EDITORS: STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Seungmin Woo, Hallie MAllozzi
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SPORTS
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Brendan Dolan
CommuniTY NEWS Julia Foxen, Michelle Parente
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WORLD/NATIONAL NEWS
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breanne naegele, Seunghyun Woo
REVIEWS Gabby Yepes, Paige Accetta
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PHOTOGRAPHY
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Mary Vivian Schott
EdiTOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Snyder
LAYOUT EDITOR Kaylah Bozkurtian
STAFF SUPERVISOR Ms. Skolnik
Principal Mrs. McLaughlin
AssisTanT Principals Opinions expressed are those of the writers, and do not reflect the opinions of staff or administration.
Mr. Perrotta Mr. Steingruebner
GARDEN CITY HIGH SCHOOL
EISSUECONE:HAUTUMN O
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ANDREAS PETRIDES: THE BEAUTY IN MUSIC BY MINA WOO
Andreas Petrides, a senior at Garden City High School, received the honor of being named one of only twenty Long Island Arts Alliance (LIAA) Scholar artists. According to LongIslandArtsAlliance.org, “LIAA’s Scholar-Artist Awards program recognizes students judged to be ‘the best of the best’ on Long Island in both academics and in the arts.” For Andreas Petrides, the application process started last winter, when he submitted his perfect All-State audition scores on both violin and guitar, a recording of a violin performance, letters of recommendation, and an essay about Photo courtesy of Garden the meaning of music. He also City Highschool submitted anWebsite academic report, as grades were an additional factor in deciding the recipient of the award. “This is so difficult to win, especially on violin!” noted Dr. Nina Prasso, district coordinator of Music and the Arts, upon receiving the good news.
agement of his family members. Over the years, music grew into his passion, and the committed musician furthered his musical ardor by learning the guitar, bass, and piano. Petrides believes that music enables him to reach out and express himself to people. “I truly believe that music can express human emotion in a way that words or any other art form can’t,” Petrides explained, reflecting on his passion for music. “The beauty in music really brings out the universality in humanity, as through sound it can impact anyone emotionally regardless of their background or life experience.”
avid sports fan, “somewhat painfully rooting” for the Mets, Jets, Islanders, and Knicks. Petrides jokingly claims that he can usually be identified by his sarcasm and awful sense of humor.
As members of the Garden City High School orchestra can confirm, Andreas Petrides is an astoundingly talented musician and is gifted in leading the violin section. His high level of musicianship and leadership skills are truly encouraging to the students in the class. There is no doubt that Andreas Petrides, a gifted, committed, and inspiring scholar and musician, has a This gifted student harbors promising future ahead of him. an impressive array of musical accomplishments. He was accepted and participated in the NYSSMA All-State Symphony Orchestra on violin last winter as a junior, and was selected as an alternate on violin and jazz guitar this year. He has performed at Carnegie Hall three times as a member Petrides has always been of the first violin section of the zealous about music perfor- Metropolitan Youth Orchestra. mance, and is enchanted by the emotional and intellectual Outside of music, Petrides adimpacts that music can have on mits to being “a computer geek.” people. Since the third grade, He built his own personal comPetrides has used the violin as puter a couple of years ago, and is a medium to engage in his mu- fascinated by learning about both sical passion. In the beginning, the hardware and software comPetrides’s love for music was ponents of computers. Petrides stimulated by the strong encour- also considers himself to be an
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Photo courtesy of Garden City Highschool Website
“LIAA’s Scholar-Artist Awards program recognizes students judged to be ‘the best of the best’ on Long Island in both academics and in the arts.” Photo courtesy of Newsday.com
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DESSIE DIMINO: A passion For Programming BY MICHAEL SNYDER
Innovator. Teacher. Pioneer. These are only some of the words that describe Dessie DiMino, a bright student at Garden City High School. From Legos to codes, Dessie DiMino has pursued her passion for putting the pieces together since she was in fifth grade. DiMino got her start at robotics at the age of ten when her brother John showed her how to use the Lego MindStorm Kit, which contains software and hardware to create customizable, programmable robots. She continued to pursue the subject through summer programs such as the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion ProPhoto courtesy of Garden gram, an intensive City Highschool Websiteseven-week program that occurs in 14 cities on the west and east coasts. DiMino says that she learned “more programming languages like Python and HTML, and also about cryptography, data structures, algorithms and web design” at the camp. After she learned more advanced programming, DiMino says, she was sponsored by the Girl Scouts to join a competitive robotics team for a competition known as the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge. FIRST really lit the spark for Dessie DiMino to pursue robotics. DiMino had to seek out the team on her own, according to the Garden City News, because her high school
did not have a team. DiMino proved to be an invaluable asset to the team as programmer and driver of their robot. With her help, DiMino’s team qualified for the FIRST World Championships. “The FIRST competition taught me about working on a team,” DiMino said, reflecting on FIRST. “I learned a lot about making compromises. It was an amazing experience and has cemented my interest long term to be in more robotics competitions and [to work] with them as a career.”
