Volume 109, Issue 6

The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper

OPINIONS

Arts and entertainment

California is on Fire. Literally.

Suspiria

Sophomore Kaylee Yin discusses the California wildfires and the country’s response to them in her editorial “California is on Fire. Literally.” see page 13

Sophomore Jiahe Wang reviews Luca Guadagnino’s remake of the 1977 cult classic “Suspiria.”

Volume 109 No. 6

see page 16

November 30, 2018

stuyspec.com

Tribeca Bridge Dedicated to Former Principal Abraham Baumel

NEWSBEAT Stuyvesant’s Chess Team came in first place in the Mayor’s Cup tournament. Senior Justin Chen also took 1st place in the individual standings category.

The Billion Oyster Team completed the final monitoring of the oyster cage on Pier 40 on Tuesday, November 6.

Matt Melucci / The Spectator

Seniors Cathy Cai, Nikki Daniels, Robin Han, and Joshua Weiner were named semifinalists for the 2019 Coca-Cola Scholars Program.

The NYC Math Team came in fourth place overall at the Princeton University Math Competition (PUMaC) on Saturday, November 17.

By Jane Rhee In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Stuyvesant High School’s move from its old campus on 345 East 15th Street to 345 Chambers Street, the Baumel family and the Alumni Association (AA) raised $250,000 to dedicate the Tribeca Bridge to former principal Abraham “Abe” Baumel.

The old building, which had a 1,500-person capacity, was in use from 1907 to 1992, and primarily housed students when the school was forging its reputation as a technical school for boys. But as the school grew, accepting its first co-ed class in 1969, it began to fo-

cus on math and the sciences, rendering many of the school’s facilities, including metalworking shops and sawing machines, obsolete.

Principal Baumel is credited with pushing for a modernized curriculum and a new building to match.

“His story really touched me because […] everyone makes the assumption that Stuyvesant is number one. But even though Stuyvesant’s been around for over a hundred years, that wasn’t the truth. Back in the early twenties and thirties, Brooklyn Tech used to have the most rigorous curriculum. Then in the fifties and sixties, Bronx Science was number one. And now we just take it

Dina Ingram / The Spectator

Honoring Stuyvesant High School’s Fallen Warriors

By Saad Ghaffouli The Stuyvesant History Club, in conjunction with the Social Studies Department, held a ceremony celebrating the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War on Friday, November 9.

The ceremony also served as a memorial to all Stuyve-

“The Pulse of the Student Body”

sant students and alumni who gave their lives during the war.

Assistant Principal of Social Studies Jennifer Suri, one of the organizers of the event, decided to have the event in order to help students recognize the significance of the war. “It was an important war; [...] it changed the world. Hundreds of thousands of Americans lost their

lives in this war … [and] millions of others died as a result of this war,” she said. “I think it’s a much bigger event in Europe only because the fighting took place in Europe, but it was very much a global war. I think people just aren’t aware that we have this connection at Stuyvesant, especially as students, to the history of our country.”

Social studies teacher and author of the book “Rendezvous with Death,” David Hanna, opened the ceremony by giving an address about foreign volunteers in the First World War. His speech focused on France’s Lafayette Escadrille, an air force unit which was mainly comprised of American volunteers. Hanna, too, has a personal connection to the war, as his maternal grandfather, John Elco, served in France in 1918.

Continued on page 2

for granted,” said Soo Kim (‘93), president of the Alumni Association. “So this small gesture, to Principal Baumel and his family, is what we can do to recognize his great contributions to the greater Stuyvesant community.”

Matthew Baumel (‘09) and Aaron Ghitelman (’09), Principal Baumel’s grandsons, and the AA began an online campaign to raise money for a bridge dedication. “When we first dreamed this up, we couldn’t have imagined this. We had no clue that anyone was going to raise any money. We kind of feared that after 25 years, Stuyvesant might not remember Abe Baumel. But it’s very clear

that Stuyvesant has not forgotten about Abe Baumel,” Ghitelman said. “This is just a humbling amount of support and love.”

Donors who gave more than $250 had their names inscribed on the memorial plaque, which is now displayed at the second floor bridge entrance.

The fund will be put toward the school’s general endowment.

“This is how we are able to respond to all […] requests from the students,” Kim said.

He ultimately hopes that the fund will help current principal Eric Contreras in what he calls a new Baumelian mission, partly by “replacing Mechanical Draft, Metalshop, and Woodshop with Robotics, Nanotechnology, Renewable Energy, Hydroponics, and CS Programming,” he said.

The dedication ceremony, which drew on implicit themes of diversity and Stuyvesant as an equalizer of cultural capital and socioeconomic privilege, was well-attended, with members of the Baumel family, alumni, and current students present.

“You know, he used to say it was the greatest honor on Earth to be among Stuy students,” said Judith Baumel, Principal Baumel’s daughter. “There’s this Jewish idea that mankind was created in God’s image, and he really looked for that in each student. He really found that immigrant quality in each student, you know? These kids would walk in, their parents wouldn’t even be able to speak the language, but they’d be coming here to get a public school education [...] and it’s very much the same now. In some ways, the school hasn’t changed at all,” she said.

Stuyvesant Hosts Third Annual Pep Rally

By Jamie Zeng The third annual pep rally was held in the third floor gymnasium on Friday, November 9. The organization of the pep rally was a collaborative effort by the Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Caucuses, as well as the Student Union (SU).

The pep rally featured a performance by the cheer team and one by Stuyvesant’s a capella group, which performed a medley of songs, including “My Girl” by The Temptations.

Following their performance, cries of excitement echoed throughout the gymnasium as the annual dodgeball game was announced.

The matches pitted freshmen against sophomores, seniors against seniors, and juniors against seniors. To conclude

the dodgeball match, students in all grades battled the Stuyvesant faculty in an intense game that concluded with a win for the students.

The Student Union and Caucuses held the pep rally in hopes that it would increase school spirit and bring awareness to the fact that there are other aspects to Stuyvesant aside from being an academically rigorous environment.

“Stuyvesant isn’t really big on the whole idea of school spirit and having an event like the pep rally allows us to demonstrate some school spirit, if not a lot, by supporting our teams,” junior and Student Union Vice President Vishwaa Sofat said.

Continued on page 2

Page 2

The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

News Honoring Stuyvesant High School’s Fallen Warriors Continued from page 1

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and NASA

WORLDBEAT At least 249 people remain missing from California’s deadliest wildfire, Camp Fire, which started Thursday, November 8. It is 98 percent contained after rain helped firefighters extinguish some of the fire.

European Union leaders supported British Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposal for the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU next year. The proposal must now be approved by the U.K. Parliament in a vote expected to be held on Tuesday, December 11.

President Trump said on Twitter that migrants seeking asylum at the southern border will wait in Mexico while their claims are processed. The president also threatened to close the Southern border “for any reason it becomes necessary.”

An officer fatally shot Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr. on Thursday, Thanksgiving night in Birmingham, Alabama after mistakenly thinking he was the shooter who injured two people at a mall.

A total of 173 sea turtles died off Cape Cod, Massachusetts this week because of the extreme cold.

Changes Made to Required Social Studies Course Sequence

By Nicole Burek and Theo Schiminovich Students who took accelerated social studies courses in eighth grade no longer have to take them at Stuyvesant. This year, the Stuyvesant administration has made the decision that students who took accelerated US History in eighth grade will no longer have to take it junior year, and will no longer be required to take a social studies course senior year.

At the moment, the traditional four-year social studies sequence involves some kind of Global History class freshman and sophomore year, US History junior year, and a government or economics class senior year. Beginning with the class of 2022, juniors who took US History and passed in eighth grade can take alternative social studies classes instead, including classes such as AP American Government, AP Comparative Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, and all social studies electives.

Previously, even if students had taken the accelerated US History class, they would have to take the course again junior year at Stuyvesant, with some exceptions. They could take

the AP version of the course, but there would still be repetition of content. This cost students one period in which they could be taking an elective.

Principal Eric Contreras has been involved with these changes. Prior to becoming principal, he was the Executive Director for Social Studies for the New York City Department of Education, meaning he has already been involved with the social studies curriculum. He rewrote the social studies curriculum for students in grades K-12, with unit guides for grade K-8, which hadn’t been updated in about 20 years. “It was a very satisfying piece of work because it was very intellectually demanding. It connected me with some experts in history, geography and economics, and it also allowed me to imagine ways of teaching history that were not just about memorizing things but about meaningful action and contextualizing and corroborating evidence, and looking at skills like chronological reasoning and geographical reasoning,” Contreras said.

Continued on page 4

Following the opening address, 18 Stuyvesant students who gave their lives in the conflict were honored. Their names are as follows: Frank Neumark, David Rogers, Harold Russell, George Schnitzle, Irving Slicklen, Frank Stadler, Nicholas Stark, Charles Volk, Stephen

Warner, Churchill Webster, Walter Antosch, Otto Brandt, John Brotherton, Frederick Fischer, Jacob Gilcher, William Gray, Calvin Greene, and Nathan Golob.

A plaque with all their names is now displayed on the first floor.

Toward the end of the ceremony, a current student and relative of Nathan Golob, sophomore Clara Yuste, was presented with an American flag

by Gunnery Sergeant Quimi and Sergeant Lee of the United States Marine Corps to honor the memory of her great-greatuncle. “The ceremony was especially meaningful to my grandfather who lives out of state and couldn’t make it that day,” Yuste said. “We’ve given him the flag that was presented to our family and he was very touched.”

Stuyvesant Hosts Third Annual Pep Rally

Cntinued from page 1

Sofat also recognizes the significance of the pep rally in terms of uniting the Stuyvesant community. “It’s demonstrating that as a school, we are closer together and we will be there for one another for whatever it is, be it our homecoming game or something else like the escalator accident that

happened recently,” Sofat said.

The pep rally not only helped boost school spirit but also gave students a chance to spend time with their peers outside of the classroom. “The pep rally was super fun and exciting. Everyone was able to bond with people in their grade and enjoy the performances and activities that were planned for us, such as the dodgeball tournament,” sophomore Ana-Maria Skaricic said.

“There’s something about going to a football game and going to a pep rally that really makes you feel like you’re a part of that actual genuine high school experience that we don’t get a lot of, so that was really exciting,” Junior Caucus Co-President Zeynep Bromberg said.

In the future, the SU and Caucuses would like to host the pep rally outside of Stuyvesant in order to make the event bigger.

Student Union Launches Revamped Civic Engagement Course

By Jamie Zeng The External Affairs department of the Student Union (SU) launched their new online Civic Engagement course in early November. The course features bi-weekly newsletters that are sent to members via e-mail and posted on the SU website. It aims to educate the Stuyvesant community about

we’re not really aware of.”

This year, the External Affairs Department has expanded the course, increasing student outreach and adding information about student opportunities. “[Last year] we focused on all of New York state government and New York City government in one e-mail, which was very chaotic,” sophomore and SU Delegate of External

keeps track of through student feedback surveys sent with every e-mail. “[Students] want to learn about law enforcement and how that works in their community and how they can get involved,” Giordano said, providing an example of a potential course topic that the External Affairs department received from a student.

The External Affairs de-

“People have all these ideas, things [about government and politics] that they want to learn about, and if they learn about them, it can help them become more involved in their communities, so we want to help them with that.” —Julian Giordano, sophomore and Student Union Delegate of External Affairs

youth activism, city and state government and politics, and opportunities to get involved as students and young citizens.

The Civic Engagement course began in the spring of 2018 with the goal of informing students about local government and community functions and providing them with opportunities to become more engaged in city and state politics and their local communities. The course is designed to strengthen the connection between student activism in school and youth activism in government. “Stuyvesant has always been a vocal community,” junior and SU Vice President Vishwaa Sofat said. “The Civic Engagement course allows us to learn about facets [of grassroots activism] that

Affairs Julian Giordano said.

“This year [...] we’re starting off the course with a bunch of e-mails […] that are focusing on the basics.” The Civic Engagement course will also focus on specific areas of state and local government this year, such as the structure and function of state assemblies, which was the topic of the first newsletter this fall.

Freshman and SU Delegate of External Affairs Neve DiazCarr reflected on student feedback for the course’s first newsletter. “[Students] said it was really interesting, [...] but they want to delve more into what they can do,” Diaz-Carr said.

Going forward, topics covered in the Civic Engagement course will be tailored to student interests, which the External Affairs department

partment also plans to host guest speaker meetings, which will ideally be open to the general student body at Stuyvesant. “[We’re] planning to […] reach out to politicians who would be willing to come and speak to us from both sides,” Sofat said, explaining the SU’s goals in developing this potential feature of the Civic Engagement course. These speaker meetings would open a forum for discussions between students and their political representatives on important issues at the city and state level.

Continued on page 4

The Spectator â—? November 30, 2018

Page 3

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The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

News Changes Made to Required Social Studies Course Sequence Continued from page 2 Students have been able to skip courses in other departments for some time. In the math department, students are allowed to take geometry if they received a high enough score on the Algebra I Regents Exam and on the math placement exam. Students are also allowed to take more advanced language classes if they score high enough on the language placement exam at Stuyvesant.

However, this kind of change has not been applied to biology even if students took the accelerated course for it. This is because Contreras believes the Biology Regents exam is not challenging enough for Stuyvesant standards. “The challenge for me, as an educator, is that the current Living Environment Regents doesn’t have the sufficiency necessary to explore careers in life sciences. It is a very, very basic exam,” he said. Students who have completed the Living Environment Regents in eighth

grade may take SAT II-level biology, or, after the changes made this year, may take AP classes such as AP Environ-

the number of students who took these accelerated courses in eighth grade each year increased, pressure was put on in

credit, and Regents, as per the DOE guidelines, has been increasing, we don’t want them to take the course again. That is

“It gives you freedom of choice. A lot of the struggle at Stuyvesant is because we have so many more electives than most other high schools. We invest in teaching them. We invest in courses heavily. The dilemmas here are ‘which of these electives can I take, because I have so many choices.’ So it opens up an opportunity.”

—Eric Contreras, Principal

mental Science or AP Biology.

The change has been under consideration for some time. It was rejected in the past, but as

favor of the change. “Because the number of students that have been coming to Stuyvesant with that high school course,

invalidating the time and energy they spent taking that course in eighth grade,” Contreras said.

Now, many students will be

able to take one or two electives that they might not have been able to take before this change. “Skipping to AP Gov would allow me to specialize in my interests in social studies earlier and allow me to take electives with more background knowledge,” junior Julian Koya Wong said. He took US History in eighth grade, and is now interested in taking social studies electives such as New York City History and Geopolitics, as well as non-social studies electives such as Human Diseases and Advanced Robotics. When students in the incoming class of 2022 reach his position, they will be able to take either kind of electives in senior year.

“It gives you freedom of choice,” Contreras said. “A lot of the struggle at Stuyvesant is because we have so many more electives than most other high schools. We invest in teaching them. We invest in courses heavily. The dilemmas here are ‘which of these electives can I take, because I have so many choices.’ So it opens up an opportunity.”

Student Union Launches Revamped Civic Engagement Course Continued from page 2

Students who sign up for the Civic Engagement course on the SU website at any point in the year will start receiving the course newsletter e-mails every two weeks. The newsletter starts with a lesson about the general topic and its specific applications in the New

York state or city government and students’ lives. A subsequent section provides information about student opportunities in political and community volunteering. For students who sign up later in the year, previous e-mails can be accessed through the new course page on the SU website.

In order to increase student participation in the Civic Engagement course, the SU has sent out multiple e-mails to

students promoting the course, and Parent Coordinator Dina Ingram has informed parents about the course through her Weekly Update newsletter. In addition, the SU is reaching out to social studies teachers, and one even used a lesson from the course for their class.

Giordano encourages all students who are interested in becoming more active in their community to sign up for the course, even if they are outside

of the Stuyvesant community.

“If a student wants to be on the newsletter, they can be on the newsletter,” Giordano said. “[If] other students from other schools or siblings of Stuyvesant students can take information away from the Civic Engagement course then I have no problem with that. I think it only furthers the message we’re trying to spread.”

Ultimately, the SU hopes that students will take advan-

tage of the Civic Engagement course, as it aids them both as high school students and as young citizens in the modern political climate. “People have all these ideas, things that they want to learn about—and if they learn about them, it can help them become more involved in their communities, so we want to help them with that,” Giordano said.

