Volume 33, No. 2: October 2016

THE CLASSIC

October 2016 - Volume 33 No. 2

COLLEGE October 2016 TOWNSEND HARRIS HIGH SCHOOL AT QUEENS

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www.thhsclassic.com

Spotlight on the Simulation

by Mithila Hossain, Diana Rodriguez, and Kirti Singh

More than ever, the annual election simulation is getting attention as alumna Alexandra Stergiou has returned to Townsend Harris to film an independent documentary on the schoolwide event.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

PHOTO BY ADAM SOSNICKI

2 October 2016

NEWS

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Budget cuts affect class availability THHS ranks # 1 in NYC

by Alex Chen, Daniel Khaldarov, Alex Lai, Staff Writers TOWNSEND HARRIS High School administration faced a crisis this June when the Department of Education changed the policy for allocating money to schools for teachers who teach an additional sixth class; this forced the school to plead with the DOE for extra funding to be able to maintain all the additional classes that the school offered in previous years.

UFT Chairperson Franco Scardino explains that six classes help fill what are called shortage disciplines, or fields that lack the proper amount of teachers in relation to the amount of students who would take those courses.

These shortage subjects have historically been math, science, special education, and ESL (English as a Second Language). Recently, physical education, English, and Spanish were added as well. The average school has eight periods, and every teacher is required to have five classes, one lunch period, one study period, and one research period. Since THHS has nine periods instead of eight, teachers are

able to teach six periods everyday.

Physics teacher Joshua Raghunath says he enjoys having his sixth class, as he “likes being in the classroom with [the students].” He doesn’t agree with how the better schools get less money from the DOE, saying, “I want [the students] to have more electives.”

Originally, the DOE would have directly supplied the money for the sixth classes that a school needed via a centrally funded budget system. Due to the recent change, schools are now expected to pay for these classes out of their own budget, causing great distress to Budget Director and Assistant Principal Ellen Fee. According to Ms. Fee, because THHS offers 22 additional classes, the school had to come up with an extra $250,000 to fund those classes. The DOE agreed to provide extra funding if the school agreed to downsize its support staff by one secretary and stock handler, as well as hire an additional English and PE teacher. The DOE provided $180,000 for hiring the two teachers and provided an additional $120,000 to cover the ten classes and requested that the

number of these additional classes be reduced by two.

Ten of the 22 additional classes, which are sixth classes, are being covered by two new teachers. Additionally, the request by the DOE caused the school to lose two electives. Math teacher Stephen Mazza lost his Math Team class and had it replaced by a required Algebra Two class. More changes in the math department included the loss of the Advanced Topics One class.

Two teachers who were affected by this shift were Math teachers Magda Frankowski and Timothy Connor, who both lost their sixth class.

“I think it’s fair,” Ms. Fee said.

However, worries arise as to how the school will pay for those two additional teachers and the ten sixth classes next year if the DOE does not provide the additional $180,000 for the two new teachers again. Ms. Fee is currently working on this task to make sure the school will be able to continue running smoothly next year without losing any more electives.

by Rabia Hasan, News Editor TOWNSEND HARRIS High School is ranked as the number one public high school and the ninth top high school in New York

by The New York Post and US News, respectively.

The New York Post exclusively looked at selective public high schools, whose admission was holistically based on a student’s grades, attendance, and test scores.

On the other hand, the US News considered all public, charter and specialized high schools.

The US News considers factors such as the degree to which the school serves the student body as a whole to produce academic excellence and to prepare students for college, as well as the percentage of students graduating each year.

Some of the other schools in the US News ranked before THHS include the High School of American Studies at Lehman College, ranked in first place, The Brooklyn Latin School, ranked in fourth place and Baccalaureate School for Global Education, ranked in sixth place.

Many of the schools on this top 50 list are specialized high

schools. In fact, out of the eight specialized high schools in NYC, five are in the top 10.

Most of the high schools listed on both lists are focused more on the maths and sciences, but THHS is one of the only humanities schools ranked so high.

Regarding this fact, sophomore Kathryn Kwon says, “This is actually super surprising because everyone expects [specialized] schools like Stuyvesant to be first.

Honestly, I know Townsend’s a great school but I didn’t expect it to do so well.”

Sophomore Arbid Yusuf stated, “today, everyone puts a lot of emphasis on science and math. It makes me very happy to know that THHS, which is a humanities school, ranks so high.”

Overall, THHS students are very happy to be part of a community that receives such great honor.

Junior Alicia Balchand expresses the pride she feels: “I am proud to go to a school that is ranked in such high positions. I feel honored to be gifted with the privilege of being part of the THHS family.”

Gender neutral bathrooms make a debut at Laguardia High School

Sexual assualt on campus

by Patrick Menchaca, Andrew Nektalov, Misbah Pochi, Michael Schmitt, Staff Writers

by Patrick Menchaca, Andrew Nektalov, Misbah Pochi, Michael Schmitt, Staff Writers

THE LGBTQ+ community in NYC took a major step forward as LaGuardia High School opened its doors and bathroom stalls to transgender and genderqueer students with the inclusion of four new gender-neutral, multi-stall bathrooms. This came after the bathroom controversy swept through the nation, causing schools and public places to reexamine their policies.

The change was brought on by Dr. Lisa Mars, the current principal of LaGuardia High School and former Language and Art Assistant Principal of Townsend Harris High School, who believes that “inclusivity is a core value at LaGuardia.”

Senior Daniell Morales, a member of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance Club, strongly supports the gender-neutral bathroom, stating, “[developing] the multi-stall gender-neutral bathrooms at Laguardia [is] an amazing stride for LGBTQ+ youth.”

Sophomore Tyler Conway agreed, saying, “I believe this change was necessary in order to take some weight off the shoulders of someone who is genderqueer in an environment where we should all feel safe and secure.”

Dean Robin Figelman added,

“I think that everybody has a right to go to the bathroom where [they] feel comfortable.”

Some students, however, addressed concerns about the potential problems of gender-neutral bathrooms in schools involving privacy and safety issues.

Senior Faisal Shaikh com-

“ Everybody has a right to go to the bathroom where [they] feels comfortable. ”

mented, “I feel that gender-neutral bathrooms threaten one’s safety in a bathroom. It allows men to enter women’s bathrooms, and that can lead to a number of problems.”

Senior Agnes Poplawski stated, “I think multi-stall, genderneutral bathrooms are a good addition [for] those who don’t associate with a particular sex, as long as everyone in the bathroom is comfortable.”

There is in fact a single occupancy gender-neutral bathroom available at THHS, which is located in the nurse’s office.

In response to the genderneutral bathroom at THHS, freshman Christine Schmitt said, “I

didn’t know we had a single-stall bathroom, but I think it’s a great idea, especially for transgender or gender-fluid students who aren’t comfortable using a boys’ or girls’ bathroom.”

Senior Brandon LuShing agrees with Ms. Fee’s opinion: “I feel okay with having gender neutral bathrooms at THHS. I feel like having them in this school is a basic right, which goes with the morals of this country. People might feel awkward at first. But if we don’t have them and we don’t inclue everyone, then it’s not fair. If everyone is nice and friendly with each other, then there would not be a problem with this change.”

Sophomore Andreas Migias stated, “I think that if everyone is well behaved and does not bully anyone, then implementing gender neutral bathrooms is not going to be problem. If the entire change is put in a positive light, then the whole change will be a good thing. Plus, I have not seen anyone in this school be rude or disrespectful towards anyone, so I think the change can be possible.”

