The Classic, Vol 39, No 2, Winter 2023

Meet the new teachers

Eleven teachers were hired to join the THHS faculty for the 2022-2023 school year. In this special spread, read all the profiles and learn all about these new teacher hires in various departments across the school.

Is test optional worth it?

In this opinion piece, read about the pros and cons of sending scores to colleges that are now “test optional,” and do not require SAT/ACT scores for admission.

The Girls Varsity Basketball team was undefeated with a record of 16-0 for the regular winter season. This record earned them a spot in the playoffs.

THE CLASSIC

Undefeated in basketball Jupiter Ascendant

After PupilPath ban and DOE gradebook flop, Jupiter Ed is now the gradebook system for THHS

TOWNSEND HARRIS HIGH SCHOOL AT QUEENS COLLEGE

With the start of the spring semester, Jupiter Ed will be the new schoolwide gradebook

By Diana Piergrossi and Defne Kaygisiz

Following the PupilPath ban last spring and the release of the reportedly “difficult to navigate” DOE gradebook this past fall, the Townsend Harris Parent Teacher Association (PTA) began fundraising to acquire the Jupiter Ed system as a new, separate gradebook for THHS teachers and students. Recently, the Jupiter gradebook was officially purchased for all teachers, and as the spring semester begins, it will go into effect for all classes.

The removal of PupilPath from NYC schools due to a data breach led to the development of a new DOE-based gradebook, GAMA, that few teachers had experience with when it was initially released in September. However, the frequent technical difficulties and inconveniences of the gradebook left teachers with what many described as an undependable platform for inputting grades and students with little ability to monitor their course progress.

Parent Coordinator Jodie Lasoff said that the DOE gradebook proved itself “inadequate for our teachers’ needs,” which led to many teachers opting to use different grading platforms for their classes. The multitude of platforms made it difficult for students and their families to have a comprehensive idea of their academic performance. “Having all grades on one platform is easier for everyone, from families to staff to students,” said Ms. Lasoff.

Math teacher Aleeza Widman said, “The DOE gradebook didn’t match how I grade, because I do a point-based average and [the DOE gradebook] only allowed you to weigh things by tenths [of a percent] or 25 or 75 percent.”

Students expressed dislike for the new gradebook because they

rage in a class and not being sure about what I can improve on. [Google Classroom] doesn’t work very well [for showing an average].”

“An average is a tool that allows us to see where we need to put [in] extra effort. Without it, we can feel rather lost and in the dark,” said sophomore Daniel Li.

Before the schoolwide purchase, many THHS teachers were paying for the Jupiter gradebook out of their pockets just to avoid using the DOE grading system. According to the Jupiter website, if a teacher was not

tter, which raises funds from families to pay for school expenses and programs that are not funded by the DOE. “We were able to get [some of] the funds by reallocating some of our planned budget lines,” Alex Lauren and Gregory Prasad from the PTA said. While making sure they didn’t cut down on the other activities they sponsor, the PTA “were able to fundraise the rest of the funds through [the] parents.”

how Skedula was,” said Ms. Widman. “I think Jupiter is going to be better [than the previous system]. We had a really great training on it last week, and I think it will be easy for kids and for teachers to use.”

were unable to access their grades and were left in the dark about their performance until report cards were given out, except for some Google Classroom reports that varied in what information they displayed. Junior Kaia Lain said, “I hate having to calculate my approximate ave-

part of a school agreement and had not formerly used the platform, they would have to pay $90 annually.

To remedy these issues, the PTA encouraged parents to donate money towards purchasing Jupiter for teachers. This fundraising effort was in addition to their annual appeal le-

“The parents were the loudest voice of wanting to have a [grade] book they can view,” Assistant Principal Ellen Fee said. According to Ms. Fee, Jupiter grading will be beneficial for both teachers and parents, since the current system does not possess “all the capabilities that make communication with parents and students most efficient. The expectation is that students will be able to access their grades regularly, [and] know how they are doing at a snapshot at any time.”

“Jupiter lets us make assignments out of [however] many points [we choose], and that’s similar to

Ms. Fee also said that Jupiterlike Pupilpath- allows students to have an idea of their current grades through the use of colors and tells them the information that they could use to learn how best to raise their average. Harrisites can now log into their Jupiter accounts with their OSIS numbers to access their course averages and a detailed grade breakdown for each class – including the weight for each category and individual test or assignment. Some other features include receiving notes from and direct messaging with teachers.

Sophomore Nirjhana Paul, already having used Jupiter in middle school, said “I am glad we are officially switching to Jupiter. I believe it is really user-friendly. You can talk with teachers that aren’t even [your] own, and you never feel alone since help is at the tip of your finger.”

Having a schoolwide gradebook will “certainly be a positive change,” said Ms. Lasoff. “It allows [teachers] a more complete picture of their students and lets them keep families in the know.”

THHS is now using Jupiter Grades, after not having an official gradebook for the first semester.

PHOTO: KATHERINE LIAN

Parent Coordinator Jodie Lasoff said that the DOE gradebook proved itself “inadequate for our teachers’ needs,” which led to many teachers opting to use different grading platforms for their classes. “Having all grades on one platform is easier for everyone, from families to staff to students.”

After elevator renovations, key cards are now required

By Elvis Chan and Brandon Pinto

After workers completed renovations on Townsend Harris’s two elevator cabs in early January, the elevators reopened with a “key access” only system, ensuring that only those with elevator key cards can use the elevators going forward. In early January, faculty, staff, and students requiring elevator access received the new key cards, leaving the elevators closed to the rest of the student body before, during, and after school.

In an email to staff sent on January 6, Assistant Principal of Organization Ellen Fee said that the key card system is in place “in the interest of taking care of what we’ve been given.”

Prior to the change, students were only allowed to access the elevator with a pass during school hours, but students frequently broke this rule and used the elevators without passes.

In addition, all students had permission to use the elevator after a certain time once school ended for the day. Now

students will not be able to use the elevators after school unless they have a key card.

“I think after school, the elevator use will dramatically decrease,” said Ms. Fee.

Some students commented on the lack of elevator access after school.

Freshman Joseph Felix, a member of the robotics team, said, “It is especially exhausting for me after having [both] gym and Robotics on Mondays. My legs are very sore, and it’s hard for me [to use the stairs after school hours] because I feel lower body pain.”

Other students who spoke to The Clasic said they have also noticed soreness in their legs after being required to use the stairs after school hours. In particular, students rehearsing and preparing for productions like FON and SING grew accustomed to using the elevators after school.

ated for students. We noticed that since students were holding the elevator for

Some clubs do have access to digital key cards, such as Robotics, which requires the elevator to move the boba selling cart up to the sixth floor after fundraising hours.

“The elevator was never created for students. We noticed that since students were holding the elevator for their friends, those who really needed the elevator were delayed, [hence] the card system was put into place, and the update was done.”

Dean Charlene Levi said, “The elevator was never cre-

their friends, those who really needed the elevator were delayed, [hence] the card system was put into place, and the update was done.”

Students who need to use the elevator and have key cards commented on the system.

Junior Victoria Chan said, “ I feel like scanning a key card is easier than the elevator passes from the nurse’s office, as long as it doesn’t take too much time for the elevator to come to you.”

Freshman Constantine Pagonis said, “the elevator rules are fair enough since people who have a disability

should have access to an elevator as quickly as possible. A student with no issue walking up a few flights of stairs shouldn’t need to use the elevator.”

One of the elevators was renovated over the summer and was ready to use by the start of the fall semester.

Despite this, the key card access did not go into effect until workers completed renovations for both elevators directly after the December holiday break.

Prior to 2020, students using elevators without a pass would receive demerits, but with demerits no longer given as they once were given, unauthorized use of the elevators became more common.

Underclassmen take assessments to address pandemic learning impacts

By Defne Kaygisiz

Since last year, Townsend Harris High School has asked students to complete the Measure of Academic Progress test, also known as the MAP test. This exam, administered after the DOE spent $36 million on assessments to measure and address pandemic-related disruptions in learning, occurs up to three times a year in the subjects English and math.

The test itself is a computer-adaptive test where each test interacts uniquely with students as the questions adjust to their skill level.

The tests are untimed, and THHS students generally take them over two periods. If a student chooses incorrectly, they will be given a question at a lower

level of difficulty, and the process will continue until the exam can establish what level the student is at.

“I would argue that it is rather effective,” said math teacher Alice Brea. “Even though it doesn’t give you the most detailed data, it definitely tells you about what you have learned throughout the year and what you have accumulated as opposed to what you had when you began. The system itself is very smooth and innovative.”

The MAP tests do not affect the students’ grades or go on their transcript, rather serving as a tool for teachers to know on which topics to focus or provide extra help.

While there are usually topics students are not familiar with, the test discourages guessing and immediately disables the exam if they find a student answering too many questions too quickly.

Sophomore Ava Pusing said that while she does not enjoy the prospect of an ex-

am, “the MAP in general is fair. It doesn’t count towards my grades and the period is chill with everyone working in silence. I wouldn’t say I like it, but I am not against it.”

On the other hand, Freshman Niah Rowe said that she does appreciate the idea behind the MAP test, but “to ask

someone to remember everything they have learned and then cram it into a test, saying that it is a measurement of improvement isn’t the way to go about it,” she said.

“There is much room for improvement, but that goes for everything.”

In order to use the new elevators, students and faculty must use a key card.

PHOTO: SAMIRA LI

This is the second year that students have taken the computerized MAP assessments. PHOTO: THE CLASSIC

The MAP tests do not affect the students’ grades or go on their transcript, rather serving as a tool for teachers.

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English teachers unveil the ‘Starling Press,’ a student publishing house at THHS

By Kelly Gildea and Ella Kim

Faculty members in the Humanities Department have launched a new student publishing house that will seek to publish books by student authors from within Townsend Harris and from across the city. Advised by English teachers Sarah Levine and Katherine Lipinski, the publishing house held its first meeting with students earlier this week and is preparing to hire student leaders.

“We thought our school would be a great place to start a publishing house run by students,” Ms. Lipinski told The Classic. She said that students will be able to “get their narratives out into the world” through the publishing house, which would specialize in publishing e-books and limited print books of student authors. Opportunities for leadership positions include editors to work with writers, artists to design books and create covers, and businesspeople to market them.

Only one thing has yet to be shared with the school community: the name of the new student publishing house. On February 3, English teacher and Classic advisor Brian Sweeney, who is working with Ms. Lipinski and Ms. Levine to develop the new publishing house, sent students an email announcing the publishing house and a contest to come up with a bird-themed name for the group. That contest has ended and Ms. Levine and Ms. Lipinski have revealed to The Classic that the winning name is: Starling Press.

“THHS has the hawk, the literary magazine has the phoenix, the newspaper has its owl, and now we think we should have another ‘bird’ themed publication na-

me,” Mr. Sweeney wrote in the email announcing the contest. He encouraged students to link their proposals to the ancient world/the classics, given the school’s focus on a classical education, and the students who proposed Starling Press did that well, the advisors said.

Juniors Carolina Corcuera and Angeline Wu both separately proposed starling-related names. With starling meaning “little star,” Angeline connected the bird to THHS’s Latin motto ad astra per aspera (“to the stars through difficulties”).

In her contest entry, Angeline wrote, “the coincidence of the STARling and our school motto makes it easy to imagine the logo: A starling in the stars, wings spread wide open.”

Teachers assess thousands of writing and video samples from eighth grade applicants under new admissions system

By Silga Chisim and Aastha Patel

From December to January, teachers and administrators assessed the new applications for the Townsend Harris incoming class of 2027. This year, the school required two essays, one for STEM and another for humanities, and a video.

With each applicant submitting three pieces for review and nearly 5,000 total student applications, school faculty collectively assessed well over 10,000 supplemental pieces from the applicant pool.

Faculty members from across the school volunteered to help with the process of grading. They were provided with a January 17 deadline and were paid ten hours of overtime to do the work.

The school held norming sessions to train teachers on how to grade responses.

According to English teacher Brian Brewer, “the different readers look at sample essays [as a group] and determine what their score should

be so you get an idea of how to

score.”

The teachers then checked how their scores lined up with a list of recommended scores for different levels of responses and aligned their grading styles accordingly.

The teachers used a 5-point rubric to grade the essays. Assistant Principal Veronica York, who is in charge of admissions, said that the school used the rubric created by Bard High School Early College for admissions because it’s “been used and approved by the DOE for the past so many years.”

English teacher Ryan Dunbar, who helped grade the essays, said, “I was honestly impressed. The prompts allowed for a lot of creative wiggle room for students to express who they are within the confines of those prompts.”

Dr. Brewer said he enjoyed reading the variety of responses and seeing the different skill levels on display.

“We should have some really smart, talented, interesting freshmen next year,” he said.

It is too early to determine whether the new requirements have affected the number of applicants or impacted THHS in any significant way; however, Ms. York said she hopes to see the process play out over a number of years before making conclusions.

“In the world of science, you want to run things for a couple of years and be able to really look at the data,” she said.

The application assets directly graded by teachers were not the only aspect of a student’s potential admission.

These writing and video samples count for 60% of a student’s application, and their course grades from their respective schools count for 40%.

The DOE will calculate their final standings, and according to the THHS admissions website, students will hear about decisions this semester.

Carolina, Science & Tech Editor for The Classic, focused on starling “murmurations” (the groups of starlings you see in the sky flying together in different patterns).

“Starling murmurations were used [in Ancient Rome] to divine the will of the gods,” Carolina wrote. She went on to describe the murmurations as symbols of communication and unity.

“In the future, I hope that this organization will provide a positive opportunity for students here and experience many successes,” she said.

“As Townsend Harris is a humanities school with lots of ambitious and creative students, the new publication should allow students to express themselves and communicate their ideas with the school and the world.”

“Townsend Harris teaches the fundamental value of not only reaching for the stars, but going beyond them. With the myriad of persons showing genuine care for this project, Starling Press will undoubtedly succeed,” said Angeline.

“I think it is the perfect bird to choose for this publication,” Ms. Lipinski said. “They chose a bird I had not expected, but I was so excited that they chose it and wrote beautiful explanations as to how it connects to our school and to the classics.”

“When we came across the suggestion to name the press ‘Starling Press’ it just clicked for me,” Ms. Levine said. “It pays tribute to our motto and what we hope this press will allow students to do: dream big and aim for the stars.”

Schoolwide student survey administered

By Faiza Tasnim and Diana Piergrossi

On December 20, Townsend Harris faculty asked students to fill out a short survey regarding both their academic and personal experiences so far this school year. The day’s schedule was revised so that students had a full band to complete the survey. In an email sent to all students from the “THHS Staff,” students were told that the purpose of the survey is to provide “information so that [staff] can fully support you… every day.”

The survey asked questions about each student’s learning style, academic strengths and difficulties, and various personal interests such as hobbies and favorite activities or movies. Organized by the school’s “Instructional Leadership Team” (ILT), the survey was crafted to gain a brief baseline of facts about each student in the school and ensure that faculty members create a space for Harrisites to perform their best. All teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators will have access to student responses to this survey.

The ILT cited the loss of Pu-

pil Path as one reason why the results of the survey are important. Earlier this year, the Department of Education announced that NYC schools would not be using PupilPath going into the 2022 school year. English teacher Ryan Dunbar, who led the Instructional Leadership Team alongside Assistant Principal of Guidance Veronica York, said, “One of our school-wide goals is to get to know our students better, and this survey is an important step in the process… [it is] especially important now that we no longer have access to iO Classroom.” In addition to grades, PupilPath contained key pieces of biographical and academic data about each student, which was easily accessible by teachers.

“Ideally,” he said, “this centrally administered survey could replace the many different get-to-know-you surveys students take in their different classes.”

“I feel [the survey is] a great way to check in on everybody and get to know them a little more,” said junior Christelle Diab.

The logo for the newly founded Starling Press. ART: MS.

