The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper
Volume 111 No. 1
“The Pulse of the Student Body”
September 10, 2020
stuyspec.com
NEWSBEAT Mayor Bill de Blasio pushed New York City public school reopenings to September 21, 11 days later than the initial September 10 reopen date. Social studies teacher Robert Sandler was a semifinalist winner of the 2020 FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence.
By MADDY ANDERSEN and KAREN ZHANG
When asked about how he felt about starting his new role as Interim Acting Principal in September 2016, former Principal Eric Contreras said, “I’m eager and excited […] I feel eager to start the work. I feel eager to see students come in on the first day, and talk to them, and get to know them.” And after four years at Stuyvesant and four years of talking and getting to know his students, Contreras resigned from his position on July 31. He is now principal of North Shore
High School in Long Island. Contreras’s decision was influenced by a multitude of personal factors. The death of his father due to COVID-19 made him reevaluate how much time he was spending with his own children. “The American economic system forces people […] to give up time away from their family. We’re stuck on our phone. We’re stuck at work,” he said. “Having spent time with my family during COVID affirmed how important that is.” Though Contreras enjoyed serving as Stuyvesant’s principal, continued on page 2
Courtesy of Seung Yu
Sarah Chen / The Spectator
Goodbye, Principal Eric Contreras
Hello, Principal Seung Yu By TALIA KAHAN and ERIN LEE “I missed talking with young people. And as crazy and spontaneous as it will be on a school day, that’s also what makes it beautiful,” Principal Seung Yu said. Having formerly worked as the founding principal of the Academy of Software Engineering and afterward transitioning to the central Department of Education (DOE), Yu returned to the principalship this year through his new position at Stuyvesant. Prior to serving as the Senior Executive Director of the Office of Postsecondary Readiness at the DOE, Yu had an extensive background in education. His first teaching experience was in the Peace Corps, where he taught English in
the Dominican Republic. Following his return to the U.S., Yu did advocacy work in Washington D.C. with the Reading is Fundamental initiative, a children’s literacy organization, and later became an English teacher at the High School for Telecommunication Arts and Technology in Brooklyn, New York. Beyond Yu’s experiences working as a teacher, his interest in and outlook on education have been heavily shaped by his own high school experiences, from playing on the football team to serving as student body president. “I loved high school. I got to play high school football. You wouldn’t know it if you look at me, but I actually played quarterback, and we won the state championship,” Yu said. More influential than his extracurriculars, however, were Yu’s
Seniors Christine Yan and Chelsea Yan were finalists in the i.Invest National Youth Entrepreneur Business Competition, where they introduced ZigZag Mommy’s, an ecofriendly maternity clothing company. friends, family, and teachers. “I had so many people who believed in me, and that was something I’ve carried with me, because every time I work with young people, I realize how lucky I [am],” he said. “I’ve had people look out for me and who’ve mentored or who’ve cheerleaded or who’ve always been there to tell me that I can do more, and that really was the reason I got into education because I wanted young people to experience that.” Yu’s approach to leading and education is also apparent in how he interacts with high schoolers. “One thing that I think struck us all is that […] you could refer to people as kids or you could refer to them as young adults, and he referred to us as young adults and continued on page 2
Student Union Elections to Run Remotely This Fall By ALICE ZHU, THEO SCHIMINOVICH, and ANNETTE KIM Following the push of Caucus and Student Union (SU) elections from the spring, the Board of Elections (BOE) will be holding Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Caucus elections, as well as SU elections, remotely this fall. Campaigning will happen virtually, with a concluding online election on September 24. Due to the pushed elections, BOE Co-Chairs senior Eric Han and junior Ava Yap have made many changes to this year’s shortened election season. While elections are typically held in the spring, this year’s started on August 16 with an online interest meeting. Following the meeting, candidates were to start online petitions to get on the ballot. Though Caucus tickets traditionally require 100 student signatures from their grade, this year they only needed 50. Similarly, while SU tickets traditionally require 50 signatures from each of the sophomore, junior, and senior classes, this year they only needed 30 per grade. Both Caucus and SU candidates also required two teacher signatures
