Vol 32 no 2 final

CLASSIC Townsend Harris High School at Queens College

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October/Novermber 2015 - Volume 32 No. 2

THE CLASSIC

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REMEMBERING ANTHONY KNOWN FOR his kindness, his smile and his vivacity, Townsend Harris alumnUS Anthony Chiarenza passed away on October 5 after falling down a cliff behind Swarthmore College. He was nineteen years old. Both the student body and faculty responded with an outpourING of love and commemoration. Anthony was particularly known for his vibrancy in the sciences, as he planned on majoring in biochemistry. Science teacher John Tsai described him as one “full of energy and interest in science.” He worked as a chemistry research assistant at the Johnson Lab

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Founders' DAY, SING NIGHT

“IT’S NOT A SHORT ENOUGH GAP THAT [STUDENTS] CAN JUST STICK AROUND, BUT IT’S ALSO NOT LONG ENOUGH TO STAY FOR PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES, GO HOME, AND COME BACK.”

Arifa Baksh, Ilyssa Delos Reyes, and Christine Paredes STAFF WRITERS DUE TO a rare scheduling coincidence, both Founders’ Day and the first SING! performance of this year will both occur on November 20. The overlap has some members of SING concerned that students will be less likely to attend the Friday evening performance.

A s s i s t a n t P r i nc i p a l o f Organization Ellen Fee explained that the date for Founders’ Day depends upon the date set by the NYC DOE for parent/teacher conferences. SING normally occurs the first weekend before Thanksgiving. This year, both schedules overlap.

The calendar committee tasked with finalizing events debated separate dates, but

ultimately decided against it.

As Ms. Fee said, they decided against changing the date for Founders’ Day as on any date besides the day of parent/teacher conferences “students would have to come back to our building at the end of the program and attend classes until dismissal at 3:05 pm.”

The committee discussed moving SING a week earlier, but there are two major overnight trips scheduled for that weekend: a Classic trip and a college tour trip.

Both combined would leave a number of students and chaperones unavailable for SING, many of whom are working on the performance.

With the two events on the same day, students will be able to leave school at 11:00 AM and can return at 7:00 PM for the performance.

This unique scheduling has SING directors concerned, not about winning, but rather about the inconvenient timing.

Semore SING co-director and senior skit directors Nadia Khan and Elina Niyazov do not believe this will affect their team’s chances of winning.

Nadia remarks, “We’re still [giving] it all [we’ve] got.”

However, she does think that this scheduling will be “a hassle for everyone. It’s a tradition that people use the opportunity of leaving early to celebrate with

their friends. Unfortunately for the casts of SING, we have to clear any plans because by 4­-5 PM, we’ll have to begin getting ready for the Friday performance.”

Semore singer Dan iel la Babayev finds it especially bothersome because she “would have to change so many times in a day, [which] is too many outfits to keep track of and carry around.”

Nadia continues on a similar note, explaining how she wears sweatpants every year on the day of SING, along with a bag of show necessities. Since Founders’ Day is a formal event, “it’s a burden to [change] and wash off makeup to put more on.”

On the other hand, Senior

Advisor Maria Assante feels that if students truly want to get involved with SING, the time gap between the two events should not be a problem.

She states, “If anything, ending school at 11 AM gives performers more than enough time to relax with friends and prep for the first show.”

Freshior SING leaders Raya Kazdan and Jillissa Drayton also believe that this affects the amount of people that will attend the event because according to Raya, “if you go to Manhattan to hang out, you might not want to come back to Queens for the show.”

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2 October/November 2015

THE CLASSIC

NEWS SING SEASON

DELIVERY RULES ADDRESSED

By Branco Gamarra and Brandon Na, Staff Writers

Members of the Semore SING! group at work

PHOTO BY ADAM SOSNICKI

For SINGers, drama is the name of the game Kimberly Deodat, Kristine Guillaume, Lianna Rada STAFF WRITERS

In this year’s Disney/Pixar themed production of SING!, both the Freshiors and the Semores have coincidentally chosen similar movies, characters, and songs in their shows.

The overlap has prompted mixed reactions from both SING! casts.

“I think that [the overlap] takes away part of the fun of SING having two completely dif ferent shows revolving around the same theme. No audience wants to watch the same show back to back,” said Freshior actress Marina Aweeda. “[It] could make it boring if the shows are too similar or it will really be telling of which is the better production,” added former COSA Aleeza Widman.

“It may potentially help the positives and negatives for each SING! performance to be much more transparent,” said Semore singing director Teresa Deely.

“It will really come down to which SING executed those components better and with more originality and diversity.”

SI NG actors have a lso expressed concerns regarding duplicate character portrayals.

Semore actress Asiya Jaffer, who will play Violet from The Incredibles said, “Being that an audience will probably compare which version of ‘Violet’ was more fitting and appropriate, I feel like there will be no room for any mistakes.”

Semore actress Bea

Tolentino, on the other hand, finds the duplicity motivating. She said, “It just gives an extra incentive for me to push myself to do the best I can for my team.”

Regardless of their opinions, both teams have had to make several adjustments to limit the extent of the overlap.

Teresa said, “[Semore singing co-director] Ekta and I had written a piece with components from various songs and we had to continuously edit it because our director, Nadia, told us that we could not continue to conflict with the Freshiors since they had chosen one of the songs we used.”

Many SING cast members believed a “senior priority” rule existed that allowed the Semore team to pick movies and other elements of the production first to prevent overlap. No such rule, however, officially existed, according to current and former COSAs; previously, directors had communicated with one another about the specifics of each SING production to avoid an overlap.

“In the past, when more SINGs had themes that weren’t based on fictional characters this wouldn’t even come up,” explained alumna Jennifer Walsh.

In 2013, however, when the theme of SING! was Marvel versus Detective Comics (DC), Ms. Widman gave the seniors first choice on which side to incorporate into their shows.

“I would tel l them to

alternate on choices and gave seniors first choice, but there never was any arguing over using the same ideas,” she said. “The directors of the two SINGs figured it out amongst themselves.”

Alumna Nina Leeds added, “Other years, when there was not as much possibility for overlap, I do not think that the Semore team had priority in claiming anything.”

Productions of SING within the last three years have presented a greater possibility for overlap due to fact that they are spin-offs of movies and TV shows. Before 2013, however, SING themes left almost no possibility for an overlap, making this year’s situation highly unlikely. Several current SING cast members, believe that seniors should have first claim because of the overlap potential.

“Nadia and I, as underclassmen, were part of performances that always respected senior priority. It’s fair and eventually everyone gets a chance. It’s something that you look forward to as an underclassmen, something you work hard for all these years,” Semore director Elina explained.

Freshior director Jillissa Drayton disagreed, “I think it’s good that there’s no senior priority... When it comes down to a creative competition like SING, it should come down to who does what, not just the grade levels of the students.”

Additional reporting by Adina Singh

DESPITE RUMORS of policy changes surrounding food ordering, the administration has decided to continue allowing the senior grade to order food to the school.

However, the administration is focused on enforcing existing rules regarding deliveries due to issues with security in the previous years, as delivery men would roam around the school.

“It should not be part of the Townsend Harris culture to have delivery men roaming around in the third to sixth floor. We have allowed this before but we are now trying to hold a line to say if you order something, you must be in the lobby or the front door to pick it up,”stated Assistant Principal Ellen Fee. Security officer Denise Lashley stated, “The problem is that [delivery men] are able to go throughout the building without going through any security. So if I let them upstairs and one of the students gets into trouble, how would I feel?”

Dean Robin Figelman stated, “If you get caught calling with your phone, you’ll get your phone taken. If you get caught answering your phone, you’ll get your phone taken and you are not going to be able to get your food. You can order anything you want as long as you make the phone call outside.”

The rules also ask student to avoid bringing a takeout tray into the cafeteria. “You can’t take outside food into the cafeteria because the lunchroom people don’t want you to bring outside food because they want kids to buy the school food,” explained Ms. Figelman.

“We’re the only school that allows food to be delivered,” stated senior Dilpreet Singh, “I really didn’t want to lose that.”

A fter further clarification, the student population calmed down. Senior Yaseen Moham med stated , “The school’s trying to push the idea that while inside, anything that does not directly aid in education can’t be used. I don’t think this changes anything at all, besides reinforcing the standard of educational integrity THHS is known for.”

New York Post says we’re number one

Dylan Fromm STAFF WRITER

This September, The New York Post ranked Townsend Harris High School as the number one public high school, excluding specialized ones, in NYC. Baccalaureate School for Global Education ranked second and Eleanor Roosevelt High school ranked third.

According to the ar ticle called “The Top 40 public schools that don’t require the SHSAT test,” THHS has a 100% graduation rate, 100% college readiness rate, and a 99.6% college enrollment rate. The ranking considered factors such as the number of students scoring mastery on the regents, the average total SAT score, and the AP exam passing rate.

“Not just for Queens, this highly sought-after Flushing school draws bright, motivated kids,” The Post published. “Last year 5,540 applied for 306 freshman seats—with its mission to foster a love of learning, and an appreciation of nature and the arts.”