There is just one concern that some students have. Senior Tseten Lhamo stated, “The idea is good but I am not exactly sure how the change will start to be implemented.

SEXUAL ASSAULTS on college campuses have been a severe issue plaguing this country for decades, especially in recent years as more and more cases of sexual assault on college campuses are being brought to light. In the past two months, two instances of sexual assault have occurred on the Queens College Campus.

These incidents have students and faculty concerned for their safety and the safety of others.

The first assault occurred on August 29 on the sixth floor of Klapper Hall; the second assault occurred on September 24 outside the Science Building.

In response to this, the Queens College Office of Public Safety sent out two emails that elaborated on the incidents and reassured the public that the incidents were being investigated with the help of the NYPD. Numerous Townsend Harris High School students expressed concerns about safety on campus, with senior Alexis Sarabia stating, “I have to walk across campus to get to my bus stop, and recently I’ve been more nervous about going home alone.”

Sharing similar feelings, freshman Julia Xia offered ideas on staying safe.

“I would probably bring a

friend, just in case anything [were to] happen,” she said.

Junior Leah Musheyev also commented on safety on college campuses, stating, “Now I have to be more aware of my surroundings when walking around QC campus, [which makes] me nervous when I’m just trying to walk around.”

In June 2016, former Stanford student Brock Turner was arrested after sexually assaulting a female student.

His shortened sentence incited immense criticism regarding how colleges handle sexual assault.

Senior Sanjay Balram remarked, “our justice system owes convicts of sexual assault a fair and just trial, but obviously sentences such as Brock Turner’s are unacceptable.”

Freshman Emily Tan said, “Many colleges and universities tend to hide incidents of sexual assaults in order to maintain their prestigious reputation, and that’s not fair to the students.”

Senior Bernard Silverstein held a similar view, stating, “These institutions should put money towards strengthening their security systems in order to prevent such incidents.”

As a piece of advice, Queens College student Joshua Aminov said, “To stay safer, students and professors should be extremely aware of their surroundings and be cautious of who they speak to and should notify the police if they see any suspicious activity.”

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NEWS

Simulation to star in new alumna-produced documentary CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

According to the crew, Alexandra’s inspiration for the film comes from her “participation in the election simulation as a student, [as it] always resonated with her.” Co-directing with Alexandra is Lexi Henigman; the rest of their crew includes Director of Photography Joe Bender and Director of Sound Chris Schneider. They all express their amazement with the program.

Alexandra and her crew state, “We are inspired by the creativity, resourcefulness, and intelligence we witness every day at THHS. If the Election Simulation was offered at every high school in the country, we would have a more thoughtful and informed nation.”

They specifically admire the uniqueness of the simulation, along with the immense effort students put towards it. The filmmakers state that part of their reason for choosing to document this event is the wide range of learning opportunities that accompany it. “[The simulation is an] educational program that offers students the unique opportunity to experience our political system before they are eligible to vote, [and] it also offers students opportunities to practice skills such as public speaking, speechwriting, and using audiovisual technology,” they said.

Discussing the expectations for their film, they continue, “We hope that this film will bring people together and inspire our audience to become more engaged citizens.”

This is the first year the THHS

faculty is experiencing filming of the election simulation. With large cameras and microphones lingering around the classroom almost every day, teachers might be less than pleased at the intrusion. This isn’t the case when it comes to Government teachers Jaime Baranoff and Dr. Linda Steinmann, however.

Ms. Baranoff states, “I didn’t think it was an all-encompassing deal. I didn’t know they would be filming in my class all the time, but now I think it’s a really important story to be told, and I’m excited to see how it’s going to turn out.”

Dr. Steinmann, who is in charge of the simulation, is also particularly enthusiastic about the film. She has a personal connection with the documentary, seeing as Alexandra was in her 2006 Participatory Democracy class.

When Alexandra approached her, Dr. Steinmann was “very excited” but also practical about the disruptions, making sure to tell the film crew to keep it “very low key.”

According to Mrs. Baranoff, the filming is almost unnoticeable as the film crew encourages “a picture with no film crew there.”

Now that the documentary is in full effect, Dr. Steinmann says that “it has certainly raised the level of excitement in the major candidate classes. I wish the other classes had that opportunity as well.”

Although Dr. Steinmann remains mostly optimistic about the film, Mrs. Baranoff expresses some ambiguity regarding the progression of the film, pointing

out an imbalance in the coverage of all the candidates. She comments, “I think it’ll give a behindthe-scenes look at the election simulation: the good, the bad, and the ugly. From my perspective, it’s hard for me to gauge what’s going to happen [since] they only film in one [of] my classes, and they’re only really focusing on Hillary and Schumer. I don’t know how they’re doing on the Republican side.”

Regarding the crew, senior Casey Ramos remarks, “During the Interest Rally I would be speaking and suddenly a furry mic would descend from behind me, which was funny but it added depth to the ‘acting’ role we play in the Election Simulation. It keeps us on our toes and I feel more in character when the cameras are around.”

“I think that having the film crew around for the election simulation is really exciting! The fact that they are making a film on this in the first place is pretty amazing.

It really emphasizes how big of a part the Election Simulation plays in our school, as well as, how in depth our Election Simulation goes. Having the film crew around has certainly made the election feel much more official. I also feel that it gives the candidates an atmosphere that is even more relatable to the actual election,” says freshman Savannah Sclafani.

Sophomore Jacqueline Valenti adds, “I feel like candidates are really stepping up because of the film crew. I personally don’t mind the crew filming everything because it’s their job, and it’s interesting to see them around working

PHOTO BY RENAENIA PANGAN

Alumna Alexandra Stergiou with co-director Lexi Henigman. on something that the THHS community is involved in.”

“I feel it’s a great way to put into perspective how strong of a tradition the Election Simulation is in our school and how candidates work hard. It just feels special to highlight what a special process this is,” adds freshman Kelvin Yip. The Election Simulation candidates also have a lot to say about their participation in Alexandra’s documentary. Most of the candidates aren’t used to or comfortable with constantly being in front of the camera, but understand that this film will be beneficial to future election simulation participants.

Senior Misbah Pochi, who plays the role of Hillary Clinton, says, “I feel more pressured, as ev-

erything I say or do has potential to be recorded [or] filmed.” Senior Daniel Khaldarov states that he was “stressed” when he first discovered the making of the documentary. When it comes to the performance of their roles, Misbah and Daniel both agree that the cameras don’t influence them to act a certain way. They both try their best to play their roles to the best of their abilities, on and offscreen.

The release date of the film is not set as of now, but the crew hopes to complete it within the next year. Many students and teachers are looking forward to viewing and starring in the first Election Simulation documentary.

2016 election simulation in full swing at THHS

by Samantha Alzate and Isabelle Guillaume, Staff Writers WITH THE commencement of the annual election simulation, the seniors of the school have taken center stage, posing as presidential and congressional candidates as well as representatives of interest groups. The candidates have been busy campaigning and sharing their views with the underclassmen. Ranging from visiting classes to speaking to the voters as well as distributing baked goods, these strategies are designed to capture the attention of the student body.

As a current senior, Samantha Jaloza has discovered benefits in participating in the election stimulation.

“One of the main purposes of the election simulation is to get the school more involved in and [become more] knowledgeable [about] the actual election process.

