February 2014

VOiCE
The
February 2014
Volume XVI, Issue IV
Grades Above All
Study Reveals Majority of Students Prioritize Grades Over Learning
By Jacob Stein
I
t may come as no surprise
that grades are a key concern
for many students. Ever since
the eighteenth century, grades
have been used at schools to quantify the academic achievement of
students. The goal of grading was
essentially to see how much they
learned.
However, over the last oneand-a-half centuries, grades have
transformed from a measurement
into the primary goal for many
students worldwide. According to
a survey conducted last month of
98 Kushner students, 84% felt that
getting good grades was more important than actually learning the
material (margin of error of 7.7%).
The reasons why students
feel this way vary. Many said that
their desire to get into a good college was the main reason they
valued grades more highly than
learning. One student said that “the
colleges don’t see how much you
have learnt, they see your grades.
One can learn and memorize but
not actually retain.” Another said
he cared most about grades because
“the whole point of high school is to
get into college, so if you don’t get
into college, what’s the point?”
portant. If I really want to learn
more about a topic, I can learn it
on my own.” Similarly, another student’s reasoning is that “the material doesn’t matter; half of the stuff
we learn has no impact on our life.
However, we are mandated to learn
Other students don’t prioritize learning because they feel that
they are disinterested in the topic at
hand, and that the information will
not help them later in life. One student explained, “Although I want to
learn for the sake of learning and
knowledge, at the end of the day,
getting good grades is more im-
(this material, so) the only thing
that matters is the grade.”
While the majority feels
that grades are more important than
learning, a number of students disagree. “The short term goal would
be to get a good grade on the test,”
one student said. “But ultimately
I would want to know the mate-
rial. Understanding of the material
would help in the long run.” Others said that actually learning the
material would also help raise their
grades and would lead to a lower
likelihood of forgetting the information soon after taking the test.
The data seems to suggest
that since the majority of students
try hard in school but still view
learning as secondary to good
grades, it is the educational system
that caused this shift in mentality.
Whether or not this is a failure of
the school system is not clear.“The
school system should be primarily about learning,” said a student.
“A lot of people see getting good
grades as the most important thing,
which means that the school is not
successful.” Another student disagreed and said that “even though
school is about learning, wanting
to get a good grade is just going
to make you try harder and end up
learning more, so the motivation
continuted on page 3
inside
Humans of
Kushner
Varsity
Basketball
Team
Anchorman 2
Movie Review
page 2
page 8
page 5
2
News
February 2014
Volume XVI, Issue IV
Humans of Kushner
The Voice Staff
Jonathan Pedoeem, Editor-in-Chief
in your life?
David Esterlit, Assistant EdiI met Pope Paul. I kissed his ring in
tor-in-Chief
Italy. He was one of my all time idols.
Dalya Dickstein, Senior Editor
He was a great pope and it was a wonderful experience.
Get to know what your English professor
wants as far as writing is concerned because English teachers are very different.
How did you end up teaching here?
Initially I came because it was an oppor- When you take expository writing class
tunity for an afternoon position, a part try to please the professor because othertime job, and I already had a commitment wise your grade will suffer. Try to enjoy
in the morning. That’s what brought me some of the subjects you are taking because it may be your last time exploring
here and the rest is history.
literature, since the rest of time in college
How long have you been teaching will be spent towards your major.
here?
As a religious Christian, what is it like
Over 13 years.
to teach at a religious Jewish school?
What changes have you seen in the I did teach at a public school for most
school from the time you began work- of my career and what really brought
me here was a part time job because the
ing at Kushner?
Obviously at first it was very different. public school system only had full time
When I first came, general studies was jobs and I was not interested in that. I am
only in the afternoon and I started go- an Orthodox Christian, actually an Italing in the middle school and then we ian Catholic which I find very similar to
became an official middle school with a Judaism. There are three things that are
principal. Then I taught full time and the important to us: God, family and food, so
curriculum was integrated, not split into I feel like I fit in here.
morning Judaic classes and afternoon
general studies classes. As years went by Did you attend Christian schools as a
I picked up a class in the high school and student? If so, compare your experieventually became full time. As far as ence to a student’s experience at Kushthe changes, I think we have grown aca- ner.
demically. I also think the continuity of I went to a Christian grade school, high
principals has definitely benefited. I also school and college. It is not that different
think Rabbi Rubin is a sounding board to tell you the truth because we prayed
and stellar example of academic excel- multiple times a day just like you do. I
learned the information about the Bible,
lence.
just like you do. I was expected to do
good service just like your mitzvot. I baWhat college did you attend?
sically was expected to wear my religion
I went to Villanova University
on my sleeve just like at Kushner.
What is your best advice for students
What is the most exciting experience
and their English classes in college?
Interviewed By Eytan Shamsian
What are some of your hobbies outside of school?
Well obviously I love to read and write.
I love playing tennis. I am a very happy person during March Madness and
I like football.