In regard to this new award, sophomore Noah Sadik said it was “not shocking at all given the fact that our school is so rigorous and that Harrisites are such highly-achieving students.”

When asked what aspects of the school contribute to its success, he responded: “We have some of the best and most dedicated teachers, an accelerated curriculum, and a community of overachievers that come together to produce a great school.”

Freshman Anastasia Codjebas remarked, “Students are able to reach new heights and achieve high grades. This makes me proud to be a part of this high school.”

Junior Doris Zheng said: “With the… [heavy] workload, the people in THHS truly make the suffering worth it. I cannot go a day without laughing and smiling around my parents and teachers.” Additionally, she mentioned, “The high honor reassures me that THHS deserves the recognition that it gets.”

THE CLASSIC

Rho Kappa honors social studies learning looking for applicants that have not only taken science classes, but have also taken humanities THE RHO Kappa National classes.”

Honor Society joins our collecSenior Simran Kaur tion of scholastic recognitions a g r e e d , s a y i n g , this year.

“Recognizing stuSimilar to the Mu Alpha dents who succeed Theta and the Science National in a multitude of Honor Society, which acknowl- areas encouredge students gifted in math ages them to and science, Rho Kappa hon- be f u r t her ors students talented in the field s u c c e s s of social studies. The National f u l a n d Council for Social Studies cre- acknowlated this award in 2011 after e d g e s noticing the absence of an honor the hard society for history. wo r k A s s i s t a nt P r i nc ip a l o f t h e y Humanities Rafal Olechowski put into said, “The social studies teach- a r e a s ers and I felt there was a need to t h e y showcase outstanding students enjoy.” [with] high averages in social Like any honor socistudies and [who] take social ety, students must meet studies electives.” Social certain requirements. st udies teacher According John O’Malley to Mr. suppor ted Olechowski, the decihe and the teachsion, staters find can“Down the road, we i ng that didates for would like to provide the creaRho Kappa by even more social studtion of a screening stuhu m a n idents at the end ies electives. ” ties society of each year for wa s “lon g their averages and overdue.” amount of electives.

M r .

A student must provide a Olechowski f ur ther letter of recommendation, have explained that the perks of Rho a minimum weighted average of Kappa include an induction 95% for all social studies classes, ceremony and a diploma. The and complete a certain number society can also be an honorable of credits by a certain deadline. mention on a college application By the end of any given school as it denotes well-roundedness. year, sophomores need to have Requirements “will always completed six credits, juniors be science-based if you are ten credits, and seniors twelve becoming a doctor,” explained credits. Students must also Mr. Olechowski. “But the cur- “be in a good moral standing” rent trend, and I think the right without multiple demerits and trend, is that medical schools suspensions. and science programs are now “There is also a community

and create more social studies programs,” said Mr. Hackney. “[Rho Kappa’s addition] would act in concert with doing that.”

Mr. Olechowski says the addition will most likely be

Arifa Baksh STAFF WRITER

s ervice requirement,” Mr. Hackney added, “but for [a] Townsend Harris student, if you are keeping up with your community service, you should be ARTWORK BY MARIE KESSEL fine.”

S ophomore A n n a m a r ie folCavaleri believes that Rho Kappa lowed by will be a source of encouragean English ment for students. She stated, honor society because “I think having a social studies “students who excel in social honor society is a great way to studies and English ought to motivate students to work harder be recognized in a humanities in the subject.” school.”

M r. H ack ney a nd M r.

The faculty had scheduled Olechowski are also contemplat- the ceremony to take place on ing more additions. “Down the October 14 but have moved it to road, we would like to provide November. even more social studies electives

October/November 2015

3

Glamour Gals fundraises for causes Noreen Mohsin STAFF WRITER This month, Glamour Gals took the lead in fundraising for Breast Cancer Awareness and Domestic Violence Awareness.

Declaring this a “Month of Awareness,” the Glamour Gals worked from October 5-16 to raise money for Breast Cancer research, and from October 19-30 to raise money for domestic abuse victims.

The Glamour Gals will give the donations collected from the weeks of breast cancer awareness to the Susan G. Komen foundation, and the donations collected from the weeks of domestic violence awareness to “Put a Nail In It,” an organization that aims to end domestic violence.

Club advisor Raquel Chung first thought of the idea to bring a “Month of Awareness” to THHS because of the Glamour Gals organization’s mission to help women in need.

Ms. Chung added, “The mission of the Glamour Gals is to provide companionship and comfort to elderly women who experience loneliness and neglect. Breast cancer is just one of the concerns of our elderly female population, so it makes sense to offer our support. ” The club’s co-presidents, seniors Rebecca Kwon and Lena Kung, were eager to take the project to the next level.

Lena noted, “October is both Breast Cancer and Domestic Abuse Awareness Month. We realized that our school doesn’t do anything to raise awareness and we wanted to change that.”

College Board aims to SAT-isfy after spring error Katherine Chan and Rabia Hasan STAFF WRITERS A F T E R C OU N T L E S S hours spent in preparatory classes and memorizing vocabulary, students were greeted with a surprise on the SAT test administered by College Board this past June. Due to a misprint in both the proctor’s instructional booklet and students’ test booklets, proctors incorrectly timed the last two sections of the June SAT. College Board responded to this mistake by eliminating sections eight and nine from the scores. However, this meant that scores from earlier sections had a greater impact on the composite SAT grade. The College Board also offered these students a free retake for October of the same year.

Usually, sections eight and nine are each twenty minutes

long. The proctor’s booklet instructed to give the students twenty minutes for both sections, even though the test booklet said to give twenty-five minutes each. As a result, proctors provided students with varying times.

Senior Triparna Banik felt the removal of the two sections “was really unfair” because it was her first time taking it. She stated, “I don’t understand how they can compose a proper score while discounting two sections.

It also amazes me how such a big corporation can mess up on a nationwide standardized test.”

Pr inceton Review SAT instructor Joshua Nelson noted that he believes ETS, the company that writes and administers the SAT, “does a fine job writing the tests.” He continued, “They’ve been writing and administering the SAT for

decades, and they’ve made very few errors. I do not think this mishap undermines their integrity all that much.”

Sen ior Marcus Barbu weighed in on the incident, saying, “At first I was kind of nervous. I noticed the problem while I was taking the test...once they announced that they were simply taking those sections out, I felt a bit better.”

Senior Hannah Yoo added, “I didn’t really know what to feel about the mess up because my proctor just went by the normal timing of the test.”

In regards to College Board’s response, Marcus said, “I don’t really see a way of keeping everyone’s chances equal without just scrapping the test entirely and making everyone retake it, which would cause a lot of problems.”

M r. Nelson concluded ,

ARTWORK BY MATTHEW MANDEL

“It’s an unfortunate situation, and I imagine that ETS will

be especially careful going forward.”

4 October/November 2015

THE CLASSIC

Founders’ Keepers > CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

Jillissa also points out that “it’s not a short enough gap that [students] can just stick around, but it’s also not long enough to stay for Parent­-Teacher conferences, go home, and come back.”

Junior Amrinderjit Luther agrees, saying that he will not attend SING “because [he’ll] have to change to go home and come back to school.”

Senior Ethan Chiu will also not attend SING because he instead “could hang out with friends and play basketball” after being dismissed so early because of Founders’ Day.

A lthough she is attending, sophomore Jane Kim was shocked to learn that the two events are on the same day, calling it a “hassle.” She explains, “With the 8 hour time gap between the two events, I really have no other choice but to go home and come back for the show.”

Some students will have to cope with both of the events to the best of their abilities. Nadia jokes, “As long as my senior actors don’t utter their SING lines in the senior skit and vice versa, we’ll be okay.”

PHOTO BY REBEKAH JONES

Jeb Bush with campaign members at Kick off Rally

Election Simulation goes nationwide Ashley An and Pridha Kumar STAFF WRITERS

IT’S ELECTION Simulation season at Townsend Harris High School. Along with the traditional simbucks and weekly episodes of Hawknet Television, this year’s election simulation strays from the usual expectations of Harrisites.

This year, The New Yorker will launch a broadcast in conjunction with WNYC, a nonprofit radio station of New York City, covering the Election Simulation. A New Yorker radio hour will cover the event, and the story will get distributed across the country through the broadcast. “It’s a brand new block they’re putting together,” noted Dr. Linda Steinmann, Social Studies teacher and coordinator of the Election Simulation project. “I guess after talking to Mr. Wood about the Election Simulation, they decided that this would make a great topic.”

New Yorker reporter Joshua Rothman expressed his interest in covering the Election Simulation. “Lots of schools have a model U.N. or model Congress,” he said. “As far

as we know, the incredibly detailed Election Simulation at Townsend Harris, complete with simulated money and a simulated press, is unique.”

This presents a new and exciting step for the school, even more so for the students representing the candidates.

Senior Max Lacoma, who is enacting Republican candidate Jeb Bush, commented, “I think it’s fantastic that The New Yorker is covering our simulation. The simulation is such a unique event that only Townsend has, and I think by publicizing it in this way, it could inspire other schools and other districts to start their own programs inspired by us.”