In addition, the seniors are able to apply this context to a real-world situation. Many of the students in the senior class participating in

the election simulation will be 18 next year, and will soon have the chance to actually vote, “ Samantha states. By the time students graduate from THHS, they hope to have a deeper understanding of politics and the government in order to make a smart choice.

As seen during previous election stimulations, seniors use distinctive strategies in order to obtain underclassmen votes. Likewise, some of this year’s candidates are following suit. “From freshman year to now, I have realized the best way to hook on students from other grades is by having catchy ads and songs,” said senior Misbah Pochi, who plays Hillary Clinton. Being a household name in this year’s elections, Misbah Pochi must accurately represent Mrs. Clinton in the election stimulation.

It is important to attempt to develop a captivating platform in order to garner attention from students. “I still remember the Craig Caruana songs from freshman year,” she adds.

Other rehashed techniques

from past elections include holding bake sales and appearing on the radio show, Talk with the Hawk.

Students also look forward to

“ We realized that using social media is the best tool we have. ” candidates who go beyond reciting facts related to their campaign.

After all, this is able to capture the attention of the audience. “I would love for the candidates to connect better with the voters as people instead of numbers and percentages,” stated junior Melissa King.

The candidates plan to do just that in order to appeal to students with similar thoughts to King’s. Senior Michael Schmitt, who plays Robert Ardini, the candidate running

for the U.S. House of Representatives, is offering an excused run for one simbuck to physical educator Raymond Adamkiewicz’s band six freshmen PE class.

Another example of this is in the case of senior Reanne Edwards, who plays State Assembly democratic candidate Nily Rozic.

She plans to connect to voters by stressing that Rozic is an alumna of Townsend Harris. Despite their busy schedules, the seniors plan to make at least one classroom visit per Friday to introduce themselves to the student body, present their ideas, and answer questions. This allows a sense of reality to the voters and the public is able to get to know the candidates personally.

Senior Raya Kazdan, who plays Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, plans to hold “Green Parties” instead of regular class visits. “We are throwing ‘Green Parties’ in freshmen classrooms where we hand out food and bring balloons to get them excited about our platform,” she said.

The candidates have also taken

to social media platforms, such as Instagram and Snapchat, to reach out to all the students of THHS. “We realized that using social media is the best tool we have. A lot of underclassmen recognize me as Hillary Clinton because we have been following a lot of people on Snapchat and Instagram,” said Misbah. Others, such as seniors Sarah Yu and and Daniel Khaldarov who respectively play Grace Meng and Donald Trump, have created websites that display information about their campaigns.

Overall, the candidates recognize the immense work that goes into planning an accessible platform so they can reach the entire student body. Derived directly from the actual 2016 election, students are able to recognize the challenges of political figures.

Misbah remarks, “The biggest challenge in reaching all three underclassmen grades in this election is that everyone playing a political figure is doing an amazing job.

Everyone is working equally as hard.”

4 October 2016

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PSAT/SAT/ACT 2017 2017 Weekend Schedule (7 weekends) Saturday, July 8, 2017 – Sunday, August 20, 2017 Class 1: Test 1 (*Wed* July 5) Class 2: Review 1 (*Thurs* July 6) Class 3: Test 2 (Mon, July 10) Class 4: Reading (Tues, July 11) Class 5: Math (Wed, July 12) Class 6: Grammar (Thurs, July 13) Class 7: Test 3 (Mon, July 17) Class 8: Reading (Tues, July 18) Class 9: Math (Wed, July 19) Class 10: Grammar (Thurs, July 20) Class 11: Test 4 (Mon, July 24) Class 12: Reading (Tues, July 25) Class 13: Math (Wed, July 26) Class 14: Grammar (Thurs, July 27)

Class 15: Test 5 (Mon, August 1) Class 16: Reading (Tues, August 2) Class 17: Math (Wed, Aug 3) Class 18: Grammar (Thurs, Aug 4) Class 19: Test 6 (Mon, August 7) Class 20: Reading (Tues, Aug 8) Class 21: Math (Wed, Aug 9) Class 22: Grammar (Thurs, Aug 10) Class 23: Test 7 (Mon, Aug 14) Class 24: Reading (Tues, Aug 15) Class 25: Math (Wed, Aug 16) Class 26: Grammar (Thurs, Aug 17) * Class 1 will start on Wed, July 5, 2017

Summer Camp Weekday Schedule Wednesday, July 5, 2017 – Thursday, August 17, 2017 Queens Location: Parker Towers Building 104-40 Queens Blvd Suite 1C; Forest Hills NY 11375 Manhattan: 370 Lexington Avenue Suite 800; New York 10017 (41st and Lexington) Register and Pay Online: www.KwellerPrep.com.

Please Register Early. Space is limited.

( 1) 8:00 am to 12:00 pm OR (2) 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm OR (3) 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Class 1: Test 1 (July 8) Class 2: Review 1 (July 9) Class 3: Test 2 (July 15) Class 4: Review 2 (July 16) Class 5: Test 3 (July 22) Class 6: Review 3 (July 23) Class 7: Test 4 (July 29)

Class 8: Review 4 (July 30) Class 9: Test 5 (August 5) Class 10: Review 5 (August 6) Class 11: Test 6 (August 12) Class 12: Review 6 (August 13) Class 13: Test 7 (August 19) Class 14: Review 7 (August 20)

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October 2016

PSAT/SAT/ACT/SHSAT Saturdays

Sundays

Class 1: January 7 Class 2: January 14 Class 3: January 21 Class 4: January 28 Class 5: February 4 Class 6: February 11 NO CLASS: February 18 (President’s week) Class 7: February 25 Class 8: March 4 Class 9: March 11 Class 10: March 18 Class 11: March 25 Class 12: April 1 Class 13: April 8 NO CLASS: April 15 (spring break) Class 14: April 22 Make-up session: April 29

Class 1: January 8 Class 2: January 15 Class 3: January 22 Class 4: January 29 Class 5: February 5 Class 6: February 12 NO CLASS: February 19 (President’s week) Class 7: February 26 Class 8: March 5 Class 9: March 12 Class 10: March 19 Class 11: March 26 Class 12: April 2 Class 13: April 9 NO CLASS: April 16 (Easter Sunday) Class 14: April 23 Make-up session: April 30

AM Session: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm/ PM Session: 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm Queens Location: Parker Towers Building 104-40 Queens Blvd Suite 1C; Forest Hills NY 11375 Manhattan: 370 Lexington Avenue Suite 800; New York 10017 (41st and Lexington) Please Register and Pay Online: www.KwellerPrep.com Registration Deadline: January 1st 2017. Space is limited. Call 1(800) 631-1757

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6 October 2016

THE CLASSIC

FEATURES

Playing the part: portraying politicans

by Sarah Gafur, Daniell Morales, Andrew Neklatov, Features Editor and Staff Writers AMONG THE many traditions at Townsend Harris, the annual election simulation is highly anticipated as seniors assume the roles of high-profile politicians and simulate the campaign season, but this year the program is far more controversial with the iconic presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

With the incentive of five extra credit points awarded to the students who win their respective races, the election simulation brings out the competitiveness of students.

In past years, bake sales, surprise appearances, and clever commercials have swayed the votes of many underclassmen.

Often candidates used absurd antics to gain a humor vote from students; many still view this as the forum to gain political knowledge and evaluate how the candidates are in reality.

Sophomore Jesse Anderson states that he is “excited to see how clever and creative each candid a t e c a n get a s

they try to win votes.”

