vol88i3 by The Newtonite

Newtonite

Non-proﬁt org. US postage paid Newton, Mass. Permit no. 55337

Newton North High School, 360 Lowell Ave., Newtonville, Mass. 02460

◆ Friday, March 6, 2009 • Volume 88, Issue 3

Class sizes, fees would grow in Young’s budget MATT KALISH Fewer small classes, higher fees, a change in the physical education requirement and a wage freeze for teachers would result if the School Committee passes superintendent Jeffrey Young’s $164.1 million Proposed Budget for Fiscal 2010. Another change for Newton’s high schools would be that juniors and seniors would be limited to 26 blocks of class time per week, as opposed to the 28 allowed this year. “While this would cause some students to have to choose among arts, other electives and a double science or foreign language, it might also have the benefit of reducing the stress on the most ambitious students,” Young says in his budget proposal. According to this year’s proposed budget, which would increase by 2.5 percent from last year’s $160 million budget, some classes with low enrollment would be eliminated. The guiding principles are that Honors and Curriculum I classes would need a minimum of 20 students, Curriculum II classes a minimum of 16 students and elective classes a minimum of 20 students. “When small classes occur at both high schools, administrators will look for efficiencies by combining classes across the city and possibly running them outside of the school day,” Young says in his proposal, which went on line Tuesday night. “They will also continue to think creatively about ways to cut FTEs without eliminating popular programs.” Overall, class sizes would increase, although the Newton high schools will have 85 fewer students, the budget says. On average, the class size here would increase by 1.4 students. At South the increase adds up to a .2 average. In Young’s proposed budget, he specifies cuts for the high school, but according to an email principal Jennifer Price and South principal Brian Salzer sent to the two school communities Wednesday, both schools will lose a combined 13.9 FTEs and 1.0 FTE counselor. “The level of specificity is only possible after students have registered for classes and we have worked collaboratively with each department head to make the needed reductions,” the email says. Price said Wednesday that South is currently understaffed by 2.6 FTEs, so as a result the FTE cuts will be more significant at this school to create an equitable split. According to deputy superintendent Brenda Keegan, “It is essential that students make clear their top choices for their 26 or 28 blocks because decisions about which courses to run will be based on the registration numbers. “Given the ver y difficult financial constraints we face, I BY

Kristof Janezic

“Anything Goes:” Junior Hayley Travers and freshman Graham Techler practice for the allschool musical, which goes up March 18-21. See story page 4.

Safe Rides may pilot here in June MARENA COLE REBECCA HARRRIS Through Safe Rides, Newton students could get home in cabs to prevent incidents of drunken driving, said Nancy Holczer, the acting chair of its task force. At Wednesday’s Student Faculty Administration Board meeting, Holczer said potential dates for a pilot program are June 5 through June 9. One of the main issues has been whether to notify parents after students use the Safe Rides service, Holczer said. Junior Leah Cepko said parent notiﬁcation would deter students from using the service. “No matter how many talks parents have with kids, saying there will be no questions asked, kids are still afraid of their parents being mad or disappointed,” she said. Principal Jennifer Price, a member of the Task Force, said Safe Rides is the safest option. “My goal as principal is safety, BY

AND

NEAP scores available in early summer

EMILY AMARO Seniors’ scores in the National Assessment of Educational Progress Test will be available at the beginning of the summer, said assistant principal Deborah Holman. “If students are curious about their scores, they can contact me,” she said. Of the selected seniors, 91.02 percent took the test here Thursday, Feb. 12, Holman said. The requirement was 90 percent, she said. The federal government uses the test to analyze achievement in math, English and science, Holman said. “Different schools and different states get picked randomly every year,” Holman said. “This year Massachusetts and Newton North were picked, but the test won’t be something senior classes here will continue to do.” BY

AP testing still open

MARENA COLE Students can register for Advanced Placement testing until Wednesday, said the school’s bursar, Lisa Mazzola. As of Tuesday, 254 out of approximately 395 AP students had BY

first and foremost.” Last week, the board unanimously passed senior Philip Engelke’s proposal to divide June’s arena scheduling into two separate sessions. Still to be decided is which classes would have which session. During arena scheduling, students have corrections made to their schedule before final schedules are made and distributed in September. Also at the meeting, junior Ezra Cohen proposed that collective punishment be banned or strongly discouraged. The proposal defines collective punishment as “a disciplinary action taken against an entire class for the actions of a smaller group of students.” It says collective punishment encourages students to misbehave in the future because students feel they will be punished for others’ behavior regardless of their own. Also last week, the board

discussed whether sophomores should be allowed open campus during a cancelled class. Sophomores who qualify for open campus have to stay in the cafeteria when one of their classes is cancelled, but not when they have a scheduled free, sophomore Jared Kalow said. He proposed that sophomores be allowed to leave the cafeteria after signing into a cancelled class as juniors and seniors are. English department head Tom Fabian said that the two situations are not analogous. “There’s a distinction there,” he said. “I don’t see a period when a class is cancelled as a free.” Allowing only students who have earned open campus to leave the cafeteria would present administrative challenges, Price said. Beals housemaster Michelle Stauss said Wednesday that 146 out of 448 sophomores were not eligible for open campus.

in brief

She said that prior to teaching here, she volunteered in the Boston Public Schools, starting to teach “right out of college.” After working in Boston, she went to Teachers College at Columbia in 1993. In New York, she taught for a year at the 1199 School for Social Change in the Bronx. “It was a tiny school and had no teacher mentors,” she said. “The students were great, but as a new teacher, I knew I needed to be at a school with veterans to help me grow. That’s why I came to Newton North.” In 1998-2000, Blais was assistant principal to Jennifer Huntington. “As assistant principal, I learned the mechanisms that make the school run,” she said. Having spent time in Washington, D.C. as a consultant, and as English department chair in Baltimore City College High School for two years, she moved back to Boston in 2005. Since having children, she has been teaching in Newton parttime, in addition to teaching a masters’ course for English teachers-in-training at Brandeis. Also, she said, she has been helping principal Jennifer Price with professional development projects.

registered, Mazzola said. The deadline for registration was Friday, Feb. 27. The late fee for registration is $25, Mazzola said. The regular fee for the test is $86. “Any students in need of ﬁnancial aid for the exams should have come to see me prior to registering,” she said.

Annie Blais to ﬁll in as Beals housemaster

ELLEN SARKISIAN As acting Beals housemaster, English teacher Annie Blais said she hopes to work with sophomores so they can continue to have a “healthy transition” into junior year. “My goal is to help students get clear about their goals and make sure they are connected Shira Bleicher to all the services they need Annie Blais in school,” she said. Blais will ﬁll in for Beals housemaster Michelle Stauss, who will be on maternity leave. In 1994, Blais came to Newton to teach English. BY

Looking at numbers

According to the Annual Class Size Report as of November 1: ◆English has 44 classes; 28 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆World language has 40 classes; 20 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Career and tech. ed. has 28 classes; 24 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Science has 24 classes; 13 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆History and social sciences has 30 classes; 16 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Mathematics has 27 classes; 12 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Special education has 97 classes; 90 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Fine arts has 37 classes; 24 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Technology and en gineering has 5 classes; 4 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Physical education has 27 classes; 5 would be under the minimum requirement.

think we are proceeding in the fairest way possible.” Another change in Young’s budget is the high school’s physical education graduation requirement, which would drop from eight to ﬁve semesters. Young also proposed that bus and athletic fees be increased on the middle and high school level, but the number is not known and will need to be discussed by the school council, he said. Because of a heavy snow storm, Young postponed his presentation to the School Committee scheduled for Monday night until last night. ◆See editorial page 2.