News
Eytan Shamsian, Editor
Jacob Stein
Dalya Dickstein
Jordan Shanskhalil
Jakey Ostrove
Ilan Slonim
Who do you have winning the
NCAA Tournament this year?
It still is kind of early but Villanova is
doing pretty well this year so I am definitely excited but they are not going to
win. Everyone always goes with Duke
and all the same ones so I am looking
for a little team that is going to breakout. I am still not sure yet. I have to do
my research.
Opinion
Shep Gerszberg
Estee Wagner
Ariella Shua
Natani Bondar
Jacob Mendelson
Elisheva Feldman
What do you think students will find
most surprising about you?
I dated a Heisman trophy winner who
played for Penn State (Joey Cappelletti). I guess that is pretty cool.
Reviews
Eitan Scher, Editor
Gabriel Zuckerman
Yonatan Raskin
Joey Kirsch
If you were not a teacher what would
you be doing?
Most likely a doctor. My brother was a
doctor and my father just did not have
the money for both of us so he said
that wasn’t the career for a woman so I
went into education. Because of this, I
pushed both of my kids into medicine.
Sports
Jerry Miller, Editor
Josh Perlman, Editor
Joe Berger
Effie Auman
Gabe Maron
Jonah Bash
Greg Artman
What is your favorite book?
I have to say a top three: Scarlet Letter,
Great Gatsby and I know this sounds
odd, but I also really enjoyed Brave
New World.
Any interesting travels?
I love Italy. Every opportunity I get, I
want to go back to Italy. I find it fascinating. I do intend to visit Israel within
the next three years because I cannot
stand people talking about certain
places that I have not been to, so I want
to go. ♦
Heritage Remembered
Special to The Voice: Middle School Student of Iraqi Heritage Shares History of Jews in Iraq
By Joseph Cohen JKHA ‘14
I was born into a family
of duel heritage, both Sephardi
and Ashkenazi. As an ‘Ashkefard’ I was always interested in
my heritage. It was easy to find
historical facts and documents
about my Ashkenazi background
but when it came to my Sephardi
background there was only the
stories of my grandparents.
The recent release to the
National Archives Museum of
a trove of documents and books
recovered by the US Army from
a wet basement at the Iraqi intel-
ligence headquarter, as well as
the recent passing of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, have invigorated my
search into my Iraqi heritage.
The Iraqi Jewish community existed for over 2,500 years
and enjoyed a harmonious coexistence with their neighbors. For
many centuries relative peace and
tolerance allowed the Iraqi Jewish community to flourish. Some
of the greatest minds in Jewish
thinking came from the Iraqi
community. They include but are
not limited to: Joseph Hayyim
ben Eliahu Mazal-Tov, known
as the Ben Ish Chai (1834–1909)
and Rabbi Abba Arika (175-247
AD) also known as “Rab.” Further the Iraqi Jewish community
produced some of the most influential Jewish writings that are the
keystone to our faith, such as the
Babylonian Talmud.
This rich history and harmonious existence began to unravel after the independence of
Iraq from British rule in 1932.
There were over 200,000 Jews residing in Bagdad in 1932, which
accounted for one-sixth of the
population. By the early 1950’s
the Jewish population in Iraq had
dwindled to a few hundred.
Humor
Alex Akman, Editor
Miki Kestler
Joe Amster
Jesse Zucker
Caryn Kaplan
Statistics
Shaul Hafner
Avery Bell
Greg Artman
Layout
Jacob Stein, Editor
Sammy Cherna
Ben Wagner
Koby Stadtmauer
Zach Caplan
Art and Graphics
Yael Rabin, Editor
Alex Silver, Editor
Maya Silver, Editor
Lindsey Blenden
Avery Bell
Estee Wagner
Sydney Stroulowitz
Ron Sroor
Zach Caplan
This history of the
Iraqi Jewish community has
lead me to
write this
article and
Rabbi Pearlberg, Advisor
I hope to
share with
you over the next few months
the discoveries that I learn about
my Heritage and the Iraqi Jewish
Community. ♦
February 2014
Volume XVI, Issue IV
Opinion
3
Save Our S.E.E.D
Suggestions For a More Successful S.E.E.D Program
By Shep Gersberg
S.E.E.D is the program we
have every Thursday to “enrich our
education.” But does it truly do that?
Every week, the school brings in a
different speaker, and while some of
them are quite good, in my humble
opinion a majority of them are either
boring or seem to be saying the same
thing. At one point last year we had
four different IDF soldiers come to
speak to us four weeks in a row. I
understand that the IDF is important and that we have to learn about
them. I also feel that each of these
speakers was interesting in his own
way. However do we really need four
speakers in a row from the same
place, doing the same thing, with
largely the same experiences? Now, I
can’t sit here all day and tell you that
we shouldn’t have S.E.E.D, because
frankly some weeks I enjoy it a lot.
But, in the end, the types of speakers
that the school brings in can improve.
