Classic newspaper Volume 23 Issue no. 1

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Vol ?3, N~ . lSeptember 2006 •

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Townsend Harris High School at Queens College

149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367

Darfur rally draws enthusiastic support

by Marissa Green Every patch of Central Park's East Meadow was covered with demonstrators holding signs and chanting "Stop the Genocide!" Many Harr.i sitesjoined the over 30,000 people at the SAVE DARFUR NOW: Voices to Stop Genocide Rally on September I 7. / New York City wasn't the only place raising awareness. In over 40 cities all over the country and around the world, people joined together in events to protest global inaction in resolving the crisis in Darfur, Sudan .

Senior Nancy Lin found out about the rally because she is a member of Archon, the school's community service honor society. "I went to the raliy and I was really happy to see everyone out there. lt was exactly as I expected. So many people were there to support such an important cause," she said.

This rally was started by the Save Darfur Coalition in order to raise public awareness via media coverage. The crowds flooding the streets wearing tshirts and pins tbat said, "Not on our

watch," and holding signs that read, "Don't ignore the living and don't forget the dead," also brought attentiou to the cause. According to the savedarfur:org website, the political purpose ofthe rally was to put pressure on

the United Nations to ·send a peacekeeping force immediately to the Darfur Region to end the genocide.

A New York Times article titled, "Demonstrations Around the World Draw Attention to the Darfur Crisis" (9/ I 8), stated that the rally's purpose was "to highlight the war in Darfur, the western Sudan region where tens . of thousands of people have been killed and more than two million left homeless."

According to the article, ever since rebels first rose up to fight against the government three years ago, the area has bJJ suffered from inner turmoil. c .c As to the effect of the rally; senior u Jennifer Polish, a passionate activist for this cause, said that the rally gave her "mixed feelings" because, 'The media is not c:.ltching oil. There were over __ c..

30,000 people there and the media just out the message.: junior Ljsa Chan, seniors Stephanie Pimentel, Lisa Liu, and mentioned it. Similarly, Darfur is the last Alice Moy, and juniors Sherese Francais and Carmen Lin take a break. issue on the list for the UN." She was optimistic, however, adding that this is point. Nevertheless, when the General rally played any part in the President's not the last time Harrisites will hear Assembly began its 6 I ''annual session decision . "No matter what happens," about the crisis in Darfur. She is already on September I 2, the Save Darfur coa- said senior Jessica Graf, "the turnout at starting a letter-writing campaign, ph~n­ lit.ion announced that Pres_ident George Central Park on S.f?f)_tember I '1":" 2-QQ€). i-s ning to hang up tliers to bring aware- Bush had named "a Presidential Special an event that will go down in history. • ness, and working on showing a film she Envoy - former USAID Administrator And no matter what the government made that teaches about the situation in Andrew Natsios- to lead America's ef- does or does not do, the images of over the western region of the Sudan . forts to resolve the outstanding disputes 30,000 people gathered together for this Politically, the effect of the rally is and help bring peace to your land." It is one cause is something that will make something that no one can really pin- not clear, however, whether or not the peop-le want to do some~~i_n~." _ <!)

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Kickoff rallyjutnpstarts·election simulation,· draWs large crowds

Republic-a n senahlrial candidate John Spencer (Aaron Quiah) can't hear the

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by Jocelyn Wright Democrats seemed I ike a bunch of cowc .

Semors batted balloons and slogans ards," he said. as they launched the school-wide elecShamsul Husse-in, chairperson of the tion simulation with a kickoff rally on Conservative Party, agreed . "I think the September 21. Hosted by Roxanne Ali, Republicans will take it all this year," Joanna Menilo, Aaran Shargal, and he s~lid. "The Republican speeches were Jacob Schnee, the event hinted at the amazing." fiery competition to come.

The rally concluded with <l speech The Democrats are confident in their from Green Party Candidate for Goverabilities to sweep the election. "I think nor Malachy McCourt, played by the rally was great," said senior Abby Michael Morissey. He donried a kilt for Rani, who plays Carol Hevesi, wife of · the occasion and gave his speech with Comptroller candidate Alan Hevesi. an Irish accent. The rest of his campaign "They were really enthusiastic. Every- donned green shirts and made paper one seemed excited to be there but what chains out of green and orange construcI didn't like was that the rally was hosted tion paper to show their support. The by people who were obviously biased party was optimistic about their proswhen they introduced the candidates." pects in the election . "I think that even Senior James Earl, ·who Rlays Albert though we're small we made a good Pirro, husband of Attorney General can- showing and they saved us for last bedidate Jeanine Pirro, said, "My wife cause we're the best," said senior gave a very nice speech. The Republi- Morgane Giordano, who is part of Govcans were very vivid and lively and ·the ernor McCourt's campaign.

New Faces, New Places

Discover Machu Picchu

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The Classic September 2006

Gender ineq-uity in ·election simulation

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At the Kickoff Rally, candidates dressed up and gave their speeches full of all the typical promises that politicians make. Se~iors cheered and booed, and, had it not been for the ID cards and bookbags scattered about the courtyard, it could very easily have been mistaken for a real political rally. This included the fact that, out of the 16 candidates, only three of them were women. There were plenty ofgirls in the courtyard- after all, Townsend's gender ratio is skewed 7:3 - but they stood on the sidelines, relegated to roles such as Spitzer's wife or Clinton's daughter. Although· this may very much mirror the world of politics as it is today, The Classic finds it unacceptable that girls may only play fell)ale candidates (and that boys are restricted to playing male candidates) in tlw election simulation.