Gaby Perez-Dietz

For tonight’s sleepover: Sophomore Edan Laniado buys sweatpants. See club stories page 13.

opinion

2 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, March 6, 2009

Not just a gap but a chasm

Gaby Perez-Dietz

In Television Production: Sophomores Spencer Alton and Jack Adams, and other members of the class are ﬁlming English electives to explain them for course registration.

e believe an achievement chasm would result under the superintendent’s proposed FY ’10 budget. That’s because a minimum of 16 students in every Curriculum II class would be required. Curriculum II should have a maximum, not a minimum. Students in those courses need a small class and more attention from the teacher. While some classes may need to get bigger, Curriculum II classes need to stay small, so that students can learn in the best environment possible. Also in danger of being lost are the varied, specialized electives that form the culture

editorial

of the school. Electives give students a chance to explore options and express their interests in individual ways. We do recognize the rough ﬁnancial times, but we hope that school and city ofﬁcials along with the public will do all they can to preserve what this school is about. As the Mission Statement says: “Newton North High School provides all members of the community with the opportunity to discover and reach their potential as individuals while taking responsibility for the common good.”

Entrance requirements have pros,cons MATT KALISH ome favor entrance requirements for honors and AP classes. They say letting anyone at all into a high level course would water it down and lead to stress for students who get in over their heads. But others cite reasons why anyone should get a chance to take honors and AP. They say all anyone should have to do is sign up—no red tape, no barriers. With registration coming up Wednesday, the five major departments have slightly different requirements. In English, placement depends on teacher recommendations, results from placement tests and grades in current English classes. “The biggest thing we look for is the students’ ability to pick up what is implied in the text,” department head Tom Fabian said. In history and social sciences, placement depends on teacher recommendations, said department head Jon Bassett. According to the department BY

news analysis guidelines, students must have a signiﬁcant number of “A” grades on projects, tests and papers for any level change. In math, placement begins in middle school, according to department head Cindy Bergan. At the recommendation of their 513 teacher, students can take a summer course or study independently and then a placement test to enter AP Math 508. “The recommendation of the 513 teacher has much to do with the student’s work habits and drive for math,” Bergan said. In science, requirements for AP/honors classes differ depending on the type of science. To get into Honors Chemistry, students must have received a 90 average in the Introductory to Physics class, as well as having demonstrated “excellent use of Introductory Physics class skills, and excellent content understanding,” according to the science department’s guidelines. There is also a math test. Department head Amy Win-

Newtonite The Newtonite, founded in 1922, is the newspaper of Newton North High School, 360 Lowell Ave., Newtonville, Mass. 02460. Editors in chief — Eli Davidow, Matt Kalish, Ellen Sarkisian News editor — Marena Cole Arts editor — Alicia Zhao On campus editor—Olivia Stearns Feature editors — Emily Amaro, Jay Krieger Sports editors— Meredith Abrams, Josh Bakan Photography editors — Shira Bleicher, Gaby Perez-Dietz, Teddy Wenneker Graphics managers — Prateek Allapur, Peter Taber-Simonian Advertising managers — Joe Connors, Chris Keefe Business manager — Chris Welch Circulation managers — Caleb Gannon, Dan Salvucci Exchanges editor — Georgina Teasdale Adviser — Helen Smith Production advisers — Sue Brooks, Tom Donnellan

News staff — Rebecca Harris, Jaryd Justice-Moote, Rebecca Oran Features staff — Jacob Brunell Sports staff — Evan Clements, Nicole Curhan, Emmett Greenburg, Jeremy Gurvits, Elliot Raff Arts staff — Eliana Eskinazi, Kate Lewis News Analysis — Kellynette Gomez Art staff — Julia Belamarich, Puloma Ghosh, Anna Kaertner, Hannah Schon Photography staff — Anna Gargas, Helen Gao, Lucy Mazur-Warren, Jesse Tripathi Circulation staff — Spencer Alton, Jackie Assar, Rebecca Kantor, Sydney Massing-Schaffer, Stoddard Meigs, Brooke Stearns, Daniel Tabib Production staff — Alison Wu

The Newtonite staff brings 16 issues a year to camera readiness for a circulation of 3,000 and goes on line daily during the academic year. To place an ad in the Newtonite or contact us by phone, please call 617-559-6274. Yearly subscriptions cost $20. Readers can also reach us at Newtonite@newton.k12.ma.us. To ﬁnd the Newtonite online go to www.thenewtonite.com

ston said that there are numerous guidelines to get into AP Biology/ AP Physics/AP Chemistry. Two examples are that students must earn a B average in a current science class, as well as receive a teacher’s recommendation. In world languages, students need a teacher’s recommendation based on their “proﬁciency and performance in the four linguistic skill areas,” according to Nancy Marrinucci, the department head. Speaking in favor of entrance requirements, senior Michele Kaufman said that without them, the “difﬁculty level of the class is going to decrease,” and senior Adam Levin said teachers “want students to have the basic knowledge so that they do not start off not knowing what they are doing.” According to junior Ezra Cohen, tests show “which students are actively motivated and invested in the material and are not just taking it because it’s an honors or AP.” He said that with entrance requirements, fewer people would fail. Also, freshman Katherine Rogers said that entrance requirements “allow work from the entire year to be taken into account when choosing classes. Requirements help give people an idea if they are ready for the course.” Citing arguments against strict requirements, sophomore Anna Gargas said that people “who really want to be in a class

but had an off year couldn’t get in. It gives an élitism and a divide. Socially it could be awkward. “People might feel pressured into the harder, more time consuming class, just because they can.” Junior Abby Weisberger said taking an English test is ﬁne with her. But she said she is “not sure that a test is reﬂective or indicative of a student’s talent. I think students should be able to have an interview with next year’s teachers.” Sophomore Daniel Forman said tests are “annoying because we have all these other exams, and so it takes up our time. Also, the test does not show 100 percent of students’ skills.” But he said that overall, it is important to have such requirements. “Students who want to be in honors should take a test beforehand because it is like a prerequisite for that class, and it would not be good for a student to go into a honors or AP class who does not have the skill because they will get stressed and get bad grades.” But really, it seems that students who want to take a course and challenge themselves should have the opportunuity to do so, regardless of previous grades. Students who do make this choice and struggle with the class should try hard and stick with what they chose. GEORGINA TEASDALE AND FATEMA ZAID CONTRIBUTED TO THIS STORY

Mentors in Violence Prevention Day speakout

Girl betrayed his trust

wanted to give a male perspective to being part of an unhealthy relationship so I can possibly help someone else. At the end of my sophomore year I met this girl I really liked. We had a good time in the beginning. As time went on she become more demanding and controlling. I thought Oh, this is cool; she is really crazy about me. One day she demanded money from me because she said I got her pregnant and she needed money for an abortion. I gave her money and then I ended the relationship only to have her follow me everywhere and say she would kill herself if we didn’t get back together. I was in way over my head but I kept thinking I could handle this. In the meantime I was failing my courses and feeling alone and scared. I kept thinking that once she felt better, we could just be friends and this nightmare would end. Things only got worse and got totally out of control. She was calling my house all the time, talking to my friends behind my back. She demanded more money. I received a phone call shortly after that to meet a friend of mine. The message was delivered from someone else. I didn’t think anything of this. I went to meet my friend and was approached by a gang from another town who were out to get me because of what I had done to her. I was scared for my life but managed to get away. I told my parents. By that time things were horrible. I ended up having to transfer to another school. There were many warnings that I ignored. It has taken me a long time to get over this experience and I am still healing. I still don’t really trust many people. If you ﬁnd yourself in a manipulative, controlling relationship, get help. Learn from my experience. ◆ See pages 8 and 9

Help raise funds to pay fees for athletic equipment, uniforms TO THE EDITOR:

