Issue 5: May - The Classic

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vaSaSlC
'townsend Harris High School at Queens College
Surplus sends funds to schools;
Principal's. Initiative established
by Maggie Yuan'
After years of budget cuts in
New York City public school
education, money is finally
flowing back towards the city's
youth. A surplus in the city
budget has enabled the Board
of Education to distribute funds
to schools throughout New
York City, allowing them to
render improvements as they
see fit. This is known as the
Principal's Initiative. Principal
Malcolm Largmann, as well as
the staff and the students in
Consultative Council, have decided to use the allotment to set
up science research and social
science research programs for
ninth graders, computer training workshops for teachers, a
"shadow" program in wnich .
staff members see first-hand
what their colleagues' jobs are
like, extended hours for after- school study, and a Service
Learning project which is set up
to educate freshmen on ways to
get the most out of their com-
afternoon, from Monday
through Thursday. The computer lab, room 514, is available
on Tuesday mornings from 7:00
to 8:00A.M., and an extra hour
after school on Monday and
Thursday afternoons. "This allotment came unexpectedly and
we wanted to use it to directly
help the students. The advantage is that the students can now
come in earlier to maybe finish
some last minute homework or
review some notes for a test,"
sa.id Valerie Billy, school librarian.
The Principal's Initiative
also includes starting an after-
~~~o~~i:c~~;cr::::~c~;~:r:
for ninth graders. "The idea is
149-11 Melbourne Avenue. Flushing, NY 11367
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Miss Adelaide '(Jennifer Esses) and Nathan Detroit (Jason Freedman) are preparing for this week's
performances of Guys and Dolls, pin-striped suit and all. For Preview, see page 11
Despite ongoing controversy Stuyve-sant's Spec-tator retu· rns
·
'
to give the stud-ents a taste of
the research process and get
them interested in scien~e,'' srud
Assistant Principal of Science
Brendan Curran. Mr. Curran
will stay after school for two
.
by Hope Villella
After a two-week hiatus,
Stuyvesant High School's student newspaper resumed pro::
charter establishing who decides what will be published,
the chain of command, and how
the editorial board is chosen,
·
had not been re-opened, saying
that "school newspapers don't
have that much freedom; they
can be censored." "Legally,
hours a week to guide and teach
research meth9ds to ninth grad:.
duction on Friday, April24. The
Spectator, which was shut
explained the Spectator's coeditor-in-chief Micah Lasher,
because of the Hazelwood deC<ision, the principal is the pub-
who was first contacted via the
Internet. The final draft of the
charter will be completed in
two weeks, he said.
While The Classic was in the
process of preparing a feature
on First Amendment rights, the
controversy over the indefinite
suspension of the newspaper
had raised que~tions in ihe New
York media about the extent
freedom of expression is permitted in the student press.
The Supreme Court addressed this issue in 1988, _ruling in favor of school administrators''right to censor newspapers in the case of Hazelwood
School District v. Kuhlmeier.
This superseded the 1969 ruling of Tinker v. Des Moines
which supported students' right
to free expression unless causing great disorder, disrupting
school activities, or violating
any person's rights (see page 9) . .
Micah didn ',t speculate,
however, about what would
have happened if the Spectator
lisher of the newspaper;
whether we like it or not, that's
the bottom line,'' he said, adding that just like a publisher, the
school is liable for what is published in its newspaper and it is
ultimately up' to the administration to decide what can be
printed.
He pointed out that "Newspapers are never going to be immune to abuse; you just have to
hope that the systems don't get
abused." If the newspaper staff
works with the administration,
Micah believes that the newspaper can be successful. "If
everybody's reasonable, that's.
what's necessary," he sai.d.
Although the Spe_ctator's
editorial powers may now be
more centralized, Micah anticipates that the newspaper will
resume regular operation. He is
hoping that the principal will •·
allow the students to make their
own publication decisions and
will continue to "operate at ·
arms length."
munity service experiences.
"We wanted to find out what
areas of study the students were
interested in seeing enlarged,
and if we could, use that money
for that purpose. Among the
things the staff and the students
· in Consultative Council came
up with were the science programs and extending the hours
in the library and the computer
lab," said Dr. Largmann.
Library hours have been extended an extra 30 minutes in
the moniing, as well as in the
ers who are interested in ex- down by Principal Jinx Cozzi
tending their study of science Perullo on April 9 due to interbeyond the classroom . . "A se- nal conflicts among the paper's
nior might do a Westinghouse, editors, was resurrected after a
a junior would be in Ihdepen- Memorandum of Understanddent Science Research and a ing was signed by the principal
sophomore would b.e in Science and the editors.
Research. This is the 'last piece .
The Classic was unable to
to make [science research] in- reach Ms. Cozzi PeruUo or the
tegrated through the entire Spectator's advisor, English
school career," said Mr. Curran. teacher Daniel Coleman for
For students who are more in- comment. However, the New
teres ted in social science re- York Times (4/17) reported that
search, social studies teacher the newspaper was shut down
Continued on page 11 as a result of in~ fighting among
members of the editorial board
as well as disagreements between the staff and Mr.
·Coleman. These arguments
were exacerbated by controversial articles atta_cking specific
As The Classic was going to press, we teachers and the faculty;s
union-backed policy of hiring
sadly learned of the death of freshman teachers
according to seniority.
Akin Laundry. We express our deepest
Among the provisions of the
condolences to all of his family and Memorandum between the
newspaper staff and the princi.friends.
pal was an agreement that the
Spectator would draw up a
In Memoriam
First Amendment
Rights
pages 8-9
Guys and Dolls
Preview
page 11
Broadway revives
Sound of Music
page 13
Sports:
Boys' Baseball
takes off
page 16
2
AP classes enhance prepa·rati:on and reputation
There was a time when one of Har- without anAP-scattered resume. And as
ris' most striking qualities was the fact assured as we are by the Harris adminthat seniors could take Queens college istration that admissions officers from
courses, in a sense getting ahead in "the near and far have heard the tales of
game of life" by gaining college credit, Townsend Harris, high school of the talwhile our peers around tb.e country were _en ted and gifted, to what degree can we
taking only high school classes. How- as college applicants place our faith in
ever, though Harris' affiliation with what officers may have heard about our
Queens College is still unique and the school?
humanities seminar (a requirement for
Harris currently offers AP courses in
seniors) serves well in preparing us for .. Spanish, Calculus, and, new this year,
the college experience, these European History. While these may be
opportunites no longer give us that de- more diffiCult than the standard
sired "edge." This is because Advanced _ Townsend Harris courses, students here ·
Placement (AP) classes have become are certainly capable of tackling the
increasingly popular in ,high schools course-work labeled "AP." Why not give
throughout the nation as a means of pro- students the opportunity to choose even
viding superior course work.
more AP courses as students in so many
Colleges now ask applicants to list other schools can?
theAP courses they have taken throughAP courses serve a more practical
out high school, as well as their grades purpose, though, than simply to impress
on the final AP exams. Though colleges admissions officers. High scores (usutake into account the numbeF of AP ally of 4 or 5, though it'depends on the
courses offered by I! high school in college), allow students to opt out of
evaluating students, applicants whose :large introductory.classes in college, and
transcripts include long. lists of AJ> even receive university credit. The
classes are perceived as having taken a · Queens College courses students take in
more challenging curriculum than those their senior year offer the same ad van-
tage, but unfortunately seniors can only
take one college course per term in addition to the humanities seminar. AP
courses can be offered throughout high
school (though they are usually offered
beginning in sophomore year), thus giv- _
ing Harris students that desired "edge."
Students pay $74 to take th.eAP exam
(fee waivers are available) which is
graded from 1 to 5, 5 being the highest
score. At many competitive colleges, a
4 or 5 on an AP exam translates into
about 3 credits; 3 credits that would cost
hundreds of dollars at a private university.
Students and staff here know that our
classes already embody the ideals and
purposes oftheAP exam: rigorous curriculum and challenging exams taken by
bright and motivated students, but sometimes, that self-knowledge isn't enough.
Credit should be given where .credit is
due, and if this credit comes in the form
of the letters A and P preceding a course
title, then Harris students should have
more opportunities to have this abbreviation, to which such academic honor
has become attached, interspersed
among classes listed on the blue program cards.
We're not suggesting that Townsend
Harris" make all classes AP, or college
le':et, and that the school become a "junior college" instead of a high school.
We're simply saying thatin a school
where students work so hard, it might
be nice for them to be able to take classes
that they enjoy, knowing that these
classes will also afford them.thebenefit
of college credit. ·
No, AP classes aren't for everybody,
and no student should be forced to take
them, or told how many he or she should
take. But in a school where students
have such a great aptitude for learning;
more AP classes should definitely be an
option for those who feel they can
handle them.
Practically, AP classes are a reasonable way of getting college credit, of
saving money, and of helping students
to be admitted to prestigious colleges but
most importantly, it is a wondeiful way
to boost the pride of a student who successfully passes one of these competitive tests.
'Congr~ss
shall make no law abridging -freedom of speech, or.
freedom of religion'_... but what about freedom of student press?
the professional press and the student with; in fact, the article.reported on the pered by censorship, students would
press that can't be ignored when student pregnancies of several students in the have been blocked from crucial information that affects nearly all of us. Serveditors compile their newspaper. This .school.
High school students in general, and ing a much higher purpose than reafbig difference lies in the awareness that
the school is a sort of family. Here, we Townsend Harris students in particular, firming school policies and providing
must live with each other, see each other are mature enough to handle articles on entertainment, The Classic aims to edudaily, and for that reason, using a publi- any issue or situation which faces them. cate and inform its readers of the truth,
cation to attack people is wrong. The If it is executed properly, we should be not a censored version of it.
The Classic's April Fools' issue is a
adult world doesn't have this problem. able to present virtually any topic of imProfessional papers don't need to feel a - portance, so long as it is relevant to this - pardon the pun - classic example of
Beadle deserves
the sound judgement utilized in enjoysense of community, and in fact, have a school.
In the June 1997 issue of The Clas- ing our right to freedom of expression.
worst teacher award duty to expose individual wrong-doing.
When it comes to complaints about a sic, a feature on teenage sexual activity It is in this issue that we poke fun at the
Now, Mr. Beadle has never been one teacher's performance, we feel that there across the nation as compared with that policies of the school. However, the huof your favorite teachers, but still there are other ways those issues should be in Townsend Harris was published. Ad- mor and criticism is employed with taste
seems ~o be something wrong with this handled. We have faith in our adminis- joining articles dealt with the club Stu- and tact.
Any newspaper that maintains repuheadline and with this article, wh~ch tration to take care of such problems dents Promoting AIDS Awareness
launches ·into a vicious personal attack with efficiency andjustice. Policies, on (SPAA) and a former student who edu- table journalistic principles and has an
on a teacher. According to the principles the other hand, are worthy of scrutiny cated his peers about the dangers of involved and qualified advisor should be
of good journalism, inserting the and criticism. Singling out individwil~ sexually transmitted diseases. Had Dr. given the freedom to publish controverLargmann chosen to exercise his rights sial material. Upon the tenth-year anniauthor's or newspaper's opinions into l.n the student press is inappropriate.
We exercise the utmost caution in our under Hazelwood, there is a chance that versary of Hazelwood, we are glad we
news articles in a school newspaper; or ·
any newspaper for the matter, is wrong. writing, and because of this, we feel we those articles neve( would have been are given that freedom - the freedom we
That explains why, as editors, much as can publish articles that may be deemed published. If The Classic had been ham- feel all responsible journalists deserve.
we'd sometimes like to publish articles controversial in other schools. This year
that target certain school faculty mem- marks the tenth anniversary of the famous Supreme Court decision of
bers, we never have, and never will.
Natalka Palczynski
Townsend Harris High School" at Queens College
Editor-in-Chief
We never will because we have an Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier
149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, N.Y. 11367
obligation as reporters to publish the which upheld the right of public school
Kate Rube
Hope Villella
Beth Citron
Readers are invited to submit letiers to the
Feature Editor
Sports Editor
News Editor
news in the most unbiased way possible. officials at Hazelwood East High School
editor. Letters should be placed in Ms . Cowen's
mailbox in the general office. The Classic re,
When we write news articles, we may in St. Louis, Missouri, to censor stories
Jeannemarie Hendershot Erika Zwetkow
serves the right to edit all letters. Letters must
· Editor at large
Photography Editor
unconciously slant toward a certain concerning teen pregnancy and divorce
include name and official class . Names will be
Romina Perrone
Alan Fu
Julia Kohen
withheld upon request.
party's favor, but we have an advisor and its effects on children from a schoolBusiness Manager
Man~ging Editor Circulation Editor
who works closely with us to ensure that sponsored student newspaper (see pages
News Staff: Bosede Adenekan, Afton Baff, Dominika Bednarska, Andrew Goldberg, Karen Halperin, Helen Haritos, Christina
we avoid editorializing at all costs, ex- 8-9). These articles, according to their
Lesica, Stefan Muehlbaue r, Mark Von Ohlen, Maggie Yuan
principal , were not appropriate for a
cept, of course, in editorials.
Feature Staff: Rudy Ash , Paul Bruno. Noreen Bukhari, Surabhi Jain, Lorraine Kapovich, Danielle Lord , Adam Mingione, Chris
Munde, Aliza Nadi, Rachel Nobel , Lauren-Paley, Ram sey Peele, CaroLPruss, Catherine Sa~tos, Steven Seidenfeld
Opinions of staff do belong in edito- young audience because they dealt with
Sports Staff: Brian Griffimg, Tabitha Hsi, Jarvis Lagman, Mark Von Ohlen, Sara Yun
rials, but even editorials in school news- touchy subjects. However, teen pregPhoto&raphy Staff: Lau~a Bassilino, Frank Cherena, Jason freedman, Arielle Freeman, Sara Gross, Alice Iofescu, Athena
papers shouldn't contain personal at- nancy is an _issue that tnany students
Ledakis, Nancy Luo, Sofia Pahagiotaki.s, K'!l'en Parado, Joseph Pasoa, Lisa Schapira, Eric Trager, Marco Trauzzi, Audley Wilson,
Henry Wong, Dawn Wing, Young Yoon
tacks. There is a big difference between reading the paper were already dealing
Leafing through an issue of the
school newspaper, your eyes jump casually from headline to headline, scanning each one in a none-too-careful fashion. The school dance was a success, the
girls' tennis team swept the semis like
you hoped they would, but the next
headline really captures your attention:
Artists:
Vivian Chang, Lucy Hong, Rachel Sperling
Advisor - lisa Cowen
Principal - Dr. Malcolm Largmann
The Classic
May 1998
3
Letters to the Editor
Fool's issue provokes strong responses .