per ticket, instead of the standard four teacher signatures per ticket. Following petitions, candidates had traditionally campaigned in-person by hanging up posters around the school and advertising through social media. The BOE, however, has prohibited in-person campaigning this year so that candidates who choose blended learning will not have an advantage. “In-person campaigning is prohibited. This includes campaigns distributing posters, business cards, or treats to students as they walk into school, as well as posters plastered on the hallway walls. This change is vital, as to not give an edge to campaigns who choose blended learning over those who are opting out,” Yap said in an e-mail interview. Instead, students will be able to learn more about candidates through their online campaigning. “Campaigns will have to rely primarily on websites and Facebook pages to share their campaign ideas and promises. In addition, the BOE will be providing all students with a list of all of the candidates’ sites and social media pages, so voters can make an educated vote,” Yap said. While the prohibition of inperson campaigning strives to pro-
vide a fair election, it may present a potential lack of participation. “Ordinary students will feel less compelled to participate in the political system at Stuy without the excitement surrounding election season in the actual school building,” Han said in an e-mail interview. Remote campaigning has its other disadvantages, according to Coordinator of Student Affairs Matt Polazzo. “Retail politics and this ability to get up early and hand out flyers on the bridge [have] always been a tough rite of passage that screens out people that aren’t fully committed to the work of being in the SU,” Polazzo said in an e-mail interview. Additionally, campaigning online only may not reach all students. “I am concerned that many students without social media accounts or with a limited online presence will not have an equal ability to participate in elections,” senior and Acting SU President Giordano said. To increase student engagement during the elections, the BOE has formed a Public Outreach Committee. “We have formed a Public Outreach committee this year to promote transparency and address voter apathy. They brainstorm ways
we can reach the student body and help to draft public statements,” Han said. “We have also acquired access to the schoolwide mailing list, which we expect to use more often for announcements.” Senior and BOE Technology Head Abir Taheer has been working to accommodate for the upcoming virtual election. “I’m planning to make updates to the posts feature to allow candidates to create more engaging promotional content [and] on adding a Q&A feature in order to let students ask questions directly to the candidates,” he said in an e-mail interview. All students and candidates will be able to vote and access the aforementioned features on the vote.stuysu.org website. The Caucus and SU debates, which will be held on September 15, 16, 17, and 18, respectively, have also been modified. While debates are usually held in person, this year’s debates will be held virtually through Zoom, which offers many advantages in conducting them. “While the presence of technology always offers up its challenges and difficulties, Zoom […] possesses many unique features. For example, the muting system will help ensure
VOICES
OPINIONS
Camping in the time of COVID
The Case For Project-Based Assessment
Read along as Humor editor Chrisabella Javier recounts her experience working as a lifeguard at a summer camp during the pandemic.
With the limitations of remote instruction, senior Elena Hlamenko makes the case for Project Based Assessment for the upcoming school year—and beyond.
see page 6
see page 14
that every candidacy can speak their turn, without getting overpowered by the other teams […] Zoom will allow us to livestream the debates and upload them to YouTube so that all of the student body will be able to view them,” Yap said. The many adjustments of this year’s election season have pushed back other Caucus and SU tasks, such as appointing members. “While the SU normally has the entire summer to release applications, interview candidates, and onboard new members, that entire process will now have to happen in October and November. This not only places an added stress on applicants, but [also] prevents the Caucuses and SU from truly beginning their work until mid-November,” Giordano said. Though this year’s elections will be very different from those of previous years, the BOE remains optimistic. “While this election season is going to be a challenge for every party involved, [Han], myself, and the rest of the BOE are dedicated to making sure that this election season runs as smoothly as possible and that we end up with a student government that the student body is proud to have,” Yap said.