First of all, the Election Simulation is a teaching tool, which, although it strives to mirror the actual election as closely as possible, is not the real thing and takes place inside a school. Therefore,_it is the responsibility of the people in charge to make sure that it is as fulfilling an experience as possible for everyone involved. This means that every student in a Participatory Democracy class should have · the equal opportunity of playing the candidate, regardless of gender. This year, seniors in all PD classes were able to volunteer for roles, .as long as their gender matched the gender of thecandidate they wished to play. America is founded on the idea of equal educational opportunities for all, and it is unfair that boys should be given candidate roles almost by default (since after all, the typical Townsend class has an average of 5 or 6 boys) without having to compete with girls who may (or may not) be·better qualified for the position. The same is true in the few classes given a female candidate. A girl should not automatically be given a role if there is a boy who would do • a better job.

Oftentimes, poorly qualified candidates chosen solely on the basis of their gender put undue pressure on the rest of the campaign committee, which must work doubly hard, unrecognized, in the background, so that their candidate has a shot at winning. This is neither fair to the people whose hard work goes unrecognized or to the candidate himself, who, given the choice, might well have preferred a different role.

The primary reason cited for this practice is the fear that, if the candidates' roles are not kept gender-specific, the election simulation might tum into a mere mockery of the candidates. With a few modifications, however, this does not have to be the case. Candidates are remembered best by their last name anyway; what's the harm in turning John Spencer into Jennifer Spencer if the posters on the walls will still say Spencer for Governor? This would avoid whateverridicule the faculty fears might occur in having a girl play a'male candidate, or vice-versa. · The argument may also be made that by sticking so closely to the real world of politics and showing women how grossly underrepresented . they are in the world of politics, girls will be inspi red to join politics in the future to correct the gender inequality. This assertion is absurd. How is a girl who was excluded from running for governor in the school election simulation on the basis of her gender going to believe that she has any chance of successfully running for governor in"reallife"? The election simulation should strive to produce an environment that makes everyone feel comfortable in politics, and one that does not make anyone feel disadvantaged or excluded on the ·" ba:S i s~of gender. · • · ' ''This is not th~ first year this practice has ' . been called into question and it will not be the last. Although the candidates As students of an incredibly socially aware school, we are proud of our fellow Harrisites who showed their have already support on Sunday, September 22, at the Save Darfur Now: Voices to Stop Genocide rally in Central Park . . been assigned Most Ameri~ans either do not care about the conflict in Sudan or are unaware of the country's problems. If for this year, The you are asking yourself, "What is Darfur?", you must be one of those who are unaware. Sudan is a country in Classic hopes Africa where genocide is occurring, specifically in an area called Darfur. In Darfur, the Arab-controlled govern. that all of next ment and their powerful militia are driving non-Arab people from thei r homes, displacing families, torturing, year's se.n iors murdering; raping mercilessly, and performing other major crimes against humanity. will have an The rally demonstrated that there is a wide base of support for action in Darfur, and this is true in our school, equal opportu_as well. Harrisites.joined thousands of other people who were at Central Park, calling for U.S. and U.N. internity to be a canvention in the conflict. We applaud those who took the time to attend and to rally for support for the war-ridden didate, regardlyss of their genDarfur. der.

We are especially proud of those who passionately raised awareness in our own community. The actions that

Rallying i!J support of Darfur.· We practice what we preach

so many Harrisites have taken in support of Darfur echo the last line of the Ephebic Oath: "I shall not leave my city any less but rather greater and better than I found it."

Jocelyn Wright Editor-in-Chief

News Staff: Marissa Green. Laura Schubert, Madeleine Wright Fealure Staff: Faith Aronowitz. Cindy Chen. Jasmine Daniel , Sydney Lowe. Kat e Lu , Adriana Mateo. Stephanie Pak, Mm·y-Grace Papatheodorou . Darcy Rendon. Judy SiryKissoon, Anita Sonawane, Samia Ullah, Devon Wrrght

.Rookminie Behari

Marisa Lupo

.News Edito.-

Feature Editor

The Cla.fsic is an open forum for the expression of sludent views. The opinions expressed therein should not be taken to represent thos'e of the administration or faculty or student body as a whole. ·

Sporls Staff: Maureen McCluskey, Lance Tomas. Nathlie Stephens Artists: Mitchell Bader, Rowena Eng, Katie Sullivan

Robert McCullagh

Darren De oraj Bonnie Ng

Spo.-ts Editor

Co-Art Edito rs

Sumit Patel ~holography

Edito.-

Photography Staff: Warren Cheng, Ashley Guzman, Kenneth Ho. Hannah Kang , Sunny Liu. Angglelia Sutjipto, Raksha Thapa, Priscilla Tran

lisa Cowen Advisor

Principal- Mr. Thomas Cunningham ;

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

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Readers are · inv~ted to submit letters to the editor.

Letters should be placed in Mr. Cappuccio'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 dass. Names will be withheld upon request. l (

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The Classic September 2006

3

Faculty celebrates First Amendment award 'i)y Darcy Rendon ' Townsend Harris is one of the few schools in the nation selected as a First Amendment school for the fourth time.

The First Amendment Press Freedom Award, formerly known as the Let Freec dom Ring award, was administered by the Journalism Education Association in conjunction with other national scholastic press organizations . " I am extre.m ely proud that our school has won the First Amendment Award for the fourth year," said Principal T homas Cunningham. "The person who deserves true recognition for this is M s. lisa Cowen , The Classic advisor.

It was her drive and insight into the nature of our program at Townsend Harri s that led to our receiving these awards. " Ms. Cowen attributes Townsend's re~ pealed wins in part to the The Classic's charrer, which· was signed by Mr.

