June 2018 final (1)

June 2018 • Estd. 1892 • Vol. 125 #10 • Published Monthly • www.ihstattler.com Ithaca High School, 1401 North Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 • FREE

Mental Health Awareness Makes Strides at IHS Page 6

Meet the New

ICSD Creates Race

An Interview With

Editorial Board

Workshops for Students and Administrators

Lime Bike

Page 2

Page 5

Page 12

Editorial

Why IHS Should Offer More Testing Resources

Editor-in-Chief

BY THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD

A

s students busy themselves with homework, sports, and jobs, tests like the ACT and SAT can feel as if they’ve come out of nowhere.

IHS provides a PSAT for Juniors and study books in the library, but should it be doing more? With studies showing a direct correlation between family income and standardized test scores, better resources could help to level the playing field. In 2004, a study conducted by the College Board found that students from families earning more than $200,000 a year average a composite score of 1714 out of 2400, significantly higher than the average composite score of 1326 from students from families making under $20,000 a year. This study also recorded an advantage for white and Asian students and students whose parents have a college education.

Higher scores on standardized tests can significantly increase students’ chances of getting into college, and in a country where a college degree plays a huge part in determining someone’s success, it is necessary to bridge this gap in privilege.

A huge advantage in doing well on the SAT or ACT is having a tutor to go over test taking strategies and material teachers might not have covered. However, this opportunity is not available to everyone. With the baseline options at services like Kaplan costing over $500, there aren’t many options for the majority of students at IHS. Some high schools, like Newport Harbor in California, have begun to offer a program called ePrep, an online study program. ePrep provides students with full length practice tests and allows them to review their results. Students can also watch videos from tutors advising the best ways to approach certain questions. Other schools lead study groups after school once or twice a week. While hiring tutors might not be possible for IHS, organizing study groups or enrolling students in ePrep could be. If students had a place and designated time to study with others or practice questions, it would not only improve scores for all students but also reduce stress that often surrounds these tests. ePrep would be a very useful option to underprivileged students, but in-person tutoring allows for personalization of lessons and more in-depth analysis of systematic errors. As such, IHS students would be greatly benefited by having tutors, and a way in which IHS could provide tutors to all students would be to partner with IHS’ National Honors Society (NHS) chapter to 2

Staff 2017 – 2018

Vaynu Kadiyali ’19 editor@ihstattler.com

create a student-led tutoring program. NHS members, who must fulfill mandatory community service hours to maintain membership, could work one-on-one with underclassmen after school to provide specialized attention in specific subject areas. Student-led tutoring already exists at IHS, and NHS members could provide valuable insight and guidance to students with little experience or support in the college application process.

A different step that IHS could take to level the playing field for socioeconomically disadvantaged students would be to offer monthly full-length practice SAT or ACT exams. Currently, the PSAT 10 and PSAT are the only two full-length exams offered to students to prepare for actual standardized testing. However, the designation of these exams as preparatory material is somewhat problematic—the PSAT has major implications for students, connecting them with a multitude of scholarship opportunities, and students should be aware of its format and content before they take the test.

For this reason, IHS should offer monthly practice tests to students in all grades looking to get a head-start to college preparation. In addition to preparing students for the content that appears on standardized tests, offering tests in a timed setting would familiarize them with the test setting and time constraints of real exams. This would be a small and inexpensive program for school administration to create, given that many previously used exams are available for free to educators and school districts, but it would have extremely positive implications for the IHS student body.

Another step that IHS could take to improve standardized testing resources would be to simplify the process of receiving used testing materials. After students take the PSAT, they are supposed to receive their test booklets for use as study material and to analyze mistakes made on the test. However, at IHS, students were repeatedly turned away after their requests to acquire these materials. Students have the right to receive their PSAT test booklets, and IHS administration should simplify the process of acquiring them so that all IHS students are prepared for later standardized tests.

Finally, IHS students should have access to greater information about standardized testing to better inform the important decisions that they make in this process.

The SAT and ACT are two distinct testing options each targeting slightly different skills and featuring differCONTINUED ON PAGE 3

News Editor

Julian Perry ’19 news@ihstattler.com

Opinion Editor

Isaiah Gutman ’19 opinion@ihstattler.com

Features Editor

Sveta Reddy ’18 features@ihstattler.com

Arts Editor

Alexandra Gibbons ’18 arts@ihstattler.com

Sports Editor

Justin Heitzman ’20 sports@ihstattler.com

Literary Editor

Thea Clarkberg ’18 literary@ihstattler.com

Back Page Editor

Sophie Wray ’19 backpage@ihstattler.com

Center Spread Editor

Joseph Yoon ’19

centerspread@ihstattler.com

Copy Editor

Jenny Yoon ’18 copy@ihstattler.com

Photography Editor

Geneva Moreland ’20 photo@ihstattler.com

Layout Editor

Francesca Chu ’18 layout@ihstattler.com

Business and Advertising Manager

Lucy Wang ’18 ads@ihstattler.com

Webmaster

Tony Yang ’19 web@ihstattler.com

Distribution Manager

Aurora Wulff ’19

distribution@ihstattler.com

Social Media Manager

Madelyn Kuo ’18 sm@ihstattler.com

Faculty Advisor

Deborah Lynn

advisor@ihstattler.com

Editorial/News “Editorial Title” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Staff 2018 – 2019 Editor-in-Chief

Vaynu Kadiyali ’19 editor@ihstattler.com

News Editor

Julian Perry ’19 news@ihstattler.com

Opinion Editor

Isaiah Gutman ’19 opinion@ihstattler.com

Features Editor

Joseph Yoon ’19 features@ihstattler.com

Arts Editor

Chloe Moore ’20 arts@ihstattler.com

Sports Editor

Asha Duhan ’19 sports@ihstattler.com

Literary Editor

Eleanor Randl ’19 literary@ihstattler.com

Back Page Editor

Sophie Wray ’19 backpage@ihstattler.com

Center Spread Editor

Anna Westwig ’21

centerspread@ihstattler.com

Copy Editor

ent sections. Students would benefit from knowing these differences early on in their high school careers to better prepare them for the college application process. Similarly, many students are unaware of the necessity and importance of taking SAT subject tests. Since requirements vary from college to college, guidance counsellors should inform students of their individual subject testing needs depending on their intended career paths. Also, teachers should be encouraged to remind students to sign up for these exams and inform students of their preparedness to take exams. One example that freshmen frequently encounter is that many Regents and Honors Biology students take the Biology SAT subject test without knowledge of many topics and skills that are prominently featured on the exam; it would be beneficial for students to be aware of this before making a decision to take an exam. One final small change that IHS administration could make would be to more prominently advertise testing dates and locations.

Although dates are included in a yearly packet sent to students and can be found on a poster near the main office, having email reminders would be more effective in reaching students and their families.

In a society and a nation in which test scores have a large influence over the ability of students to pursue certain career paths, it is imperative that schools offer better resources to level socioeconomic gaps in the ability to improve and acquire information about tests. IHS has shown its commitment to making testing resources available to students by offering two free tests and some print resources, but these steps are not enough.

Justin Heitzman ’20 copy@ihstattler.com

Photography Editor

Jefferson Sheng ’20 photo@ihstattler.com

Layout Editor

Jacob Yoon ’21 layout@ihstattler.com

Business and Advertising Manager

Samuel Bazarov ’20 ads@ihstattler.com

Webmaster

Tony Yang ’19 web@ihstattler.com

Distribution Manager

Fiona Botz ’19 Karuna Prasad ’20

COVER IMAGE BY JEREMY SAUER

distribution@ihstattler.com

Aurora Wulff ’19

The Tattler is the monthly student-run newspaper of Ithaca High School. All currentlyenrolled students at Ithaca High School are welcome to submit writing and photographs.

As an open forum, The Tattler invites opinion submissions and letters to the editor from all community members. Email submissions to editor@ihstattler.com or mail letters to:

Faculty Advisor

The Tattler 1401 North Cayuga Street Ithaca, NY 14850

advisor@ihstattler.com

Send submissions by June 11 to be included in the September issue. The Tattler reserves the right to edit all submissions. All articles, columns, and advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of editorial staff.

Archivist

sm@ihstattler.com

Deborah Lynn

To read The Tattler online, visit our website at www.ihstattler.com.

News

Mental Health Awareness Makes Strides at IHS

By Asha Duhan and Meera Bai Singh

O

n May 2, Student Council welcomed Liz Allen from the National Alliance on Mental Illness for a presentation on the ubiquitous topic of mental illness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a grassroots organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of all individuals who are in any way affected by mental illness. Ms. Allen first began her presentation by discussing the prevailing beliefs surrounding mental illness. This resonated with many students who either deal with mental illness themselves, or have friends and family who deal with this widespread issue.

In addition to presenting, Ms. Allen also provided each student with an informational folder that contained handouts with facts and statistics regarding the prevalence of mental health struggles, as well as resources for those who have questions or need assistance with mental illness. The folder also included information about the Ribbon Campaign, which asks students to tie a ribbon provided by the National Alliance on Mental Illness around a tree on State Street. The purpose of tying the ribbons to trees in a high traffic area is to bring attention to a widespread issue faced by people of all walks of life.

Lastly, in presenting to Student Council, Ms. Allen suggested that Student Council and the general student body can raise awareness for mental illness at Ithaca High School.

As representatives to the Board of Education (BoE), we were interested in the BoE response to this prevalent issue, and specifically how the BoE plans to incorporate mental health education and support in IHS policy and curriculum. Luvelle Brown described a new mental health support action plan that will focus specifically on mental health education. He mentioned the recent discussion at IHS for spaces for meditation and anxiety relief. Also, Brown reported that funds have been allocated for mental education, to hire groups of teachers, psychologists and social workers to help address this issue.

Another administrator stated that work is being done to establish a new “emotional” curriculum that will be implemented in all levels, ranging from elementary schools to high schools. The curriculum will include counseling support and open dialogue and discussion. Another administrator described how the BoE plans to reach out to Student Council in the near future, to ask their input on the new curriculum and to gain input from the other students at IHS. Overall, the BoE affirmed its support for mental health education, and described how the new IHS curriculum and budget will include various methods to increase mental health education at IHS. 3

News

Youth Council Ambassadors Search for Input of Students, Administrators

By Asha Duhan and J.T. Stone

Y

outh Council Ambassadors (YCA) is an Ithaca Youth Bureau organization made up of teens and adult Youth Employment Service (YES) mentors. Its mission is to convey to local political leaders what issues the youth of Tompkins County feel passionately about, and to represent those needs in government as effectively as possible. Through meeting with members of the Common Council and with ICSD administrators, its role has been to give students a voice, and to ensure that they have an impact in their community.

In response to the recent high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Youth Council was interested in guaging Ithaca students’ opinions on this controversial topic. The Council was also interested in how students would respond to this issue, given that teenagers have taken initiative on gun control reforms. Youth Council recently sent out a school-wide survey asking students about their responses to this year’s National School Walkout. In the survey of over 300 self-selected students, mostly from IHS, the results displayed some common trends. Seventy-seven percent of students from IHS participated in the walkout, while 12.9 percent did not, and 8.4 percent wanted to participate but were unable to due to various reasons. Numerous students cited the cold as an obstacle to participate, while others thought the idea of a national walkout as a whole was not justified and would not garner any sort of national attention or legislation. Some students also argued that they disliked how the walkout’s purpose had shifted from a memorial of the victims of the Parkland shooting to a protest for gun control. The majority of students who participated in the walkout mentioned that they were marching to support the cause of common-sense gun control legislation and further security in schools. As one student stated, “I wanted to be part of a larger movement against gun violence.”

The survey also included questions on how safe students felt in schools, and what could be done to improve school security. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being never and 5 being always, the survey asked “How of4

ten do you feel safe in schools?” Forty-six percent of students chose 4, while only 3.2 percent chose 1 and 18.4 percent chose 5. The subsequent question was, “ How would you suggest reaching a point where you feel safe or safer at school?” These responses were varied, but the majority of answers were related to increasing school security. Some students mentioned increasing police presence at school, and the implementation of security guards or school resource officers. Others mentioned increasing drills so that students know what to do in the case of a shooting. However, numerous students mentioned that there should be an increased dialogue between the administration and the students, to increase transparency on protocol and potential reforms. Other answers mentioned that mental health education should be increased in schools. Overall, the answers offered insightful solutions that should potentially be looked into by the administration of IHS. On the topic of school shootings and safety, the Council also asked students where they feel safest. The majority of students said there safe zones were in their homes, where they can feel “welcomed and independent,” while others mentioned locations such as the library and teachers’ classrooms where they described feeling comfortable and accepted.