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The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 5

Survey The Class of 2019 Senior Survey The class of 2019 took a version of this survey as incoming freshmen during Camp Stuy. Three years later, they took it again.

Here are the results.

Part A: Academic Information 1) I consider myself to be aware of current events. a) Strongly Agree: 16.9% b) Agree: 41.4% c) Neutral: 26.7% d) Disagree: 12.3% e) Strongly Disagree: 2.8% 2) I have taken a class at Stuyvesant that has significantly encouraged me to pursue a career in a certain field. a) Strongly Agree: 34.7% b) Agree: 35.3% c) Neutral: 18.7% d) Disagree: 5.8% e) Strongly Disagree: 5.5% 3) I have taken a class at Stuyvesant that has significantly discouraged me to pursue a career in a certain field. a) Strongly Agree: 37.7% b) Agree: 29.8% c) Neutral: 16.9% d) Disagree: 9.5% e) Strongly Disagree: 6.1% 4) I am applying to an Ivy League university or other elite university this fall. a) Yes: 32.7% b) No: 26.8% c) Undecided: 40.5% 5) Compared to students attending non-specialized schools, I think my chances of getting into one of these schools are: a) Higher: 43% b) The same: 30.2% c) Lower: 26.8% 6) I believe that my time at Stuyvesant has prepared me to succeed at whatever college I attend next fall. a) Strongly Agree: 39% b) Agree: 44.3% c) Neutral: 12.7% d) Disagree: 2.8% e) Strongly Disagree: 1.2% 7) I believe that the following is the most important factor in academic success at Stuyvesant: a) Work ethic: 73.6% b) Natural intelligence: 19.3% c) Family background and support: 7.1% 8) I believe that the following is the second most important factor in academic success at Stuyvesant: a) Work ethic: 20.1% b) Natural intelligence: 50.5% c) Family background and support: 29.4% 9) How much sleep did you get on an average school night? a) Fewer than 5 hours: 26.3% b) 5-6 hours: 41.5% c) 6-7 hours: 20.1% d) 7-8 hours: 9% e) More than 8 hours: 3.1%

Part B: Applying to Stuyvesant 10) I think there is a positive correlation between my SHSAT score and my academic success at Stuyvesant so far. a) Strongly agree: 3.4% b) Agree: 18.6% c) Neutral: 35.3% d) Disagree: 25.7% e) Strongly disagree: 17% 11) I would prefer that the SHSAT remain the sole criteria for admission to Stuyvesant. a) Strongly agree: 39.4% b) Agree: 28.9% c) Neutral: 16.5% d) Disagree: 9.9% e) Strongly disagree: 5.3%

Part C: Identity/Lifestyle 12) How many times have you used marijuana? a) Never: 74.1% b) Once/a few times: 13.4% c) Semi-often: 6.6% d) Regularly: 5.9%

13) How many times have you used study drugs (prescription stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin)? a) Never: 90% b) Once/a few times: 5% c) Semi-often: 2.2% d) Regularly: 2.8% 14) How many times have you used “hard” drugs (cocaine, opiates, etc.) ? a) Never: 93.8% b) Once/a few times: 3.7% c) Semi-often: 1.2% d) Regularly: 1.2% 15) How much caffeine (95 mg of caffeine=1 cup of coffee) do you intake daily? a) None: 51.4% b) 1-100 mg (0-1 cups of coffee): 34.7% c) 101-200 mg (2 cups of coffee): 9.3% d) 201 mg-400 mg (3-4 cups of coffee): 2.5% e) 401+ mg (4+ cups of coffee): 2.2% 16) I most closely identify as: a) Heterosexual (Straight): 82% b) Homosexual (Gay): 3.4% c) Bi/Pansexual: 7.7% d) Asexual: 0.9% e) Unsure/Questioning: 5.9% 17) Have you engaged in sexual activity of any nature during high school? a) Never: 66.3% b) Once/a few times: 16.7% c) Semi-often: 9% d) Regularly: 8% 18) If you engaged in sexual activity, do you think any of those interactions might have been sexual harassment or assault? a) Yes: 3.6% b) Maybe: 5.8% c) No: 3.6% d) I’m not sure: 7.2% 19) How many hours do you spend watching on leisure activities online (Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Facebook, etc.)? a) 0 – 1: 12.7% b) 1 – 3: 50.8% c) 3 – 5: 23.8% d) 5 – 7: 6.5% e) 7: 6.2% 20) Have you received treatment for mental illness since coming to Stuy? a) Yes: 15% b) No: 85%

Part D: Academic Honesty 21) I have participated in something that qualifies as academic dishonesty in high school. a) Never: 19.4% b) Once/a few times: 56.3% c) Semi-often: 16.2% d) Regularly: 8.1% 22) I think that academic cheating (in any form) can be justified. a) Strongly Agree: 9.6% b) Agree: 24.2% c) Neutral: 37.9% d) Disagree: 20.8% e) Strongly Disagree: 7.5%

Part E: The End 23) When I am older, I hope to go into ____. Leave this blank if you are not sure. a) Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)-related fields: 50% b) Humanities (Social sciences, Language Studies, Law): 17.3% c) Computer Science: 14.7% d) Finance/Business/Management: 13.7% e) Arts : 4.3%

Page 6

The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Survey 26) Which year would you describe as your happiest year at Stuy? a) Freshman: 11.1% b) Sophomore: 29.7% c) Junior: 24.4% d) Senior: 34.8%

24) I have made friends that I intend on keeping in contact with after high school. a) Strongly Agree: 53.9% b) Agree: 33.7% c) Neutral: 6.5% d) Disagree: 5% e) Strongly Disagree: 0.9% 25) During the past four years, has school been the most important part of your life? a) Yes: 70.6% b) No: 29.4%

27) Which year would you describe as your most difficult year at Stuy (academically AND emotionally) a) Freshman: 20.9% b) Sophomore: 15% c) Junior: 54.1% d) Senior: 10% 28) Would you choose Stuyvesant again? a) Yes:74.3% b) No: 25.7%

Part A—Academic Information

By Jane Rhee

Despite a tumultuous past few years in politics, the senior class’s engagement in current events has stayed consistent throughout high school. Approximately 57.14 percent of seniors responded that they either consider or strongly consider themselves to be aware of current events in 2015, compared to 58.3 percent in 2018. Approximately a third of the grade has also consistently seen their awareness in current events as only “neutral.”

As a school with more specialized course offerings than most high schools, Stuyvesant certainly seems to be effective in helping students decide what subjects are right for them. Certain classes seem to have a polarizing effect on students’ attitudes towards certain subjects, especially in the context of possible career options. When asked if a class at Stuyvesant had significantly encouraged a student to pursue a career in a certain field, 34.7 percent of seniors responded that they strongly agreed, and another 35.3 percent agreed. On the flip side, the numbers were unnervingly similar when seniors were asked if a class had served to deter a student from pursuing a career in a certain field—37.7 percent responded that they strongly agreed with the statement, and 29.8 percent said they agreed.

The Editorial Board also decided to ask a series of questions regarding senior attitudes toward college admissions. When asked if students were planning on applying to an Ivy League university or other selective university (Stanford, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The University of Chicago, etc.), results were split almost evenly three ways, with approximately a third of the senior class reporting yes, no, or undecided. However, the results were divided more evenly when seniors were asked if they believed that their chances of admission were greater than those of students attending non-specialized high schools, with nearly 50 percent of the class believing they have the upper hand. That optimism was also reflected in the 83 percent of students who believe Stuyvesant has prepared them for whatever college they attend next fall.

The last series of questions were intended to gain a better sense of what Stuyvesant students consider the most important to their academic success. Students were asked to rank the following three factors in terms of importance: work ethic, natural intelligence, and family support and background. Nearly 75 percent of seniors believe that the most important factor is their work ethic. The second most important factor was more contested, with 50 percent of students reporting that natural intelligence is important and 25 percent citing their family support and background.

Part B—Applying to Stuyvesant

By Jeremy Rubin, Artem Ilyanok, Darius Jankauskas, Gaby Umanova, and Ahmed Hussein

This section deals with Stuyvesant students and their thoughts regarding the SHSAT. Though only 36 percent of Stuyvesant students believe that there is a positive correlation between their SHSAT score and their “academic success,” 68 percent would prefer that the SHSAT remain the sole criteria for admission to Stuyvesant. This discrepancy may reflect a belief that the SHSAT is an objective test, though not correlated with success in classes outside of the STEM fields.

However, with large numbers of students not expressing strong opinions in either direction, the debate over the SHSAT looks set to continue for the foreseeable future.

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The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 7

Survey Part C—Identity and Lifestyle

Part D—Academic Honesty

By Jane Rhee

By Erin Lee, Amy Huang, Jeanette Cheung, Amanda Peng, Stacey Xue, and Tiffany Cao

The Identity and Lifestyle section of the survey asked a number of questions regarding students’ usage of drugs and medications, sex lives (or lack thereof), and leisure activities.

Marijuana came out on top as the most popular drug—though not by much, with only 13.4 percent of students reporting that they used it once or a few times in the past year. Ninety percent and 94 percent of students, respectively, have never used study drugs, including Adderall and Ritalin, and “hard” drugs, including cocaine and opiates. These numbers closely mirror the responses of the freshman survey, with approximately 80 percent of students reporting that they were against the use of (recreational) drugs by high school students.

Caffeine intake was reported to be relatively moderate, with more than half of the class intaking no caffeine at all, and only 34.7 percent drinking one cup of coffee a day, which comes out to 1-100 mg of caffeine.

The next series of questions asked specifically about students’ sexual orientations. Eighty-two percent of students most closely identify as heterosexual, with the remaining 17 percent being roughly equally distributed between homosexual, bi/pansexual, asexual, and unsure/questioning. Sixty-six percent of students have never engaged in any form of sexual activity during high school. Of the students who did engage in sexual activity, almost 10 percent believe that their experience may have constituted sexual assault.

The Academic Honesty section asks about students’ participation in academic dishonesty and their opinion on academic cheating. A plurality of the 2019 class, 37.9 percent, was neutral regarding the morals of cheating, while the other 62.1 percent were split. Approximately 34 percent (agree and strongly agree combined) believed that some cheating was justified, while 28.3 percent (disagree and strongly disagree combined) believed that it was not. Furthermore, the percentages of students who agreed and disagreed were very close, and that was mirrored at the extreme ends. Stuyvesant students have a definite view on the ethics of academic dishonesty; however, it seems that many believe that academic dishonesty is justified on a case-bycase basis. !"#$%&'"#$(#"()(*+,%)")$+(#%&-".%&"(&/"012,3")(&"4+" The results for the second questions were 567#%0%+*8 similar: a majority response and a split minority.

Seniors who had never committed academic dishonesty in their high school career accounted for 19.4 percent, while 8.1 percent cheated on a regular basis and 16.2 percent cheated semi-often.

Over half of the responses, 56.3 percent, said that they committed academic dishonesty once or a few times. Over 80 percent of the school has cheated at least once, which is consistent with the stigma that surrounds Stuyvesant and academic dishonesty.

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Part E—The End

By Maddy Andersen, Ting Ting Chen, Zoe Oppenheimer, Elena Sapelyuk, Thomas Chen, Rachel Joh, and Brian Zhang

In the final section of the survey, seniors were asked to reflect on their time at Stuyvesant. As Stuyvesant is often seen as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) school, it is unsurprising that exactly 50 percent of the surveyed seniors hope to go into a STEM-related field. Additionally, 14.7 percent plan to pursue a career in computer science, which is strong evidence of the success of Stuyvesant’s Computer Science track.

The class of 2019 is also passionate about the friendships they have formed at Stuyvesant—87.6 percent of seniors either strongly agreed or agreed that they have made friends that they intend on keeping in contact with. Only 5.9 percent of seniors either disagreed or strongly disagreed. It is understandable that many seniors value the relationships they have developed with their peers throughout their time at Stuyvesant, as 70.6 percent of the graduating class said that during the past four years, school has been the most important part of their life.

Seniors were also were asked what they believe was their happiest year at Stuyvesant, and the results were relatively equal. Only 11.1 percent chose freshman year, 29.7 percent picked sophomore year, 24.4 percent said junior year, and finally, 34.8 percent chose senior year. The results for what the seniors would describe as their most difficult year at Stuyvesant, both academically and emotionally, were not split as equally. Junior year took the lead, with 54.1 percent of students claiming it to be the most challenging year. The easiest year seems to be senior year, with only 10 percent of students choosing it as the hardest year.

For the last question, seniors thought back over the last four years, and they answered if they would choose Stuyvesant again. The majority, 74.3 percent, said yes, while the other 25.7 percent admitted that they would not have attended Stuyvesant.

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The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 8

Features

By TALIA KAHAN Former Stuyvesant Principal Jie Zhang was once like many of us: young, naive, and interested in math. But few of us will reach as far, or accomplish as much, as Zhang has in her career in education.

Zhang grew up in China during the Cultural Revolution, a sociopolitical movement in support of communism in China in the 1960s and 1970s. She was born in Beijing but moved to Shanghai at a young age. At 18 years old, after going through the standard school system, Zhang went to college and completed her BA in Engineering at Tongji University in Shanghai.

From there, she decided to study abroad and completed her masters degree in Mathematics at Stony Brook University in the United States. Zhang had intended to stay in the United States for a maximum of three years. Three years turned into the foreseeable future when Zhang was offered a job as a math teacher in New York.

Zhang’s first experience as a teacher in the public system was a unique one; she taught at the Women’s House, the center for female prisoners, in Rikers Island. Zhang was there to teach the school-age incarcerated women who had been accused of a crime, but many other older women also attended classes. Zhang described her experience: “It was very rewarding because what we did on Rikers was to help women who did not get their high-school diplomas at the right age, and later when they were older, we were able to help them to get a GED, a high-school equivalency test.”

Zhang also noted that because attending the school was completely voluntary, the general atmosphere in the school area was very positive.

After working at the Women’s House for four and a half years, Zhang taught mathematics at For-

est Hills High School in Queens.

She worked there for 10 years from 1993 to 2003. At the turn of the century, Zhang received her degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Long Island University. She used these skills to become Assistant Principal at Forest Hills High School in September 2001.

The next school Zhang worked at was the Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, one of the eight specialized high schools. Zhang served as principal there for five academic years and then became Stuyvesant’s principal in the fall of 2012. “What triggered my appointment as principal was a cheating scandal [in June of 2012]. Basically, as a result of the cheating scandal, I was sent to Stuyvesant,” Zhang explained.

Zhang described her four years as principal of Stuyvesant as “a fantastic few years,” she said. She elaborated, “Obviously, I really miss Stuy[vesant] a lot. Every time I am in Manhattan, I try to avoid the West Side Highway, because when I drive by the bridge, I get very emotional [...] And not only was I principal for four years, but both my children graduated from Stuyvesant. And so, I feel like it is a home for me.” Zhang’s son, Danny Zhu, graduated Stuyvesant in 2008 and received a Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University. Her daughter, Julie Zhu, was in the Stuyvesant class of 2014 and recently graduated from University of California Berkeley.

While nostalgic, Zhang acknowledged that her experience at Stuyvesant wasn’t perfect. “Being part of Stuyvesant also had its challenges: the bureaucracy, some of the old traditions, and some of the things that I tried to change; it was very hard,” she said. Zhang felt that the bureaucracy within the New York City public education system made it too difficult to collaborate with other countries

Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal

Zooming In On Zhang

by preventing individuals, such as herself, from working independently with foreign countries. This was very hard for Zhang because of her interest in collaborating with her home country, China.

She said, “I was born and raised in China, and I worked in the city’s educational system for 28 years, and I felt that China in the past 25 years has developed a totally new structure and completely moved forward since the 1980s. And I felt that I kind of missed that movement of my home country.

I wanted—before I become too old— to experience the changes in China that I did not experience when I was younger [and living in China].”

So, when the New York Military Academy’s new owner approached Zhang in 2016 as a candidate for principal of their high school, Zhang saw this as an opportunity to do something without the constraints of the public school that was a “creative, challenging and new,” bureaucracy she said. Despite this major difference in her ability to work with other countries, at heart, Zhang’s job at

Stuyvesant was very similar to her current job at the New York Military Academy (NYMA). Zhang explained that besides the difference in title (she is currently called a “superintendent” rather than a principal), the most important thing to her—the emphasis on every child’s education —has stayed the same.

