October 2015 - Sewanhaka Central High School District

The Chieftain
THE CHIEF SOURCE OF NEWS
In This
Issue:
Back to School pg. 1
How Bad is Trump,
Really? pg. 5
Welcome Back!
by Daniel Deslippe
it needs. After all, the things we do Instead of consuming your time on
in high school are life-defining. With school drama, set goals for your
Welcome back students that being said, here’s another piece self each marking period You will
and teachers! Although it is tough of advice; focus on what’s important. be surprised to see how much you
to get back into the
can improve within one
groove of things, it
year. Along with getting
is important to keep
good grades, it is also
moving
forward.
important to manage
You might be asking
your time. Time manyourself-- how can I
agement will organize
make the most out
the work you need to do
of my school year?
and how much free time
With that question
you have. It will also
in mind, you are alreduce your stress and
ready well on your
increase your success!
way to having a suc “Each year is a new
cessful school year.
opportunity to improve
7th grader, Chrisyour high school progtian Garcia already
ress! Never settle for
knows how he can
less and always go for
make his first year
more,” explains Senior
in Sewanhaka a
Khadeza Uddin. It is
Students eager to tackle a new school year
great one. “My goal is to be on
never too late to get involved
the High Honor Roll list and reand improve your grades. At
ceive academic awards,” he said. “Unnecessary drama on the end of the day, good grades pay
Along with that, it is also social media or in school are just off big time in the near future. With
important to get involved in clubs distractions from the work that that being said, I hope you all have a
and extracurricular activities. This is essential to setting your path in healthy and prosperous school year!
gives your college resume the edge life,” says Senior Beaty Couloute.
The Band Plays On
By Emily Spring
Sewanhaka High School
performed yet again at the 53rd
annual Newsday Marching Band
Festival at Mitchel Field Athletic
Complex in Uniondale. On Octo-
Syrian Refugee Crisis
pg. 7
Homecoming pg. 9
Humans of
Sewanhaka
pg. 15
Vol. 27 Issue 1
October 2015
Sewanhaka High School
500 Tulip Avenue
Floral Park, NY 11001
under the direction of Mr. Doherty, been yearning to do for so long.”
the band performed Uptown Funk, At the end of Uptown Funk, the
Grenade and Runaway Baby, the
band decided to try something
theme being Bruno Mars. Accomnew, adding a dance routine to the
panied by the Rockettes and Color end of their performance. ChoreoGuard, the band put on an outgraphed by the Rockettes, everystanding performance. Mr.
one hit the whip,surprising the
Doherty shared, “The Band,
crowd. Sophomore, Lisa Mazzeo
Color Guard and Rockettes
said, “my favorite part was hitting
worked very hard to put on a the whip on television.” On behalf
great show for the crowd at
of the Rockettes, Grace Triquet
Newsday. Mrs. Ruvel, Mrs.
added, “I will never forget this
Milito and I are very proud
Newday festival because I was able
of the performance and glad
to spend it with my second family,
that the students had fun that my team.” Overall, Sewanhaka’s
night.” The performance
performance was a success. A big
would not have been possithank you to everyone involved.
Drum Majors Gabby and Rebeca lead
ble without the drum majors,
out Sewanhaka (Photo Courtesy of Chris seniors Rebeca Solorio and
Bergmann)
Gabrielle Jean-Louis. Rebeca thoughtfully
Sewanhaka Marching Band in action.
ber 15th, Sewanhaka, along with
added, “it is definitely
(Photo courtesy of Chris Bergmann)
various schools from Nassau and
an experience like no
Suffolk Counties gathered to perother. I remember my
form for family and friends. The
first year in marching
Newsday Marching Band Festival
band, looking up to
began in 1963, starting out as a
the drum majors and
one-day performance including
saying, ‘wow, I want
thirteen bands. Now, the festival
to do that.’ After long
has evolved into a three night
practice hours, voice
event, fundraising for the bands
cracks, and sore arms,
participating and further donating
we were prepared for
to Newsday charities. This year,
something we have
School News
OCTOBER 2015
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
Nayab Khan
Maryyam Mian
Selena Thomas
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Emily Spring
Sidney Saint-Hilaire
Khadeza Uddin
Matias Weilmann
STAFF
Bisma Ahmed
Noah Ahmed
Mahzabin Alam
Cindy Amaya
Nya Archie
Leonidas Bonnet
Suhana Chaudhury
Camilo Copete
Cristian Copete
Daniel Deslippe
Daniel Gutierrez
Sasha Harris
Christelle Julien
Shafaq Khan
Christopher Melton
Victoria Milard
Lauren Murphy
Anji Persaud
Daniella Ramos
Sephora Saint-Armand
PHOTOS
Stephanie Gallardo
Josh Kessler
Anji Persaud
ADVISOR
Mr. Alfino
2
Field of Hopes & Dreams
BY DANIELLA RAMOS AND
CINDY AMAYA
annoying to get on a bus to get off
school grounds. However, once the
fields are all done, the wait is goSince last June, Sewanhaka’s high ing to be worth it.” Seeing how
school fields as well as the other amazing the football field turned
schools’ fields have been undergo- out, the wait is certainly worth it.
ing renovation. The
football field was
the first one to be
done, replacing the
worn out grass with
new turf and an all
new track. The turf
looks vivid with
the bright green
grass. The track
looks smooth and
Sewanhaka football field “glows up.”
fresh with the bright red and
white lines. Our field has the
school’s logo, the Sewanhaka Indian, The Junior High soccer, football and
at the 50 yard line. The field looks so field hockey teams have
beautiful that you can just sit on the limited space to practice.
bleachers and admire all the hard Because of the ongoing
work...until you look past the foot- field construction, they
ball field...then the view changes. have no choice but to diFall sports have been greatly af- vide the field outside the
fected by the construction of the locker rooms-- which is
fields. Varsity and JV soccer teams, very hard to share. Junior
field hockey teams and cross coun- High boys soccer coach
try teams all have to leave school Mr. Bernadel said, “It’s
grounds in order to practice. We tough, but we are workasked Mrs. Lidowsky how she felt ing around it. The payabout this situation. “I know it’s off will be better next
year when we have the new fields.”
We spoke to Mr. Kasimatis and
asked him how he feels about the
new field. He responded by saying,
“I love the new field. The kids love
it when they go outside for gym.
Everyone likes to participate. We’re
gonna have one of the nicest schools
around.” He concluded by telling us,
“Never in my wildest dreams would
I have thought the fields would look
this good. Looks like the field has
not only had a great impact on the
team, but the students as well!”
Mrs. Lidowsky also told us that the
end result will be amazing. “Think
about what you’re going to have
in the end-- you’re going to have a
beautiful, perfectly leveled flat field
to play on.” Hopefully more students will want to participate when they see the
new fields. With all this
great feedback, we won’t
doubt they will want to
join. It looks like this new
year is going to be filled
with positive energy and
enthusiasm. Go Indians!
Aerial view of the
field
A Message from your Editors
WELCOME BACK!
We hope everyone is enjoying their
first few weeks back at school.
When back in the halls of Sewanhaka, keep in mind to stay active in
the community. Part of that activity
- you guessed it - is picking up a
copy of the Chieftain! This is only
our second year using the newspaper format, but we hope it’s being
received well. We look forward to
carrying on The Chieftain’s long
and prosperous legacy. Remember
that if you are ever interesting in
contributing to the Chieftain, do
not hesitate to approach the editors
or Mr. Alfino. Happy reading!
- Your Editors
In this Issue:
Cover............................................................pg. 1
School News..............................................pg. 2-3
National News...........................................pg. 4-5
International News....................................pg. 6-7
Homecoming.............................................pg. 8-9
Features.......................................................pg. 10
New Faces...................................................pg. 11
Entertainment.........................................pg. 12-13
Editorial.......................................................pg. 14
Humans of Sewanhaka................................pg. 15
Sports..........................................................pg. 16
OCTOBER 2015
School News
3
Time for Bullying to End
BY LAUREN MURPHY
Thinking about the month
of October, these are the things that
may come into mind: cool weather,
Halloween, and lots of candy. Did
you know that October is also National Bullying Month? People do
not normally enjoy talking about
bullying, it is an issue that affects us
in different ways. Whether you’ve
been a part of a bullying situation,
or have witnessed it as a bystander,
we have all been associated with it
at some point in our lives. What we
do not realize-- however-- is that
we all have the ability to end it. If
students work together and create a
welcoming environment for everyone, many lives can be tremendously improved.
“Bullying makes me feel like
I’m nothing,” states a Sewanhaka student, who wishes to remain
anonymous. “Some of my friends
have turned their backs on me and
started saying mean things behind
my back. It really affects me.” He
continued to explain that this treatment has caused him to miss out on
many events, including clubs and
sports due to intimidation by those
who have bullied him. The student
wishes to help students in a position
similar to his own in the future and
put an end to bullying. Sophomore
Emma Reifschneider also wants
to put a stop to bullying. “If I saw
bullying, I would do the right thing
and help the victim out,” she states.