Others felt safe listening to music or playing video games, while others admitted they didn’t have a safe zone.

One way in which Youth Council communicates with local leaders is through interviews. Members of YCA recently interviewed Principal Trumble and Superintendent Dr. Brown, where they gained insight on their duties in the ICSD and the Ithaca community at large. Dr. Brown noted that from being responsible for the safety of his two daughters and 6,000+ students, he has one of the most stressful jobs in the community.

Brown also said he believes a leader is somebody people follow, rather than someone with ideas who fails to get their message across to others.

He detailed his role as Superintendent and mentioned various ways in which IHS is planning to increase security in schools, as well as to increase confidence in the safety of ICSD. Principal Trumble elaborated on similar ideas. He described that he wants to create an open dialogue between students and administrators. He also mentioned that IHS now has four points of entry, and hall monitors have been stationed at these points to monitor activity by these doors. Moreover, he explained that IHS will begin to have an increased camera presence to monitor actions taken at the school. He also described new swipe card technology that will be implemented at IHS in the future with the goal of securing different parts of our school. He plans to implement more staff and student training, as well as utilizing IHS’s Student Council to facilitate conversation with students. Overall, Mr. Trumble affirmed IHS’s commitment to provide a safe, secure learning environment, and detailed various methods that IHS plans to adopt in the future to improve overall safety.

Youth Council continues its efforts to increase awareness on youth issues. The Council is creating YCA buttons and stickers, and will appear on TV Production’s news channel Lake Street News to promote its work.

The Youth Council has also created its own original hashtag, “Our Voices Bring Change,” relating to the importance of teen voices and advocating for the beliefs that students feel strongly about.

News

ICSD Creates Race Workshops for Students and Administrators

By Vaynu Kadiyali and Aurora Wulff

I

n the aftermath of the controversy over casting in the IHS production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a series of discussions about race and racial bias have been offered to students looking to explore race issues in the Ithaca community, as well as correct their own personal biases.

The workshop, “An Interactive Exploration of Race, Privilege and the Learning Environment,” was the first opportunity provided to IHS students to explore race issues. The workshop, organized by the Performing Arts for Social Change (PASC) group from Ithaca College, made heavy use of theater elements in which participants acted, wrote, and spoke about their experiences with race while also listening to the experiences of others.

The workshop began with trust-building exercises to create an environment that was conducive to intimate and emotional discussion.

The activities that followed, including a privilege exercise in which participants lined up and took steps forwards and backwards for every example of privilege and disadvantage that they face daily, were powerful in showing participants the differences in their life experiences as the result of their race. Finally, after several such activities, participants wrote poetry and made art depicting a learning community and a world free of racial bias, and discussed their own experiences in the workshop.

The group that partook in the PASC workshop was extremely diverse. Students from IHS of various racial and socioeconomic backgrounds took part. While much of the student representation consisted of actors from Hairspray, all IHS students were welcome to attend.

Several teachers also participated in the workshop, speaking from their unique perspectives as educators about the implementation of a race-conscious curriculum in ICSD. A Board

of Education (BoE) member also took part.

The PASC workshop has large implications for addressing racial biases in the IHS community in coming years. All poetry and art created at the workshop was collected and catalogued

by PASC, and all theater elements were recorded for future use. With these materials, a ‘work group’ composed of participants will work with district officials and PASC members to create a working agreement, a document outlining rules of conduct to encourage open but safe dialogue about race, and an accountability policy for district employees and students. The goals of this agreement are to work towards eliminating racial bias and profiling in IHS, and are expected to be implemented as soon as next year.

On Tuesday April 24, LACS hosted The Dorothy Cotton Institute Human Rights Workshop. Students from IHS and LACS were invited to learn about human rights issues and how they impact them and their communities.

The workshop began with a working agreement to create a safe environment for students to share their personal stories and beliefs. The ensuing discussion proved to be the most impactful exercise of the day, as students spoke of their highly emotional experiences and how they have affected their lives. The presenters then defined human rights, which allowed students to discuss human rights violations they had experienced or witnessed. The workshop used the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to provide a background for students in order to facilitate discussion on the implications of various Human Rights Conventions.

When conversation shifted to the limitation of the enforcement of Human Rights, a heated debate ensued between a student and the presenter. Despite being a tense situation, the presenters managed to respond with grace and openness, easing the animosity of the en-

counter. Finally, the leaders concluded the workshop with observations on the United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This allowed them to discuss persisting racial inequalities in education, employment and health, and housing. The leaders emphasized the power of education in addressing these inequities and advocated for the establishment of a Human Rights Friendly School, a school that educates students on human rights through an Amnesty International-developed curriculum. They encouraged students to use their knowledge of human rights to take action in their communities and schools.

Finally, throughout the month of May, discussions on race and racial issues have been facilitated by presenters from Training for Change. The organization, which is noted for its methods of “direct education” that allow educators to adapt plans based on the concerns and interests of students, sent out a survey to prospective participants to see what questions IHS students had about race. Training for Change workshops were held on three different occasions in early May during lunch periods, and longer, more structured after-school workshops also took place.

A major positive outcome of the casting controversy is that it has resulted in the creation of many opportunities for IHS students and administrators to learn about race in a structured and open environment. Through the creation of many workshops, ICSD administration has shown that it is committed to creating a racially inclusive community in IHS. These workshops have given students the chance to learn a great deal about themselves and their community, and the work being done in these workshops has the power to result in great change and reform in ICSD policy.

5

Opinion

What Brought Us Here

By Fiona Botz

T

he evening light streaming into the big bus’ windows illuminates each sweaty, exhausted face, while the salty smell of turkey subs fills the air and the blasting of music leaves each teammate beaming with joy. We have just won the first game of the season, and chatter about highlights of the game has everyone smiling and in high spirits, as the bus rumbles down back to the school parking lot.

This is a scene familiar to many student athletes during sports season. We just won a game, and now it’s time for the best part of the whole trip: the ride home. I always take time to appreciate my teammates and how well we get along in situations like these, but I’ve never considered how we got to this point of comfort. I discovered that it is because of our high school and the community it provides for us.

IHS is composed of people from all over the world due to its close proximity to Cornell University. Different people bring along with them their unique ways of living and share their ideas about clubs, how the school could be improved, and programs at the school that should be implemented. The school also has people who have lived in Ithaca their whole life, and these people help create a welcoming, inclusive environment in IHS. This diverse range of backgrounds of students at IHS makes our high school a unique place that requires us to step out of our comfort zone and try new things. For example, sitting next to a boy on the bus in the morning might strike up a conversation, or one might learn a few words in Russian in order to talk to the girl next to you in Precalculus.

Communities are defined by many factors, but largely by the people they contain and how these people work together. IHS is defined by the common desire of students to succeed academically, but also the desire of students to be a part of something. Our high school gives students the chance to join sports teams, arts programs, and clubs. The way extracurriculars function to unify the school is in the same way that a talent show works; different people have different talents that, when showcased, bring out the best in everyone. These after school activities strengthen the bonds between the teachers, students, faculty, coaches, and athletes because we discover new skill sets within one another and 6

develop our own abilities because of that. Our considerate culture at IHS unites the school as a group of people collaborating to learn and grow.

Academics are the reason all students and staff go to IHS each and everyday. We go to educate ourselves about the world through classes and reading, master problem solving in math, and learning to manage the rigorous academic life at school, skills which will help us later on.

What makes our high school so special is all the ways teachers and study groups can be reached for help. Teachers have always made it clear that you can come in for help before school, during lunch, study halls, and even after school. IHS has math, English, and science help rooms completely dedicated to their subject where any student at any level can receive assistance in a subject in which they are struggling. I recall a time during my sophomore year when I was having trouble understanding chemical reactions in my Chemistry class. After talking to my teacher, we met in the science help room, and by the end of the twenty minutes I felt accomplished and supported from the help. Many students utilize these options, but not many consider how lucky we are to be a part of a school so dedicated to giving us the help we need. These services, along with the help offered by teachers, are what makes students feel more comfortable in the school.

We feel like we are not alone, and that brings us closer together as a community. Academics at IHS give a chance for all those mathematicians to get up on stage, or up to the chalkboard, to show everyone how brilliant they are.

Athletics at IHS are my favorite part about the school, because you naturally make friends simply by being and participating on the team you choose. Daily practice, away games, home games, and team socials all add up to form a cohesive team and an enjoyable experience.

When I joined a softball team for the first time in eighth grade, I had no idea what I was doing. I had never played the sport, but I did it because I was encouraged by a friend to try it.

We have been close ever since, and I am overwhelmingly grateful that she told me to “just give it a chance,” because I now love the sport and have met an abundance of people I would not have met otherwise. As if that isn’t enough, student athletes’ grades are usually better during

the season! In my experience, this is because playing sports everyday keeps you concentrated on work when you get around to it. Being on two sports teams, softball and tennis, has taught me sportsmanship and leadership skills, and I have made myriad unforgettable memories with teammates and coaches. I know that my fellow team members, as well as other IHS student athletes, feel the same about their team. Sports allow student athletes to showcase their physical abilities in a competitive, but fun way—like a gymnast would, going up in front of a huge audience and performing on a beam. We all think back to those bus rides back to the school after a crazy game, and remember the feelings of admiration as we looked at each other’s sweaty foreheads and smiling faces. It is in these moments we feel the most intimate.

Clubs and the arts are also a large part of the welcoming atmosphere and diverse culture of IHS. The Tattler, Key, Ski, Chess, International, Drama, and Math Club are some of the many clubs offered. If the school doesn’t offer a club you would like to join, you can even create your own. Being a part of the newspaper and ski club taught me, and others in the club, lessons about interacting with people. In addition, being a member of a club is a way for students to make friends based on similar interests and connect effortlessly. Musicians in Band and Orchestra practice everyday and have common recital dates and performances to attend. Sopranos, altos, and tenors in Choir sing with each other and find joy in the everyday practices. Plays and other productions bring people in from all over Ithaca; this is a great time for friends and families to meet, socialize, and praise those whom they are watching perform under the spotlight.

I found where IHS’s sense of community and welcoming sensation comes from: it sparks from the school that offers so much to us students. We can learn, have fun, and grow together. Extracurricular opportunities are the reason students like me feel connected to IHS. Next time my teammates and I are driving back to the high school in the bulky black coach bus, I will take more time to appreciate not only them, but my school and the community that make this all possible.

Opinion/Features

Opinion

Why College Board is the Worst

By Anna Westwig

A

P exam season has ended, and many students are wondering whether a single-digit number is worth the exorbitant fees and countless hours of studying to take a test. The mastermind behind all of these AP tests is College Board. College Board has a monopoly controlling standardized tests, like the SAT, and ways to get college credit, such as AP exams. However benign it may seem, College Board does not exist to help students.

Much of what College Board offers seems tempting: the ability to pursue higher education, or perhaps, a boost in one’s college application.

But in fact, College Board is not for students; it’s for schools. Is it easier to carefully review a college application, or look at a few numbers given to you by your friendly neighborhood College Board? And isn’t it even more efficient to plug those neat numbers into an algorithm, so you don’t have to use as much time and resources reading applications? Colleges do take other information into account, but the SAT is still a large factor in their decision-making.

Yes, College Board is useful, but it also unnecessarily takes students’ money. Why else would taking a three-hour exam cost $94? And to compound the fact that AP tests cost a lot of money, it costs even more money to send a single-digit number to a college of your choosing. But who can blame them? After all, it’s extremely costly to send an entire single number between computers in this day and age. And they’re doing the best they can by paying their CEO, David Coleman, only 750,000 dollars per year. For a non-profit, College Board is taking in an awful lot of money.

