Shevuon, June 1, 2012

Shevuon Hatichon ‫שבועון התיכון‬ Friday, June 1st, 2012 • ‫תשע״ב‬, ‫ • י״א בסיון‬Shabbat: 7:57 - 9:07 • Volume 15, Issue 6

End of an Era: Farewell FirstClass

By Sara Newman Spotlight he Gann administration a place for assignments, home- as a teacher. “Currently, I have to is about to announce that work upload, bulletin board for give permissions to my students, Gann will be rolling out online chatting with teachers and subscribe them, and also add a series of major changes to the classmates as well as the ability them to a mailing list,” Spitzer school website. The changes to now have media galleries.” shares. “WhippleHill will take will serve two main roles in imAll of these new features will care of all of that.” proving the website. First, Gann be part of the initial phase of the Despite the excitement of Academy’s external website, website changes. Later, Gann some, a number of students are www.gannacademy.org, will intends to make the full switch ambivalent about the change. be revamped to make it more to WhippleHill’s SIS (Student Sophomore Saul Jonas doubts user-friendly and appealing, Info Systems), which integrates that the switch to WhippleHill particularly to prospective fami- grading and attendance into the will provide a remedy to the lies. Additionally, the school’s same website, eliminating the problems with FirstClass. “Most internal communication system need for separate attendance and complaints about FirstClass –FirstClass – will be replaced by grading systems. are by students who are actua new website from the company In addition, Gann will ally complaining about spam WhippleHill Communications. switch to Gmail for student messages by their classmates,” The main advantage Whipple- email accounts and calendars. Jonas says. “Changing services Hill’s system has over FirstClass Sophomore Merissa Jaye is fa- isn’t going to stop the endless is that it streamlines informa- miliar with the usage of Google stream of ‘LOST ID CARD’ and tion, bringing it directly to users products for school communi- ‘DRESS UP FOR FREE DOon their homepages. Marketing cation. A transfer student from NUTS’ messages.” Additionally, and Communications Associate Beaver Country Day School, Jonas wonders if the “potential Laura Ayer, who is spearheading Jaye recalls that “at Beaver, we benefits of this new service” will the project, reveals, “Students used Google Docs, which was be outweighed by the challenge will be able to see all of their better than FirstClass because of implementing the new system ‘groups’ – academic courses, you could…save all documents and teaching students and facathletics and any clubs within online and share them.” ulty how to use it. their personal webpages in one Rabbinics teacher Jeff Spitzer Jonas isn’t alone. Fellow central location.” hopes that the WhippleHill sys- sophomore Keren Radbil, a FirstClass conferences will tem will provide a similar sort of faithful user of FirstClass as a be scrapped in favor of a sleek collaborative forum. Spitzer uses Student Council officer, shares webpage for each student, bring- his FirstClass conferences as a some of Jonas’s concerns. “I, ing together schedules, assign- tool for his students to discuss for one, go on FirstClass once I ments and groups for each class. assignments and topics brought get home and am on it ‘till I fall “Homework assignments, cal- up in class and feels that “the sleep at night!” Radbil exclaims endar events, etc. that you are a [FirstClass] online conference only half-jokingly. This year, part of will all be in one calendar is getting a little old.” Moreover, Radbil has found FirstClass’s for you to view,” explains Ayer. Spitzer believes that some of the less common tools to be very “And like your current First- features of the new system will helpful. She explains, for examClass conferences for courses, eliminate much unnecessary ple, that she has “really started each course you take will have “grunt-work” that he deals with to use the calendar to [her] benEditors Note: A picture of the WhippleHill layout is featured on page 3. continued on page 7

T Upcoming Events: 6/4 Last Day of Classes 6/4 Closing Assembly 6/4-6/5 Senior Retreat 6/5 Reading Day 6/7 Senior Night 6/8 Last Day of School 6/8 OFFICIALLY SUMMER! 6/10 Graduation

In Here • Students finish up their last full week of classes and begin preparing for finals.

• Seniors celebrate their upcoming graduation with Senior Beach Day, despite a rainy forecast.

• The athletic department holds the annual Sports Banquet.