“Bullies never seem to stop no matter how many assemblies they go
to, but if we focus on the vast majority that are neither victims nor
bullies, we can turn these bystanders into upstanders.” If people start
to stand up to bullies, these bullies
would feel intimidated, and eventually they will stop.
If more people start to realize the drastic effects of bullying,
more lives will be changed. Bullying causes so many people to experience depression. Bullying can
also kills someone’s self-esteem,
and can even take away desire to
live. Before you say something,
take a moment to think about how
it could hurt that person for an indefinite amount of time. We all have
Pink is The Thing
BY SASHA HARRIS
come together and spread awareness about breast cancer.
On Friday, October 2nd,
Throughout the month of October,
the halls of Sewanhaka were filled
STAC members went above and bewith pink. Sewanhaka held its
yond to raise awareness for breast
annual Think Pink Day. This is a
cancer. Not only have they worn
STAC and Sewanhaka community pink to demonstrate their awareeffort to promote Breast Cancer
ness, but they have also held bake
Awareness. As a way to convey
sales to raise money for breast canawareness, stucer.These donadents and facultions are sent to
ty wore pink in
a foundation that
order to support
will give cancer
Breast Cancer
patients the treatAwareness.
ment and mediAfter asking
cation they need.
Senior Jeannie
As important as it
Alonzo about
is to raise awarehis thoughts on
ness for breast
Students wear pink for breast
Think Pink Day
cancer, it is also
cancer awareness.
he stated , “I abvital to be knowlsolutely love what
edgeable about how
Think Pink Day
breast cancer can
supports considering it affects 3
strike anyone; young or old, fammillion Americans annually. How- ily history or no family history,
ever, I really wish this day could
healthy or unhealthy. Many of our
be held multiple times during the
own loved ones are dealing with
school year because breast cancer
this terrible diagnosis. Although
is an issue that many members of
wearing pink will not cure someone
our community have dealt with or
of breast cancer, it certainly raises
are dealing with now.” Think Pink
hope as well as endless amounts
Day is certainly a day that gives
of attention that cancer deserves.
fellow students the opportunity to
the power to change someone’s life;
it is our job to make that change
a positive one. If you or someone
you know is being mistreated, tell a
guidance counselor or a teacher be-
cause bullying is an issue that cannot be taken passively. Bullying is
an issue that must be stopped for
good.
AP Scholars
BY MARYYAM MIAN
Scholar Award was granted to those
students who received scores of 3
In mid-August, College or higher on three or more AP ExBoard announced the recipients of ams while the AP Scholar with Disthe AP Scholtinction
Award
ar
Awards
was granted to
and many of
students who rethe winners
ceived an averhappened to
age score of at
be Sewanleast 3.5 on all
haka juniors
AP exams taken
and seniors.
and scores of 3 or
The awards
higher on five or
were divided
more of these exThis year’s AP Scholars
into several levels
ams. Congratularanging from State
tions to the nearAP Scholar to National AP Scholar ly 100 Sewanhaka students who
and each had set criteria that needed were commended AP scholars!
to be met by students. This
year, College Board named
3 members of Sewanhaka’s
Class of 2015 as National
AP Scholars. Those awarded
were Aleena Imran, Arslan
Sadiq, and Shahzaib Saleem. A majority of the the
current seniors and juniors
received the AP Scholar and
AP Scholar with Distinction
AP Scholars with Distinction
Awards. An AP Scholar with Dis- pose with Mrs. Debra Lidowsky
tinction, Matias Weilmann shared,
“It was nice to see my effort recognized and rewarded.” The AP
OCTOBER 2015
National News
4
“Time” To Put an End to Islamophobia
BY SHAFAQ KHAN
Ahmed Mohamed was a normal
American high school student, with
an interest in technology. That is,
until he was arrested for bringing
a homemade clock to his school in
Texas this past September. He was
arrested on suspicion that the device was a hoax
bomb. But, it was
actually a clock
that the creative
Ahmed crafted at
home and brought
to school to show
his teachers. After commending
Ahmed and possibly
foreseeing
some trouble that
could have occurred if other
teachers spotted it, his technology teacher told him to put it away
and to keep it out of sight. However, the homemade clock’s alarm
went off in his English class, and
after demanding to see it, his suspicious English teacher decided to
contact the police. Ahmed was removed from class and put into a
room where police conducted an
hour-long interrogation without a
lawyer present. Ahmed was also
not allowed to contact his parents.
Ahmed Mohamed has a
typical Muslim name and many believe that racial profiling took place
tunate to hear about how ignorant
and blind our society has become. I
personally don’t think this situation
is about whether Ahmed’s decision
was good or bad. This goes beyond
that, it’s all about how much society
is stereotyping all Muslims due to
the brainless activities of the radical minority. The only way to stop
such thoughts in society is through
awareness and educating those that
are being influenced by both news
reports and other biased people.”
Right-wing media has been
quick to defend the school and
point the finger at Ahmed, claiming that his teacher had every right
to suspicion. However, Ahmed has
received an outpouring of support
not only from the Muslim community, but from the entire country. On
Twitter, the hashtag #IStandwithAhmed trended number one worldbecause of this. Most people agree wide. Within 24 hours, this hashtag
that if Ahmed Mohamed was of an- was mentioned over 200,000 times
other race and religion, he would on Twitter. Ahmed currently has a
not have been arrested. When asked following of over 100,000 people
about her feelings towards this in- on Twitter. Many prominent leaders
cident, Sewanhaka junior Alena have tweeted him their support, inVarghese replied, “It’s so unfor- cluding Hillary Clinton, Ne-Yo, and
Mark Zuckerberg. President Obama
invited Ahmed to bring his, “cool
clock,” to the White House! Furthermore, Twitter offered Ahmed an
internship and Google extended an
invite to a lunch. He has also been
invited to visit MIT and to attend
various global conferences. As for
now, Ahmed is switching schools
and has hired a team of lawyers to
help him sue the high school and police department. Instead of deterring
students interested in technology,
this incident has seemed to have encouraged STEM students to continue
their technological pursuits. Sewanhaka’s instrumentation and automation teacher, Mr. Chen, commented
that, “Access to STEM education
is extremely important.” Though
it seems that more good than bad
has come of this event, Americans
must learn how to effectively combat Islamophobia, even if that starts
with a kid and his homemade clock.
If You’re Not Politically Correct, Are You Wrong?
BY: SIDNEY SAINT-HILAIRE
It is an inarguable fact that
we as a community, nationally and
internationally, are composed of
more voices than ever before. Entire monoliths of gender, race, and
religion are now able to express
themselves and their views as distinct and unique from each other
with a surgical precision. Yet, with
all these voices, is the truth being
drowned out? Throughout the media, there are campaigns against
“problematic” figures in society,
whether it be law enforcement and
authority, talk show hosts, or the
occasional anonymous members
of society who get thrusted into the
limelight for better or worse.
It is admissible that political
correctness has come a long way in
our social pursuit for inclusion and
recognition; however it is becoming a fear for some that the concept
has now morphed into a medium for
individuals to bully others into preferred mindsets in the same Procrustean manner that had repressed the
idea of political correctness in years
past. Jeannie Alonzo explained the
situation; “The term itself used to
justly describe the proper way for
someone to express their beliefs has
now become a way to set forth political agendas that everyone has to
fit into. It is an issue because people
and politicians alike have forced
their own personal agendas into it
which trivializes
its true purpose”.
This is a fair statement, but with
it arises many
questions: where
can we draw the
line with political correctness at
the point where
it veers into personal opinion and
intrusion?
In leaving
the concept of being PC up to the
individual, what
is to stop people
regarding
from
words and labels
historically seen
as derogatory and
inflammatory as politically correct
in their own mindset? Often times,
at the expense of being politically
on what is PC and what is not when
there is such a plurality of thought
in the smallest of communities, let
alone society on a grand scale. The
clearest answer is this: no one is fit
to define the rules of political correctness other than those who are
on the receiving end.
In the same way that a dom
inant group cannot experience
the oppression and discrimination of a marginalized group,
they can have neither the frame
of reference, nor the foundational
empathy required to fully define
what political correctness would
mean for said group.Is the verdict really better safe than sorry?
As senior Reid Hetzel describes
it, “there is no such thing as being too politically correct, that’s
like a teacher saying “you picked
the right answer but I didn’t give
you credit because your answer
was too detailed.” Yes it might be
more taxing, maybe even painstaking, but it is better than the
alternative. For now, many argue
that not only haven’t we reached
cally tied to the subtle nuances of our PC overload, but we have quite
political correctness? How could a ways to go.
we ever come up with a consensus
correct, people lose out on the opportunity to confront harsh realities
and tackle difficult subjects. On the
other hand, can one truly say that
the arguments that shake society
to its core like sexual orientation,
race, and religion are not intrinsi-
National News
OCTOBER 2015
5
3 out of 4 Ain’t Bad
BY: NYA ARCHIE
It was no surprise that after Serena Williams’ sixth win
at Wimbledon, she was ready to
come to New York and attempt
to win her 22nd Grand Slam Title. No one has ever won all four
tournaments in one year since
Steffi Graf in 1988 and Serena was
determined to beat that record.
