Issue 2: February

Vol. 22, No. #2 February 2006
•
aSSlC
Townsend Harris High School at Queens College
149- 11 Melbourne Avenue; Flushing, NY 11367
New schedule adds 21 minutes to school day
by Christopher Amanna and Diana Bell
A new bell schedule will go into effect on Monday, February 6. The
changes add 2 to 3 minutes to every
band, depending on the day.
The regular school day will begin at
8:00 and will end at 2:03 on Monday,
2:59 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and
2:58 on Thursday and Friday. Zero band
will begin three minutes earlier at7 :02,
and tenth band will now end at 3:55.
The new schedule comes as a result
of the new teachers' contract approved
last November.It mandates that teachers work an extra 37.5 minutes each day.
According to history teacher Franco
Scardino, the time must be spread
throughout the school day and not
tacked on at the end. "Since wehave a
zero and tenth band, it makes us a splitsession school. Under the new contract,
split-session schools must incorporate
extra time during the day." Only grammar schools and single-session schools,
he continued,' can add extra time to the
end o.f the day.
The new bell schedule h·as caused
conflicts with the programs of some se-
niors. Seniors who take a Queens College class beginning at I 0:50 can no
longer have a fourth band class because
they would have only two minutes to
get to a class. College classes that are
held from 12: 15 to I :30 now interfere with bands 6, 7, and 8.
Before, these classes
only took up bands 7
and 8. These issues
limit the availability
of certain classes for
seniors and can result in schedules
drastically different
from last term .
Senior Rebecca
Lehrman said, "Thanks
to the new bell schedule, I
have classes in the beginning ofthe
morning, at the end of the day, and nothing at all in between. It is a little too
much spare time."
Students on sports teams are facing
a similar dilemma. The new sGhedule
will affect game start times. "I don't like
the fact t-hat athletics will be moved
back, and we will be playing games in
the dark," said Athletic Director and
Dean Wanda Nix . "I would prefer the
school day start sooner and end sooner
so th<lt there is more sunlight later on."
Furthermore, students with tenth band
classes will have to rush to get to
their games, or they may not
be able to compete that
day at all. Th,e new
schedule will also
put added stress on
members of sports
teams, who have
to start their homework late at night
when they get
hoine. Track coach
George Rio agreed
with these points and
asked "How can kids with a tenth
band class get to games or practices?
Games start and end later, and students
have to begin their homework later."
However, some teachers are trying
to see things more positively. History
teachers Charlene Levi and Chris Hack-
ule, "we have Jo make the most of it."
Ms . Nix thinks longer classes are a plus,
as "students are able to learn more."
Assistant Principal of the Sciences Susan Brustein spoke of the effect of the
added time on teaching methods. "It
certainly needs to change the way we
teach. It offers the possibility to make
lessons more dynamic because we are
not restrained by 40 minutes . We will
have to devise lessons where students
'are not sitting statically for 50 minutes ."
A similar bell schedule change occurred in 2002, 'when an additional
minute was added to each class. This
also resulted from a new teacher's contract. Prior to this initial change, classes
that met four times a week were 50 minutes long, and b,ands Yt.hrough 7 lasted
40 minutes.
Legally, a class must meet at least
200 minutes per week. Teachers are currently working an extra 187.5 minutes
per week. If a contract is passed in the
future adding another 12.5 minutes,
teachers could be required to teach six
ney -bGth agreed· that althou.gh they
classes, rather than the five they .cur-
weren't too pleased with the new sched-
rently teach.
Four seniors .named"semi-finalists in Intel competition
"This CO/}lpetition was very arduous. mentor was. "My mentor, Dr. Alison
by Marissa Green
Oriental weatherloaches, olfactory Just preparing for it, such as complet- Mcinnes, guided me in making imporsystems, autism, and Dyamin-2, are top- ing forms and writing the research pa- tant decisions throughout my project,"
ics typically not found on any Regent's per took quite a few weeks. I, along with she said.
Although these entries won recognisyllabus. However, they earned seniors · several others, even had to stay a couple
Sangsoo Kim, Mary am Sultan, Anjie of nights with Mrs. Brustein until almost tion, they also served for scientific adZheng and Christie Sze recognition as
nationwide semifinalists in the . renowned Intel Science Talent Search
Competition.
"Our success rate relative to other
schools in NYC is phenomenal. Four of
the 300 Intel semifinalists came from
Harris, and we submitted only 19 papers," said Assistant Principal of Science
Susan Brustein. She and science teacher
Katherine Ludvik mentored the participants in their submission of a 20-page
research paper on a topic of their choice.
"We rocked," declared Ms Ludvik,
"21% of the papers sent went on to semifinals, not a bad percentage ."
For the competition, each applicant
was required to find a mentor outside Assistant Principal Susan Brustein, Christie Sze, Anjie Zheng, Maryam Sultan,
ofthe school. The mentor guided the stu- Sangsoo Kim, and Katherine Ludvik celebrate Intel victory.
dent throughout the course of a scienvancement. Anjie worked hours on a
tific experiment performed in a research midnight!"
Maryam, who won for her investi- project focused on . the Oriental
lab. He or she also collaborated on aresearch paper summarizing their scien- gation of the genetic causes of autism weather I o ac h, M is gum us
discussed the difficult process of find- Anguillicautadus, an Asian fish. "Betific conclusions.'
Participation in this competition in- ing a 111entor. "At first, finding a men- havioral exploration of the nervous sys-.
volved long hours and hard work . tor was very difficult since many people tern of this specific type of fish is very
Christie, who was recognized for her re- did not want to take on students." She limited, so my study has been a novel
search on the olfactory system, stated, also described just how valuable her experiment in the field," she stated.
Sangsoo also pursued a project that
he felt would benefit the scientific community . He based his research on
Dyamin-2 GTPase and "its potential as
a novel anti -cancer target that would
improve the effectiveness of anti-cancer treatments low in toxicity." He
added, "My favorite part of this experience was the whole feeling of pioneering or contributing to the vast field
of science."
The steps leading up to entering the
competition occur over an extended period of time . In sophomore year students take the science research elective.
In this class they learn the basic skills
needed to work in a research-based environment: In junior year, those who
wish to remain in the field , focus on a
single topic or question on which they
base an experiment. At this time they
find their mentor and begin their research.
- Christie offered this bit of advice to
students considering entering the competition: "Never give up on anything
that you do. I nearly gave up last year
because of worries, frustration, and lack
of patience that this experiment would
never turn out well or that the hypothesis would be unsupported. But really,
even if the results aren't what you expect, they are still a great contribution
to the scientific field."
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The Classic
2
Extra minute Js a waste
February 2006
Dear Editor
It does not seem obvious, but the Townsend Harris students and staff
actually listen to classical music for approximately twenty-seven minutes each day, five times a week. The classical music that is played in
between classes-is 'pleasant, but if we hear the same songs repeatedly
throughout the entire school year, they eventually lose some of their vivacity. To prevent this from happening, the Townsend Harris faculty should
broadcast a variety of music to ens~re that not a dull day passes by.
The only times that classical music is not played are during the weeks
of the semi-annual band concerts, Spirit Week, and Multicultural Week.
Why is the Townsend Harris faculty only allotting those few weeks to
non-classical music? We should all be given the opportunity to listen to
different types of music all year-round. Therefore, we should have the
loudspeakers sing a bit ofpop, rock, R&B, jazz, etc. in various languages
once every other week. After all, listening to a wide range of songs can
brighten our mood and even motivate us to work harder in our next class.
All the other days can still have classical music echoing through the
hallways. Thus, these changes are fair to people who want to experience
new rhythmic beats and people who want to keep the traditional classical music.
Let's stop for a minute and reflect on all the things that can -be accomplished in a
minute. You can solve a quadratic equation- well maybe just the factoring part.. Or
you can write one more sentence in your essay - whom are we kidding? It' II just be
fluff an:yway. Or you can decline a· third declension noun (okay, just the singulars) .