For many involved, The New Yorker’s coverage of the Election Simulation is an honor and adds to the pronounced standard many recognize THHS for.

“For the seniors, I hope they take away the effort and the dedication that goes into huge group projects like this,” contributed senior John Mullane, who plays Republican candidate Ted Cruz. “For the rest of the school, [I hope] they get to learn about policies and politics.”

Dr. Steinmann added, “Based on what I’ve seen so far, the candidates take their role very seriously. I’m hoping that the underclassmen also learn something about civic responsibility.”

Mr. Wood also voiced his opinion on this year’s simulation. “I want the students to learn about the issues and feel confident about speaking and standing up in front of students and putting on a role. I want students to learn about issues of today and want everyone to have fun doing it.”

Along with interest in sharing the story of this THHS tradition, Mr. Rothman hopes this coverage will speak of American politics to a larger audience. “[The New Yorker and WNYC] think that older voters will see a lot of the actual political process reflected in the simulated process at Townsend Harris,” he commented.

With the class of 2016 hard at work in this year’s simulation, along with the big step in publication of the event through The New Yorker and WNYC, the students of THHS can only wait and see what else this year’s simulation will bring.

PHOTO BY ADAM SOSNICKI

A new halal cart sits closer to the school.

Halal cart rolls onto QC campus Branco Gamarra and Brandon Na STAFF WRITERS AFTER A long day of rigorous classes, many students find themselves searching for food.

Students who use the Queens College exit might find themselves tempted to satisfy that hunger with a chicken and lamb combo topped with white sauce from the halal cart now on campus.

The newly opened Shah’s halal cart is located between the science building and the library on the QC quad.

Though much closer than other halal carts around campus, there is a trade off: this one offers smaller portions and charges an extra dollar.

Many students agreed that the addition of the new cart was a smart way to get more revenue.

“I think the new halal cart was a good financial idea. The men working at the halal stand profit a lot through this location mostly because it’s perfectly placed between the most busiest

buildings on the QC campus,” stated senior Olivia Krakowski.

“Not everyone has the time to walk down to Kissena,” junior Agnes Poplawski added.

Some students felt more inclined to purchase from the new car t due the the convenience.

Since seniors only have a limited amount of time between classes, the close-by option seems like a good choice to get food quickly during a free.

Senior Dina Goodger stated, “I would rather buy from the cart on campus because it’s much closer and one dollar isn’t a big deal for me personally.”

Other students feel that less food and an extra dollar is not worth the convenience.

Olivia explained, “I feel like it’s kind of a rip off. You can walk the extra 500 feet to the other halal cart for more food.

I guess it depends on how lazy you are.”

THE CLASSIC

October/November 2015

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PHOTO SPOTLIGHT With SING! in full swing, Semore artist Anna Cheng prepares to paint a backdrop. The show arrives November 20 and 21 in the THHS auditorium.

PHOTO BY ADAM SOSNICKI

Living between two worlds: students discuss divorce

CHA

NG

compromise.

As a freshman in college, Rachel contrasted her current college life from her previous high school lifestyle. The divorce worked on both the logistical and emotional sides of her life, in terms of separating her parents and school concerns, homework concerns, or even resenting talking too much about one parent to another. Going to college away from home allowed her to live in a single place most of the time. “It’s a relief for me not to have to remember where I live every day – I can come back to the same dorm room no matter what part of the week it is,” she stated. “I KAT HY

divorced over the summer before fifth grade. It was mostly the “idea of change that made her mad and scared.”

Rachel said her parents divorced when she was six years old, right before the start of second grade. “They never fought in front of me…my parents had definitely cut back the time they spent together, and because of that, I don’t have many memories o f them enjoying spending time t o g e t h e r,” s h e commented.

Of course, as a result, every family has to engender some sort of compromise to ensure their child’s safety and wellbeing. According to the students, a majorit y o f t he c om pr o mises benefit the family dynamic. Justin’s, Rachel’s, Samantha’s, and Klaudia’s parents share custody, which entails giving both parents the right to meet with their child on different days of the week. The students believe that this arrangement is a reasonable

BY

THE PERSONAL lives of students are often glossed over in the midst of their academic lives at Townsend Harris. Students are often unaware of what a student’s family life consists of, and for several, it involves divorce.

Divorce can affect students in a myriad of ways, ranging from student life outside of school to life inside of school.

Divorce affects a student’s life, whether it be a positive change or a negative one.

Junior Klaudia Hanus stated that although she “wasn’t fond of the idea [of her parents separating] at first, [she] grew to love it,” especially because this arrangement allowed her to have two close families and an extra set of parents. This did affect her relationship with her father, as her conflicting schedules often interfered with his visits.

Student lives are also affected in regards to school. Sophomore Justin Eng said that his parents’ divorce influenced his extracurriculars. He explained, “Having a social life and club time is limited due to custody times conflicting with times that my friends are available... [it’s]

stressful to ask, so I never really asked at all and just stay home.

Custody is a commitment - to me at least- that I should fulfill.”

Rachel Chabin, an alumna from the Class of 2015, also commented on the nature of divorce and talking about it with friends. “I’d have to explain to them,” she said, “that my parents were divorced, give them the phone number for both parents’ houses, and give them a skeletal description of where I might be at any given time,” emphasizing the complex relationships that develop as a result of divorce.

Despite separations, some parents present a united front for their children in an attempt to reduce the severity of this decision. Junior Samantha Jaloza explained, “My parents get along extremely well and are both just trying to make sure that I am in the best position to be successful.”

The age at which students became aware of the split between their parents can really influence how they learn to cope with change. Samantha remembers that the divorce happened when she was about four years old and it didn’t “have too much of an affect on me.” Klaudia also reacted similarly, as her parents

ART

Katerina Jou STAFF WRITER

th in k living beyond t h e i r divorce

fallout has given me more independence in college.”

Guidance counselors are exposed to students’ individual situations, and divorce is one of them. Guidance Counselor Justine Meyer believes that, “the success of the transition often depends on the student’s willingness to talk and letting adults into their lives and helping them cope with a struggle.”

The guidance office has been open to any student, but regarding the topic of divorce, guidance counselors would suggest meeting with st udent s and parents. These meetings would allow the student to partake in open communication, release feelings, or seek family counseling if there are true struggles. Generally, either through official documents or through personal divulgence, divorce struggles could be overcome.

Ultimately Klaudia agreed, “I think [the divorce] was better for my family. Of course I would’ve loved to have my parents together but it was better they split and be happy than constantly bicker and be unhappy.”

6 October/November 2015

THE CLASSIC

Alumni spotlight: Nily Rozic Class of ‘04 Jillissa Drayton FEATURES EDITOR

At the age of 26, Nily Rozic, a member of the class of 2004, became the youngest woman to ever serve on the NYS Legislature. She started her career in government as an aide to more than a dozen campaigns at the local, state, and national levels.

Nily Rozic’s campaign advocated for the benefit of working families, immigrant communities and women.

She has sponsored and passed legislation with the purpose of “revitalizing New York’s environment, expanding government transparency, and strengthening workforce development programs.”

THHS was Ms. Rozic’s first choice high school. Like most alumni, Nily was active in the school community and even joined clubs and teams to supplement her academic experience.

When asked to reflect on her career at THHS, Ms. Rozic explained that she was very involved in “many after school clubs and activities, and [she] always volunteered outside

the classroom, in [her] local community.”

While omitting to elaborate on her social life and experiences at THHS, Ms. Rozic does insist that THHS gave her a leg up in her career.

She expressed, “I’m grateful for the many great mentors I’ve had throughout my career and fortunate to have had an important head start at THHS.” Ms. Rozic continues the tradition of mentoring fellow Harrisites

“We must work together to ensure that our generation does even better than the one before it.” by speaking to graduates in her field, including Ms. Rebecca Lynch who is also a politician and THHS alumna.

Unlike most high school students, Ms. Rozic knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue public service. Similar to other alumni, the ephebic oath left a lasting impression on Ms. Rozic.

“Public service was a critical part of my upbringing and

developed during my years at THHS,” she said. “This oath set me on the path to public service, to leave my city ‘greater than I found it.’”

In her current work, Ms. Rozic fulfills her civic duties the best way she knows how: through politics.

This year, Ms. Rozic played a large role in the addition of several new holidays to the school calendar. She stated, “I worked hard to ensure that as the community evolves, the calendar should evolve with them.”

When asked what advice she would give to rising THHS students, Ms. Rozic had a definitive answer: “You can make a difference anywhere: home, school, office, neighborhood, or just hanging out with your friends and family.”

She also extended the opportunity for students to come and volunteer at her office anytime to come and learn about her profession.

Ms. Rosic sincerely emphasized the potential of all THHS st udent s. “ We must work together,” she urged, “ to ensure that our generation does even better than the one before it.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF NILY ROZIC

Alumni Nily Rozic serves as Assembly Woman of District 25.

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October/November 2015

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Financial aid: an interview with Sara Skoda Aresha Parjohn STAFF WRITER Most high school students worry about their academics solely for the purpose of attending their dream schools. For some, grades are the least of their worries compared to the stress of their financial predicaments. Guidance counselor Sara Skoda outlines the path students take to ensure they are able to afford the higher education that they deserve.

