Volume 65 Issue 2

the

Journal

Since 1946

By and for the students of Guilderland Central High School

Volume 65 Issue 2

Guilderland Center, NY 12085 January 2014

FREE

Remembering Mandela Mike Zhu

King of the swirl A review of the Capital District’s frozen yogurt. All photos by Lucas Balzer.

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Nelson Mandela never liked to talk about death. It was too unsentimental, and Mandela had nothing to say about it. He had nothing to say about God and the afterlife.

“Men come and men go,” Mandela once said. “I have come and will go when my time comes.” Instead, he believed in justice in his lifetime, and in those of generations after.

“He lived a full life and he got something done,” Andrew Fedorov, a senior at GHS, said, “There’s nothing sad about the end of a life lived with a grand purpose that was accomplished.”

In the hours after Mandela’s death on December 5th at the age of 95, hundreds of people gathered outside of his home in Johannesburg. Some openly bowed their heads and mourned, while others sang and danced in heartwarming celebration of the life of the legendary South African anti-apartheid leader. Mandela was an enduring icon of the struggle against racial oppression, an ardent advocate for peace and love and reconciliation, and the visionary of a better society that accepts all cultures.With the unwavering message of freedom, respect, and human rights, Mandela championed the cause that every man had a core of decency, which could be touched to create a better world.

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Opinion: Rap leads to lasting consequences ASO Elana Desantis Every now and then, as writer and as a person, I am reminded of the profound effect that words can have on a collection of people. Language, in its most elemental form, is a tool we use to form bonds, to understand, to connect. The power of the spoken word is able to unite us like no other force, yet it is a two-sidedcoin. As our school community recently learned, words also have the ability to rift, to antagonize, to hurt - and they have the ability to get you arrested. Four juniors at Guilderland, responsible for producing “The Sophomore Rap,” have recently been charged with misdemeanors under Albany County’s Cyberbullying Law. Having these boys be tried as adults, swamped by the local media, and used as an example for others felt, at first to me, morally unjust. Though, after a lot of internal conflict (and a lot of screaming at my Twitter timeline) I came to two major conclusions. One: I feel genuinely bad for these people. Two: they must be

held accountable for their actions.

For me to imagine how existing in the world of these accused students must feel makes my stomach drop. I, like them, am also a junior. I have anticipated the benefits of being an upperclassman for years. I am excited about prom, about free blocks, about picking a college. The thought that a mistake that I make now - when I have yet to even escape the womb of childhood- could severely alter my future endeavors seems nearly impossible. Today, this blanket of individual invincibility has been stripped from the shoulders of these four boys, and they are forced to face the reality of a shuddering unknown. As a young person, I could not imagine something so intoxicatingly terrifying. I cannot imagine how their friends are feeling, as they watch those closest to them being paraded around as poster-children for watching what you put on the internetscorned by the media and discussed in

What’s inside: Hallways Pop Arts Around Town Centerspread

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World&Cultures 10 Opinions 12 Fine Arts 14 Sports 15

Hallways 2

New Librarian: Mr. Bott

classrooms. Despite all of this though, despite the fact that I am confident that these boys are not bad people, I have no guilt in feeling that the consequences of their actions are anything but fitting.

We too often let personal feelings and individual likeness affect our ability to see a situation clearly. Let us not forget the real victims here. The students who created the rap treated something as deeply personal as the sexuality of fellow students to be used merely as bars in a song. Subjects as intensely private as a young girl losing her virginity were used to antagonize and embarrass members of our community. It makes no difference whether it was meant as a joke or not. It makes no difference how the girls whose first and last names were used in the song are responding to this.

Leonard Bopp In any community, artistic institutions of all kinds provide a valuable cultural infusion. In the Capital Region, one such organization, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, is a shining example.

Since its founding in 1930, the ASO has provided Capital Region residents with a diverse array of orchestral music.

Today, they are a nationally-recognized, award winning orchestra the delivers performances of the highest caliber under the direction of Maestro David Alan Miller. Throughout his time as music director, the orchestra has gained the reputation as a champion of contemporary music.

Miller, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, brings to the organization a passion for creative programming - he is, indeed, one of the foremost conductors in America.

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Around Town

7

Froyo Review Dish on the scoop

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Opinions 13

Hierarchy in sports in Guilderland High School

The Journal January 2014

Hall ways the

Journal 2013 - 2014

The Journal is published by and for the students of Guilderland High School and is the school’s official student newspaper. We publish accounts of, and perspectives on, people, issues, and events that affect members of the school as well as the community.

Although initialed by the writer, editorials reflect the majority opinion of the editorial staff.

Reviews, columns, commentaries, and letters to the editor, however, represent the view of the individual writer and not necessarily those of the staff.

Although we try not to solicit advertisements from competing businesses in a given issue, we cannot guarantee that a conflict involving advertising will not arise. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their respective advertisements. We are not responsible for printing and/or typographical errors that may occur in a given advertisement. We reserve the right not to print a given advertisement. Also, we cannot assure that columns, editorials, news, reviews or feature stories will not cover issues or events relating to any advertiser in this newspaper.

We welcome signed letters from our readers.

To be printed, letters must be of a reasonable length and contain neither libelous, slanderous, nor profane material. We reserve the right to reject any letter received. Unless otherwise noted by the editor-in-chief or the managing editor, all accepted letters will be printed in the letters to the editor section. We reserve the right to edit for length, grammar and content.

How to contact The Journal Mail: The Journal c/o Guilderland High School 8 School Rd Guilderland Center, NY 12085 Phone: (518) 861-8591 Ask for The Journal Email: theguilderlandjournal@gmail.com Submit stories to: theguilderlandjournal@gmail.com

Editors-in-Chief Isaac Malsky Luxi Peng Managing Editor Leonard Bopp -ContentHallways Editors Karthik Ramesh, Hayley Chang Around Town Editors Taylor Tewksbury, Jack Watson Pop Arts Editors Julia Davidoff, Elana DeSantis World & Cultures Editors Michelle Xiong, Mike Zhu Fine Arts Editor Katie Lamar Opinions Editors Andrew Fedorov Sports Editors Tevor Laicha, Kyle Levy Photography Editor Pranav Nayak Graphics Editor Ioana Sima Staff Photographers MaryGrace Graves, Sam Pitkin Staff Writers Jake Hill, Max Chao, Salil Chaudhry, Reza Sayeed, Katie Gonick, Shannon Gerety -BusinessBusiness Staff Brent Katlan Matt Scatena Distribution Manager MaryGrace Graves Faculty Advisors Christopher Mazura, Erin McNamara

New Librarian: Mr.Bott Justina Liu What is a librarian? Guardian of books, enforcer of silence?

To Mr. Bott, a new librarian at GHS, librarians are research teachers, co-educators, and information scientists.

Mr. Bott grew up in Jim Thorpe, Penn., a town near the Poconos. He worked in the Schenectady City School District for three years before coming to GHS this fall. “Kids at Guilderland have been awesome, as well as the staff here.

It’s really been a smooth transition,” he said.

When he entered Kutztown University, Mr. Bott wanted to be an elementary school teacher. But the combination of books and computers in information science was attractive, said Mr. Bott. “It was like this perfect storm of geekness.”

Information science, previously called library science, is the study of organizing and classifying information—knowledge that enables us to compile it in new ways. Books used to be the only things that could be organized, but things have changed with the advent of Internet.

A large part of a school librarian’s job today is teaching students how to research. In many ways, research boils down to “sifting through all the bad stuff to get to the good stuff,” said Mr. Bott.

Another part is showing students how to compile information in new and cool ways. Mr. Bott said he’d love to teach a class dedicated to transforming information into new, creative forms, such as podcasts.

“One of the things that kids always say is, ‘You’re a teacher?’” said Mr. Bott. “I love bashing that old stereotype,” he said, of the librarian whose domain is strictly books. The way information is stored,

conveyed and combined is different from ten years ago. For this reason, he says he doesn’t know what his job will be like five, ten, or twenty years from now. “I think that’s good, that I don’t know,” he said.

“But I know that librarians have to get to the forefront of the new stuff,” he said. “We really have to be a step ahead of the game.”

Mr. Bott hopes to change the stereotype of not only librarians, but also of school libraries.

Photo courtesy of Justina Liu/ The Journal

“A library should be a community space,” said Mr. Bott. “No good idea happened in silence, right?” he said. “The idea that a library should be stone quiet all the time? That doesn’t interest me. “Not that you should come in here and scream and yell,” he said. “But certainly, if you’re discussing topics and learning together, we have no problem with that.”

Mr. Bott wants to be part of this community. He writes a blog, called “What Bott’s Got!” Mr. Bott reviews a book each week, and recently posted about the music he’s been listening to. As a teen, he

played in many punk rock bands. “I could never grow long hair—it always looked sort of trashy if I grew it out too long,” he said. “So I kept it short.”

The only stereotypical librarian trait in Mr. Bott may be that he reads a lot. He reads 10-13 books at a time, because his interest jumps from week to week. Often times, he reads what students read, not because he has to, but because enjoys doing so. “I have to say, most young adult (YA) literature is far more interesting than the adult contemporary books that is out there,” said Mr. Bott.

“Some are just phenomenal, more well written,” he said, “YA books cut to the chase.”

These books help Mr. Bott get to know the students he sees every day.

“Every book has a reader, so I don’t shy away from anything. Even if it’s a book that only gets checked out once, I want to know what kind of person would read that book, and I want to have a conversation with them.”

(Though, there is one thing he hasn’t been reading recently: vampire books. He says he has simply seen too many.)

YA books can give him a sense of the things students are going through. Now 31 years old, Mr. Bott has a wife and son. He can’t be considered elderly, but certainly leads a life different from those of GHS students.

Mr. Bott says all that builds strong minds, and is necessary, like eating vegetables. But the library is a place where students can, for a moment, put assignments aside and read for pleasure. As he says, “coming here is almost like dessert.”

Seeing teachers outside of school Emily Honen Ever since kindergarten, when you believed that your teacher simply lived in his or her classroom (or in a coffin), seeing teachers outside of their natural environment has always been a bit unnerving. What are you supposed to do?

Wave? Smile? Yell “YO, TEACH!” at the top of your lungs? Ignore them?

There’s never really been a proper sort of etiquette established in this particular situation.

Generally, our responses to this awkward situation are one or more of the following: a friendly grin, maybe an introduction if you’re with family or friends, or (guiltily) averting your eyes to avoid the other choices. But then, what about the other side? How does your teacher feel? Mr. Ryan, a math teacher at GHS, is pleasantly surprised when he is recognized outside of classes. “It’s interesting because they do a double-take. They’re so used to seeing me at school.” As for his thoughts on the students’ feelings, he says: “They like seeing me, I like to think.

They’re usually positive about it.”

Unlike Mr. Ryan, Ms. Diago, a Spanish teacher, doesn’t have as many instances

of student-sightings to look back on, as she lives slightly outside of Guilderland.

However, she sometimes encounters her students while shopping or dining, and always says hello. “Sometimes they introduce me to their friends, or their parents. I like to see my students outside of school.” She does sympathize with those of us who are unsure how to act in this situation, though: “Some people act uncomfortable or shy, because they don’t know how to react when they see me outside of the classroom, and some people pretend they don’t see me. But most people are very friendly.”

Acting as though we don’t see our displaced teachers when we obviously do is a common action amongst students, and often this response is due to the reasons mentioned by Ms. Diago. Amelia Schramm, a junior, says that “if I see teachers outside of school, then yes, I usually ignore them unless I know them pretty well. It’s just sort of weird to see them outside of the classroom setting like that.”

