Classic newspaper Volume 22 Issue no. 2

Vol. 22, No. #2 February 2006

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aSSlC Townsend Harris High School at Queens College

149- 11 Melbourne Avenue; Flushing, NY 11367

New schedule adds 21 minutes to school day

by Christopher Amanna and Diana Bell

A new bell schedule will go into effect on Monday, February 6. The changes add 2 to 3 minutes to every band, depending on the day.

The regular school day will begin at 8:00 and will end at 2:03 on Monday, 2:59 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 2:58 on Thursday and Friday. Zero band will begin three minutes earlier at7 :02, and tenth band will now end at 3:55.

The new schedule comes as a result of the new teachers' contract approved last November.It mandates that teachers work an extra 37.5 minutes each day.

According to history teacher Franco Scardino, the time must be spread throughout the school day and not tacked on at the end. "Since wehave a zero and tenth band, it makes us a splitsession school. Under the new contract, split-session schools must incorporate extra time during the day." Only grammar schools and single-session schools, he continued,' can add extra time to the end o.f the day.

The new bell schedule h·as caused conflicts with the programs of some se-

niors. Seniors who take a Queens College class beginning at I 0:50 can no longer have a fourth band class because they would have only two minutes to get to a class. College classes that are held from 12: 15 to I :30 now interfere with bands 6, 7, and 8.

Before, these classes only took up bands 7 and 8. These issues limit the availability of certain classes for seniors and can result in schedules drastically different from last term .

Senior Rebecca Lehrman said, "Thanks to the new bell schedule, I have classes in the beginning ofthe morning, at the end of the day, and nothing at all in between. It is a little too much spare time."

Students on sports teams are facing a similar dilemma. The new sGhedule will affect game start times. "I don't like the fact t-hat athletics will be moved back, and we will be playing games in

the dark," said Athletic Director and Dean Wanda Nix . "I would prefer the school day start sooner and end sooner so th<lt there is more sunlight later on."

Furthermore, students with tenth band classes will have to rush to get to their games, or they may not be able to compete that day at all. Th,e new schedule will also put added stress on members of sports teams, who have to start their homework late at night when they get hoine. Track coach George Rio agreed with these points and asked "How can kids with a tenth band class get to games or practices?

Games start and end later, and students have to begin their homework later."

However, some teachers are trying to see things more positively. History teachers Charlene Levi and Chris Hack-

ule, "we have Jo make the most of it."

Ms . Nix thinks longer classes are a plus, as "students are able to learn more."

Assistant Principal of the Sciences Susan Brustein spoke of the effect of the added time on teaching methods. "It certainly needs to change the way we teach. It offers the possibility to make lessons more dynamic because we are not restrained by 40 minutes . We will have to devise lessons where students 'are not sitting statically for 50 minutes ."

A similar bell schedule change occurred in 2002, 'when an additional minute was added to each class. This also resulted from a new teacher's contract. Prior to this initial change, classes that met four times a week were 50 minutes long, and b,ands Yt.hrough 7 lasted 40 minutes.

Legally, a class must meet at least 200 minutes per week. Teachers are currently working an extra 187.5 minutes per week. If a contract is passed in the future adding another 12.5 minutes, teachers could be required to teach six

ney -bGth agreed· that althou.gh they

classes, rather than the five they .cur-

weren't too pleased with the new sched-

rently teach.

Four seniors .named"semi-finalists in Intel competition "This CO/}lpetition was very arduous. mentor was. "My mentor, Dr. Alison

by Marissa Green Oriental weatherloaches, olfactory Just preparing for it, such as complet- Mcinnes, guided me in making imporsystems, autism, and Dyamin-2, are top- ing forms and writing the research pa- tant decisions throughout my project," ics typically not found on any Regent's per took quite a few weeks. I, along with she said.

Although these entries won recognisyllabus. However, they earned seniors · several others, even had to stay a couple Sangsoo Kim, Mary am Sultan, Anjie of nights with Mrs. Brustein until almost tion, they also served for scientific adZheng and Christie Sze recognition as nationwide semifinalists in the . renowned Intel Science Talent Search Competition.

"Our success rate relative to other schools in NYC is phenomenal. Four of the 300 Intel semifinalists came from Harris, and we submitted only 19 papers," said Assistant Principal of Science Susan Brustein. She and science teacher Katherine Ludvik mentored the participants in their submission of a 20-page research paper on a topic of their choice.

"We rocked," declared Ms Ludvik, "21% of the papers sent went on to semifinals, not a bad percentage ."

For the competition, each applicant was required to find a mentor outside Assistant Principal Susan Brustein, Christie Sze, Anjie Zheng, Maryam Sultan, ofthe school. The mentor guided the stu- Sangsoo Kim, and Katherine Ludvik celebrate Intel victory. dent throughout the course of a scienvancement. Anjie worked hours on a tific experiment performed in a research midnight!"

Maryam, who won for her investi- project focused on . the Oriental lab. He or she also collaborated on aresearch paper summarizing their scien- gation of the genetic causes of autism weather I o ac h, M is gum us discussed the difficult process of find- Anguillicautadus, an Asian fish. "Betific conclusions.'

Participation in this competition in- ing a 111entor. "At first, finding a men- havioral exploration of the nervous sys-. volved long hours and hard work . tor was very difficult since many people tern of this specific type of fish is very Christie, who was recognized for her re- did not want to take on students." She limited, so my study has been a novel search on the olfactory system, stated, also described just how valuable her experiment in the field," she stated.

Sangsoo also pursued a project that he felt would benefit the scientific community . He based his research on Dyamin-2 GTPase and "its potential as a novel anti -cancer target that would improve the effectiveness of anti-cancer treatments low in toxicity." He added, "My favorite part of this experience was the whole feeling of pioneering or contributing to the vast field of science."

The steps leading up to entering the competition occur over an extended period of time . In sophomore year students take the science research elective.

In this class they learn the basic skills needed to work in a research-based environment: In junior year, those who wish to remain in the field , focus on a single topic or question on which they base an experiment. At this time they find their mentor and begin their research.

- Christie offered this bit of advice to students considering entering the competition: "Never give up on anything that you do. I nearly gave up last year because of worries, frustration, and lack of patience that this experiment would never turn out well or that the hypothesis would be unsupported. But really, even if the results aren't what you expect, they are still a great contribution to the scientific field."

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The Classic

2 Extra minute Js a waste February 2006

Dear Editor It does not seem obvious, but the Townsend Harris students and staff actually listen to classical music for approximately twenty-seven minutes each day, five times a week. The classical music that is played in between classes-is 'pleasant, but if we hear the same songs repeatedly throughout the entire school year, they eventually lose some of their vivacity. To prevent this from happening, the Townsend Harris faculty should broadcast a variety of music to ens~re that not a dull day passes by.

The only times that classical music is not played are during the weeks of the semi-annual band concerts, Spirit Week, and Multicultural Week.

Why is the Townsend Harris faculty only allotting those few weeks to non-classical music? We should all be given the opportunity to listen to different types of music all year-round. Therefore, we should have the loudspeakers sing a bit ofpop, rock, R&B, jazz, etc. in various languages once every other week. After all, listening to a wide range of songs can brighten our mood and even motivate us to work harder in our next class.

All the other days can still have classical music echoing through the hallways. Thus, these changes are fair to people who want to experience new rhythmic beats and people who want to keep the traditional classical music.