There is, however, another
side to the story. I don’t represent
the whole school. What is tedious for
me might be interesting to another
student. Every student enjoys different types of speakers, and this is
a good thing. It shows that we have
a wide and diverse student body. But
the truth of the matter is, the students have no say in whom the school
brings in to “enrich our education.”
The students are the ones
who are supposed to learn from these
people and while some speak on per-
tinent issues, others are just flat out
boring to everyone.
But I can’t just criticize the
school, can I? I have to suggest a way
to improve. So here it is:
Ask us. It’s that simple.
At the beginning of the year
the school should poll the students
on what types of speakers they want.
Whether it be a speaker on politics,
Israel, health, science, or any other of
the many subjects that the students
want to hear. This is the only way to
allow the S.E.E.D. Program to truly
enrich the students. Students will
no longer want to ditch S.E.E.D and
the program as a whole will become
more interactive for the students.
Another way to improve
S.E.E.D. would be to have it take
place after lunch, instead of just before lunch. This idea is nothing new.
It has been mentioned in many articles previously but it is really a major
thing and the overall experience of
S.E.E.D. would be much better if we
all weren’t waiting to get out of there
and get to lunch.
Overall, the S.E.E.D. program has a lot of potential but the
lack of student involvement in the
selection of the programing and its
unfortunate timing really bring down
the overall experience. At its core, the
S.E.E.D. program is meant to enrich
the students’ education. It’s even in
the program’s name! Why can’t students actually be involved in their
own education? ♦
Grades Above All (cont.)
doesn’t matter so much.”
When asked whether or
not a student’s desire to get into a
good college mandates putting all
focus into grades, Rabbi Kirsch, a
teacher and guidance counselor at
RKYHS, responded, “I think [the
notion that colleges only care about
grades] is overblown.” He continued to explain how as a guidance
counselor, he always tells students
that “grades are just one piece of
a college portfolio. It’s grades, it’s ommendations.”
your extracurricular activities, it’s For now, at least, most stuyour leadership potential, and it’s dents still need some convincing. ♦
your character. Grades are not everything. You can be a straight-”A”
student and not get the best of rec-
Opinion
4
February 2014
Volume XVI, Issue IV
Block Scheduling
Is Kushner’s Scheduling Less Than Perfect?
By Ariella Shua
5:07. A time that all of us
are familiar with. A time that we
all wait for, four days a week… and
those last ten minutes of tenth period always take the longest. And
then, finally, it is 5:07, and the bell
rings, and we are FREE! until 8:03
the next morning.
8:03 A.M. until 5:07 P.M.
For those of you that are curious,
that is precisely 9 hours and 4 minutes that we are required to be in
school, four days a week. But for
nearly all of us, the school day begins earlier and ends later than that.
I consider myself one of the lucky
ones- I live in Livingston, about
12 minutes away from school. I
wake up around 7 in the morning
every day, and I get home at 5:50
on a normal day. Of course, about
half the students here have serious
commutes on a bus at 6:30, off the
bus at 6:30. I don’t get how they do
it. And just imagine if there is a lot
of traffic, or a practice that ends at
7:30. Some kids don’t get home until
8 or 9 o’clock. And then they have
homework and tests to study for. The
amount of time doing school related
activities is a lot more than 9 hours.
For some it can be closer to 11 or 12.
That’s a pretty long time. I doubt I’m
the only one who finds it a bit crazy.
After all, we all want more sleep
time.
Yeshiva-wise, the length of
our day doesn’t seem so bad. Most
Yeshiva high schools end their day
around our time, and some end it
even later, at 5:30. So our day doesn’t
seem so long, compared to Jewish
schools. But the public schools…
well, our day is significantly longer
than theirs. Livingston High School,
for example, ends at 2:45. That is
over two hours earlier than our day
ends! It may not sound like a lot, but
two hours can be a huge amount of
time, especially on a school day. So
how do they do it?
Well,
Livingston
High
School uses a block schedule. That
is, they have about 8 classes. But unlike at Kushner, where we go to every class every day (except Fridays),
LHS only has a couple of classes a
day. Then the next day, they go to
different classes, and the next day,
they go to some of the classes from
the first day, and some from the day
before. Basically, it keeps them from
having every class every day. And it
helps with the students’ work load
too-they usually have more than one
night to do their homework. Best of
all, it cuts down on the actual length
of the day. Of course, there is the
drawback of maybe not learning as
much because one only has a class
three times a week instead of five.
But if the students have more time
to prepare for tests and complete
assignments, perhaps the overall
work and understanding of materials is better.
Personally, I think that
Kushner should try having a block
schedule. We can have seven classes a day, and switch the schedule
around so that we have each class
three or four times a week. That
way, we will have more time to
complete homework for ten different classes, without stressing about
it all for the next day. And the other
positive is that we could get out earlier, which leaves more time in the
day for us.
Remember how I said that
some Yeshivas end their day at
5:30? Well, Kushner used to end
at 5:30 too. But the students were
not happy about it, and a deal was
made: they gave up their locker
breaks and the day was ended earlier. And so it became 5:07. If it was
possible in the past to modify the
length of the school day and shorten
it, why can’t it be possible now? We
have adapted to a SEED schedule.