Harrisites Celebrate Lunar New Year

By Melinda Wang

To welcome the Year of the Rabbit in Chinese culture, many Harrisites celebrated Lunar New Year with new traditions and old customs. Lunar New Year, also called Spring Festival, is an annual holiday celebrated by various cultures around the world that commemorates the first day of the lunar or lunisolar calendar, usually observed in late January or early February.

Many who celebrate Lunar New Year are familiar with the tradition of a family dinner the night before. Junior Jie Xuan Tang said he spends the evening with his family watching “Chunwan, the annual Lunar New Year Gala.” Junior Evan Diep, who does something similar, said, “I’ve celebrated by going out to eat with my extended family.”

In addition to the dinner, others wear special clothing or accessories as a way of respecting old customs and displaying their supersti-

tions. The holiday is often associated with the auspicious colors of red and gold, symbolizing happiness and gold fortune. “My favorite tradition is having to wear full red the day of,” sophomore Jacky Chan said.

Others resonate with different traditions. Senior Leo Zhang said his annual tradition is “setting up a table full of offerings, from fruits to snacks to wine, and one by one, bowing down and praying for anything good we want to happen for that year.” Leo enjoys this tradition because it encourages him to reflect on his goals for the upcoming year.

For many children, the excitement of the Lunar New Year often comes from collecting money gifted by their family members and friends. “On Lunar New Year, those of younger generations have to 拜 (bài nián), which is wishing good

Seniors receive college admissions results on the spot with select schools

By Faiza Tasnim and Nilla Wahab

Throughout the fall semester, alumni and admissions representatives have visited Townsend Harris High School to answer questions and gauge interest in their respective colleges. Some schools—like Long Island University— offered “instant decision days” in which, after a brief interview, representatives immediately accepted or rejected applicants.

Often, students are also offered financial aid packages alongside their non-binding offers, including fee waivers that allow them to apply at no cost. “[Instant decision] is great,” said guidance counselor Sara Skoda. “They also provide scholarship information, and students walk away already knowing they’ve been admitted into a school along with the potential aid situation [there].”

More than half of the senior class attended the LIU instant decision day. Ms. Skoda said, “[This was more than I have] ever seen of students attending an instant decision opportunity.”

luck and prospects, to the elders,” Jie Xuan said, “[and in return] the elders give the younger generations (hóng báo), red envelopes.”

Freshman Vicky Li said her favorite part of Lunar New Year is “receiving red envelopes” aside from her normal tradition of “going out to eat, watching the dragon dance and setting fireworks.” Sharing a similar sentiment, senior Gary Yang enjoys the custom as he attends “multiple parties while collecting both red envelopes and eating traditional food.”

Reflecting on his understanding of the holiday, junior Vincent Wynntar-oo said, “it’s a chance to reset your dues and cleanse your mindset.” Similarly, Vicky said it is a “fresh start to be better in the new year.”

Centering around family, Jie Xuan said, “No matter where everybody is, they come back home together to unite and celebrate Lunar New Year.”

As one of the students who attended, senior Sean Zhou said, “The instant decision was such a rapid process. They looked at my transcript and heard my SAT scores then I was good to go.”

In addition to LIU, St. Francis College was also scheduled to offer instant decisions to seniors, but the event was postponed and has yet to be rescheduled.

Despite the delay, students are still drawn to the opportunity to learn more other colleges while earning quicker college acceptances.

Sean said, “I didn’t know that they [LIU] gave such generous scholarships, so after getting accepted by the instant decision with a scholarship, I definitely am considering committing to LIU more.”

“I think [instant decision] is definitely worthwhile,” said senior Michael Zheng. “It gives [you] a certain feeling of reassurance when you have more confirmed options.”

“I think juniors will have more of an opportunity with instant decisions due to COVID regulations coming down,” said Ms. Skoda. “It can only be a positive experience. Definitely be open-minded to them because it can help you with so many things like interviewing and meeting people from different colleges.”

New event at THHS: Inaugural Asian Culture Festival celebrates diverse cultures

By Julian Sanchez

On January 6, Townsend Harris High School hosted the Asian Culture Festival, a celebration of the diverse Asian cultures represented within the school community.

The event was organized by a collaboration of school clubs, including the Pacific Culture Club, Korean Culture Club, Chinese Culture Club, South Asian Student Association, Anime Club, Rhythm K-pop Dance Club, and Bollywood Dance Team.

The inspiration for the new Asian Culture Festival came from a successful joint bake sale held last year by the Korean Culture Club and the Chinese Culture Club.

“I thought doing something similar on a larger scale would be good for all the clubs and groups involved,” said senior Stella Cho.

The festival spanned across the auditorium, gymnasium, and cafeteria, each holding different attractions or services.

In the auditorium, students performed traditional dances and music in both solo and group acts.

One of the performers, sophomore Aurelia Liu, said, “I had a really fun time being able to come together with my friends to perform on stage. Every moment will be memorable to me.”

The gym was set up with various games for attendees

to enjoy, including traditional Asian games such as painting fans and kicking shuttlecocks. These games allowed attendees to learn more about and experience different aspects of Asian culture.

The festival was not only a celebration, but also proved to be a successful fundraiser for the participating clubs. The cafeteria’s rows of bake sales provided an opportunity for attendees to try out new foods and support the various represented clubs.

Freshman Philip Dancel said, “It was really great trying different Asian foods, and seeing the performances at the end. As one of the people selling food,

it was a great experience.”

Aurelia said, “If the Asian Cultural Festival continues next year, I would definitely recommend it to those who have an

interest in dance and performing, as well as those who want to step out of their comfort zone and pull off an amazing show.”

Students discussed their favorite lunar new year traditions

ART: ANDY CHEN

Students shared Asian cultures at the festival through performances, games, and bake sales

PHOTO: KAREN LIN

This issue features a compilation of articles published throughout the winter at thhsclassic.com

SPECIAL FEATURE

Meet the Teacher: This Year’s New Hires

With eleven new faces in front of the classroom this fall, The Classic set out to profile each new teacher throughout the fall term. Here are the profiles. Some were done individually on the new teachers and some were done jointly.

Valeria Jacobs: Science and ISS

By Silga Chisim and Emma Lee

With a new year comes new additions to the school building. Valeria Jacobs recently joined the faculty. She teaches science courses and works within the Instructional Support Services (ISS) department.

Nearly a month into her first year of teaching at Townsend Harris, Ms. Jacobs said she loves it at THHS so far. She said she “hasn’t met anybody who doesn’t like being [at THHS], which is nice.”

Before becoming a teacher, Ms. Jacobs said she recalls “always having a real love for school [and] having a lot of appreciation for math and science.”

However, she said she never saw herself as a teacher and initially aspired to become a psychologist; once she got a taste of teaching, however, she craved more. It began with her tutoring students in chemistry and biology, and eventually she decided to pursue a career in education and earned a long list of qualifications, including a master’s degree in both general and special education.

When the pandemic hit, Ms. Jacobs, who is blind, shared that she had a unique way to contribute to the profession and became a resource to her colleagues. “A lot of teachers struggled with students turning off their cameras and not getting the visual feedback they would have if they’d been in person,” she said. Though she missed her in-person teaching experience, she said that the pandemic gave her a chance to help other teachers in thinking through different aspects of education.

English teacher Ryan Dunbar was on the hiring committee that interviewed Ms. Jacobs over the summer. “Ms. Jacobs impressed us during the interview process with her enthusiasm and her passion for meeting every student’s needs,” he said. “She will be a great addition to our classrooms, and she has already been contributing greatly to the faculty as a colleague.”

Likewise, students from Ms. Jacobs’s classes have several optimistic statements about her. Freshman Emma Wu, a student from Ms. Jacobs’s 8th band Biology class, said she enjoys how Ms. Jacobs teaches. “She keeps [the class] very entertaining and makes sure everyone understands before moving forward,” Emma said.

Gloria Park: English and ISS

By Ana Ramlagan and Eva Jane Hannon

Gloria Park, a new English and Instructional Support Services teacher at Townsend Harris High School, is joining the school community as she starts her tenth year in education.

Ms. Park described her transition to THHS as “smooth” and “welcoming.”

“The community at THHS has made the transition so much nicer. I am constantly in search of a place I can grow the most and settle in,” she said. Prior to starting at THHS, she worked at three other schools and was most recently at Maspeth High School.

She studied at Villanova University for her undergrad and LIU Brooklyn for her master’s.

Ms. Park decided to pursue a career in teaching after taking the advice of a college professor.

“She suggested that I take a teaching program for a year or two to figure it out from there. I decided to continue with the New York City Teaching Fellows program, and I sort of got sucked into teaching and have been doing it ever since,” Ms. Park said.

English teacher Ryan Dunbar, who co-teaches with Ms. Park and participated in her job interview process, commented on what she brings to the classroom. “What I love about Ms. Park is that she is incredibly flexible. Knowing that she isn’t rigid in the way she thinks things should be done but rather super communicative and so easy to work with is great,” he said.

Students also praised Ms. Park for her contributions to class. “[Ms. Park] makes the class feel a lot more like having a conversation with a friend at a book club rather than sitting at a lecture memorizing stuff, and when she walks around and reads our work, she gives us a genuine reaction and real criticism that [helps develop] my thoughts better,” sophomore Ramisa Sharif said.

Katherine Gelbman: English and ISS

By Janaya Sydney and Jasmine Perez

Katherine Gelbman recently joined the Townsend Harris faculty as an English and Instructional Support Services teacher and already has high praise for her new school. “I go home every day happy. Everybody is so friendly,” she said.

Mrs. Gelbman has many fond memories throughout her teaching career, but she didn’t always envision her professional life being spent in the halls of Townsend Harris. After college, she worked in graphic design and marketing, which inspired her to start her event design business, Sparkle and Ink. She explains that it was more convenient to run Sparkle and Ink from home. “[Working from home] worked for the time. It gave me flexibility with the schedule to have with my daughter at home young.”

As her daughter got older she found herself with more time and started to substitute

at different schools. This is the first time Mrs. Gelbman is teaching high school students, which she said has been a great experience. “I was just so blown away by the students here,” she said. “I’m amazed and inspired.”

In addition, Mrs. Gelbman has a unique experience working at THHS as she now works in the same place as her husband, Social Studies teacher and Senior Advisor Blayne Gelbman. She said it has been helpful to have someone in the building she can ask any question to and with whom she can share lunch regularly. Mr. Gelbman said how working in the same building as his wife has been “exciting, [especially since] we are weird [in the sense that] we like each other.” He has also praised her professionalism and organizational skills as a teacher, assuring us that “[Mrs. Gelbman] is a much better teacher than I am.”

Joseph Seidel: Social Studies

By Riya Chaudhry and Reah Joby

This school year, Joseph Seidel joined Townsend Harris High School as a history teacher, specifically teaching AP US History to juniors and seniors.

Mr. Seidel previously taught at Evander Childs Educational Campus, a smaller school compared to THHS. At this school, he was a founding member, being the head and first teacher of the social studies department. Throughout these years teaching, he gained a lot of experience in this field. When asked what made him want to teach at Townsend Harris, he said, “With the first eighteen years of my career, it took me a while to become the good teacher that I was. I felt that if I could succeed here, I would prove to myself that I’m a good teacher.”

Mr. Seidel first got inspiration to teach from his father, who was also a teacher. Despite this, prior to the decision of going into education, Mr. Seidel had an interest in marine biology. He attended Queens College to pursue his original dream, but then made the switch to teaching history instead. “I fell in love with labor studies and sciences, which pulled me away from the STEM aspect and pushed me towards humanities,” said Mr. Seidel.

Students who have Mr. Seidel praised his class and teaching style. “He is a great teacher who not only makes his class engaging but knowledgeable as well,” said junior Alishya Loyd. “I am happy to be in the class because I believe I will be able to retain appropriate knowledge of APUSH that will assist me immensely in the AP exam and the class itself.”

Diane Ramirez & Natlie Rodriguez: Phys Ed

By Eileen Wang and Sophia Sookram

This fall, two new teachers have joined the Physical Education department: Ms. Diane Ramirez and Ms. Natalie Rodriguez.

Prior to joining the Townsend Harris staff, both Ms. Ramirez and Ms. Rodriguez worked at THHS as student teachers as part of their Queens College class.

“When I attended Queens College to obtain a degree in Physical Education, one of the requirements was to complete observation hours. This is when I had the opportunity to observe Ms. Caiaccia and Mr. Adamkiewicz,” said Ms. Rodriguez.

“Principal Condon and Assistant Principal Fee are incredibly supportive of the physical education program. They both understand the importance of a sound body and mind,” said Ms. Ramirez.

Ms. Ramirez began in College Athletics, serving previously as the head coach of a women’s basketball team. This experience led her to embrace her passion for teaching. She said, “It turned out that although coaching was fun, I got the most joy when I was teaching the athletes the nuances of basketball.”

Ms. Rodriguez has had a love for sports since being a student athlete in high school, which led her to an assistant soccer coach position. “I have always enjoyed working with the youth [and] teaching sports and leisure physical activities along with ethical and moral values,” she said.

Both teachers channeled their passions into teaching at THHS. Ms. Rodriguez is

Ms. Ramirez PHOTO: CHAYTI BISWAS

Ms. Rodriguez PHOTO: CHAYTI BISWAS

Ms. Park PHOTO: CHAYTI BISWAS

Ms. Jacobs PHOTO: CHAYTI BISWAS

Mrs. Gelbman

PHOTO: CHAYTI BISWAS

Mr. Seidel

PHOTO: CHAYTI BISWAS

Many of these articles are excerpted. Read the full versions online at thhsclassic.com

SPECIAL FEATURE

thrilled to help her students improve. “I am so excited to be a part of this school community and look forward to seeing my students grow and reach their highest potential,” she said.

Ms. Ramirez identifies students and the subject of physical education as her two biggest motivators. “I love interacting with my students and learning from them. I try to have conversations with as many students as possible, it’s the secret to staying young,” Ms. Ramirez explained.

Christopher Morrison and Charlene Garklavs: Hu- manities and ISS

By Esther Liu

This school year, Townsend Harris High School welcomed new teachers Christopher Morrison and Charlene Garklavs into the ISS (Instructional Support Services) department.

Mr. Morrison graduated from Long Island University: Brooklyn with a Master’s Degree in Special Education. Prior to teaching at THHS, Mr. Morrison taught at John Jay School for Law in Brooklyn for three years. Believing that all students should have the opportunity to excel, he felt compelled to join our school community after seeing the wide range of programs that were offered to all students.

At THHS, Mr. Morrison teaches Social Studies and works in the ISS department. His love for history began in high school. Mr. Morrison said that “His 11th grade history teacher wrote [the word history] on the chalkboard and circled the word ‘story.’ She said, ‘We’re going to learn the greatest story that was ever told. History.’ It was that one little moment that sparked my interest in history and all I wanted to learn was more and more. ”

Mr. Morrison teaches AP United States Government and Honors Economics to seniors, while also managing Freshman Advisory. “The 9th graders are just figuring things out. But for seniors, I’m helping them with the Election Simulation and learning from them what the culture of the school is and how things are done,” he said.

Ms. Garklavs teaches English and also works in the ISS department. She graduated from St. John’s College at Maryland and got her Master of Arts in theology at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Westchester County, New York. She later pursued a Master’s in Education at Queens College as well.

After being accepted into the New York City Teaching Fellows program, Ms. Garklavs was introduced to special education and decided to work under ISS. “It took me time to think about it and now I think it was a very interesting challenge because a big part of ISS is not about the content but about how people learn best,” she said. “It is like reinventing the wheel and trying to make it more accessible.”

Ms. Garklavs, after spending many years teaching at the Academy of American Studies in Long Island City, decided to join the THHS faculty after hearing about the community from current English teacher Christine Duffy. “She tells me about how wonderful the students are and how much she enjoys her colleagues,” Ms. Garklavs said.