Assistant principal of GHS Mr. Brooks is, in a way, lucky to live in faraway Saratoga. “I never have to worry

about running into a student at the store at seven A.M. with sleep in my eyes,” he says gratefully. His wife, a teacher in the Saratoga district, is not so lucky. “My wife runs into families of her students every time we’re in town. It throws her off a bit--she has to be ‘on’ all the time.

I can turn it ‘off ’ a bit--I don’t have to be Mr. Brooks every time I go out to the grocery store.”

This casts an interesting light on the situation. As students, we aren’t expected to act a different way when we’re in public versus in school. Imagine having to be on guard all the time when you go out to the mall, like teachers do. One minute you’re joking and laughing with your friends, the next you have to revert to straightlaced student when you see your science teacher just as ours do. Our teachers see us as teens, not students, so them seeing us outside of school isn’t as shocking because we don’t act any different. It seems as though it’s the students who have an inability to accept their mentors as normal members of society, not teachers.

January 2014

Hallways

Letters and Views

page 3 (theJournal)

Underclassmen duties

Letter to underclassmen

Katie Gonick

Michelle Kang

There’s absolutely no question that some of the greatest people that I know are seniors. As an involved sophomore, I have opportunities to be inspired by the amazing leadership of the Class of 2014, whether it be through music, writing, culture, or sports. Ranging from International Club, to Tri-M, to Mock Trial, seniors have been the driving force behind Guilderland’s extracurricular scene. But what happens when they all leave us? As a writer for the Journal and the publicist for International Club, I believe that it’s safe to say that it will take more than a few dedicated underclassmen to fill the gap of absent seniors.

The Class of 2014 has put in an extraordinary amount of time for their clubs; they care more. Not every underclassmen understands the importance of joining a club or an activity, or how it can really enrich your life. While the seniors add a level of security and commitment to clubs, why aren’t new people stepping up to the plate to take over? Don’t we all care about the fabric of our school; the legends that were established? Perhaps its the intimidation that comes with the seniors’ greatness. However, our anxiety shouldn’t come from the presence of some seniors, it should come from us trying to continue these unique parts of our school. We can all make an effort to make our school great, year after year.

Michael Zhu, a sophomore, is dedicated to many clubs, such as Science Olympiad and the Journal. “I think a senior’s involvement in a club can attract people to the club because of the security

and fun the club can be because of the traditions the seniors uphold.” In the case of International Club, the retirement of Mrs. Mackey has led the club leaders to continue the traditions themselves. Why shouldn’t we do the same? We have our own skills, sets of talents, and unique gifts to offer to Guilderland. We’ve thrived in the Class of 2014’s shadow, now it’s time to take our place.

It’s clear that as these seniors are finishing their high school journey, the same traditions will have to be taught to the next generation. “It will be different, and changes will have to be made, and the new leaders have to step up with confidence and embrace and adapt to the legacy they must continue” Michael says, “It really depends on the new leaders who will take up the club after the seniors graduate, and it depends on the club itself.”

The hardest part for many of us will be seeing the seniors leave. After bringing so much to their activities, and so much for their members, it’s going to be unbearable to see them go. Through their constant dedication and commitment to their clubs, they inspire so many people throughout the school, including the leaders that will ascend to their place. I think it’s safe to say that many members of the Class of 2014 serve as excellent role models, leaders, and friends. The legacy that they’ve created will last for a very long time, and now it’s up to the underclassmen to uphold the traditions and leave their own mark here at Guilderland. The seniors have set the stage, it’s now our time to perform.

Here’s the deal, kids: we’re old now.

It’s 2014 and we are now the elderly senior citizens of the Guilderland High School nursing home. And when we’re finally gone forever (well, just to college, but still), we need the assurance that everything will run smoothly. Our plants must be watered, our porches must be swept, and our lawns must be mowed; and if they’re not well-taken care of, we’ll be forced to hear the sad news that our house is falling apart without the power to do anything about it. Call it our senior pride, or perhaps just our newly developing sense of adult responsibility —but that kind of failure isn’t something we’ll stand for.

But if we want things to turn out that way, it requires all of you to step up to the plate and work for it. It’s difficult, we know: we’ve been there before, after all. We understand your fears. Perhaps the reason you don’t step up is because you’re intimidated by us—the too-tall seniors who are super laid-back one day and then Spartan army general the next, who laugh hysterically at inside jokes that no one else can comprehend. But we urge you to feel the opposite: after all, you can’t survive around here with intimidation in your hearts.

So here’s our request: show us you’re capable. We need to know you’re on our side in this magnificent quest of furthering our beloved clubs, too. Show us you’re ready. And in return, we’ll take responsibility too. To be honest, I think we’re more or less there. I believe all you kids at GHS are gosh darned intelligent

and capable of practically anything; all you need is a little push.

Just last week I was giving a presentation on case theories for my weekly Mock Trial team meeting and I found myself utterly amazed at how capable our new members were. Even when I opened my presentation with a sudden, cruel rapidfire of questions--Raise your hands!

Who knows what this means? Who wants to read this passage out loud? Ideas?

Thoughts? Hands, hands, hands!--the results were astounding. The automatons oiled their joints and became real people; the dead trees rustled their leaves and became ferocious Ents.

And that’s when I realized what we had to do: we had to become a team. We seniors had to give you the opportunity to shine—to involve you and to thrust you into the fiery midst of our club. After all, isn’t that how we had climbed up to our positions, too?

Here’s what I want to say, underclassmen: let’s make a deal. Promise us you’ll take care of our lawns and our porches and our plants when we’re gone. Promise us so we can go to sleep early at college with a full head of hair. Promise us, and then pass on that hope to your next house sitters so we can keep our house strong for years to come. We believe in you.

Graphic courtesy of Ioana Sima / The Journal

Will we ever get Wifi access?

Matt Gu

For those of you expecting student Wi-Fi access this year, it’s probably best not to get your hopes up. While the building cabinet has been discussing and debating policies and procedures, no final decision has been made yet and no plan is currently in place for future extension of wireless access to students. Although, we might be able to expect something within this school year.

Mr. Singleton, the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction of the school district, told me that Wi-Fi access is a very real possibility by the end of the year. “I believe that student access to wireless networks with the controls for management and filtering required for public schools will occur. It is possible that this will happen during this school year but there are important decisions that still need to be made.”

But don’t worry too much about this lack of wireless access. From what I and probably everyone else can see, it seems that at least eighty percent of the student

body has smartphones of some sort that can access the internet. For all casual use and messaging purposes, phones are more than suitable.

And of course, we can’t forget that any Wi-Fi that is set up for us students will have to first go through all of the filters and firewalls already in place on the school network. Those filters aren’t just there to make sure we have no social media access in school; they’re actually required by law, according to the Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000. So while you’d be able to browse the internet, it wouldn’t be all that different from doing so from one of the computers around the school.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Wi-Fi access for students. It would be much easier to check emails and any other info online, as well as sending files or messages to teachers. One club officer, who would like to remain anonymous, said that when she got Wi-Fi early in the year she immensely enjoyed the ease of being able to manage communications to the

rest of the organization from anywhere in the building.

There are still major issues with the building’s Wi-Fi in its current state. Very recently, there was a leak of the password to the current student network. I wouldn’t really call the number of people who tried to access it a flood, but that’s what happened to the network. The speed slowed to an absolute crawl, making it essentially useless. It just goes to show that a lot of infrastructure work needs to be done

Graphic courtesy of Jarita Liang / The Journal

before the school can even begin to test out a student Wi-Fi network.

We may never end up having a usable wireless access to the Internet in high school, but does that mean we’re missing out on anything? Are we impaired by it in any way? Of course not. We’ve survived this long without Wi-Fi, what’s a few more years going to do? Between the workstations, laptops, and smartphones, I think we’ll manage.

The Journal January 2014

Pop Arts

Review: “12 Years A Slave”

Andrew Fedorov

“12 Years A Slave” is a painful and shattering film. Whatever state of mind you walk in with, you will walk out broken. It is so mind blowingly beautiful, yet, simultaneously, so unbelievably nauseating that you are paralyzed throughout. My friend and I stayed until after the credits had ended and we heard the projector shut off. It was neither mere respect for the filmmakers that made us stay nor the belief that there would be more. We were simply unable to move. When we had finally recovered motor function, we walked out silently, unable and unwilling to speak until after we had exited the theater. We walked into the coffee house that neighbors The Spectrum and sat by a window in a mild form of the fetal position trying to digest the film. Hours later my heart was still pounding and a particularly painful whipping scene ran on incessant loop in my mind. However painful and traumatizing it might have been, we both agreed that it would be a moral failure to wish to unsee it and that to fail to see this film out of fear or disinterest is nothing less than cowardice and callousness.

It tells the true story of Solomon Northup, brilliantly played by Chiwetel Ejio-

for, a free black man from Saratoga who is duped and subsequently kidnapped by slave traders. He is brought to Washington D.C., drugged, and awakes in chains.

His identity is sanded away as he is sold, forced to live under a different name, and broken into a dehumanizing system.

His first master, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, understands the wrongs of the system and, though he makes an effort to offer the slaves the best possible environment they can have while remaining slaves, he is tied to the system, both mentally and financially. His second master, Epps, is played by Michael Fassbender. He is a brutal man, who believes unquestioningly in the righteousness of the slave system and of his own actions, but we soon see that he too is trapped by his lust for a slave girl, played by Lupita Nyong’o in her film debut, and his obligations to his jealous wife, Sarah Paulson.

Northup is freed with the assistance of a man, played by Brad Pitt, confined by economic woes to work in a system he despises. It is particularly striking that all the people involved are utterly bound to their particular situations. “12 Years a Slave” is not simply a film about the legal injustice of one person owning another, it is about the fact that the fundamental

effect of the slave system is the total eradication of liberty in the lives of every individual involved.

Director Steve McQueen is brutal and merciless. He refuses to cut long after the audience is squirming. The camera work is as beautiful and artistic as his last two films, “Hunger” and “Shame,” but here the painfully long shots are never purely sadistic nor indulgent as they were, at times, in his other work; they are simply necessary. Fleeting reprieves from horror are granted in moments of visual and auditory beauty.

Though by themselves these moments would be incredibly uplifting, in the context they are the sunlight that emphasizes the the bars on the prison windows.

We have all been exposed to the historical facts of slavery. We have read about them, we’ve seen drawings, we’ve seen reenactments, and we’ve learned of its consequences. We have been aware of all the awful elements of slavery and the

and “Recovery”?

Eminem treaded new territory by releasing a sequel to the one which catapulted him to international stardom.

Over the years, Eminem may have had troubles in the media, as well as comically bad features leading up to “The Marshall Mathers LP 2.” But that didn’t stop the new album from climbing high on “Most Anticipated Albums” lists. Then came the announcement that legendary producer, Rick Rubin, alongside Eminem’s tag-team buddy, Dr. Dre, would share the executive producer badge for the album. Anticipation was further electrified.

The first single off the album, “Berzerk,” was a high-energy track kicked

off by a surge of static, some tantalizing guitar and most importantly, a roaring, rambunctious Eminem. Although receiving mixed reviews, for a couple of weeks, “Berzerk” could be heard anywhere and commercialization of the “MMLP2” had begun. The classic early 90s hip hop, Beastie Boys-inspired track regenerated some hope for Eminem’s new project.

However, with the release of the next single, “Survival,” all hope was gone. Eminem was back to more of the expected, lackluster rapping, including a rhyme scheme which ended up juxtaposing “ah-choo and achieve.” Nothing more need be said. But, soon afterwards, Eminem fans got a breath of inspired air with the release of “Rap God,” as Eminem rhymed with crystalline delivery at sonic-speed. “Rap God” amazed and awed across the board.

