Dunst).
August 6: Mystery Men (C) (Ben
Stiller, Janeane Garafalo); Universal
Soldier II: The Return (AlA) (JeanClaude Van Damme ).
August 11: The Thomas Crown Affair (C) (Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo).
August 13: Detroit Rock City (C)
(Edward Furlong); Town and Country
(D) (Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton,
Goldie Hawn).
August 16: Molly (D) (Elizabeth
Shue).
August 20: The Muse (C) (Albert
Brooks, Sharoh Stone); Blue Streak (C)
· (Martin Lawrence); Teaching Mrs.
Tingle (C) (Katie Holmes, Barry
Watson).
August 27: The Astronaut's Wife (HI
S) (Johnny Depp, Charlize Theron);
Mad About Mambo (D) (Keri Russell);
Stigmata (HIS) (Patricia Arquette,
Gabriel Byrne).
MUSIC
June 22: The Chemical Brothers,
Surrender; Missy Elliott, Da Real
World; K-Ci & JoJo, It's Real; Limp
Bizkit, Significant Other; Pretenders,
Viva El Amor!; Public Enemy, Theresa
Poison Gain' On; Rabzel, Make the
Music 2000.
June 29 : Aswad, Roots Revival;
Cam'ron, Sports, Drugs;/and Entertainment; Sophie B. Hawkins, Timbre ;
Kenny G, Classics in the Key ofG; Luscious Jackson, Electric Honey; Too
$hort, Can't Stay Away.
July 6: Noreaga, Melvyn Flynt tha
Hussler.
July 13: Kool Keith, Black Elvis/
Lost in Space; Lords of Acid, Expand
Your Head; Chris Rock, Bigger &
Blacker.
July 20: Destiny's Child, The
Writings on the Wall; Los Lobos, This
Time; Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Bitter; Nu
Flavor, It'z On.
July 27: Inoj, Ready for the World;
Ziggy Marley, Spirit of the Music; Nature, For All Seasons; Smokey
Robinson, Intimate; The Verve Pipe, The
Verve Pipe.
Temporarily scheduled for August
release are new albums from Jethro Toll,
Our Lady Peace, Filter, Stereohtb, as
well as Run DMC's Crown Royal.
CONCERTS/TOURS
Woodstock '99 (Korn, Limp Bizkit,
DMX, Eminem, Metallica, Jewel, Sugar
Ray, et al.): Jul. 23-25, Griffiss Park
(Rome, NY).
Lilith Fair (feat. Sarah McLachlan,
Indigo Girls, Suzanne Vega, Liz Phair,
Monica, Pretenders, Queen Latifah,
Me'shell Ndegeocello, Dixie Chicks, et
al.): Aug. 6, Jones Beach Amphitheatre
(Wantagh, NY); Aug. 7-8, PNC Bank
Arts Center (Holmdel, NJ).
The Vans Warped Tour (feat. Cypress Hill, Black-Eyed Peas, Pennywise,
Blink 182, Less Than Jake, Suidical
Tendencies, et al.): Jul. 16, Randall's
Island (New York, NY); Jul. 18, Asbury
Park (Asbury Park, NJ).
Britney Spears: Jul. 7, Hammerstein
Ballroom (New York, NY).
N'Sync: Jul. 13-16, Jones Beach
Amphitheatre (Wantagh, NY); Jul. 1718, PNC Bank Arts Center (Holmdel,
NJ).
Bob Dylan/Paul Simon: Jul. 27,
Madison Square Garden (New York,
NY); Jul. 28, PNC Bank Arts Center
(Holmdel, NJ); Jul. 30-3 1, Jones Beach
Amphitheatre (Wantagh, NY).
Alanis Morisetteffori Amos: Aug.
28, PNC Banks Arts Center (Holmdel,
NJ); Sept. 1, Jones Beach Amphitheatre
(Wantagh, NY).
Goo Goo Dolls/Sugar Ray: Aug. 20,
Jones Beach Amphitheatre (Wantagh,
NY); Aug. 22, PNC Bank Ar~s Center
(Holmdel, NJ).
Cher: Jul. 5-6, Jones Beach
Amphitheatre (Wantagh, NY); Jul. 13,
Madison Square Garden (New York,
NY); Jul. 14, PNC Bank Arts Center
(Hohndel, NJ).
Brandy: Jul. 20, PNC Bank Arts
Center (Holmdel, NJ); Jul. 23, Jones
Beach Amphitheatre (Wantagh, NY).
