Classic newspaper Volume 21 Issue no. 6

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Vol. 21, No.6 Summer 2005

aSSlC Townsend Harris High School at Queens College

149- 11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367

Baccalaureate celebrates senior acheivements b y Alyssa Chase and J ennifer Park "With imagination, ingenuity and audacity, explore, discover, change the world," challenged Senior Advisor Franco Scardino at the Baccalaureate Ceremony, held on June 14 in the auditorium. The annual awards ceremony

Pamela Chan, Salutatorian With a .003 difference in grade point average from that of the valedictorian, Pamela Chan is the salutatorian of the class of 2005 . Pamela feels "extremely honored" to be given this title and is excited to be furthering her ~ducation at Columbia University in the fall, where she will be majoring in biochemistry.

She plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D . in graduate school and start a career in science research. Pamela was a recipient of the New York Times College Scholarship, which provides $7,500 annually towards college tuition. · Pamela developed her interest in scientific research in her research class and . through her internship in a biochemistry \ab at New York University's College of Arts and Sciences. Her project, entitled "Functional Assay ofConnexin 40 Silencing due to RNA Interference," achieved semi-finalist standing at the 2005 New York City Science and Engi-_ neering Fair and earned a number of awards at the 2004 fair.

Pamela has been honing her Kung Fu skills at Shaolin ~emple for a year and a half and remarks that this has been "a big part of [her] life." She explained that it has "helped [her] focus and has provided a way to relieve school stress."

Pamela has demonstrated her martial arts skills for the school through participation in the Festival of Nations for three years.

celebrated the seniors' achievements in academics, service, and extracurricular activities and announced the valedictorian and the salutatorian, Nisha Singh and Pamela Chan. · Mr. Scardino applauded the accomplishments of the class throughout their

high school experience and offered encouragement for the future . He said, "You entered this beloved institution as the twin towers fell. None of you were untouched by the events of September of your freshman year, not unaffected by the ideological movements of local

She is Co-president of Students for the Preservation of the Earth and in prior years has held the positions of Co-editor and Co-captain of The Quantum Cat and the Math Team, respectively. Outside of school, Pamela has also served as an adoption counselor for the North Shore Animal League of America.

Pamela says that she has "always been Salutatorian Pamela Chan and Valedictorian Nisha Singh enjoy a perfectionist" and the fruits of their labor at the 2005 Baccalaureate. that she has served mainly as her own motivator through- eight percent of entering freshmen exout her high school years. She advises clusive opportunities, including particiHarrisites to avoid the procrastination pation in a Freshman Honors Seminar plague. With respect to college admis- and a study abroad program. Nisha plans ·sions, Pamela emphasizes the fact that to major in biochemistry and sees herextracurricular activities are as impor- self entering the medical field, with a tant as one's average and that one should specialty in neurology.

Nisha remarks that she has "always not be "so consumed by grades." been interested in the sciences," and she Nisha Singh, Valedictorian Nisha, who feels "extremely privi- has furthered this interest through her leged to be receiving such a tremendous internship at NYU's School of Medicine honor," is the valedictorian. She will be last summer. There, she worked in ~ miattending New York University's Col- crobiology laboratory on a project that lege of Arts and Sciences in the fall as a dealt with bone development and Apert member of their Presidential Honors Syndrome. Nisha submitted her research Scholar's Program, which offers the top to various science competitions and won

and geopolitics since .. .. You will solve global climate changes and make sustainable development a reality. You will write great novels, paint extraordinary art and compose music, which will 'last for posterity. You will make your dreams come true." a number of honors ancl distinctions, including semi-finalist standing at the 2005 New York City Metro Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, as well as highest honors in the microbiology category/ at the 2005 Otto Burgdorf Scien¢e Research Competi.::: tion .

Nisha has also been involved in a 2: number of extracurricular and co1nmuu . . . .. . . ~ mty serv1ce act1v1t1es m her school and e:; community, including membership on ~ The Classic as a feature writer, the Sci~ ence Olympiad, and the peer 6 mentoring. program. Nisha has also u 2 volunteered at the Forest Hills Com.g_ munity House as a youth organizer, where-she and her peers organized a fair to help eliminate cultural stereotypes within the community and created a documentary ccmcerning media biases and how women's self-images were atfected by the media. She was recognized by Thirteen WNET New York for her work.

After visiting her family in India three years ago and observing the lack of emphasis placed on education, particularly for females, she says she feels "very privileged" to be able to have the chance to pursue her dreams.

Nisha offers words of advice for her fellow Harrisites; she urges incoming · freshmen to ''take everything one step at a time" and sophomores and juniors to "work hard and never slack off."

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Sports Awards applauds athletic achievement

by Alyssa Chase The annual Sports Awards dinner on Ju.ne 8 highlighted the achievements of student athletes. Held at the Reception House on Northern Boulevard, the dinner celebrated impressive individual performances aqd applauded the 14 teams that advanced to playoffs.

Coaches presented members of their teams with Most Valuable Player, Most Improved Player, Rookie of the Year, and Coach's Awards. Varsity bowling,

basketball, and softball player Katherine Incantaloupo, senior, was named Athlete of the Year along with senior John Tatti, a member of the basketball, soccer, and baseball teams.

Seniors Ari Gayer and Christina "C.C.'~ Chai were acknowledged as recipients of the Spring Reisman PS~L Wingate Award, which recognizes these athletes as the best tennis player and handball player, respectively, in New York Ci,ty. Their team shirts will be dis-

!Editors;good-byes p.2

played in the lobby alongside the uniforms of other school legends.

The Sports Awards also honored sophomores Devotia Moore and Susan Wasserman. Devotia qualified for state and national events in track and field, and is also the new PSAL record holder in the steeplechase. Susan won the pole vault competition at sophomore city championships. Senior tennis player Chantal Bruno and Sotiris Georgiou advanced to finals in the PSAL mixed

College slats p. 4-5

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doubles competition. .

Students generally enjoyed the sports banquet. Senior Andrea Mock, a member of the girls' Varsity Volleyball team said, "I really enjoyed spending time with my team friends and coaches. Winning my first trophy, the Coach's Award, [at] my last Sports Awards dinner [made it] one that I will definitely remember for the rest of my life." Senior track member Zoie Blackwood called it "the best way to end an awesome year.''

Staff retirements p. 6-7

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,, C"">Pres;;,gtbe higl) '<hOOI,expene..,e into ink has been no easy !ask. E<perially,,woon more <>bvio"' Woi<f cboiees, sue), a; "school," 'nd accotdlng to student journalism <nJes, iJJegaJ il) 11ead1ines and leads; I've had fun experimenting with words >nd Phrase, 1/Jce "institutiom>flea,jng," and "P<dagogue"ro dodge:fbese taboo "J'dit teally tickle, me, newspaper netd that I ·am, When We -eup With a headline that uses alliteration.