Ms. Garklavs teaches AP Language and Composition with Ms. Duffy and AP Literature and Composition with Mr. Morello. She enjoys Greek mythology and Shakespearian plays, analyzing them from a feminist lens and connecting them to today’s world. “Reading works of literature, nonfiction, and philosophy, as well as talking and writing about it helps us think about the world differently,” she said.

After settling into our school community, both teachers expressed their appreciation of the welcoming community. “I love how everyone is so intertwined and there’s people everywhere,” Mr. Morrison said. Ms. Garklavs agreed that “there is a culture of positivity and inclusivity” in our school.

Assistant Principal and Supervisor of the ISS department, Ms. Brandeis, commented on the arrival of Mr. Morrison and Ms. Garklavs. She said, “They are committed and passionate educators who come to us with a great deal of experience and enthusiasm and who deeply care about their students. I am looking forward to working closely with them.”

Ruben Durandis: Science

By Ramon A. Rodriguez

This school year, Townsend Harris welcomed Ruben Durandis, a new science teacher, into the school community.

Joining the faculty as a biology and earth science instructor, he previously graduated from Newtown High School in 2016, and then continued his studies at Queens College. He expressed that earning a job at THHS is his most significant accomplishment. “This is a dream school,” he said. “It allows me… to show my knowledge [and] teach.” He credits three memorable teachers, whom he described as knowledgeable, sweet, and considerate, for inspiring him to become a teacher himself, and he aims to follow in their footsteps of positively impacting students.

This is Mr. Durandis’s first year teaching; in the past, he’s dabbled in martial arts jiu-jitsu and MMA. While everyone was at home learning and working during the pandemic, Mr. Durandis was a student teacher. Reflecting on his experiences, he said, “it was weird; everything was on Zoom, [but] you make the best of it.”

He explained that his hope for this school year is to have all his students in earth science and biology pass the Regents. He said, “I believe that all my students have the capability to achieve a passing grade.” Mr. Durandis believes he can achieve this goal by having his students retain as much information as possible, and by making his class fun and memorable.

Michael Quach: Science

By Emily Cantos and Sophia Sookram

Michael Quach, a Townsend Harris alumnus, joined the Science Department faculty this school year as a Physics teacher. Mr. Quach completed his studies at NYU in May 2022, where he majored in physics and education. His teachers at THHS inspired him to become a teacher himself. “I told myself that I would try my best to help students the way that my teachers helped me and make sure they never felt uncared for or unappreciated,” he said.

Physics teacher David Stern first met Mr. Quach in 2016 when he was a student in his Band 7 Physics class. He described Mr. Quach as “patient, kind, and reflective.”

Despite not being very fond of math, physics piqued his interest because it gave context to the math he was working with, allowing him to be able to explain the way his surroundings worked. As a student, “[Mr. Quach] would often ask questions that drove class discussion forward and was eager to test out his ideas, even when he wasn’t confident in his work, which is why he was so successful in physics,” said Mr. Stern. In hopes of bringing that same mindset to his students, Mr. Quach said, “I’m excited to create new things and demonstrations to bring [student] ideas, passions, and interests into what we do in class.”

When asked about his goals for the school year, Mr. Quach said, “[My goals are] for all students to come into class each day excited to be there and not ever anxious or scared to come to class.” Sophomore Ethan Ben David said, “[Mr. Quach creates] a comfortable and safe [environment] where curiosity, collaboration, and creativity are all welcomed.” Similarly, sophomore Leona Sahajalal said, “Mr. Quach is hilarious and makes physics fun in ways I didn’t even think were possible. He has the ability to make a classroom light up with his patience and enthusiasm.” According to Mr. Stern, he and Mr. Quach would catch up while he was at NYU and discuss his career goals. Mr. Quach has aimed to be a physics teacher since his time at THHS. “It feels surreal to be sharing an office with him, but it also feels right,” said Mr. Stern.

Outside of the classroom, Mr. Quach dedicates his time to both leisurely and humanitarian projects. “My friends [and I] will usually make care packages for homeless people and deliver them around the city. In the future I really want to open a café and restaurant so I try to improve my cooking any chance I get,” said Mr. Quach.

Olivia Comer: Science

By Nilla Wahab

As the school year began, the STEM department welcomed Olivia Comer as a new chemistry teacher. Her introduction to the faculty, as well as the appearances of other new staff in our halls, serve to account for the large sophomore class and assist the STEM department, which was only composed of nine teachers last year, in their numerous responsibilities.

Ms. Comer, an alumna of Townsend Harris, said, “I had a great experience as a student here, so when I first thought about teaching, I would picture myself teaching here. I feel really lucky that I got to come back as a teacher.” During her time here as a student, she participated in many musicals, with theater being a cherished aspect of her high school career.

After graduating, she received an undergraduate degree from Stony Brook University, majoring in Chemistry. Currently, Ms. Comer is finishing her Masters degree in Science Education from Queens College.

When asked about why she chose to teach this subject in particular, she said, “Chemistry is interesting because there are so many ways to see examples of what you are learning in class in the real world. I also know that chemistry can be challenging for students, so one of my goals is to make the material feel less intimidating. I want to instill the idea that even if students aren’t interested in becoming a doctor or a chemist, everyone still benefits from a good science education.”

Students first had the opportunity to meet and evaluate Ms. Comer’s teaching style last year when she was assisting as a student teacher in Mr. Kadamani’s regents chemistry classes. She helped teach bands 3 and 7 and provided tutoring sessions after school on Fridays to better understand the needs of the students and additional expectations that come with teaching at THHS. Students in these classes provided their input on Ms. Comer, which was then collected at the end of last year and taken into consideration during the official employment process for the 2022-2023 academic year. Assistant Principal of Math, Science & Technology Susan Brustein said, “Collecting student input has been a process we have used for ten years. I am always gratified to see the students and staff always agree on their feedback for prospective teachers.”

Mr. Durandis PHOTO: LUKE LOPEZ

Ms. Garklavs

PHOTO: CHAYTI BISWAS

Mr. Morrison PHOTO: CHAYTI BISWAS Mr. Quach PHOTO: CHAYTI BISWAS

Ms. Comer PHOTO: SUMAIYA FAHMIDA

Connor, Levi, and Morzan: the new dean team

By Nadia Afifa and Riya Chaudhry

This year, Townsend Harris has appointed three deans: Social Studies teachers Charlene Levi and Ian Morzan, and Math teacher Timothy Connor.

The deans spoke to The Classic about their work this year and what they hope to accomplish.

Ms. Levi, who teaches AP US History and AP Government, has been at THHS for twenty years.

Before teaching at THHS, she taught at Grover Cleveland High School.

Ms. Levi said that having more deans this year is necessary due to the student population needing “more attention on the behavioral side.”

She said she hopes that THHS is a school that produces students “who are going to be active citizens” when they graduate, and her work will contribute to that goal.

Mr. Connor has been a teacher at THHS for twenty years, and currently teaches all three computer science classes.

He said students should know that deans are “trying to just keep a safe environment for all students to be able to feel comfortable learning.”

He said students should know that “there are adults that will listen to them. [The deans are] not just out here to pu-

nish.”

Mr. Morzan, who teaches AP US History and Honors History, has served as one of THHS’s deans for the past two years.

Before he worked at THHS, he also served as dean at his previous school. Mr. Morzan said his role as dean is to not just deal with disciplinary issues, but to also to help “shape the culture [of the school].”

He said, “So if you see me out in the school in the mornings like saying good morning to students…it’s so that no matter what environment the student is coming from when they cross over into the school, they can have a good feeling about where they’re coming and what’s going to happen.”

Art teacher Melissa Nakos said she approved of the addition of a third dean because it would create a “balance of powers.”

Sophomore Michael Hung Ng said he thought having three deans would be beneficial because students would be able to have more “personalized help.”

“Being a dean is a big responsibility,” Latin teacher Christopher Amanna said, “[having three deans means] they can divide up the labor amongst each other and it’s a more efficient way of working.”

Student Union holds first Winter Carnival event in four years

The Winter Carnival was organized by the Student Union along with various THHS clubs, teams, and publications. It featured games, activities, food booths, and more in order to fundraise for their causes and help garner students’ interest in their organization. The carnival was also open to the public, so both students and teachers who attended were encouraged to bring their family and friends along with them.

Senior Advisor Blayne Gelbman said, “The overarching purpose of it is two

main things: one is to provide a sense of community for the students here [and encourage them] to be a part of the social aspect of the school, and the second is to also help to raise funds for all of the clubs [in the school] that participated.”

The last school Winter Carnival took place in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that many students and some teachers experienced the event for the first time this year. This made the planning process challenging for the SU and administra-

tors, and they had to take creative liberties to make the event their own. Mr. Gelbman said, “We kind of reinvented what it was. We didn’t have a blueprint to work off of, so we just sort of created what we thought it should be.”

SU Treasurer Hasan Raza said that the clubs were mainly organized alphabetically, and “in our floor plan, we decided to be open concept to leave as much room in the center as possible for flow, while robotics sold boba and band volunteers played in the lobby… As for efficiency, I would say that the setup worked very well as carnival goers could [easily] come and go from [each activity].”

Tickets were purchased at the door upon entry to the carnival and could be used at booths to play games, buy food, participate in fun activities, or win prizes. The ticketing system ensured that each ticket was priced at around fifty cents, with some of these funds going to the SU and most being allocated to the individual participating clubs’ treasuries for use in things like hosting events, donating to charities, or buying merchandise. The carnival also included a Toy Drive through which attendees could receive ten tickets for the donation of one toy.

Freshman Sophia Lee said, “I enjoyed the carnival, it was really fun to be around friends and get to know people better. It was really fun to do activities at the different booths.”

Junior Emily Kapica, Vice President of the Girl Up club, said, “We had a waffle-making section, a bracelet-making [section], and a game and raffle section. Our game was pin the tail on the

donkey, except it was pin a bandana on the Rosie the Riveter ‘We Can Do It’ picture.” The fair both provided this social, entertaining aspect and benefitted the clubs’ individual missions. Emily said that the carnival “helped our club raise money and definitely allowed us to showcase ourselves to the other clubs and people [in attendance].”

One of the new additions to the carnival this year was the dunk tank, where Mr. Gelbman sat in the janitorial closet and students were given the opportunity to attempt to “dunk” him with a bucket of water. Some other booths included cotton candy made and sold by Key Club, a finger painting activity held by the Art club, a step dance challenge led by the Step dance team, a photo booth run by The Phoenix, and a Just Dance booth hosted by the Tech Crew.

Hasan said, “I thought the turnout was really great. Many people showed up and had an amazing time, which made me really happy… I think we [would have made] past carnival [participants] proud with how successful the event was in garnering morale. I suspect that we will take even greater measures to ensure that the turnout increases more for next year.”

Mr. Gelbman said, “For our first time, I think this was an overwhelming success, but in our debrief afterward some of the things that surfaced were lack of teacher [and parental] involvement. We [also] didn’t access and leverage the PTA [or] get the word out to the teachers and their families as well as we should have. I think if we had done that, the turnout would have been better.”

Students represented their clubs at the Winter Carnival by hosting activities and selling food. Pictured is Ms. Fee participating in Girl Up’s booth.

PHOTO: KATHERINE LIAN

By Diana Piergrossi

Mr. Morzan, Ms. Levi, and Mr. Connor are this year’s deans.

PHOTO: CLASSIC PHOTO TEAM

By Allen Babakhanov, Elliot Heath, Emma Joa, Loveleen Kaur, and Devin Wu

In November, The Classic published an article detailing a student press event with NYC Department of Education Chancellor David Banks. Face to face with a table of inquisitive teen journalists from across the city, Chancellor Banks voiced repeated support for student journalism amidst a wave of book banning, censorship, and curriculum conflicts sweeping the nation’s schools. Perhaps most significantly, he said that he would like to follow up on the Student Journalist Free Speech Act, a bill proposed in Albany by New Voices New York, a non-partisan coalition that advocates for the rights of student journalists. The proposed legislation, already in place in many states across the country, would prove a significant milestone in a decades-long effort to prevent student newspaper censorship.

The New Voices New York bill outlines an array of reforms to expand, or, in many cases, definitively establish the freedoms of student journalists. The bill states that student journalists should be in charge of making content decisions in student publications, and if administrators declare an article unsuitable for publication, they would be required to promptly justify their actions to the journalists in charge of the given piece. Furthermore, the bill prohibits administrations from penalizing newspaper advisors for supporting student reporters, and if an individual ever feels threatened by the published work of student journalists, it protects sc-

ning libel, invasions of privacy, or violation of state or federal laws would remain strictly prohibited.

Mike Simons, a high school yearbook adviser and advocate for the New Voices bill, said, “If we can bring together people along the political spectrum in a coalition that just stands in support of student voices, I think that’s a pretty powerful thing.”

However, legislation protecting student journalism has not always been successful, which makes the NVNY bill’s future murky. In large part due to Albany’s drawn-out process of reviewing legislation, the bill is currently on its fourth version, although it has seen few major changes since its inception. With only one-month intervals open for reviewing proposed

ok through. Furthermore, New York does not have testimony or hearing-style procedures.

“We can’t have a student journalist sit down in front of ten senators,” Simons said. Absent open hearings, NVNY is hoping to go to Albany once again to reach out to legislators one at a time, following their last visit in 2019.

Simons said that the goal now is “to continue to focus our efforts on accruing more and more sponsors. We found [that] many of the legislators… don’t even know that this is an issue.”

The countrywide clash over student first amendment rights on the legislative level began with the court case Tinker v. Des Moines. In 1965, Mary Beth Tinker, along with several others, wore black arm-

a lawsuit, arguing that the school district had violated their First Amendment right to free speech. Ultimately, after making its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, a majority opinion ruled in favor of Tinker, setting the precedent that school officials could only censor speech if it substantially disrupted the educational process or invaded the rights of other students. For two decades, this decision applied to student first amendment rights in schools, but in 1988, a case came to the court that specifically related to the freedom of the press rights of student journalists. The U.S. Supreme Court case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier redefined what Tinker had established for journalists.

In 1988, student journalists at the Hazelwood East High School newspaper wrote two articles, one on divorce and one on teen pregnancy, that were later deemed inappropriate and removed by the principal. The students filed a lawsuit, claiming a violation of their first amendment rights. After reaching the Supreme Court, a 5-3 majority ruled that articles published by school newspapers can be removed for “legitimate pedagogical concerns” or for being inappropriate for a school environment at the principal’s discretion.

cal concerns” is unclear and allows administrators too much freedom to censor articles on topics that might make the school look bad in the name of a “pedagogical concern.”

As a consequence, the New Voices seeks to clarify Hazelwood’s language and ensure that students have a process for publishing content without fear of blanket censorship that is frequently carried out without justification from administrators. As Simons pointed out, the bill has so far been passed in 16 states in a bipartisan fashion, including Republican-dominated legislatures such as North Dakota and Democratic-dominated legislatures like New Jersey.

According to Mr. Simons, much of the opposition to the bill stems from superintendents who are afraid that student publications with more freedoms can make schools or school districts “look bad.” Supporters of the bill, on the other hand, claim that uncensored student newspapers have consistently reported on pressing issues that would have otherwise been ignored, leading to overall positive change in their surrounding communities. “When reported well—and ethically—our student journalists can start conversations that can then help inform, shape, and change the minds of our communities and schools, and arguably make them better places,” Simons said.

hools from a potential lawsuit the individual may file. The Student Journalist Free Speech Act does not do away with all restrictions on what students can publish; content contai-

bills, one would need to wait for the next window if a proposal was overlooked the first time, which is entirely possible given the sheer number of bills a single committee must lo-

bands to school in protest of the Vietnam War. In retaliation, the school suspended the students until they agreed to remove their armbands. The students consequently filed

Fress press advocates have raised concerns about the Hazelwood ruling in the years since its release. In practice, critics maintain that what constitutes “legitimate pedagogi-

Today, the bill is being processed in the Senate Education Committee. As in previous years, NVNY is preparing another spring of advocating for the bill in the hopes that it can receive a vote. In 2019, members of The Classic were invited to speak on behalf of the bill. Though New York state does not currently have legislation that clarifies the Hazelwood case, Townsend Harris has a free press charter that does. At a press conference, then features editor Alyssa Nepomuceno spoke about the charter of The Classic, saying “[this] protection…should be enjoyed by all student publications in this state in order to spread the ability to freely be the voices of the students of our schools.”