’m helping to begin a scholarship fund to assist with paying the required user fee necessary to participate in the athletic programs at Newton North High School. Many families that struggle with ﬁnancial problems cannot meet the full fee necessary for their children to participate in the athletic programs. Although the athletic department does grant waivers, reductions and extensions of the user fee, I would like to help start a reserve athletic fund. This fund will help pay for new equipment and uniforms.

letter

The new reserve is to be named “Alex’s Coaches Fund” with a goal of $2,000 to be raised by April, 2009. I plan to reach this objective by running the Newton Heartbreak Hill International Road Race April 19, and hopefully you will be kind enough to sponsor me with a contribution. Hopefully the athletes who are the recipients of this fund will continue to raise funds by running the annual race and perpetuating “Alex’s Coaches Fund” for future athletes to use. Please make checks payable

to Newton North Athletic Tiger. You can contact me through the athletic ofﬁce. —ALEX PETITTI ’11

Letters Readers are invited to submit guest articles and letters to the editor. Letters should be put in the Newtonite box in Beals House or emailed to newtonite@newton.k12. ma.us. The Newtonite reserves the right to edit all letters, which must have the writer’s name, class and homeroom. The Newtonite serves as a forum for student opinion.

news

Friday, March 6, 2009

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 3

Seniors can go off campus in two programs PATRICK ALVES Two programs for seniors that involve alternative opportunities are under way. The Senior Program of Alternatives to Regular Classes— SPARC—is a way for students to explore their interests off campus, said work-study coordinator Molly Gadenz, who coordinates the program with counseling department head Beth Swederskas. “It’s a chance to get some on-the-job experience,” she said. “You can keep up to two full-time classes and do an internship for a minimum of 15 hours.” Seniors and SPARC logo t h e i r p l a c e ments are ◆Mark Boudreau—Newton Police Department ◆Erika Carson—Karmaloop, Inc. in Boston ◆Michelle Caruso—Avante Hair Salon in Needham ◆Kendra Dolor—law ofﬁces of Steven J. Topazio in Boston ◆Jake Medoff—Next Generation Skate Shop in Waltham ◆Liv Pangburn—Family Equality Council in Boston ◆Marg Pangburn—MSPCA Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Jamaica Plain ◆Dominique Pasquarosa—Salon Sabrina in Watertown ◆Rachel Rabb—Karmaloop, Inc. in Boston ◆Dan Szerlip—ADK Promotions, Inc. in Boston. The Senior Year Project is “fundamentally academic— it’s the next step beyond the junior BY

Matt Kalish

Senior Year Project: English teacher Steve Chinosi works with seniors Franca Godenzi and Neil Fulwiler during a class meeting Tuesday. thesis,” said English teacher Steve Chinosi, one of the program’s advisers. Students spend third term in an advanced research course, Chinosi said. This year there are two sections, one that Chinosi teaches and another that science teacher Ann Dannenberg teaches. In the classes, the emphasis is on forming and conducting primary research such as interviews and field work, Chinosi said. Students compare their own re-

search with that of scholars. This year’s projects are diverse and three students are traveling—to Albania, China and Mexico, Chinosi said. Senior Jason Luttmer, for instance, will work on a wilderness survival curriculum for elementary school aged children. He said his goal is to teach children how to not get lost, how to survive in adverse conditions and how to enjoy the wilderness. Luttmer said he recommends

this course to all who are “passionate about one thing or another, be it music, art, medicine or wilderness like me.” With Luttmer in the program are ◆Bela Cala—Genealogy of family tree in Albania ◆Erica Davidow—Cultural comparison of three Chinese proverbs ◆Isabella DiMambro—Creating PSAs that inspire youth to participate in communities

◆Sophie Dover—Environmental study of Lake Patzcuaro in Mexico ◆Neil Fulwiler—Artistic character and original creations in music, art and literature ◆Mitch Gitzen—Writing a novel ◆Franca Godenzi—Science of Marathon ◆Melanie Greene—Composing a musical ◆Andria Grossman—Writing a reference book for pregnant teens/young mothers ◆Robin Hayashi—Researching gender identity in literature and the visual arts ◆Alice Howe—Recording an original music CD ◆Ted Johnson—Rehabbing an older building to make it “green” ◆Russell Kaplan—Promoting and organizing a music festival ◆Molly Lynch—Stop motion animation ◆Dan Mackowski—Politics, engineering and architecture of large scale buildings ◆Emma Mayville—Resolution through music ◆Dan Piccirillo—Advocating for Open Source ◆Raanan Sarid-Segal—Researching what happens when civil rights and cultures collide ◆Maggie Seldin—Environmetally friendly clothing line ◆Bing Wang—Writing a novel ◆Jasper Waters—Consumerism through art instillation ◆Mariah Wynn—Constructing a playground in the inner city of Boston ◆Jenny Zhao—Researching business aspects of the T-shirt industry. MARENA COLE CONTRIBUTED.

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arts

4 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Friday, March 6, 2009

Cole Porter’s ‘Anything Goes’ to go on stage ELIANA ESKINAZI ALICIA ZHAO Because of a large cast with multiple roles, comedy and great music and dance numbers, Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” will be a hit, said its director, John McGee. “Everyone has a job,” McGee said. “There are 51 actors, one stage director, stage and assistant stage managers, choreographers, dance captains, musicians, producers, designers and crews for set building, costumes, props, makeup, lighting, tickets, sound and publicity.” This year’s all-school musical goes on stage in Lasker Auditorium Thursday, March 19 through Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 and Sunday, March 22 at 2. McGee, whose daughter Caitlin graduated in 2006, said that he has acted, directed, choreographed and stage-managed in about 60 musicals. He directed 15 musicals in the Boston area, stage managed “Nunsense” at the Charles Playhouse and toured with the New York production of “A Chorus Line.” Through “Anything Goes,” which débuted in 1934, McGee said, he hopes for the audience to understand the changing times during the 1930s. BY

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Storyline brings hope

The story takes place about ﬁve years after the stock market crash of 1929 on a transatlantic ocean liner traveling from New York City to England, McGee said. “‘Anything Goes’ tells everyone to take a chance and fall in love again, to get out of the bleak outlook,” he said. “Better times were ahead. There was ‘A New Deal’ for everyone, as the new president, Franklin Roosevelt, told the nation.” In the story, Billy Crocker, a poor young Wall Street clerk played by junior Ryan Vona, meets and falls in love with Hope Harcourt, a beautiful New York debutante played by sophomore Nuala O’Donovan. Having illegally boarded the ship to win Hope from her ﬁancé, the wealthy Englishman Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, played by freshman Graham Techler, Billy takes on disguises to keep his identity a secret. One of the main issues of the play is class, McGee said. Billy is poor, and Hope’s mother, played by senior Miriam Raffeld, wants Hope to marry for social position and money.

Billy makes tough decisions

Through his “high energy, cando attitude and willingness to be thrown in jail for the love of his life,” Billy personiﬁes some of this country’s virtues, McGee said. According to Vona, Billy’s problem is hiding his identity from everyone. “He has to hide from the ship’s crew and from his boss, but in hiding himself he lets down Hope,” Vona said. “She sees him as nothing but a clown because of all the disguises. “Billy must make the ultimate decision of which is more important: saving himself by keeping his identity a secret, or saving Hope’s respect for him.” Vona, who works with six different accents and disguises during the show, said he enjoys every rehearsal. “You do not have to dig too deep to ﬁnd the fun in the role,” he said.

Kristof Janezic

Love triangle: Sophomore Nuala O’Donovan as Hope Harcourt watches freshman Graham Techler as Sir Evelyn and junior Ryan Vona as Billy Crocker ﬁght over her as they rehearse for “Anything Goes.”