To the Editor:
I believe the April Fool's edition of
The Classic could have been done better. It lacked in both humor and quality.
... This 'humorous' edition of The
Classic had everything but humor. The
only funny article in the whole thing was
"Big Backpacks Counter Effects of El
Nino," by Rachel Nobel, which made
me laugh, something the other articles
didn't do. In fact, I found two of them
offensive. As a man, I found the article
by Joy M. Mendoza about lowering
standards to bring in attractive guys extremely offensive ... .I took great offense,
since the authornot only says that all
THHS guys are unattractiv.e but that
guys in general are dumb as well. Although the article is meant to be humorous (which it is not), hidden beneath the
surface seems to be a bias against men.
Perhaps it hasn't occurred to Mendoza
that the problem just may be the girls
and their ridiculously high standards.
Offensive articles disguised as jokes do
not belong in The Classic. I found the
ad for Shakespeare's Brothers extremely
offensive for the same reasons. The ad
stereotypes guys as being egotistical,
perverted, and stupid. If someone had
done something like that, but ridiculed
Shakespeare's Sisters instead, it probably wouldn't have been welcomed with
open arms and instead would have either been edited or not printed at all. I
don't see how The Classic can support
the discrimination of men.
The Classic also lacked quality in this
issue. Instead of making the whole paper devoted to humorous articles, a large
part of it should have been devoted to
actual news, like the recent guest dance.
Devoting a whole issue to April Fool's
delayed the printing of news that is real.
Next time, the editors of The Classic
should do a better job in choosing what
should and shouldn't be published.
Anthony Ciolli, 902
of psychotic females.
Salma Ragoonath, 906
Editors' response:
Since the beginning of Harris history,
the uneven male to female ratio has been
repeatedly satirized. It is acceptable (and
quite funny) to do this because very few,
if any, Harrisites actually believe that
girls are more intelligent than boys.
Because Anthony Ciolli is a freshman,
he may not be aware of the good-natured
tradition of this gender-based bantering
which is prevalent not only in April
Fool's publications, but also in school
productions and daily life. Additionally,
"Tallman proposes policy to recruit attractive males" did not poke fun at the
intelligence of any current Harrisites; it
merely states that under. the 'proposed
plan,' admissions criteria would be lowered for incoming males. To answer Anthony Ciolli's concern, an article ridiculing females would have been just as
easily published in The Classic.
To the Editor:
In the most recent issue of The Classic, there was an effort made to make it
a funny issue of April Fool's Day. However, the effort was in vain. Aside from
being generally not funny, it was fairly
childish in some cases, and showed a
great disrespect to the faculty in others.
The article entitled "We're moving
again- This Time 17 feet!" was perhaps
the worst "joke" ever printed on paper.
The article, which stated that Townsend
Harris would move seventeen teet in
order to prevent people from hearing
music played in between bands, stressed
a very tired jest of many months past.
The classical and opera music played in
between bands caused an uproar in November, and ey now it has been accepted, making the article a weak attempt to be furiny with an old joke. The
in between band music was also·targeted
in an ad, in which a CD was being sold
with the music of the Polka People,
Awful Opera Stars, and hits of 1700s.
Now that's overkill.
The newspaper showed little to no
respect for faculty members. For example, Dr. Largmann's name became
)'Dr. Tallman" and Mr. Rattien became
"Hairy Rat." These attempts to be funny
were also weak, and in general were a
burrch of chea:p shots.
··
. In 'a sectioii entitled ''Lt!ngtfiily;''
news briefs were posted. One brief
stated that the bathrooms would be
closed until September and that in order to prevent people from needing the
bathroom, students wouldn't be able to
eat or drink. Perhaps the greatest disrespect was shown to Dr. Tallman, the unfunny alias for Dr. Largmann, who was
quoted as saying, "If you don't eat, you
To the Editor:
The April 1st issue of The Classic
was hilarious. The articles expressed
some problems of the school in a different light....
Even though the stories seem ridiculous, there is a lot of truth in them and
that is what makes it so funny. In what
other school can you hear wonderful
tqnes from the 1700's; Pcifka :People, and
Awful Opera stars every day bt:tween
bands? Where [else are] the bathrooms
never open? [Where else do pet] cockroaches reside in the school? ...
The Shakespeare's Brother's
Masculinist Club was a clever joke, but
Shakespeare''s Sisters is a serious club
which discusses serious issues. I am a
"sister," ·so I hope that people get the
joke and do not think the club is a bunch
won't excrete." There is a level of decency which must be shown in a school
environment, regardless of whether joking is being welcomed or not. Involving the principal in such a tasteless quote
truly showed no respect for authority.
The Classic, which I have been informed is an award-winning newspaper,
definitely didn't appear to be awardwinning in the last issue. It was not
funny, rude, disrespectful, and in some
cases inappropiate. It becomes clear how
poor any ·comedian is when he or she
cannot get a laugh out of inside jokes,
and therefore, perhaps · The Classic
should abandon their desire to beceme
comedians.
Eric Trager, 908
Editors' Response:
Addressing the fact that Eric thought
the issue "showed a great disrespect to
the faculty," all of the spoofs on the faculty were perennial jokes, which actually reflect affection for these educators
whom we know to be good sports. Dr.
Largmann has been referred toby many
similar fictional names in The' 'Classic
and in "Sing" productions since the
opening of Townsend Harris. The only
name that could have been perceived as
offensive, Hairy Rat, was used with the
con~entofMr. Ratti en. In fact, both Dr.
Largmann and Mr. Ratti en wrote letters
to us and our advisor praising the issue.
· ·"fhe 'afticltf'''We"rb movil'l'g ' agciin This· tirtie 17 reef!" did nbt' ·o nly' jbRe
about the music that is played between
bands but also the long history
of problems Townsend Harris has had
with moving and being welcomed by the
surrounding community, as well as the
new community service policy. Both of
.these issues are still relevant in Harris,
so the article was not "a very tired jest
of months past," as Eric Trager wrote.
Briefly
Junior Michael Bonilla was a winner in the NYS Attumey General AntiSmo!Gng Clllendar cantest. His i~ustration was published iln the 1"8 CalJ;)ndar
~ntitled '"A Smub-P'r-ee Year."
The Phoenix, Townsend Hams Hi~h S0hool's literary magazine, was once
again named GfYld M~daRst ·t;,y the Columbia S.ch01astic Pr~s Association f{)r
concept, design. ag:d creativity.
Senior .ArieHe Freeman was awarded twq Gold Keys by the Alliance f~r
Ytnn\g Artists and Writers. ·A rlelle''s photo portfolio and jewelry Wet!e chosen
from amo.ng mote than 1,.000 sucbm,ssions.
The D~bate team W.@ll a tbird place tl'oph~r at 1M Br~klyn-Queens Catholic J:loJ7ensk League tou~ The Speech ~- placed ifth.
Sophomore Adam M:mgione has been pr;esented ·the Boy Scouts' highe'St
honor, the .litag;le Rank, f!i)r his aetive partici'pation in cammunity affairs and
exemplary behavier in his (fully life.
Senior Itaellel Sperling was one of two students who placed first .in the
b0Epugh oi, Queens in the Sh-akespeare &ecita.tion C0ntest sponso~red by 1he
English Speaking Union. She will compete at the city level next.
Michele Potofsky is-~ recJ.)ienl of a Ool:d Key for her essay, "The Simple
Gift" presented by the Alltiance for Yotu-'g Mists & Writers.
Christina Giannikas, .Julie Heimratb, and Laura Rerzenhornt juniors.,
have re-ceived Certificates .of Meri'l for their entries in the 1'99'8 Barnard Cotlege Essay Contest.
Sophomore Bosede AdenekQ has been named a Kodak Young Leader
under a national pl!ogram sponsored 9y the Eastman Ked'ak Company.
Senior Tara Paterson was the Orand prize .winner at the .Polyteebnic Uni. versity Science Fair. She wUl _go on to compete at the fnternatiomtl Science and
Engineeri~g Fair {18:1'1} in May.
Megan D'wyer, Eleanor Hynes, Tara Pat'ITSon, and Jamie Tong, seniors,
were finalists in the Ju.n ior Science and Humanities Symposium.
Seniors Aloander Arriaga, Kate Rube, and Michelle Wolman were fiJlaliSt<S in. the Otto Butgdtrl Reseattb Competition foJ' their science and social
science projects. Honorable Mentionswet!e awarded :to s.e niors Eleanor Bynes,
Robert M'Ohamedeen, and Hope Villella~
At the Biological and Bi:omedical Sciences Fair (Regional ISEF), senior
Pratik Patet won the NABT and Anny awards. Senior Alexander Arri.aga_
won the Navy award.
Seniors Alexander Arriaga, Kate Rube-1 and Matthew Chang were recipients of th.e DioGENBius Awards. Tiley wi:l compete far cash awards in
~
June.
.Jm Ree Chu, Eden Cruz, ·Michael lnwalil, ChdsJina Lesica, A>nnette
OrzeChowski, Eva &aj, and Kevi" Woo were selected as finalists in the
Sh0wtime and PEN.CIL 1~$ New York City Youth Video f?estiva1 .competition. They wii:l attend workshops and, with the help of industry professionals,
make their winning stories into videos for c'Ompetition June.
At the New York City History Fair, Best Paper in the City went to Maria
Doulis. First Piaee in Individual Media went to Linda Kbn, and Second Place
w.as awarded te Nancy Luo. Linda Kim went on to win first place at the State
.History Fair 0n May 2.
Seniors Nata:lka: Palczynski and Jamie Tong were each awarded a Chase
Smart Scholarship which includes a full scholarship to New YorkUniversity
and a paid internship with Cbase.
Correction: The Classic apologizes to sophomore Peak-Wei Choong for
identifying her as a male lit the article ..B rlinguru oratorla celebrates diversity''
in the Februrary issue.
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ditors' Adventures:
Theme restaurants, from drag queens to volcanoes
Jekyll and Hyde
by Hope Villella
Did you ever walk into a crowded room and feel as if it were
closing in on you? At Jekyll and Hyde, this is not simply a
feeling: the walls really are closing in on you. After a freaky
head greets you and warns Jekyll and Hyde is not for "the faint
of heart," a panel suddenly opens in the wall and guests are
saved from their fears - well, at least for the time being.
After reaching the front desk, guests are directed either to the
spooky mausoleum, the creepy laboratory, the eerie library or
the ghastly Grand Salon. They are greeted in the atrium by
such people as "eccentric explorers" and "mad scientists" who
are trying to reanimate the dead. Be careful because your hat
may suddenly disappear into the mouth of a hungry alligator
or the skeleton you knock into may suddenly propose marriage.
The wait for seating is long, even once you've moved "unsafely
inside" from the horrendous outside line. Once inside, however, there is plenty of screaming and growling to distract you
from the growling of your own stomach.
If you're looking for ghosts and goblins to spook you or an
enjoyably haunting afternoon, Jekyll and Hyde is definitely the
place for you, but if you're looking for good food at a low cost,
it's better to stick to what you know.
The Rainforest Cafe
by Beth Citron
You know you aren't in an ordinary restaurant when the
host greets you sitting atop an elephant, monkeys swing from
the walls, and the rest of the restaurant is decorated as a colorful, lively rainforest. Such is the case at the Rainforest Cafe,
conveniently located within a shopping mall, the Source in
Westbury, New York, and just minutes away from Roosevelt
Field mall.
At Rainforest, you might temporarily feel as if you've left
Long Island and traveled to a tropical climate. A volcano that
erupts periodically iil "ilie-back of the restaurant is the mmn
attraction, but otherwise Rainforest has considerably fewer features than most of its theme counterparts. However, if you
plan on making the journey to Rainforest, it will be a long trip
because the wait during peak dinner hours tends to be at least
an hour, more if your party is large. Additionally, once seated,
the restaurant feels very crowded, with tables cluttered together,
and slow service during dinner time.
Following the trend of most theme restaurants, the atmosphere does compensate for the lack of high quality food. Eat
at the Rainforest Cafe only if you won't mind the slow service
and long wait.
The lVIoTown Cafe
by Erika Zwetkow
If you're ready to jive to the sound of MoTown, this is the
place to go. A huge vinyl record suspended from the ~eiling
hovers over both floors of this time-warp, while sparkly vinyl
booths and chrome-rimmed tables capture the essence of the
soda-fountain scene of the MoTown era.
There's usually a wait for seating at MoTown, but the line
only reaches about five stores down, unlike the one over at
Jekyll and Hyde which tails around the comer.
Live performances by convincing imitators of "The
Supremes" and the "The Temptations" occur every half hour
between 12:30 PM and midnight. They sing and dance just
like the originals (glittery halter dresses and all) under a spotlight, on a small stage in the middle of the first floor. No matter where you sit in the Cafyju're sure to have a good view.
Mil$
iii'ti
by Natalka Palczynski
Sports fans will be in heaven when they sit down for a
meal at the All-Star Cafe. No other restaurant in Manhattan
can boast of the gems that lie in the All-Star: enormous television screens which broadcast sports games throughout the
day are mounted overhead and line the circumference of the
circular dining room. In addition, booths facing the room's
center can watch similar monitors which are mounted on a
structure resembling a stadium sc.oreboard. The structure is
suspended from the ceiling and is an imaginative way of accommodating the extra screens. Also suspended from the dining room's ceiling is a race car, just one of the various sports
memorabilia scattered throughout the restaurant.
We came in on an evening when the NHL and NBA playoffs were on, as well as a Yankee game, and diners were reluctant to leave. The wait was the length of the games: two
hours. So, if you want to watch a game at the All-Star, be sure
to get there before the crowds roll in.
Take a trip to the bathroom before you leave. Both men
and women's rooms have stalls that look like lockers (except
painted in bright colors, not the usual grey) and a friendly
attendant who Is alwjs read,with soa.aoer towels.