Then came November 15, 2013, a sentimental but triumphant day for an Eminem fan. Listening to “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” for the first time brought meaning to the aforementioned hollow hope Eminem fans carried around. The very first track, “Bad Guy,” saw a revisit to “Stan,” a song from the original album about an obsessive fan. In the original, we saw a clear perspective from a fan but in “Bad Guy,” Eminem showed us his own thoughts about his stardom. The final verse of the song was arguably not only the best off the entire album, but one of Eminem’s best all-time. With no mercy and no relent, Eminem spat about how he’s been “talking a lot of sh*t” but now he’s going to be “backing it all up.” That one line could sum up the “MMLP2;” Eminem faced the music and released a

horrific human suffering that it entailed, but most of us could not truly imagine it. Now we see it; now we feel it.

Eminem releases “MMLP2” Reza Sayeed

After enduring a career shrouded by hiatuses, drug problems and family issues, Eminem still gets the world to listen when he’s got to say something. Much of his fame was born after the release of his second LP, “The Marshall Mathers LP” which is, even to this day, widely considered to be Eminem’s greatest project.

When a few months ago, there was a sudden surge in social media activity by Eminem, eventually culminating to an Instagram post with “MMLP2” in bold, red letters, the overall feelings were mixed.

How could Eminem ever top the original, especially after the chain of relative flops made up of the LP’s “Encore,” “Relapse,”

truly amazing LP. Survival proved to be the only obviously weak spot on the album. There was a concept of maturation in the album, to the surprise of many fans, as growing up seemed like something Eminem was not programmed to do. He even apologized to his mom for scrutinizing her so much through the years in a moving track titled “Headlights” featuring Fun.’s lead singer, Nate Ruess. Tracks such as “Legacy” and “Stronger Than I Was” also showed Eminem’s evolution but there were definitely Eminem’s twisted, mind-scrunching lines as well in tracks such as “Brainless,” “So Much Better,” and “Rhyme or Reason.”

In “Love Game,” a contorted take on a romantic song, Eminem brought on rap music’s new bully, Kendrick Lamar and the two released a strangely fun as well as funny track. All in all, “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” was not so much a sequel but a nice follow-up to the original Marshall Mathers LP. Some themes were revisited and extended but Eminem’s growth over the past thirteen years are obvious and portrayed masterfully.

What this LP means is that Eminem is nowhere near done. His hair is once again blonde, the media’s buzzing and the charts shine back “Eminem.” “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” was Eminem’s seventh album which debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, but, encouragingly, it’s his best album since “The Eminem Show,” released more than a decade ago. From here, we have more than hollow hope that Eminem can keep “ah-choo” and achieving!

January 2014

Review: “Catching Fire” Shannon Gerety Thursday, November 22, “Catching Fire” was released in theaters internationally. Filled with action, emotion, and suspense, the movie’s debut made a huge dent in the industry, earning $161.1 million. The movie features oscar-winning Jennifer Lawrence, heartthrob Josh Hutcherson, and other well known actors including Liam Hemsworth and Elizabeth Banks. There has only been three other movies in history to make such an amount on the night of the films’ debut, so what draws so much attention to “Catching Fire”?

The movie is based off of the book written by Suzanne Collins, and is the sequel to the first movie, “The Hunger Games.” Scholastic Press has printed more than 26 million copies of the trilogy, and they are constantly featured on The New York Times Bestseller list. The plot is in a futuristic, post-war setting, taking place in the dystopian nation of Panem. In the first movie, we are introduced to Katniss Everdeen, a strong, powerful sixteen year old archer. Katniss must compete in Panem’s national Hunger Games, a fight to the death between teenagers for entertainment. In the end, Katniss wins the games along with the help of Peeta, her partner who she develops a relationship with, and she can return home to her family.

“Catching Fire” starts with the after effects of Katniss’ victory. She connects with Gale, her long time hunting buddy and friend. Many “Hunger Games”

Pop Arts

fans can tell you quickly whether they are on Team-Peeta or Team-Gale. Personally, I am Team-Peeta, so it was a little disappointing to see the excessive kisses in the movie between Gale and Katniss that were not in the book. The president of Panem surprises Katniss in her home, and warns her to stay on her best behavior. He is afraid that her rebellious behavior with continue to spread throughout the nation, and an uprising will spread. President Snow is played by Donald Sutherland, and he does an excellent job of making me despise the controlling character that he plays. Being the person that she is, it did not take long for Katniss to stir something up within the other districts of Panem, but it is quickly calmed down and Katniss is forced to stay quiet and withdraw from voicing her opinion on the way the government is run and the abuse the citizens take.

The film does a great job of showing the other side, and the process President Snow takes to try and stop Katniss from influencing the people. While Katniss is “celebrating” her victory, she is introduced to Plutarch, the new head gamemaker of the hunger games. He and Snow are scheming a plan to eliminate Katniss, and the Quarter Quell is announced. For the 75th Annual Hunger Games, the tributes from each district is to be Victors from past games, and Katniss is the only female victor from district twelve, which means she’s going back in the arena.

The rest of the movie is packed full of action, and although viewers who read the book might have known incoming events, the movie delivered them with shock and it was all performed tremendously. The quality from the first movie to this is a huge jump, and it improved in every possible aspect.

“Catching Fire” received a new director and head of cinematography different from that in the first movie. Jennifer Lawrence played the “girl on fire” with a new confidence and boldness.

With a book as popular as this, it is impor tant for the movie to contain the same content. I think this is what the movie did the best with, and why it improved so immensely from the first movie. With the exception of a few cases, the movie was dead on, and it helped to please the fans of the book. Overall, the movie gets a ten out of ten from me, and I am excited to see it again. I recommend the movie to any teens or action lovers, and if possible,

page 5 (theJournal)

to read the book as well. With a cast list this talented, it is easy to enjoy and fall in love with, and have you laughing, crying, and get your heart pounding all within 146 minutes.

“Midnight Memories” comes out to acclaim Ritwik Dan The infamous five are at it again; with the recent release of their third studio album, “Midnight Memories,” One Direction has topped the charts all over the world. Ever since the beginning of their career, One Direction has released song after song about cute and simple things with relatively cute and simple music. Nothing in their songs is usually very impressive, be it rhythm, sound, or lyrical content. However, one thing One Direction has always been good at: capturing the hearts of teenage girls all over the world. At this, they are perhaps the best in the world; their past albums show it, and their newest album certainly does not disappoint.

As always, the band has its cute, lovey-dovey songs such as “You and I” and its typical fun, easygoing songs, best represented on this album by “Best Song Ever”--the “What Makes You Beautiful” of today. But this time, One Direction has moved forward with their music, with an edgier, rockier tone throughout “Midnight Memories,” shown using an almost excessive amount of overdrive on the guitar parts of the album’s title song, “Midnight Memories.” And not only have they tried at musical advancement, but even at lyrical content. “Don’t Forget Where You Belong” and “Story of My Life” offer insights into the personal

lives of the five boy band members, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, and show an obviously growing depth in their music-one that is most definitely appreciable at the least. On the whole, “Midnight Memories” is a very well-thought out and well-presented album, with a whole lot of new things to offer--but at what cost?

One Direction is a band that is, frankly, quite difficult to take seriously. And while this is certainly not inherently a downfall, a movement in the direction of maturity for this band can actually make it become that way. One Direction can try its hardest to mature, but the fact of the matter is that its roots began to grow so early and so deep that these roots can never be forgotten. This unfortunate situation is perfectly epitomized by their song “Diana,” a step forward in complexity regarding the concept of love, and a huge, whale-like movement in the direction of growth that fails simply because the same voices connected to their old, simplistic songs are back again. One can’t help but remember these voices in their songs “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Little Things” without cringing at least the slightest bit. As a result of this, the album loses the band’s usually addicting and infective catchiness, which is its most defining factor. It seems as though the band has just gotten a little worse at what

made it arguably the best in the world.

This evolution of the world-famous boy band’s music brings up the pestering question about it: Will they last? Could they end up like the Beatles one day, or will they collapse under the pressure of the music industry like Miley Cyrus?

While it’s highly unlikely that they’ll be twerking one day, it truly is difficult to answer - for only time will tell.

Around Town

January 2014

page 6 (theJournal)

Historic theater under new management Andrew Fedorov and Hayley Chang Until recently, the marquee of the Madison Theater did not display a schedule of film showings, it read only “Under Renovation.” Where posters for new movies used to hang at the entrance there were only empty cases and in a few of those there were empty bags of coffee.

The doors were papered up. Within, some rooms had bare walls and and dismantled ceilings. The lobby had paint rollers and paint lying around. The theaters themselves were very nice- above the ground.

The screens were hanging, the walls were covered, and the projectors were working but they were projecting only monochrome shots. When one looked down it was a dispiriting sight. There were about three chairs installed in a far off corner and the floor was littered with construction materials, a ladder, and scattered boxes. In the last few week weeks construction has progressed, the marquee has been gutted to be rebuilt, and seats were installed in the theaters. These were still among the first steps in the transformation of the Madison Theater.

The theater was built long before theaters were made for mere utility. It was built in a time when most theaters were silent and the movies were just becoming a dominant medium. In 1929 it became

one of the first few theaters built with sound in mind. Over the years the old theater began to rot though, as the new general manager of the theater, Dan Laiosa, who resembles David Foster Wallace, remembers it, it was still magical and impressive to see the “Star Wars” films in the old theater, when he was a kid. In the ‘90s, it was bought by a group of people who knocked down the large theater in back because business was unsustainable with only one theater. They made seven theaters instead of one, some of which Laiosa says were about the size of modern flat screen tvs.

Four or five years ago the theater was bought by the owners of Emerald Cinema in Amsterdam and Johnsville. When they bought the theater they also bought a neighboring business which until a few years ago was a coffee shop called The Muddy Cup. In 2010 the property was leased by Tierra Coffee roasters and recently when the lease was up and Tierra was looking to renew it, the owners said they were looking to sell the building so Tierra bought the whole thing.

This is how four guys with liberal arts and business backgrounds came to be running one of the oldest theaters in Albany. As the office of the theater reflects they know how to run a busi-

Photo courtesy of Andrew Fedorov/ The Journal

Reddy, set, go...

Taylor Tewksbury Reddy’s Delicatessen and Grocery is a frequent locale for Guilderland students.

Conveniently located at 170 Main Street, its just a short walk from the doors of the high school. Many know Reddy’s for its satisfying snacks, namely the sandwiches and hot grill options. Affectionately referred to as “the deli” throughout the high school halls, the popularity of the spot is no secret. However, not many know the story behind the counters of Reddy’s Deli.

The owner, Bill Reddy bought the location twenty-one years ago from the previous owner. “It was a big grocery before I bought it,” explained Reddy, who decided to start the business in 1992. “When I opened up it was during winter break, so the kids were off from school. The first day after break about thirty kids all came in.” The face of the deli has shifted significantly since then. At its open, Reddy’s was home to pool tables, Pac-Man machines, and other games. These were a

major draw in the deli’s start. However, the games were soon removed because of disruptive activity they attracted.

Reddy’s deli has existed as more than a place for hungry customers, but for family as well. As a father of three, he emphasized hard work by involving his kids in the business. When his eldest daughter came of age, around junior high, she had begun to help out with the customers.