Kristof Janezic

Helpers: Junior Hayley Travers as Reno Sweeney and sophomore Edan Laniado as Moonface Martin aid Billy in pursuing Hope.

Kristof Janezic

Tapping away: Junior Soﬁa Lerner, sophomore Annie Gombosi and senior Molly King practice their dance moves.

Musical helps cast bond ALICIA ZHAO Junior Hayley Travers, who plays a nightclub singer in “Anything Goes,” said that working on a musical is much like being on a sports team. “We all work together for the common good and develop our craft at the same time,” she said. “The freshmen are deciding on things that they might or might not want to do for the next three years, while some seniors are participating in their ﬁrst production and getting to know new people.” BY

Reno settles problems

Also on board is Billy’s old friend, the sassy and independent nightclub singer Reno Sweeney, played by junior Hayley Travers. Reno and the gangster Moonface Martin, played by sophomore Edan Laniado, help Billy pursue Hope. “My character is basically the mediator of the group,” Travers said. “She’s sarcastic, but she helps people.” In one scene, for instance, while justifying Billy’s mistakes,

Because of this effort and teamwork, allschool musicals create a circle of friends, said John McGee, the director. “There are people in this show who have never done a play before, but I liked their desire and enthusiasm to be in a show and cast them,” he said. “In this way, we share our passion for the theatre and hopefully expand the pool of people who will support and participate in shows here at Newton North and after they graduate.”

Reno says that everybody has ﬂaws. “Although Reno seems like the typical Hollywood starlet, she is sweet and down to earth,” Travers said. ”Despite the fact that she is looking for love and eventually ﬁnds it, she does not need a man.” Travers said that participating in tap dance for the show is both exciting and challenging. “Tap dancing takes a lot of stamina,” she said. “It’s very rhythmic because you have to be aware of everyone on stage and

tap in sync.”

Music represents ’30s

The show will be a great mixture of music and plot, according to music director Richard Travers, Hayley’s father. For example, “ You’re The Top,” a song that mentions the dancer Fred Astaire, the comedian Jimmy Durante and the playwright Eugene O’Neill, is like a capsule of the 1930s, he said. In sequence, other songs include “It’s Delovely,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “Anything Goes,” “Let’s Misbehave,” “All Through

the Night” and “Take Me Back to Manhattan.” “In the 1930s, storylines were concocted around the songs,” he said. “Storylines were very loose because songs for the show were written ﬁrst.” Musicians such as Frank Sinatra even made their own versions of this show’s songs, Travers said. “The songs all have catchy melodies as well as timely and topical lyrics in respect to the 1930s,” he said. “A lot of jazz singers used these songs to express themselves.” Choreography by Kirsten McKinney, an instructor at Walnut Hill in Natick and director of this school’s 2006 production of “Chicago,” will highlight the music, he said, calling it “out of this world.” The set and lights designed by seniors Kristof Janezic and Phoebe DeGroot will depict the front view of the ship, the USS American, McGee said. Costumes designed by senior Jasmine Pullen-Schmidt will be in style with the period. Tickets are now available after school, during lunches, at Cabot’s and online at www.theatreink.net for $12, $14 and $16 depending on seating.

arts

Friday, March 6, 2009

Newtonite, Newton North ◆ 5

Musicians present outstanding Winterfest A

ELIANA ESKINAZI t this year’s Winterfest, the audience enjoyed hearing a combination of jazz and classical works Thursday, Feb. 12 in Lasker Auditorium. As ﬁne arts department head Todd Young introduced the evening, he said he hopes to include the Jazz Ensemble in future Harvestfest, Winterfest and Springfest concerts. Under the direction of Casey Scheurell, Jazz Ensemble opened with “Shiny Stockings” by Frank Foster. Focusing on trumpets and piano, the ensemble began the song slowly and gradually gained speed and energy. The ensemble’s second piece, “Not Yet Over the Hill” by Mark Taylor, featured solos by senior Russell Kaplan on vibraphone, junior Nathan Harris at the piano and junior Nikolai Klebanov on alto saxophone, and the audience BY

review

showed its appreciation with warm applause. Then Young led Symphonic Band in two pieces that changed the mood. The ﬁrst selection, “Prelude and Dance” by Elliot Del Borgo, is mainly in the lower register. In contrast, “Get Smart” by Irving Szathmary is an upbeat and familiar song from the popular 1960s television show. After that, Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble combined to perform Harvard University’s march, “Our Director” by F.E. Bigelow. Wind Ensemble then performed four pieces. “Americans We” by Henry Fillmore is a march, and “Gettysburg” by Randy Edelman is the heroic and melancholy title tune from the ﬁlm.

“Go West” by Ralph Ford, a medley of three classic Western ﬁlm scores, combines a variety of tempi. Wind Ensemble’s performance of “Into the Storm” by Robert Smith was energetic and robust. To finish the program with elegance, music teacher Adam Grossman directed the Orchestra in three pieces. First, the third movement of “Concerto for Four Violins in B Minor” featured inspirational violin solos by seniors Elizabeth Cooke and Miriam Raffeld, junior Michael Goldenberg and sophomore John McGaffey. Next was “Variations on a Shaker Melody” by Aaron Copland, a slow, soft and melodious piece. The first movement of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 1,” a graceful piece that changed tempi throughout, put a satisfying end to Winterfest.

Gaby Perez-Dietz

Jazz Ensemble in Winterfest: Junior Nikolai Klebanov solos on the alto saxophone in “Not Yet Over the Hill” by Mark Taylor. In the front row are senior Greg Cohan and juniors Phillip Kirschner and David Faust. Behind them are sophomores Peter Wu and Myles Kamisher-Koch, and freshman Jacob Sherman.

Orchestra, singers provide lively Vivaldi concert ALICIA ZHAO ith poignant solos and delightful harmonies, Orchestra, Concert Choir and Family Singers brought cheer to the Newton community Sunday afternoon in the Newton Presbyterian Church in the annual Ray Smith Memorial Concert. After a brief, light snowfall Sunday morning and before a heavy one Sunday night and Monday, the concert offered its audience of families and friends a welcome sense of warmth. Seated in the main sanctuary of the church, which is across from the Underwood School and within sight of Bigelow Middle School, the concert goers appreciated the polish and poise of the students, who had obviously worked hard on the demanding selections. The musicians successfully delivered two works by Antonio Vivaldi, who lived in Venice from 1678-1741 and composed secular and religious works for audiences in his home city as well as Florence, Rome and Verona. Under the direction of music teacher Adam Grossman, Orchestra began with “Concerto for Four Violins in B Minor.” Grossman led the 36-member group in a performance that communicated joy, clarity and resolution. The soloists were seniors Elizabeth Cooke and Miriam Raffeld and juniors Liam Alves and Michael Goldenberg. They played with elegance, showing polished musicianship. As the Orchestra moved

through the concerto’s gracious beginning to three-quarter time and back to an allegro ending, the harpsichord provided a rich underpinning for the dancing rhythms and the soloists provided interesting interactions back and forth with the full group. Then, Family Singers, wearing tuxedoes and maroon gowns, and Concert Choir, wearing white, came in and stood in front of the church’s towering pipe organ to join the Orchestra in “Gloria” with music teacher Richard Travers conducting. The piece, which has 12 sections, is part of the Roman Catholic Mass. Each movement has a unique composition, yet all of them contribute to the work as a whole. Raffeld, an alto; junior Samantha Gluck, an alto; junior Laura Swager, a soprano; and junior Joella Tepper, an alto, each soloed in one movement. Taking turns during the concert, senior Melanie Greene, junior Nathan Harris and freshman Melissa Weikart also played the harpsicord, which former ﬁne arts co-ordinator, John Harper, built. The piece, in D major began with a bright sound as a professional trumpet player, Ed Harney, blended in, helping to set a clear, lively mood. Also remarkable was the second movement, “Et in terra pax,” in which strong and deep voices from the tenors and basses wove

ALICIA ZHAO Band St. Cool, the Downtown Collective and Sometimes Why will perform tomorrow night. To raise money for AIDS orphans, students from this school and South give an annual Youth Coffeehouse at the First Unitarian Society in Newton tomorrow night at 7, said junior Paul Bachelor, the band coordinator. There will be an acoustic section and then band sets, Bachelor said.