Cunningham and his predecessor, Malcolm Largmann. She explained that this charter "guarantees students' First Amendment rights way beyond what is currently required by law," which gives Townsend an edge in the competition .

Robert Babstock, advisor for The Phoenix literary magazine, is pleased with the award because he considers the freedom of speech it represents extremely important. "Personally, freedom of speech is the American way of life. It is difficult for students who want to explore e,~pression of the press if they have to lo() k over their shoulder. You can ' t express_yourself if you feel you · always have to be worried about censorship. Winning the award the last few years is something that I brief my student editors about so they can be openminded about creative expression that contains challenging content."

Advisors Margherita Wischerth, Robert Babstock, Usa Cowen, Richard C~ppuccio, and Principal Thomas Cunningham display the school's First Amendment awards.

Sato adds new instruments to string e·nsemble

by Madeleine Wright The former stri~g ensemble has increas ~d its variety of performers by opening its doors this year not only to string instrumentalists, but also to pianists, keyboardists, vocalists, guitarists, and percussionists. Now known as the Chamber Music Ensemble, this new class , taught by Mariko Sato, hopes to attract musicians with a wide range of talents.

Lisa Mars , Assistant Principal of the Art and Music Departments, called the ensemble a "classical band with a mod- , ern twist." Dr. Sato, a Ph.D. in music who has travelled and performed on the piano internationally, continued, "Although performers of chamber music started out playing Western classical pieces, I would like to expand the definition of chamber music to include contemporary genres such as rock anu pop.

In my class, the genre won't be limited to anything."

In addition to the beginner's Chamber Music· Ensemble, which meets I 0' 11

band , there is an advanced Chamber Music Ensemble that meets before school for students who have been playing· their instru.m ents for at -least one year. An audition is required for the advanced Chamber Music Ensemble, which will perform regularly at school functions. "Members will participate in NYSSMA [New York State School Music Association], and the ensemble will play at events such as the Winter and Spring Concerts, alumni reunions , PTA conferences , and Founders Day, as well as !unch recitals and regional competitions," explained Ms. Mars .

The expansion of the ensemble to include keyboards, v(l't;als, and percus_sion is a "rather unusual feat," said Dr. Sato. Ms. Mars explained the reason for the change. "Since we ' ve never offered a keyboarding class before, pianists and keyboardists in our school with seven or eight years of experience were often shut out the music program or forced to join the band and play a wind instrument In having this new Chamber Mu-

· sic class , this will be the first time students who play piano and keyboard will be able to express themselves musically in school performances ," she said. .

The music program this year will try · an experiment in the $10,000 recording studio that Ms. Mars had built a year . ago . "It's a beautiful recording studio that nobody really knows about," said Dr. Sato, "and I am hoping to use it with my chamber music group ." Ms. Mars added , "The choir and Concert Band have been recording their music and selling their CDs for years. This year our goal is to provide the same opportunity for the Chamber Music Ensemble."

According to band teacher Peter Lustig, there was some speculation amongst faculty whether the String Ensemble classes would terminate after the · dep<\rture of their teacher, paula Zarmon, who left to teach full time at a local el ementary school. Ms . Mars explained , · ~we have a full time band teacher, so the band class is very well represented.

But the school is financially unable to , I

. pay another music teacher full time. " Dr. Sato volunteered to teach the music class because, according to guidance counsellor Jonathan ~irsch , she "did not want to see the program die." Ms .

Mars, who founded the String Ensemble class six years ago, insisted that she was "not about to let that happen."

Members of the String Ensemble who were in the class last year were saddened by their teacher's decision tp leave the school. Jordano Sanchez, a sophomore who played violin in the String Ensemble as a freshman , said, "I was surprised because I thought that Ms . Zarmon would stay for all of my four years in high school."

Students are optimistic .about the new program. "The Chamber Music Ensemble will be better and more interesting because of our combination with ,piano and vocals ," commented sophomore Patrycja Klimek, who plays the violin. "I think there's going to be a great variety of songs to play now that we have this new addition ."

Advanced Placement test results wow faculty

by Cindy Chen The 2006Advan~ed Placement test results pleased both teachers and students . Around 675 students took an AP exam in May, and 532 of them passed with a grade of 3 or higher, making the total percentage of students pasing 79%, well above the national average.

AP cou1:ses are taken for college · credit and gradt:d on a scale from 1-5. A grade of 3 is considered passing, and is accepted by many colleges for credit.

This past May, AP exams were administered in 14 subjects.

The AP Biology, Chemistry, and Computer Science exams were administered to students that studied and took the exam independently. They all received a grade of 3 or higher.

AP United States History, Psycho!ogy, and US Government and Politics had the highest passing rates. AP Psychology, taught by Shi Bing Shen, reccived the highest ave rag~ .sco~~ ?~t

all the AP exam results (4 .38) and had the scores, but sometimes students Mariet D'Souza stressed the difficulty 95% of its students passing with a 3 or would tell me tl<lat they never expected of the AP French exam, which is widely higher.AP US History received the sec- to get .such a high grade," she said . considered to be the hardest AP lanond highest average score (4.18) and had "They are surprised by the extent of their guage test.

Two AP math classes , AP Calculus 93% passing. US Government and Poli- own knowledge," she added. tics had an average score of 3.39 and The A~ World History teachers were and AP Statistics, were taught last term.. pleased with last year's sophomore 's AP Calculus passed 75% of its students 92% passing.