Her first match at the 2015
US Open, lasted only 21 minutes
with a 6-2, 2-0 win against Vitalia Diatchenko. Diatchenko took
two medical time outs for her left
ankle. When asked what she said
to Diatchenko after the match Serena told ESPN, “I said to her I
was proud of her for even coming
out and making this effort knowing she was injured.” Williams
also won her second round against
21 year old Kiki Bertens from the
Netherlands with a 7-6, 6-3 score.
In round three Williams
battled Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Williams won with a score of 3-6,
7-5, and 6-0. Williams had her second quickest match in the fourth
round going against 19 year old
Madison Keys. The match lasted
an hour and eight minutes with
a score 6-3, 6-3. On Williams’
game Keys said “Her drive and
fight is unmatched by anyone.’’
In one of her most heated and emo-
was definitely worth the watch.
The match ended with Serena advancing to the semifinals and a
hug shared between the sisters.
“She has nothing to prove. She’s
already the best ever.” Venus said.
Finally the day of the Semi-
nately that was not the case, Williams’ unbeatable streak ended with
a score of 6-2, 4-6, and 4-6. She was
defeated only two matches away
from making history in tennis for the
first time since 1988. Sewanhaka’s
Coach Kelly said, “Serena’s game
is fast and hard and she was playing someone who has more finesse
and that’s unfortunate, she played a
really good game but that day she
just couldn’t adjust to Roberta’s
speed.” The loss was met with a lot
of uproar from the crowd. Vinci’s
response, “I’m sorry,” she stated on
court. “For the American people,
for the Grand Slam, for Serena. But
today is my day.” Serena’s response
to the match, “I mean, I won four
Grand Slam (tournaments) in a row,
and got to the semi’s in another one,
Serena Williams poses after winning her 3rd grand slam this year.
and I’ve done that twice. I mean
how many people have done that?
tional matches throughout the U.S finals arrived, and Williams battles So, yeah, it wasn’t a loss for me, it
Open, Serena took on her sister the 43rd-ranked Roberta Vinci. The was a win and a learning experience.
Venus in the Quarterfinals. Several match was expected to be a stress- And I tried hard. Unfortunately the
celebrities came to see the highly free win considering the fact that girl I played just outplayed me that
publicized match. With a win- Williams has never lost to Vinci in day, you know. She probably dening score of 6-2, 1-6, and 6-3, it all of their four meetings. Unfortu- served it. And I am happy for her.”
How Bad is Trump, Really?
BY CHRISTOPHER MELTON
As we all know Donald
Trump is running for President in
the 2016 elections. This has been a
trending topic all over the country
for the past month. Among the Republican Party he is in the top ten
for national polling. There has been
so much said about Trump running
for presidency and as of now he is
losing supporters. Mr. Trump is a
businessman and has only been a
politician for about 3 months. He
is a Republican and a billionaire
which make people question whether they should even consider voting
for him.” Donald Trump fails to
answer questions presented to him.
He will say and do anything to deflect a question because the majority of the time he does not have an
answer”, says 12th grader Yash Sehgal. It does not seem like he knows
how to answer these often times
challenging questions like a politician running for the president of
the United States should be able to.
“He isn’t qualified to do
the job of a politician. He has absolutely no experience to deal with
foreign policy,” Mrs. Beaubian stated. Many people would agree with
this notion because being able to do
so is a critical part to being President. Mr. Trump seems to just bash
every candidate running against
him, and that is not what makes a
good candidate. Rather, it is being
able to answer the questions asked
and have plans and data to back up
there ideas. Aside from that Donald
Trump seems to only talk about how
rich he is, he has only a brief history
in politics. It puts him at a disadvantage when he is compared to the
other candidates running who have
spent their entire career in politics.
He does not have much experience
in dealing with foreign policy so if
he is in office, it would be difficult
to gain our trust in him to make
smart decisions for our country.
“Mr. Bush’s plan is seri-
ous and Mr. Trump’s plan is not,”
says economist Michael Strain. He
is referring to the respective candidate’s tax reduction plans. The
majority of Americans want lower
taxes and they favor a president that
will do just that, but unfortunately
many critics are saying that Mr.
Trump’s plan has no factual basis.
Donald Trump wants higher taxes
for the wealthy but is it likely that
he would tax his own people? This
exact reason among others is why
many people believe no good would
come of Donald Trump as President.
OCTOBER 2015
BY SHAHEER KHAN
International News
CO(O)LBERT
that is recognizable from his Comedy
Central Show The Colbert Report.
With the reign of David For many, with the arrival
Letterman over, Late Night Tele- of Stephen Colbert brings about a
vision has now
changed
face.
The music of
Paul Shaffer and
the “Top 10” lists
of Letterman is
now gracefully
overtaken by the
political
critic,
Stephen Colbert;
yet, he doesn’t
stop there. Stephen Colbert also
Colbert on the set of the Late Show
strays from his other
late night show Competitors—Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy new rivalry between he and Jimmy
Kimmel. While both Jimmies’ rely Fallon—a parallel to the Letteron celebrity oriented skits and large man vs. Leno feud. Diego Garcia,
scale public participation, Colbert a junior, and a fan of both Colbert
interacts directly with his audience and Fallon, believes that content
at home, breaking the fourth wall— wise, Colbert has been the “realmaintaining both his predecessor’s, est” in regards to his show—he
David Letterman, mature style but has kept true to his natural self
also incorporating his personal twist and has not sold his creativity to
BY: SEPHORA SAINT-ARMAND
Recently, political candidate Donald Trump postulated
revising the Fourteenth Amendment, revoking the idea that being born in America grants natural
citizenship, effectively solving the
controversy surrounding “anchor
babies.”This
anti-immigration
stance has fomented debates, hypothesizing what mass deportation
of undocumented immigrants could
do to the American paradigm. Unfortunately, many are unaware that
this is a reality in Hispaniola, flying under the mass media radar.
Approximately 460,000
undocumented Haitian migrants
inhabit the country. Unlike the
process of gaining citizenship in
America, the process of attaining
documented citizenship in the Dominican Republic is quite the opposite. Arduous, expensive, and
superfluous, many poor families are
left unable to follow the process. In
2013, the Dominican Republic Supreme Court ruled that people born
between 1929 and 2010 to parents
without documentation were not
Dominican citizens, effectively
stripping thousands of people of
their former nationality. President
Danilo Medina introduced a natural-
6
Network television. Diego says,
“With the current guests that Jimmy Fallon has had over the past few
weeks, it is clear that he’s solely
an entertainer. It’s okay when he
stages comedy bits and rap battle
with Justin Timberlake; but when
it comes time to be affirmative,
like with Presidential candidates,
Fallon is evidently less comfortable
with substantive conversation.”
Diego is not the only one to
believe that Colbert is the better host;
Joshua Matthews, a sophomore, says
he appreciates Colbert’s style during “The Late Show.” Joshua says
that “Colbert skillfully incorporates
both substantive content and humor
every night. Although he still needs
to get into the rhythm of the whole
Network T.V. business, he brings
about an enormous amount of good
will with him to the job. Especially during his interviews with Vice
President Joe Biden, Stephen really
appealed to the emotions of his audiences.” During Colbert’s recent
interview, Vice President Joe Biden
was able to open up to Colbert regarding the loss of his oldest son,
Beau Biden, to Cancer; and with it,
Stephen was able to set aside his
humor and show genuine concern.
Whether fan of the Colbert
Report or one of the Jimmy, personal taste is really the sole determinant. If you enjoy watching
Presidential Candidate Jeb Bush
being grilled, Colbert is your guy;
on the other hand, if you’d like to
see a game-show segment featuring Scarlet Johansson and Robert
Downy Jr., then Jimmy Fallon and
Jimmy Kimmel are to watch.
Fallon on the set of The Tonight Show Haitian Migration
ization law, amending the previous
creed by allowing undocumented
migrants to apply for residency prior to the deadline on June 17, aiming to avoid mass deportation. Despite these precautionary measures,
78,000 of the 280,000 applicants
were denied, having to wait several
years until they can attempt processing again. Instances of illegal
deportation, stop and searches and
racially-driven crimes have been reported, though
denied vehemently by the
Dominican government. The
Human Rights
Watch reported
Dominicans of
Haitian descent
were being denied basic rights and unable to register the births of their children. Also,
they have documented more than
60 cases in which Dominicans of
Haitian descent were detained and
forcibly removed from the country despite correct documentation.