“The first act is more family-oriented and includes performances like singing, juggling and acting,” he said. “People can sit around, drink coffee and eat snacks while watching. “The second act is targeted more towards youthful audiences. Chairs and tables will be taken away, and the three bands will perform for about 40 minutes each.” Tickets cost $5 at the door.

review

Bands to play at AIDS beneﬁt BY

in and out of the gentle and spiritual tones from the sopranos and altos. The Orchestra met the slow rhythms with quick, repeating melodies, which contributed to an overall fullness. “Laudamus te,” the third movement, is a duet, but junior Hayley Travers was out with a sore throat, and Tepper sang on

her own. The sixth movement, “Domine Deus,” was another highlight. Swager’s sweet voice and junior Amalia Golomb-Leavitt’s lilting solo on the oboe complemented each other wonderfully. In the background, Greene gave a notable performance on the harpsichord, adding a refreshing touch to the piece.

In the 10th movement, “Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris,” the Orchestra rapidly contrasted high notes with low tones as Raffeld gave a melodious solo with great expression. For the 12th movement, “Cum Sancto Spiritu,” the singers and the Orchestra held a strong, ﬁnal note, a powerful ﬁnish for a concert that gave its audience a lift.

6 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

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Friday, March 6, 2009

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 11

Asian Culture Day Teacher describes his visit to Korea REBECCA HARRIS How do you pronounce Hyundai? “We think of Hyundai as a car company, but that’s only a small part of their industries,” said history and social sciences teacher Albert Cho. “They’re the biggest ship builder in the world.” He played a Hyundai commercial that comments on how few people know how to pronounce the company’s name. The actual pronunciation rhymes with “the Sunday.” Along with Hyundai, other Korean companies include Samsung, Cho said. Although people may not recognize these companies as Korean, South Korea has the 14thlargest economy in the world, he said. In his presentation for Asian Culture Day Wednesday, Feb. 11, Cho described his visit to Korea last summer in a program the Korean Society runs. He said he found evidence of major contrasts in the country’s culture. South Korea is navigating between the past and the present, he said. “There was tension you saw everywhere surrounding the question of old vs. new,” Cho said. “What do we do with the past? How do we preserve it? How do we memorialize it?” Though Cho vouched for kimchi—a spicy pickled cabbage—and said he tried the ginger tea at a tea house his mother used to go to, it BY

Teddy Wenneker

Talking about Korea : History and social sciences teacher Albert Cho gives a presentation on Asian Culture Day Wednesday, Feb. 11. He describes his trip to South Korea last summer.

on campus was one of the few traditional tea houses still in business in Seoul, which now includes thriving Dunkin’ Donuts franchises. Cho said he was impressed by Seoul’s urbanization and also saw traces of history in the city. “It was very technological, but then you have ancient structures all around Seoul,” he said. “This era of globalization and what it is producing is destroying a lot of what makes Korea unique, and now they’re trying to rebuild it,” he said. He also said that when the group visited the DMZ—the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea—he was surprised to see an amusement park there. “It looked like any tourist place you’ve been to in the world,” he said. “It didn’t have an aura of seriousness.” The group also visited Daeil High School, a language school in Seoul, he said. “There’s a lot of emphasis on learning English,” he said. “There’s a push to be global.” Also, Cho said, students and teachers here need to be aware of changes and trends in North Korea. These include missile testing, relations with the rest of Asia and the fact that the leader, Kim Jong-il, recently had a stroke.

Panelists discuss stereotypes, identiﬁcation CHRIS WELCH ALICA ZHAO Spreading awareness about Asian-American cultures involves recognizing stereotypes, according to a student panel. “People judge you right away on the way you look,” said junior Hao-Kai Wu. According to senior Sophie Dover, “It’s frustrating sometimes when people try to categorize me when I don’t even do that myself. “Starting in middle school, I was known as the girl who looked exotic. “I hid behind that appearance. I didn’t know what it meant. “It was more of an image and less of who I was.” The panelists all cited stereotypes: ◆All Asians are geeky and smart. ◆All Asians are bad drivers. ◆All Asians are Japanese, Chinese or Korean. On the panel were Dover, Wu, seniors TifBY

AND

fany Mui, Leah Medin and Jolyn Wiggin, juniors Prateek Allapur and Ryan Kwan and freshmen Wendy Jamsri and Rebecca Jereza. Countries they represent are China, India, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan. Talking about their lives here, all the students said they felt lucky to be at Newton North, where they said there is an accepting atmosphere. “I don’t feel out of place,” Jamsri said. Commenting on his favorite part about having an Asian Newtonian heritage, Kwan said he has the Hao-Kai Wu best of both worlds. “I can experience Christmas and go back to China to experience Chinese traditions,” he said. “It makes you more fulﬁlled to experience two different cultures.”

The students also talked about how they identify themselves. “Until recently, I never connected with my Asian heritage,” Mui said. “I’ve just begun to accept that there are two sides to me.” She said her parents are the strongest people she’s ever met because of their courage in emigrating from China. Allapur said traditions are an important part of cultural identity. He mentioned differences including Indian food, the importance of extended families and celebrations such as Divali, the Festival of Lights. Asian Culture Night will be Saturday, March 28 in Lasker Auditorium where there will be Asian food and a fashion show featuring Asian clothing, Wu said. The Asian Culture Club meets X-1 in 358 where they cook food, watch movies and play games.

‘Monkey Dance’ ﬁlm depicts teens in Lowell OLIVIA STEARNS “Monkey Dance” concerns the struggles facing Cambodian-American teen-agers caught between two worlds. Samnang Hor, Linda Sou and Sochenda Uch try their best to assimilate in Lowell, Mass., while still maintaining their culture. Their parents make efforts to keep their children actively involved in the Cambodian tradition. Sou’s father, for example, organizes the Angkor Dance Troupe for teen-agers, which allows them to practice and perform traditional Cambodian dances. “We had to do this to keep our culture alive,” he says. BY

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The three teen-agers also encounter a variety of problems from violence to challenging schoolwork. “After everything that has happened, people are waiting for me to fail, and I can’t do enough to prove them wrong,” Sou says. Hor attended U. Mass. Amherst, Sou graduated from Mass. College of Liberal Arts in May, 2005, and Uch spent half a year at a community college before enrolling in Mass. Art. “This ﬁlm is important to show because it reminds viewers of the struggles many AsianAmericans face in determining a definitive identity and ﬁtting in with American society,” said the Asian Culture Club president, junior Hao-Kai Wu.

“‘Monkey Dance’ is hard to top in terms of its gritty portrayal of reality, so we have continued playing it on Asian Culture Days over the past ﬁve years.” For instance, after traveling back to Cambodia with her parents to visit their family, Sou recognizes the differences between the two worlds and the signiﬁcance of maintaining her culture. The recognition of the importance of her cultural roots comes when she visits her extended family and discovers a sense of belonging, Wu said. “She thinks it is important to maintain her Cambodian culture when she travels there and realizes that she would be giving up a large part of herself if she disregarded her roots,” Wu said.

