Focus A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Powderpuff: Bringing Spirit Back to BBHS
By Shivani Thanneer ‘20 very time you go to a football game, you see the cheerleaders on the sidelines and the football players out on the field — both teams giving their all, game after game. The pride that goes into identifying as a part of the Trojan community is represented by the work that our student-athletes put into all of the training and games they participate in. At BBHS we often neglect the importance of school spirit and the community that it fosters. Over the past few years, the Blind Brook Senate and the cheerleaders have been working to elevate school spirit and unity between the different grades. This year, Senate members began to realize that new strategies needed to be undertaken to change their constituents’ view on school spirit. While the pep rallies have been entertaining in the past, and some students still enjoy the festivities, they were not the best way to improve school spirit, as many other students ditched the event or were not happy to be forced to attend. So, Senate was faced with the pressing question of whether the school still hold the pep rallies before both fall and winter homecomings, or should new activities be looked into to replace the pep rallies? Continued on page 8
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Q&A with Dr. Jonathan Ross By Jack Wells ‘19 ppointed to the position of School Business Official in the Summer of 2001, Dr. Jonathan Ross has been with the Blind Brook School District for over seventeen years. Dr. Ross is more than familiar with the ins and outs of the district. Three years after his initial appointment, Dr. Ross received tenure and became the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Facilities. In March, 2015, after the retirement of Superintendent Dr. William Stark, Dr. Ross was appointed to the position of Interim Superintendent of Schools, and was appointed to the position of Superintendent of Schools in January 2016. I sat down with Dr. Ross on October 30 to get a sense of his role at the district and his opinion regarding school-related issues.
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Jack Wells What are some of the day-to-day operations that you carry out?
superintendent for business. So what my role really is, regarding the finances, I look at the balances in our bank accounts. I do that because it’s a habit, and because it’s also a check. I do this so that if there are any unusual shifts, you know, god forbid somebody is able to hack into our account and wire money to themselves, we’ll know it within twelve hours. I do this with Mikaela Coni, who is the District Treasurer, as it is part of her job to manage the finances. Most people don’t know, but she has notified me that she will be leaving the district to go to another school district closer to her home on Long Island. We are now in the process of finding her replacement.
Dr.Ross I start early here. What I do is I make sure that there are no unusual situations that occurred overnight, and usually, I’ll hear about them, either by text, email, or voicemail on occasion. My basic duties are to make sure that everything is set for both campuses, and the schools are ready to go, and if there are any problems, to kind of brainstorm how we might mediate the situation. Photo/Drew Rosenberg I’m up very early, and in the wintertime, significantly early, generally even Dr. Ross at his desk on a two hour delay, I’m here by 6:00 AM because that’s my routine. Beyond that, I get a lot of emails, so I respond to emails. There’s also some banking that I do, because my role as Superintendent of Schools is Wells So what would you say is the percentage you divide probably a little bit different than your typical superintendent of between business and education? schools, as I don’t have an assistant superintendent of business. Although, I have a very good District Treasurer. Ross Twenty five percent business and 75 percent educational. So the Board of Education, a little more than a year ago, Wells Would you say preparing the annual budget is your granted permission to establish a position of assistant superinmain responsibility? tendent. We tried to fill it and struck out, and then we appointed Ross It’s not my main responsibility, although it is a major Dr. Colin Byrne as Interim Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. concern. If you read the Board’s policy, it’s listed there as one of my major responsibilities, and in most school districts the Continued on page 28 superintendent will delegate that responsibility to the assistant
Features
Read more about the recomendation process on page 9
Health and Science
Learn the basics of Time management 101on page 17
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Sports
Should College Athletes be paid? page 12
Features
Sit Down with Mr.Greenwald on page 15
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Politics
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
The 2018 Midterm Elections
November 2018
By Jack Kohn ‘22 The campaigns that are seen on teleThe 2018 Midterm Elections was an vision, the signs posted around town, election to remember. What made this the hundreds of mailers that are midterm election so remarkable were dropped in our mailbox all encourage all the “firsts”. For one, a record 117 the nation to go to the polls and help women were elected to positions on make changes in the country. the federal level. Two Native Ameri- The Democrats gained control of can women were elected the House of Represento Congress for tatives, and 17 of the first time. the 27 seats Two Muslim will be filled women were by women. elected to Re publiCongress cans refor the tained first time, control of and the two the Senyoungest ate, and one woman (both of the seats 29 years old) were went to Marsha elected as well. The Blackburn, who is Photo Courtesy of the Smithsonian Magazine first LGBTQ womTennessee’s first fean was elected, a male Senator. As the large milestone for the U.S. Could it New York Times states, “This is the be due to the voter turnout reaching so-called Year of Woman.” an all-time high of 113 million vot- If this election is any indication of ers? Whatever the case may be, this how our country is letting their voices is exciting and monumental for the be heard, the 2020 election will be far American people. more interesting and exciting. PosiThe United States has become a di- tive results in elections lead to more vided nation between Republicans and discussions and more groups coming Democrats. It is extremely encourag- together. Apathetic American citiing that there were 60% more voters zens are few and far between; people at this election than in previous years. are voting and taking advantage of This division in our country could their Constitutional right. Educathave some positive effects. People are ing our students about voting, and passionate about their issues and will demonstrating how changes can and do what they can to make changes. will come about if people do what The way to express values, ideals and they should, gets students motivated the way voters feel about important and excited to vote when they turn issues affecting our country is to vote. 18-years-old. People are exercising their right to Recognizing these changes in Convote which is what our country has gress, the diversity of representabeen built on, a Democracy, and that tives, and record voter turnout is a is really exciting. People are realizing step in the right direction. This in orthey can make a change by showing der to make changes uphold the Conup to the polls. stitution. 2
Focus Staff 2018-2019
Mike Abrutyn Dom Accurso Hannah Bailey Abe Baker-Butler Alyson Barsky Carly Kabot Anna Campbell Danielle Capelli Zach Chernick Nick Chien Lauren DeMarco Mackenzie Drangel Spencer Fuerman Brooke Gerchick Maya Govindaraj Olivia Jaccoma Sam Knee Kidar Kooverjee Julian Lamarti Andrew Lynch Paige Maizes Shira Mallah
Chloe Ng Abby Ochs Rachel Penn Guillermo Prieto Josh Richards Spencer Rose Julia Rosenberg Emily Savino Ben Sachs Charlie Schloss Jeremy Schuster Justin Schutzer Alyssa Schwartz Abby Strauzer Jake Seff Rachel Sosin Shivani Thanneer Paige Tankel Rachel Wallenstein Amanda Weinberg Lauryn Weintraub Olivia Zahl
Editorial Staff
Editor-in-Chief: Jack Wells Managing Editor: Rachel Harris Senior Copy Editor: Zach Kornblum Deputy Managing Editor: Leo Huy News: Amanda Capelli Features: Rebecca Weiss Health and Science: Ben Simon Arts and Entertainment: Julia Morlino Sports: Evan Ketchabaw Politics: Mike Sunshine Viewpoints: Scott Rosson Web Editor: Brett Goodman Social Media: Claire Limb Multimedia Editor: Drew Rosenberg Business Manager: Griffin Brettschneider Layout: Lily Janjigian Webmaster: Bryan Wei Adviser: Mr. Soto Focus is a student run public forum. Staff members make all content decisions. Focus is a member of CSPA, NSPA, and Quill and Scroll. 3
Viewpoints
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November 2018
Face the Facts, Not the Screen students like myself away from homework in the short term, the long-term effects of excessive screen time correlate directly to shortened attention spans. After all, the human attention span went from 12 seconds on average in 2000 to just 8.25 seconds in 2015. As a frame of reference, the average attention span of a goldfish is a mere 9 seconds. Shortened attention spans only lead to the inability to focus in class and on dense readings such as those in textbooks. So while I reach for my phone while doing homework, I am less productive and consequently damage my ability to focus in class. This is not just a problem for me, but for everyone. The ‘Screen Time’ application is allowing iPhone users to be conscious of Photo courtesy of Jack Wells the time spent on their phone, now it is our The ios 12 update allows iPhone users to track their screen time. time to do something about it. f anyone who owns an iPhone updated their deHow do we prevent this? I don’t know vice to ios 12 in the last month, as I have, you for sure, but the first step to solving the problem is may notice a new feature, ‘Screen Time’. Simply put, recognizing there is one. So Blind Brook students, the the application monitors the time you spend on your next time you reach for your phone, think about what phone per day, how many times you pick it up, and the you could be doing instead. Maybe the next time the amount of notifications you receive. After one week, assignment your teacher tells you will only take 20 it averages time spent on each app per day and, af- minutes will actually only take 20 minutes. ter two, notifies you if you are spending more or less time on your screen than the previous week. What I Jack have seen has shocked me and many of my peers who find themselves using their phone too often. To share some personal data, I average 2 hours and 56 minutes per day on my phone. If I keep that average, it equates to about 45 days a year. Upon further investigation, the overwhelming majority of that screen time is between 6 to 12 pm. These happen to Wells be the hours where I do homework. Editor-in-Chief My most used apps are Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat,. Shocking right? These apps are simply too easy to get drawn into. On Facebook, it is not just the people you are friends with but the pages you like. Between pages like Now This, Complex, Tasty, and Business and Food Insider, I find myself constantly getting trapped into watching the videos they post. It is almost too easy to get drawn into when most videos are just three minutes. That is, of course, until the next video, which is coincidentally related to the topic of the previous video, automatically plays and three minutes becomes six. Those six minutes only account for one of the many pages that I ‘like’. It is also not just the pages that I ‘like’ that suck my time. I mean how could I not watch the five-minute clip of Gordon Ramsay on Hell’s Kitchen when it pops up because my ‘friend’ liked the video? Photo courtesy of Jack Wells Although the addictive nature of smartphones draws
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Viewpoints
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Making Sense out of the Senselessness
Photo courtesy of www.tolols.org Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrell Hill section of Pittsburgh.
By Scott Rosson ‘20 ow do we make sense out of senselessness? The string of mass shootings in recent years have caused many of us to wonder why, and try to figure out how we as a society can prevent it from ever happening again. Stoneman Douglas, Las Vegas, and Sandy Hook are engraved into our minds as horrific and irrational acts of terror that have
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changed all of us. And now Pittsburgh. Jewish worshippers in synagogue on a peaceful Saturday in a safe and prosperous neighborhood were killed by an unstable gunman shouting antiSemitic rantings. He calmly shot innocent victims as revenge for his perceived demons. This one again hits close to home. We live in a prosperous and safe neighbor-
Photo courtesy of www.tolols.org Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrell Hill section of Pittsburgh.
hood. Many of us are Jewish, some of us attend synagogue regularly. The victims were grandparents, brothers, sisters and friends. They were devoted worshippers and peaceful congregants practicing their freedom of religion as they have done for dozens of years. Could this have just as easily been at a local synagogue? Could it have been us? In our peace and prosperity, we never think so, but now? How similar is Squirrel Hill to our neighborhoods? How similar are Stoneman Douglas and Sandy Hook to our schools? How many of us have attended music festivals like the Harvest festival? How familiar is the Tree of Life to the houses of worship we all attend? Do we witness
anti-Semitic views online or in public? Have we experienced anti-semitism closer to home? Do our leaders have any answers? Do they add to the climate of hate or do they propose workable solutions to address the underlying issues? The challenges are numerous, and the answers are very hard to find. Is it the wide availability of guns, the rise of social media, the need for notoriety, the prevalence of hate speech, our divided political climate, and/or the rise of mental illness (or lack of treatment options)? What drives these events? The debates rage on. Quite simply: how do we get the senseless violence to stop? Unless we figure it out, we will continue to try and fail to make sense out of the senselessness. 19 5
Features
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
The Digital Divide
Columnist Spencer Feurman ‘20
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hroughout the 21st century, hu- nizations have been set up to bridge man interaction between tech- the gap. An NGO by the name of Cisnology has become an increasingly co, (one largest company worldwide vital facet of society and thus has in the development and manufacturlead to technology evolving into in- ing of internet infrastructure) has tegral parts of even the most basic worked diligently to reduce the digiparts of society. The term digital di- tal divide. Cisco has created a partvide refers to the gap between those nership between the U.S. and Israel, that have access to modern informa- who worked in collaboration to form tion and communications technology, the International Electrical Testing and those who have little to no access Association (NETA). NETA’s prime to it. This divide can be attributed to initiative is to create a world in which several demographic factors such as everyone has access to technology age, gender, education, income, social and is technologically literate. class, and geographic location. Few To effectively address this complex countries have aggressively addressed issue consistent efforts between multhis issue, and as a result, certain so- tiple countries are necessary. Experts have theorized several solucial groups have lagged socialtions to help close this gap. ly and economically. SevOne of these solutions is eral steps have been taken the development of local to bridge the gap of the content. Through the digital divide but have development of local had limited success in content, foreign users most countries. will potentially become While most countries more engaged since the have chosen to ignore content created will be this pressing issue, Israel in their language and aphas put it at the forefront plicable to them. Experts of their public policy agenalso believe that workshops da. Annually Israel spends should be created in nearly 4.2% of their Photo courtesy of Spencer Feurman nations that have low gross domestic product internet usage to teach (GDP) on technology research and development; which is the digital-illiterate how to operate one of the highest ratios in the world. technology. It is believed that peoThousands of technology products ple don’t utilize technology because such as instant messaging, virtual they do not know how to use it. Adkeyboards, and flash drives are manu- ditionally, experts believe that affordfactured in Israel. Advanced technol- able technology should be advocated ogy makes up a large portion of Isra- for, such as cheap, long-lasting lapel’s economy, which is a big transition tops. This affordable technology can from the country’s earlier dependence be advocated for through the use of on agriculture. The digital divide in effective marketing techniques. By Israel is subdivided into two groups: reworking marketing strategies, to the wealthy middle/upper class and emphasize good deals and easy accesthe poor poverty-stricken lower class. sibility, this will open up the market In Israel, the fight against the digi- to many people who were previously tal divide is strong, and several orga- uninterested. 6 18
Features
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
A Sit Down with Mr. Greenwald
Photo/Emily Savino Mr.Grenwald poses for picture at his desk.