Haitian President, Michel Martelly,
laments of an imminent humanitarian crisis, as a border crisis begins
to develop. Informal settlements
and refugee camps have sprung in
southern Haiti, housing thousands
of displaced people. Haiti’s futile
efforts to sustain the program have
failed due to lack of funds. Consequentially, conditions have turned
horrendous and inhabitable. Camps
lack basic essentials, and now require the aid of humanitarian nongovernmental organizations. United
Nations Secretary General Ban KiMoon, expressed concern stating, “I
have discussed this with the President of the Dominican Republic
and trust there
will be further progress
in resolving
this matter…
preventing the
deprivation
of nationality. This is a
matter of human rights and human dignity.”
The claims of deliberate
ethnic cleansing and overt violation
of human rights are not unfounded.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic
have a long history of economic
and social tension, entrenched with
mutual disdain and resentment. The
battle for the eastern portion of Hispaniola between the newly-freed
Haitians and Spanish-controlled
slaves lasted for nearly 50 years,
ultimately ending in 1844 with Do-
minican independence granted from
Haitians. The Massacre of 1937
orchestrated by Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo deepened the
chasm between the two countries.
The sense of Anti-Haitian sentiment and vengeance remained imbued in Dominican society, while
Haitians adopted a contemptuous
opinion toward their counterparts.
Edwidge Danticat, notable HaitianAmerican writer and political activist, called for the boycott of Dominican goods to stimulate change. “…
How we are spending our money…
from your sugar to your vacation…
think about what’s being done,
what you’re subsidizing. What your
presence means-and what your absence means.” Sewanhaka junior,
Allen Pierre-Louis reasoned, “The
response hasn’t been given urgent
concern due to the U.S.’s continuous
involvement in economic engagement with the D.R…if developed
countries were to place economic
punitive measures on the country
the issue would be effectively resolved.” Similar to her peer, Kimberly Julien, senior, stated, “The response is insufficient. You have to do
your own research in order to educate yourself about the issue. People
are losing their lives and the world
is doing the bare minimum to help.”
OCTOBER 2015
International News
7
Is the Syrian Refugee Crisis our Crisis?
BY BISMA AHMED AND
MAHZABIN ALAM
The Middle East has been
a source of conflict for ages, and it
has always referred to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, but the Syrian
refugee crisis is a quite prominent
issue at hand, especially after recent
reevaluation. More than 240,000
people have died due to the violence
and of them, 12,000 of them were
children according to the United
Nations. 12 million people have
been forced to leave their home in
the past four years. 4 million human
beings have had to resort to refugee status and stay in other nations,
where they are not even welcomed.
There are no signs of the numbers
slowing any time soon, either. Syria’s civil war erupted in
2011 through multiple violent uprisings within the country against
President Bashar al-Assad as a part
of the Arab Spring movement. What
had begun as simple protests for democracy in March of 2011, quickly
became a full-scale civil war by
July of 2011. It may have begun as
a dispute in the political sphere, but
currently the conflict has evolved to
include religious disagreements and
radical Islamic extremist groups.
BY VICTORIA MILORD AND
LEONIDAS BONNET
It’s no mistake that some of
us were hanging out with friends on
the night of August 30th, 2015. But
others, like me, were in front of their
TV screen patiently awaiting the
Video Music Awards. Not everyone
had the opportunity to catch the show
in action, but the events that took
place extend beyond its time slot.
The visual effects were
unique and eye-catching. The show
was held at the Microsoft Theater
in Los Angeles, California and was
hosted by Miley Cyrus. The first performance of the night included one
by returning pop star Justin Bieber.
Many said he did well for someone
who hasn’t been on stage for awhile.
Things were a little slow
on the audience’s end when Bieber
first got on stage, but by the second song things picked up really
quickly. So much so that Bieber
teared up right in the middle of performing his new song What Do You
While that in itself is terrible, the
larger problem at hand is the humanitarian crisis that the world is facing.
The majority of the refugees
escape to their neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and
Iraq. More than half of the Syrian
refugees are said to be under the
age of 18. However, they risk their
lives to escape to Eastern European
countries such as Austria, to have a
better opportunity to be
live safe. A large portion of Syrian civilians
are the children, millions
of who have
been growing up without education for years.
Growing up in a warzone takes quite
a toll on their mental and physical health. Most of these children
are constantly at risk of becoming
malnourished, ill, or abused. War
crimes, such as murder, torture,
rape and kidnappings have been
prevalent from both sides of the war.
Both government and rebel sides
have been accused of cutting off
supplies of water, food, and health
services to civilians as a tactic of
war. According to the UN, in some
cases, bombs have been intentionally dropped on communities where
rebels hold control. Islamic State,
an extremist Islamic group, have
spread their reach into Syria and are
ruling it through a reign of terror.
The United States
has pledged to take in 8,000 to
10,000 refugees as well. Even if it
may be tiny in comparison to other nations, it is a
step forward in
face of such a
horrific ongoing
conflict of four
years. As with
any other conflict,
there has been
criticism regarding this quantity.
“America should provide monetary aid to the Syrian refugees
but that is a matter that should be
left up to the citizens of the United
States,” says junior Alvin Wang,
when asked about this conflict.
“This whole thing’s a huge
mess... a whole big mess...,” says
Mr. Levin, a social studies teacher, when asked about the Syrian
refugee crisis. The involvement of
multiple nations, such as the United States and Russia (especially
considering its history of supporting Assad) makes it such a volatile
situation, with little possibility of
a quick resolution. Civilians everywhere encourage governments
of their countries to aid those in
need without much concern for the
consequences, but is it completely
unreasonable to take precautions
against the entrance of a ‘refugee’
who pledges allegiance to a terrorist organization, or to contemplate
the outcomes of the induction of so
many refugees may have socially/
economically?” UNICEF and
other organizations are aiding Syrian refugees to some degree. They
are supplying clean drinking water,
food, clothes, shelter and even education to Syria and its neighboring
countries. World Vision is providing hygiene supplies to those refugees that are travelling far distance.
They are also supplying families
with household items, clean water
and a safe haven for the children
so they could recover from emotional trauma. Mercy Corps, another organization is also providing
food and shelter for the refugees.
Additionally, they are helping the
children cope with their emotional
trauma and provide them constructive activities so they can recover.
Mean? He later on confirmed that:,
“I was just grateful to be back on
stage again. With the fans. The love
was surreal!” But the Biebs wasn’t
the only one heating things up...
The Weeknd performed later
on and hit us with his new single
Can’t Feel My Face with a crazy
fire-like setting for our enjoyment.
Even our host
Miley Cyrus
seemed
just
as impressed
as the rest of
us.
Pointing
it out after his
segment
she
exclaimed, “I
mean did you
guys see all that fire. With all that
hair!” Nicki Minaj calling Miley
out on speaking to the press weeks
before the show was another unexpected moment. The audience
was shocked when she called out
Cyrus without blinking or looking scared. Some say that the exchange might have been staged
to gain more ratings. That did not
seem to be the only staged moment
of the VMA’s. Kanye West announced his 2020 Presidential run.
Rewinding to Taylor Swift’s
Best Video of the Year Award,
Swift and all the girls in her video
shared the trophy on stage together.
That win, along with her Best Pop
Video win for
“Blank Space”
were definitely
highlights
for the young
songstress.
Swift awarding Kanye with
his Vanguard
trophy was a
big step in showing both of their
maturity and finally moving on
from all the previous nonsense.
Mr. West then launched into an acceptance speech that didn’t make
much sense (seriously, who even
asked about his smoking habits!).
But, the one good part about that
“speech” was that we now know
who our future electoral candidates
could possibly be. Look out 2020!
Featured winners of the
VMAs were as follows: Best
Male Video- Bruno Mars, Mark
Ronson; Video of the Year- Taylor Swift; Best Song of the Summer- 5 Seconds of Summer.
On another note, there was
also another legendary rapper that
appeared on stage. The infamous
Ice Cube and fellow rapper/son
O’shea Jackson appeared to present the Video Of the Year Award
and to remind us of the Straight
Outta Compton movie release.
That would be about it, as
far as the best moments from the
VMA’s are concerned. Cyrus was
an interesting choice…especially
with those outfits. An anonymous
Sewanhaka student mentioned that
“Miley’s outfits speak for her actions,” and a lot of people would
not disagree. With all that being
said, we can admit that MTV did not
disappoint for 2015. We can only
wonder what awaits us next year.
VMA’s
OCTOBER 2015
Homecoming
8
Pep Rally
Varsity Girls Volleyball Team
gets pumped for pep rally
Senior Joel Cardoz poses for a pciture with his friends
BY SUHANA CHOUDHURY
AND NOAH AHMED
It’s that time of year again!
It’s time to represent school spirit at
our annual pep rally. The pep rally
has always been a great way to bring
together Sewanhaka and acknowledge our athletes and performing
groups. Coaches, athletes, and performing groups all look forward to
this enthusiastic event. Mr. Sakowich, coach of the junior high football team, states that the pep rally,
“…is a beautiful display of school
spirit. The younger students all find
this event fascinating since they are
new to the high school experience.
My junior high football players may
hope that someday the school will
be decorated with their names.”.