Let's stop for a minute and reflect on all the things that can -be accomplished in a minute. You can solve a quadratic equation- well maybe just the factoring part.. Or you can write one more sentence in your essay - whom are we kidding? It' II just be fluff an:yway. Or you can decline a路 third declension noun (okay, just the singulars) .

Apparently, the school's administration thinks you can accomplish so many wonderful and useful things in a minute that they decided to give each class an extra one every day. To be fair, the decision was not completely arbitrary. It is a result of the new teachers' contract that mandates an extra 37.5 minutes per day that a teacher must teach. Coupled with staff development, the extra minute meets tFiis requirement.

But is this really the best way to divvy up our valuable instruction time? Will students truly benefit from this change? The Classic does not think so.

We propose that the extra time be given to enrichment workshops. Teachers would have to teach three of them a week during zero or tenth band, but students would only be required to attend one once a week. The number of students in a workshop would be limited to 15. Since there will be three sections available, up to 45 students could be programmed for a given workshop topic . .

For students struggling in a particular area, the workshops would be more of a tutoring session. The other workshops would be devoted to a particular topic. For It is highly possible to make thisproposal a reality. Students and facinstance, if a Townsend Harris teacher is knowledgeable about the history of New ulty members can submit songs to whomever is in charge of playing the York City, he or she will teach a workshop on the City's history . .If poetry is his or music. One or more staff members can decide if the songs are appropriher field of expertise, it will be a poetry workshop. Other topics could include Latin ate. For instance, if there are lyrics, they cannot have any profanity. If American history, current events, watercolor, and philosophy. With the school's talone submits a foreign song, then one should have a parent or guardian ented staff and students, there is a wealth possibilities. write a note that says the song is suitable for all ages. Since the faculty The enrichment workshops will be like elective classes, but more intimate and members were able to please our ears with upbeat music during less rigid . A students' final grade will not be numerical, but rather an E, S, U, or N. Multicultural Week, then they should be able to do it again more freThe class will be worth 0.25 credits. quently.

An arrangement similar to the one we are proposing was enacted in the Spring Overall, the Townsend Harris community can become enriched by all 2004 semester after a previous change to the teachers' contract. The workshops, types of cultures. One goal in school is to learn about diverse cultures however, were only offered once a week and student attendance was optional. As a and learning them through music is a creative, yet effective way. Let's result, they were not well-attended and the administration abandoned them the folretain Townsend Harris' uniqueness by incorporating classical music, lowing semester and added an extra minute to each class . along with several other styles of music into our bell schedule!

If our plan is enacted, the regular school day will be from 8:00 to I :35 on Mon-Valeria Chi, 112 days and 8:00-2:28 Tuesday through Friday. Zero band will begin at 7:05 and tenth band will end at 3:2 I. Students will be programmed for either a zero or tenth band Corrections: science lab and a zero or tenth band enrichment workshop. Therefore, a student The correct photography credits for the prev-ious issue are: Anggle\ia Sutjipto路. will only have to come in early or stay late twice a week. Compared with the current schedule, it is one extra day of zero or Ms . Liu's photograph (p. 4 ); Sunny .tenth band, but as a trade-off, school would end much earlier.

Liu: Ms . Fischer's photo (p . 4); The new bell schedule is inconceivable to seniors and juniors who remember the days of bands lasting exactly 50 and 40 Angglelia Sutjipto: the Retro Day minutes. The thought of being in school until 3:00, sorry- 2:58 and 30 seconds, four days a week is appalling. What's even photo (p. 9); Sumit Patel : the Junior Spirit photo (p. 9) worse is that we won't have anything to show for this extra time. It's safe to say that Harrisites are smarter than the average New York City high school student. Why not challenge us arid stimulate us intellectually? Our teachers are also great. Why not let them teach something about which they are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Bring back 50 and 40 minute bands and give students an enrichment workshop. ample of a blue-collar work force lost by the city, because the city portation, especially during the in New York State. literally cannot operate without holiday season. It was necessary, The TWU is perhaps the stron- running subways and bus lines. By however, for the strongest labor

by Rookminie Behari school opened two.hours later. The gest union in the state of New York staging the strike the week before union in the state to take a stand VVhen an average student strike made it almost impossible and has, by far, the most audacious Christmas, Toussaint was able to for what its members deserve; dethinks of the words "transit strike," for some students, and even teach- president, Roger Toussaint. The make a bold statement that can still spite repercussions.

For all the bickering and namethe images of school closings, de- ers, to get to school at all. While TWU members "move New be heard - the MTA is nothing calling, all the money and energy layed openings, and postponed some of us were celebrating the York," as their motto goes. Be- without its workers.

Toussaint's message echoed for lost, the strike has amounted to tests come to mind. confusion that the strike caused cause of the immense power that Most students 11ailed the tirst city schools, the entire matter the TWU members have in run- all labor unions. In a predomi- nothing. Despite negotiations and system-wide transit strike in 25 struck me as disconcerting and un- ning pubic transportation in a city nantly white-collar city; the TWU two final contracts given by the such as New York, they can make was able to take a stand for what MTA, TWU members have voted years as a way to get out of school, fair. they feel they rightfully deserve as down the first, by only a margin of There is a failure on the pat1 of quite a bold statement. or, at the very least, delay its openToussaint chose to make this a blue-collar labor union. seven votes, and the second, much ing to get those much-needed ex- many people to see the larger is. I believe the strike was justi- harsher to the TWU than the first, tra hours of sleep. But when Met- sue here: the fight for respect for bold statement when he called a ropolitan Transportation Authority labor. The basis of any industrial city-wide strike on December 20, tied, though there are a multitude was voted down by Toussaint him(MTA) employees, represented by nation is the labor force. Because a week before Christmas. AI- 路 of people, like Mayor Michael self.

The strike kicked up a whirlthe Transport Workers Union not everyone will go to college and though the strike lasted three days, Bloomberg, who feel that transit (TWU ), went on strike in late De- receive a high-paying job (as most an approximate 60 hours, it cost workers were "selfish" and that wind in the city but forTWU memcember, there was a much greater of us will), there must be people the city an <:;stimated $1 billion. they "thuggishly" betrayed the city. bers, without a contract and possiissue on hand than school closings. willing to do manual labor within The TWU was able to do exten- Toussaint has expressed repeatedly bly heading to binding arbitration, Sure, we all loved the fact that a country. The TWU is a prime ex- sive damage, in terms of revenue his regret in stopping public trans- the strike was meaningless.

MTA Transit Strike

News Staff: Marissa Green, Elana Gulotta, Megan Law, Marisa Lupo, Gloria Palma. Max Rivlin-Nadler, Lance Tomas, Lonny Zaretsky

Christopher A manna Diana Bell

Co-Editors-in-Chief Jocelyn Wright

Laura Shubert

Rookminie Behari

News Editor

Feature Editor

Entertainment EditOr

Michelle Montgc:iris

Muriel Leung Vivian Shibata

Alexandra Stergiou

Sporl'i Editor

Co路Art Editors

Photography Editor

Feature Staff: Faith Aronowitz, Cindy Chen, Tiffany Cheng, Annie Choi. Jasmine Daniel, Shruti Karnawat. Sangsoo Kim. Veronica Kim, Linda Kung. Sydney Lowe. Kate Lu, Adriana Mateo, Julita Mienko, Stephanie Pak, Mary-Grace Papatheodorou, Jennifer Park, Darcy Rendon, Priti Shah. Nisha Singh. Judy SingKissoon, Anita Sonawane, Elizabeth Striapko. Samia Ullah. Christine Whang. Janet Whang, Devon Wright. Madeleine Wright Sports Staff: Maureen McCluskey, Robert McCullagh, Alex Rush, Lance Tomas. Nathlie Stephens, Wendy Yan Artists: Mitchell Bader, Darren

Richard Cappuccio

Kimberly Quon

Advisor

Business Editor

P_rincipal - Mr. Thomas Cunningham

Deon~.