Ms . Shen credits her students with 71% passing rate and average of 3.04. with an average score of 3.56. AP Calthe high AP Psychology scores, saying, This test was the most widely adminis- . culus teacher Sara Liu said the results "I believe they get good grades because tered because it is a requirement for all were "pretty much what I expected" and ' that "the students worked hard for the they -.york hard. It was their own per- - freshmen. sonal efforts and hard work."

"I'm very proud of our students," said most part with a couple of exceptions Although Assistant Principalof Sci- AP World Teacher Aliza Sherman. "Ac- because of senioritis." She hopes this ence Susan Brustein is impressed by the cording to Kaplan, only about a half of year's results will be even better and results and believes "takingAPcourses the studetns passed the test and our that "everyone would plit in .the effort are a. wonderful way for students to ex- school had a 71% rate of passing which and have the payoff be self-satisfacpand," she is concerned "that classes was really great; I expect that we should tion." AP Statistics had 68% of its stuthat aren't AP would seem to students do even better next year. Go ·Global!" dents passing and an average of 2.95. as o( lesser value." She added that "all she added.

Steven Mazza, who taught AP StatisIn the foreign language department, tics, stated, "This course is open to all, of our classes are of the highest caliber."

Maureen Lonergan, who has taught · AP Spapnish students achieved an 89% unlike other classes. Statistics is a wonAP US History on and off since 1985, passing rate with an average score of derful course. You learn about things was delighted with the results of last 3.66. APFrenchhad46passingtheexam that you see in real, every day life .

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with an average of 2.33. Fr~n~h ~e_a~~~~ . _!~~~·~ -~~~t -~~~~n.i~¥ _i~ ~~9~~· ·: ___

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The Classic September 2006

Bewildered by college choices? A.dmissions_statistics

by Jocelyn Wright Stressed about college? Not sure where to apply this year or next? The table below tells you everything you need to know about where last year';; seniors applied and should give you some ideas.

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The first and second column show. rejected are also listed.

College names followed by [ED] or the total number of applicants to each school, along with the total number ac- [EA] refer to the statistics or seniors who cepted. The lowest average, SAT Ver- . applied early decision or early admisbal, and SAT Math scores for the stu- sions. Early decision and early admisdents accepted follow. The highest av- sion applications are due in November, erage, SAT Verbal, and SAT Math scores and the results come back in December.

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Early decision is a binding commi to attend that college if accepted, early admissions applicants don' to inform colleges of their decisic til May. SA means special admit and u refers to a student Whose gender.

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Adelphi Adelphi [EA) Albanv CoiL Of Pharmacy Alfred University American University Amherst Amherst fEDl Bard Barnard Barnard(SA) Barnard [ED] Bates BaylorUniversity Boston College Boston College (SA) Boston College [EA l Boston University ,.Bowdoin [ED] Brandeis Brown Brown fEDl BrynMawr Bucknell University Carleton Colle e Carnegie Mellon Clark- Atlanta Clark University Colby Colgate CollegeofNewJersey College of William and Marv 'Columbia Columbia(SA) ColumbiafEDl ColumbiaUnionCollege Cooper Union cornel i-HoteiAdmin Cornell [ED] Cornell A&S Cornell Agr/Life jcornell Eng Cornell HE Cornell ILR CUNY - Baruch CUNY- Baruch (HONORS) CUNY- Brooklyn CUNY-Brooklyn(HONORS) CUNY- Brooklyn BA/MD CUNY -City CUNY-City(HONORS)

CUNY-Hunter(HONORS) CUNY -John Ja CUNY -Lehman CUNY- Queens CUNY- Queens (HONORS)

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01 I I· I Ol 891 5801 6401 II 88.61 7101 5801 II 92.11 7101 7201 Ol · I I I 01 95.61 7401 7401 41 95.81 7701 7901 II 91.61 6601 6301 II 93I740I6IOI II 83.41 .55015401 0I I I I Ol I I I 2 92.9 640 730 0 91.4 720 590 0 0 94 680 690 I 92.2 650 680

86.71 6501 52011Hamilton 83.81 5801 59011Hampshire College 86.11 7101 68011Hampton U. 91.41 6701 680IIHarvard 90.61 6101 640IIHarvard [EAJ 941 7701 750IIHaverford 95.61 7001 67011Hobart & William Smith I I IIHofstra 95 .7 I770I640IIHofstra[EAl I I IIHowardUniversity 95.61 700 I 770 II Illinois Institute of Technology 89.5I700I700IIrona 94.5 610 700 i Ithaca 94.9 670 700 Johns Hopkins · 95 .6 740 740 Johnson and Wales 93 610 680 Johnson C Smith 92.7 690 650 Juilliard

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92.3166016801 96.5I730I660ILeMoyn~College 92.91 6401 6601 951 6501 630~LIST College 78.21 6401 5601 74.41 4901 5101uu- Brooklyn __ n_l_740J690j93.2j640j6201uU-CWPost

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I 541 461 Ill 78.21 640[ 5601 85 .71 6201 6201Manhattan College I 211 Ill 31 78 .21 5401 6801 94.81 7001 78DIMarist·. ·

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The Classic September 2006

lp you decide wf?at schools are right for you ethnicity, or special talents SUNY Binghamton both hav(such as athletic ability or play- ing approximately 80 appliing an instrument) were a fac- - cants each, almost all of whom tor in the college's decision. were accepted. Closer to home, CUNY and SUNY were the NYU drew a large number or most popular choices last year, applicants, over -hal r or which with SUNY Stony Brook and were accepted.