This year’s pep rally at Sewanhaka included popular songs
of today. The main dance/song this
year had to be the Whip/Nae Nae.
This had gotten the crowd so excited, it got many of them
on their feet dancing along.
Stephane Eugene, Varsity
football player, commented,
“As a football player, events
like the pep rally really get
us pumped for the game.” If
doing the whip at the rally a
number of time didn’t get that
team pumped for the homecoming game, nothing will.
The pep rally is especially important regarding
school spirit as throughout
the very busy school year,
students hardly have time
to appreciate our historic
school. An escape such as the
pep rally provides a great moment to enjoy Sewanhaka’s
great spirit, best conveyed by our
Varsity Football coach, Mr. Reid,
Varsity Cross Cross Country senior runners
“The pep rally is an old
tradition the students focus on school sprit for a
couple of hours.”. And
school spirit was exactly what the students
displayed! Many students came prepared for
the pep rally, flaunting
purple articles of clothing, especially a purple
bandana which seems
to be the latest craze
in Sewanhaka fashion.
A common misconception that flows
around the school is that
only sport-involved kids enjoy the
school
rally. While this may
Seniors gather for one final picture at pep rally.
be true in some cases, the pep rally
spreads all over the school invigorating students everywhere, as Maria Duran states, “I’m
not really involved
in the athletics of
Sewanhaka, but I’ve
gotta admit the rally was pretty fun.”.
Whether you dislike
the pep rally, or love
to completely relish
in it, one has to admit theres one electric moment that one
cannot help but fall in
love with school sprit.
Scholar Athletes show off their
school spirit
Homecoming
OCTOBER 2015
9
Homecoming
BY SEPHORA SAINT-ARMAND
Sewanhaka Marching Band awaits to
perform the national anthem.
The Marching Band and Rocketts get set for
their halftime performance.
Sewanhaka’s Homecoming celebration this year was a sight to be seen!
Showcasing our school spirit, everyone
came out to participate in the tradition.
This year, the Class of 2018, 2017, and
2016 competed for the best Homecoming float, the theme being “Superheroes”.
Honing in on their artistic skill and creativity, Sewanhaka seniors designed their
float on the basis of “Batman,” a popular
hero. Senior Julia Foto said, “Although building the float was a bit chaotic, it was definitely fun and I am going to miss it next year.”
Juniors modeled their float after “The Powerpuff Girls,” everyone’s childhood favorite. The sophomores constructed their float
on the premise of “Superman,”another prolific superhero. The parade, beginning at 12
noon, circled around Sewanhaka, attracting
many spectators and supporters. Comprising of the Marching Band, Rockettes, and
Sewanhaka classes, we lauded our school
with much fervor. Senior and Captain of
Rockettes, Emily Spring said, “Homecoming was an emotional day. I have been with
the Rockettes, marching in the parade and
performing at Homecoming since freshman
year. Joining the team was the best decision I
made in high school, I would be lost without it.
My last homecoming was certainly the best.”
Following the parade, the Homecoming game
commenced at 2 pm. Many came to support
our football team, both enthusiastic and eager. The Sewanhaka Indians versed Manhasset Indians, a much anticipated game.
The halftime performance given by the
Rockettes and Marching Band was phenomenal, spicing it up with their arrangement of “Uptown Funk” and the popular
dance move known as “the Whip”. Beaty
Coulute and Yash Seghal were bestowed
with the regal title of Homecoming King
and Queen. Though the game’s outcome
was not favorable, it was still a memorable
and fun experience for all who attended.
The winning senior float of Batman
Senior Cheerleading
captains await kickoff.
Quarterback Christian
Tenorio walks out with
his long time friends.
Junior Stephane Eugene making plays
Homcoming King Yash Seghal and
Homecoming Queen Beaty Couloute
The football team gets hyped before kickoff.
Features
OCTOBER 2015
By Anji Persaud & Matias
Weilmann
Whether it’s in the classroom or on the field, Sewanhaka Senior Elijah Tracey has proved time
and time again that he is a force to
be reckoned with.
Tracey moved to New York
at the age of 3 from Georgia and attended Clara H. Carlson Elementary
School. Though the move is a distant memory, he clearly remembers
the start of his football career. Tracey feels his passion for the sport and
all the success that has followed is
because of his early exposure to the
game. From a young age, he has admired the Ravens and their physical style of play. In terms of a favorite player, he immediately says
Bengals wide receiver AJ Green.
His exquisite football technique has
impacted the way Tracey attacks a
defense during the game.
Now, after all these years,
Tracey still feels the fire in him to
succeed in football to the highest
degree possible. Not only does this
passion encourage him to be the
best player he can be, but adds an-
Athlethic Eli
other aspect that not many players at games and cheers their heart out for
this level have: leadership. He has a him.
special talent in being able to mo- Tracey is mostly known
tivate not only himself but also his for his athletics. He is an honored
teammates. “He is motivated and member of the Varsity basketball
works hard to make
team as well as
this team better” said
the lacrosse team,
teammate and friend
where he has taken
Niko Rullo.
a similar position
One does not
as a leader. Most of
become a leader in
us, however, don’t
a day. Elijah gives
know about the
tremendous praise to
plays Tracey makes
his family and to Mr.
off the field. He
Reid for being role
has excelled in scimodels. Mr. Reid has
ence over the years
displayed incredible
and has discovered
support for Elijah,
a profound love
which is an imporfor Biology. Elitant bond for a player
jah looks to attend
leader to have with
SUNY Cortland in
his coach. “Mr. Reid
hopes of continuing
Tracey in action at the
always has my back
his football career
homecoming game
and is always there for
there and pursuing a
me” said Tracey. His
degree in Biology.
family, especially his mom and sis- When asked how he felt
ter, have played a tremendous role about graduating Sewanhaka, Eli
in helping him become the person replied, “I can truly say I will miss
he is today. He is extremely appre- Sewanhaka and the coaches, teachciative of having such a supportive ers, teammates and friends I have
family that always comes to his had the opportunity to meet and
10
spend the last couple of years with.
I want to thank everyone who has
supported me throughout my athletic career at Sewanhaka.”
In the end, all journeys
eventually end. As Elijah’s journey
through high school ends, a new and
bright one begins. Hamza Akram,
who has played with Elijah for 3
years on varsity football, and Mr.
Reid, who Tracey considers one of
his greatest role models, said some
words about Tracey. Hamza was
clearly emotional when he spoke to
us, saying “Not only is he a teammate, but also a brother that I will
never forget. The bond we have
made on and off the field is something that I will cherish forever.I
know he will succeed in anything
he does in the future.” Mr. Reid had
similar praise for him, calling him
the “most dedicated, hardworking,
and talented football I have coached
in my 10 years. Elijah is like a son
to me and I know he will make us
proud with whatever he decides
to do. Always remember you can
count on me. I love you Eli.”
We hope he can be the inspiration
for others that he has been for us.
The Legend of Mirsky
By Sidney saint-hilaire
my career is totally different from
and matias weilmann
that of my parents. I’d like to think
While many simply per- I’m a mix of all their good qualities,
ceive him as Sewanhaka’s “strict” but nothing from their bad. My dad
librarian, he does do
works in the advertisemore than stack books
ment industry, and my
all day. The renowned
mom is an office manMr. Justin Mirsky can
ager. I was very lazy
be found tutoring,
when I was younger,
teaching and relating
but I enjoyed going to
to students on a myriad
school, so my good exof topics ranging from
perience in a classroom
irrational numbers to
probably influenced me
Star Wars. He is Sebecoming a teacher.”
wanhaka’s Jack of All
Since his arrival at
trades, versed in Game
Sewanhaka,
Mirsky
of Thrones, Microsoft
has
served
as
a role
A young Mr. Mirsky
Word, and Bibliogramodel and inspiration
phies.
for many students.