... t§tt
111§1
by Kate Rube
_Tired of eating Chinese food the way ·~6st of us do, with
those white takeout containers and a can of Coke balanced on
your lap, taking in the latest episode of The Simpsons or Seinfeld
after a long day? The sesame chicken or moo shoo pork might
not be much better than you would find in your local joint, but
Lucky Cheng's has what no plastic-boothed Chinese restaurant can offer: ambiance, ambiance, and, oh .yes, ambiance,
though to be honest, it's not for the culturally, nor sexually,
shy. Where else could you have your beef and broccoli or
Asian Caesar salad served by scantily-clad drag queens who
shamelessly flaunt their convincingly female-looking bodies?
As they say, only in New York. Lucky Cheng's, located in the
East Village, has made a name for itself by hiring as its staff
predominantly Asian men who dress and carry on as females,
though some only for the benefit of employment. These
"queens" make the trip to lower First Avenue (not the best area
in the world) worth it. Be sure to check ahead for showtimes
(make reservations, too!) to catch these flamboyant and hysterically funny waitresses performing song and dance numbers. Even better than most Seinfelds, I have to say, and I'm a
big Seinfeld fan.
The Fashion Cafe
What to expect from the food:
All the restaurants we've described,
EXCEPT for Lucky Cheng's, offer slight
variations of the same menu.
Choose from:
chicken platters burgers
pizzas
pastas
salads
sandwiches
Prices:
Appetizers: $4 to $8
Entrees: $1 0 to $20
Desserts: around $6
Drinks: $2 for soft drinks;
$7 for mixed & fruit beverages
Jekyll and Hyde
91 7th Ave. South
between Barrow
& Grove Streets
(212) 255 - 5388
or
6th Ave.
between 57th
& 58th Streets
(212) 541 - 9517
Best dish: cajun fries
The Rainforest Cafe
The Source
Old Country Road,
Westbury
(516) 227-6000
Best dish: key lime pie
The Fashion Cafe
51 Rockefeller Plaza
between 5th & 6th Ave.
(212) 765-3131
Best dish: Claudia's
apple pancakes.
All-Star Cafe
Corner of
West 45th St.
& Br~adway
(212) 840 - 8326
Best dish: T-bone steak
The lVIoTown Cafe
104 West 57th St.
between 6th & 7th Ave.
(212) 581 - 8030
Best dish: chicken &
waffles
Lucky Cheng's
1st Ave. between 1st
by Jeannemarie Hendershot
& 2nd Streets
While most theme restaurants have been dubbed purely tourist
traps, this one is said to be frequented by owners Naomi Camp(212) 473- 0516·
bell, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, and Elle McPherson.
Best dish: Peking Duck
And while we were not so fortunate to have any supermodel
sightings during our visit (at least not in person - their photographs are plastered all over the cafe), we did spot MTV video
jockey Ananda waiting for a table. A group of budding young
models from India, Brazil, New Orleans, and Long Island paraded up and down the runway situated in
the center of the restaurant sporting pajama-like couture from designer Natasha Vhorgai's spring line.
It's likely you'll be able to preview some designer's new line; the cafe hosts three fashion shows each
day: 12:30, 2:00, and 7:00PM.
Walls are adorned with glass cases holding such costumes as the shoes worn by Madonna in the movie
Evita, a famous leopard print wrap dress by seventies designer Diane von Furs ten burg, and mannequins
wearing Victoria's Secret lingerie. Shelves throughout the restaurant hold oversized bottles of designer
perfumes from Nina Ricci's Deci Dela to the classic Chane! No.5.
As all theme restaurants cater to the souvenir shopper, this one does not fail to pre vide overpriced logo
tiny tees and even leather vests. The selection here is greater than at your normal t-shirt & button shop
because, after all, this is the Fashion Cafe.
rt~~
...,
The Classic
Mav 1998
by Beth Citron and Surabhi Jain
A splash of color has been added to
the extracurricular activites at Townsend
Harris with the formation of the art club,
which meets Wednesdays after school
in the graphic arts studio (Room 511).
Lois Polansky, Project Arts Coordinator and club advisor, hopes that "through
the art club students will be exposed to
the contemporary arty scene." Other objectives of the club are development of
students' work through portfolio critique, museum and gallery visits, slide
lectures, and skill building.
Over 30 students showed up for the
club's first meeting on March 11, at
which Ms. Polansky stressed the importance of committing to the art club to
reap its benefits. "You are here to enhance your knowledge; you have to
learn the language of art," she said.
Sophomore Steven Pavlov, who created the "rainbow footprints" that once
led to Room 511, was elected Art Club
Coordinator. As Coordinator, he organizes projects and meetings, forms
member committees, and "acts as the
conduit between the club advisor and the
club members," said
tivities. They sold painters'
Ms. Polansky. Acpalettes decorated with colorcording to Steven,
ful jelly beans, and with a bag
"Students in this
of candy and a flower atschool should espetached. They were priced at
cially be involved in
one dollar apiece, went on sale
art, since it is a hubeginning March 30, and were
manities school. We
distributed
on April 9. The
0
are only exposed to
] club ultimately earned $127
art class for [one
~ from the project. "It was a
term] during fresh~ huge success," said Ms .
man year, so the art
~ Polansky, " ... but we haven't
club is an opportudecided what to do with the
0
nity for the students
-a money."
to enhance their arAlso, the club recently estistic skills."
tablished a web page, called
The art club is
Art Seen. According to Ms.
currently involved in
Polansky, the site is supposed
doing the publicity
to display "some of the art
for the school play
that's been seen in the
Guys and Dolls.
Townsend
Harris scene," as
In room 511, sophomore Venessa Tan and Art Club advisor Lois Polansky glue
Club members are jellybeans on cardboard artist palettes for the club's fundraiser.
well as biographies of the stucreating advertising
dent artists. Art Seen can be
materials for the play such as flyers and manufacture buttons to publicize the found at http://www.thhs.qc.edu/.
the playbill, and Steven has already production.
Aside from school activities, the art
made the logo for the play. With
Students in the club also plan to cre- club plans to become involved in comnewfound access to a button making ma- ate an .art display in the school lobby. munity activities, such as creating pubchine, the club has also been able to "It could function as a little mobile art lic murals or sculptures. Another service
gallery in our school," said Ms. project will be giving art lessons at a
Polansky. The artwork, featured on ex- senior citizen center. Other agendas inhibit panels donated by the PTA, would clude visits to the Queens College Art
be changed monthly so that students Galleries and Art Department, as well
could view the creations of their peers. as lectures by outside guests and by Ms.
For Easter, the art club held a Polansky herself, in which she will show
fundraiser
to support their upcoming ac- slides and discuss her own artwork.
by Annette Orzechowski
open arms from the start. Initially, the
The familiar and usually calm front advertisers had a tough time getting maof the Humanities office (room 403) has terials and met with general skepticism.
taken on a new identity after dismissal The club is currently supplied with 100
since its recent transformation into the sheets of posterboard, but at some points
daily convening spot for a large crowd had to transform sheets of typing paper
of shouting students. No, these are not into posters or rely on the members to
IS
disgruntled scholars protesting fund the necessary materials, for which
collaterals, nor are they a mob prepar- they were later reimbursed. But things
~
ing to lynch the person standing amid seem to be looking up for the advertisthis throng: English teacher Michael ers. Mr. Carbone is requesting more
1"'
Carbone, who frantically passes out funding for next year.
l
"'.
''[The Advertising Club] gives people
strips of white paper. This is merely the
!
newest addition to the Harris commu- who are interested in drawing or adver.:
nications network, the Advertising Club. tising a field to practice in. The posters
~
"One of my pleasures of the day is [we] turn out are much better than the
:;;
.:i
before,"
said
Lisa
seeing the advertiser.s," said Mr. ones
:;;
Carbone, who hands out assignments to Tschernkowitsch. Manager Laura
il
the grabbing hands of 70 members, .a Liotta, junior, believes "the
~
number that increases on a weekly ba- signs ... attract people." Such upcoming
j
sis. The assignments, which Mr. · events as the school production of Guys
I
t
Carbone has dubbed "accounts," come and Dolls and the Students Promoting
Pe-rsonal atte-ntion
from the plethora of clubs, organiza- Aids Awareness talent show are among
Small classes (8--12 students)
l
· mean plenty of personal
•
tions, and events throughout the school. the ones topping the advertisers' lists.
attention. Would you rather work
lz
Be-tte-r
colle-ge-s
Filling these orders are artists, "letterWith such a high demand for ads, the
one-on-one? No one tutors more
,'
Morethan9outof lOPrinceton
ers," and graphic artists, along with man- club has made a conscientious effort to
students for the SAT than we do.
"'
Review students get into one
•
agers, who put up posters and garner re- remain environmentally aware. Most of
~
of their top<hoice colleges.
Be-tte-r rt>seoarch
.ol
"'
quests.
the poster board is recycled by using the
We. spend millions of dollars
Guarante-e-d re-sults
J!
· each year researching tests and
For anyone interested in joining, the front and back; ads announcing such ani
1:
If you don't improve your
revising our techniques and
.
~
scores at least 100 points, we'll
requirement, according to Mr. Carbone, nually repeating events as bake sales and
materials. For example, our new
work with you until you do.
j
we~based computer adaptive
is simple: "You must be reliable enough open-mike.nights are reused.
testing
tool
uses
your
computer
~
to see me on a daily basis."
"There is so much potential for bet-.
to help raise your scores.
iCall or-Visit us at
The club is Mr. Carbone's brainchild. ter exposure for the kids," said Mr.
..
Be-tte-r score-s
The idea struck hi in in the first week of Carbone. "The creativity level has been
1•800•2 REVIEW
Princeton Review SAT course
www.review.com
i
the spring semester. "I was walking in outstanding." The organization of the
students improve an average of
·· 140 points. 25% of our students
the hallway and I thought the ads were club, which is "not punctilious but rather
improve 190 points or more ..Ask
THE
just terrible," he said. "I knew [many] rapid and simple," adds to the fast pace,
anyone elsefor independent
great artists and students who would which is the pride of the club.
PRINCETON
verification of their improvements.
"This is really my best experience at
probably be interested in the idea." He
REVIEW
spoke to English teacher Maria Vita, and Townsend Harris so far," said Mr.
together they placed "bland" ads around Carbone. "Either other schools will
the school announcing the club. The catch on to our idea or we will continue
idea, though, was not embraced with to be unique."
B
New club decorates halls
with creative advertisements
.
~
-~
.
~
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~
..
.
~
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4
2
.
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.
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~
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6
The Classic
May 1998
Tokyo teens explore ·New York
by Alan Fu
and works toward cultural and rated with Japanese posters and
Japanese teacher Hiroko economic understanding be- banners. Festivities comMuchnicki and six Harrisites tween the U.S. and Japan.
menced with a sing-along of
hosted four students and one
The exchange students spent "It's A Small World" in Japateacher from Ikigawa High most of their visit at Harris, ob- nese. Concert band members
School near Tokyo,
then
perJapan, from March
formed
· "Sakura
2 to March 13 .
Their visit was
Cherry Blossponsored by Passsom."
Fiport to Japan, an
nally, the exeducational and
change stucultural exchange
dents joined
program between
the Harris stuhigh schools in
dents in an inNew York City and
terview sesJapan.
·
sion.
Greeting
Ms. Muchnicki
0
hosted English
~ the guests of
teacher N orihiro
~ honor, Ms .
8 Walsh said,
Okomoto; junior
Candace
Chiu
"We feel a
hosted 17-year-old
very special
Daisuke Kichiya;
connection to
your country,"
junior Moab Son
hosted 17 -year-old
citing Harris'
Mitsuyo Kamiya;
"sistersophomore Ralph
school" relaM
h t d _ Exchange students Daisuke Kichiya, Masasashi Ohtake, and Mitsuyo
16
tionship with
arques os e
. Kamiya arrive at Kennedy Airport on March 2.
year-old Masasht
·
Shimoda Kita
Ohtake; and junior Diana Raab serving . classes and attending Senior High School in
hosted 16-year-oldAki Watabe. special activities such as the · Shimoda, Japan, as well as the
The four hosts of the ex- dance/basketball game on recent December visit from
change students volunteered to March 13 and the Festival of · Japanese ambassador Seiichiro
do so and were selected and ap- Nations on March 19. (See re- Otsuka. Ms. Walsh also preproved by Ms. Muchnicki and lated articles on page 5.) Their sented each exchange student
Joan Walsh, Assistant Principal recreational activities included with a Harris gym shirt and a
of Second Languages. Since visits to the United Nations, the copy of The Classic . Mr.
six exchange students were Broadway rendition of Beauty Okomoto presented ·his own
originally supposed to come to and the Beast at the Beacon gift to Dr. Largmann - an auNew York, two extra Harrisites, Theater, the Metropolitan Mu- thentic Japanese engraving of a
sophomore Andrew Goldberg seum of Art, and a cultural pre- lily, which coincidentally was
and junior Racquet Look, were sentation at the Professional the same flower that Dr.
also allowed to join the pro- High School of Performing Largmann gave to his high
gram, though they did not host Arts.
school prom date, as he noted.
a visitor.' The six participants
Upon their arrival at Harris
Ms . . Walsh and Ms.
and Ms. Muchnicki will visit on March 2, the exchange stu- Muchnicki, as well as Japanese
Japan this summer for free, paid dents received an official wel- language students, bade farefor by the Japan Society, a non- come from faculty and Japa- well to the exchange students
profit organization that spon- nese language students in the li- with a sushi/pizza party in room
sored the exchange program brary, which had been deco- 438 on March 13.
Education program
to send three to Chins
by Annette Orzechowski
Climbing the Great W~U
as participants in an intema·
tional study pr0g;ram sponsored by The American Forum
for Global Edu~ation witl be
ene of the experiences on the
"to do lists" of junior David
Won,g and sophomorM Pa1d.
Bruno and Rebecca Munoz
dudn,g their trip to China.
They are scheduled to spend
June 30 to July 28 studying the
Chinese language at Peking
University while experiencing
a foreign culture.
Twenty-two students from
participating schools inclu<J..
i-ng Jkao:.klyn Tech. P'0fe;gt
HiHs, and Midwoed High
S~ho&l, am.ong others, are in·
volv.ed in this tw~week, eom·
pr:ehensive study course. ••rm
realJy excited about teaming
about a unique culture and
meeting new peepte. rm a
l1ttle nervous that I won't adjust right away, but I'm looking forward. to the chaUeng~,"
said Rebecca.