We have adapted to a Rosh Chodesh
schedule. We’ve even adapted to a
Rosh Chodesh SEED schedule. I see
no reason why we can’t adapt to a
block schedule too. ♦
Advice Column
By Elisheva Feldman
Dear 7-On Call,
I am exhausted! I have been going to bed at like three in the morning and
I have to wake up at six-thirty to make the bus. I think it is because of this
little addiction I have... No big deal, but I’ve been playing Candy Crush
nonstop! I have already gotten my phone taken away four times this week
during school! I’ve gotten a detention because of it! I can barely even enjoy
a simple family dinner without pulling out my phone and playing! exams
are coming up too and I’m afraid I won’t be able to concentrate on my
studies.
It has gotten way out of hand!
Xoxo,
(X-treme) Candy-Crusher
Dear (X-treme) Candy-Crusher,
As a fellow Candy-Crusher I am able to relate to you. Fortunately, I have
come up with ways to cure this disease. One way is to set aside time in
your day where you can relax and play Candy Crush or any another game
to your liking. Something to keep in mind and look forward to throughout
the day, like a half an hour before you go to sleep or on the bus. If that
doesn’t work you can put your phone on time-out: stop carrying it around,
or bringing it everywhere with you. The break in playing will calm down
your addiction. Worst case solution, if all others don’t work, is to just de-
lete the app so you will not even be tempted to play and you can get on
with your life.
Best of luck,
7-on call
Dear 7-On Call,
Break is coming up. That’s supposed to be a good thing, right?! Not with
me! I am forced to go on a long road trip with my whole family! Imagine,
our car filled with a million siblings who can’t stop screaming and crying
and laughing. And a whole week of it! How can I make it bearable?
Thanks,
Can’t Handle the Noise
Dear Can’t Handle the Noise,
Two words for you: positive attitude. That may sound cheesy, but it is the
truth. If you go into vacation thinking you will have a terrible time because of your siblings, then you will. Try to ignore them, it’s your vacation,
enjoy it! If your positive attitude starts deflating, sit tight, download some
movies, put on headphones and try to ignore them.
Best of luck,
7-on call ♦
February 2014
Volume XVI, Issue IV
Reviews
Anchorman 2
The Legend Continues
Misfits Series 5
An Enjoyable Dark Comedy
By Joey Kirsch
By Eitan Scher
The
first
Anchorman is one
of the most beloved comedies of the
past ten years. It’s clever, funny and
extremely well acted. While originally a modest box office success,
in the almost ten years since its release, Anchorman: The Legend of
Ron Burgundy has managed to become somewhat of a phenomenon.
It successfully helped jump-start
the careers of many actors who are
now household names in the comedy
genre. Ron Burgundy and company
return in Anchorman 2, and I think
it is safe to say that indeed The Legend Continues.
In Anchorman: The Legend
of Ron Burgundy, viewers are introduced to anchorman Ron Burgundy,
who along with his team headlines
a local new program in San Diego.
Played by Will Ferrell, Burgundy is
loved by all. After facing competition from a rival female anchorwoman named Veronica Corningstone,
the two eventually end up uniting as
one cohesive broadcasting unit, and
end up doing the news together on a
network news program.
Enter Anchorman 2. Ron
and Veronica are happily married
and successfully doing the news
together. Suddenly, Mack Tannen
(played by Harrison Ford in a cameo role), the most famous anchor in
New York announces that he is retiring and would like to promote
Veronica to lead anchor. Unfortunately, Ron Burgundy is not in his
plans, and is fired. Devastated, Ron
leaves his wife and son to return to
San Diego. Once there, his struggles
continue, until he is approached by
an agent to work for GNN (Global
News Network). This faux, CNNesque channel hopes to be the first
twenty-four hour news network and
wanted Ron Burgundy on board.
Reluctantly, Ron agrees, and rallies
the band back together.
In the years since Ron and
Veronica joined the network news
scene, Ron’s crew had gone separate
ways. Paul Rudd
stars as the ladykiller Brian Fantana, who serves as
the news team’s field reporter. David
Koechner plays Champ Kind, the
team’s chauvinistic sports reporter
who is particularly fond of Ron.
Steve Carell is Brick Tamland, the
team’s bumbling, idiot of a weatherman. Supposedly possessing an I.Q
of 48 [the boys are towards the guy].
All of them eventually agree to join
Ron in the journey to New York, and
make it a fantastic one.
The plot is not a very heavy
one, typically just serving as a way
to funnel one joke to another. It still
manages to keep the viewer interested and curious as to what can happen next. Anchorman 2 as a whole
feels much more like a satire of the
news broadcasting industry, while
not being as quite quotable as the
first. The movie has cameos galore
with callbacks to the first film and
many, many more. I have no intention on spoiling them, but the news
anchor fight scene that occurs in the
first movie has a sequel appearance
in Anchorman 2, and it manages to
top it in every way. Ron’s lighthouse
retreat is evocative of the retreat
Ferrell’s Ricky Bobby takes in Talladega Nights, and serves as a nice
change of pace from the rest of the
film.