Rowena Eng, Kinberly Lo. Bonnie Ng

Photography Staff: WmTen Cheng. Ashley Guzman, Natalia Guzman, Kenneth Ho, Hannah Kang. Sunny Liu, Surnit Patel , Angglelia Sutjipto, Raksha Thapa, Priscilla Tran Business Staff: Janet Hwang

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

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.

Readers are invited to submit letters to the editor.

Letters should be placed in Mr. Cappucc io's mailbox in Room 31S 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.

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Clubs, teams create fun at Carnival freshments, an.d other recreational activities in exchange for tickets , which were on sale upon entermg.

The track team contributed to the festivities of the night, as they brought back the three-legged race booth. "It Junior Fan Zhang gets a bow painted on his face at the Art Club's was a huge sucbooth. cess last year, [the track team]

by Jasmine Daniel decided to do it again this year," said With the holiday season long behind Essie Assibu, a freshman on the trayk us and finals looming ahead, students team. Another booth that attracted atwere excited to attend the school's an- tention was the 'Ping Pong Bounce' held nual Winter Carnival on January 9th. by the volleyball team, where students Booths were set up on the first two floors · could win a goldfish by bouncing two of the building and offered games, re- ping pong balls into cups. Many students

went home with new pets that night. The Art Club's booth, in whi-ch students were able to have their hands and faces painted in 36 different designs, was also popular. Art teacher Stu Yell in said of the booth, ''I'm having a great time!"

Other popular booths were a bubble tea shoot, video games, and karaoke. Refreshments available for tickets included popcorn, s'mores, hot dogs , and ice cream sundaes with all the fixings.

However, turnout for this year's carnival was lower than previous years .

This may have been because in previous years, the carnival was held after finals and Regents were over, but this year it was held earlier on a Monday night. Mr. Stonehill said, '~ I thought more people would be here, but the booths here are great." Although school was in session the next day arid many students did have homework that night, the Winter Carnival gave attendees a chance to have fun in a school environment that was very different from the everyday look and feeL

Sex-ed material comes under scrutiny

by Jocelyn Wright and Stephanie Pak

making others squirm uncomfortably.

Word of the students' reactions quickly David Moschel has given presenta- spread between the first band the pamtions on HIV/AIDS to sophomore health phlet was distributed and the last. The classes for the past four years. Every pamphlet was put together by the Teen year, he has made pamphlets about the Outreach Prevention Service, of which disease and safe behavior available to Mr. Moschel is a part. Next to the 21 students. This December, "What You · alternatives was serious advice about Need to Know About HIV & AIDS," practicing safer sex as well as four dif"69 Ways to Show Love Without Hav- ferent organizations to contact, including Sex," "Guide to Making Sex Safer," ing one where students and their partand "21 Alternatives to Penetrative Sex" ners could be tested for HIV. "The primary focus [of the class] was were left on the desk at the end of his presentation. "21 Alternatives to Pen- how not to get the disease," said health etrative Sex" was a new pamphlet, and teacher Keith Hanson."[David] always none of the Health Department had had emphasized abstinence, non-penetrative a chance to review it prior to its distri- options ... He's been around for so bution . Upon seeing it and students' re- long ... thi~ is something new and I actions, however, they deemed it in'!p- didn't look at it," he added. Mr. Hanson propriate. The pamphlet will not be described the changes he had seen in given out again .

Harrisites over his 19 years as a teacher "21 Alternatives to Penetrative Sex" and concluded "our kids are not ready explicitly suggested alternatives to sex for this, in sophomore year especially." which made some students giggle while Ellen Fee, Assistant Principal of

Mathematics and Health gave her department's stance. "We have asked David not to bring those pamphlets to the workshops," she said Students were divided over whether the pamphlet was truly inappropriate.

Some found nothing wrong with distributing them: "The intention was to keep us from having sex, that's all," said Kfran Lorick, a sophomore who received the pamphlet. A fellow classmate, Samantha Than added, "It was funny to see the suggestions there, but it's no big deaL They're just trying to get the word out about other things than sex. Isn't that what the school wants? It was a 'little risque, but not too much ."

Some students disagreed . "It made me feel uncomfortable. It was weird to read them," said sophomore Melissa Ramgadoo, who also saw the pamphlet.

"I thought some of them [the suggestions] were quite extreme," an anonymous sophomore added.

< Thrkish students experience America, Townsend Harris-style. Coordinator of Student Affairs Adam Stonehill, Principal Thomas Cunningham, and Assitant Principal of Humanities Susan Getting pose - with the six students and two teachers involved with the program. In April, six Townsend students, Ms. Getting, and Mr. Stonehill will travel to Turkey for their part of the exchange.

Seniors triumph at SING! 2006 > The cast and crew of senior sing revel in the · sweetnees of victory as they lounged on their Candy Land-inspired set. This year's theme was · "That's So Cliche." Seniors selected "Happily Ever After," the juniors used "Time is Money," and the sophmen chose "Getting Away wi th Murder."

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Classic February 2006 The

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Teachers' cafeteria closes

by Madelene Wright The teachers' cafeteria was closed on January 24 due to a lack of patronage on the part of the teachers. The business was fail ing: Few purchases were made in the cafeteria each day, and more money was lost than gained.

"There was a meeting just before the vacation [in which] the supervisor, the principal, and the staff members met to discuss this issue," said Sheryl Summa, School Food Manager. "We decided that we would have to close the teachers' cafeteria down because we're just not making enough money."

A daily minimum of $125.00 in purchases was necessary to sustain operation of the teachers' cafeteria: Ms. Summa explained that sales were far from that. "We're lucky if we can make $35 or $40 a day," she said.

Sales declined as fewer teachers bought food from the cafeteria every day. Those that did regarded it only as their second choice after bringing their own lunch." I don't always have time to fix the Tupperware for my tuna sandwich in the morning," said art teacher Stu Yellin, "so the teachers' cafeteria is always a backup."

There was a multitude of reasons teachers cited for not buying food from the cafeteria,- On~ of them was the price.

"A full lunch for teachers costs $4.00," said Mr. Yellin, "and ifl buy a bottle of water, that's another dollar. So every time I go down there, I drop $5.00."

Band teacher Peter Lustig added, "If I can save a couple of bucks a day just by packing my own lunch, over the course of a week or a month or a school year, the money really adds up. It's just cheaper to bring a sandwich."

Ms. Summa said, "We don't set the prices at the teachers' cafeteria.The admin istration at Long Island City does."

The quality of the food served also kept teachers away from the cafeteria.

"I was never able to actually get any healthy food down there," said Mr. Yellin. "You know it's not a five star meal, but it's convenient. You have to pay for conven ience."

Some teachers, however, didn 't th ink there was anything wrong with either the price or the quality of the food. Classical language teacher Andrew Hagerty said, "It's not expensive at all. For $4.00, you get a well- balanced meal.