Sightseeing will include a
train ride into Xi-an to walt
among the anCient ruins of anemperor's palace and a visit to
Tiananmen Square, the looa~
tion of the failed. 1989 student
re¥olt.
Pre~departure dasses are
mandatory to prepare the stu.dents for the n!l'ore mark-ed differences, such as the language.
The til1St session on April 4
featured three lectures concerning the history of China,
the Chinese view of the world,
and an open discussion where
the students could question
two Chinese teachers cur-
rently residing in the United
States. ·•one of tbe questions
[that came up] was about the
(Chinese policy] of one chi;ld.
per couple," said Paul. "The
teacher answered that in
China it is moral and ethical
to think mor,e of how the children W·il1 [benefit] tlle group
than yourself." Suhseq,uent
workshops will be held on
May 16, May 30l June 13,
and June 20.
The process of qualifying
for this experience included
writing a sample journal entry sim:11lating the aetual journal that the students wilt keep ·
during their stay in China and
a paragraph a:bout why they
wanted to go and how the .trip
would benetit them.
Twenty-five Harris stu·
dents were then interviewed
by a taeuJty cGmmittee including Principal Malcolm
Largmann. AssistQnt Principa1 of Humanities Lynne
Greenfield, science teacher
Odille Garcia, CoUege Advisor Marilyn Blier. and guidan,c e conn:s:elo·r Jam'Cs
Murray. Ten finalists were
chosen and interviewed by
~presentatives of the American Forum for Global Bducati:on Program. ultimately producing the three participants.
Ms. Greenfield, Mr.
Murray, and social studies
teacher Nancy Lieb visited
China last summer as part of
a teachers • program sponsored by the American Forum. Ms. Greenfield wiU
return to China this summer
as an assistant with another
teachets' group.
Festival of Nations, unites cultures in 'Circle of Life'
"Zorba the Greek", "Kostari",
D'Souza, who coordiand the "Sousta" from Crete.
An array of dances, poems, nated a French skit,
A humorous rendition of a
skits, songs, and fashion shows called "Le Petit Prince,"
Medieval Latin drinking song,
joined students of diverse back- and a French pantoa Chinese ribbon dance, Japagrounds, as family and friends mime act.
nese and Indian fashion shows,
"As preparation for
attended the annual Festival of
..c
.;j a Spanish poem, a 17th..century
. the event came closer,
Nations on March 19.
~ Italian folk dance, and a Korean
Presented by Assistant Prin- we really got nervous,
~ fan dance were among the other
cipal Joan Walsh and Assistant but we were really
~acts that entertained an auditoCoordinators and Spanish happy with the turnout,"
~ rium packed with family and
teachers Ilene Marcus and said . junior Emily
8friends. The show culminated
·suzanne Iordanou, the event Bloch, a performer in
§ with the performers joining
showcased cultures from all both the Hebrew dances
-E.. hands and creating a circle
around the globe. "I liked the Noladti L'Shalom and
around the auditorium to the acconcept of many diverse ethnic Od Lo Ahauti Dai and
companiment of the song "The
backgrounds coming together the Hebrew song Erev
Circle of Life," from the Disney
and celebrating being different ·She/ Shoshanin. Acfilm The Lion King.
but united," said freshman cording to teachers and
"I am anticipating next
Emmy Favilla.
students, much time
year's performance; I am sure
"What I loved about [the was poured into designthat it will be just as spectacuFestival of Nations] is that you ing costumes and coor- Sophomore Elizabeth Yoon and Junior Beky Yi perform a Korean fan dance.
lar," .said freshman Elissa Dua.
[were] able to see the kids in a dinating dances.
Lorraine Kapovich contrib· "I was impressed with the the students for choosing such steps," said Ms. Iordanou, ad.completely different light," said
French
teacher
Mariet quality of the dances and with . difficult [moves] with intricate visor to the Greek dances uted this article.
by Annette Orzechowski
to
'~·
·~
'-~~_''"'·-*AJ.""',ivf;".·'_·,.,':l:"~"_
.. ··riiJtil:!ii
...8 "~* 3/.)..-..
,.,,_~·,..,. '1 The Classic
~-~;·?-(·~:&W.J!~-;;'t~~~~1"
..-"-·:~.( :,::;..-·,
May 1998
7
Remember the Lorax:
Seuss figure symbolizes Earth Day, care for environment
by Lauren Paley
· Every year around this time, biology
teacher Odile Garcia honors Earth Day
by introducing her classes to one of Dr.
Seuss' most famous storybook characters: the Lorax. The Lorax, named after
the main character in this children's classic, tells the tale of a "Once-ler:' whose
"Thneed" factory cuts down all the
"truffula" trees. In the process, all the
animals, represented by the Lorax, are
forced to abandon the forest due to
"gluppity-glupp" sewage in ponds and ·
the "smogulous smoke" polluting the
air. Even though these made-up words
allude to the imaginary world of Seuss,
the descriptions are close to reality.
Around the globe smog hovers over
city skies; polychlorinated biphenyls
- (PCBs) contaminate lakes and ponds;
trees are cut down, leaving barren forests; oil spills kill sea life; the hole in
the ozone layer gets bigger and dumps
are running out of room for the garbage
society produces. This is why Ms.
Garcia has shared The Lorax with
classes over the years. The Lorax may
disappear in the book, but in the real
world he's alive and well, serving as the
spirit of Earth Day, when environmental awareness is at its peak.
. Environmental organizations everywhere celebrate Earth Day, usually on
April22. The jubilation exhibited on this
one day of the year is meant to gain attention, but most Earth Day coordina-
~
=:<1)
s
<1)
00
·~
~
>
"'0
~
tors agree that it's not just about fun and developing around them. The original
fundraising. They want this interest in concept was to organize teach-ins, much
the Earth to carry. on into the rest of the like the ones anti-Vietnam War protestyear. "One day doesn't do anything for ers used at the time to-educate the pubthe Earth. It just makes everyone's con- lie about the war. Nelson's teach-ins foscience feel better for 24 hours," said cused on environmental issues that he
sophomore Petra Vallila-Buchman who felt the government wasn't adequately
hopes thai the annual observance will addressing. "The objective was to get a
make the issue of the Earth's weinationwide demfare an everyday concern. To
of
celebrate the first pational
Earth Day
on April 22,
1970, Fifth
Avenue was
blocked off
~: ~~
for an ecol.___
ogy fair, there
~~if'
was an "Earth
Concert" in Central Park, arid an "Earth - environment so large that it would shake
Ri,sing" ceremony in Times Square. This the political establishment out of its leth- year, over a hundred events took place argy, and finally force this issue pennain the five boroughs. Activities ranged nently ohto the national political
from a walk raising money for the main- agenda," says Senator Nelson in his ar-tenance of Staten Island's Gateway Na- ticle "How the, First Earth Day Came
tionai Park to a tour of the Visy Paper About." In 1995, Senator Nelson reMill,_and gardening at Wave Hill in the ceived the Medal of Freedom from
Bronx. Recently, New York has made a President Bill Clinton for his work eslong-term commitment to the environ- tablishing Earth Day as well as the time
ment by instituting new amendments to he spent aiding organizations such as the
its citywide recycling program.
•
Wilderness Society.
· Earth Day enthusiasm began in 1970.
Another Earth Day observance is also
The accepted "founder" is retired sena- in existence, less known than Nelson's
tor Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin, date. It was started by John McConnell,
who spent years making the public more a businessman who felt the environment
aware of the environmental problems was a global issue worth fighting for.
A
Are you l•king for
a Safety Net or an
Academic.ChaDenge?
Too muc~ work!" "Organic chemistry •s
too hard!" "Hey, take this course-everyon~ gets an A." "I can't believe we have
to write a ten-page paper in one week!'"
What's with all the worry-warting?
-
This holiday started March 20, 1970.
McConnell, though not generally recognized as the major forefather of Earth
Day, asserts that his Earth Day was the
first. He claims it began in San Francisco, when the mayor proclaimed the
1970 Vernal Equinox to be Earth Day.
The United Nations soon learned about
the day and now rings the Peace Bell
annually on March 20 to recognize both
the beginning of spring and what is identified as the "international" Earth Day.
Twenty eight years later, Students for
the Preservation of the Earth (S.P.E.)
continued the Harris tradition, marking
Earth Day with a read-a.loud featuring
the Seuss story in the Coordinator of
Student Activities' (COSA's) office on
April 30. Another activity included what
the club called its "Earth Day Messages," or factoids about the Earth which
were posted throughout the school on
re-used paper. It was dubbed the "Yocabulary Month without the test." Senior Ashika Jain, president of S.P.E.,
said, "Earth Day is supposed to make
people aware of how needy the Earth
is." She hopes the club events conveyed
this message.
At the end of The Lorax, the Onceler has lost his factory and there is nothing left in the forest he inhabited. One
day -he meets a boy and gives him a
Truffula seed, saying, "Unless someone
like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
the intellectual flexibility to appreciate Borges, Chaucer, and Alice
Walker? Can you discuss your
painting, poetry, or photographs
openly arid honestly and respond
to criticism? If your experiment
fails, are you interested in finding
out why?
We know that getting good
grades is important to most people.
Your transcript has to
have hjgh marks on it
or you won't
You have to be willing to.take
risks if you're going to stretch inteLlectually. You can't be afraid to
make mistakes. You can do that.at
HWS becau~ we believe in support
as much as we believe in challenge.
We are a small institution where
faculty members give out their
home phone numbers to students.
Your advisor will notice if you start
to fall behind. Your economics professor will encour-
paper that you can write in your
sleep or the one you know nothing
about because it will help you do
better on the exam ...or do you
come up with your own paper
to office hours or for
topic (which then turns into a sum" get into the best law
coffee if you need some
mer'research project)? Your profes- school, medical
extra help, and your math prosor, a leading expert in her subject, school, or graduate school,
fessor will share with you her own
rightl Not entirely. Increasingly,
t's okay to.be a little bit. anxious says something you disagree
graduate and professional schools secrets for preparing for an exam.
about doing well, but when it . with-do you hold your tongue or
People share notes and work togethare also looking for evidence of
cQmes to education, if it
start a discussion?
an adventurous and inquisitive
er fre_quently-striving for themdoesn't take serious effort, it
. You probably can argue for
selves, for the most part, instead of
mind, unafraid of what it doesn't
isn't worth doing. At Hobart and
your own position, but can you
competing with each other.
already know.
William Smith, we take learning
also argue against it? Do you have
seriously. When students come to
our campus, they cim expect to
become part of a special commuWhat Do YP\1 Thin~¥
'flit or..t-oei.mtf:
• «;~nity qf St:~ctiM"$
nity in which ideas are the currenThi~ is the fifth )li.<l ·.~~ri~ Qfes~ys
Hobart <!nd W!lliam ?mltl;l tollege.s Wha~ ~la,y «;9-'P!ti
cy ofdaiiy interactions, a place
'f.r.om Hob~r:t and Willialp S.nl!tll
aJ!il 1\ig.hly ~eqive; !ibf:ral ~,
lpa Colle&~ ~~s~JI!Jo
where people read, conduct
Col.leg~s a_ddr~sinJ)'CJ:iiiCi:\1 fQpits
institutiqn~ oi 1, 700 studiln~ i fl
o'q.Milf<~ cnavghlin,
research, explore great mysteries,
in cplleile life to.dily. Tf!.eswessiws
Ge~~~~' N~w )'or~, J!li_
s
i;
a
Prqi~t Facilitator
create art, and think about imporare <lPPeilrir)g !P tlie~pe~S.Qf roilny. cq_inml!nity.Qf passiqnale learn~Hoh~rt and;Willii!!Ji Smith C_
olleges
tant questions. .
of tn~ il,;~tipn's \!i!P public and in«~ er~f curious, inq\Ji§itiye pll()ple Geneva, Nliw Yorts 144s6aJ97
You may think you're up for
pen dept Sl:hools.
who care about iqeas T9 r!:X:eiYI')
!100: 2:4.5--Ql OQ
'·
an .intellectual challenge, but-are
oyr yiewbookand application, of
!'l-m<!il: qlaughliriUJhws.edu
W~!lt PP YQu f1ave l!J ~ayl
to learn more about the Colleges''
www.hw~-i!!lu
·
you really ready to take the plunge? .This i~ where we stand~ but wht
al'l!l their tradition of innovative
Are you the kind of person who's
~Poll! yqu? Wha{'s.your perspeceduc;}!ion, please cf,lll, e7rnail,
going to take that geoscience
tive? We're inl!~re~tecl jn hearing
· or write: ·
course that seems so interesting or
(rof]1 y®... IJ yoy mis~ any of th~
e~says in th!{serie~, let us ~now
the history course that you know ·
·. . .. .. ·. ' ~per.
and We'll ~end you a copy.
you.' II ace? Do you choose the
I
HOBART AND \VILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
~
:.--:.'*:• ....
,,
....
8
The Classic
'"'
May 1998
First Amendment Rights= free
Class examines censored art;
· But can you wr
.
.
creates controversial images
by Betli Citron
-:o
A picture is worth a thousand wor~s, right?
But, will it still be welcomed when it criticizes a
convention of society or the government, when
it mocks a particular religion, or when it portrays erotic images? With no reference tb the
visual arts in the Bill of Rights, society has constantly debated whether there are restrictions on
artists' freedom of expression - and whether there
should be. Recently, Myron Moskowitz, Social
Studies teacher, and Lois Polansky, Project
ARTS Coordinator, delved into these First
Amendment issues with Mr. Moskowitz's American History classes by challenging students to
question whether certain visual images should
be censored.
To determine their views on censorship in art,
the students first looked at various images that
- had previously been censored, or could be in the
future. While examining these works, they con_sidered several questions, including whether an
artist should be able to create anything he/she
wants to make, whether there should be any differences between an artist's rights and those of a
speaker or writer, and who should determine
what is offensive art. This project, and controversial art in general, "force[s] people to consider how they feel on various issues," Ms.
-Polansky said.
Students were generally accepting of most of
the art images they viewed. However, one work
_ which they found particularly offensive (yet they
did not deem that it should be censor-ed) was a
photo reproduction of a controve~sial sculpture
of the Virgin Mary with a hollow steel drain pipe
plunged through her stomach by Robert Gober.