Whitney Houston: Jul. 3, New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Newark,
NJ); Jul. 14-15, Theater at Madison
Square Garden (New York, NY).
Jamiroquai: Jul. 21, Roseland (New
York, NY).
Jewel: Jul. 23, PNC Bank Arts Center (Holmdel, NJ); Jul. 24, Jones Beach
Amphi-theatre (Wantagh, NY).
Limp Bizkit: Jul. 22; Hammerstein
Ballroom (New York, NY).
temporarily scheduled for fall touring are the Backstreet Boys and Ricky
Martin .
Sources:
http://www.moviefinder.com
http://www.icemagazine.com
http://www.ticketmaster.com
..
10
...
The Classic
Summer 1999
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The Classic
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11
Summer 1999
'Real World' reveals some real problems
by Rebecca Munoz
Forget $500 plane tickets,
overstuffed suitcases, and Coppertone
tanning oiL To experience beautiful
bodies on the beaches of Hawaii without leaving the sanctity of your basement couch, simply tune into MTV on
Tuesday nights at 10:00 PM and live
vicariously through the lives of seven
Generation X' ers thrown together in a
mansion smack in the middle of paradise.
MTV's popular program, The Real
World, now in its eighth season, features
three girls and four guys chosen to live
together in Hawaii. For months the directors and producers of The Real World
read thousands of applications and hold
interviews all over the United States
until they come up with seven different
people who they think will bring something unique to the show, and who can
live in the house for the six months.
The premiere episode on June 15 featured a "traditional" mix of cast members: Teck, the African American who
wanted to show that "brothers got it
go in' on all over the world"; Ruthie, the
bisexual alcoholic; Justin, the gay
Harvard law student; Kaia, the feminist
who admits, "I really, really, really like
to look at myself'; Amaya, the short
blonde who stepped out of Beverly Hills
9021 0; Matt, the "pretty boy" and not
much else; and finally, Colin, the downto-earth frat boy.
"I think these seven people are the
luckiest people in the world right now,"
says Colin, and from the looks of their
house, he's right. The backyard, besides
looking out onto the ocean, is complete - World could be anything but a soap opwith a Jacuzzi and an in-ground pool era until each cast member begins to
featuring a mini-volcano with flames discuss his/her own insecurity. Amaya
coming out of the top in the middle of has a problem with her own body and
the pooL The interior of the house is Justin doesn't feel at ease with his roomjust as spectacular, with a pool table, mates. But the saddest and most "real"
velvet drapes, king size beds, and the problem is with Ruthie and her alcoholclassic addition to every Real World ism. It is implied that her problems stem
from growing up as a foster child and
home, a fishbowl with seven fish.
Teck and Ruthie are the first to ar- on the second day she is taken to the
rive at the house and christen the pool hospital with alchohol poisoning.
by stripping and jumping in naked. Matt
Observing the problems of each cast
and Amaya show up next, a bit dismayed member and how each one reacts to
by their exhibitionist roommates, but Ruthie's addiction allows the show to
laugh as Teck continues to scream, live up somewhat to its name. How"Ruthie's got a girlfriend!" Kaia, the ever, it is hard to relate to these people
'Where is the slightly overweight, average Joe
like the rest of us who wakes up
with puffy eyes and still wears his retainer?'
next roommate to arrive, introduces herself and reveals to the MTV viewer, "It's
not that I have so much charisma that I
walk into a room and people look at me;
it's that I back it up." Later she reaffirms her confidence by walking around
the house topless. Kaia winds up sharing a bedroom with Teck who is all too
pleased with her desire to walk around
their room naked. Next, Justin arrives,
a bit annoyed by Teck, who immediately
asks him, "Are you gay?" and Amaya,
who amazed by his status as a Harvard
man, calls him a "smartie" and bombards him with questions about his life.
Colin arrives last with a key to the
house.
It is hard to believe that The Real
when their lives are plastered across
national television and they live in a
million-dollar home for free. Although
the show is not scripted and MTV claims
it casts people who will simply be themselves in front of a video camera, the
sensational actions and personalities of
each cast member are a bit alarming.
Where is the slightly overweight, average Joe like the rest of us who wakes up
with puffy eyes and still wears his retainer? Although there is no exact science to how the Real Worlders are cast,
it seems as though each year, the show
has its traditional stereotypes: the minority, the homosexual, the wide-eyed
conservative, all of whom are beautiful.
Do the producers cast for conflict? Do
they assume that each person will have
stereotypical characteristics that will
clash with those of their roommates? Or
is it simply human nature that people,
when forced together in some confined
area, will tend to expose their own weaknesses and then pounce on those of their
roommates?
