NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE'
PAID Vol. 8, No.4, June 1992
Permit No. 163 Commac!<. N.Y.
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75·40 Parsons Boulevard. Flushing, NY 11366
Townsend Harris High School at Queens College
'Sing in praise of happy daze' at Tons of Horrors Hi'gh #I
by Zina I zrael Extended procrastinations, thoughts of cancellation, followed by unification, jubilation, and finally a grand ovation are images characteristic of .Sing 1992. After much delay and controversy as to whether or not there should be a Sing, the production was presented on June 5 in the cafetorium. Unlike the heated Sing competitions of seniors versus juniors during prev ious years, the grade barriers were dissolved and, for the first time in several years, the talen ts of both juniors and seniors we re bl ended into one production of Sing under the direction of junior Stephanie Nix and the supervision of Georgette Wallace, English teacher. " A Harris Carol" was about a student, Chris, who graduated from Tons ofHorrors High and finally, got a letter of acceptance to the University of East Cupcake. She was forced, by the ghosts of certain of her teachers, to relive the horrors of her freshman, sophomore,
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pleasure," according to Sing members . The crisp sounds of conjugated Latin verbs echoed from the mouth of Mr. Ego Sum, played by senior Sean Persaud, and bounced back in a rather spiritless fashion from Chris and her classmates, who seemed rather indifferent as to whether the accent on ambulare was pl aced on the " a" or the
Pianists Elaine Eng, junior, and .. Dien T aylor, "u. n senior,andthe"4 Minutes later, the spirit ofMr. Bones E Skinless," the (junior Keith Tully) reintroduced Chris ~ senior band, sup- to her junior year. Senior Krissy Rice -&. plied the music to played a frant ic male m ath teacher, accompany Mr. Ruler, whohad a violent obsession are freshman Rebecca Parker, Sing's songs, all with striking his ruler agains t most inof which con- animate objects in sight. The end res ult bodies," she yelled senior Felicia Froimovitz, and juniors January Angeles and Donna Weiss. as her class was in the middle of a 30- stuffed green frog swinging from Chris' tained familiar melodies with lyrics of such rage was the breakage of the minutejog with several people, having shoulder. that had been changed to coincide hu- ruler. Was the aud ience surprised? alre ady fainted, lying flat on the floor The audience got a first-hand glimpse morously with the plot. There was not Probably not, according to some math creating obstacles for the rurmers. The of what really goes on in a male locker one moment of silence.' The band students in the audience. nightmare continued with Chris' re- room. Accompanied by Right Said continued playing during intermission Sing Producer Bari Shultz, sen ior, fusal to dissect a frog in biology class. Fred's "I'm Too Sexy," five boys, like and was kind enough to throw in seg- left a word to the wise for future Sing This psychological torture resulted in five fingers on a fist, punched straight ments of "Bar-mitzvah Music From productions: "Don't be veclempt, Rea song and dance about morals with a through the heart of the audience by Hell" for the audience's "listening hearse early and hard," she said.
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A matter of censorship? ·Quad back in business after lock-out by Jennifer Sorowltz Members of the newly-elected Student Act ivities Corporation [SAC] voted to restore the budget of The Quad, the student newspaper of Queens College, on June 1. The journal's staff was locked out of their office on May 20 because of a decision made by the outgoing board, which was a result of the claim that The Quad provided inadequate cov erage of campus events. The action of the outgoing SAC board received widespread metropolitan press coverage because of the First Amendment rights issue raised by the cas e. "We got our $8800," said Bruno N avarro, Edi tor-in-Chief of The Quad. "Every club was supposed to ge t an 18% cut across the board. Instead, we wer e exe mpt from the 18% cu t." SAC , an org anization which distributes funds to student clubs, also voted to establish a Quad advisory committee, whi ch will include faculty and students. Its purpose is "to make suggestions for The Quad ....to train the staff [and] fam iliarize them with the Student Gove rnm ent," said Bruno. "This adv isory comm ittee has no real power over us. It will serv e as a buffer...so we can't just be defunded like that. It w ill be impartial. Th ey'll be more ge ared [toward] ho w to improve the paper." It is yet to be de termined how many people will sit on the board or who they will be, he said. The Quad and SAC must agr ee upon the members. "I'm ho ping we can get professional journalists
on the advisory board," said Bruno. In addition to denying the funds necessary for running The Quad, SAC had originally voted to fund a different newspaper to be run by the joumalism program. The journalism department had not been notified of this decision. 'That's news to us," saidjournalism professor JoannLce. "We were not in anyway involved in that suggestion" (New York Newsday 5/22/92).
the outgoing board of SAC, consisting of seven students and two administrators. I thas since been replaced by the incoming board, which is operating under old guidelines, said Ron Cannava, college spokesman. The newer board will operate until July I, when a College Association will take over most of its responsibilities. The board of directors of this organization will have less student representation than SAC. The old SAC board had decided to give The ~~~~~iliill11~~illf~t~~ili~~ili~~1~jlm~~~~f~j~~~~ili~Ii1~~~~~ll~lm~ili~lili.~~g®~~~i~ili~~ Quad a budget of zero dollars bec ause "students were not being represented adequately by the .newspaper and when they were represented, they were represen ted falsely," said Matthew (Daily News 5/22/92). "Over eigh ty percent of the clubs on campus feel they are misrepresented by The Quad. [It] wasn't covering events on campus, especially when it came to changes in curriculum and raci al tensions on campus," he said (New York Newsday 5/22/92). Both sides are content with the agreement. 'The decision of the previous SAC board not to "I'm glad tha t we could resolve the matter in an fund The Quad for the fall semeste r was clearly eqitable manner," said Matthew Shulman, Vice an act of frustration. As The Quad's publisher, President-elect of SAC, who m ade the motion to the SAC board used its primary power - the se ttle . "Both sides realized tha t an independent po wer of the purse - to demand changes in the campus newspaper and an accountab le campus p aper ' s structure so that it could better serve the newspaper need not be mutually exclusive ideas" college co mmunity," said Student Association (Queens Tribune 6/4 -10/92). ''This is a pos itive President Charmaine Worthy in a sta tement isstep. It signals a new working relationship be- sue d by the press office of the coll ege (Queens tween student gov ernment and the newspaper," Tribune 6/4-10/92) . "Ch arm aine was really the one respons ible for said Bruno (Queens Tribune 6/4- 10/92). The decision to defund The Quad was made by get ting us back our fund ing ," said Bruno. "If she
,...this action was a violation of our First Amendment right. ..'
had n't taken the initiative...I don't think we would have a paper in September ." When the staff had discovered that the computerized locks had been changed to their office on May 20, they sought Paul Simon, director of the Student Union. "He said the executive board of SAC had requested that we be denied access to the computers," explained Katie Donahue, Features Editor of The Quad . 'They were afraid we would sabatoge the computers." Dr. Simon reprogranuned the key, and the students regained access to their office, but could no t use the computers or dark room until the settlement w as made. . The Quad had filed a civil rights lawsuit against the college. Marc Goodman, executive director of the Student Press Law Center of Washington, had agreed to take the case pro bono. SAC 's actions were based on the "contents of the publication and that's a clear violation of the First Amendment," he said (Daily News 5/22/92) . The Quad had also been circ ulating a petition to the students and faculty in order to regain their funding. "Even students who have cr iticized The Quad in the past are with us on this," K:ltie said in an interview conducted prior to the res toration of the newspaper's fun ding . "We [felt] this action was a viol ation of our First Amendment right of free speech," said Katie. She feels that SAC acted against the paper because of political differences: articles were published which presented the Stud ent Govern -
continued on page 7
Future Teachers p.4
Festival of Nations p.S
Security Guards p.7
'Skating' p.8
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The Classic June 1992
A victory for freedom of press?' Although the Queens College Quad has not always been friendly to Townsend Harris, we were appalled when the Student Activities Corporation (SAC) defunded the long-established college newspaper. (See A matter of censorship?, page 1). This was clearly a violation of the staffs First Amendment rights, since, as Marc Goodman of'the StudentPress Law Center of Washington said, this action was based on the paper's actual content. SAC's new board, however, redeemed the organization by voting to restore the budget of the newspaper. The decision to implement a Quad advisory committee to oversee the production of the paper should prove beneficial . Hopefully, the panel will serve as a resource for professional advice which can only improve the quality of The Quad. Let's hope that SAC's true intent is to more adequately portray campus life, and not to advance or protect their own organization. It is imperative that this new alliance benefit the entire school community and not lead to censorship on the part of SAC. The success of this alliance is of par ticular interest to Townsend Harris students, since seniors spend their Bridge Year on the college campus and during that year are Queens College freshmen, as well as Townsend Harris seniors. For most of us, The Quad will serve as our only source of information about the events on campus. It is essential that it report the who le truth, and not just a variation of it. It can only serve as the true voice of the campus if it is guaranteed full freedom of the press.
