April Issue

The official newspaper of the Hackley student body FEATURE

SPORTS

THE INSIDE SCOOP

French Trip

Peter Barrett and his cookie jar

news:

Springing into spring

feature:

Polgar beats the rooks

politics:

Class elections

sports:

Photos by Paul

Just as any aspiring athlete would advise, the best way to get better is to practice. Senior Peter Barrett is doing just that, except not for playing professional sports, but for reporting them. Peter is an aspiring sports writer, and he is taking every opportunity to get closer and closer to his goal.

An unfamiliar home, a new school, and a foreign language. Over spring break, 19 students immersed themselves into a new life on the biannual French Exchange Trip. Students were immediately separated from each other as they went home with their individual host families.

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Tarrytown, NY

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april 2011

Vol. 112, No. 8

25%

of students and faculty participated in the run-off elections

“Behold a Council increasing in influence and responsibility and strength” -Matt MacFarlane

Bulletproof Matt MacFarlane, Chris Breen win uncontested victories in Community Council elections

of students and faculty voted in the election

design: john rapisardi photo: paul rapisardi

harrisonwetzler

Politics Editor It’s not often that a candidate for Community Council utters words not heard in over a century. But that’s exactly what President-elect Matt MacFarlane did.

Basing his oratory on William Jennings Bryan’s populist “Cross of Gold” speech, Matt capped off a series of unconventional speeches for school-wide officers on April 15.As positions for President and Vice President were uncontested, both candidates made sure that they took full advantage of that fact. Chris Breen, Vice President-elect, delivered perhaps the shortest speech in the school’s history, declaring “I am bulletproof.”

Among the contested positions, junior Conor Mook was elected as Secretary/Treasurer. Juniors Austen Bhayani,

53%

Carolyn King, and Ben Pundyk were elected to the Board of magistrates. A run-off election was held between sophomores Kieran McEvoy and Katie Gallop for clerk and between juniors Kelly Gorman, Charlie Kilman, and Kallie McAndrew for Board of Magistrates alternates.

President-elect Matt MacFarlane emphasized the strengths and gains of the current year’s Council, especially in funding student groups.

He is part of the group, along with Conor Mook and Chris Breen, who are currently drafting a constitution for Council.

History teacher John Van Leer once wrote a Constitution for the student government, but he is the only person at Hackley with memory of it.

Some rules—or lack thereof—resulted in confusion last year when Matt MacFarlane ran for Secretary/Treasurer. Some were unsure whether a sophomore could run for a school-wide position. Community Council advisor Doug Sawyer had to confer with Mr. Van Leer to make sure this was permitted.

Fortunately for Matt, Mr. Van Leer did recall that both juniors and sophomores could run.

A very low percentage of students voted this year: only 53% of all grades showed up to vote on the first election day and only 25% on the run-off election. This is likely due to the low number of candidates.

President-elect Matt MacFarlane joked shortly after the election, “I hear I won in a landslide.” He took 100% of the vote for president.

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Identifying the Hackley spirit Every day students and faculty enter the buildings through many different doors. However, the one that stands out among all others is the door above which is the inscription “Enter here to be and find a friend.” The phrase follows students wherever they go, and while it may appear that Hackley boasts an intimacy in its community that seems too good to be true, Hackley students are genuinely polite and respectful.

The phrase “Enter here to be and find a friend” is repeated in Hackley advertisements, convocation speeches, valedictory addresses, and even the less formal homeroom in the Lindsay Room or Goodhue Lounge. We know.

Hackley’s student handbook dictates that behavior is to be kind and courteous; students are supposed to be pleasant to everyone in the school and do things such as hold doors open for one another. This can make the friend slogan seem disingenuous, but students behave courteously even if they have not read the handbook. We are pleasant because we are good people; our propriety has developed organically, not because we heard of it in a saying or read it on a wall.