DiMino’s robot in action at the FIRST World Championships. Photo Courtesy of Dessie DiMino Robots are in phones, in the sea, in space… just about anywhere, really. The ubiquitous nature of robots appeals to DiMino; the “unlimited possibilities for using them” allow robots to be utilized in a practically endless myriad of situations. For example, DiMino is particularly fascinated by their application in “exoskeletons and bionic limbs.”
DiMino noted one particular example which holds a great deal of importance to her: “at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, an exoskeleton helped a paraplegic kick [his] first soccer ball.” In terms of the robotic process, DiMino “like[s] programming the best because it’s very logical.” Dessie DiMino has applied her love for robotics to many areas throughout her life-- and those of others. DiMino first started to spread her love of robotics to others when she founded not one, but two chapters of the Girls Who Code Club, which has been described by DiMino as “like computer science courses.” One of the clubs is run through the Garden City Library; the other, fairly new, began to run through the Nassau County Girl Scouts on Sunday, November 29, 2015. “Dessie is a role model for young girls and she is a remarkable example of what one person can accomplish”, said Trish Lynch, Executive Director of Garden City Friends of STEM (GCFS). “Ms. DiMino brought The Girls Who Code Club to Garden City after attending the program herself at Goldman Sachs last summer. She found a volunteer teacher, acquired the space at GC Library, and recruited 35 Garden City girls to join.” Not only has DiMino taken the initiative in teaching robotics
TUDENT STUDENTSPOTLIGHT SPOTLIGHT STUDENT SPOTLIGHT ST by starting Girls Who Code, but she’s also taken it one step further by starting a Robotics Club in the Garden City High School this year. Mr. Vincent Pané, a physics and conceptual chemistry teacher at the Garden City High School, is advising the club. Because it’s the club’s first year, says DiMino, she is focusing on teaching the members about “design, circuitry, building and programming.” DiMino is guiding the club’s members towards competing in the Vex Robotics Competition next year. According to vexrobotics.com, in the competition “teams of students are tasked with designing and building a robot to play against other teams from around the world in a game-based engineering challenge. Classroom STEM concepts are put to the Photo courtesy of Garden test on the playing field as stuCity Highschool dents learn Website lifelong skills in
teamwork, leadership, communications, and more. Tournaments are held year-round at the regional, state, and national levels; local champions go on to compete against the best in the world at VEX Worlds each April!” It is clear that DiMino wishes to foster the same fervor for robotics that was sparked in her during competitions. Undoubtedly, she will continue to inspire aspiring students to pursue their interests in robotics. DiMino hopes to major in computer science in college and specialize in robotics. She would like to make a career in computer science, either building robots or working in finance. According to DiMino, her dream job is working at “a big tech company in Silicon Valley (in California) or Silicon Alley (in New York).”
DiMino has described herself as “curious, eclectic, [and] determined.” Outside of robotics, DiMino enjoys fencing épée for her high school team and in competitions, having attended the Junior Olympics and the USA Fencing Summer Nationals. She also likes to play the piano for fun. DiMino’s friend Collier Curran has said that “she must use some sort of sorcery to be able to manage her time so efficiently. She is constantly at one event or another… that is something I really admire in her.” Curran also added that “whenever [she has] spoken to [Dessie,] she’s been amiable, helpful, and funny. Dessie’s very special, and I can see her achieving amazing things in the future.” One thing is clear: if robots don’t take over the world, Dessie DiMino certainly will.