Asia is the largest of the Earth’s seven continents. It covers an estimated 17,139,000 square miles. It is one-third of the world’s total land area. Sixty percent of all humans live in Asia. China has the second largest economy in the world after the United States. North Asia includes part of Russia. Central Asia includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. East Asia includes China, Japan, North and South Korea, Mongolia and Taiwan. The India Subcontinent includes India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka Southeast Asia includes Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. —INFORMATION FROM ENCYCLOPEDIA.COM

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Friday, March 6, 2009

BLAC to host talent show

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 13

Updating

ALICIA ZHAO With a talent show coming up, the Black Leadership Advisory Council is looking for people who would like to participate, said junior Vanessa Atocha, a leader of the group. The talent show will feature skits, songs and dances Friday, March 27 in Lasker Auditorium at 7. It will raise money for a scholarship and future events, Atocha said. “We have a big group of extremely talented people, and some of them don’t have the opportunity to show off their talents,” she said. Performers will include the Break Dance Club, seniors Sophie Dover, Paris Mongo and Mark Ward, and junior Vivan Guzman, Atocha said. Tickets cost $5 at the door for students and $7 for adults. BY

CLUBS and organizations

Debate Team members to compete in tourney

REBECCA ORAN MARENA COLE Debate Team members will compete in the States Saturday, March 28. Senior Sam Gant, a co-captain with senior Andreas Rotenberg, said qualiﬁcations for the States are on an individual basis. “In the past, we’ve been able to send most of our team,” Gant said. For the Lexington Winter Invitational January 16-19, the school sent three groups, he said. Public Forum, an event in which two opposing sides argue a case back and forth, was one of the team’s strengths, he said. Rotenberg and senior Andrew Whittum participated in it. “The Winter Invitational is a huge event with kids from all around the country, so it was great to give some competition in such a difﬁcult event,” Gant said. “We still need to put in a lot of work, but it was a marked difference.” The team has been working primarily on the technical aspects of developing a persuasive argument, Rotenberg said. “One part of debate is to convince people, but you also have to follow a format that appeals to the judges,” he said. “Debate can be technical. For example, you have to focus on the way you introduce evidence and the way you structure your case. “We have improved greatly since last year. This year we have 15 members, and last year we had 10. We are always looking for new people. “Everyone, including underclassmen, has a place on the team.” Julie Lewis, a volunteer, has been coaching the team for three years. The team meets Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in 348. BY

AND

Gaby Perez-Dietz

On Main Street: Counselor Michele Kennedy looks at sweatpants that sophomores Nicole Goldberg, Brad Fenniman and Molly Doris-Pierce are selling to raise money for the Sophomore Sleepover, which starts at 8:30 tonight.

Deep in thought: Senior Erika Chow concentrates on a move during a Chess Club meeting. The club meets X-1 in 203.

Shira Bleicher

Jewish Student Union aims to educate about Judaism

MARENA COLE Anyone interested can learn about Judaism in the Jewish Student Union, said sophomore Jacob Maman, the president. “There are a lot of people who are Jewish but don’t know about the background, the history or the culture,” Maman said. “The purpose behind the JSU is to inform people, who are Jewish or aren’t Jewish, who just want to know more.” Maman said JSU is part of a global organization with smaller unions all around the world. In the future, the club may have guest speakers or show ﬁlms, Maman said. Special education teacher SteBY

Prateek Allapur

In the caf: Junior Dilio Martinez-Tran practices his moves while sophomore Russell Fidelman and junior Daimen Labadie watch during Break Dance Club. phen Hess is the adviser. The club meets X-1 in 331.

Seniors making plans for their prom

REBECCA HARRIS Seniors will have their prom at the Boston Marriott Copley

Place Monday evening June 8, said Danielle Kutas, the class president. Though the price per guest hasn’t been set, it won’t go higher than $95, Kutas said. “We’ve been saving money for the prom since freshman year,” she said.

Shira Bleicher

In a video game: Seniors Erik Crevier and Stephen Obinna focus on a game during Super Smash Brothers Club in 428. The buffet-style dinner will include a pasta selection as well as chicken and ﬁsh options, Kutas said. Dessert will be from the hotel’s pastry shop. “We’re paying a lot of attention to the details to make it a really good night,” she said. The next steps are choosing

party favors and decorations, Kutas said. Rules for the senior prom have not changed from last year, she said. “All standard school rules apply,” Kutas said. “It’s just going to be a little tighter on enforcement.”

14 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

sports

Friday, March 6, 2009

Junior to wrestle in New England Meet JOSH BAKAN Junior Sam Shames will represent the Tigers in the 103-lb. class at the New England Wrestling Tournament today at Cathedral High School in Springfield. Shames finished first at AllStates Saturday by turning the tables on East Longmeadow senior Chad Roberts 9-7 in overtime. He had lost to Roberts in the States the previous week. “I hit him with a move called a leg roll,” Shames said. “I scored five points from that. “It’s a move where you kick out their knee and end up on top of your opponent. I was able to use the tempo to my advantage. “I played really conservatively after that to sustain my lead.” In the semifinals Friday, Shames had defeated Belmont freshman Sammy Baghdady 7-0. Coach John Staulo said Shames “maintains a peak physically and mentally.” “His enjoyment, determination and work ethic set him apart,” Staulo said. “He outworks everybody. His efforts and attitude represent what’s right about the sport.” To advance to All-States at Salem, Shames finished second. He lost to Roberts in triple overtime Saturday, Feb. 21 in the State Tournament. Roberts was rewarded a twopoint reversal, a move where the wrestler switches himself from the bottom to the top of the opponent. The reversal put Roberts up 7-5, Staulo said. “Sam attempted a reversal, but time ended and his points were BY

car·bon mon·ox·ide

Teddy Wenneker

Practicing for New Englands: Junior Sam Shames, at 103, attempts a reversal on senior Hagai Brandon, at 145. Shames ﬁnished ﬁrst at All-States Saturday.

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ﬁrst, Dekel placed second, Talishinski placed third, Bock placed fourth, and seniors Jared Forman at 112 and Hagai Brandon at 145 placed ﬁfth.

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The best way to handle isfind tohelp. never start. If you do smoke and wantsmoking to quit, you can The best way handle smoking is to never start. Talk to to your school nurse or doctor.

You can find more information about smoking and quitting on our web site www.nwh.org and through The American Society at The best way to handle smoking isCancer to never start. www.cancer.org, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at If you do smoke and want toat quit, you can find help. www.cdc.gov/tobacco, and www.gottaquit.com. Talk to your school nurse or doctor. You can find more information about smoking and quitting on our web site www.nwh.org and through The American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov/tobacco, and at www.gottaquit.com.

If you do smoke and want to quit, you can find help. Talk to and your school nurse oryou doctor. If you do smoke want to quit, can find help. You can find more information about smoking and quitting on our web Talk to your school nurse or doctor. site www.nwh.org and through The American Cancer Society at You canwww.cancer.org, find more information about smoking quitting on Centers for Disease Controland and Prevention atour web If you do smoke and want to quit, you can find help. site www.nwh.org and through The American Cancer Society at www.cdc.gov/tobacco, and at www.gottaquit.com.