Additional Reporting by Kevin Byun, Arianna Caballero, Justin Linzan, Pierre Marbid, Sophia Sookram, Annie Xiao, and Stephen Xing

As Albany nears legislative session, advocates are pushing a bill to free NY student journalists from censorship

Chancellor Banks meets with student journalists in November.

PHOTO: CLASSIC PHOTO TEAM

“According to Mr. Simons, much of the opposition to the bill stems from superintendents who are afraid that student publications with more freedoms can make schools or school districts ‘look bad.’ Supporters of the bill, on the other hand, claim that uncensored student newspapers have consistently reported on pressing issues that would have otherwise been ignored, leading to overall positive change in their surrounding communities.”

With test-optional policies for college admissions remaining in place, ignoring the SAT is a mistake for college applicants

By Areesh Rehman, Lucas Kim, and Michael Babayev

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports that the crisis would spell the demise of the SAT and ACT flooded the media. Amid test center closures and numerous test cancellations during the pandemic, hundreds of universities suspended their testing requirements during the 2020-2021 admission cycle. Nearly 80 percent of four-year colleges went test-optional.

What began as an emergency response for college-bound students during the pandemic now seems to be an attempt to subtract the SAT from the college admissions process permanently. According to Higher Ed Dive, over 1,800 four-year colleges in the United States will not require score submissions for first-year applicants applying during the 2022-2023 cycle. A handful of elite schools have even extended test-optional admissions policies through the high school class of 2023 and beyond. Though test-optional allowances are prevailing at a sweeping rate, ignoring the SAT and ACT is a serious mistake for students.

For most students, opting out of the standardized exams offers the path of least resistance. With promises to give “every student a fair shake,” most applicants are lulled by the spirit of test-optional admissions into thinking SAT scores now harbor less value. But we argue that submitting strong test scores can give applicants an advantage even if submission is not required.

We are not suggesting that appli-

cants who disclose scores increase their college admission chances. Nor are applicants penalized for not disclosing their scores. It does seem, however, that many test-optional schools tend to prefer strong test scores over none at all. This is the very nature of the test-optional landscape—as long as any advantage can be gained by submitting scores, non-submitters are at a disadvantage.

But not every applicant benefits from disclosing their scores. Most admissions experts encourage applicants to submit scores that land within or above colleges’ mid-range scores—scores between the 25th and 75th percentile for the last admitted class. Applicants who score below those thresholds are more likely to omit test scores.

Many admissions officers are struggling to fill the hole left by test-optional policies, having to weigh applications with and without scores. Though some colleges are reassuring non-submitting applicants of their holistic review process, the absence of scores leaves admissions officers putting more emphasis on other metrics of academic readiness. Still, when students elect to send scores, those scores provide supplemental information about applicants that universities will consi-

der. One thing seems clear about the outcomes of test-optional admissions: it is not that scores are losing their importance; instead, other components of applicants’ records are gaining importance.

Perhaps test-optional admissions present a strategic opportunity for students. For applicants worried about their scores but confident in the rest of their application, submission may not be the best choice. Meanwhile, applicants with less outstanding records but scores near college averages may see score submission in a positive light. A study by the College Board found that applicants whose high school grades were B+ were always more likely to opt into score submission compared to applicants with grades of A+ or A.

Though test-optional policies offer

applicants flexibility in the admissions process, claiming that standardized exams like the SAT and ACT are declining is misleading.

Students should not simply dismiss standardized tests. Solid scores shed a positive light on students’ applications, offering admissions officers valuable insight into students’ academic and college preparedness.

For now, the SAT is not dead. While many reports are foreshadowing the opposite, blaming the sudden swing of testing policies during the pandemic, SAT scores are still a key consideration among test-optional colleges.

Although students now enjoy the flexibility of test-optional policies in the race for seats and scholarships, they are mistaken when they underestimate the weight of standardized exams.

Opinion Roundup: thoughts from around the school on new cell phone restrictions

By Angel Rahman and Ragia Sultana

The Townsend Harris High School administration recently reinstated a cell phone policy that restricts students from using their phones in the hallways, bathrooms, and stairwells. The policy has been publicized through morning announcements and flyers highlighting different zones where students can and cannot use their phones that have been posted around the building.

Cell phones are being constantly used throughout the school by students, which is very different from the environment of pre-pandemic Townsend Harris, according to Dean and math teacher Timothy Connor. “A lot of the rules that were implemented in this school before quarantine had become much looser when we came back. Now we really want to transition back to the old norms and rules,” Mr. Connor said.

Before the pandemic, a demerit could have been issued by having your phone out in any school setting. Mr. Connor said, “If any deans like myself or any teachers in the halls let you know to put your phone away, that should be done. If not, this is when there is a problem, and if the problem arises, this is when we are able to give you detention. There should be no issue if you follow

simple school rules.”

Many teachers share a similar sentiment. Physics teacher David Stern said, “I think this policy makes complete sense, as using the phone in the hallways and stairs with your head glued down to the screen can cause serious ac - cidents.

A number of students who spoke to The Classic also said that they understood that this policy was a good way to lessen distractions in class. However, many do not agree with students being forced by teachers to put away their devices. Junior Ioanna Giannopoulou said that she doesn’t have an issue with the policy but believes students using electronics aren’t doing much worse than distracting themselves: “I honestly think it’s just a distraction, which is why I choose to put it away, but I don’t think it’s necessary for teachers to force students to put their device away.”

and believe its implementation should be discontinued. What if someone calls or texts me [in] an emergency? This is restricting our freedom to use our own personal belongings when they are not even during class sessions,” said sophomore Yazhi Dai.

Senior Tijon Dembo said, “The cell phone policy doesn’t make much sense to me, as I don’t really think it’s a big deal to take a glance at your phone while being in the halls. You can be notified with important emails and messages regarding school.”

Phones should not even be out during class unless for educational uses, let alone hallways.”

Classical languages teacher Marianthe Colakis said, “I think the cell phone policy is a good start in the right direction since phones should not be taken to the bathroom. Students should not be wasting time there, texting, while class is occurring. Although it is hard to enforce this policy, I think it’s a good rule to put in place.”

Freshman Han Ve said she is neutral on the policy. “It’s understandable if the school doesn’t want students to use their cellphones in the stairwells because of possible incidents such as falling or tripping down the stairs. However, I don’t think teachers and deans should be giving students detention for being told numerous times to put their cell phone away,” she said.

Other students said that they disagreed with the policy. “I don’t like this policy

“The cell phone policy doesn’t make much sense to me, as I don’t really think it’s a big deal to take a glance at your phone while being in the halls.”

Students and faculty share their opinions on the new school-wide cell phone policy.

PHOTO: KATHERINE LIAN

Juniors take the SAT in the gymnasium once a year.

PHOTO: CLASSIC PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM

EDITORIAL

Two essays and a video asks too much of eighth grade applicants

EDITORIAL STAFF 2022-2023

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Kate Estevez

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FEATURES

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OPINION

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Audrey Lin

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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SPORTS

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Genessa Kahn

In December 2022, students in the eighth grade rushed to submit their applications to Townsend Harris High School and many other NYC public high schools. However, the application process for THHS looked significantly different from previous years.

This year, THHS introduced a new admissions policy for the incoming class of 2027. In an article published by The Classic in late December, these new requirements were described as “identical to the admission requirements of Bard Early College High School,” where applicants were required to submit two written responses: a humanities-based essay responding to a speech and a STEM-related essay. Along with these two requirements, applicants must submit a 2-minute video introducing themselves and detailing ways “they would contribute to the THHS community,” reflecting the school’s Ephebic Oath.

While this new process may uphold our prestige, it is executed in a poor manner that seems overburdening and restricts a student’s ability to express themselves.

Prior to the seemingly unending COVID-19 pandemic, admissions to THHS were mundane compared to the new changes. Then, prospective students were required to submit their report cards, state test scores, and attendance records and were admitted based on a ranking system.

For both the high school class of 2025 and 2026, a lottery system took the old system’s place, randomizing the acceptance of applicants. The system grouped together applicants with a 91 to 100 cumulative average and then arbitrarily accepted them into THHS. However, this process received heavy criticism, with students, teachers, and parents expressing their disapproval, stating that the new admissions

system was unfair and, as the New York Post phrased community criticism of it, “a dilution of one of the most competitive academic processes in the city.”

Though many members of the THHS community responded positively to the rigor and selectiveness of this new admissions essay/ video system, others questioned it, acknowledging it as intimidating and excessive. Many eighth graders are not only applying to THHS but to other schools with their own set of requirements, some including standardized exams. Our new policies may add further stress upon applicants to get into a “good” high school. The tougher an admissions process seems, the more applicants may feel overloaded and under immense pressure to gain acceptance into their dream schools. Students should not be subjected to the idea that high school will make or break their future, but the more alienating admissions processes feel, the more students start to doubt their abilities.

Additionally, the video portion of the application can cause students to be discouraged from completing their application.

While a video essay can allow students to portray their personalities and articulation abilities, some students, especially those with camera anxiety or physical impediments, may find this portion of the application to be overwhelming. It is unreasonable to assume that all applicants can “perform” through a video when those who have more outgoing personalities will tend to outshine those who don’t. How can we admit students based on whether or not they are comfortable before a camera? There is no correlation between how well a student answers questions on video and their ability to succeed in an academically rigorous environment.

While the writing samples may be able to gauge an understanding of a student’s foundational skills, they don’t necessarily represent a student’s overall academic abilities. In other words, the essay portion of the process singles out those who have the upper hand at writing, leaving those with STEM-inclined brains at a disadvantage.

Even though there is a STEM-related essay, it does not necessarily evaluate knowledge of specific subjects or include any STEM topics in particular. Furthermore, it disproportionally affects students who do not have English as a first language, shrinking the diversity within the applicant pool.

In order to combat any unnecessary feelings of stress and discomfort, which may be provided by the current process, THHS should aim to make the process more streamlined. Instead of having students submit a video and two essays, we should require them to submit a single personal statement.

This allows applicants to display their personal values and passions, as the video asks, and it allows them to show their writing abilities as the essays require. Not only will this reduce the intensity of the process but it will also be more inclusive. Ultimately, students reflect and impact the image of the school they attend, so it is of utmost importance that we do not admit only those comfortable in front of a camera.

If the THHS administration truly wants an admissions process that satisfies the school community and is selective, then the approach should be manageable, straightforward, and fair.

An additional screen might be a good way to add standards to the DOE lottery system, but two essays and a video is asking too much of middle school children who are stressed enough as it is.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Chayti Biswas

Erica Lee

SOCIAL MEDIA

Kelly Gildea

Karen Lin

ART TEAM

Andy Chen

Jialin Chen

Kaitlyn Cheng

Veronica Kuzma

Annie Park

MULTIMEDIA TEAM

Amelia Ferrell

Riya Singh

Ryan Young

Devin Wu

MANAGING EDITORS

Hana Arafa, Carina Fucich, Isabel Jagsaran, Katherine Lian, and Sadeea Morshed

ADVISOR

Brian Sweeney

Copy Team: Jackie Chen (Copy Chief), Allen Babakhanov, Michael Babayev, Matthew Cantor, Daffny Cardoso, Anonnya Debi, Bridgette Jeonarine, Maria Mattei, JK Rajjo, Queenie Sze, Chloe Samuel Szeto, Sophia Sookram, Shayra Shoshi

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.

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:

4 NEWS

Seniors receive college admissions results on the spot with select schools by Faiza Tasnim and Nilla Wahab

Spotlight: CC520 Club encourages members to develop their cooking skills

By Celina Li, Valencia Li, Angela Ong, Ella Quan

Cooking and learning how to prepare food is an essential part of life. Everybody eats food, so why not learn to make some of your favorite dishes yourself? This is the thought process behind the creation of Culinary Connections 520. As established last spring, Culinary Connections 520 is the first cooking club at Townsend Harris High School and aims to help Harrisites bond with fellow cooking enthusiasts.

After a lengthy process, CC520 was approved, becoming one of three new clubs to join THHS recently. Junior Kayla Kha, co-president of the club, said, “The way the club was created was complicated. There were two cooking clubs that wanted to form, but we had to merge.” Initially, one potential club wanted to have a central focus on East Asian recipes. However, they were forced to merge in order to qualify for a chance to facilitate a cooking club at THHS. After merging, there were many complications, such as leadership positions, cultures to focus on, and how the club would run. Aside from their initial deferring ideas, both clubs wanted to educate students about the culinary field and expose them to different types of foods. Nonetheless, the club attracted many eager Harrisites and piqued their interest with this newly added activity.

Junior Camille Lin, co-president alongside Kayla, encourages students to come and learn the basic skills of cooking. She said, “Now, we prioritize school [but] in college, some people aren’t able to go out every day, so…it’s a special skill to have.” Kayla added, “When you live on your own, you’re going to be independent and can’t rely on delivery food. It’s good to know how to make your own food, save money, and make healthier choices.”

As for the future of the CC520 club, the cooks wish to have more resources for their club. Kayla stated, “We hope to use hot plates because there isn’t enough power in classrooms. We [also] hope to use actual heat for cooking.” Unlike cooking clubs in many other schools, which have direct access to the appliances and tools necessary for creating more advanced dishes, THHS has no kitchens available for student use.

Despite these setbacks and a lack of resources, the board members have found ways to continue making delicious snacks. So far, the club has held four meetings and each has been met with success as they introduce new treats for all of its members to try.

Some of the many easy and heatless foods they’ve already made include poppin’ cookin’, Japanese fruit sandos, DIY desserts, and pumpkin parfaits.

The club meets bi-weekly on Thursdays in room 635.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Senior spotlight: Annie Lei and Rachel Ly help produce online, youth-led publication, The Blossom Magazine

By Fiona Zheng and Esther Liu

Last summer, seniors Annie Lei and Rachel Ly joined the executive team for the recently launched project: The Blossom Magazine, a youth-led online lifestyle magazine launched by Youth4Arts (Y4A), a program that creates opportunities for teens to foster community through visual art, literature, and music, in June 2022. The Blossom Magazine asks teens to submit work related to the designated monthly theme to then be published on a bi-monthly basis. Issues are distributed in both PDF and video format. As managing editors of the magazine, Annie and Rachel said they aim to provide various platforms for students to freely share their creative ways to promote advocacy and social change.

As the editing department manager, Rachel publishes monthly writing pieces ranging from short poems to essays. Reflecting on the importance of her work, she said, “[I believe that] teens need more of a platform to share their thoughts and stories because they’re real and can have a more rippling effect on other teens compared to adult writing.” As a result, the magazine’s main audience is “high school and undergraduate students [who are] passionate about art, music, and creative writing,” according to Founder and Editor-In-Chief

Ashley Morrow.

The magazine explores a variety of subjects, including Issue 1, “Wellness,” in celebration of National Wellness Month in September and Issue 2, “Skeletons in Your Closet, ” in honor of Global Diversity Awareness Month in October. Through art and writing, adolescents express ideas about equality, sexuality, and identity. “Each issue of Blossom Magazine is centered around an important obstacle we’d like to shed light on,” Ashley said. “Our commitment to activism and advocacy that I believe makes Blossom Magazine so special and important.”

After reading Issue 1, senior Vicky Sun was captivated by the diversity of expressi-

on. “The magazine lives up to its name: Blossom. Everyone has their own unique way to “blossom” their individuality,” she said.

The team working on The Blossom Magazine publishes over 50 pages of content each month. Annie said, “The number of submissions that we receive from students around the world is increasing each month.” Rachel said, “Your voice will be heard by someone somewhere, but you have to believe in it first.”