“One thing is clear: if robots don’t take over the world, Dessie DiMino certainly will.”
HOMECOMING/PEP RALLY @ GCHS 2015
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS BOYS’ Soccer 2015: LeT’s RECAP By James Ostrowski Boy’s soccer, captained by seniors Mark Luglio and Jack Fenty, fought their way to a season to remember. Assisted by the offensive efforts of leading goal scorer John Simmons and dynamic attackman Chris Tavernese, Garden City brought home a Conference Championship for the first time in six years. Our boy’s soccer team is
known for stellar defense and the 2015 season was no exception. Defenders Conor Lehan, Matt Lisoski, Finn Gibbons and Timmy Dehler chalked up eight shutouts over the course of the season. However, without John Mackey’s 66 saves as goalie, none of this would’ve been possible. After coming out atop the toughest conference in the county, GC
would eventually fall in the quarter-finals to Jericho in penalty kicks. This Trojan squad stands as one of the more talented teams to ever come through the program. Head coach, Paul Cutter, reflected on the season stating that his team this fall marks the beginning of a legacy.
GIRL’S SOCCER 2015 BY CAROLINE DOLAN
The girls’ varsity soccer team did not begin their season as they would have hoped, with three ties, and a loss against Manhasset. However, the girls did not let that discourage them as the season progressed. Having experienced the glory of winning a State Championship in 2013, captains Isabel Klatt, Kerry Defliese, Chloe Stapleford, and Ju-
lia McGuire motivated the girls to maintain a positive attitude the rest of the season in hopes of another state title. With the dedication of coaches Mike Heedles and Scott McCauley, the girls practiced endlessly while putting in their best efforts. Their hard work was evident when the girls went on to win the Class A Conference Championship.
This win would not have been possible without the unbreakable bond the girls formed on and off the field. Each game, the girls went on the field with confidence, knowing they were part of a group of girls who had each other’s backs. With the close relationships between each player and the constant motivation, success came easily to the
team. The girls’ hard work throughout the season paid off, taking them into playoffs. The third and final time that Garden City faced their top rival, South Side, they ended up as County Champions. The dispiriting outcome of last year’s season did not prevent the girls from achieving their main goal, but rather intensified their desire to win.
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SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS FIELD HOCKEY: THE ROAD TO STATES BY JACKIE BRATTAN After losing to Lakeland in the State Championship game last year, the Trojans came out eager to be an unbeatable team. While the future did look promising this year, with the team winning every game including the Long Island Championship, they unfortunately fell short of the State Championships this year. The girls practiced hard six days a week during playoffs in hopes of competing in and finally winning it all in the 2015 season. The girls’ success comes from an outstanding coach-
ing staff, a close-knit team, and a strong desire for victory. Coaches Diane Chapman and “Mac” are very supportive of the girls and work them hard in practice every day, expecting the best out of them. In terms of leadership on the field, captains Michaela Bruno, Kelly Aneser, Sabrina Milone, and Olivia Giarraputo, all seniors, were always pumping up the team in the hopes that they would end their final season with a state championship trophy in their hands. The team is
very close-knit in terms of the relationships between all of the players. Bonding is paramount to success on a girls’ sports team; it is important for the players to know that they can all count on each other. This collaborative spirit is something that is evident on the team this season. In an interview, captain Michaela Bruno commended midfielder Celia Concannon for her hard work, commenting on how she “runs back for every ball,” and praised her overall athletic talent. This is
a prime example of how the players respect and support one another. Although the Trojans did not achieve their major goal for the season this year, the school is very proud of their outstanding efforts. Their coaches will continue to push them to work harder and get better in hopes of reaching their ultimate goal next season. With great leadership and motivation, the team will undoubtedly go very far.
GC GOLF: THE “SWING” OF THINGS BY JACK CASLER The Garden City golf team had another strong season this year. The boys won the conference for the third straight year, finishing 11-1. Their only loss came against South Side in the second to last match of the season. The golf team will look to continue their strong season this May in the Nassau County Championship. Led
by seniors Pete McCarthy and Jack Casler and juniors Conor Maloney and Charlie Schmitt, the golf team will be looking to win their first county championship in quite some time. The team’s seniors will be looking to make the state championship this year as well. The last two years, the golf team has sent a member
to the state championship. In 2014, Jonathan Granville made states, and in 2015, Jack Casler made the states. Coach Malone hopes to continue that streak this year. Although the seniors on the team will be missed, the golf team certainly has a bright future. Juniors Conor Maloney, Charlie Schmitt, Blake O’Neill, and Jack Mur-
phy will lead the team next year. In the years to come, current freshman Morgan Miller will certainly make an impact. The golf team will continue to be a contender in the conference for many years to come.