Our friendships are evident in how we support one another in multifarious ways. Each performance of the production of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was extremely well attended. We fill up Allen Hall to “standing room only” to listen to friends perform in the Coffeehouses three times a year. “Coffeehouse is a big event at Hackley,” sophomore

Livvy Zalesin said. “And it’s always great to see so many kids coming out to support their friends.”

Students also come out and support each other at sporting events. “It’s really great to see your friends at your matches, or to go and see them play,” junior Seth Konner said. “It’s also cool to see people dressed up for games so you know what’s going on and you can talk about it.”

We see the bonds of our community even in the lunchroom. At the beginning of the year, French teacher and Junior Dean Anne Longley applauded her juniors for sitting at a table with a new freshman who was eating by herself. Students interact with teachers at lunch, not only discussing classes, but also holding regular conversations.

Students share their warmth with both teachers and faculty. The Hackley community as a whole has a close bond.

“Michelle is awesome,” junior Conor Mook said of Assistant Director of Capital Gifts Michelle Kennedy. Although Mrs. Kennedy is not a teacher at Hackley, she helped backstage during the Metamorphoses production in the fall. This kind of friendly bond is typical throughout the Hackley community.

The students deserve the credit, though, not the engraved words above a rarely used door. The phase, we are sorry to say, is reaching a status of “trite.” We have a small community and a great group of people. The phrase “Enter here to be and find a friend” reflects us, not the other way around.

Want to do homework together in Goodhue?

Recent research from the Chronicle of Higher Education shows that peer studying can be useless if it turns into a social event between students, and that it can also be disruptive to others. But the same research concludes that collaborative and experimental studying can be beneficial to weaker students, as well as those with a lesser high school preparation.

Collaboration is becoming a tool widely used and valued in education according to the Partnership for 21st century skills. Collaboration typically an intellectual endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus.

Unfortunately, Hackley lacks a year-round place for collaborative work.

The librarians frequently check study rooms, to confirm that students are working. But if students are helping one another, while not having any books themselves, they are kicked out. Students should not be restricted from giving a hand to one another with a certain subject, and group studying should be accepted rather than thwarted.

There are many places accessible to students who wish to work together, but none quite as appropriate as the library.

The quad is great for the spring and fall seasons, but when the majority of the school year is spent in winter, it is not as valuable or accessible to students. Students can use the hallways available to them, but they are noisy and not conducive to concentrating on studying, as opposed to the library where students can study peacefully and comfortably. The library is the ideal venue for individual schoolwork, and now that collaboration is becoming prevalent in education, the library

should support it.

For collaboration to be successful in Goodhue, social changes are necessary in the library, where students and librarians meet in the middle. The librarians need to trust the students before punishment, and only deal with problems as they occur instead of trying to prevent them with stricter “rules.” If librarians want to create rules for students to follow, they should make a list rather than enforcing them as they please. The inconsistent nature of these rules is unfair

to students, and requires change.

The behavior of students in the library needs to change.

Students at times act in the library as they would in the Tuck Shop. Study rooms are usually messy and littered with food wrappers, and the abuse of these rooms, whether it’s sitting on the windowsill or being too noisy, needs to change. Changes are already being made as a result of student behavior, such as restricted window openings, so why not make future changes for the better?

Freshmen take some time from their free to study in Goodhue. The students seem to be working well collaboratively without getting distracted by their peers. Photo by Melissa Warshauer.

dialstaff Editor-in-chief randikramer

Production Editor melissawarshauer

Managing Editor ariannafirpo

Feature Editor paulrapisardi

Sports Editor dominiquealpuche Assist. Sports Editor maxparauda

Assist. Managing Editor danielhoffman

News Editor jackieyang

Lifestyles Editor halleyweinreb

Op-ed Editor rolandrizzi Op-ed Editor alexhersh Copy Editor annatskhovrebov

Adviser jennielyons Adviser scottboehnen

Design Editor rachelchan

Politics Editor bobbygrustky

Arts Editor nickhallock

Staff Artist mollykestenbaum

Coordinating Editor mattmacfarlane

Sports Editor shaneweisberg

Politics Editor harrisonwetzler

Assist. Coordinating Editor leobarse

Policy

Opinions expressed in staff editorials reflect the majority view of The Dial Editorial Board. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the author and do not represent the views of Hackley School, its administration or its staff.