Annie, the outreach director, said that the organization’s mission is in line with her personal passions and inspired her to participate in the Y4A organization.

“Drawing and scrapbooking have always been hob-

bies that I’ve enjoyed. I continue to make art because it has the ability to empower others,” she said.

“[Rachel and Annie] are very ambitious and determined and are always looking for ways to collaborate with the rest of the team,” Ashley said. “They have both developed beautiful pieces to be presented as part of Blossom Magazine.”

Through this initiative, Annie and Rachel said they have discovered a deeper connection between themselves and their personal art.

“The abstract image that is created within our collection of short stories, poems, paintings, and music, represents the voices and diverse perspectives of youth around the world,” said Annie.

“Especially in this chaotic world we live in, everyone needs positive reinforcement from a light read in a magazine full of thoughtful writing, carefree music, and simple collages on pretty palette colors,” Rachel said.

“Student minds are complicated by many aspects that are difficult to express,” sophomore Joyce Xie explains, “but the magazine fully captures the complexity of teen feelings.”

The Phoenix’s Black & White Gallery adorns walls

By Daffny Cardoso

The staircases and hallways have recently been adorned with black and white posters from The Phoenix. The work displayed on the posters is based on the black and white theme decided on by the club. Members of The Phoenix have created pieces ranging from train photography to artistic portrayals of flowers.

Co-Editor-in-Chief Quinnlan Burke said that the club wanted to “fully display members’ work in a way that’s visible to the whole school.” He stated, “a social media post or a website blog only gets so much engagement, and we wanted to make it something everyone sees when they walk through the [school].”

Co-Editor in Chief Ellison Daone said, “[the scho-

ol’ community’s engagement is key to running a successful club.” The placement of the posters in the staircase and hallways makes it easier for staff and students to view the work.

Quinnlan also said, “The best audience for our members’ work is their friends, and by having these big posters up your friends can’t miss them.” Junior Zarah Masud, who is not a member of The Phoenix, said she was excited “to see other people’s creativity and how differently they each express [it].” She said “instead of having old fliers to look at, I can look at artistic pieces.”

Ellison explained the process for selecting which pieces are displayed: “we choose and highlight work that we think would work for the specific project.” Quinnlan ad-

ded, “[we are] trying to represent as many different styles as possible [through our choices].”

Junior Ann Hsieh, whose photograph Subway Blues is hung up, said, “I think that hanging up various students’ artwork in the staircase is a great way to get them the cre-

dit and recognition they deserve.” She said, “I love how the artwork makes the staircase feel more like a gallery.”

In terms of plans for the future, Quinnlan said, “We really want to make [the display of members’ work] a running thing, because we think people really enjoy it.”

Seniors at THHS help lead a lifestyle magazine launched

PHOTO: PIXABAY

Some Phoenix photos shared around school. PHOTO: DAFFNY CARDOSO

Many of these articles are excerpted. Read the full versions online at thhsclassic.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Into the Woods auditions completed and now in rehearsals for spring debut

With the show selected, the next step was auditions.

In recent weeks, students interested in auditioning got to select from vocal pieces that they then sang during their four minute audition slot; they also performed a short monologue.

By Emily Dong

This year, Townsend Harris will put on a production of Into the Woods, a 1987 musical now playing on Broadway that incorporates plots and characters from several Brothers Grimm fairy tales. At the end of November, teachers involved with producing the play conducted auditions for key roles.

Teachers Ryan Dunbar, Kevin Heathwood, and Kevin Schwab will work with student performers and musicians to bring the show to life this spring.

On the selection of the show, Mr. Schwab said, “When Stephen Sondheim [Composer and Lyricist for Into the Woods] died, the idea was born to commemorate this brilliant composer’s work and Mr. Heathwood introduced Into the Woods to our school community during last Keeper’s Day with great excitement.”

Mr. Dunbar said, “This is a show we’ve been considering for a few years and there’s been a lot of student excitement about the show.”

Additionally, Mr. Dunbar said that there are a couple of things that are very challenging about the show. This includes needing an orchestra that is capable of handling the complex music and singers who can handle the songs, which can be vocally taxing and difficult to sing.

Mr. Heathwood said that the students will be up to the challenge.

“The music is challenging for the vocalists, the music is challenging for the pit musicians: it’s got something for everyone. So it was just a really good fit so we went for it.”

What’s your THHS Resolution for 2023?

By Reah Joby, Bakhsish Kaur, and Jasmin Perez

Though last week The Classic asked for 2023 resolutions, there are always other resolutions that students and teachers make at Townsend Harris: their school ones.

Some students shared goals pertaining to their average and how they wanted to continue doing well in school. “My academic resolution is to…maintain my average,” said junior Alishya Loyd.

The show is an ensemble piece with characters from various fairy tales.

Overall, there are six main roles between the tales, and they were cast as follows: Brian Hsu will play The Baker, Sally Zheng will play the Baker’s Wife, Julia Waters will play Cinderella, Anastasia Gonidelis will play the Witch, Reem Nasrallah will play Little Red Riding Hood, and Tiffany Cheung will play Jack.

Though planning for Into the Woods is still in its early stages, Mr. Dunbar and Mr. Heathwood shared that this year, the pit orchestra will be onstage.

Mr. Schwab said that he’s worked on this musical before in the past and is eager to return to it with the THHS cast and crew.

He said, “I’m looking forward to collaborating on this poignant and classic tale again. Every version of Into the Woods is special in its own way, and I’m sure our THHS Players will deliver an impressive show in April.”

Harrisites’ idea of the perfect date

By Mark Mbogho and Jasmyn Pillay

It’s cuffing season, and love is in the air as Townsend Harris students channel their inner lovebirds and share their fantasies of the perfect date. As Valentine’s Day was on people’s minds this winter, students made plans with their significant others and close friends to make the day one to enjoy.

Senior Kaitlin Kaii told The Classic that for her ideal date, she doesn’t care about going to a restaurant and having to spend absurd amounts of money just to say “I love you” to someone. The perfect date for her is for the experience, not the aesthetic, she said. Kaitlin said she’d rather spend time with someone in a familiar setting than go out somewhere extravagant.

Senior Joyce Ke shared a similar sentiment, saying that

“the energy it takes to plan an extravagant event is better spent at home, playing Minecraft or Roblox.”

Freshman Fariba Akter said, “It would be nice if we were to go to an arcade, just because it’s a nice, fun, and easy way to spend time with the other person. Then afterward, we can go for a walk and talk.”

On the other hand, some people love the idea of dates that are more out there. Junior Vivian Chen described her perfect date as something that is memorable. She wants someone to plan out an entire day for her and take her somewhere special. Vivian said she wants to “see something that when [they] pass by it again will be reminded of the special moments shared there,” she said. In a similar vein, Freshman Kamryn Ellison described her perfect date as receiving flowers,

Similarly, junior Jinhang Ren plans on “completing [her] art portfolio” and maintaining her average.

Some students are more focused on enhancing their academic skills, such as sophomore Aastha Patel, who wants “to improve my writing skills.”

While others, such as junior Varune Seecharan, plan on time management, “My academic resolution is to reevaluate my schedule and the clubs I am a part of in order to make more time for studying for my language classes as well as the SAT.”

Senior Christina Chan said, “My academic New Year’s resolution is to not do my schoolwork last minute, but plan accordingly and space out the work.”

Staff members also shared similar goals. Science teacher Sarah Loew said her academic resolution is to “manage my time more effectively. I want to procrastinate on my work less so that I would have more time doing things I like.”

Students also expressed their desire to maintain their mental health with healthy coping mechanisms. Senior Scarlet Perez, “My New Year’s resolution is not stressing so much over schoolwork and setting a strict sleeping schedule because I’m tired of being tired all the time.”

Senior Loveleen Kaur said that she aims to be in “the best mood possible during school because we

getting picked upas she leaves school, and being taken to dinner, so long as “the other person pays for the meal.”

Sophomore Hayden Wong said he would bring his loved one on an adventure around New York. Likewise, the perfect date according to freshman Sheikh Sharaf would be just to “aimlessly walk around the big city with no real set destination.”

[the seniors] have a limited time in the building, and I want to just enjoy the rest of my senior year without any worries.” Senior Ariana Balanta expressed her desire to make time to work on her college applications and regular coursework in order to “graduate and get into a good college.”

Junior Sara Lukacevic’s goal is “to maintain my current academic standing, but prioritize my mental health by not stressing so much over my grades and putting more time towards sleep rather than overstudying and overworking myself.”

Some teachers have resolutions centered around their students. Science teacher Valeria Jacobs said that she wants “to build on the work and conversations that my classes have been doing. I see that my students bring in their own resources and have their own conversations, which I get very excited to see and intervene. I want to hold myself back and be more of an observer. I want to build on a strength that already exists.”

English teacher Ryan Dunbar’s resolution “is to have a successful rendition of the play Into the Woods and to work with [his] colleagues to inspire the whole school to come and see the amazing cast, crew, and play when it comes out.”

For Valentine’s Day, students talked dating dreams. ART: SAMIRA LI

Junior Jialin Chen sees herself having the most fun at a scary event. “Navigating through a Haunted House...on a date there makes it so much more enticing,” she said. Freshman Sebastian Arboleda’s idea of a perfect date is simply to do something that both people find enjoyable. He said,“For me, it’s just not worth being on a date if one of the people isn’t

happy.”

Sophomore Ella Quan thinks of the perfect date as a destination that’s fun yet soothing. To her, being with a loved one doesn’t need to be thrilling and full of adventure. Ella would love to have a simple afternoon, for example, at the beach.

Sophomore Samira Li’s ideal date would be running in the

rain. Samira said, “The whimsical feeling of the rain on your skin while laughing so hard is magical and wholesome.” Similarly, freshman Niah Rowe said “going out to eat in a restaurant and then taking a walk at a park or a quiet place, especially since walking and talking is usually less awkward than sitting and talking.”

“This is a show we’ve been considering for a few years and there’s been a lot of student excitement about the show.”

The bulletin board announcing auditions for the musical PHOTO: JANAYA SYDNEY

Students shared their goals for the new year. ART: JIALIN CHEN

The Classic Critic is the new sister publication of The Classic. Visit critic.thhsclassic.com

THE CLASSIC CRITIC: FOOD

Crumbl cookies: are they worth the hype?

By Jacqueline Hong

By now, many Townsend Harris students have seen advertisements on social media where people are trying Crumbl cookies. There were many mixed reactions on social media over these cookies, sparking our curiosity over whether the cookies are truly worth their virality.

One immediate con was the location of the only Crumbl cookie shop in New York is in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The line was not very long, only requiring about 15 minutes of waiting.

The shop was small and aes-

thetically pleasing, appealing most to kids, teens, and young adults alike.

The stars of the show, the Crumbl cookies, are made right in front of the customers and are considerably larger than a standard cookie.

The menu holds a variety of flavors that routinely change, giving customers a variety of options.

Surprisingly, I found the Crumbl cookies quite delici-

ous. The cookies were soft on the inside, incredibly sweet, and packed with flavor. The buckeye brownie was a classic chocolate cookie topped with chocolate and peanut butter.

The cookie butter white chip was a thoughtful combination of cookie butter and white chocolate chips.

The strawberry cake cookie consisted of a sweet vanilla strawberry cookie, strawberry frosting, and white chocolate pieces. The wait and the commute was absolutely worth it for these sweet, whimsical flavor bombs, definitely living up to the hype.

Nan Xing Express arrives in Forest Hills: does it live up to the original?

By Quinnlan Burke

For any frequenter of One Fulton Square just off Flushing, Main Street, you will know about the popular xiaolongbao or soup dumpling spot of Nan Xing Xiao Long Bao. This hole-in-the-wall shack turned dumpling conglomerate has been on every “Best Xiao Long Bao in NYC” list for the last decade, and for obvious reasons– it’s good. If you mistakenly ordered only one serving, it won’t be long before you’re quickly looking for another.

Nan Xing has had their flagship location in Flushing for years now, and so it was pleasantly surprising when a big sign went up proclaiming that an “express” takeout location was appearing in Forest Hills, convenient for all the Harrisites who live south of Flushing Meadows Park. So I decided to have a visit after it opened a couple weeks ago.

Scallion Pancake with Beef

Hard pass on this one.

Now, I think it’s worthwhile to preface this with the fact that it’s extremely hard to find good scallion pancakes at restaurants. Good scallion pancakes are supposed to be thin, crispy, chewy, and made with laminated layered dough almost akin to a croissant. It has to be salted well and not too oily.

It is not supposed to look like it’s suffering from severe eczema.

The scallion pancake with beef just wasn’t appetizing. It was really thick, oily, didn’t have the right layering, and it was not enjoyable. There was way too much hoisin sauce and I could barely taste the beef. The pancake broke into pieces the moment I took a bite. If you are looking for a good scallion pancake, turn away.

Pork Xiao Long Bao

Honestly, for takeout Xiao Long Bao, these weren’t too bad. The biggest reason I was skeptical of the all takeout concept was the fact that the dish doesn’t travel well. The skin used on these dumplings are really thin, and the reason they are served in bamboo steamers are since it allows the steam to dissipate and stops the cooking process. When the steamed bun is placed in an airtight container, all that steam is trapped, and the skin keeps cooking, destroying the chewiness of the dumpling .

However, these weren’t actually that bad. The top skin of the dumpling was a little mushy, but the bottom mostly retained its texture. The soup and meat inside was hearty and flavorful, definitely satisfying any craving for Xiao Long Baos. The meal also comes with a side of black vinegar with ginger, which was well appreciated.

The packaging was also really nice, including a

soup spoon to put the Xiao Long Bao on, as well as a fork and chopsticks.

The Overall Verdict

I walked out with mixed reactions. The soup dumplings were decent and satisfied my craving. The scallion pancake wasn’t good, but there were very low expectations to begin with. I would definitely return if I was craving soup dumplings that were easily accessible, and definitely would try other menu items, like the beef rice cake or tripe in chili oil. Operation Tomatometer Host Wren Walston wasn’t too jazzed by the pan fried pork buns, but junior Kiera Chan gave a positive word on the Wontons in Chili Oil and Peanut sauce. So if you’re craving Nan Xing in a pinch, consider stopping by. But if you can, it’s worth the trip to Flushing to go and dine-in at the main location.

The crumble cookie box.

PHOTO: JACQUELINE HONG

Buckeye Brownie

PHOTO: JACQUELINE HONG Cookie Butter White Chip

PHOTO: JACQUELINE HONG Strawberry Cake

PHOTO: JACQUELINE HONG

Scallion Pancake with Beef

PHOTO: QUINNLAN BURKE Pork Xiao Long Bao

PHOTO: QUINNLAN BURKE Utensils provided PHOTO: QUINNLAN BURKE

THE CLASSIC CRITIC: FILM/TV

The Swimmers is a beautiful depiction of strength and determination

By Rabtah Jinan and Bakhsish Kaur

The Swimmers is a biographical drama film released by Netflix on November 11, 2022, and it follows the true story of two Syrian sisters, Sara and Yusra Mardini, fleeing the deadly bombings in their war-torn home of Damascus.

Both sisters are professional swimmers who risk their lives swimming across the Mediterranean Sea to seek refuge in Europe. Viewers watch as the sisters (and their accompanying cousin) navigate life in a new world and display their unbreakable bond.

This film is phenomenal. It forces viewers to consider life from the perspective of a few teenagers, who should be living a normal life, but whose entire world is turned upside-down due to political turmoil.

The start of the movie really highlights the political situation, as it shows how the local youth must cope with the likelihood of untimely deaths for everyone around them. While heartbreaking to see, the problems around

them strengthen the powerful familial bonds in the movie; the amount of care the Mardini family has for each other is touching and realistically produced.

The sisterly bond is centerstage, and the two actors, reallife sisters Nathalie and Manal Issa, portray the on-screen bond beautifully through compelling and humorous dialogue.

The cinematography is astounding throughout, as photographers captured the severity of the crisis with great precision.