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
THE HEART RATE DEBATE By Michael Snyder
The new high-tech heart rate monitors at Garden City High School work a bit differently than the traditional model most people are used to. According to the Garden City High School website, the system is called the “IHT (Interactive Health Technology) Spirit System.” Each student is assigned a particular heart rate monitor, which is scanned to check the students in (also called “tap in” by IHT). The apparatus is then wrapped around the waist and tightened considerably, like a belt, and pushed up to the upper chest area. Then the device beeps, signaling that it is reading the student’s heart rate. When the students take them off, they scan the monitors again (“tap out”), which transfers data to the computer. Based on the student’s height, weight, age and approximate BMI, an analysis is done by the computer to generate a heart rate graph and to see how healthy the student is. These data are transferred to parents via email. While the program has been running somewhat smoothly, students and faculty have reported a few hiccups. Some students have complained that the device failed to read their heart rate correctly, and others that it was too tight. There has been some interference with the wi-fi firewall,
said Ms. Jennifer Soper, a gym and health teacher at the high school, but besides these minor issues, the program seems to be running smoothly. The IHT Spirit System was made possible by a very large grant from the PTA, Soper says. According to Soper, 30 Heart Rate Monitors were given to the Garden City Middle School and 30 to the Garden City High School. Because of the limited numbers of heart rate monitors, they are being tested in small gym classes. This year marks the second year of testing for the system. The program was piloted for Garden City by Mr. Paul Cutter and Mr. Ray Chaputian, gym and health teachers at the High School. Its goal, according to Garden City High School’s website, is “to lend a hand to both teacher and student so we are motivated, empowered and knowledgeable about how to maintain a healthy mind, body and spirit for life.” In other words, Soper says, the goal is to “show students that they should benefit” from physical education and to tailor an individual “goal for every kid.” Additionally, the new heart rate monitors inform the teachers as to whether or not students are engaging in physical activity. This use of the system is quite controversial among students. Based on a survey of 25 random stu-
dents conducted by the ECHO, 52% of Garden City High School students believe that the heart rate monitors were an invasion of privacy, while 48% did not. One anonymous student felt that her heart rate, healthiness, and weight were nobody else’s business, and felt uncomfortable being obligated to divulge it. Others, including another anonymous senior at the high school, didn’t feel that someone’s heart rate was necessarily private information, nor should it be withheld from Physical Education teachers, whose job was based on ensuring the health of their students. The student body is clearly split in regards to this topic. Jen Ohlson, a founder of the IHT Spirit System, advocates a larger implementation of the Spirit System and a greater appreciation of physical education. “Childhood obesity is one of the biggest threats we face as a nation today,” says Ohlson. “There’s a need for us to really show the value of, and to validate, physical education at this time.” The Garden City School District is part of a larger trend in the implementation of the IHT Spirit system. According to Tim Hamilton, an employee of Astonish Systems, “the IHT Spirit System is being used in more and more schools, with hundreds of [installations] in over 20 states.
We’re making a huge dent in the childhood obesity epidemic.” IHT’s curriculum program, PE3, has also been wildly successful, and will be implemented in the Garden City Schools, according to the High School website. In Texas, one of the first states to begin the program, the Texas Education Agency made PE3 an official course because “it was so successful in reducing obesity
and increasing self-confidence.” The Texas Education Agency went on to declare that “this is how PE should be taught.”