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Editors' Good-byes: It's been an interesting four years, to say the least. It wasn't easy for anyone and, at times, it felt like we would never see the end, but it's finally over and the next step in our future is about to begin. Whatever circumstances brought us together within the halls of this school, we walk out of them different people. We have all made lasting friendships, built wonderful working relationships with our teachers, and walked away with invaluable learning experiences that will benefit us in our college experience and beyond.

I know that I will never forget the friends I made in this school and those teachers who made a difference.

I entrust this newspaper to next year's editors and staff, urging them to invest their skills and dedication in it and, in return, to get as much learning experience out of it as possible. Working on The Classic made my senior year what it was - hectic and stressful - but it was also career- defining and an altogether rewarding experience. My best wishes especially go out to the 2005-2006 editorial staff: Chris, Diana, Jocelyn, Michelle, Vivian, Alexandra, Rookie, and Laura; remem· ber to have fun along the way. To my mentor, Ms. Cowen, thank you for all you've done and the great advice you've given me this year.

The newspaper will not be the same without you.

Francesca Pizarro- Editor-in-Chief

· ······· The Classic's six senior editors witl be leaving this ye:ar as part of the tradition of graduating. sources reported l~t week. In a brief speech delivered friday to the newspaper's editors and r - - - ...,..._ ..._~ ,. • . , advisor. the Feature editor, Tanaz Talebpour had -··-··· . ~- this to say: ''This isn't going to be easy for me. Perhaps the best way to start off is by acknowledging everyone's hard work and dedication to this epitome of high-quality journalism. I would tike to thank the editorial staff for their relentless efforts in pulling together afi amazing series of issues throughout the course of the year.

Francesea, I admire your calm optimism and determination, and thanks for the PageMa'ker ·and Photoshop mini-lessons. Alyssa, your .willingness to help me with anything at any time meant a lot; Mimi, I had so much fun with you as my 'editing partner'; Chris, thanks for being serious and getting down to business, and Diana, you were always there to make us laugh, which is something we all needed; Jocelyn, I hope you enjoyed being our apprentice. Michelle, Laura and Eugene, you helped make The Classic what it is. I cannot express how fortunate I am to have had the opportunity to work wtth such talented individual's."

She continued, "Thanks toM~. Wischerth, who allowed me to work on the pages during my free periods, and brought us bagels whenever she could. Finally, I'd like to extend my appreciation to someone I've known since the beginning af my experience in journalism, the person who helped launch me as a journalist.

Ms. Cowen, thank you for being the phenomenal advisor that you were, and the

t heed In embfo<e Fran, Tan>z, Meemers, Lau,a, Diana, Chris, Micbelle, Eugene, Ann. Joss, and Ms. Cowen in agiant lexical Oug. You are the mosr lnotJv'lted People and best Writ""(and photograph., and aniit!) that I hOve ever met. You are the only Ol>ei Who cOuld have made C<><ning to school how amazing Youand all are, during vacations staying Ia"' aft., schOOl fun, Which basically sums up

~.Usic.Shakes~ give a sbo~tout to traclcies, wb~ Qneen, seasop!And ofC<>o/!e, I need to (yes, You s.,•,tb'e

We nave had E<'eat memories,. from our cooing keyboards .and lalking computers "'"ned "tier characten to our fOod •mergenci., and Diana·, lecboo SJ>ecial'fbanks to Ms. Wiscberth, Who allowed us to invade the photOg,aphy, 1:0am at odd hours and bombatd bor With requests fo~ qUOtations. , Finally, I'd li!Q, !o Illy blitzed City CJiamps this hoJJa IV<>nf "boiL!" in 7'l,e C/a;r!fc) at aU my seOennnniiijoooors!

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Alyss~~ Ch~se~ Co-news Editor

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Nothing says it better than Coldplay. In the song, "Speed of Sound," Chris Martin sings, "Where to, where do I go ?/If you never try, then you'll never know." That's high school for you; four years of not knowing until the final week of your senior year passes by and a wave of nostalgia slaps you and then you suddenly realize that everything has fallen into place and you have a faint idea of where you are going.

It's difficult to translate into words the mix of emotions I feel at the moment and I have yet to think of any advice worth dispensing to future seniors (except to sign in). Graduating now is not th~ same as it was in junior high -my eyes were much better then, I didn't have any wrinkles on my forehead, and we didn't have (graduation) caps- but this one will be sweeter. The fine battle lines etched on my face are a small price to pay for the arsenal of memories and friends I've made, experiences I've had, and opportunities I've seized in high school. So merci. buckets to all as I end this chapter of my life and begin a new one elsewhere.

Life will always keep you on your toes, so be prepared to dance to it and to embrace the different beats it will play for you ... but don't be afraid to jive to your own tunes. "When you see it, then you'll understand.... " • Mimi Chung- Co-~ews Editor

It has truly been a pleasure working with such an amazing group of talented individuals led by such an excellent advisor and teacher.

It has also been an honor helping create the best newspaper our school could possibly have. Ms. Cowen, thanks for all your guidance along the way. I admire you for the patience, generosity, and open-mindedness you have had with the staff and me. You've done a great job guiding us, and I'm glad to have met you and worked with you since day one. Thanks for making this year the best ever.

outstanding teacher that you are.''

When asked to comment on how she feels about leaving, Tanaz said she was Tanaz Tal~bpour- Feature Editor

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Congratulations Class. of 2005!

From The Classic

News Staff: Andrea Gavora, Megan Law, Robert McCullogh, Lance Tomas, Jocelyn Wright Francesca Pizarro Editor-in-Chief Christopher Amanna Managing Editor

Michelle Montgoris Sports Editor

Alyssa Chase Mimi Chung Co-News Editors

Eugene To Art Editor

Tanaz Talebpour Feature Editor

Ann Margaret Santa-Ines Business Editor

Townsend Harris High School at Queens College 149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, N.Y. 11367

Feature Staff: Faith Aronowitz, Michelle Boutis, Cindy Chen, Gloria Chen, Tiffany Cheng, Annie Choi, Marissa Green, Elena Gullotta,Shruti Kamawat, Sangsoo Kim, Veronica Kim, Maureen McCluskey. Donna Mordente, Stephanie Pak, Mary-Grace Papatheodorou. Jennifer Park, Darcy Rendon, Alexis Serra, Priti Shah, Marlene Sim. Nisha Singh, Anita Sonawane, Samia Ullah, Christine Whang, Janet Whang, Maria Wojakowski, Devon Wright, Madeleine Wright

The Classic is an open forum for the expression of student views. The opinions expressed therein should not be taken to represent those of the administration or faculty or student body as a whole.