Apparently, the school's administration thinks you can accomplish so many wonderful and useful things in a minute that they decided to give each class an extra one
every day. To be fair, the decision was not completely arbitrary. It is a result of the
new teachers' contract that mandates an extra 37.5 minutes per day that a teacher
must teach. Coupled with staff development, the extra minute meets tFiis requirement.
But is this really the best way to divvy up our valuable instruction time? Will
students truly benefit from this change? The Classic does not think so.
We propose that the extra time be given to enrichment workshops. Teachers would
have to teach three of them a week during zero or tenth band, but students would
only be required to attend one once a week. The number of students in a workshop
would be limited to 15. Since there will be three sections available, up to 45 students
could be programmed for a given workshop topic . .
For students struggling in a particular area, the workshops would be more of a
tutoring session. The other workshops would be devoted to a particular topic. For
It is highly possible to make thisproposal a reality. Students and facinstance, if a Townsend Harris teacher is knowledgeable about the history of New
ulty members can submit songs to whomever is in charge of playing the
York City, he or she will teach a workshop on the City's history . .If poetry is his or
music. One or more staff members can decide if the songs are appropriher field of expertise, it will be a poetry workshop. Other topics could include Latin
ate. For instance, if there are lyrics, they cannot have any profanity. If
American history, current events, watercolor, and philosophy. With the school's talone submits a foreign song, then one should have a parent or guardian
ented staff and students, there is a wealth possibilities.
write a note that says the song is suitable for all ages. Since the faculty
The enrichment workshops will be like elective classes, but more intimate and
members were able to please our ears with upbeat music during
less rigid . A students' final grade will not be numerical, but rather an E, S, U, or N.
Multicultural Week, then they should be able to do it again more freThe class will be worth 0.25 credits.
quently.
An arrangement similar to the one we are proposing was enacted in the Spring
Overall, the Townsend Harris community can become enriched by all
2004 semester after a previous change to the teachers' contract. The workshops,
types of cultures. One goal in school is to learn about diverse cultures
however, were only offered once a week and student attendance was optional. As a
and learning them through music is a creative, yet effective way. Let's
result, they were not well-attended and the administration abandoned them the folretain Townsend Harris' uniqueness by incorporating classical music,
lowing semester and added an extra minute to each class .
along with several other styles of music into our bell schedule!
If our plan is enacted, the regular school day will be from 8:00 to I :35 on Mon-Valeria Chi, 112
days and 8:00-2:28 Tuesday through Friday. Zero band will begin at 7:05 and tenth
band will end at 3:2 I. Students will be programmed for either a zero or tenth band
Corrections:
science lab and a zero or tenth band enrichment workshop. Therefore, a student
The correct photography credits for the
prev-ious issue are: Anggle\ia Sutjipto·.
will only have to come in early or stay late twice a week. Compared with the current schedule, it is one extra day of zero or
Ms . Liu's photograph (p. 4 ); Sunny
.tenth band, but as a trade-off, school would end much earlier.
Liu: Ms . Fischer's photo (p . 4);
The new bell schedule is inconceivable to seniors and juniors who remember the days of bands lasting exactly 50 and 40
Angglelia Sutjipto: the Retro Day
minutes. The thought of being in school until 3:00, sorry- 2:58 and 30 seconds, four days a week is appalling. What's even
photo (p. 9); Sumit Patel : the Junior
Spirit photo (p. 9)
worse is that we won't have anything to show for this extra time. It's safe to say that Harrisites are smarter than the average
New York City high school student. Why not challenge us arid stimulate us intellectually? Our teachers are also great. Why
not let them teach something about which they are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Bring back 50 and 40 minute bands and
give students an enrichment workshop.
ample of a blue-collar work force lost by the city, because the city portation, especially during the
in New York State.
literally cannot operate without holiday season. It was necessary,
The TWU is perhaps the stron- running subways and bus lines. By however, for the strongest labor
by Rookminie Behari
school opened two.hours later. The gest union in the state of New York staging the strike the week before union in the state to take a stand
VVhen an average student strike made it almost impossible and has, by far, the most audacious Christmas, Toussaint was able to for what its members deserve; dethinks of the words "transit strike," for some students, and even teach- president, Roger Toussaint. The make a bold statement that can still spite repercussions.
For all the bickering and namethe images of school closings, de- ers, to get to school at all. While TWU members "move New be heard - the MTA is nothing
calling, all the money and energy
layed openings, and postponed some of us were celebrating the York," as their motto goes. Be- without its workers.
Toussaint's message echoed for lost, the strike has amounted to
tests come to mind.
confusion that the strike caused cause of the immense power that
Most students 11ailed the tirst city schools, the entire matter the TWU members have in run- all labor unions. In a predomi- nothing. Despite negotiations and
system-wide transit strike in 25 struck me as disconcerting and un- ning pubic transportation in a city nantly white-collar city; the TWU two final contracts given by the
such as New York, they can make was able to take a stand for what MTA, TWU members have voted
years as a way to get out of school, fair.
they feel they rightfully deserve as down the first, by only a margin of
There is a failure on the pat1 of quite a bold statement.
or, at the very least, delay its openToussaint
chose
to
make
this
a blue-collar labor union.
seven votes, and the second, much
ing to get those much-needed ex- many people to see the larger is. I believe the strike was justi- harsher to the TWU than the first,
tra hours of sleep. But when Met- sue here: the fight for respect for bold statement when he called a
ropolitan Transportation Authority labor. The basis of any industrial city-wide strike on December 20, tied, though there are a multitude was voted down by Toussaint him(MTA) employees, represented by nation is the labor force. Because a week before Christmas. AI- · of people, like Mayor Michael self.
The strike kicked up a whirlthe Transport Workers Union not everyone will go to college and though the strike lasted three days, Bloomberg, who feel that transit
(TWU ), went on strike in late De- receive a high-paying job (as most an approximate 60 hours, it cost workers were "selfish" and that wind in the city but forTWU memcember, there was a much greater of us will), there must be people the city an <:;stimated $1 billion. they "thuggishly" betrayed the city. bers, without a contract and possiissue on hand than school closings. willing to do manual labor within The TWU was able to do exten- Toussaint has expressed repeatedly bly heading to binding arbitration,
Sure, we all loved the fact that a country. The TWU is a prime ex- sive damage, in terms of revenue his regret in stopping public trans- the strike was meaningless.
MTA Transit Strike
News Staff: Marissa Green, Elana Gulotta, Megan Law, Marisa Lupo, Gloria Palma. Max
Rivlin-Nadler, Lance Tomas, Lonny Zaretsky
Christopher A manna
Diana Bell
Co-Editors-in-Chief
Jocelyn Wright
Laura Shubert
Rookminie Behari
News Editor
Feature Editor
Entertainment EditOr
Michelle Montgc:iris
Muriel Leung
Vivian Shibata
Alexandra Stergiou
Sporl'i Editor
Co·Art Editors
Photography Editor
Feature Staff: Faith Aronowitz, Cindy Chen, Tiffany Cheng, Annie Choi. Jasmine Daniel,
Shruti Karnawat. Sangsoo Kim. Veronica Kim, Linda Kung. Sydney Lowe. Kate Lu,
Adriana Mateo, Julita Mienko, Stephanie Pak, Mary-Grace Papatheodorou, Jennifer Park,
Darcy Rendon, Priti Shah. Nisha Singh. Judy SingKissoon, Anita Sonawane, Elizabeth
Striapko. Samia Ullah. Christine Whang. Janet Whang, Devon Wright. Madeleine Wright
Sports Staff: Maureen McCluskey, Robert McCullagh, Alex Rush, Lance Tomas. Nathlie
Stephens, Wendy Yan
Artists: Mitchell Bader, Darren
Richard Cappuccio
Kimberly Quon
Advisor
Business Editor
P_rincipal - Mr. Thomas Cunningham
Deon~.