College Board also sells students’ information for less than two quarters. Your age, gender, and test scores are available to anyone willing to pay 43 cents. Some uptakers on this are JAMRIS, a military recruitment program, and the Student Search Service, a service that sends colleges information for selective advertising. Unsuspecting test takers are not sufficiently made aware of how their data is being used.

Finally, even at the cost of almost a hundred dollars, your test, for which you’ve put in blood, sweat, and tears, may not even be judged fairly. An MIT study found that there was a direct correlation between scores and essay length. The length of a piece of writing is not a proxy for the quality and a rambling three page essay may be much worse than a succinct and well-written one-page essay. The professor, Les Perelman, found that he could guess the score of an essay by its length a whopping 90 percent of the time. He then reviewed the actual essays and found several factual inaccuracies in those that received high scores.

Unfortunately, going through College Board at least once in one’s education is pretty much inevitable. If not through AP classes, then through the SAT subject tests, which many colleges require. College Board and its strangling grip on the education system is unavoidable.

And unless it’s somehow stopped, its monopoly will stay and continue to be detrimental for students.

Teacher Feature:

Mr. Drix

By James Yoon, Introduction by Francesca Chu

M

r. Drix is one of IHS’s most experienced and most beloved teachers. Students at IHS know and admire him for many different reasons: for his wonderful teaching in math, for showing up as a student in their Spanish classes, for his legendary tiddlywinks skills, and more.

Last year, James Yoon ’17 sat down with Mr. Drix for a long and fascinating interview about his life. The first part of the interview was published in The Tattler’s April 2017 issue. In this first section, Mr. Drix briefly discussed his childhood, his parents’ experience surviving concentration camps in World War II, his entry into teaching, and his retirement plans. He also reflected on the sources of support and forces of resistance that he encountered throughout his career.

However, a large portion of the interview remained unpublished.

This article is the continuation of last year’s interview, in which Mr. Drix discusses tiddlywinks, hobbies, family, plans and preoccupations, and advice to students. The rest of the interview is available at ihstattler.com.

James Yoon ’17: How did you become interested in tiddlywinks?

Severin Drix: Well, part of it was being an immigrant and moving around a lot. I was doing a lot of entertaining myself, because I was alone a lot. I was the new kid, I often didn’t know anybody, I wasn’t part of the social scene at all, and by the time I started getting into it, bam, we moved again. In Brooklyn, we lived in a place called Sea Beach. We moved in with a family that my parents knew from Europe. A lot of Jewish families got together after the war because they had this horrible shared experience. Anyway, they had moved to America years before us, and they had a four-year-old daughter. I was eight. She had been born in this country, so she knew American games, and tiddlywinks—which I’d never heard of—is a children’s game in America, England, and a little bit in France and Germany, but not in Poland. I hadn’t seen any. Nothing my parents knew about.

And it’s a children’s game, you know, you flick them into the cup.

Well, somehow, when we moved out of the apartment, her tiddlywinks ended up in my stuff, and I didn’t remember anything about a cup, and maybe she didn’t have that either. I just remembered that you flicked them, and I would have different colors represent different countries, different armies. And I could re-enact wars. This was my equivalent of video games.

Read more at www.ihstattler.com: 7

Features

From the Archives:

Excerpts From the Tattler Issues of Yesteryear

By Aurora Wulff

T

here are about four people at IHS who are aware of a very small, very pink room at the very end of the E-wing. This room is the deepest that one can go into the bowels of IHS. In that room, there are four average-looking filing cabinets that contain the annals of IHS Tattler history, dating back 125 years. Here follows a selection.

Read more online at https://tattlerarchive.wordpress.com/ Note: The current Tattler does not necessarily endorse the opinions published in historical Tattlers.

1

June 1918

Civil War Veterans Speak - Exercises in Honor of Memorial Day

On Wednesday, May 28, two veterans of the Civil War addressed the High School students. Professor Boynton made a few remarks concerning the war activities of our school. To date, the Junior Red Cross, which has over 2,500 members in this school, has turned out more than 16,000 surgical dressings. In addition to this, the school children have taken about 300 memberships in the Tompkins County War Chest.

Mr. Bloom LaBarre then spoke and delighted his audience by his clearness and humor. He first told of the purpose of the G.AR., which is to instill a spirit of patriotism into the rising generation. He then went on

2

June 1989

The Peculiar Advantages of the Ithaca High School as a College Preparatory School

Ithaca, as its classic name might indicate is famed for its schools and its culture. With the lofty towers of Cornell University casting their shadows upon the city, the very atmosphere seems impregnated with a spirit of study and refinement. A better public school system can not be found in the Empire State, and as a result, a goodly proportion of the population is made up of families attracted here on account of rare educational advantages…

8

to tell of his experiences in the Civil War which began when he enlisted at the age of 16. He was in Grant’s Wilderness campaign and told many humorous as well as tragic incidents of that battle. Mr LaBarre then spoke of the difference between characters of the enemy in 1860 and now. The Southerners fought in open battle and as brave men should fight, while the Germans of today attack us while we sleep in the most treacherous and underhanded way possible. Against such an enemy there can be no quarter and the fight will be to the finish when the German people will have “Hoched der Kaiser” and pawned “The Watch on the Rhine.”

Since 1892 the students have published a school paper called THE TATTLER, which furnished excellent opportunities in literary lines.

Articles submitted by students are credited on regular English work. For the past four years an excellent lecture course has been maintained free to all students of the school. Many lectures and addresses at the University by distinguished scholars, statesmen, and clergymen are also heard by the students.

Features

3

June 1968

The Pink-Eye Report

By Bruce Unsworth

How To Ask For a Date On hearing the frequent complaints voiced by friends (Paul Dickey) of mine over getting “shot down”, it struck me that these guys were undergoing a great deal of suffering because of my own selfishness—they were unable to get dates simply because I had never disclosed my own foolproof approaches to asking for a date. After all, I told myself, why should I have a monopoly on these tactics, even if I did develop them myself ? To be sure, these strategies couldn’t work as well for any old guy as for a renowned lover like myself, but they’d be bound to improve anybody’s chances for success.

Accordingly, I wrote down a few of the methods for getting a date that I have employed with much success. (I don’t claim to know all of the answers but I consulted Tom Hunt, a second-greatest lover at IHS, for any additional points he was acquainted with.)

The Pessimistic Approach “I don’t suppose you’d be free this Saturday night?”

“Why, yes, I am.”

“Oh, well, I don’t suppose you’d want to go out with me?”

“No, I don’t suppose I would.”

The Sadness (Rod Taylor) Routine “Luv, I’ve just had some bad news and I’m really shook up.

Couldn’t we make it a date? It would cheer me up so….”

“No, I think you’d better stay home with your mommy.”

The Direct Attack “Would you like to go to the game Friday night?”

“Oh, yes! I intend to. In fact, I’m going with Sam.”

The Casual Tack “Hey, are you doing anything this Saturday night?”

“No.” “How ’bout we make it a date then?”

“No, I told you, I’m not doing anything Saturday night.”

Heavy Metals In Upstate New York Water

By Alexander Mueller and Julius Stroock The Finger Lakes Region has an extensive history with heavy metals—particularly lead and mercury—in its water. There is considerable historical background for the presence of heavy metals in water; since the time of the Romans, lead pipes have been used to transport water, as they are watertight, easily malleable, and plentiful. Jumping to the mid19th century, Isaiah Rogers built the first hotel with indoor plumbing in the Tremont Hotel, Boston. In the aftermath of this breakthrough, indoor plumbing became more and more common in the United States. Lead pipes were increasingly used in plumbing, with more than 70 percent of cities with populations over 30,000 using lead in plumbing. Despite increasing concerns over lead exposure, no effort was made to ban or limit the use of lead in pipes until the 1920s. This was in part due to an extremely effective marketing campaign by the industry promoting the use of lead pipes. The Lead Industries Association (LIA) heavily emphasized the use of lead over other materials, publishing books, journals, and pamphlets. Lead usage in pipes was not banned until 1986, and the effects are still being felt today. Ten to twenty percent of lead consumed by children comes from lead pipes, and in 2015, this was found to be a problem at IHS as well.

Lead pipes caused the water fountains to be closed in Ithaca City Schools in late 2015. Tests found lead at concentrations of 15 ppb (parts per billion) and higher, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) required action level. As a result, the school district worked with LaBella Engineering to come up with solutions. So far, changing the plumbing and adding filtering have been discussed. Another proposed solution was adding anti-corrosive chemicals to pipes, but this plan was not approved because the long-term effects of these chemicals are unknown. For the past three years, water towers have been used while a more long-term solution is put in place.

Another source of lead in Ithaca water is the former Ithaca Gun Factory. Ithaca Gun produced millions of guns in its century lifespan, and every gun was test fired. The lead test bullets were haphazardly thrown out, eventually making their way into the nearby Ithaca Falls. In 2000, the EPA found that soil near the Ithaca Falls and Six Mile Creek, part of Ithaca’s watershed, contained 136,000 ppm of lead. From 2002 to 2004, the EPA spent $4.8 million removing 6,000 tons of lead-contaminated soil from the Ithaca Falls. It is believed that enough lead was removed from the area so that it is not harmful, but certain areas likely CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

What can you do?

Test for lead in our water: www.communityscience.org/ volunteer/synoptic-sampling/ Get tested for lead: www.tompkinscountyny.gov/health/ free-lead-testing-program 9

Features

Lake Onandaga

IMAGE PROVIDED

“Heavy Metals in Upstate New York Water�

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

still have unsafe concentrations of lead.

Another Upstate New York environmental disaster was Lake Onondaga. The lake, situated just northwest of Syracuse, covers roughly 4.6 square miles, and was at one point classified as the most polluted lake in the United States. The lake was polluted extensively due to municipal sewage waste and industrial pollution for more that a century. The industrial pollution came from the many industries on and around the lake itself that practiced unsafe waste disposal for decades. While the lake suffers from a number of industrial pollutants, such as creosotes, pesticides, and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and other organic compounds, the ones with the most negative effects are the lake’s heavy metals. Mostly mercury, but also lead and cobalt, were introduced to the lake during the mid-20th century by industries such as Allied-Signal, Inc., a predecessor of Honeywell International, which processed mercury cells and, at its peak, was dumping 20 pounds of mercury a day into the lake. After several decades of dumping, the lake accumulated an estimated 165,000 pounds of mercury. The heavy metals were the primary cause for the Onondaga Lake being deemed unsafe for swimming, in 1940, and for fishing, in 1972. In the early 1970s, industries were forced to halt the dumping of the heavy metals into the lake by the Clean Water Act. Since this time, most of the heavy metals have settled to the bottom of the lake and become embedded in the sediment. Estimates place the amount of mercury-polluted sediment at 7 million cubic yards.

Since the 1970s and the Clean Water Act, significant efforts have been made to clean up the lake and rid it of heavy metals. The first steps taken directly towards dealing with the heavy metals came when the State of New York brought a suit against Allied-Signal, Inc. in 1989. The goal of the lawsuit was to oblige the company to help clean up all of the metals it and its predecessors had released into the lake, and pay for the damage caused to the natural environment. However, it took more than 20 years before this was ever acted upon since decisive legal action was not taken until 2012.

In the summer of 2012, dredging of the mercury-polluted sediment at the bottom of Lake Onondaga began. It involved dredging the sediment from the lake bottom hydraulically, and then piping it to Camillus, NY, where it would be placed in a sediment consolidation facility. The dredging continued from 2012 until November of 2014, by which point it had removed 2.2 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment at the cost of many millions of dollars. In addition to dredging, nearly 3 million cubic 10

The Ithaca Gun Company

IMAGE PROVIDED

yards of capping were placed on the bottom of the lake with the purpose of preventing the further release of the contaminants from undredged sediment into the water. Other actions taken during the cleanup included the decontamination of the former mercury cell processing site and the construction of a subterranean ground wall with the goal of preventing polluted groundwater from entering the lake.