Even before they were able to work, his family was present. “My wife also worked here, so she would bring our daughter and daughter’s friend in all the time,” recalled Reddy. His other daughter and son were also frequently present, especially as they got older. These early lessons in work experience were never lost.

While the students are not the sole customers for Mr. Reddy, they have always had an obvious presence. Its proximity makes it an obvious stop for pre-game snacks or post-regents lunches. “I love having the students come here,” said Reddy. “They never cause any problems

ness but they’re not quite sure about the movie business. The office is on the second floor of the theater next to the projectors. There are a few desks with some comfortable wheeled chairs and on the floor lie some posters for new movies that they keep getting sent and that Laiosa believes were meant for the old owners so he just recycles them. They know that they won’t be playing new movies but they’re looking to experiment. As Laiosa says, “the building will have a couple of businesses supporting it and won’t be dependent solely on movie ticket sales.”

When talking about the future of the theater, enthusiasm seethes from Laiosa.

He’s most certain that the first step is to finish reconstruction in December.

When asked whether they would preserve the old decorations Laiosa responded, “Yeah, mostly, but we’re going to go for some cool decorations too like bare brick walls.”

Most of the reconstruction money is going into converting the tiny televisionsized theaters into a Nut store where Tierra will be selling their nut products.

The store will operate autonomously and its hours won’t overlap with those of the movie theater but film patrons won’t go hungry. When talking about the concessions stand, Laiosa is very careful and proud to emphasize that every single item will be as natural and “organic” as possible. They will sell organic popcorn with “real organic butter” and, somehow, organic hot dogs.

As Laiosa moves further in time from the present in his explanation of the theater’s future it seems like more and more of what he says is just ideas being thrown out. For the first few months the business of the theater will be exclusively to show classic, second run movies like “Citizen Kane,” “Star Wars,” and “Alien.” Laiosa says that the theater will be open at nights five to six days a week and tickets will most likely be five dollars with some three dollar movie nights. After a few months

there’s talk of bringing in local musicians, comedians, and other performers. Laiosa also seems excited about the possibility of an Albany film festival with the Madison as a hub. There’s also talk of movie marathons. The first suggestions Laiosa threw out were either a “Zombie night or a Nicolas Cage marathon.” Tierra hopes to make the theater a center for the community.

Last Halloween the not yet refurbished Madison opened its doors and provided a refuge from the dark and rainy night, allowing about 90 people to be the last to grace the ragged seats of the old theater. On the screen flickered George A. Romero’s classic zombie film “Night of the Living Dead.” It was a fitting final film for the old theater. The rotting zombified civilization that was the old Madison Theater rotted away and was torn up by a small group of optimistic entrepreneurs, intent on building a new and better civilization. The apocalypse-themed night ended when the audience became the last to exit those theaters. The seats they had sat in, the concessions stand they had consumed from, and nearly everything else was torn out to be replaced.

On January 17, the newly renovated Madison will open its doors again and start with a weekend dedicated to the films of Paul Newman. Films will include “Cool Hand Luke,” “The Sting,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “Slapshot.”

Today, we are used to impersonal theaters where countless doors stretch down endless hallways. When the Madison was built cinematic cathedrals which radiated their town’s glory were springing up. It was an age when the cinema was a palace.

With the coming of new technologies such as home video and video games, old theaters were neglected and fell into disrepair. Perhaps now they will be reborn, if not as palaces, then as homes.

and they are fun to have around.” This is the friendly atmosphere that keeps the students coming back each day. So while the image of the deli changes through the years, one thing remains the same. The

students of GHS will always be hungry for more of Reddy’s Deli.

Photo courtesy of Taylor Tewksbury/ The Journal

Around Town

January 2014

The dish on the scoop

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Journal)

Michelle Kang and Parastoo Ghiamati

Frozen yogurt stores have been popping up all over the Capital Region in the past several years. Due to its irresistible taste, it’s easy to understand why the frozen yogurt industry is expanding at a rapid pace. We all know the feeling of walking by a frozen yogurt store, eyeing the dozens of flavors and toppings, feeling the atmosphere and the trendy music, imagining taking a bite of the smooth and creamy treat.

With so much variety comes the persisting question: which frozen yogurt shop is the best? After setting out on a day-long adventure, hitting the local stores and taking in all they had to offer, we reached two conclusions: not all frozen yogurt is delicious and eating a gallon of it may not be the healthiest choice.

YO D.SERT:

3.5/5

The venue is located in Crossgates Mall, downstairs. Although the location of the shop is awkwardly situated and the interior is small and cramped, the soft neon lights and the electro music selection easily catch the attention of passersby. The store is decked out with neon lighting, spinning retro stools, and mood-setting electro music. Yo D.Sert gave off an atmosphere halfway between cheesy and cool. While the place doesn’t scream “try me right now,” its unique design and comically tacky name are sure to stay in your mind as you walk by. There are 6 flavors of yogurt that change daily.

There is not a great selection, especially since two of the flavors are just “chocolate” and “vanilla.” Although the yogurt wasn’t the creamiest, the taste was decent, and the fruit toppings seemed fresh.

319 Ontario St Albany Cost: .49/oz

Lemondrop: 5/5

YEH: 2.5/5

YEH is in Crossgates Mall, downstairs, next to Burlington Coat Factory. The shop has an open design that makes it impossible to miss, and convenientlyplaced seats that allow for easy people watching. Unfortunately, the external view isn’t great because the shop is in a more or less walled-off area. The interior is very aesthetically pleasing with welldesigned furniture and a spacious seating area. The soft music and vibrant colors create a calm and inviting vibe, and the open-wall design allows an unrestricted atmosphere. The staff was very friendly and eager to help. As for yogurt, there are 10 flavors, and the taste at YEH was MEH. Some flavors such as peanut butter and pink lemonade sorbet had an overly strong taste, while you could barely taste the vanilla and Zeusberry flavors. YEH had the least creamiest yogurt, and tasted like iced milk.

Cost: .52/oz

TCBY: 4/5

One of the first froyo venues in Guilderland, TCBY is located at 1512 Western Ave, Albany, NY. TCBY is next to a Five Guys burger restaurant, making it convenient to stop for a cheeseburger before your froyo if you’re particularly hungry. Inside, the trendy music and colorful design create a modern, cool atmosphere. The staff was friendly and enthusiastic.

There are 12 flavors of yogurt. Although the TCBY staff recommends cake batter, we prefer the pumpkin flavor because of its creamy and rich taste.

Cost: .49/oz

Lemondrop has excellent customer service; we were immediately greeted by a staff member with a stack of tasting cups who eagerly guided us through the process and the set-up. The yogurt area presented the nutrition information for each flavor on a convenient and modern digital screen. Lemondrop was incredibly spacious and clean-looking due to its white interior, and also used rainbow murals and neon lights to add a trendy atmosphere. When we visited, they even had a birthday party in the back with a bunch of middle school kids playing Just Dance on the Wii. You don’t make this stuff up. There are 12 flavors, with special flavors that change daily. Lemondrop had the most creative flavor selection of the stores we visited, such as Euro Tart, Sea Salt Caramel Pretzel, and Strawberry Banana. Lemondrop’s yogurt was the best we tried. Though some of the toppings didn’t look the freshest, the flavors were interesting, the yogurt was creamy, and everything was delicious.

65 Wolf Road, Colonie Cost: .49/oz

Crossing the line

January 2014

Centerspread

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Journal)

From private to public, information has a way of getting out of control

Luxi Peng “Five sophomore girls together sounds like a slutfest. Only takes a minute of drinkin’ to get ‘em undressed.”

Such begins the now-infamous GHS ‘sophomore rap,’ posted to YouTube under the username Anon Guild on Veteran’s Day, November 11 while students enjoyed a respite from the stresses of school. Although it was removed from the website by the user shortly after, the video garnered enough attention to warrant complaints by students and parents alike to both the Guilderland Central School District and the Guilderland Police Department.

The video, which mentioned specific GHS students by first and last name, centered around the notion of many of the female members of the Class of 2016 being promiscuous and criticizes them for this behavior. A simple audio track with a shot of the GHS sign by the main parking lot as its background, it described various alleged sexual activities by multiple female students.

Created by four male members of the Class of 2015, the tone and content of the video prompted separate cyberbullying investigations by the District and the Police Department.

The four male students were eventually suspended for varying lengths of time by the school and charged under a 2010 Albany County law that makes cyberbullying a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison and/or a fine of up to $1,000. All four voluntarily turned themselves in and were arrested on Thursday, November 21.

However, while the rap video may be an isolated incident of cyberbullying that is in the process of being handled by administrative and legal systems, is it indicative of a larger issue in our school, community, and generation? What sorts of questions does it raise about our attitudes toward young women, our hyper-digitally connected existence, and the fine, fine line between expressing our opinions and outright antagonism?

“We’ve got a lot of educating to do, a lot of extracurricular activities to do.

And there comes a point where you learn from mistakes and move forward,” said GHS Building Principal Thomas Lutsic.

In the initial days after the video was posted and discovered on YouTube, Lutsic dealt with a barrage of media and community inquiries. While he and Dr. Marie Wiles, GCSD superintendent, have made numerous statements regarding the school’s handling of the rap video, Lutsic stated to the Journal that he preferred to move past the issue of the rap itself to focus on how we as a school could learn from this experience.

He shared his reflections on the

matter in a video message that was played to students on the GHS Reporter a few weeks after the events had transpired.

The message focused largely on the positive aspects of the GHS educational experience, and had few references to the rap video itself. Lutsic encouraged students to be more accepting of each other, and to treat each other with the same kindness and respect that they would wish to be afforded by others.

Encouraging students to become involved with extracurriculars and clubs that promote understanding, Lutsic cites Students and Teachers Against Racism (STAR) , National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI), and Alliance as activities that “promote tolerance and acceptance, and overall respect for human dignity - I think are really important resources that students have available to them.”

With regard to the anti-feminist undertones of the rap, as well as the malefemale double standard for promiscuity, Lutsic believes that an attitude shift is necessary, but already developing.

“Amongst younger people, there might be this standard where you know, the guys are cool if they’re able to be more promiscuous and yet, for females, it is not. But it is certainly not anything that is just specific to this generation. I think it’s something that has been around for a long time, but I certainly believe it is getting much more balanced.”

He asserts, though, that the school’s response to matters regarding sexual harassment and cyberbullying is not at all dependent on the victim’s gender; had the victims been male and the perpetrators female, Lutsic believes GHS would have handled the situation in the same way.

Still, the distinction between expressing one’s own opinion and comments that can be considered cyberbullying or hate speech is so fine that even the law has not successfully and clearly defined it yet.

Andrew R. Safranko, defense attorney for junior Parker Carmichael who is one of the four students charged in the case, believes that free speech has been a contentious, but clearly defined right for Americans from the beginning. “Anytime a person is silenced from offering their opinion or making statements,

77% Bullying cases in which bystanders do not intervene

it becomes a controversial issue,” says Sofranko. “From the adoption of the US Constitution in 1787, the ability to speak freely was and continues to be one of the most important freedoms of each citizen.”

Safranko cites the 2011 U.S. Supreme Court case of Snyder v. Phelps involving the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC,) commonly recognized as an anti-gay and anti-military hate group, as an example of the extent to which freedom of speech exists in our country. Despite the extreme and hurtful nature of the statements made by the WBC, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of the WBC, asserting that their funeral picketing and homophobic protests were protected under the First Amendment.

Indeed, the 2010 Albany County law being used to charge the four GHS students is currently being challenged as a violation of the First Amendment and Section 8 of the New York State Constitution, both of which prohibit any person from creating a law that limits free speech.