The question of whether the show
accurately reflects real life or not is an
important one. Viewers of The Real
World could easily misinterpret the
show's intent and assume that the cast
members represent what society is "supposed" to look like and act. However,
at face value, it is still enjoyable to observe seven different individuals live
and interact together in such a strange
environment, and that is where the
show's appeal lies. Keeping in mind that
the show is not representative of the
entire United States, mainstream society or even simply Generation X, it is
fun to sit back and laugh along with
these people and watch them form relationships with others.
Expect many changes in the upcoming weeks. Sneak previews reveal that
Ruthie may get thrown out of the house,
Kaia may have a homosexual experience and Colin and Amaya (is anyone
surprised?) may begin a romantic relationship. Also, the cast members get the
chance to run their own performance
cafe. If you are looking for a show that
exploits quirky personalities and gives
a somewhat realistic view of the lives
of those mysterious twenty-somethings,
then it's worth tuning into The Real
World.
Merry mischief abounds in 'Mfdsummer' movie
by Julia Perratore
OK. So you've seen The Phantom
Menace 15 times already. As for The
Spy Who Shagged Me, well, you've seen
that at least twice. Now, what do you go
see at the movies? Well, of course the
answer is A Midsummer Night's Dream!
This magical film will capture your
imagination and is sure to entertain.
Ignored by many, this very enjoyable
film is an adaptation of William
Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer
Night's Dream. It is the latest installment in a recent Shakespearean revival,
with many of the bard's plays resurfac-
must follow her father's orders, but she
is in love with Lysander (Dominic
West). At the same time, Demetrius is
being doggedly pursued by Helena
(Calista Flockheart), his former sweetheart, although he no longer loves her.
In the meantime, a troupe of craftsmen
turned actors is preparing a production
of Pyramus and This be, to be performed
at the Duke's wedding. Leading this
troupe is Nic)c Bottom (Kevin Kline),
an egotistical thespian who wants to
play all of the parts.
Lysander and Hermia plan to elope
queen Titania (Michelle Pfeiffer) fall in
Jove with Bottom and Demetrius fall in
Jove with Helena, but the plan backfires
with hilarious results.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is an
entertaining and lighthearted movie that
even those firmly against anything
Shakespearean will enjoy. This is because of the excellent performances
given by the actors, and Kevin Kline in
particular. He steals the show with his
brilliant portrayal of Bottom, especially
during the "play-within-a-play" performance of Pyramus and This be, by mak-
and the costumes are merely costumes.
The fairies in the Titania's court were
played by people, had masks and fake
wings, and were not generated into
freakish ghostlike pixies with the help
of special effects. The only animated
contribution to the movie was a golden
shower of glitter that swirled through the·
fairies'home in the forest. In addition,
the lush greenery of the forest in which
much of the movie takes place was real
and full of imaginative details.
In Shakespeare's plays, stage directions are scarce, and thus a director,
when staging his own adaptation, can
ing ~n the movies a~d on Broadway, and
'Yes Ally McBeal can do Shakespeare.'
'
a film speculating on the young
Shakespeare's life, Shakespeare in Love,
winning Best Picture at the Academy that night, and set off on the latest in- ing the tricky Shakespearean dialogue
Awards. This Midsummer Night's vention, the bicycle, deep into the for- understandable even for those who have
Dream, which is set in turn-of-the-cen- est. Demetrius follows them on his own not read the play beforehand. Rupert
tury Tuscany rather than in Elizabethan · bicycle, intent on returning to Theseus Everett, Stanley Tucci, and surprisingly,
or ancient times, features many talented with his fiancee. And of course Hel- Calista Flockheart also give very enteractors, and is consistently very funny.
ena, madly in love with Demetrius, tags taining performances. Yes, Ally McBeal
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a along. ·At the same time, Bottom and can do Shakespeare. Michelle Pfeiffer,
story of true love and big mix-ups. The the rest of the actors go into the forest however, was disappointing, as she was
Duke Theseus (David Strathairn) is pre- as well to rehearse their play.
too loaded up with makeup to display
paring to marry Hippolyta (Sophie
All of these mortals do not know that any charm of her own.