They serve egg rolls , baked chicken , patties, tacos , a wonderful salad bar, juice, coffee, breakfast items , eggs, ba" con, biscuits, and more."

Ms. Wischerth had her own reasons for not buying teachers' cafeteria food.

"I just don't like cockroaches," she said.

"I don't likethe fact that they killed one bug in the coffee machine by pouring hot water on it." She added, "I've never been fond of institutional food anyway."

"I'm going to miss the conve nience," said Mr. Yellin." So now when I can't make my lunch in the morning, I'll just have to eat a pop-tart."

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Classic

February 2006

Art show places student talent on display

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by Julita Mienko with contributions

by Sydney Lowe The Art Club successfully kicked off their Winter Art Show on De-cember 12, showcasing the work of arti sts from all grades. From watercolor to clay, artists 路 used many different mediums in the work they put on display. The art stayed on display for a week before being taken 路 down.

The unveiling of the art show on Monday in the lobby was a widely-attended event The smell of brewing coffee, hors d ' oeuvres, crackers and cheese, and the piano softly playing in the background provided a relaxing environment for the many art lovers of Townsend Harris . They were able to

appreciate the .talent present among their peers.

Although given the theme "Tranquil Winter Night," the artwork on display did not focus solely on winter scenes ."

The display boards featured pieces ranging from abstract photography to classical sketching.

Sophomore Darren Deoraj was proud to have his creativity on display in "Warrior of Points ." "I used pointillism to create a Peruvian warr.ior," he said .

When asked about his reason for this technique, Darren responded, "I simply did what came naturally."

And naturally is exactly how talent flowed onto every artist's canvas. Freshmen Deborah Duke and Gabriella Duke,

Seasonal sounds abound at Concert

by Faith Aronowitz Although the weather outside was frightful, there was a celebration of music at the Winter Concert on December 15 . The Intermediate, Jazz, and Concert Bands, directed by Mr. Peter Lustig and the String Ensemble, directed by Ms. Paula Zarmon, played entertaining numbers while the Chorus, directed by Dr. Mariko Sato, belted out holiday classics and a Taiwanese folk song.

The Intermediate Band kicked off the concert with The Star Spangled Banner.

A surprise tap dance featuring junior Sebastian Lagos in Hey Man, Christmas Rocks/ and a medley of Christmas classics concluded their performance.

Following the chorus came the String Ensemble, which performed six songs.

The audience was surprised with a holiday medley arranged by Ms . Zarmon herself. The last piece performed by the String Ensemble, Tap Roots, encouraged the audience "to tap along."

The favorites of the night, however, seemed to be th(Jazz and Concert Bands . "I liked the Jazz and Concert.

Bands a lot; they were amazing'" declared sophomore Priscilla Lin. Almost

every on~ in the Jazz Ensemble had a solo .

World-renowned conductor David Barg enthusia s tically conducted the Concert Band in two of their three pieces. The finale of the Concert Band was a medley called Earth, Wind and Fire In Concert conducted by Mr. Peter Lustig . One audience member re- Winter Concert. marked, "The vio- . linist Foster Wang was phenomenal. The final number, Earth, Wind and Fire by the Concert Band was fabulous" .

Some teachers and students parodied the familiar Christmas melody, Twelve Days of Christmas , with "Twelve Days of Townsend," starting with "On the first day of Townsend , my teacher gave to me a 50 pound dictionary" and ending v.-!th "On the twelfth day of Townsend,

an improvisational Harry Potter-themed song. Max donned Harry Potter glasses and a wizard hat for the occasion.

Many Harris fest favorites also came back to perform. Waistina, with lead guitarist junior Anthony DiBenedetto, again brought tons of fans out of their seats and around the stage, cheering "Waistina" despite the fact that they were asked to stay in their seats during the show. Soloist Silbia Han and the rappers in Kronic Kredentials also performed original pieces and were wellreceived by the audience.

Although the audience enjoyed the show, the Variety Show had several glitches. During the acts, problems with microphones forced the hosts to adjust mikes and speakers as students performed. A limit of one song per person and two for a band was also set Time shortages caused some songs or routines to be completely cut out of the program~ "We were very upset that no one sang

Young poets share work

by Linda Kung

my teacher gave to me 12 screaming seniors." Our mascot, in all of its Hawk glory, joined in on the fun on stage, riling up the audience.

Sophomore Nadia Ahmad, Interme-. diate Band member, said, "I think that the concert was absolutely a_mazing . Every\)ne had a good time, and you could tell that all of the performers worked very hard to put Qn a good show."

Varie(y Show raises funds forAfrican school

by Anita Sonawane and Jocelyn Wright Despite te.c hnical difficulties and program cuts, Free the Children's Third Annual Variety Show on November 18 went smoothly. The proceeds from the show will be used to buy the necessities for a FTC-sponsored school in Sierra Leone, Africa.

The evening, hosted by juniors Natalie Elisha and Sonia Gera, began with a jazzy start from Tenth Band, followed by various songs and dances. The songs played ranged from Billy Joel's "She's Always a Woman" to "Roses" by Outkast The performers felt they had a positive experience. Junior Chandra Persaud, who danced to an Indian song said, "I had so much fun doing it I can't wait to do it again next year."

Seniors Elisabeth Ponsot and Max Rivlin-Nadler's sang two songs, the second of which honored the 路 release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with

two sisters, were the only artists to enter sculpture in the show. Deborah exhibited "Self Admiration of a Mermaid" and Gabriella 's work was entitled "The 路 Sphinx." When asked how they felt about being the only sculptors, they replied, "We don't mind ... because that's what we're good at " Senior Amber Samalot, president of the Art Club, and advisors Stu Yellin and Margarita Wischerth led the club's fifty members in this annual event. Every member contributed at least one entry, allowing for the exhibition to vary in mood , method , and medium . When asked about the outcome of the show, Amber replied, "There's a great appreciation for art in Townsend ."

the Kelly Clarkson song," said sophomores Kayla Hollins and Alina Soltanova, referring to a removed item.

Attendees of the show included alumnus Kris Imperati '05. "I hosted the show for the last two years, so I just wanted to come back and see how things turned out So far so good," he said.

Josette Apostolo, mother of Waistina's lead drummer Steve Apostolo said near the end of the show, "It's the first time I've come to this school, and the talent is just so great!"

Started in 2002, FTC raised $5000 to fund the building of a school in Sierra Leone. Now, the money raised from this event will supply the school with textbooks, tables, chairs, a blackboard, a bathroom, and one teacher's salary for a year. "Through building the school and providing it with much needed supplies, we are attempting to break the cycle of poverty and end the exploitation of children through education," wrote junior

Dozens of students from all grades and ple;ty of teachers crowded into the library after school on November 10 for The Phoenix poetry reading, "Acquainted with the Night."

The event began with the reading of " Acquainted with the Night" by Robert Frost. Many students shared the works of their favorite poets who ranged from classics like Walt Whitman and John Clare to modern poets such as the Nobel Prize winner and political activist Harold Pinter. Some shared original pieces, such as sophomore Natalia Kozikowska's "What it Means to be Me" and classical language teacher Andrew Hagerty's "Uninterrupted."

Others sang or recited the lyrics of songs such as "Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera or "Heya" by Outkast. The reading ended with a bang as junior Krystal Hartley energetically read a poem "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."

