Harrisites Harmonize
An interview with three vocal artists, who share their experiences as musicians. page 12
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The Classic
Contents
Cover Story. Learn about some of Townsend’s finest vocalists as they share their musical pasts as well as their greatest and strangest experiences as developing musicians. From classical to pop, there are few types of music that this group doesn’t have interest in. Page 4.
With the help of Japanese teacher Dr. Mariko Sato-Berger, Townsend Harris’s Japanese Program continues to build a strong friendship with Japan. Our sister school, Shimoda High School, shares a historical connection with THHS that links back to the time of Harris himself. Explore the history and nature of that connection on page 8.
Aside from all the academic learning Harrisites do at Townsend Harris, many upperclassmen are also learning how to drive outside of school. Discover their experiences with taking Driver’s Education and driving to school. Page 12.
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 of the student body as a whole. We welcome letters to the editor. Townsend Harris High School 149-11 Melbourne Avenue Flushing, NY 11367 thhsclassic@gmail.com
CREATED BY THE STUDENTS OF MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM
EST. 1984
The Classic reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and conci-
Cover photo by Kari Iocolano Cover art by Jamie Fung Back cover designed by Rebecca Shi
sion.
Nicole Barros, Mahirah Billah, Asmaaul Chowdhury, Sarah Ebbrecht, Jamie Fung, Stephanie Geier, Durell Gill, Stanley Harcharan, Shaun Kapse Abinash Kaur, Mehr Kaur, Rebecca Kwon, Jason Lalljee, Nina Leeds, Alexa Luciano, Angelika Narewski, Catherine Ng, Fariha Nizam, Emma Noblesala, Zachariah Ooi, Dimitri Perdik, Nijah Phills, Abygail Rampersad, Ekta Rana, Erin Robinson, Rebecca Shi, Daniel Szewczyk, Kasey Wagner, Jennifer Walsh, Stephanie Yeh, and Woo Jung Yi Advisor: Brian Sweeney
The Classic Magazine 路 February 2015
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Harrisite Singers Share Musical Experiences
ev w cho solo
Interviews conducted by Jason Lalljee, Nina Leeds, Fariha Nizam, Erin Robinson, Jennifer Walsh Noah Sadik practices the piano at THHS.
Photo by Kari Iocolano
Musical talent at Townsend Harris ranges from those with a passion for singing in the shower to those who have performed to a full house at Carnegie Hall. With seniors often in the news, we decided to highlight the accomplishments of a freshman, a sophomore, and a junior with talent. Whether it’s performing professionally or just wowing Harrisites at the Winter Concert, these three have a lot to share about their passion for singing.
HOW DID YOUR MUSICAL CAREER START? NOAH SADIK (NOAH): Ever since I can remember, I’ve always loved music, especially, like, classical music. I started playing the piano when I was three, and I also was interested at three or four in ballet, so I started dancing at the Joffrey Ballet as well as playing piano. Around second grade I had to switch piano teachers. At one of [my teacher’s] piano recitals, I heard she was also a voice teacher and a bunch of her students sang, so I was really interested and I said at the next lesson how I wanted to sing. After she heard my voice she said, “Forget piano, he can sing.” ...I was singing at a bunch of school events and singing in general, classical music. I had a friend at school, Miles, who was in a theater group….
So I joined his theater group. ..[The director of the group] ran into the new director of the children’s chorus six years ago now, and recommended three of his best students to audition for the Met chorus. We all auditioned and Miles and I got in after a long singing test, ear test, and music test. I kept my passion for singing and continued singing there for four years and I was in almost every single opera with the children’s chorus and I did some solo roles there too, like the Spirit in The Magic Flute, and all the children’s chorus stuff. About a year and a half ago my voice started changing, which is when boys resign and take a break so they can rest their voice. I’ve also been
playing cello for five years...I also attend the pre-college program at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College every Saturday where I study orchestra, play cello, play piano, sing, [do] music theory and [an] opera workshop. FIONA CALBERSON (FIONA): I’ve been singing since I was around 3, thats when I joined my first choir and I’ve been in choirs since then I did one over at Queens College at the Aaron Copland school of music in the preparatory program. And then I sang with the Young Peoples Chorus of New York City for a little while with that school. I’ve been playing violin since I was 5 taking lessons for ten years. I did all county one time.