Rowena Eng, Kinberly Lo. Bonnie Ng
Photography Staff: WmTen Cheng. Ashley Guzman, Natalia Guzman, Kenneth Ho,
Hannah Kang. Sunny Liu, Surnit Patel , Angglelia Sutjipto, Raksha Thapa, Priscilla Tran
Business Staff: Janet Hwang
Townsend Harris High School at Queens College
149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, N.Y. 11367
The Classic is an open forum for the expression of
student views. The opinions expressed therein should
not be taken to represent those of the administration
or faculty or student body as a whole.
Readers are invited to submit letters to the editor.
Letters should be placed in Mr. Cappucc io's mailbox in
Room 31S ore-mailed to [email protected]. The
Classic reserves the right to edit all letters . Letters must
include name and official class . Names will be withheld
upon request.
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•'
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Clubs, teams create fun at Carnival
freshments, an.d
other recreational activities in exchange
for
tickets ,
which were on
sale upon entermg.
The track
team contributed to the festivities of the
night, as they
brought back
the three-legged
race booth. "It
Junior Fan Zhang gets a bow painted on his face at the Art Club's
was a huge sucbooth.
cess last year,
[the track team]
by Jasmine Daniel
decided to do it again this year," said
With the holiday season long behind Essie Assibu, a freshman on the trayk
us and finals looming ahead, students team. Another booth that attracted atwere excited to attend the school's an- tention was the 'Ping Pong Bounce' held
nual Winter Carnival on January 9th. by the volleyball team, where students
Booths were set up on the first two floors · could win a goldfish by bouncing two
of the building and offered games, re- ping pong balls into cups. Many students
went home with new pets that night. The
Art Club's booth, in whi-ch students were
able to have their hands and faces
painted in 36 different designs, was also
popular. Art teacher Stu Yell in said of
the booth, ''I'm having a great time!"
Other popular booths were a bubble tea
shoot, video games, and karaoke. Refreshments available for tickets included
popcorn, s'mores, hot dogs , and ice
cream sundaes with all the fixings.
However, turnout for this year's carnival was lower than previous years .
This may have been because in previous years, the carnival was held after
finals and Regents were over, but this
year it was held earlier on a Monday
night. Mr. Stonehill said, '~ I thought
more people would be here, but the
booths here are great." Although school
was in session the next day arid many
students did have homework that night,
the Winter Carnival gave attendees a
chance to have fun in a school environment that was very different from the
everyday look and feeL
Sex-ed material comes under scrutiny
by Jocelyn Wright and Stephanie
Pak
making others squirm uncomfortably.
Word of the students' reactions quickly
David Moschel has given presenta- spread between the first band the pamtions on HIV/AIDS to sophomore health phlet was distributed and the last. The
classes for the past four years. Every pamphlet was put together by the Teen
year, he has made pamphlets about the Outreach Prevention Service, of which
disease and safe behavior available to Mr. Moschel is a part. Next to the 21
students. This December, "What You · alternatives was serious advice about
Need to Know About HIV & AIDS," practicing safer sex as well as four dif"69 Ways to Show Love Without Hav- ferent organizations to contact, including Sex," "Guide to Making Sex Safer," ing one where students and their partand "21 Alternatives to Penetrative Sex" ners could be tested for HIV.
"The primary focus [of the class] was
were left on the desk at the end of his
presentation. "21 Alternatives to Pen- how not to get the disease," said health
etrative Sex" was a new pamphlet, and teacher Keith Hanson."[David] always
none of the Health Department had had emphasized abstinence, non-penetrative
a chance to review it prior to its distri- options ... He's been around for so
bution . Upon seeing it and students' re- long ... thi~ is something new and I
actions, however, they deemed it in'!p- didn't look at it," he added. Mr. Hanson
propriate. The pamphlet will not be described the changes he had seen in
given out again .
Harrisites over his 19 years as a teacher
"21 Alternatives to Penetrative Sex" and concluded "our kids are not ready
explicitly suggested alternatives to sex for this, in sophomore year especially."
which made some students giggle while
Ellen Fee, Assistant Principal of
Mathematics and Health gave her
department's stance. "We have asked
David not to bring those pamphlets to
the workshops," she said
Students were divided over whether
the pamphlet was truly inappropriate.
Some found nothing wrong with distributing them: "The intention was to keep
us from having sex, that's all," said
Kfran Lorick, a sophomore who received the pamphlet. A fellow classmate,
Samantha Than added, "It was funny to
see the suggestions there, but it's no big
deaL They're just trying to get the word
out about other things than sex. Isn't that
what the school wants? It was a 'little
risque, but not too much ."
Some students disagreed . "It made
me feel uncomfortable. It was weird to
read them," said sophomore Melissa
Ramgadoo, who also saw the pamphlet.
"I thought some of them [the suggestions] were quite extreme," an anonymous sophomore added.
< Thrkish students experience America,
Townsend Harris-style. Coordinator of Student Affairs
Adam Stonehill, Principal Thomas Cunningham, and
Assitant Principal of Humanities Susan Getting pose
- with the six students and two teachers involved with
the program. In April, six Townsend students, Ms.
Getting, and Mr. Stonehill will travel to Turkey for
their part of the exchange.
Seniors triumph at SING! 2006 >
The cast and crew of senior sing revel in the
· sweetnees of victory as they lounged on their
Candy Land-inspired set. This year's theme was ·
"That's So Cliche." Seniors selected "Happily
Ever After," the juniors used "Time is Money,"
and the sophmen chose "Getting Away wi th
Murder."
l~·~\Ji}~
...
Classic
February 2006
The
3
Teachers'
cafeteria
closes
by Madelene Wright
The teachers' cafeteria was closed on
January 24 due to a lack of patronage
on the part of the teachers. The business was fail ing: Few purchases were
made in the cafeteria each day, and more
money was lost than gained.
"There was a meeting just before the
vacation [in which] the supervisor, the
principal, and the staff members met to
discuss this issue," said Sheryl Summa,
School Food Manager. "We decided that
we would have to close the teachers'
cafeteria down because we're just not
making enough money."
A daily minimum of $125.00 in purchases was necessary to sustain operation of the teachers' cafeteria: Ms.
Summa explained that sales were far
from that. "We're lucky if we can make
$35 or $40 a day," she said.
Sales declined as fewer teachers
bought food from the cafeteria every
day. Those that did regarded it only as
their second choice after bringing their
own lunch." I don't always have time
to fix the Tupperware for my tuna sandwich in the morning," said art teacher
Stu Yellin, "so the teachers' cafeteria is
always a backup."
There was a multitude of reasons
teachers cited for not buying food from
the cafeteria,- On~ of them was the price.
"A full lunch for teachers costs $4.00,"
said Mr. Yellin, "and ifl buy a bottle of
water, that's another dollar. So every
time I go down there, I drop $5.00."
Band teacher Peter Lustig added, "If I
can save a couple of bucks a day just
by packing my own lunch, over the
course of a week or a month or a school
year, the money really adds up. It's just
cheaper to bring a sandwich."
Ms. Summa said, "We don't set the
prices at the teachers' cafeteria.The admin istration at Long Island City does."
The quality of the food served also
kept teachers away from the cafeteria.
"I was never able to actually get any
healthy food down there," said Mr.
Yellin. "You know it's not a five star
meal, but it's convenient. You have to
pay for conven ience."
Some teachers, however, didn 't th ink
there was anything wrong with either
the price or the quality of the food. Classical language teacher Andrew Hagerty
said, "It's not expensive at all. For
$4.00, you get a well- balanced meal.
They serve egg rolls , baked chicken ,
patties, tacos , a wonderful salad bar,
juice, coffee, breakfast items , eggs, ba"
con, biscuits, and more."