By Sophia Mullaly ‘20 t the beginning of the current school year, Mark Greenwald, a former teacher at Blind Brook High School, started his new position as assistant principal alongside Principal Derek Schuelein. Greenwald taught at Blind Brook as an 8th and 11th grade United States history teacher for the past 24 years. Aside from teaching, Greenwald has been a part of the Blind Brook community as a parent of two children who have gone through the school system. Greenwald hopes to incorporate his experiences as a teacher and as a parent in the Blind Brook school system into his work as an assistant principal. “I think those experiences [as a teacher] have shown me what students, parents, and teachers go through in a given school year and I’ve gotten a good look at the educational system from that particular side. So to speak, as a parent, and a parent of students who have attended through this school, I understand that side of things too, so I’m hoping to merge all of that in my administrative work,” he shared. Though the transition from teaching to being administration has been smooth, there are some changes that require getting accustomed to. Greenwald describes the most challenging thing about being the assistant princi-
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pal as having little control of his schedule. “When I was a teacher, I knew the lesson, I knew when I would give a test, I knew what activities I had, and I pretty much knew what my time was,” he stated. As a new addition to the administration of Blind Brook High School, Greenwald finds it important to learn how to do the jobs of an assistant principal correctly and perform those tasks as assistant principal better in the future. He believes that learning how to effectively perform the tasks of assistant principal is important because it not only makes the principal’s job easier but also will allow the administration to strengthen as a whole. Though Greenwald will miss the daily interactions with his students as a teacher, he still gets to see many students in the halls of BBHS. The transition may be hard, but he is willing to learn and improve on how to complete tasks as assistant principal to continue to master this job. “My goals from this year are one, to support the principal in running the day-to-day operations of the school. So in other words, whatever the principal needs of me, that’s what I try to execute. And I guess my second goal is to learn as much as I can about all of these new tasks so I can continue to do them better in the future because I’m still learning myself.” 7 19
Arts and Entertainment
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
BBHS Fall Production of A Chorus Line By Sophia Mullaly ‘20 lind Brook High School’s new fall production will be the musical A Chorus Line. A Chorus Line follows 17 dancers auditioning for a spot in the ‘chorus line’ of an upcoming Broadway musical. This musical really captures the tension of the audition process for aspiring Broadway actors. “I think [the musical process] is going really well. The cast is really motivated to improve their dancing for such a danceheavy show and I think that the show is going to turn out really great” says Isabel Steinberg (senior). Many students have really connected with the character they have been cast as. Among these students, junior Alex Weiss will be playing Zach, the musical director who must choose who to cast. “I think we both have that quality of being really driven about whatever we are doing in the moment and being focused, and sometimes we sacrifice other things for it. We are both willing to give up a lot to make our dreams a reality.” The whole cast, including the musical director Ms. Christina Colangelo, are already hard at work to put on a fantastic show. Tickets are $15 for Friday (November 16), and Saturday Night’s (November 17) performance , both starting at 7:30 pm. Come out and support the BBHS theater program!
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Photo/Rachel Harris The cast of A Chorus Line practices a scene.
Powderpuff: Bringing Spirit Back to BBHS Continued from page 1 Senate members were quick to address this issue right at the beginning of this school year. A survey was sent out into grade Facebook pages by select senate members to gauge whether the student body wanted a fall or winter pep rally. The survey results reflected that most students wanted a fall pep rally. During the time of this survey, speculation ran ramped through the school concerning the rumor of a Powderpuff game that would be used as a substitute for one of the pep rallies. This rumor turned out to have some truth as Senate was discussing plans to replace the fall pep rally with a powderpuff game. However, once the survey results came in, the dream of returning to the BB tradition of holding a powderpuff game was almost lost. Senate decided to go ahead with the more popular decision of having a Fall Pep Rally. In order to still hold the event, the football team decided to step in to make this dream become a reality. However, the game is not sponsored by the school, instead it was held on the Rye Brook town field and not related to the Blind Brook Athletic Department. Senior Gabe Landau is organizing the game, “A lot of the senior girls thought it would be a fun idea and the football team agreed. We think it is a really good event to for the community,” said Landau. Landau pushed for the event despite the lack of support from the district and the athletic department. Simply put, Powder Puff is a flag or touch football game between HS junior and senior girls. During this game, the football team will be acting as the cheerleaders. The term “powderpuff ” originates from the soft material used for the application of cosmetic face powder. Some people have voiced concerns over the sexist past of the term “powderpuff ” in regards to how women are portrayed as weaker than their male counterparts, however, our school has chosen to adopt a new meaning to this game. Regarding the sexist nature of the game, Landau stated, “Obviously people are going to say it’s sexist, but these girls want to and chose to participate. There’s a boys football team, and I think it’s a great idea to have one game be all girls. It just changes things up and it shouldn’t be seen as sex-
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ist; just something fun.” Our school is using the powderpuff game to empower female athletes and other members of our school community who have chosen to participate in the game, as well as to promote school spirit in a more active and engaging manner. With all the eagerness to participate, some students involved have brought up the concern that weather conditions may not be ideal for an outdoor event. Nicole Rosenzweig, an 11th-grade student who is participating in the Powderpuff game said, “I’m excited to play Powderpuff football, but I wish it was earlier in the year so that it wouldn’t be so cold.” This brings up an interesting point that if this Powderpuff game were to become a renewed tradition for BBHS, it could potentially be earlier in the school year. Nevertheless, this event has great significance to our school community. As an annual Powderpuff game used to be a tradition at BBHS, it is important that such traditions are carried on to instill a sense of shared purpose in our small community. The Powderpuff game will be an amazing opportunity for students from all the grades to enjoy a sporting event together, while also increasing their school spirit. School spirit is not something that should be reserved for student-athletes or seniors during spirit week, it is something that should be promoted to all of the grades. The purpose of this year’s Powderpuff game is to promote pride in BBHS and its sports teams, while also expressing the core value of community which lies in the heart of every single Trojan. Commenting on the event as a whole, Landau stated, “I can’t wait to see what these girls can do on the football field. All of them are athletic and talented and to see them play a sport I love will make it all the more exciting. It will be a great bonding experience for the Junior & Senior girls, and unite us [11th and 12th graders] as upperclassmen. The rest of the school can see this game and realize how fun it could be. I hope the game is successful and we make it regular here in Rye Brook.” The rain did not stop the girls latt Friday, with the senior girls coming out on top. A final score of 12-6 seniors.
Features
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Junior Year Struggles: Recomendation ProBy Rebecca Weiss ‘19 hile Junior year has a notorious reputation for being stressful due to standardized tests, AP classes, and college visits, recommendation letters have become another stressful experience. While students can’t even ask teachers for recommendations until April, conversations surrounding this topic begin much earlier. At a Junior meeting earlier in the school year students receive many forms, including a few to give out to teachers they’re asking for recommendations. All students are required to get two recommendations from Photo/Jack Wells their core subject teachers, like math, english, Students keep track of their recommendations on the board in the guidance office. science, social studies, or to write on their behalf,” explained guidance foreign language. The school counselors, and many colleges encour- counselor Deborah Dubin. age students to ask junior year teachers be- Many of the teachers have different processcause they know the most current version of es for deciding how many they’ll write or who the student. These recommendations will go they’ll write them for. Some will say no after straight to the colleges that the student ap- they realize that they have a lot to write and some will say no if they feel that they can’t plies to. Students are also asked to get two short rec- write an accurate reflection of that person. ommendations from teachers and some from Other teachers, like Marjorie Goett who reoutside people like coaches or employers. These tired after last year, ask students to write them are used to aid the guidance counselor in writ- an email about why that teacher should write ing their own recommendations. Most teach- their recommendation and they’ll only choose ers don’t mind writing these because they only a few. have to answer a few questions. While this can One of the forms that the students receive lead to some stress, because it’s another thing at the Junior meeting is a form for long recstudents have to worry about, it was actually ommendations with a few questions for the meant to alleviate stress. Deborah Dubin ex- students to answer. Once the teacher agrees plained that they wanted these short recom- to write the recommendation, the students mendations to be due in June so that students fill out the sheet and hand it to the teacher by wouldn’t have to worry about this in the fall June. Some teachers ask for additional inforwhen they’re busy writing their college appli- mation too. Last year, teachers asked for resucations. This process also helps the guidance més, information about extracurricular activicounselors because it ensures that they will ties, and sent out their own questions for the have the materials they need in enough time students to answer. While this may seem like a lot of work to students who are already so to write the recommendations. However, for the long recommendations, busy, it is all for their own benefit. The more some teachers get asked by many people and the teacher knows about the student, the bettherefore put a limit on the amount that they ter the recommendation will be because it will are willing to write. This often leads to stu- be more detailed. dents rushing to be the first to ask the teacher “Teachers should make it clear that just bethat they want to write their recommendation cause there is a date when students can start as fast as possible. Some students even go in asking for teachers to write their recommenearly to school to ask the teacher before first dation letters doesn’t mean the students have period on that day. Students often get stressed to bombard the teacher on that day,” said Seout by this, especially if they feel the teachers nior Ilana Serin. “Additionally, if teachers are who are limiting the number of recommen- going to have a limit for the number of recdations are the teachers who would write the ommendation letters they’re willing to write, it shouldn’t be based on who asks first. They best reflection of them. “One of the goals for implementing the date should look at students’ class participation and for students to ask teachers for letters of rec- performance and whether or not they feel that ommendation is to allow students to make they could write a good recommendation for thoughtful decisions about who they want that person.”
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Health and Science
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
The Price of Life
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Columnist Chloe Ng ‘21
ow much money would you pay to stay dred to over a thousand dollars per month. alive? A hundred dollars? A million? A growing number of people are resortFor many people, the answer would be as ing to the high-risk practice of rationing much as they could possibly afford, but even their insulin when supplies run low. Other that might not be enough. life-saving pharmaceutical drugs have seen Prescription drugs and other necessities sharp increases in price as well. The cost are becoming more expensive by the year, of Daraprim, used to treat AIDS, cancer, and the effects of this precarious situation and malaria, was raised by 5,000% back in can be seen even in the lives of those here 2015, and prices have not lowered since in Blind Brook. When I was younger, I once then. From generic drugs for curable ailnoticed that my friend always carried a bag ments to treatments for cancer, prices are wherever they went. When I asked continuing to increase with almost no them about it, they explained to end in sight. me that it was because they The primary reason behind this needed their Epipen with worrying phenomenon is that them in case they were to drug companies are not reguhave an allergic reaction. I lated. They raise their prices remember thinking that it because they can, without must have been a hassle to experiencing any repercushave to bring it around evsions. While it is true that the erywhere, but at the time, risks and monetary expendiI didn’t realize the full exture associated with developtent of its significance. ing and bringing a new drug Epipens are tools used to the market are extremely to administer epinephrine, high, once those costs are covwhich relaxes muscles to open ered, the only thing that prevents airways, reduces swelling, the consumer price of a drug and increases heart rate. from rising is the market. As Photo courtesy of Chloe Ng Combined, these effects can with any for-profit organizareverse severe allergic reactions and play a tion, most pharmaceutical companies dekey role in saving lives, especially when se- cide their prices based on what will bring vere allergies could be triggered at any mo- them the most financial gain. Because their ment and, in some cases, death can occur products are often the difference between extremely quickly if not treated in time. life and death for their customers, people In 2009, a pack of two EpiPens cost one are generally willing to pay extremely high hundred dollars. By 2016, their price had amounts, which allows companies to benbeen raised by almost 500%, prompting in- efit off of them. In addition, due to pattense public outrage. EpiPens expire with- ents and monopolies retained by developin a year and most people require two for ers, customers seeking a certain treatment each location that they could be exposed to usually have no other option. the allergen in. These costs add up quickly, However, there are actions that can and so the price hike meant that more people must be taken to reduce the costs of precould not afford them and were forced to go scription drugs. First, transparency is cruwithout or carry around expired EpiPens. cial for clients and regulators to understand This is dangerous because contact with an where costs and revenues are ending up. Ofallergen could be a life-threatening experi- ten, more entities are involved in the disence. Given that EpiPens contain only a few tribution of a drug than just the producer dollars’ worth of epinephrine, I can see why and consumer, but side deals and discounts there was such a large public outcry over its make it hard to account for the middlemen. exorbitant price. In the months following Recently, though critics doubt the effecthat incident, government representatives tiveness of his tactics, President Trump and concerned citizens banded together to has advocated for promoting competition address the issue. Despite their efforts, the between companies and allowing Medicare list price of two EpiPens remained over six- to negotiate prices while others have sughundred dollars until just this past August, gested price caps or encouraging the develwhen a generic version was released. opment of generic drugs. A balance must It isn’t just EpiPens that have been becom- be struck and action must be taken soon ing outrageously unaffordable. Many peo- to prevent pharmaceutical companies from ple with diabetes depend on insulin to stay taking advantage of people who simply alive, its costs can range from a few hun- want to live. 10 18
Health and Science
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Do We Need to Make Football Safer?