However, there are other differences between Zhang’s role at the NYMA and her job at Stuyvesant. The biggest difference is the issue of recruitment, a problem that never needed to be taken care of at Stuyvesant. Before Zhang came to the NYMA in 2016, the school was about to go bankrupt due to the lack of enrollment. Zhang has been able to increase the class size tremendously, but enrollment remains an issue for the school. Enrollment had consistently been a challenge for NYMA because of the possible negative association that comes with the idea of a military school; parents might think of military academies as a place of discipline where behavioral problems are addressed. However, this is not at all the purpose of NYMA.

Another large difference is that at Stuyvesant, the Department of Education took care of a lot of the mechanical issues, but at the NYMA, Zhang is responsible for all of this work. She explained, “Here, I have to make decisions [on] which roof needs to be fixed [and] which contractor should we choose. Those were things that I never had to do at Stuyvesant.”

Zhang’s long-term goals go back to her interest in collaborating internationally, especially with schools in China. She is interested in establishing international schools in China or America, or possibly returning to China for a few years. But in the short term, Zhang’s goal is to “make this [NYMA] school better [...] I don’t want it to fall apart again,” she said.

Zhang has been doing all she can to ensure that the Academy will never fall apart again. This is evidenced by the tenfold increase in enrollment from when she first began; the number of students has increased from nine to 90.

A Tribute to Stan Lee

By THE FEATURES DEPARTMENT

“Stan Lee created superheroes, and superheroes inspire me to be a better person and to push ahead whenever times get hard. Death is inevitable, but Stan Lee lived to an old age, and he did see his work impact others.”

—Athena Lam, sophomore

“Stan Lee took a pretty big role in creating Marvel and I feel like Marvel movies won’t ever be the same again. He played a strong role in my form of entertainment and I feel that he was a nice person to get to know. He had such a creative mind and was able to include us in it. We just lost someone who makes life more enjoyable.” —Kevin Lu, junior

“I grew up watching Stan Lee’s work. Some of my best memories are watching the Avengers and other products of his work.

He brought comics to a whole new level of popularity. It’s sad that the last time we’ll ever see him is next year in ‘Avengers: Annihilation.’” —Daniel Lin, junior

“It’s sad, of course. But Stan Lee was 95. He did a lot of good work in the realm of superheroes, and he got to see the evolution of his ideas into movies.” —Naomi Khanna, sophomore

Taylor Choi / The Spectator “Stan Lee has actually made a pretty significant impact on my life. His characters in the [Marvel Cinematic Universe] (MCU) are generally great and inspire me to be the best person I can be, and they have shaped who I am as a person at this time. Captain America is my favorite. He tries to do whatever he believes is right even if it is not generally accepted. He will still do what he feels is right and try to save everyone no matter how impossible that is.” —Jason Ye, junior

“I have only read a few of the Avengers comics, but I’ve watched almost every single Marvel movie that has come out. When I was little, I was really into the Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire. It’s the series that got me into Marvel. I wouldn’t watch anything else when I was little. As I grew older, I watched the other movies and the TV shows as they came out. I haven’t made comics since I can’t really draw, but it’s hard to imagine what I would’ve been like if Stan Lee didn’t exist, since he created Spider-Man. He was my doorway into imagination.” —Aiswariya Suresh, senior

“He is such a genius. He made the Avengers, and Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four. He was a really great comic book writer, and for me, the movies that he produced were truly a part of my childhood. I remember watching the first Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire even though it wasn’t Marvel—I think it was Sony. Now you see every kid wearing Captain America costumes. I look up to these heroes now. The fact that he made up these and that he gave people a role model and a figure to look to when you think of a hero that’s really strong is really amazing.” —Stephy Chen, sophomore

“Stan Lee created characters that I came to love growing up.

The heroes he created have amazing powers, but they are still human, and they have to deal with all of the difficulties of balancing those two sides. His stories allow people to see parts of themselves and relate to the heroes, maybe even strive to be more like them. Characters like Spider-Man had to deal with money problems, bullying, grades, and his love life all while fighting criminals under a secret identity. It isn’t just because he has a cool suit that I became interested in his stories. Not only were Stan’s stories relatable, they were filled with wonder and fantasy. They ranged from Nordic gods to blind lawyers, billionaires, African kings, and everything in between. I found it so easy to get lost in this world he created because it seemed like every type of story you could think of was there. Whenever I went to see Marvel movies, it was cool to see Lee cameo in them, as if he [was] still involved in the stories and was watching over them. It breaks my heart to know that I will no longer see him participate in the universe he created. Fortunately, Lee’s legacy will live on as future generations discover his spectacular world of super heroes.” —Stefan Manafov, junior

The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 9

Features An All-American Holiday?

By ANDREW NG with additional reporting by Clara Shapiro To me, Thanksgiving has always been the time of year to get a bit too bloated off of turkey and mashed potatoes and have to talk to somewhat homophobic relatives you didn’t know you had. And then, of course, you get to eat frozen leftovers for over a week. But talking to my peers, I found my experience didn’t equate to others’. It isn’t surprising that at such a diverse school like Stuyvesant that bustles with different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, the traditions and normativity surrounding Thanksgiving greatly differ from each perspective.

“The theme of Thanksgiving is giving thanks, but we all know nobody gives thanks during Thanksgiving anymore, hence Black Friday and everything. I guess my parents figured that out a long time ago; we have this long standing tradition where we go to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. Generally the adults would go off and gamble, and we have a pretty good record for winning things. They would just throw cash at the children that they could just entertain themselves with, and we’d just go shopping.” —Xi Lu, junior

“My family and I celebrate Thanksgiving in a very casual way. Instead of eating turkey, we have huo guo (hot pot). We have a pot filled with soup on a mini stove at the center of our table. My family sits around the table, and we put in different food ranging from shrimp to vegetables. We then share the pot, where a delicious soup has cooked, and we eat together.

It’s different from turkey, but sharing hot pot is what really unites my family on Thanksgiving.” —Anonymous

“Well, we go to my brother’s god family’s house. We bring dishes, they bring dishes; then I had to mess it up in third grade, and I made a really good macaroni and cheese and crème brûlée. I made it and it was really good, and now I have to make it every year. Everybody appreciates the food because they all have to put something in; it’s not just you coming, eating, and then not having to wash any dishes. But even if you cook, you still have to wash the dishes; it’s a whole cycle.” —Asa Muhammad, freshman

“My family does a potluck where everyone goes to somebody’s house and we all cook a dish and then travel to that person’s house. We try to be a cozy family so we all watch a movie and then we eat, but unlike a lot of other families, we don’t really eat classical Thanksgiving food.

It is usually more Asian food and seafood. When we were all young, we would all play board games, but now everybody is [an] adult and I am the only kid left who has not gone to college yet, so I talk with all the adults.” —Caroline Ji, sophomore

Michele Yi / The Spectator “It’s not really that interesting, but this was back when I was in elementary school. I was in my bedroom, which is next to the dining room, and heard my mom yelling. I stepped out to see what was going on and saw that she had a stack of plates in one arm, and used the other to point back and forth at my dad and the turkey that he placed on the dining table. My dad had just come from work and was saying how he was in a rush to get the turkey here, but my mom was not having it. She kept saying how we shouldn’t celebrate holidays that don’t correspond to our religion. My dad still decided to take the plastic wrap off the turkey, but my mom tried to push the turkey a bit to place the plates, but she it pushed too far and it landed abruptly on the floor. I tried to catch it but I was standing by the other side of table so there was no way for me to dash to the other side on time. My brother heard the turkey fall and came out to ask what happened and yelled at all three of us for being stupid for thinking that Thanksgiving is a religious holiday after my mom explained how the turkey fell. We just cut off the top of where the turkey fell, threw it out, and ate the rest of it. My mom didn’t even bother eating with us and just ate some chicken instead.” —Anonymous

CLASSIFIEDS BUSINESS The Spectator is now accepting classifieds.

Classifieds are a historical form of advertising used in print media that has largely gone out of fashion. Unlike the large visual ads paid for by businesses, these ads are short (between a dozen and two hundred words). They might advertise tutoring (or any other service you may provide), people looking for certain services, a club meeting, something to buy or sell, or plain old companionship.

If you would like to submit your own classified ad, visit www.stuyspec.com/ classifieds or use your phone to scan this QR code:

Selling black matte S’well bottle.

Used sparingly and sanitarily. Comes with recyclable, natural, cylindrical container with volume calculable using the equation V = pi(r)^2h. $10.

Call (718) 346-2942.

Looking for Princeton Review AP Calculus BC book. Willing to pay extra if book has been touched and blessed by Coco. Call (917) 492-4920 with offers.

NEW STUYVESANT APPAREL: NOW SELLING [KUMQUAT] SOCKS! LIMITED HOLIDAY SALE—SMALL SIZES ARE RUNNING OUT Selling locker combos (sophomore bar and senior atrium) for $10 that I got while Moran was patting me down for Juuls. (917) 375-1361 Selling 12 Muji pens. Still moist with sweat from the freshie I took them from. (347) 574-0436 Looking to buy romaine lettuce to give me E. Coli so I don’t have to take Dunkel test. Will pay extra if unwashed. Outside Dunkel’s room before pd 3. (917) 361-9278 Have structured settlement. Need cash now. (877) 227-4669 (Call now.)

PERSONALS Freshman looking for an upperclassmen to smile at him in the hallway in front of friends for social status. Will pay cash. (212) 553-9614 Looking for freshmen. —Not A Senior @bb.daddy on fb

Junior searching for that one geometry classmate they made 15-second eye contact with on the escalator and said nothing to. (718) 458-9540 In Search Of: Date for Jprom. Must look sort of Jewish and be willing to take pictures with me in my living room for my mother. labramowski@ stuy.edu Wanted: Stand-in mother figure to validate me and withstand my incredible need to love you. ewisotsky@schools.nyc.gov Freshman seeks old-looking upperclassmen to impersonate biology teacher during PTC. Beard preferable but not required. (347) 813-7158 Any kind of discussion about communism that won’t end in blocking each other. (@selfcarethreads on Twitter)

SERVICES

Need a soccer coach because I can’t kick a ball in PE to save my life.

Need tutor to teach me how to flirt.

Willing to pretend to be bad at chem so you get tutoring credits. (646) 7570409 Seeking identical twin to sit in for me during APUSH while I pass out in the atrium. Can pay in fruit snacks my mom packs me for lunch.

Seeking student athlete to carry my roller bag for me. Can already feel the arthritis coming on. 10pd/day commitment, free lunch included.

Dad has an extra trust fund. (646) 641-2779

MISC Seeking any and all Juulers. Please report to 103. Reward.

can everyone comment RIP on my recent so people think I have friends lmao (@stuyspectator on Insta)

Wanted: varsity track member. Must sprint in opposite direction to distract deans as I sneak coffee in.

Contact bald sir at the scanner for details.

Unattractive libertarian centrist will give unasked for opinions on your personal appearance. Contact me on Facebook.

Computer interaction club meeting on Friday in room 413. Please attend if you have a solid grasp of 2004 internet humor.

Seeking service: someone to hold my hand while I do test corrections with Mr. Sterr.

Seeking acceptable win/loss ratio. — Peglegs

Will get you a new high score on 2048 Hexagon Elimination. $3 for every million.

Seeking adult Halal cart ninja to steal my confiscated phone back in the dead of night. Rendezvous point: Rafiqi’s.

Needed: EICs for spring term. Will pay. (800) 888-8888 Seeking big punts. Am telling the truth. —Bim Barder, bbarder@stuy. edu

The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 10

Editorials The Spectator

STAFF EDITORIAL

The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper

Small But Noble Causes This issue’s staff ed is dedicated to the small issues that deserve formal support, but do not justify a 500 word staff editorial.

1: Fund Carol’s Candy Carol, Ms. Pedrick’s secretary, keeps a bowl of candy on her desk in Ms. Pedrick’s office, which she pays for herself out of her own salary. Because this money could not, for legal reasons, come out of the DOE budget, we suggest that Carol’s candy bowl be funded by the Alumni Association by monthly allowance. A 58-piece bag of Mars Assorted Chocolate Candy Bars is available at Target for $19.95.

Based on this figure, we propose a monthly candy allowance of $100.

Carol deserves recognition.

2: Appreciation for the Coral Reef Unit on the Seventh Floor The biology department, along with a student club, tends to a stunning coral reef in room 729— a unit that encompasses numerous tropical fish and even sea urchins.

Students should appreciate its uses besides its physical glamour. Not only does the collection liven up the mood for students doing test corrections after school in that room, but it also kills awkward periods of silence by giving them a subject to talk about with their teachers. Moreover, it seems that room 729 is a popular place to visit when biology students are studying ecology and habitats, as the coral reef there presents them with an exciting opportunity to explore certain topics visually for themselves.

I have unfortunately heard time and time again from my peers that the coral reef here is a huge waste of water and money for maintenance and fish food.

But these are the same people who fail to realize that diminishing coral reefs throughout the world pose a severe threat to the diverse marine life that lives there, a punch to the face for animal lovers like biology teacher Aimee Hill. In fact, we believe that Stuyvesant’s coral reef collection is a symbol of our institution’s desire to promote conservation as well as its emphasis on the various beauties of the natural world. The biology department should receive more funding to expand on its collection and students should pay it some more favorable attention.

3: Room 801 Imagine yourself laptopless and desperately trying to find a quiet study spot at school where there is no one swooping that phone out of your hand and no distracting friends who could take you out of study mode with a single subtle Asian traits meme.

The library is full, the loud chatter in the lunchroom and half floor is unbearable, the benches on the upper quieter floors are not for students to sit on, and the first floor hallway past the cycling room is full of couples doing their thing. You have a test next period and really need to focus on cramming that last bit of information in.

The ideal study room is room 801. With a long black table and two chairs, the room is very small and its “absolute silent” atmosphere really increases your focus and productivity. The WiFi connection on the eighth floor is consistently strong and you are free to use your phone. Unfortunately, over the past few years, more and more students know about this room and go there when they’re free. Nowadays, it is common for a student to head up to the eighth

floor and sadly see that the two seats in room 801 have already been taken. There are many other small rooms on the upper floors that are never being used by teachers or other staff. Therefore, like room 801, those rooms should also be open to students looking for quiet study spaces.

4. Let Us Pee! For some students, missing any part of class means potentially missing out on important notes and announcements. This explains why some people choose to use the bathroom between the end and start bells. But using the bathroom has become a terrible predicament, particularly for females, because of long lines. Why are female students waiting in line so long for the bathroom to the point when they are late for class and are forced to receive unwanted glares from their teachers? For one thing, seniors are often changing in the bathroom stalls. Part of this problem stems from the school’s inability to provide lockers for seniors, but the fifth floor locker rooms are still open!

Second, restrooms have become the new go-to place for Juuling and hanging out. Maybe it’s the urine-stained tiles or the discarded pad and tampon packaging that makes the last stall so inviting, but it’s been mind-boggling to witness not two, not three, but FOUR girls come out of the last stall after their daily prayer circle to the bathroom gods. The informal walk of shame is accompanied by the click-clack of high heels and fur coats as those waiting in line stare in disbelief. There are plenty of other places to gossip; don’t do it in a place designated for the disposal of bodily fluids and wastes.

5. Let Us Sit! It can be extremely frustrating for students when they’re sitting on a bench, doing nothing wrong and minding their business, then being asked by security guards to move.

According to security guards, the reason for this policy is that allowing anyone on the benches invites groups, which are loud and disrupt nearby class. We understand the importance of a quiet environment, but only groups, not students working silently, should be asked to move.

Because of limited library capacity and the volume of the second and half floor, quiet space to work is increasingly hard to find during frees at Stuyvesant, and these spaces are easy DOE-compliant compromises.

Students should be allowed to do homework, study, chat quietly with friends, or take a break after climbing up six flights of stairs.

We suggest that the administration lift this prohibition and allow students to sit on benches.

7: Let Us In! When students swipe out during their lunch and free periods, they’re not allowed back in until the start of the next period. This gives students five minutes to get to class, and if they need to stop by their lockers to store away their jackets or get to the 10th floor, they will be late. Students who go outside for lunch usually go nearby to Ferry’s or Terry’s at the beginning of the period, when lines aren’t as long. For the remainder of their time outside, they either have to wait on the bridge in the freezing cold or wander around Tribeca in the freezing cold. Another option is to go to Whole Foods, but by then, more than half of the period

would be over.