Ms. Wischerth had her own reasons
for not buying teachers' cafeteria food.
"I just don't like cockroaches," she said.
"I don't likethe fact that they killed one
bug in the coffee machine by pouring
hot water on it." She added, "I've never
been fond of institutional food anyway."
"I'm going to miss the conve nience," said Mr. Yellin." So now when
I can't make my lunch in the morning,
I'll just have to eat a pop-tart."
4
The
-
Classic
February 2006
Art show places student talent on display
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by Julita Mienko with contributions
by Sydney Lowe
The Art Club successfully kicked off
their Winter Art Show on De-cember 12,
showcasing the work of arti sts from all
grades. From watercolor to clay, artists ·
used many different mediums in the
work they put on display. The art stayed
on display for a week before being taken ·
down.
The unveiling of the art show on
Monday in the lobby was a widely-attended event The smell of brewing coffee, hors d ' oeuvres, crackers and
cheese, and the piano softly playing in
the background provided a relaxing environment for the many art lovers of
Townsend Harris . They were able to
appreciate the .talent present among their
peers.
Although given the theme "Tranquil
Winter Night," the artwork on display
did not focus solely on winter scenes ."
The display boards featured pieces ranging from abstract photography to classical sketching.
Sophomore Darren Deoraj was proud
to have his creativity on display in "Warrior of Points ." "I used pointillism to
create a Peruvian warr.ior," he said .
When asked about his reason for this
technique, Darren responded, "I simply
did what came naturally."
And naturally is exactly how talent
flowed onto every artist's canvas. Freshmen Deborah Duke and Gabriella Duke,
Seasonal sounds abound at Concert
by Faith Aronowitz
Although the weather outside was
frightful, there was a celebration of
music at the Winter Concert on December 15 . The Intermediate, Jazz, and Concert Bands, directed by Mr. Peter Lustig
and the String Ensemble, directed by
Ms. Paula Zarmon, played entertaining
numbers while the Chorus, directed by
Dr. Mariko Sato, belted out holiday
classics and a Taiwanese folk song.
The Intermediate Band kicked off the
concert with The Star Spangled Banner.
A surprise tap dance featuring junior
Sebastian Lagos in Hey Man, Christmas
Rocks/ and a medley of Christmas classics concluded their performance.
Following the chorus came the String
Ensemble, which performed six songs.
The audience was surprised with a holiday medley arranged by Ms . Zarmon
herself. The last piece performed by the
String Ensemble, Tap Roots, encouraged
the audience "to tap along."
The favorites of the night, however,
seemed to be th(Jazz and Concert
Bands . "I liked the Jazz and Concert.
Bands a lot; they were amazing'" declared sophomore Priscilla Lin. Almost
every on~ in the Jazz
Ensemble had a
solo .
World-renowned
conductor David
Barg enthusia s tically conducted the
Concert Band in
two of their three
pieces. The finale of
the Concert Band
was a medley called
Earth, Wind and
Fire In Concert conducted by Mr. Peter
Lustig . One audience member re- Winter Concert.
marked, "The vio- .
linist Foster Wang
was phenomenal. The final number,
Earth, Wind and Fire by the Concert
Band was fabulous" .
Some teachers and students parodied
the familiar Christmas melody, Twelve
Days of Christmas , with "Twelve Days
of Townsend," starting with "On the first
day of Townsend , my teacher gave to
me a 50 pound dictionary" and ending
v.-!th "On the twelfth day of Townsend,
an improvisational Harry Potter-themed
song. Max donned Harry Potter glasses and a wizard hat for the occasion.
Many Harris fest favorites also came
back to perform. Waistina, with lead
guitarist junior Anthony DiBenedetto,
again brought tons of fans out of their
seats and around the stage, cheering
"Waistina" despite the fact that they
were asked to stay in their seats during
the show. Soloist Silbia Han and the rappers in Kronic Kredentials also performed original pieces and were wellreceived by the audience.
Although the audience enjoyed the
show, the Variety Show had several
glitches. During the acts, problems with
microphones forced the hosts to adjust
mikes and speakers as students performed. A limit of one song per person
and two for a band was also set Time
shortages caused some songs or routines
to be completely cut out of the program~
"We were very upset that no one sang
Young poets
share work
by Linda Kung
my teacher gave to me 12 screaming
seniors." Our mascot, in all of its Hawk
glory, joined in on the fun on stage, riling up the audience.
Sophomore Nadia Ahmad, Interme-.
diate Band member, said, "I think that
the concert was absolutely a_mazing . Every\)ne had a good time, and you could
tell that all of the performers worked
very hard to put Qn a good show."
Varie(y Show raises funds forAfrican school
by Anita Sonawane and Jocelyn
Wright
Despite te.c hnical difficulties and
program cuts, Free the Children's Third
Annual Variety Show on November 18
went smoothly. The proceeds from the
show will be used to buy the necessities
for a FTC-sponsored school in Sierra
Leone, Africa.
The evening, hosted by juniors
Natalie Elisha and Sonia Gera, began
with a jazzy start from Tenth Band, followed by various songs and dances. The
songs played ranged from Billy Joel's
"She's Always a Woman" to "Roses" by
Outkast The performers felt they had a
positive experience. Junior Chandra
Persaud, who danced to an Indian song
said, "I had so much fun doing it I can't
wait to do it again next year."
Seniors Elisabeth Ponsot and Max
Rivlin-Nadler's sang two songs, the second of which honored the · release of
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with
two sisters, were the only artists to enter sculpture in the show. Deborah exhibited "Self Admiration of a Mermaid"
and Gabriella 's work was entitled "The ·
Sphinx." When asked how they felt
about being the only sculptors, they replied, "We don't mind ... because that's
what we're good at "
Senior Amber Samalot, president of
the Art Club, and advisors Stu Yellin and
Margarita Wischerth led the club's fifty
members in this annual event. Every
member contributed at least one entry,
allowing for the exhibition to vary in
mood , method , and medium . When
asked about the outcome of the show,
Amber replied, "There's a great appreciation for art in Townsend ."
the Kelly Clarkson song," said sophomores Kayla Hollins and Alina
Soltanova, referring to a removed item.
Attendees of the show included
alumnus Kris Imperati '05. "I hosted the
show for the last two years, so I just
wanted to come back and see how things
turned out So far so good," he said.
Josette Apostolo, mother of
Waistina's lead drummer Steve
Apostolo said near the end of the show,
"It's the first time I've come to this
school, and the talent is just so great!"
Started in 2002, FTC raised $5000
to fund the building of a school in Sierra Leone. Now, the money raised from
this event will supply the school with
textbooks, tables, chairs, a blackboard,
a bathroom, and one teacher's salary for
a year. "Through building the school and
providing it with much needed supplies,
we are attempting to break the cycle of
poverty and end the exploitation of children through education," wrote junior
Dozens of students from all
grades and ple;ty of teachers
crowded into the library after
school on November 10 for The
Phoenix poetry reading, "Acquainted with the Night."
The event began with the reading of " Acquainted with the
Night" by Robert Frost. Many students shared the works of their favorite poets who ranged from classics like Walt Whitman and John
Clare to modern poets such as the
Nobel Prize winner and political
activist Harold Pinter. Some
shared original pieces, such as
sophomore Natalia Kozikowska's
"What it Means to be Me" and
classical language teacher Andrew
Hagerty's "Uninterrupted."
Others sang or recited the lyrics of songs such as "Music of the
Night" from The Phantom of the
Opera or "Heya" by Outkast. The
reading ended with a bang as junior Krystal Hartley energetically
read a poem "The Perks of Being
a Wallflower."
Overall, reaction to the reading
was positive. "All the poems were
very different," a freshman said.
A sophomore added, "I really enjoyed it."
Following the two hour event,
refreshments were served across
the hall. Students chatted about
their favorite poems as they _ate.