Out There

• Celtics drop the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat.

• Cities everywhere honor members of the military on Memorial Day. • A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hits the north of Shavuot Stress Italy and kills 17 civilThe timing of the Jewish holiday this year caused ians. anxiety for many and sparked controversy and

Summer News

Catch a preliminary glimpse of the headlines you will see this summer.

discussion throughout the school community.

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Shevuon Hatichon, Friday June 1st, 2012 •

‫תשע״ב‬, ‫ • י״א בסיון‬Shabbat: 7:57 - 9:07 • Volume 15, Issue 6

Page 2

Chag Sameach?

By Annika Gompers Spotlight This past weekend was Shavuot, the Jewish holiday on which we celebrate the giving of the Torah. On this holiday, one of the three major holidays in the Jewish calendar, it is a custom to study biblical and other important Jewish texts. However, many Gann students felt a need to focus on their schoolwork instead.

This year’s calendar made the timing of Shavuot particularly tricky, as it started on a Saturday night and ended on Monday night of Memorial Day. This essentially created a three-day chag – a time when traditionally observant students could not write or use the computer to do schoolwork – that consumed the entire three-day weekend.

While teachers were not supposed to assign work due immediately after Shavuot, the stress of projects and papers due later in the week combined with the looming finals that lay ahead caused many students to feel like they had to work through the holiday.

When asked about teachers potentially giving work over Shavuot, English teacher Ms. Shapiro responded, “I think it is a beautiful holiday and people should enjoy it without schoolwork.”

Nevertheless, many of the more traditionally observant Jews in the Gann community felt like they had fallen behind by not doing work on Shavuot. Sophomore Jonathan Koralnik definitively states:

“Keeping Shavuot puts you at a disadvantage with schoolwork.” Some feel differently, like freshman Ariella Levisohn, who says, “I was nervous that I would be behind everyone in terms of studying, but it seems that the people who do write and do homework over holidays didn’t come out much ahead of those who don’t.”

Students who are observant of Shavuot felt stressed about missing valuable studying time.

Credit: lagrangecollegelibrary.blogspot.com

Sophomore Sabrina Fried, who did in fact take part in the traditional text study of Shavuot, says that she felt as though it was less meaningful because of the stress of schoolwork that she wasn’t doing. She claims that Gann “is promoting a non-observant atmosphere because of the amount of work that it gives on holidays.”

When confronted with the choice between schoolwork and observing the holiday, many observant students felt con-

Credit: www.ynetnews.com

flicted. Freshman Kineret Grant-Sasson explains, “As someone that keeps the [holiday], I felt pressured to do work over the long weekend.” Some students, like sophomore Michael Harlow, did in fact “break” the holiday to get work done, but not willingly. Harlow says that recently, schoolwork has made it hard for him to keep a strict observance of Shabbat and chag in general, which he says is “incredibly frustrating.” Grant-Sasson hopes that the administration will work on making it easier for students like her and Harlow to observe Jewish holidays without the strain of schoolwork so that they “don’t feel like they have to choose one or the other.”

Rabbi Baker has, in fact, already addressed the issue of this year’s tough calendar at Hakhel this week, recognizing it as a legitimate concern that is already being thought about for next years calendar. Expressing his regrets that the difficult timing was not caught or altered when reviewing the calendar for this year, Rabbi Baker says, “We want the rhythm at Gann to be hospitable to traditionally observant students, and we intend to review the calendar in the future to ensure that the rhythm of the year is as sensitive as possible to the Jewish holidays and to the experience of observant students.”

Shevuon Hatichon, Friday June 1st, 2012 •

‫תשע״ב‬, ‫ • י״א בסיון‬Shabbat: 7:57 - 9:07 • Volume 15, Issue 6

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The WhippleHill Student Information System is set to replace FirstClass next year and has a totally different layout than the familiar one of FirstClass.

Credit: Laura Ayer

Israelis in Tel Aviv Protest Influx of Illegal African Immigrants

By Aaron Dvorkin Israel

On Wednesday, May 23, a protest against African migrants in Tel Aviv’s Hatikvah neighborhood turned violent.