The TheClassic ClassicMagazine Magazine· ·February February2015 2015
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WHAT’S THE STRANGEST THING THAT’S HAP-
“I was in almost very single opera with the children’s orus, and I did some o roles [at the Met] too.”
PENED TO YOU WHILE PERFORMING? (CONTINUED) One time in a performance of La Boheme the sets are pretty big and during intermission they use conveyer belts to change the sets. One time the conveyer belt broke down and they almost had to cancel the show because they might not have been able to put on the next act. But luckily after an hour long intermission they fixed it. The show must go on. FIONA: I was singing in two choirs in one concert: Queens Youth Concert and also the Aaron Copland School of Preparatory Studies Choir that I was also in and the uniform for the Copland one was all black, but the other choir was black pants and a bright red polo shirt, and I didn’t realize that I wouldn’t have time to change between performances so I performed with a choir wearing all black in a bright red polo shirt, and that was interesting. JACQUELINE: There are times where I’ve almost fallen asleep when I’ve been performing. Fiona Calberson practices the violin at THHS. Photo by Kari Iocolano
HOW DID YOUR CAREER START (CONTINUED)?
JACQUELINE: I play a lot of instruments, sing and was involved in dance and acting for a while. I first started singing in elementary school. Later on in high school, I convinced my parents to let me get private lessons. I play the violin, piano, guitar, a little bit of bass and played trombone in elementary school.
WHAT’S THE STRANGEST THING
THAT’S HAPPENED TO YOU WHILE PERFORMING? NOAH: Wow I actually have a lot of strange things. One time in the production of Hansel and Gretel at the Met, in the end, where Hansel and Gretel are fed, the Met uses real food; there are real cake bits splattered everywhere and we would always squish all the cake with our boots while we sang. One of the principals in their bow slipped on cake and fell and the guy who played the father caught him.
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IF YOU COULD DUET WITH ANYONE, LIVING OR DEAD, WHO WOULD IT BE? NOAH: I would probably sing a duet with Elina Garanca, an opera singer, or Anna Netrebko or Natalie Dessay who is one of my favorite opera singers. FIONA: Cecilia Bartoli -- she’s an Italian opera/recital music [vocalist] and sings very very early music, so Renaissance music and Baroque period and Medieval, and she’s very scholarly in the way that she goes about it. She researches the composer and really fully understands the way that the music is to be sung and the instrumentation, and she makes an album of all of that and she just has this amazing voice on top of all of that and she’s really one of my vocal role models. JACQUELINE: Darren Criss. I first learned about him when he was acting as Harry in A Very Potter Musical and I fell in love with his voice and began following him. I love his voice and love him as a person.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR GREATEST MUSICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT? NOAH: My greatest musical accomplishment I would have to say is getting so far with piano, I continue to and have really enjoyed it for 10 years. Also, getting into the Met and all of the performances I did there. I have also sung at other theaters in New York like The New York Philharmonic. FIONA: I did a violin competition a couple of years ago and the winner got to perform the piece that they competed with with an orchestra behind them. The way violin concertos work is you have the soloist and then the entire orchestra backing them up. And when I won the competition I got to play the first movement of the Bach concerto for violin in E major and that was really awesome. JACQUELINE: I would say that there is not one concrete musical accomplishment. I am just really proud of how far I’ve gotten from the beginning to where I am now and I just want to keep improving.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG OR GENRE OF MUSIC? NOAH: Thats so hard. My favorite genre is classical. I also really love pop music. I don’t really like rap. I don’t mind it; I’m just not a big fan. I like the romantic era the most. I like exciting, up-paced classical music. FIONA: I would have to say early music -- you know, like the 1600s, 1700s, Bach and before, you know, to Palestrina. [I like] the harmony, and the structure. Baroque music is very, you know, it has a motif, and then the composer usually does something very cool with that, and it usually comes back to that. Parts of it are very stately, and it’s structured, and I just love the way that the instrumentation sounds, and there’s a lot of harpsichord and organ -- I love the way that those instruments sound, especially with violin. JACQUELINE: It changes a lot, but right now, it’s “Uptown Funk.” My favorite genre: jazz and show tunes. river nacame from it would have been rewritten a thousand times and everything that was left from its origin would be the word “and” and the Little Blind Text should turn around and return to its own, safe country. But
“I AM JUST REALLY PROUD OF HOW FAR I’VE GOTTEN FROM THE BEGINNING TO WHERE I AM NOW.”