Marceau), but four days before the wed- they have ventured into the secret realm
The opulent set and costume designs
ding, he must mediate in the love lives of the fairies, where the fairy king are highlights of A Midsummer Night's
of his subjects as well. Hermia (Anna Oberon, played by a glitter-sprinkled Dream. Thankfully, the option of comFriel) is being forced by her father to - Rupert Everett is ready to instigate much puter animation, used so effectively in
marry Demetrius (Christian Bale), or mischief. The impish Puck (Stanley The Phantom Menace, was passed up
else lose her life or be forced to become Tucci) carries out Oberon's plan of pro- in creating this movie. The sets rea nun. Theseus declares that Hermia curing a potion that will make the fairy semble a more old-fashioned stage set,
have the actors. do anything he wishes.
Plenty of physical comedy was added
to this version of A Midsummer Night's
Dream, resulting in one of the fvnniest
scenes in the movie: Calista Flockheart
falling into a pool of mud. Another
funny scene, not in the original play and
acted entirely without dialogue, involves
Puck discovering Lysander's bicycle
and examining the newfangled invention, which he has never seen before.
The fact that A Midsummer Night's
Dream was not as publicized as much
as most summer films were does not
mean it is less praiseworthy. The clever
dialogue, humor, dramatic Italian scenery, operatic soundtrack, and cast of
stars add up to a delightful movie-going experience unlike any other for the
summer of 1999.
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12
Awards dinner caps off great year in sports
The Classic
Summer 1999
·
. --
by Brian Griffing
No year in Townsend Harris sports
would be complete without the Athletic
Awards Dinner. The fourteenth annual
dinner, which took place on June 9,
proved to be just as much fun as it hasbeen in the past. "It's a great event and
it went well," said athletic director
Wanda Nix. "It's always an enjoyable
time for me," she added.
The dancing, the dinner, and the
awards presentation were enjoyable for
everyone in attendance. Among the
many awards given out were the male
and female Athletes of the Year. The
award for Female Athlete of the Year
went to senior Vanessa Williams, who
excelled in bowling, basketball, and soccer. In basketball, she made her mark
as a great defender and rebounder, averaging over nine boards a game. She
showed notable leadership as captain of
the soccer team, and contributed to the
bowling team's playoff run. Senior
Anthony Prince was the Male Athlete
of the Year, making his mark in crosscountry, indoor, and outdoor track. He
had a tremendous year and career at
Townsend Harris. This spring he got
his times to all-time lows, running the
200 meter in less than 25 seconds, the
400 meter in Jess than 55 seconds, and
the 800 meter in less than 2:05.
The awards dinner ended a phenom-
enal year in Townsend Harris sports. It began with a great fall season in which
the track teams continued last year's
success. The girls repeated as Queens
champs in the cross-country season, and
finished third in Queens in the outdoor
peat as city champions, they made a very
respectable run at it. It was a great year
for bowling that saw two postseasons,
the girls qualifying with second place
in the division, and the boys winning the
division championship. Both teams
narrowly missing a playoff spot.
The success continued into the winter. The track teams had solid seasons,
the girls finishing in a tie for fifth place
in Queens. The Girls' Basketball team
made the playoffs for the eleventh
straight year, advancing to the second
round. The Boys' Basketball team finished an impressive 6-6, missing a play~
off berth by just one game.
~
The spring season became even more
~'competitive this year when the first
0
>.
Boys' Varsity Baseball team was added
"'
§ to the mix. The team finished with a
0
u
division record of 6-6, and came very
0
close to making the playoffs in its first
~ season. The Softball team made it all
the way to the quarterfinals this year.
The Handball teams had very competitive seasons, the girls making the playoffs and the boys finishing in third place.
In track, the boys showed tremendous
improvement, and the girls finished in
third place in Queens. One of the best
of the year has been the Girls'
stories
Seniors Vanessa Williams and Anthony Prince accept their respective plaques for Female
and Male Athletes of the Year at the annual Athletic Awards Dinner on June 9.
Soccer team. With a new coach, new
player, and a new team, expectations
season. The Girls' Swimming team con- made it as far as the second round of were low. But they shocked a lot of
tin~ed its dominance by winning the the playoffs. In an unpredictable sea- people by finishing with a 15-3 record
Queens title for the ninth time · in the son for the Girls' Volleyball team, the . and making the playoffs.
decade. What was supposed to be a re- girls, without any returning starters, fin"We had another terrific year," said
building year turned out to be another ished with an impressive 12-8 record. Nix. "If you consider the size of the
undefeated regular season for the Fenc- The Boys' Soccer team had its best sea- school and the number of teams, we did
ing team, and although they did not re- son of the decade, taking third place and well," she added.
j
<!)
Girls have good run in city championships
by Tabitha Hsi
The sun was beating down on the
field. Sweat was dripping down the
runners' faces. The scorclring heat
was unbearable. But no one regretted being on the St. John's track on
May 30 for it was the city champi0nships and it was an honor to be there.