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710 580

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660 670

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640 620

SUNY- Oneonta

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SUNY- Oswego

550 600

SUNY- Purchase

· SUNY- Stonv Brook

650 630

SUNY- Stonv Brook [EA] Swarthmore

650 660

Syracuse Temple Trinity .

Tufts Tulane U. of California (Berkeley)

670 700

U of Chicago

640 630

U. of Conn U. o(Connecticut

640 590

-U. of Delal.vare U of Florida U. of Maryland U. of Maryland (Bait) U. of Mass

660 660

U. of Massachusetts-Amherst U of Miami U, of Michigan U. of No. Caroli~ lc/1 Chapel Hill

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670 750

Washington U in St. Louis fED]

560 650 520 520

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530 640 640 640

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University of Maine at Orono

710 5-80

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The Classic September 2006

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leads SU

by MJarisa Lupo ''Go Bye or g0 home/' Student Union President Miebael :Bye likes to say. "It means do whatever It is you want to do at the moment you want to de it and never fear what pe0.ple's reaction to it is. Be confitlen.t in yourself and don't give a poop." However, when i•t comes to his job as President, Michael~ who prefers to be kDown as Bye, shows gr-ea~er. consideraton for his peers' opinions.

During last year's elections for student government, he winged his speech., he didn't campaign, and he didn't have any SU experi,e nce, but he did convey his devotion ta Townsend Harris and that he would take his jQb seriously.

B yc 's main priority this year is to elevate school spirit, wbich he feels is both severely Jacking and extremeJy important. Bye and Jim Brian Estil, S:tudent Union Vice Preside9't, encourage more. attendance at school sporting events,, carnivals, and performances. One way Bye hopes to do this is by making the spring and winter concerts during school hours so that all students would be able to appreciate their peers' talents. He also plans to r.emix the Alma Mater, and has other idea:s to promote class spirit. Bye is proposing a point system in which students can earn or lose points for their gFade based on behavior or activity involvement.

He is looking forw·a rd to working with this year's S.U. Executive J3oard in accompUshing these goals. ''I want to spread the tove for my Executive Board and the executives at large.

After our first two meetings, I r-eali:r..ed that without them, all J .B. and I have are empty promises," be said. · B yc feels that "high school should be a fun time" for everybOOy. He wants to "numb the pain of the school" that some freshmen might initially feel, because seniors shottldn't be the only ones having fun. Having been a freshman himself, Bye understands the difficulty gf the ~ansition that freshmen must mab upon entering Townsend Harris. He hopes to rnak.e a year of fteS'hman gym and colltaterals more enjoyable through his plans for school spirit.

He terms himself "t'he student liaison between the students and the "faculty." ''I am the middleman," be says, "and that's shnazzy.''

Seniors,venture beyond borders

by Adrianna Mateo and Jocelyn Wright What would you rather do .o ver · the summer: spend time with friends, study your favorite subjet.:ts, or go sightseeing halfway around the world? This past summer, seniors Richard Edele and Madeleine Wright did all . three. Richard journeyed east to Japan while MadeJine, accompanied

by English teacher Georgette Wallace , ventured westward to England .

Richard went to Japan through an organi zation . called Youth for Understanding USA. The organization proclaimed him a "young ambassador" and granted him a study schol- . arship to Japan. This sent him on a fully -(unded sixweek trip to various locales, giving him the opportunity to immerse himself in Japanese culture while studying Japanese.

When not attending school from 7:30AM to 4:30PM, Richard had the chance to observe some cultural differences between the United States and Japan. "For one thing, they didn ' t have security guards at the entrance of the school'" Richar~ said, laughing. He went on to point o~t several things the American schooling . system could learn from that of Japan: self-disci~ pline and dedication to one's studies is emphasized through the administration of daily quizzes, and there is unobstructed communication between

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Richard and his Japanese friends relax in front of their school in Japan.·

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students and those who make decisions to Tintern Abbey, a stone cathedral in at school. Richard also mentioned the Wales partially destroyed by King level of maturity and independence of Henry VIII. "The sights immediately students at the high school he attended. around [the abbey] were utterly breath"There's less student-teacher interac- taking .. . There was a profound feeling tion; the teachers are like college pro- of serenity within the walls," she said. fessors at work," he explained. When The peacefulness of Tintern Abbey asked about the perks of going to school contrasted immense11 with the rigorous in Japan, he paused thoughtfully andre- program Madeleine followed. While she sponded, "No homework." Richard, was there, she had to complete 40 jourhowever, is far from a slacker; as a se- . nal essays and three I ,000-word essays, nior, he's taking AP French, AP Span- take a two-hour written examination, ish, Chinese, Japanese, and is studying and attend lectures on subjects ranging German on his own time. from applying to Oxford to South AfriAlthough Madeleine did not have to can Rock Art. . speak a different language in England, Ms. Wallace deemed the Oxford proshe, too, was able to immerse herself in gram a "really fine program, especially a world of language and culture during for the students . It was very fun for me . the three weeks she spent at Oxford While the program was not inexpensive, University. She attended the St. Hugh's the students did get their money's College Summer School., one of the worth ." This included. private tutoring many colleges that make up Oxford. with eminent lecturers who were "just On Wednesdays , Saturdays, and Sun- fabulous, everyone of them." days, Madeline and Ms . Wallace spent' Both Richard and Madeleine felt the entire day sightseeing with the rest mild culture shock· upon returning to the of the 17 students in the program. They United States. Richard recalled thinkvisited Stonehenge, Sals.bury ing in Japanese due to his summer-long Gloucester, the Globe Theater, the Na- immersion in the language, while tional Gallery, the National Portrait Gal- Madeline distinctly remembers the conlery, and the common gardens. Madeline fusion she caused by asking , "Where's recalled with relish one day 's excursion the rubbish bin?"