In 2011, then 16-year-old Marquan Mackey-Miggs of Cohoes High School was charged with 10 counts of cyberbullying under the Albany County law after he created a Facebook page where photos and derogatory sexual comments were posted of Cohoes students.

“In the case of the Cohoes student,” says Safranko, “a challenge is being made that the law is overbroad and vague. Historically, almost all laws prohibiting or abridging free speech have been struck down, most of them for being overbroad and vague.”

Safranko believes that the current Albany County law, which defines cyberbullying and makes it illegal for someone to engage in it, is unconstitutional and should be struck down.

“I commend the Albany County Legislature for being proactive, passing

one of the first ever cyberbullying laws in the country, but the law as written is vague and overbroad, and punishes innocent behavior. It is imposing criminal liability for making statements.”

Safranko adds that, “in New York State, a criminal conviction is permanent and can lead to a loss of liberties.

For instance, if a person is incarcerated in New York they can lose their voting rights or their freedom to pursue certain careers or attend certain schools.” He believes that these consequences should not be even considered as remote possibilities for his client.

As an administrator, the distinction between free speech and hate speech is one that Lutsic often has difficulty making. “Freedom of speech and hate speech, it is a difficult issue, there’s no doubt about that. And there’s some judgment and reasonableness that has to come into it.”

However, Lutsic believes that there is one defining characteristic that can often be used to separate free speech and hate speech or cyberbullying.

“There’s a specific target mentioned,” says Lutsic. “Whether it’s somebody’s name, or a particular group with certain characteristics, and just the tone and level of hate that goes along with the vocabulary that’s used. That is, I think, different from free speech. We are all free to express our opinions, but there’s a limit to expressing an opinion versus demeaning and diminishing someone’s

Centerspread

January 2014

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280,000 kids are attacked in secondary schools each month

= 1,000 kids 160,000 kids miss school everyday for fear of bullying

human e s s e n c e.

You have to draw that line on a case by case basis, but definitely, when you start targeting individuals or individual characteristics of specific groups, you’re starting to get into some territory where some people might take offense.”

Safranko believes that the circumstances and evidence present in his client’s case do not fit the law’s definition of cyberbullying. “As the law is applied to the matter involving the four Guilderland High School students, it essentially states that it is illegal to communicate through a computer or other electronic means information that details private, personal, false, or sexual information, with no legitimate purpose, intending to inflict significant emotional harm on another person. There will be a question as to whether the lyrics of the song fit this definition. We believe they do not.”

Ultimately, Lutsic feels that the

decisions that will p re ve n t t h i s sort of situation in the future are far more personal than legal. “The heart of it is, if we all treat each other the way that we would like to be treated, then it doesn’t matter if we’re posting or texting or doing whatever because if the language is respectful. It isn’t a cyber issue or this kind of another issue,” says Lutsic.

“It really boils down to, regardless of how we communicate, is that communication appropriate?”

E d i t o r ’s Note: The Journal reached out to many other individuals for comment. However, due to personal conflicts and the ongoing criminal investigation, none of them was able to speak with us.

Sources:

http://www.cfep.uci.edu/westop/events/slc/2012/projects/ pdf/CLU%20UB/CLU%20UBMS-Bullying.pdf

The Journal January 2014

World and Cultures

Different countries, cultures, student experiences Bayley Kralik

My move from Kingston, Ontario to Guilderland, New York was full of loss, adventure, anxiety, and most of all change. There were many changes, including the food, the schools, the sports, way of dress, way of speaking, and even the spelling.

I lived in a town along Lake Ontario in Canada where the winters were always too long and the summers were too short. Since winter seemed to last eight of the twelve months, winter sports were huge. Hockey is known internationally as Canada’s sport. Everyone either plays or watches. Other winter sports included, curling, skiing, snowboarding, and figure skating. Rugby and lacrosse are also extremely popular sports.

Canadians use a lot of different words than what New Yorkers do. Some examples include the use of washroom instead of bathroom, pop instead of soda, lunch pail for lunch box, duo-tang instead of folders, and zed instead of the letter z. The spelling of words can be different too. Canadians write in “Canadian English” form, which adds ‘u’ to certain words like favourite, colour, honour, and labour. And yes, Canadians do say “eh” a lot. It is used as an interjection, and is equivalent to the Americans say-

ing “huh?”

I find that the biggest difference between the two places is the food. The favorite chain restaurants in Kingston were things you’ve probably never heard before, such as East Side Mario’s, Harvey’s,

with two creams and two sugars. Poutine is another Canadian favorite. Poutine consists of fries covered with brown gravy and cheese curds. Now I know that most people would say that it sounds absolutely disgusting, but it’s actually really

Photo courtesy of Pranav Nayak/ The Journal

and Swiss Chalet. Easily the thing I miss the most--minus my friends--is a chain coffee shop called Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons to Canadians is what Dunkin Donuts is to Americans. Canadians live and breathe it.The most common drink is the Double-double, which is a coffee

good. Another real treat is beaver tail.

Not actually a tail of a beaver, it is fried dough with topping.

Because I went to a Catholic high school in Canada and wore a uniform, being able to wear whatever I want here is a real treat. The only good thing about

wearing a uniform is that you never have to think about what you are going to wear each day. Some popular clothing stores in Canada are Lululemon, Roots, and Bench.

In regards to schooling, things were even more different. Your year nine and ten grades didn’t appear on your final GPA and therefore were not looked at by universities. There were no SATs or ACTs required to get into university.

Each semester consisted of four classes that you attended every day. You then took four different classes the following semester. Every month you received what they called a PA day, which really was just a day off of school for both teachers and students. My school day started at 8:30 and ended at 2:30, with a 55 minute lunch. Girls played basketball in the fall and boys played during the winter.

Even though Kingston is only four hours away, it truly seems that I have moved to a new world. Its a bit more fast paced here, more homework assigned, and a more populated school.

But, although I miss my home and the Canadian style of living, I am truly enjoying making new friends and discovering life in Guilderland.

The New American Dream Reza Sayeed and Michelle Xiong Within the past century, the United States has become a hub for immigrants and travelers alike from all around the globe. People flock to America for many different reasons, but one that has remained, ever glorified and preserved over the decades, is the pursuit of the fabled American dream.

What exactly is the American dream?

In years past, such as during the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s and the political turmoil of Germany in post-WWI interwar period, people sought safety and stability in the promising, young country to start anew.

Shi Hui Xiong, the grandfather of current GHS senior Michelle Xiong, arrived in the US in 1992, after sending his two sons to America in 1983 in their pursuit of higher education and more promising job opportunities. Xiong was born in 1937, and grew up during the Chinese power struggle between the Nationalist and the Communist parties. He recounts the contributing forces that motivated his constant push for relocation from China to the US. “My family was in a decrepit state long before I was born, but it wasn’t always.

My own great-grandfather had once been a fairly wealthy banker, but he squandered off the family fortune in the aftermath of the Opium Wars.” Xiong recalls.

His childhood itself has also impacted his decision to send his own children

before himself. “My father had also gone to serve in the army during the [Chinese] civil war,” Xiong says, “He was irresponsible and left my mother.

She could not care for me and my two younger siblings, who later passed away in childhood. I vowed to lead a better life than my predecessors did and keep building for my future family.”

Graphic courtesy of Michelle Xiong / The Journal

Xiong’s dream was one of hope for the improvement of not necessarily himself, but for the strong foundation of future success.

“I remember when my older son sent his first paycheck and letter back home,” Xiong reminisces, “It filled us with so much hope and joy, but fear as well. We knew he was going to be alright. A few months later he sent us the next package : a washing machine. It may not seem like much today, but back then, it was our first electronic appliance. It was a huge step up for us.”

As the eras passed, the cultural influences, such as the evolving technology and media, of each time have painted a slightly different picture of what America would bring within in the minds of the travelers.

“Growing up, watching American television and films made America seem more like a fantasy than anything else… everyone wanted to catch a peek for themselves.” said Wahid Sayeed, father of current GHS Senior Reza Sayeed. Mr. Sayeed emigrated from Bangladesh more than twenty years ago with a suitcase and a dream.

Once he got here, however, he very quickly realized that American life was very different from any Hollywood flick.

“Everybody has to work for themselves and that’s a very different lifestyle from mine back in Bangladesh,” Sayeed says, “If you work, though, you’ll get

somewhere.” That’s where the dream kicks in.

To Mr. Sayeed, the American dream is more like a fresh, blank slate than anything. Growing up in Bangladesh and briefly experiencing living in the Middle

I vowed to lead a better life than my predecessors did and keep building for my future family.

East, Sayeed claims that “these other nations present to you a heavily immobile lifestyle, one which gives you very little hope for change.” The American dream lets you dream big and lunge towards your goals because people before you have done great things. The American dream is very much alive and well, and it’s up to every individual to keep it that way.

Despite slight variations in the overall expectation and outcome of the dream with each successive generation, the underlying drive to make the move has ultimately remained the same. “[The results] certainly aren’t always perfect”, Sayeed remarks, “but I’m blessed with everything America has given to me.”

World and Cultures

January 2014

page 11 (theJournal)

Nelson Mandela: The visionary of change

Michael Zhu

He personified the triumph of nearly unimaginable perseverance over nearly unimaginable tribulation. And that persistence has created a universal legacy that has moved the hearts of every person.

“I’ve known about Mandela since I was young,” Mohona Sengupta, a GHS sophomore, recalls, “and he’s always been my idol, the champion for a cause that was universal, the messenger for a better and more peaceful world.”

Many years ago, Mandela once said, “A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.” This message is one that he often spoke of throughout his life, one that he often called upon to condemn the use of violence and hatred. His call for peace and love is one that has touched the hearts of every person.

Even here, an ocean away, students in the U.S. have recognized Mandela’s success in espousing such a message so humble and fundamental in nature yet so complex and difficult in reality.

“Nelson Mandela was one of a handful of people from other societies that most people here at GHS would have been aware of,” Mr. Baker, a GHS global teacher, remarked. “One can only hope that someone with the same kind of courage as Mandela will come along there to help them create the kind of society that Mandela dreamed of all those years in jail,” he said.

Mandela’s death caused instantaneous

reactions, from grandiose to small, honoring tions and tribute.” the fallen hero. In the U.S., President Obama “There were also a lot of local tributes,” immediately made a speech eulogizing Mohona recalls, “People from GHS and Mandela. “Today he’s gone home and we’ve other local schools expressed their adulation lost one of the most influential, courageous and respect for Mandela and his legendary and profoundly good human beings…He message.” no longer belongs to us; he belongs to the For students, Mandela had a very special ages.” dream: “Edu“His journey cation is the from a prisoner most powerto a president emful weapon bodied the promwhich you ise that human becan use to ings and countries chang e the can change for the world.” It is better,” Obama our responsaid, “And so long s i b i l i t y, a s as I live, I will do the first genwhat I can to learn eration of a from him.” tumultuous, Social media varying time, networks such to change the as Twitter and world for the Facebook were b e t t e r. We immediately can only do flooded with euthat by being logies and exaltrue students tations of Mandedicated to dela. The hashtags knowledge #RIPNelsonManand educaGraphic courtesy of Naty Pedretti/ The Journal dela and #Mandela were trending almost tion. instantaneously, demonstrating the effect “Learn because you want to learn, not Mandela had on people from all around just for the sake of learning,” Mr. Baker says, the world.