The Dial invites and encourages its readers to write letters to the editor or submit contributions. We reserve the right to edit any submission for clarity and brevity, and to correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation when necessary. We refuse to publish submissions which are unsigned, libelous, or plagiarized.

Letters and submissions can be emailed to dial@hackleyschool.org. The Dial is the official student newspaper of Hackley School.

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Springing into the spring trimester rolandrizzi

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Editorial Editor

any students feel that even without finals, the third trimester is still very challenging. “We have a gigantic poetry and history paper.” said sophomore Kristen Daly. “Not having finals is a blessing.”

Others disagree, feeling the third trimester is easier, but that break is well deserved. “The third trimester is slightly less stressful, but after exams that required so much studying, its nice to slow down a little bit,” said sophomore Paulathena Stone.

Many juniors, like Senna Oh, feel that they can now better focus on college plans without finals. “With APs, Sat II’s, and looking at colleges, I have a lot of studying to do; without

finals I still have a lot of work,” said Senna.

Upper School Director Andy King believes that the third trimester will still challenge students even without a final. Even if it does not, he has faith in the work ethic of Hackley students: “I believe Hackley students are hard-working, and a lack of finals won’t change that,” he said.

Different departments have each chosen different ways to handle the third trimester.

Classics Department Head Adrienne Pierce, has chosen to do unique projects instead of tests to keep the third trimester interesting.

“My classes will use a lot of technology, including podcasts, videos, and online presentations,” said Dr. Pierce. Many of these projects will be broad, allowing students to

choose what aspect of the classics they want to focus on.

The Math Department has taken a different route. The only subject to have a final this year, the math final will be used for class placement next year. “We [the math teachers] felt that we needed to assess whether our students understood third trimester material,” said Math Department Head Diana Kaplan.

She also explained that this is not a “final” but a third trimester exam.

Many students are upset with the new math exam: “Everybody in my math class is taking the Math SAT II at the end of the year; a math final seems unnecessary,” said sophomore Veronica Qu.

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quotes Marc Byrnes: When is our math A.P. exam?

Mr. Clark: May 4th.

Kathleen Sullivan: Oh! That’s the day after Cinco de Mayo!

Greg Tavarez in class: May I go to the bathroom?

Chris Breen: I don’t know, can you?

Alex Dragone in English class: Not everything needs a label.

Alex Dragone: How true, how true.

Ms. Siviglia: Alex just commented on the wisdom of his own comment.

(Mr. Van Leer writes the word “map” on the board) Stephanie Rubin: What does M.A.P. stand for?

Jackie Santo: I fell asleep standing up.

Trish Gorman: So Ms. Bowers, if you had to describe the 1950s in one word what would it be?

Ms. Bowers: I’d probably say fearful.

Alex Dragone: Wait a minute, You wouldn’t say nifty...fifties?!

(Ms. Bowers throws marker at Alex Dragone).

Chris Breen: I’m bulletproof.

Some freshmen practice cartwheels in the warm spring weather out on Akin Common during a free period. Photo by Melissa Warshauer.

news bites Sleepy Hollow Jazz Festival 2011 On Friday, April 8th, one of Mr. Erick Storckman’s 3 Jazz Octets performed at the Sleepy Hollow Jazz Festival at the Sleepy Hollow High School, receiving Honorable Mention for their songs “Manteca” “I Mean You” and “In Walked Horace.” The octet, consisting of Josh Pedowitz on the drums, Lucas Avidan on the trombone, Livvy Zalesin on the electric violin, Anna Tskhovrebov on the bass guitar, Alex Pundyk on the guitar, Ricky Thoben on the trumpet, and Drew Kilman and Angelina Xing on the piano and vibraphones, competed against larger bands from public schools in the region. Livvy Zalesin won best soloist for the electric violin, and the octet’s place as Honorable Mention earned the entire group the privilege of returning at night to perform once again.