In two scenes specifically, one in which their hometown was being bombed and one about the malfunctioning rubber boat to Greece, photographers contrasted the surrounding catastrophes with silence and slow motion, which I thought was really powerful in recreating the disaster.

In contrast to the horror and danger of the calamity, water was used as a strong symbol of peace and calmness.

In general, I love to see the progression of each of the sisters and the plot.

It was touching to see their journey and persistence, which kept me at the edge of my seat and on the verge of tears the entire film.

Although the ending didn’t give me as much closure as I would have liked, the sisters’ ambition at the end is extremely inspiring, especially considering it was based on a true story. Without a doubt, I rate this movie a 10/10 and recommend it to anyone interested in sports or a sad drama.

Wednesday’s mystery: Should you watch the hit Netflix show?

By Anonnya Debi

Last Fall, opinions, edits, and numerous emotions were expressed in regards to the release of the TV show Wednesday. Ever since its release, the show has had a lot of success and received love from fans all across the world.

Wednesday is an American coming-of-age supernatural comedy horror series based on the character Wednesday Addams from the original 1991 The Addams Family movie. The show is set in a school known as Nevermore Academy; while there, Wednesday Addams attempts to master and learn more about her physical abilities while solving a mystery that involves killing sprees that her parents were also a part of 25 years ago.

Wednesday, the character and the show itself, touched on teenage angst and what it feels like to be an outcast. Nevermore Academy, a school meant for outcasts who don’t fit in with the “normies,” is home to the Fangs (Vampires), Furs (Werewolves), Stoners (Gorgons), and Scales (Sirens). Within these groups of outcasts, however, Wednesday is an anomaly due to her disturbing visions, which doesn’t let her fall

automatically into any of the four categories. She is also emotionally distant and doesn’t have any significant interests or dislikes, which she describes as “tribal adolescent cliches.” Wednesday always sticks to wearing darker colors (especially black) and often has two long braids.

The mystery that Wednesday takes on, as well as the ambition and bravery that she displayed throughout the show in confronting the mysteries and obstacles, was something I enjoyed. Having said that, the show felt unsurprising and rushed at some points.

The conclusion to this monster mystery was quite obvious, as it was clear who the suspects and culprits were when watching the episodes. However, many scenes still brought positive nostalgia and were, occasionally, surprising to an extent.

Overall, the first season of Wednesday had a lot of spookiness and glory while also tying in fun and silliness at the same time, adding a magnificent spark to the show. However, one of the best things about the show was its lead actor, Jenna Ortega, who portrayed Wednesday Addams on an amazing level. Ortega dis-

plays the goth personality, body language, death stare, dance, and demeanor like no other throughout all eight episodes. Ortega perfectly captures all the nuances of the perplexing character that is Wednesday Addams. Wednesday goes through the typical character arc, but right away, she is confident in herself and doesn’t care for the opinions of others. She makes mistakes that are understandable given who she is, and yet she never wavers from her morals. Despite its occasionally convoluted premise, I enjoyed binging Wednesday and definitely look forward to what’s to come.

EDITORIAL STAFF 2022-2023

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Jasmine Deonandan

Jessica Sandoval

CHIEF VIDEO EDITOR

FILM & TV EDITORS

Joelle Gopaul

Brynna Quigley

FOOD EDITORS

Quinnlan Burke

Alyssa Shim

LITERATURE EDITORS

Madison Donenfeld

Kelly Gildea

MUSIC EDITOR

Tasnia Khandaker

TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

Adam Sayah

Iris Li

FASHION EDITORS

Emily Li

Nowyshin Mridula

ART EDITORS

David Babyev

Julia Chang

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Sophia Kouchtaf

BUSINESS MANAGERS

Vivian Chen Nameera Khan

PRODUCERS

Hasana Abdullah, Allen Babakhanov, Jackie Chen, Annie Park, and Irene Skandalakis

ADVISOR

Katherine Lipinski

The mission of The Classic Critic is to create a platform for teenage critics to share their perspectives on the latest movies, books, fashion trends, and more. This sister publication to The Classic will not only give students the opportunity to publish reviews on their favorites, but it will also allow readers to access a series of perspectives on art, media, and products relevant to New York City teens. Visit the The Classic Critic at critic.thhsclassic.com for more, and subscribe to The Classic TV YouTube channel to access our video reviews and podcasts.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation: Ottessa Moshfegh’s least restful and relaxing read

By Abigail Kronenberg

“Oh, sleep. Nothing else could ever bring me such pleasure, such freedom, the power to feel and move and think and imagine, safe from the miseries of my waking consciousness.”

My Year Of Rest and Relaxation, originally published in 2019 by author Ottessa Moshfegh, was one of the many books that blew up on Booktok during quarantine. The novel follows a 24-yearold unnamed narrator living on the Upper East Side in the early 2000s. Feeling tired of life, she decides to hibernate for an entire year using a wide variety of drugs to put her to sleep. Darkly humorous and packed with relatability, her attempt to hide from life instead served as a wake-up call to start living.

Beautiful, smart, young, and with more money than she ne-

eds, Moshfegh’s protagonist has practically everything one could ever want. But to her, life is absolutely pointless. There’s something missing inside of her, as she possesses close to zero emotions for others and never hesitates to say what’s on her mind, no matter how odd or rude.

After a depressive spiral leads her to quit her job at an art gallery, our protagonist seeks refuge in a regimen of dozens of prescription drugs to get as much sleep as possible.

Throughout the year that follows she reflects on her past, including her troubled relationship with her mother and her unsuccessful attempts at finding love.

She wonders about the world surrounding her and how she’s supposed to fit into it all.

The only person she speaks to besides her doctor, Doctor Tuttle, is her eclectic best friend Reva, who is going through her own life crises.

As her year comes to an end, she realizes that her plan hasn’t been as effective as she had hoped, as she begins to experience hallucinations and nightmares as side effects of the medications she is taking.

Instead of helping her rest and relax, the drugs are only heightening her feelings of loneliness and paranoia. At the end of the novel, she comes out of hibernation, vowing to go out and experience life again.

She has transformed for the better as a consequence of her own mental recovery rather than all the drugs.

While reading, it’s hard not to fall for Moshfegh’s comedic

writing style and laugh out loud occasionally. No matter how dark and troubled the narrator may be, she was written to be extremely entertaining, making the readers feel guilty for enjoying her twisted personality. If you’re a reader who gets easily irritated at characters’ poor choices then this may become a difficult read.

However, anybody who’s experienced heavy bouts of depression or feelings of isolation will find immediate connections to our narrator, and may even root for her by the end.

Initially, I was confused about what to take away from this book, since the ending was left extremely vague and open-ended. The story poses many questions that the reader will most likely never have an answer to – is sleeping away your life a brave decision or a

cowardly one? Is it fair to be unhappy in a sea of wealth and privilege? Ultimately, this novel proved that the only way through your problems is to face them head on, and to be conscious in the process. Just as our narrator came to realize, the only thing that can help you feel better about yourself is you.

21 Savage helps Drake focus his sound on Her Loss

By Ethan O’Sullivan

2022 has been an interesting year for Drake. After 2021’s high-selling Certified Lover Boy, 2022 seemed to lead Drake downhill. He stopped taking risks and still sounded unsure about his upcoming plans. Next, there came the album—Honestly, Nevermind— that was announced only 5 hours before release.

Drake switched genres completely, with 14 tracks of almost pure House music; the only exceptions were the RapHouse blend on Sticky, the DJ Screw inspired slow RnB cut on Liability, and the Memphis-Inspired smash hit Jimmy Cooks with 21 Savage, who was the only feature on the album.

The problem with Honestly,

Nevermind was that it definitely wasn’t Drake’s best work. The 3 non-House tracks were the main highlights, while the rest of the album made for fine club or background music.

Some corners of the internet tore it to shreds, making fun of the strange high pitched singing on Falling Back and the laughable Jersey Club inspired bed creaking sample on Currents; however the main takeaway from the album was positive: Drake wasn’t afraid to change it up anymore.

So when the Jimmy Cooks music video came with the announcement of a collaborative album with 21 Savage titled Her Loss, most people held out hope.

Drake and 21’s get-togethers are always exciting. Their first collaboration, 2017’s Sneakin’, was a dark banger, and introduced Drake to 21’s world.

Mr. Right Now off of 21 and Metro Boomin’s producer-rapper album Savage Mode II saw their further collaboration as they were meet -

ing in the middle more, and it is my personal favorite from their original collabs. Knife Talk on Certified Lover Boy leaned heavily into the Memphis sound (despite neither rapper being anywhere near Memphis). While this track failed to properly showcase both artists capabilities, it was a huge hit and one of the most streamed songs in the album. With Jimmy Cooks as the most acclaimed and the most popular track off of Honestly, Nevermind, the album Her Loss was set up to be huge.

With a release date right before Halloween (21’s collaboration with Metro Boomin and Offset Without Warning was released on Halloween in 2017, often heralded as one of the best trap albums of all time), it looked like we were in for a dark, ruthless album in line with 21’s signature sound. Sadly, the album was delayed a week later due to the main producer Noah 40 getting Covid.

If it wasn’t clear enough already, this album is about Drake. 21, while consistently great throughout the album, is really here just to guide the sound so Drake can actually stay cohesive for the 16 tracks. There is also just one feature on the album, aside from Lil Yachty’s ad libs on Major Distribution and BackOutsideBoyz, which is Travis Scott on P*ssy & Millions.

Travis Scott does a fantastic job, but the lack of features really helps Drake prove that he can still produce a great, cohesive album on his own.

This album’s production had Drake the most focused on his music since 2019’s brooding and lowkey Dark Lane Demo Tapes, which itself was an outlier, as most of Drake’s work past What A Time To Be Alive had been similarly scattered. The beats of Honestly, Nevermind are simple, dusty, and energetic, with loud horns, hard hitting pianos, and the occasional vocal sample. The lyrics are also a standout, for better or worse, as Drake and 21 have plenty of funny punchlines.

I noticed that Drake has four solo tracks on the album, while 21 only has one.

Drake also dominates the length of most tracks, further showing that this album revolves around him.

Still, the songs are usually very enjoyable, with cuts like Rich Flex, Major Distribution, and Broke Boys being hard hitting bangers that everyone wanted and expected from this Drake album.

I think Privileged Rappers might be the best beat on the album; the lowkey horns are perfectly paired with Drake and 21’s less aggressive delivery in this track, creating a unique yet enjoyable experience.

Middle of the Ocean sounds like Drake getting into the

same hard rap he did in Tuscan Leather without feeling like he’s trying to recreate songs like Champagne Poetry from Certified Lover Boy.

The effortless beat switches and endless one liners stop the track from becoming boring or repetitive despite its six minute length.

P*ssy & Millions is one of the best rap songs of the year, and Travis Scott’s fantastic verse just builds even more excitement as we anticipate his upcoming album Utopia.

There are still some dull moments, like the strange Hours in Silence, which is great for the first two minutes, before falling apart for the next four when the beat is stripped back so it becomes primarily just drums, and Drake sounds like he’s talking in his sleep.

With the help of 21 Savage, Drake was able to produce this album that has revitalized the hype for his new music, building excitement for his upcoming releases.

Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra: Essential Upgrades

By Adam Sayah

It would not be a technology presentation if the most “reliable,” “innovative,” and “fastest” devices were not showcased. However, when the word “best” is mentioned 19 times in one hour, this can be a cause for suspicion.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 unveiled some of the tech giant’s newest phones. During a time when innovation is reaching an all-time low as technology continues to improve, the event simply exhibited essential upgrades.

The Phones

Nowadays Samsung phones are popularized for their folding and flipping models (and for good reason), but the Galaxy S series of phones has remained the flagship of the brand for years.

The S23 and S23+ are two of the newest installments of the Galaxy S series, building on the successes of the previous S22 models. This year, the biggest changes come in design, battery life, screen quality, and chipset.

With the S22 and S23+ models, the rear of the phones are now covered in one sheet of more durable glass, abandoning the unique metal strip that surrounded the camera lens in last year’s phones.

Additionally, the phones now have flat metal edges, similar to the ones on newer iPhone models. This provides extra grip when holding the phone without a case.

The screen, battery, chip, and front-facing camera experience smaller, although noteworthy changes.

The AMOLED display on these models can reach new brightness levels for increased clarity outdoors, and the battery is increased by 200 mAh (milliampere-hours) across each respective phone from last year’s generation to this year’s generation.

The final improvements can be found with the custom Snapdragon processor powering these devices, which supposedly supports increased power and efficiency, and the selfie camera, with improved focus and quality in bright en-

vironments. These upgrades only enhance the Galaxy experience and refine some of Samsung’s most popular phones.

The real star of the show was the S23 Ultra. The gigantic phone with almost 7” of screen estate succeeds the role of the Note series, coming equipped with a thin plastic pen, “advanced” camera system, and more.

If your pockets can hold a phone that weighs more than half a pound and are deep enough to afford the steep $1,200 starting price, the S23 Ultra is a competitive device in the increasingly crowded sector.

The new standout feature of the S23 Ultra is the 200 megapixel camera that can capture details you never knew you needed, and supports 100x zoom, which makes a neat party trick. Realistically, these features would rarely be used in everyday scenarios, but for the rare photographer who wants to capture the imperfections on the Moon’s surface with their smartphone, the S23 Ultra is now the obvious choice.

Meanwhile, the battery, although not larger, can last longer between charges and the loudspeakers and microphones support better audio recording and replay, all of which are welcome upgrades.

Sustainability

A big point throughout the presentation was the idea of sustainability and how Samsung is doing its best to use recycled materials in its products. Ocean-bound plastics and recycled aluminum, glass, and dyes make their way to create the phone’s components and packaging.

After all, without protecting planet Earth, there will not be any more customers. Any time that a global brand invests more in sustainability, it has positive ripple effects throughout the industry and beyond.

Samsung happened to be caught in one such ripple, as Google and Apple had made such decisions years prior to Samsung’s event.

Nonetheless, Samsung’s effort should be praised, as it is better to start recycling now than never.

Verdict

With the constant competition from Apple’s iPhones, Google’s new Pixel line, and other smaller brands’ phones, Samsung is in the defensive position to create good products that are accessible, innovative, and environmentally conscious.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 was the company’s response to this pressure, and while their new phones may be the brand’s “best yet,” they still lag behind competitors in terms of display and camera, speed, battery, and sustainability.

Are smart locks the future? Tapplock One

By Adam Sayah

Padlocks protect our priceless notebooks and jackets from the treacherous elements of a school hallway. For this reason, we owe padlocks a small round of applause— but still, some of high schoolers’ worst battles are with a particularly feisty padlock not opening on a whim. There are

three remedies for such a state of affairs: accept the padlock’s incivility, leave valuables exposed, or upgrade to a smart lock.

Design

The Tapplock One is one such smart lock, packed with a plethora of technology. While looking like a fairly solid, metal

padlock from the rear, the front reveals an LED light, a button, and a fairly large black square in place of a traditional padlock’s dial. This square is not simply for decoration; it houses the essential fingerprint scanner for hastily unlocking the padlock and accessing the goods it guards. Like something out of a particular British spy movie, the Tapplock features deeper levels of authentication. Pressing the button on the bottom of the lock three times enables morse code mode, after which entering a specified sequence of presses can unlock it. Once access has been granted— which only takes a fraction of a second—the lock flashes a green light and electronically unlatches the steel shackle. However, if a fingerprint or morse code sequence is not identified, the lock shines red light into the irises of the once hopeful intruder.

Unlike most smart tech, the lock can endure extreme temperatures and is fully water resistant. Additionally, it only needs to be charged once a year, although using a flimsy cable via a proprietary connector.

Set Up

For a user to prime their new lock, they simply download the Tapplock app, create an account, and tap “set up a new lock.” The app then prompts them to connect to the lock via bluetooth by pressing the button twice. Now that the lock is connected, the app instructs the user to place their finger on the fingerprint pad and create a morse code sequence using a series of short and long presses. Up to 500 fingerprints can be stored on a lock, so friends, family, and friends’ families could all access a lock. The app can also be used to temporarily unlock it remote-

ly and monitor each specific time and location that it was unlocked for an extra layer of protection.