“Learn about what you love, learn about you “It was almost tear-jerking,” Mohona are passionate for.” says. “Mandela’s death had created an enor“I believe that is what Mandela is trying mous and inspiring outpouring of glorifica- to say,” Mr. Baker comments. “We should

A Celebrated Life Begins to attend Nelson Mandela is born Rohilahla Mandela

Sentenced to five years in prison for incitement African National and leaving the country Released from prison Congress (ANC) without a passport Sentenced to Life in prison meetings informally

July 18th, 1918

1942

November 7th, 1962 June 12th, 1963

February 11th, 1990

be lifelong learners, changing what we know because of society.”

Very few people are indispensable.

Important and remembered, yes, and even revolutionary. Some can change the world, some can influence society, and some can give what they have to create a better world.

But that doesn’t make them indispensable.

Mandela became indispensable when he rid from himself and his beliefs the power, greed, anger, and vengeance of tyrants and oppressors. He became a legend when he took up a cause that seemed impossible and, as Mandela himself put it, would seem that way until it was accomplished. That intense and undefeatable perseverance for a better world of peace, love, freedom, and respect has made him a man who didn’t seem human. Yet his natural charm, good-nature, and sense of humor showed us that he, like all of us, is imperfect. And that makes him just as more remarkable.

When he returned from prison after 27 years, Mandela gave a heartwarming, tearjerking speech to the massive crowd outside the city hall. He ended the speech the same way he ended his treason trial which sent him to prison: “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

And even though he may truly have died, his ideal will not.

Elected and Inaugrated as President of South Africa Votes for first time in his life

Steps down after one term as President and est. the Nelson Mandela Foundation

1999 April 27th, 1994 May 9-10th, 1994

Mandela Dies

December 5th, 2013

Int’l Club: New advisors fill Mackey’s shoes Rebekah Wolanski After retiring last year, Mrs. Mackey has left a tremendous legacy in her wake.

She was an inspiration to students and teachers alike as she simultaneously taught her rigorous curriculum, ran International Club, and almost singlehandedly spearheaded the long and complicated process of planning and running the Cultural Fair.

Picking up where she left off are two teachers, Mrs. Bedian and Mrs. McManus, who hope to carry on her tradition as they advise International Club and plan for the Cultural Fair this year.

Mrs. Bedian and Mrs. McManus, as well as the president of the club, Reza Sayeed, have a lot on their plates as leaders of International Club. As one of Mrs. Mackey’s successors, Mrs. Bedian feels that she has, “pretty big shoes to fill.”

She is trying to have a seamless transition from Mackey’s leadership last year to the joint advisement this year. The emphasis is still on sharing different cultures and promoting diversity in the Guilderland community, and she hopes to keep many of the important aspects of the Cultural Fair that make it so unique.

A major change that the advisors are implementing is a progression into a more digitized and technological club. Those

who know Mrs. Mackey remember her mounds of paperwork and plethora of worksheets, passes, and sign-up sheets.

Bedian and McManus are changing that particular aspect of International Club and now communicate with the members through Google groups. They have also digitized Mackey’s recipe cookbook, and are in the process of creating an Excel spreadsheet of the Cultural Fair sign up forms that will be accessed via internet.

Reza agrees that the involvement of technology has made his job, as president, easier.

Though the integration of technology has made running International Club easier, there are still some challenges.

Mrs. Bedian says that, “Time is the biggest issue.” With the absence of advisory, months of planning that go into creating the Cultural Fair have to be put into 40 minutes after school.

A challenge that Reza has found is that there is an adjustment phase from last year’s advisor to this year’s advisors.

He says, “We’ve learned now, two months in, however, that everything isn’t going to be how it always was and that that’s okay.

We’re moving forward in the right direction because we’ve accepted that. Change isn’t always bad.”

Concerning the Cultural Fair, Bedian says that they are changing how leadership and planning is broken up to make things easier. Various foreign language teachers will be helping to get together items to sell, and Coach Relyea will be in charge of dance. This year, Reza hopes to build up membership of underclassmen in the club because, as he says, “This club is really the direct result of student contributions and I want to be able to put on a

Photo courtesy of Iona Sima / The Journal

Fair that inspires the younger students.”

It is plain to see that the leadership of International Club has been transferred to good hands, as Mrs. Bedian, Mrs. McManus, and Reza Sayeed all show their commitment to the club and promise a great Cultural Fair.

Journal January 2014

Opinions What societal role is superior?

The Battery

Andrew Fedorov

Lately, I’ve been walking around a lot. Mostly at night when it feels like my mind is weighing too heavily on me.

Sometimes I go out to think, sometimes to clear my head; tonight1 I just went out to look at Christmas lights. I soon found myself fed up with the artificial lights, the blaring holiday music and the insincere sentiments they both projected. As I walked down the streets, I found myself looking at the stars above the glowing roofs of the garishly overdecorated houses and the tips of the trees that surrounded them. The silent and calming tranquility of the stars astounded me. I walked with my neck cricked up and my eyes set firmly on the skies above me. As I stared up, my frozen chin dropped and I exhaled. The wind blew my breath back, fogging up my glasses. Above the foggy lenses I saw that one of the blurry bulbs above was blinking and moving. It was mankind intruding among the stars; mankind breaking free of the earth and joining the beautiful lights that they had spent so long staring at; mankind believing ourselves to be on a level with stars; it was pure, simple, and beautiful human arrogance making its way across the unsuspecting sky.

Since before recorded history, arrogance is what has distinguished man from the rest of the animal kingdom.

I don’t necessarily mean unpleasant arrogance. I simply mean the quality of having unlimited self confidence. It caused our progression into modernity and continues to be the core cause all experimentation and improvement. The first step to performing an action is envisioning it. Assumptions of inferiority and a lack of self confidence certainly restrict vision and limit progress. The arrogant person is free to try anything he may think up because he doesn’t place himself on a lower level, thereby restricting his access to a higher one. If we realize that the process of becoming arrogant is simply the removal of our mental limits, we will also realize that arrogance is not merely a perception of superiority but a cause of it.

To allow ourselves to become mere cogs in the societal machine is to either believe that the world and our lives are perfect or to believe that they are not worth fixing. To say that not everybody can be a machine’s power source is to leave untapped potential. To simply not try to innovate, to not attempt to lead, and to not try to be the best at something because you accept that competition is fierce is as irresponsible as not getting vaccinated because you rely on

group immunity. 2 To accept a position as a cog is to give up too easily.

The history of man’s quest to join the stars is filled with countless failed attempts, but even those who failed were not content to be cogs. They were all very human and all very arrogant. One of the oldest stories of human flight and human arrogance is the myth of Icarus, who flew too close to sun and when his constructed wings combusted he plummeted to a painful death. A more recent story is that of Colonel Fred Burnaby who was swept up in the hot air ballooning craze of nineteenth century Europe and became a confir med, though eccentric, member of the fringe

Jack Watson

The Cog

I think back to the first uniform I owned quite frequently - it’s nothing special. A karate gi1, messily folded, children’s small, thrown into a drawer with various rank-indicating belts and a few spare linens. I stopped participating in Washin-Ryu karate in the ninth grade, but I can still remember the congregations in Binghamton with relative detail: A sea of white robes and iron-on patches, weaving through black belts twice as tall as I was, their belts ragged, faded, and fraying from age, waiting to assemble with my peers in order of height and rank for Mr. Ochiai’s lecture that we were all there for that day. I felt at peace; I was a single white gi amongst hundreds of others, nearly in-

distingroup guishable of advenfrom every turous balloono t h er face in Courtesy of Jack Watson/Isaac Malsky atics. On March 23rd, the sea, and there was 1882, the colonel took off from something comforting about Dover, England. He nearly had an Icarus that. Not every man, woman, and child moment when he came to colliding with can be a Bruce Lee; every clock hand the chimney of the Dover Gasworks needs a dozen gears tucked behind it. but in the end his cross channel flight The census bureau and its affiliates was a success and he landed in Dover. have created algorithms to estimate These pioneers, real and imagined, knew the US population down to the single that it is unsatisfactory to live life under digit, which comes down to about the supreme command of gravity and 317,181,301 persons2 (and a new Amerithe constraints of our society, that it is can every eight seconds or so). That may unsatisfactory to live life grounded and seem like a lot of feet scurrying around, that it is far better to accept the risks, but to give a little perspective, India is reject the limits, and use our arrogance more or less the size of the East Coast to soar high and burn bright.

and plays host to around 1.237 billion of us, and their ticker is chugging along at more than .125 babies/second. The world is a really big place, filled with really big herds of homo sapiens, and with so many of us, there’s not room for everyone to be a special flower.

For every Neil Armstrong, there are a thousand technicians working diligently behind the scenes, equally as important as the men and women 238,900 miles away. Great persons sway currents, but without the current to sway, they are nothing. Society is in short a big machine, and what is a machine without the components? Every ocean is comprised of insignificant droplets and every great empire was upheld with footsoldiers.

Ultimately, life’s meaning is what we make of it; there’s no real end goal that everyone is striving towards and there’s no ultimate enlightened state that we’ll eventually all achieve. Existentialism is in style. Personally, if we can sustain ourselves in comfort while helping others, I think that puts us in a pretty good place, and that’s what the cog is all about: being one of the many. That’s why I ride ambulance, why I work at a nursing home, and why I write for the journal; there’s nothing to distinguish me from the rest, but in sum there is a great positive impact.

To be honest with the readers of our newspaper, not many of us in our upper-middle class suburban high school are living in particular hardship.

There are those amongst us who have gone through struggles, and there are those who are still grappling with demons in their lives, but for the most part, we’re living pretty ordinary, cushioned lives. We’re not interesting people, and that’s pretty great. We’ll grow up to be doctors, Hannaford cashiers, custodians, marines, and a handful of other things that none of us could anticipate right now, and we’ll do so in relative obscurity to the larger frame of this world. I am, and we are, the unspoken heroes of our society, and we are what makes the world move.

footnotes: 1 White karate uniform, usually accompanied by rank and event patches.

2 Came to the United States in 1966, shined shoes to earn bus fare from California to New York to attend University, founded the Washin-Ryu style of karate, appeared in several martial arts films, won the United States Grand National Karate Championship five consecutive years.

3 As of 12/5/13, 12:00 AM

Questions, comments or complaints? Send an email to The Journal at theguilderlandjournal@gmail.com

January 2014

Bullying Continued from page 1

It makes no difference whether or not people knew about the situations that were rapped about. The rap was offensive, degrading, and disgusting – not only to the girls in the song, but to all students who have the right express their sexuality in whichever ways they like. Blatantly sexist, the song also contained homophobia (the use of the word “faggot”) and racism (references to blowing someone up “like an Arab). These words have the power to isolate fellow students we sit in class with each day, people who we have grown up with. The rap was bullying, plain and simple. There is no hollow reasoning or hiding behind the shield of “free speech” that can change that simple fact.

Opinions

Bullying, much like stealing, is illegal.

If you do something illegal, post it on the internet while pin-pointing specific people - you deserve to get caught. And you will get caught. The fact that these The rap was offensive, degrading, and disgusting – not only to the girls in the song, but to all students who have the right express their sexuality. students at no point had the foresight to see what they were doing, nor the courage to stand against their friends, makes this whole situation no fault than other their own. Perhaps the media blew this

out of proportion. Perhaps potential jail time is too harsh - I certainly think it is.

Even so, each decision we make comes with consequences, those positive and those negative, those expected and those unexpected. If we are willing to use our freedom to make our own decisions, we must also be willing to accept the results of them. These boys made the conscious choice to post the rap on the internet, use first and last names, and use extreme vulgarity. With that, they can only be held responsible for their actions.