The Good: Laugh out loud funny, the characters in Judd Apatow’s
sequel grab onto you and never let
you go.
The Bad: The movie often feels
somewhat disjointed at times, the
plot that is there is simple and frankly, not very good.
The Bottom Line: Anchorman 2 is one of the funniest films in
years, and everyone should enjoy it.
♦
5
I have talked about endings
before, and I will again. In my opinion, they are the most important
part of a series’ whole run. They
impact the audience’s perception of
the show, and how they remember
it. Even if the beginning is amazing, if the show trails off at the end,
the audience will just remember it
for that part. I can think of numerous shows whose fans remember
them sourly because they weren’t
ended well. Except for the very last
episode, this is the opposite of what
happened with Misfits.
Misfits was about a group of
delinquents doing community service. One day, a crazy, huge storm
hit and gave people superpowers.
The show was amazing for the first
three seasons, but when Nathan
(portrayed by Robert Sheehan) left,
it started going downhill. Steadily,
other characters left and had to be
replaced. Over the course of Season
Four, we met the new gang: short,
talkative, awkward, Finn (Nathan
McMullen), with the power of telekinesis; scary yet loved Jess (Karla
Crome), with the power of x-ray
vision; self centered Alex, the “attractive barman” (Matt Stokoe); and
Abbey Smith (Natasha O’Keeffe),
who does not remember a single
thing that happened before the
storm. However, something was
missing and it seemed like Misfits
was done for.
In Season 5 the writers and
new actors finally caught their
stride. It starts off with Alex being placed on community service,
henceforth officially joining the
gang of “misfits”. After having an
emergency lung transplant he gains
the power to extract other people’s
powers from them, allowing people
to break free of their supernatural abilities. This power helps him
become more selfless and helpful
than he ever was before. The new
gang bond in their own ways, and
although not being as good as the
original, the two groups are different enough that it is very hard
to compare them. The gang’s pow-
ers isn’t as big of
a focus as the storylines, but mostly
each member of
the group had one of some sort.
At first, it looked like Joseph Gilgun would not be able to fill
in the huge shoes left by Sheehan,
but by this season, it turned out that
the doubters were wrong. Gilgun is
amazing as two totally unique aspects of the same character, Rudy.
At first, he was just another moderately funny character, but by the
end of the show, you could see the
real depth and feelings of his two
characters and how they connect
and play off of one another. I really
felt like there were actually two different people there the whole time.
Gilgun easily switches from mindset to mindset so quickly while being different and similar with both
characters at the same time.
Unfortunately, the climax of
the last episode did not do it for me
at all and detracted from the otherwise incredible last season. While
obviously not spoiling anything, I
felt it was a little bit too far-fetched
and childish compared to a lot of
the character development shown in
this season, and honestly I believe it
did not do the show, especially the
final season, justice.
Although unbelieveable in
parts (it is a supernatural sci-fi show
after all) it ended well. I would definitely recommend this show if you
want a quick 5 season binge-watch
(the whole series is available for free
on hulu).
The Good: After thinking that
this season would be terrible because of the direction of Season
Four, it really exceeded my expectations in every way.
The Bad: Some of the storylines
are a bit out there, including the climax of the last episode, which really lowered my rating for this one.
The Bottom Line: I definitely
would recommend this show to anyone who likes a good dark comedy
or sci-fi show. ♦
6
Reviews
FIFA 14
Great Soccer Game, a Joy to Play
By Jordan Shanskalil
The series FIFA is
released annually and for
many years has been among
the best sports games in the
world. FIFA 14 has not disappointed and has made a
number of improvements from previous games.
The gameplay is fluid, and more realistic in comparison to its competitors. FIFA 14, just like previous FIFA’s, is the soccer game that everyone (even
if you don’t like soccer) will have a good time
playing.
Even though FIFA 14 hasn’t made drastic
changes to the established FIFA formula, the small
changes go a long way. The first thing a player will
recognize is that the players within the game feel
much more like real athletes. The dribbling and
the way the momentum changes feel great. This
improvement on realism makes FIFA even more
believable and really adds to the experience. EA
Canada has significantly improved the shooting
in this iteration. They have added a system called
“pure shot” (and “real ball physics”) that makes the
act of shooting the ball have many possible variations (like outside of the foot shots) and makes the
ball act more like it would in a real match. Another way they have improved the gameplay is that
in order to do skill moves, all you have to use is
the right analog stick. This is so much easier than
FIFA 13 where you would have to also hold the
left trigger while using the right stick. EA Canada
also significantly improved the AI (artificial intelligence, aka the computer)so the players on your
team which you aren’t controlling make good runs
at the right times.
The Ultimate Team mode in FIFA has
been a trademark for the series in recent years.