Sangiorgi brings baseball equipmen.t to Zambia

by Stephanie Pak them . inability to pay the delivery fees. "You While many people vacationed in "The kids basically fabricated a ball, can imagine the shock on my face when exotic places or stayed at home over the bat, and bases from whatever they had I was told that the 18-pound package · summer, chemistry teacher Thomas lying around~bats. were hand-carved cost $649 to deliv~r," said Mr. Sangiorgi undertook his own small- from tree branches lxing around, for ex- Sangiorgi, laughing. · scale humanitarian effort this past July. ample. I figured any donation to these After Mr. Sangiorgi explained the After reading a sports article on childrenwouldbeveryappreciated,"he problemtothepostofficeandModell's ESPN.com, he donated baseball equip- explained. (where he bought the materials), everyment to children in Zambia so that they Mr. Sangiorgi contacted .Greg bye- one praised his efforts and was willing · could learn about the American pastime mail and told him of his plan to send to help offset the costs. The package and play baseball themselves. baseball equipment. Greg was whole- arrived on time, although not without The article that Mr. Sangiorgi read heartedly enthusiastic. There was a one final complication. When Greg arexplained how Greg Steinsndoerfer, a catch, however: the package had to ar- rived at the post office, the official in college student volunteering in Zambia rive in Zambia within roughly two Zambia "wanted. to charge an extra $100 with World Vision, a Christian relief weeks because Greg needed to get the 'fee' to pick it up," said Mr. Sangiorgi. organization, learned that Zambian chi!- package and distribute it to the children "Greg explained to them that the box dren knew nothing about baseball. On before he returned to the United States. contained a donation of equipment for th~ 4th of July, missing the sport himWithout wasting a minl}te, Mr. Sangiorgi the children and the 'fee' magically disself, Greg decided to teach the village bought 24 baseballs, I 0 softballs, an alu- appeared," he added. baseball. Upon reading how. much the minum bat, and five whiffle ball sets.

Shortly thereafter, Greg emailed Mr. Zambian children loved the game but There were several obstacles that Sangiorgi picturt:s of the Zambian chilhow they had no real equipment to play stood in the way besides the short dead- dren happily pl<iying with his equipwith, M(.. S~J;Jgi.ar.gj .decided--tr') •hellJ' • ·Jine. A'·rnajor ()ne . was Worhl.V-i.sjon's . • ment. J'.h.ey , tt&p,e~i'll!.Y. _app~~c.i~t~sJ. t_he

aluminum bat, which is the only "real" bat in the entire village."

"I was left with the impression that the kids would really appreciate the equipment and probably sleep with their genuine 'major league' baseballs," be said.

When asked if he would do something like this again, Mr. Sangiorgi emphatically replied, "definitely, without question .. These are good, down-toearth, honest people dealing with poverty and an AIDS epidemic that affects a good amount of the adult population.

They are vel-y" appreciative of the help and assistance they receive, especially from World Vision. While I didn't exactly build a clinic or provide clean drinking water for the village, I was glad I could help bring a little joy into their lives .... This was truly a case of several people who never previously met cooperating together to do something cool."

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The Classic

7

September 2006

LOTE welcomes new addditi'ons to staff . '

Diana Villaverde

Carolina Lopera

by Marissa Green An enthusiastic cook and frequent traveler, Diana Villaverde, a Spanish teacher and native of Lima, Peru, brings some new spice to the Languages Other than English Department.

Ms . Villaverde has a passion for teaching. ''I always liked teaching. I used to play with my dolls; they were my students," she said.

She particularly enjoys teaching Spanish because "it's my language."

This year, she is organizing the trip to Spain. "I'm trying to get as many people as I can," she said. They Will visit Seville, Madrid , Granada and Costa Del Sol during the spring break.

Ms. Villaverde was born and raised in Lima. Upon concluding of 16, she moved to the United States to conhigh school at tinue her education at Queens College. One of her most memorable classes, called "Critical Issues in Education," taught all about the "laws [ofteachirigJ, what you were supposed to do and not supposed to do ."

After completing her degree, Ms . Villaverde started teaching at Francis Lewis High School. After a year, she moved to the Dwight School in Central Park West, a private school, and taught there for two years. When asked how Harrisites compare to the other students she has taught, Ms . Villaverde declared, "They're more interesting."

She explained, "This place was not predictable" and the students were "not easy to read"· on the first day.

the~age

When she's not teaching, Ms . Villaverde enjoys cooking "any type · willing to try everything ," sh'e said. She a lso loves to ira vel.

L a st s ummer, 0 she visited E. :~ Machu Picchu.

C/) The summer be-~ fore, she traveled --;;, OJ) to Chile and Bo<t:"' livia . .£ [of food] . I am

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by Madeleine Wright .

Carolina Lopera knew she wanted to be a language teacher ever since she was a little girl in southern France. "Coming from a biracial background," she explained, "I grew up around exposure to several different languages."

This year Ms . Lopera has ha'p pily accepted her first position teaching French.

A recent graduate of Queens College, Ms. Lopera has a comfortable knowledge of German and Senegalese, the native languages of her parents, and is fluent in both English and Spanish. Her true passion, however, is French literature. "I love the French literature, especially of the eighteenth century, and hopefully I'll have my Master's degree by next year in this area of study," she

said.