Sports Staff: Rookminie Behari. Gabriele Guelly, Lauren Korzeniewski, Maureen McCluskey, Michelle Montgoris. Alex Rush. Lance Tomas, Wendy Yan

Readers are invited to submit letters to the editor.

Letters should be placed in Ms. Cowen's mailbox in Room 315 ore-mailed to thhsclassic@yahoo.com. The Classic reserves the right to edit all letters. Letters must include name and official class. Names will be withheld upon request.

Artists: Mitchell Bader, Darren Deoraj, Rowena Eng, Bonnie Ng Laura D' Amato

lisa Cowen

Diana Bell

Photography Editor

Advisor

Food and Entertainmen~ Editor

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Business Staff: Janet Hwang, Nora O'Brien. Sorah Park, Kim Quon

Principal • Mr. Thomas Cunningham

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Photography Staff: Diana Deng, Warren Cheng, Hannah Kang, SunMei Liu, Matthew Molina, Tabassum Rahman, Jonathan Stein, Alexandra Stergiou, Anne Tan, Patricia Tolete

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The Classic

Summer 2005

Young poets immerse themselves in verse

by Marissa Green The roar of airplanes overhead and the buzz of cars driving by competed with the voices of performers at the second a nnual Phoenix poetry reading on June 10 in the courtyard . The background noise, which Engli sh teacher Robert Babstock compared to being on a "fli ght deck of an aircraft carrier," seemed to fit in with the e ve nt 's. c hose n theme "New York, New York."

"It w a s a f ine id e a th a t turned into a brilliant mi stake," said Mr. Babstock the advi sor of the Phoenix, the school literary magazine.

Though sophomore Jackie Aubel pointed out that the airplanes "made it hard at times to hear the readers, " sophomore

"Theme for English B,"

by Langston Hughes, how amazed he was by the fact that so many stu"€ dents were there on a Fri-5 day after school. H e ~ stressed how something .s like this happens "only at '5 ..c Townsend Harris ." ~ Two poems were per~ formed enti rely in Span~ ish and one poem was ~ read in Creole. " T he 5u more languages the mer2 rier," said M r. Babstock.

0 . .g_ He even stated that perhaps a multi -li ngual cu lSenior Ksenia Yachmetz engages her audience at the second annual poetry tural theme could be an reading. opti on for fu ture Phoenix Nancy Lee liked the outdoor this year. Engli sh teacher Jo- poetry readings. seph Canzoneri was one of the The event featured some resetting.

T he poetry reading had a very first performers and rriade turning performers , who are begood turnout fo r its second run sure to note before delivering ginning to accumulate fans

from the student body. Senior Ky le G ilbride presented an original musical piece acoustically and Krystal Hartley and Kris Imperati conti nued their comical duet narration from the reading held earlier this year.

Many reci tations strayed from the chosen theme "New ' .Yo r k, New York," but M r.

Babstock responded by stating that " Kids read their own poe try that is accep ted by the Phoenix an d therefore st i II maint a in s t he 'P hoen ix ' theme."

Sophom ore Cri stina Baran said ,"Poetry is about e xpressin g you rself and even if it's off to pic , it' s about expressing something you feel strongly about and that 's close to your heart. "

Inter-ethnic dating finds widespread acceptance

by Rookminie 'Behari You've fou nd the perfect guy. He's cute, funny, sweet, and everything that you could possibly want in a boyfriend.

There' s only one possible problem .

He's bl ack.

And you' re white.

Years ago, inte r-eth ni c couples faced widespread discri mination, but attitudes are changing. It' s evident on television, in movies, in books, and through other types of media.

In a2003 interview dealiug solely with black and white interracial dating, Jack Ludwig, director of research for Gallup Poll Social Adults, reported that "17% of white teens said they had dated a black person and 44% of black teens said they had dated a white person. When those who had not had an interracial dating experience were asked whether they would ever consider interracial dating, 55% of white teens said they would consider dating a black person, and 61% of black teens said they would consider dating a white person."

A poll conducted this month

by The Classic asked students if they had ever dated someone of another ethnicity. Out of 220 responses, 4 1% of students said yes, whi le 59% said no. When asked if they would consider dating someone of a different ethnicity, 80% of students said they would, while only 15% said they would not; 5% of students were unsure. Around 60 students pergrade responded to this poll.

As the poll indicates, interethnic dating in Townsend Harri s is not uncommon. "I feel dat in ~ .someGnle out. of .your . own race in Townsend HaPris

is perfectly fine. It shows how they'd be okay with it," said much our society has changed one senior. "[My parents] would like to over time because in the 'old days,' people weren't even al- learn about that person 's cullowed to have that pos sibility. ture, " said a femal e fre shman .

One female teac her added , In our environment we are allowed to have that choice, es- " Some peo pl e pre fer dati ng pecially when eve ryone is of people from their own cultural d i fferent eth ni cit ies ," said or racial backg round . Other peop le broaden thei r criteria sophomore Lina Li. W hen asked in the poll how and are open to dating people their family and friends would of another race . I think ul ti react to their dating someone of mately it is j ust really impora different ethnicity, some stu- tant for people to marry somedents expressed how ang ry one who shares the same valtheir families would be. " I ues as they do, •regardless of would be talked to about keep- thei r race, especially if they ining the faith and [would be] dis- tend to start a family."

"It [interracial dating] is not couraged greatly," said one a new concept," said chemistry male junior. "My family would totally object," said a female · teacher Tom Sangiorgi, "The more interracial dating is exsophomore.

However, many students posed, the more people will said their families wouldn't accept it." He added, "It kind care. "[My parents] would be of expands your horizons on judgmental at first, but then how different cultures view

life ."

Dating someone out of your ethnicity can be both a learning experience and a challenge.

Sophom ore Laura Vasquez, a Venezuelan Christian, has been d a tin g s o ph o m o re Vi s ha l Mu kherjee, a Bengali H indu, for over a year. Both have dated outside their ethn icities before, and said that this never m attered. " It depends on the personal ity, not on the color of your ski n," said Vishal. "And when you date someone out of your race, you Jearn so much more about other people. It really is a learn ing experience," said Laura. They have never experienced any type of discrimination as a couple, but Vishal added, "Some people don't like the fact that we're together. But you can't let that get to you ."

A male teacher of Ital ian/ German descent, who asked to

Would you date someone of another ethnicity?* O.rtiW(]

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remain anonymous, spoke of his relationship to his Indian girlfriend. "Anyone who has met my girlfriend thinks she's absolutely great," he said, "My family's been very supporti ve of it. But it's a culture shock for some fam ilies ."