"Students felt that religious icons were not 'fail
game' to satirize, reconfigure, distorF, or use out
.of their traditional context," Ms. Polansky commented. Afterwards, the students produced their
own controversial art by creating "a montage
using photos and pictures from magazines and
newspapers that criticized the government or the
system - that challenged the establishment in
some way." Chosen topics ranged from from
anorexia to teenage life (see artwork). In
"Today's Teenagers" junior Rory Kim was "trying to get a point across by portraying what teenagers are facing today," he said. Junior Yvette
Hao, artist of "Anerexia at Carnival," said that
the project was · "really interesting" and that
"what I really got out of it was that an artist's
perception can only really be understood by the
artist."
"All we wanted to do was make them think
about the power of iq~ages, whether they should
be censored and how much freedom an artist
should have." Ms. Polansky said. Mr. Moskowitz
explained that this project was "another venue
for expression and that it allowed students to
express another side of themselves."
While freedom of the press (see pg. 9) and
freedom of speech are more clearly defined
rights, the question of whether art should _!:>ere-
stricted has been continually raised because of the .
provocative images that a work _o f art can impart. According to Ms. Polansky, the
"brain grasps [images] faster" from
a visual work than from a written
or oral form, which cause-s many
people to confront issues that
they wouldn't otherwise question. Throughout history, artists "have used their art to
criticize the government
when they couldn't do so by
words," said Ms. Polansky.
She added, "artists think [that
t\1-e] role of art in society is to
raise questions."
The National Endow. ment for the--Arts (NEA)
was established in 1965
· to "build and maintain an
arts infrastructure and to .
secure the place of an artist in society - a society
that before the agency was
founded in 1965 was reluctant even to acknowledge
that artists were real Americans" (Brenson, 1). From the
organization's inception until
1989, the NEA provided individual artists with
grants to foster the role of artists in society. A
· major revamping of the NEA occurred iri 1989
because of a series of controversial photos that
were produced with NEA finances,
which defied "conventional religious beliefs and sexual
behavior" (Brenson, 1).
Since then, artists have
·not received grants to
finance their work. In. stead, "the endowment
now awards grants in only
four general categories: heritage and preservation, creation and
presentation, education and access, planning -and stabilization",
(-Brenson, 28). These changes have affected the art world greatly
because now, many institutions will not present any art which might
cause controversy. Additionally, NEA funding was cut from $162
million in 1965 in 1995 to $99 million in 1996, and now some
opponents of the NEA believe that it should disappear entirely.
Although problems exist with the NEA, Mr. Moskowitz believes that "freedom is always dangerous, but that ttie alternative is worse." He thought that his class project was a valuable one for students because "it is good to talk a~mut
what art is, and if we should have any control over
it as taxpayers," but, he asked, "if you control
art, is it still art?"
·
Ms. Polansky concluded, "Beauty, acceptability, and appropriateness in art is
very much in the eyes of the beholder."
Source:
"Anorexia
Carnival"
by Michal
Bonilla
Brenson, Michael. "Washington's Stake
-- in the Arts." The New York Times. 12
Apri11998; Section 2, pages 1, 28
Students in Myron Moskowitz's American history
classes worked with Project Arts Coordinator Lois
Polansky to produce "controversial art"- montages
that criticized the government or the system.
"Yikes" by Karen Glue
t~·
9
om of expression
at, draw that, wear that?
Hazelwood sets standards for school censorship
· by Natalka Palczynski
You maybe racist or anti-Semitic, a pacifist, feminist, or Neo-Nazi,
a male-chauvenist, Communist, or politically incorrect politiCian, but no
matter what your views may be, the First Amendment of the Bill of
Rights protects your right to express them. Often considered the most
valuable of all constitutional rights, the freedom of expression was
meant to be boundless except in circumstances which would "create a clear and present danger that will bring about the substantive_
evils that Congress has a right to prevent" (for example, screaming "fire" in a crowded building. Other limitations on First '
Amendment rights, such as privacy, libel and copyright laws,
have been establsihed through landmark court cases.) However, should certain materials that may be be seen as immoral; obscene, sacreligious, etc. be allowed to be published, or should they be censored? Should there be more
limitations on the free speech of minors than are placed
on adults?
High school students have often had to deal with
restrictions placed on their First Amendment
rights. The first conclusive decision about students' freedom of expression was made in 1969
in the Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des
Moines Independent Community School
District. In Tinker; students were
suspended from school for protesting the Vietnam War by
wearing black arm bands.
The court decided that
school officials could
only limit students' freedom of
expression if the
expression "mate-
rially di~rupts class~ork or involves substantial disord~r or
invasion of the rights of others."
Tinker set the standard for censorship in student publications until 10 years ago, in January of 1988, when the Supreme Court made a decision about censorship in the
Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier case. Student reporters at Hazelwood East High School in Missouri felt their First
Amendment rights had been violated when in May of 1983,
·their principal deleted two pages from the school newspaper.
The two pages contained six articles, two of which the principal felt were inappropriate. One featured the first person
accounts of three pregnant Hazelwood students who were
given pseudonyms. The other was about divorce's impact on
children and contained a student's complaints about her father. The principal, Ronald E. Reynolds, said he censored the
articles because the issues raised were too "sensitive" for a
high school student audience, because he was concerned that
the pregnant teens could be identified from the context of the
article, and because the divorce article was not objective in
that it did not give the father's side of the story.
The court concluded that school officials may censor
school-sponsored publications if they prove the censorship is
"reasonably related to legitimate [educational] concerns."
Furthermore, the court drew a distinction between a schoolsponsored publication and a publication .the administration
has designated.in writing as a public forum for student expression. The court found the Hazelwood paper to operate as
part of the school's curriculum and not as a public forum.
The paper was produced as part of Journalism II, a class conducted during normal school hours. The school board allocated money from the school's budget for the newspaper as
Well as the teacher's salary. The Hazelwood decision, howContinued on page 10
Mandated uniforms, dress codes.
raise First Amendment issues
teachers, and parents vote to do so. Children may be exempt
by James Drakakis
While students in J.Crew sweaters and as well if their parents submi t ~ written request and meet with ..
Gap jeans at many schools may seem like a designated school official. The provision which allows
they are all wearing the same thing, this schools and individual parents to opt out of the uniform policy
is a far cry from identical knee- might protect the Board of Education from legal challenges
.
length skirts or dress based on students' First Amendment rights to free exprespants and white but- sion.
Despite the apparent benefits of public school uniforms,
ton-down shirts that
take conformity to and even President Clinton's giving them a boost in his 1996
another level. Many State of the Union address, it seems "very unlikely that
schools around the Townsend Harris will adopt a uniform any time in the future,
country are institut- although it is really not a bad idea," Dean Wanda Nix said.
ing dress codes, Because Harris does not have a dress coae, school dress is
whereby they would regulated by one statement In the student handbook, which
regulate what stu- reads: "It is the student's responsibility to insure the mode of
dents must wear on a dress is clearly neither dangerous, nor inappropriate." Ms.
daily basis. While Nix calls this "the best possible way to regulate public school
Townsend Harris is not dress becaus_e the prohibitions serve a purpose and yet are
among the schools consider- not all that restrictive." The question arises whether such re":.
ing a dress code, there are re- strictions violate the constitutional right offreedom of exstrictions here on what is consid- pression? "That is exactly why dress restrictions are inapproered appropriate dress for stu~ priate - because they take away from our First Amendment
right of freedom of expression," said sophomore Jack Bouba .
dents.
Although high schools and . "It's up to the school to set the stan<,lard of what's approprimiddle schools are not immedi- ate," said Ms. Nix.
Stud'e nts shout "First Amendment''
ately affected, the New iMk til§ BGMU 61 Educahon unanimously passed a policy on March
Over the past 10 years; students across America have been ·
18 which mandates that most elementary students in the city, from pre-kindergarten to the
8th grade, wear uniforms. Board members argue that uniforms are a good way of reducing suing schools because of their so-called constitutional right
peer pressure and encouraging learning. The policy will be implemented in fall, 1999, al- to wear distinctive clothing; clothing, which in th~ stude.nts'
though schools could begin next September, and will affect 550,000 public school students. view, conveys some constitutionally protected expression. It
Boys will be expected to wear a shirt, and pants, and girls, a skirt or jumper and blouse, has been this right, to engage in non-disruptive free speech,
to Board of Education spokesman J.D. LaRock.
_ which has been invoked in support· of demands to wear earEntire schools can choose to not participate in the policy if a committee of administrators,
Continued on page, 10
"Pro
of A
Go
..
,.
_
10
Uniforms mandated in NYC elementary schools
'-1'
The Classic
May 1998
Continued from page 9
rings, sagging pants, and T-shirts with
lewd messages. It is up to the courts to
decide at what point a student's expression becomes disruptive and therefore
unconstitutional.
In the court system, however, no clear
trend has emerged from these lawsuits.
For example, in 1987, a federal court in
Oklahoma recognized a student's right
to advertise alcoholic beverages on her
clothing, but a federal judge in Virginia
upheld a school's prohibition against a
"Drugs Suck" T-shirt. Adding to this
legal confusion, a federal court and a
Massachusetts state court handed down
different decisions in
another case involving a
dress code. In the state .
court's view, the
school's dress code, prohibiting clothes with
lewd and vulgar messages, was constitutionally permissable. This
decision .was nullified
by the federal court.
With all the confusion in the courts,
Ms. Nix maintains that there is no such
confusion about the dress code at
Townsend Harris. "If it causes a distraction to others, or is in any way dangerous, it is not allowed," she said. This idea
is similar to the guideline that was established by the courts. It is called the
Tinker test, after the Tinker vs. Des
Moines School District in which students challenged their school which suspended them for wearing black arm
bands in order to protest the war in
Vietman, and they won the case. The
ve~dict stated that school officials may
only prohibit student "speech" that appropriate clothes."
causes, or reasonably could be expected
Dress Code Safety.
The Harris dress code is also in place
to cause, material and substantial dis"
ruptioQ.of the school's operation, or in: for safety reasons. For example, provocative clothing is banned because of
vades the rights of others.
Harris Dress Code
the fact that students wearing such clothAmong thos·e articles of clothing ing could be harassed or accosted on
banned at Townsend Harris are short their way to and from school. "It's a
skirts which expose "too much," T-shirts pretty controlled environment in the
advertising alcohol or drugs or display- building here," Ms. Nix said, "but we
ing profanity, halter tops, midriffs, and want to keep things safe for the kids outanything else deemed to be inappropri- side of school as well; we wantto avoid
ate. "Such clothing is very disruptive to them being harassed." The safety issue
the learning environment, and it is my . is also the reason for tne ban on huge
job to preserve a neutral environment pl:;ttform shoes and sandals. Ms. Nix,
conducive to learning and the educa- sees them as a "safety hazard, particularly as people walk up the steps." Such
measures have been applauded by some
students, such as sophomore Stephanie
Demas, who said, "The dress code isn't
to make us miserable; it's mostly to keep
us safe and that is the most important
thing." The ban on hats in the building
is not just .to maintain respectful standards. Guns, knives, and other weapons
can easily be hidden underneath, and can
therefore be carried in and around the
building. Hats,_then, "are not allowed
tiona! process," Ms. Nix- said.
However, the handbook statement, to ensure the safety of the student
from which all of these rules have been body," according to Ms. Nix.
Those who violate the dress code
extracted, has come under fire from
some Harrisites, such as junior Timo- rules for the first time are given a warnthy Eng. "The statement is so unclear. ing and must change either into their
How can students read it and know what gym clothes, or they are given somemight be a distraction to others?" he · thing to wear. A repeat offender is given
said. Many other students agree, saying a referral, and his or her parents are
that the failure to provide adequate no- called in "to discuss the matter," as Ms.
tice of what is not permissable invites Nix puts it.
Dress· Codes prevent gang activity
uneven application. In response to these
Currently many schools enforce
criticisms, Ms. Nix said, "Clothes must
be appropriate, not distracting- the kids dress code policies that prohibit students
usually know when they are wearing in- from wearing · certain items to school
- which may identify gang affiliation. The
Long Beach Unified School District in
California adopted a uniform dres~. code
policy in order to more effectively reduce gang activity in schools. M~my
Continued from page 9
· sic, he said that he would use his right schools in other states are also banning
ever, also applies to a newspaper pro- to censor if the paper published, or in- clothing with college and pro-sports
duced as an extra-curriCular activity tended to publish, something that delved logos because of locjll gang problems.
unless the principal agrees to make it a into personal issues or was libelous.
An Ohio school even instituted a rule
public forum.
"I can't imagine that [censorship] against males wearing earrings in order
Harris' newspaper, The Classic, does would ever be an issue [here]" he said. to stop gang activity. All these restricnot have a charter that designates it as a Dr. Largmann says that he did and does tions were debated in court and each
forum for student opinion, although it "trust the judgement" of The Classic time, the piaintiffs have lost on the
operates as if it had one. If The Classic staff and its advisor, lisa Cowen. He grounds that the school's goal of conwas to develop one, Principal Malcolm would exercise his right to prior review trolling youth gangs justified any inLargmann said he would probably sign (the right to view the newspaper before fri,ngement on free expression.
it. However, he would want it to include it goes to the publisher) if the newspaHowever, no athletic team insignia
some sort of statement that ensured the per had a new advisor that he felt he or male earrings have been banned in
newspaper would always be executed needed to "watch over" or if he felt the Townsend Harris because gangs "are not
with tact and superior judgement.
newspaper staff was not trustworthy to currently a problem," Ms. Nix said. She
The court also gave examples of the produce a balanced paper.
added, though, that if gangs ever did betypes of things that might be censorable:
Sources:
come a problem, she would not hesitate
anything "ungrammatical, poorly writ- · Bartlett, Larry D. "Student Publications
to do whatever she felt necessary to c.onten, inadequately researched, biased or · and Distribution fssues: Rights
prejudiced, vulgar or profane, or unsuitand Responsibilitie_s." A Legal
able for immature audiences" and any
Mem~ra~dum. Natwnal
FRENCH TUTOR
.
" :r
.
•
Assoctatwn of Secondary
matenal
Schoo1p nnctpa
. . 1s, y trgmta.