By Josh Richard ‘21 n recent months the National Football League has been changing the rules of the game in order to ensure the protection of their players - particularly, head injuries. With 291 concussions in the league last year, the NFL, along with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) collaborated in order to make the game safer for those on the field. To address these issues, the organizations focused more on the hitting aspect of the game in several regards such as the placement of the hit. In order to reduce the head injury epidemic surrounding the sport on both the collegiate and professional levels, these rules were revised to make the game safer. If a player initiates a hit in which there is helmet to helmet contact, there will be a 15-yard penalty and a chance of ejection for targeting. This incentivizes players to make tackles on the lower section of the body and has already proven to decrease the number of times the players face severe head injuries and get hit in the head at all. Not only is it bad for the player initially when getting hit in the head but it could lead to other dangerous health issues in the future. Since studies have begun, more than 100 players have developed CTE in their brains or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is a chronic condition that is believed to be caused due to repeated hits in the head. Some symptoms of CTE are difficulty thinking, impulse behavior, shortterm memory loss, and difficulty planning and carrying out tasks. This condition makes it hard to do simple, everyday tasks and makes it difficult for football players who have CTE to enjoy the great things they worked so hard to get. Many football players feel that this rule ruins football and what it is all about. Richard Sherman, a cornerback on the San Francisco 49ers strongly feels this way. He feels
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that players know the risk of injury before they sign up for it and just because of a few injuries, and as a result, the NFL should not tamper with the rules. Also, Sherman agrees that there are other sports that are just as dangerous (if not more) than football - and these rulebooks have gone unchanged. Although he is not alone in the way he thinks, those who object cannot avoid the statistics. Despite being just over its midway point, there has been a significant drop off
Source: Boston University
in the number of concussions or other head-related injuries in the league thus far in the 2018 regular season. Without the rule in place, players were constantly getting hit in the head play after play. Former QB Brett Favre developed CTE. In many interviews he has taken part in, the Hall of Famer has discussed the constant blows to the head he received as a quarterback in the NFL and the true impact it had on him. As he reveals, the sustained blows to the head throughout his illustrious career ended up coming back to haunt him, and now he cannot live a normal life. The aftermath of football was so bad for Brett Favre that he was quoted saying that he would rather have his grandkids play golf over football. This would not be expected considering the fact that Brett Favre is now heralded as one of the best to ever play the game. Football is a dangerous sport, and although people think that safety rules are ruining the game, the rules have been effective in terms of making a violent game safer for the players. 11 19
Viewpoints
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Should College Athletes Be Paid? By Michael Abrutyn ‘19 he definition of a student-athlete is a participant in an organized competitive sport sponsored by the educational institution in which he or she is enrolled. Student athletes must typically balance the roles of being a full-time student and a full-time athlete. Many student-athletes are compensated with scholarships to attend these colleges or universities, however, while they work harder and longer than most Americans in the workforce, they receive almost nothing in return. Sure, it is a great feeling to have fun and represent your school, but while out on the court, field, or rink, it is easy to lose track of the hours of commitment, exercise, and training that go into one’s performance. Colleges claim that they are paying athletes with an education, but in reality, these athletes are not receiving their ideal “form of pay”. College athletes work on average over 40 hours a week playing their respective sport, the same as someone with a full-time job. If college athletes are working the same or even more time than someone with a job, shouldn’t they be getting paid? In these 40 plus hours, these athletes are doing school work, participating in training sessions and games, and attending other required sessions in order to remain on the team and maintain their full scholarship. An example of an athlete’s schedule is a team breakfast at 9 am, film at 9:30, and then skill development, lifting weights and work on special game situations, from 9:30-12:30. After completing their morning work, they have a 12:30 team lunch, contact practice at 6:00, then finally, at 7:45, these athletes have finished their jam-packed day(SI Wire). These athletes are barely left with anytime in their day to get what they were promised: a full education. Former UNC football player Devon Ramsay is one of two former student-athletes filing a lawsuit against the school and the NCAA because he believed he was deprived of a meaningful education. Ramsay felt he was forced to take bogus classes because he had to spend more time on his sport and was unable to receive his full form of pay (Michael McCann). These athletes are too busy focusing on their “full-time job”, making them unable to receive their promised form of pay in a free education. College athletes work for an 11 billion dollar industry, but do not receive a dime of what they benefit for the NCAA (Dave Anderson). The NCAA will pay coaches and executives millions for doing the same exact thing the players do, but the only difference is that the players are considered amateurs. Should be classified as an amateur be the deciding factor for whether or not these athletes should be paid? According to the article, Top 10 Reasons College Athletes Should Be Paid, by Dave Anderson, it stated that “The University of Alabama took in $143.3 million in athletic revenues alone. This figure is not only more than any professional hockey
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Source: NCAA.org
team in the NHL earns, but it is also more than 25 out of the 30 NBA teams bring in annually as well.” So, if college athletes are bringing in more money than professional teams, is it fair to not give them a percentage of what they make for their school and other businesses? If these so-called “amateurs” are doing exactly the same thing as professional athletes, why are they not getting paid? The players make money for an industry and are used for advertising their school and large companies as the school is sponsored by these companies. Is it fair to say the only difference between paying professional and college athletes is the word “amateur”? These colleges say that these athletes are “student-athletes”, but is that really the case? These athletes have media day and photo shoots, just like professional athletes do, but when they decide to put school first they are looked down upon. For example, Bryce Love, the star running back for the University of Stanford, decided that he was going to miss his media day because he had class. Since he decided to do this, he was criticized and penalized. How is it fair that he was criticized when everyone says that school is supposed to come first? These athletes are held to the same standards as the professionals, but when they decide that they are going to pick their form of pay over the sport, they are penalized. By saying that these athletes are getting their form of pay is outrageous. These athletes are working longer than someone with a real job, but they do not receive a portion of what they make for the $11 billion industry they work for. Athletes are forced to take the easiest classes the school offers just so they can get by so that they can play their sport. This leads to a great conflict, because these athletes are not able to get what they were promised: a full, free education. In the end, if these athletes aren’t getting what they were promised they are really just working for free.
Sports
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November 2018
Boys Varsity Soccer By Jeremy Schutzer ‘20 finals. In the quarterfinals, they played host to twelve seed he Blind Brook boys’ varsity soccer team finished Albertus Magnus, who upset the five seed Bronxville. In their regular season with a record of 12-3-1. Coach this game, the Trojans took care of business and took Marcos Monteagudo ended his second year of coaching down Magnus by a score of 3-0, sending them to the the team and has led them to back to back successful sea- semifinals against their rivals, the top-seeded Rye Neck sons, earning high seeds in the playoffs. Alongside Coach Panthers. Monteagudo were senior captains Bryan Wei, Zach Ko- On Wednesday, October 24, the boys traveled to Rye rnblum, and Massimo Delledonne. Neck for what they knew would be the toughest game of This record came from excellent goalkeeping by senior the year. In their previous contests, both games went to Michael Abrutyn, who let up a total of just 14 goals on the overtime, ending in a draw and a loss for Blind Brook. This year. The backline, consisting of seniors Zach Zimmer- time was different. Just 10 minutes into the game, senior man, Rowan Kansler, David Rosenberg and captain Bryan Ross Gessow was able to finish a ball that was loose in the Wei, played every game with authority and defended the box and put the boys up 1-0. The rest of the game, both goal as best as they could. The midfielders, juniors Drew teams kept up the pressure, taking shots that missed by Kaye and Isaac Mintz, along with seniors Ross Gessow inches or hit the post. The final whistle blew and the scoreand captain Massimo Delledonne, kept possession of the board read 1-0 to the guests, sending the visitors to the ball and looked to play seniors Jack Shapiro and captain Section one final for a matchup with the three seed, BriarZach Korncliff, who was blum through able to defeat towards goal Ardsley 2-1. whenever posOn Octosible. Senior ber 27, the captain Zach boys traveled Kornblum had to Lakeland an incredible High School season, scorto face Briing 28 goals. arcliff in the Another threat section final. the boys had The game was the long was played throws of with high inboth Drew tensity from Kaye and Bryboth sides, but an Wei, which did not fall in always caused favor of Blind chaos in the Brook, who box. ended up losThroughing 3-2. Goals out the season, were scored the boys won by Zach Komany close rnblum and games but lost some too. Jack Shapiro and Mike AbruPhoto/Julia Rosenberg One key game was a 1-0 tyn made some great saves in The boys’ varsity soccer team celebrates after victory over Hastings, in goal. After a fantastic season their win against Rye Neck. which Abrutyn made mulfor the boys, it ended in the tiple saves to keep the opposection final versus Briarcliff. nent scoreless. Another game, the boys were down 3-1 to Senior captain Bryan Wei reflected on the season with North Salem at halftime, but were able to rally together nothing but positive thoughts. “Coming into the season, and win 5-3. Kornblum scored a hat trick in that one to we knew we were going to have to fight for every single add to his goal count for the season. The boys also reg- game, and we were going to have to replace 20 goals + istered a 1-0 victory over Bronxville in overtime when 10 assists from Oliver [Kleban]. Throughout the seajunior Isaac Mintz’s corner hit off a Bronxville player son, we did just that. We fought for every game that we and deflected in. Another was a 2-1 win over Briarcliff, had and I think halfway through the season was when the preseason favorites, in which Kornblum scored both we really realized that we were a force to be reckoned of the goals as well. The three losses on the season were with. We had juniors Isaac Mintz step up in the midfield very close games. The boys lost 2-1 to Ardsley and 2-1 while Drew Kaye contributed on the wing and brought to Rye Neck, both in overtime. Both games were hard- with him a huge throw-in. We were not supposed to be fought but did not turn out in Blind Brook’s favor. The in the final. We had to upset Rye Neck, a one-seed, to third loss came against a very strong New Rochelle team get here, and we were never favored. But we fought, and with the final score being 3-1. we got to the section final for the first time in a while.” After the regular season ended, the team’s’ record of Wei was very happy with the way this season came out 12-3-1 which earned them a four seed in the playoffs be- even though it did not end as he and the rest of the team hind Rye Neck, Ardsley and Briarcliff. In the first round, wanted it to. the boys hosted thirteen seed Pawling and came out vic- The boys had an incredible season and run in the playtorious with a 3-1 win, securing their spot in the quarter- offs, an accomplishment they will never forget.
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Health and Science
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November 2018
Is the iPhone XR the Lost iPhone 9? By Nicole Rosenzweig ‘20 expensive, respectively? This largely rguably the most popular phone stems from the variations in camera brand in the country, Apple Inc. designs and types of screens among continues to innovate while provid- the smartphones. The iPhone XS and ing cheaper options for consumers. XS Max have a dual-camera system The iPhone XS and the iPhone XS that allows the phone to analyze deMax went on sale last month, fea- tails, detect faces, and gauge depth at turing the largest display ever on an record speeds. Although the iPhone iPhone and the most powXR still offers more aderful chip in a smartphone. vanced levels of depth Rather than stopping there, mapping than previous Apple further stunned the Apple devices, it only has smartphone industry with a single lens camera. the release of the cheapThe iPhone XR has a liqest full-screen iPhone yet. uid crystal display (LCD), Could this be the iPhone 9 while the iPhone XS and that never came out? XS Max use an organThe iPhone XR went on ic light-emitting diode sale on Friday, October (OLED). The main distinc26th, starting at $750 for tion is that LCD screens use 64GB. According to the a backlight source, while device-repairing compaOLED pixels produce their ny, iFixit, “A peek under own light. As a result, LCD the hood revealed design screens are brighter than hallmarks reminiscent of OLED screens. However, both the iPhone 8 (rectanOLED screens have signifigular battery, single layer cantly better contrast and board) and X (square-ish viewing angles. logic board, Face ID), As a result of these novmaking this the spiritual Photo Courtesy of O2 el features, the releases ‘iPhone 9.’” of the iPhone XR, XS, and Not only does the new iPhone XR XS Max have generated a great deal combine novel aspects of the iPhone of interest. According to a Forbes 8 and the iPhone X, but it also pro- article, “With iPhone sales easily vides a variety of new features. The outstripping every other brand, it iPhone XR has a liquid retina display seems the biggest threat to sales of with the most advanced liquid crystal the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max is display (LCD) in the industry. The col- Apple’s own iPhone XR.” ored screen spans across the entire When evaluating which phone is phone, using Apple’s backlight de- a better purchase, the answer is not sign, thereby providing for the best one size fits all. Some may see the color accuracy among smartphones. OLED screen and dual-camera sysFurthermore, a six-channel light sen- tem as advantageous features for sor makes images look more natural their smartphones, while others may by balancing the color temperature not see the need for such novelties. on the screen. The iPhone XR also For many consumers, the iPhone has a longer battery life than previ- XR could be the iPhone 9 that nevous Apple smartphones. er was, combining a great battery If the iPhone XR offers these ground- life and LCD screen with a variety of breaking features, why are the iPhone novel features that fit the common XS and XS Max $250 and $350 more buyer.