Q: As a guidance counselor, how often do you encounter a student who is held back in choices of higher education by financial predicaments?

I don’t know about the words held back...I don’t think anyone is held back by their financial predicament as much as it’s a factor, in a lot of different things they have to encounter. So, specifically speaking about colleges and things like that often times students have to pay to take the SATs...but there are fee waivers and lots of opportunities out there for students that are of low income that will cover these costs a lot of the time.

Q: How do you try to assist

these students?

We guide them towards the understanding that there are fee waivers that exist out there especially for SATs [and] ACTs. There are even college application fee waivers, there are a lot of different costs that come up when you’re applying to college so we make sure we certainly are telling them about those opportunities.

But then also when it comes to choosing colleges, we talk about being open and honest about financial concerns with family and making sure that they’re applying to schools in addition to schools that may look more expensive. We make sure they are applying to financially safe schools we call it...that’s a big part of how we’re guiding students.

Q: While scholarships can help students attend expensive colleges, some must turn acceptances down because of the living expenses that come with on campus housing. How do you try to help them combat this?

Often times students are given something they call financial aid packages from different colleges so different colleges

factor those financial aid packages in many different ways.

Students will have to apply for financial aid their senior year and if they are low income they will be eligible often times for financial aid, which is government money that a college has to give the family that they don’t need to pay back.

There are also these scholarships...that students may get that are often times not just based on income but also based on merit. So how a student did in school might help them get these scholarships.

Sometimes it’s really sitting down with a senior and looking at the different financial aid packages they are getting from different colleges to help them understand you know, “What is going to be my best value?

What’s going to make the most sense? Can I live at a campus and still be okay financially?”

I’ve seen it happen...lots of students who have financial burdens at home, who end up receiving enough financially in scholarship money that they are able to still afford to live on campus somewhere.

Q: Do students with higher

grades receive more aid?

This is a heavy loaded question here.

Students with higher grades do not get more financial aid because financial aid is solely based on income. Scholarships, however, [are different]; some schools will give scholarships based on merit.

Merit is how well you did academically. Scholarships may be affected based on higher grades, but financial aid is solely income based. There are a lot of students who have been able to attend a lot of different colleges based on the money that they get.

Every college is different so thats why its hard to be general about it because I don’t think it’s as general of an answer...every college is going to offer a student different things based on various factors.

So based on [their financial situation], a student may get financial aid. Based on merit, a student may get scholarships also. And sometimes combined, that helps them attend a school.

Sometimes it may still not cover all the costs.

S o cer t a i n ly t hese a re

discussions that we have with seniors to start to understand more of the financial aid process.

Q: As a guidance counselor is there anything special you can do to help students receive more financial aid?

What we’ve been doing is trying to guide them to make sure they apply for every application that a college requires.

So we make sure that every student is aware of two different applications.

One called the FAFSA is a free application students have to fill out in their senior year and it’s submitted to each college and then the college can then determine if they’re eligible for aid. In addition to that document there is something called the CSS Profile that some colleges also use and as long as they are completing these documents by each college’s deadline which is different than their application deadline-so it’s like a whole other world we’re talking about almost.

They’re eligible for as much aid at that college as possible.

And then its up to the college to give them a package that includes all of that aid.

BE

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WRITE. Creative Writing Classes. College Essay Coaching. w w w. g o t h a m w r i t e r s . c o m

8 October/November 2015

THE CLASSIC

> CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

poet, scientist, linguist, friend: celebrating anthony’s life of Stony Brook

University through the NSF’s (National Science Foundation) Re s e a rch E x p er ienc e for Undergraduates program.

Science teacher Shi Bing Shen remarked upon his universal magnetism, that drew both students and staff.

“Anthony was the student any teacher would love. He was intelligent, articulate, and did everything right. I had Anthony since his freshmen year and that was the year I had Algebra. We had so much fun in that class. Anthony helped me to make sure the class was on task while we had fun. He was quick to learn and was able to apply what he learned in different problems. Anthony and I had mutual respect for each other and I was so happy to have him as a student again in

my APES [AP Environmental Science] class. Anthony’s passion for learning and his drive to help others made him a person his classmates respected and loved.... I am going to miss him so much,” she said.

Additionally, Anthony had a special aptitude for languages, as he excelled in both Spanish and Latin.

“I will always remember Anthony as an excellent and enthusiastic student. I recently found my old grade book for the class in which I taught him (Latin 3) and was impressed anew by the series of near-perfect scores. More importantly, he was always willing to help out a struggling fellow student.

That was a close-knit class and a joy to teach, thanks in large part to Anthony. I still am grieving over the too-soon end to his life,” said Classical Language instructor Marianthe Colakis.

Anthony l e f t behind

memorable impressions among the entire school community.

Senior Advisor, Health and Physical Education teacher Maria Assante recollected, “Anthony was a wonderful young man, full of life. Sadly, he was gone before he had a chance to live a long life. He was kind to everyone he met and was friendly to students in every grade (through clubs, activities & events). To know him was to love him. I will miss his big, bright smile (which was the first thing you noticed about him). Everyone who met him seemed to take an instant liking to him. He had a great sense of humor and was fun to be with.

Anthony was a large part of my senior staff and helped make his senior year (and his classmates’) a memorable one. The world will be different place without him in it. We miss him today

Humanities Rafal Olechowski recalled, “Throughout the whole Phoenix, there were a lot of smiles from him and he was a very gentle being. He always smiled and was never mean, spiteful, or angry. He was a good friend to fellow classmates. Everyone should have an Anthony Chiarenza in their grade. I only wish he could spend more time with us.”

On October 9, the publication dedicated their introductory library reading to the alum. Students who attended THHS at the same time as Anthony, current juniors and seniors, read pieces of writing dedicated to him. The publication put together a small book of Anthony’s poetry and prose, which was distributed to those who attended the reading.

Senior Adrienne Cabral recalled, “the first time I met

and always.”

Principal Anthony Barbetta recounted the first time he met Anthony. “I remember asking him his name. He said ‘Anthony,’ and I said, ‘I like you already.’

My name’s Anthony as well. I remember how well spoken he was. I found him to be very bright. When I observed him in classes, his explanations were very deep and well thought out.

I thought he was a very strong student and he was just a positive person. Like many of our staff, I felt blessed to have known him; he was a great student and great person, came from a really great family too. He will definitely be missed.”

Anthony was also a talented contributor to the school’s literary magazine The Phoenix.

Advisor and A s s i s t a n t Principal o f

him [at a Phoenix book sale freshman year], he made me feel at home. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body, all he had was love for everyone he met. [He was] one of the first people to make me feel comfortable at THHS and to welcome me with open arms, and for that I’ll be eternally grateful.”

“Anthony was a really valuable member of the Phoenix community, and his writing was such a great contribution to the publication,” said Editorin-Chief Kristine Guillaume.

“We made the book not only in honor of his talent, but in honor of the incredible person that he was, and to highlight his vital role during his time here.”

Miniscule, clip art lemons can be found scattered throughout the book.

“Anthony

had this fascination with lemon s,” K r ist ine cont inued.

“Whenever we’d ask why, he’d simply say, ‘I like lemons.’ Every

the question, “What would you tell your ninth grade self now?” two years ago on the student-

"WE SIT WITH OPEN EARS/ HEARING A SYMPHONY OF LIFE/THE STRINGS SEND THEIR BLESSINGS/EACH UNIQUE AND FITTING/ COMBINED AND BRO KEN AND HELD WITH POWERED CHORD/AND LIGHT STRUM." -ANTHONY CHIARENZA, "POWER CHORD" social media account he owned incorporated the fruit somehow.

The tiny lemons scattered throughout were our tonguein-cheek tribute to our beloved friend.”

The tone of the reading wasn’t altogether somber, given the reflection on Anthony’s inexplicable predilection for the citrus fruit and the lighthearted nature of the stories told. “It was a celebration of a well-lived life,” Kristine concluded.

The final page of the book features a quote Anthony gave in a n swer to

made “Introducing Townsend Harris’s Class of 2014” Facebook

CLASS

page. “High school is literally going to change everything you ever knew about yourself,” he said. “I know that that’s scary, but all you have to do is live every day. Stop rushing home on the first bus; your homework wi l l get done. I n s t e a d , try and find those a m a z i n g people who will become your best friends.

Those are the people who wi l l make everything so worth it. People will like yo u , I promise.”

THE CLASSIC

October/November 2015

9

MR. JONATHAN OWENS

“WHAT I’LL REMEMBER MOST ABOUT ANTHONY is not his smile or his kindness or his wry sense of humor or his frequent visits back to THHS. While those are all things I’ll miss dearly, I think what I’ll miss most about Anthony is the simple fact that he got it. By “it,” I don’t mean Latin. He did, of course get Latin, and effortlessly. Anthony was a natural linguist. It came remarkably easy to him. No, by “it” I mean life.

Anthony had figured out how to navigate through the complexities of life while being completely true to himself and his friends. It may sound simple, but I think we all know it is no easy task and it is certainly a lesson that many, many people never learn. As such, those that do get “it” serve as examples for the rest of us to emulate.