· · ·
· . . that would associate the
Native French speaker with Teacher Credentials
school With anything other than neutralMay 199 2:
*PRIVATE or SEMI-PRIVATE LESSONS
ity on matters of political controversy." Taylor, Stuart. "Court, 5-3,
- High school
Dr. Largmann feels that when a
Widens Power of Schools to
school has only one newspaper, there is
Act as Censors." The New York
~ Regent exam preparation
"no alternative voice" and therefore the
Times 14; Jan. 1988 ..
- French for travel
staff has a responsibility to be objective "October 13: the student press's
- Conversations
tum; Hazelwood case is heard
and give equal opportunity to both sides
Call V~ekie FREMONT
of an issue. Although Dr. Largmann has
by the Supreme Cou~." Student
.
.
Press Law Center Report
(718)
441 7756 or (718) 268 5447
never yet censored an Issue of The ClasWinter 87 _88 : 3_4.
'If it causes a distraction to
others, or is in any way
dangerous, it is not allowed.'
Tinker, Hazelwood
define students' rights
=
trol the situation. In many cases, this
would be more difficult than it sounds,
since the school district would have to
actually prove that a gang problem exists. If such proof cannot be given, justification for a gang clothing restriction
policy is weak.
Dress Codes vs. Uniforms
While certain public schools are imposing these dress codes, others across
the country, just like New York City,
have taken it to the next level, and are
having students wear uniforms. Some
experts feel that uniforms more effectively promote "team spirit" and eliminate problems of economic differences,
Futhermore, uniforms are seen as a
much more positive and creative way to
reduce discipline problems and increase
s_chool safety. There is early evidence
of success in Long Beach, CaHfornia,
the first district in the country to require
elementary and middle school students
to wear uniforms. Schools there have reported a dramatic improvement in discipline after the policy was adopted last
year. Physical fights between students
dropped by 51% from the previous year,
and the district reported 32 fewer suspensions.
Junior George Averkiou sees uniforms as being inappropriate in any public institution, even elementary school.
"Public schools are public - that means
they should not be able too regulate what
we wear," he said. Other Harrisites regard uniforms in a positive light. "Uniforms should be worn in all s.chools, private or public, from elementary right
through high school," sophomore Jon
Joseph said.
Sources:
Archibald, Randal C. "New York Pupils to
Need Uniforms in Grade School." New
York Times 19 March 1998: Al, B7
D_epartment of Education: Safe and
Drug Free Schools. "School Uniforms:
Why They Work." 29 Feb. 1996.
www.educationweek.som
Fossey, Richard. "Litigating School
Dress Codes." 19 March 1997.
www.educationweek.com
Knap, Emily. "School Dress Codes." 17
December 1997.
www.educationweek.com
NY! News. "Crew Pushing for School
Dress Codes." 30 August 1997.
www.educationweek.com
Steinberg, Jaques. "Equality? Tyranny?
Plaid? Navy? Schools Debate Plans for
Uniforms." New York Times 11 Feb.
1998: AI, Bl4
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The Classic
May 1998
11
A cultural experience:
Davis visits Native American reservation in New Mexico
a
by Bosede Adenekan
one-story buildings which were scat- a mesa, or plateau, which provided
. but they gave so much ... and they were
Dorcas Davis, junior, journeyed into tered on the reservation and the gov- good view of the ruins of Anasazi, a so happy and content with what they
a world very much unknown to her: that ernment-funded boarding schools were Pueblo Indian tribe which had mysteri- had," said Dorcas. She taught the chilof theN avaho. As the winner of
ously disap- dren hand clapping games, which they
The Global Awareness Essay
peared from the had never played before. Dorcas felt that
Contest she spent a week, from
region. She also spending time with them was beneficial.
March 28 to April 4, on a reser- .
saw the living "The kids lived below the poverty line.
vation just outside Gallup, New
quarters of the All the Native Americans depended on
Mexico.
natives, called the government and still many had no
Dorcas was chosen to be in·~ hogans. The electricity or running water. When it
terviewed at Martin Luther King
~ hogan is the was snowing, the kids were happy just
""~ mother's do- walking with me, because I was there,
High School by officers from a
peace corp after successfully
main. It is eight- and they didn't even have a jacket on.
0
writing an essay about the effects
~ sided with nine
It made some of us cry to realize how
of culture on society. Then,
~ logs supporting materialistic we were," Dorcas said.
Dorcas and 11 other students
~ each side to repPart of Dorcas's mission was to edufrom all areas of New York were
~ resent the nine
cate the children about New York City,
selected to travel to New
""' months of gesta- a place they associated with drugs and
Mexico, where they were to
tion. The top is
learn about other cultures as well
round to symas share their own.
bolize the
Once she stepped on the res- .
mother's woinb.
made some of us cry
ervation, Dorcas began to mar- -Junior Dorcas Davis marvels at the vast plains of New Mexico.
"People often
vel at its beauty. "It's gorgeous
ask me if they
to realize how materialthere. It's like·a dream; everything is so equipped with obsolete computers and live in a teepee," Dorcas said, laughing.
istic we were.'
beautiful... People thought my pictures old televisions. The residents, however, Dorcas also was able to participate in a
were postcards," Dorcas said. "It's were aware of New York pop culture. traditional powwow, during which the
amazing and it's right here in America!" "The Native Americans were. exposed Native Americans wore costumes,
rats. "They don't have any role models
she said.
to modern music ranging from Marilyn danced, and beat drums.
Life on the reservation was quite dif- Manson to Notorious BIG," said Dorcas.
Dorcas stayed in a boarding school, to look up to. Some of them said they
ferent from life in New York City. The
Dorcas went hiking up to the top of where she was surrounded by young skip school because it's cool," she said.
children. "They are just like kids here: Dorcas tried to inform the children about
very active. I thought they'd have names the effects of cutting school and about
like Michael Running Horse, but they actual life in New York City.
have regular names like Mark," Dorcas
Dorcas· returned to New York with
said. The children told her traditional not only knowledge about the Navaho
Native "American stories, one of which Indian culture but also with "a third eye,
included
the tale of the skin walkers who the eye from New Mexico." Dorcas exby ltamsey ~e•le and .Alan h
ARTS grant. "Musicals at\'e extremely
plained, "This trip allowed me to step
dress
in
animal
skin to do evil.
PoRowing mon1ihs liYf constant re- ·e xpensive:' Ms•.Bleelmtan noted. The
out of myself and view myself so I could
The
Native
American
children
played
hearsing and years of waiting, tibe au- lack ofschoel plays in recent yeal\S can
"They
evaluate
my situation and how I was livan
important
role
in
Dorcas'
trip.
diterium curtains wiD ina11y open to be attdbtted to look' of ftlftd:ing, as ~11
are
the
sweetest
kids.
They
had
so
little
ing."
the first 't0wnsend Hatris plaf since as teohtlical preblems in the auditol!ium
199S. The prod:uett{,}n i'S Guys atlt/ whick tmv.e been remed:ied this year.
:Featured ·in the show ar.e many
Dolls., the Broadway musical comed:y
Frank Loesser songs. These include:
which has a d:istant Mnk t0
~lis­
Continued from page 1
clearer difference between volunteering
tory: the eriginai s.c 0re was wtitten by "Guys and Dds'• (the the:me song).
Scarnati will also be involved in the pro- and Service Learning. While volunteeralumnus Frank Loesser. Und:er the 6- "Luck Be a Lady," "A: Buslaet .a nd a
gram to familiarize ninth graders with ing is helpful for the community, Serrect4oon of English teacher Harriette Peck,.. "Sit f>ewn, You're ltock.t'n.' h
research methods dealing with social vice Learning allows students to leave
Blechman, assisted: by fel!low Engtisb B·0-3t," "I'v.e Never Been in Love Bea mark in the environment they are vol~
science.
teacher Judy Biener, the play will de- fore," and ••If I Were a Bell.'' The muTechnology coordinator Richard Tiffen unteering in." A group of teachers will
but on May 3 and witl be perfarmed sical ace<lmpaniment will be per•
is running computer training workshops be working with the students twice a
again on the .fof10wing evening.
fol11iled b-y the band,- Piano sdlos :will
for staff members. He is teaching week to develop ideas that will improve
Set in New York City~ Guys and accompany the choJ:Us..
Microsoft Office '97, as well as how to the environment they work in. For exDo#ls teUs the tale of the unMkely r-oAlthough th:ecastof Guys and DO'bls
make web-pages. Ten teachers are par- ample, a student may be volunteering
mance between $arah Brown, a pure,. is trying to stick to the original Broadticipating in the five session workshop. in a library and his or her task may be to
at-heart ur4>an missionary pla-yed: by wary musical, wbWh. first op-ened No"The turnout wasn't very successful," put away books. The Service Learning
jun,ior Leslle Rosa, and Stcy vember 24, 1~50, there will be ad:apsaid Mr. Tiffen, "but it is understand- project will help the student go beyond
Masterson> a slick, bigl'Hrelling Broad:- tati:ens to Harris needs.. "We're stayable since many teachers are busy." The his or her task and become involved in
way gambler played by junior Bdan in:g pretty fa-ithful to it,'' said Brian.
main goal of the workshop is to inte- such ways as setting up reading groups
"There are no.t really arty changes,"
Gruber.
''
grate what the teachers are learning for younger students.
Aside from t'be efforts of ttirector s-aid Ms. B:tec:hm:an, ''but every.one
The "shadow" program allows memabout computers in their classrooms.
Blechman, many .0 ther f-aculty adapts a show in little ways to meet
"The problem is not so much bringing bers of the staff to see what other staff
members are contributing to the show. their own needs." In this case, tbe need
classes into computer rooms, but incor- members' jobsin the school are like. For
Assistant Principal of liuman1ties is males. Many roles wi!ll be played
porating group work with computers," example, if a teacher is interested in
Lynne Greenfield the prooucer; mu- by "dolls'.. instead of "guys." For ex~
learning how to program schedules, that
said Mr. Tiffen.
sic teacher Peter Lustig is the music ampl:e, the male role of Arvide
The main objectives of the Service person would make an appointment with
d:irector; Project AR.TS CGOl'dinator: Abernathy, pl~ye(ifhy sophomoreAJiiee
Learning Program are to engage stu- Programming Chairperson Arthur
Lois· Polansky hanflles pu:blicity; art Alm, ~:!as ~cQme ..Arviqa'' in this Hardents i.n responsible arid challenging Boulanger to get a better understanding
teachers Anthony Morales
Eliza- ris rend:ition. Ms. Blechman called this
actions for the common good, and to of what his job is like.
. beth Crawford are responsibl-e for a. case of "non..,traditional casting.''
It is not certain whether the same
provide structured opportunities for
The last dress r-eheamal wtq_be held
s;ceneryi and Jeff Spurgeon, who
them to reflect critically on their service level of funding will be avaihible next
works with students in the broadcast- in the auditoriwn with an au<ience on
experiences. "Our job is to guide them year. "We have to keep this in mind,"
ing studio, is supervfs,ing the teohni- May 7 after school. 1iokets are $5 for
while they find ways for themselves to said Dr. Largmann. "While we can get
tbe rehearsal and $3 0n Friday and 8atca1 squad.
improve the community," said Coordi- all these wonderful programs started,
The Guys and Dolts prod:uc,tion is urd:ay nights. There is reserved seatnator of Student Activities Odile Garcia. there's no guarantee that we can carry
made possible :by this year's· Project in;g; buy tickets early for the best seats.
She added, "We wanted to make a this on in the coming year."
e
'It
Guys and Dolls
to pre·mlere musical talent
Hams
Ms.
is
and
Funds tQ provide new programs
12
The Classic
May 1998
Guest dance proves popular,
by Rachel Nobel
A crowd amassed outside the
Melbourne Avenue entrance on Friday
March 13, as anxious students waited
for the beginning of Townsend Harris'
first dance in the new building to which
students were allowed to bring a guest.
Because of high demand, tickets had
sold out two days before the dance, and
so several students attempted to scalp
tickets. Students were offered as much
as $20 for their tiCkets.
However, before students could enter, they passed through metal detectors
and presented photo ID's to prove their
high school status. Police officers also
appeared to control the 400 students
who attended the dance. "There were
absolutely no problems," reported Coordinator of School Activities Odile
Garcia. Estimates of how many guests
were present ranged from 90 to 140.
Many students were frustrated by the
numerous guards and off-limit areas.
"The security is stupid," groused freshman Emily Rubenstein, waiting on line
at the metal detector. She added, "This
is Townsend Harris."
But all the security didn't stop
Harrisites from having a good time. The
gym floor quickly filled with energetic
students dancing to a variety of music
ranging from 70's hits like The Knack's
"My Sharona" and Def Squad's
"Rapper's Delight" to '90s hits like
Celine Dian's "My Heart Will Go On"
from the blockbuster film Titanic. English teacher Michael Carbone came
down from the stands to dance with
freshmen Bettina Blanchard and Anna
Lee. Physical education teacher Robin
Figelman was later seen waltzing with
Coordinator of Student Activities Odile
Garcia to Savage Garden's "Truly
Madly Deeply." Standby dances like the
Electric Slide and a conga line" which
stretched all the way around the gym and
up into the stands - rourided out the
Jazz clinics culminate
in citywide· music festival
by Carolina Pruss
What better way to teach a young
jazz band the ups and downs of career
in music than holding a jazz clinic? This
concept led Dedi Firestone, the education director of The Queens College
Colden Center, to initiate a program
which brings professional musicians to
high schools and now culminates in an
annual Spring High Schools Jazz Festival sponsored by the Colden Center. For
the Townsend Harris jazz ensemble
members who participated in the festival in Lefrak Hall on April 2, the performance afforded an opportunity to
apply what they had learned from this
year's jazz clinics.
"The festival was nice because it let
you determine how well you play compared to [the other schools] and vice
versa," said trumpet player Adrian
Brailsford, one of the three freshmen
members of the jazz band. The Forest
Hills High School, Martin Van Buren
and John Bowne High School jazz
bands, as well as the Flushing High
School jazz chorus also performed at
this non-competitive concert featuring
the best jazz groups from Queens.
Two professional musicians, "Sir"
Roland Hanna, a jazz pianist, and Mike
Mossman, a trumpet player, also performed. When comparing the successes
of both the festival and the clinics,
Adrian said, "The clinics taught you
more because there is more focus on
you." Freshman Emily Ubiristein
agreed. "We can work on little pieces
[of the music] that give· us trouble ... and
play better as a whole," she said.