Use and Verdict

All of these features add to create a unique padlock experience that has only failed me once (it was quickly reset after accessing the app) after hundreds of uses. Designwise, the rubber ring around one of the shackles broke, but that could be due to applying unnecessary pressure on the ring rather than the metal housing itself when relocking. Altogether, the Tapplock One and smart locks in general are a wise investment for anyone who constantly needs to access a padlock. The steep $100 price tag is justified when taking into account the time saved while accessing my locker and closing it, even before others have unlocked their traditional combination locks in the first place.

The S23 and S23+ are two of the newest installments of the Galaxy S series. ART: JULIA CHANG

Is the steep $100 price tag justified?

Student-recommended skincare

By Shayra Shoshi and Aastha Patel

As social media tips and recommendations on skincare have grown popular, so too has this advice spread in high schools. Constant exposure to “glass skin” and the pretty faces of online influencers can be credited for the booming popularity of skincare amongst teenagers, Harrisites included.

“My skincare routine just makes me feel good,” said Junior Shranaya Kumar. Referring to influencers on TikTok who inspire her, she added, “I think their skin looks really pretty, and I love how it looks in pictures.”

Finding the products that really work can be difficult, though, due to the plethora of choices available. Here, we’ve arranged a few popular recommendations from students in three basic categories (cleansers, moisturizers, and sunscreens) and explain how their ingredients impact their effectiveness.

Cleansers: Environ Botanical Infused SebuWash Gel Cleanser and Curel Foaming Facial Cleanser

Facial cleansers help prevent skin conditions like acne and itchiness by removing the build-up of oil, dirt, make-up and dead skin cells from your pores. They also improve facial hydration by managing your skin’s pH levels.

Some of the ingredients that

you should look for in facial cleansers include salicylic acid (SA) and retinol. SA is particularly beneficial for getting rid of acne; it penetrates the hair follicle and oil gland, unplugging blocked pores and reducing oil production in the glands. Retinol takes a different approach; the particles go all the way to the dermis and neutralize free radicals, which increases the release of elastin and collagen. These two proteins reduce fine lines, wrinkles and large pores, as well as increase skin elasticity, giving your skin a firm and plump look.

Skin types differ, so a cleanser should be selected based on your personal needs; additionally, you may also need to check if you are allergic to any of these ingredients. According to many Harrisites interviewed, not even two people use the same cleanser. Sophomore Silga Chisim uses the Environ Botanical Infused Sebu-Wash Gel Cleanser, which is particularly helpful for acne-prone and oily skin. It contains a combination of chemicals that help wash away surface oil and grime that could increase the appearance of blemishes, leaving the skin feeling clean and fresh. However, the inclusion of alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) and beta hydroxy acid (BHA) makes your skin more sensitive to the sun, increasing your risk of sunburn. If you use this product, you’ll want to use SPF and wear protective clothing.

Junior Camille Lin uses the Curel Foaming Facial Cleans-

er. The wash is pH balanced, fragrance-free and colorant free. Like all the others, it rids your pores of debris, but its cleansing strategy is centered around reenforcing the ceramide already in our skin, which holds our skin cells together in the upper most layer of the epidermis. This barrier retains moisture, keeping the skin hydrated and smooth. “It’s very gentle… on all types of skin, oily too. [And it’s] well priced, about 20 dollars for a bottle,” Camille said.

Moisturizers: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream and Aloe Vera

After applying cleanser, it is always best to follow up with a layer of moisturizer. One of the most highly acclaimed moisturizers at the school is the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream.

Senior Anusha Ramjanam said, “I use CeraVe moisturizer [and their] night moisturizer. I love using CeraVe because the products are light and they don’t feel heavy on my face or clog my pores.”

The moisturizer’s lightness comes from emulsifiers and skin-identical ingredients. The emulsifiers,sodium lauroyl lactylate and ceteareth-20, mix water and lipids to smoothen the texture of the moisturizer. Ingredients such as ceramide AP, ceramide NP, ceramide EOP, phytosphingo-

sine, and glycerin mimic naturally occurring elements already found within the skin, balancing them to help keep skin cells connected, aid in intercellular communication, and ultimately provide a strong and healthy complexion. These are particularly beneficial to those with sensitive skin, as they are familiar to your face and, therefore less likely to result in a negative reaction.

Freshman Ananna Ali takes a more natural approach to moisturization. She said, “I usually freeze my aloe vera and ice my face with it so it prevents acne. It’s really helpful. I put a tissue before applying the iced aloe vera because putting ice directly on your skin isn’t good.”

Aloe vera is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and can be used to hydrate the skin. Applying aloe vera with ice also helps to calm skin that may be stressed. It has properties that kill bacteria and can help to control and reduce acne.

However, not all aloe vera products are made the same; products that contain alcohol will stop the aloe vera from hydrating the skin. In addition, using aloe vera along with exfoli-

ants such as glycolic acid and BHAs can aggravate any preexisting irritation on the face.

Sunscreen: Super Goop Sunscreen SPF 40

Sunscreen is another vital step in skincare; it protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation that can cause sunburns and skin cancer through the alteration of the DNA in skin cells. The lowest minimum UV protection rating recommended by dermatologists is an SPF of 30.

Junior Tenzin Chemi, who uses the Super Goop Sunscreen SPF 40, said, “[The sunscreen] is tinted and good. It’s the first step in my makeup process.”

Like most sunscreens, Super Goop sunscreens include homosalates, an organic filter that absorbs UV rays to provide long lasting protection. It also contains avobenzone, which serves as a shield from UV rays, and niacinamide, which helps clear skin by removing acne and eczema. Besides keeping the skin healthy, it also contributes to cosmetics; the ingredient, mica, for example, creates a glowy, glassy look when paired with titanium dioxide.

Science Olympiad kicks off season with their first invitation at LISO

By Aastha Patel

The Townsend Harris Science Olympiad (SciOly) team competed at the Long Island Science Olympiad invitational in Division C on January 7, with Team A placing 18th and Team B placing 25th out of 52 teams. SciOly vice president senior Stacey Jiang said “the point of an invitational is so that we can get practice before the competitions that actually matter (Regionals, States, Nationals), and I think this competition was definitely worthwhile to attend for our team.”

SciOly president senior Quindy Pan said that the team competed in 23 events at the invitational. Team A’s best performance was in Wifi Lab, where they placed third. Team A was also able to place fifth in Codebusters and Fermi Qu-

estions, sixth in Dynamic Planet and Trajectory, ninth in Flight, and tenth in Anatomy and Physiology and Detector Building. Team B’s achievements included seventh in Codebusters and ninth in Disease Detectives, Dynamic Planet, and Write It Do It.

The team’s overall placing is determined by the combination of each event’s placing and the school with the highest combined score will place higher.

Junior Amy Jiang said, “It was our first invitational of the season, so I hope that we’ll get some better results for the next few competitions.”

Quindy said, “We also started later than many other teams, so I am content with how we performed on Saturday.”

Senior and treasurer of SciOly Meha Dhyani said, “Being

our first invitational, all the placements and medals that our teammates earned were really rewarding, and boosted team morale.”

Besides their placement in the competition, members commented on other aspects of the invitational.

“I’m in [the] rocks and minerals [event] and I enjoyed having actual rock samples to look at because we usually only practice with pictures,” said Amy. Stacey said, “One thing I really enjoyed during this competition was the time we spent bonding as a team in our homeroom after all the events were administered.”

“I think that the beauty of SciOly is how close

we’ve grown through our studies. We’re all dedicated to our respective events…We ta-

ke responsibility for ourselves, and reflect on how we contribute to the team,” said Meha.

Students shared popular skincare recommendations in three basic categories (cleansers, moisturizers, and sunscreens).

PHOTO: PIXABAY

The Science Olympiad Team competed at the Long Island Science Olympiad invitational in Division C on January 7. PHOTO COURTESY OF EMERALD YEE

Many of these articles are excerpted. Read the full versions online at thhsclassic.com

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

As Robotics season gets under way, meet the leaders of the 2023 team

By Yazhi Dai, Justin Liao, and Samira Li

With 2022 now over, the Steel Hawks Robotics Team has kicked off the start of the robotics season. The new year of 2023 has introduced a new president and vice president: seniors Matthew Algenio and Matthew Goldstein, respectively.

The two have already served on the team in previous years and are eager to share their voices in both STEM and robotics.

The current president, Matthew Algenio, has been a part of the Steel Hawks since his freshman year. From a young age, he started playing with legos where he developed a love for turning ideas into reality.

“I had no experience with robotics prior to joining, just a will to absorb everything I was taught,” he said. However, the COVID-19 pandemic influenced a big aspect of the way he thought about robotics.

Before the pandemic, Matthew was uninterested in any form of digital design; it was during the pandemic that he opened up to new things and became intrigued by virtual designing processes such as CAD (computer aided design).

CAD itself has been an extremely useful tool in software today, as it’s used to create designs online to be 3D printed, thus helping the robotics team advance to where they are today.

Previously the lead of FIRST Impact, a subteam designated to guide the team to win the most prestigious awards at competitions, Matthew Goldstein has worked his way up to vice president.

During his time on the robotics team, he’s been able to find his place. “While being a part of robotics, I learned programming isn’t something I enjoy too much. However, without question, robotics helped me find my voice. Being able to lead operations and make it possible for the sustainability and impact of the team has been something I’ve held very dear,” he said.

Still holding on to the values of FIRST Impact, Matthew Gold-

stein created the team’s new outreach program that was introduced this year, Project SHIFT, where veteran members of the team travel to elementary and middle schools to mentor students there about STEM.

When questioned about the challenges he faced being a leader, he shared with us his passion for robotics.

“I think it’s a great experience for our team and other students that we are able to share our knowledge and inspire a love of STEM,” he said.

Senior Leo Zhang, a member of robotics since freshman year, said, “I’ve been on the robotics team with both Matthews for all four years of robotics, and they certainly make robotics much more fun, enjoyable, and bring up the mood with their presence and humor.”

When asked about any advice he had for people with hesitations about joining robotics, Matthew Algenio said, “High school is the time to really explore your passions and figure out what you may want to make a career out of. I’d really suggest for you to at least try out robotics because it provides the opportunity for hands-on experience in STEM and even things like graphic design, finance, writing, or being a barista [referring to the team’s own bubble tea and espresso machine].”

He said he wishes to help as many people as he can, fostering their curiosities in STEM.

Sophomore Jasmyn Pillay, a rookie on the team said, “I admire Matthew A’s commitment to the team. It’s quite evident that when he’s standing in front of the room, running a meeting, he truly enjoys being on this team. Though I am a rookie, I can tell how much this team means to him.”

In regards to the team’s future goals, physics teacher Joshua Raghunath, a mentor of the team for many years now, said, “Matthew Algenio and Matthew Goldstein have been fulfilling their roles as president and vice president well.

“Our hopes for them are to help drive the team towards another successful year.”

Brunswick Eruption offers this year’s Robotics team a test run

By Carolina Corcuera, Silga Chisim, and Aastha Patel

The Steel Hawks’ 2022 offseason is coming to an end, as the team prepares for the beginning of the new robotics season in January. On November 12, Team 2601 headed to North Brunswick Township High School in New Jersey for the 20th annual Brunswick Eruption, where their robot from last year’s World Championship would compete for the last time, and this year’s robotics team rookies would compete for the first time.

The teams competed under the 2022 Rapid React theme, which requires the robots to carry and deposit “cargo” balls in low and high positions on a central hub, then climb the rungs of a hanger; their performance was based on the number of balls placed in the hub along with how high they managed to climb.

In a series of qualifiers, the Steel Hawks placed 23rd out of over 50 teams. In the next round, the teams were split into alliances of four, which were chosen by the teams who placed highest in the qualifiers; then, they would showdown in a series of three matches to see who would advance.

Their alliance, Alliance 7, placed seventh after losing in the quarterfinals.

Junior Vivian Chen, Head of Communications, said the competition offered new leaders an opportunity to take charge.

“Our coaches took a step back and let the board manage the team,” she said.

Due to previous COVID-19 restrictions limiting the amount of people at certain events, this was the first competition some veterans have been able to attend.

It’s also where senior Kaitlin Kai said she hopes aspiring rookies can determine whether or not robotics is right for them. She said, “I hope this experience helped rookies decide if they want to dedicate themselves to this team because

we want competent people.”

Over 150 students make up the Steel Hawks currently; but with the First Impact and Subteam Tests coming up, that number is subject to change. The First Impact Test consists of questions about the team’s history, including significant dates, outreach and past accomplishments. The Subteam Tests gauges each member’s knowledge and abilities within their subteam. “After the tests, we’ll see who stays and who doesn’t,” she said.

For now, the Brunswick Eruption inspired some new team members to commit. “It’s honestly such a life changing experience. At first I was skeptical, but now I understand why people enjoy it so much despite how tiring it can be,” said sophomore Joyce Shen. “I definitely knew that I wanted to remain in this team.”

Physics teacher Michael Quach, who was recently appointed an assistant coach, said, “I never did robotics myself when I was a student here at Townsend Harris. Having the opportunity to work with the team now makes me regret not doing it sooner. There is so much energy and camaraderie, and I love being able to see so many students care about each other and being proud of the school they’re from.”

Though some said they hoped to place higher, members of the team expressed satisfaction and pride in their rookie drive team.

“I think we accomplished what we set out to do…which was letting our new drive team members get some competition experience along with the rookies,” said Vivian.

“The veteran members were able to mentor and guide the newer members, and the newer members were able to explore and learn more about what this team is all about,” said Mr. Quach.

“We had four different groups with veterans for each so they could teach us how to do certain things, such as scouting,” Joyce said. Scou-

ting is an important aspect of any robotics competition, as it allows teams to find the most compatible robots to partner with in the finals. There are three types: stand scouting, pit scouting, and comment scouting. Stand scouts create a breakdown of a robot’s performance during a match, including its speed, scoring, misses, faults, and more relevant statistics, on Scoutapp. Meanwhile, comment scouts write summaries, or comments on a document. Pit scouts take pictures and ask questions about the other team’s robots during the overall competition. “It was very, very fun,” Joyce said.

“Highlights included cheering and shouting for the team members during our qualifying matches, as well as the dancing we did during our off time. I even lost my voice for a while after due to all the cheering and shouting,” said Mr. Quach.

Joyce said, “I loved when we cheered for our own alliance, as well as for other teams such as Stuyvesant.”

Following this competition, the team’s focus will turn, in part, to fundraising.

Joyce said, “Our team has honestly been struggling due to a lack of funds and inflation.” Last year, Kaitlin explained, the team raised a lot of money through boba tea sales, since students were able to eat lunch throughout the building; with students eating in the cafeteria now, the team is unable to run sales during lunch bands.

With Brunswick Eruption over, team members said they are now thinking about what’s in store for the 2023 season. The 2022 season was full of successes, from winning the regional championship in Albany to getting 16th at the World’s Championship.

“I have high hopes for the upcoming season. I think there will be a few ups and downs, but I look forward to future competitions and maybe even going to championships again,” said Vivian.

“High School is the time to really explore your passions...I’d really suggest for you to try out robotics because it provides... hands-on experience in STEM.”

Steel Hawks President Matthew Algenio (left) and VP Matthew Goldstein (right).

PHOTO: SAMIRA LI

Harrisite athletes talk the college recruitment experience

By Chloe Mau and Melinda Wang

With the strenuous college application season mostly in the rearview mirror, many Harrisites are awaiting college decisions in anticipation of their journey after high school. In particular, several athletes who have dedicated themselves to school teams and teams outside of school have been rewarded with select seats at competitive colleges and universities.

Harrisite athletes undergoing recruitment talked about the difficulty and dedication required to balance sports and academics.