Born in Queens, New York, “Mr. Mirsky is really fun to talk to”,
Mirsky, an avid lover of the Mets, says Senior Michael Iniguez. “Him
fluctuated between being a base- and I are always joking around and
ball player and a paleontologist. It I love talking to him about music,
was not until the tenth grade that he sports or movies.” Mr. Mirsky rerealized he wanted to be a teacher, cently finished classboard with the
specifically a special education Class of 2015 and shared that it
teacher, after spending a summer in was a great experience because he
a camp where he worked with stu- was able to introduce the seniors
dents diagnosed with autism, some to the school’s 7th graders as well
students that he actually worked as prepare the them for graduation.
with for about ten years. Where did Because of this experience, he dethis passion come from? Mr. Mir- cided to become co-advisor for
sky replied, “I have no idea since the Class of 2017. Mirsky has also
been able to connect with students within the realm of possibility. His
on pop culture. He runs Sewanha- favorite food is nachos, and when
Con and really enjoys the idea of asked if he was aware of what they
connecting with students on a level put in Taco Bell’s nachos, Mirsky
beyond academics. “I love sharing disappointedly answered “ I know.
my interests in pop culture with stu- It’s my weakness.”
dents and hearing about their pop When the students in the
culture fandoms as well. We have library aren’t looking or playing
a Smash Bros. video game tourna- “Coup”, Mirsky likes to have some
ment in April, and even panels and fun. When he isn’t enjoying his faguest panels at Sewanha-Con. It’s vorite pastime of “yelling at students
always been a dream of mine to run (just kidding)”, Mirsky can be seen
a “con” and once I heard the name playing pranks on fellow librarof our school, I
ian Joe Nola.
knew it had to
“His first year,
be done.”
we
wrapped
Mirsky
his desk with
finds the most
wrapping paenjoyment in
per for Christscience
ficmas, and the
tion books and
year after that,
movies. His
we wrapped it
favorite book,
in
Christmas
Mr. Mirsky “after hours”
Lanark by Alasdair
lights. I have some
Gray, is a Scottish
grand machinations
coming of age novel with elements for this year,” says Mr. Nola.
of science fiction in it, the perfect When asked if he had any
combination for a science fiction last comments, Mirsky replied, “Oh
lover. This love is amplified when, my god, my parents are reading
like in his favorite movies Eternal this, they subscribed to the ChiefSunshine of the Spotless Mind and tain, you know?” I think we can all
Children of Men, movies are not agree that Mr. Mirsky is a legend.
only science fiction but also are
New Faces
11
OCTOBER 2015
Mr. Uliano
Just recently, a new face has walked the hallways of Sewanhaka since
the departure of our beloved Mrs. Leighton. Mr. Uliano currently holds
the position of the English chairperson and is more than delighted to
encounter such bright students eager to learn. Prior to Sewanhaka, he
taught English to both juniors and seniors at Sanford H. Calhoun High
School, part of the Bellmore Merrick Central District. He enjoys what
he does and has been teaching English for 19 years. Mr. Uliano was
born in Huntington, New York and grew up in Brentwood. So far, Floral Park has been a good experience for him as he claims that Floral
Park reminds him of Brentwood. Interestingly enough, Mr. Uliano
also worked as a Chef in Port Jefferson and was promoted from “prep
cook” to boss prior to becoming a teacher. He also shared that his wife
happens to be an English teacher in Lynbrook.
Mr. Uliano poses for a selfie
Mr. Kassoff
Mr. Kassoff
The science department as well has gained a new unfamiliar face,
Mr. Kassoff. Presently, he is teaching both forensic science and Intro to Living Environment. Before coming to Sewanhaka, he used
to be a teaching assistant at New Hyde Park, which happens to be
both his hometown and the school from which he graduated. In addition to that, Mr. Kassoff was a student teacher at Floral Park High
School and went to Grad School for special education. Aside from
being a graduate from SUNY Oswego and a hardworking individual,
Mr. Kassoff loves to watch hockey, baseball and football during his
spare time. In fact, he claims to be good at sports such as soccer and
baseball.
Mr. Zervas
Mr. Zervas
For 13 years Mr. Zervas taught at Mamaroneck High School, a public
institution located in Mamaroneck, New York. Mr. Zervas has so far
enjoyed teaching in Sewanhaka High school and loves his profession
as a math teacher. As of now, he is teaching Algebra 2, Geometry and
Trigonometry. But outside of work he fancies snowboarding, golfing, and playing the guitar. In fact, one of his favorite songs would
include “Layla” by Derek and the Dominos. Mr. Zervas also shared
that he has two children, one by the name of Alex who is 7 years old,
and the other Zoey, who is 4 years old.
Ms. Ruggiero
Ms. Ruggiero
November is just right around the corner, as well is the birthday of
Ms. Ruggiero, Sewanhaka’s newest Orchestra teacher. Born on the
30th, Giovanna Ruggrero is a humble and delightful character who is,
as put in her own words, “100% Italian.” Her hometown is Sayville
NY, Suffolk County. Her hobbies vary from spending time with her
friends and family to simply sitting down and reading a good novel.
As a matter of fact, one of her favorite books would have to be Girl
on the Train, a novel full of suspense written by Paula Hawkins. Additionally, Ms. Ruggiero listens to classical music and enjoys Broadway shows. Her love for music has led her to play instruments that
for the most part, involve strings such as the violin. When asked who
would one of her favorite singers be she simply replied, “Michael
Bublé.”
OCTOBER 2015
BY MATIAS WEILMANN
Imagine someone asking who, besides your family, is your role model? Many may answer with doctors,
firefighters, or police officers, but
the majority will say athletes. Most
people view these athletes as their
role models, claiming that their impressive plays and their highlights
in SportsCenter’s Top 10 segment
give them inspiration. It’s a nice
thing to hear, but after further review, a question arises: Which parent wants their child inspired to live
the life of a professional football
player who’s been arrested 5 times
in the past 3 years? What about
the 7 time Tour de France cycling
champion that was stripped of ALL
of his awards and banned for life
for taking performance enhancing drugs? Are these the people
you should view as role models?
There are many different arguments, angles and facets to an extensive argument of whether athHernandez arrested for murder
Entertainment
Strike None
letes should be considered role
models. Lying, cheating, and misbehavior have plagued sports for
decades, although this behavior has
seen a spike in recent years. These
athletes have so much going for
them: money, fame, and the chance
to become immortal through their
records. If so, why cheat, why lie,
why misbehave? If you have such a
unique opportunity, why would you
do anything to mess it up? It’s easy
to overlook Tim Duncan, for example, because he isn’t a flashy player.
However, he has practically laid
down the blueprint of how to use
teamwork to win multiple championships and how to be a good teammate on and off the court. But most
kids don’t look at him as their own
role model. Unfortunately most of
these role models, however, don’t
demonstrate those same qualities.
Back to the main question at hand:
Why break the rules? It’s a dilemma
that’s been analyzed and studied for
quite some time. The popular hypothesis is that these athletes, being
in a position in which they’re looked
up to, feel they can
do whatever they
wish. These athletes
believe that because
they are important,
they are immune to
the law. Coach Kasimatis agrees with
this theory, stating
that “Athletes be-
Mugshot of Aldon Smith after
fifth arrest in three years
lieve they are above the law. Athletes believe that because they can
catch a ball or hit a home run they
can do whatever they want.” Unfortunately, professional sport organizations have not done anything to
deter this thought very much. Yes,
we see suspensions going out left
and right for professional athletes,
but in regards to their actual legal
consequence, nothing amounts. Aldon Smith, a perfect example of an
extremely talented but troubled athlete, made a fake
bomb threat at Los Angeles
International Airport last
year. According to California state law, a fake bomb
threat may result in up to 1
year in a country jail, which
is minimal compared to the
12
punishment doled out by the federal
government, which can lead to up
to 5 years in a federal prison. Instead, Aldon Smith’s charges were
dropped. Why did he not have to
pay for his actions? Why could he
not just control himself and behave
himself like the general population? Student athlete Hamza Akram
believes it has to do with the job.
“Running into money when you
haven’t known that before can be
overwhelming for someone.These
athletes just don’t know how to
manage or deal with that amount
of money.” So maybe the problem
for these athletes isn’t their character but the NFL not monitoring
them or helping them accustom
themselves to this life. Then again,
Aldon Smith is 26 years old. He
does not need people telling him
what is right and what is wrong.
Regardless of whoever is to blame,
most of these athletes are not people our society’s children, teenagers, or adults should look up to.
Adrian Peterson appearing in
court for child abuse
Apple Strikes Again: iPhone 6s
By CHRISTELLE JULIEN
And so it arrives: the triumphant new beginning for Apple consumers throughout the world. “The
only thing that’s changed is everything.” Staying true to their slogan,
Apple has made many thrilling
changes that will completely alter the
Apple experience and distinctly set
it apart from its android competitors.
Design-wise, Apple has
not made too many changes.
Though, the changes made will
definitely have a significant impact
on everyday use. One of the most
known changes is the creation of
rose gold as a finish option to the
choices of space gray, silver and
gold. The design change that will
likely most interest the bulk of Apple users, however, is the switch
to an alloy derived from 7000 se-
ries aluminum. Essentially, the
iPhone 6s is tremendously stronger and the fear of bending one’s
phone is put to rest with this update.
The most
important changes come from the
technology built
into the iPhone.
Pressure touch,
otherwise known
as 3-D touch, allows users to
perform
many
actions. iPhone
screen sensors can
recognize where
you are pressing
and how deep.
Users can now
“peek” and get a quick preview of
the file. “Pop” allows the user to
reach the next app or widget much
faster. Multitasking is taken to new
heights with this highly innovative
and unprecedented feature. Even
game designers are taking advantage of this change
and are now creating games with
ranges of sensitivity.
Furthermore,
Apple has made
many changes to
the iPhone camera.
They introduced a
12 megapixel rear
camera, much better than the 8 megapixel cameras of
the previous generations, as well
as a five megapixel
front facing camera. Apple has too
replaced a front flash with a home
screen that lights up, increasing
the brightness in even the darkest
of locations. Live photos turn still
images into moving beauty by capturing the moment right before and
after the picture. iPhone 6s is also
much faster with its custom A9 chip
that speeds up CPU performance
by 70% and GPU performance
by 90%. The new iPhone also includes LTE advanced that is double
the speed of the previous models.