Talk toCenters your school nurse or doctor. www.cancer.org, for Disease Control and Prevention at You can find more information about smoking and quitting on our web www.cdc.gov/tobacco, and at www.gottaquit.com. site www.nwh.org and through The American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov/tobacco, and at www.gottaquit.com.

sports

Friday, March 6, 2009

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 15

Three girls win honors at MIAA event Tom Giusti “These girls personify enthusiastic, dedicated, responsible female athletes. They’ll be great citizens and great leaders.” JOSH BAKAN Three Newton North athletes received honors from the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association with more than 200 others at National Girls and Women in Sport Day Friday, Feb. 6 at Fanueil Hall. “The girls personify enthusiastic, dedicated, responsible female athletes who are good role models and typify our Tiger spirit for younger athletes,” said athletic director Tom Guisti. “They’ll become great citizens and great leaders.” T h o s e honored are seniors Alyssa Hansen, Anitra Kloczewiak and Tiffany Mui. Hansen and KloczeNewtonian wiak were Alyssa recognized Hansen as leaders on their teams, Guisti said. “The girls who go are chosen anonymously by coaches,” Hansen said. “There are two from each school. It was really interesting to see how female athletics have changed. “ Pe o p l e s t r u g g l e d a n d fought for equality. After Title IX, there were a lot more opportunities and the female athletic population grew conBY

Teddy Wenneker

At the Winter Athletic Awards: Seniors Anitra Kloczewiak, Maddie McSally, Harrison Keyes and Dan Kulla, the captains of alpine skiing, talk about their season last Thursday.

Tigers celebrate their season with ceremony in Lasker EVAN CLEMENTS Coaches, athletes and parents gathered in Lasker Auditorium for a ceremony celebrating the winter sports season last Thursday evening. Athletic director Tom Giusti praised the teams and their athletes. “They are the blood of the school,” he said. “They bleed black and orange.” Coaches and captains from each team spoke about their seasons, describing memorable moments and highlights, and thanking all those who helped BY

Alpine skiers surpass initial expectations

JACOB BRUNELL Alpine skiers have exceeded the goals they had set going into this season, said senior Harrison Keyes, a captain with seniors Anitra Kloczewiak, Dan Kulla and Maddie McSally. Kloczewiak, Kulla and senior Peri Silverman raced in the Individual State Meet at Berkshire East Tuesday, Feb. 24. “We weren’t really sure what to expect,” said Keyes. “Also, given that we didn’t have much practice time before we started racing and the amount of new people on the team this year, I would say the season went very well.” Out of some 150 skiers from around the area, Kloczewiak ﬁnished in the top 20 and Silverman placed fourth, Keyes said. Individuals also participated in the Blue Hills Cup Challenge Thursday, Feb. 12. “Not everyone on the team came to the meet, but it was very informal and very fun,” Keyes said. Top female skiers for the Tigers have been Kloczewiak and Silverman, and Dan Kulla has been the top male racer, she said. The Tigers also got a boost from freshmen Hunter Hedenburg and Katie Regan, Keyes said. BY

make their season a successful one. Teams that won league titles are boys’ basketball, boys’ track and boys’ swimming. Also, for their performances, effort and pride, Giusti presented athlete of the month awards to 11 students: ◆senior Morgan Abbott in girls’ ice hockey ◆senior Tony Chen in boys’ indoor track ◆junior Rani Jacobson in girls’ gymnastics ◆senior Harrison Keyes in alpine skiing

in brief Needham defeats girls’ basketball in quarterﬁnals of States

NICOLE CURHAN Ending the regular season 11-8, girls’ basketball improved dramatically going into the State Tournament and made it as far as the quarterfinals, coach Hank DeSantis said. Needham defeated the Tigers 54-26 Friday, Feb. 27 at Needham in the quarter finals. Wednesday, Feb. 25 at North Quincy, the Tigers had won 5135 in the first round of the South Sectionals. “We scored points, we defended and rebounded well and made shots when we needed them,” DeSantis said. Wellesley defeated the Tigers Wednesday, Feb. 18 63-39 at home after the Tigers won at Bedford 46-29 Tuesday, Feb. 17, clinching a spot in the tournament. Commenting on the season as a whole, DeSantis said the team has been through “growing pains.” “Our strengths have been in offense and overall facing our opponents,” DeSantis said. The top players have included sophomore Briana Hunt, who is a Bay State Conference all-star, and junior Monet Lowe, who has been scoring well, DeSantis said. BY

◆senior James Krasker in boys’ basketball ◆senior Chloe Kuh in nordic ski ◆senior Jason Luttmer in nordic ski ◆senior Jake Mahoney in boys’ ice hockey ◆junior Sam Shames in wrestling ◆junior Jared Stein in boys’ swimming and diving ◆junior Jaya Tripathi in girls’ indoor track and ◆senior Hallie Vitagliano in girls’ basketball.

Boys’ gymnastics goes to States

MEREDITH ABRAMS With a score of 100.8, boys’ gymnastics, 0-6, placed last at the State Meet in Braintree Friday, Feb. 13. “They tried their hardest and didn’t give up despite the fact that a captain, senior Oleg Kodysh, injured himself at the start of the meet,” coach Steve Chan said. “The rest of the team picked up the slack and made up his score.” Chan said the season was difﬁcult because the team’s two top scorers of the team, juniors Justice Hedenberg and Buzz Cochran, the captains, were injured. “Even though we didn’t reach our goal of scoring 120 points in a meet, we did well,” Chan said. This season, the team “got the basics down and learned some new moves—you would look over at a guy and think, ‘Wow, I can’t believe he got that,’” Hedenberg said. BY

Boys’ hockey ﬁnishes season at 4-16

JOSH BAKAN Boys’ hockey, 4-16, had a successful season, coach Tom Ryan said. “The kids were great,” Ryan said. “They had a really good attitude.” The most impressive players BY

were senior Anthony Moscatelli at forward and freshman Michael Uberti in the goal, Ryan said. Moscatelli led the team in scoring with seven goals and eight assists. Meanwhile, “Uberti came into a tough situation,” Ryan said. “Our first two goalies went down, but he came in and won three games for us.” Tuesday, Feb. 17, Braintree beat the Tigers 2-1 in their final home game of the season. “Braintree is a really good team,” Ryan said. “They’ve won 13 games. “We let up a goal with 1.7 seconds left in the first period and it deflated us.” Monday, Feb. 16, Acton-Boxborough beat the Tigers 5-3 in Acton. “We were shorthanded for most of the second period, and we gave up four goals,” Ryan said. Needham, second in the state, had beaten the Tigers 8-0 Saturday, Feb. 14. “It was Senior Night and we were mentally overwhelmed,” Ryan said.

Boys’ swimming sends six to Sectionals

JOSH BAKAN JEREMY GURVITS Because they repeated as conference champions, boys’ swimming, 6-0, had a great season, coach Paul Perz said. Almost all our swimmers were BY

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tinuously. “I feel really proud and honored for being selected.” Hansen plays soccer, ice hockey and lacrosse. Klokzewiak plays soccer, skiing and tennis for the school. M u i placed second in an essay contest Newtonian called “Look Anitra Who’s Play- Kloczewiak ing.” “It was about putting the spotlight on a teammate,” Mui said. In her essay, Mui describes junior Leanne Precopio, a softball teammate. “She inspires me to work harder as an athlete who puts team above and before self,” Mui read. “Her strength, enthusiasm, determination and momentum help her overcome numerous obstacles.” The three essay win Newtonian ners were Tiffany Mui able to read their essays and they received scholarship awards, Mui said.

successful in setting new personal bests, Perz said. “As they matured, their swimming skills matured as well,” he said. “In previous years, I don’t think guys worked as hard to be better outside of the swimming season.” The senior class had nine more people than last year and has gotten better over the years, he said. “We have a lot of people who swim in the off season and really push themselves,” said senior Luke Alie, a captain. The most improved swimmers are seniors John Heilbron and Sam Wyler, and juniors CJ Bazile and Jared Stein, Alie said. “This was the first year CJ and John were on the team,” he said. “They’ve been unbelievably dedicated. “Wyler has been dedicated in all four years on the team. He really pushes himself and his teammates look up to him.” At States Thursday, Feb. 19 at MIT, the Tigers sent six athletes. Last year, the team sent three. Senior Dong-Yeop Shin placed fourth in the breaststroke in 56 seconds. Rolfe placed eighth in the 500 freestyle with a personal record of 5:08. Sectionals were Friday, Feb. 14 at MIT. Dong, Rolfe and senior John Heilbron in the 100 backstroke all ﬁnished second.