Overall, reaction to the reading was positive. "All the poems were very different," a freshman said.

A sophomore added, "I really enjoyed it."

Following the two hour event, refreshments were served across the hall. Students chatted about their favorite poems as they _ate.

"My favorite part was watching people enjoy the junk food and talk," said Robert Babstock, advisor to The Phoenix.

Caroline French on Variety Show program. Caroline took over as president of FTC this year from her sister Nessa French, the founder of the Townsend Harris chapter of FTC. ''Nessa is very happy that there is continuity in the show," sald Moira French, mother ofthe French sisters.

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February 2006

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All City Band -brings together NYC's talent

by Madeleine Wright in the gymnasium to practice Part of the larger and more playing and marching for the general All City Band, dozens parades that occur nearly every of musically talented high . week . school students participate in Sponsored by the Board of the All City Marching Band, a Education, the All City Band program to hone their skills , be- offers a free musical education friend other skilled instrumen- with some of the city 's best talists, receive training from ex- teachers and top band instruperienced conductors, and prac- ment players . However, partici_ tice songs in preparation for pation in the program is not performances. without sacrifices. Those interAll City Band members ested in the program must augather each week on Saturday dition for a spot in the band. from 9 AM to noon at the Art The audition includes performand Design High School ori 2"~ ing a a chosen song, playing a Avenue . Members are given a scale, and sight-reading a piece $4 Metro Card to travel back of music. Only the best musiand forth from home to the cians are selected from those school each Saturday. The All who try out.

City Concert Band practices on Then comes the need for the stage in the auditorium for extra practice and a stoic dedithe. winter concert at the Met cation to music . "It was a hard Life building and for the spring decision because it meant wakconcert at Lincoln Center. The ing up really early on Saturday All City Marching Band meets and practising a lot more,"

states Jeremy Teperman, an 11'11 grade clarinettist in the All City Concert Band . "But I thought it was the best way to improve my skills without taking private lessons because I can't get much better just by playing in this school 's Concert Bandthe music is not that difficult." 路Jeremy asserts that "it is an honor to be a member of the All City Concert Band ." Tenth grade flautist Kimberly Hom, also a member of the All City Concert Band, agrees . "I am very thankful to receive a free musical education from New Yqrk City; I have never taken private music lessons," she says. "The All City Band offers an educational atmosphere, as well as a comfortable and friendly one."

Jessica Yang, a I O'h grade alto saxophonist, decided to join the All City Marching

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Band "because it was some- fun and productive. It helps me thing different." She stated, become a better musician . The "It's different because we meet instructors emphasize intonapeople from all around the five tion, style, articulation, dynamboroughs, allowing you to in- ics, and other icings on the cake teract with people you wouldn't that make a piece of music munormally have any connection sical." to ." Jessica said the experience She also added, "It is hard was "a challenge as well as re- 路 to think of the disadvantages . I warding." would have to say that a disadLily Su, who used to be in vantage is waiting for the bus, the All City Concert Band, early in the cold winter mornstates about the other students, ing just to get there on time!"

"I kept feeling bad that I didn't To sum up his experiences, sound as good as them." Lily is 11' 11 grader and alto saxophona junior who attends the Queens ist Louis Merglersaid it was "i n High School for the Sciences at one word : amazing ." He stated that the All City Band "has afYork College, and even after having played the alto saxo- fected me positively, profesphone for seven years, says, "I sionally, and socially. I've met didn't think I was very_ g_ood. new people, seen amazing Everyone else sounded better things, experienced once-in-athan me." lifetime experiences, and was Kimberly Hom states that even able to begin my own jazz being in the All City Concert band with a couple of new Band, "makes my Saturdays _friends."

Holocaust survivor talks to Hebrew classes

by Rookminie Behari Hebrew teacher Ruth Cooperman invited guest speaker Susan Rachlin to talk to students about the March of the Living, which was started in the spring of 1988.

"I have participated in the march for many years. I was and still am the coordinator for New York," she announced proudly.

MOTL is an educational program that unites thousands of Jewish teens from all over the world in Poland to honor Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. They retrace the "March of Death," a 3-kilometer path that starving and weary Holocaust victims were once forced to take by the Nazis. It

extends from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest concentration camp complex. Once they arrive , the participants get a chance to explore a world where 6 million Jews and other non-Aryan victims were tortured and executed. The teens also take part in memorial services at the gas chambers and crematoria, visit Jewish cemeteries, synagogues, and other death camps like Treblinka and Majdanek. They study the 3.5 million people that lived in Poland, most of whom were obliter(\ted by the Nazis.

From Poland, the teens fly to Israel on May 3rd to observe Israel's Independence Day, Yom Ha'atzmaut.

"Well first we commemo-

rate Israel Memorial Day [Yom Hazikaron]," explained Mrs .

Rachlin, "and all the houses, restaurants, theaters, basically everything closes . At night , they all open up because it's the eve of Independence Day." -Afterward, she showed a video of the 1990 March of the Living, which documented an emotional roller-coaster ride for the participants. They broke down completely at the death camps, when they walked through the gas chambers, visited the crematoria where bodies of innocents were burned, and saw the rooms with piles of shoes and hair seized from the Holocaust victims. They had to lean on relatives and friends for support when they

Arista t'nducts new members participation to complete fifty

by Tiffany Cheng hours of community service.

Although the night of NoArista's values of scholarship, vember 29 brought with it a leadership, service, and characpiercing wind, students braved ter are represented by the the cold on their way to Colden Candle Lighting Ceremony.

Auditorium for Townsend During this ceremony, a candle Harris' annual Arista induction. The ceremony began half _symbolizing each quality is lit by an Arista officer. First year, an hour later than the apsecond year, and third year pointed time due to a need for members must also pledge to more rehearsal, but the induccontinue to bring honor and action ran smoothly and successcomplishment to Arista and to fully until its end. At 7pm, paruphold the traditions of the so: ents turned their heads as three ciety. This year, Mr. Stonehill hundred inductees filed into mentioned the importance of the auditorium by year, each traditions in his speech. He later line headed by anAristaofficer commented, "As a teacher in or board member. this school for many years, I Every year, the National Honor Society holds an indue- 路 路 have seen many traditions. Second and third year members get tion ceremony to recognize a glimpse into the tradition and students for their academic can see the good that traditions achievements and voluntary

can bring out. Hopefully, as first year members work their way up, they can also realize the value of traditions."

The President of Arista, Anna Gu, delivered a speech about worthy experiences from dedicating time and effort to the community. Highlights of the night included musical presentations by the junior Melanie Sovern on vocals, sophomore Adrianna Mateo on violin, and Naadia Seemangal, who dazzled the audience with her unique performance on the si" tar.

The new inductees then filed out of Colden Center, marking the start of a new chapter of the National Honor Society and the continuation of traditions upheld each year.

visited the graves of the millions killed. The narrator was dismayed that at the entrances of the death camps, gift shops and hotels were set up. He felt as though they were taking advantage of the situation and what souvenirs could the gift shops possibly provide? Models of crematoria to put in the living room?

According to Ms. Cooperman, the whole point of the video was to "show a first hand experience of something that could not be imagined without being there." One of the messages in the video was that the Jewish race has overcome hardship and survived and that"Never Again" will such a genocide occur. When asked if

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the journey through the death camps brings her anger and pain, Mrs . Rachlin replied, "You better believe it! I've been there I 0 times. My parents came to America in the 20's, before World War II . Everyone in my family died except for one uncle."