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News
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November 2018
Follansbee Returns to Blind Brook By Danielle Capelli ‘21 ganized place to process new books that ean Follansbee, the Blind Brook Middle have come in. School/High School librarian is back and Although Follansbee is making changes working for the 2018-2019 school year. After on the inside of the library, on the outside the 2016-17 school year, Follansbee retired changes will not be noticeable. Follansbee from the Middle School/High School li- explains: “(The library) might be different brarian position and a new librarian, Tracey than it was last year, but it’s not going to be Wong, took over her role. After being termi- any different than it was when I was here nated at the end of the 2017-18 school year, before.” the district sought to find a replacement for Follansbee is also enforcing the same rules Wong but that she was unsuchad when cessful. This she was at in effect, the school prompted before. Ms. FolContinuing lansbee to to not allow make a reany food in turn to the the library, district. as well as Fo l l a n s wanting bee was, students to not anticiutilize their pating retime at turning to the library the district wisely, and and does not misbenot plan to have. work in the Some stulibrary for dents think more than that these Photo/Rachel Sosin a year, although she rules are wise, being Follansbee posses infront of book shelf in library. does enjoy her current that people are suptime here. She explains: “It’s sort of nice to posed to get work done in the library and be working a little bit since I’m only work- should not be distracted by other kids talking 3 days a week. I still have time off.” ing. High school freshman student, MatFollansbee is carrying out most of the thew Weinstock stated, “(The library) is a same responsibilities in the library as she good space to get work done...There’s an did previously. Such jobs include: supervis- atmosphere that lends itself well to proing the library, making sure the students ductivity.” Ms. Follansbee’s rules are creatare behaving properly, making technology ing an environment that makes it easy for and library resources available to students, students to get work done. and teaching some classes about research. Follansbee has had some struggles with While she carries out the same duties in leaving for a year and now coming back. She the library as she did before, she does not is not familiar with the current 7th graders play as big of a role in the district: “I sat since she wasn’t here last year, and she also on a lot of committees. I’m not doing that is not familiar with the current 6th graders. (now) because I’m only working three days This leaving her to be unfamiliar with more a week…I just don’t have time to do that… than half of the middle school students. For me, it’s all about the library right now.” Many students are glad that Follansbee Since her focus is on the library, Follansbee is back. Freshman Jennifer Mckay said, “It’s is working to make changes to processes really nice of [Follansbee] to give up her that go on behind the scenes in the library. retirement to help out the school.” Ms. FolThis includes making the technology side lansbee is happy to be back at the school, of resources more organized. Such technol- and even if she is only staying for a year, she ogy includes Chromebooks for students to might have a big impact on the library this utilize. She also wants to create a more or- year.
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Arts and Entertainment
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
What’s Coming to Broadway This Fall
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Columnist Mackenzie Drangel ‘19
he leaves changing colors doesn’t just mean it is the beginning of a new school year, but it also marks the beginning of a new season on Broadway, and this year Broadway’s marquees are being lit with some new, innovative plays and musicals that are sure to
King Kong
Opening: November 8, 2018
The 1933 cult-classic film King Kong is stomping on to Broadway this fall to wow audiences nightly. Broadway’s biggest leading man is none other than the iconic, 20-foot tall, 2,000-pound gorilla, controlled by a team of men and women who work the ropes and lines that propel the creature around the stage and nearly into the audience. Puppeteers monitor Kong’s facial expressions ranging from anger to sadness through a furrowed brow accompanied by a grunt or roar. The new musical comes from the minds of playwright Jack Thorne and songwriter Eddie Perfect and is brought to life by Drew McOnie’s bold direction. The story follows Ann Darrow (Christiana Pitts), a fearless young actress that finds her big break in the form of Carl Denham (Eric William Morris), a filmmaker whom she accompanies to the mysterious Skull Island where they encounter Kong. To her surprise, Ann finds an unexpected kindness in Kong, and when Carl hatches a plan to capture Kong and put him on display, she is forced to choose between her career and saving Kong. Get ready to be transported to Skull Island and watch the modern myth come alive on Broadway through a mix of animatronics, puppetry, music, and stagecraft. 16 18
to Kill a Mockingbird
Opening: December 13, 2018
The beloved, renowned novel by Harper Lee, which was published in 1960, is finally being brought to life on the Broadway stage. With a new adaptation by Aaron
Photo Courtesy of Mackenzie Drangel
Sorkin, this classic story is as relevant and important in this day and age as it was 58 years ago. Jeff Daniels leads the cast as the righteous Atticus Finch, and Broadway favorite Celia Keenan-Bolger takes on the famous role of the headstrong Scout. Directed by Bartlett Sher, this play is sure to draw in audiences of all ages as this novel has been passed along and cherished by several generations. The play concerns Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, that defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge and is told by his six-year-old daughter, Jean Louise Finch. Be one of the first to relive the revolutionary story in an extraordinary new light up on the stage.
The Prom Opening: November 15, 2018
This story is different from your average take on prom. This new musical comedy follows Emma (Caitlin Kinnunen), a high schooler in Indiana who is not permitted to bring her girlfriend to their prom, and the attention-seeking Broadway actors that travel to Indiana to support the girls’ cause. The Prom is directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, who currently has 4 shows running on Broadway, including Mean Girls. The musical, complete with a refreshing new score by Matthew Sklar, is a showcase of hope, and acceptance that is sure to keep audiences laughing. The book is propelled by the vibrant, fun choreography of Nicholaw that is truly a neverending ball of energy. The musical effectively taps into the power of social media and the generational shift in attitudes about the LGBT+ community in a light-hearted manner. In the end, you can’t help but smile as you follow Emma’s journey, that can be told no other way but in the style of musical theatre.
Health and Science
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Time Management 101
By Amanda Weinberg pit of procrastination. You have to start t’s 10 p.m. on a Wednesday night. You somewhere, even if it is just one sentence. have two tests tomorrow, a project and Tip #3: Take Advantage of the Little a lab due on Friday, and you still have to Moments. finish your math homework. You have been With a busy schedule, it can be very difworking all night but have barely made a ficult to find blocks of time to get homedent. The only way to get all of your work work done, which is why it is essential to done would be to pull an all-nighter, which, take advantage of the little moments. Sitin reality, turns out to just be you falling ting in the car for 15 minutes? Bang out asleep, face glued to the desk. If this story a quick Spanish assignment. Waiting on sounds all but too familiar, you may be a vic- line in a restaurant? Do a quizlet on your tim of poor time management. High school phone. These little moments of studying students are constantly being bombarded may seem trivial within the moment, but with unbearable loads of work. Without they add up. Try it out, you may surprise help, managing these demanding pressures yourself. can be overwhelming and downright un- Tip #4: Get It Done Now...Yes, Now. bearable. Stop W i t h p r o t h r e e cr asy e a r s tinatof high ing! It school is easy experito tell ence, I yourhave put s e l f together that you a list of will do the most it latquinteser, or sential before tips and you go tricks to to bed. managHoweving your er, when time like the time a pro. comes Photo/Jack Wells Tip #1: to do Clock hanging in commons. Take the Time to Organize, your work, you lack the Make a List. disposition to do anything. First and foremost, make a to-do list. Get your work done as soon as possible, Take a note of every assignment, their due while you have the energy to do it. Staydates, and how long each will take. Include ing focused and leaving leisure activities to upcoming tests, school activities, clubs, be a post-school work thing allows you to extracurriculars, etc. This will give you prioritize. Not to mention, you will be able a clearer perception of what needs to get to enjoy said leisure activities without the done, and how much time you need to al- constant pressure of having to do school locate to each task. Don’t waste time decid- work. ing where to start. Pick something and get Tip #5: Reward Yourself, You Deserve It. right to it. Give yourself a reward when your work Tip #2: Don’t Intimidate Yourself, Break is completed. Watch your favorite show on the Work Down. Netflix, have some chocolate, talk to your Break your work up into smaller, more friends. Do whatever it is you need to do manageable chunks. For instance, if you to motivate you to do work. Give yourself have an essay due, relax, breath and break something to look forward to! it down. Don’t tell yourself you have to There are only so many hours in the day, compose a huge essay, tell yourself you days in a week, and weeks in a quarter. Be only have to write a topic sentence, then an smart with what you do with your time beintro paragraph, then a body, and so on. In- cause once it’s gone, you can never get it timidating yourself spirals into an endless back.
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Sports
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Varsity Football Enters New League
Photo/Paige Tankel Noah Swatz catches the football while being covered by a Rye Neck defender.
By Zach Chernick ‘20 his year the Blind Brook Football Team is in a newly formed independent league. This is a new adjustment for the team since they have been playing larger teams with games that have been equally competitive in the past. Now they play smaller teams similar to their size which is more beneficial. “The teams we play are small just like we only have 26 kids as do most other teams in our league, outside of our league you can find teams with 40+ players, and that is what makes it fairer,” said Jason Frankel, co-captain of the Blind Brook Football Team. This makes sense for a team with only 26 kids to play other teams with similar sizes. The Independent league is made up of 7 teams that were former class B teams who had large graduating senior classes and not that many incoming players. Due to the lack of numbers, these teams formed a league that is independent so the teams play against each other in the hope of making the games more competitive. “After discussion with our coaches, the school athletic director made the decision to have us compete in this league. Mr. Goldman said that he hopes to have younger kids come out for football seeing us play in competitive games,” said Matt Guiliano, co-captain of the Blind Brook Football Team. Obviously, playing competitive games is very important not only for the players but for the fans as well. The seven teams in the league consist of Rye Neck, Irvington, Edgemont, Briarcliff, Croton, Hastings, and Blind Brook. They have 8 games on their schedule and they have won all of their games to date, and they play Hastings Saturday, October 27. They have yet to play Hastings yet, and they are looking to finish the season undefeated. Other than most leagues, this league has no play-
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offs. Matt Guiliano offered an explanation for this, “If there were playoffs the season would extend too far into the winter sports season so instead there will be a bowl game where the number 1 seed plays the 2 in what is essentially the championship.” Since the playoffs will interfere with the winter sports season, there will be a bowl game instead. The top two teams in the league will play in the bowl game on Saturday, November 3rd at Edgemont High School. Blind Brook is already in the bowl game and they will play the winner of Rye Neck and Edgemont. Evan Ketchabaw, co-captain of the football team, had his thoughts on the possible opponents. “Rye Neck is a spread team and Edgemont is a triple option team. They are completely different but I have confidence in our defense that we can and will stop both teams.” Either way, this will be a very big game for the team, and the last game for most of the team. The seniors want to end out on top, and clearly, they have confidence they are going to do so. This has been a big year for the football team with a lot of new changes. However, none of it has phased the team, and this season has been a resounding success. There has been an increased interest in the football program, and that has everything to do with the team’s new success. The captains reiterated the same thing in that the purpose of this league was to have more competitive games, and that is true. Blind Brook has been blowing out their opponents all season, which is quite the turn-around from last season where they were blown out during homecoming along with other games. Hopefully, they can end up on top next Saturday, and put a banner in the gym, which was the goal for them from the start of the season.
News
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
What’s in a Grade?