There are already two scanners, one for students swiping back in and one for those just arriving to school. This indicates to us that having multiple scanners provides the option to run multiple settings at once. We encourage the administration to provide more flexibility for students during their lunch and free periods.

8: Lab Setup: Do it for Ms. Petula Before students enter the chem lab to begin their assignments, Ms. Petula hurries to set up each station for the class. Considering the amount of spills, broken glasses, and messes that students can leave behind, it is a lot of work for one person to clean and set up these stations and materials multiple times a day. Though volunteers help speed up the process by cleaning and filling bottles, putting away supplies, and cutting squares of weighing paper, it is common to see Ms. Petula working alone to prepare every class’s labs. Very few students truly appreciate the work that must be done prior to and following their labs and don’t realize the amount of extra unnecessary work that a mess can create.

Therefore, students should make sure that after they finish a lab, they place things back where they came from and do their best to keep the chemistry lab clean. Do it for Ms. Petula.

9. Stop the Bathroom Invasions Unsatisfied with only 10 floors of building to patrol for rogue students using cellphones, members of the Stuyvesant administration have taken to entering bathrooms, hoping to catch students using their phones there. Not only is it ridiculous to search rooms reeking of urine for students cutting class—nobody would choose the bathroom of all places to relax or cut class—but it’s an invasion of reasonable student privacy. However foul they may be, the school’s bathrooms remain one of the few places where students are free from prying eyes and at a safe distance from teachers. It’s in everyone’s best interests to keep it that way. It’s time to stop the bathroom invasion.

11. Elevator Passes for Staff Teachers often brag about how it takes them less than a minute to run from the first to 10th floor and vice versa; however, many of them avoid using the stairs and escalators themselves during the hectic period changes and resort to using the elevators. Students require elevator passes from the nurse and get scolded if they don’t have it out by the time they step their foot in the elevator, even if the staff member clearly saw them running to catch the elevator. It already takes students long enough to have to wait for the elevators to arrive, but teachers add onto this by taking the elevators for one to three floors they could have easily walked or ridden the escalators for.

Students joke around whether the elevator is going to go “local” or “express,” depending on how many buttons are pressed. Some staff members are nice enough to wait until the period is over to use the elevators; however, this only pertains to a handful of teachers.

Students are only allowed to ride the elevators if they have an injury or a medical. The only exception should be for teachers with a class on the 10th floor. The continued on page 11

“The Pulse of the Student Body”

E D I TO R S

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The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 11

Opinions Melania Can Be a Powerful Ally for Immigration Advocates

By ELIZA SPINNA Melania Trump definitely did not sign up for this.

In fact, when she married Donald Trump in 2005, becoming the first lady was probably toward the bottom of the list of jobs she expected to take on, somewhere between high school teacher and nun. But so far, she’s actually taken the role in stride. In May, she launched her “Be Best” public awareness campaign, advocating against cyberbullying and opioid use, both noble and relevant causes. Following the dev-

astating hurricanes last year, Mrs. Trump visited Texas to meet with families suffering from the impact of Hurricane Harvey.

But one area where Melania has drawn criticism is her fashion choices. As a former model, she wears mostly designer pieces, some of which have been the subject of disapproving commentary. On a trip to visit a detention center for undocumented children, she famously wore a Zara parka with the words “I don’t really care, do u?” scrawled across the back. Perhaps the most tone-deaf was the white pith helmet she wore on a trip to a wildlife preserve in Kenya. The hat has a controversial colonialist history: it was widely used by European militaries throughout Africa and in India and became a popular sun hat for civilian Europeans visiting colonies in the 1930s. The accessory was widely panned, from Twitter to academia.

Matt Carotenuto, a historian and coordinator of African Studies at St. Lawrence University, compared the outfit to showing up on an “Alabama cotton farm in a confederate uniform.”

Fashion can be a powerful tool of expression for first ladies. Michelle Obama sported affordable styles that the average American woman could enjoy. And she com-

bined fashion with diplomacy by to discredit her successes. Focuspairing designers with countries ing on her fashion blunders ultiduring state dinners or trips; for mately undermines a potentially example, she wore clothes by powerful strategy for advocates Indian-American deof migrants who seek posigner Naeem Khan litical asylum and ecoto the India state nomic opportunity. dinner. She used Melania can be an her visibility ally to help divide to support aland conquer the lies across Trump adminthe world. istration’s antiShe purposeimmigration fully wore a policies. UnGucci gown like many Reto a dinner publican conthe same day gressmen and Italy voted other elected on a referenofficials who dum widely formerly esviewed as a poused posiv e rd i c t tions favoro n ing free Mattrade, t e o open Renzi, labor t h e markets, country’s and imSusannah Ahn / The Spectator progressive migration prime minister. reform, It’s an easy conclusion that Melania actually has the guts to Melania Trump should make an call out her husband. In June, reeffort to mirror her predecessor’s ferring to the Trump administrataste and awareness, because fash- tion’s “Zero Tolerance” immigraion choices do matter. tion policy under which children However, Melania’s fashion were separated from their parents, choices have been unwisely used Melania stated that she “hates to

see children separated from their families” and wants to see a more “successful immigration reform.”

It is very easy for Trump opponents to succumb to the temptation to demonize everyone associated with him, with his wife Melania being the person most closely connected to him. But Melania is an immigrant herself, and her heart is in the right place on this issue. Now is not a time for advocates of immigration to make an enemy of her. In fact, we can use all the allies we can get. And since Melania has the potential to bend her husband’s ear on the issue, it is a worthwhile move to weaponize her position by encouraging her to add her voice on the side of comprehensive immigration reform.

In January, Congress will be split: the Democrats will control the House of Representatives and Republicans will have an increased majority in the Senate. Any legislation passed by Congress will be the result of compromise and will need the support of the President.

Passage of a humane immigration bill is actually a possibility, especially if Melania is an advocate and an ally.

Keep The Colorblind High School Admissions Process Alive

By RACHEL JOH and BRIAN ZHANG Over these past few years, the term “Specialized High School Admissions Test” has appeared in just about every possible media and news outlet. On a smaller scale, it has sparked immeasurable tension among students, parents, and administration. On a larger scale, it has pitted minority groups against each other in a hysterical cry over institutional disparities and racism.

As current Stuyvesant students, we’ve continued to follow this debate closely and have come to realize that much of the discussion surrounding the “unfairness” of a test-based admissions system revolves around the idea that the students who are ultimately offered admission into specialized high schools are privileged and boast socio-economic advantages that propel them into the best schools. This is a misconception.

Though the average Asian family is traditionally seen by other ethnic groups as quite privileged, it is actually economically disadvantaged. When referencing

all demographic populations here at Stuyvesant, over 50 percent of students qualify for free lunch, with Asians making up much of this percentage. In fact, until 2015, there were more Asian Americans living in poverty in New York City than any other ethnic group.

Even so, parents seek out test preparation programs for their children, many of which cost hundreds and thousands of dollars, in order to give them the best possible chance of attending one of the specialized high schools.

None of these students is able to take the test as a comfortable backup plan—the stakes are high, and admission is not guaranteed for any of them.

Stuyvesant represents an equalizer of opportunity, but to take proactive steps that will reduce the number of seats that go to many Asian American (and Caucasian) students, especially under the guise that these students represent a privileged population among their peers, is misguided and ultimately punishes an entire demographic for their recent academic, if not socio-eco-

nomic, success.

This is not to say that the current admissions system is not without flaws. By using the experiences of accepted Stuyvesant students as a model, it is clear that one of the most important steps that Mayor de Blasio can take is to foster stronger work ethic, drive, and parental awareness of the test much earlier through structured and vetted test preparation programs that are free of charge.

We both have experience with preparing ourselves and others for the SHSAT. One of us (Brian) was a tutor for two students at the 53rd Street Branch Library over the summer; one was male and the other was female. The male student was constantly fidgeting and answering text messages on his phone. The female student came in with her mother and actually asked her mother to stay as they both asked questions about specialized high schools. Needless to say, her performance on practice tests far surpassed her male peer’s.

Another one of us (Rachel) participated in the DREAM pro-

gram, a free after-school program run by the Department of Education (DOE) that prepares seventh graders to take the SHSAT. While there was a population of motivated students who went home and received additional support from the parents to complete the assigned homework and take practice tests, after a few months, attendance of the program as a whole began dropping significantly.

Ultimately, the debate over the SHSAT does partly come down to the fact that some students are not academically prepared by their middle schools to earn admission to specialized high schools. But to then simply dismiss the issue as a whole, telling the DOE to just “reform the public education system from the ground up,” is dismissive and lazy.

There is something that parents of middle school students can do, even if they can’t afford to send their kids to private prep schools or the best middle schools: offer support at home. The difference between the students in the DREAM program who stayed and those who dropped out was

the fact that they had parents at home checking in on their progress, printing out free practice tests available online, and enforcing the discipline that is necessary for young students to prepare for such a big test. It’s important to remember that this discipline and motivation does not come naturally to most students who are preparing for the SHSAT—these students are only 13 or 14 years old.

Ultimately, we need to stop making assumptions that any one particular demographic has technical advantages that ensure admission to one of the eight specialized high schools. The majority of Stuyvesant’s current population is made up of immigrants and children of immigrants.

There are more students whose parents can’t speak English than students who can pay their way into private schools if they chose to do so. Stuyvesant as a whole doesn’t represent privilege; it represents sacrifice and dedication.

Small But Noble Causes continued from page 10

same rule should apply to staff members who abuse their authority of the elevators.

12. Unify Stuyvesant Sports Team names for Stuyvesant sports range from the Mimbas to the Sticky Fingers to the Lady Lobsters. At the recent girls’ volleyball city championship, Stuyvesant (team name: Vixens) defeated Hunter High School, the Hawks. Stuyvesant’s boys’ basketball team (team name: Runnin’ Rebels) will play Hunter on December 11. Hunter basketball’s team name is also the Hawks.

The list goes on and on. Save for the few teams named the Peglegs (baseball and football are two examples), the vast majority of

Stuyvesant teams have unrelated team names. At pretty much any other high school in America, this would be an atrocity.

Stuyvesant’s 32 varsity sports teams should be unified under one team name. It builds school spirit and creates a sense of camaraderie separate names do not. At the girls’ volleyball game, Hunter’s fans had chants they all knew because their Hawks team name is universal to the school. They are the Hunter Hawks. We are the Stuyvesant Peglegs/Greyducks/Vipers/Penguins and about 30 others. Deciding on a singular mascot for our school, be it the Peglegs or otherwise (Governors, anyone?), would create more school spirit at a place where that is severely lacking.

13. Fix The Soap Dispensers Nothing ruins a relieving visit

to the Juul room faster than the frantic one-two palm strike of trying and failing to unjam a blocked soap dispenser. If you’re not the type to worry about insignificant hygienic concerns such as these, then feel free to stop reading and instead utilize this paper as an adequate substitute for toilet paper.

If, however, you feel your hands burning with shame as you walk back into class and pick up your pencil with the same icky hand you Juuled with, skin crawling and smell wafting with every answer you bubble incorrectly, we’re glad we have your support. Seriously, it’s gross. And on a related note, to the demon that unravels all of the toilet paper and paper towel rolls in the sixth floor bathroom by the end of the day: one day you will have to pay for your sins.

14. One Headphone We can respect the requirement to take out our headphones out when entering the building, and we accept that classrooms are not an appropriate place for headphone use. The argument against being allowed to use headphones during lunch and free periods, as it has been explained to us by the deans, is a safety issue: students need to be able to hear in case a teacher calls for them. Therefore, the rule should allow for students to use a headphone in one ear if they are sitting down. This would enable students to listen to music and work on audio-based history and VHL homework during their free periods without interfering with the administration’s safety concerns. Furthermore, this concession would reduce the number of students playing music on ex-

ternal speakers, a hugely disruptive practice.

15. Dear Seniors We do not want a boring senator whom no one has heard of to speak at graduation. Graduation is painfully long and grueling without the boring senator or obscure keynote speaker. The Spectator proposes that we hire a Barack Obama impersonator as the senior class speaker. We recommend Number One Barack Obama impersonator Reggie Brown, and have reached out to Brown for a quote, though he has not responded. Having a Barack Obama impersonator as our speaker would be so much more entertaining and would garner an impressive legacy for the class of 2019.

The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 12

Opinions After the Midterms: What Comes Next?

By BRIAN MOSES

signaled an eagerness to do. Jerry Nadler, a Democrat who will lead the Congressional Judiciary Committee in January, said in an interview, “Donald Trump may not like hearing it, but for the first time, his administration is going to be held accountable.”

Seeing how they already control the House, Democrats will need to take back the presidency and the Senate to win control of government. President Trump actually has a fairly high chance of winning re-election in 2020; his approval rating has climbed by six percent over the past few months and is now only three percent below where Obama’s was in 2010.

Democrats’ two main choices for 2020 nominee are Joe Biden, Obama’s Vice President, and progressive Bernie Sanders. Joe Biden would be better suited to winning over vital white working-class voters in swing states that he and Obama won in 2008 and 2012 like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, which are especially important considering Democratic midterm losses in other swing states like Florida. Bernie Sanders, who is so ideologically left-leaning that he is not actually a member of the Democratic party, could turn off moderate Republican voters.

The tougher challenge for Democrats will be winning the 2020 Senate elections. After the midterms, the current Senate composition is 47-53 in favor of the Republicans. They are almost guaranteed to lose a seat held by Doug Jones in the deep red state of Alabama. To win even a 5050 majority (the Vice President breaks ties), Democrats would have to take four Republican-held seats in 2020. They have a shot at winning in Colorado and North Carolina, which elected Demo-

Dorothy Wang / The Spectator

What many politicians and media pundits have called “the most important election of our lifetime” took place on November 6. While the description is somewhat an exaggeration, it is true that the midterm elections have the potential to affect everything, from gun control to healthcare to immigration. The status of immigration and DACA, as well as addressing Obamacare and the protection of pre-existing conditions, were important campaign issues for candidates of both parties—issues that they will seek to address when they are sworn in in January.

The elections themselves were marked by the diversity and progressiveness of Democratic candidates. More women, people of color, and LGBTQ candidates ran than in any prior election. For Democrats, two campaign strategies were pioneered: running moderate candidates to attract Republican voters and running progressives to encourage those who wouldn’t otherwise have voted to do so.

Though progressives scored big victories in party primaries,

their performance in general elections against Republican candidates was lackluster. Progressives like Beto O’Rourke and Stacey Abrams made inroads in traditionally Republican states, Texas and Georgia respectively, but still lost. Moderate Democratic candidates were much more competitive in districts that were traditionally conservative.

With the 2018 elections over, Democratic strategists will turn their eyes toward winning the 2020 elections. For a party to have control of the government and be able to effectively pass laws, it needs to have control of the presidency, the House of Representatives, and the Senate.

When a party does, they can advance their legislative priorities.

From 2008 to 2010, the Democrats were able to pass Obamacare and an economic stimulus plan to combat the recession. From 2016 to 2018, Republicans cut taxes and reduced regulations.

But when a government is divided, the unfortunate reality of modern politics is that the opposition party wants to make the government as unproductive as possible. This is mostly an electoral strategy: a president’s odds of being re-elected are lower if the government doesn’t pass laws during his tenure. From 2010 to 2016, Republicans pursued this strategy of obstructionism, and it worked: they managed to win the Senate, House, and presidency in 2016.

Now that the Democrats have control of the House of Representatives, they will want to block President Trump’s legislative agenda. They should also launch investigations into the President’s tax returns, policy decisions, and potential Russian collusion— something that Democrats have

cratic governors in 2018. Their next closest targets are Maine and Iowa, but both would be very difficult to win considering the margins by which their current Republican senators won. Winning all four of those seats would be nearly impossible.

Democrats’ only realistic hope for winning the Senate is an economic recession, which might turn voters away from the Republicans. Two-thirds of economists predict that a recession will begin by the end of 2020, and the results of the election will hinge on whether this happens before or after election day.

Ultimately, the impact of the midterm elections is uncertain. In terms of legislation, the answer is not much. With Democrats controlling the House of Representatives, no significant bills are likely to pass. And Democratic investigations into Trump’s policies and business deals will be met with fierce backlash from Republicans.

As the Democrats seek to retake power in Washington, Capitol Hill will look less like a seat of government and more like a war zone.