Cheating controversy To the Editor: I was most intrigued by your editorial on cheating. It seemed to place blame on role models (e.g. parents and elected officials) and teachers, not on students, where the responsibility should lie. Since the editorial clearly stated the ethic al grounds on which cheating should be condemned, it is apparent that students have been taught and have learn ed that lesson. And having gotten that far, is it not incumbent on the ethical person to behav e in an ethi cal way? Having eth ics means that one understands how values apply in given situations, and one acts accordingly. It does not mean that one only behave s that way becau se another is watching, And if one docs, indee d, behave ethicalI y because someone is watching, it is the beh avior, not the person, tha t is ethical. If this argument is not persu asive. perh aps another approach may be. The cheater should weig h what he has to gain ag ainst what he has to lose. If cheating results in a higher test grade, how many average points are rea lIy involved , when tha t test grade is computed - along with a do zen or more oth ers - into a final class mark? One? Two ? Three? If tbe chea ter is caught and is given a zero on that same examination, how many aver age points arc now at st ake? ' Fur ther, what benefit of a doubt will that cheater ever receiv e from that teach er? Can that cheater ever request of that teacher a recommendation for anything? Is there anything the cheat er can do to regain the respect of those who know him as a cheater? Is it worth the risk of such a notat ion on the permanent recoJ1! card ? T hatnotation will have carved itself into the stone of the che ater's record for alI to see for alI time. To summarize, two arguments against cheating arc presented here . The first places respon sibility on the indiv idu al for ethical behavior. T hat is as it should be. Ethical people have no probl em with that. The second threatens re tribution for unethical behavior.
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Everybody works hard and works for themselves and not for their neighbors. No answer paper from the smartest kid in your class is "smiling you in the face." and the copied answers from the homework are mostly the wrong ones . Besides, our teachers are pretty smart and find out fast who is doing whose homework. Cheating will always be around. It is often the easy way out . For us motivated and intelligent students, how ever, it is the hard way ou t, bec ause cheating robs us of the foundations of To the Editor: T his letter is in reference to the pre- kno wledge. and we will need a lot of vious editorial concerning cheating. In knowledge at the places we plan to go. O tto Petersen it, you so eloquently awakened the sleeping controversy which encases cheating. It [che ating) is a real problem in Townsend Harris. In a school such as To the Editor: As the originator and teacher of the ours , it is a shame that students take it so lightl y. Man y students believe that "Literature of the Holocaust" elective when they do not study , it is their right class, I wish to comment on the title to cheat in order to attain that ever so change of this course. I have been informed that this course is now listed in important 95. How can this be? Is it not true that the elective catalogue as "Literature of those who indulge in this deceitful Oppression and Protes t." This course was des igned to introactivity insult the found ation upo n which this school and all schools are duce the issues of oppression and resistance to our students through literbuilt? In conclusion, I commend you and ary wor ks. Th e model event chosen for The Classic staff for tak ing a plunge this study is the Holocaust, since an into shark-infested territ ories. Don't impressive and deeply touching body take to heart those who are blind and do of literature deals with this area. Also, not wish to see. Perhaps people will be the process and extent of this event willing to open their eye s when a trag- brings sham e and reproach to all edy occur s. Maybe there will be a hu manity in the twenti eth century. We greater reaction when one of our own read this literature both for its artistic gets caught cheating on a big test...the merit and for the understanding we can SAT, maybe? learn from it. This course seeks to Name withheld upon request enlighten us all through a careful study of one example. Certainly we do not seek to ignore or To the Editor : I found the article about cheating very belittle the experiences of any people. interesting, although I do no t agree Indeed, we often exten d our discus with the figures. It is my opinion tha t sions to other examples and we come this article generalizes too much , espe- to a more significant understanding of cially about cheating that occu rs at the tragic results of opp ress ion. I feel, how ever, that changing the name of Townsend Harris. It is true that there is a lot of press ure the course misrepresents its con tent, on us students. Sometimes we have and m ight mislead some students. Th is two or three tests in one day, and the course explores one of the most sigweekends arc spent working on colIat- nificant issues of our time. Let's not erals or exams, but cheating is proba- trivialize it by dilutin g its name. Harri ette Blechman bly the last though t on our minds. Humanities Department Nobody gets a free ride in our school. It puts forth fear of consequences as a deterrent to unethical behavior. But, understand, if it is only fear that pre vents a person from cheating, that person is not ethical, and that person will revert to his nature whenever a situationn arises in which he believes his cheating will not be found out. I don 't trust people like that, and I do not count them among my friends. Alan'Katz Humanities Department'
Course title change
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oppression and protest. To the Editor : It is obvious that the course title n It has come to our attention that the Literature of the Holocaust course title not be changed as it received an 0\ has been changed to the 'politically whelming response in its original fo correct' Literature of Oppression and We wish to have the return of Protest. Literature of the Holocaust correct and rightful title - "Literal was designed to educate students about of the Holocaust" - and the politic; the history of oppression through a correct but misleading replaceme study of the persecution of Jews with a "Literature of Oppression and Prall specific focus on the Holocaust. Dur - - used for a more appropriate cou Ale xia Komninos, Michele ing our discussions it was only natural Goldstein, and The Literatun that other persecuted groups were the Holocaust Class , Spring brought up and the conversation included references to many different examples of oppression, but we analyzed these events through the example of the Holocaust. Th e title " Literature As we were going to press. we W I of Oppression and Prote st" is misle adsaddened to learn that Peter Josepl ing and it miscons trues the aims of the husband of Parent-Teachers Assor course. Thi s recently imposed title tion Co-President Rita Joseph, anc father of Stephanie Joseph, 'SS,an impli es that all oppressed peoples will Tracy Joseph, '92, passed away or be dealt with generally, with no spe June 21. cific atten tion on one group. Mr. Joseph, who was on the P.T. We feel that the adm inistration has ExecutiveBoard. was an extreme' jumped too strongly onto the band active and highly valued member wagon of political corr ectn ess. In sorne the Townsend Harris community. cases P.C. is beneficial, but not when it 路 will be greatly missed. The Classic joins the entire Tow masks the truth, the truth being that send Harris community in extend: this course is based on Holocaust litits deepest condolences to the Jos erature, not the universal literature of family.