Students have a chance to be one of the 3,000 North Americans to participate in the next march, which will take place on April25, 2006. They must complete an application, along with a medical form, an essay, a personal interview, and obtain letters of recommendation .

The base price is $3 ,300 and scholarships for the program are available for those who qualify.

-See Two Gentlemen (and a Dog) in Verona

by Jocelyn Wright Get ready for a night of fun at Two Gentlemen of Verona, a Shakespearean romantic comedy brought to the 1950's with period music ~ and dances. English teacher Joe Cazoneri who is overseeing the play describes it as "Ray Charles meets Shakespeare" and stresses that this is not an ordinary Shakesperean comedy.

A professional choreographer is teaching authentic 1950s dances to songs including "Mess Around," "Peppermint Twist," and "Why do Fools Fall ' in Love?" A total of seven to eight songs wi II be per-

formed.

Each of the principal characters will have a solo, and there will also be duets and quartets. .

The best members of the Jazz Band, including senior Lara Torgovnik, have been recruited to accompany the soloists. Lara will also sing solo. Dr. Matiko Sato is overseeing the music.

Two Gentlemen of Verona is Shakespeare's first romantic comedy.

Look out for a dog riding on a skateboard and other highlights!

Tickets go on sale soon, so save the dates Friday, Aptil7or Saturday, AprilS.

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6

The Classic

February 2006

Memoirs exposes audience to new culture

by Rookmini Behari In 1997, Arthur Golden released Memoirs of a Geisha, a fascinating and riveting tale of a hidden world where appearance is paramount. A literary sensation and a New York Times bestseller for two years, it has sold more than four million copies in English and has been translated into 32 different languages.

This brilliant debut novel presents with flawless realism and lovely lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan's most celebrated geishas.

Now, Oscar-nominated director Robert Marshall, producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher, and Steven Spielberg bring this fable to the big screen. Memoirs ofa Geisha features the Chinese su.perstars Ziyi Zhang (House of Flying Daggers) and Gong Li (who will play in the upcoming Miami Vice) and Malaysian superstar Michelle Yeoh, as Japanese geishas swept up in jealous rivalries during the 1930's and 40's. The effect is spectacular, captivating, and, by far, extremely fascinating. However, the final result is not as successful as the book. It suffers from a few holes in the storyline, particularly towards the beginning.

Anyone expecting a scandalous experience from the subject matter is likely to be very disappointed in the film's

sexual discretion . Set in a mysterious the language, its vocabulary, and the arid exotic world, the story begins in the powerful emotions it expresses. Viewyears before World War II when the pro- ers and readers alike can easily relate to tagonist, Sayuri, is torn from her pov- Sayuri 's feelings of loss, revenge, and erty-stricken family to work in a geisha success. As far as vocabulary goes, household (called an okiya,) and must many people tend to confuse geisha as deal with the antagonist, another geisha a Japanese prostitute. However, a geiHatsumo, known primarily for her jeal- sha is ari artist who earns her living by ous rage . Seeing Sayuri as a· threat, entertaini'ng rich and powerful men .

Hatsumomo directs all fury toward her Some women lived as wives; others eradication. Despite her treacherous ri- were employed for recreational sex, val, the girl grows to be a legendary while the geisha operated in the gray geisha. Although she captivates the most area in between. They were forced to intriguing men of her day, she pines only . rely on steady male patronage, also for the one man beyond her reach. called a danna.

As Sayuri learns the tricks of the At the film's beginning, viewers fall trade, she quickly learns that geisha are victim to a story hole: Sayuri is given never allowed to love or to pursue their no background. Nor is she allowed an own destiny. Her mentor, the legendary epilogue. The movie ends with a kiss, Mameha, understands the limits of an and then leaves viewers hanging. Yet in intimate relationship with a danna and the novel Sayuri's family life is emphaorders Sayuri to keep her feelings tightly sized, particularly the strong bond beretained. Unlike Hatsumomo, Mameha tween herself, her sister amd the charknows that a proper geisha cannot af- acter Mr. Tanka, of whom none or little ford to indulge her passion in any man. mention is given in the film. The movie And so the story begins, ends, and re- is a bit long, about three hours, but that volves around Sayuri's struggle to find can be forgiven since the novel is 430 love, passion, and freedom in the pur- pages. I wholeheartedly recommend suit of her own destiny. both film and novel. I grew caught up The distinct Jap·anese dialect makes in Golden's vivid descriptions and the dialogue difficult to decipher at the be- cultural shock was extremely fascinatginning of the film. But as the movie ing. But do read the book beforehand. progresses, you become familiar with It may come in handy.

King Kong remake proves an "8th wonder'' mischevious character tricks Darrow sidering almost all of its scenes were

by Diana Bell into starring in his next movie, which done on blue screen. Darrow's nasty Yes, he climbs to the top of the Emhe says will be filmed in Singapore. She habit of finding herself in dangerous pire State Building. But can he fight his finally agrees when he mentions that the situations when not in Kong's care is way to the top of the box office? Peter famous author Jack Driscoll (Adrien Peter Jackson's way of showing how Jackson has been awaiting a chance to Brody) wrote the script; she is his big- valuable Kong's protection is. It is also remake King Kong, the giant gorilla gest fan. · a catalyst that acts to deepen their bond. whose 1939 appearance on the silver As usual, Black brings much needed But it is a bond that simply cannot screen later inspired Jackson to begin comic relief to this film, which thrives be, and the epic Empire State Building his career in directing film. Now in theof action and suspense.

Adrien on scenes scene shows this to be true. The graphaters, Peter Jackson's King Kong runs • Brody plays his role wonderfully as ics are pure perfection as Jackson first 188 minutes - a sure sign of his devo11 in and out on Kong's battle with well.

Tricked by Black to stay on the zooms tion to this "8' wonder of the wo'rld."

"Singapore," he continues to ship to army aircraft.

He seems to be winning, Jackson's decision to stay true to the write Denham's film scr.ipt. but in the end where could he possibly original 1930's setting of the film is a Instead go? of Singapore, Denham is engood one. It gives the film more life.

"T'was beauty killed the beast," When the Great Depression causes route to Skull Island, King Kong's preDenham ml)rmurs upon seeing Kong's historic, giant bug-infested, and dinoher to lose her acting job, the poor and broken body at the bottom of the buildsaur rampant home.

When it comes to hungry Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) is is not doubt that Perhaps.

I only hope that today's special effects, there ing. approached by Jack Black's Carl box office, with its bland and meaningPeter Jackson pulled all the stops.

Skull Denham, a passionate film director ealess films, Island was exceptionally well done; condoesn't get to him first. ger to make the next big hit. His

New, dark twist for fo.urth Potter flick

by Shruti Karnawat The film version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, based on the series made popular by British author J. K. Rowling, was finally released on November 18 . British director Mike Newell's take on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire does significantly more justice to the wizarding world than Alfonso Cuar6n 's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban did. This one, however, was much more sinister than the others , with the long-awaited appearance of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), the most powerful Dark wizard of all time. It also contained much more action and adventure: the Triwizard Tournament, an inter-school magic competition held between Hogwarts. Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons, the other two other international wizard schools. The plot became more interesting and mysterious when the goblet of fire suspiciously chose Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), who was too young to join the tournam.ent.

Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are again brilliant in their portrayals of Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger, respectively. New faces do grace the screen: Stanislav Ianesvsky as Durmstrang competitor, champion Quidditch player Viktor Krum, and Robert Pattinson as Hogwarts competitor Cedric Diggory.

The movie is very captivating and lurches the viewer through a multitude of emotions ranging from fear to love to hatred to sorrow. Some viewers have said that the task of squeezing 734 pages of storyline into a two and half hour film made the movie difficult to understand at times. Yet only avid fans of the novel feel this is a problem. For everyone else, Newell has put enough thought into his direction of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to make it flow as seamlessly as possible. In doing so, he continues to keep alive the notion that lives at the heart of the Harry Potter series~- that somewhere out there, wizards really do exist.

Novelist Joan Didion speaksatY

by JuHta Mienko "Life changes fast. Life changes in an instant. The ordinary instant." Those were the words that first echoed through the 92nd street Y during a late night reading on October 19. The woman on stage, in front of the podium, was Joan Didion.

As she began to scrupulously retell the moments and aftermath of her husband's death from The Year of Magical Thinking, Didion's crackling voice spread through the vast hall. Her tone was unvarying but filled with melancholy recollection of the best friend that she had lost.

Born in 1934, Joan Didion grew up during one of the most politically unstable eras ofAmerican history. She ftved through a time when America was alive with social upheaval, racial tension, and feminism. Didion was surrounded with the idea of seifexpression. In a · interview with The New York Times Magazine in 1976, Ms. Didion was asked I" ~bout the inspiration for her writmg. She responded, "In many ways writing is the act of saying I, of imposing oneself upon other people, of saying listen to me, see it my way, change your mind."

It is with this mentality, that Joan Didion wrote her many critically acclaimed novels including Play It As It Lays ( 1970) and A Book of Common Prayer (1977).

Her collections of magazine essays further express an alarming visjon of American politics and culture. Throughout her many publications, whether Joan Didion is writing about loopholes in American democracy, media bias, or presidential scandals, she always manages to convey a "vision of truth."

As she shone in the spotlight that night, Joan Didion stood on the stage before her audience as an analyst of America. It was a privilege to hear her look back on the instants that changed her life, the ordinary instants.

The Unterberg Poetry Center; part of the 92nd Street YMCA Tisch Center for the Arts, will be holding more reading by other legends of literature. Among them are Salman Rushdie (Haroun and the Sea of Stories, The Satanic Verses), Wole Soyinka (Climates of Art), and Paul Auster (The Brooklyn Follies). ·

This Apple is

by Lonny Zaretsky · Controversy seems to cling to some artists like the bubonic plague. The 29year old singer-pianist Fiona Apple is of no exception. Apple's rise to fame, as considered by many, is her brash acceptance speech at the 1997 MTV Music Video Awards, where she proclaimed that the "world is bull-[insert expletive here] ." As years passed and millions of albums were sold, she slowly faded away from the music scene, untir now.

Her most recent album, Extraordinary Machine, was released October4, 2005, six years after her second album, When the Pawn ... Most are unaware of the true story behind this emotionally driven album and the amount of work it required to be released. Originally completed in May 2003 with Producer Jon Brion, Extraordinary Machine was full of painstricken affection and life-experienced maturity. Epic Records, a sub-set of Sony, rejected the record due to the lack of "radio-hit" singles. According to Jon Brion , the album was scrapped , but thousands of loyal fans mailed in foam apples to Sony Corporation to show their support.

Perhaps it was the pressure from the persistent fans, but somehow II tracks from the unreleased Extraordinary Machine leaked onto the internet in early 2005. Outraged by the fact that her unfinished tracks were released , Fiona Apple jumped into perfectionist mode and spent months reworking the entire album . A new producer, Mike Elizondo, a popular collaborator with artists such

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February 2006

~xtraordinaty' as Eminem and 50 Cent, was called into the project. Although this seemed an odd pair, upon the completion of Extraordinary Machine, the once skeptic fans finally agree that they are a match made in heaven .

Extraordinary Machine proves to be a strong example of Fiona Apple's sultry and precocious style that her fans hilVe learned to love. Most of Extraor: dinaf}' Machine had been written after Fiona Apple's breakup with Paul Thomas Anderson, writer and director. of · Boogie Nights and Magnolia . Apple's straight forward lyrics swell with intimacy and despair. Such feelings are apparent in "Get Him Back'' in which she - sings about "one man, he disappoints me." In "Not About Love" she sings about missing that "stupid ache." · Apple's "Parting Gift" shows off not only her well-groomed piano skills but · her finely trained voice. Her sultry voice and expressive piano playing give the song a life of its own.

What would a Fiona Apple CD be without a slow ballad of questioning and despair? The song "Red Red Red" manages to accomplish this and much more.

Her sorrowful lyrics raise questions and emotions by comparing the mining of diamonds to the finding of love. · Extraordinary Machine is quite the comeback CD after a six-year break. It proves that Apple hasn't changed one bit and . has remained true to her personal inspiration and lived up to expectations by producing such an enthralling album.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Hawks

Queens Championship looms near for girls

by Robert McCullagh at the McKay Combined Games on DeBased on their performances in De- cember 4. cember and thus far in the new year, the Coach Timothy Connor attributes his Girls ' Indoor Track team has their sights team's success to the fact that "they already set on the Queens Champion- work hard because they enjoy it, not beships, to be held ·on February 19 at the Armory.

Junior Devotia Moore won two races at the PSAL Holiday Games on · December 29, the 3000 meter run individually and the 4 x 800 relay with fellow juniors Susan Wasserman and Koma Ogaye and freshman Lorena Russi. It was the second time she has .

Runners from the G1rls' Indoor Track Team stretch at a won the 3000 meter recent practice. run, the first coming on November,27 at the Pilgrim Games. cause they have to."

Between the senior "leaders," the At the Dr. Martin L\lther King Relays on January 16, senior Tiffany Yu juniors who are "performing well as _alplaced fifth in the 1500 meter racewalk ways," and the freshmen who are "prowith a time of eight minutes and 39 sec- gressing beautifully," Connor is optimisonds .. Freshman Amy Cha has two first tic going into the last meet before the place finishes in this same racewalking Queens Championships, the Mayor's . event, one at the Holiday Games and one Cup on January 28.

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Decide where you want to go and enter to win ~ free iPod nano-and the best summer of your life.

See www.summeracademy.com/ipodoffer by March 31, 2006 for details.

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A(AI)(ffiV

STRIKE WATCH The fate of the boys' andgirls' bowling teams

by Michelle Montgoris The Boys' Varsity Bowling team's season came to an end on November 22 with a 2-0 loss to James Madison High School. Junior Jeremy Teperman rolled the high game of the day with a 195, while sophomore Cletus Schuyler was second with a 178.

Teperman scored a 14th place finish in the City Individuals just the day before with a series of 586 for three games. Senior Peter Catalano also competed in the tournament, after he and Teperman placed second and third, respectively, in the Queens Borough Individuals on November 15.

With their two wins and one loss in the postseason, the boys ended the year with a combined 13-4 record.

As for the girls, their season came to an end on the same day with a 20 loss to the eventual city champion, Curtis High School. Senior cocaptain Sandi Von Ohlen and junior Jennifer Kalar had the high scores in the loss, rolling a 178 and a 165 respectively.