Seventeen people were arrested when protesters started beating nearby Africans and damaging their property. The protest started as a structured, non-violent demonstration asking the government to deport illegal African immigrants who had migrated into Israel through its porous southern border.

Around 1,000 people attended the protest, which was held partially because of recent reports in Israeli newspapers that link the influx of African immigrants to rising crime rates in places like southern Tel Aviv.

Although the protest began in an orderly manner, it was clear to Haaretz reporter Ilan Lior that the protest was bound to spiral out of control: “A demonstration of hatred took

place on the stage.” One after another, residents took the stage to tell horror stories of violence perpetrated by the “infiltrators.”

Some called for extreme action and even

Protesters in Tel Aviv demonstrate against influx of illegal immigrants from Africa.

Credit: theuglytruth.wordpress.com

violence. “Bibi, I’m taking the law into my own hands,” warned one of the residents.

Surprisingly enough, government officials

and members of Knesset who spoke at the rally continued the violent rhetoric. Haaretz reports that MK Miri Regev (Likud) called Sudanese immigrants “a cancer in our body,” and far-right MK Michael Ben-Ari said, “There are rapists and harassers here.

The time for talk is over.”

Many protesters took Ben-Ari line “the time for talk is over” literally and decided to take matters into their own hands.

Haaretz reports that they first started taking out their anger on left wing reporters. Lior recounted how he was one of the targets of that anger: “The threats became more intense...one of the protesters pushed me, another snatched my notepad and threw it in the air...‘I recognize you. I’m a bus driver. I saw you throw rocks at soldiers at a checkpoint last week,’ said one woman, continued on page 5

Shevuon Hatichon, Friday June 1st, 2012 •

‫תשע״ב‬, ‫ • י״א בסיון‬Shabbat: 7:57 - 9:07 • Volume 15, Issue 6

Page 4

Mother Heifer’s Advice Column I feel like Gann puts way too much stress on students towards the end of the year. The amount of projects, tests and essays that I have is ridiculous. How can we all try and enjoy the end of the year with this amount of pressure and stress on us?

It’s okay to act a little bit like a crazy person towards the end of the year. In fact, everyone expects it. Take advantage of this

Talia Jaffe 5/30

wonderful opportunity; it’s like the school has given you a free

Claire Shoyer 5/30

pass to be moody and unpredictable. Perhaps you may turn it

Maya Warburg 6/2

into a game. Next time you walk through the halls, try counting

Ben Fine 6/2

how many frowns you see. Or test your friends’ reactions to

Melissa Kaufman 6/3

awkward circumstances by succumbing periodically to random

Ari Salzberg 6/4

bouts of crying and gibberish. If that doesn’t relieve your stress,

Leora Spitzer 6/8

go ask Student Council for a popsicle.

Stay classy this summer. I’ll miss you. Xoxoxo, Mama Heif

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Answer to trivia: Chris Senhouse

Shevuon Hatichon, Friday June 1st, 2012 •

‫תשע״ב‬, ‫ • י״א בסיון‬Shabbat: 7:57 - 9:07 • Volume 15, Issue 6

Page 5

Media Attractions of Summer 2012

By Adam Yates IHOT

This summer, many newsworthy events are set to take place. This year’s Summer Olympics will be held in London from July 27th to August 12th. The event will cover athletic competitions with representatives expected from 204 different countries. The Summer Olympics feature 26 sports, some of the most notable being swimming, basketball, gymnastics and volleyball. The last Olympic games in Beijing, 2008, attracted a record 4.7 billion television viewers worldwide.

Michael Phelps, an American swimmer, set an Olympic record in 2008 by winning eight gold medals. He is arguably the most successful Olympian, and he looks to defend his titles this coming summer.

Michael Phelps has admitted in several interviews that this will be his last year of competitive swimming, and he plans to retire after the 2012 Olympic games. The U.S.A. Men’s Basketball Team dominated in the 2008 Olympics and won the gold medal. NBA stars Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Kobe Bryant led the American team that year to an undefeated record.