Jacqueline wows the crowds at the December Winter Concert, where she sang a solo. Photo by Kari Iocolano
The Classic Magazine 路 February 2015
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“My favorite thing [was] being able to become friends with THHS students and participating in class.”
THE SHIMODA CONNECTION By Stephanie Geier
Later this March, students from Shimoda High School, Townsend Harris’s sister school, will be visiting once again. But how is THHS connected to Japan and how has this connection impacted students? President Franklin Pierce appointed Townsend Harris to be the first American consul-general in Japan in 1856. Harris then set up a consulate at Gyokusenji Temple in Shimoda and eventually negotiated the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, which opened certain Japanese ports to trade with the U.S. during a period of Japanese isolationism. Today, that temple is home to a museum dedicated to Harris, with the rooms he lived in still maintained. Japanese teacher Mariko Sato said that, unlike in the United States, in Japan, “[Harris’s] name is very big.” While students in the U.S. are more likely to learn about related figures such as Commodore Perry as opposed to Harris, Dr. Sato notes that historians from various institutions contact her for information about Harris since THHS is one of the few sources of information
about him. Mina Suzuki, a former student of Shimoda High School who came to THHS in 2012 and is currently studying in Boston, explained what students from Shimoda learn about Harris: “Our teacher teaches us his history. For example, what he did in America, why he came to Japan, what he did in Japan, and his life in Japan. Japanese people thought Townsend Harris worked hard as the Ambassador Consul to Japan. And it was difficult for him to work in Japan because Japan closed the country and didn’t communicate a lot with foreigners.” “Sister schools” are two schools in separate countries that usually share a historical connection, with activities occurring between students in both countries. According to Hiroko Muchnicki, who taught Japanese at THHS from 1989-2003, in September, 1988, “formal documents were exchanged to establish a ‘Sister School Agreement’” between Shimoda High School and THHS. The agreement was coordinated as a result of efforts
(Above) Students from THHS and Shimoda gather together in the city. Photo courtesy of Dr. Sato
The Classic Magazine · February 2015 made by former principal Dr. Malcolm Largmann, Mr. Sakamoto (a graduate of Shimoda High School), and the “sensei” of Gyokusenji Temple, Mr. Hurakami. During her tenure at THHS, Mrs. Muchnicki arranged various homestay trips for THHS and Shimoda students. The first visit she arranged was in the spring of 1996, when five students from THHS went with her to Shimoda. She emphasized how welcoming the people were, adding that the local newspaper in Shimoda even covered the students’ arrival. The second trip she arranged was in the summer of 1998, when six students traveled there on a grant from the Japan Society. In March 2000, Shimoda students made their first visit to THHS. “So when Shimoda came to THHS, we made plaques to exchange with...an assistant principal, Mr. Tsuchiya, in 2000,” described Mrs. Muchnicki. Mrs. Muchnicki stresses the importance of the relationship between THHS and Shimoda, saying, “Harris is the person who connected two cities, countries, and people. THHS and Shimoda students can learn through Harris’ experience to understand each other.” While Assistant Principal of Health, Organization, and Physical Education Ellen Fee said that THHS’s relationship with Japan is important for the actual Japanese department at THHS, she said that the relationship “also spills over to the rest of the student body so that we
learn how to be good hosts.” Senior Christina Sue explained one aspect of being a proper host: “[The Shimoda students] give a ton of gifts, since it is in the culture, so we had to prepare many goodies for them too.” The gifts exchanged included fans, exquisite wall decorations, and ornaments. In the past, Shimoda students also made a large display for THHS students. Shimoda students have also presented THHS with the “Daruma”--a hollow, round Japanese doll representing luck and friendship. That year, the students drew one eye on the doll, leaving the second eye blank as a promise that they would return next year to draw it-which they did. Mrs. Muchnicki said that in 1999, a kimono specialist from Japan, Mrs. Ishida, performed a demonstration of a Japanese wedding and gave THHS a bridal gown. While at THHS, students from Shimoda participate in a wide variety of activities such as Japanese culture presentations, karaoke, visiting classrooms, a potluck party, and interacting with students from THHS’s Japanese classes. “My favorite thing [was] being able to become friends with THHS students and participating in class,” said Mina. The mingling of the students proves to be a one of a kind experience for those who participate.