Players can build a team and gain chemistry by
making connections with players of the same club,
nation, or league. Using the team that you created,
you can try to work your way up through various
divisions, from division 10 to division 1. Along the
way you will get coins to improve on the team you
built. If you don’t want to play divisions, you also
have the option to play single matches or tournaments. All the customization options and room
for creativity makes Ultimate Team an extremely
fun mode. There are also
co-op seasons where
you can play with your
friends online against
other players, within the
same division set up as
Ultimate Team. Another
main mode is the Career,
which is where you can be a player for an already
existing team or even a manager.
On the PS3 and Xbox 360, the graphics are
just like previous years and are nothing too special. They have done 3-D head scans for some of
the more well-known players to make their faces
look real, and it is a large improvement. The game
is prone to some glitches, such as hands clipping
through other bodies, and bodies clipping through
the net; occasionally my player has even flown
across the field.
I had the opportunity to play the PS4 version for a brief amount of time, and there appeared
a huge improvement from current-gen. The graphics are logically much better; the crowds and stadiums look lifelike, and even the way the ball rolls
when dribbling is a large improvement.
Even though EA can’t make such drastic
changes to FIFA, this year’s improvements make it
really fun to play and show that they are not content with just releasing the same game with updated rosters, even on the older Xbox 360 and PS3. I
would recommend FIFA 14 to anyone who has any
interest in a good, competitive sports game.
The Good: It’s a great soccer game with a nice
variety in modes and is a joy to play.
February 2014
Volume XVI, Issue IV
Quarantine:
The Loners
An Action-Packed Story
By Yonatan Raskin
What would you do if you were trapped
in your high school with 2,000 other students,
limited supplies and a disease that makes you
deadly to adults? David Thorpe must find the
answers to these questions if he wants to survive in Quarantine: The Loners by Lex Thomas. It was just an ordinary first day at school
when there was an explosion trapping everyone
inside his high school. When David tries to help
his teacher who was hit by debris, his teacher
hacks up his lungs and dies. Now David and his
younger brother Will must survive while coexisting with other factions in the school; factions made out of friends who help each other
survive, but who will attack any outsiders who
threaten them. Unfortunately, David and Will
find themselves on the outskirts of all of the big
factions and are now Scraps, the unpopular few
who have no one else. After a freak accident,
David kills a member of the strongest and most
dominant faction, Varsity. Now David finds
himself at the end of a school-wide manhunt,
where if David is found, he will be killed.
Quarantine was an extremely entertaining and well written read. As the book continued, it made me feel like I was in the story
myself. The characters are introduced one by
one, gradually developing the plot and making
it feel much more realistic. It allowed me to really get a feel for the characters and the situations they were in.
The Good: Has a well thought out storyline, well developed characters and is exciting
and action packed until the very end.
The Bad:
The Bad: Some short parts in the story were
boring at times.
The Bottom Line: FIFA 14 proves that we do
The Bottom Line: If you want an action
packed story of an everyday teen thrust into a
world full of aggression and hostility, I highly
recommend reading Quarantine: The Loners
by Lex Thomas. ♦
The glitches. I’ve seen some really
weird ones like Ronal going into the grass and
moving around like a crab
not have to worry just getting the same repackaged
game every year like many other sports games are
known to do, and shows that it can only get better
from here. ♦
February 2014
Volume XVI, Issue IV
Sports
7
Is One Basketball Too Much to Ask For?
New Gym Policy Aims to Prevent Lost Basketballs
By Joe Berger
In past years, the high
school gym was always open to
students during lunch time and free
periods. Any student with free time
was allowed to play basketball with
friends. Now, the gym is still open
to everyone, but there are never any
basketballs to use. Instead, there is a
much more tedious process required
in order to get a basketball. The gym
teachers have implemented a system in which a student must hand
in a cell phone as collateral before
being allowed to use a basketball.
But that is not all. A student must
also answer a question of the day.
This can be anything from “name
three vitamins found in grapes” to
“what muscles are used to perform
fifteen pushups?” When asked why
this system was put in place, gym
teacher Mr. Neuhof responded,
“We’ve been losing equipment and
it costs the school money. This system helps ensure that students are
responsible to return the balls.”
Some students agree with this system, as Alec Rabinowitz ‘16 stated,
“It’s a smart idea because now the
school doesn’t have to worry about
losing basketballs.” Others agree
that something should be done to
retain equipment, but argue that a
cell phone may not be best item to
take, as Josh Degen ‘15 explained,
“Sometimes students need to have
their cell phone (to answer a text or
something of that nature) on them
which can make the system unfair
to students.”
Despite this disagreement
regarding cell phones, the main
source of controversy has been the
question of the day. Students almost
never know the answers to the questions, and are forced to spend their
free time looking up the answers.
Mr. Neuhof has stated that he feels
this is necessary because “it gives
students an opportunity to accumulate facts about health, given
that there is no health curriculum.
Additionally, it teaches students
that they must work for what they
want.” Although parts of this statement may be valid, the overwhelming majority of students believe
otherwise. Most students view this
process as tedious, rather than helpful. According to Josh Degen ‘15,
“Almost everyone forgets the fact
that they were supposed to learn.