Adam Friegood, a featured columnist on “The Bleacher Report,” a sports blogging website, says that he thinks that “Team U.S.A. should be disappointed with anything less than a gold medal.” Friegood

credits the success of the American players to their athleticism and talent, and he suggests that the team has a 1 in 8 chance of winning a gold medal this year.

Many Gann students plan to watch the Summer Olympics this year and are excited to root for Team U.S.A. However, students like freshman Jared Popkin are extremely disappointed that they will miss the Summer Olympics because they will be at

The 2012 Summer Olympics will take place in London this year.

Credit: http://waiverwireblog.com

camp. Popkin’s favorite part of the Olympics is the opening ceremony because he loves to see how “the host country thinks [the Olympics] should be run or look.”

London does indeed have pressure to compete with Beijing’s jaw dropping opening ceremony. Popkin hopes that his camp will give him continuous Olympic updates dur-

Israeli Protest continued from page 3 running amok.”

The protestors, at this point readily described as an angry mob, then took to the streets, looking for Africans to beat and African-owned stores to vandalize. NPR reports that Israelis threatened an Eritrean storeowner in the Hatikvah neighborhood named Amin Zagatar even before the protest started. He explains, “A group of men had come in the morning and told me they would be back. They asked if I was the owner or if I worked for an Israeli. They threatened me. They said that if I was here when they returned, they would kill me.”

Sure enough, protesters attacked his store that night.

Many Israelis were shocked the next day when they saw pictures of protesters

smashing car windows belonging to Africans and burning trashcans outside African owned stores. Immediately, left wing Israelis started drawing comparisons between the protests and the persecution of Jews in Europe in the early 20th century. Yair Lapid, an Israeli television reporter turned opposition leader, compared the incident to a pogrom and criticized government officials such as Ben-Ari and Regev for inciting the violence. “When I see a pogrom led by inciters like [the Knesset members Danny Danon, Miri Regev and Michael Ben-Ari]...I wonder how they have the nerve to call themselves Jews...they don’t understand the meaning of Jewish morals or collective Jewish memory, nor do they understand the meaning of Jewish exis-

ing morning announcements. Others, like junior Josh Chartock, think that the main excitement of the Olympics is due to the fact that the Olympics occur only once every four years.

Other newsworthy events due to occur this summer are the release of long-awaited “blockbuster” movies including sequels to popular film franchises. Some of the biggest titles due to be released this summer are The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider Man, Brave, and Ted, all of which are expected to be successful at the box office.

The most anticipated movie of the summer is The Dark Knight Rises, which is the third movie in the Batman trilogy. The movie features Christian Bale as Batman, Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Tom Hardy as the lead villain, Bane. The Dark Knight Rises has made quite a buzz since its trailer release. Critics predict that it will threaten to break The Avengers’ record setting $207 million opening weekend box office gross. Movie fans worldwide have high expectations for this movie, including freshman Jonathan Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer said, “If [The Dark Knight Rises] is anything like its predecessor, [it] will be very worth looking forward to.” Christopher Nolan, who is directing this newest continued on page 6

tence,” he told The New York Times. Prime Minister Netanyahu also condemned the violence, saying in The New York Times that there was “no place for either the expressions or actions witnessed.”

Although both Lapid and Netanyahu denounced the actions of the protesters, both agreed that the influx of illegal African immigrants into Israel needs to stop and that many “infiltrators” have to be deported back to their native countries. Although many Israeli politicians disagree on how African immigrants should be treated, it is clear that most of them agree that illegal immigration is a legitimate problem that faces Israel today.

Shevuon Hatichon, Friday June 1st, 2012 •

‫תשע״ב‬, ‫ • י״א בסיון‬Shabbat: 7:57 - 9:07 • Volume 15, Issue 6

Page 6

Betting Against Regulation

By Gabriel Karger Opinion This month, economists and the public have observed J.P. Morgan’s recent financial incompetence with horror and seen how quickly billions of dollars can be lost in today’s global marketplace. The great recession and the Occupy movement that emerged in its aftermath have put banks, hedge funds and C.E.O. salaries of $100 million in the spotlight. Looking at Washington D.C today, however, one might easily think that financial malpractice never occurred. Republicans and Democrats alike speak of the need to create jobs, reduce debt and “restore America” to an unspecified golden age, but few deign to mention the need to stop the monetary trickery that caused our great recession.