In Memoria"
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Aleema Bacchus . Jennifer Chau, Erika DiSanzo , Jordan Dressl er , Johanna Fausto, Jeani f Alison Gabriele, Latash a Green e, Laura Humm el, Z ina Izrael, Wendy Lamec Iason Leder, Ev a Lev
Mazyuk, Beth Mellow , Shalene Moo die, Kristina Olson. Veru sha Palczy nski , Elen i Passias, Fran c Sarah Trernm l, Donna Weis., Anna Zw ien Pho to grapben' Phoebe Dall al. Joann a Drescher, Alison Gabriele, Hadar (Jack ie) Hell man, Brannk Beverlie Leano , Michelle Lockw ood , Vic ki Soffer, Denielle Tropea
Aniill;, Cannon Chu, David Iankelevich,lames Kim, Bikkei Law, Vinh Nguy en, Tim othy Nol 8D. Mari a Skrepet os, Teresa Tse , R itzel Tuazo n, Cynthia Wong, Amy Van Typjn g !!!ld Busings Staff' Ann Carro ll,lenn ifer Chau , Dan iella Colem an , Sabrina Falco ne, Olga Roxanne Ryan . Felici a Vinci. Tara Weinstein. Jan ice Vee Pr incipal: Dr, M alcolm Larg mann
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The Classic June1992
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. Fair educates on health Issues by Stacey Gluck AIDS and alcoholism were only some of the many topics presented at the fourth annual Health Fair held in the gymnasium on May 11 . The fair was coordinated by Guidance Counselor Susan Rotter, health teacher Ellen Schwartz and a student committee.Students had the opportunity to talk to professionals in the health field and receive informative pamphlets. The main purpose of the fair was to "educate the students about important health issues. We also wanted students to be aware of services they may need for themselves, family members or a friend. We are trying to make resources available to them," said Ms . Rotter. Ms . Rotter and Ms. Schwartz were assisted by 14 students who made up the Health Fair Com mittee. The group met several times before the fair . Their job was to brainstorm ideas, evalute last year's fair and help make suggestions. The committee also organized and operated the booths. The gymnasium was filled with booths from various organizations. The American Cancer Society, Al-Anon, and Planned Parenthood were
some of the groups represented. Golda Watts, the senior health educator at Planned Parenthood, said , 'This year the students are less shy . They are willing to talk about contraceptves openly. Overall, I think they are more aware of the different types of protecton and prevention." The Department of Transportation distributed a safety quiz to students. All students who took the quiz were awarded either a button or a reflector. In addition to outside organizations, students participated in the fair . Juniors Matt Cretaro and Keith Tully demonstrated their karate and selfdefense skills. They were assisted by junior Chris Anderson and sophomore Man Puglisi. Freshman Brenda Morissey also gave a CPR exhibition. "I feel that this year the fair had more participatory activities and exhibitions than past years," said Ms. Rotter. "However, I'd like feedback of what students would like to see. We're trying to get presenters of interest to the students because that is who this [health fair] is for ."
Concert celebrates spring season by Sa rah T r em m l Two bands, the chorus, and vocal as well as instrumental soloists entertained the school community at the annual Spring Concert held on May 7 in the cafetorium. Music teacher Adam Alter conducted the band and Choral Director Dorothy Savitch led the Chorus. The Concert Band's performance included music by LeonardBernstein, Mozart, and Rimsky Korsakov. "I really thought that they were good. I didn't expect such talent," said freshman FlorenceW asserman. The LAB Band, a beginning and intermediate ensemble, played "Canon" by Pachebel. "I was so nervous. I felt so unprepared. Then we started to play, and well , '" it just seemed all right," said band member Tara Seary, a freshman. The chorus,under the direction of Ms. Savitch and accompanied by pianist Bella Guthstein, presented a variety of songs; Vocal soloists included sophomores Debbie Gelfand, Desiree
Morgan and Trina Cabrijan, and junior Aron Chizik Latin and Greek teacher Richard Russo further entertained the audience with a selection he sang in Italian called "Si, guerriesi," written by G. Apolloni, from theoperaL' Ebreo, "I didn'tknow that Mr. Russo could even sing, let alone sing opera. However, he was very good," said one freshman. Assistant Band Director Stephanie Wolf, senior, led the band in playing "Psalm 18," written by Marcello and arranged by Whitney, and senior Alison D'Amico joined Stephanie for a flute duet, "Grazioso" by Bach. "Overture to the Marriage of Figaro" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and "Scheherazade" by Rirnsky Korsakov were the last two band performances of the concert. "I thought that the band improved from the winter concert. They were good then, but they were even better now," said freshman Hollie Pena.
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-a -JUNIOR - - ISABEL CUERVO dons make-up in preparation for the Junior Banquet.
Junior Banquet well attended by Sally Magdi Approximately 150 juniors gathered together for the first Junior Banquet in school history at Bruno 's on the Boulevard in Jackson Heights on May 15, from 8-12 P.M. Juniors Christine Marrero and Melissa Parlefsky organized the banquet in Coordinator of Student Affairs Judy Biener's Student leadership class last term . The two were involved with collecting the deposits, booking Bruno's, promoting the banquet and hiring the disc jockey. Arthur Boulanger, Program Coordinator and the banquet advisor, handled the monetary aspects of the affair. "The whole week [before the banquet] I was a total wreck. I was sick and I had a fever every night," Christine said. "But seven months of pulling my hair out was all worth it," she continued . Melissa agreed. "I was very nervous throughout the whole week," she said . Juniors Johanna Plavin and Laarni Matteo presented a bouquet of flowers to Christine, Melissa, and Mr. Boulanger, on behalf of the junior class to show their appreciation for all the time and effort they put into the banquet. Most students who attended thought it was a success, even though this was the first year the junior class had a banquet and not a prom. Organizers of the event avoided using the word prom to keep people from feeling they needed a date to attend. "I really enjoyed the banquet," junior Erica Eisenstein said. "I think Christine and Melissa did a really nice job to put together a really great party." "It was a great way to end the week. It is a rare occasion when you get a chance to dance to old and new music at the same time," said junior Sharon Politis, referring to such novelty songs as
the "Club Med" song , "Alley Cat" and "Shout" that were played. "I thought it turned out very well, " Melissa said. "We had some complaints but most people had only compliments." ~'I was really excited about going, but now that I went, I think it was a waste of $30," said one female junior. "Th e food was raw and youcouldn 't even dance to the music," she continued. "I thought the disco balls were tacky and the chicken was fake ," junior Jason Deleo said . "but I had good company, so I enjoyed myself." The chaperones for the event included Assistant Principal Malcolm Rossman, AssistantPrincipal of Humanities Lynne Greenfield, English teachers Debra Michlewitz, Helen Rizzuto, Judy Biener, Arthur Boulanger, Harriette Blechman, Georgette Wallace, and Thomas Sweetin; history teacher Nancy Leib; and Spanish teacher Ilene Marcus. "It was fun for me to see all the students dressed up," Ms. Biener said. "They all looked great. I especially enjoyed dancing to the novelty songs." "I would like to thank everyone who attended, especially the faculty members who helped us pull it off without any real difficulties... especially Mr. B.," Christine said. Mr . Boulanger gives all the credit to the students."All efforts for a banquet could be ruined if the class doesn't work together. This class is the most together class Townsend Harris has seen in years....Christine and Melissa proved everything I thought to be impossible, possible. I never thought we would be able to collect $500 from 50 people in one week, but by the end ofthe week, 100 people had paid," he said. "Now it is time to get ready for the senior prom," said Christine.
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Faculty versatility dispayed at concert .by Donna Lin Weiss Verdi. \ Music teacher Alan Alter performed a sonata Piano tunes , flute notes, clarinet trills and vocal vibrato filled the cafetorium during Enrichment on May 26 at the First Annual Faculty Recital. Many members of the faculty showed off their various talents during this performance. , Bela Guthstein, chorus teacher, opened the concert by playing the piano piece "Fantasia in D minor" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Ms. Guthstein also performed "Prelude in C sharp minor" by Rachmaninoff. 'The piece was hard to play, bu t as a professional musician one really has to be able to read the music quickly to play it," said Ms. Guthstein. IIsa Cowen, English teacher, played a solo flute piece, "Syrinx" by Claude Debussy. T he composition is based on the mythological story of the God Pan and his des ire for Syrin x, the nym ph. Latin teac her Thaddeu s Ferguson and Lat in and Greek teacher Richard Russo performed a duet, " Si pel ciel,' from the opera Otello by
by Poulenc on the clarinet. The piece was in three movements and represented both mechanical, impersonal tones and slower, more lyrical music. He was accompained by Ms . Guthstein on the piano. Principal Dr. Malcolm Largmann praised the faculty for giving students "an opportunity to be introduced to a new kind of listening experience." "I think we are pr ivileged to have such talented teachers," said freshman Brett Zuckerman. Sophomore Brannie Jones said, " I thought it was really enter taining. The talent was unexpected." In addition to the praise and applause, some students had suggestions for next year's performance. "I think they shou ld have more teac hers involved," said junior Chris topher Caltabiano. Junior Marni Sussman challenge d the faculty when she comm ented, "I would like to see the faculty do things like dance, act or ju ggle!"