sports

16 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Tigers to face Boxers in ﬁnals B

ELI DAVIDOW oys’ basketball will play Brockton tomorrow night in the South Sectionals finals at U. Mass. Boston at 8 p.m. The Tigers are seeded third, the Boxers first. After the Boxers beat the Tigers 81-60 in Brockton February 1, senior Matt Berkowitz, a cocaptain, called them “arguably the best team in the state.” Wednesday night, the Tigers beat Durfee for the second season in a row, 61-57. Down 38-25 at the half, the Tigers came back to tie the game at 57-57 with 2:37 left on junior Greg Kelley’s three-pointer. He scored 25 points and snagged 13 rebounds. Senior Craig Marriro, a cocaptain, capped the Tigers’ victory after he scored a lay-up with 34 seconds left following junior Courtney Wornum-Parker’s steal. Last year the Tigers, now 204 overall, defeated Durfee 63-57 here in the quarterfinals of the South Sectionals. Tuesday, coach Paul Connolly said that Durfee plays in one of the state’s most competitive divisions, the Big Three. “They’re a very winning program,” Connolly said. “They’ve got a lot talent and some good players. “At Durfee, they have a bigtime tradition of basketball, which goes back to the 1940s.” In the Tigers’ first playoff game, which was here against sixth-seeded Needham, jitters were clearly evident. Passes at times were off-target. Teams ran into foul trouble. And sometimes, basketball shots failed to even hit the backboard. “Our transition offense wasn’t particularly crisp,” Connolly said. “The game was very much at Needham’s pace.” Both teams committed 12 fouls each, Connolly said. The turning point of the game, which the Tigers won 42-39, was after Needham junior Kerry Hecker’s long two-point jumper, which gave the Rockets a 39-38 edge with 29 seconds remaining. It was the only time the Rockets led. Then senior Geoff Woodberry charged up the court, making a

Friday, March 6, 2009

Girls’ hockey ﬁnishes at 8-8-4 Andover wins in ﬁrst round of tournament

MEREDITH ABRAMS Girls’ hockey finished the season at 8-8-4 and reached its goal of competing in the State Tournament, said coach Bob MacDougall. “We faced injury, illness and inexperience, but the girls executed the game plan and had a great time,” MacDougall said. The team improved “on offense, and we gained general skill and valuable experience despite having 10 new varsity players,” MacDougall said. Andover’s Warriors beat the Tigers 2-0 in the ﬁrst round at Andover Tuesday, Feb. 24. “We weren’t healthy, and Andover came in ready to play, ninth seeded and 15-4-1, while we were 24th seeded,” MacDougall said. “It would have been easy to walk into that game and not try, but the team fought.” According to Andover’s coach, Bill McCarthy, the Warriors “won because overall we were just a slightly better team with more depth. We also have a very strong defensive zone coverage.” Commenting on the season, junior Kim Gillies said, “Everyone stepped up with lots of energy. “We became a family and started to love not just the game but each other. “Instead of just skating around, we learned to focus on a system, pick up our heads and make passes. We really learned what it means to play hockey.” Earlier, Barnstable defeated the Tigers 3-0 Tuesday, Feb. 17 at Barnstable. “They just came out ﬂying,” MacDougall said. “They needed the win to qualify for States, so they just wanted it more then we did.” In Needham Saturday, Feb. 14 the Tigers tied 2-2. “It was the game that clinched our berth in the State Tournament,” MacDougall said. “We were down 2-1, but we rallied and pulled in the tie. It was probably the most exciting game I have ever been involved in.” BY

Teddy Wenneker

Against the Rockets: Junior Greg Kelley ﬁghts away from Needham’s Andrew Raynor as Needham’s Jean Baptiste runs from the back-court. The Tigers won here Saturday 42-39.

Teddy Wenneker

To the basket: Senior Geoff Woodbury led the Tigers with 16 against Needham. lay-up and also garnering a foul shot. He successfully made the free-throw, giving the Tigers a 41-39 lead with 20 seconds left in the game. Hecker led the Rockets in scoring with 15 points, and Wood-

berry earned 16 points for the Tigers. With 10 seconds left in the game, Needham senior Nate Allison got the opportunity to tie the game after a foul. But he failed to

make both of his free throws, and Marriro added another point on a free-throw for the Tigers, giving the Tigers a 42-39 victory. “I give credit to Needham,” Connolly said. “They played a solid game. They really just slowed the game down.” Kelley, who scored 11 points, gave the Tigers a more auspicious beginning in the third quarter, nailing a three-pointer. Woodberry and Marriro also chipped in with three-pointers of their own, and the Tigers led 33-26 at the end of the third quarter. Although the Tigers had already beaten Needham two times this season, it was important to take the Rockets seriously, Marriro said. “We didn’t want to underestimate them,” he said. “It’s very tough to beat a team three times in a row. “Needham played very physical in this past game, and their defense definitely stepped up. They did a good job denying me and Greg the ball.” Sunday, Feb. 15, the Tigers defeated B.C. High 84-82 in the consolation game of the Comcast Tournament after losing to Watertown the day before 73-53.

Girls going to Nationals; boys post personal bests MEREDITH ABRAMS EMMETT GREENBERG Both track teams have been seeing post-season action. The girls, 5-1, will send individuals to the New England Championships today and the National Championships next weekend, coach Joe Tranchita said. Today, senior Michele Kaufman is competing in the 55-meter hurdles, and Tranchita predicted it would be a challenging race. “So far this season, we’ve been able to maintain a high level of success,” he said. Those competing in the Nationals at the Reggie Lewis Center will be Kaufman, seniors Carolyn Ranti and Ari Sanchez BY

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Shira Bleicher

Nationals ahead: Senior Michele Kaufman will participate in the hurdle relays and the sprint medley.

indoor track and sophomore Margo Gillis in the hurdle relays. Others from Newton North will be the sprint medley team of Kaufman, juniors Emily Denn and Jen Liu and sophomore Amy Ren, along with sophomore Emily Hutchinson in the high jump. At the State Meet Friday, Feb. 27, Kaufman took seventh in the 55-meter hurdles, Gillis took third and Ranti took ﬁfth in the 1,000 and the 4x800 team of senior Emma Kornetsky, junior Samantha Gluck, Ranti and Gillis took third. The Tigers tied with North

Attleboro for ﬁfth overall. “There were really intense battles, and we ran as well as we were capable of,” Tranchita said. “This season, everyone tried their best, and there’s not much more you can ask for,” said Tranchita. The boys sent individuals to the MIAA All-States Meet. Senior Dan Hamilton, a captain with seniors Sam Arsenault and Tony Chen, placed 21st out of 23 in the two-mile with 10:15 Friday. “Halfway through the race, I tripped,” Hamilton said. “By the time I got up, I was in the back of the pack.” The team was short-handed

entering the Class A Meet Saturday, Feb. 21. The Tigers were missing all but three runners, including Arsenault who was injured, which made it impossible for the Tigers to run their 4x400 relay. “We really didn’t have much going for us,” coach Jim Blackburn said. “Given all the injuries, there wasn’t much competition for anyone.” Nevertheless, Hamilton ran a personal and team season-best 9:52 in the 2-mile, placing ﬁfth. Sophomore Ezra Lichtman also set a personal and team season-best time of 2:41 in the 1,000 and ﬁnished tenth out of 14. Chen ran the hurdles in 8.2 seconds, placing 15th out of 24.