Republicans and many Democrats, including the President, now trumpet their initiatives to remove needless regulations and “encourage innovation” while keeping silent on reigning in financial recklessness.

This attitude results from a static view of the world where government should be an unchanging percentage of Gross Domestic Product, and its “size” ought to correspond to past administrations. In the changing world of today, this attitude threatens only to ignore evolving realities at the expense of future generations.

Americans have long recognized the benefits of maintaining a competitive market with limited government intervention.

Competitive capitalism leads to unrivaled innovation and can show millions a path to economic prosperity. This economic structure epitomizes the maxim that individuals should be given the liberty to act in a way that does not harm another or interfere with another’s rights. While some clear consequences of such a free economy, like monopolies, are a clear case of when gov-

ernment regulation ought to come into play, for the most part, it appears that American businesses should act of their own initiative and accord.

Politicians and government officials apparently hold a worldview in which the amount of this intervention to be pursued should remain constant. Mitt Romney’s deficit reduction plan would lower government spending to 20% of GDP by 2016. Last week, President Obama’s press secretary Jay Carney boasted that federal spending is rising at the lowest pace since

Wall Street has come under increasing fire for loose regulations and risky trading.

Credit: www.mediaite.com

the Eisenhower Administration. House Republicans last year conditioned any raise in the debt ceiling on ratifying a constitutional amendment that would “cap” federal spending as a percentage of America’s economic product though that exact amount was never specified clearly. These approaches hold that while the government has some role in society, it essentially should do the same things, and as the economy grows, government regulations ought to go up proportionally.

Sadly, that static approach to government ignores reality at the expense of anyone not a millionaire, lobbyist or Republican strategist. Remember our notion that individuals

should be given the liberty to act in any way that does not harm another or interfere with another’s rights. Approaching government as a percentage of GDP views the relationships between people and their impact on one another as unchanging. But history and common sense tell us that the way in which we relate to each other constantly changes.

For example, an arbitrary farmer (or other average person) on the Western frontier in 1840 did not clearly infringe on another’s liberties by smoking a pipe completely alone, surrounded by crops. Today, that same person, smoking a cigarette without health insurance, would force others to pay for his lung cancer treatment. Because we live in an era of hospitals, government’s role in that aspect of society should obviously be different, and the proportionality of that change has no bearing on the necessity that it take place.

J.P. Morgan and Chase’s catastrophic trading underscores the same truth that we cannot view government as a percentage but rather must adapt regulations to reality.

Globalization and new technologies have created a world significantly different from only a few decades ago, and changes are rapidly occuring. The financial crisis of 2008 highlighted the danger of viewing government as a number and failing to preempt financial disaster. Washington natives have quickly reverted to viewing regulations as market interference in something that worked just fine before. In a world that cares less and less about what came before, we need to respond to challenges facing us by looking at contemporary realities and seeing beyond the numbers and into a sustainable future.

Media Attractions continued from page 5 Batman movie, said, “We have to give the audiences something they haven’t seen before but also fulfill their expectations of what they enjoyed in the first two films.

That’s the tricky balance.”

Other sequels that are being released

this summer are Men in Black III and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. The summer flicks The Amazing Spider Man, and The Bourne Legacy are also generating excitement although they aren’t technically sequels. Because they are following a dif-

ferent plot line with different characters, they are both continuations of series. No matter what happens at the box office or the 2012 Olympic games, we can all look forward to an exciting summer filled with news headlines.

Shevuon Hatichon, Friday June 1st, 2012 •

‫תשע״ב‬, ‫ • י״א בסיון‬Shabbat: 7:57 - 9:07 • Volume 15, Issue 6

Page 7

Parshat Naso

By Harry Shecter and Zach Shwartz Dvar Torah Parshat Naso is made up of three components: it finishes the census from Bamidbar, gives a system for suspected adulterers and clarifies the laws for consecrating oneself to God. In summary, the system for suspected women of adultery goes as follows: when a man suspects his wife of cheating, he takes her to the priest, who makes a sacrificial meal and prepares “bitter water” containing parchment with a curse in the name of God. He gives the woman a curse of adultery. To determine whether the woman actually committed adultery, the woman must drink the water. If she is guilty, the water will curse her appearance forever, but if she truly did not commit adultery, it will leave her alone.