For some famil ies, the biggest issue seems to be religion.

"It's against my reli gion, and my religion comes before anything," said a j un ior female .

The mass med ia has been endorsing inter-ethnic dating.

The entire plot of the movie Save the Last Dance revolved around the character of Ju lia Stiles, who is white, falling in · Jove with a black teenager from Chicago. On Friends, people watched Ross (David Schwimmer) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc), who are white, court African-American Charlie (Aisha Tyler). In several movies, such as .Bend it Like

Beckham, Joy Luck Club, Mississippi Masala, and West Side Story, the issue of interracial dating is addressed. T hrough

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My Big Fat Greek Wedding, in-

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ter-ethnic marriage is explored through humor.

Inter-ethnic dating has come a long way throughout the years. Though it has been a slow and gradual process·, it is constantly seen through the mass media and, more often than not, throughout the melting pot of ~ew York City.

Sources: "Q&A: Black-White Relations in the U.S., Part II." The Gallup Organization. I 3 May 2003. Online. 19 Dec 2004. <http;//www.gallup. com/poll/content/login .aspx?ci =8638> Bowman-Kruhm, Mary and Claudine Wirths. Discrimination and Prejudice. New York: The Rosen Pub. - · - ·li"shi'nj;"Grou·p·, 1998~ - · ·

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The Classic

Summer2005

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Where to next year?: Class of CHAN, PAMELA CHANCER. JACQUELINE CHASE, ALYSSA CHAUDHRY, SUMRA CHENG, MELISSA

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CLASS OF 2005 '

DAMANAKIS, HARALAMBOS

NAME ABAYEV.INESSA ABRAHAM, JOEL ADAMS, DOLORES AGLIALORO. MATTHEW AHMAD, MARIAM AHMADI, ROHINA AHMED,IMAN AHN, THOMAS ALBARRACIN.RAQUEL ALIAKBER, HEIKAL ALOGNA. DANA AMIN, NIMESH AMORILLO, ANDREA AN, JONATHAN ANAM, ANIKA ANDERSEN, TIMOTHY ANNABI, SAMIRA APPIAH, CLAIRE ARONOVA, YESENIYA ARREDONDO, STEPHANIE BABOUMIAN, SHAUNTE BADALA, MICHAEL BAJWA, AYESHA BALARAMAN, AMUDHA BARAS, IRENE BARVELS, JACQUELINE BENNETT, DIEDRE BEREZA,YEUZAVETA BERLINER, EMILY BHAGWANDIN, NATASHA BHUIYAN,.JENNIFER BHUYAN, SADIA BISUNDIAL, VIMAL BLACKBURN, JASMIN BLACKWOOD, ZOIE BOCCHI, DAVID BRAVO, HELEN BRUNO, CHANTAL BUONINFANTE. CHRISTINA CADELINA; WINDELL CAMPOS, DIANA CARROLL, ELIZABETH CASTILLO, STEPHANIE CHAE, JANIPER CHAI, CHRISTINA CHAN, BONNIE CHAN. LILLIAN

COLLEGE ATTENDING

DAMATO, LAURA

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CUNY BARUCH CUNY BARUCH ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY SUNY STONY BROOK NEW YORK UNIVERSITY BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY CUNY HUNTER DREXEL UNIVERSITY CUNY HUNTER BOSTON UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CUNY BROOKLYN B.A.-M.D. SUNY STONY BROOK NEW YORK UNIVERSITY HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY CUNY HUNTER (HONORS) ADELPHI UNIVERSITY BARNARD COLLEGE CUNY BARUCH CUNY BARUCH ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY CUNY QUEENS · SUNY ALBANY SUNY STONY BROOK SIENA COLLEGE CUNY QUEENS (HONORS) CUNY QUEENS ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY PHARMACY CUNY HUNTER JOE KUBERT SCHOOL (GRAPHIC ARTS) HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BOSTON UNIVERSITY SUNY FASHIQN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CUNY QUEENS (HONORS) PACE UNIVERSITY NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SUNY BINGHAMTON BOSTON UNIVERSITY SUNY STONY BROOK BARNARD COLLEGE SUNY STONY BROOK CUNY BARUCH

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DE LA ROSA. ASHLEY DEBRAH-KARI KARl, NANA DENG, DIANA DIEHM, ANTHONY DOSIL, MELISSA DOWNEY, AMANDA DRINKMANN, DANIELLE DUELKA, MATTHEW DULA, JAMILAH DURANTE, CATHERINE EATON, ALEXANDRA FEDER; ELIZABETH FELDER, ETHAN FINKELSTEIN, MICHAEL FLYNN, MARK FOGEL, JENNIFER FRENCH, NESSA FRENKEL. MIKHAIL FUNG, KIRSTIE GAERLAN, STEPHANIE GANDHAM,SHERLEEN GAVORA,ANDREA GAYER,ARI GEORGES, JASON GEORGIOU, SOTIRIS GILBRIDE, KYLE GO, KIMBERLY GOLDSPIEL, GAIL GOMES, ANGELINA GONZALEZ, NINA GRASSEL, AMY GRAY, ELANA GRUPSMITH, SAMUEL GRZASLEWICZ, BARNABY GUILLOU, CHRISTOPHER HAAS, WARREN HOM, MELISSA HU, WINIFRED HURT ADO, HEYDI HWANG, JANET HYLTON, DAVID IMPERATI, KRISTOPHER INCANJALUPO, KATHERINE JAGROOP, ROBYN JAIN, VIDUSHI JOSEPH, DAVID KAMATE, NENE KAMLER, JENNIFER KATWARU, MIRANDA

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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CUNY BARUCH (HONORS) WELLESLEY COLLEGE NEW YORK UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY CUNY HUNTER UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN CORNELL UNIVERSITY U.S. MARINE CORPS CUNY BARUCH CUNY BARUCH BOSTON COLLEGE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SUNY STONY BROOK NEW YORK UNIVERSITY .