Also, some of the questions take a
while to find the answers to, which
limits the amount of time students
can play basketball.” This issue is
particularly apparent for kids that
do not own smartphones, as they
cannot even look up the answers.
Even Alec Rabinowitz ‘16, who
stated that the cell phone system
was smart, thinks that the question
aspect of this process is overdone.
On a separate note, it is said
that this system is necessary because our school has no health curriculum. However, though there is
no curriculum, there is a health
elective for eleventh and twelfth
graders. Additionally, most of the
questions do not enrich the students’ knowledge about health at
all and ask for trivial, useless facts.
If the gym teachers are so worried
about our health, maybe they should
let the students actually play basketball.
At least in regard to the
equipment, this system has been effective, as Mr. Neuhof confirmed
“We have not lost one ball this year.”
However, based on students’ reactions, the system is far too strict,
and students are only frustrated and
discouraged from using the gym to
exercise. ♦
Hockey Injuries Worries Many
Violent Sport’s Place in Yeshiva League is Questioned
By Effie Auman
Is hockey too violent for yeshiva league sports? Over the past
few months there have been many
injuries occurring at both home
and away games. This would not be
such a big deal had the injuries been
minor. However, two of the injuries
sustained so far have been concussions. Although a concussion does
not seem to be a severe injury, in
reality it can be much more harmful than a broken leg in the long
run. A broken leg will heal, and one
can see if there are any weaknesses. With head injuries, on the other
hand, the damage cannot always be
seen and may appear even years later. Louis Reiz ‘15, after sustaining
a concussion from a hit at the game
against RTMA reported, “My head
felt like it was in a cloudy state of
mind, I couldn’t pay attention and I
had headaches all day.” Louis also
missed about a week of school. If
that does not sound more serious
than a broken leg to you, you should
probably try some concussion testing yourself.
What could be done to lessen if not eliminate the number of
concussions and other injuries in
hockey? One recommendation is to
get better helmets. When asked if a
better helmet would have prevented
says, “All helmets have an expiration date.” The problem is that better helmets are much more costly
than the helmets that the majority
of the players have. A potential solution would be if the school subsidized the additional cost of better
helmets. Rabbi Kirsch commented,
“I would back the idea of the school
providing subsidies.”
Another solution would be
to have better trained referees. Some
of the referees do not know the rules
of the game. They often fail to make
appropriate calls, which results in
many unnecessary violations such
as checking other players into the
boards, which can cause injuries.
his concussion, Eli Schwartz ’14 re- “The league needs to define a set
sponded that “It might have made of rules and teach all coaches and
it less than it was, but it definitely refs,” added Coach Reiz.
While hockey is a violent,
would not have prevented it 100
physical
sport, there are steps that
percent.” Of course, a less severe
can
be
taken
to reduce the risk of
concussion is obviously still preferinjuries.
The
question is, will the
able to a serious one. Many players
use their siblings’ old helmets. This league be more proactive than it
is not a safe practice. As Coach Reiz was last year? ♦
8
Sports
Varsity Basketball
Makes Playoffs
February 2014
Volume XVI, Issue IV
New Uniforms
Are the New Sports Jerseys Worth It?
First Time in Eight Years
sistant coach David Ptalis believes the
team is truly unique and stated, “I am
After a long eight-year ab- extremely proud of the hard work and
sence, the Kushner Cobras varsity dedication that out kids have put into
basketball team, coached by Jan San- this season. The effort and enthusiasm
dusky, David Ptalis ’08, and Corey they bring to each game and practice
Sandusky, returned to the playoffs. is infectious and they are all truly
Despite what could have been a disap- as close as brothers. This group has
pointing 6-8 record, the season seems grown leaps and bounds as both playto be a success. The Cobras were able ers and young men, and reaching the
to stay within a few points of Ramaz, playoffs for the first time since 2006
TABC, Frisch and many other Yeshi- is the ultimate culmination to the hard
va League powerhouses. Coach Jan work we have put in this season.”
Sandusky said that the team played The Cobras had a chance to
very well considering that they are clinch a playoff spot on senior night
in the more talented and competitive against Heschel but ended up falling
division. “If we were in the Brooklyn just short. On Saturday night, Februdivision we could have had at least 2 ary 1st, the Cobras came into Deal,
or 3 more wins,” he insisted. “But we NJ to face Hillel knowing that their
aren’t, so the kids were really forced playoff hopes could die if they did not
to play up to the competition.”
come out on top. Despite a few minor
Rabbi Kirsch brought back struggles on both ends of the court
coach Sandusky. “I had all the confi- in the beginning of the first and third
dence in the world in Jan. This brings quarter, the Cobras played with intenback so many great memories and how sity and for the most part controlled
appropriate it is that coach Jan was the the game. They ended up defeating
last coach to do this and now he does it Hillel 52-39 while allowing everyagain.” Rabbi Kirsch emphasized how one to get in the game. Almost noththis is a special point in our school’s ing went wrong for the Cobras until
history. “This couldn’t have happened late in the game when captain Jeremy
to a nicer bunch of kids who are great Shechter ’14 dove for a loose ball and
broke his finger. Losing Schechter for
both on and off the court.”