necessary, the physical education faculty firmly believes that they will be beneficial to student health, as some data may indicate. Since the heart rate It is clear that members of the monitors are so new, only time student body and faculty hold will tell whether or not they will different opinions about whether prove to be beneficial. the IHT Spirit Systems should be implemented into physical education. While many students feel that the Spirit Systems are un-
LET’s DO lunch!: A SURVEY BY ALEX JOUDEH Lunch periods: the time of day where students eat their lunch after four to six long periods of school. Some people bring lunch from home, while others buy from the cafeteria. Are you ever curious about what you purchase at the cafeteria? Do you stop to think about how popular school lunches are, or how much you are paying for them? To answer these questions, a member of the ECHO surveyed several students of the Garden City High school about school lunches. The first topic that the students were asked about was whether or not they bought school lunch. Out of the forty students who answered the question, eighteen students said that they buy school lunch only once in awhile, while fifteen said they never buy school lunch. Five students said that they buy lunch more than once a week, while only one student said that he bought school lunch once a week. The students who choose not to buy lunch probably make this decision based on a variety of reasons such as prices and variety. Forty-seven differ-
ent people were surveyed about the prices of school lunches. Twenty-seven said that the prices were too high and twenty said the prices were just right-and maybe not surprisingly, no one said that the prices are too cheap. This may be because some lunches, such as one single plate of chicken nuggets, cost $4.50, which is almost the price of a sandwich from the deli. When talking about the variety of the food, most people say it’s acceptable. Out of forty people who were surveyed, twelve said they feel the variety of options in the cafeteria is good and twenty-eight rated the variety as “OK”. In a testament to the quality of our cafeteria, no one felt that the options available rated as bad, or unacceptable. Overall, GCHS students have taken note of the increased food options that become available each year. In an effort to increase the options available to students, this year, the cafeteria introduced something new to its shelves: smoothies. Many find the smoothies to be delicious and healthy. At least two thirds of survey respondents felt that the smoothies were a particularly good idea. Therefore, if you plan on having a smoothie today,
make sure you are the first one on line! The School Lunch Survey revealed that some items rank quite high on the popularity list, some of which are chips, fries, hot chocolate, coffee, sandwiches, and tea. Forty-eight people were asked about their favorite things to buy or what they buy often. Notably, fries and hot chocolate are tied in first with 12 voters each. Coffee had 9 votes and chips received 8. Sometimes, what you usually want to buy is sold out for the day. The 34 survey respondents concluded that there should be more pre-made salads, cookies, and snacks (especially pretzels), because sometimes those items are sold out when there are still customers hoping to purchase them. All in all, students agree that GCHS has a great cafeteria. In fact, lunch time is definitely the favorite time of day!
GCHS CLASS PRESIDENTS: 2015 by Julia Foxen Recently, the new class presidents were elected by their peers to represent their classes. These class presidents exemplify the leadership found all throughout the Garden City High School. Howie Miller is the senior class president this year. He is involved in many of the extracurricular activities GCHS has to offer. He is the president of the Democratic Club, an officer of the Future Business Leaders of America, and a member of the Nassau County Government Commission of Human Rights. Howie plans to increase extracurricular involvement throughout the school through new community-building activities. Most importantly, he wants to boost GCHS pride as a whole. Mairead Pfaff has been
elected junior class president. She is very excited as this is her second year in the position. Mairead is also part of a large variety of activities, such as the Euro Challenge and the Miracle Club. She loves getting involved in school spirit projects. She hopes to increase the amount of fundraising in the school for different charities through bake sales and other events that involve the whole school. Tommy Flanagan has stepped into the role of sophomore class president. He is very excited about being elected. Tommy is involved in the school musical, vocal jazz, the SADD club, and Miracle Club. This year he wants to work on preventing bullying both at the school and on social media in an effort to make GCHS more of a “safe and prosperous” place for students.
He even stated that he “want[s] to make Garden City High School a place where kids can strive and achieve their dreams!” He definitely has big plans for his year as president. Aidan Pfaff is the freshman class president this year. He takes part in various activities at GCHS including lacrosse, football, and science research. He wants to make sure everyone takes part in school events and works together throughout the year. Aidan is willing to spend time helping to make sure that everyone has the best freshman experience possible. We are very excited for this year’s class presidents and look forward to another great year at GCHS!
CLASSIC MOVIE CLUB by Sean DeMarco Lights! Camera! Action! It’s the Classic Movie Club! A group of 30 movie enthusiasts and friends gather after school on Thursday afternoons to watch an exciting mix of classic movies.