This year’s election, however, involves the distinct personalities of Trump and Hillary, which bring new factors into the question of accuracy when it comes to portrayals.

Jesse says, “Hillary and Trump have unique personalities that they can be identified from, and I hope the seniors playing the candidates stay true to the person they’re playing.”

Junior Alexandra Ge stresses the performance of the students, saying, “It’s not about who gave us the most free candy or the best bake sales, but honestly it’s about how the candidate carries himself or herself.”

We have seen some antics already occur as Daniel Khaldarov, playing Donald Trump, interrupted Misbah Pochi, playing Hillary Clinton, during a radio show interview.

A video of this was posted on Dona l d

Trump’s instagram as a means of advertising.

The actual debates between Trump and Clinton have been big topics of discussion within the U.S. Many found their responses underwhelming and unpresidential.

Alexandra comments, “It’s crazy that we have to listen to them call each other out. How are we supposed to put our trust into them leading our country? Personally, I think we shouldn’t replicate this petty behavior in our election.”

For students like junior Karolina Grodzki, the debate between Trump and Clinton in the simulation is the most deciding factor in the campaign.

She commented, “I can learn more about the candidates when I see them on stage at the same time. This makes it easier for me to understand the differences between their ideas and it’s also very amusing.”

Sophomore Max Kurant believes the real-life debate to be “one of the most complex to date” and he has “very high doubts about our simulation accurately reflecting it.”

The candidates reach out to the student body in multiple ways, as information is being uploaded both on the official election website and through various social media accounts.

Most candidates are using Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook as a way to

communicate with voters, through small advertisements like videos or pictures.

However, social media has also been used to shed light on candidates misbehaving, as aforementioned with Trump posting a video of himself hijacking Clinton’s radio show interview.

Ishabul comments, “We simply posted a video to inform all the students of Townsend Harris of what went on. This event shouldn’t be limited to those who have a history class band three.”

With actions like this taking place, students call into question whether the candidates should be allowed to do these things, especially when it comes to truly replicating Trump.

There are two opposing sides to this question, one that views the actions as simply embodying the character while the other views it as extravagant and unnecessary.

Alexand r a

states, “I really hope they don’t censor Trump’s comments because we need to be exposed to who he really is; the same goes for Clinton.”

She continues, “immigration and gun control and feminism and global warming are all hot topics and we shouldn’t just beat around the bush. We shouldn’t be afraid to speak out about what matters.”

Dr. Linda Steinmann, in charge of the simulation, commented on the inclusion of Trump’s most recent controversy surrounding a video in which he makes lewd remarks about women.

“The Election Simulation is designed to be a learning experience for all the participants.

We recognize that in real life Mr. Trump (and Secretary Clinton) have done and said some things that we might not find appropriate. The students playing the roles know that repeating those things will not get them votes in THHS, especially misogynistic comments, as we witnessed in last year’s debate. There are no rules about this, but the teachers have made it clear that modeling the real candidates is acceptable only as far as no student would feel uncomfortable or insulted by their conduct,” she says.

PHOTOS BY ADAM SOSNICKI

Trending: social media profiling

by Ilma Ahmed, Aresha Parjon, and Nabiha Zaman, Staff Writers A RECENT trend among colleges and employers show that many consider how an applicant appears on social media. Although many students at Townsend Harris have yet to see this affect them, they should be prepared, as it is likely they will experience this in the future.

With technology at the palm of their hands, many students engage daily with social media. Posting funny pictures, talking with friends, and checking up on family are all primary reasons one would make a social media account.

However, recently, institutes and employers have used these platforms to learn more about their potential applicants.

Freshman Elizabeth Duchan understands why organizations may want to take a look into the personal lives of their potential students or employees, as she says, “I feel that whatever you say on social media can be used against

you, and it is your responsibility to take ownership of content. If somebody happens to post content that’s not acceptable for a highachieving school, moderators have every reason to let that change their viewpoints, especially since colleges care largely about the motives and aspirations of applicants.”

Sophomore Sarah Ahmad feels similarly about the situation, stating, “It could be a matter of reputation for the job to see if you’re responsible enough for it or not. If the college admission offices were to see any inappropriate behavior or posts, they may not be in your favor and would probably be more hesitant to accept you. ” Physics teacher David Stern explains that social media “only shows the highlights of a person’s life, the good parts. It would not show them studying or their grades, the things that can really display a person to the fullest.”

Sarah elaborates, “Judging a student’s capabilities based on what they want to share with their peers online can lead to the college missing out on well rounded stu-

dent, and the student missing out on the education of their desires.”

Junior Zayyan Alamgir often uses social media as a medium to express his own personal opinions

“ Whatever you say on social media can be used against you, and it is your responsibility to take ownership of content. ”

and views on a variety of topics.

He explains, “I got in trouble, not because of any vulgar language, but because my parents were looking out for me. I ranted about the laziness of many political leaders in the past few years and they were afraid that powerful people and other officials would take my

post in the wrong way. So I deleted them in order to make my family less tense.”

Many students who share Zayyan’s frustrations have found a way around the issue. Sarah recommends that students create a separate private profile on social media accounts as a precaution to avoid these issues. Most refer to these types of accounts as a “finsta,” or in other words, a fake or second instagram. She explains, “These accounts are very limited to who can follow you (usually only accepting people you’re close with) so that you can easily post what you want without having to worry about what others would say.”

Sophomore Salima Ali agrees in saying, “It is a great account to have because it is only for my friends and I do not have to worry about bosses or colleges judging me off of it.” Many students like Salima and Sarah avoid using their real name so that it is even less likely for colleges or employers to trace accounts back to them.

However, Zayyan prefers to

handle the issue by ensuring that his social media accounts promote himself in a reputable manner. He reveals, “I make sure that all the content I post is family appropriate, explicitly stated, and [that] there is no vulgar language or any opinion which expresses anger to specific people.” By retaining a squeaky clean online profile, Zayyan intends for colleges and employers to “disqualify what they see in my profile and look at real qualifications; my extracurriculars, SAT’s, grades, and dedication to everything I love to do.”

Dean Robin Figelman also agrees with the idea of filtering what you post on social media.

She remarks, “What you put on the internet is always going to be out there even if you delete it, [so] be smart in what you post and think before you put yourself out there.”

Ms. Figelman stresses the importance of keeping yourself safe on the internet and even suggests that “students should have to take a course [in using the internet and social media safely].”

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October 2016

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OPINION

ARTWORK BY TARA JACKSON

Just American apparel

by Andrew Nektalov, Staff Writer TWO HIGH school students were suspended on September 29 for designing and wearing apparel that read “Trump 2016 White Power.” Although it was clear that these Montana students were prejudiced, this event is a high school version of a larger nationwide debate concerning whether support for Trump equates to the support of racial inequality in the United States.

Throughout the campaign season, I have many heard “all times: supracists port Trump.”

However, supporting Trump does not necessarily make you a racist—it simply makes you a Trump supporter.

Voters of different ethand nicities socioeconomic backgrounds care about different issues, and their support for Trump may stem from aspects of his campaign unrelated to his so-called “racist” views. Someone wearing a “Trump 2016” shirt or a “Make America Great Again” cap may support the unconventional Republican nominee for his economic policies, immigration reform platform, or trade deficit solutions.

Trump has promised to reinstitute Ronald Reagan’s trickle-down economics, halt the flow of Syrian refugees into this country, force the Mexican government to build a wall on our southern border, and bring an end to the outflux of American corporations leaving for China and South America.