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The Classic June 1992
To bee great citizens:
Kamens and Chan win state competition by An a Zwierz Seniors Joshua Kamens and Pearl Chan were winners in the New York State Citizen Bee on May I , in Albany , New York. Joshua placed first, and is go ing to the national competition, which will take place from June 27 to July 1 in Was hing ton D,C. Pearl placed fifth, making her the first alternate for the national compe tition. History teacher Michael Manson was their coac h. Besides personal satisfaction, Joshua received approxim ately $1250in savings bonds , and Pearl, $200. Th e Citi zen Bee is a nationa l contest spon sored by The Closeup Foundation, a privately endowed organization. The contest has varying levels -local, state, and national. Joshua and Pearl placed first and second in the local competition, respectively, sending them to the state level. The competition tests a student's knowledge of American history, geography, the Constitution and government, current events, and economics. Joshua and Pearl, along with their other teammates, senior Shibber Khan and junior Reuben Rosof, prepared for the competition with Dr. Manson for four to five months. Although the contestants were quick in acknowledging Dr.Manson's help, he said that "the students did much of the work on their own." The victory did not come easily for either
Joshua or Pearl. There were a few discrepancies in the judging. Pearl was not originally announced as a fifth place winner. "In Albany I wasn't cou nting on anything [at first] , but [later ] when they announced the winners, they didn 't call me, and I was a little disappointed," she said. As it turned out, one of the judges had misread the competition scores, and had awarded 5th place to another person. The mistake was uncovered after the awards ceremony. The fifth place " winner" had to give up his rank and prizes to Pearl. Joshua simi larly almost did not place in the bee . He answered a question wrong because it was phrased incorrectly. "The question I got was ambiguous and, after appealing to the judges, they agreed with me and threw the question out. They then gave me a new one which I got right," he said . While Pearl names history as her worst subject, Joshua likes it a lot . "I have been exposed to various topics of study," he says. "I developed a liking for history, the classics, and international relations, among other liberal arts disciplines." He plans to pursue an education in liberal arts at Wharton School of Business starting in September. When asked to predict Joshua's performance in the next phase of competition, Dr. Manson replied, "We expect to win, of course."
Workshop presented by seniors at New York teachers' convention by J oh an na Fausto Future Teachers seniors Alison D ' Amico, Georger Reuter, and Dien Taylor offered a workshop on teaching techni ques to a gathering of thousands of New ' Yar k City teachers and studen ts at Hunter College on May 11. The annual conference and luncheon, "A Celebration of Teaching," was held by the New York City Association of Teachers of English. The three seniors spoke about their teaching experiences acquired as members of the Future Teachers club, advised by Joan Walsh, Assistant Principal of Foreign Language. Dien, the first of the three to speak, talked about motivating children to learn. He believes ,that it is "important that teachers motivate their students." He said that "it's the responsibility of the teacher to know how the students are motivated so that he/she 'will know what to do." George explained that there should be a joint venture between
Mock Presidential Convention mirrors Election '92 Services Sheila Orner on their overall presentation, elocution, development of issues and ability to evoke audience reaction. The program was assembled in the middle of the 1992 presidential campaign, when the city was given money in order to involve students in the electoral process and let them "get a feel for the Presidential race," said Mr. Stessel. "I believe that if we don't get excited about our campaigns now, we never will when it comes our tum to vote . I'mconcerned about people getting involved in the electoral process," said Mr. Stessel, who participated in the same type of progtam when Jimmy Carter ran against Gerald Ford in 1976. Students who did not write speeches but wished to take part in the Mock Convention program, made placards, posters and slogans to support their candidate. Sophomores Adrian Muzich, Chris Born, Alexis Joseph, MoniqueCole, LydiaBrown and Natalie Krauser were a few of the students who participated in the program and received certificates of recognition. "I'm interested in how the system L works and wanted to see for myself because in a few years itwill be my 1 tum to vote," said Alexandra, commenting on why she became involved in the convention. N "In order for future voters to make . 1 .~ ., an informed and educated decis ion, they have to know what goes on ~ behind the scenes," said sophomore ~ Alexis Joseph. 'The experience was a good one $' for students and now that they have ~ some idea of what campaigning '8. entails , they can encourage their parents and relatives to vote," said Mr. DEMONSTRATORS hold up balloons, placards, and banners in Stessel.
by Latasha Greene Randi Korobelnik, junior, represented Townsend Harris in the Democracy '92 Mock Presidential Convention at Forest Hills High School on May 20. She lost to Andrea Pellettiere from Forest Hills High School who later went on to represent the borough of Queens in the city-wide competition on June 5. Randi was selected to compete in the borough finals after winning the May 12 school-wide competition organized by history teacher Paul Stcssel, Participants in the in-house convention included freshman Alexandra Laifer, and sophomores Joseph Cahill, Julianne Fisher and Nancy Forsberg . Competitors had to write a 7-10 minute presidential campaign speech tackling such issues facing thl! nation as economic growth.education, foreign policy, taxation, the environment, inner cities, crime and drugs . Participants were judged .by Principal Malcolm Largmann, Assistant Principal of Humanities Lynne Greenfield and Assistant Principal of Pupil Personnel ,
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the student and the teacher . "Y ou should talk with them so that they will be more receptive," he said . "You don't wan t your students to view you as a gian t, intangible perso n whom they can't approach. It should be more like a journey. You take the ch ild' s hand and both ofyou will explore the world of the unknown. This way, you'll both be learning together."
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Alison spoke about her fourth grade English as a Second Language student. It was hard for her student to grasp English easily, so Alison needed to find a way for him to learn it. By observing her student, she found out that he loved to draw. She therefore incorporated his love of drawing into her teaching to facilitate his learning. "I made him draw all the new
vocabulary words that he had jl learned, and the following week used the pictures as flash 'c are This made learning easier and me fun [for the student] and teachi i easier for me . Teachers must very observant so that they can s what their students enjoy do i: and relate it to wha t they're lear ing," said Alison. After the presentation, teach, asked about the Enrichment pr gram, which enabled the studer to go out and teach. Many teachers offered their COl pliments to Dien, Alison, a: George and told them how iJ pressed they were by their pc forrnance. "They dress, act, til and look like professionals; i hard to believe that they're or high school seniors," said Rc Riessman, Chairman of the cc ference. "I attribute all these cornplimei to Ms. Walsh," said Dien. "S created an excellent program a educated us to the frontier of ed cational techniques and method:
The Rime Of The Classical Latin Studerr by Tim Nolan It is a covered textbook, And it sits in front of me. "This should be just like Spanish. So how hard can it be?" For weeks 1 thought that I was right. Yes, Latin was a breeze. 1 knew the cases and the places For long a's and e's, One day the rules and patterns Just overfilled my head . "Why should we learn a language That has been so long dead? " "No one could have learned this!"
1 knew I'd had enough.
To think of it would make me frown
Wasfur a third declension noun? I couldn't take this stuff! The verbs seemed to attack'rne In endless conjugation. Agreement of the adjectives was A cause for lamentation. So right after school today, I plan to meet my buddy. We're going to his house at three To help each other study. We're going to read and memorize Until our brains are worn. Two more tired, wiser guys We'll rise tomorrow mom.