"My favorite part was watching
people enjoy the junk food and
talk," said Robert Babstock, advisor to The Phoenix.
Caroline French on Variety Show program. Caroline took over as president
of FTC this year from her sister Nessa
French, the founder of the Townsend
Harris chapter of FTC. ''Nessa is very
happy that there is continuity in the
show," sald Moira French, mother ofthe
French sisters.
-
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The Classic
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~
5
February 2006
~
All City Band -brings together NYC's talent
by Madeleine Wright
in the gymnasium to practice
Part of the larger and more playing and marching for the
general All City Band, dozens parades that occur nearly every
of musically talented high . week .
school students participate in
Sponsored by the Board of
the All City Marching Band, a Education, the All City Band
program to hone their skills , be- offers a free musical education
friend other skilled instrumen- with some of the city 's best
talists, receive training from ex- teachers and top band instruperienced conductors, and prac- ment players . However, partici_ tice songs in preparation for pation in the program is not
performances.
without sacrifices. Those interAll City Band members ested in the program must augather each week on Saturday dition for a spot in the band.
from 9 AM to noon at the Art The audition includes performand Design High School ori 2"~ ing a a chosen song, playing a
Avenue . Members are given a scale, and sight-reading a piece
$4 Metro Card to travel back of music. Only the best musiand forth from home to the cians are selected from those
school each Saturday. The All who try out.
City Concert Band practices on
Then comes the need for
the stage in the auditorium for extra practice and a stoic dedithe. winter concert at the Met cation to music . "It was a hard
Life building and for the spring decision because it meant wakconcert at Lincoln Center. The ing up really early on Saturday
All City Marching Band meets and practising a lot more,"
states Jeremy Teperman, an 11'11
grade clarinettist in the All City
Concert Band . "But I thought
it was the best way to improve
my skills without taking private
lessons because I can't get
much better just by playing in
this school 's Concert Bandthe music is not that difficult."
·Jeremy asserts that "it is an
honor to be a member of the All
City Concert Band ." Tenth
grade flautist Kimberly Hom,
also a member of the All City
Concert Band, agrees . "I am
very thankful to receive a free
musical education from New
Yqrk City; I have never taken
private music lessons," she
says. "The All City Band offers an educational atmosphere,
as well as a comfortable and
friendly one."
Jessica Yang, a I O'h grade
alto saxophonist, decided to
join the All City Marching
~
Band "because it was some- fun and productive. It helps me
thing different." She stated, become a better musician . The
"It's different because we meet instructors emphasize intonapeople from all around the five tion, style, articulation, dynamboroughs, allowing you to in- ics, and other icings on the cake
teract with people you wouldn't that make a piece of music munormally have any connection sical."
to ." Jessica said the experience
She also added, "It is hard
was "a challenge as well as re- · to think of the disadvantages . I
warding."
would have to say that a disadLily Su, who used to be in vantage is waiting for the bus,
the All City Concert Band, early in the cold winter mornstates about the other students, ing just to get there on time!"
"I kept feeling bad that I didn't
To sum up his experiences,
sound as good as them." Lily is
11' 11 grader and alto saxophona junior who attends the Queens ist Louis Merglersaid it was "i n
High School for the Sciences at one word : amazing ." He stated
that the All City Band "has afYork College, and even after
having played the alto saxo- fected me positively, profesphone for seven years, says, "I sionally, and socially. I've met
didn't think I was very_ g_ood. new people, seen amazing
Everyone else sounded better things, experienced once-in-athan me."
lifetime experiences, and was
Kimberly Hom states that even able to begin my own jazz
being in the All City Concert band with a couple of new
Band, "makes my Saturdays _friends."
Holocaust survivor talks to Hebrew classes
by Rookminie Behari
Hebrew teacher Ruth
Cooperman invited guest
speaker Susan Rachlin to talk
to students about the March of
the Living, which was started
in the spring of 1988.
"I have participated in the
march for many years. I was
and still am the coordinator for
New York," she announced
proudly.
MOTL is an educational
program that unites thousands
of Jewish teens from all over
the world in Poland to honor
Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. They retrace the
"March of Death," a 3-kilometer path that starving and weary
Holocaust victims were once
forced to take by the Nazis. It
extends from Auschwitz to
Birkenau, the largest concentration camp complex. Once they
arrive , the participants get a
chance to explore a world
where 6 million Jews and other
non-Aryan victims were tortured and executed. The teens
also take part in memorial services at the gas chambers and
crematoria, visit Jewish cemeteries, synagogues, and other
death camps like Treblinka and
Majdanek. They study the 3.5
million people that lived in Poland, most of whom were obliter(\ted by the Nazis.
From Poland, the teens fly
to Israel on May 3rd to observe
Israel's Independence Day,
Yom Ha'atzmaut.
"Well first we commemo-
rate Israel Memorial Day [Yom
Hazikaron]," explained Mrs .
Rachlin, "and all the houses,
restaurants, theaters, basically
everything closes . At night ,
they all open up because it's the
eve of Independence Day."
-Afterward, she showed a
video of the 1990 March of the
Living, which documented an
emotional roller-coaster ride for
the participants. They broke
down completely at the death
camps, when they walked
through the gas chambers, visited the crematoria where bodies of innocents were burned,
and saw the rooms with piles
of shoes and hair seized from
the Holocaust victims. They
had to lean on relatives and
friends for support when they
Arista t'nducts new members
participation to complete fifty
by Tiffany Cheng
hours of community service.
Although the night of NoArista's values of scholarship,
vember 29 brought with it a
leadership, service, and characpiercing wind, students braved
ter are represented by the
the cold on their way to Colden
Candle Lighting Ceremony.
Auditorium for Townsend
During this ceremony, a candle
Harris' annual Arista induction. The ceremony began half _symbolizing each quality is lit
by an Arista officer. First year,
an hour later than the apsecond year, and third year
pointed time due to a need for
members must also pledge to
more rehearsal, but the induccontinue
to bring honor and action ran smoothly and successcomplishment to Arista and to
fully until its end. At 7pm, paruphold the traditions of the so:
ents turned their heads as three
ciety. This year, Mr. Stonehill
hundred inductees filed into
mentioned the importance of
the auditorium by year, each
traditions in his speech. He later
line headed by anAristaofficer
commented, "As a teacher in
or board member.
this school for many years, I
Every year, the National
Honor Society holds an indue- · · have seen many traditions. Second and third year members get
tion ceremony to recognize
a glimpse into the tradition and
students for their academic
can see the good that traditions
achievements and voluntary
can bring out. Hopefully, as
first year members work their
way up, they can also realize
the value of traditions."
The President of Arista,
Anna Gu, delivered a speech
about worthy experiences from
dedicating time and effort to the
community. Highlights of the night included musical presentations by the junior Melanie
Sovern on vocals, sophomore
Adrianna Mateo on violin, and
Naadia Seemangal, who
dazzled the audience with her
unique performance on the si"
tar.
The new inductees then filed
out of Colden Center, marking
the start of a new chapter of the
National Honor Society and the
continuation of traditions upheld each year.
visited the graves of the millions killed. The narrator was
dismayed that at the entrances
of the death camps, gift shops
and hotels were set up. He felt
as though they were taking advantage of the situation and
what souvenirs could the gift
shops possibly provide? Models of crematoria to put in the
living room?
According
to
Ms.
Cooperman, the whole point of
the video was to "show a first
hand experience of something
that could not be imagined
without being there." One of the
messages in the video was that
the Jewish race has overcome
hardship and survived and
that"Never Again" will such a
genocide occur. When asked if
#
the journey through the death
camps brings her anger and
pain, Mrs . Rachlin replied,
"You better believe it! I've been
there I 0 times. My parents
came to America in the 20's,
before World War II . Everyone
in my family died except for
one uncle."