This system raises the question of why we cannot encourage married couples to trust one another’s word. The reason is that we assume that husbands and wives will generally trust each other, but this system does not allow husbands to exact revenge on their wives. If husbands wish to declare

that their wife was unfaithful in order to benefit from his lie, it simultaneously punishes women for their sins.

The laws for consecration mostly involve avoiding tameh (impure) items and people such as the dead. However, the portion also includes a prohibition on cutting one’s hair after a consecrated oath and a prohibition on consuming any grape product. The laws about impurity are logical because dedication to God must involve interaction with the Temple. Logically, one must remain tahor (pure) when encountering the House of God frequently. The restriction on cutting hair is also logical because the text explains that the hair itself is dedicated to God, most likely because old hair was cut just before the oath. However, the most difficult case to figure out is the case of the grapes. Ritually, grapes are typically encouraged in the form of wine to enrich holidays, Shabbat and times of joy.

The Rabbis conclude from this prohibition that the concern is that consecrated people can only dedicate themselves when their

minds are free of intoxication. Therefore, this parsha is the introduction of moderacy in alcohol consumption. It references the possibility of Adam and Eve having been drunk upon eating of the tree of knowledge (a grapevine), Noah’s improper choice to plant grapes as the first seeds following the flood and Aaron’s sons who drank before offering an improper sacrifice to God, which led to their deaths.

The placement of these two texts together in the parsha leads the Rabbis to connect the two issues through the idea that witnesses of adultery will consecrate themselves to God upon realizing that alcohol causes such barbarism to occur. In our lives today, it is important to do certain things in moderation. While the Torah specifically uses alcohol, it hints that we need to also take life in moderation. Sit back, look at yourself in the mirror and take both the good and bad in your life and in the world in moderation.

Farewell Firstclass continued from page 1 efit.” The switch to WhippleHill will mean a reorganization of Radbil’s and most other students’ personal scheduling systems, a change Radbil does not look forward to.

Freshman Akiva Jackson has a more optimistic outlook and sees the switch to WhippleHill as a potentially exciting one.

However, he and his fellow Gann students

wait with baited breath for more details because, as Jackson points out, “we have been told [next] to nothing about the new system.”

Writers Ben Bryer ‘15, Rachel Butler ‘14, Harrison Dale ‘15, Aaron Dvorkin ‘13, Annika Gompers ‘14, Daniel Gray ‘14, Aaron Hunt ‘15, Gabriel Karger ‘13, Jonathan Koralnik ‘14, Joshua Lange ‘15, Sara Newman ‘14, Oshri Olsberg ‘14, Eleora Pasternack ‘14, Jacqueline Pollock ‘13, Rebecca Pritzker ‘13, Gil Propp ‘13, Sarah Salinger ‘15, Abby Schwartz ‘13, Maya Sinclair ‘15, Jacqueline Teperman ‘13, Nicole Teperman ‘14, Adam Yates ‘15 Photographers Brittany Gellerman, Jeremy Kelleher, Sarah Litwin, Alicia Zolondick Entertainment Page Josh Chartock, Michael Handler

Editor in Chief Sloane Grinspoon Managing Editor Jonah Kriger Layout Editor Lily Cohen Assistant Editors Rachel Brody, Jordana Gardenswartz & Matthew Zackman Copy Editor Maxwell Fineman Faculty Advisor Shoshanah Zaritt Faculty Consultants Deb Carroll, Matt Conti & Jonah Hassenfeld

Shevuon Hatichon, Friday June 1st, 2012 •

‫תשע״ב‬, ‫ • י״א בסיון‬Shabbat: 7:57 - 9:07 • Volume 15, Issue 6

Page 8

Ending With a Bang

By Jackie Teperman With spring sports seasons over, many athletes are happy to get home earlier— with finals coming up, every moment of studying counts. The extra spare time, however, means spending less time with a team with which you’ve spent the past three months training and forming close bonds. The Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team experienced the bittersweet feeling of ending a season in their final game against Landmark. The team was able to end their season on a high note and give the seniors a final opportunity to experience a satisfactory and well-deserved win. The skills exhibited in the final game were a mark of what the girls had accomplished this season. Even though the team was down a goalie and a captain, their final game was by far their best.