Latin, Greek scholars achieve succes: by Erika DiSanzo Medals, ribbons, and certificates of merit were awarded to 120 Townsend Harris stu dents who took the National Latin and Greek examinations. The exams took place after school on March 9, and March lOand were given in threelevels of Latin as well as classical and modem Greek. Latin students of Thaddeus Ferguson, Margaret Landry, Richard Russo , and Thomas Sweetin won awards which varied from "summa cum laude" (gold medal) to "cum laude" (certificate of merit). Latin level 1 students were hono red with 66 awards, four of which were gold medals and 11 of which were silver. Latin level 2 students received 28 awards , including three silver medals. In addi tion, a gold medal was awarded to Joshua Kamens and a silver medal to Dien Taylor, two of the four students taking Dr. Ferguson's Latin 3 class
after school, <Among those students of Mr. Rus, who took the classical Greek exam, four : ceived red ribbons for achieving a sec between 30 and 34 out of40; eight receiv green ribbons for scores ranging from ~ 39. The twelve students who took I Modem Greek examination were awarded ribbons - six blue, three red, a three green. "With such outstanding results, wI else can one say butc'estmagnifique? C students have once again lived up to I high standards that they have set for the selves ," said Joan Walsh, Assistant Pr cipal of the Foreign Language Depa ment. "Dr. Ferguson, Ms. Landry, tI Russo, and Mr. Sweetin deserve 'surru cum laude' certificates for their superlati efforts in preparing our students,"
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Festival of Nations showcases cultural diversity by Alison Gabriele Saris, sombreros, kilts and kimonos were among the colorful costumes worn by the students participating in .the Festival of Nations celebration on April 9 in the cafetor ium. Joan Walsh, Assistant Principal of Foreign Languages, coordinated the event with the inten t of "promoting an understanding and appreciation of each other's ethnic diversities in order to nurture a sense of brotherhood among us." She was assisted by the foreign language teachers and jun ior Aram Taleporos, the stage manager. Th e master s of ceremonies were senior DienTaylor and sophomore Christopher Musarra. While the festivity was originaIly called "International Night," this year it was changed to "The Festival of Nations," "Our new image is implied by our new name .We have broadened the scope of International Night to include the sharing of cultures and traditions beyond the foreign languages we teach in Townsend Harris," said Ms. Walsh. "I felt by limiting a performance to just the six languages we teach in classrooms, it was not truly an international event. We wanted to represent as many of our students' cultures as possible." The performances ranged from poems, to singing and dancing, to a martial arts demonstration. The evening opened with a color guard representing the "United Colors of Townsend Harris," Junior Diana Starnatelatos sang the National Anthem. The Spanish department's presentations in-
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-a. "OF COURSE, LET"S HAVE FUN!" Ms. Landry's Latin classes perform a drinking song, Gaudeamus lgitur , at the Festival of Nations celebration .
eluded the reading "Redondillas,' by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. The poem, which deals with prejudice towards women, was recited by juniors Rishona Fleishman, Alana Sanford, Michelle Schaffer, and JenniferTeodoro.The song "Guantanarnera," by Jose Marti, was performed by Spanish teacher Ilene Marcus' class. Freshman Mariella Martinez and junior Gilberto DaSilva performed a traditional Peruvian dance entitled "La Marinela." The song "La Paloma," by Julio Iglesias, was performed by sophomore Susan Stewart with accompaniment on the piano by freshman Matt Soran. "When I was little, my mother used to sing 'La Paloma' to me. I think it's weird that now I'm singing it for her and many other people," said
Trink!" which involved the entire audience. The stories of "Max und Moritz" and "Erster Streich" were told by Ms. D'Souza's and Ms. Cheswick's classes. A waltz, "Tales from the Vienna Woods," was performed by juniors Verusha Palczynski and Chris Catalbiano to the accompaniment of seniors Alison D' Amico and Stephanie Wolf on the flute with Mr. Sweetin on the piano. Japanese teacher Michael Rubin and Sarah Loebs' class performed a Japanese rendition of "New York, New York," by Frank Sinatra. Some of the performances were run entirely by the students. One group danced an Indian folkloric dance, "Megha-reMegha,' choreographedby junior Sonal Patel. Sophomore Bibi Mukherjee danced to the Indian classical dance "Prabhad." Verusha, who belongs to a Ukranian dance ensemble, also did a Ukranian dance to a song entitled "Kolomeyka," Another group displayed African ceremonial dances, which were choreographed by Nicole Sessions. The audience was also introduced to the Chinese culture. Under the choreography of sophomore Mary Tsai, the Chinese ceremonial ally non-existent. The toilets were plate dance and ribbon dance were performed. Junior Laarni Mateo, and her younger sister just 25 - 30 holes in a long wooden board. There was no toilet paper. Liza, performed a Philippino dance which they The washroom contained a long had choreographed. wooden sink with a pipe with holes The "Haymakers Jig," a Ceili dance, was also running over it. Once or twice a performed by several sophomore andjunior girls, week the prisoners were allowed to representing the Irish culture . use it. Sporting tradiitional Greek clothing, sophoLiberation finally came in March , more Andrew Mallios led a group of students in 1945. The Nazi's were gone. Soon traditional dances.''I'm proud of my heritage, everyone was embracing. and I'm glad I got to show the audience a part of Mr. Potasynsky went to a Dis- the Greek culture , even if it meant that I had to placed Persons camp. He was there : wear a skirt," said Andrew. for seven months before he went The martial arts demonstration was performed back to Poland looking for his under the supervision of its Enrichment advisor, family. He found three cousins and science teacher Phillip Jones. It consisted of five an aunt already there and soon his domonstrations, including the Stick and Dagger, father showed up, followed by his Board Beaking, Self-Defense Techniques and mother. Some people never saw Thai Boxing . Senior David Parksjunior Matthew any members of their family again. Cretaro, and sophomore Michael Barrows were Still, he lost fifty-five members of among those who participated. his family. Posters and pictures by Anthony Morales' art After seven or eight months, Mr. class provided a colorful addition to the night. Potasynsky's father decided he The artwork depicted the cultural impact of Cowanted to leave Europe with his lumbus' arrival in the New World . family. However, Poland was now ''The Entertainer," by Scott Joplin, played by occupied by Russia andyou couldn't Mary on the piano, was the fmale of the evening . travel freely. Finally, they were The entire performance was a success," said successful in their escape, and in sophomore Oliver Block . November, 1946, they left Europe. "It was beautiful. Besides doing a great deal to After he finished his story, Mr. enhance school spirit, it was fun," said Ms.Walsh. Potasynsky explained his purpose. Principal Malcolm Largmann agreed. ''The For"I'm not here to make you feel bad eign Language Department tapped every ethnic or sad.I want to make young people resource we have. True spirit of good will was aware of what hate and predjudice conveyed the entire evening . We really felt ~ if did and can do," he said. we were at a festival," he said.
Susan . The French department contributed to the evening with a skit called "L' Accent Grave," by Jacques Prevert, which featured sophomore Sean Dougherty as a teacher in a French class. The poem, "Chanson des Escargots qui vont a l'Enterrement" was recited by Brigitte Cheswick's French classes. Margaret Landry's Latin class sang a Medieval Latin drinking song, "Gaudeamus Igitur," which translates to "Of course, let's have fun!" A variety of songs, dances and literature was presented by the German department. German teacher Thomas Sweetin, dressed as a German boy, led his class in the singing of"Du, Du Liegst Mir 1m Herzen" and "Trink, Trink! Bruderlein,
Reliving the horror:
Holocaust survivor educates on consequences of hate by Eva Levinson Lee Potasynsky,a survivor of the Holocaust, spoke to several classes in the library during Enrichment on April 14. His talk spanned his life in concentration camps during theNazi occupation and after the war. He also discussed his feelings about the war and his hopes and warnings for the future. Mr. Potasinsky was six years old and living in a town about 600 miles from Warsaw, Poland, when the German army invaded and occupied the country in 1939. His life was about to change dramatically. The Nazis instituted a 6 P.M. to 9 P.M. curfew for all Jews. Jews were forbidden to walk on certain streets no matter what time it was,and on the streets they could use,they could only walk in the gutter. A yeIlow star of David had to be sewn onto all clothes. Food was rationed. Often there was not enough food to go around. Sometimes the food they were given violated Jewish dietary laws. Mr. Potasynsky and many others lived on bread and potatoes. One early morning in August 1942, the Jews were rounded up and divided into groups: elderly, ablebodied men , and able-bod ied women. Lee looked at his grandfa ther, who pointed to the men and said, "Why don't you run across to
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them," Lee ran over to the men, and stayed in the middle to avoid being noticed. Mr. Potasynsky and the otherprisoners were brought to Makstak, a camp on the Polish - Czechkoslovakia border. There they were given 1.D. numbers. Mr. Potasynsky explains this as the day" we [Jews] lost our identity as human beings."
the constant fear that you could be killed. We never thought of committing suicide. Most or all of us never lost hope thattomorrow would be a better day," One night,all the prisoners were loaded onto cattle trains and taken to an unknown destination . An old man sitting next to Mr. Potasynsky turned to him. "I think we're all finished," he said. Then he recited the Kaddish ?r~fll~ltrmmmmmmmrmmrmmmmmmltrttjt~lI~~ (prayer for the dead). Lee asked him why he was saying it now, "Because once I'm gone, there'll be no one to fe~l say it for me," he replied. Eventually they arrived at From the age of nine and a half Auschwitz. He saw a train full of until he was twelve and a half, Mr. people being unloaded; suitcases and Potasynsky went through seven clothes were everywhere. Then he different camps , including smelled the horrible burning of Auschwitz, Dachau, and Lansood. human flesh. At Dachau, Mr. Potasynsky arrived The prisoners were marched five in the middle of the night in deep miles to work for ten to twelve hours winter. He and the other prisoners digging or carrying rocks .Then they were surprised by what seemed to were marched back to the bunk and be an act of kindness. They were lined up for dinner.soup in a tin given blankets. However, they soon bowl. found out the reason for this act. Lack of food caused some people Due to overcrowding, they had to to become emaciated. Others went sleep outside with the lice-infested crazy, and others swelled up like blankets . balloons. Mr. Potasynsky's feet "I think about it [those times] ev- swelled up so much that he was ery single day," explains Mr. Pota- unable to wear shoes. He had to tie synsky . "It is impossible for me to rags with wire around his feet. He think how I as a human being could still has scars. endure those conditions. There was Hygiene at Auschwitz was virtu-
'I'm not here to make you bad or sad.