Closing Loopholes in Sexual Harassment Law

By JULIAN GIORDANO

State laws need to be amended to change the way the statute of limitations applies to sexual harassment cases and the way the law qualifies harassment.

time has elapsed since the crime.

This and the way New York State law constitutes the purposes of harassment (of which “sexual pleasure” and “sexual gratification” are omitted), are the major legal impediments allowing Schneiderman to escape criminal charges.

In order to ensure that no one is able to escape the consequences of their crimes in the future, state laws need to be amended to change the way that the statute of limitations applies to sexual harassment cases and the way the law qualifies harassment.

In New York State—as in much of the U.S.—statutes of limitations for filing a lawsuit tend to vary between one to 10 years, with some cases having no statute of limitations at all.

For cases of rape, for example, the statute of limitations is nonexistent. On the other hand, the statute of limitations for assault or battery in Civil Court is one year from the incident and two or five years (depending on the evidence) in Criminal Court.

The most common argument for having short statutes of limitations is that they prevent a situation from arising in which the accused may no longer have in their possession the evidence necessary to defend themselves.

Another piece of reasoning for the statute of limitations implies that if a plaintiff had a valid case, they would pursue it as soon as possible, so the statute of limitations prevents fake or “scam”

Ka Seng Soo / The Spectator

Prosecutors have recently decided to not pursue criminal charges against former New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who was accused of physical abuse and sexual mis-

conduct by four women in early May. Only three hours after the accusations surfaced in an article published in The New Yorker, he resigned from his position.

After the accusations against Schneiderman were published, Governor Andrew Cuomo designated Madeline Singas, the Nassau County District Attorney, to investigate the case against him.

Following six months of investigation, Singas recently decided not to pursue charges against Schneiderman—but not because of a lack of witness credibility.

In a statement, Singas said, “I believe the women who shared their experiences with our investigation team; however, legal impediments, including statutes of limitations, preclude criminal prosecution.” The statute of limitations prevents charges from being filed once a certain length of

cases from happening. This line of reasoning is flawed, however, when it comes to rape and sexual assault and violence, for which there is often a tremendous amount of stigma for survivors to come forward. Having unlimited or lengthy periods of time for people to come forward with their accusations related to sexual violence is the fairest way of dealing with such cases; yet it is only for rape cases that the statute of limitations is unending.

This becomes problematic for cases such as that of Schneiderman, in which the accusations of some of the women he is said to have abused have expired due to a statute of limitations of only two or five years. As a result, Schneiderman is protected from charges that likely have enough evidence to convict him. continued on page 13

The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 13

Opinions Closing Loopholes in Sexual Harassment Law continued from page 12

Schneiderman isn’t the only person escaping charges due to statutes of limitations. Other notable examples include church leaders escaping charges for child sexual abuse allegations after The Boston Globe’s exposé in 2002 and Bill Cosby only receiving one charge of sexual assault after dozens of women came out against him. One very recent occurrence of this is seen in Harvey Weinstein, who was shielded from some of the many allega-

tions made against him in 2017.

What sets Schneiderman’s case apart from the examples above is that all of the women he abused were partners of his—already in an intimate relationship with him. This is a trend that is also seen at the national level, and according to the CDC, 51 percent of female victims of rape said they were raped by an intimate partner. This can often make it difficult for survivors to come out, as they can feel pressure from their partner to stay silent or might fall under the common misconception that perpetrators of sexual harassment can only

be strangers—not colleagues, friends, or family members. This contributes to rape and sexual harassment being heavily underreported, and the Department of Justice estimates that 63 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to the police.

Even when they are reported (and not reported past the statute of limitations), sexual harassment allegations tend not to fully fit legal definitions of harassment, especially in New York State, with some of the women abused

by Schneiderman. New York State law classifies harassment as slaps, shoves, or kicks with the

purpose of alarming or annoying the victim. This law lacks sexual gratification as a purpose in this list, and as a result, Singas cannot pursue certain charges against Schneiderman. Singas noted this in her statement and specifically recommended a policy change that would protect victims of sexual violence by making it illegal to hit, shove, slap, or kick someone without their consent for “the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification.” This proposal is common sense and is a necessary step toward making it easier for sexual harassment to be reported and brought to court. Unfortu-

nately, it is unlikely that it would pass in the New York Assembly and Senate with enough time for Schneiderman to be charged.

Hopefully, though, this case can become an example as to how crucial it is to change the way that laws deal with sexual assault and harassment cases, specifically in regards to the rights we afford survivors and to the atmospheres we create for survivors to speak out against perpetrators when bringing them to justice.

California is on Fire. Literally.

By KAYLEE YIN

As the utilization of fossil fuels continues to add more heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere and the impacts of climate change continue to be exacerbated, the state will not see a change anytime soon.

Jennifer Sun / The Spectator

As the hurricane season winds down and it remains too early for states to start issuing blizzard warnings, California’s destructive reputation of raging wildfires comes into focus.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, 16 of California’s top 20 most destructive fires ever recorded have occured between the fall months of September and November. At the very top of this list is the wildfire that has plagued northern California since November 8, wiping out the entire community of Paradise and reaching the ends of other cities. More than 10,000 structures have been left in ruins, and over 70 people have been killed so far from this fire alone—more than double the number of structures destroyed and mortalities recorded than the second ranking fire on the list.

There is certainly a correlation between the mark of fall fires and the mark of record-breaking fires in California. As the season coincides with the end of the state’s dry season, in which most cities receive less than 10 percent of their annual average precipitation, much of California’s vegetation quickly dries out.

However, the fires currently storming across the state are not

merely instances of the state’s yearly fires. With climate change at the root of rising temperatures and drier land, California is more vulnerable than ever to wildfires.

This past July through September were the state’s hottest recorded months in over 100 years.

According to NASA, ice cores taken from Antarctica, Greenland, and tropical mountain glaciers have revealed that the Earth’s climate reacts to alterations in greenhouse gas levels.

The evidence shows that global warming occurs about 10 times faster than it had after recovering from previous ice ages. These warmer temperatures and drier conditions simply make fires harder to put out, and they also cause an increase in insects that weaken or kill trees that build up fuel for fire.

Yet despite the statistics justifying the spike in wildfires, President Donald Trump has stated that “there is no reason for these massive, deadly, and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor.”

Additionally, so many lives have been lost due to these fires because of the “gross mismanagement of the forests,” he said.

Even after visiting California on November 17, Trump continued to repeat his view that forest management is the source of the massive wildfires. His view suggests that the state does not clean up after loggers who leave behind young trees and kindling, which are both very susceptible to fire.

Ultimately, Trump’s claim is misleading. While forest management does play a role in the spread of wildfires, the two major fires that are ripping through both ends of California—the Woolsey Fire in Ventura County, which is just west of Los Angeles in southern California, and the Camp Fire, which is raging across the northern part of the state—are not actually forest

fires. Both fires began at areas with wildlife vegetation that were within the vicinity of populated cities. These areas are known as the wildland-urban interface, and they make it easier for fire to transfer from grasslands into neighborhoods.

In addition, Trump mentioned that there would be no more federal payments made to the state if it did not fix its wildfire issue. His statement indicates that California’s forests are not federally held. Brian Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters, noted that Trump’s assertion is completely wrong, as federal agencies hold and manage more than 50 percent of California’s forests.

Meanwhile, only a mere three percent are actually controlled by state and local agencies. Thus, because of the great amount of land owned by the federal government, spending on forestry has been reduced in recent years.

In the meantime, while people begin to realize that climate change is behind the unprecedented fires burning across California, action needs to be taken to plan for the future of the state.

California has to begin making its communities more resis-

tant to the wildfires that the state is so prone to. According to the Sacramento Bee, the 21 fires in 2017 cost taxpayers over $1 billion a year and will take over 67 percent of the Forest Service’s budget by 2025. Of this 67 percent, $700 million will be taken from non-fire related programs like maintaining hiking trails.

While the state does need the funding to recover from these wildfires, it ultimately needs to be more proactive than reactive.

One approach to the situation is to implement building regulations that require more fireresistant materials, like tile roofs on structures in areas that are the most susceptible to damage from fire. The state needs to mandate that houses be built farther apart from each other and that they are built according to the latest building codes as well.

Californians also need to be more aware of where they choose to build their homes. If people continue to sprawl into areas within the wildland-urban interface, more lives and property will be at risk. However, for those already living in the interface, stronger alert systems and evacuation plans should be developed.

This includes designating sub-

urban communities and cities as high-risk fire zones if they are vulnerable.

In the end, more than just changing the way communities in California are constructed, the state needs to focus on preventive measures that will reduce global warming in the long run. The USDA reported that in the western U.S., an average annual one degree Celsius increase would raise the median burned area by 600 percent every year in certain forests. Therefore, if California continues to increase its use of greenhouse gases, much of its land will simply be left in debris.

For now, California is left to grieve over the 100,000 acres of land and multiple lives that have been lost due to the fires. When the wildfire season comes to an end, California must take part in precautionary changes to reduce the number of fires in upcoming years. Most importantly, the state must endeavor in the international effort to reduce the use of greenhouse gases. As the use of fossil fuels continues to add more heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere and the impacts of climate change continue to be exacerbated, the state will not see a change anytime soon.

Page 14

The Spectator â&#x2014;? November 30, 2018

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The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 15

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The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 16

Arts and Entertainment An Overly Ambitious Homage—Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria”

Film

By Jiahe Wang Witches and murders might not seem like a likely inspiration for many, but for director Luca Guadagnino, they were the very muse for his film: a remake of the 1977 cult classic “Suspiria,” one that manages to be drastically different from the original. According to Guadagnino, the Italian horror movie has greatly influenced his filmmaking career since he first watched it at the tender age of 14. Yet his creation is far from a simple remake; the new “Suspiria” departs from the original and is refreshing in its creativity. However, Guadagnino’s sky-high ambitions ultimately result in a try-hard film that is at once pretentious and contrived.

Set in Cold War era Germany, an American girl Susie (Dakota Johnson) arrives in Berlin to study at the renowned Markos Dance Academy.

Soon she finds out that the owners of the academy are affiliated with occult magic as several mysterious deaths occur. As the fates of the main characters gradually become interwoven, a dark secret surfaces.

The plot line is extremely dreamlike, with a complex nonlinear narrative following several different characters: Patricia (Chloe Grace Moretz), Dr. Klemperer (Tilda Swinton), and the Three Mothers (one of which is also played by Swinton, under heavy prosthetic makeup). The movie is filled with obscure symbolism, often referencing mythology, history, and broader themes such as femininity and melancholy.

The most obvious difference between the original and remake is

the shift of focus from style to substance. Dario Argento’s 1977 film is more focused on visual storytelling: it is a bold symphony boasting expressionist sets and exploding with garish neon colors. It dazzles and shocks the viewers with creative usage of lighting juxtaposed with horrifying gore.

Contrasting with that is Guadagnino’s take on the film—a mesmerizing fever dream that is much

as beautiful.

This ambiguity is echoed in the deliberate pace of the film as well.

The plot is taken almost verbatim from the original “Suspiria.” Yet Guadagnino attempts to incorporate his take on relevant issues such as matriarchy, the cruelty of war, and strong bonds between women (al-

Adrianna Peng / The Spectator

more ominous than shocking. Guadagnino abandons the pulp and glam aesthetic and creates a minimalist world with muted colors that is just

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though somewhat inelegantly). We get a sense of the historical context of the narrative through the constant radio announcements about

Television

By Miranda Lepri Netflix’s “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” a TV adaptation of the comic based on the Archie franchise, dropped a couple weeks ago. The series, comprised of 10 hour-long episodes, follows teenage girl Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka). Half mortal and half witch, Sabrina is told to choose between the two worlds on her 16th birthday, and season one chronicles the chaos as she tries to balance her loyalty to both.

Right off the bat, it’s hard to get a sense of what the show is going for. At times it feels like an attempted Rosemary’s baby-esque supernatural horror, but it reads more like “Charmed.”

The gore and violent scenes are overdone.

It’s more laughably cringey than it is scary or sexy, the production value of the show not nearly high enough to justify it reaching for a really frightening premise.

It’s written similarly to Riverdale— essentially a soap opera—with the dialogue stiff and often overdone. That doesn’t stop the series from continuing to push the horror angle though, with frequent cameos from “Satan,” a goat-headed creature that’s more ridiculous than fear-

Red Faction Army bombings and the traumatic experiences of Dr. Klemperer’s wife in a WWII prison camp. However, these details are contrived and forced, adding nothing to the important themes of the film. Things are left unexplained, never mentioned again in the plot.

Instead, Guadagnino pays almost obsessive attention to verbose details, allusions, and seemingly unrelated exposition, leaving the entire film overstuffed yet fragmented— it is hard to understand what the director is trying to get at under multiple layers of pretentious references.

However, there are several things that stand out from the blandness of the movie. As “Suspiria” is a film about dance, the motif of the body in motion is emphasized. This is characteristic of the cinematographer, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, whom Guadagnino had worked with for his 2017 movie “Call Me By Your Name.”

In one of the most memorable scenes, Susie first performs as the lead dancer in front of her instructors. Her jagged movements resemble those of the legendary modern dancer Pina Bausch—her limbs twisting into expressive knots as if in pain, her hair flying in all directions to rhythmic

and explosive bolts of energy. This is juxtaposed with the image of another student of the dance academy dancing herself to death due to a spell cast by the witches. Here we finally see some pure body horror that did not appear in the first half of the movie: the student’s ribs are violently dislocated as she bumps into walls during her dance, bodily fluids gush out from her orifices as she becomes increasingly mutilated—all the while Susie freely improvises in the dance studio.

Another highlight of the film is the soundtrack by Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke. The original “Suspiria” is scored by Italian progressive-rock band Goblin, featuring a rich mix of clashing styles that makes the film all the more unsettling. So it seems quite natural for Guadagnino to commission Thom Yorke for his entirely different cover version. Yorke’s angsty falsetto voice suits the cold and gloomy setting of the movie. The dissonance of “The Inevitable Pull” is hypnotic and ominous as it accompanies Susie’s painful dance about rebirths. Near the end of the movie, as Dr. Klemperer walks home after witnessing all the bloody horror, the evocative “Suspirium” theme starts playing, giving us a sense of resolution plus a hint of unsettled melancholy.

“Suspiria” takes on a formidable goal in trying to create a new interpretation from its original film, but in several ways, it fails to deliver. But despite it seeming somewhat forced, Guadagnino still manages to put some new magic into his contemporary reimagination of a classic.

Sabrina Loses Her Magic inspiring.

The show also tries to take on the sexism of the original comic by turning Sabrina into a feminist superhero, which pretty much falls flat. The portrayal of Sabrina and her friends’ feminist crusade is entirely cliché, and it feels much more like a commodification of dissent than an actual feminist message. There’s no nuance or dimension; the girls take on a blatantly sexist principal with n o character development, without satisfying resolution.

Other than that, the femi-

Susu Tran / The Spectator

nist group Sabrina started doesn’t do much of anything aside from making long inspiring speeches. The plotline is so underdeveloped that it can’t be taken seriously; it’s not portrayed as an actual passion of Sabrina’s, but rather as just another manifestation of her superhero-esque sense of justice, which doesn’t do the show any favors.

There are a few bright spots in the series. Shipka is, as always, charming on screen, gifting Sabrina an intelligence that’s definitely not written into the show. There are moments when the viewer genuinely connects with Sabrina. She’s played with a sincerity that’s appealing, even when the script falls short. Sabrina’s aunts, Hilda (Lucy Davis) and Zelda (Miranda Otto), are another highlight, their dysfunctional relationship a source of much needed comic relief when the show gets too heavy or self-righteous.

Still, this isn’t enough to save the series from itself.

Though the idea is appealing, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” just can’t master the balance that its predecessors have—such as shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where dark humor balances out a genuine serious undertone.

“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” doesn’t quite reach the threshold for a really fear-inspiring show. Instead it comes off like any other soap: amusing, but not quite memorable.

The Spectator ● November 16, 2018

Page 17

Humor These articles are works of fiction. All quotes are libel and slander.

By ABDULLA ELKHADRAWY and VICTOR KUANG

Have you ever wanted to grab a quick bite to eat after studying for that Quantum test you just took?

Fortunately for you, Victor and I have spent time visiting fine restaurants INSIDE Stuy. If you visit these places, make sure to take a pic of you enjoying the amazing food and tweet @StuyFoodJuuls; one lucky winner will get a gift card to one of these places where they can eat free of charge!