What is going to happen to these accused students? Only time will tell. Perhaps we will see them again, roaming the hallways of GHS, moving on with their lives because that’s all anyone can ever do.

page 13 (theJournal)

Regardless of whether or not the boys are convicted, suspended, expelled, or whatever else, it is hard to imagine things will remain the same. I do hope that they are able to continue on, go to college, to be successful and to be forgiven. Ultimately, they will have to carry the weight of knowing they rifted a community with them for a long time to come. That is the most painful punishment they will receive. When they grow up and have daughters of their own, they too might think that they deserve everything that has recently come to them.

Hierarchy in sports is unjust Hayley Chang This past summer, a girl from GHS went away to a foreign country with her family to visit her home country. This girl had been enjoying her summer and looking forward to an exciting new school year and the upcoming cross country season.

Knowing that she would be missing the summer practices and the first couple practices when school starts, she emailed the head cross country coach letting him know about her expected absence. She had already signed up at the end of the previous year for the cross country team and had been on the team for two years prior to this year. Two of her friends even went to go talk to the girls assistant cross country coach to remind her of their teammates expected absence. This was taken into account but most likely set aside. Yet, upon returning to school and talking to head coach, this girl was told she was not allowed to be on the team because she had missed the sign up date. This girl is not the fastest runner ever, but she did sign up like everyone

else, so shouldn’t she have been allowed on the team?

If she had been varsity running material would she still have been denied a spot on the team? No. If she had been an amazing runner, she would have been greeted with open arms. Teams that want to win utilize their best players, which makes sense, but the other kids who sit on the sidelines hoping for a chance to be great never receive one. Should sports simply be about winning or should they be about the far more gratifying experience of being on a team?

The current way sports are run causes kids to develop a competitive mindset that persists with them throughout life.

Everything becomes about winning, no matter what - even if that mean cheating, lying, or stealing. The system fails to instill cooperative thinking in kids, leaving them only with selfishness. It does not allow for sharing and camaraderie, only for single minded and vicious goals. It leaves them lacking in skills they will desperately need later in life. The emphasis should be less

on competition and more on having fun and learning new things.

Sports should provide a place for children to release the stress of school, and should not become just another test to pass. They should serve as a ventilation point for the otherwise stressful school day, the escape that clears your head and calms you down. The constant yelling of coaches does not allow for this reprieve.

It directs the harsh winds elsewhere to less constructive habits and the overall morale of the student lessens. Everyone should be rewarded for even trying, not frowned upon for not being the best.

Kids who excel should be praised, sure, but don’t forget to mention all the other teammates who have been practicing right beside them. Sports should be less about the goal and more about the game, just as in life.

In my experience, running has been a way for me to escape from whatever overthought fog is clouding my mind. Usually I find running to be a torturous exercise, but lately I’ll be sitting at my desk doing

The current way sports are run causes kids to develop a competitive mindset that persists with them throughout life. homework and just get so fed up that I simply throw on some sneakers to hit the pavement. In these moments, life becomes simple, no longer complicated by responsibility. At times like these, I feel like I can run on infinitely. My legs hit the ground in a natural robotic motion that I no longer have to overthink. There is something natural and uncorrupted about feet hitting the ground that I have only ever experienced while running. Every kid needs a break. Every kid should have a chance to try new things. Every kid deserves to experience this feeling of euphoria.

Response: Natural rights exist Ben Goes We are all endowed with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are natural, and they are unchanging. Man, in his natural state, is alive.

Man, in his natural state, will always seek happiness. Man, in his natural state, is free.

Our lives consist of our actions and the reactions of others

Freedom, in simple terms, is the ability to choose. Every individual possesses this freedom, even outside of a vacuum.

We are free to say what we wish. We are free to worship as we wish. Indeed, we are free to live as we wish. Our lives

consist of our actions and the reactions of others. Every action requires a choice, a choice that only we can make.

Of course, every action comes with a reaction. Consequences come with the choices we make, and in this way society can exert pressure on an individual. This pressure can smother our freedom, but it cannot extinguish it.

You can say whatever the hell you want, regardless of what your society might think. You can get together with anyone you’d like, as many as you’d like, regardless of how paranoid your society might become. You have that freedom to choose. Your society can choose to try and deter you, perhaps by threatening your happiness, and most men, who will always pursue happiness, will choose to not act against the wishes of their society. But that is still a choice. If I want to argue with a government official, but the

price to do so is death, I can still choose to argue. I probably won’t, but there are plenty of martyrs in history who have demonstrated that I can.

So what are these natural rights we speak of today? They are our line in the sand. They are the freedoms that we are unwilling to give up. Through centuries of war and peace, destruction and creation, ignorance and enlightenment, these are the boundaries that we have erected.

These are the areas where we can make choices without fearing for our lives or our happiness. Men have fought to have them recognized, and it is up to other men to recognize them, so in a way they are fabrications of man. But natural rights are really just elements of natural freedom. All men possess them, naturally. As a society we should seek not to revise our list of recognized rights, but to add to it.

Courtesy of Iona Sima

The Journal January 2014

Fine Arts

“Night Watch” by the Guilderland Players Josh Kahn

The Guilderland Players had audience members on the edge of their seats during the three evenings of suspense when they staged “Night Watch.” The show was directed by Andy Maycock, who has been directing the GHS plays and musicals for many years now. The production ran from November 7th to 9th in the GHS auditorium, puzzling audiences with dramatic twists and turns.

The Guilderland Players usually put on a comedy like last year’s production of, “Lend Me A Tenor.” This year the club took a more dramatic approach and presented Lucille Fletcher’s suspenseful thriller. “In a comedy you can be very inventive, but in a thriller or a drama you have to think about and focus on heightened emotion,” explained Mr. Maycock.

“The fall play, in general, is an opportunity to put on a show with a small group rather than a big group which makes it special in a different way. It is a way to ease into the theater season rather than just jump in.” This production of “Night Watch” was ”an exercise in suspense and drama, excitement and tension.”

The play follows Elaine Wheeler, played by sophomore Eliana Rowe, who confronts her tragic past while attempting to hold on to her rapidly deteriorating marriage. Rowe described her character’s relationship with her husband as “Loving him but not being loved in return. It was actually pretty sad. I kept trying to hold onto him even though I knew he wanted to let go. Every time he tried to care for me, I understood it was genuine but I could tell he was irritated by me.”

Avery Maycock, a junior, played Elaine’s husband and agreed with Eliana’s inter-

pretation, saying “they absolutely did not have a good relationship and their marriage was fairly destructive.”

Another main character in the show was Curtis Appleby, played by seniorCody Ingraham. “He was a very nosy journalist trying to get the scoop on what was happening with the supposed murder,” he said. Ingraham provided much of the comic relief by playing someone he described as “a pain in the neck to Mr. Wheeler, always trying to get into his business, always trying to prove a point and always letting on as if he knew something more.”

MaryGrace Graves, who has performed with GP in the past, was one of three student directors. “You get to see all the technical aspects that go into it and you get to see the whole show come together, which is part of the reason why I love student directing,” Graves explained.

Talking with cast members makes it clear everyone involved in the Guilderland Players loves what they do and treats the experience as a family effort, which is why participation in it is unique. Rowe received a lot of support from her fellow cast members, “Being a lead was hard work. The rest of the cast really helped me out. Everyone was really caring and nice and what made it fun was the people.

It was a huge time commitment, but a good, really good commitment.” When asked whether she would like to be a part of GP in the future, Rowe echoed what other cast members have said, “Always, forever, until I graduate.”

Photos courtesy of Andy Maycock / The Journal

What ASO means to our community Leonard Bopp Playing so much contemporary music may seem a daunting task, as there are often no recordings that the musicians can use to familiarize themselves with the pieces. However, trumpeter Eric Latini, a graduate of the New England Conservatory and a member of the orchestra for 17 years, says that playing a contemporary piece is, to him, no different than playing a standard. "We're playing so much of it," he says, "that you get used to reading the mixed meters or different, more contemporary styling."

One of the ways the orchestra has gained notoriety is through recording.

Jeffery Herchenroder, a bassist with the orchestra since 1985, a graduate of the Juilliard School, and, in fact, a Guilderland music teacher, says "we do quite a bit of recording for an orchestra of our size. We have a bit of a niche as far as recording pieces that have never been recorded or neglected pieces."

Their attention to the music of today recently earned the orchestra the chance

to perform twice at the famed Carnegie Hall as part of the annual Spring for Music Festival, a celebration of innovative programming. Herchenroder said that performing to a full audience in a beautiful hall was thrilling.

The growth of the organization into a major American orchestra has led to a transformation in its composition.

"When I joined, it was primarily people from the Capital District. Many of them were teachers." Lately, though, auditions have become more competitive, as the orchestra is performing at a higher level.

"Most people are from New York or Boston, and a couple people come from Montreal," says Latini.

Because of this, the orchestras rehearsal schedule is often crammed into a short time period. "Normally," says Latini, "we have four or five rehearsals before a concert." Leading up to a performance, he says, the orchestra typically rehearses twice on both Thursday and Friday before a Saturday night concert.

Since it attracts people from such a

broad region, auditions for the orchestra are highly competitive. Speaking of the audition process, Herchenroder says "it's pretty grueling." Auditions typically consist of excerpts from orchestral pieces and a solo piece for one's instrument.

To Latini, the Albany Symphony, and, indeed, all orchestras, are an important cultural asset. "This music has stood the test of time. It's important culturally in that we're staying true to the roots of music, keeping a tradition going."

For Herchenroder, playing in the Albany Symphony offers him the ability to keep his interests balanced. "For myself, I think I've found a really good mix of teaching and playing. I feel like I've got the best of both worlds."

This season, the orchestra offers more exciting programs. Their season opened on September 21st with a performance of a new piece by Brazilian composer Clarice Assad, as well as Tchaikovsky's ever-popular Fourth Symphony. The remainder of the season features the orchestras annual American Music Festival, as well as a

It’s important culturally in that we’re staying true to the roots of music

guest performance by renowned pianist André Watts.

Latini says that he is looking forward to playing Stravinsky's Octet this season, a piece he has played before. There is more that he is excited about playing this year.

"We're doing Bolero," a famous orchestral showpiece by Ravel, "which I like to play, and we're doing some Christopher Rouse pieces. Very contemporary, but I like his music." Herchenroder says he is looking forward to André Watts' appearance in January.

For more information of the upcoming season, visit www.albanysymphony. com.

Sports

Strong finish for boy’s soccer

Kyle Levy

For the first time in over 20 years, the varsity boy’s soccer team made it to states.

After winning the Section II championships, the boys played in a regionals game against the Baldwinsville Bees. Scoring first, Guilderland was up 1-0. After a long game of defense, Baldwinsville was able to score nearing the end of the game to tie it up 1-1. Regulation game time ended and overtime was upon Guilderland and Baldwinsville. Overtime was played by the infamous Golden Goal; whoever scored first won the game. A clutch goal by Chris Connolly gave the Dutch their ticket to the state semifinals.

At the start of the season back in September, the boys were expecting a solid year, but not many of them thought they’d make it this far. “At the beginning of the season we didn’t know what to expect,” says Connor O’Brien, a senior on the team. “We knew our chemistry was going to be key, and it took us a few games and some positional changes be-

tween some players to get it right.” The Dutch started off their season with a loss to Bethlehem, and a few games later they suffered another loss to Shaker. After the Shaker loss, Guilderland went on to win nine straight games.

In a three game stretch towards the end of the season, Guilderland faced three of the toughest teams in the section. O’Brien says, “When we had Shen, Bethlehem, and Nisky all in one week, we knew if we came out with one or two wins we would have been okay with that.