Being that we live in a country where politics are dominated by a two-party system, voters understand that they will never agree with all of their preferred candidates’ positions. Some Americans feel that Trump’s stance on

issues important to them heavily outweigh his racial positions.

Furthermore, voter choice in the 2016 election has notoriously been categorized not only by support for a candidate stemming from agreement with policies, but also hatred toward the opposing candidate. Many Americans lean toward supporting Donald Trump due to their skepticism of Hillary Clinton’s abilities to serve as president. Although formerly serving as a US Senator and Secretary of State, Clinton’s political scorecard is tainted by various infamous scandals involving deleted emails, the Benghazi attacks, the failure of trade agreements, and most recently, her victory over rival Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary race.

Voters across the country have “Never vowed Hillary,” and are supporting Donald Trump merely because he is not Hillary Clinton. Unlike the standard Democrat and Republican voter bases, the voter base has become divided into four rather than two: Trump supporters, Hillary supporters, Trump haters, and Hillary haters. In retail clothing stores and online shopping sites such as Urban Outfitters and Amazon, anti-Trump apparel is being sold, reading “idk not Trump tho” and “Make America Bankrupt Again.”

Similarly, anti-Hillary clothing is branded “#neverHillary” and “Hillary for Prison.” Shoppers who buy these items are not necessarily supporters of a certain candidate, but rather strong opposers of the other candidate.

Attaching stigmas to citizen participation will result in an election that does not represent the majority of America. One cannot automatically correlate racism to those who want to vote for Trump; for them, he is the only option that fits their conservative perspectives.

“ Attaching stigmas to citizen participation will result in an election that does not represent the majority of America. ”

Recently, two high school students from Montana wore Trump 2016 shirts advocating white supremacy and “white power,” demonstrating a disregard for the many different backgrounds in a school setting. This sparked debate on where the line between being mere Trump voters and being racists is drawn. HERE ARE TWO PERSPECTIVES ON THE TOPIC.

Clothes speak louder than words

by Fiona Calberson, Staff Writer IN A school where the population is heavily female, wearing something that says, “Grab them by the p***y” would arouse considerable anger. So why is a shirt bearing the name of the man responsible for that quote any better? Donald Trump apparel is a sign of hate towards Muslims, Latinos, and women. One cannot throw his or her support behind Trump without condoning the horrible things he has said, and when you wear his name on your chest, you make your attitude towards many of your fellow Americans very clear. of Many Trump’s stances on foreign and policy i m m ig rat ion fraught are racism with and ignorance, and one cannot claim to support him acwithout knowledging the hate that spews. he The problem with publicly supporting Trump is that you aren’t just supporting a politician and his ideas, but also showing support for a reality TV star and all of the racist, ignorant, and misogynistic statements he’s made along the campaign trail. The nature of the Trump candidacy means that a t-shirt will invite hateful comments incite and shocked stares because of his radical stances. The idea that p e ople could support h i m based purely on his eco-

nomic policies or their hatred towards Clinton is preposterous. He is a radical, and one cannot support a radical half-heartedly. He is a volatile hot-head who hits every hot-button issue with an unpopular opinion for the sake of skyrocketing media ratings, and this makes him difficult to support purely as a politician.

When he said in one of his speeches, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us.

They’re bringing They’re drugs. bringing crime.

They’re rapists,” or when he “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” it was hard not to brand him as a racist.

It is certainly hard to distinguish Trump the from politician Trump the TV star who believes he can get away anything, with and if you support enough Trump to wear his name on a t-shirt, you probably support his racism and his misogyny.

If you wear a Trump shirt after the Access Hollywood video was leaked, then it’s safe to assume that you condone those comments. And if his name is something that has come to represent such hatred, should apparel representing him even be allowed in a school environment?

“ He is a radical, and one cannot support a radical half-heartedly. He is a volatile hothead who hits every hot-button issue with an unpopular opinion for the sake of skyrocketing media ratings, and this makes him difficult to support purely as a politician. ”

8 October 2016

THE CLASSIC

OPINION

The Classic FROM THE EDITORS

EST. 1984

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 of the student body as a whole.

EDITORIAL STAFF EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Ilyssa Delos Reyes Sumaita Hasan

PHOTO BY RENAENIA PANGAN

Senior Daniel Khaldarov in character as Trump, visiting a classroom.

Are we sanitizing Trump in this year’s election simulation?

T

This year marks one of the most controversial races in American history, and students are excited to emulate Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in Townsend Harris’s annual election simulation. Most recently, Donald Trump has been under fire in the media for his comments against women, stemming from a tape involving him bragging about committing what amounts to sexual assault. Trump has since apologized for his statements, but he has yet to accept responsibility, as he merely dismissed his words as “locker room banter.”

Dismissing conversations about assault as “banter” does incredible harm to victims who already are less likely to speak out when assaulted because of the stigmas associated with coming forward. It already appears that students who are part of the simulation’s Trump campaign are treating his accusations as jokes.

The third election simulation TV show featured a commercial from Trump’s campaign involving the alleged victims of Bill Clinton giving statements about their abuse. They are shown as silhouettes and have their voices altered so as to keep their identities secret.

Though it is true that Trump could very well fund a commercial like that in real life, the end of the video features an actor exaggerating for comedic effect lines like “[Bill] took my innocence.” Just as the real Trump has turned language related to assault into “banter,” students morphed something incredibly dour into something trivial and comical. The rules of the simulation say to “keep it real.” In this sense, they have. But is this year different?

It is important that the student body knows that things are not as playful in the real world and that what Trump says has serious implications. The crux of of his campaign consistently promotes more

than just this despicable misogyny—it promotes prejudice against several communities. The impact of Trump’s words against Muslims, Hispanics, women, and even the disabled is enormous. Mexicans are deemed rapists while Muslims are deemed terrorists —this is enough justification as to why we need to emphasize the impact of his words in this simulation, despite the fact that the political arena seems to have turned a blind eye to the issue.

If we treat these antics the same way we would for any election simulation, we are suggesting that what Trump is doing is not wrong, or at least, that it is within the normal bounds of political discussion and debate.

Statements cannot be taken casually as if a candidate was simply stating a stance on foreign policy.

Students may be unaware of the true context of what he says and how it can threaten us as a community. Today’s freshmen were 10 years old the last time there was a presidential election; should their school package this election as “the new norm” for them?

Beyond the Bill Clinton advertisement, the students working on the Trump campaign have largely (and wisely) avoided many of Trump’s most controversial claims.

In many ways, not presenting Trump in as dangerous a light as he presents himself is more of a problem than accurately translating some of his most troublesome comments to the school community.

Since there are always implied rules in the context of an educational setting, a student will most likely not cross boundaries, as offending others will not come without repercussions. Yet, Trump has no problem doing so in front of all of America.

In avoiding some of these other more controversial aspects of Trump’s campaign, the simulation instead becomes a game of garnering the most attention to gain

the most votes. Candidates willingly make a fool out of themselves to garner a few snickers and giggles from the student body; in many ways, being an enjoyable parody of reality is a better way of getting votes than taking it seriously. This removes the graveness from the situation.

So, when the campaign does depict Trump making light of sexual assault and there is no authority figure to step in and discuss it, we risk making such things appear normal. When the campaign avoids his more offensive issues in an effort to avoid offending our liberal and multicultural student body, they risk sanitizing Trump himself and making him seem far less harmful than he really is.