We lost one of those examples when we lost Anthony.”

OF 2014

BY POONAM DASS, SUMAITA HASAN, & JASON LALLJEE

“I LOOK back AND

as I tell my friends stories I realize that there are things I never told my other close friends that I only told to Anthony. When I was with him, I never felt judged, never felt bad about myself. People have been telling me to forget about all of the times we fought and just focus on the good things, and that’s when I realized that we never fought. He was always so positive, so kind, That it was infectious. I have the honor of keeping Anthony’s memory alive and I spread his values of kindness, acceptance, and positivity to the rest of the world. He made me a better person and this world a better place.”

SAMANTHA PREVOT, CLASS OF ‘14

10 October/November 2015

THE CLASSIC

OPINION

Classmate or Candidate?

Kea Proko STAFF WRITER

TH E PU RPOSE of the Election Simulation is to help students become informed voters, as they are fast approaching the legal voting age. The Simulation allows information about the elections to be more accessible to students, and shared in a manner they are able to understand. This year, Townsend Harris High School seniors have done extensive research to role-play candidates from the 2016 Presidential Primaries. Ideally, students should familiarize themselves with political and social issues and we should hope that they vote for a particular candidate because they truly identify with their platforms and ideas.

However, many students are not voting for those legitimate reasons, but rather for personal biases that are associated with the reputation that candidates have as students.

Often times, I hear people casting their vote simply because they want to support their friend. The truth of the

matter is that while the Election Simulation does an excellent job of replicating the advertisements, broadcasts, and debates of the real election, it cannot replicate the candidate. There is only so much we can do to embody the actual candidates; students may dress and play the part, but it is difficult to disregard their individual reputations as THHS students.

One minute they’re Donald Trump or Jeb Bush, and the next minute they’re sitting next to you in your language or math class. Perhaps one candidate performed an act of kindness that you just can’t disregard, or maybe you feel that someone deserves to win because they started with a disadvantage from the other candidates. However, when it comes to voting in the real world, these should not be the factors that sway our votes.

One would hope that when choosing our representatives, we cast the vote for the person that we believe will benefit society and not based on personal biases.

While the winners of the

Simulation won’t really affect us in the long run, the results of a real election will do a better job.

Thus, we must get used to casting a mature and informed vote, which has always been the main intention of the Simulation.

It is imperative that we make our decisions based on who we believe will do better job in not only addressing our current issues, but also creating a better path for the future.

It is within our nature to be influenced by our personal impressions and relationships, and it is unrealistic to expect everyone to cast an entirely unbiased vote. What we can do is foster mature voters and perhaps require students to write a reflection piece on the candidate they wish to vote for in their history class. Students can provide an overall description of the candidate and describe what issues they agree or disagree with. In this way, students can show that they’re informed voters, ready to make an informed decision not only in the Election Simulation, but also in the real world.

THIS YEAR’S SING PROVIDES A POSITIVE TWIST

By Tiffany Huang, Staff Writer AS THE new school year rolls around, so does a new production of SING! Every year, this student-run performance is an anticipated event for students, faculty, and parents alike. The two teams, Freshiors (freshmen and juniors) and Semores (sophomore and seniors), compete against each other with their own original performances.

Each year, the teams are required to follow a certain set of rules and conditions, which typically remain the same.

The ability to incorporate the listed rules and requirements into the performances is a key factor in the judging process, contributing to a point system. In past years, participants of SING! knew that opposing teams would have to create their own plots centered around different stories.

This tradition however, has recently come to an end, and SING! participants face a challenge where both teams will be using the same movies as the foundation for their respective plots.

Initially, many feared that this change would lead to rather lackluster performances, losing the attention of the audience quickly due to the repetition.

However, the fact that both teams are building their shows from the same foundation highlights the quality of the performances themselves. There is more of an emphasis on the

details of the writing, singing, acting, dancing, and composing than there is an emphasis on the themes and movies the productions are based upon.

Audience bias is limited, for the use of the same movie levels the playing ground.

Unlike in previous years, teams can no longer take into account which movies were more popular and use that to their advantage.

Prior to this year’s production, Semores would (informally) have the privilege of being the first to select which movies they would use for their foundation, and those movies would not be available for use by the Freshiors.

With this advantage, the Semores are likely to pick movies that are crowd favorites, playing at the biases of the audiences.

The Freshiors may have had an idea of their own concerning a movie that the Semores were to use, but those movies would be off limits.

Now that both are allowed to use the same movies this year, the partiality in that respect is eliminated, and we are able to truly test the creative limits of the students involved.

This change, although unpopular among some performers, is a positive twist to the competition’s established judging system.

With the two teams battling it out with all they’ve got, it will be interesting to see just how creative and original a team can be.

PHOTO BY ADAM SOSNICKI AND COURTESY OF YASMEEN ALLY

Senior Yasmeen Ally on the track and as candidate Hillary Clinton

Learning to respect thy neighbor Jensine Raihan STAFF WRITER DE SPI T E C R I T ICISM about the elitist atmosphere that infests Townsend Harris, there has been no attempt in eliminating the superiority complex that exists within several Harrisites.

Educators refer to THHS students as “the best in the city,” which not only leads to a skewed understanding of what intelligence is, but also fosters a sense of pretentiousness in students who take these words to heart.

Much of this attitude stems from stigmas some teachers place on certain environments, such as referring to the Pomonok Houses, a public housing complex a few blocks away from THHS, as “dangerous.”

W h i le org a n i zi n g t he #ThisStopsToday protest against police brutality, I received backlash from a teacher who

expressed “concern” about marching through a “dangerous” neighborhood.

The protest was mapped to walk along the borders of Pomonok Houses to the 107th police precinct.

This type of coded language, when warning students about commutes through the projects, is offensive because it suggests the potential of a resident of the neighborhood to pose a threat to students.

When anyone refers to the projects as unsafe, he is unintentionally characterizing the residents as criminals, or people the students should be wary of.

These projects are predominantly composed of workingclass people of color, and such language perpetuates a stereotype that they continuously have to endure: that they are dangerous.

There is inadvertantly a

divide that is created between “us,” the law-abiding students, and “them,” the dangerous lower class.

While this is a false illusion of the types of people who reside in the projects, it becomes one that the students begin to subconsciously believe.

With the generalization of those living in the projects as being dangerous, there surfaces the idea that we students do not belong in such areas, or that we are elite in comparison.

Such an implication is highly derogatory to the residents, and can be harmful to THHS students of color who may happen to reside in the projects.

Many of the associations with the projects being a crimeridden place with unruly people

ART BY ANNA CHENG

are often misplaced.

According to CGI Housing, crime rates are actually lower in the projects compared to the general public due to the extensive screening processes applicants must go through to receive

public housing.

We all have implicit biases and we all have to work towards being conscious of these biases so that we do not act upon them.

We should create a school environment in which no one is stereotyped or given a set of characteristics based on things like race or creed.

We should foster an environment where no one is believed to be superior to anyone else based on anything, including perceived intelligence, socioeconomic status, location, or skin color.

High school is a time when many teenagers begin to develop their own ideas about the society in which they live.

In this crucial stage of development and maturation, we cannot allow these racial stereotypes and elitist views to continue clouding their perception of certain cultures or races.

THE CLASSIC

The Classic

EST. 1984

October/November 2015

11

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.

EDITORIAL STAFF

FROM THE EDITORS

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Sumaita Hasan Jason Lalljee NEWS EDITORS Olivia Chan Poonam Dass

SPORTS EDITORS Evan Noblesala Noah Silversmith

FEATURES EDITORS Jillissa Drayton Rebecca Kwon

SCIENCE & TECH Eunice Baik Emily Lei

OPINION EDITORS Zion Kim Mohima Sattar

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS Adam Sosnicki Melissa Wong

A&E EDITORS Hailey Lam Julliette Paul

ART EDITOR Tasnim Abdelkarim

COPY EDITOR Jesal Parmar MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Rebekah Jones Semores during a SING! rehearsal

PHOTO BY MELISSA WONG

Resolve SING issues by producing a rule book

S

ING! TRADITION puts great emphasis on student creativity, but it seems as though students actually have a limited say in what rules govern their performances.

Although SING! is supposed to be an entirely student run production, there seems to be a few discrepancies this year.

Previous SING! productions were centered on pop culture, such as Marvel and Pixar. In the past, graduating senior directors would choose a theme for the next year’s productions, and students would follow through with that theme. Generally, both the Freshiors and the Semores would adhere to a general theme, but were not allowed to use the same movies or characters, and typically would not use the same music. This year, however, both teams have not only the same theme, but also the same movies and characters. This brings about a lack of diversity, risks a less attentive audience, and fuels competition to an unhealthy degree, whereas the purpose of SING! should be for students to exercise their theatrical abilities.

This problem is ultimately a result of the unclear rules surrounding SING!, leaving many students perplexed about what they can and cannot do for their respective teams. Naturally, when students are curious about what is prohibited, they try to

ask the advisors, who may not have the answers. Although this is understandable, the lack of established rules create an ambiguous atmosphere. This leads to conflicts between teams over petty matters. In regards to the idea of “calling dibs,” Freshior vocal director Michal Davydov stated, “There can’t be such a thing as calling dibs when materials are meant to be provided for everyone.”