This year, Townsend Harris had the
most representatives in school history. "It was truly a marvelous representation," commented Coach Joseph Hom. At the meet, freshmen
Nicole Kresse and Vicki Lopez,
sophomore Chanelle Pearson (who
was unable to attend the meet due to
injury) juniors Roseann Antonelli and
Nic0leArriaga and senior Tabitha Hsi
all qualified for the championship
meet. Kresse placed fifth overall in
the high jump, Lopez placed ninth in
the 400m hurdles, and Ant{)neUi
j
· ·· ·'
placed seventh in the 1500m walk with
teammate Arriaiia right on her tail with
an eighth place finish. Kresse and Hsi
both did their personal bests in the lOOm
hurdles.
This year, the team placed third in
the borough with the most points ever
earned. Thirteen members of the team
contributed to the scoring. "I was r~­
ally happy because it was a genuine
team effort,'' said coach Horn, "It was a
very good season; in fact it was the best
season ever. We say it every year but
it's true. It is simply an indieation that
we are on the ris,e."
The clearest proof that this team is
realty on the rise is that many records
were either matched or shattered this
year. And, it is the freshmen who are
leading the way.
Kresse set the school record for the
outdoor season in the high jump with a
jump of 4'10". She also set the school
record in the pentathlon. The pentathlon is comprised of fi-v,e events: 800m.
lOOm hurdles, high jump, long jump,
and shot put. Fellow freshman Lopez
improved her 400tn hurdle time by so
much that she missed the school record
by only two tenths of a second. According to Horn, "she has turned into a dynatnite athlete." Pearson broke her own
previous reeord in the lOOm hurdles by
running a time ef 15.6 seconds and set
a reco11d in the lon:g jump with a phenomenal jump of 16' 3.25" Antonelli
set a pr~cedent this year by qualifying
for the city championships in,.. the most
unusual combinati:on of events" : the
1500m walk and the discus.
"This season has been so exciting for
aH the girls becaase our teamwork paid
off," said Coaeh Horn. Antonelli agrees.
..This season was strenuous, but I think
-,. I .
I improved a lot, so it was worth it,"
she said.
''This season was great, but I hope
to do even better next season," said
Lopez. This optimism felt by members who will return next year is
matched by the nostalgia felt by the
seniors who will not be coming back
next season.
Senior Tamar Anolic had this to
say: "I liked working with all the
gitls and seeing how my role changed
throughout the years. I also learned
that there is a d'ireet relationship between hard work and improvement.
It was a gratifying experience. I am
sure next year will be great because
of all the returning members."
Senior Christine Brady said,
''This season was a productive one
and I will miss the team deeply- I
wish the best for next year's team."
Hackney, Girls' Soccer team surprise critics
By Eric Trager
When History teacher Chris Hackney assumed the coaching duties of the
Girls' Soccer team this spring, there
were very low expectations. With only
four returning players, a new coach, and
a goalie with a broken arm who was
considered likely to miss the entire season, the Lady Hawks were deemed
doomed to finish dead last in their division. But, despite all odds, the Girls'
Soccer team finished with an outstanding 15-3 record, and made it to the play-
offs.
After earning a first-round bye, the
Lady Hawks were shutout by Mid wood
in the second round of the playoffs, 30. "Although we lost, it was a great accomplishment to have made it this far,"
remarked sophomore Christina Kuo, a
second-string defensive player.
The turning point in the Lady Hawks'
season was also highlighted by the
skilled play of Talya Oberfield, who
scored more goals than she was able to
keep track of. Junior Julia Meier so-
lidified the offense after moving from
left-wing defense to midfield and contributed with three goals.
Midfielder Rosemary Ferraro, in her
second year with the team, was key to
the Lady Hawks' success with her improved scoring and passing, and was
awarded team MVP. "There's no doubting Rosemary's ability," remarked
Meier. "She was just everywhere she
had to be."
In addition, Megan Gill relieved
some of the team's goal-tending woes.
In replacement of Anne Zangos, whose
pre-season broken arm originally posed
extreme problems for the Lady Hawks,
Gill was key in securing the first round
bye, and, according to Meier, gradually
improved over the course of the season.
After their impressive run in the 1999
season, the Girls' Soccer team looks to
improve further next year. Now accustomed to their new coach and with the
seasoning of Oberfield, Ferraro, and
Meier, the Lady Hawks look to possibly grab a title in the new millennium.
I