By Lauryn Weintraub ‘20 easier for students and will reduce some of their any students have looked at their report stress. card and felt as though it could not have While there are positives to using a numeribeen correct. There must be a mistake when one cal grading system, there are downsides as well, student did very well on their tests and got an some of which are concerning for freshmen. A-, while their friend with another A- consistent- Firstly, the transparency of the grades can make ly got lower grades. Little does the first student some students feel worse about themselves beknow that they have a 92.4 percent in the class, cause they didn’t get the grade they thought they and their friend has an 89.5%. This discrepancy had with a letter system. “I feel worse knowing and confusion that surrounds letter grades have that I got a 93 and an A when I used to think an led to the administration’s decision to adopt a A was a 96.” Freshman Allison Saghir said. Othnumerical grading system. er freshmen, like Josh Rosenblut, are annoyed Starting with the current freshmen, and con- at the sudden change since they are used to the tinuing with all succeeding classes, all grades old letter system. “It was annoying at first since will be reported as numbers. Current sopho- some teachers were still using letters and others mores, juniors, and seniors will all keep the letter had switched to numbers.” system for their remaining time in high school for the sake of continuity. Last year, the district compiled students, Source: Blindbrook.org parents, teachers, and adSome students are ministrators into a Grades concerned that there will be an increase in comCommittee. After reviewing the current system petitiveness with a system that grades out of in place, looking at its effect on students, and 100. Previously, there would be a large group of comparing it to other schools in the county, the students who all received an A. Now, competicommittee decided to change the system. They tion will increase because some kids will have decided the letter system did not permit enough 93s, while others have 96s, causing kids to stress grade transparency because the difference be- about a higher grade when they would have been tween 89 percent and a 92 percent is large, but grouped together in the previous system. they both show up as A-. “It’s better now be- Another concern is how colleges might view a cause it shows a difference for people who do student differently based on their school’s gradbetter.” Said BB freshman Jordan Cassuto. If ing system. Bryan Wei believes the system has students only receive a letter, they cannot gauge no effect on college applications. “As a senior who whether they just barely got an A- or actually has been through the college process, I believe deserved that grade, and it makes it harder to students should be more focused on education see improvement unless the student jumps up an and learning, rather than the grades which they entire letter grade. are earning in each class.” Wei also added, “The Members of the committee, especially students fact of the matter is that each college has their and parents, were worried the letter system cre- own scale which they use to convert our [high ates extra stress for a student. Instead of focus- school] grades.” Schuelein did some research ing on trying their best, students can be worried into colleges Blind Brook students typically apabout if they can keep their grade in a certain ply to and found the same thing: as long as a range, even if it’s by 0.1%. Principal Schuelein grading system is comprehensive and cohesive, believes numbers will reduce some of the stress colleges don’t prefer one over another. around these minuscule differences because stu- The Grades Committee has also discussed dents will understand exactly where they are. abolishing weighted GPAs and only using unIn addition, the Grades Committee compared weighted GPAs since they feel some students reBlind Brook to other school districts in West- ceive twice the benefit for taking a harder class chester. Nearby schools like Harrison, Mama- since colleges see the rigor of the class and a roneck, and Rye all use a numerical grading higher GPA affected by the honors or AP class. system, as well as the four other school districts This decision has not yet been implemented Principal Schuelein has worked at. since some current freshman picked their classes Many teachers are also in favor of the switch. this year based on whether or not it was an honNicole Simmons, a member of the Grades Com- ors class that could give their GPA a boost. If mittee and Geometry teacher said, “I like the weighted GPAs are removed, it would be impletransparency of the numbers. In the old system, mented for the current eighth graders, the class we entered in numbers and they became letters. of 2023. So now we are just eliminating the step in between.” Simmons also believes the switch will be
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Politics
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Strong Words, Weak Action By Andrew Lynch ‘21 he gathering of the 2018 United Nations General Assembly proved to be what many would say wasn’t very surprising. While speaking, Donald Trump’s never-ending spotlight followed him to the UN podium; Trump rally to the over 100 world leaders in attendance. As they sat through boastful and unsupported comments about the validity of his teetering presidency, Trump unintentionally brought the room to laughter when delivering one of his most popular rally slogans. “In less than 2 years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country,” Trump stated. Whether true in the eyes of Trump or not, this was a raw look into how foreign nations view the United States. As the speech continued, he shifted his focus to globalism. He detailed specific policy positions and the future actions of the United States. Trump also went on to discuss an array of issues America faces outside of their “America First” policy. Discussing on the matter of US troops in Syria, the national security advisor, John R. Bolton assured that troops would remain in Syria until Iran pulls its military presence out first. The US troops only purpose and objective of occupying Syrian territory is to defeat ISIS. However, the Iranian presence is a growing concern on Trump’s radar. “We’re not going to leave as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders, and that includes Iranian proxies and militias,” Bolton stated. Iran has been in vocal support of the Syrian government since September of 2011 and has financially aided the government during Syria’s civil war. Donald Trump called out Iran’s leaders directly stating, “Every solution to the humanitarian crisis in Syria must also include a strategy to address the brutal regime that has fueled and financed it: the corrupt dictatorship in Iran. Iran’s leaders sow chaos, death, and destruction. They do not respect their neighbors or borders or the sovereign rights of nations.” These harsh critical comments of Iran
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adds more fuel to the fire between the two countries. Back in May of 2018, after the Nuclear Deal between the US and Iran was thrown away, Trump announced that economic sanctions would be put in place. It has just recently been discovered that Iran has been working with Russia and China to set up a special payment system that will allow Iran to avoid the sanctions. The United States assured military action will not be implemented onto Iran, however, Donald Trump announced that sanctions will increase and resume as of November 5th. Trump has not done much about Iran physically other than impose sanctions. He continues to have his main focus on the United States. Trump is an incredibly vocal speaker, however, continues to remain distant from taking heavy foreign action as opposed to in the states. Donald Trump has come further than any other president with the de-escalation of tensions between North Korea and the United States. As of the UN assembly, Donald Trump is looking to finish the job of the denuclearization of the Korean state in a patient manner. What seemed like would fill our news headlines all of 2018, North Korea has come a long way in a very short period of time, possibly due to Trump’s unpredictable, fierce, and crazy rhetoric. Trump recognizes that he is in a very special, unique, and rare position in the relations of North Korea and does not want to push any boundaries too far and too soon that could topple the newly gained status of the relationship. Trump went on to say “I don’t want to get into the time game… I got all the time in the world...I don’t have to rush it.” Later noting that the process could take “two years, three years or five months.” This development is very interesting and again portrays a distant America in the foreign world, giving North Korea a slight hands-off approach ensuring a lot of trust in Kim Jong Un’s recent statements. North Korea does not seem like one of Trump’s main agendas as he continues to focus on domestic issues, however, is still highly important and will be handled
with Trump’s top foreign policy officials. Trump is taking a safe, patient, and trust-filled approach that assumes Mr. Kim does not change his mind on his Nuclear arsenal. Nuclear talks are said to end by January 2021. Trump eventually took his focus to Venezuela, or more specifically the President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela is in a current state of collapse and is facing the highest inflation rate in the world, which leads to food and medicine inaccessible to most. It’s GDP has fallen 35% and the murder rate has surpassed those of the most dangerous cities in the world. This has all been in relation to Maduro’s election in 2013. Trump is no stranger to using Maduro as a punching bag, and rightfully so. Maduro has turned his government into what resembles a dictatorship. Maduro has rigged elections and ignores the protests that happen every day in Venezuela. Hundreds of people have died and continue to fight and protest for peace. “We’re going to take care of Venezuela, if he’s [Maduro] here and he wants to meet; it was not on my mind, it was not on my plate, but if I can help people that’s what I’m here for,” Mr. Trump said during the assembly. This was a change of pace among Trump’s harsh words, however, does not soften the United States attitude and view of Maduro. Trump followed up with “All options are on the table, everyone. The strong ones, and the less than strong ones. Every option — and you know what I mean by strong.” Donald Trump once again displays a show of power, showing no fear of repercussion from Maduro, however, does not implement or announce any plan of betterment for the country. Trump is willing to “help” however does not see this as a priority and continues to put America first. Donald Trump is one of the world’s notoriously outspoken leaders. His policies are mostly under isolationism, and limits foreign influence and American imperialism. Donald is keeping his promises from the campaign trail and keeps America first.
Politics I’m Sick of Sad Articles
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Columnist Carly Kabot ‘19
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e cannot look away from what is hap- white supremacy to the inability to have a pening right now. civil conversation across the aisle, is a conEven though that is all we want to do. sequence of the long standing political and I know that I cannot be the only person who racial divides that seem to be dug so deep that kept turning on and off the news these past there appears to be no way out. weeks– unable to look away from the situa- Yet I have faith that the way will be found– tion I know is only worsening, yet wishfully and I’m not willing to wait for someone else longing to be able to shut out the endless vio- to do it for me. The polarization of our polilence, petty disputes, and absurdity that has tics is a reflection of the divergence of our become America. I could have written about communities, both the physical and the digithe largest Anti-semitic act in all of American tal. Because we have made this division–not history. I could have discussed Trump’s con- an institution, not an administration, and not dolences to the families of those eleven indi- an individual–we have the power to change it. viduals, but such condolences did not exist. I What our current administration has done is could have dedicated my column to talk about present us with an opportunity for a cultural the need for comprehensive gun control, but revolution in which America truly begins to then this would be another piece that does ab- value the morals enshrined in The Constitusolutely nothing except say the same tion. The era of Trump has propagatthing about the same policy chaled the belief that those who are diflenge our protests are unable to ferent are the enemy to the point solve. And let us not forget the where potential explosives fact that this could be a page were sent to prominent memabout those fourteen packbers of the Democratic Parages sent to Barack Obama, ty. Let this be the moment US Senator Kamala Harris, we remember that political John Brennan, and other opponents are not meant to outspoken adversaries of be foes, but colleagues who President Trump. are willing to both commuBut I’m sick of sad artinicate and collaborate. We cles– and I do not want to be must be the ones who show the next person to write one. them what democracy looks What we have to realize is like. Enough with the echo that nothing happens in a vacuchambers of Facebook, it is time um. We live in a world where our for us to reach across the aisle in actions and our words are hythe way our politicians refuse Photo Courtesy of Carly Kabot to. perconnected in a way like never before, and the events that we We can combat the stigma call “impossible” are truly a product of what that those who are different–whether ethniwe have each played a part in. There is nothing cally, religiously, or politically–are therefore we love more than playing the finger pointing our opponents, but we must be willing to do game, removing all culpability, and more im- so. There is a lesson in listening, but only if portantly accountability, from ourselves. For we make the choice to hear it. We must make anyone to chant “not my president”, the real- the conscious decision to have the conversaity is that Donald Trump is your president tions we have been avoiding since that fateful and the current government does indeed rep- November night–we never have to agree with resent you. Perhaps not your values, and if the other side, but we must seek to understand you have any that in itself is not difficult, but it. When it seems as if there is nothing we can the fact of the matter is that we live in a rep- do, remember that there is always a conversaresentative democracy– what our politicians tion to be had and a perspective to be gained. do is exactly that, even if we don’t believe In an age where screaming matches have bethey do a very good job at it. The divisive, come all too common, let us relearn how to incendiary rhetoric that has characterized the engage civilly. Perhaps we have a thing or two Trump administration has significantly exac- (or a hundred) to teach those in power, yet we erbated xenophobic, ultra-nationalistic senti- must always keep in mind where such power ments–but we must remember that a handful comes from– the people. If we show them we of men did not themselves create them. What can be different, there will come a day where is happening in our nation, from the rise of they will be forced to follow suit. 21 19
Viewpoints
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Four Tips for Sucessful College Visits By Abe Baker-Butler ‘20 lege student to keep a record of her or his thoughts or many high school students and their fami- and reactions to each school visited. After I vislies, junior year marks the start of the college it a college, I always fill out my impressions in a process, beginning with college visits. As I have Google Sheet. The columns on my spreadsheet inlearned from my recent and ongoing experiences, clude categories such as Dining, Dorms, Climate, there are steps that can be taken to make college Academics, Stress, Religious Life, Campus, Clubs, touring not only less painful, but more fun and pro- Greek Life, Off Campus Opportunities, and Overductive. all Vibe. I also keep a column entitled “Opinion,” #1: Talk to the enrolled students on campus where I rate my overall impression of each colAlthough admissions officers supply valuable in- lege. Although each person’s categories may vary, formation, they’re employees of the institution, a spreadsheet offers an easy and effective way to paid to make the school sound great. More impor- organize these impressions. tantly, they’re not living the life that you (or your Students, I encourage you to fill out the sheet imchild) will live in college. It’s really important to mediately after the tour to get as accurate a record talk to the students to get firsthand, genuine ac- of your reaction as possible. Parents, I encourcounts of student life. Before I visit a school, I al- age you to resist telling your children what YOU ways try to look at its Niche profile online. Niche thought until they have thought through their own is a website that produces an overall grade for col- reactions. While I know from experience that it is leges, based on subgrades for factors like safety, difficult for parents to keep from bubbling over with food, and academics. By taking a look at Niche, I reactions to a school, telling your teen your opinget a helpful sense of what to ask students when ion during and immediately after the tour can do I visit. Niche’s data is sourced from more than one a disservice to the aspiring college student. Wait hundred million survey responses, and public data until your child has processed the visit and forsets from institutions such as the Brookings Insti- mulated his or her opinions , so that months from tute and the Office of Post-Secondary Education now, your child will have a clear recollection of his (OPE). Some key topics that I usually ask about, or her impressions and reactions-- untarnished by that aren’t covered in the info session, are the avail- your influence. ability of mental health counseling, community #4: Make it fun for younger siblings service opportunities, stress, competitiveness, and Almost every college info session I’ve been to the real conditions of the dorms. . starts with the admissions officer asking, “How If I am unable to talk in depth with a student, I many seniors are in the audience? Juniors? Sophmake an effort to get a copy of the school newspa- omores? Freshman? Younger siblings dragged per. Reading a student news publication can pro- along?” Inevitably, a few younger siblings roll their vide a useful window into what student life is like eyes and raise their hands. The admissions officer on campus. I also make sure to read any posters I gives a patronizing laugh and continues on with the see in the student center or around campus, as they session, leaving the younger siblings to languish in provide insight into upcoming campus events. boredom. As my younger sister frequently reminds Before visiting a school, look up the locations of me, college tours are deathly dull. To reduce the the athletic center, music department, religious or- tedium, make sure to build in time for fun activities ganizations, or other departments where you or and meals, and allow the younger sibling(s) to have your child might spend time as a college student. I control over these leisure activities. In addition to have found students in these kinds of campus spots placating younger siblings by giving them a voice to be particularly willing to talk candidly and en- during a trip otherwise focused on the older sibthusiastically about their college experience. ling, you can provide them with a learning oppor#2: Eat in the dining halls tunity on how to use tools like Yelp and TripAdviToo often overlooked, the food options can make sor so they can voice their opinions, and make your or break an experience. Imagine attending an insti- college trip more than just a tedious tour. tution of top academic caliber, with a rich variety of student organizations and talented classmates, but with a required freshman dining plan, and food that tastes like cardboard. To my surprise, I learned that the food can vary significantly at peer institutions: at one Ivy League school, the food was fresh, delicious, and varied. But at another, the food was average, and the choices limited. Eating in the dining halls also provides the perfect opportunity to meet students and overhear their conversations (in a non-stalkerish way, of course). At one college I visited, students at every table I passed were engaged in animated, philosophical discussions. At another university, most students I overheard were discussing their academics and extracurriculars. Photo/Lily Janjigian #3: Keep A Real Time Record Picture of University of Virgina from a college visit. Encourage your aspiring col-
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Sports
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
A Successful End to an Exciting Season
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Columnist Ben Sachs ‘19
fter a historic season, the Bos- ished the season with a 12-4 record ton Red Sox are World Series and an impressive 2.11 earned run champions! With the help of World average. With the help of Sale and Series MVP, Steve Pearce, the Red these two talented outfielders, the Sox dominated the Los Ange- Red Sox were able to pull off a senles Dodgers, winning the series 4 sational season. games to 1 to secure the organiza- Now, the Red Sox are faced with tion’s 9th ring. On the Sox’s path plenty of offseason questions to the championship series, they to answer. Boston must decide defeated the New York Yankees in whether or not to bring back key a best of 5 series in the American pieces, such as Steve Pearce, NaLeague Divisional Series 3 games than Eovaldi, and Craig Kimbrel to 1 and Houston Astros in a best as they hit the free agent market. of 7 series in the American League With big name free agents Bryce Championship Series 4 games to 1. Harper and Manny Machado, the In addition to their remarkable rest of the league looks to bolster postseason, Boston was spectacu- up their rosters and challenge the lar in the regular season. The new champions. team’s 118th season began Looking ahead to the with the hiring of former 2019 season, it is doubtplayer, Alex Cora, as ful that the Boston Red their head coach. The Sox will be able to refranchise moved on peat this success. from their previous Since the year 2000, manager, John Farwhen the New York rell after the team’s Yankees were back season ended in the to back World Series American League Dichampions, no team visional Series the has been able to acprevious two season. complish the task of The Red Sox were hot repeating as the chamfrom the start and nevpions. In the Amerier backed down, becomcan League, between the ing the first team to Houston Astros and New Photo Courtesy of Ben Sachs 100 wins and first team York Yankees it is unliketo clinch playoff berth ly the Red Sox will make during the season. The team fin- it back to the championship. Both ished with a record of 108-54, the of these teams are coming off 100 most wins in franchise history, sur- win seasons and are loaded with passing the prior mark of 105 wins. talent which will definitely test the This outstanding season was head- strength of Boston. On the othlined by a few players in particular. er side of the league, the Los AnTo start off, Mookie Betts, starting geles Dodgers are contenders to outfielder, emerged as the likely come out on top next year. After American League MVP after lead- consecutive World Series losses, ing the league in batting average the Dodgers are hungry for a ring. (.343), extra-base hits (83) and runs With Los Angeles being a very atscored (125). Starting right fielder tractive market for free agents, J.D. Martinez also played a pivotal the Dodgers landing a potential role in the team’s success after a big-time name that will put them league-leading 130 runs batted in over the edge. There are just over and finishing second in home runs 100 days until Spring Training and in the American League with 43. I cannot wait for another exciting Lastly, Boston’s ace, Chris Sale, fin- year of baseball! 23 19
Sports
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Success on the Field for Girls’ Varsity Soccer By Charlie Schloss ‘20 he Blind Brook girls’ varsity soccer team wrapped up its season last week with a tightly contested game against Westlake High School, capping off a season that demonstrated just how far this team has come in the last few years. The Lady Trojans improved this season to a 6-6-4 record and played at a consistently competitive level against their biggest rivals in the section. We also saw incredible leadership from the team captains, as well as promising play from rising stars in the freshman, sophomore, and junior classes who are poised to raise the team’s level of play even further in the coming season. A major factor behind the team’s success was experience; over half of the players have been on the team for multiple years, which helped them become familiar with each other’s style of play, and grow collectively as a unit. These more seasoned players were able to mentor the incoming, younger talent to quickly integrate them into the team. Sopho-
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more Brynn Korpi said “This year we had an amazing season. We shocked many teams and played well in every game. Our team had great chemistry [both] on and off the field. We will miss the seniors trem e n d o u s ly, but the team is a young one and I feel that we have a great foundation for next year.” Other players expressed a sense of pride and accomplishment when reflecting on their performance this season. Junior Captain Kaitlyn Shaw, who has played on the team since her freshman year, had this to say: “This season was the most successful I have been a part of because of how hard we worked before the season had even started… our aspiration to win games and to get a great seed in sectionals.” Senior Captain El-
Photo/Julia Rosenberg Junior Nicole Rosenzweig dribbles around her opponent from Westlake. 24 18
Photo/Steve Beal The girls’ varsity soccer team poses for a picture before their homecoming game.