“This problem is ultimately a result of the unclear rules... leaving many students perplexed.”

That’s not to say that there aren’t rules; at the start of the competition, the leadership teams are given a list of rules that include stipulations for song approval and auditions, such as when and how announcements are made to the student body. The problem with this is that the rules only deal with immediate issues and don’t concertize rules that are assumed to be implicit.

For example, underclassmen tend to think that seniors get priority and seniors who competed as underclassmen feel that

they should have priority, given certain decisions in the past.

Senior director Nadia Khan remarked, “I think both teams wish that there was a different theme so that we could avoid this overlap. I will not say that this is specifically going to disadvantage the senior class, but rather both groups because of the direct comparisons. This would not have happened if we had a better system.”

Furthermore, there should be a clear distinction between the extent of teacher and student involvement. While SING! is a student-run production, it still requires advisors to stay after school and work with the students. When both groups know exactly how much they should be involved, there would be less of a chance of miscommunication. To end the obscurity surrounding the roles of students and teachers, the creation of a collaborative rule book can easily eliminate any issues regarding how the songs, props, and other equipment are shared among both teams. A neutral intermediary is required to prevent bickering between two teams.

If inconsistencies continue, the work of the performers and directors come under the risk of not being entertainment. Rather, the production becomes a platform solely for competition, failing to fulfill it’s purpose of uniting the school community.

Several Classic editors participate in SING! in various ways. None of them contributed to this editorial.

COPY TEAM: Ilyssa Delos Reyes, Teresa Mettela, Sandhya Sewnauth LAYOUT TEAM: Kathy Chang, Tara Jackson

MANAGING EDITORS Mehrose Ahmad Ekta Rana ADVISOR Brian Sweeney We welcome letters to the editor.

Townsend Harris High School 149-11 Melbourne Avenue Flushing, NY 11367 thhsclassic@gmail.com

The Classic reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and concision.

COMING SOON

Look for another edition of The Classic Magazine to arrive in the next few weeks.

FEEDBACK

Have an opinion on an article published in The Classic?

Want to have your thoughts on a topic published?

Write a “Letter to the Editor” and email it to thhsclassic@gmail.com.

12 October/November 2015

THE CLASSIC

SCIENCE & TECH Invention of the month: Samsung Gear VR

Theodore Leon STAFF WRITER

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILIP FRACZEK

Robotics Captain Marcus Barbu and advisor Mr. Heitman with Makers at Maker Faire

Steel hawks at the Maker Faire Emily Lei SCI AND TECH EDITOR

LAST MONTH, the Steel Hawks attended the annual World’s Maker Faire at the New York Hall of Science. Maker Faire is a festival that welcomes inventors and reators of all kinds for the greatest show and tell.

The number of visitors reaches 80,0 0 0 over the weekend.

Along with other New York City robotics teams from different schools, the Steel Hawks presented “Raptor,” a robot that they built last year.

After an exciting experience at St. Louis this past year, the Steel Hawks were invited to attend Maker Faire for the first time by NYC FIRST (For

Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), the organization that runs the FIRST Robotics Competition in New York. The Steel Hawks conducted demonstrations with their robots and allowed people to drive them. They also discussed their activities in constructing a robot such as coding with Maker Faire attendees.

Sophomore robotics member Phyllis Alinsao stated, “[We played] a game we created which involved driving our actual robots with the assistance of team members.” Regarding her experience at the fair, Phyllis added, “I definitely would go to [Maker Faire] again, even if my team wasn’t with me.”

Students, including those who aren’t a part of the robotics team, were open to many other activities at the festival including music concerts, mini building competitions, and free samples from technological industries. Physics teacher and robotics advisor Joel Heitman commented, “Maker Faire is an opportunity for different companies from all over the world to come and show their own innovations. People of all ages gather to learn about different things, and [the Steel Hawks] were very fortunate to participate in the event.”

Senior robotics captain Marcus Barbu reflected, “I thought that the Maker Faire

was a whole lot of fun. There were lots of really craz ylooking exhibitions and all of the people seemed genuinely interested in everything being demonstrated.”

In addition to the activities at Maker Faire, senior Cindy Lin volunteered at the festival’s environmental recycling program to teach people how to separate their trash. Cindy explained, “I talked to people about recycling and directed them to throw away their garbage into four specific bins: paper, plastic, food scraps, and landfill.”

Maker Faire welcomes many creative thinkers to engage more people in the sciences and make innovation family-friendly.

Google Classroom suite now in demand Sarah Yu STAFF WRITER

Though teachers have been using Google Drive for class in recent years, Google’s introduction of its “Classroom” suite now allows teachers to administer assignments and interact with students with a new inerface.

Google Classroom offers teachers an apparatus to assign multiple choice exams, projects, and homework, just as they would in a classroom setting.

Moreover, teachers have the ability to share embedded files,

Google documents, videos, and website links.

Physics teacher and technology coordinator John Tsai commented, “[It] allows students to aggregate their student work and have it for future reference.

It forces organization and use of technology, which prepares students for future careers.”

Google Classroom is available on both iOS and Android devices, enabling students to take their work on the go. The most notable feature for the app is its automatic offline caching that allows students and teachers

to view their assignments without Internet connection.

Students use the “turn in” button to submit their assignments. However, if they are unsatisfied with their work, they can use the “un-submit” option to withdraw and revise responses.

Teachers can then conveniently grade their students’ work by using the preconfigured numerical values on the website or by inputting their own grades from a comma separated values (CSV) file. Students are immediately notified of their

scores.

Senior Fahim Nousad enjoys this virtual classroom because it “gives better teacher-student relationships” and “allows for a better way of reviewing and submitting work.”

Taking the world’s substantial reliance on technology and Google Classroom’s online roots into consideration, the virtual classroom may become the future of education.

Additional reporting by Udipto Chowdhury

THE SAMSUNG Gear VR is a new step forward in how we view the world around us. This new device is capable of putting its wearer into a different world. The Samsung Gear VR, set for release in November, is a virtual reality device created

by Samsung. It has a 96 degree field of view, and can track your speed, the angle of the device, location, and proximity. The Gear VR is also capable of adjusting to comfortably suit people with nearsighted and farsightedness.

It is the first virtual reality machine under $100 to hit the market whose production was made under consumer consideration. Virtual reality is a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional environment that can be used in a seemingly realistic way. This is an especially practical tool for people training in the medical field.

Virtual reality can also be used to treat psychological disorders, such as PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder.

Junior Jin Hua Li commented, “Technology is becoming more and more advanced today. I think the Samsung Gear VR will be an extremely useful, and in some ways efficient, tool because it requires nothing but a simulation.”

Developers are making a variety of apps specifically for the Samsung Gear VR, one of which is Netflix. Imagine being transported to the world of House of Cards, or perhaps into your favorite video game. Sophomore Devon Lall stated, “Virtual reality is a way of improving technology by bringing it closer to us.”

S en ior David Zarowi n explained, “[The Samsung Gear VR is] competing against Oculus Rift and Google cardboard. I think this is a whole new step for technology, and I am excited to see virtual reality hit the mass market.”

Virtual Reality works by showing images to you and changing those images as you move, thus putting you in a whole other world.

Devon added, “This allows us to perceive digital things within a 3D aspect, as if we are seeing it with our own eyes.”

Virtual reality is going to be the “next big thing.”

THE CLASSIC

October/November 2015

13

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

New lunch trays debut, following styrofoam controversy Stephanie Chain STAFF WRITER

Furthermore, the United States Department of Health and Human Services has categorized ON SEP T E M BE R 2 2 , styrene, a major component of Manhattan Supreme Court Styrofoam, as “reasonably anticJustice Margaret Chan over- ipated to be a carcinogen,” yet turned the ban on the use of students every day consume hot all Styrofoam products in New food directly stored on the trays.

York City. This ban was proAlthough many teachers and posed by Mayor Bill de Blasio students did not know that the and had only been in effect since ban on Styrofoam products had July 2015 with enforceexisted before it was ment starting in 2016. overturned, they St yrofoa m is a ck nowled g e also known as “ Us ing l e s s that there polyst yrene, a be an petroleum [to create should plastic based on a lter n at ive petroleum. To Styrofoam] will always material to dispose of the be beneficial for the Styrofoam. material, it must environment.” be buried in landRegarding fills where it does the use of not decompose for Styrofoam as cafseveral years and releases eteria trays, Physics pollutants. teacher and Robotics school For the past twenty-five team coach Joel Heitman comyears, New York City public mented, “Using less petroleum schools have been using 860,000 [to create St yrofoam] will St yrofoam trays each day, always be beneficial for the envithrowing out a total of approxi- ronment. But Styrofoam is inexmately three billion trays. The pensive, and it serves its purpose city spends $330 million dollars of serving hot or cold food, so to dispose garbage belonging to it is a good enough material for residences and schools. now.”