"The idea [of the jazz clinic] is to
bring in real musicians to our ensemble
and teach [the students] things that I
can't," said music teacher Peter Lustig.
A jazz clinic can be described as a
sectional rehearsal for each part of the
band; about three or four students are
a
p~ovokes
ticket scalping
evening. Jason Johnson, who came as
a guest with freshman Jon Landesman
said, "I thought [the dance] was goodgood soda, good music, good everything."
Prior to the dance was the freshman/
senior vs. junior/sophomore basketball
game, held in the gym. The junior/
sophomore team won the game with a
final score of 46-37, and it drew such a
large number of students that many (including Harris' Japanese visitors; see
related article page 6) had to sit on the
steps of the bleachers before enough
seats were found to accommodate them.
In the stands, Student Union president
Vicki Realmuto tried to start several
cheers on the freshman/senior side, and
gym teacher Robin Figelman was successful in orchestrating a small but spirited wave. Students cheered wildly
when players sporting their basketballrelated nicknames, such as "Mighty
Mouse" for senior Eric Baez, ran onto
the court.
Though the first basket was scored
by the sophomore/junior team, the
freshman/seniors - wearing authentic
New York Knicks uniforms supplied by
senior Alex "The Biggest Knick Fan in
the Whole World" Arriaga - reciprocated soon after with a basket of their
own, and the game remained close until
the end. "We're losing!" freshman
Ravina Vibert shouted in astonishment
at the conclusion of the third quarter,
noting that the score was 28-27. Assistant Principal Harry Rattien and gym
teacher Lawrence Ceraulo refereed the
game, which led to several controversial calls. Disagreeing with one of Mr.
Ceraulo's calls, one senior shouted,
"What are you, blind?"
The pep band, led by music teacher
Peter Lustig, spirited things up during
lags on the court by playing music such
as "We Will Rock You" and "The Hokey
Pokey."
Wordsmiths tested,
rewarded with candy bars
letters, Ms. Greenfield requested all facby Andrew Goldberg
If a deposition a day keeps Kenneth ulty members to choose their words
assigned to each·musician. Students are Starr at play, then does it follow that two solely from certain designated sections
excused from classes to participate. new words a day will get you an A? This of the dictionary. Whereas Ms.
Each school holds approximately six proved to be true for the 53 winners of Greenfield's choice of sartorial was taithis year's Vocabulary Month Challenge, lored toward representing the "s" secclinics a year.
The most recent jazz clinic occurred · who not only scored 100% on the exam tion, Mr. Rossman's word choice, suMarch 3 and was the fourth and largest but also received candy bars for it. In pernumerary, served as just that, an
dinic so far this year. In Mr. Lustig's just two words, Vocabulary Month, a extra word starting with "s."
Quizzed on the quotidian words and
opinion, it was one of the more success- Townsend Harris event held annually
definitions
submitted by members of the
during
March
to
maintain
the
good
voful clinics too, having a double period.
faculty
and
discussed daily in English
cabulary
skills
of
students,
is
about
"Everyone learned something," he said.
classes,
the
53
students who scored per"SATisfactory
self-expression"
and
The featured musicians were Grazi
fectly
on
the
multiple
.choice test were
avoiding
malapropisms.
DiGorgio, Nick Russo, Dave Ambrosio,
recognized
with
commendation
on signs
sine
qua
Back
for
its
seventh
year,
the
and Greg German. The primary focus
posted
throughout
the
building.
For the
non
of
the
spring
semester,
which
reof this clinic was on rehearsals for
many
acrimonious
students
who
failed
turned
amid
groans
from
exacerbated
rhythm, sax, and brass. "[The musito
achieve
perfect
scores,
even
more
disstudents
and
concomitant
griris
from
cians] taught me how to have a feel for
turbing
than
the
sight
of
friends
relishbeaming
English
teachers,
culminated
the jazz music and I learned the different [playing] techniques," said in a school-wide April Fool's Day quiz. ing their rewards was the disheartening
saxaphonist Terrell Lovell, junior. Organized annually by Assistant Prin- realization that in the wonderful world
DiGorgio led the saxophone group, cipal of Humanities Lynne Greenfield of vocabulary, "there's always next
Russo led the guitar group, Ambrosio in an effort to expand student vocabu- year."
With malfeasance mounting in
led the bass group, and German led the laries, and assisted by word wizards
Washington
in a war over words, and
Michael
Carbone,
English
teacher,
and
percussion group.
delusory,
pusillanimous
politicians
student
teacher
Valerie
DeMarco,
the
The first musician who was featured
persistently
pleading
"no
comment,"
compilation
of
30
words
left
rancorous
at a Townsend Harris jazz clinic was
Jimmy Heath, a famous saxophone viragos vowing revenge, and others people may point to those waiting with
baited breath for the nebulous Starr to
player who came here when the program overwhelmed and obfuscated.
emerge
from his black hole and consider
Verbal
veterans,
linguistic
laureates,
was started at this school five years ago.
whether
this way of words is the way
and
prose
pros
perused
dictionaries
at
Another famous musician involved in a
things
ought
be. Indeed, most Harrisites
length
to
assemble
this
year's
list
of
30
jazz clinic was Diego Urcola, winner of
are
indifferent,
grateful simply that Vowords,
continuing
what
now
appears
to
.
the Louie Armstrong trumpet award,
cabulary
Month
never lasts as long as
be
a
tradition.
In
an
effort
to
represent
who had played solos at the Grammys.
the
investigation.
equally
words
beginning
with
different
"Most are young musicians who haven't
really lucked in yet," said Mr. Lustig.
The next clinic, which is to occur
sometime in May, will be a general summary and tune-up for the school's Spring
Student: "Ms. Franklin, I' ttl so lost.''
Concert on May 21st. It will feature
Ms.
Franklin: ''Then get fou-nd!''
Gabriel Jodarkofsky as the pianis!, Greg
German for the percussion group, and
"Phil (Porzio] came running up and said, 'The Danish are here!' I told
Lex Samu as a trumpet player.
him I hope the coffee arrived too."
Students enjoy the jazz clinics, but
-Jehn Bn>Wfl, mathematics teacher, when the Danish
many said Mr. Lustig is a more successexchange students visited last month
ful teacher than the visiting musicians.
"The musicians are more blunt than Mr.
"Snoring doesn't count as olass participation.''
Lustig will ever be," said senior Young
-Mr. Brown, to a stu-dent dozing off in class
Taing.
Over·hea.rd in class
The Classic
May 1998
Madonna sheds 'Ray of Light' Broadway revival resounds
on electronica medium
with 'The Sound of Music'
by Alan Fu
The diverse lyrical content of Ray of
Madonna released Ray of Light on
March 3- her long-awaited and first
album in nearly four years. But
expect the '_'Material Gi~l"
or the Erottca domrffa
Light ranges from karma to freedom to
lo
eflecting Madolma's spiritual
he album makes many
~
, ~ to'lhe>~ns, ang~ls, and
iFthJShe..ouotti:~~ets m "Sky
from
by Karen Halperin
How do you solve a problem like trying to revive a musical after the movie
version of it ~s perfect? This feat coqld
have been a~ult
13
ground. Also, the mansion of the Von
Trapp family was enormous with a front
and a back that seemed to fit any scene
inside and outside of the house.
Upon entering the theater, one
remarked, "Look how short the
~\~outhfulness
of the audience was unto the key role
The play
the Von
the 1965
Brigitta, the
seven, however, seemed more sarcastic
and had more lines. Kurt's name was
given its German pronunciation and
her convent to become the governess of sounded like "Kort," which was unsetthe seven Von Trapp children. Durin~ tling for those used to the movie clasthis time, she falls in love with their faf~ . The story line remained the same,
ther, Captain Von~~
~art
countless coiK~b!.
successfully
music that Madon~~~tiSfc.$tt1Ck
popular for creating. "\..~F~chen."
However, aside from ·"~C .,~
effects, what makes Ray of .btgtU:[tand--fW(iet)
apart in Madonna's
maturity of the 39-year-old
voice. Having classically trained her
vocals for the soundtrack of Evita, Madonna now exhibits much more control to create good musk; may all -artists foland soulfulness in her voice.
low in Madonna's footsteps.
Morrison invents complex Paradise
by Julia Perratore
newcomer to the town, learning about it
Toni Morrison composes a colorful from those who live there.
mosaic of stories in Paradise, her latest
There is no main character in the
novel, inviting readers to .take in each story. Instead, it revolves around numer1ndividual tile of the entire work, which
with distinct histories and
is a literary masterpiece.
Jfiersortlities. The characters' unpredictIn Paradise, the mysterious and
tllbu!!hts and actions are what make
cult intermin!!le..with"theifiundane
way that
pletely
such
mansion outside of Ruby, wnt~.>n.serveo
as a convent for many years; The convent, no longer a religious establishment, houses a small group of intriguing women with unclear pasts. Almost
any aspect of Paradise can tie into the
goings on in this house, and its secret is
revealed gradually, throughout the
course of the story, as if the reader is a
Tho~bd"were enchanted by some
of Morrison's other works, such as Song
of Solomon, which is on the English 6
reading list, will -definitely enjoy Paradise.
to ensu~t Captain Von Trapp is not
drafted by the Nazi army. Sub-plots in
the play include the conflict between
Leis!, the eldest child, and her boyfriend, .
Rolf, who joins the Nazi regime.
Here are a few of my favorite things:
The opening curtain featured a snow
the film, the
globe with feathers that floated inside, current production ";;[ The Sound of
drifting like snow. Inside the globe was Music will be a rewarding experience.
a picturesque view of the town, which It has most certainly, kept more th<l,n .a
dmw the~ audienc6, -into .the masical as few, of~out fav,<;>rite,things, while renew·
soon as the curtain was raised. The open- ing elements from the original Broading scene had a backdrop of the Aus- way production.
trian mountains and columns and arcs
Tickets may be purchased at the box
representing a convent in the fore- office or through Ticketmaster.
Grapes sour in Seinfeld's shadow
by Steven Seidenfeld
Timing is everything in comedy. The
same holds true for Hollywood. The
timing of Sour Grapes, a thoroughly
14
The Classic
May 1998
N.Y.C. fishing reels in catch of a good time
by Stefan Muehlbauer
New York City and its surrounding
areas serving as prime fishing locations
may be a new concept for
Yorkers, but the region
mented for its bounty
Henry Hudson saiJ~u,mo
Harbor in 1609.
striped bass, ,,,,...~~
early colonial
useful and plentiful. Even
ditional tip for the mates on fishing
is to bring extra fish, because a common
sight at the docks of Sheepshead Bay,
Brooklyn, is the trade of one's catch for
another's.
Fishing often evokes stereotypical
images of boredom and waiting. However, for most types of fishing this
proves quite untrue, as many forms of
shore and boat fishing are extremely
active sports which require a lot of en.ergy, swift senses, and, as always, a little
luck. With the right combinl!tion, a funfilled time and some delicious meals are
sure to follow.
The many types of fishing are extremely varied, with the level of skill
required for each differing greatly, as
well. Fly fishing,
even an experienced fisherman to master, and would not be a good option for
the average beginner. The types of fishing discussed in this article will be of
and more successful varieties.
the coast, saltwater fishing
be the recommended
tastier, harderas bluefish, striped
the::e~est,
most convenient,
choice for the novice fisherman would be that of "party
boat" fishing. For a flat rate of $20-40,
these boats supply all bait. The mates on
these boats help in
teach i n
beg i
fishing techniques to ....._
ners, and aid in the .
netting and capture of
the fish. As an extra
gratuity, they will
usually fillet the
fish at the end of
the trip as well.
These boats
may be taken
out of Sheepshead.Bay,
Freeport, Point Lookout, and further
points east. The most up-to-date information on their schedules and the types
of fishing each location offers can be
found in the Friday edition ofthe Daily
News or any edition of Fisherman
magazine.
Target fish vary with the season.
Flounder are available in March, with
the greatest variety of fish arriving in
late May. Depending on the fish, bait
such as sauid. clams, or worms may be
can rely on artificial
andappear1 setups
L-ucauy, the area
near Fort Totten and along Littleneck Bay is extremely popular,
as are Jamaica Bay and the
beaches · along
the
Rockaways. Regardless
of how much luck
you have, you'll be
headed for a
for example, can~~·C.~·
======~/-:=~
b~ extremely . .
.
difficult for
·
...._
= l _. .
+-1
~
a.>
s
a.>
rJJ
•...-!
~
>
~
Should You
ndecided?
Some people
decide their college
major before they
even finish junior
high. They think
this is farsighted,
goal-oriented and
focus.ed. We think
it's just plain crazy.
he world is changing so
rapidly that new cross-disciplinary areas of study
are evolving almost weekly. If you're going to succeed in a
multicultural, technologically
advanced society, you're going to
have to be adaptive, flexible, and
open-minded.
People who have their majors
chosen years before they even set
foot in a college classroom may be
locking themselves into a rigid way
of approaching the world and its
opportunities-and that may hold
them back.
Once you start exploring different academic disciplines, you
might discover .that you really Jove
economics or poetry or biochemistry, even though you were going .
to be a history major. You might
·
find yourself happy to spend hours
on end with a paintbrush in your
hand, or studying DNA patterns in
electrophoresis gels, or reading
and analyzing political texts.
You might even major in
something that doesn't exist yet.
You might combine majors or
design your own major. Instead
of following the old trails, you
could, if you were ambitious and
T
passionate, blaze your own.
To outsiders, it's surprising
how often Hobart and William
Smith students design their own
majors. Education, we believe,
should never be one-s.ize-fits-all.
Each student's major can be selfdesigned to meet his or her interests
and abilities-while ensuring depth
and breadth in the discipline.
HWS students can create their
own course of study,even when
they choose a traditional major
such as: Anthropology, Art,
Biology, Chemistry, Classics,
Comparative literature, Computer
Boys' baseball
breaks into Harris
sports scene
Continued from p.16
as long as Dr. Largmann is willing to
fun'd it." "We have no promise from
the PSAL for funding," Diunte adds.
He also says that they are currently
exploring alternate sources for funding
(i.e. the alumni association).