Ms. Lopera, who likes to travel in her spare time, has already trekke? over much of Europe, the United States, and parts of Africa. She also enjoys reading books , especially novels by Jackie Collins. "I'm ashamed of it," she said, "but . I love books by Jackie Collins. She's a horrible writer, but !just love her cheesy, ridiculous booRs." Ms. Lopera also has an "inexplicable" enchantment with storms. "I read the weather section of the newspaper every day, but I'm really fascinated with hur. ricanes and tornados. Don't ask me why," she said. "When -I was a little girl, I used to ask my parents for books on hurricanes for Christmas. Recently my friend got me this book called 'Hurricanes for Dummies 7' and I'm really happy with it. ... It's so weird," she continued. "My friends make fun of me for it," she added . .

Ms . Lopera feels that when students study a new language such as French, it "teaches them to be-more openminded,". and that those who do learn a second language "dev'e lop faster.mentally." She .. says that as long as students want to learn French, she wants -to be here to teach it. "I really ~ enjoy this job," she said. "The ~ people here m:g nice, tbe .Ki~~ ~ here are wonderful, and this is -;, a job I'm just really lucky to .D 2 have ." ·

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Widman whizzes·into math classrooms

Fee takes on APO duties

by Laura Schubert Aleeza Widman, a former event planner, swapped reception plans for lesson plans when she decided to become a teacher. This year, she joins the faculty as a new member of the Math department.

After receiving her Masters degree in hotel mimagement from Boston University, Ms . Widman became an event planner. She quickly found that a career planning weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, and breakfast meetings for hundreds of people was not for her. "It was strenuous in a bad way," Ms . Widman explained. "I wanted a career where I felt more appreciated," she added. Her search for that fulfilli : g jot;> ended when she decided on teaching.

Ms. Widman describes herself as a very dedicated teacher and is eager to build relationships with the students. In the past she has been involved with the American Cancer Society and plans on getting students involved as well. Ms . Widman has donated her hair twice to make wigs for cancer patients. Having seen so many girls with long hair, · she is interested in holding a hair drive at Townsend Harris, adding that it requires 12 people's hair to make one wig.

One thing Ms. Widman loves about teaching is getting to know the students and seeing them excited about learning. After teaching a new method of factoring to her class, she recalls, "One girl's eyes lit up and that was nice to me ." She continued, "It [teaching] is a very persona( job." As an event planner she felt as though she "just fed people."

When she's not teaching, Ms. Widman is a tennis player and a Yankees fan. She is also very well-traveled. p..

She has been to Mexico, England, '§ France, Italy, and parts of the Middle :::l C/) ;>, East. Although she loves to see new ..D 0 places Ms. Widman says that she is al0 ..c: 0.. ways glad to be back at home.

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by Devon Wright and Jocelyn Wright Wondering why Assistant Principal of Math and Physical Education Ellen Fee seems to be spending less time in her office in 503? She's not slacking off; she's beensplitting her time between there and her new office in 311.

After Howard K wait, the former Assistant Principal of Organization, left to become the interim principal at John High School, Ms. Fee agreed to fill his shoes temporarily while Principal Thomas Cunningham looks for a full-time APO. When asked how long it will be until he finds one, Ms. Fee says she has "no idea" but that it should be "some time this year."

Bown~

Ms. Fee is now in charge of allocating the school's budget, supervising the teachers' aides, secretaries, custodial staff, and security agents, and proposing and implementing . the school safety plan. She keeps in contact with Mr.Kwait; when she comes across problems that she cannot deal with, she emails him for assistance.

In addition to these new tasks, Ms. Fee must juggle her responsibilities asAP of Mathematics and Physical Education. Ms. Fee says the best part of her job is that "the people that I work with do their job well," which makes her job easier. She feels, however, that she doesn't have "enough time" and that the best way to handle this situation is to be proactive and to focus on time management. While ,~he terribly misses "student interaction and teaching," she added that "the staff in Townsend Harris has been very · supportive in helping me deal with adjusting to this new position."

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The Classic

8 Discover the anc·ient wonders of Machu _Pi.cchu September 2006

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by Mary Grace Papatheodorou

can find in Cuzco include colorful . from up close. The woodcarvings, pottery, sweaters made massive stones of alpaca or llama wool, gloves and hats. that the fortress . As we set out to explore the city, we was constructed headed for the Plaza de Armas. In Incan with weigh up to times , it was considered to be the cen125 tons, making ter of the empire, and important relithe building of gious and military ceremonies of the s uch ·a structure Incas took place there. Also, deceased quite an impresIncas were mourned there. We entered sive feat. The outthe Cathedral which was built where the side walls of the palace oflnca Wiracocha used to stand. fortress are intact This cathedral is built was built with but the building itlarge stones from the fortress of self is destroyed.

Sacsayhuaman, whrch is located outside The Incan throne, the city, and it portrays a mixture of from which the Spanish and Indian architecture. I was king used to. obreally impressed with the altar which is serve his parading made of solid silver, and the paintings troops, is still throughout the cathedral were magnifithere. cent.

"The Lost City" Temple of the Sun Cu zco was a Walking -south from .the Plaza, we beautiful experiBreathtaking view came upon the Iglesia Santo Domingo. ence but our hearts Cuzco is situated I 0,900 feet above During Incan times, this was the Temple were set on visitsea level, so as soon as we arrived , we of the Sun and was considered to be the ing "the lost city" were told to take it easy until our bod- most important place of worship in the of the Incas: Mist cloaks Machu Picchu as the sun rises in the early-morning. ies adjusted to the altitude. It is not un- Incan Empire. We were told by our Machu Picchu. We usual to feel a sudden need for oxygen . guide that the walls were once covered were told that Portable oxygen tanks can be provided with 700 sheets of gold , studded with there are only three ways to get there .