(This article is sponsored by the Health and Physical Education department.)

Juul Rooms Ever wanted to go to a luxury resort, but you didn’t have the money to do so? Luckily for you, you can go to the Juul Rooms! The state-of-theart Juul Rooms include stalls, sinks, and, if you’re in a maledesignated room, really weird looking sinks that are stuck to

By OLIVER STEWART As Black Friday nears, the Stuyvesant community is preparing for its biggest event of the year—the annual deanhosted Juul sale.

To boost funding for the lackluster PTA fundraiser and to fund the purchase of new furniture for the Juul lounges every year, the deans sell confiscated Juuls back to students for $50 each, according to Dean Ryan Malone, whose name has been changed in this article to respect his wish to remain anonymous.

“It’s a huge deal,” Malone said. “And the crowd is incredible. Imagine the annual wildebeest migration, except the wildebeests are children seeking a nicotine fix, and then you can picture what it’s like.

We often turn a profit of over $10,000.”

When asked about a poten-

Stuyvesant’s Finest Cuisinaries

the middle of the wall and have a ton of Juul pods in them! If you’re lucky, there may even be benches or a picture of Dean Vasken Choubalarian smiling at you with approval! Such luxury comes with almost unlimited choices. Not only can you do odd business (we frankly don’t want to know) in peace, but like any typical self-respecting resort, it also comes with many treats at your disposal! For example, why use lead-contaminated fountains when you can hydrate from the sinks of the Juul Rooms instead? In addition to the great tasting water, if you’re lucky, there might be free Juul pods of any flavor on the ground at your disposal! There is a Juul Room on every floor, but it is always busy with people chatting it up and getting their fix. The Juul Room above the Senior Bar is the best social space at school. You will never feel lonely there.

Rating: 5/5 stars

SU Room

The Student Union (SU) room serves as the evil lair of corrupt young dictators. This is the site of many contraband items mere Stuyvesant plebeians are deprived of. As a result, it is no surprise that the SU room has a bunch of tasty morsels and embezzled snacks.

Snacks available in this room often include pretzels and chips that Ms. Pedrick bought too many bags of, expired fruit snacks, and discount Halloween candy. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for average students to get in, and those who are caught (like the guy using the medicinal herbs a few months ago) will be locked up in the janitor’s broom closet.

Rating: 4/5 stars Science Labs Freshmen, you guys are really lucky because y’all have to take biology! Sure, this might be the most boring science thanks

to the mind-numbing memorization involved, but few people know that dissections are juggernauts of the restaurant industry. Dissections are some of the only chances where you’ll be able to sample exotic foods like earthworm hearts and pig brains. So who cares if people look at you with bewildered stares? They haven’t tried this stuff yet, so if anything, they’re the ones who should be judged!

But let’s say you’re a vegetarian and/or you’re not taking any biology courses. Fortunately, the chemistry department offers very delightful beverages such as acetylsalicylic acid (HC9H7­O4) that can quite literally quench your thirst forevermore. Though teachers advise not to drink it, they simply do not want students getting their sacred drinks for free.

Unfortunately, the physics department provides no nourishment. However, you can try to cook something during an electricity lab! Who cares about you getting a large percent er-

Black Friday Juul Sale

tial conflict of interest, Malone was quick to dispel any such notions. “Of course the deans hate vaping and the tobacco industry and all that stuff,” he exclaimed. “However, we’re also underpaid government employees with unfulfilling jobs, so morals come second to cutting a profit. No question.”

He then proceeded to take a hit on a Juul and cough loudly to prove how much he hated vaping.

An independent investigation led by The Spectator calculated that Stuyvesant spends approximately $36 a week on maintaining the escalators and paying the McDonald’s across the street $11 a month to use any leftovers in the school lunch, meaning monthly expenditures are approximately $155. Having made this realization, we asked Malone about where the rest of the $10,000 from the sale go every year.

“That’s simple!” he replied.

“$35 go to the PTA, $50 go to Carol from Ms. Pedrick’s office, $7,500 go to new couches in

“Imagine the annual wildebeest migration, except the wildebeests are children seeking a nicotine fix.”

—“Ryan Malone”, dean

each of the Juul lounges, and the rest goes to buying me a new phone. When all you do is sit around looking at a pile

of confiscated phones and cackling all day, you get jealous sometimes. And sure, I keep one now and then, but it’s just not enough!”

We also approached some self-identified attendees of last year’s sale and asked them about how the sale itself worked. “It’s not rocket science,” junior Patrick Vee scoffed. “You go to the dean’s office after 10th with $50 in unmarked cash or via a check made out to Governor Andrew Cuomo, pay for the Juul, and get back a Juul with at least one pod that the deans probably fished out from a urinal. Then you leave and take obvious hits on it nonstop until the deans take it away again the next day.”

Other veterans of the sale challenged Vee’s simple view of things. “There are a lot of complications involved,” sophomore Andrea Kopski indignantly informed us. “For one, a lot of kids will pay and then

ror that will make Dr. Majewski weep? The important thing is to keep your diet healthy so you can barely survive another day!

Rating: 5/5 stars Any Room With A Chalkboard So what’s so important about rooms with chalkboards? Not only are they a really stereotypical teacher nuance, but chalk also actually has a really important mineral: calcium. That’s right, the same stuff that makes your bones strong is found in a common school object. Think about it: there are literally tons of chalk at Stuyvesant. Consuming all of it will mean a great increase in calcium, which means stronger bones, which means you can flex more easily! Coupled with the fact that the powder looks like sugar, chalk is a great, tasty way to support physical health!

Rating: 3/5 stars

receive a ballpoint pen which was taken away by a teacher who mistook it for a Juul,” she said. “After that, when you try to leave, it’s impossible to find your way through a haze of mango-flavored smoke. Last year, I walked into the pool twice before I found the emergency exit and set off the fire alarm!”

For those looking for a Black Friday bargain, the deans’ Juul sale might be the spot for you!

With its romantic, misty ambiance and unbeatable bargains on nicotine addictions, the Juul sale is absolutely an unmissable event for those of all interests, and it is probably a more ethical pastime than terrorizing paid retail workers on Black Friday.

Malone also pointed out that for those interested, the sale will be held on Friday, November 23 in room 103 and recommended that we also check out the scanning machines’ fake ID sale on December 3.

How To Get Adopted By A Rich Manhattan Mom

By CHRISABELLA JAVIER

So, here you are. Stressed, depressed, and dangerously low on cash. While I certainly cannot help you with the first two, I can help with the third. “How?” you may ask. Well, it is an easy solution that can be accomplished in as little as four steps. Soon, you’ll be going from having mental breakdowns in a school hallway to having mental breakdowns in a luxurious resort. I’m Chrisabella Javier, and this is How To Get Adopted By A Rich Manhattan Mom. STEP 1: Locate the mom.

You know the kind. The woman whose husband works on Wall Street and whose kids are presidents of their pre-school debate team, captains of the varsity mini-golf team, and regularly go out to luncheons at the Harvard Country Club. You need to be able to find a mom in order to begin. Figure out a way to make contact with them. Suggestions include:

Jump up and down in front of the entrance to P.S. 89 and bother women with small children. Make sure you’re not screaming at the nannies. That’s just going to be awkward. To help you distinguish between them, Rich Manhattan Moms are reliably white, on their phones, and look like Century 21 mannequins. Nannies are usually overworked, underpaid women of color. (If you see a Filipino woman with a tiny blond boy with Google glasses and/or a tiny blond girl who likes pigs and scamming people of their money, that’s my real mom. Say hi to her for me!)

Walk around Tribeca dressed as a mysterious someone from their past. When they come up to you, shocked as they believed they left you to die in the river, make your move.

Buy a plane with a huge banner reading “TALK TO ME IF YOU ARE RICH PLEASE.” Have it fly over Manhattan.

Or, if you’re boring, you could peddle yourself as a SHSAT tutor for her kids.

STEP TWO: Give her a reason.

Of course, she’s not going to adopt some dumb teen off the street without a reason. So you gotta intrigue her. Try: Giving her a sob story. And when I say sob, I REALLY mean sob. Make up a crazy story about how your real parents died in a drunken car crash off a bridge along with your five brothers in the foreign country you come from. You learned English through memes and found a way to make it to America through being asked to study your incredibly unique anxiety. Rich white women are into the performative support of immigrants these days.

Kiss up to her. Again, you gotta really exaggerate what you do.

No homemade cards; blackmail the effing Rockettes to perform a song and dance number handwritten by you. Blackmail a five star restaurant’s cooking staff to make her the most elaborate, beautiful meal ever conceived by mankind for free. If blackmail doesn’t

work, you can always take advantage of America’s lax gun laws to get a cheap gun and threaten her . Remember, you’re trying to get that Hamptons house.

STEP THREE: Establish dominance.

You will not be the only person in her life. If you want to get adopted and get that bread, you gotta be the main person in her life. Here’s how: She’s most likely got a spouse.

Knowing the demographic, they are working in financial stuff. If you’re anything like me, you have absolutely no knowledge about how money works. Luckily, you can easily establish dominance by looking them straight in the eye and saying vaguely economic stuff like “TAXES,” “CAPITAL,” and “BANKS.” If she’s got a dog, carry around a strip of bacon. That will make the dog elated and definitely ready to do whatever the hell you want it to. In the case that her dog is a crazy dog that does nothing but bark and bite at you, you can

use the fact that they want meat as an excuse. No matter how the dog reacts toward you, throw the meat at its head. This way, she will always think the dog trusts you and will definitely favor you.

T-Pose on her eight-year-old kids in order to assert your dominance over them. In the unlikely chance that it doesn’t work, you must challenge them to a battle royale. This is very risky—these kids are good. They literally have Fortnite tutors.

STEP FOUR: Make her sign the adoption form.

If all has gone well in the last three steps, she will generously sign these forms. If she refuses, then repeat steps one through four with a different mom.

So, if you have successfully accomplished all of these steps, then congratulations! You’re living the good life with a Rich Manhattan Mom! Goodbye to being broke and depressed in your bedroom. Hello to being RICH and depressed in Morocco!

The Spectator ● November 16, 2018

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The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 19

Sports Girls’ Table Tennis

Girls’ Gymnastics

The Peglegs Look to Reclaim Division The Felines Look to Build Title With Young, Talented Team On Last Year’s Highs

By ISABEL LEKA and KAITLYN DUONG

After losing in the first round of playoffs last season, Stuyvesant’s girls’ varsity table tennis team, the Peglegs, look to reassert their dominance in Division I after falling to Millennium High School last season and finishing second.

Millennium finished with a perfect 10-0 regular season record while the Peglegs ended 8-2, with both losses coming at the hands of Millenium.

The introduction of a new coach, Mr. Emilio Nieves, and major changes in their lineup will now be deciding factors in the fate of the team.

Though the Peglegs did not lose any seniors, they will have to adjust after two of their seven starting players, sophomores Palak Srivastava and Alyssa Yoo, have decided to leave the team. Srivastava and Yoo, who played first doubles and second doubles, respectively, have decided to sit out this season due to personal reasons. Both players gave the team high hopes for the upcoming season with their fresh talent. Their losses will be difficult to overcome.

However, despite the loss of these two critical players, the Peglegs remain hopeful due to the strong pool of underclassmen. Senior and co-captain Allison Eng still believes the team has fight left in it. “A new player, [freshman] Madison Cheng is on the girls’ tennis

team along with [sophomore] Lolita Rozenbaum. They already have team chemistry and will play together, with Cheng replacing those who weren’t able to come back. Also, our top three singles, [senior and co-captain] Katherine Lee, sophomore Kasey Chen], and I all returned this year with fresh minds and experience

The young team under the leadership of Eng, Lee, and Coach Nieves will hopefully revert the Peglegs back into the playoff contenders they were two seasons ago. from last year,” Eng said.

The Peglegs will also have to adjust to a new coach.

Former coach Eric Wisotsky made the decision to retire after three years of coaching the Peglegs in order to spend more time with his family. This

season, the team will enter the season with Nieves.

Nieves has prepared the team with more structured practices that will help the team’s inability to close out games. While their two losses were a result of 5-0 games, points were often determined by the fifth game. The team had the potential to go undefeated, but players often froze under pressure. Nieves has the players return balls from a ball machine repeatedly for muscle memory on a variety of shots.

He has also helped the players learn different techniques and strategies by watching videos. In the past, the team has been a championship team, but since then the team’s improvement has been stagnant while other teams in their division have drastically improved.

Hopefully, Nieves’s input and new practice regime can help the team move past that plateau.

The young team under the leadership of Eng, Lee, and Nieves will hopefully revert the Peglegs back into the playoff contenders they were two seasons ago. Wins (or at least a split) against Millennium High School will be crucial if the Peglegs hope to reclaim the division crown. “Playing the top talent of other schools last year gave all of us a lot of experience, so hopefully with new drills and structure practice regime, we will all do a lot better this year,” Eng said.

By ELIAS FERGUSON and AKI YAMAGUCHI

The Felines, Stuyvesant’s girls’ gymnastics team, will hope the upward trend exhibited last year will hold and will try to build upon their personal score record of 106.25, which they set in the PSAL City Championships last year.

After finishing in fifth place despite doing their best, their aim this season is to place above Bronx/Manhattan division rival Bronx High School of Science, which narrowly defeated the Felines in both matchups last season.

Last season, the Felines saw an overall increase in performance, having a solid season with 13 wins and a couple losses, most at the hands of Bronx Science. However, the team is confident that they will be able to recoup their losses this year, seeing that Bronx Science lost one of their strongest athletes, a senior who was a level eight gymnast.

This season, the team is “hoping to outscore them with her leaving,” senior and captain Lee-Ann Rushlow said.

Last season’s success was built off of the skilled leadership of three captains—two seniors who have since graduated and Rushlow. These three captains brought the team together and helped the members forge a close bond that will be crucial in this season’s charge for the championship.

With only the two senior captains graduating, the Fe-

lines’ roster remains mostly intact. Though Anna Pacheco (‘17) had a big role on the team as one of the co-captains, coach Vasken Choubaralian is optimistic about the approaching season. “I’m very positive and hopeful for the upcoming season because [though] I really only lost one significant gymnast, I gained another gymnast who is a freshman who’s even better than Anna.”

He is referring to freshman Agatha Nyarko, who is a level eight gymnast and is able to do saltos, advanced flips in the air, in her floor routines. Rushlow and sophomore Naomi Kanna are the only returning members of the team able to do saltos.

With these skilled gymnasts, Choubaralian’s goals for the team are higher than previous years. A specific area he hopes to improve in is the vault, a weak spot last year, and he hopes to score higher in competitions as a whole.

Last season, the Felines consistently hit averages of about 27 points in vaulting, and this year, they will aim to consistently hit the heights they reached in the City Championship—32.10.

When asked which gymnasts would be critical to success this season, Choubaralian named seniors Ruslow, Leah Rosenthal, and Xinyue Nam, sophomores Anya Zorin and Kanna, and freshman Nyarko as some of the critical players who will shoulder much of the burden this season.

Girls’ Track

Greyducks Look to Soar in Upcoming Season

By ARYAN SHARMA and BERNARD WANG

Stuyvesant’s girls’ varsity indoor track team, the Greyducks, are already powering full steam ahead for the start of their upcoming winter season. New athletes and veterans alike are anticipating the frosty months, ringing in another year of one of the most decorated sports at Stuyvesant. As they are retaining many athletes who ran for the cross country team in the fall, the Greyducks are eager to put their experience to the test.

The girls have historically dominated the rest of Manhattan in a variety of events, albeit a tough season last year. Instead of focusing only on the Borough Championships, they are now setting their sights on the Mayor’s Cup, City’s, and State’s.

Last year for the Greyducks was one with many highs but also some lows. Even though the team performed decently, they didn’t live up to the reputation the Greyducks have held over their division for the past few years. The only meet they placed at was the Manhattan Borough Championships, which they have consistently won in the past. The team failed to place at the Mayor’s Cup and didn’t qualify for the State Championships either. A reason why the team didn’t do as well wasn’t due to the Grey-

ducks’ lack of preparation, but actually due to an unexpected growth in opponent schools.