Senior, Novel Campbell,
is “excited to get the new IPhone and thinks the 3-D feature
is the best it has to offer.” IPhone
6s in all its shining glory definitely lives up to its mighty praise.
OCTOBER 2015
Entertainment
Fall Fashion
BY ANJI PERSAUD
As fashion week, less a
month way, quickly approaches, the
fall fashion trends are beginning to
take the stage. From suede skirts to
army pants, this year’s fall fashion
is better than ever. This year is all
about shaggy faux-fur coats, pussy
bow blouses and floral dresses that
resemble 1970s upholstery. This
season is especially inspired by Wes Anderson
and her shabby fur coats
and grubby eyeliner, exactly what the industry
wants to incorporate into
fall fashion this year.
Fashion and culture seem
bizarrely convinced that
the thicker you knit, the sharper
your brain. We can expect a huge
push for oversized thick sweaters
this season. Another trendy item
that has been popping up are joggers
for both males and females. Just
like the man bun that has become
very popular in today’s fashion and
even in Sewanhaka, joggers have
too, becoming the new sweatpants.
Shaheer Khan who is a part of the
man bun and jogger trend shared
that, “both joggers and man buns
are stylish and comfortable…they
simply make a good combination.”
Now is the time to stock up on your
essentials and wardrobe staples.
Fall fashion is currently obsessed
with graphic prints,
from metallic stripes to
brocade dresses. Accessorize your new bold
pieces with equally
eye-catching
accessories, like two-tone
loafers and sculptural
earrings. Senior Cameron McGreggor captured the excitement of fall fashion, saying that,
“It is my favorite. Who doesn’t love
walking around in cute boots and
sweaters? Cooler weather means
more clothes and styles which leads
to more variety which I love!”
13
Google
BY SALAAR KHAN
Google has brought out new
changes this year. After having a
successful 17 years, Google has decided to change their logo and add
new features to G-mail and Android
Devices. The new logo has sparked
discussion all over the world, mostly because a considerable amount
of people don’t like it and think
that it’s unnecessary. But Google
hasn’t just released this logo for
its 17th year celebration; they released it
to help people recognize the Google logo
better. Since a majority of people all around the world
know what Google is, the people at
Google believe that is essential to
make their company more recognized and easier to identify. This
probably is because they are planning to release new gadgets and
devices in the future, which they
want to be as easily identifiable as
an iPhone or Mac for Apple is. In
addition to a new logo, Google has
released Android Pay. Android Pay,
similar to Apple Pay, is basically a
mobile wallet. It allows people to
store credit cards and gift cards,
with participating stores, on their
phone so they don’t have to take out
their wallet. Android Pay released a
while after Apple pay did, but only
because they made it stronger and
safer. Android Pay has proven to be
safer than Apple Pay and can even
be available offline. A
student at Sewanhaka
had strong feelings
toward the subject of
Google changing their
logo. When asked about Google’s
new logo, Neil Chacko stated that
he prefers the new Google logo because “it is more solid, therefore
making it more attractive”. The new
logo isn’t very different from the
original, some may even say that
the new logo stands out more, but
overall only the font was changed.
The Insecurity of Cybersecurity
demands of shutting down the site
were met by its
parent company,
Avid Life Media.
Obviously, those
demands were
disregarded, and
so here we stand.
Millions of religious leaders,
Cruel Irony or a Legitimate Concern?
celebrities, politicians, lawyers,
and others have
BY MOHAMMAD SAMROZ
been exposed for their own attempts
In the Internet’s most recent at adultery. While it’s been interestpublicized release of private infor- ing to see the names coming
mation, infidelity website Ashley- out of the released information,
Madison.com was hacked this sum- the entire situation also brings
mer, releasing the information of the about glaring concerns regardsite’s 37 million users. The website, ing cybersecurity. Regardless
whose slogan is “Life is short. Have of one’s viewpoint regarding
an affair”, allows married users to the morality of using a service
pay for an opportunity to secretly such as Ashley Madison, it is
cheat on their spouses. For $19, us- still certainly alarming that 37
ers are even offered a “full delete” million people can have their
feature to permanently delete all of personal messages, credit card
their personal and financial infor- numbers, etc. revealed to the
mation from the site. Completely public.
Sewanhaka High School
secure, right? Apparently not.
The hackers, calling them- teacher Christopher Nelson shares
selves The Impact Team, had this belief that despite the ethics of
threatened to release 10 gigabytes the situation, the fact that private in(compressed, no less) of the criti- formation was revealed to the public
cal information in July unless their without consent is certainly a point
of concern. “If Ashley Madison can
be hacked, then so can other websites, and there is a fundamental issue at play regarding privacy. Had
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation been hacked, there would be
a moral outrage at the hackers. It’s
the same thing, the same crime – so
we shouldn’t let the ethics of those
being robbed misdirect us from the
fact that there was a robbery,” says
Mr. Nelson. Junior Alvin Wang
adds, “The people on Ashley Madison deserved what they got, but the
fact that so much information could
be leaked so easily makes me think
our private information is secure
and doesn’t land in the wrong hands,
especially in this era where almost
everything is online. This hack
tells me that we aren’t completely
protected, and obviously that’s an
uncomfortable reality we have to
face and hopefully amend soon.”
For the victims, their past choices
have resulted in exceedingly difficult situations. There have already
been multiple reported suicides as a
result of the leak, as well as countless resignations and divorces. At
the same time, while divorce lawyers are having a field day, Ashley
Madison itself has come under
fire for fraudulent advertising
due to the fallacies of its “delete all” feature. After making
millions off the $19 erasing
service, user information has
still remained on servers and
previously hidden only from
the public, adding fuel to the
fire as both the website and its
users have steep mountains of
allegations to face.
twice about how safe my informa- So, whether you see the case
tion is.” The same general concern as pure irony and karma, or as a mahas been widespread among other jor concern for Internet safety, one
Internet users. “The morals of the thing is for sure; Ashley Madison is
situation aren’t debatable,” says fel- correct in saying“Life is short, “ but
low junior Asna Jamal. “However, it’s certainly long enough for everyit’s important for us to know that thing to go wrong.
OCTOBER 2015
Editorial
14
Has TV Finally Diversified?
No: TV Cannot Be Considered Diverse, Yet.
BY SELENA THOMAS
If you were to turn on primetime television twenty, or even ten
years ago, you definitely would not
witness the diversity you see on
television today. In recent years,
TV casting directors and producers have made an evident effort in
varying not only the actors they cast
on television, but also writing more
diverse roles for television. After
decades of black, brown, yellow,
and red-face portrayals of people
of color, you might even say that
American television has made great
strides in attempting to alleviate the
lack of representation of minorities in television. But, despite all
the new television shows featuring
characters of color and the inclusion
of actors of various ethnic and racial
backgrounds, can you truly say that
TV can be considered diverse yet?
The answer is plain and
simple: No. TV, despite all its efforts to branch out to include people
of different backgrounds, genders,
religions, and cultures, has merely
scratched the surface of diversity.
Throwing in a character or two of
BY NAYAB KHAN
a different color does NOT nec- that if a show can be extremely
essarily mean a show is diverse. popular without adequate repreMerriam-Webster defines diversity sentation of people of color, what
as a composition of distinct or un- incentive does the entertainment inlike elements or qualities. It means dustry have to become all-inclusive?
that the entirety of a show accom- It’s not to say that other
modates and appreciates different races haven’t seen success. Emcultural backgrounds rather than pire, a predominantly black show
white-washing
surpassed The
them or includBig-Bang Theoing an inadry in TV ratings
equate or inacin only its firstcurate portrayal.
season. But yet
“I think TV is
again, it goes to
not at all diverse
show that TV is
yet. Having one
still not diverse
token person of
yet. A domicolor in a telenantly black TVModern Family (ABC)
vision show does
show on a “white
not equate diverchannel” was a
sity because you cannot encompass huge step in the eyes of some, espeevery aspect of one race or every cially considering how well it did,
minority group into one character. and continues to do. And despite
Representation matters,” adds se- its success, Empire cannot be connior Noelle O’Neil. Topping the sidered diverse. Some might even
list of most watched prime-time add that BET: Black Entertainment
television shows are The Big-Bang Television exemplifies this struggle.
Theory, NCIS, and The Walking The network which specifically celDead. Not at all surprisingly, these ebrates and portrays black culture
popular shows are dominated by is often one of the few channels in
a white cast. It just goes to show which black communities actually
consistently follow because of its
relatability unlike the “white tv” on
virtually every other channel. David
Somar also weighed in on the matter saying, “I don’t think it’s fair that
there’s only one channel that black
people can tune into to watch a show
that they can directly connect with.”