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The Classic June 1992
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-Hamlet star 'shares acting experiences with Drama Enrichment by E len i Passlas Stephen Lang , the star of the current Broadway production of Hamiel, spoke to the Drama Enri chment on April 28, and on April 29, a group of To wnsend harris students went to the Roundabout Th eater to watch his per formance. Mr. Lang, the son of philanthropist Eugene Lang, an alumnus of the old Townsend Harris , received a 1991 Tony nomination for his performa nce of the "veteran-turned-street philoso pher " Lou in The Speed of Darkness. Hamiel, the Shakespeare play which portrays the Prince of Denmark's struggles in coping with the death of his father and the subsequent mar riage of his mother to his uncle , becomes one of revenge after the ghost of Hamlet' s father appears, revealing Hamlet's uncle to be the dead king 's murderer. "My vision of Hamlet is a guided tour of death due to the tremendous sense of loneliness that Hamlet felt," said Mr. Lang, who had wanted to
roles in films and play the on r.v. as well Prince of ", . .~ as on the stage. Denmark Through expesince 1974. ~ " At that time rience, the 39 ::E year-old actor in my life I was ve ry has de veloped alone , which his own acting £ led to my detechniques. He is ~ sire to somea method actor T O NY AWA RD WI NNING ACfOR, Stephen Lang explains who believes in day enact the to the Drama Enrichment why he wanted to play Hamlet . subordin ating role of Ham his life and per let," he told sonality to those of the characters. "I really the the Drama Enrichment. Mr. Lang's goal to play Hamlet came to frui- like to submerge mysel f and hide in the role tion on M arch II, the opening night of the pro- I'm playing," he said. Mr. Lang believes he was duction. born to be an actor, and also described to An actor for 20 years, Mr . Lang explained that students his "strong innate sense of pretend," it "requires years of experience to become ade- which he feels greatly helps him with each quate." He made his New York debut in 1974 as role he plays. For the T.V. production of "Babe Bernardo in Hamiel, and went on to play major Ruth ," he transfigured himself into the baseb all
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legend by purposely gaining weight to better fit the part. In speaking to the Dram a Enrichment, Mr. Lang expressed his preference of stage acting to films . "A film. is just there, whereas on stage it is live in peopl e's memor ies and that makes it better and better. Ham let is good now but will be fantastic in the minds of many 20 years from now ," he said. Although acting is currently his top priority, Mr. Lang, the father of four, feels his family is equally important as his career. Mr. Lang explained that when working on a play, his family role is essentially one of crisis intervention."When I' m out of work, I spend quality time with them," he said. Mr. Lang 's hopes for the future are many and varied. He is interested in producing, butfornow, he would like "to master the craft of acting." His immediate goal is to move from younger roles 'and into mor e mature ones.
Barkan , Sacher create videos to document Public Art in Public Schools by Aleema Bac ch us Unlike the well -known careers of docto r, lawyer, or those of their col leagues in education, Janice Barkan and Sharon Sacher have rather unusual jobs. Both of these women are currently involved in the Board of Education's Public Art, in Public Schools project to create a video documenting the creation and installation of the artwork which has been commissioned for the new Townsend Harris building. Ms. Barkin is coordinating the project and Ms. Sacher, who teaches video production at P.S. 201, is directing the squad of elementary school children that she trained. The youngsters have already taped reporters from The Classicinterv iewing artists Bing Lee, Clyde Lynds, and Fred Wilson. A Townsend Harris video squad directed by art teacher Anthony Morales is also involved in the project. Both Ms. Barkan and Ms. Sacher admit that their jobs are unusual. "[My] career isn't as widely known as others, but it has its advantages. It allow s creativity, it allows me to work with
many classes at different levels, and it teaches children excellent skills and actually makes learning exciting," said Ms. Sacher. Ms . Barkan agreed. "I get to see a lot of major art pieces, and I work in conserving sculptures. We try to give stu dents a variety of hands -on experiences creating a unique appreciation of art involvingthem directly," she said . Some of the projects that Ms . Sacher has worked on included producing a prize -winning anti-drug rap video documentary and a documentary on how to integrate impaired children into a regular classroom setting. Even though these two women are happy with their careers, their jobs are not the ones they originally had in mind . "Its very strange because as a child, I didn't even like art," said Ms. Barkan. "I hated it! I think it was due to the fact that they [her art teachers] weren't making it interesting and weren't presenting it in the right way. My love was actually music, and for a while, I considered becoming a concert violinist. But, eventually, I came
to be able to accept their opinions and Coordinator for Public Art, Public the courage to still be ableto go on." Schools, Ms . Barkan is also the au"I was a direct product of the sixties, thor of a book of poems and mus ic and I had to overcome the limitations pieces called Voyager. She hopes to said, "I wanted to be a cultural anthro- women had then," said Ms. Barkan. someday write a book with her daughpolog ist. Sometimes I still regret not "Women were expected to become ter. Ms . Sacher , in addition to being a taking that path in life, but my love for teachers, and my mother really wanted teacher, also has an assistant principal art was always constant. I was always me to become one, but I had to find the license. doing creative things then ,just like I'm courage within myself to go beyond Th ey both look forward to the comdoing creative things now. I also loved that. I had to look into myself and see plet ion of the art project at the new what I was capable of doing. " working with children." building . Besides being the Video Program Ms. Sacher has two children, aged 10 and 16. She said that they enjoy pre AIR~CONDITIO NED viewing some of her videos, but complain that her job is very time-consuming. Ms. Barkan also has two children, aged 19 and 23. 'They know I'm crazy because I'm not conventional- I'm not a trad itional mother. I'm very selfsufficient and I was raised to be indeAccredited by N.Y. State Board or Regents pendent," she said. Although both women are very successful today, they had to overcome many difficulties to get there . "I had to overcome the guilt of leaving my children and my hus~and to persue a career," said Ms . Sacher. "Also, since I work in the field ofart, I'm open to alot IN PRIVATE SCHOOL YOUMAKE TAKE of critisim, so I had to find the strength to love art." Ms. Sacher, on the other hand, always loved art as a child, but she did no t always want to be a teacher. She
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Alumnus focus: Vollme r prese rves natural beauty by Jason Led er "I t is a great field. It is extremely creative," stated alumnus Arnold H. Vollmer about his career as Ii land scape architect, engineer, and planner. Mr. Vollmer has served as a panelist at the White House Conference on Natu ral Beauty and designed more than 75 major parks, including Robert Moses New York State Park. Mr. Vollmer, who worked for 43 years , begillning in 1937, is still not sure what made him choose his profession. After spending a summer at a boys ' camp in Buzzard 's Bay, he had a great desir e to become a foreste r. Mr. Voll mer was going to enroll in Cor nell, which had a "decent forestry program ," but his family cou ldn ' t afford it. He ended up enrolling in Co lumbia, and "drifted from landsc ape engineering to city planning." Mr.