Machu Picchu was always a mystery to you at a moment's notice by hotel emeralds and turquoise, and the win- From Cuzco, one can take the local as only a chosen few from the Incas were staff. It is also fairly common to get dows were constructed so that the sun train and ride side by side with the allowed to glimpse it. It was a sanctuary hammering headaches as a result of the could enter in a certain way to create a chickens, the pigs, the llamas and the hidden from the rest of the world. It was high altitude. The recommendation of blinding reflection .off of the precio11s locals. There is also a more comfort- the home of priests, high functionaries, ' able option of travel, the tourist train, craftsmen and servants and most import~e locals was to take a nap and drink a metals. It is also said that the mummi- lot of a special local tea. fied bodies of the deceased Inca leadan Orient Express type of train with tantly the mamacuanas or virgins chosen l W.'lS impresses with th€ Gity's grand ers dressed in rich garments were kept dinner, music, and even a fashion to dedicate their lives to the sun God. architecture. The buildings ofCuzc6 are in th rones of gold tended by women se- show included . If your spirit is more It is situated on a steep summit overbuilt in a colonial style on Incan foun- _ lected for this honor. A huge golden disk . of the adventurous type, then the hard looking the Urubamba river and what dations using the same type of stones representing the sun once covered one way up is the perfect choice for you! drew my attention immediately were the that the Incas used . The streets are also ·of the walls, while a sister silver di~k This route takes you on the Inca traiL terraces situated throughout the area, built paved with these stones. Most ·homes representing the moon covered the The four-hour train ride takes you ingeniously for agricultural purposes. here have red-tiled roofs. Children imd other. Even thoughwe can only imag- along rhe valley of the Rio Urubamba. There are streets, fountains, squares and local vendors can be seen almost every- ine the riches that once existed in this If you wish to do the five-day hike of even aqueducts through which crysta! the Inca trail , you must get off the train clear water still runs today. There is a cernwhere, often dressed in t~eir colorful tra- place, we can still see the powerful arditional costumes and unique hats. They chitecture with the perfect laying of at kilometer 88 . Climbing up to 13,000 etery, jails, temples, an astronomical obfeet is quite a challenging hike, but it servatory situated on the top of the mounsmile and surround passing tourists, try- stones that remains there. There are also ing to sell their brightly-colored hand- plenty of museums to see throughout is priceless since along the trail, the tain, and Intiwatan.a, a strangely shaped made tapestries depicting local life , Cuzco, full of artifacts found during ex- true history of the Incas will begin to stone which is believed to have been a solar clock. Some of the homes used to be along with carved pumpkins and flutes. cavations of areas where the Incas lived . unfold before your own eyes.

We did not have enough time to two stories high and were topped with Llamas happen to be a popular theme Skilled architects We. t_hen took a bus which brought take the daring hike , so we rode the straw roofs. A perfectly designed city' in Incan artwork, and it is not unusual tourist train. During the 75 mile ride, The true architectwral m·a rvel at Machu to see some of these vendors taking_their us outside Cyzco to see Sacsayhuaman, we gazed at a beautiful landscape of Picchu rs the precision with which the llamas with them as they try to sell their a fortress where you can admire the anartwork in the streets. Other items one Cient construction skills of the Incas green fields, small villages with smil- building stones· were put together. It is ing natives i\pproaching the train and believed this wonder was built in the mid15'h century by Inca .Pachacutec. selling their artwork, llamas, horses, and a beautiful blue sky: a small piece Historical Mystery of heaven on earth .

Machu Picchu was discovered acciFinally we arrived . We walked to dentally in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an the Hotel Turistas followed by a small American archeologist, who was led there mob of local vendors and curious chi!- by a native he had met while looking for dren, always smiling. After a short a site called Vileabamba (another lost city walk, our eyes met the peaks of the of the Incas). When he first found the area, legendary Machu Picchu . Upon it was completely infested with snakes and glimpsing the area, I was astonished everything was covered by trees and to see such symmetry and beauty,_and vines. The fate ofthe city still remains un1 could not help but wonder, how did known .

What happened to the people? Spanthey ever build this? What an amazing place, hidden deep in the jungle ish chronicles make no mention of it. for so many years and still no one re- Theories speak of epidemics to the extent ally knows what happened there. The · that the habitants were ostracized and left ~ site is situated 3,000 feet below Cuzco, in the city to die. Excavations discovered ~ a total height of7,900 feet, and the eli173 skeletons of people, 150 of which mate is semitropical. Surrounded by were women: no gold objects were found ." dense jungle vegetation, it is located Sources: _ Some of the 13,000 steps wind through the ruins of old houses as they lead tourists to between the Huayna Picchu (young "Machu Picchu:" A Year in South and Central "the lost city." .•• . . . . . ·' . . . .. . . _._._ . . . . . . . , peak) and M.achu P.icchu (old peak). , ~merica. ~7 May 2006 <http://ourbigjoumey.com/ No other country in South America has as astonishing an archeological heritage as does Peru . The· most important archeological wonder in Peru is the citadel of Machu Picchu, a city left behind by the Incas that is isolated 75 miles from the city of Cuzco in the valley of the Urubamba River.

To visit this magnificent place my family and I took a flight from Lima to Cuzco, the capital of the Incan Empire where Francisco Pizarro and his soldiers arrived five centuries ago. The name Cuzco was taken from the Incan word Qosqo, which means "Navel of the World," and the Incan people believed that their splendid city was the source of all life . Even the Spaniards, impressed with the order and magnificence of Cuzco, wrote back to Spain saying that it was the most marvelous city of the New World.

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