Students have a chance to be
one of the 3,000 North Americans to participate in the next
march, which will take place on
April25, 2006. They must complete an application, along with
a medical form, an essay, a personal interview, and obtain letters of recommendation .
The base price is $3 ,300 and
scholarships for the program
are available for those who
qualify.
-See Two Gentlemen
(and a Dog) in Verona
by Jocelyn Wright
Get ready for a night of
fun at Two Gentlemen of
Verona, a Shakespearean romantic comedy brought to
the 1950's with period music ~
and dances. English teacher
Joe Cazoneri who is overseeing the play describes it as
"Ray
Charles
meets
Shakespeare" and stresses
that this is not an ordinary
Shakesperean comedy.
A professional choreographer is teaching authentic
1950s dances to songs including "Mess Around,"
"Peppermint Twist," and
"Why do Fools Fall ' in
Love?" A total of seven to
eight songs wi II be per-
formed.
Each of the principal
characters will have a solo,
and there will also be duets
and quartets. .
The best members of the
Jazz Band, including senior
Lara Torgovnik, have been
recruited to accompany the
soloists. Lara will also sing
solo. Dr. Matiko Sato is
overseeing the music.
Two Gentlemen of
Verona is Shakespeare's first
romantic comedy.
Look out for a dog riding
on a skateboard and other
highlights!
Tickets go on sale soon,
so save the dates Friday,
Aptil7or Saturday, AprilS.
"
)t
6
The Classic
February 2006
Memoirs exposes audience to new culture
by Rookmini Behari
In 1997, Arthur Golden released
Memoirs of a Geisha, a fascinating and
riveting tale of a hidden world where
appearance is paramount. A literary sensation and a New York Times bestseller
for two years, it has sold more than four
million copies in English and has been
translated into 32 different languages.
This brilliant debut novel presents with
flawless realism and lovely lyricism the
true confessions of one of Japan's most
celebrated geishas.
Now, Oscar-nominated director Robert Marshall, producers Douglas Wick
and Lucy Fisher, and Steven Spielberg
bring this fable to the big screen. Memoirs ofa Geisha features the Chinese su.perstars Ziyi Zhang (House of Flying
Daggers) and Gong Li (who will play
in the upcoming Miami Vice) and Malaysian superstar Michelle Yeoh, as
Japanese geishas swept up in jealous rivalries during the 1930's and 40's. The
effect is spectacular, captivating, and, by
far, extremely fascinating. However, the
final result is not as successful as the
book. It suffers from a few holes in the
storyline, particularly towards the beginning.
Anyone expecting a scandalous experience from the subject matter is likely
to be very disappointed in the film's
sexual discretion . Set in a mysterious the language, its vocabulary, and the
arid exotic world, the story begins in the powerful emotions it expresses. Viewyears before World War II when the pro- ers and readers alike can easily relate to
tagonist, Sayuri, is torn from her pov- Sayuri 's feelings of loss, revenge, and
erty-stricken family to work in a geisha success. As far as vocabulary goes,
household (called an okiya,) and must many people tend to confuse geisha as
deal with the antagonist, another geisha a Japanese prostitute. However, a geiHatsumo, known primarily for her jeal- sha is ari artist who earns her living by
ous rage . Seeing Sayuri as a· threat, entertaini'ng rich and powerful men .
Hatsumomo directs all fury toward her Some women lived as wives; others
eradication. Despite her treacherous ri- were employed for recreational sex,
val, the girl grows to be a legendary while the geisha operated in the gray
geisha. Although she captivates the most area in between. They were forced to
intriguing men of her day, she pines only . rely on steady male patronage, also
for the one man beyond her reach.
called a danna.
As Sayuri learns the tricks of the
At the film's beginning, viewers fall
trade, she quickly learns that geisha are victim to a story hole: Sayuri is given
never allowed to love or to pursue their no background. Nor is she allowed an
own destiny. Her mentor, the legendary epilogue. The movie ends with a kiss,
Mameha, understands the limits of an and then leaves viewers hanging. Yet in
intimate relationship with a danna and the novel Sayuri's family life is emphaorders Sayuri to keep her feelings tightly sized, particularly the strong bond beretained. Unlike Hatsumomo, Mameha tween herself, her sister amd the charknows that a proper geisha cannot af- acter Mr. Tanka, of whom none or little
ford to indulge her passion in any man. mention is given in the film. The movie
And so the story begins, ends, and re- is a bit long, about three hours, but that
volves around Sayuri's struggle to find can be forgiven since the novel is 430
love, passion, and freedom in the pur- pages. I wholeheartedly recommend
suit of her own destiny.
both film and novel. I grew caught up
The distinct Jap·anese dialect makes in Golden's vivid descriptions and the
dialogue difficult to decipher at the be- cultural shock was extremely fascinatginning of the film. But as the movie ing. But do read the book beforehand.
progresses, you become familiar with It may come in handy.
King Kong remake proves an "8th wonder''
mischevious character tricks Darrow sidering almost all of its scenes were
by Diana Bell
into
starring in his next movie, which done on blue screen. Darrow's nasty
Yes, he climbs to the top of the Emhe
says
will be filmed in Singapore. She habit of finding herself in dangerous
pire State Building. But can he fight his
finally
agrees
when he mentions that the situations when not in Kong's care is
way to the top of the box office? Peter
famous
author
Jack Driscoll (Adrien Peter Jackson's way of showing how
Jackson has been awaiting a chance to
Brody)
wrote
the
script; she is his big- valuable Kong's protection is. It is also
remake King Kong, the giant gorilla
gest
fan.
· a catalyst that acts to deepen their bond.
whose 1939 appearance on the silver
As
usual,
Black
brings
much
needed
But it is a bond that simply cannot
screen later inspired Jackson to begin
comic
relief
to
this
film,
which
thrives
be,
and
the epic Empire State Building
his career in directing film. Now in theof
action
and
suspense.
Adrien
on
scenes
scene
shows
this to be true. The graphaters, Peter Jackson's King Kong runs
•
Brody
plays
his
role
wonderfully
as
ics
are
pure
perfection
as Jackson first
188 minutes - a sure sign of his devo11
in
and
out
on
Kong's
battle with
well.
Tricked
by
Black
to
stay
on
the
zooms
tion to this "8' wonder of the wo'rld."
"Singapore,"
he
continues
to
ship
to
army
aircraft.
He
seems
to
be
winning,
Jackson's decision to stay true to the
write
Denham's
film
scr.ipt.
but
in
the
end
where
could
he
possibly
original 1930's setting of the film is a
Instead
go?
of
Singapore,
Denham
is
engood one. It gives the film more life.
"T'was beauty killed the beast,"
When the Great Depression causes route to Skull Island, King Kong's preDenham
ml)rmurs upon seeing Kong's
historic,
giant
bug-infested,
and
dinoher to lose her acting job, the poor and
broken
body
at the bottom of the buildsaur
rampant
home.
When
it
comes
to
hungry Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) is
is
not
doubt
that
Perhaps.
I only hope that today's
special
effects,
there
ing.
approached by Jack Black's Carl
box
office,
with
its bland and meaningPeter
Jackson
pulled
all
the
stops.
Skull
Denham, a passionate film director ealess
films,
Island
was
exceptionally
well
done;
condoesn't
get to him first.
ger to make the next big hit. His
New, dark twist for fo.urth Potter flick
by Shruti Karnawat
The film version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, based on the series made popular by British author J. K. Rowling,
was finally released on November 18 . British director Mike Newell's take on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire does
significantly more justice to the wizarding world than Alfonso Cuar6n 's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban did. This
one, however, was much more sinister than the others , with the long-awaited appearance of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes),
the most powerful Dark wizard of all time. It also contained much more action and adventure: the Triwizard Tournament, an
inter-school magic competition held between Hogwarts. Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons, the other two other international
wizard schools. The plot became more interesting and mysterious when the goblet of fire suspiciously chose Harry (Daniel
Radcliffe), who was too young to join the tournam.ent.
Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are again brilliant in their portrayals of Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger, respectively. New faces do grace the screen: Stanislav Ianesvsky as Durmstrang competitor, champion Quidditch player Viktor
Krum, and Robert Pattinson as Hogwarts competitor Cedric Diggory.
The movie is very captivating and lurches the viewer through a multitude of emotions ranging from fear to love to hatred
to sorrow. Some viewers have said that the task of squeezing 734 pages of storyline into a two and half hour film made the
movie difficult to understand at times. Yet only avid fans of the novel feel this is a problem. For everyone else, Newell has
put enough thought into his direction of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to make it flow as seamlessly as possible. In
doing so, he continues to keep alive the notion that lives at the heart of the Harry Potter series~- that somewhere out there,
wizards really do exist.
Novelist
Joan Didion
speaksatY
by JuHta Mienko
"Life changes fast. Life
changes in an instant. The ordinary instant." Those were the
words that first echoed through
the 92nd street Y during a late
night reading on October 19. The
woman on stage, in front of the
podium, was Joan Didion.
As she began to scrupulously
retell the moments and aftermath
of her husband's death from The
Year of Magical Thinking,
Didion's crackling voice spread
through the vast hall. Her tone
was unvarying but filled with
melancholy recollection of the
best friend that she had lost.
Born in 1934, Joan Didion
grew up during one of the most
politically unstable eras ofAmerican history. She ftved through a
time when America was alive
with social upheaval, racial tension, and feminism. Didion was
surrounded with the idea of seifexpression. In a · interview with
The New York Times Magazine in
1976, Ms. Didion was asked
I" ~bout the inspiration for her writmg. She responded, "In many
ways writing is the act of saying
I, of imposing oneself upon other
people, of saying listen to me, see
it my way, change your mind."
It is with this mentality, that
Joan Didion wrote her many critically acclaimed novels including
Play It As It Lays ( 1970) and A
Book of Common Prayer (1977).
Her collections of magazine essays further express an alarming
visjon of American politics and
culture. Throughout her many
publications, whether Joan
Didion is writing about loopholes
in American democracy, media
bias, or presidential scandals, she
always manages to convey a "vision of truth."
As she shone in the spotlight
that night, Joan Didion stood on
the stage before her audience as
an analyst of America. It was a
privilege to hear her look back on
the instants that changed her life,
the ordinary instants.
The Unterberg Poetry Center;
part of the 92nd Street YMCA
Tisch Center for the Arts, will be
holding more reading by other
legends of literature. Among them
are Salman Rushdie (Haroun and
the Sea of Stories, The Satanic
Verses), Wole Soyinka (Climates
of Art), and Paul Auster (The
Brooklyn Follies).
·
This Apple is
by Lonny Zaretsky
· Controversy seems to cling to some
artists like the bubonic plague. The 29year old singer-pianist Fiona Apple is
of no exception. Apple's rise to fame,
as considered by many, is her brash acceptance speech at the 1997 MTV Music Video Awards, where she proclaimed
that the "world is bull-[insert expletive
here] ." As years passed and millions of
albums were sold, she slowly faded
away from the music scene, untir now.
Her most recent album, Extraordinary
Machine, was released October4, 2005,
six years after her second album, When
the Pawn ... Most are unaware of the true
story behind this emotionally driven album and the amount of work it required
to be released. Originally completed in
May 2003 with Producer Jon Brion, Extraordinary Machine was full of painstricken affection and life-experienced
maturity. Epic Records, a sub-set of
Sony, rejected the record due to the lack
of "radio-hit" singles. According to Jon
Brion , the album was scrapped , but
thousands of loyal fans mailed in foam
apples to Sony Corporation to show
their support.
Perhaps it was the pressure from the
persistent fans, but somehow II tracks
from the unreleased Extraordinary Machine leaked onto the internet in early
2005. Outraged by the fact that her unfinished tracks were released , Fiona
Apple jumped into perfectionist mode
and spent months reworking the entire
album . A new producer, Mike Elizondo,
a popular collaborator with artists such
The
~------
____
Classic
7
February 2006
~xtraordinaty'
as Eminem and 50 Cent, was called into
the project. Although this seemed an
odd pair, upon the completion of Extraordinary Machine, the once skeptic
fans finally agree that they are a match
made in heaven .
Extraordinary Machine proves to be
a strong example of Fiona Apple's sultry and precocious style that her fans
hilVe learned to love. Most of Extraor:
dinaf}' Machine had been written after
Fiona Apple's breakup with Paul Thomas Anderson, writer and director. of ·
Boogie Nights and Magnolia . Apple's
straight forward lyrics swell with intimacy and despair. Such feelings are apparent in "Get Him Back'' in which she
- sings about "one man, he disappoints
me." In "Not About Love" she sings
about missing that "stupid ache."
· Apple's "Parting Gift" shows off not
only her well-groomed piano skills but
· her finely trained voice. Her sultry voice
and expressive piano playing give the
song a life of its own.
What would a Fiona Apple CD be
without a slow ballad of questioning and
despair? The song "Red Red Red" manages to accomplish this and much more.
Her sorrowful lyrics raise questions and
emotions by comparing the mining of
diamonds to the finding of love. · Extraordinary Machine is quite the comeback CD after a six-year break. It proves
that Apple hasn't changed one bit and
. has remained true to her personal inspiration and lived up to expectations by
producing such an enthralling album.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Hawks
Queens Championship
looms near for girls
by Robert McCullagh
at the McKay Combined Games on DeBased on their performances in De- cember 4.
cember and thus far in the new year, the
Coach Timothy Connor attributes his
Girls ' Indoor Track team has their sights team's success to the fact that "they
already set on the Queens Champion- work hard because they enjoy it, not beships, to be held ·on
February 19 at the
Armory.
Junior Devotia
Moore won two
races at the PSAL
Holiday Games on
· December 29, the
3000 meter run individually and the 4
x 800 relay with fellow juniors Susan
Wasserman and
Koma Ogaye and
freshman Lorena
Russi. It was the
second time she has
.
Runners from the G1rls' Indoor Track Team stretch at a
won the 3000 meter recent practice.
run, the first coming
on November,27 at the Pilgrim Games. cause they have to."
Between the senior "leaders," the
At the Dr. Martin L\lther King Relays on January 16, senior Tiffany Yu juniors who are "performing well as _alplaced fifth in the 1500 meter racewalk ways," and the freshmen who are "prowith a time of eight minutes and 39 sec- gressing beautifully," Connor is optimisonds .. Freshman Amy Cha has two first tic going into the last meet before the
place finishes in this same racewalking Queens Championships, the Mayor's .
event, one at the Holiday Games and one Cup on January 28.
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A(AI)(ffiV
STRIKE WATCH
The fate of the boys' andgirls'
bowling teams
by Michelle Montgoris
The Boys' Varsity Bowling team's season came to an end on November 22 with a 2-0 loss to James Madison High School. Junior Jeremy
Teperman rolled the high game of the day with a 195, while sophomore
Cletus Schuyler was second with a 178.
Teperman scored a 14th place finish in the City Individuals just the
day before with a series of 586 for three games. Senior Peter Catalano
also competed in the tournament, after he and Teperman placed second
and third, respectively, in the Queens Borough Individuals on November 15.
With their two wins and one loss in the postseason, the boys ended
the year with a combined 13-4 record.
As for the girls, their season came to an end on the same day with a 20 loss to the eventual city champion, Curtis High School. Senior cocaptain Sandi Von Ohlen and junior Jennifer Kalar had the high scores
in the loss, rolling a 178 and a 165 respectively.