The Election Simulation is laudable primarily because teachers let students discover how best to handle controversial topics for themselves and work out real world problems within the confines of school. But when is it time for the faculty to step in and have a larger conversation about what is really going on in America?

This could take the form of an assembly, a lecture from a political science professor at Queens College, or merely a program in class following the simulation meant to contextualize this year in accurate historical terms.

Yes, “stepping in” might detract from the legitimacy of the simulation, but teachers hold the responsibility to make us academically and socially aware so when we are of age to vote, we do so with full knowledge. If students continue to influence students under the premise that the climate of this election is as casual as they are making it seem, we are perpetuating ignorance.

Teachers should thus attempt to clarify that this is not just another simulation—this is a political deformity in our modern day world and it should not be taken lightly.

NEWS EDITORS Rabia Hasan Aly Tantawy

SPORTS EDITORS Agastya Vaidya Alexander T. Velaoras

FEATURES EDITORS Jillissa Drayton Sarah Gafur

SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR Sarah Yu

OPINION EDITORS Mohima Sattar Diego Ramos

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS Renaenia Pangan Adam Sosnicki

A&E EDITORS Francesca Filiberti Kristiana Deur

LAYOUT EDITOR Tara Jackson

COPY EDITORS Ashley An Ashley Zhao

MANAGING EDITORS Mehrose Ahmad Arifa Baksh

MULTIMEDIA EDITORS Laura Marsico Mahira Raihan ADVISOR Brian Sweeney

We welcome letters to the editor.

Townsend Harris High School 149-11 Melbourne Avenue Flushing, NY 11367 thhsclassic@gmail.com

The Classic reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and concision.

FROM THE EDITORS

Introducing the Class of 2017: Find our page on Facebook, which profiles the senior class as they prepare to graduate.

FROM THE EDITORS

Have an opinion on an article published in The Classic?

Want to have your thoughts on a topic published?

Write a “Letter to the Editor” and email it to thhsclassic@ gmail.com.

THE CLASSIC

October 2016

9

SCIENCE & TECH

NYCSEF competitors begin research for upcoming year

by Ishabul Haque, Staff Writer EACH YEAR, students in science research participate in the New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF), which is the largest city-wide competition for high school students. It’s more than just a showcase of science experiments as it allows students to put into use the very skills that form successful academic careers.

However, this does not limit the students’ exposure to only scientific fields, as they get to work on their reading, writing, math, and presentation skills.

Students have about two months to design, research, and test their experiments. This involves extensively researching their project, formulating a hypothesis, and then testing that hypothesis. Junior

Sabiq Shahab approaches this by thinking about “things in our daily life that might make a significant change in our lives, and how others are exposed to the variable [of the experiment].” Background research is crucial in coming up with a meaningful experiment.

However, with every experiment, problems arise, such as budget constraints or failure of the experiment midway through. As researchers, students are expected to account for these obstacles and work around them. A major problem Sabiq expects to arise is a lack of money and time. He commented, “I try to make an experiment relatively cheap by looking for an organism that is cheap [but] can give a lot of results. I try to make my experiment based around

something that can be tested quickly.” For Junior Steven Sebastian, on the other hand, a problem that may occur is “during the experiment when outside forces affect the data. This can be solved by conducting multiple trials.”

Steven added, “the science classes I have taken assist me during the experiments because they have provided me with background information that can be incorporated when writing papers.”

Junior David Kozuch is planning on entering the competion by examining how probiotics affect bacteria. The intestines are made up of beneficial and harmful bacteria. Many conditions are believed to stem from the bacteria in the intestines, such as diar-

rhea, pouchitis, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. David concluded from his research that “probiotics are believed to produce substances that kill specific pathogenic bacteria.”

Most experiments stem from trying to solve a problem. Junior Noah Sadik’s experiment. for example, involves choosing “to test the effects of lead ion pollution on planarian regeneration,” modeling the Flint Michigan water crisis.

Solutions can vary from groundbreaking cures to cheaper alternatives of a treatment.

Students participating in NYCSEF create an active opportunity for themselves in order to learn more about STEM and how they can incorporate it into their future goals.

Steel Hawks steal the show at Maker Faire

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILLIP FRACZEK

Steel Hawks participate in the Maker Faire.

by Christopher Gerbasi, Staff MAKER FAIRE, aptly proclaimed as “The Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth,” gathered together thousands of technology enthusiasts on October 1 and 2. The festival, which is renowned for being part science fair and part county fair, began in San Mateo, California in 2006. The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Maker Media, Inc., Dale Dougherty, and his fellow editors at MAKE Magazine created the event in an effort to open a new forum where the invisible but impressive engineering feats and experimentation that would otherwise go unnoticed would be accessible.

Through this gathering of engineers, tech enthusiasts, and students in a monolithic festival teeming with games, interactive exhibitions, and cooperative learning, Maker Faire spread not only across the United States, but

also overseas to South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

The Townsend Harris High School Steel Hawks participated in the flagship Maker Faire event at Flushing MeadowsCorona Park, where they showcased last year’s robot, “Red Tail.”

They demonstrated capabilities that the robot flaunted in the arena, such as its overall maneuverability and versatility in the claw arm. In participating, the Steel Hawks were also on an outreach mission to inform the attendees on the fun aspects of engineering, how the acceptance of diversity on the team acts as a catalyst to promote cooperation in building such amazing machines, and their vision of the bright future in the field of robotics.

Physics teacher and robotics coach Joshua Raghunath commented, “the goals of Robotics and Maker Faire are closely aligned because they both urge people to

create ingenuitive solutions for problems, ranging from the everyday ones like improving modes of travelling between work and home to the extremely major like developing prosthetic organs or prolonging the human lifespan.”

Mr. Raghunath went onto further to describe the important use of robotics in the future as “humans would probably make use of robotic limbs to make life more streamlined as the aging factor would become largely downplayed in society, and even sooner would be the rapid accessibility of robotic assistants in the household to do things like the laundry and the dishes so we wouldn’t have to [do them] any more.” In response to the idea of robotics playing a major part in our future lives, Junior team member Justin Eng added, “Robots will no longer be reserved for industrial capacities and be made more accessible to everyone as skills like CAD

(Computer Aided Design) and programming become taught in a more uniform manner across the US, they might even become as necessary to know as reading and writing [are].”

Besides the Steel Hawks being a major exhibition at the festival, other important robotics teams like StuyPulse of Stuyvesant High School and the TechKnights of Brooklyn Technical High School were in attendance with similar outreach goals. Companies like Google and Raspberry Pi showed off the advancements they have made in drone and robot accessibility by hosting “Build Your Own Drone” and “Build Your Own Robot” stands, where participants could use simple kits to construct drones and robots in under twenty-five minutes.

In addition, 3D printing companies in attendance constructed viable prosthetic limbs with consumer-grade printers in a matter of hours and also made use of special chocolate filaments to produce edible chocolate bars and cookies. There was also a market for spare motorcycle parts, where numerous CNC mills demonstrated the cutting-edge in laser cutting technology.

The Steel Hawks hope to attend future Maker Faire events and expand the way they interact with visitors by continuing to innovate as fast as the festival does by coming up with new games and technologies to amaze the next generation of roboticists.

Junior team member Sabiq Shahab feels strongly about the robotics team being showcased at Maker Faire. “We serve to educate and inspire children with the core messages of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in order to propagate better innovations, and thus lead to a better world,” he said.