Like the boys, the girls also sent two bowlers to the City Individuals on November 21. Von Ohlen competed along with fellow senior co-captain Michelle Montgoris. Montgoris and Von Ohlen placed first and second, respectively, in the Queens Individuals the week before in order to qualify.

The team was also featured in Newsday's High Five Magazine on October 6. The article focused on the team's three seniors, Shannon Conlisk, Montgoris, and Von Ohlen, and detailed theirjourney through four years on the team.

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The

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February 2006

JV Hawks soar to

Turtles take plunge, win title

second in dt'vt'st'on

by Michelle Montgoris An undefeated 8-0 seasol) and three po s tsea s on wins added up to the Girls' Varsity Swim team achieving their ultimate goal: winning the City Championship.

The meet, which took place against Stuyvesant High School on November 29, featured five first place finishes by various members of the Turtles . The 400-meter relay team of senior Bridget Travers , junior Maureen McCluskey, and freshmen Kirsten Guelly and Andrea Yoo accounted for one of them. McCluskey added another in the 100-yard backstroke, sophomore Paula

Francesca Bartilini looks on.

by Robert McCullagh Coach Adam Stonehill, who With a 45 - 28 win over set the team's goals at the beQueens High Scliool of Teach- ginning of the year as getting ing on January 19, the Girls' everyone to "play, participate, Junior Varsity Basketball team and improve," is pleased with has won four of their last five his team's performance thus far. games and sits second only to They are improving," he Grover Cleveland in the divi- said. "They are a pleasure to sion standings. coach."

Sophomore Danielle With four games remaining Abatemarco was the leading in February, all at home on Febscorer in the game, netting 22 ruary -1, 3, 7, and 9, the team points as well as two assists. will look to continue their winSophomore Christine Golea ning streak and enjoy their time added five points, while fresh- together. Ten of the 12 girls will man Julia Fusfeld contributed be forced to graduate to varsity six points and I I rebounds. next season due to age, but Sopliomore Chelisse Headley Stonehill expects Fusfeld to also had 12 rebounds. take charge as a sophomore, as Abatemarco has often been he is impressed by her "strong the leading scorer. She is the leadership as a freshman ." team leader as well _with 16.67 路 Freshman Francesca points and 3. 17 rebounds per Bartilini, who is averaging 5.33 game. Fusfeld is second behind points and five rebounds per Abatemarco with 7.43 points game, also looks to factor and nine rebounds per game: largely into next year's plans . '

New faces equal rough season for Hawks

by Lance Tomas "We really tried hard. All their shots were falling, and you can't defend against that. We weren't getting as many opportunities as they did, but we took advantage when we had the chances."

Even though she was speaking in reference to their 73-28 .loss to Francis Lewis on January 12, junior Jennifer KaJar summed up the Girls' Varsity Basketball team's season with this one statement. With a record of 1-10, the team is in last place in the best division in Queens.

Compiled of mostly young players moved up from last season's junior varsity team and their third coach in as many years, the Hawks have suffered many growing pains. Their highest scoring game came on

January 23 against Bayside, when they scored 58 points in a 73-58 loss. Despite putting on their best offensive display to close the game to 47-42 at the end of the third quarter, the girls were simply outrun and outscor1ed.

Kalar leads the team in both scoring and rebounds, with . 12.44 points per game and four rebounds per game . Sophomore Nicole Van Allen is a close second with 11 .88 points per game.

Freshman Cecilia Ehresman, who has emerged as the starting point guard, is averaging 3.88 points and two assists per game .

The Hawks have three games remaining, at home against John Bowne on January 30 and Bayside on February 2 and at John Bowne on January 31.

Guzman had one in the 200yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle, and Guelly added one of her own in the 200-yard individual medley.

On another note, these five girls also competed at the state c;hampionships in Buffalo, New York, on November 19 and 20.

"I have been coaching the Turtles for 19 years, but the team this year has the greatest depth yet," praised coach Jim Jordan.

This depth comes despite the loss of AndreaAmorillo, the top diver in Queens for the past three years who graduated this past year. Juniors E llen Abramowitz and IIi ana Suarez,

as well as sophomores Shirley Liu and Sunny Liu, stepped up this s e ason to try and fill Amarillo 's void .

Several of the other girls also established names for themselves within the Queens division . McCluskey holds the regular season best time for the I 0-yard backstroke at one minute and five seconds , as well as the fastest time for the IOOyard freestyle (58 seconds).

The best time of one minute and two seconds for the I 00-yard butterfly belongs to Guelly.

Travers owns the best time for the 200-yard .freestyle at two minutes and II seconds, which also places her 15th in the city.

Boys set sights on champs

by Lance Tomas With the season a little more than halfway through, the Boys' Indoor Track team has shown itself to be a bona fide contender for the city championship title. Seniors Nestor Serrano and Shrey Surana have already qualified for the championship meet in the I 000 meter and two mile runs, respectively.

"We have great senior leaders on this team," said Coach George Rio. "They help the young guys out and teach them, and it helps them get better."

Serrano and Surana, along with fellow senior Jon Pantano, offer a wide variety of skills in different distances . Serrano -specializes in the thousand

meter and one mile runs , while Surana is especially adept in the 3200 meter run. Pantano's best runs are in the 400 and 600 meter runs .

Serrano has placed in the top ten in four different meets this indoor season, with his best a fourth place finish at the PSAL Holiday Games meet on December 29 at the Armory in the Bronx.

Surana has finished in the top ten twice, his best being a third place finish in the 3200 meter run at the Pilgrim Games on November27 at the Armory.

Pantano also has two top ten finishes, his best being a seventh place finish in the 600 meter run at the McKay-Team

Challenge Games on December 3 at the Armory.

Youth is also an important part of the team . Freshmen Chris Gu'errero and David Vaughan have played an important role thus far. Guerrero is ranked 15th in the city for varsity runners in the one mile run and has two first place finishes to his name. Vaughan specializes in the 400 meter dash and the long jump and has placed in the top ten in all of his events so far this season.

The Queens Championship Games will be held on February 19 at the Armory. There is only one meet left, the Mayor's Cup Games on January 28, before it.

Hawks prepare for_ next year

by Michelle Montgoris It has been a season to forget for the Boys' Varsity Basketball .team, as they are on the verge of their second straight winless season with two games remammg.

Their most recent game, a 63~49loss to Hillcrest, did have some highlights . Junior Admir Deljanin scored 17 points and grabbed four rebounds, while freshman Sheldon Jones scored 17 points of his own . Senior Noel Jacob and sophomore Jonathan Stein each contributed five rebounds in the loss.

"We' re a young team and we have talent, but you have to deal with growing pains," said first year coach Frank DeNunzio.

I've been very content with their character [though] . They come to play every day."

The talent DeNunzio is speaking of is especially evident in the performance of Jones and junior Eran Shargal.

Jones is averaging an impres-

Coach Frank DeNunzio discusses strategy with his team during a timeout. sive 16.83 points per game, placing him 12th in all of Queens and fifth in the Queens II-A division. Shargal adds 9.75 points per game, while Stein is averaging four points and 3.92 rebounds per game.

With only two seniors graduating this year, the team will return 17 of its 19 players next season. DeNunzio already

plans to work with them during the offseason in the weight room and to begin practicing as early as possible to help get his team used to his "new system" for a successful 2006-2007 campaign.

"We're a small school, but we're maturing as a team," he said . ''I'm looking for bigger things riext year."