While the cleanup of the lake was partially effective and a good start, it left many problems either only partially solved, or not solved at all. For instance, the dredging that was done between 2012 and 2014 not only removed less than a third of the mercury-contaminated sediment, but also did little to address the nearly 18 million more cubic yards of sediment that is contaminated with other pollutants. Another issue with the cleanup springs from the variability of the effectiveness of capping. Capping, while very useful in the short term, is eventually breached or simply fails over time due to environmental factors, making it an unreliable form of containment in the long term. Finally, even with all of the dredging and capping that has been applied to the lake, large swathes of lake bottom still contain exposed and heavy metal-contaminated sediment. In the case of mercury polluted sediment, this will continue to methylate in the water and further damage the wildlife of the area.

Given the many problems still plaguing Lake Onondaga, it is evident that the cleanup of the lake must continue and be expanded. Originally, the cleanup was given a budget of $451 million which has proven to be vastly insufficient. Estimates by the Onondaga Nation, which is deeply engaged in the cleanup of the lake, place the price of a truly effective cleanup at $2.16 billion. While it is unlikely that this project will be awarded such funds anytime in the near future, a number of steps can still be taken to help. One of the most potent approaches has been community awareness, lobbying, and cooperation with cleanup efforts. Such initiative has been, and should continue to be, a core element of the cleanup.

Features

IHS’s K-Pop Dance Club held its first performance in April of this year

IMAGE BY XIAO YONG ZHU

K-Pop Dance Club Hosts Its First Dance Concert

By J.T. Stone

I

f you enjoy dancing to Korean Pop music, then K-Pop Dance Club may be the perfect club for you. Members meet every Monday after school in the dance studio, located outside of the Black Box Theater in Kulp building, to rehearse choreography for primarily Korean songs. K-Pop Dance Club performs at pep rallies, local festivals, and as of last month, concerts.

On April 27 and 28, K-Pop Dance Club hosted its first dance recitals in the Black Box Theater. Both shows had a full house, with tickets being sold at $2 a piece; people crowded on the floor and against the walls to view the performance. The concert featured different styles of music including Korean pop and rap, and even a performance of the hit “Bang Bang” originally sung by English singer Jessie J. The hour-long event also had an intermission with food to purchase, and ended with raffles where the handful of winners were based on the number stamped onto the audience mem-

ber’s ticket.

According to Hasnaa Fardoussi, a member of K-Pop Dance Club, the group chose all the songs they performed, and some members learned certain songs from scratch while others already knew some of the dances from previous K-pop performances around the community. Fardoussi added, “I wanted to join K-Pop Dance Club because K-pop is amazing and people in the club can sing and dance.”

Shuah Jang, a senior member of K-Pop Dance Club, explained the roots behind the club, which she founded with a friend almost three years ago. “We were inspired by Ithaca College’s Pan Asian American Film Festival, where a professor in charge of planning invited me to gather a group of people to perform a K-Pop dance. It was so much fun that my friend and I decided to create a club.”

According to Jang, Cynthia Chen, another senior in the club, was very enthusiastic about having a K-Pop concert before they graduat-

ed, saying, “At first I didn’t think it would be possible, but once the ball started rolling and we asked Mr. Mellander about the details, it happened!” As for the rehearsal process, Jang called it “difficult” but said members were “self-motivated” for getting together over the weekends to practice their choreography at the Just Be Cause Center ( JBCC), where they have full walls of mirrors. Jang concluded, “K-Pop Dance Club has grown so much in the past three years, since it started with less than five people, and has now grown to a solid fifteen people coming every Monday to dance with us. Plus, school doesn’t have many performance groups, so I hope K-Pop Dance Club makes school events more fun for everyone.

If people want to join us, our doors are always open.”

If you are interested in joining K-Pop Dance Club, contact the club’s advisor Barbra Bergman, or stop by the dance studio after school on Mondays.

11

Features

LimeBike is deploying electric bicycles in select cities across the country IMAGE FROM LIMEBIKE PHOTO

Behind the Scenes:

An Interview With LimeBike

By Thea Clarkberg

What are all those green bikes? Who put them there? How do they work?

This interview, conducted on May 4, answers some of those questions.

Thea Clarkberg: Can you give a basic description of how the bikes work?

Laurence Clarkberg: Once you download the app, it will tell you what to do. Basically, you find a bike on the map. You walk up to it and scan the QR code on the bike or type in the number, and the bike unlocks. It costs $1 for every 30 minutes. When you’re done, leave the bike anywhere outdoors where it’s accessible to other people and press the red button on the back wheel lock to lock it. The first ride is free! You can also get free rides by introducing friends to Lime Bike.

TC: When did the bikes come out?

LC: It’s been about three weeks now. We launched on Monday April 23.

TC: So tell me about your job at Lime Bike.

LC: I just started two weeks ago. I applied for the job on Monday, had my interview on Tuesday, and started work on Thursday.

TC: What is a typical day like for you?

12

LC: I’m an operations specialist. I wake up and take a stroll around to make sure there are no bikes left on the Commons. We’re supposed to keep them on the periphery of the Commons. I note where I need to bring the bikes to.

First we do the “unlocks.” Basically, if someone has left a bike unlocked, we have to go and find it. By design, you have to press a lever to lock them.

The incentive is, if you don’t lock the bike when you’re done, it will keep charging your card. But some people forget, or maybe some people don’t know.

We can see on a map using GPS which bikes are unlocked and where they are. People also indicate if a bike needs maintenance by putting it into maintenance mode. It won’t show up on the map for people who want to use a bike, and we have to go find it and take it to our workshop to repair.

TC: How many employees does Lime Bike have in Ithaca?

LC: There are three of us running the whole operation in Ithaca. There are two operation specialists, as well as a mechanic. I’m the inner-city bike balancer, and the other employee drives the van and picks up bikes that are more than a couple miles out. I drive around town on my bike.

TC: What does that mean? You carry bikes on your bike?

LC: I happen to have a big electric bike that has running boards on the side with slots in them. You can put the front wheels of two Lime Bikes in

Features

LimeBike is a bicycle-sharing company based in San Mateo, California. It operates dockless bicycle-sharing systems in several cities and college campuses across the United States, using a mobile app for reservations. those slots and tow them around.

TC: How many Lime Bikes do you typically move with your bike every day?

LC: I probably move 25 or 30 bikes a day. I’ve found that when I use the van, half the time I’m just circling around trying to find parking, and when I do find parking, I have to walk back to the bikes a couple blocks, so picking them up by bike is a lot faster, especially downtown.

TC: Do you ever find the bikes in weird places?

LC: A lot of people are worried that the bike won’t be there when they come back, so they’ll take it somewhere and hide it in various places.

When we see a bike on the map, if we don’t see it in real life, we can press a button and it’ll make a noise. It’ll ring the bike. Several times we ring it and we hear it in someone’s house! Really, our relationship with our customers is more important than recovering the bike. I think people who have it in their house will eventually want to use it, and then it will show up on the map. We’re not going to knock on people’s doors, but it’s just sort of funny that we know that they have it.

TC: Have you seen anyone tampering with the bikes?

LC: There was a bike at the skate park that someone had stomped on and broken the lock of. Other than that…not really. Everyone thinks that they’re going to be vandalized. If you think about it, what’s to keep any bike from being vandalized? Or your car? Or anything you own?

Lime Bikes are a new thing, so they’re in people’s mind as something that is vulnerable, but over time they will just become a part of the landscape and people won’t even bother vandalizing them. Another thing is that people who are most likely to have to resort to crime are really appreciative of having the Lime Bikes. They are just so thankful. Someone came up to me and said, “Now I can get home!” He was just so happy to have these bikes. So why would a person in this situation want to vandalize them? He sees them as a resource. It’s like everyone in the city getting a free bike. Why would you want to vandalize that? People are proud of it. People are really excited.

TC: What impact do they have on the community?

LC: Our goals are Availability, Affordability, and Accessibility. I have a lot of people coming up and saying what a good idea, and that they’re really thankful. Ithaca has really welcomed them and we have one of the highest user rates of all the towns where Lime Bike has pedal bikes. We get hundreds of rides a day. I see people using them, happy to have them. I was at Stewart Park last Saturday night and there was a group of guys who all had Lime Bikes. They were having a little party in Stewart Park. That probably wouldn’t have been possible without these bikes. They wouldn’t have been able to get out and enjoy the park. I see people on romantic excursions on the waterfront trail. This morning I had a long conversation with the city engineer.

He said the city is really happy with them. Everyone seems to be really excited. Bikes are so inexpensive compared to cars and take up such little space.

Ironically, the main negative comments we’ve had have been from other cyclists. I think part of that is that cyclists in general are cranky people, because they are a disenfranchised group of people. Cyclists are used to being pushed around by other transportation systems, so they’re very wary of them. A lot of cyclists have come up to me and complained that the Lime Bikes take up space on the bike racks. We encourage people not to park them in racks, because they are free-standing. They don’t need to be locked to anything. People who put them on bike racks mean well. They probably think, “Here’s a bike, here’s a bike rack.” Then the cyclists don’t have room for their bikes which they want to lock to something.

TC: I think people would use electric bikes or scooters a lot because Ithaca is so hilly, and I know Lime Bike has those in other cities. Why didn’t Ithaca get electric bikes or scooters?

LC: Lime Bike has already deployed electric bikes and scooters in many cities that are hilly, including Seattle and San Francisco. They are evaluating if it works there. Right now the state government does not have a legal definition of electric bikes, so it’s unclear where you can use them. They are legally ambiguous. The state itself is really the reason Ithaca doesn’t have electric bikes, so I would encourage people to call their NYS representatives.

TC: People may be worried that they will bike somewhere and someone will use their bike and they will be unable to get back. What advice would you give?

LC: Ultimately, it is a “bike share” system. The whole idea is that we’ll put out as many bikes as people need, and usually you only have to walk a block or two to find another bike. We’ll see if people keep taking bikes somewhere, and we’ll start putting bikes there. You can call the company and tell us if you want bikes somewhere, and you can also call the company if you don’t want bikes in front of your property.

TC: What are some uses for these bikes? What are some scenarios?

LC: They work best for flat areas, up to 2-3 miles. A popular use is taking the bus into town and then using the bikes to go the last mile or so to where they work. People take them to the bus stop. We stock a lot of bikes on Green Street and Seneca Street where the bus stops are. There is a lot of usage along Route 13, going to Tops, Wegmans and the hardware stores. People from the neighborhoods around those areas use them.

Many high schoolers are starting to use them.

LACS has a very strong usage pattern. We put them at the bottom of the hill, and you can get on the waterfront trail from there . A big part of my job is putting bikes in front of businesses, or apartment buildings, or auto repair stores. People drop off their car to get repaired, and they need some way to get back to work.

If you think your premiums are low... it’s probably

INSURANCE

Specializing in Auto & Home Insurance 13

Features

Alicia Kenaley, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes

Interview with the CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes IMAGE PROVIDED

By Karuna Prasad

K

aruna Prasad ’20: Describe some current efforts undertaken by Planned Parenthood that affects our community in these areas.

Alicia Kenaley: Making healthcare affordable: More than 50 percent of our patients fall at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty line.

We offer family planning services on a sliding scale basis and have funds available to help people seeking specific services, such as abortion, colposcopy, and transgender services, who may not otherwise be able to afford them.

Protecting reproductive rights: Hundreds of people across our region have connected with our Public Affairs department to advocate for Planned Parenthood and the people we serve. Our sister organizations, Planned Parenthood of the Empire State Acts (PPESA) and Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF) are the political arms of Planned Parenthood and work to lift up legislation that supports the people we serve, fight against leg14

islation that doesn’t, and endorse and support candidates who support Planned Parenthood.

Supporting LGBTQ people: Planned Parenthood’s LGBTQ Health & Wellness Project, Out for Health, provides outreach, education and information to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) people, their health care providers and the community at-large about the importance of inclusive, welcoming and respectful care for LGBTQ people.

Our LGBTQ Youth Groups offer a supportive, empowering environment for LGBTQ youth to express themselves. Our meetings provide a safe, educational, and super fun place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and allied youth. Meetings provide an accepting, judgement-free space for youth to ask questions, make new friends, and share their ideas. The group hosts movie nights, creates art projects, has discussions and guest speakers, plays games, goes on occasional field trips, and much more.

Other LGBTQ programming in 2017 included our transgender and non-binary clothing swap, two “Night Out” social events, and a multi-session support group for parents and caregivers of transgender youth.