SUNYNEW PALTZ SUNY BUFFALO SUNY STONY BROOK NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SUNY BUFFALO ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY. PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MT. ST. VINCENT CUNY BROOKLYN NEW YORK UNIVERSITY HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY FORDHAM UNIVERSITY SUNY STONY BROOK 'BOSTON UNIVERSITY LOYOLA COLLEGE OF MARYLAND VASSAR COLLEGE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY CUNY HUNTER

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ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ITHACA COLLEGE CUNY HUNTER (HONORS) BRYN MAWR COLLEGE SUNY ALBANY COOPER UNION CORNELL UNIVERSITY HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY CUNY QUEENS NEW YORK UNIVERSITY CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY VASSAR COLLEGE CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY SUNY STONY BROOK NEW YORK UNIVERSITY . MC GILL UNIVERSITY DARTMOUTH COLLEGE NEW YORK UNIVERSITY FORDHAM UNIVERSITY SUNY PURCHASE BARNARD COLLEGE BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY HAVERFORD COLLEGE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT BOSTON UNIVERSITY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SUNY' BUFFALO OBERLIN COLLEGE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC SUNY BINGHAMTON COLGATE UNIVERSITY CUNY HUNTER BARNARD COLLEGE NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SUNY PURCHASE GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY CUNY BARUCH . CUNY HUNTER (HONORS) UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY ST. JOHN'S UNJYERSITY

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The Classic Summer 2005

5

2005 to embark on college journey KAUFMAN, MATIHEW KAUR,ARASHDEEP KHAIMCHAYEV, TAMARA KHAN,DEANDRA KIM, ANNA KIM, CECILIA KIM.JINA KIM, KATHERINE M. KIM. KATHERINE KING. MAYA KITAYCHIK, INNA

~ KOLIOS, NICOLAS ' KOROSTELEVA,ALENA . KORZENIEWSKI. LAUREN KOUTAVAS, ERMINA KROWICKI, JEANMARIE

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KUPPERSTOCK, DANIEL

KUZNIA, DOROTHY • LAM, CHRISTINA . LEE, DAIN LEE, DAVID c LEE, GRACE

KEVIN -: LEE. LEE, MARK - LEES, HAYDEN LEUNG, CELINE LEVY, JOSHUA LEW, JOANN LEWANDOWSKI, BARBARA LE'\IVIS, HENRIETIA LIAO, STEFANIE LIM, SHARON l.!IU, LAURA I . UZZUL, JAMES LU, CELIA LUCAS, ADRIENNE LUKYANOVA, GAUNA LUNA, LEANA LYNCH, REBECCA MA, CHLOE : MA, KATHLEEN · MAGEE, HARRISON ; MAHMUD, SIDRAH , MAITLALL, JASMIN MANIS, KIMBERLY MARKS, JAMES MASCETTI, DAVID 1MASHAIQI, ZOOHRA MCFARLANE, ASHLEY MEDITZ, MELISSA MIKHAILOVA, MARGARITA MOCK, ANDREA MOUSSAWI, All MUCHA, MICHAEL MUNOZ JOANNA MURPHY, ALANA NA, BRIAN NIKNAM, REBECCA O,UNA O'BRIEN, NORA ONEFATER,ARTUR OSTROBROD,ALEXANDER PACLA, ROSEANNE PAN, GRACE PARK, EUNIE PARK, JENNIFER PASCHALIDIS, MARIA PATEL, NIKITA PAZHAYAMPALLIL, JESIL PECACHE, MICHAEL PETRIZZO, ROBIN PIZARRO. FRANCESCA PUENTE, CINDY RADHAY, KRISTEN RAFALOW, ASHLEY RAHMAN, FARHANA RAMRUP, TRICIA REK, MATEUSZ REN, JANICE

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UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND PACE UNIVERSITY POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY CUNY HUNTER{HONORS) TUFTS UNIVERSITY SUNY STONY BROOK ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY SUNY BUFFALO HOWARD UNIVERSITY CUNY BARUCH SUNY BINGHAMTON CUNY BARUCH LEHIGH UNIVERSITY LOYOLA COLLEGE OF MARYLAND SUNY STONY BROOK ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CUNY QUEENS SUNY BINGHAMTON NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SUNY BINGHAMTON HARVARD UNIVERSITY POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE SUNY BINGHAMTON SUNY ALBANY CUNY CITY(HONORS) ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE " BOSTON COLLEGE ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH CUNY BARUCH WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY COLBY COLLEGE CORNELL UNIVERSI:rY SUNY STONY BROOK GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY CUNY CITY SOPHIE DAVIS BIOMEDICAL PACE UNIVERSITY -- -· COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY EUGENE LANG COLLEGE CUNY HUNTER ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY CORNELL UNIVERSITY HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY CUNY HUNTER (HONORS) ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY PHARMACY COOPER UNION CUNY QUEENS COLLEGE CORNELL UNIVERSITY N.Y. INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY HARVARD UNIVERSITY CUNY QUEENS COLLEGE NEW YORK UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY CUNY BARUCH ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY PHARMACY NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY BOSTON COLLEGE BROWN UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE SUNY STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY CUNY QUEENS (HONORS) CUNY HUNTER (HONORS) CUNY HUNTER SUNY FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CUNY HUNTER AMERICAN UNIVERSITY SUNY BINGHAMTON ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY

SUNY NEW PALTZ NEW YORK UNIVERSITY FORDHAM UNIVERSITY CUNY QUEENS SUNY NEW PALTZ DOWLING COLLEGE ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY CUNY HUNTER BROWN UNIVERSITY

RICE, HOPE RIGOGIANNIS. EFTHIMIA RISI, AMANDA RIVERA, ANGELA RIVERA, ARIEL RODRIGUEZ. EMMANIA ROSAL, STEPHANY ROZENTSVIT, ARTUR RYVKIN, BORIS . SAINI, PRABHJYOT SAKKARI, NEETU .SANCHEZ, GRETCHEN SANCHEZ, ZINA

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SANTA INES, ANN MARGARET SAVOCA, MARIA SCHMIDGALL, CHRISTINE SEEMUNGAL, ELIZABETH SEIDLER, KATHERINE SEQ, DIANNE · SERRA, ALEXIS I

SHAIKH,:UMAIR SHAO, JOSEPHINE SHRIVASTAVA, DIVYAM SHUM,LINDA SILVA, CHRISTINA SILVA, NICOLE SINGH, DEVANA SINGH, NISHA SMITH, IAISHA SMITH, RACHEL SNOP, JEFFREY SONG, MINJI SOOHOO, VICKY SORIA, MARGARET SPENCE, JANAILE SRIDHAR, PADMAVATI STIGLITZ, ARIEL STUTZ, JULIA TAHIR, USMAN

I I

TALEBPOUR, TANAZ TAM, EMILY TAN, AMY TAN, ANNE TAQI, IRFAN TATII,JOHN . TENN. LORIANN TIAN, TIAN TIRADO, CAROLINA TO, EUGENE

I

TORTORA. SAMANTHA TSIAKAS, CHRISTINA TZENG, CHHISTINA VALORE, NICOLE VARGAS: JASON VAZCONES, JESSENIA VELASQUEZ, YANINE VENETSANOS, ANNA VITIORINO, CHRISTINE VOURNAS, TINA WAGNER, AMANDA WALLIN, AMY WAQAS, MUHAMMAD WICK, ALYSSA WILLIAMS, YVONNE WOJAKOWSKI, MARIA WONG, AMY WONG, HARRISON WONG, JASON WONG, KELLY WRIGHT, JODIE WU. CATHERINE WU , JASON WU,JOYCE YACHMETZ, KSENIA YAMAMOTO, ANNA YANG, ESTHER YOU, MIN WOO , ZAKIN, ELINA ZAMAN, HASAN ZHENG, MINNA ZOUPANIOTIS, IRENE

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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SUNY STONY BROOK CUNY BARUCH SUNY STONY BROOK · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SUNY NEW PALTZ FORDHAM UNIVERSITY ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE WASHINGTON U. IN ST. LOUIS .