Senior Justin Chong has played tennis for about ten years both in academies and public courts. He said, “The first thing you have to be open to is being rejected. Coaches aren’t able to accept every athlete. Even after a college representative becomes interested, a lot of communication is required back and forth about your tournament schedule and results so that they are able to be confident in giving you a spot on the team.”

Junior Mia Esquivel, a girls soccer player for six years, said that the recruitment process includes “going to college show-

cases, ID clinics, and essentially being on a team known for getting its players recruited.”

Senior Alex Hattel who plays on the Boys Varsity Basketball Team said, “I’m looking to play at the Division 3 level or even juco. I’ve been working hard since I was five years old to make this dream come true and while I have gotten back from various coaches, the process is not done. I still have to study, maintain my grades and continue the recruitment process because you never know when a scholarship opportunity might turn up.”

Similar to Justin, Alex said, “don’t be afraid to hear “no”. It happens to everyone in this game. You can’t please every coach out there, and so the right mentality would be to keep working and keep looking.”

These athletes’ fondness for sports, which they have participated in for nearly their whole lives, has naturally pushed them to take the initiative to pursue their respective sports past their high school careers.

“I’ve always wanted to play tennis professionally,” Justin

said.

Senior Jeremy Diaz, who plays on the Boys Varsity Baseball team said, “Baseball has always been a big part of my life, and I feel like my college experience would be incomplete without it. I started with tee ball at around four years old. So [I’ve had] around thirteen years with the sport, but even before I could play, my parents dressed me and my brother up in Mets jerseys and we’d go to games.”

Both Alex and Jeremy discussed the difficulty of getting noticed. “I learned that to get a coach’s attention, you have to say the things that make you stand out, and you should also do research about their team and the players,” Alex said. “This way you could express how you believe you would be a good fit, not only on the court but off the court.

For Jeremy, the work he put into the recruiting process paid

off, as he is committed to play baseball at Hamilton College. Jeremy said that during his recruiting process, “I reached out to a few schools and signed up for showcases they would also be attending. It really came down to how well I played in those showcases. I kept doing my best on the field and kept my hopes up [and] I ended up getting a few offers and it was a sigh of relief for me and my parents.”

With the QC track fully available for the first time in years, it’s “freshman gym” for everyone

By Maria Mattei

After the end of a long hiatus incited by the Queens College track renovation, Townsend Harris has brought back one of its most infamous traditions: the graded mile run. With school back to being fully in person and the renovated track now available for physical education classes, “freshman gym” (and more) is back in full effect.

The graded mile is often seen as a rite of passage for freshmen. This year, however, nearly every student is participating after a long leeway period spurred by the pandemic and track renovation.

For current sophomores and juniors, it is their first time experiencing such an infamous THHS tradition. The grading rubric is split into two categories: boys and girls. The time needed for a boy to get a grade of 100% is 6:29 or less and for girls it is 7:29 or less.

Physical Education and Health teacher Matthew Lemanczyk said that the new track is a “fantastic resource

for students to maximize their cardiovascular health as well as a good resource for faculty and teachers to use.”

After being asked about the benefits they have found in running, Mr. Lemanczyk said that there are a lot of benefits, including “cardiorespiratory endurance,” “strengthening your bones,” and improved mental health.

Physical education teacher Gabriela Pedreros said that running is a great opportunity “to challenge ourselves, [to] set goals, and [to] see how we can improve.”

Similarly, PE teacher Diane Ramirez said that running is “really beneficial for your heart, for your breathing.” Ms. Ramirez also suggested that “being a decent runner will make” the job of going up and down the school stairs much easier.

The grading policy for the mile runs have remained the same since years before the pandemic began, and some believe that it is time for a change.

“The mile times [are] really low, especially for people who don’t run often,” said junior Wiktoria Sadowska.

Similarly, freshman Natalie Tama said the grading policy is unfair because students who are not physically active outside of Physical Education classes are “bound to get a bad grade.”

One proposed solution to this is to raise the time limit for a perfect score.

Senior Joshua Arany said that the grading policy should be changed to “100% for anyone who runs sub ten minutes,” and junior Aiden Fontaboa said that he believes “an eight minute mile is decent,” and that it should be the new 100%.

Senior Christian Smith suggested that the mile should be graded based on effort. “Teachers should be watching the students and it should be graded off of the actual effort itself,” he said.

Some teachers, like Mr. Lemanczyk, “use the rubric as an initial guide and then once a baseline has been established,

we adjust according to the individual’s abilities.” He said that “as the student improves, so does their grade.”

Ms. Pedreros said she does a similar thing: “[I] try to abide by the rubric at least for the first run so students know more or less where they fall, but then [I] do it based on growth.”

Ms. Ramirez, however, said that she starts off going by the rubric but her classes “take the time for each lap” if students improve after each lap, she gives them “extra credit points per lap, so a person with a 55 could potentially end up with a 63.”

When it begins to get cold outside, THHS takes a break from graded mile runs until it becomes warm enough to continue.

Because of this, sophomore Aisha Rama said that teachers “could’ve started with just [telling students to] walk a mile to get us moving for a mile, and then run in March.”

Sophomore Emily Carson said something similar: “I feel like they should postpone this

(graded runs) until the end of the year so that you have all that time to train and be physically active and then you have time to prepare for those graded runs.”

A return to strong, and sometimes painful, student opinions about what goes on at the track during PE is yet another sign that the unprecedented changes of the pandemic are receding and THHS is returning to what it used to be.

Now that the year is coming to a close and PE classes are no longer hosting graded-mile runs, some PE teachers reflected on how their students did.

Mr. Lemanczyk said he was “happy and proud about [his students’] progress,” and thinks that his students “should be happy and proud about their own progress.”

“In the fall, it was rough,” said Ms. Ramirez. But the interval running and plyometrics her class did in between runs have really “improved a lot of [student’s] times.”

Several athletes have been rewarded with select seats at competitive colleges.

PHOTO: CLASSIC PHOTOGRAPHY

Girls Varsity Table Tennis Team makes playoffs for the first time in seven years

By Mallory Macdonald

The Girls Varsity Table Tennis Team finished their season on January 13 against Francis Lewis High School, ending with a record of 8-4 for the year. With their win against Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, they were able to clinch their first playoff appearance in seven years. The team ultimately made it to the quarterfinals where they lost to Brooklyn Tech High School.

Girls Cross Country Team makes it to States for the first time in 11 years

By Carina Fucich

After placing fourth in The PSAL City Championship, the Girls Varsity Cross Country team made history by qualifying for states for the first time in 11 years. To compete in states, the team traveled to Bowdoin State Park in upstate New York in November. Although the team did not qualify for nationals, they had the unique opportunity to run against some of the best athletes in New York.

This year’s cross country team was coached by math teacher Timothy Connor and captained by seniors Anusha Ramjanam, Erica Jin, and Kate Estevez (Editor in Chief of The Classic) who were able to encourage the team to improve their running throughout the season. “The fact that this opportunity came about because of all the hard work the girls did throughout the season was incredibly gratifying. I am incredibly proud of the team,” said Kate.

Since THHS hasn’t qualified for States in over a decade, many team members did not expect the success that came their way. “It felt pretty unreal when we found out about our qualification at our city champs meet, but I was glad I got to do it with the team,” said

sophomore Lelaina Madrazo.

Reflecting on the success of the team, Mr. Connor said, “The team found success through a combination of hard work and believing in themselves and their training.”

Along with the hard work and miles that the team put in this year, Erica said, “the strength and capability it takes to be able to alter your mindset towards running is just a talent that makes us

them achieve some personal goals. “I really wanted to sub 24 at states despite the rough course, and I did, so that was truly rewarding at the finish line,” said Erica.

Last year’s captain, Isabelle Borgstedt, attended States as a spectator to cheer on her old teammates. “It was so lovely to see my former team make it to States, and it was such an honor to be there to support them. They all worked so hard to get there, and I am super proud of them,” she said.

Apart from running, the team was able to make unforgettable memories and have a unique bonding experience.

Sophomore Jenney Huang, a member of the Girls Varsity team, said, “The strong mindset we had and our mental toughness allowed us to succeed and make the playoffs for the first time in years.” Adding on, junior (and Classic editor) Katherine Lian said, “I think this year our coach definitely played a big role in helping our team make it to playoffs. He is extremely dedicated to the team and is very passionate about table tennis so we’ve been able to learn a lot from him and improve.”

Regardless of their success, senior Stacey Jiang, who is captain of the team, said, “I think a major challenge we face is the lack of sufficient equipment for practices; many of our tables are broken and we are always low on ping pong balls.”

Jenney shared a similar sentiment, saying “Since the team had a lot of newer starters, we had to adjust to the pressure and skill needed during games. It was also really important to keep a positive mindset after losing a point or match.”

In order to prepare for the playoffs, the team conducted long practices that spanned from after school until six PM.

prepare. I feel like we’ve bonded a lot through the long practices, and I’ve gotten to know many of the members a lot better. They definitely lift my spirits [up] before games and I love the energy they bring.”

Jenney said, “Our team chemistry [got] stronger each practice and being comfortable with each other prompt[ed] us to confidently cheer each other on, allowing the players to be more confident in their abilities.”

When examining the road to their first playoff matchup in years, Stacey said, “I think the dedication of every team member is what enabled our [success] this year. There is definitely a lot of team chemistry, especially among the doubles players. This was especially true for our recent game against Cardozo, where the scores were extremely close.”

Jenney said, “I feel like Coach Lau has just motivated the team and supported the team an incredible amount, during games and practices. He puts so much time, energy, and passion into the team which makes us all feel good when playing.”

After finishing their season with a record of 8-4 in the regular season, they were seeded 13th for playoffs.

The Hawks had their first playoff game against South Bronx Preparatory on February 1, and won this game due to a forfeit.

unique and worthy of going

to states.”

Seven varsity runners competed at States and were prepared to run a 5K, or around 3.1 miles, the distance of all Varsity Cross Country races. “I was nervous but a little excited to be racing on a new course,” said Junior Emma Cheng. Despite ranking low as an overall team in the competition, the individual athletes felt the opportunity helped

“My favorite part of the trip was just hanging out with all of my friends and being excited about everything there. It was also very fun to stay in a hotel room together and eat snacks while watching TV and playing games,” said Junior Abigail Schwartz.

As the team runs through the winter season, they continue to use lessons that they learned from their states experience.

“We are always very supportive, which makes [running] more fun and makes it easier to push ourselves and try our best,” said Abigail.

Katherine said, “We definitely have a lot of practice time, which has helped us

The team then had their next playoff game on February 3 against the fourth seed Bronx Science. The Hawks were faced up against tough competition and won 3-2 advancing to the Quarter Finals. Unfortunately, the Hawks came up short against Brooklyn Tech High School with a loss of 0-5.

The team members who competed in Upstate New York in November. PHOTO COURTESY OF KATE ESTEVEZ

“It felt pretty unreal when we found out about our qualification at our city champs meet, but I was glad I got to do it with the team ”

The Varsity Girl’s Table Tennis Team participates in practice at THHS in order to prepare for their playoff games.

PHOTO: KATHERINE LIAN

Girls Varsity Basketball concludes regular season with undefeated 16-0 record

By Ethan Ben David and Andrew Leonard

The Girls Varsity Basketball Team concluded their regular season on Wednesday with an undefeated 160 record, defeating John Bowne by 21 points with a final score of 60-39. The win comes as the team’s fourth in two weeks, and leaves the team well-positioned for the playoff season.

On January 30, the Hawks faced Benjamin N. Cardozo High school, beating them 61-34. The top scorers in the game were Eva Jane Hannon with 16 points, Aissatou Lam with 10 points, and Julianne Esmenda with 9 points.

One of the usual top scorers on the team, Caylin Chan (Classic sports editor), was injured and unable to play in the match. Despite this, the girls were able to persevere and win the game by 27 points.

In the following game on February 2 against Bayside High School, the girls won 57-22.The game started out fairly close in the first quarter, with the Townsend Harris team only winning by four points. However, things shortly be-

gan to go downhill for BHS as THHS advanced their lead by 11 when BHS

was only able to score 5 points in the second quarter. The Hawks continued

to gain points on the Commodores, the Bayside team, eventually outscoring them 32-6, securing their win.

In the next game on February 6, the girls secured yet another win against Queens High School of Teaching.

The final score was 62-39 and the top scorers included Aissatou Lam with 12 points, Caylin Chan with 11 points, and Ioanna Giannapoulou with 10 points.

In their final game of the season on February 8, the Hawks beat Bowne. Now the girls will move on to play in the Queens Borough Playoffs and the City Playoffs.

With the team’s eyes on the playoffs, sophomore Loise Arcega said, “I hope we do really well, considering last year we got kicked out in the first round.”

Despite the early elimination last year, however, Loise said she has faith that the team can advance more this year.

New PSAL policy opens the door for student athletes to compete in more sports

By Loveleen Kaur and Stephen Xing

At Townsend Harris High School, you play for the Hawks, but imagine playing for the Bayside Commodores or the John Adams Spartans. Through a new program issued by the PSAL, you might be able to do just that.

In the fall, Athletic Director Lauren Caiaccia shared the news of a new PSAL policy. In her email, it said that “any student interested in participating in a Spring sport that is not offered by our school may be given the option to try out at a different school in our District that offers that sport.” This new initiative is known as the All-Access Program. This changes the game for high school athletes as they’re free to openly play a sport at another school in their district.

PSAL’s new policy intends to “increase access to PSAL programming for schools that have traditionally been underserved.” The policy brought forth four different solutions to resolving this disparity: New Access, Shared Access, Individual Access, and New Team Creation. New Access allowed nine high schools that had no sports teams the ability to jumpstart two new teams. Shared Access permitted multiple schools in proximity to one another to create one large athletic program to give students more access to a great-

er number of sports. Individual Access involves creating opportunities for students to attend other schools for their sports teams, while staying enrolled in their primary school. New Team Creation grants funding to schools in order to create a minimum of 6 teams per school.

Townsend Harris students generally shared a positive opinion about the policy, believing that the program would help create new relationships between people of different schools.

Senior Maggie Huang said, “I think it’s a great opportu nity for students from other schools to explore their hob bies while also creating con nections.”

“Personally, I really like to play volleyball and if we didn’t have that sport in our school, I would be happy to go to a nearby school to play,” added sopho more Jaica Derecho. “You can also make new friends and make connections with peo ple from other schools.”

Students also praised PSAL for the implementation of the new program. Senior Michael Zheng said that he “appreci ates the thought behind the program and the new oppor tunities available to so many students in New York.”

Sophomore Jenny Ren said, “It was kind of clever of them to design the new PSAL poli-

cy. This is giving students the opportunity to travel to a different school and play for a sport that they want to, even if it means cheering on a different school’s team.”

On the other hand, some students thought differently about the new policy. Freshman Lisa Hu said, “It would be a little difficult to handle as the schedules may not line up.” Speaking about the new

policy, math teacher and assistant coach for the Boys Varsity Basketball team Abid Choudhury said he thought it was a great thing. “There’s a variety of sports and a lot of schools don’t have the facilities or means to provide certain sports. I don’t think any student should be denied the opportunity to play a sport that they love and enjoy,” he said.

Coach Elvis Hanif of the

Boys and Girls Varsity Volleyball teams said that he was “in favor of giving all students the opportunity to participate in sports.”

With the inclusion of this new policy, Townsend Harris students can now gain access to sports like Boys Football, Coed Cricket, Coed Golf, and Coed Stunt.

The program will be in effect starting Spring 2023.

Boys Varsity Basketball heads to playoffs

The Hawks headed into the playoffs with an 18-2 regular season record, having lost only to first place team Maspeth High School, which ended the season 20-0. PHOTO COURTESY OF BOYS BASKETBALL INSTAGRAM

In their final game of the season on February 8, the Hawks beat John Bowne by 21 points with a final score of 60-39. This left them at the top of their division, undefeated.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAYLIN CHAN