“Competition like Cardozo and Millennium High Schools got exponentially better, and we weren’t able to improve as much,” junior Ester Suleymanov said. However, there were still some small victories, as the Greyducks performed well for their borough, especially on the track, and two people did qualify for the State races individually. “Even though we placed sixth, one of our newest members, [freshman] Alicia Yu, is rising through varsity and will definitely be someone to look out for. Sophomore Jessica Kwok improved by a minute and a half from last year’s cross country season,” said Suleymanov, exuding positivity.

Though last years season wasn’t as exciting in terms of victories, every athlete on the team is expected to learn from all of their experiences.

The team’s roster has changed a lot from last season when they said a tearful goodbye to seniors. However, new underclassmen came in to join the team. “Our team has changed a lot in that many of the new members last year have really become much more confident in their skills and are going to be coming into the season very strong. Our newest members are very exciting,

and it’s always amazing being able to watch new runners experience the ups and downs of track. Many runners are going to be testing out their distances to find their events, but coming off of cross country, many are ready,” said junior Liza Reizis, explaining the changes. With most of the runners on the indoor track team also part of the cross country team, the Greyducks are given less than a week between the two seasons, so efficient practices and preparation are key.

The athletes know what is required of them to perform at the best of their abilities and also know that there is potential to improve and expand beyond their limits. The Greyducks are known for their rigorous practice schedules, which are vital to their successes throughout the season. They are looking forward to daily practices specialized for each member based on their respective event. Long distance runners, sprinters, and field athletes will have practices specifically geared toward their needs. Additionally, the team is split into three groups based on their times to make sure everyone is properly integrated into the system: developmental, junior varsity, and varsity. Though the girls have began their preparation, the weeks before the start of the season are also a time for experimentation. “Our

coach wants people, especially new members of the team, to try out different events,” junior Jing Su said. This approach will help the newbies learn their strengths and eventually close

“Even though we weren’t able to place at cities last year, we leave the season with big hearts, goals, grit, and ambition to perform even better for our upcoming season.”

—Jing Su, junior. the gap between the faster and slower runners of the team.

Many of the newest members of the team are ready to take off their training wheels from the fall.

The Greyducks are excited for a bounce-back year. Many of them are grateful that indoor season is finally here, with snow already falling in autumn!

One goal the team has is to not only improve the runners with the best times, but also develop newer runners into fully trained athletes. “For our team, I really hope we see our team consistently getting better and really closing any gaps between our fastest runners and our developmental girls,” Reizis said.

Each athlete has their personal goals in mind as well. “We’re really proud of our borough championship streak, so we’re going to do our best to uphold the tradition. For me personally, I’m excited to set some new PRs in the 3000-meter and 1500-meter runs and battle some fierce competition within our own team and our rivals,” she said.

As much as track and field is a team sport, it is also a very individual sport, with girls even competing against their own teammates. This individualism can provide motivation to do even better, which will overall help the team place at more meets. Their drive, along with the enthusiasm and love they have for the sport, will help the Greyducks come back stronger than before. “Even though we weren’t able to place at cities last year, we leave the season with big hearts, goals, grit, and ambition to perform even better for our upcoming season,” Su said.

Page 20

The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Sports Athlete Profile

I Like Big Punts and I Cannot Lie: An Interview with Tim Marder my team are at the peak. I’m confident that we will swiftly progress through the playoff stages until we reach the big bucks: the Championship.

4. How does the school’s view of the team affect you and/or your teammates?

Zoraiz Irshad / The Spectator

We’ve always been seen as the underdog team, especially in recent years. Additionally, it’s always been hard for us to find support among our own peers as they talk more smack than our opposing teams. It was rough showing up to school after game day and having to deal with classmates and teachers mocking us. However, their remarks only pushed us to get better as all we could think about [was] shutting our haters up.

By ALLISON ENG

Name: Tim Marder Grade: 12 Height: 5’11” Hair color: Brown Eye color: Blue/Green DOB: Jan 20, 2001 1. How did you start playing football?

I’ve never pictured myself playing football before high school. I had a negative view of the sport and believed that it was stupid. However, during my freshman year, I befriended many members of the team, who encouraged me to try it out. I attended Spring Ball, the football pre-season during May, and found myself enjoying the sport. I joined for my first official season in [the] August before my sophomore year, which is where it all began.

2. Do you play football outside of school?

Though my teammates and I do not officially play tackle football outside of school, we tend to get together sometimes in the off-season after school on Fridays and scrimmage against each other. Additionally, many of us go to Pier 40 during school breaks to get some extra practice.

3. What are your aspirations for this PSAL season?

Coming back from two consecutive, poor seasons, our desire [to win] games is higher than ever. We recognized the aspects that needed work for us to become a dominating team.

Fortunately, we finished our regular season with an 8-1 record, totaling more wins than in the last [three] years combined. My standards for me and

5. What’s the funniest thing that has happened while you’ve been on the team?

This year during our home game against A. Philip Randolph [High School], one of our defensive linemen, [junior] Evan Wong, recovered a fumble from the other team. However, either being really uncoordinated or lacking knowledge of the game; he [started] running the wrong way after picking the ball up. The other team honestly shouldn’t have tackled him and [should have] let him run it all the way back to our own end-zone.

6. Which of your teammates is the funniest?

It’s obviously me.

7. Proudest moment?

After this year’s Homecoming game, I truly realized how

thankful I am for being a part of this team. It felt good to win game after game, but I never actually thought about how all of this is the result of hard work. This past off-season has been one of the most productive in Pegleg history. The number of players hitting the weight room and grinding on the field on their own will is higher than ever before. I’m proud of all my teammates, and I know that we undoubtedly deserved every single win.

8. How do you balance schoolwork and being on a team? What advice can you give others?

Practices after school and commute take up around [three] hours, which can be used for homework. However, playing football increases my productivity. I find it difficult to do work if I go home right after school since there’s nothing in between that helps me relax. Football is great because I get to have fun with my close friends and relieve stress from a long school day. So if anyone is hesitant to join a sports team because they worry about managing time, I can assure [them] that the little break between school and homework helps a great deal with productivity.

9. How do you try to constantly improve yourself ?

Football is an intensive and physically demanding contact sport, so there are many ways in which my teammates and I had to prepare in the off-season. Lifting weights is a big part of improving for football, as it not only makes us stronger and faster, but also allows our bodies to handle big hits. Each player knows their weaknesses, so they know what specifics need

work. I joined Stuy[vesant]’s track team last year because I recognized my speed [was] my weakness. Thanks to that decision, my playing style improved dramatically.

10. What will you miss most about being on the team?

My teammates and I consider each other family, which is what we love most about being on this team. I can assure anyone that I’ve formed the strongest bonds with the group of people I play football with, and they will continue to get stronger even after our last football season is over. The friendships that are created on this team are incredibly remarkable and last a lifetime. Though we will continue to talk and hang out, playing such an amazing game together will be missed.

11. Who is your biggest role model/inspiration?

Ever since I was very young, nothing was ever just given to me. My father has always been very strict and [has] the highest standards. If I ever wanted something, my father would make me work for it one way or another. This mentality helped me a lot with both football and everyday life. Though my father no longer tells me what to do, the lessons I’ve learned have been ingrained into me, and I took over his role in pushing myself to work my hardest to achieve robust outcomes.

Choice drink: Arizona Favorite food: Sushi Motto to live by: “Dreams don’t work unless you do.”

Fun fact: I weigh as much as the average NFL receiver, so say wassup.

Girls’ Swimming

By DAMIAN WASELIWICZ and KEVIN CHAN

Following a regular season that saw them go undefeated in the Bronx/Manhattan A Division, the Stuyvesant Penguins, the girls’ varsity swimming team, emerged from their playoff season holding onto their title of City Champions. After the dominant six-year stretch of six consecutive championships, followed by a three-year drought, the Penguins finally reclaimed their title last season. This year’s victory against Brooklyn Technical High School on November 7 began a new championship streak.

Senior and co-captain Maia Brydon indicated that the team was initially concerned going into their playoff season. The team was missing several important swimmers going into their first meet. “I think the biggest challenge we faced was probably getting through quarter-finals because we had quite a few fast swimmers that were indisposed and couldn’t come to the meet, so we all had to come together and work really hard to beat Tottenville High School,” Brydon said. Missing two of their fastest swimmers,

Penguins City Champs Again

the meet started off competitive, and the first half ended with an almost tied score.

Senior and co-captain Lauren Ng noted that the intermission was critical for the team rallying in the second half. “We held a team meeting right before the second half of the meet and got the whole team to understand that we all had to swim our best times in order to win quarters. The fear of our season ending at quarter-finals was enough to make us act as a team,” Ng said. The team’s collective efforts prevailed, and the Penguins defeated the Tottenville Pirates 59-41.

The Penguins progressed through their semi-final meet against Benjamin H. Cardozo High School and prepared to once again battle for the title of City Champions. “The team prepared for finals the way we always do—tapering in the few days before finals,” Brydon said. Tapering refers to practices that are shorter and more focused on technique. Tapering is uncommon throughout the season because of the fear that the shorter practices will lead to the swimmers being out of shape, but it is used at the end of the year because it can optimize short-term progress.

“As for mental preparation, I think the team dynamic allows us not to do that much mental preparation,” she said. “We’re very dedicated to the team and to each other, and we went into playoffs wanting to win.”

The team’s coach, Silvana Choy, echoed Brydon’s statement. “The team worked all season with the common goal of getting back to the finals,” Choy said. “Ultimately, the most important thing to me and the team is giving 100 percent and having pride and integrity in everything we do.

The girls know that if we all give 100 percent effort in everything we do, then we can be proud no matter what the outcome.”

The season-long preparation seemed to pay off when it came to the Championship meet. The Penguins quickly jumped out to an early lead. “I felt that we set the tone early,” Choy said. “The meet started off with two strong medley relays. Freshman Claire MacDonald and sophomore Inga Edwards started off the relays, both swimming personal best times for the 50-meter back[stroke],” she said.

The Penguins continued to dominate across events, and

it became clear who the city champions were going to be.

“I think [for] a couple races before the end, we knew we were going to win,” Brydon said. The meet ended with the Penguins winning [with] 63 [points] to Tech’s 39.

Besides the Penguins newly claimed team championship title, the meet also resulted in several broken records. All three school records were broken for the team relays (the 200-meter medley relay, the 200-meter freestyle relay, and the 400-meter free relay). The 400-meter free relay team, made up of junior Arielle Aney, junior Natasha Moeslinger, freshman Mayumi Schaepers-Cheu, and junior Emma Lee, broke the meet record at Opens Championships.

Seven members of the team also qualified for the New York State Championships, which were held in Ithaca on November 16-17. Juniors Lee, Aney, and Moeslinger, sophomore diver Stella Oh, and freshmen Joline Fong, Shaepers-Cheu, and Eliza Snapp all competed at the state championships.

With all the success the Penguins have had in the pool, there was one moment outside the pool that really stood

out for coach Choy. After her record-setting performance at the A Division Championships, Shaepers-Cheu was awarded the April Lao Memorial Award for outstanding rookie. This PSAL Championship award is granted to the most valuable freshman swimmer. The award was particularly sentimental for Coach Choy. “April was an incredible swimmer and person,” Choy said of the late swimmer. “I had the privilege of being April’s coach in her freshman year, and it was very special and emotional for me to watch April’s family present Mayumi with this honor,” she said.

Entering the season with lofty expectations, the Stuyvesant Penguins certainly didn’t disappoint. Even though they had to help their young swimmers adapt to the team-oriented nature of high school swimming and battle missing key swimmers in crucial moments of the season, the Penguins never faltered in their hunt for a repeat championship. After breaking multiple records and having a perfect season, the Penguins had a picture perfect ending to their season.

The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 21

Sports Rowing

Courtesy of Sophia Day

Stuyvesant Rowing Cinches First Win

By MAX MAH This past October, seniors Mark Winter and Sophia Day led the Stuyvesant rowing team to its first official victory at the Head of the Weir Race in Hull, Massachusetts. The team raced the five-mile long course through the salt marshes and edged out their top competitors, Sound School, for the win.

“They’re difficult to compete against because they have coaches and their school directly oversees their training and practices.

We are student-run and relatively amatuer compared to them, so it was really exciting to beat them,” Day said.

The team displayed extraordinary effort, rising above the uncertain conditions they were faced with. For one, Stuy’s boat of coxed fours (four rowers and one coxswain) was able to sprint at the finish to pass Sound

School’s coxed six, an incredibly impressive feat. In addition, they had to adjust to rowing dories (flat bottomed rowboats with a high bow and stern) for the first time. The dories were lighter with an inlaid rubber and much faster than the Whitehall gigs they normally row in along the Hudson.

Winter and Day have been committed members of the rowing club since they joined in their freshman and sophomore years, respectively. They have both become certified coxswains and have competed in races with the club, which has existed for over a decade and produced strong youth competitors since its creation.

“When we were invited to create a team within the club we jumped at the chance,” Day said.

“We formally created the team this year with the intent of representing their organization better with a more involved train-

ing schedule and more frequent workout days.”

With no coaches, mentors, or previous example of how to run a rowing team, the two have had to navigate the rough waters of tryouts, gym days, practices, and overall coordination of both rowers and races. They recruited heavily in the beginning of the year and have trained promising oarsmen in a short amount of time.

“One of the most difficult parts of rowing is staying in stroke—following the length and speed of the stroke oar, the oarsmen at the front of the boat.

When all four rowers row together in tempo, it not only looks graceful, but the boat also goes much faster and cuts smoothly through the water, making it easier to steer,” Winter said.

Winter and Day have also been working to improve the form of their rowers. “Kayaking

and canoeing, which some people who row with us have experience with, is done with the arms.

Crew, on the other hand, is all about using your back and body weight to provide force through the oar to propel the boat, making it easier to maintain pace through the hour-long races we compete in,” Winter said. “The concept of rowing is simple: just pull the oar through the water.

But there’s a lot of delicate technique involved.”

Several completely new rowers on the B Team have shown promise in the few months they have been rowing. “Massimo Pensabene, Junhao Su, and Jacky Chen have been dazzling us with their quick learning and skill,” Day said.

The rowing season extends from April to November, including the summer. The team hosts practices at the Village Community Boathouse (VCB) at Pier

40 on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Crews row along the Hudson River, often all the way to New Jersey and back.

“One of the fun things which has really brought us together is [rowing] to New Jersey!” Day said. “There’s a beach we land at which is near a froyo place and a Starbucks, and we get food and play cards. We have a couple of games we play on the boats as well, and traveling for races has really helped us get close.”

“Being in a team means that you see people at their worst and their best, and you get to share so many emotional moments: wins, and losses, and everything in between,” Winter said. “We’ve been up at 1:00 a.m. getting fries the night before a race and still been excited at 6:00 a.m. the next morning when we gather for terrible bagels and coffee. It’s just really great to be a part of such a tightly knit group of people.”

Boys’ Basketball

Runnin’ Rebels Aim High Despite Season-Opening Loss

Julian Giordano / The Spectator

By YAE JUNE LEE and WASEQ AHMED

The Runnin’ Rebels, Stuyvesant’s boys’ basketball team, started their season with high anticipation on November 20 during their first game against Bayard Rustin Educational Complex.

Despite the initial strong start with junior Ben Zenker’s corner jumper, the Rebels’ lead did not last long. Late in the first quarter, the Bayard Rustin Educational Complex Titans attempted a baseline jumper, which bounced off the rim and headed toward the free throw line. Sophomore Christian Nwenyi fought for the rebound but lost to the Titan center, who immediately went up for a layup. Though he missed, the Titans’ possession did not stop. A Titan shooting guard darted toward the rim to clean up this rebound and put up another two points for the Titan team, extending the commanding lead that they had over the Rebels at the time.

The first half was an unfavorable one for the Rebels, as they were behind early. From the tip off, they struggled to drive toward the rim and make layups due to the pressure from Bayard. The 1-3-1 zone defense got under the skin of the Rebels and led to a frantic game with multiple costly Stuyvesant turnovers that Bayard converted on fast breaks.

Stuyvesant also struggled to get rebounds, with Bayard

massively out-rebounding the Rebels and punishing them on the glass. Defense was also loose on Stuyvesant’s end.

Coach George Stork consistently said to his players, “Put your arms out!” to emphasize the defensive stance that he wanted from his players on defense. The multitude of turnovers, however, tired the team out.

Ultimately, taller, bigger, and faster Titans players simply outmatched the Stuyvesant team and put the Rebels at a physical disadvantage. The team played with heart but could not come back from the huge score gap despite a valiant effort in the second half.