Principal Barbetta meets with students from Japan.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Sato
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Dr. Sato and Shimoda representatives stand around the just-planted Japanese cherry blossom tree. Photo courtesy of Dr. Sato Junior Yun Ping Tseng added, “The language barrier wasn’t actually that difficult. I basically pulled out all the Japanese I knew and tried to communicate. We basically asked each other things such as what our hobbies are and about our family.” Christina specifically appreciated their sense of humor, adding, “The most surprising thing about them is that they totally change once you get to know them for a few minutes. It’s a complete 180 degree change, and it’s really fun exchanging contact information and introducing each other.” She said some of the topics they’d talk about were schools and hometowns, flights, and future aspirations. “These are just snippets, though,” she said. “We would marvel at each other’s mastery of the other person’s language (always fun to do) and play a lot of charades if the language was just not working in our favor.” Shimoda and THHS students have participated in a variety of activities outside THHS during the visits. Christina recalls another memorable event: “In 2012 we planted a tree near Queens College to commemorate [the Shimoda students’] arrival.” During this time, the two groups of students gathered together to plant a Japanese cherry tree in front of the Science Building on Queens College campus. This was done to shed light on the schools’ friendship with Shimoda in light of the tsunami that ravaged parts of Japan that year. The students also visited the United Nations to view an exhibit on the 2011 tsunami in Japan, which Dr. Sato said was a “very sad, but a very deep, meaningful experience.”
“The most suprising thing about them is that they totally change once you get to know them for a few minutes. It’s a complete 180 degree change, and it’s really fun exchanging contact information and introducing each other.”
The Classic Magazine · February 2015 Over the years, certain Harrisites have been able to reap the benefits of government-funded programs such as the Japan Society, Youth for Understanding, and most recently, the Khakehashi Project. Dr. Sato thinks exchange programs with students from other areas of Japan are equally important. She added that Shimoda is “unlike the rest of Japan” due to its tropical agriculture and location on the tip of the Izu Peninsula, but it is only a small, relatively inaccessible portion of the country. “I basically welcome any visitors. I don’t think I’ve ever said no,” said Dr. Sato. “The ultimate goal is to be able to have students learn Japanese,” she added. “It’s definitely important [for students] to have as much exposure as possible.” These programs have fulfilled their purpose, linking students from across the globe, even after their departure, for years to come. Christina still keeps in touch with Shimoda students she befriended via social media. In fact, she said that many of the Shimoda students made Facebook accounts while they were in the U.S. “There was this one girl I stayed in contact with more frequently,” said Christina. “On New Year’s, she sent me photos of the rising sun from her town. They were beautiful.” Mary McCarthy ‘91 took part in a NYC Board of Education-funded program informally called the “TokyoNew York Exchange Program.’