SWARTHMORE COLLEGE CUNY CITY SOPHIE DAVIS BIOMEDICAL SUNY STONY BROOK RUTGERS UNIVERSITY CUNY BARUCH WESt.EYAN UNIVERSITY PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY CUNY QUEENS NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE FORDHAM UNIVERSITY CORNELL UNIVERSITY CUNY QUEENS CUNY BARUCH SUNY ONEONTA COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY CUNY CITY SOPHIE DAVIS BIOMEDICAL FORDHAM UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CUNY CITY (HONORS) SUNY STONY BROOK CUNY BARUCH CUNY HUNTER GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SUNY BINGHAMTON LEHIGH UNIVERSITY SKIDMORE COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CUNY QUEENS CUNY BARUCH CUNY QUEENS FORDHAM UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY CUNY BARUCH ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY SUNY BINGHAMTON SUNY STONY BROOK NEW YORK UNIVERSITY CUNY BARUCH (HONORS) DE PAUW UNIVERSITY DUKE UNIVERSITY ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY SUNY BINGHAMTON SUNY BINGHAMTON CUNY BARUCH (HONORS) RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE COLGATE UNIVERSITY SUNY STONY BROOK ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY (PHARMACY) NEW YORK UNIVERSITY NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SUNY STONY BROOK BARNARD COLLEGE CUNY BARUCH NEW YORK UNIVERSITY CUNY QUEENS (HONORS)

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6

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The Classic

Summer2005

Six staff.members say .good-bye Valerie Billy

by Christopher Amanna A famil iar face to generations of Harri sites will no longer grace the academ ic hearth of the school -the library.

After decades of enthusiastically assisting students wi th their research and literary needs, librarian Valerie Billy will

be giving her last (official) reading rec- She explained that the library in the old school shared space with the guidance ommendation.

As an original faculty member of the office. "Every student going to guidance reopened school , Ms . Billy has been a had to come in through the library," she key figure in the Townsend Harris com- said. "This [arrangement] was both good mu nity since 1984. She is proud to have and bad," she added. While the close been one of the new school's pioneers. · quarters of the old building might have "I was excited been uncomfortable, it allowed her to . to be part of a get to know most everyo ne .

Towards the school 's final years in team devoted to openin g a the old buil ding, overcrowd ing became hi gh school in so severe that academi c cl asses had to Q ueen s dedi- be held in the library. For the sake of cated to the fai rness , the subject be(ng taught in the Hum an i - library would rotate betwee n the diffe rties ," she ent departmen ts. Since she cou ld not help but listen, Ms. Billy joked, "It felt said.

Over the like I had a complete high school eduyears, Ms . cation again."

Ms. Billy looks back on her experiBilly has ences at Townsend Harris with great OJ) seen a lot of fondness. She has enjoyed working with ~ changes in all the differeht faculty members and U;:: the school , their varied personalities . Getting to ~ the most $ dramatic know students and watching them grow £ being the as both students and people have also been rewarding for her. Seeing former' ~ m o v e -§..from the students at m eetings of the school's old build- Alumn i Assoc iation and realizing that Valerie Billy ing to the they are "fully ad ults" amazes her. She said, "It's satisfy ing to remember them new one.

as ninth-graders and .then see the wonderful people they have become today. " "One of the best things about my job is that I get to learn something new every day," Ms. Billy said, "because somebody asks a diffe re nt question every day."

When asked why she has chosen to retire now, Ms. Bill y responded, "I ask myself that question every morning . I thoroughly enjoy what I'm do ing and don't want to stop , but I'm ready after 31 years [as a libraria n] to move on to other thi ngs."

Some of these things include travel and possibly a part- time job. She also hopes to "read all the books [she's] been handing out to people." In addition, Ms. Billy plans to do community service because she believes so strongly in helping people.

"I don't want her to retire," said Assistant Principal of Humanities Susan Getting, "but I understand her choice."

She commended Ms. Billy for her dedication to the school and its ideals. "It's going to be difficult to find someone to fill her shoes," M s. Getting said. "She ' s not only a great librarian, but a great Humanities person. She really understands what Townsend Harris is about."

JoAnn Gruber

ris building had made the school " less intimate."

For Ms. Gruber, being a part of the After 21 y e ars of serv ice at Townsend Harris High School, secretary Townsend Harris community gave her Jo Ann Gruber has announced her re- the opportunity to see everything from tirement. An original member of the the inside and the advantage of having -staff when the school opened in 1984, "the unique vision of both sides of the she has been responsible for purchas- coin." She was able to have this vaning items essential to the functioning of tage point because her daughter, Mara Gruber, was a member of the school 's Townsend Harris.

Ms. Gruber has been present to see first graduating class: Ms. Gruber plans to travel and visit the school's changes and improvements throughout the years. Recalling the ancient sites in Rome and Greece this school's first years, she said, "We went summer.

She also wants to volunteer in muinto an empty building ... and literally had to stock the entire school with li- seums and attend concerts and other brary books, office equipment and in- events that interest he r. Ms . Gruber hopes that the Melbourne Avenue buildstructional textbooks ."

She said that the school has changed ing will still be standing tall when her dramatically since its re-opening. The own grandchildren are ready to attend transition into the larger Townsend Har- . high school.

by Veronica Kim

Carol Homiak

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Carol Horniak, after working as a library assistant at Townsend Harris for 18 years, has decided to put her career on the shelf and explore opportunities outside of school.

Ms. Homiak expressed some regret about her decision to retire . "With other schools, people want to retire and leave their jobs, but I don't want to leave . It's been great working here, a truly wonderful experience. Everything has been great: the people, the students, the atmosphere, even the building."

Students expressed disappointment when they heard of Ms. Homiak 's plan to retire. Vidushi Jain, senior, said ''I'm sorry to see Mrs . Homiak leave because

she has always been a great help in the library. She helped in finding books and was always happy to make us photocopies. She is part of the great memories seniors have of Townsend Harris ."