The game ended 65-34 in Bayard’s favor.

Despite the tough loss, seniors and co-captains Ricky Zou and Richard Zheng displayed a great amount of leadership and aggressiveness in the first half, taking many good shots and strong drives to the basket that generated excitement from the crowd.

And though the first half certainly did not set the tone for the game, the second half did see the team playing with more precision and strategy, making fewer turnovers and coming onto the court with a tighter defense. “I liked how we fought in the second half.

There were certain members of the team who came in and really showed some spirit and played hard,” Stork said.

Because Stuyvesant has three freshmen and two soph-

omores on the team, the young members will be needed this season. One such moment came in when Nwenyi blocked a layup on a fast break attempt by Bayard that received a round of applause from the crowd. Freshman Ethan Kirshner also provided a spark off the bench with two threes late in the fourth quarter.

When asked about his thoughts on the game, leading scorer Zenker replied with the need to play smarter. “We just need to feel more comfortable and confident in our abilities.

It was our first time out as a team, and we are still figuring each other out. Hence, we need to make smart choices and think if it’s the best option for the team. Obviously, Stuyvesant’s not the most athletic school, so he’s made it clear to us that we need to be smarter than the teams we play to win games,” Zenker said.

Even though the Rebels started the season with a loss, they have determination that they will improve as the season progresses. The team will try to improve on last year’s 2-14 record. However, in the same Manhattan A 1 Division, this could prove difficult. Coach Stork’s leadership and coaching will look to alleviate some of these doubts. “The point that [Stork] emphasized to us was that we needed to make sure that we learned from our mistakes and turned them into strengths in our upcoming games,” Zou said.

Page 22

The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Sports Coach’s Corner

Girls’ Basketball

Coach’s Corner: Meet Silvana Choy, Swimming Coach

By NIKKI DANIELS The Penguins, Stuyvesant’s girls’ swimming team, began training for their 2018 season on August 27. With two hours of practice Monday to Friday and even some Saturday morning practice sessions, it is no wonder that the Penguins defended their title of City Champions this season, led by their coach Silvana Choy, who is now gearing up for the boys’ season.

Choy grew up in the pool and swam competitively for most of her childhood and throughout her high school years. “I have loved the sport of swimming for as far back as I can remember,” Choy said. She attended New York University (NYU), swimming competitively on the team, where she focused on the 200-meter butterfly. “I have always found butterfly to be the most challenging but the most beautiful of all the strokes,” Choy said. Unsurprisingly, during both her junior and senior years of college, Choy was named team captain.

After Choy graduated from NYU with a degree in Psychology, the NYU Men’s swimming coach suggested that she apply to Stuyvesant for a coaching position. Choy had experience teaching lessons at her local YMCA when she was in high school and was offered a spot to coach Stuyvesant’s boys swim team in 1999 by then Athletic Director, Martha Singer. The following season, she was offered the job of girls’ swimming coach.

Choy ended up enjoying coaching so much that she pursued her teaching degree from Queens College and eventually began working as a Physical Education teacher at Stuyvesant. A testament to Choy’s love of Stuyvesant is the fact that she has never taught at other schools. One reason for this may be because “[t]here are so many opportunities for the students to take advantage of [at Stuyvesant], and Stuyvesant is a special place,” Choy said.

Choy was the Stuyvesant swim coach through the 2007 season. Despite her love of coaching, however, Choy stepped down from her coaching position to focus on her family. “Coaching requires many hours of preparation and planning. After having my first child, I wanted to spend time at home with her,” Choy said.

In the interim years after Choy stepped down as the Stuyvesant swimming coach to spend time with her family, coach Peter Bologna replaced Choy as the swimming coach.

However, when Bologna became Stuyvesant’s Athletic Director last year, Choy reprised her role as the Stuyvesant swim coach for both the girls’ and boys’ teams. It wasn’t a difficult decision for Choy. “I love coaching and decided to give it another try. Both teams have a great group of kids, and coaching them has been a rewarding experience,” Choy said.

This season was incredibly successful for the girls, as three school records were broken for the team relays: 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay, and the 400 free relay.

Choy was very happy with the team’s overall performance, but she has also been focused on individual improvement.

“Winning is fun, but seeing the swimmers drop many seconds in their individual events is more rewarding as a coach,” she said. In fact, the 400 relay made up of juniors Arielle Aney, Natasha Moeslinger, and Emma Lee, and freshman Mayumi Schaepers-Cheu broke not only the school but also the PSAL record.

In addition, seven girls on the team qualified for the New York State Championships held in Ithaca on November 16-17, including SchaepersCheu who won the PSAL-wide April Lao Memorial Award for outstanding rookie swimmer. April Lao was a freshman at Stuyvesant in 2005-2006 who died in a car accident en route from Queens to Buffalo to compete in a YMCA swim meet in March 2006.

This award was particularly

“I have loved the sport of swimming for as far back as I can remember.”

—Silvana Choy, coach.

meaningful to Choy, who had coached Lao as a freshman.

As Choy recalled, “April was an incredible swimmer and person, and it was very special and emotional for me to watch April’s family present Mayumi with this honor.”

Given the great talent on the girls’ swimming team, Choy is not worried about the team’s performance next year. In fact, Choy is excited for the girls to yet again defend their title as City Champions. “I think the team is extremely strong and talented. We will hopefully add on to the team next season, but we have a lot of talent returning,” Choy said.

While Choy’s focus is on coaching the Stuyvesant swim teams, she is also passionate in other areas. For starters, Choy is an avid reader, especially when it comes to reading about the environment and marine mammals. Indeed, Choy intends to pursue environmental work after she retires one day from teaching.

For now, however, she can still be found along the side of the pool getting the Penguins and the Pirates into championship form.

The Phoenix are Ready to Rise from Last Season’s Ashes

By SUNAN TAJWAR

The Phoenix, Stuyvesant’s girls’ varsity basketball team, are getting ready to rise from the ashes as their 2018-2019 season gets underway. Coming off of a 10-9 season last year, the team will be looking to build on a solid performance that showed both individual glimpses of skill and pure fundamental basketball. The Phoenix will start their season at home on December 3 against the High School of Fashion Industries. Stuyvesant beat the High School of Fashion Industries last year in a convincing fashion with a 5819 scoreline. The team will be looking to continue their recent dominance over their Manhattan adversaries and lay the foundation for a successful season in front of the home crowd during the season opener.

Naturally, the team will be looking to improve upon their record from last year and make a real push in the playoffs. Senior and captain Talia Kirshenbaum, however, is focused on building a strong team and having the ability to get out on the court, enjoy the game, and put on an exciting performance as a team. “I’m trying not to put too many expectations on this season, but I’m definitely looking forward to a really fun season with a lot of new players on the team,” Kirshenbaum said. As is the case for any team, new players will need time to develop and get adjusted to the high school level but can also show promise to unlock different parts of the game and add new talents to an already strong core of veteran players.

In addition to exploring their new talents, there is always room for improvement in areas of weakness. For last year’s

team, that weakness was ball movement. “I’m hoping that we can work on spreading the ball around instead of having just one ball handler that we always look to like we did last year,” Kirshenbaum said. This issue can be addressed in a multitude of ways. In addition to keeping the ball moving at all times, the team might also explore having alternating primary ball handlers per possession or rotation. This would take the pressure off the primary ball handler and give the opposing team an additional concern knowing there are two very capable players who can initiate and adjust the offense at their own will.

Whatever tactics the team chooses to adopt, in the evolved game, which has also spread to the high school level, it will be key for the team shooters to get open looks from deep, which will only happen as a result of systematic and precise passing.

The evolved form of basketball places an emphasis on perimeter play and a spread offensive scheme, which all sums up to the core philosophy—the fact that three points will always be greater than two.

In addition, the three balls may become a more integral part of the Stuyvesant offensive system, as the team has recruited and developed some deadeyes from deep. “[Senior] Ally Archer is going to be a force on the court as always. I would also keep an eye out for [senior] Kaitlyn Duong at the three-point line. And look out for underclassmen Paige Wolfing and Alison Chan, who are already looking really strong,” Kirshenbaum said. Having a skilled veteran player like Archer will attract the attention of opposing defenses and as a result, drag defenders away from

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the team’s deadly marksmen. In addition, it will open up space for underclassmen to help run the offense or create their own shots, adding additional threats on the offensive end of the floor.

Even with all this talent, however, defense and fundamentals still lay at the core of a successful team, and it is a priority for the team to improve upon that from last season. “I think our biggest obstacles are similar to those of past seasons: we need to work on being aggressive with the ball and going up strong to the basket, as well as making good strong passes,” Kirshenbaum said. When the three ball isn’t there, it is essential for the team to be able to take it to the rack, break down the opposition, and enforce its dominance on the hardwood.

The Phoenix are looking forward to what can be a very challenging but rewarding season. It will be intriguing to watch this team against their highest levels of opposition.

Stuyvesant will have January 4 circled on their calendar as the Phoenix will play away against Lab Museum United. This fixture is usually competitive and is growing into a rivalry game in the Manhattan A South Division. However, Lab had a convincing win against Stuyvesant last year with a 64-37 scoreline, so expect the Phoenix to come out and play with a chip on their shoulders with a chance at redemption against their rivals.

We will see if the Phoenix can both overcome their internal obstacles and take advantage of their strengths on January 4 to grab that crucial win midway through the season, one that could set the tone going forward.

The Spectator ● November 30, 2018

Page 23

Sports Girls’ Volleyball

Courtesy of Hanah Jun

Vixens Win Girls’ Volleyball City Championship

continued from page 24

“Toward the end of the season, I got the feeling that I was part of something special.”

—Talia Kirshenbaum, senior

just four playoff games. Her presence, though, extends beyond what shows up in the scorebook. “Leka is a truly incredible athlete. If anyone is unclear about where the magic comes from on our team, I honestly believe

it’s her,” Kirshenbaum said.

She and fellow sophomore and outside hitter Delfau will form a dangerous tandem for the coming years. “Sophomore starters in the finals [took] us there, [Delfau] had some great kills; she’s a great player all around, and Leka’s sets are amazing,” senior Alina Luckey said.

The first city championship won by the Vixens was (probably) not won by the most talented team in Stuyvesant history. Instead, it was won by the team that played with chemistry and grit no matter the odds they went up against. Archer, Gorelik, Jun, Kirshenbaum, and Luckey, the five seniors of the team, completed their Vixens careers as city champions. Delfau, Leka, and junior Corinne Pita, among others, will look to carry on their legacy next season.

When asked to reflect on the season, the seniors will look back fondly. “Toward the end of the season, I got the feeling that I was part of something special that I would be proud of and remember fondly for the rest of my life. I love volleyball as a sport, and to be part of such a strong team with such a strong bond is something truly rare,” Kirshenbaum said.

Courtesy of Hanah Jun

Archer and Jun also made sure that their coach was on the same page so as to keep the team united and working toward a common goal. “As a coach, everyone expects them to learn from me, but I think this season I learned more from them; I learned how to be a better coach because of my tough loss last season,” Choubaralian said.

During the regular season, the Vixens faced little resistance from opponents. The team went undefeated atop the Manhattan A South/East Division, allowing them to claim the second seed in the playoffs. Stuyvesant did not lose a set until their fifth game against Lab Museum United.

After an unexpectedly challenging opening round matchup against John Jay Campus which required six Archer aces in a 2-1 victory, the Vixens breezed through two quality opponents in Long Island City High School and Susan Wagner High School to set up the finals against Hunter.

While the championship win was not a one or two player effort—the entire team worked to get the team there—some contributors

had larger impacts than others. In particular, the presence of Leka at the setter position consistently steadied the Vixens throughout the season.

“As a setter in volleyball, you have the biggest responsibility—the toughest job on the court. She did such an amazing job as a first year starting setter,” Choubaralian said.

She recorded 56 assists in

November 30, 2018

Page 24

THE SPECTATOR SPORTS Girls’ Volleyball

Vixens Win Girls’ Volleyball City Championship

CALENDAR

December

3

Monday

Courtesy of Hanah Jun

Boys’ Table Tennis vs. Brooklyn Technical HS Brooklyn Technical HS, 5 PM

By CELINA LIU and JEREMY RUBIN

Senior Talia Kirshenbaum of Stuyvesant’s girls’ volleyball team, the Vixens, bounces the volleyball once and spins it in her hand before winding up and serving it across the net to the one-seeded Hunter Hawks.

Hunter returns the serve, which is bumped by senior and co-captain Hanah Jun straight into the air. Sophomore Isabel Leka settles under the ball and floats a beautiful set to the outside where fellow sophomore Anaïs Delfau leaps to meet the ball in the air, just like the thousands of practice balls the team has worked on. Delfau slams the ball home before the Hawks have a chance to react. Game over. Delfau’s kill finished off Hunter in a 25-17 Vixens victory, giving the team their first PSAL city championship in Stuyvesant history.

This win can be summed up with one word: resilience.

Hunter jumped out to an early lead and coasted to a first match win 25-13. They had momentum, and coach Vasken Choubaralian’s timeouts seemed to have little effect on the Vixens. Hawks’ junior middle blocker Hillary Zeng had a commanding presence at the net, blocking numerous Vixen opportunities they would normally convert and spiking several of her own for kills. “I think they were a little overexcited and a little too tense,” Choubaralian said.

However, Choubaralian had faith in his team. “After the first set I didn’t say much to them at all. I trust in my captains and my other girls that they can figure things out on their own,” he said.

While the captains talked to the team, the one who may-

be had the most profound impact might have been Leka, the sophomore, who reminded the team that this was only the first set—there were still two to go.

This mental reset worked wonders, as Stuyvesant countered back in the second match, winning a back-andforth set with numerous impressive plays, finally pulling ahead for a 25-20 victory.

When asked what changed

“We weren’t just a team this year; we were a family.”

—Victoria Gorelik, senior

from the first set, senior and co-captain Ally Archer said, “I think we knew we could play better than we had, so we basically told ourselves that the first set was in the past so we needed to move on and play how we knew we could play.”

After bringing the score even at one apiece, the Vixens again jumped out to an early lead, this time coasting to victory. Hunter never found itself within five points, and Delfau’s final kill sealed the win.

Upon winning the championship, the entire team stormed the court. “Right after I scored the last point, I just remember the team swarming the court and cheering because there was

definitely a lot of tension during the last rally, and it was being all released,” Delfau said. Stuyvesant fans in attendance, which included Principal Eric Contreras, Assistant Principal of Physical Education Mr. Moran, and Athletic Director Peter Bologna, were jumping out of their seats.

The championship signaled a shift from Vixens teams of previous years.

Last year’s team was also the number two seed, but was upset in the second round by 15-seeded Laguardia High School. “Last year we had amazing players, maybe perhaps even more skill than we did this year, but the difference was that this year, we have a team of people who always trusted each other and played to the best of not only our ability. We were always just covering each other and bringing up each other’s energies,” Jun said.

Members of the team shared similar viewpoints to Jun’s. “We weren’t just a team this year; we were a family.

Hanah and Ally did a fantastic job fostering a sense of community among all of us and setting up a warm atmosphere that I hadn’t seen on varsity before,” senior Victoria Gorelik said.

This team had a primarily senior starting lineup, and their veteran experience and leadership carried the team, starting with captains Archer and Jun. “I think we had really strong leadership this year in Hanah and Ally,” Kirshenbaum said. “They both led by example on the court and off and made everyone on the team feel cared for and important. Without them, there’s no way we could have gotten to the championship.” continued on page 23

4

3

Monday Girls’ Varsity Basketball vs. HS Fashion Industries Home, 4:30 PM

Tuesday Boys’ Varsity Basketball vs.

Washington Irving HS Home, 4:30 PM

5

Wednesday

6

Boys’ Varsity Table Tennis vs. Institute For Collaborative Education Home, 5PM

Thursday Girls’ Varsity Table Tennis vs. Susan Wagner HS Susan Wagner HS, 5PM

6

Thursday Boys’ Varsity Wrestling vs.

Midwood HS Home, 5PM

SPORTSBEAT The Vixens, Stuyvesant’s girls’ varsity volleyball team, defeated the Hunter Hawks 2-1 and won the City Championships.

The varsity boys’ badminton team defeated the High School of Fashion Industries 5-0 in one of their last games of the season.

The Peglegs, Stuyvesant’s boys’ varsity football team, defeated Long Island City High School 35-20 in their first playoff game.