Providing sex education: In 2017 we began weekly programming for the middle school program at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center, focusing on issues that matter to them like puberty, relationships, dating, and communication. We also work with and provide programming for area schools – specifically DeWitt Middle School, Boynton Middle School, LACS, BOCES Alternative School and Nursing Program, New Roots, Ithaca High School, Lansing High School, Groton Elementary and JR/SR High School, Trumansburg Middle and High School, Newfield High School, and Cascadilla School throughout the year.

Additionally, we run a program called Teen Council, that teaches local high school students to be accurate and trustworthy resources for their peers on the subjects of sexual health and

Features healthy relationships.

We’ve found that this model of teaching and learning – called “peer education” – allows teens to get the information they need to lead healthy lives on a level that’s comfortable for them, and develops strong leaders in the process.

We are actually recruiting new members for Teen Council now. If you are a rising sophomore, junior, or senior and interested in learning more or applying, check out this link: bit.ly/ Apply2TC1819 KP: How does providing inexpensive healthcare promote more choice and freedom for everyone (and especially women)?

AK: I believe access to healthcare is a human right. People cannot be their best selves – showing up for their families, friends, communities, and employers—if they aren’t healthy. And when people don’t have access to affordable healthcare, they are forced to make difficult choices like paying for medicine vs. putting food on the table. This is precisely why the preventive, affordable health care services Planned Parenthood provides are vitally important.

Especially for cisgender women whose behaviors include the possibility of pregnancy, access to affordable contraception allows them to determine whether and/or when to start a family, putting graduating from college and developing a career much more within reach.

Currently, we are at a 30-year low for the unin-

tended pregnancy rate, a 40-year low in the teen pregnancy rate, and a record low in the number of abortions. Researchers attribute these improvements to the increase in access to contraception, and especially highly effective methods of birth control.

KP: You became the CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes the same year Trump became President. How has the year been for you so far?

AK: Equal parts challenging and inspirational!

Of course it is difficult to be the subject of unrelenting attacks. While the premise of the attacks is fairly consistent (attempting to prohibit Planned Parenthood from receiving Title X and Medicaid funds), the method changes and we’ve seen a move from the legislative arena (where efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and prohibit Planned Parenthood from billing Medicaid have failed time and again), to the regulatory arena (where the latest Title X funding opportunity announcement dramatically shifts the program’s focus in ways that seem designed to make it more difficult for reproductive health care providers to participate and to open the door to abstinence-only providers and crisis pregnancy centers).

At the same time, our community of supporters has stepped up like never before and millions more have joined our movement. From the historic women’s marches in January of 2017, to

the waves of new volunteers taking action every single day, I have been overwhelmed by the incredible support we have received. In fact, a recent Fox News poll conducted at the end of March 2018 reflected that Planned Parenthood is viewed more favorably than the National Rifle Association and President Trump. For a conservative news outlet, that is saying something!

I have also been extraordinarily inspired by our nation’s young people, and especially the young people in our community, who have shown tremendous courage and strength of character in standing up for the causes they care about. Remember, 4 million young people turn 18 every year, and it’s never too early to remind your elected officials of that!

KP: How has Trump’s presidency affected the organization’s support and funding?

AK: There has been great diversity of experience across the country, with some Planned Parenthood affiliates experiencing harder hits than others depending on the laws and processes in their states. In New York State, we have been fortunate to not feel the sting of Trump’s efforts when it comes to our budgets yet. However, that could always change, so we remain vigilant.

And many of the communities we partner with have been under attack as well – immigrants, LGBTQ people, people of color – the current administration’s policies and efforts to undermine rights and support have been unrelenting.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

IMAGE FROM THE ITHACA JOURNAL

Ithaca’s Planned Parenthood Building 15

Features “Interview with the CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

KP: How has the organization dealt with political leaders trying to cut federal funds, and what steps must the local community take that are useful to counter these political actions?

AK: We educate, advocate, and mobilize. We work very hard to ensure that our legislators understand the services we provide and the value of those services for our patients and our community. We advocate for policies and legislation that support those we serve, and we mobilize our community of supporters to ensure that those in power aren’t just hearing from Planned Parenthood staff, but the millions of people across the country who support our mission. Locally, individuals can take the same steps and share why the work of Planned Parenthood is important to them.

general, here are my top five big lessons:

KP: The current nationwide CEO, Cecile Richards, has been a vital force and voice for the organization, but she plans to step down from her position next month. Please tell us a little bit about the new leadership replacing her and what their next steps and goals are to prevent a vacuum?

Any other information you may share about Ms. Richards herself would be great too!

AK: Under Cecile Richards’ leadership, Planned Parenthood has reached new heights in health care, education, and advocacy, and has led the fight to expand access to health care to more people than ever. During Cecile’s tenure, Planned Parenthood has achieved new levels of success, offering more health care services and educational tools to millions of people by working with our dedicated affiliates across the country. I know Cecile’s commitment to reproductive rights is far from over — she will always fight alongside Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s (PPFA) Board of Directors has put together a phenomenal search committee and has worked with Cecile and other senior staff at PPFA to ensure that interim leadership is in place while the search for PPFA’s new leader is conducted. I feel very confident in the process they have developed and in the people they have put in place to help during this time of transition.

3. Trust your instincts and build your “kitchen cabinet.” I have the incredible good fortune to have a number of mentors – people with whom I have had the occasion to work for or with. They are a wonderful resource when I need input on a challenging decision. At the end of the day, I know I have to trust my instincts, but I always try to ensure that my instincts are informed by the perspectives of other people.

KP: The illegal “sting” operation from 2015 grossly misrepresented what PP stood for, but while the perpetrators’ actions were exposed, it wasted and deflected a lot of time and resources. How has PP planned to prevent a similar incident from occurring again in the age of fake news?

AK: Planned Parenthood makes such consistent and extraordinary efforts to ward off the attacks of those who would like to see our doors closed.

And many may not know that Planned Parenthood staff and patients in our own community experience protesters outside their workplace or the place at which they are seeking health care.

While we certainly made changes to our security protocols after the 2015 smear campaign, Planned Parenthood has been a “fake news” target for decades and I don’t see that changing any time soon. I think the bigger question is: what is our society going to do to address “fake news”? As a start, I think it’s important for everyone to become an informed consumer of news and information. We need to think critically about, ask questions of, and check the sources of information before we adopt it as gospel and share it with our universe of connections. We all share responsibility for ensuring that we are pushing back against sensationalized and ill-informed content.

KP: As a woman in a leadership position, what would you like young women (and men) to know about your experience that would help them with their own careers?

AK: I have a lot to say about this – it could be another whole article! In 16

1. Know that your path is unlikely to be straight and easy. Most people I know who are in leadership positions in the nonprofit realm have had 2-3 careers (and maybe more!) before evolving into a leadership role.

2. Don’t let your mistakes and failures decimate your drive. Every mistake/ failure holds at least one lesson. Use what you learn to grow and evolve and get better at your work. My experience is that your most challenging experiences, be they in the personal or professional realm, hold the most precious lessons.

4. Get gritty: show up and work hard. Don’t assume/expect that you will grow into a leadership or managerial role within a relatively short time frame. I started working as soon as I could with permission from my parents (age 14). I’ve been a busgirl, a waiter, a bartender, and an administrative assistant. I’ve done direct service work as a social worker, and I’ve held other managerial positions. No matter what level you occupy in a company or organization, you always have the opportunity to show up as a leader. And no matter what your level in your organization, you are never too high up to take out the garbage or wash dishes.

5. Believe in yourself. Golda Meir once said, “Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” I couldn’t agree with her more.

And finally, speaking specifically to young women and other people who don’t often see people like themselves in leadership positions: I’ve noticed that we talk a lot about making advances in the diversity of STEM programs and elected positions and those are really important things; however, we don’t talk enough about diversity in leadership positions within organizations or companies. I just completed an executive MBA program where fewer than 20 percent of my class identified as female. We have work to do in this area to ensure that the diversity of those in leadership positions reflects the diversity we see in our communities.

KP: What are some things people in my age group (13-18) may do to help support Planned Parenthood’s local branch?

AK: Learn more about our organization and the services we provide.

Join us in advocating for our organization and the people we serve (you can learn more about this by emailing volunteering@ppsfl.org) Take care of yourself ! Get the information and services you need to be smart and engaged in your health care.

If you have benefited from the services Planned Parenthood provides, please consider sharing your story. Statistics are powerful, but not nearly as powerful as a personal story. If you would like to share your story, email volunteering@ppsfl.org If you are able - VOTE!

Features IMAGE PROVIDED

Club Feature: Political Theory of the Global Left

By Isaiah Gutman

L

ast month, the Tattler Editorial Board argued that political theory should be taught more at IHS. The school hasn’t implemented the suggestions put forth, and likely never will, but for those who need a political theory fix, there is an available way to learn more. Political theory is an outlet for thinking about how governments work, how they can work, and how they should work. Since the advent of writing, there have been treatises on political theory, from Plato’s Republic to Sieyes’ What is the Third Estate?, but the latter marks something of a turning point in the history of political theory, after which a tradition of leftism was born. This movement encompasses anarchism, communism, socialism, and more, all ideologies started in the 19th century or later.

It is this series of developments that IHS’s newest club attempts to tackle.

Officially, this club is named Political Theory of the Global Left, but this name is quite unwieldy, so it is shortened to PTOGL by most members (pronounced like “toggle”).

Created in December 2017, PTOGL has seen the discussion of dozens of texts, from writers like Emma Goldman, Noam Chomsky, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, and, of course, Karl Marx. While most high schoolers may not be well-equipped to critically read and critique such authors, the members of the club have done an admirable job, managing to not accept anything at face value. When reading such ideologically powerful pieces, this critical eye is of the utmost importance, and most members have mastered the art.

Creator Mira Driskell ’19 says she doesn’t have a preference when it comes to club size,

but as it stands, the insular group is conducive to productive conversations as there is no shortage of disagreements. Although members generally agree on political issues, all being leftists of some stripe (anarchists and socialists mostly), a surprising amount of debate arises from the text discussed each week. As if that weren’t enough, Driskell welcomes conservative viewpoints if anyone wishes to come voice them. While leftist spaces are frequently accused of silencing dissent and ignoring differing viewpoints, PTOGL does not suffer from this sort of problem at all, Driskell emphasizes.

The club aims to represent the opposite of an echo chamber and has succeeded thus far.

As with any source-based club, one of PTOGL’s biggest issues is finding quality sources.

Driskell has thus far prevented staleness of texts chosen by encouraging all members to suggest texts. As a result, the club’s focus has shifted from communism to anarchism, with spotlights on both early anarchist thought from the 19th century and more modern thought from thinkers like Murray Bookchin and Noam Chomsky. So far, not much discussion of current events has occurred, but that could easily change as ideas and sources become scarce.

While many of IHS’s clubs take much of their membership from students looking to beef up their college applications, this is not the case for PTOGL. Each member is invested in the club, and joined because of genuine interest rather than external motivators. If you are looking for a relaxed space to discuss big ideas and be exposed to new perspectives, PTOGL could just be the club for you.

17

Pride: An LGBTQ+ History Centerspread

By Anna Westwig Pride is an important thing for members of the LGBTQ+ community. It allows individuals to embrace who they are in a world where many ostracize them. June is official pride month and it seemed fitting to celebrate LGBTQ+ in a variety of settings and time periods. There have been LGBTQ+ people across all of history and to think that it is merely a modern day phenomenon is misleading. While there are many figures to look up to today, it’s important to recognize their predecessors and the cultures that they lived in.

In America, before the destructive arrival of the Europeans, Native American tribes had very open understandings of gender and gender roles. There were both male and female roles, but sometimes there were individuals who did not fit into either of these roles. Sometimes male, sometimes female, or even intersex, these individuals embodied both masculine and feminine roles. These people were known as two-spirit. They were highly valued in Native American cultures and took on specialized roles in their own communities.

630 BC

There is not much known about the Greek poet Sappho, who lived on the isle of Lesbos, except that she was a prolific poet and wrote poems known for their lesbian connotations. In fact, she is the origin of many modern words regarding female homosexuality including ‘Sapphic’ and ‘Lesbian’. She was such a revered poet that she was regarded by some as the ‘tenth muse.’ In one of her 650 remaining fragments, she said, “Now she stands out among Lydian women like the rosy-fingered moon after sunset, surpassing all the stars, and its light spreads alike over the salt sea and the flowery fields; the dew is shed in beauty and roses bloom and tender chervil and flowery melilot.”