lie Sanchez noted that, “Overall, I think we had a great season even though we didn’t win every game… I’m extremely proud of all of the hard work that everyone put in this year. I’m really proud to say that I got to be a part of Blind Brook girls’ varsity soccer this year.” The team experienced some particularly memorable moments this season. Kaitlyn Shaw called out homecoming as one of her favorite moments. “(It was) definitely, an exciting game to be a part of, and also the second time we played Rye Neck on their homecoming… the first time we played them we lost 2-1, so playing them again and coming back in the second half to tie 2-2 was exciting since Rye Neck is one of our biggest rivals.” The mid-season game against Edgemont also showcased the team in peak performance; Shaw noted that “the second time we played Edgemont stood out to me because I think
that was one of the best games we played in terms of possessing the ball and having chances on goal.” Overall, this season showcased progress and development, and many players were awarded for putting in tremendous effort. Kaitlyn Shaw (junior) was named Team Player of the Year and received an All-Section honorable mention. Shaw, Nicole Rosenzweig (junior), Rachel Sosin (junior), and Brynn Korpi (sophomore) were also named as All-League Award winners. Ellie Sanchez (senior) and Chloe Bittleman (senior) went on to receive All-League honorable mentions as well. This recognition of our players, coupled with a significant improvement in our season-to-season record is a positive indication of where the team is headed next year. Congratulations to all of our award winners, and to the entire team for an incredible job this season!
Sports
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Football Makes History By Justin Schuster ‘21 sport of football grow around and throughout he Blind Brook football team has seen an the community, for generations to come.” Ketchincredible amount of success throughout abaw’s attitude and approach towards the game, the 2018 season. The boys began the season with along with the productivity and trust he expects a strong record of 7-0, having been undefeated from his teammates, has played a great role in up until their final game of the regular season, the team’s ability to win 7 of their 8 games. In in which they were stunned by Lutheran High addition to Ketchabaw, the other seniors have School, a AA team, by a score of 21-14. The done a great job serving as role models for the team took a long trip for the game, having gone rest of the students that are part of the footall the way to Glen Head, New York. Despite ball program, both on and off the field. Senior the tough loss that they were handed last week, starting quarterback Chris Bucci is adapting the football team themselves, along with the en- very well in the triple option offense, which has tire school and the rest of the community, is re- accounted for 10 total touchdowns. In addition markably proud of the team for the hard work, to Bucci, star running back Matt Giuliano has perseverance, and poise that they have shown had a huge impact on the rest of the students throughout the entire season. that are part of the program, rushing for 1,069 Much of the yards and 10 success on the touchdowns field can be through 8 largely credgames, in his ited to the se3rd year with nior leaderthe team. ship displayed Guiliano reby some of cently said, the leaders “Playing for and captains Blind Brook including Joe and having Denn, Evan been a maK e t c h a b a w, jor part of Matt Githe team for uliano, Jason 3 years has Frankel, Dean been an inSantorelli, credible honand quarteror, and an back Chris experience Bucci. These that I will senior leaders never forget. and captains Now, being a have shown leader on the Photo Courtesy of Blind Brook Athletics the young- Senior captains (from left to right) Jason Frankel, Joe Denn, Dean Santorelli, Matt Giuliano, team, in my er athletes last season, and Evan Ketchabaw pose with independent league trophy. on the team is allowing what it truly me to make means to play for this storied football program, the most of my time here, and begin to appreand more importantly, what it means to be a part ciate things more and more, especially my love of the family culture that the boys have created for football. One of my goals for this year as a within the locker room, for now, and for years senior was to lead my team to a successful, winto come. In an interview, when asked about the ning season, and I’m glad now, to look back on team’s success and how the senior leadership has my last season, as a success.” had a direct affect on their unbelievable season, Blind Brook football has seen one of their senior captain, right tackle, and outside line- most successful seasons in school history, and backer Evan Ketchabaw said, “Being a leader of since the foundation of the program. Defeating the team is something I take great pride in. Hav- Rye Neck in the championship bowl game, the ing the ability to impact the kids starting from Trojans made histoy. The team took home their the seventh graders on the modified team up un- first ever league championship trophy, through til even juniors and some seniors on the varsity their incredible amount of senior leadership, team is a true honor. Looking at the modified versatility on the field, and display of hard team having close to 30-35 kids gives me hope work, perseverance, and poise they have shown about the program and making the amazing all season.
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Arts and Entertainment
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
Fall Fashion
By Abby Strauzer ‘19 s the school year ramps up, fashion has taken over Blind Brook once again, but this year breaking tradition. Leggings are slowly a fad of the past as frayed jeans and trendy sweatpants flow into the closets of girls here at B.B. Incoming freshman have caught onto the trends and designer clothing, expressing themselves in a way that B.B. has not seen in a long time. Influences from designer brands have made a huge impact, bringing in some doable trends for anyone to try out. At the fall New York Fashion Week, oversized everything was in. Oversized men’s trench coats marched their way into the women’s runways. African prints and patterns have also seeped their way into the fall fashion. Black leather with an 80’s reboot is back in, and sneaking the sleek look onto runways and into the wardrobes of others. Fashion from NYFW has influenced the trendiest Blind Brook students to take advantage of these fall trends. As winter begins to roll in, everyone is already thinking of what their homecoming outfits will be. A stunning trend includes iridescent clothing, which is taking over by storm. Iridescent and opalescent dresses and accessories are pieces that stand out to the eye and entice people into wanting to feel that futuristic vibe, while still maintaining a sense of proper and bold fashion. A running theme, however, despite the type of material and style of clothing, is menswear. Women’s clothing has turned from tiny dresses and high heels to pantsuits and trench coats. Givenchy along with Calvin Klein and Louis Vuitton have, once again, brought back the
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Photo/Abby Strauzer Senior Kidar Kooverjee poses in his trendy fall outfit.
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November
classic fur coat. In Blind Brook, Ally Jaffe, a super trendy senior claims, “I’ve been wearing a lot of those fluffy jackets with a cute pair of ripped skinny jeans. I love wearing vests with those hats with the puff ball on top. I’ve been wearing a lot of long necklaces and rings.” Jaffe has taken ahold of the new fur trends, and the denim trends as well that Photo/Abby Strauzer have been surfacing in Blind Junior Zoe Miller dresses for the fall season in her trendy shirt and jeans. Brook. Fashion here has also exploded with the coming of newer grades. Sophomore Andrew Lynch can attest to this. Lynch states, “Well I definitely think guys have more variety and new options to choose from in recent years. With new/different colors and styles popping up it definitely creates interesting trends for the fall/winter because you can essentially do more, especially due to the weather. The fall/winter fashion scene is probably my favorite at the time for one reason only, layering. I personally love layering and how different pieces can come together and blend to make one fit. It’s kind of like painting a picture and using just the right amount of color and the right piece to create something more. I think fashion is dope because it is so representative and expressive. I find that I subconsciously dress the way I’m feeling that morning, you’ve seen me in the all black fits a couple times. If I’m dressing to express myself then I never want to limit myself to one or two stores. Picking and grabbing from different stores, one piece from here, the other from there is in my opinion the best way to shop. Sure, it takes more time but it gives you so much more to work with. Specific trends that have caught my eye are different style pants (rather than just your jeans, sweatpants, and slacks) at different lengths. I find that rolling your pants at the ankles is something not enough people do and it really allows the shoes to pop. It’s the right amount of different that is a breath of fresh air but isn’t trying to make a statement.” Winter fashion is tough to predict, and we never know what the next trends will be.
Arts and Entertainment
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
2018 Jingleball
Photo courtesy of Billboard Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift performed last year at the 2017 NYC Jingeball.