Despite all the far-fetched attempts
at reaching diversity, the fall TV
season has introduced new shows
which seem to have been created
for the purpose of addressing racial issues. Quantico, which features Priyanka Chopra, an Indian
American actress from Bollywood,
addresses issues of racism but still
manages to white-wash even the
main character. Chopra who plays
an FBI agent in training is depicted as only half Indian. This calls
into question how much the entertainment industry is willing to
compromise culture for ratings.
So the next time you catch
up on Modern Family or tune
into Scandal think: Are these
shows actually diverse, or are
they simply pretending to be?
Yes: TV Has Become More Diverse
It is without a doubt that
just some time ago, television was
flooded with characters and storylines that dealt predominantly
with white people and white culture. However, it is impossible to
deny the progress that television stations, producers, and creators have
made towards diversifying what
we see on screens at home today.
Back in the 1970s, popular TV shows included The Brady
Bunch, Charlie’s Angels, Dukes of
Hazard, and The Little House on
the Prairie. These shows, along
with several others, each presented
a leading cast that was all white.
So, in other words, even after civil
rights legislation and the end of segregation, the prominent characters
and individuals in Hollywood were
white. The characters were easily
relatable to whites in America, but
did essentially nothing for the growing minority population in America.
The 1980s were just as
white-dominated as the 70s. There
was, however, a notable entry in revolving around black families,
television: The Cosby Show. Per- and both presented likable, charisceived as one of the first popular TV matic leads. This, however, promptshows including a black lead, The ed another question: why were all
Cosby Show depicted a black fam- the popular TV shows with people
ily, showcased their problems, and of color about families? In terms
was, at the very
of diversity in
least, well retelevision, the
ceived. The
2000s
preCosby Show
sented shows
prompted
with far more
the
debate
colored supon diversity
porting charin television;
acters. Examwhy weren’t
ples of such
there more
are
Law
How
to
Get
Away
With
Murder
(ABC)
shows like
and Order
it? It stood
and Parks
out because
and Recreit was so unlike anything anyone had ation. This may seen as somewhat
seen before, and yet there seemed to of a transition to the 2010s in that it
not be enough of a push to make more presents more characters of color of
television shows with colored leads. a variety of skillsets. Still, though,
The 1990s had a little critics argued that there were not
more to offer towards the goal of enough people in color as leads
increased diversity; it brought two in American television. And they
new shows with colored leads to were right. So the 2010s answered.
the surface, Martin and The Fresh
Popular TV shows of toPrince of Bel-air. Both were shows day include How to Get Away with
Murder, Quantico, The Fosters (for
younger audiences), and The Walking Dead. The first two include
strong females of color as their
leads, and the third includes a cast
of variegated backgrounds. How
to Get Away with Murder presents
Viola Davis as its lead of an attorney acting as a mentor to law school
students. Her performance has been
lauded by critics since its premiere.
She has since become the first black
woman to ever win an Emmy for
the portrayal of a lead character in
a TV series. Quantico, in addition,
is a drama in which the lead character, an FBI trainee, is played by
Priyanka Chopra. Chopra is an accomplished Indian actress and has
become the first Indian female lead
on popular American television. The
show has garnered praise for its plot
as well as Chopra’s acting prowess.
Impossible to deny, the increased diversity in American television is, if anything, a work in progress. It would be unjust, however, to
deny the degree of diversity television has achieved up until today.
OCTOBER 2015
Humans of Sewanhaka
15
Introducing our new section of the Chieftain, Humans of Sewanhaka. Each issue, we will be randomly selecting three students or teachers to answer a question drawn at random. Through this, we
hope to introduce you to your peers and faculty.
Priscilla Reyes; Grade 12
Excluding celebrities, who is your role
model?
“Ms. Sherwood. I like the way she works,
she is such a good person. She’s really good
to the environment and all for making this
world a better place. She’s exceptional with
her students.”
David Somar; Grade 12
What was your best day ever?
Thomas Jacob; Grade 11
What’s on your mind?
“I just moved here from Dubai in
September, and my family is originally
from India. Sewanhaka is different, but
it’s a nice atmosphere. One thing I really
love about here is the way the streets are
arranged and that there are trees everywhere - you didn’t see that back in Dubai
or India. By stores, on highways, outside
schools, you name it. I haven’t been here
for even two months, but I know I’m going to love what’s coming my way.”
“My best day ever, or best couple days
ever, was when I vacationed in Colombia.
I was finally able to visit the homeland in
which my mother was raised. It was a great
time because I met a lot of extended family that I had and I was able to physically
see how my mother grew up, even walking around in her old neighborhood. I have
always wanted to go there since I was little
because I grew up closer to my Colombian
side rather than my Guyanese side and
grew up speaking Spanish.”
OCTOBER 2015
By
Daniel GutieRRez,
Selena Thomas, &
Matias Weilmann
Football
It’s that time again Sewanhaka!
Welcome to the Indians’ 2015
season for varsity football. Armed
with a new field and an impressive roster, your Sewanhaka
Indians are ready to show teams
what they’re really made of. Team
captain Hamza Akram, has nothing but praise for the team. “ We
have a great group of athletes who
have a strong work ethic and come
to work 100% everyday. We have
great Juniors like Shaheem White
and Jahzaya Parache to compliment
the strong core of Seniors we already have.” Coach Reid has high
hopes for this year’s team as he
praises their “swarming. aggressive defense to compliment their
team speed.” Quarterback Elijah Tracey and lineman Hamza
Akram along with the other seniors on the team look to make
their senior season memorable.
The team has had tough competition this year, but are fairing
well with their wins and consistent
effort. Their spirit and camaraderie
has pushed them throughout this
season. Great job, Indians!
Sports
16
Fall Sports
Varsity
Soccer
The best 90 minutes of actionpacked sports is
here yet again,
Sewanhaka! Welcome to the Indians’ 2015 Varsity
Soccer season. Our Indians have
an exciting season ahead of them as
Runners, get set and go! Another they adjust not only to new faces, but
season of running into the woods also to a new field. Rasheed Bryan,
is upon us and this year’s squad a senior striker for the boy’s team,
is ready to run their way to gold. firmly believes that they are capable
The team is led by impressive se- of a deep run in the playoffs saying,
nior runners, Zach Reifschneider, “We have a strong backline with
James Sokol, Reid Hetzel, Harris young players like Elijah Kerr and
Pavlou, and Noelle O’Neil. Having Coach Fanning at the helm,
Noelle O’Neil feels he gives
the team the best chance to succeed. “Coach Fanning is very
dedicated. He pushes us to excel
and always give 110%.” Coach
Fanning always pushes his runners and only expects one thing
from them: effort. “I’m seeing
good effort thus far, and that’s
all I really ask from my runners.
Giving all your effort will produce Nicholas Gaviria who can provide a
results. A 5K is no easy task. There strong foundation for our defense.”
Leadership is a strongsuit of the
team, accredited to having Coach
Peter Burgess at the helm, instilling hard work into his players and
helping to develop the team as a
whole. Similarly, the girls’ Varsity
Soccer Team has a lot of hope for
their upcoming season. Captain
Stephanie Karczewski has nothing but praise for the team saying,
are no breaks, no timeouts, no “The team is young and the chemisstops.” The proud coach looks to try is there. We are practicing hard
lead his promising team to a suc- and we are preparing to win even
cessful season.When asked how the toughest of games.” She also
he felt about his last cross country praised Coach Eric Premisler for
season, all senior Zachary Reif- stressing good character and comschneider had so say was, “I’m re- mitment to the game. Senior Capally going to miss cross country. It tains Jancarla Herrera and Natalia
taught me not only to push myself Ocampo hope to make their last
to improve, but also how important season both successful and memoteamwork is!”
rable. We wish both soccer teams an
enjoyable season!
Cross Country
Volleyball
This season has been one of
the best in Sewanhaka’s history for
the Varsity Girls’ Volleyball team.
With just a week left in the regular
season, the girls stand proudly behind their 13-3 record and their 1st
place standing in the conference.
Returning from a 5-11 record in the
2014 season, the Indians, formerly
considered underdogs, now
have the potential to make it to
the playoffs. The team, which is
composed of 2 sophomores, 1
junior, and a whopping 9 seniors
is coached by Ms. Brennan, who
celebrates the team’s huge improvement from last year and
continues to push them to do
better, regardless of their record.
When asked about the huge success of the team this year, all senior Casey Hayes had to say was,
“I’m just really glad we’re winning
this year.”
For the Varsity Boys Volleyball team, the motto of the season
has been “play hard, practice harder”. Led by a strong core of seniors,
the team has worked hard to achieve
victory. Senior captain Mario Orologio has nothing but praise for the
team, saying “it’s been a great year,
and we are glad to have played volleyball.” Their coach, Michael Indo,
has pushed them all year long to excel, especially getting the seniors
to make the most of their last season. Seniors Mario Orologio, Sam
Williams, Ali Lokhandwala, Rohit
Matthew, Jaison Saji, and Muaaz
Tahir look to finish their last Varsity
Volleyball season in style.