IMAGE FROM UNSPLASH

18

What is Pride?

Here are IHS students’ answers!

27 BC Born in 27 BC, Emperor Ai of the Han dynasty in China was one of the many Chinese emperors- to be devoted to a male companion. He and his lover, Dong Xian, are subjects of ancient tales about homosexuality. When Emperor Ai had to get up for a meeting, he found Dong Xian had fallen asleep on his robes. Rather than wake him, Ai cut off the sleeve of his elaborate robes. This became known as Duànxiù, or "breaking the sleeve" and became part of the ancient Chinese word for homosexuality, ‘yútáo duànxiù’.

Mesoamerican cultures were very accepting of homosexuality, - and the Aztecs even had a patron god for - it. Xochipilli, meaning ‘flower prince,’ was the Aztec god of arts, games, beauty, and dance, as well as the patron god of homosexuals.

Though the Spanish tried desperately to get rid of any traces of homosexuality in the Americas, Aztec pottery survived.

There are several surviving pieces of pottery depicting homosexual relationships. There is clear evidence, that like many other cultures, Mesoamerica had no negative opinions of LGBTQ+ people.

Evey Schreiner, ’21

Image Unavailable

“I think it’s important to express whoever you are and to be unique as well as living your life how you want to.”

Maren Dilliplane, ’20

“Just being proud of who you are and proud of the people who support you and...part of accepting who you are and loving yourself and being gay.”

Some claim that homosexuality was a colonial import to Africa as well as other places. But the evidence of LGBTQ+ practices in Africa is everywhere. In Igboland, Nigeria, it’s traditional and widely-accepted that a woman, after her husband has died, is able to take a wife. The marriage between two women is pursued thesame as though it were a man and a woman. The widowed woman pays a dowry, and fulfills other traditional rites. And they live as though they were a heterosexual couple. This custom predated European interference and, on a minute scale, continues today. The two women can even have children if one consents to the other having a child with a man. The child then takes the woman who plays the role of the husband’s name, not the man who fathered them.

Anonymous, ’20Centerspread “Pride is pretty great, man.”

Rose Fitzgerald, ‘21 “[It’s being] accepting and proud of who you are.“

By Rose Fitzgerald Known for her role as Sophia Burset in Orange is the New Black, Laverne Cox has made history as the first trans woman of color to have a leading role on a mainstream TV show.

She is a hardworking activist speaking out about transgender equality, gender discrimination, and gender identity. In 2016, she aided in the production of the documentary Free CeCe!, about how a trans woman of color was attacked on her way to the grocery store and jailed for 41 months for defending herself.

1912-1954 While Allied forces during World War II scrambled to decipher German code, one brilliant man created an electromechanical machine called the Bombe that could decipher the enigma, turning the tide of the war. Alan Turing, a gay man, was invaluable to the war effort and for his hard work, he was given drugs to ‘suppress’ his sexuality that led to his tragic suicide. Alan Turing’s story is both an inspiration and a tragedy. As well as helping win World War II, he developed many of the foundations of modern theoretical computer science. He was ahead of his time both mentally and socially.

19

Features

This Year In Pictures

Student Submitted Photography Link to full colored gallery: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmcfvEJU

Untitled

by Max Stephenson

Untitled

by Max Stephenson

Moth

by Dylan Myler 20

Untitled

by Ingrid Comella

Untitled

by Max Stephenson

Features

Tokyo Skytree

by David Sheng

Untitled

by Max Stephenson

Moroccan students Naima (left) and Ilias (center) play soccer on the grounds of Imam Al-Ghazali high school in Meknes (Americans also playing not pictured) Image by Gus Kuckes

Untitled

by Anna Gras

IHS students listen to guide (left) speak about the old Medrassa of Meknes, in which they stand Image by Gus Kuckes

Untitled

by Ingrid Comella CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

21

Features “This Year In Pictures” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

Untitled

by Ingrid Comella Untitled

by Ingrid Comella

Untitled

by Jeremy Sauer

Combined Concert Rehearsal

by Zoe Gras 22

Untitled

by Max Stephenson

Get To Class

by Gus Kuckes

Features

Untitled

by Jeremy Sauer

Untitled

by Ingrid Comella

Untitled

by Ingrid Comella

Untitled

by David Sheng

23

Arts

IHS Music Trip to NYC

By Anna Westwig

L

ast month, several members of IHS’s music program, including myself, took a trip to New York City. There, we saw several performances, including 30 Years of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Hello, Dolly!, and the New York Philharmonic. From jazz to classical, the concerts featured musicians of the highest caliber.

First, on Friday night after a day of traveling, we walked into the Lincoln Center. It was a massive hall and square blue glowing lights that almost looked like clouds gave the place an ethereal feel. However, the true unearthliness came not from the decoration but from the skill of the musicians.

The two-and-a-half hour long performance began with the famous trumpeter and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis. As well as being a masterful musician and artistic director, he also had great insight into the background of the pieces they were playing, and added anecdotes from when he met famous composers and performers.

They played several jazz tunes, including a fan favorite, “April in Paris.” Even as the performance stretched thirty minutes over the expected time, I was captivated. Two singers took the stage with distinct and powerful voices. Finally, they ended with one of Duke Ellington’s best works, a piece he revised for much of his life, The “Black, Brown, and Beige” suite. It took up most of the performance, and the endurance of the players was incredible to witness. I left for the hotel on Friday night stunned. Jazz, which had never been my music genre of choice, took on a whole new meaning for me. The style with which the players interpreted the music written on a sheet and turned it into a living, breathing performance was breathtaking. It was inspirational and something I hope to take with me into my own playing.

The next day we saw two performances: the Broadway musical, Hello, Dolly!, and the New York Philharmonic. Hello, Dolly!, which we saw before dinner at around four o’clock, wasn’t as thrilling as the more dynamic jazz concert. The actors and actresses performed very well, especially the lead, Dolly, played by Bernadette Pe24

IMAGE BY LELAND XU

ters. The choreography and music were expertly done and many of the characters were engaging.

The plot of the musical, however, which revolved around a matchmaker who falls in love with a penny-pinching crotchety old man, simply did not do it for me. The next performance, however, made up for my lukewarm feeling about Hello, Dolly!.

The New York Philharmonic was even more spellbinding than the jazz performance.

They started with Sibelius’ “Pohjola’s Daughter,” which depicts a man falling in love with a goddess, who scorns him and leaves him alone on earth. The soaring lines of the brass depicted the goddesses’ splendor, and the mournful oboe solo showed the man’s woe. Each instrument was a refined voice that was both distinct and part of the entire orchestra. The piece began with the dark murmuring of cello soli, low woodwind and french horn from which rose a low cello motif. It reached its climax and then slowly receded back down. Pohjola’s Daughter ended the way it began; with a low B flat on the strings.

Then, after a brief interlude, they played Debussy’s fantasy for piano and orchestra followed the Sibelius, in which the NY Phil.

Artist-In-Residence Leif Ove Andsnes was fea-

David Geffen Hall tured as the pianist. This piece was much more soothing, with a structure that began with the rippling background of harp and the gentle solo of clarinet and oboe, which ebbed and swelled during the introduction. It then transformed from a serene piece to one vibrant with joy. It resolved, unlike the Sibelius, with a single triumphant note.

After an intermission, the New York Philharmonic ended with Bartok’s five-part Concerto for Orchestra that was much more intense than any of the concert openers. The concerto was written in the final years of Bartok’s life and he described the piece as “a gradual transition from the sternness of the first movement and the lugubrious death-song of the third to the life-assertion of the last one.”

The New York City trip was an eye-opening experience that was an insight into how others play and ways to improve my own playing. As a flutist, I hope to one day emulate the skill and musicality I heard. Overall, the New York City trip was a spectacular trip that featured a diverse range of musical genres and exposed me to the kind of musical ability I had never seen or heard before.

Arts

IMAGE PROVIDED

Spotlight on Local Music With

“The Uncommons”

By Chloe Moore

“T

he Uncommons”, comprised of guitarist/keyboardist Kevin Moss, vocalist Kelly Serbonich, lead guitarist/vocalist Jay Skezas, drummer Jeff Goodmark, and bassist/vocalist Ash Eastman, are bringing new life to the Ithaca music scene both with their own music as well as a podcast that will highlight local musicians. The band started several years ago as 5 Mile Drive but has since had several changes in lineup. The current members have been together for about two years and also changed the name to The Uncommons. Kevin Moss told me that they “wanted something that sounded ‘Ithaca-ish.’ Someone suggested ‘The Commons,’ but then [we] said, ‘what about The UNcommons?’ [We] like to play covers that are a little ‘uncommon’ in addition to our originals. So it fit.”

Moss also told me that their songwriting process is very collaborative, and that the members will bring in different parts until a song “shines.”

Many of their songs call for rather open-ended jams, where lead guitarist Jay Skezas will take a “crazy solo,” allowing the song to “evolve organically.”

Skezas described his style of playing a solo as creating a “song within the song.”

All of the members stressed the importance of being open to new ideas when writing songs. Moss offered advice, saying, “Don’t hold back. Be open to being spontaneous.” Skezas described his songwriting style as “[writing] things down that are inspiring… this can be subject matter for a song, a few lyrics that I think are clever, a little musical motif or ideas about arrangements or instrumentation. I keep it in a log or diary that I refer to later. Most of the time I remember what I was talking about, and every now and then it seems like nonsense.”

The band also has a captivating energy on stage. I saw their acoustic side project, called Darkwine (featuring Moss, Skezas and Serbonich) earlier this year at Ithaca Bakery, and I enjoyed the performance because they enjoyed doing it. They fed off each other’s energy, and vocalist Kelly Serbonich told me, “you have to really feel what you are playing/singing and be into [the show] to transmit that to the audience. So, basically be genuinely enjoying yourself, give it all you’ve got, and it will come through!”

Mr. Moss told me that, “you really have to connect with the audience. A lot of the energy comes from them… it becomes a cyclic flow of energy.”

The drummer of the band, Jeff Goodmark, is also creating a podcast called “Ithaca Is Music” to feature local musicians in live recordings, and hopefully propel Ithacan music into the national spotlight. The pilot episode showcased The Uncommons, when they played at Lot 10 on April 19th. The podcast features live sessions in front of audiences with interviews in between regarding the band and their songs. The Uncommons played all originals for the first podcast. When the podcast gets going full swing, it will be recorded every Thursday for ten weeks with the first polished recording coming out on September 6 of this year, and will be hosted by Goodmark’s friend, Victoria DeBerry, a local singer-songwriter and radio host. It will be filmed by the Finger Lakes Music Press.

The Uncommons are a perfect act for the beginning of the podcast, with their original sound and Ithacan vibe, not just because of their name, but also because of their on-stage energy and communal songwriting process. The band shows that music can be a part of your life even if you are busy with a full-time job, and that local acts can be just as talented as national headliners.

25

Arts

Sunshine Tomorrow: A Playlist for the Summer

By Leland Xu and Jefferson Sheng

Link to playlist https://goo.gl/c3trbZ

This summer, whether you’ll be traveling to faraway and exotic locations, going to the pool, or staying at home and studying alone, we put together a short playlist with tunes ranging from hard bop to rock music that captures the quintessential summer spirit for you to enjoy no matter where you are or what you’ll be doing.

1. “Kokomo”: The Beach Boys No band in the history of music has captured or will ever capture the same nostalgic American teenage summer energy of beaches, surfing, and youthful restlessness as well as the Beach Boys did; that same infectious energy is still just as popular and influential among the youth today as it was back in generations before. Let lyrics of vacationing on foreign islands and roaming the hot Californian streets alleviate the stresses and fears of next year, and take you on an ethereal journey back to a simpler time.

2. “Moanin’”: Art Blakey Opening with the bluesy tune played by Bobby Timmons on piano, you can only hear how much fun the band was having during the recording of The Jazz Messengers Album after gaining a fresh start from having to record miscellaneous tapes for money. With Art Blakey on the drum set, Lee Morgan on the trumpet, and Benny Golson on the tenor sax, it’s the type of soul music for the summer that can easily get you swingin’!