Relay For Life

Earth Fest/Earth Week

This coming May 14th to May 15th is the third annual Relay for Life event out on Akin Common at Hackley School. Led by athletic director Patricia White, over 18 teams and 144 members have signed up to take part in the overnight student sensation. Already having fundraised $10,000 of the goal of $60,000, Relay for Life will serve food donated from local restaurants such as The Wedge and the Taste of China. In addition, survivor laps and Luminaria ceremonies will be featured. Anyone who is not registered or signed up is welcome to participate until 11 P.M. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend!

Thanks to Hackley’s HEAL club, the days from April 21st to April 29th have been dedicated to the Earth. Beginning with the Earth Fest located in the PAC on April 20th, members of HEAL organized booths with information about different aspects of the Earth, attracting students with activities and baked goods. Starting Monday, April 25th, Hilltop Earth Days began. In collaboration with HEAL advisor Anne Gatschet, students connected academic disciplines with lessons on sustainability. Monday featured energy, led by senior Taylor Holland, and connected to the academic focus of science and technology; Tuesday, led by junior Amelia Schwalb, focused on History and Health and its Connection to Climate Justice; Wednesday, led by seniors Olivia Avidan, Bryan Hahm, and Emily Schwartz, focused on the connection between English and Art and the Forest and Biodiversity; Thursday featured Food and Culture and its Relationship to Foreign Language, led by juniors Nadya Klimenko and Kathleen Sullivan, with special support from Marco Morales; and finally, Friday, led by freshmen Katie Rand and Jenny Horing, featured Physical Education and Mathematics, and focused on what the student community is able to do to help the planet.

S.H.A.R.E. On Friday, April 8th, the student club Unity attended the third meeting of an ongoing diversity conference called S.H.A.R.E. –Students Helping Anyone Respect Everyone. Located at a different school each time, each conference hosts other schools in the region and encourages the schools with strong diversity groups to help others form stronger diversity groups in their own communities. In addition to this branching out and sharing ideas with each other, the most recent conference allowed schools to visit Hackley’s Lindsay Room and discuss stereotypes and discrimination. Supplied with writing implements and large screens for video clips, Unity focused on racial issues in a fun, unintimidating way, incorporating icebreakers to get everyone a bit more comfortable. The next meeting, which Unity hopes will be in May, will focus on what to do for next year, and how to make both the conferences and clubs stronger and more fully-fledged.

Ms. Siviglia (reading an excerpt about the author of the short story): He was the first well known African-American short story writer.

Arielle Gordon: So wait, is he black?

(Jackie Yang interviewing Mr. McLay for a Dial article) Mr. Karpinski: What are you interviewing him about?

Jackie Yang: It’s about physics.

Mr. McLay: It’s about you. But don’t worry, I told her that Karpinski doesn’t know squat about physics.

Jonathan Packer: Do fat people trust their gut more?

(Ariana Lavelli starts to ask Alex Dragone a question during English class) Ms. Siviglia: Ariana, if you have any questions, please ask me, not Alex.

Alex Dragone: No, it’s all right, Ariana. If you have any questions, please direct them at me.

Ms. Siviglia: Alex, you can’t do that!

If you want Dial Quotes, remember to submit to Dial@ hackleyschool.org or drop them off in the Dial Quotes Box in Ms. Coy’s office.

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Does your skin color affect your SAT score?

In the Dial’s March issue, Editor-in-Chief Randi Kramer interviewed Dr. Wayne Camera, Vice President for Research and Development at The College Board, about the inner workings of the SAT. In the following unpublished excerpt from that piece, Dr. Camera explores allegations of racial bias in the standardized test.

Countless articles have been written debating the existence of SAT bias. The statistics are, in fact, staggering. In 2009, the New York Times quoted a study that showed students coming from a family income of $200,000 or more received scores around 100 points higher in each section than students coming from a family with an income of $20,000 or less.