Vollmer has no regrets about his career choice. Mr. Vollmer said he gets a thrill from seeing one of his visions completed. He described the feeling as "the best, the tops." Among his many accom plishments, he is most proud of the Lifetime Achievement Award , which was presented to him by the New York City Commissioner of Parks and Recreation. With his successful career came a down side, though - the fact that he did not spend as much time as he would have preferred with his family . "I worke d very hard. I worked too muc h on my profession.I built afirm[Vollmer Assoc iates] and I am happy about that. But I didn 't know my children until they grew up. Everything has a price. There are no free lunches," he said.
Mr. Vollmer has fond memories of the old Townsend Harris. "We all sat in alphabetical order. It amazes me to think that Jonas Salk and Herman Wouk must have been sitting right next to me," said Mr. Vollmer. Jonas Salk is the scientist who developed the polio vaccine and Herm an Wouk is a celebrated author. To wnsend Harris was an "inspiring"place for Mr. Vollmer. "Mr. Mandeville, [his favorite teache r] was a young, lively, bright his tory teacher who made the course interesting." He enjoy ed the time he spent at Townsend Harris and was "very unhappy when it was closed. It was one of Mayor LaGuardia's worst mist akes . Townsend Harris was an elite school," said Mr . Vollmer. "I am glad that it is now once again open."
ENGLISH Grades 9 to 1% READING HISTORY Globltl, World, us, GOVERl'MENT ECOSOMaCS ART PREPARATION for IlI1 RCT'S
SAT MATH & VERBAL SEQ. MAT H I, n,m MATH 12 . Pre. Cak. PSAT MATH &VERBAL COMPUTERS A.P. CALCULUS SPANISH PRE-ALGEBRA FRENCH FUND. MAT H. T YPING GENER AL MATH. PHYS.•ED. GEN ERALSCffiNCE HYG IENE BIOLOGY wltbL'ABS TO EFL C HEMiSTRY wltb LABS E.s.L. PHY SICS wltb LABS EARTH SCIENCE
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DRIVER EDUCATION
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Leroy leads balanced life by Diana Tuite "Nothing compares to Townsend Harris," declares security guard, Leroy Howard. After working here for only one year and a half, Leroy, as he likes to be called, is confident that this is where he belongs . A security guard for 18 years, his resume includes Hillcrest, JohnBowne, Forest Hills, Flushing and Andrew Jackson high schools. Leroy welcomed an opportunity to transfer here, wanting to "see students advance themselves in a peaceful environment." In absolute agreement with the tagging of this school as "safe," he added, "You should be proud ." Since he has arrived, there have been no inside fights and only one outside altercation. His most frightening experience involved taking a gun away from a youth in another school. Leroy also remembers breaking up a fight between two girls, one of whom stabbed the other with a screwdriver . The way Halloween is handled here surprised Leroy, who used to view it as a dangerous event. "In other schools, Halloween was a horror....It was always a very tense time for me." A brown belt in self-defense has proven helpful in apprehending youths. Leroy studied martial arts forfour years as a teenager. In addition, security guards must report annually for re-
training. They are taught procedures for weapons and drug confiscation, something he describes as "not a problem here." As part of his daily eight- and- a-half hour routine, Leroy patrols the cafetorium and sits near the main door. Constantly amazed at how little time it takes him to empty the halls, he credits the students with making his job easier.In previous schools he had to shout for fifteen or twenty minutes before everyone would go to class. Leroy is proud to be a permanen t part ofTownsend. "When the school moves in '94, I'll move with it," he stated. Once the school is relocated to the Queens College campus, the security staff will gain one person and Leroy will be "group leader." Born on St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, Leroy came here with his family when he was three years old, and was raised in Queens. Although he misses the island and keeps in touch with relatives there, he has not visited it in more than 15 years. Married, Leroy has two sons in the navy, a daughter in college and another in high school. Because he works surrounded by adolescents , Leroy feels he possesses a distinct advantage as a father. "My younger daughter cannot pull anything over on me, " he said.
Likewise, Leroy attributes his popularity with students to his experience as a parent and "a willingness to get along well with people. I do not like to put students :l 13 down just because they ~ are younge r," he said. However, Leroy plays roles other than that of }; security guard and parent. "Actually, I am a carpenter by trade:' he revealed. His avid interest in carpentry was sparked by an uncle. Together, the two often remodeled houses when SECURITY G UARD LEROY HOWARD sits at the front desk, making sure that villainous he was very young . Affiends do not enter the school building. ter attending Thomas Edison High School and the New York School of Now, he roots for the Los Angeles . Carpentry, Leroy worked full time as a carpentry. Inspired by his friends, Leroy has Lakers . contrac tor for several years. Drawing on his varied exper iences, However, with a growing family to developed a new and "nerve wracksupport, Leroy sought a job with a ing" interest in computers . Currently , Leroy has this advice for young adults: more steady salary. ''That,was where he is hooking his comput er up to his "Above all, learn as much as you can for when you get into the real world, the security job carne in, "he explained. stereo system . Despite all of his other interests, and care for one another ." He feels at Not abandoning his passion altogether, Leroy builds furniture for his home . "I Leroy still enjoys sports, even if from Townsend Harris, for the first time in built a stereo unit for my stereo room," a specta tor's point of view. A fan of his career, students are way ahead of he said. In the future, he hopes to basketball when he was younger , he such advice. "Being here, I have seen devote even more of his free time to joined his junio r high school team. that the future has some kind of hope ."
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Security long-time career for Marlene
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t IN UNIFORM, standing near the main entrance, is school safety officer Marlene Lee, insuring that unauthorized students do not leave the building.
A Matter of Censorship? Continuedf rom page 1 ment in a less-than-favorable light. "We don 't think that a group of people which is incapable of making impartial decis ions should be given...the power to defund for political reasons," said Katie. "We strongly feel that these issues cannot bestifled.A student paper is a very importan t forum for students." Matt said that SAC' s decision to give The Quad a budget of zero had to do with the overall poor quality of the newspaper.'The paper could have been WrillPTl h " lI l' r There was no accounta-
bility," he said. Among the faults he found with the publication were its "copy, editing, [and) editorializing in classified advertisements." Meanwhile, The Quad is continuing to do business as usual. A summer issue is planned . "That'll be out in the middle of July," said Bruno. "We're going to hold off on the major coverage of the [defunding)" until the first issue in September, when the incoming freshmen will be there and people will be back on campus, he said.
the bathrooms are now locked for the first ten minutes of each band." Marlene's daily routine takes her from the front desk to the cafetorium to walking the halls of the first and second floors. She alternates posts with Leroy, so there is always someone at the front desk. Born in Harlem, Marlene later moved to Queens, where she has been a resident for 32 years. Her family lives close to the school. "My parents live only five blocks away [from me). I get to see them often," she said. She and her husband of 35 years are the proud parents of two children. She has a married, 34-year -old son and a 29-year-old daughter. Both her children attended Bayside High School. Marlene said the best training for her job was being a parent. She attributes a greatpercentageof the violence taking place in schools today to poor upbringing. "There shouldn' t be-so much violence. The pattern of trouble has to stop. Ther e should be education available for parents so that they know how to enforce values and restrictions in the home ," said Marlene. She remembers a time when it would be safe to come home at three or four o'clock in the morning. "My friends and I never used to have to worry about violence," she said. " So much has changed. People's behavior is very
' different." She again blames lack of parenting for these changes in society. Marlene feels the biggest problem teens are faced with today is peer pressure. "It's so hard not to give in. Kids are tempted so often. Even though it' s difficult, my best advice would be not to give into the temptation. It's not worth it," she said. When Marlene isn't working orreading magazines such as McCalls,Lady's Home Jourrial orGood Housekeeping, there is a good chance she's knitting. Taught by her mother, Marlene has been knitting since she was eight years old. "I always knit things to give [to]people as gifts. I'm currently working on a sweater for a little!' girl I know:' she said. Cooking is another of Marlene' s hobbies. She is currently on a "low-fat food kick." "Its more healthy." she said. Marlene also enjoys watching suspenseful movies . "I recently saw City of Joy, a movie about India, which I liked a lot," said Marlene Looking toward the future, she plans to "follow the footsteps of Townsend Harris" to the Queens College campus. "I'm very excited about the move. Wherever Tow nsend Harris goes, I'll go with it. I love it here!" Marlene said. !:"'~
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The Classic
June 1992
Boys' Handball hits crack in season
Skateboarders sweep through streets
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by Erika DiSanzo You get on your skateboard and ride with any amount of speed you choose. You put your front foot on the nose and your back foot on the tail. You put all your weight on the nose. After this, you take your front foot off the nose and your back foot goes in arapping motion so that the board turns around your leg, looking as if it is attached to your leg. Now you ride away with a smile knowing you accomplished your trick. What was just described may seem out of the ordinary to some people, although to sophomores Angel Falcone and David Khuzistani it is known as an "Ollie Impossible" or just a daily part of their lives as skaters. There are many misconceptions about skating. Skating is not gliding across ice with a pair of boots with blades on the bottom; neither is it having a boot with four wheels attached to each foot. Skat'ing is skateboarding. Skating can be divided into two main categories. The first category is street which branches into two subdivisions. The first subdivision is "freestyle." Freestyling involves stationary tricks (you don't go out of a 10-foot radius) which include a lot of twists,...-flips, and turns. The second •. • '.--"-" """ ."' ••- -.... o..-'-.o:'-:::-,-.,..::--.'-----" _. . ._.- .. •.. _ -... -._.~.