As for possibilities of alternatives to Styrofoam, Mr. Heitman mentioned, “[Other] plastics are reusable which are friendlier for the environment.”

In 20 09, the organization Cafeteria Culture created “Trayless Tuesdays” as an initiative toward using a new material for trays. Instead of Styrofoam, “paper boats,” thin but sturdy paper trays, are used.

Since October 5, a new type of paper tray is being used to replace the previous Styrofoam trays i n To w n s e n d Harris’s school cafeteria.

Jun ior Grace Chung stated, “I think that the new trays are better because they are more convenient and better for the environment.”

These new trays have many more benefits for the environment, and they were first used in May 2015 in some NYC public schools.

ARTWORK BY ANGELA HUANG

Sarah Gafur and Vicki Jagdeo STAFF WRITERS

Sarah Yu STAFF WRITER

ART BY NOEL DU

has a crowdfunding Indiegogo page, which has raised over $300,000 over the span of two months.

There are several THHS students who aspire to be a part of this ambitious project. Senior Jonathan Lee is among the few who would volunteer for this expedition, as he claims that “it would definitely make life more

Styrofoam will succeed in making the environment a better place.

EnChroma opens eyes

Mission to Mars is a go For the first time, mankind will be setting foot on its next door planet, Mars. Sponsored by a Dutch nonprofit foundation called Mars One, participants will go on a one-way journey to Mars starting in 2026.

Mars One will be sending 24 volunteers to the Red Planet in hopes of establishing a colony there. Though over 200,000 people applied in 2011 to visit the planet, the foundation only chose 100 candidates. The remaining unselected pool will partake in group trials to assess their skills and readiness for a rigorous life on an alien planet.

The contenders will have to be both physically and mentally fit to endure manual labor and lifelong social isolation.

B efore t he volu nteer s embark on the arduous seven month long journey, Mars One will conduct an unmanned mission in 2020 to prepare for the settlement. The initial crew will depart in 2026, and subsequent teams will be departing every 26 months. The organization will make six teams consisting of four people each.

The foundation estimates that the first mission will cost about $6 billion and around $4 billion for each landing thereafter. Merchandise, sponsorships, private partnerships, and sales of broadcasting rights generate monetary funds. Mars One also

The trays are made from recycled newsprint in the United States and are compostable. Hopefully, the new recyclable alternative to

exciting than it could ever be on Earth.”

While this may seem like a suicide mission to some, these pioneers who are willing to leave behind their loved ones to live on the barren land of Mars will bring scientists the crucial knowledge of life on a planet still foreign to us.

THE OPTICAL company Frameri recently worked with EnChroma, a color-enhancing lens manufacturer, to create a collection of eyewear accessories that would aid color blind individuals. While the glasses range from $300 to $700, the newfound possibilities these glasses offer make the price more affordable to those who are colorblind.

Frameri produces frames manufactured with a hard polymer that prevents the glasses from breaking or scratching.

EnChroma builds lenses that allow red-green colorblind people to see color by adjusting the way that the eyes respond to light. Together, these two companies created glasses that now enable color blind individuals to perform activities not available to them before, such as driving, painting, and experiencing different types of art. The glasses enhance the perception of the colors that they see without altering the balance between them.

Sophomore Victoria Harris was amazed by the product. She commented, “It’s amazing how we can offer people the ability to see a new color. [Watching] YouTube videos of users seeing the color purple, for example, was heartwarming.”

Reg a rd i n g the science behind color blindness, biology teacher Shi Bing Shen explained,

“We all have cones in our our eyes that are responsible for our ability to perceive color waves.

We each have red, green, and blue cones in our eyes, but sometimes the cones don’t respond to the light the way they should; thus, some of us are colorblind.”

Junior Alex Chen is color deficient and explained that he never notices his color deficiency unless someone points it out because he has lived with it his whole life.

Alex finds it impossible to distinguish between colors such as purple and blue, red and dark shades of brown, and brown and green colors due to the deficiency.

“I wouldn’t say my color blindness is much of a disadvantage, so receiving treatment for it is not a priority. However, there are some people whose colorblindness prohibits them from essential routines like driving, because they can’t tell when the lights are changing,” Alex shared.

While the glasses may provide opportunity to some, it’s unnecessary to others. Alex went on to say, “I can get by just fine on my own. Even if I can’t differentiate between some colors, it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy them without some fancy products.”

As innovators continue to provide solutions to such problems, technology will expand to make the impossible possible.

14 October/November 2015

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SPORTS

PHOTO BY JUSTICE WILLIAMS

The girls soccer team huddles at a team practice in Kissena.

Conflicts at Kissena cause issues for practices Kimberly Deodat, Kristine Guillaume, and Lianna Rada STAFF WRITERS OV ERCROW DING AT Kissena Park’s soccer field has led the boys and girls soccer teams to seek new venues for practice and caused numerous disruptions to league games.

This season, PSAL scheduled all of the girls’ home games in Corona, a bus ride away, as opposed to their long-established home field: Kissena Park.

Senior captain Dina Goodger said, “We get out [of school] at 3:05 P.M. and then have to rush to change and hustle to the bus.

By the time everyone gets to the field, it’s at least 3:50. With games starting at 4 P.M., it’s almost impossible to get a good warmup in with the schedule changes.”

Similarly, the boys team has only two games at Kissena this year. However, they have also experienced problems. In midSeptember, on the day before

their match against Queens High School of Teaching, the permit for their game at Kissena was given to a charter school, forcing them to travel half an hour away to Creedmore fields to play.

“We had a game in our schedule and they sent the permits over and, when I double checked the permits, we didn’t have the permit date,” said Coach Matthew Curiale. “They didn’t issue the permit date to us even though we were on the schedule.”

When Kissena is closed exclusively for games, both THHS teams often practice on the untrimmed grass next to the field, which presents many dangers to the players.

S en ior capt a i n Br a nco Gamarra said, “The grass field is very bumpy, has many rocks, and we can easily hurt our ankles and get injured.”

Even when the turf field is open, however, they struggle

to obtain adequate field space to complete their drills.

“We’ve practiced for the m ajorit y

there’s practically no space to work with.”

Catholic high schools often pay for permits for the fields for practice space while PSAL teams do not have that same privilege. “ T h e y ’ v e [Catholic schools] had practice permits which, in our neck of the woods, is un heard of.

They tell us that you can’t have a permit to practice, but they’re out here practicing and they don’t allow anyone else on the field,” girls soccer Coach Bill Sioukas explained.

As an alternative, Coach Sioukas sometimes holds practice at Forest Hills High School’s field. In order to do this, the girls must take the bus to practice as opposed to walking a few blocks to Kissena.

PSAL has expanded the soccer programs in schools and allowed more teams to enter individual leagues.

Coaches Sioukas and Curiale both identify this as the main source of the overcrowding dilemma. o f the past three years there [Kissena] with no problem,” senior Hallee PellBrown said. “This year, sometimes, we can get an easy spot and get to work with the goal, but other times it’s hard and

“It’s definitely annoying when you don’t really have a close field as your home field and it’s made practices inconvenient at times,” said junior Chelsea Chaug.

Over the past few years, however, PSAL has expanded the soccer programs in schools and allowed more teams to enter individual leagues. Coaches Sioukas and Curiale both identify this as the main source of the overcrowding dilemma.

“This year and throughout the last couple of years, it’s been a lot more difficult because the PSAL is allowing more teams to be developed,” Coach Curiale said.

Coach Sioukas added, “It’s too many teams. That’s the problem. We don’t have enough fields. We have x amount of boys teams and x amount of girls teams and the people who pushed for us [girls soccer] to play in the fall are realizing now that oops- we don’t have enough fields.”

THE CLASSIC

Joining the A-Mazza-ing Race

October/November 2015

15

Volleyball team defeats Bowne

Daniel Singh STAFF WRIER

PHOTO BY

Kristine Guillaume STAFF WRITER

Dr. Mazza poses with the team after a successful Freshman/Sophomore Queens Championsips.

THIS YEA R, mathematics teacher Stephen Mazza beca me the new A ssist ant C o a ch o f t h e g i r l s c r o s s country team.

Dr. Mazza, while not running track in his high school or college career, is not new to the coaching scene. For the past eight years, he has served as an Assistant Coach for his children’s CYO basketball teams.

“I like coaching,” said Dr. Mazza. “I like being around the kids. M r. Connor kept asking if I wanted to do it [become A s sist a nt C oach] and the timing was finally good.”

A lt hough he h a s l it t le exper ience with r un n i ng, Dr. Mazza says he’s happy to “help out” and “encourage” the girls in any way he can.

He aims to be reliable and to assist the team by recording times and d r iv i n g t he school van t o a nd f r om meets.

“I don’t think I ’ve r un 3.1 m i le s total in my entire life,” Dr. Mazza joked. “R ight now, I just enjoy being around t he t ea m bec au s e t hey ’re really fun to be around. Last

week, I car r ied the bag of sweatshir ts and st uf f f rom the starting line to the tent, and I’m happy to do st uf f like that because I really a d m i r e how h a rd those girls work and their dedication to what they do.”

At the same time, he hope s to learn more about track from Mr. Connor as he takes on this new role.