In 2010, research conducted by FairTest, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, cited stark differences in scores based on ethnicity and socio-economic background. Asians performed highest with an average of 1623 total points, followed by whites with an average of 1580. Average scores drop to 1277 among African-Americans and fall lower for Mexican, Puerto Rican, and other Hispanic students.

Dr. Camara refutes the idea that the SAT itself holds any bias. “People will point, almost always, to that one group that scores much lower than other kids,” he said. “Let’s look at black students versus white students. Black and white students

do not get the same grades in high school, do not get the same grades in college, and certainly don’t graduate in the same numbers.”

The differences in scores for the SAT are no different than evaluations in those situations.

“In fact, the differences on the SAT usually are smaller than you find in terms of college grades,” he said.

But most critics of the SAT point to high school grades, not college grades. The difference between minority and non-minority students in high school grades is much smaller than that in the SAT, a fact that Dr. Camara admitted. “But the SAT is not predicting high school grades,” he said. “It’s predicting college [grades], and when you look at college grades, unfortunately, those gaps are there.”

Junior AJ Wolf agrees that “the test itself isn’t biased,” but he maintained that more affluent families can afford tutors, which are a “leg up,” according to senior Melissa Jelaso.

Dr. Camara also mentioned that the College

Board psychometricians come from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, so that the questions themselves won’t have a specific bias.

The College Board tracks similarly scoring students with diverse backgrounds. If they encounter a question correctly answered by many white students that is incorrectly answered by many black students with similar scores, they will throw out that question. However, Dr. Camara said that rarely happens.

Comparing a singular question between black and white students, or other disparate groups with a wide range of scores, is meaningless. According to Dr. Camara, it would be like wondering why Major League Baseball players get more home runs than Minor League players and coming to the conclusion that “the bats must be biased.”

“You have to look at the students from different backgrounds who received the same scores, then check how they do [on a specific question],” he said.

Seniors and teachers debate the merits of dropping classes

jackieyang

news editor From parking in the closest lot to having an open campus for lunch, seniors have perks. Though these perks are intended to create a more beneficial situation for all, not all love these advantages. Case in point: the senior projects that permit students to drop a course in the spring term—but that also can leave a teacher with a decimated course enrollment.

Not all senior courses face decimation in the spring term: seniors are not permitted to drop A.P. courses or requirements for graduation. According to Senior Dean Melissa Abraham, students must academically be in good standing, have a proposal for a project that has an equivalent time commitment to the class dropped, and must have the approval of a committee that judges the merit of project proposals. The guidelines require at least all “B-” achievement grades and effort grades of 1’s and 2’s, though some exceptions may be made.

However, Ms. Abraham noted that next year’s seniors should not count on these standards for dropping classes, as next year’s standards for dropping are going to be drastically different.

But for those 40 seniors who dropped courses this year, however, many tended to leave in droves from specific classes, such as Science Department Chair Bill McLay’s Advanced Physics course. Saying that the numbers this year surprised him, Mr. McLay counted eight students dropping his course, which is “the most [he’s] ever had.”

He characterizes a student’s motive for dropping as one of two types. “It really depends on the student,” he said. “I get some students who were probably not well suited to take this course, so for them, it’s a good thing.”

However, some students drop a science course such as Advanced Physics because it is the only non-A.P. and nonrequired class in their schedules. Mr. McLay objects to this sort of decision. “[My Advanced Physics class] was created to be for people interested in the type of physics, not to look good [for college admissions],” he said. “To come with the idea of dropping the class [from the beginning] in the back of one’s head is just wrong.”

Though seniors dropping science classes in large numbers, particularly Advanced Physics and Organic Chemistry, does not significantly affect the curriculum or any planned projects, Mr. McLay disapproves of the idea of dropping classes, overall. “I just feel that a person should see things through, for good or for bad,” he said.