3. “Maria”: The Dave Brubeck Quartet Arranged by Howard Brubeck (Dave Brubeck’s brother) and improvised with themes from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, this is yet another prime example of “third stream” music that originated from efforts by composers such as that of Bernstein’s creation of fusions between jazz and classical music. A truly American collection, this cool jazz brings alive the uproar of the Upper West Side while adding in 26

drops of the characterization into the subdued atmosphere to be enjoyed on a calm summer afternoon.

4. “In the Summertime”: Mungo Jerry Half the song is literally gibberish. The lyrics were written in ten minutes. Paul King is unironically using a jug as an instrument. Perfect for some summer airheadedness.

5. “Here Comes the Sun”: The Beatles One of George Harrison’s most famous songs written for the Beatles, “Here Comes the Sun” is a testament to the Beatles’ everlasting legacy and musical consistency even in the final years of the Beatles’ career, and it’s no surprise why. “Here Comes the Sun” is an upbeat and whimsical song welcoming the sun after months of cold winter, or exams season misery.

6. “Island in the Sun”: Weezer Guitar solos and bass riffs perfect Weezer’s alternative rock single “Island in the Sun,” a song conveying strong melancholy as well as optimistic desires of carefree freedom from pain and obligation to the titular island, a dream sympathetic to the reluctant non-vacationing summer student.

7. “Summertime”: Miles Davis A historical and iconic collaboration between Gil Evans and Miles Davis is featured on the famous Porgy and Bess album of George

Gershwin’s folk opera of the same name. Davis’ rendition of Summertime embodies the “thick” (as Davis referred to it) modal style of composition that set off a new era in the traditions of jazz improvisation, as it gives rise to new tonality and formation of chords. Its melody and sophisticated yet straightforward chords lent itself to countless reproductions of the same tune while staying true to the lullaby that marks the struggles in an African-American neighborhood in Charleston.

8. “Manhattan”: Ella Fitzgerald In several choruses, “Manhattan” sarcastically summarizes the attractions for a young couple that cannot financially afford a real vacation together. Through Ella Fitzgerald’s refined voice and a simple condensed orchestration accompaniment, this workhorse of popular music is reproduced in a serene manner that is both elegant and chic.

“Summertime Sadness”: Lana Del Rey Kierkegaard once said that “romantic love was built upon an illusion, that the eternity it claims was built upon the temporal.” Now, such deceptive love is not limited to happening only within a singular moment or during specific moments in one’s life, but is a constant possibility. Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness” sees this deceptive love through and during her past summers, reminiscent of memories with her former transient lover who brought nothing but pain, and the slow and unintelligible drivel that she must undertake with deep dejection to move forward. Truly, a masterpiece.

Arts

SpongeBob SquarePants on Broadway

By J.T. Stone

O

ne of the highlights for me when visiting New York City has always been seeing my favorite shows on Broadway. This year, when my grandma told me she bought tickets for us to see SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, I was skeptical about whether or not it would do the original TV series justice. Based off the hit Nickelodeon show and the book by Kyle Jarrow, this production takes place in the underwater town of Bikini Bottom, filled with cheerful chuckles and shining smiles from SpongeBob SquarePants (Ethan Slater), Patrick Star (Danny Skinner), Sandy Cheeks (Lilli Cooper), and many more of my favorite childhood characters which were brought to life.

I was drawn to the glimmering stage on my way down to our front-row seats, and I knew then that we were in for a treat. I had a clear view of all the actors on stage, which was surrounded by elaborate structures on the two opposite walls of the theater. It was a packed house filled with adults and children alike, and pirates could be seen greeting guests as the band set up for the show. I had no idea what to expect for the next two hours, and looking back, I was not prepared, to say the least.

From the opening note until curtain call, I was grinning with nostalgia during one of the most energetic performances I have seen in my entire life. Ethan Slater, who earned a Tony nomination this year for his role as SpongeBob, embodies the yellow sponge I grew up with in every way imaginable, from his high-pitch giggles to his goofy but spot dance technique. The actor transitions from a childish nasal voice to a mature baritone singing voice, which helps make his performance even more unpredictable. Additionally, Slater’s incredible vocal skills added to the impressive choreography and staging; who do you know that can climb up 7-feet tall metal structures while also harmonizing with his fellow actors on stage? You need to see it to believe it, and if you don’t believe it, know that The New York Times stated Slater’s performance was a “once-in-alifetime match of actor and character.”

Along with Slater’s starring role as SpongeBob, his two partners-incrime illustrated how teamwork can win the day. Danny Skinner brought Patrick Star to life in a hilariously unsophisticated fashion, while Lilli Cooper (Sandy Cheeks) was the type of angelically powerful female lead the show needed. Gavin Lee, who had a grim frown while playing Squidward Tentacles, also had a tricky task. Lee’s costume included two extra legs which were used for extreme squid tap-dancing, which, to me, was far more entertaining dancing than any human could ever pull off. The musical also features classic characters including Eugene Krabs, Pearl Krabs,

IMAGE PROVIDED

Mrs. Puff, Karen the Computer, and even Patchy the Pirate.

Although the acting, set design, and extra sound-effects based off the original series were stellar, I felt the costumes could have been more thought out and arranged to look more like the animated characters, rather than simply having props like crab arms and flowers to symbolize the character in their entirety.

The variety of song genres also kept me on the edge of my seat. From R&B, to rap, to pop, and even a taste of country, I could not take my eyes off the stage during any of the musical numbers. For example, when Wesley Taylor (Plankton) had his musical solo, I was blown away because I had never imagined tiny Plankton diving into any musical genre, much less rap, but it only added to the show’s creativity.

The most memorable song of the show for me came at a pivotal moment in Act II, when all hope seemed lost for the Bikini Bottom. It is SpongeBob who ultimately unites the town in song and dance with the anthem “Best Day Ever,” which was an original song played during the credits of the first SpongeBob SquarePants movie. Although the first few lines of the Broadway version were new, the writers stayed true to the series by playing the same boppy organ instrumental that had the crowd moving to the beat. Sitting in my seat, absorbed in the cast’s performance, I couldn’t help but tear up watching a song I used to listen to on repeat being performed on the Broadway stage.

Although some have called this show the “death of Broadway,” I can assure you that this musical is worth your time, especially if you grew up watching the original show. If nothing else can convince you to even bother seeing SpongeBob on the big stage, just remember that this musical tied for the most Tony nominations this year, with 12 nominations total, including Best Musical. I recommend parents and children all see this show, because it might be your best day ever.

27

Sports

Sports Team Feature: The Boys’ Tennis Team

By Asha Duhan

T

he Ithaca Boys’ Tennis Team is wrapping up a very successful undefeated season, and recently won a seventh straight Southern Tier Athletic Conference (STAC) championship. The team has had an unprecedented 91 match win streak, and sends numerous team members to the State Championships in Flushing Meadows, New York each year. I recently met with Head Coach Arthur Falkson and Captain Aidan Campbell to discuss their various successes and what it took to reach this distinguished level.

Asha Duhan: Why do you think the Boys’ Tennis team has been so successful for the past 7 years?

Arthur Falkson: I think the Boys’ Varsity Tennis team has benefited a great deal from getting a lot of regular practice and match play and from working so well together as a team. During practices we work on developing sound practice habits which prepare the players for match play. We work a lot on doubles positioning and strategy through a game-based approach. A game-based approach involves developing skills while competing against other players. Through a game-based approach to practice, players become more comfortable playing in competitive situations and are less likely to get nervous in matches against players from other teams.

In terms of team strategy, since three of the seven points in our matches come from doubles, we put a lot of effort into doubles strategy, which also helps in singles play. Having strong doubles teams makes us a tough team to beat within our section. Finally, the team is supportive of one another and receptive to coaching, and this makes a big difference.

AD: What sets the IHS Boys’ Tennis apart from the other teams in the section?

AF: Generally, we have a large number of players who try out for the Boys Tennis team and, with access to Cornell’s Reis Tennis Center, we’re fortunate to be able to practice regularly even when the weather doesn’t allow us to practice outside. Also, over the past several years we’ve had strong leadership from the team’s captains, who have served as great role models to the younger players. The healthy competition between team members to gain a starting spot on the team leads the team to have a lot of depth and strength throughout our line up, as compared to other teams in the Section. Over the years our players have been mentally tough, and again, 28

this relates to the game-based approach to our practice sessions.

AD: What influenced you to teach high school tennis?

AF: Tennis has been an important part of my life since I was young and I have great memories of participating on tennis teams while in middle and high school. For three years, the Ithaca Athletics department supported having a paid assistant coach to the boys team and our athletic director at the time, Bill Bryant, approached me about the opportunity to help out the head coach, Rich Favaro. After I started helping out with the coaching, I realized how much I enjoyed the opportunity to be involved in high school coaching. After Coach Favaro retired from coaching, I had the chance to take on the head coaching role for the program. I’ve enjoyed being able to work with players both individually and as a team working towards the common goals of improvement and success for the team over the past 11 years that I’ve been the program’s head coach.

AD: Why do you think the Boys’ Tennis team has been so successful for the past 7 years?

Aidan Campbell: I think the reason we’ve been so successful is because of the dedication of our players to the sport. Most of the starters play year round, either at Cornell or with a private coach, especially Mike Bryant.

Also, the support from each player to one another has created a great environment for growth and having fun.

AD: What are practices generally like for the tennis team? How does the team stay active during the off-season?

AC: During practices we usually warm up and then get right into playing against one another, with some variety in games to practice different skills.

A lot of the team does practice year-round, but we don’t have year-round team practices. During the off-season it is mostly up to the player to stay active, but this year we are planning on having practices and conditioning during the off-season.

AD: What are your team and individual goals for next year?

AC: The biggest team goal for next year is to hit our 100th straight win, and to win the STAC title again. Individually we all want to improve, and I know that I want to get back to States and hopefully go far.

Sports

What is Cascadilla Boat Club?

By Riley Heise

W

hat is the Cascadilla Boat Club (CBC)? The answer to that question may be different depending on who you ask. Nestled on the southwest shore of Stewart Park, along with what is known colloquially to CBC members as “the small inlet,” sits the Cascadilla Boathouse. Completed in 1896, the boathouse originally belonged to the Cascadilla School, a preparatory school that continues to operate in Ithaca today. In 1923, management of the boathouse fell to the City of Ithaca. Today, the Boat Club, unaffiliated with the Cascadilla School, owns the boathouse, which is home to dedicated rowers of all ages.

A modified team exists for middle schoolage rowers, and a novice team caters to high schoolers who want to start rowing. Additionally, a varsity team exists as the most competitive offering for older high school rowers who began rowing on the club’s novice team. The varsity team requires high amounts of dedication and often progresses through the season to compete at regattas, or rowing competitions, such as States, Nationals and beyond.

CBC brings in rowers from all across Tompkins County, spanning from Newfield to Trumansburg to Lansing, and of course including many IHS students. No matter the team, CBC offers a constructive environment for athletes to not only develop their rowing technique, but to also make long lasting connections and friendships as they navigate the age-old landscape that is the world of crew.

What are practices like?

What makes a good rower?

Stella Whittaker, IHS ’18: “CBC fosters teamwork, and although we are in separate boats, we come together as a loving, encouraging community.”

Cid Decatur, IHS ’18: “CBC is a place to find your footing. Plus the coaches are basically just handing out jacked lats and quads with the

No criteria exists to judge who has the potential to be a good high school rower. CBC is a place for people of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, interests and goals. CBC does not hold tryouts, and while boats are created based on skill and speed, no cuts are made on the team.

Due to the water-based nature of the sport, rowing is weather dependent. As long as there are no large waves on Cayuga Lake, rowers can expect to head out on the lake or up Cayuga Inlet along Cass Park during practice. CBC crews spend hours practicing drills, going on long rows up the lake, and practicing harder segments called “pieces.” All of this is in pursuit of perfecting the rowing stroke meter after meter.

Novice rowers practice from 5:00-6:45 p.m. on all weekdays, while varsity rowers can expect beautiful mornings on the water as practices run from 6:00-8:00 a.m.during the week, and 8:0010:00 a.m. on Saturdays.