By Olivia Zahl ‘22 t’s that time of year again... the annual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball is back! This famous concert is set to be held at Madison Square Garden on Friday, December 7th. This year’s lineup is a fantastic one, featuring stars such as Cardi B, Shawn Mendes, and Dua Lipa. Recalling the enormous buzz over some of the hits from these artists, including “Bodak Yellow,” “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back,” and “New Rules,” it’s obvious that audience members will be captivated by this astounding upcoming performance. In past years, artists such as One Direction, Selena Gomez, and The Weekend have made an appearance at the concert. Even though these performances were very enjoyable, based on the lineup and the songs to be performed, this year will definitely be the best one yet. Shawn Mendes premiered at the 2014 Jingle Ball concert. He was born in Toronto, Canada in 1998. The 20-year-old sensation has appeared at Jingle Ball ever since, except last year. Thankfully, he is back this year, bringing hits such as “In My Blood” and “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.” Another phenomenon, Cardi B, will be performing for the first time this year. Cardi B’s real name is Belcalis Almanzar, and she was born in 1992. The 26-year-old grew up in The Bronx, New York. She is married to Offset, who is part of the American rap trio Migos. On July 10th, 2018, Cardi B gave birth to her first daughter Kulture Kiari Cephus. Cardi B will most definitely rock the stage at Jingle Ball, where she will be performing some of her most famous songs like “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It.” Dua Lipa is also performing for the first time at this prominent concert. Dua Lipa is 23 years old and was born in London, England. She will be singing some of her biggest hits, including “New Rules” and “One Kiss.” For the second time, Camila Cabello will be performing individually after breaking away from the girl group Fifth Harmony. Cabello left the group on the feeling that she was better off without them. In Bustle, an online media outlet, Cabello stated, “I was just curious and I
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wanted to learn and I saw all these people around me making music, writing songs and being so free. It became clear that it was not possible to do solo stuff and be in the group at the same time.” Cabello was born in Havana, Cuba, and is 21 years old. After her major success from the song “Havana” which features Young Thug, Cabello continued to succeed and create more terrific music. At the 2018 z100 Jingle Ball concert, Cabello will be performing “Havana,” along with her other successes,“Never Be The Same,” and “Bad Things.” In addition to these incredible entertainers, Calvin Harris, G-Eazy, Khalid with special guest Normani, Alessia Cara, Meghan Trainor, Bebe Rexha, Bazzi and Sabrina Carpenter will be performing their major hits. This huge event is sold out every year, which demonstrates its huge popularity! According to the z100 radio station, the event is already sold out and tickets can only be obtained by winning them on the radio. The majority of the audience attending this concert is teenagers, but, to be honest, kids and adults alike love this lively concert. Ninth grade student Jenna Kamin attended the concert in 2016. Kamin stated, “I was most excited to see Justin Bieber.” Back in 2016, Bieber’s biggest hits were “Love Yourself,” “Sorry,” and of course the famous “Despacito.” Kamin said that she was very excited to hear these songs live. When asked if she enjoyed the concert, Kamin lit up and said, “Yes! It was so fun because I got to see all the people I loved on one stage.” Another great part of Jingle Ball is getting to spend quality time with friends and family while being able to sing and dance along to some awesome music. Kamin continued, “It was also fun being with all of my friends.” Wrapping it up, Jingle Ball is an extremely popular and widely attended concert. Many different artists are invited to attend each year, where they perform their biggest hits for a crowd filled to capacity with enthusiasm and energy. Although the event is already sold out for 2018, don’t worry, there is always next year! 27 19
Q&A with Dr. J
By Jack Wells
Wells When are you planning to hire a perma- seating as well. Probably two grades, 9th and 10th, nent assistant superintendent? What does the assis- might end up in middle school, 11th and 12th may tant superintendent position entail? end up in the Commons. I don’t see that as much of a problem. Ross I would hope that I can make a recommendation to the Board within 90 days, even if I Wells What are the benefits of having a comcould do it within 60, that would be great. I mean, mon lunch period? if I didn’t get the curveball here with the treasurer’s position becoming vacant, I probably would be able Ross The common lunch does not create a situto spend more time towards that [assistant superin- ation where kids are eating lunch, I’m going to say, tendent] position. But believe it or not, the district 10:40 am, or even earlier. That’s kind of early, so treasurer is a must have position, assistant superin- we’re going to probably push [common lunch] past tendent is not. 11:00 and then the second school would eat right It would entail beginning to map the curriculum after. So you’re probably looking at a lunch beand show some level of articulation from kindergar- tween 11:00 and 1:00 as opposed to 10:40 to 1:30. ten through 12th grade. But that’s going to take, not And we probably will keep the cafeteria open until the work one person, but the work of probably 150, 1:30 because it will still be in demand. including the assistant superintendent because all of the teachers, coordinators, grade level leaders need Wells When will the school officially impleto participate in that; that’s the expectation, that it ment block scheduling? will be a longer-term initiative. We’ve already started the foundation for that, but it’s probably going Ross It is going to be presented to the Board, to take a couple of years before we nail it down and and ultimately, we will look to them to approve an get it complete. Beyond that, we are moving from alternate schedule at some point. We are not premore traditional learning, although we have done senting next Monday [November 5th], we were this years ago, it’s now a little bit accelerated, or going to, but we need an extra couple of weeks. So ramped up a little bit more, in the area of problem we’re pushing that presentation off until November and project-based learning. 19th, which is the Monday before Thanksgiving, and this coming Monday [November 5th], we’re Wells How does the initiative to switch to more going to be talking about project and problemproject-based learning and the hiring of a permabased learning. After the November 19th meeting, nent assistant superintendent relate to the district’s we’re not going to ask them [Board of Education] initiative to shift to block scheduling? to approve it, we’ll give them a few weeks to ask questions, and get answers--this in order for the Ross I don’t think they are mutually inclusive, Board to be substantially satisfied that we’re doing I think they can be looked at as mutually exclusive. the right thing, and then we’ll ask them to vote on it But they do work hand in hand, and I think that at the December 10th meeting. when you get into a more project or problem-based learning method, you’ll find that a 40 minute period Wells Can you explain the grade weighting is not enough. I’ve observed teachers over the past changes for the incoming high school classes? three years, and what I’ve found is in some classes, I’m disappointed when the bell rings because the Ross It’s got to be clear, the Board approved the teacher was really on a roll with the lesson, and 40 change from letter to numerical grades. They’ve minute lessons may work for certain subjects, but approved that, they have not approved the proposal for the majority of subjects, it doesn’t work as well for changes in weighting to begin with the next as an extended lesson, let’s say, 50 to 55 minutes. I freshman year class and then thereafter--the board think kids will benefit from the longer period and a hasn’t given 100 percent okay on that yet. In terms modified block schedule of some type. Right now, of the positive effects of changing grade weighting, we are looking at two different types and leaning with some kids there was a big push on getting an A towards one. instead of an A- when they had like a 92 to 94 percent average, they would try and push their grade Wells I know that with this new block schedsomehow over that threshold to get them to the ule there is a proposed common lunch period. This next letter grade increment, in order to embellish means that all four grades will have the same 50 to their transcript. I don’t think you have that kind of 55 minute lunch period; are there any concerns with pressure anymore. I also think you know the grade the cafeteria being able to accommodate the entire you get is the grade you’ve earned. I have also school at once? heard from Mr. Schuelein and... a friend in college admissions that many schools don’t take into conRoss Well, there is a concern, and there is also sideration the weighting because they do their own a plan to minimize or eliminate the concern and to weighting. Also that they would much prefer to see make it happen. Patty DeLuvio, the Food Service numerical grades because it tells them precisely Director for Whitsons, is looking at a plan for the where a student is on a zero to 100 scale. common lunch period. We are looking at potentially establishing an app that you can download, so you Wells Do you see a problem with the way many can pre-order [lunch] and pick that up very quickly. high schoolers stack Advanced Placement courses, We also have a large contingent of seniors that do where some students take as many as five per year? not eat the food produced by the kitchen. My sense Additionally, do you think the district should impleis that we will be able to accommodate everybody, ment a cap of two or three AP’s a year max? Do they’ll not just be in the Commons, but also the you think the changes in weighting will mitigate the middle school cafeteria, which will be available for number of students stacking AP courses? 28 18
Jonathan Ross
s, Editor-in-Chief
Ross We did have a cap at one time. I don’t see a problem with it if it’s for the right reason and the right reason being their furthering their education here at Blind Brook, some kids can finish high school here after junior year, and they can get a transcript and a diploma for all intents and purposes, and start college early, though the overwhelming majority [99.5 percent] stay to the end. They do the four years and rightfully so, that said, the reason why I believe kids take AP classes is yeah, it does make their transcripts stand out and shows the level of rigor that both our school offers and they have accepted the challenge to try to engage with. I also think it is truly for those students that have a bigger, longer-term perspective on their colleges years, they may be looking to do four years of college in three because they want to go to law school or medical school, and they’re just looking at a fast track because they have the capabilitya. I will say this, about stress, there is good stress and there is bad stress, when you’re starting to get sick about something, then you’re dealing with bad stress. If you get your adrenaline going, and you feel challenged and you feel like you’re doing worthwhile work--that’s positive stress. So I think it depends on the individual and it’s really a conversation that parents should have with the child. So, I always say we’re in a partnership with parents. We’re trying to develop more than just the academic skills or the intellectual skills, we’re trying to develop social and emotional skills.
ing for the same topics of Drugs and Alcohol, or bullying to be presented. There lies the problem that the district does not necessarily sponsor the assemblies and are instead handed off to separate entities of the district. Would you consider having the school district sponsor different assemblies throughout the year?
Ross This is a building level decision, if you’re talking about guest speaker, yeah, we generally do bring guest speakers in. However, it’s at night meetings. We just recently had a speaker from Tufts to discuss kind of like a roadmap to applying for college. And we also have financial aid night, junior driving night, and Junior Book Awards; these are assemblies that when you say sponsored are run by the administration of the school. We’re trying to get you a good education, and as we always say, develop those skills that we claim you’re coming out of here with. If there’s an issue with some of these assemblies I certainly think Congress or Senate ought to be having a conversation with the principal or designate one person to handle this. Each year we want to catch certainly the incoming ninth-grade class. While we’re at it, the repetition is not a bad thing because it’s driving home the importance of concepts that we want kids to leave here with, and that certain things are dangerous, you know, overindulgence in alcohol or use of prohibited substances. So, consuming drugs if you will, and vaping, are all actions that are dangerous to your health, and you, as a Wells Why are student ID’s not used for security young person. So I think the educational component purposes? Throughout the day seniors leave campus is critical, and the repetition is critical. I think that and upon re-entry are able to come back into the it’s up to Congress maybe to propose what an asschool without showing ID. This essentially allows sembly should be, or not be, and I would encourage anyone who looks seventeen, or eighteen years-old them to communicate through their advisor to Mr. to gain access to the school. Do you think it is nec- Schuelein at their meetings. essary for students to show ID upon re-entry to the building? Wells Our Varsity Soccer team made it to the Section Final game. I was in attendance but many Ross I would encourage you to sit down with high schoolers were not. This was due to the fact Mr. Schuelein and express your concerns in this re- that a fan bus was not provided by the district. So, gard as it is a building level matter. students were then forced to rely on parents to drive I support students wearing, or showing their ID 40 minutes each way to the neutral location. Can upon entry. I think what happens here at Blind you work with the Athletic Director to guarantee to Brook over the years, what I’ve seen is that the se- funding for a fan bus if varsity teams make it to the curity guards know almost every student, but you section final? do have the incoming ninth-grade class that they are unfamiliar with. Ross I’m sorry if that’s how the kids felt that I’d be fully supportive of whatever it is that he there was not a fan bus, thus we’re not going, thus [Mr. Schuelein] decides in terms of enhancing secu- the team was let down because of that. I’m sorry rity in the building and ultimately improving safety, that they felt that way, I really am. I mean because if that’s what it takes. The other side of this is mak- we don’t go to the sectional finals that often. ing sure that all doors are locked, and that kids or Decisions that I make are always pro-student. I teachers are not keeping doors open during the day. was kind of like dancing around this question, only I think I once counted, we had 56 or 58 doors at the because I want to give Mr. Goldman [Athletic Dimiddle and high school building unlocked. We have rector] an opportunity to address it directly. I will a door ajar system, the security knows when the tell you, if Mr. Goldman brings to me the concept of doors are open, and they should be looking at a door a fan bus I will certainly have the intent to provide that continually lights up as ajar. I would also hope for students to the extent that the Board’s policies that kids are using a single means of ingress and and the education law allow. egress and are not going out the sides or the back I think it’s for the greater good that we transport because it’s easier, or more convenient for them. the students as opposed to them transporting themselves. I would have an encouraging ear to this; you Wells Students both love and hate assemblies. could argue that it’s really a need, but let’s call it a They love them because of shortened class periods, want for now and I’ll have a conversation with Mr. but dread them due to them consistently discussing Goldman. the same topics. Most assemblies are sponsored by either the PTA or the Community Coalition, allowWells Thank you for your time today. 29 19
Arts and Entertainment
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
How Netflix is Affecting the Movie and TV InBy Olivia Jaccoma ‘20 and Lauren DeMarco ‘20 and movie industry after all. Many still enjoy goith busy schedules consisting of school, ing out with family or friends to catch a new movsports, studying, and everything in be- ie out in theaters. A movie theater is a gathering tween, all a teen wants to do is come home, open up point for people, or a social event. Even if sometheir computer and type in the search bar, Netflix. one is sitting with total strangers, they feel the It is so easy to stream a movie or show for how- excitement and the energy of other people watchever long. At most teens fingertips there is Netf- ing it with them. The movies that first come out in lix, the holy grail of streaming. With what seems theaters that people want to see may take awhile to like endless movies and shows, it is hard to resist be featured on Netflix and other streaming servicbinge-watching them all. With Netflix, there is no es Therefore people may want to still go out. But need to go out, pay for tickets, or catch a movie at perhaps, the greatest asset that Netflix brings to a certain time that is showing in theaters. Feel free the movie industry, is the exposure of new content to keep the pajamas on and start watching a movie to a massive and ever growing audience. Going to at 1am because Netflix plays shows whenever, and the movies, as mentioned, although enjoyable for wherever. Netflix offers an alternative to those who many, is often financially, physically, or chronologdon’t find enjoyment in going out to the Movies ically difficult. Netflix is able to deliver that conand to those who don’t have enough time to relax tent to someones phone, tablet, or computer anyand watch that series premier on T.V in the middle where, any time, any place, for the $8-$14 monthly of the week. Some people like being apart of that fee. That fee then goes to pay the studios, T.V stabuzz and enjoyment of the movies, others prefer tions, and production companies (the movie and the comfort of their home, which portrays T.V industry). Lastly, the fees are paid back to why Netflix is so popular. the studios and producers to give Netflix There is no doubt that Netflix has the opportunity to feature and promote gained popularity in recent years. the new content of production comWith new and popular shows such panies. The growing popularity of as Stranger Things and 13 ReaNetflix and other streaming sersons Why only available on Netvices is increasing the amount of flix, more and more people are new T.V shows and movies that hopping on the Netflix bandare being produced and broadwagon. These Netflix origicasted each month, giving connals are extremely successtinuous employment to the men, ful. Stranger Things has won women, and children, who make many awards at the MTV Movie their living in and around the enAwards, including Best Musitertainment industry. As Netflix cal Moment and Best Actor In A and other streaming services conShow. In addition, the main female tinue to grow, the demand for new actress from the show, Millie Bobby content will as well. The continuing Brown, was nominated for the Primecircle for new productions will only extime Emmy Award of Best Suppand. This strongly supports the Photo courtesy of GameFlip.com porting Actress In A Drama Seargument that Netflix is indeed, ries. Millie is just one example helping the entertainment indusof how Netflix has brought taltry. ented actors and actresses into the spotlight. Noah Out of the Blind Brook Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Centineo is another famous actor who blew up af- Team, 6 out of the 10 girls prefered to stay home ter the television series The Fosters and the movie and watch Netflix over going out to see a movie. To all the Boys I’ve ever Loved were released on According to Brooke Marsico, “I think Netflix is Netflix. His popularity grew immensely after the hurting the movie and T.V industry because inmovie was released, and was featured on the show stead of going to the movies people are staying Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Netflix is a home, waiting for movies they want to see to come massive website filled with opportunities for new out on Netflix so they can watch them and save upcoming actors and actresses who want to be dis- money.” However, according to Stef Bluth, “Netcovered. Noah and Millie are just two of the many flix is benefitting the movie and T.V industry bepeople who have been discovered, and there are cause it is making more movies easily accessible many more to come. Netflix is also economically so people don’t have to pay money to see the it better for people who want to watch a lot of mov- Instead they pay a monthly fee and watch however ies or shows. For a range of $8- $14 monthly pay- many movies they want.” Additionally, according ments, up to four users can stream all the shows on an Emmy award winning Rye Brook resident for the website at once! It is a great deal considering the T.V and movie industry, “There are several the price of physically going to a movie is around shows I now enjoy thanks to Netflix, that I did not $10, not including snacks and transportation. An have the time to watch on regular television. Beentire family can watch their own shows on sepa- cause of Netflix, I was able to catch up with prerate accounts. Plus, there is no limit. Anyone can vious seasons, just in time for that shows premier binge watch 5 movies or finish an entire season in of the new season on live T.V. My friends, family, one day. While watching shows on TV, fans have and co-workers who are enjoying the show on a to wait for one episode to premiere every week. week to week basis can now discuss it with me, However, on Netflix, all the shows anyone could since I am all caught up, thanks to Netflix.” These want are accessible wherever, whenever. quotes go to show society’s high dependability on Conversely, Netflix may not be hurting the T.V this streaming service.