The technology behind the Election Simulation documentary

by SM Tamjid Shariar, Staff Writer

THE ELECTION Simulation, one of the most popularized events at Townsend Harris High School, recently kindled the interests of Alexandra Stergiou and Joe Bender, two filmmakers hoping to document the tradition in a 80 to 90 minute film. In the past, media conglomerates such as The New York Times and MTV have publicized the event, but Stergiou and Bender’s approach is the first to involve filming the process itself.

When asked about their filming equipment, Bender commented, “The camera we are using is the Sony A7s. The camera is light and ergonomic but gives a beautiful, high resolution image.”

The Sony A7s offers a 12.2 megapixel CMOS sensor with sensor micro lenses accompanied by antialiasing filters. The film will be recorded in 4k and 1080p but finished off in 1080p. Senior Michal Davydov commented, “The people who film us are really nice and like to get involved with not only filming the simulation but also just who we are as people, so it doesn’t feel weird.”

Along with the cameras, various mics and audio devices are being incorporated. Bender commented, “We are recording sound with the 633 mixer by Sound Devices. We are using a mixture of wireless Sanken Cos-11 lavalier microphones and a Sennheiser NKH-60 boom microphone.” The Sanken Cos-11 allows for handsfree recording, while the Sennheiser NKH-60 focuses the filtration of sound on one area, producing unrivaled sound clarity.

Once the film is completed, it will be privately sent into film festivals, but the film’s popularity is not ensured. Stergiou elaborated, “It’s hard to say how popular it will be, but I believe it will resonate positively.”

Even though the filming may be tedious, Stergiou and her crew related that the entire process was enjoyable. She recounted that “it truly is an honor to be making this film.”

10 October 2016

THE CLASSIC

SPORTS Dalia Avivi takes over as girls varsity volleyball coach team last year, as Physical Education Teacher Lauren Caiaccia became Athletic Director and could not coach more than one team, having already coached girls varsity basketball. The boys varsity volleyball team won 8-2, advancing to the quarterfinals of the playoffs before being defeated by Fort Hamilton.

This loss capped off a very strong season for boys volleyball, with Ms. Avivi coaching for the first time and learning about the sport simultaneously.

H o w e v e r, prior to entering the THHS community, Ms. Avivi was the coach for a soccer club in Manhattan and also a professional Olympic-style Taekwondo fighter. One thing she appreciated while competing at an Olympic level was being able to “participate in the high intensity

workouts and compete around the world while representing USA.” Ms. Avivi, having now taken over as coach of the girls varsity volleyball team, can apply the skills she gained from coaching the boys varsity volleyball team. She reasoned that the boys’ “intensity and focus on one point at a time” was the key to winning matches and advancing in the playoffs.

During the season, Ms. Avivi was somewhat of an understudy to Ms. Caiaccia, and it was with her help that Ms. Avivi could grow within the sport of volleyball.

Ms. Avivi also noted that Ms. Caiaccia held the members of the boys volleyball team to a high standard, which is important in building a relationship between the coach and her players.

“ It’s really amazing to watch how they are improving their skills and how close they have gotten as a team and hopefully maintain it for years to come.

PHOTO BY JENNY HE

New Girls Volleyball Coach Dalia Avivi watches the team play.

by George Adamou, Staff Writer FROM BEING a studentteacher to becoming a coach for

two of Townsend Harris’s athletic teams, Dalia Avivi has come a long way.

Ms. Avivi took over as the head coach for the boys volleyball

”

On a personal note, Ms. Avivi enjoys the outdoors and likes to spend her free time playing soccer, going to the beach, and hiking. A philosophy that Ms. Avivi holds to be very important when it comes to coaching is teamwork and creating long-lasting relationships.

She said, “My focus for the girls’ varsity volleyball team is to advance through our division and make it into the championship. During [the team’s] practices, I focus on establishing a learning environment where the girls constantly progress and strengthen their volleyball knowledge and skills.”

Ms. Avivi also added, “One of the things I love about coaching is watching the girls after a match or a practice and how they interact with each other. They share how they felt about the drills, points we scored, errors we made, and personal things. They talk about things like how school is going, or what they’re doing over the weekend. It’s really amazing to watch how they are improving their skills and how close they have gotten as a team and hopefully, [they] maintain it for years to come.”

Girls varsity tennis dazzles heading Diving into new feats into the playoffs

by Michelle Hong, Staff Writer

by Daniel Singh, Staff Writer WITH THE playoffs approaching in upcoming weeks, “fire-hot” is the perfect way to describe the girls varsity tennis team. They currently have a record of 7-1 and have high hopes to ride their success into the playoffs.

This has been made possible largely due to the efforts of the new head coach Joseph Canzoneri, who has been a big help to the underclassmen that have stepped up to make this team a big contender for the playoffs.

Mr. Canzoneri has high praise for the team as a whole, saying, “It turns out this team is really good.

Generally, the Townsend Harris High School’s girls tennis team either misses the playoffs or kind of gets in as a low seed.”

He went on to compliment the freshmen who have stepped up and showcased their previous tennis experience, adding, “Out of our seven starters, four are freshmen. We just had a lot of freshmen come in who have had previous tennis experience and who compete in tournaments outside of PSAL. These girls are pretty hardcore. The captains and I work together. I don’t do too much in terms of technique, especially [with] those girls who have been training for as long as they have.

The girls are excited, especially the seniors, who know this team is different from teams in the past.”

Also a coach for the Forest Hills varsity baseball team, Mr. Canzoneri added, “I have found as a baseball coach that coaching tennis is a lot like managing a pitcher in baseball. A lot of times with pitchers in baseball, maybe all of

“ The entire team... has so much chemistry. We all love each other as a family, even though most of us have just met. ”

their pitches are not working on a certain day. That’s true with our tennis players. Certain days their serve is on and certain days it’s off. Certain days their backhand is working well, certain days it’s off. A pitcher can kind of get inside his own head and get himself off of his game, so a lot of what I’m doing, from a coaching standpoint, is psychological and dealing with that part of the game.”

Senior captain and first singles starter Liana Weitzman commented, “The entire team, as a whole, has so much chemistry. We all love each other as a family, even though most of us just met, and it is the most amazing thing when you realize your own team is doing so well.” She also emphasized her desire to play well and make sure that everyone on the team has fun during the practices and games. On the 4-1 start, Liana added, “Since we’ve started off great, in no way does that mean we can slack... since the season is so quick and almost over, we need to be on our best game.”

On October 7, the Lady Hawks knocked off first-place Cardozo High School with a valiant effort from all of its players. Freshman Rachel Zhang won the second singles match by score of 10 to 0, and freshman India Lott won the third singles match by a score of 10 to 3.

Freshman Hope Ha and senior co-captain Tseten Lhamo combined to win the first doubles match by a score of 10 to 5.

Last but not least, sophomore Jessica Wang and freshman Neeharika Kotimreddy won the second doubles match by score of 10 to 4. This gave them a 4 to 1 triumph over one of the best girls tennis teams in the entire PSAL.

A NEW season calls for new beginnings. After a loss to Francis Lewis High School ended their season last year, Townsend Harris’s girls varsity swim team has finally sealed a win over their toughest rivals to start the month.

The Turtles didn’t stop there, going on to win their next two games and maintain their undefeated score of 5-0. Scoring their first win against Queens HS for Science at York College, followed by a win over Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, and another next three against Francis Lewis, Bayside High School, and Long Island City, the Turtles have overmatched every team in their division.