Hopes for the team are high. "We will
be very competitive this season," says
Diunte, who was the main force in starting a boys' baseball team in Townsend
Harris. "We have many very good athletes, as shown by most of the team
members' participation in other THHS
sports." The head coach of the team,
Chris Hackney, who was "recruited" by
Diunte to be head coach last year, when
the team was originally being formed,
agrees with Diunte. "Our organization,
is in fact better, since we learn faster than
other teams," he said. "We are all
psyched up to play, and look forward to
it," said senior Frank Giglia, another
main cog in the e·fforts for a baseball team at Townsend Harris.
Diunte summed up all of the hype,
and doubts, in one statement: "Arecent poll ofTHHS teachers predicted
us to be 2-10 ... we will definitely
shatter that prediction."
Science, Economics, English,
French, G~science, Greek,
History, Latin, Mathematics, Music,
Philosophy, Physics, Political
Science, Psychology, Religious
Studies, Sociology, and Spanish.
An economics major, for example,
can design a major around the history of economics, microeconomic
theory, or economic development
and public policy.
Students can
latin American Studies,
American Studies, Architectural
Studies, Asian Studies,
Biochemistry, Chinese, Dance, .
European Studies, Environmental
Studies, Japanese, Judaic Studies,
latin American Studies, Men's
Studies, Russian Area Studies,
Russian, Theatre Arts, Urban
Studies, and Women's Studies...
and the list goes on and on. They
may even choose to design a new
major-Cognition and Computers,
Aesthetics and the Arts,
Environmental Economics.
Choosing a college and a
major is indeed an act of imagination, a process of considering who you might beeven if you think
already know who you
are. It is about defining
yourself, that's true, and that
does mean, at least for the time
.being, closing the doors to certain
options. But don't be quick to slam
too many doors shut-college is
also about surprising yourself with
your own unique possibilitie!i,.
HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
What llO'Youltt~J
Tbi$ i.s the sixth,in a se£ies of essays
from Robart anii'Willlliin•Stnith
Cpll~~ a_~res~iqg critiCjiltopiCs
in .college life toda)(. Thc;se ~~~
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~ 15
Ultimately, frisbee club forms Parise expected to ~ead
by Kate Rube
Take the basic rules for soccer; add a
pinch of the premises in football and
basketball; mix well on a rectangular
grass field. Toss a frisbee into the lot,
and, voila - Ultimate, a relatively new,
relatively young, and relatively simple
game that heightens a frisbee toss between friends into a 14-person game
with rules and regulations.
The ·club, started by sophomores
Elizabeth Mo and Shawn Kodes, and advised by science/health teacher Craig
Weiss, began meeting three weeks ago,
- but have yet to actually play a game outside. "We're still trying to organize the
team together at this point," said Weiss.
The club, which was approved by Principal Malcolm Largmann in March, will
receive no funding from the school, and
therefore must be self-sufficient by requiring a membership fee of five to ten
dollars of those interested. ·
Weiss, who played ultimate in high
school and college, gained most of his
_experience in the frisbee game in
Florida, when he worked with juvenile
delinquents and, as a break from their
regular physical fitness regimen, would
play with them. "The great thing about
ultimate," said Weiss, "is that the game
doesn't really require any specific skills,
besides knowing how to run and toss a
frisbee."
Ultimate originated as a sport in
1968, in Maplewood, New Jersey, when
a group of Columbia High School students played on the asphalt parking lot
of their school. The first intercollegiate
ultimate game took place in November
of 1972 between Princeton and Rutgers
Universities.
Ultimate combines elements of soc- by Justin Fox
pect a lot from my power hitters this
cer, football, and basketball in a nonHow green the grass is and how year," said Ceraulo of Strippoli and
contact game where each player is both sweet the spring air smells this year for Hayes.
quarterback and receiver. With teams the Girls' Varsity Softball team, a team
Ceraulo is also expecting his -startof seven, games are played on fields of which has continued to dominate league ing infield, including junior Julia Heim ·
70 x 40 yards; scores are counted each play_as it has for the past several years, at second base and junior Mary DeCicco
time the offense of a team completes a with a 6-0 division record this season, at shortstop, to be one of his "keys to
pass in the defense's endzone. Players 9-2-2 overall. The season, according to victory" this season.
must pass off the frisbee as soon as it is coach Larry Ceraulo, has hinged, and
New additions to the team this year
received; running with the disk is pro- will continue to hinge, upon the play of include freshman pitcher/outfielder
hibited. No physical contact between · one single player.
Arielle Frost, junior outfielder Lillian
players is allowed, and violation of this
"As long as Di~a stays healthy, we'll Bloch, and sophomore third baseman!
do well," said Ceraulo, referring to the pitcher Vanessa Matsis, the last two berule results in a foul call.
Traditionally, ultimate games are team's talented pitcher, junior Dina ing junior varsity additions.
self-refereed by the players rather than Parise. As one of the top girls pitchers
Strippoli and Hayes cari only agree
outside officials, which is part of the in the city, Parise has pitched two per- with their coach's projections. "We have
sport's stress on sportsmanship and filir fect games already this season, and a really good team this year. It's young,
play. Ultimate team members are ex- maintains an ERA of less than one run but I think we have a chance to do well
pected to regulate their own games, per game.
·and really go far this season," Strippoli
Last season, Parise led the Hawks to says. Hayes feels the same, affirming,
making foul and other calls for both
sides in an unbiased manner. However, a 23-4 record overall, with a 13-1 record "I think we'll go all the way this year."
the ascent of the game into a varsity and a first-place finish in the Queens A
Competition for the Hawks within
sport in some schools, rather than a rec~ division, a goal that Ceraulo expects to their division is limited, with the excepreational one, has called for the use of once again accomplish this year. "I'll tion of Forest Hills, which they will face
officials, as in any other official sport.
be disappointed if we don't win our di~ on Monday in what Ceraulo expects to
Currently, the Harris team is a club vision, as I will be disappointed ifwe be a_ "tough game." The girls have
activity, and will only play don't make the quarterfinals too," said -looked outside of their division to prerecreationally, although members hope Ceraulo.
pare for the playoffs and more difficult
Ceraulo, however, is not only rely- play with non-league games against
to one day compete against other ultimate high school teams, including those ing on Parise to improve the Hawks from some of the best teams in the city, inof the specialized New York City high a quarterfinal team last season to a pos- cluding Mary Louis and Van Buren.
schools. For now, the team meets after sible champion this season. Two fourThe team was,especially pleased with
school on Thursdays in room 642, and year veterans· on the team, senior first their 3-1 victory over Van Buren, one of
welcomes all interested students, regard- baseman Nicole Strippoli and senior last year's city finalists, in a game they
less of athletic abilities~ Practices ·at catcher -ciina Hayes, are also to hope was a foreshadowing of the playKissena Park are expected to start soon. Ceraulo's victory run this season. "I ex- offs yet to come.
varsity softball to victory
Girls set tracks for hopeful top three Queens finish
individual 2:40 times and reach a time Timmons and Heather Carter. On the Davis and Tamar Anolic, and Realmuto.
by Tabitha Hsi
other end of the distance spectrum are This trio was extremely successful durSquinting their eyes and shading their of2:35.
In the 400m hurdles, junior Heather runners· Marks and Steinberg, who ing the indoor season, and they hope that
faces from the blazing sun, runners
braved the SO-degree heat that perme- lbert hopes to improve her time and be~ sometimes run the 1500m or 3000m their triumphs will continue into the
ated the St. John's track-andspring. Their hard work has
field arena on March 31. The
been paying off, as Davis and
unusually high temperatures reRealmuto have thrown cityquired members of the Girls'
qualifying distances -of 70-plus
Outdoor Track team· to drink
feet at practices.
large amounts ofliquids during - Freshman Wai Wong and
the Bishop Forde Relays, yet
junior Tabitha Hsi are off to a
they hardly impeded the girls
strong start in the high jump.
from performing their best.
They are working with each
"I hope we can come in the
other to improve their long
top three in Queens this year,"
jumping skills.
said coach Joseph Horn. The
gf
Hsi will also compete in the
girls on the team share his sen~
Pentathlon on May 19. This
timents, though it is still early
competition in.,~ five-event
·in the season for predictions.
';, eludes the lOOm hurdles, long
Captain Vicki Realmuto, senior,
~ Jump, high jump, shot-put, and
has been encouraging everyone
..8.,; 800m race .
to "fulfill their potential," and
When asked how she feels
she feels that "many of the new
about being captain of the
members have a lot of possibiliteam, Realmuto said she "now
ties and bright futures."
enjoys competing eve!! more
This year, the team .is strong
and hopes to give that experinot only in running events, but
ence and attitude back to the
in field events as well. The outrest of the tearri." What makes
door running events range in
this team strong as a whole, bedistance from 200m sprints to
sides its large size, is that a
3000m races. In-the middle dishigh percentage of the memKicking off their Spring season, members of the Girls' Outdoor track team (from left to right) Lisa Lau, Jia Yin
Huang, Nirel Matsis, Clare Marks and Tabitha Hsi practice on the Queens College track.
tances; one of the strongest re"
bers of this outdoor season
lays is the sophomore 4 x 800
have also run for the past two
team, consisting of Clare Marks, Bosede come competitive in an event in which races.
cross-country and indoor seasons. "This
In the field events, the shot-put and dedication helps bring unity and strength
Adenekan, Angelique DaCosta, and she is a fairly newcomer. Running th~
Alexa Ste!nberg. All hope to break their shorter distances are freshmen Theresa discus competitors are juniors Dorcas to our team," said Realmuto.
-
.
16
The Classic
May 1998
Grands lam! ·Boys explode into league
with
first-ever Harris baseball team
by Justin Fox
gave up rio runs or hits in three innings play PSAL teams, but their wins or
of work thus solidifying the Harris losses will not count in PSAL standboys' advantage.
ings or affect the league standings.
The Hawks would move to their 2- All new PSAL teams must undergo
0 record three days later on March 26, · this initial "club" season to be
following a 19-6 win over Campus consdered for admission into the
Magnet. Stampfel went 2-3, and senior league: If approved, the team will
Mike Farina went 3-3, to make up for .. be admitted into the Queens "B" division next season.
As for key players, Diunte ,
feels
that
Stampfel at third
base, along with
senior catche.r
Mike Farina, senior shortstop
John
Paul
Manzolillo, junior
first
baseman/pitcher
Greg Lew, junior
pitcher/
shortstop Ante
Mustac, and others will allow
for the team to
"surprise everyone this year."
Stampfel agreed
that
"the
Senior Peter Stampfel goes to bat in one of Harris boys' first baseball games ever.
strength of the
team is the inwas but a dream in the minds of the the six first-inning runs given up by field ."
school's male population. It was junior pitcher Greg Lew. Lew would
These players were first recruited
largely established due to the two- ·later rebound for a perfect three-in- two years ago as part of the original
years of effort on the part of·senior ning stretch, giving up no runs until petition to initiate the baseball team
being pulled in the fifth.
Nick Diunte.
at Harris. Other players were reThe Springfield game, the first of
The,games, besides showcasing the cruited through "games we played to- .
a 13-game PSAL schedule, had the talent of Harris' players, proved that the gether," said Diunte, refering to last
Hawks off to an early 14-0 lead in the boys were deserving of a team and a year's baseball intramurals, which
first inning, due to "mishandled pop- spot in the PSAL league. The efforts began when the original plan for an
ups, walks and stolen bases," said se- of players like Diunte and Stampfel, official baseball team fell through,
nior Peter. Stainpfel. Springfield's and senior Frank Giglia "finally paid and through informal practices that
were held in the fall ofthis year.
weak play, along with the superb off," said Stampfel.
pitching of junior Ante Mustac, gave
The team will officially be a PSAL
Diunte says that the team will last
continued ori page 14
Harris the edge in the game. Mustac "club" team, meaning that the boys will
With a 20-0 win over Springfield :
Gardens, the Townsend Harris Boys'
Baseball team's debut on March 23
was a spectacular one, placing to rest
many doubts that a boy' baseball team
at Townsend Harris was anything but
a good idea. The team, until this year
Flawless record propels girls towards
so~c~r playoff~
by Kate Rube
·Hanson, especially 1mprovmg game performance, with
defensive skills. scores of 7-0 blowouts not uncommon.
An unblemished record
"The teams we' II To play up to par, the girls have squared
has headed the Girls' Varsity
face in the playoffs off against more formidable opponents
Soccer team (8-0) to the
will not make any in non-league play, including a tournaplayoffs for the past four
mistakes," he said, ment on April 25 in Brooklyn, where
years straight, their run each
"We can't make the team placed fifth overall with a 3-2
time ending in a disappoint~
record, losing only to Tottenville and
in~ semifinal loss. Losing to
r:::_~
c.J•• any either."
Staten
Island Tech, teams said to' be the .
• ]
The addition of
Bronx Science in a sudden
of the city.
,.
top
two
~ defensive right
death double overtime last
Tottenville,
ranked
as
the
number
one
~tA!'~ ~ Rosemary Ferraro,
year was especially disheartteam,
has
consistently
outshone
every
;, freshman, has been
ening for a team that felt the
~ an asset to the Har- other team .in past years. However, the
season was theirs to claim,
ris defense, how- top five teams in the city this year,
after having been seeded
ever, as she brings among which Harris will most likely be
second in the city.
with her four years placed, are closer in competition level
But the girls hope this
of soccer experi- than ever before, setting the stage for a
season to somewhat alter the
ence playing for a ·tension-filled and closely-matched playscene that they have seen
New Hyde Park off season.
. themselves re-enact year afTo make the difference, the team
travel
team.
ter year in their playoff runs;
Midfielder Tara Paterson prepares for a crossing pass to the center for a score.
"will
have to be a lot more aggressive,"
Stephanie Donosa,
more precisely, they would
said
senior
Lara Rios. "We will have to
the only other rookie on the team, has
like to rewrite the ending, to include at semis; I want to make it to the finals."
thrive
on
the
Xena chant and ideals," she
least a finals match, if not necessarily a '
To break this barrier which has been alternating goalie play with senior
added,
referring
to the girls' signature ·
finals victory. Coach Keith Hanson eJ.- blocked the tejllll 's advance in the past, Kristin Candan.
cry
of
intimidation
before games, taken
The lack of competition in their own
pressed the sentiments of the whole the team will have to pull off individual
from
the
hit
television
show.
team when he said-, ''I'm sick of the skills with perfection, according to--- league,-though, has been a detriment to
. _• .s
i
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