Students who volunteer in the library during their lunch band have worked side by side with Ms . Hom iak. Vassil Urmov, sophomore, said, "She is very devoted to her work and always has a smile on her face. She is nice and polite."

Although she does not have any definitive plans at the moment, she anticipates moving into a smaller home and spending more time with her grandchildren . "Nothing is set in stone," she said, " [but] traveling, like everyone says, would be nice."

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The Classic

7

Summer2005

John Brown

by Diana Bell ''I'm a Townsend Harris Office Max," Mathematics teacher John Brown wryly replied when this reporter frantically told him he was a staple of the Townsend Harris experience an<t begged him not to retire from teaching here at the end of the year.

Mr. Brown has been teaching for 33 years, the last 18 'at Townsend Harris. "I liked the idea of talking to people, and telling them something they didn't know," he gave as a reason for becoming a teacher.

Over the years, Mr. Brown has developed quite a reputation due to his sense of humor.

"He was always funny and never got corny," said senior Anna Kim. His "chain rule doll" is an example that proves Anna's point. Problems in comprehending calculus's difficult

chain rule (a formula for the derivative of the composition of two functions) led to his creation of the chain rule doll to help emphasize it. He found the doll leftover from a past election simulation, and when nobody wanted it back, wrapped a chandelier chain around it.

Whenever his AP Calculus students make a mistake solving a problem that needs the chain rule, Mr. Brown whips it out and says "You got tripped up on the chain rule."

Apparently, it works. "Now people are obsessed with the chain rule doll," he said. The chain rule doll has been kidnapped three times since it met its first class in 1996.

"She was recently kidnapped, went on a road trip, and came back with a boyfriend," related Mr. Brown.

Although he can't recall much about his early days as a

Harris teacher, Mr. Brown remembers advice given to him by former colleague Harry Rattien. "He told me, 'Kids here want to do well, and do what it takes to do well.' I found that to be true ."

He adds, "Over the course of 18 years, I can count on one hand the number of bad days I have had and the number of people I met whom I didn't like.

Teaching here has been a great experience for me."

Mr. Brown will be leaving at the end of this year to work in a private school in Long Island. "The city is going to be very good to me," he said.

Mr. Brown will be missed.

In fact, the 2005 yearbook reports that the senior class has voted him favorite faculty member. "He is a great teacher.

The best teacher I ever had . He made it simple and enjoyable to learn,' ~ said senior Ali Moussawi .

"Mr. Brown is a master teacher, one who truly makes mathematics easier to understand and also enjoyable," said Assistant Principal of Mathematics Ellen Fee. "It is very difficult to replace a teacher like Mr. Brown, and we will miss his humor and dedication to students," she added.

Before he begins teaching again, Mr. Brown plans to spend his summer working in the city.

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Millie Toivonen

by T.anaz Talebpour 'Tam inspired by the words of the Ephebic Oath - 'I shall leave my city greater than I found it,"' said College Office secretary Millie Toivonen. After 20 years at Townsend Harris, she has decided that it is time to say goodbye.

Before coming to Townsend Harris, Ms . Toivonen worked at Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows. Starting in 1984 at the "old" Townsend Harris building as one of the· school's original staff members, she first worked as a School Aide and then as an Educational Paraprofessional in the Guidance office.

"When the school tirst opened, we were in need of desks, supplies, etc.

I had to xerox copies in the principal's office at Parson's Junior High School, which was across the street," recalled Ms .

Toivonen. "Empty boxes were used as makeshift tables until desks arrived ."

She remembers that in the spring of 1995, "the entire student body and faculty marched with a police escort from the old building on Parsons Boulevard to our new location on the Queens College campus."

Ms. Toivonen remarks that as College Office secretary, "there's a lot of interact ion [with students]- from the time students first apply to college

until they get their acceptances -plenty of sharing and caring!"

She also added, "Many graduates return to the College Office when they are on break and tell us how Townsend Harris prepared them for college.

All their hard work paid otT." What will Ms. Toivonen mi~s most about her experience at Townsend Harris?

"I will miss the Townsend Harris family. Having worked under two administrations, I can attest lo the dedication of staff members who 'go the extra mile' and who have made THHS a school of excellence," she said.

Millie Toivonen

Lauraine Goldflen

by Marissa Green "Make the most of every learning experience and remember to dream big. The bigger the dream, the bigger the dreams come true," said Lauraine Goldfien, Principal's Secretary for eight years. Ms .

Goldfien is retiring to focus her time on her family.

Ms . Goldfien stated that her decision to retire was not an easy one and was "filled with a great de;1l of emotion." She felt she had "made her contribution and now is ready to move on to personal and family interests."

She plans to spend more time with her four grandchildren, ages I 0 months to II years, and with her husband as well.

She served as founding Principal Malcolm Largmann's secretary for three and a half years and as Thomas Cunningham's

secretary for four and a half years.

Ms. Goldfien remembers her very first day working in the office that was the "heart" of the school. "The office was busy with assistant principals coming in early in the morning to say hello to the principal and start the day," she said.

Ms . Goldfien has worked as a secretary with five principals for over 28 years.

Prior to Townsend Harris, she served as the Principal's Secretary at Van Buren High School. She feels that choosing the career of a school secretary was the right decision . "No other career could have brought me into contact with so many interesting people and made me happier," she declared.

Mr. Cunningham commented on Ms. Goldfien's dedication. "I can remember several

times her returning early from her lunch hour ... because she had obsessed about some forgotten detail or missing comma. It always brought a smile to my face," he recalled.

Alth-ough Ms . Goldfien 's position didn't allow for much interaction with the student body, she says that she "nev-. ertheless admires their work and their emerging academic and individual talents."

On Ms. Goldfien's contributions to the school, Mr. Cunningham said, "Ms. Goldfien has the welcome habit of giving great advice to · all staff members, whether it is how to deal with a personal crisis, the bringing up of children, making each typed document a work of art, or generally offering good cheer for those in need."

Lauraine Goldfein

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The Classic

Summer2005

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Kamate ready to go the extra mile

by Alyssa Chase "I believe that you cannot achieve your fullest potential until you truly believe that yQu are the best. In saying this, track has given me the ability to gain confi ~ dence, matur'ity, and drives me to succeed in life," says senior Nene Kamate.

Nene has gone the extra mile to triumph in national track and field competitions and earn All-American-Status . She has been recognized as one of the top I 0 junior athletes in the I OOm, 20 0 m, 400m , a nd 400 m hurdle races . Nene conti nues to slash her times and establish hersel f as a candidate for the 2008 Olympics .