But to come out of that week winning all three games was great. Those wins gave us a lot of confidence.”

During their first game in sectionals, Guilderland dominated Nisky 3-0.

Then, in the semifinals against Shaker, Guilderland, with the help of Chris Czekay, was able to defeat them 1-0. Though Guilderland was expecting to play Shen in the finals, they met Albany instead.

During an intense sectional finals, the Albany Falcons just couldn’t keep up

with Guilderland.

With goals from Kledis Capollari, Keagan Ciaschetti, Jack Hanlon, and Connor Rubin, the Dutch sealed their Section II Championship, 4-1.

After that came the regionals vict o r y. T h i s g a v e Guilderland a state semifinals appearance and the title of number four team in the state. One week later, the Dutch were sent down to Middletown where they were to face #1 team in the state, Fairport, who was able to stop Guilderland. After a goal by Fairport, Guilderland’s Kledis Capollari was able to quickly tie the game up to give the Dutch some more motivation.

Unfortunately seven minutes later, Fairport scored back to back giving them

a 3-1 lead. in the second half. Neither Guilderland nor Fairport scored again and the game ended in a Fairport victory.

Despite being unable to clench the states victory, the Guilderland soccer team was more than pleased with how they did. “Our goal was to win sectionals,” says Connor O’Brien. “To go farther than that was just amazing.”

Concussions in football causing debate Jake Hill American football has been under fire in recent years as more and more information about concussions and their effect on the brain have been revealed.

Once, concussions were viewed as a temporary affliction with little to no serious long-term repercussions. However, as researchers have collected more and more data, they have concluded that concussions are, in fact, serious injuries with severe, long lasting effects.

Though concussions occur in many professional sports, football has become the most scrutinized and criticized due to the large number of concussions suffered in this game. Studies conducted on the brains of former players and the

death of players Mike Webster and Junior Seau have increased the attention given to football-related concussions.

The NFL isn’t the only football league feeling the pressure from the new information regarding concussions. According to ESPN, between 2010 and 2012 participation dropped 9.5 percent in Pop Warner leagues across the nation. Families with children in Pop Warner say their number one reason for pulling their kids from the sport is a fear of head injuries.

Head injuries are detrimental to humans of all ages, but are huge issue for young kids whose brains are still developing.

Earlier this year, a bill was proposed

by New York State Assemblyman Michael Benedetto that would have prevented all

children under the age of 11 from participating in organized tackle football. The bill was written in the hopes of proteting children from serious head injuries until their bodies have matured to a point when it would be safer from them to play football. While this version of the bill was not approved by the State Legislature, Benedetto is planning to propose another bill that would prevent children under the age of 14 from playing tackle football.

When asked for his opinion on a possible ban on tackle football for young children, Guilderland High School varsity football coach Jason Usher said, “It would definitely change the game, but the most important thing is the players’ safety.”

Usher went on to say that “the key to

players’ safety is awareness and educating them on proper tackling form.” Usher said his hope is that teaching kids from a young age to tackle in a safer way will reduce the amount of helmet to helmet hits and decrease football-related brain injuries in children playing football.

While there are many valid arguments on both sides of this debate about how far to go to protect children’s health and safety when playing contact and other sports. Usher seemed to sum it up best when he said: “I see both sides, and in the end I just want the players to be safe.”

Turmoil in Sochi as Winter Olympics near Salil Chaudhry

The Winter Olympics are exciting.

There’s no doubt about that. Every fourth year, the ice, snow and athletic competition adds up to create an incredible atmosphere; arguably one of the best in world.

Some well-known events in the Olympics are alpine skiing, curling, ice hockey and speed skating. However, the 2014 Winter Olympic Games are being talked about for all the wrong reasons.

To start off, the location poses quite a problem. The Winter Olympics are being held in Sochi, Russia, which is located in southwest Russia bordering the country of Georgia. The largest issue with Sochi is its humid, subtropical climate. When you hear the word “tropical,” you know something is wrong. The city of Sochi is well known for its lush, extravagant beach resorts, but not for its skiing. The average temperature during Sochi’s winter is 50 degrees Fahrenheit! Practice ski tests in Sochi have stated that the conditions are slushy and rainy. Due to this climate, extensive cooling must be done, raising

the price of this Olympics. According to statistics, the Sochi Olympics are on track to becoming the most expensive Olympics of all time, costing a mind-boggling $50 billion.

Second, the Sochi Olympics are being received quite harshly by social groups.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in Russia are boycotting the games in response to the recent anti-gay laws passed in Russia. In July 2013, Russia passed a law stating that it was illegal to hold any demonstration for gay rights, illegal to speak in defense of gay rights, and illegal to state that gay relationships are equal to heterosexual ones. While this law and many others have been criticized greatly by the world community, the Russian government isn’t budging.

A second group refusing to accept the Olympics are the Circassians, a group of people native to the area around Sochi.

Before the Russians invaded them, the Circassians had their own independent nation of Circassia. However, in 1864,

the Russians invaded Circassia, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people. The Circassians were forced to flee their home nation in an attempt to survive. 2014 marks the 150th anniversary for what is now known as the Circassian Genocide. This genocide occurred in and around the areas of Sochi.

Modern Circassia people are furious that the Russians are holding the Olympics in the areas where their ancestors were slain. Protests around the area have been slowly increasing, causing many problems in the Sochi area. Many fear that Russia will use violence to quell the protests in 2014. We will just have to wait and see what happens.

The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics has its problems. Protests, rallies, and the climate could possibly affect the Olympics. Personally, I think Russia will find a way to solve many of these issues. The Sochi Olympics will be the first Olympics held in Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union - they have a lot to prove.

That’s why I believe when the Opening

Ceremony kicks off, everything will run smoothly. The problem is, Russia might resort to violence to solve these protests.

All of these questions will be answered on Opening Ceremony day: Friday, February 7, 2014. With some quality planning and some luck, the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics will hopefully be an experience enjoyed worldwide.

January 2014

Sports

page 16 (

Journal)

Fall sports round up Jake Wheeler As the soccer fields and tennis courts clear out, Guilderland makes its annual transition from fall to winter sports.

But, before we move onto basketball and indoor track, let’s look back on each fall team’s season.

BOYS’ SOCCER The men’s varsity soccer team had a phenomenal year. The group ended their regular season with a 12-4-0 record, winning the Suburban Council.

The team went on to face Albany in the Section II final with a stunning win 4-1 over the Falcons under the lights in Colonie. In the next round, they played Baldwinsville, a school near Syracuse, and won that close match 2-1 to advance to the state semifinals. The Dutch traveled south to play their state semifinal game, ultimately losing 3-1 to a solid Fairport team. They had a lot of support all season from fans and the Red Sea. Although the season ended with a loss, the team showed that they played very hard and did an amazing job throughout the fall. Captain and center back Noah Scott says of their success,“I think we went far this year because the core of this team has played together since we were 12 years old, and because of all the hard work we put in during the

offseason playing club soccer together.”

This will go down in the books as one of the most unforgettable seasons in Guilderland soccer history. Congratulations to Coach Kinnally and the team.

GIRLS’ SOCCER This year, the women’s varsity soccer team, led by Coach Curtis Snyder, went 15-1-0 and won the Suburban Council for the second consecutive year. The team made it to the sectional semifinals but came up short, losing 1-0 to

Saratoga.

I asked Lauren Kogelmann, a team captain, what she thought about their season. She said, “Even though it didn’t end the way we would have liked, we still accomplished so much. We became really close even with all the new players.

With our record of15-1 in the Suburban Council, we proved that Guilderland girls’ soccer will continue to be a contender and keep making history.” Congratulations Coach Snyder and the team.

FOOTBALL The Dutchmen football team had quite an exciting year, one that the school will remember forever. Starting the season 5-0 brought a lot of school spirit all throughout the community; every day, it seemed, was a countdown to the Friday night game. The Dutch were exquisite in the passing game with a true connection between quarterback Frank Gallo and wide receiver Jake Smith and linemen standouts D’Angelo Livingston and Julian Christiano. The team showed resilience by beating top teams like Shen and Shaker, and had a great win over Colonie in the playoffs to advance into the section semifinals, where they ultimately fell short to CBA. Even though the team didn’t get the finish they wanted, it will definitely be

a season for the books. “I think our team played well together,” said team captian Julian Christiano. “We had a lot of experience playing with each other and the dedication to improving was huge. We had a lot of talent in returning players as well as first year players who definitely helped contribute to our success this season.” Congratulations on the best season for football since 2008.

Lady Dutch Field Hockey picturred huddling (Left) Dutchmen Volleyball arms on each other shoulders during the playijng ofthe national anthem (above) Both photos are via @Godutchathletix

FIELD HOCKEY The field hockey team had an awesome year, making it all the way to sectional semifinals. The team had a lot of variety, consisting of both young players to seniors who seemed to carry the group throughout the season. “I think the season went well,” said captain and senior Hailey Marini. “As a team we improved a lot from last year, from winning one game last year to making it to the sectional semifinals this year.

Also, we were a closer knit team which helped on the field to bring us more success.” Congratulations, Lady Dutch Field Hockey, on a terrific season.

CROSS COUNTRY Our cross country teams had a lot of success as always. With many talented runners, both old and young, on the teams, they seem to always do well. A lot of contributions from young talent throughout the season helped the team.

The team went on to send a couple of runners onto the states. “We had a really great group of girls this year,” said junior Emily Burns. “Even though we had a lot of runners, we were still a close team. We lost a lot of talented seniors last year, but we had a lot of younger runners who ran well this year.” I also talked to Senior Knute Armstrong about the men’s season. “I think it was overwhelming. We didn’t do as well as we hoped, but the section was much faster than we anticipated.” Congratulations to all runners on another strong season.

BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL The men’s volleyball team had a good year. The team didn’t do as well as they would have liked, but they seemed to have a good time bonding and playing together. I interviewed Senior Capitan Trevor Laicha about the season. “Going into the year I felt pretty confident in the team,” he said, “but a couple key players got injured. The team got along pretty well. We got frustrated with each other at times but that happens with all

teams.” Good job, Dutchmen.

GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL As the women’s volleyball team came back from a season in which they went to the Section II finals, the Dutch had high expectations. With a lot of senior talent leaving, the Dutch seemed to struggle a bit. However, the team is coming out with a lot of experience.

“We were a young team so it was definitely different than last year, but we all got really close,” said captain Jessica Van Doren. The Lady Dutch will sure be fun to watch in upcoming years. Congratulations on a good season.

GIRLS’ SWIMMING The Guilderville team seemed to splash right into the season. A young team with a lot of offseason training, the team seemed to find phenomenal success. While the team sent a couple of swimmers to the state tournament, they sent almost every swimmer to sectionals. I talked to senior captain Michelle Saucedo about the year, “We did really well considering nine seniors graduated last year,” said senior captain Michelle Saucedo. “Because of this, we were able to bring in new swimmers which added variety to the team. Our coach John Urbanski kept our attitudes positive.

We also added Saturday practices this year, increasing our weekly yardage.”

Congratulations, Guilderville.

GIRLS’ TENNIS The Guilderland girls’ tennis team had a good year. The team was packed with young talent, led by experiences seniors, and coached by Coach Deb O’Brien. I talked to senior Emily Cogswell about the season. She said, “We had some very skilled players. We worked hard and everyone improved over the course of the season. Regardless of our record, we always had a great time and we owe it all to the wonderful relationships we made as a team. The age range this year was big, as we had a 7th grader playing with us and of course all the way up to seniors. We all still connected and got along”. Congrats on a great season Lady Dutch.