But though he “would love everybody to stay the full year,” he is not truly offended by a student dropping his course. “I put on a show like I am offended, but they’re big boys and girls, and it’s their choice,” he said, laughing.

Despite the ire that senior projects can raise with their teachers, many students remain grateful for the chance both to drop a course and to complete a project and other activities that are important to them.

“Third trimester is a lot of work, contrary to popular belief,” said senior Drew Kilman, who has survived a year of a six-major, two-minor curriculum. “It’s nice to have one less subject. Dropping the course helps me work more on golf, music, and caddying.”

In years past, math teacher Karen Casper has taught seniors who dropped her precalculus classes in the second semester.

However, she sees no harm in the prectice of dropping and adds that seniors dropping classes is, in fact, beneficial, “as long as it [the consideration of dropping a class] is thought out ahead of time.” She believes that it is good for certain students, who “work hard for two trimesters and then drop.”

Senior Emily Schwartz, who dropped Comparative Religions, said, “It’s really helpful dropping a class for the third trimester, because it gives you a lot more time to work on your project and make sure that you do it well.” Emily and fellow senior Isobel Rosenberg plan to make and place informational signs in Hackley’s woods, in order to educate students and faculty about the natural environment.

Emily added that the extra benefits of dropping a course help her deal with other commitments. “Having the extra free every day makes it a lot easier to get work done during the day, so balancing work and outside-of-school things will be easier,” she said. “It’s very beneficial to drop a class for the third trimester.”

Ms. Casper contributed her positive thoughts concerning

senior projects. “If it’s a great experience, then it’s [senior projects] a great options if kids are just going to waste time.”

But not all seniors have chosen to drop a course for noble reasons. “As a senior, I don’t really want to work in the third trimester,” said Drew, who dropped Advanced Physics to build a soapbox racer with seniors Jason Yang and Michael Hendel.

“It’s not me being lazy,” Drew added. “It’s really every senior.”

Above: Senior John Rapisardi works on his senior project, an independent study on computer science with Dial adviser. Photo by Melissa Warshauer. Jennie Lyons.

Below: Science Department Chair Bill McLay teaches an Advanced Physics class that has lost six seniors due to their senior projects. Photo by Ben Sheng.

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Polgar beats the rooks

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by the numbers: 326 the record for most simultaneous games played set by Susan Polgar in Palm Beach, Florida 950 grandmasters of chess 11 of them are female 3 are Polgars siblings 10,000 hours, the minimum amount of time needed to master a subject, according Dr. Anders Ericsson

50,000 chess board configurations, the average amount a chess grandmaster has commited to memory

17.3% was the percentage test scores

W

hen students read one of the many posters advertising Grandmaster of Chess Susan Polgar’s visit to Hackley, many scratched their heads and said, “Who?” But after an afternoon of her dominance in competition, students got to know Ms. Polgar’s moves very well.

On Tuesday, April 5, Ms. Polgar visited the hilltop.

She played simultaneous games against up to 14 students throughout the day and spoke about the importance of learning how to play chess.

She also promoted the playing of chess among students.

“Many businesses look for chess playing skills because it shows that you can think critically,” she said.

Several brave students played chess with her, including sophomore Greg Pon. “I could tell that she had already thought ahead to the end of the game,” he said.

“It’s like she knew what move I was going to make before I even knew what move I was going to make!” junior Chris Breen said, after being one of the first students to lose against Ms. Polgar.

Susan Polgar makes a move in her victory against Dan Laufer and 13 other students in one of her simultaneous games. Photo by Paul Rapisardi.

From a very early age, Polgar showed excellence in chess.

“I started to play with my family, and I won my first chess tournament, the Budapest Girl’s Under-11 Championship at age 4, and I was a big sensation,” she said.

Ms. Polgar went on to be the top-rated female player in the world at age 15. “I was the first woman to be a grandmaster of chess, which was probably my biggest achievement.”

She now is the head coach of the Texas Tech chess team and heads the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE).