Ms. McCarthy, currently a professor at Drake University specializing in Japan’s foreign and domestic policies, has taught Japanese politics to hundreds of graduates, and said this trip “entirely changed [her] life’s trajectory.” She stayed mainly in Tokyo with a host family, and in exchange had to host students from Tokyo in the fall of her junior year. Ms. McCarthy befriended her host “sister,” Rie Taniura, during her trip, and it has stayed this way for years. “When I visited Japan through my early 30s, Rie and I would get together and travel or shop,” said Ms. McCarthy. “[Rie and I] wrote a couple letters in the early days (the old snail mail), but I mostly met up with [the Japanese students] in Tokyo when I visited,” she said. “I spent my junior year spring semester of college in Japan, studying in Nagoya. I took the overnight bus to Tokyo one weekend and met Rie there.” Based on her expertise in Japanese-American studies, Ms. McCarthy concluded this about THHS’s connections with Japan: “Human-to-human exchange is something that cannot be replicated in any other way. Today it is easy to meet people from around the world through things like online gaming, but there is still nothing like actually meeting someone in the flesh and getting to know them... It widens perspectives and enhances understanding, while destroying preconceptions and biases. It helps us to become global citizens in this globalized world.”
Okinawa students pose in the library after presenations about Japanese culture. Photo by Mary Ji and Janet Zheng
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DRIVER’S ED
ROADBLOCKS BY
STEPHANIE YEH
“ IF PRIVATE SCHOOLS CAN DO IT, WHY CAN’T WE?” All artwork for this article was produced by the art/photography team: Jamie Fung, Rebecca Shi, Kasey Wagner, Stephanie Yeh, and Woo Jung Yi
THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNED RED and senior Musfera Khan, who was driving with her dad, reversed the car in order to stay behind the crossing line. The light turned green, and forgetting to switch the car back into drive, Musfera resumed driving. To her surprise, the car started rolling backwards. Amid the rambunctious honking of angry drivers waiting in a long line of traffic behind her, she quickly corrected her mistake. “That freaked me out so much but my dad ended up laughing at this stupid mistake I made,” she recalled Musfera is one upperclassmen who attends a Driver’s Education course and has experienced the struggles of learning to drive. Though certain private high schools in NYC offer such programs at the high school itself, DOE policies often prevent public schools from establishing a program. The Mary Louis Academy, St. John’s Preparatory School and Holy Cross High School, for instance, each made contracts with the Ferrari Driving School to do in-class Driver’s Ed activities. In general, whether or not to open the program to students outside a high school is up for the school to decide. St. Francis Preparatory High School has a similar system. “I took it after school twice a week,” Alexis Capponi, a senior at St. Francis Prep, explained. “We met one day a week for theory from 3-4:30 where we watched videos, took notes, and took a final. But it didn’t get counted into our GPA. If we failed the class we would have to take Driver’s Ed again.” “[Having a Driver’s Ed program] was really convenient, I didn’t need to search for a program, I knew exactly where it was and what I would have to do,” commented Amanda Marcano, a senior at The Mary Louis Academy who took Driver’s Ed through the school.
The Classic Magazine · February 2015
Students park outside the school entrance in senior Stanley Harcharan’s Nissan. Photo by Woo Jung Yi. What many do not know is that THHS administration had tried hard to have its own Driver’s Education program. According to Assistant Principal of Organization, Health and Physical Education Ellen Fee, under former principal Kenneth Bonamo, she and the president of the Parent Teacher Association went to about three different Driver’s Education companies to try to establish a program at THHS. However, there were bumps along the road that prevented this from happening. “The DOE has said we don’t have liability insurance and the Board of Ed can’t charge for a class [THHS gives credit for]…” Ms. Fee explained. “The DOE first and then insurance [were the problems]. Each step of the way we would get through the paying part and then there would be an insurance problem.”
“If private schools can do it why can’t we do it? We just couldn’t get it to work,” she added. Thus, Harrisites who have taken Driver’s Ed attended various places around NYC. Senior Kimberly Newman, who took a driver’s education course at Holy Cross High School, frequently drives to school. Overall, she was satisfied with her experience there, saying, “My driving instructor taught very well and helped improve my driving skills, but taught too much towards the test. Also the classroom lessons didn’t help very much with driving.” Senior Ariana Stergiou, who also took Driver’s Ed at Holy Cross and sometimes drives to school in the morning, feels the program was worthwhile and “easygoing.”
“THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE... IS... FOCUS”
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Sponsored by Kweller Prep Jim March, a Driver’s Ed lecturer at Holy Cross High School, feels that the aspect of driving that teens struggle to grasp the most is not using cell phones. “The biggest obstacle right now for teens is they have to focus on the road,” he said. “Many of them are addicted to their cell phones. When we do the Driver’s Ed programs we do not let them have their cell phones out.” He added that they have an orientation with parents where they discuss similar safety issues. Senior Alex Tung has a learner’s permit and started Driver’s Ed at a center in Brooklyn, but had to stop after a month when his instructor quit. He plans to start again in the future. “[Driver’s Ed] was interesting considering it was my first time behind the wheel,” he said. “[Your] experience varies with which instructor you get. In that month I was with that specific company and had to go through three different instructors. They each had their own ideas. If you don’t stick with one specific instructor it sometimes gets confusing.” Senior Lamiyah Kamal, however, has decided to never drive. “I have really bad anxiety triggered by sudden loud noises, and so driving would not be ideal because cars honk all the time and it makes me jump,” she explained. “Being in that position would not make me the ideal driver.” Though most underclassmen can’t start driving
just yet, some already have plans for starting. Mr. March sees advantages in learning to drive young, saying, “When you’re younger you get the reflexes, you have the school, you get trained. Our mission is to put up a good safe driver.” Sophomore Stephanie Chain said, “I wanna drive as soon as I can. It’s so harried, it’s so tiring waiting in the cold and when you get on the bus, it’s always crowded.” Although some people argue that the need for high school students to drive is low due to public transportation and free student Metrocards, driving can take a burden off students. For those who aren’t fortunate enough to be driven to school, getting to school on a regular basis can be a hassle, with some traveling for over an hour from their homes. Senior Advisor Maria Assante believes that a Driver’s Ed program would definitely be beneficial “to kids who will have access to a car.” She added that “you have to see the demand before you set up a program. Maybe the need has gone down because of public transportation. Back when gas was cheaper and cars were cheap, parents would give their kids their old cars, but gone may be the days of hand me down cars.” Although she feels that the need to drive at an earlier age has lessened with the availability of public transportation, Ms. Assante thinks that driving is “a skill everybody
DO YOU PLAN TO GET YOUR LICENSE BEFORE YOU GRADUATE? A poll of 186 Townsend Harris students showed that the majority of Townsend Harris students plan to acquire their license through a Driver’s Education program before graduating.
The Classic Magazine · February 2015
needs, the same way everyone should know how to swim and should know CPR. You’re home with your mom and your dad and your dad says he needs to get to the hospital--in an emergency it’s important to know [how to drive].” Driving offers students the opportunity to run on their own time, not having to wait for buses, parents, or siblings every day. For those students who are a part of a team, it also offers an alternative to getting to practice, preferable to riding in vans packed with athletes or long rides on public transportation. Senior Rebecca Duras said, “[I] live 20 minutes away by car and two hours away by bus, so driving to school would be a lot easier.” Junior Dina Goodger states that if she drives to school when she’s seventeen, she “would be able to get to school much faster and [she] would be able to wake up later than [she does] now.” She would also be able to drive to practices and games after school. Senior Karen Su said that if she were to drive to school she “wouldn’t have to constantly bother [her] parents to pick [her] up after-school when [she] has to stay late for extracurricular activities.” However, freshman Valerie Shum addresses a downside of driving to school, saying that “the traffic around Melbourne is pretty bad. Not to mention, free parking is hard to find around school.” Speaking from experience, Ariana agrees that while driving is convenient, it’s also more expensive and agrees that parking can be an issue. Mr March said, “Let’s face it, in NYC…you need to rely on public transportation; cab services are so expensive. [Driving lets you] go where you want, when you want. It opens up a whole new world.”
BEFORE YOU BUCKLE UP *Now, though gas prices are currently down, they could rise, and with insurance charging over $1,000 a year to add a teen or 20-something driver to the most basic of coverages, cars have become a major expense point. *56% of teenagers rely on their parents to learn how to drive. *1 in 5 16-year-old drivers has an accident within their first year of driving. *Insurance rates go up or begin charging when you get your license.
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