What are regattas like?

Rowers can expect to participate in roughly five regattas per season. Each crew is given a plot beside the body of water on which to pitch tents, one of which houses an area for rowers to relax and put their gear. Another adjacent tent contains an enormity of food provided by parents of the rowers for athletes to eat throughout the day. During the fall season. rowers compete over a roughly 5000 meter course. In the spring sprint season, this is decreased to around 2000 meters.

“What does CBC mean to you?”

I discussed this question with a set of CBC seniors and captains:

workouts we do.”

Molly Stoff, IHS ’18: “CBC takes groups of strangers and turns them into a family. And Cid is right, CBC is quad central.”

Aidan O’Dowd, Homeschooled ‘18: “CBC is an opportunity to experience the satisfying thrill of cohesive teamwork propelling of a 44 foot-long, eight-oared racing shell across the water.”

Isabel Gephart, IHS ’18: “It’s the best thing ever.”

Arjun Sweet, IHS ’18: “CBC is a small, hard working community whose talent continues to surprise me.”

Cameron Grover, IHS ’18: “Our sport and our team caters itself to competition and we have a community built around these ideals.

CBC is a group of people who want to win.”

Camille Vandermeer, END ’18: “Have you ever wanted to get into a prestigious Ivy League without actually having the academic qualifications to be admitted? This is how.” (Camille has committed to Princeton and will be graduating in 2022.)

How can you get involved with CBC? All information about CBC can be found online, including pricing for seasons, descriptions of various programs and information about scheduling and the dates of regattas.

The fall competitive seasons begin the day before school starts in September 2018. Summer camps and seasons also exist for those who want to get a head start on their rowing and get a feel for crew as a sport. Additionally, International Learn to Row Day is on June 2, 2018. This is a free day wherein members of the public can come and get a taste of the rowing experience.

29

Sports

IHS’s Unified Basketball Team Finishes Their First Season

By J.T. Stone

O

n May 3, the inaugural Ithaca Unified Basketball Team played its first game. The Unified team, which connects students of all abilities, is unique in that it combines students with developmental disabilities with other athletes to create a more inclusive environment for those who are unable to participate on JV and varsity sports teams.

The coeducational team was created through ICSD’s partnership with the Special Olympics, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA), and the Southern Tier Athletic Conference (STAC) to create a Unified Sports league in conjunction with 15 other school districts.

Unified Sports is part of the Special Olympics’ Unified Champion School initiative, one designed to push schools to create acceptance for students with intellectual disabilities. This initiative has been funded by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs to build inclusion and tolerance in schools around the nation. Upstate New York is one of the first regions to see the development of Unified Sports leagues.

After three months of planning and one month of practice, the Unified Basketball Team landed a 38-30 win against Owego in the IHS Bliss Gym. The game, one of three home games that the team hosted this season, included announcers and a thrilling halftime skills competition for students in attendance.

The 14-person team is coached by special education teacher and former girls’ varsity basketball coach Stephanie Valletta. She told “The Ithaca Voice”, “It’s just incredible to see the kids come together and teach each other the skills and kind of build that community. It’s really amazing.”

Valletta went on to say that none of the students on the team were basketball players before, adding, “it was awesome to see them learn together.”

The players had been practicing twice a week for several weeks before their first game of the season.

30

Trey Osadchey, a senior member of the Unified Sports team, said, “Our team is meant to create an opportunity for individuals who have never had this experience before. Together we have made a team that is thriving, and we have essentially created a family, too.”

According to the Special Olympics website, there are approximately 4,500 elementary, middle, and high schools across the U.S. that have a Unified Sports team, and 1.4 million people worldwide take part in Unified Sports. The website notes that its primary goal is to “break down stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities in a really fun way.”

The Unified basketball team had a total of six games this year, with their last home game on May 24. The team enjoyed its first season, and will look to continue breaking barriers in the IHS community in coming years.

Literary

Day to Day

By Mistina Nagy He awakes His stomach quakes A seizure lurks Everything hurts He straps on his brace There’s a tremor in his face It’s Day to Day In fear he lays He fears mundane things Because seizures are set off by anything Running, walking, even breathing Will cause seizing Laughing is not cunning He’s the one with pain forthcoming Seizures are not a joke It’s not funny to poke Day to Day For everything he’d pay To have it taken away It won’t leave him, not for a day It’s not something he wanted to obtain It’s something that is untamed Out of control It’s burning embers of coal His nerves on fire His body tires At any moment it can strike It’s hard to remember what hope is like So please understand Seizures come, petite and grand It’s not something to play He “lives” day to day IMAGE PROVIDED

31

Literary

Goodbye

I Am Me

By Charlotte Littell

May 18

I was delirious and giddy, whirling about, bathed in the pink-yellow light of the parking lot.

By Zachary Foley Taking AP Test studied hard for it all year hope I do my best

The cobalt sky hugged the horizon gently, lightening as it approached the city, so as not to crush the life out of the skyline and those living exuberantly beneath it.

A burning fire A heart’s desire A mind’s admired Can get you tired I am unknown I am alone Out of sight Out of light They want me to change They call me strange They say this everyday I am starting to fray

The night was clear, and the stars and Venus shone down on the bittersweet finality of our small gathering.

So much love filled our hearts that it could not be contained, instead it pushed out through our lungs and vibrated through the thick, humid air, electric with a celestial buzz, winding cords of hope all around us.

By Mistina Nagy

Last Month of School

By Zachary Foley

Our dresses swished gleefully against our strong, sensible legs and the lights in the sky mimicked the glow sticks that marked our feet and hands, reflecting neon off our bodies with blooms of dye in our joyful dance.

School almost done Summer coming soon Time to have fun Now that it is June We have plenty of sun And can hear the bird’s tune

Cracks developing in my mind My heart becoming hard to find Tears rolling down my face My skin becoming lace My mind is plunging into the drain Along with the pain I am ignoring Trying to be adoring I am tired Often called a liar I am called different My feelings to which are indifferent I am writing Fighting To be me I am, do you agree?

Our music played loud, and our voices joined the tinny timbre of the speaker in my phone as the smell of tobacco still hung in the air, lingering from a squashed cigarette next to a nearby car.

Things

I am trying Not lying Trying not to flee I am me

By Eleanor Randl What are all of these things we fill our houses with? Our drawers. Our cabinets. We are collectors of books and tablecloths. Poems and jewelry. If we could we would put the sun in a jar, the moon in a wooden box of darkness, and call them memories. We find meaning to our lives in photographs and cut-off shorts. In candles and teapots. Watches placed on windowsills. Movie tickets, printed squares of nervous 32

laughter. Butterflies doing cartwheels through our stomachs. Fluttering hearts. The water from our showers imitates rain. Racing through the gutter. Shutters banging. Lightning flashing.

You can’t see the stairs through the curtains.

Winding towards the window. Or the cherry blossoms. Pink stamps on a gray sky. Sugar in tiny hot cups of orange. Remind us of whole fields of cane. Chewy like chalk. Sweet. Streaks

of sweat down our necks. Salt white as the foam from the sea litters our counters. Our carpets were woven with care. Telephone polls link us together. Places moving closer with time. Our ceilings sinking. As boxes are brought up to the attic, sometimes we stop to think. To try to figure out what this whole life thing is about. But then we move past. Continuing on day by day.

Collecting all the while.

Literary

The Breath of Old Age

By Isabel Rubin The breath of old age Now upon her cheek She whispers regrets When she thinks no one can hear The chances she wishes she had taken But now they are not hers to take She is gathering dust Her life Ridden with outlines of half full glasses And cups of tea And she wonders Why am I not happy?

A child A husband Attractive they say Kind they say Successful they say Lucky they say But why does she feel unlucky As her kids hug her and her husband kisses her And yet she feels untouched Unattended, her mind overgrowing Her fingers tracing the tattered edges of her dreams They grabbed the thread and pulled Until No longer was there a dream Just a faded thread But once It was bright Red like her lipstick Smudged on the corner of boys’ mouths And red like the dress she wore dancing on the street corners And red like the neon signs of the city She dreamt and laughed and waited for the future Unknowing That this was what she was waiting for IMAGE BY JEREMY SAUER

33

Penultimate

Month In Music Sweet Summary Sounds

By Sophie Wray

This playlist symbolizes through songs the feelings and thoughts associated with the month of June. Although with some new releases and some old, all have a sound and mood perfect for the first month of Summer. June is a tough month with finals and all, so a few sad songs are thrown in at the bottom to embody this. Ultimately though, it’s a happy month, because school is so close to being over!

One Million Lovers: The Growlers

One million lovers, but only one June. You gotta make the most of it!

This is America: Childish Gambino

Released in late May, “This is America” sends an important political message, and at the same time it’s a really cool song.

Sugarboy: St. Vincent

Just a super boppy tune overall. Very nice and upbeat, sounds like sunshine.

Juke Jam: Chance The Rapper

You can’t not bop around to this song. It’s the perfect little jam for a summer night’s drive.

Mockingbird: Eminem

An early but not-too-early Eminem song, filled with a little bit of heartbreak and some real talk: “I know sometimes things may not always make sense to you right now”.

This really hits home for feelings and thoughts we may all have in June.

Read My Mind: The Killers

Almost super sappy, this song gives off a happy and sad mood all at once. A true blend of the feelings present in June. Upbeat music and rhythm, with slightly more melancholic sounds.

34

SURREALIO

By Ethan Carlson

Penultimate

LITTLE BLUE FLOWER

By Dylan Myler

SU DOK U 9 1

8 3

2

4

5 9 8

5 7

3

1

7

4 6

9 6 3

4 7

7 9 2 4 5 6 8

6

1

4

3 8

8

4

3

7

8 5 9

2

1

6 8 4

9

5 9 2

6 1

1

3

3 6

APRIL SOLUTION 2 8 5

3 2

7 6

9 5

6

2

4

3

1

5 9 8

3 2

7 6

9 2 6 5

7

1

2 5 9 1

6 2

7 9 5 4

3 8

4 8

7 3

8 5

1

7

3 9 2 8 5

4

6 7

1

1

3 9 2 4 1

6 35

Back Page

HOROSCOPES THE SIGNS AS INESCAPABLE SUMMER AILMENTS

By Sophie Wray

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

Heatstroke. Sometimes it’s just too dang hot and your body is physically incapable of regulating your temperature, which is quite literally so uncool.

Cancer (Jun 21 - Jul 22)

Sunburns are in season and sometimes, for some reason, they happen even if you’re wearing sunscreen!!!

Leo (Jul 23 - Aug 22)

Sweet summery fruit is all fun and games until the ants start to show up.

Virgo (Aug 23 - Sep 22)

Drinking a drink with ice one second, and then the next it’s all melted and practically water.

Feeling bad about staying inside and not doing anything, but also kinda feeling okay about it because it’s really just too hot outside to even think about moving.

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18)

Dehydration likes to kick in during the summertime, you’ve got to remember to drink tons and tons of water when you’re outside in the sun.

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20)

Swimming, swimming, swimming and then all of a sudden something touches your foot and you’re immediately sent into a whirlwind spiral of fear and confusion, until you realize it was just some seaweed.

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 19)

Being in a room that is too hot but there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it except take deep breaths until you can escape that deathly heat.

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21)

Taurus (Apr 20 - May 20)

Getting sand in your shoes at the lake or beach. It’s really just so uncomfortable especially if you aren’t wearing sandals.

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21)

You know, sweating. It’s just super sticky, and combined with the humidity, it can be a disaster.

36

COOL

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19)

Getting into your car in the middle of the day, and immediately thinking that this must be what hell feels like. The seats have been cooking in the sun all day and it almost feels like the car is filled with smog, the air is so hot and thick.

Libra (Sep 23 - Oct 22)

The Coolness Spectrum

Hanging out in a field with friends or going for a picnic is really fun until you realize it’s tick season. Ticks are basically the spawn of Satan, sucking summer fun right out of ya.

Graduation New Tattler Editors Prom Boy’s and Girl’s Lacrosse Section Champions Field Day Sunburns Finals Senioritis Saying Goodbye to Friends and Teachers

UNCOOL