Laszlo Polgar, Ms. Polgar’s father, was a formative influence in her development as a champion chess player. He claimed that “geniuses are made, not born.” He theorized that if children specialized in a subject at an early age, logging countless hours in practice, they would achieve astounding results. After his wife and he had his first child, the specialization began. When Susan stumbled upon the family chess set, her parents quickly began instruction for Susan and their other two other daughters, Judit and Sofia.

Out of 950 grandmasters of chess, 11 are female, and three of those are Polgars.

increased by when students were regularly engaged in chess (Polgar Foundation)

paulrapisardi

feature editor To some observers, the intensity of the Polgar children’s instruction makes their achievement seem manufactured. But could there just be good genes in the Polgar line? According to research done by a Swedish scientist Ognjen Amidzic, chess players have anywhere from 20,000 to 100,000 chess configurations committed to memory. His research on a number of chess masters has also shown that they are more likely to use their frontal and parietal cortices in competition, the areas of the brain that utilize long-term memory.

However some scientists think that being a genius is a combination of practice and natural ability. Dean Keith Simonton, a professor at the University of California has revolutionized the “Drudge Theory”: practice alone is not enough to create a genius, but rather natural ability mixed with practice will create a genius.

Many students present at the simultaneous game agree with Mr. Simonton. Junior Mitchell Towne was one of the last students to lose to Ms. Polgar.

“Geniuses are made not born, but geniuses also have a good work ethic and ability,” Mitchell said, after an exhausting competition.

Bonjour les amis, Hackley students experience French culture over Spring Break danhoffman

assistant managing editor An unfamiliar home, a new school, and a foreign language. Over spring break, 19 students immersed themselves into a new life on the biannual French Exchange Trip.

After nearly a day of traveling, students arrived in the city of Metz, located in northeast France near the German border. Students were immediately separated from each other as they went home with their individual host families. “It was shocking when we arrived,” sophomore Bryan Yu said. “All of a sudden we were going to live with people we had never met before.”

To make this experience even more difficult, there was a clear language barrier. “We had to speak only in French,” junior John Di Lorenzo said. “It was really hard at first, but after a few days my communication skills really improved.”

For the first week of the trip, students tagged along their French exchange host. They attended Lycée Fabert, a high school established in 1845. Going to a French high school was eye-opening for Hackley students. “It was so different from Hackley,” sophomore Chan Kim said. “Each class had almost 40 students in it, and they were all lecture-style.”

That was not the only difference. Their school had classes on Saturdays, and went until 6 p.m. some days of the week.

During this period, students had plenty of time to explore the city of Metz and socialize with French students. “I loved the city,” Bryan said. “There were hardly any tourists, and the people were so friendly.”

Apart from the shopping and beautiful architecture of Metz, students were delighted by the food. “The food was amazing,” John said. “I could not get enough of the fresh baguettes and the delicious pastries.” And students also received daily homemade dinners from their families. “My family was always cooking amazing French specialties,” Chan said. “And we had the best French cheese at every meal.”

Aside from experiencing the culture of living in Metz, Hackley students took several trips as a group away from their host family. They spent a day in the historic city of Strasbourg, visited the D-Day beaches and American cemetery of Normandy, and saw the wonders of Paris for two days.

Students were very sad to leave the beautiful country they spent two weeks in, and even more so to leave their host families and French friends.

“I would have stayed if I could have,” John said.

But Hackley students saw their French friends again—and introduced them to Hackley—when they arrived in the U.S. on April 22.

Americans and their French exchange students relax in the park in Metz, near the high school that they attended.

Hackley students visited France during Spring Break this year. Photo courtesy of Bryan Yu.

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Trimesters? Trimesters? Trimesters? Trimesters?

The new trimester schedule has brought some mixed opinions, but I greatly appreciate this change. The switch to trimesters still permits ample time for students to prove their skills in knowledge while minimizing academic stress throughout the year.