When asked about how it felt the rest of the season was a huge blow
to be apart of the first RKYHS varsity to the team.
Update: The Cobras fought
basketball team to make the playoffs in a long eight years, Daniel Gottlieb hard against the SAR Hornets in the
’14 responded, “Feels rewarding. We first round of the playoffs. They were
expected to make it so it isn’t a sur- neck-and-neck the whole game, only
prise but it’s still nice to see the hard to loose by 2 points. Final score: 34work pay off.” Jamie Rubin ’15 said 32. ♦
that the Varsity Basketball squad’s keys to success were “Hard work, camaraderie, and determination.” AsBy Josh Degen and Greg Artman
By Jonah Bash
This year, Kushner has gotten
new jerseys for almost all of
the sports teams, with new colors, original designs, and most
importantly, higher prices. The
question is, are these new jerseys worth the costs?
The first new jerseys
this year are the boys’ basketball jerseys. The players agree
that the new jerseys were great,
as David Lowinger ‘16 explains.
“I love the new jerseys. They
are better than the last ones. I
think the nicer jerseys show that
our basketball program is getting stronger.” However, when
Rabbi Kirsch was asked why
he decided to get new jerseys
this year, he replied that “the
basketball team needed new jerseys because the current jerseys
were not being made any more.
I asked students Mordechai
Weiss and Matthew Stadtmauer
to design the new jerseys.” It
seems that the new jerseys were
not, in fact, the result of a more
serious basketball program, as
was previously thought.
The hockey team also
got new jerseys. The players
on the hockey team think that
the new jerseys are great as
well, but some doubt that they
are truly worth the new, higher
cost. When asked if the new
jerseys are better than last year,
hockey player Alec Rabinowitz
answered with a blunt, “Yes.”
However, he also remarked that
“the new jerseys are so expensive, and no one wants them
because of that.” I, as a member
of the hockey team, believe that
the jerseys are cool, but could
have been a tiny bit cheaper.
Rabbi Kirsch explained that this
year’s jerseys are so expensive
because they “are top of the line
jerseys.” Last year, the team
also acquired t-shirts, but Rabbi
Kirsch explained that he “was
only able to get those t-shirts
because last year the company
messed up the jerseys, so it gave
them to us for free.”
Are these jerseys worth
the cost? People like David
seem to think so. However, others, like Alec, disagree. There
are multiple diverse opinions
within the Kushner student
body regarding these jerseys.
Personally, I support the purchase of the new jerseys. I think
that the nicer the jersey you
wear, the more confident you
are. In my opinion, the cost of
these jerseys is worth the added
confidence that accompanies
them. Next time my team needs
new jerseys, you will see me
lobbying for nicer and better
uniforms. ♦
The Life of a Captain
Interview with Basketball Star, Mordechai Weiss
Interviewed By Greg Artman
How important is basketball to
you?
Basketball for me is my whole life.
I wake up basketball, go to sleep
dreaming about basketball. To quote
Ray Lewis; “I wake up and all I
know it grind”.
How do you prioritize Basketball,
School and Social life?
Everyone that knows me knows that
Basketball is my number one priority outside of family. On the weekend ends I’m not hanging out with
friends I’m in the gym putting up
shots and Lifting weights.
In what ways has Kushner facilitated your growth as a basketball
player?
Kushner has been great for me basketball-wise. Rabbi Kirsch allowing
us to have some amazing tournaments, like Memphis, Boston and
Hausdorff really allowed us to get
exposure to other teams. And with
our new head coach Jan Sandusky
and our assistant coach David Ptalis I’m learning a ton as a basketball
player and growing as an individual
and as a teammate.
What are your plans for basketball after Kushner?
I know that I have to continue improving on my game, both mentally
and physically. And as long as I keep
my work ethic up, I hope to play at
Yeshiva University next year.
Any advice for an aspiring player?
What my coaches always told me,
that if being successful was easy
than everyone would do it. For any
aspiring player who wants to be
good you have to block out everyone
and have tunnel vision. You can’t let
people knock you down, and tell you
that you’re not that good or that you
won’t make it to where you want to
be. You have to have tunnel vision
and always keep your eyes set on
your goal, and work hard and nothing will stop you from getting there
as long as you put in the work.
If we’re sitting here a year from
now, what would you have liked to
achieve from the past year in basketball?
I hope to win Kushner’s first varsity
basketball championship. I also hope
that with all my hard work I can play
for Yeshiva University.
A lot of great athletes have a why,
a reason for why they get up every
morning and put in the sweat and
hard work. what is your why?
My why is that I hate being average,
and I have too many people to prove
wrong to slack off and not put in the
work. Seeing my brother as a role
model, I want to fill his shoes. ♦