Like the boys, the girls also sent two bowlers to the City Individuals
on November 21. Von Ohlen competed along with fellow senior co-captain Michelle Montgoris. Montgoris and Von Ohlen placed first and second, respectively, in the Queens Individuals the week before in order to
qualify.
The team was also featured in Newsday's High Five Magazine on
October 6. The article focused on the team's three seniors, Shannon
Conlisk, Montgoris, and Von Ohlen, and detailed theirjourney through
four years on the team.
8
The
-
Classic
February 2006
JV Hawks soar to
Turtles take plunge, win title
second in dt'vt'st'on
by Michelle Montgoris
An undefeated 8-0 seasol)
and three po s tsea s on wins
added up to the Girls' Varsity
Swim team achieving their ultimate goal: winning the City
Championship.
The meet, which took place
against Stuyvesant High School
on November 29, featured five
first place finishes by various
members of the Turtles . The
400-meter relay team of senior
Bridget Travers , junior
Maureen McCluskey, and
freshmen Kirsten Guelly and
Andrea Yoo accounted for one
of them. McCluskey added another in the 100-yard backstroke, sophomore Paula
Francesca Bartilini looks on.
by Robert McCullagh
Coach Adam Stonehill, who
With a 45 - 28 win over set the team's goals at the beQueens High Scliool of Teach- ginning of the year as getting
ing on January 19, the Girls' everyone to "play, participate,
Junior Varsity Basketball team and improve," is pleased with
has won four of their last five his team's performance thus far.
games and sits second only to
They are improving," he
Grover Cleveland in the divi- said. "They are a pleasure to
sion standings.
coach."
Sophomore
Danielle
With four games remaining
Abatemarco was the leading in February, all at home on Febscorer in the game, netting 22 ruary -1, 3, 7, and 9, the team
points as well as two assists. will look to continue their winSophomore Christine Golea ning streak and enjoy their time
added five points, while fresh- together. Ten of the 12 girls will
man Julia Fusfeld contributed be forced to graduate to varsity
six points and I I rebounds. next season due to age, but
Sopliomore Chelisse Headley Stonehill expects Fusfeld to
also had 12 rebounds.
take charge as a sophomore, as
Abatemarco has often been he is impressed by her "strong
the leading scorer. She is the leadership as a freshman ."
team leader as well _with 16.67 ·
Freshman
Francesca
points and 3. 17 rebounds per Bartilini, who is averaging 5.33
game. Fusfeld is second behind points and five rebounds per
Abatemarco with 7.43 points game, also looks to factor
and nine rebounds per game:
largely into next year's plans .
'
New faces equal rough
season for Hawks
by Lance Tomas
"We really tried hard. All
their shots were falling, and you
can't defend against that. We
weren't getting as many opportunities as they did, but we took
advantage when we had the
chances."
Even though she was speaking in reference to their 73-28
.loss to Francis Lewis on January 12, junior Jennifer KaJar
summed up the Girls' Varsity
Basketball team's season with
this one statement. With a
record of 1-10, the team is in
last place in the best division in
Queens.
Compiled of mostly young
players moved up from last
season's junior varsity team and
their third coach in as many
years, the Hawks have suffered
many growing pains. Their
highest scoring game came on
January 23 against Bayside,
when they scored 58 points in
a 73-58 loss. Despite putting on
their best offensive display to
close the game to 47-42 at the
end of the third quarter, the girls
were simply outrun and
outscor1ed.
Kalar leads the team in both
scoring and rebounds, with
. 12.44 points per game and four
rebounds per game . Sophomore
Nicole Van Allen is a close second with 11 .88 points per game.
Freshman Cecilia Ehresman,
who has emerged as the starting point guard, is averaging
3.88 points and two assists per
game .
The Hawks have three
games remaining, at home
against John Bowne on January
30 and Bayside on February 2
and at John Bowne on January
31.
Guzman had one in the 200yard freestyle and the 500-yard
freestyle, and Guelly added one
of her own in the 200-yard individual medley.
On another note, these five
girls also competed at the state
c;hampionships in Buffalo, New
York, on November 19 and 20.
"I have been coaching the
Turtles for 19 years, but the
team this year has the greatest
depth yet," praised coach Jim
Jordan.
This depth comes despite
the loss of AndreaAmorillo, the
top diver in Queens for the past
three years who graduated this
past year. Juniors E llen
Abramowitz and IIi ana Suarez,
as well as sophomores Shirley
Liu and Sunny Liu, stepped up
this s e ason to try and fill
Amarillo 's void .
Several of the other girls
also established names for
themselves within the Queens
division . McCluskey holds the
regular season best time for the
I 0-yard backstroke at one
minute and five seconds , as
well as the fastest time for the
IOOyard freestyle (58 seconds).
The best time of one minute and
two seconds for the I 00-yard
butterfly belongs to Guelly.
Travers owns the best time for
the 200-yard .freestyle at two
minutes and II seconds, which
also places her 15th in the city.
Boys set sights on champs
by Lance Tomas
With the season a little more
than halfway through, the Boys'
Indoor Track team has shown
itself to be a bona fide contender for the city championship title. Seniors Nestor
Serrano and Shrey Surana have
already qualified for the championship meet in the I 000 meter
and two mile runs, respectively.
"We have great senior leaders on this team," said Coach
George Rio. "They help the
young guys out and teach them,
and it helps them get better."
Serrano and Surana, along
with fellow senior Jon Pantano,
offer a wide variety of skills in
different distances . Serrano
-specializes in the thousand
meter and one mile runs , while
Surana is especially adept in
the 3200 meter run. Pantano's
best runs are in the 400 and 600
meter runs .
Serrano has placed in the
top ten in four different meets
this indoor season, with his best
a fourth place finish at the
PSAL Holiday Games meet on
December 29 at the Armory in
the Bronx.
Surana has finished in the
top ten twice, his best being a
third place finish in the 3200
meter run at the Pilgrim Games
on November27 at the Armory.
Pantano also has two top ten
finishes, his best being a seventh place finish in the 600
meter run at the McKay-Team
Challenge Games on December
3 at the Armory.
Youth is also an important
part of the team . Freshmen
Chris Gu'errero and David
Vaughan have played an important role thus far. Guerrero is
ranked 15th in the city for varsity runners in the one mile run
and has two first place finishes
to his name. Vaughan specializes in the 400 meter dash and
the long jump and has placed
in the top ten in all of his events
so far this season.
The Queens Championship
Games will be held on February 19 at the Armory. There is
only one meet left, the Mayor's
Cup Games on January 28, before it.
Hawks prepare for_ next year
by Michelle Montgoris
It has been a season to forget for the Boys' Varsity Basketball .team, as they are on the
verge of their second straight
winless season with two games
remammg.
Their most recent game, a
63~49loss to Hillcrest, did have
some highlights . Junior Admir
Deljanin scored 17 points and
grabbed four rebounds, while
freshman Sheldon Jones scored
17 points of his own . Senior
Noel Jacob and sophomore
Jonathan Stein each contributed
five rebounds in the loss.
"We' re a young team and we
have talent, but you have to deal
with growing pains," said first
year coach Frank DeNunzio.
I've been very content with
their character [though] . They
come to play every day."
The talent DeNunzio is
speaking of is especially evident in the performance of
Jones and junior Eran Shargal.
Jones is averaging an impres-
Coach Frank DeNunzio discusses strategy with his team during a
timeout.
sive 16.83 points per game,
placing him 12th in all of
Queens and fifth in the Queens
II-A division. Shargal adds 9.75
points per game, while Stein is
averaging four points and 3.92
rebounds per game.
With only two seniors
graduating this year, the team
will return 17 of its 19 players
next season. DeNunzio already
plans to work with them during the offseason in the weight
room and to begin practicing as
early as possible to help get his
team used to his "new system"
for a successful 2006-2007
campaign.
"We're a small school, but
we're maturing as a team," he
said . ''I'm looking for bigger
things riext year."