Some of our members, like Patrick Basil, think that the movie club is “Fun because we eat snacks and watch good movies.” This year’s movie line up includes LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, HARRY POTTER, 101 DALMAThe club was started three TIANS, HOME ALONE, and years ago by senior, Andrew SUPERMAN. Mancini, and adviser, Mrs. Slater, who discovered a The Classic Movie Club is shared interest in old black open to anyone, so come join and white films. us!
THAT’S A WRAP!
SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS PHOTOS COURTESY OF NYTIMES.com
More than 200,000 people have been killed, with children accounting for about 20 percent. At least 28,277 civilians have died in shootings and mass killings STILL SOUND UNFAMILIAR?ilians were These outrageous statistics all cry out under the name of “The Syrian War.”
BY SEUNGHYUN WOO
The conflict began when anti-government protests evolved into a full-fledged civil war. The tension, which had culminated from the the years of oppression waged by President Assad, was ignited when a group of teenagers painted revolutionary slogans on a school building. Some time later, the antagonism was further induced when government forces opened fire onto peacefully protesting demonstrators. The brutally crushing force used to condemn the protesters finally led the civilians to arm and train to defend themselves, officially climaxing in the Syrian Civil War. Unfortunately, the people’s drive for democracy became further complicated by political and religious rivalries and the rise of Jihadist groups, such as ISIS. The sectarian friction has caused the country’s Sunni majority to be pitted against the president’s Shia Alawite sect. These additions to the original cause of war have only led to increased civilian victimizations. Horrific beheadings, the capturing of humanitarian workers, and mass massacres between rival armed groups have contributed to the rising death toll. The use
of chemical weapons have thus far annihilated thousands of helpless people as well. However, the most abominable tragedy is the opposing factions’ tactics that maximize civilian suffering (such as blockading food, water and medical resources to villages and towns) as methods of war. Nine million refugees have fled Syria since the start of the conflict, most being women and children. Many of the refugees are willing to use any tactic to enter European countries that are overwhelmed with the sudden influx of immigrants. Some smuggle themselves in, squeeze into overcrowded trains and poorly constructed boats or rafts, or travel the long distance by foot. Yet, the refugees face more problems once they reach the “safehaven.” Most often, the refugees struggle with their illegal status to find odd jobs and accept low wages that often don’t cover their most basic needs. The makeshift refugee camps also lack the basic sanitation and clean water that is necessary to properly sustain families. The humanitarian crisis caused by the Syrian War brings the future of millions into a state of uncertainty and neglect. As the world watches from afar, people have been forced to consider whether it is the responsibility of mankind as a whole to reach out to Syrian people and to help assuage their suffering.
DEMOCRATIC DEBATE BY BREANNE NAEGELE The first Democratic debate was held on October 13, 2015. While this debate did not attract as much attention as the last Republican debate, it was quite a show for candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Some of the main issues discussed in the debate were Hillary Clinton’s email scandal, gun control and the Iranian nuclear weapons deal. Clinton and Sanders mostly agreed on answers to these questions. Governor Martin O’Malley, Governor Chafee and Senator Jim Webb were put on the back burner during this debate. One moment that attracted a lot of attention was Bernie Sanders’ defense of Hillary. After Clinton was asked about the emails, Sanders bluntly stated that he was “tired of hearing about Clinton’s ‘damn emails.’” Even though the Clinton’s actions and Sanders’ socialist ideals, which are unpopular with Republicans, may have cast shadows on their campaigns, their policies are actually making them front runners of the Democratic Party. This could be a contributing factor to why most people, when surveyed by the Huffington Post, thought that Bernie Sanders had won the debate. However, the Democratic political party could still have an uphill battle. In a recent survey taken by Garden City students and faculty, only fifteen percent believed that Sanders and Clinton attracted the most attention in the Democratic and Republican fields. Of course, only time and the
elections will tell.