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subdivision is "street style" which involves more speed and fewer flips. It is usually performed off any urban obstacle such as steps, handrails, curbs, fire hydrants, and garbage cans. "I prefer street because I like the freedom to go where I want. I can skate handrails, steps, or just whatever I'm in the mood to," says David. The second casegoryis ramp. This style of skating is more popular with suburban kids because of the fact that most city kids don't have the backyards for ramps. According to Angel, "City kids are forced to hit the asphalt and pavement such as streetstyle. Ramp is boring because all they do is go up and down the ramp and do air maneuvers that would impress the non-skater, but nevertheless the tricks are still difficult." Skating requires a lot of hard work and determination. It can take weeks to learn one trick. In order to become a professional skater, you must be prepared to skate for hours, just about every day. Angel and Dave try to skate as much as possible, but due to their homework and other school-related activities, they can only skate for 1-2 hours about every other day. However, they try to compensate for lost time by skating at least six hours a on the weekend. -_day ... _., .,.-----_.. _---- .-
Girls' Soccer hampered by injuries by Neftali Serrano Hobbled by injuries, the Girls' Varsity Soccer team finished off a disappointing 1992 season with a record of5-3,just one victory short of the playoffs. A 3-2 loss to Richmond Hill High School in the second game of the season proved to be the back breaker for the Hawks, with Richmond Hill ending the season ahead of the Hawks via a tie against Newtown High School on the last day of the season to fmish at 5-2-1. The game against Richmond Hill was one most team members say should have been theirs. Goalie Ngozi Efobi had stopped a Richmond Hill shot when she handed the ball over to a teammate thinking the situation called for a goal kick. However, the ball was still inplay and the referee awarded a penalty kick for Richmond Hill which they promptly made. The final score in overtime was 3-2. "It was a very big game," said junior defensive-back Onicka Voglezon. "We would've won the game ...we would've been in the playoffs right now." "On paper llfthe beginning of the season we should've been the best team," said Coach Hanson. However,acombinationofplayersdropping off of the team and injuries to forward Nicki Ioannou, out for the season; defensive-back Eleana Valaouras, injured the second half of the season; and midfielder Erika DiSanzo, out the first half of the year with a foot injury, stunted the team's ability to play at 100%. Without these three players on the /";.. 1,1 ~, ,h.. same time, the Hawks
What does all this skating lead up to? There are many answers to this. First of all, says Angel,"It keeps me fit." The second answer is that it gives you a feeling of accomplishment because your friends are always cheering you on. However, the ultimate goal of most skaters is to become sponsored. Being sponsored means that a skate shop, a skate board distributor, or some sort of skate company provides you with new 'skateboards, accessories for your board, and clothes/sneakers. It cuts the money you spend on skating down to nothing, but it also promotes the products of the company that sponsors you. However, being sponsored is not very easy. You have to skate really well and basically be in the right place at the right time (preferably in front of some skate scout). "The fact that you can hope to be sponsored one day motivates you. When I feel ready to quit, I just keep going knowing that I have to go on if! ever wantto become a pro," says Angel. Skating is frustrating and it takes a lot of time and patience, according to Angel and David. David h.asthis piece of advice for all potential skaters: "If you want to become a good skater, just keep trying hard and don't give up."
by Francine Rich were against Andrew Jackson and The Boys' Handball team ended one was against Martin Van Butheir season on May 5 with a record ren. of3-5. Global History teacher and Coach Scarnati encouraged his coach Anthony Scarnati expressed players to learn from their losses. disappointment in the team's sub "They were much better by the end .500 record, while also stating his of the season," he said. pride in their effort. Players are needed for next year, Despite the less than perfect rec- with five out of the seven starters ord, players Viral Shah, Chris graduating. Coach Scamati is lookDudin, Kevin King, and Danny ing for boys who like to play handGingerich advanced to the individ- ball and are willing to practice and ual championships. work hard. "Next year will be wide The five losses included two very open," he said. close games to Martin Van Buren "We had a good year. I'm lookand Francis Lewis High Schools, ing foward to next year. I think both matches ending with a final we'll have a good team because we score of 21-18. have many young prospects," said Of the team's three victories, two junior Chris Dudin.
Softball plays' hardball with division 17-6. Coach LarryCeraulo felt this by Shalene Moodie For the Girls' Varsity Softball victory may have been a turning team, this past season proved to be point early in the season. "It [the season] was pretty much one of the most successful in school history . With a record of 11 wins smooth sailing. At times our deand 6 losses, the Hawks were able fense failed, but if we played well, to place second in their division, we were able to win. Many of the girls have been playing together earning a playoff spot. Perhaps the greatest challenge for three to four years, so it was this season for the Hawks was rival probably my easiestyear as coach," Newtown High School. Their first said Mr. Ceraulo. Easing Ceraulo's way were team game was extremely competitive and ended in a4-0 Harris win. The leaders senior Lauren Caiacca, second ballgame was a blowout sophomoreBernadette Crespo, and with the Hawks winning once again senior Holly Sage.
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Tennis team ends third straight season undefeated by Latasha Greene Despite an extremely strong season, junior Rob Liff lost to Forest Hills in the first round of the tennis playoffs on May 14 with a score 11-9. "I got tired towards the end of the game and my opponent came back," said Rob. Commenting on the loss,junior Dave Rosenthal said "We were winning; then towards the end, Liff began to weaken and his opponent took advantage of that, took the lead and won," "The team always does well in division play but when it's
The Boys' Tennis team, won five division championships in a row, beating Cardozo, the second year City Champs, 5-0. "Competition is tougher, but this is one of our stronges t teams ever," said Murray about the team's tl 45 th straight win in division play. 10 "The kids have been getting better ~ each year," he said. This is his third season as head coach. ~ The team consists of two sen$' iors Ron Sussman and Liang Lee, five sophomores and five juniors. "Even though the seniors will be leaving soon, we will get fresh.. JUNIOR JONATHAN STROj\fGIN, member of the Boys' men to take their place," said Mr. the playoffs, we are eliminated Tennis Team practices at Queens College. in the first round. The opposing Murray. teams have better courts to practice on while our team has to Playing in the Singles competition are Ron, Dave, and Rob. make do with the present courts," said Guidance Counselor The Doubles team consists ofjunior Reuben Rosof and Joseph and coach James Murray. Spak, Liang and David Topper.
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Record ruins possibility of post-season play It was her first time playing singles for the excellent second doubles team, with a school. Her only two loses came against record of 5-3," said Coach Schwartz. the divisions toughest competitor, CarThese jwo doubles teams, as well as dozo High School. Christine, will be representing the school "Cardozo has a very good team. Maybe at the PSAL Individuals Tournament. next year our team will be abl~ to defeat Next year's team does have the potential them," said Christine. to be strong. Many of the team's newer Two doubles pairs who also had good members will be returning. However, the seasons according tocoach Schwartz were team will miss the experience of seniors juniors Stacey Hollander and Dina Pinto, Jennifer Luscher , who played second first doubles, and freshman Mariella singles for two years in a row, and Melissa Martinez and senior MelissaTan, second Tan, who was a starter for the first time this doubles. "Melissa and Mariella were an season .