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Features
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Former Rye Brook Police Officer Becomes Blind Brook Security Guard By Danielle Capelli ‘21 Leibstein also has good things to say about Matnew security guard, Eugene Matthews, thews. “He’s a great addition to the school.” has come to Blind Brook Middle School/ Some jobs that Matthews does at the school High School and is ready to make sure everyone include: directing traffic during arrival and disis safe in the building. missal of school, makes sure all of the doors are Matthews came to the school as a replacement locked and secure, delivers notes and notices to for the security guard Denise Longua that re- students when needed, and monitors the Midsigned at the end of last school year. Matthews dle School lunch periods. had two jobs prior to working at Blind Brook. The security guard has close ties with the He worked at the Rye Town Hilton in a man- Blind Brook school district as his three kids agement training program, for three years, be- went to Blind Brook. Also, he “got along with fore becoming a police officer for the town of everyone that’s in the district,” so that gave him Rye Brook from 1980 to June 2018. another reason to come back and help out the Matthews school. states “I liked beHis three kids ing a police ofloved the Blind ficer because I Brook school was able to help district. Matpeople, [and] do thews stated investigations, that his children which was very got a great eduinteresting.” Becation, and affore he left, he ter undergoing was second in the education command of the system at Blind police departBrook, became ment. very successThe security ful. His wife guard likes it at was even part Blind Brook and of the Blind finds it to be simBrook Board of ilar to his old job Education, so as a police officer. he and his fam“It’s different, yet ily are very inthe same because volved with the I’m here to make district. [the school] feel A lot of high safe. school students He also likes his think that Matcoworkers and thews replaced Photo/Anna Campbell has made friends the retired seNew Blind Brook security guard Eugene Matthews poses for a picture. with them. curity guard, “They’ve been William Santohelping me get accustomed to what I’m doing ro, known as Billy, but this is not the case. The now, and showing me the ropes.” His coworkers new security guard, Joeseph Rocco, is Santoro’s that have helped him are Don Ahrenburg, Joe replacement who started in the begining of the Funigiello, and Gary Leibstein. month. Don Ahrenburg is welcoming the new securi- Other staff of Blind Brook are welcoming ty guard into the school. Ahrenburg knew Mat- Matthews into the school too. Teaching assisthews since he was a Rye Brook police officer. tant, Mrs.Allie Dakers states that “I didn’t know “He seems to fit in very well here... He’s been [Matthews] before joining our community, but here for over 15 years, so he’s familiar with the now that he’s here, he’s offering a wonderful place.” level of safety and security to our building.” Security guard Joe Funigiello finds a friend Students are feeling even more protected at in Matthews, as Matthew finds a friend in him. the school, now that the new security guard is Funigiello explains, “I didn’t know [Eugene here. BBHS freshman Zoe Richman feels “very Matthews] before he started working here, but secure, and protected at this school” with its curhe’s quickly becoming a good friend.” Funigiello rent security system. Freshman Glenn Currelli finds Matthews to have a lot of good traits for also likes that Matthews is an addition to the the job, too. “He works hard, he’s conscientious, school,“I think [the fact that Matthews is workhe has the kids in mind, and he does a good job ing at Blind Brook] is really good for the school every day.” because he was a police officer so he knows a lot Another one of Matthews’s coworkers, Gary about discipline and security.”
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Health and Science
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
Juice It Up!
November
By Bryan Moroch ‘20 it has no added ingredients and is still owadays, the general consensus is enough to satisfy my thirst.” This reflects that juices are bad for your health a common misconception that the fact and should be avoided at all costs. How- that water has no ingredients is a good ever, I’ve found that this is a pure myth thing. In fact, people who primarily that serves to deter people away from drink water are missing out on the natthese delicious beverages. Not only will ural sugars present in fruit juices. Juice juices make your taste buds happy, but provides a platform for boosting energy they are also a key component of your by quenching one’s needs for carbohyhealth, especially for those who do not drates. Additionally, it is easy to digest love eating their fruits and veggies. which saves energy for other metabolic Drinking a glass of orange juice at functions. Furthermore, juice is more breakfast can go a very long way. Primar- advantageous over water as it contains ily, it contains an immense amount of Vi- antioxidants that can lead to healthier tamin C, which can prevent many illness- skin, hair, and nails. Lastly, juice proes such as vides the the combody with mon cold. potassium, Consuming which is a the level of key minerVitamin C al in mainpresent in a taining the glass of orbody’s fluid ange juice levels. each day Although has provjuice is en to inoverall adcrease life vantageous expectancy for your and reduce h e a l t h , cholesterol there are a levels. Adnumber of Photo courtesy of Health Magazine ditionaljuices that ly, orange you should juice helps the body metabolize carbohy- stay away from because of their extraordrates because of the abundant amounts dinary negative effects. For example, of natural sugars, vitamins, and miner- Welch’s grape juice contains more sugar als that are present. Additionally, Or- and calories per serving than Mountain ange juice can serve as a source of nat- Dew - a beverage notoriously known for ural fiber and a supplement for many its significant health detriments. Addinutrients. Thus, juice is a perfect way tionally, products from Tropicana, Minto fulfill your daily servings of fruits ute Maid, and Simply Lemonade have and vegetables. unsatisfactory levels of sugar and othA recent survey conducted amongst er chemicals and should generally be Blind Brook Students showed that 68% avoided. With this in mind, be advised of students drink juice four times or to drink natural juices like cranberry, less each week. Of those students, 58% watermelon, or orange juice. Freshly reported that they never drink juice, squeezed juices are perfect beverage many of which select water as their options due to their unrivaled compreferred beverage. Junior Spencer bination of many health benefits and Gordon spoke on students’ preference magnificent tastes. Remember: Stick to drink water: “I love water because with juice, there’s no excuse!
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Health and Science
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
Salmonella Outbreak in Raw Chicken By Alyssa Schwartz ‘20 s of October 15, 2018, there has been a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections. This infection in raw chicken products has devastated people from 29 states, the majority of them being from Pennsylvania and New York. Fortunately, there have been no resulting deaths but there have been 2l hospitalizations out of the 92 reported cases. Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that could be involved in this outbreak. They tested the bacteria isolated from ill people by using scientific techniques such as pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). The antibiotic resistance testing showed that the outbreak strain of Salmonella Infantis is resistant to several antibiotics. These antibiotics include ampicillin, ceftriaxone, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, fosfomycin, and many more. The CDC and public health officials in multiple states are investigating the outbreak of the multidrug-resistant Salmonella. In their investigation, ill people reported eating chicken from various types and brands of chicken products purchased from many different locations. Additionally, ill people reported preparing or eating chicken products that were purchased raw, including ground chicken, chicken pieces, and whole chicken. Moreover, Salmonella has also been identified in samples from raw chicken pet food, and from live chickens. Unfortunately, a common supplier of raw chicken products has yet to be identified. Although in most cases the illness usually lasts for 4 to 7 days, it
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is still important that one knows the signs and symptoms of Salmonella. After being exposed to the bacteria, infected people usually develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps 12 to 72 hours of being exposed. In certain instances, diarrhea may be so serious that the patient may need to be hospitalized. Additionally, it is dire that kids under the age of 5, adults older than 65, and people with weakened immune systems get treated as soon as possible since these people are more prone to having severe illness. While it may be true that the investigation is still going on, the CDC has given advice to consumers on how to prevent Salmonella infection from raw chicken. Firstly, consumers should wash their hands. Salmonella infections can spread from one person to another if the consumer’s hands have Salmonella germs on them. Secondly, one needs to cook raw chicken thoroughly to get rid of deleterious germs. Any kind of chicken should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 165oF. One can check that it is at the right temperature by using a food thermometer and placing it in the thickest part of the chicken. Thirdly, do not spread germs from raw chicken around food preparation areas. Contrary to popular belief, it is suggested that consumers do not wash raw poultry before cooking, as it can accidentally spread to other foods, utensils, and kitchen surfaces. Lastly, CDC does not recommend feeding raw diets to pets. Salmonella can make your pets sick and in turn your family by handling the raw food or by taking care of the pet. 33 19
Arts and Entertainment
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
November
New Fall TV Shows By Abby Schlactus ‘20 Also, Cheryl has only been in the show for three new fall television season has arrived, and minutes and she is my favorite character. I really with it come new episodes of everyone’s wanted to see more of her. I am also upset that favorite shows and new ones that everyone will Archie is in jail this season because he does not come to love. These shows provoke all different deserve it.” , Thankfully, however, not all shows types of reactions, good or bad. Many people continue with a bad season. love the new seasons that have been introduced A show that exhibits this is This Is Us, an emofrom shows like Riverdale, This is Us, Dancing tional drama including love, heartbreak, happiWith the Stars: Juniors, A Million Little Things, ness, joy, sadness, and tragedy. It has become very and many more. However, there are some people famous since its release in 2016. The new season that do not like the new seasons that were creat- is apparently as good, if not better than the preed. Whether or not these shows are new or have vious ones. Abigail Strauzer, a senior, said, “I like been going on for a while, different students opin- how they started the new season by taking each ions from around these shows after each season, episode and focusing on one person. It helps me changing every time it is released. and other watchers understand the backstory of In the past, the plots for these shows have been more of the characters.” Abby is now more invery differclined to watch ent from what this show for has been indifferent reatroduced this sons other fall. Riverdale, than the ones a very popular she originally show watched had. by millions Recently, a of teenagers new version and adults, of the popular was originally dance show, based on ArDancing With chie Comics. the Stars, has This show been released. has adapted This version into a thriller focuses on form of these younger tallighthearted ented dancers and creative Sophia MulPhoto courtesy of Lifewire children’s laly, a junior, comic books. said, “I like Instead of showcasing everyday activities in a how this new season really shows bright, talented teenagers life, it has come to focus on the underly- kids who, at such a young age, have already acing evils in all of the families of Riverdale. The complished so much.” This new show gives viewLodges, Andrews, Coopers, and Blossoms secrets ers like Sophia a chance to watch more of their faare exposed to the whole town and they deal vorite show, but with a new aspect. The children’s with the consequences. Overall, the show, before version doesn’t only add a more emotional conthe new season, had been labeled as entertaining nection to the show, but it also shows viewers that but very creepy and mysterious. The new season dreams can be accomplished at such an early age. has been looked at as the most bizarre one yet. This new season of television has, so far, been This season now includes even more shocking very successful. Everyone at Blind Brook is alplotlines and complicated relationships between ways talking about their favorite television shows characters, good and bad. Sydney Mayer, a ju- and how they hope for new seasons to come out nior, says, “The new season is more fictional and soon. These new shows have taken over students’ less realistic than past seasons. I do not like the conversations in the cafeteria and will remain change of the plot.” This demonstrates how new there for a while. Whether or not the students like seasons do not always make a show more liked. or dislike the shows based on other seasons they A sophomore, who prefers to remain anonymous, have already watched, the shows have an overall says, “Personally I do not like that there is a super- positive effect on the student body and everyone natural aspect to the show. I feel like it is turning is excited to see what will be introduced in the into Stranger Things or something else like that. winter.
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