A t eight, Nena became attracted to the glory of running and joined her neighborhood club team , the NY No vas . She recall s, "My friend, who lived up the block, showed me her trophies and medals, and I wanted to have a few of my own as well." Nena was immediately outstanding; she

sh owed up late to on e of her . extra mile would come out the races, but sailed past her com- victor. I also learned that when petitors regardless, taking fifth you hit roc k bottom, you have in the race and earning her first nowhere t6 go but up. And since then, I've been climbing medal.

"At 12, I was, to say the my way up."

Nene has since shattered her least, unbeatable," she remembers. Nena won the IOOm and old times and shows no hint of 200m races at the East Coast In- slowing down. In the past year, vitational and was named Most she was a member of the naO utstanding Athlete in 1999. tional champion 4 x 400 team However, years of victory left at the US A Trac k and Fie ld her unprepared for the setbacks (USTAF) Youth Nationals. At that an athlete almost inevita- the USTAF Junior Olympics, bl y encounters. She says, "Af- Nene placed fifth in the 200m, ter a great year when I was 12, th ird in the I 00 hurdl es, and I be lieve that I was in clo ud second in the 400 hurdles wh ile nine and felt that I didn't need setting new personal records in to practi ce because I was · each event. She came in fourth great. . .. I put on some weight, in a " too close to cal l" 60m I became lazy, and I di dn 't have hurdl e race a t the Nati o nal as much desire to run .... Deep Scholastics Champs. She redo wn in side , I was scared I ceived All -American recogniwould never get better again tion by the "Bible of Track" and that I had lost a talent that mag a zine Trac k and Field News for setting the third fastcould've taken me far."

After di sappointing races at est time in the 300m sprint this the Junior Olympics and youth season. She anticipates dropnationals, Nene was eager and ping her 200 times into midmotivat ed to improve . " I high '2.3 seconds and ho.pes that learned that at thi s point in the her current I00 hurdles and 400 game, e veryone was talented . hurdle times dip to 14 seconds Yet, the person who went the and sub-60 seconds, respec-

tivel y.

Desp ite all these achievements, she remai ns close to her origina l team . "Most of the original members are n.o lo nger on ....

0 c the tea m be c 0 cause they are u ;>, older and lead..c 0 in g d ifferen t E li ves .. . . As of E= ....0 now, I am the ;>, o ld es t o n m y 2"' ~ team . I look at 0 my teamm ates 0 0 as my si blin gs ..c 0.. and they come Senior Nene Kamate sets her sights on the to me wh e n fini sh line. they need help, a peer's help. I all goes well , maybe I' ll be al so stand as a role model to considered one of the best hurdlers that stepped foot many of them ."

Nene was recruited by many on the track. M aybe I' II and earned full schol arships to have a career great enough eight universities . She plans to to compete with th at of attend the University of Florida Gail Devers, the greatest and " become a Gator. " Nene hurdler of all times. I guess hopes that she will win several I' ll continue to run until I NCAA national titles in college can no longer move my and anticipates going pro. "If legs." (.)

Sen·iors Chai, Gayer wi·n Heisman trophy in the city, C.C. was given intern a tional acknowthe Margaret Wigiser ledgement. In 2004, she comAward for the outstanding peted wifh the United States female student - athlete national team in Ireland and from amongst all Heisman , earned high honors . .S PSAL Wingate awardees . . . C. C., who one day wishes to To C.C., "handball is be inducted into the Handball ·, ' ~ a passion, means of ex- Hall of Fame, will try to start a ~ ercise, way of getting rid handball team and introduce ·c"' of stress, and so much other students to the sport at {b more. It has helped me Barnard College, where she grow as a teen player, will be attending this fall.

0 leader, and person Ari Gayer ~ through lessons of in'§ tegrity, discipline, Newly crowned 2005 8o humility, and persevPSAL Individual Boys' erance ." She conSingles Tennis champion P. tinued, "Winning Ari Gayer joins a group of the Heisman athletes who received the senior cnristina cnai successful\)' returns Award is a great ball at one of \let competitions. feeling."

"There couldn't have been a better recipient for the

by Mimi Chung award," said second doubles player senior Diana Deng.

Christina Chai "C.C. was the most qualified If anyone had asked senior person to win it. She poured her Christina "C.C." Chai during heart and soul into playing her freshman year what her goal handball, especially for the was for high school, her re- team." "' ·o; sponse would have been "to get For someone who took in«! "' 0 the Heisman PSAL Wingate terest in the sport in the sixth ....

Award and to have my jersey grade after seeing her brother ·c..

E framed on the wall in the playing against his friends, w .... lobby." On. June 15, C.C. had C.C . 's years of practicing 0 ;;.-. her wish come true as she, against her neighbors' brick ~::s alongside other sen ior athletes, porch and after school for hours 0 received their honors . In addi- have not only led her to munici0 0 tion to being named the best pal recognition for her skill in ..c 0.. female senior handball player handball, but also national and

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PSAL Wingate Award at a ceremony on June 15. The award honors New York City public high school seniors who are nominated first by coaches and then selected from a panel of PSAL staff for their achievements in their respective sports.

He was also recognized as the top scholar athlete in the city.

Gayer, a four-year member of the Tennis team and first singles player, became involved in the sport at the age of five with the encouragement of his father. Now playing tennis both for the school and independently with a private coach for national tournaments, Gayer's training regimen includes practice "about five times a week for two to three hours a day, a,nd hitting the gym about three to four times a week ." Boys' Tennis coach Robin Figelman commented, "[Ari's] gotten stronger and bigger over the past two years, and his play has been sharp."

Currently, Ari is ranked in the top five in the Eastern Section (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) for boys 16 to 18 and in the top one hundred of the nation. He is ranked 14'h for the Eastern National · Boys 18 years division, and he holds the title • as "best in the city" with his win at the

Standing ready for action, senior Ari Gayer anticipates the oncoming ball ''

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PSAL championsh ips . Over the past four years, Gayer has had only four losses in all of hi s PSAL matches . He claimed an additional PSAL Individual City Championships title in 2003 and has won the "Most Valuable Player" award each year. "[Tennis] has affected my whole life," said Gayer, who was recruited to play in the sport's Division One level by Dartmouth College. Gayer, who considers math as his favorite subject in school, intends on majoring in economics with the hope of going into the business world when he graduates.

"He's poised, has finesse, and is always determ ined to win a point. He has super concentration and possesses good qualities as a young man . He's sincere, outgoing, and he respects others," said Figelman .

First Doubles players sophomore Michael Malhame added, "Ari is a good leader fo r our team because he helps the other players by winning his matches and teaching the other players.

He is the best tennis player and maybe one of the best athletes we' ve had in a while ."

When asked to comment on winning the Heismann PSAL Wingate Award , Gayer said, "I get to have my jersy hung up on the [school] wall."

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