N E T F L I X TRENDS BY KIERNAN o’SULLIVAN
Network television has dominated video media for decades, pulling in millions of Americans as consistent viewers. Recent trends in audiences of series that air on platforms other than services such as Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube, have conveyed that in the near future, mainstream television may not be viewed in the same fashion as it is today. As the final season of the very popular sketch show, Key and Peele, comes to an end, Comedy Central and its fans have started reflecting on its unorthodox means of gaining popularity through YouTube. Key and Peele has aired weekly on Comedy Central for four years and has done generally well on television, gaining most of its publicity through Comedy Central’s YouTube channel. Since Key and Peele consists of several sketches per episode, there are many different plots and characters that are squeezed into a span of five minutes and are often never introduced again. In order for viewers to re-watch parts of the show, Comedy Central posts the
most popular sketches to their YouTube channel and has, for example, received 72 million views on just one video. Comedy Central is aware that YouTube is a chance for fans to share and re-watch their favorite skits from the show, and it has really embraced this opportunity to gain a wider spectrum of viewers. Though YouTube views and subscribers make a lot of money for Comedy Central, the network has aimed to use its channel to advertise watching the show on television as opposed to on YouTube. Key and Peele’s weekly television audience is a mere fraction of its YouTube audience. This hurts the show, since it struggles to receive funding from Comedy Central with little network viewership. After countless unsuccessful efforts to attract more network viewers, the question that is now being asked is whether or not the YouTube community is taking the viewers from mainstream television networks. Modern people find the ability to watch television whenever they want (an oppor-
tunity afforded by YouTube) more attractive because they don’t have to wait for the show to come on or sit through the boring parts of an episode. A GCHS senior, Dan Casale, prefers using YouTube: “I’ve only seen Key and Peele on YouTube. Its easier to watch online because there is no need to sit down and watch at a specific time when I can just look it up when I’m free.” Several TV networks have shown interest in this idea by partnering with YouTube and now Spotify, which plans on widening its variety to video as well as audio. These networks plan on creating a new section of these common websites and apps that consists of paid subscriptions to a channel of your choice. Key and Peele is exemplary at showing that success on YouTube and other video sharing platforms could possibly lead to the downfall of network television, ultimately changing modern video entertainment as we know it.
GREY’S ANATOMY: MOST BINGE-WATCHED SHOW! by Gabby Yepes
A majority of people have admitted to binge watching seasons of the highly addicting show Grey’s Anatomy either on Netflix or On Demand. This binge watching is understandable since many people think that the show is obsession worthy. Grey’s Anatomy conveniently has eleven seasons on Netflix and a twelfth season that is currently airing on TV. This show has become extremely popular among Garden City High School
HOUSE OF CARDS
“Political intrigue and power plays dominate the world that is portrayed in House of Cards. It’s fascinating--and hopefully not realistic!”
students. In fact, sophomore Meghan Galligan said that “ Grey’s Anatomy was so addictive. I couldn’t pull myself away from the T.V.!” If it isn’t the constant drama or the interesting medical procedures, there is always something that makes viewers want to watch the next episode, or season!
NETFLIX PICKS @ GCHS “A perfect balance of drama and comedy.” “It makes me laugh!” HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
DOWNTON ABBEY “I love the way both the servants and their upper class employers are depicted as full, fascinating, well-rounded characters. You really care about them throughout all of the ups and downs of the plot.”
Survey by Hallie Mallozzi THE FOSTERS
“I’m a big fan of its emphasis on family, and how it covers LGBT issues.”
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
THE OFFICE
“Keeps you on your toes--and I appreciate the way it addresses health-related topics.”
Two words: Steve Carell.
THE iPHONE 6S BY SEUNGMIN WOO
For almost a decade now, the public has been immersed in an iPhone frenzy, constantly desiring the most recent and up-to-date Apple gadget--and the recently released iPhone 6S is no exception. Now, the iPhone is capable of performing different actions based on the pressure your finger exerts when tapping the screen. 3D Touch uses sensors embedded in the display to recognize the force of finger pressure. With each press, the sensors measure microscopic changes in the distance between cover glass and backlight, which then enables the user to “peek and pop” various applications. Many other new advancements were unveiled in this device, such as an improved Siri, the ability to take live photos, and the addition of a rose gold color. However, it is debatable if these annually updated iPhones are worth the cash. Despite the generally positive reviews for the iPhone 6S, many critique the necessity of a new Apple phone each year. When asked for her opinion on the new iPhone, Isabella Mercandetti, a sophomore at Garden City High School, stated, “Honestly, the only things that are coming out of Apple with each new iPhone are bigger sizes and pointless new additions just to make more money.” Nevertheless, despite some critical responses, the iPhone 6S experienced rapid sales upon release, and Apple continues to pave the path as the leader of the technology industry.