Although the team lost some talented swimmers who graduated last year, the underclassmen have nonetheless been able to step up and contribute to the team’s success.

Senior captain Alexis Sarabia says, “Everyone has been working really hard at practices, and it shows at our meets. I’m really proud of how well my team has been doing, and I know we’re going to continue working hard.”

Junior Alexandra Ge also acknowledged the dedication of the team. She credits the team’s victory over Francis Lewis to the uni-

ty of the team in particular. She says, “Unlike many other sports, we spend a lot of time on public transport trying to get to the pool and back, and we spend a lot of time in the pool together. We’re a tight-knit group of Turtles, and we just have talented swimmers.

On top of that, we also have girls who are focused and dedicated to get better.”

The girls, who practice at Franklin K Lane in Brooklyn, turn to each other for support in games as well. Alexandra continues, “We don’t get recognized or get people to come out and support our games since the locations are far away, so we do the best we can as a team to cheer each other on.”

The swimmers agree that their latest wins have boosted the team’s morale. This confidence will surely be helpful for the team’s future games, as they can use their winning streak as a motivating factor to win Borough Champs and place well at playoffs.

According to Alexis, “Based on how we’re doing so far, I feel confident that we can achieve this goal.” In terms of individual goals, she hopes that all of the swimmers can overcome their fear of losing or letting others down. She continues, “I want the girls to swim their hardest and have fun doing it.”

THE CLASSIC

October 2016

11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTT Creati(ng) note-worthy tumblrs: Teresa Ng on her profile

by Sasha Balkaran and Ciara Burke, Staff Writers

ART BY KATHY CHANG

“CEREBRAL THUNDER in one way conversations” is the first thing you see when you click on skepticalteen, the tumblr blog of Townsend Harris senior Teresa Ng. Tumblr is a social media outlet centered around blogs. These blogs fit into various categories such as fandom, food, political, art, and

aesthetic blogs. Teresa has been running her blog since middle school and over time it has developed into an “aesthetic photography/art based [blog].”

Although most social media outlets rely heavily on original content, Tumblr blogs are a hodge podge of what the blogger finds appealing, sometimes coming together to have a cohesive theme,

sometimes not. Teresa “doesn’t post anything original anymore” although she has “some quality posts floating around the internet.”

Teresa describes her aesthetic blog as featuring “nature, fashion, art, cats, [and] traveltype posts,” although not all of them correlate necessarily in subject matter. A light pink background pulls together the soft color scheme of each post.

The blog itself is photo based; there are little to no text posts or words outside the pictures, adding to her minimalistic approach.

Her blog highlights the beauty of life; the awe inspiring sights, the delicious food, the simple elegance of each post all act as food for the soul, devoured by our eyes that are so used to listlessly viewing tests and textbooks.

Tumblr’s reblog system allows even the most random post to gain a lot of attention. Teresa’s most popular post is a picture of ice cream, with some 700 notes.

THHS students especially will notice the calming serenity inspired by Teresa’s blog. Whether it’s a single rose held before a white background, big green leaves stretching across the frame,

or a picture of some far away sunset, her blogs make us want to be our most creative and adventurous selves.

Different aspects of Teresa’s blog appeals to its viewers. For sophomore Julia Dolega, it is the coloration involved. “The profile’s pictures all have light colors...no bright colors, [and] they all have a similar theme,” she states.

Freshman Awestaa Zia became similarly inspired to engage in

photography, saying, “when I see an image of nature, I’m inspired to capture an image like that myself.”

For Teresa, it’s the diversity of tumblr that makes it special compared to other social media platforms. “Their interests range, and you can tell based on the posts itself.” On tumblr, “you’ll find a lot of original art and poetry with no censoring whatsoever…. [This creates] some of the best work you’ll see,” she concludes.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TERESA NG

Pictured: a sample of Teresa’s Tumblr profile.

First Phoenix reading takes flight as ticket sales soar

by Sarah Mafroud, Staff Writer

PHOTO BY DEVJANI PAUL

Co-editor-chief Ciara Burke speaks at the first Phoenix reading.

THE PHOENIX kicked off its introductory reading for the year in the school library. Townsend Harris students and alumni came together to express themselves through poetry, stories, songs, and spoken word pieces.

The reading began with an introduction from Rafal Olechowski, advisor of the Phoenix, and two new Editors-in-Chief: juniors Aaron Fernando and Ciara Burke.

This year, as opposed to having one senior and one junior running the club, both Editors in-Chief are now from the same grade. Aaron jokingly said that the Phoenix’s reasons for the change are “classified,” before adding that “this was unexpected, and hasn’t happened before. It’s a big year for the Phoenix.”

While the two admit to initially being nervous about their positions, Ciara summed up their feelings by saying, “I’m excited to see what we will accomplish this year. It’s not going to be easy, but it will make us prouder of everything we do.”

Ciara started the reading with a tribute and dedication to one of her best friends, former THHS junior Gustavo Delgado. Seeing as Gustavo moved to Florida earlier this year, Ciara read his poem ti-

tled “Leftovers,” which was featured in the Phoenix’s first ember.

Politics were brought up by junior Ashley Zhao. Her poem “Colorblind” discussed the Black Lives Matter movement. Before beginning, she explained how an

“ I’m excited to see what we will accomplish this year. It’s not going to be easy, but it will make usprouder of everything we do. ” argument with her parents about their differing views prompted her to write the piece. Ashley’s compelling reading resonated with the crowd, and THHS alum and former Phoenix literary editor, Jason Lalljee announced that her poem had him “woke.” Junior Emma Fujita agreed with Jason and said, “Ashley’s poem was

powerful and stood out, since it connected with the events that have been happening for the past year or two.”

To conclude the event, Jason took to the stage with his “on-thespot poetry,” choosing a handful of freshmen to provide him with random words. Using these words, he was able to write a poem in two minutes. Jason’s incorporation of the freshmen was described as a “clever move” seeing as it helped in making the newcomers feel at ease.

The introductory reading proved to be a success: as people began to trickle into the library, the Phoenix soon ran out of tickets and resorted to recording people’s names on a piece of paper. The reading was predominantly full of juniors; however, there was a large group of freshmen. This time around, there were no freshmen presenters. “Next time I would really like to see more freshmen and underclassmen presenting. Right now the Phoenix is kind of overrun by juniors,” said Aaron.

Freshman Sandy Wong recounted her overall experience at the reading, stating, “This reading was good, and I might come back for next month’s [reading].”

12 October 2016

THE CLASSIC

SAT CRASH COURSE Prep for the January 21, 2017 NEW SAT

WINTER BREAK- NO SCHOOL Monday, December 26, 2016- Friday, December 30, 2016 Class 1: Monday, December 26 Class 2: Tuesday, December 27 Class 3: Wednesday, December 28 Class 4: Thursday, December 29

Morning Session: 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Afternoon Session: 2:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Contact: 1 (800) 631-1757

Class Format: Diagnostic Test Plus Detailed Review 5 Classes/ Morning or Afternoon 6 Hours Each Class

Must Register Online by December 15th 2016 at www.KwellerPrep.com Tuition: 5 days: $500

Location: Kweller Prep Parker Towers Building 104-40 Queens Blvd Suite 1C, Forest Hills NY 11375 (QB & 69 Ave)

Class 5: Friday, December 30

Kweller Prep offers Advanced Test Preparation in Small Group Settings Kweller Prep is a proud co-­‐sponsor of the THHS Classic