After the flowers had been distributed and photos had been taken, the Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team finished the senior ceremony and got ready to get on the field.

They knew they were capable of beating

Landmark since they had done it before, but the last game was very close for the majority of the time. Landmark fought hard to take back any small lead Gann gained.

The girls proved in just the first five minutes of the game that they were a force to be reckoned with by scoring four goals right off the bat and keeping Landmark at zero. The defense would not let Landmark even close to our goalie, and the offense was hungry to score. Senior captain Rachel Nieves said, “Once we took such a strong lead, our confidence just skyrocketed, and we knew we could easily win.”

The seniors and the rest of the team also had the motivation to end on a good note knowing that it was the seniors’ last game of high school lacrosse. Sadly, the team was down one senior, captain Chera Garlick, who suffered a concussion in the previous game against Landmark. Nieves mentioned, “The added motivation factor of Chera’s injury made us angrier and hungrier for the win.”

Junior goalie Rachel Brody also agreed that confidence was the key in coming away with a win. As she said, “everyone had complete confidence in one another that they would catch passes and complete plays as well as anyone else, and that sense of trust led to great teamwork.” The problem now is figuring out how to bring that sense of confidence over into next season.

Brody suggested, “if we start prepping for the season early with bonding and skill exercises, we can come into the season as strong of a unit as the one we ended as.”

Overall, the girls’ last game should be used as a marker of the level of lacrosse that they are capable of playing. Throughout this entire season, this year has been described as a “rebuilding year” for the Girls’ Lacrosse program. Hopefully, the returning team members will come back with more skill and more confidence next year.

Congratulations on a successful season!

Sports Banquet Celebrates a Successful Year of Gann Sports

By Ben Bryer

As the 2011-2012 academic year comes to a close, it is time to hand in our Gann jerseys, hang up our cleats and say goodbye to the gym, turf and fields. To conclude the year, the annual sports banquet was held this Wednesday. Coaches of the Gann Varsity teams spoke about the challenges, successes and growth that each of their teams experienced. The head coach of the undefeated Ultimate Frisbee team, Simcha Cohen, explained that one of his mottos for the team this year was, “If you want it, take it.” The Ultimate Frisbee team did not take the mantra lightly. Each player contributed to lead the team to a perfect season and back-to-back championships.

This year’s Frisbee team was not the only Gann squad who had a spotless record. Gann had three other championship teams, the Girls’ Varsity Tennis, Boys’ Varsity Tennis, and Cross Country teams.

Three out of those four teams finished their season undefeated. The teams succeeded

by uniting while excelling independently.

Out of 220 Gann athletes, 29 of them were league all-stars this year. Many of the allstars were prominent team members who put the team before themselves. Boys’

Coach Johnson, speaking at the annual Sports Banquet, celebrated the success of this year’s sports teams.

Credit: Sarah Litwin

Baseball head coach Colin McAlpine summed up this year’s baseball team with one word: “Unity – which is defined as the state of being united or joined as a whole.”

Almost every speech at this year’s ban-

quet discussed the leadership that the older players displayed towards underclassmen and how everyone worked as a tight unit to succeed. A big focus in the banquet was saying farewell to senior athletes, who are headed off to college next year. Many seniors were captains, and their athleticism and skill will be greatly missed next year.

But as new freshman enter our hallways and our sport teams next year, so too will the upperclassmen next year help fill the deep holes that this year’s seniors will be leaving behind.

Coach Johnson is pleased with the outcome of the 2011-2012 sports season and is proud of all Gann teams this year, especially this year’s four champions. She says that what was most important for her was that the Gann sports program “provided a wide range of team sport and rec class options to keep students moving their bodies and learning about team work and commitment.”

Everyone have a wonderful summer vacation!