“I’d love to lear n more about t r ack a nd help M r.

Con nor more and provide input and feedback [to the

“He is slowly becoming a part of our track family.”

PHOTO BY HAILEY LAM

girls],” he said. “The idea of being on a track team and r u n n i n g wa s ju st beyond what I could comprehend, so I can really see why they do it now.”

The girls are impressed with Dr. Mazza’s initiative to learn more about both the team and the sport.

“He’s been super helpful at our meets and gets along well with all the girls on the tea m ,” said sen ior capt ai n Joanna Huo. Senior captain Yasmeen A l ly said, “The team is beyond sat i sf ied with D r.

Mazza. He is slowly becoming a par t of our t rack family.”

Girls soccer clinches playoff berth Evan Noblesala and Noah Silversmith SPORTS EDITORS THE GIRLS varsity soccer team punched its first ticket to the playoffs since 2012 in a blowout win against the High School for Arts and Business.

The High School for Arts and Business, a fair competitor of the girls this season, fell with little resistance. The Hawks, who now stand in third place in their division, won the game by a score of 3-0.

The game progressed with little spark and some near goals for the Hawks but only truly gathered momentum as the second half neared.

The tide suddenly shifted in favor of the team when sophomore Veronica Dolega scored the first goal at the end of the first half. This shot jumped right over the opposing goalie’s head and ignited a streak

that would be left unbroken the rest of the game. The final two goals were taken by senior captain Kristine Guillaume and sophomore Erica Vercessi, respectively.

Despite statistical success, many still felt their performance to be lacking in some regard.

Erica said, “I feel as though I did play pretty hard, but definitely could have improved defensively, tactically, and technically.“ Although the playoffs were up in the air this season, the team’s showing definitely proves they are up to the task of continuing their season.

Kristine said, “I feel that we did really well today. There are little things that we need to work on like crosses to the middle of the box and capitalizing on those crosses. Overall though, I was very impressed

with the speed and precision the team exhibited through our give and go’s with passing and getting the ball where it needed to be.”

Similarly, senior captain Ivanka Juran felt that the team did a great job in “sharing the ball and making different passing combos that allowed for the goals that were scored.”

She added, “I think the fact that the goals were scored and assisted by all different people as well serves to prove how selfless and versatile the team is.”

With this victory, the Lady Hawks moved to six wins, five losses, and one tie, a record that ensures them with a spot in the postseason; the minimum wins needed to make the playoffs is six.

All three senior captains were ecstatic about the team’s accomplishment, as this is

their first visit to the playoffs since their freshman year.

Senior captain Dina Goodger said, “It’s actually a little surreal because our freshman year it was [my] first time on the team and we went straight into playoffs. Now I’m a senior, and to be going into playoffs is like our last hurrah. It’s really special for us and now we can end the season on a good note.”

Ivanka commented on how much the team has changed and improved since their last trip to the playoffs.

She remarked, “I’m so proud of how much we have achieved so far this season, and just being invited to playoffs is an honor in itself. I look forward to the competition.”

Kristine closed by saying that this opportunity is “an exciting way to end [her] high school soccer career.”

AFTER LOSING its first two games of the season, the Townsend Harris girls varsit y volleyball team earned it s f i r st wi n over Joh n Bowne, two sets to none.

The f irst set began as a close head-to -head match, with more than a couple ties.

TH HS opened a wide lead of 18-14, but Joh n Bow ne came back to tie thing s at 18 . But a f ter a couple of m i spl ays by Joh n B ow ne, the L ady Hawks were able to take advantage and seal a win in their first set, 25-19.

The second set started as a blow out as TH HS went out on top 7- 0 until Bowne scored their f irst point.

A f ter this, it was a cat and mouse game al l the way to 20 points.

The H awk s were leading 24 -22 when they scored their final point winning the second set 25 -22 and ultimately the game by a score of two sets to nothing.

In response to the team’s performance, junior Abigail C a lu mpit s a id , “ We were happy about our win, but the way we played – it was not good, it was not our level, it was way below what we were supposed to play.”

When asked about what they needed to improve on, she said, “We need to talk, t h a t ’s a l l we ne ed t o d o , because we’re good at passing, we’re good at hitting, we’re good at of fense, but we need to talk, we have a lack of communication.”

Senior and captain Leann Senat added on to Abigail’s statement saying, “We need to have more energ y f rom t h e s t a r t o f e ve r y g a m e a nd be more a gg res sive c a l l i n g eve r y t h i n g [a nd] communicating.”

Moreover, sen ior Kel lie Zestanakis said, “I’m happy we won, but I think we can do a lot bet ter next game.

We just need to make a bigger difference on the scoreboard, but obviously I think we should just keep up the wins.”

With regards to statistics, the Hawks combined for a total of 15 kills.

Senior L eann Senat and sophomore Jossely n Nava s led the team in k i l ls, each s cor i n g f ive k i l l s . S en ior Gabriel le Avancena had 15 assists, digs.

The Lady Hawks look to use this first win as momentum and a push to making it to the playoffs.

16 October/November 2015

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT SPECIAL LOOK: VEGETARIAN LIFE AT THHS

ARTS & ENTERTAIN-

Carrot Ginger Soup

The Meatless Menu

Vermicelli Noodles with Tofu

Being a vegetarian in high school can sometimes be difficult. We have compiled some simple recipes here that students can bring for lunch, explored local restaurant options, and interviewed vegetarian Harrisites about their experiences.

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

- 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh ginger - 3 cups of chopped carrots - 3 cups vegetable stock - 2 tablespoons lemon juice - 4 tablespoons sour cream - 1 small carrot (grated)

- Chopped lettuce - Sliced carrots - 1 package of firm tofu - 2 tablespoons of oil - 1 pack of vermicelli noodles - 1 cup of sweet chili sauce - 1 cup of rice vinegar

PROCEDURE

1. Saute ginger for 2 minutes.

2. Add chopped carrots, cook for 1 minute.

3. Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil.

4. Simmer for about 20 minutes (until carrots are soft) 5. Blend soup in blender.

6. Let soup simmer in pot.

...

Arugula and Pepper Salad Hailey Lam A&E EDITOR O C T O B E R 1 , Wo r l d Vegetarian Day, marks the beginning of vegetarian awareness month. This month sheds light on the benefits of becoming a vegetarian and celebrates the choice of leading a meatless life. With a wide variety of vegetables available seasonally or all year round and many restaurants offering vegetarian options, becoming a vegetarian has never been easier.

People often ask why vegetarians choose to stop eating meat. There are various reasons including religious convictions,

PROCEDURE

PHOTOS BY HAILEY LAM Mozzerella, pesto, tomato and pepper tost

B E ST V E G E TA R I A N F O O D A R O U N D T OW N S E N D H A R R I S 1. Spinach, Mushroom, Cheese slice - Ginos 2. Caprese Panini - Q Cafe (pictured above) 3. Grilled Cheese - Presso 4. Cucumber Rolls - Tokyo Sushi 5. Boffo Buffalo Wings - The Oneness Fountain Heart

Lo Mein

personal health, animal welfare, and the environment.

Sophomore Neisa Yin stopped eating meat because she “wants to reduce animal suffering as much as possible. There is no such thing as ‘humane-killing’ if it is for human consumption.”

Junior Annagha Surendra, a vegetarian since birth, was heavily influenced by her parents, who are also vegetarian. She also believes that killing animals for food is unethical.

She mentioned, “I became a vegetarian because it was ingrained in me as a child and also I really hate the way animals

Avocado Pasta

are slaughtered.”

While cutting meat completely out of one’s diet is difficult for many, junior Prity Sen switched to a vegetarian diet immediately after seeing pictures of animals being beaten in a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) pamphlet. “I started sobbing and feeling sick about eating them.

So I made the decision then and there. It was super impulsive, and I got in trouble with my parents for it. But I would refuse to eat until they agreed. While trying to find food is difficult, it’s even harder to dispel the belief

that vegetarians are a bunch of ‘pretentious hipsters,’” says Prity.

“I get weird looks when people hear me say, ‘Oh, I’m a vegetarian’. They immediately roll their eyes.”

Prity and many other vegetarians agree that one of the hardest parts about being vegetarian is finding things to eat when with your carnivorous friends. Neisa stated, “If something sounds mostly vegetarian I’ll tell the waiter to take out the meat part, or I’ll just order a salad at worst.” For her, it’s difficult at home since she’s the only vegetarian in the family.

1. Fry tofu in oil until crispy golden brown.

2. Boil vermicelli noodles until soft and drain.

3. Toss vermicelli noodles, tofu, chili sauce, rice vinegar, lettuce, and carrots into a bowl together.

...

Overnight Oatmeal

She added, “When we eat at home, I sometimes cook. The meals are separated and usually quite different. I would eat noodles on most nights while my siblings ate hamburgers.”

However, vegetarians are not only limited to salads and noodles. In fact, there are numerous plant-based meals that one could eat, especially since cultures with plant-based diets influence other restaurants. There are many international food options that are meatless. Dishes like padthai, curry, and pasta mean that while restricted, vegetarians have a lot of options.