The most obvious reason to support the new schedule is that there is only one set of exams. Despite the size of these initially intimidating tests, in retrospect it is far better to endure one set of exams than two. Considering that many finals in past years had covered material already assessed on the midterm, and therefore covered a sizable amount, in cumulative subjects like Spanish or Math these new exams were not as frightening as they had appeared.

Furthermore the timing of these exams is an improvement.

We can now enjoy our winter break, instead of worrying about getting ready for a midterm. Spring break and the summer are also less stressful without finals at the end of the year (except for Math). Test taking no longer infringes on the breaks that students desperately need.

Trimesters also are helpful while we are in school. Trimesters are longer, which allows more time to raise a grade in a class students may be struggling in. As well as this, the progress reports have changed to accommodate the new trimesters. They are way more in depth and give a very specific report on student activity in a certain class. The timing of these reports is perfectly placed, giving time for students to improve their grade. Progress reports have changed because now everyone gets them for every class, rather than the other system where only weaker students would get progress reports.

Although the new system is beneficial to students, it is not at all perfect. Unfortunately there is one week between exams and break, where the third trimester begins. After exams, many students feel as if they are done, and having only a short period of time before break, many students do not take that week seriously. This week can be more valuable to students if places before review week, while students are still serious about school, instead of waiting for it to end.

The trimester system seemed like a welcome change as an idea.

As a reality, it has brought frustration and stress to the student body.

The main issue with the new system is the size of the one exam.

With one gigantic exam, students now have the same amount of time to study more material. Teachers have argued the material on the exam is not as in-depth, because it covers a wider range of topics. Still, it can be difficult for students to distinguish between important and trivial details when reviewing massive amounts of material.

Faculty assured skeptical students that even though the exam is larger and counts for more of the students’ year grade, at least there would be only one exam. This is not completely true, because there will be a second math exam at the end of the year for placement purposes.

Another problem that arose was athletic practice during exam period in early March. Spring sports needed to hold practices during exam week to begin their seasons after break. Post-season winter sports competitions and varsity tryouts were also held during exam week. Some students do find it helpful to practice and exercise during exams, but for others, the practices and tryouts took time away from studying and possibly added more stress to an already tense week.

The timing of exam week proved detrimental to the March exam experience. The exams finished on a Thursday, followed by a grading day on Friday, then an entire week of school before spring vacation. Most classes started new topics after exams, and if a teacher could not fit the unit into one week of classes, students were forced to go on vacation in the middle of the topic. This is not only unproductive, but could hurt a student’s performance if an assessment is scheduled immediately after break. Teachers argued that the trimester system provided more teaching days, but in reality this is not true. By wasting a week learning material only to be forgotten over break, this new teaching time is lost.

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BERG

Writing about my classmates’ talents—some astounding, some inspirational, and other just plain bizarre—has been one of the pleasures of being the Tip of the Berg columnist and writing for the Dial. This, my last column, will spotlight the lesser-known talents and passions of my classmates. It is part two of the column begun in the March issue.

with Leonardo DaVinci’s. Jason joins the fine arts crew, as well, evidenced by his beautiful paintings seen throughout the halls. While Gabby rounds out this AP art crew with her paint skills, she also shows her talent with another kind of brush: make-up brushes!

Museum-Worthy

Our grade’s artistic talent does not end with paints and pencils. Some of my most talented peers have mastered the art of words. Charlotte’s poetry is moving and deep, as is Molly’s. Maris’ short stories and poems will join the anthologies with these other talented writers.

And while Katie may be known for her melodic voice, her talent extends past the realm of spoken word, and into that of written word—just ask any member of her English class. We will all miss Peter B.’s literary talent in the corridors—his hilarious improv and one-liners.

And for those with more of a domestic side, try to find a cookbook with some of Kat’s recipes and tips, for she is sure to be the next Martha Stewart. One book over will be Clara’s baking book, modeled after her popular blog.

When it comes to more academic subjects, Sophie will write the book on science, following in her scientist-father’s footsteps. And with environmental science, Dan Laufer could write many books. He is a vegan and knows all about climate change and the green movement.

In terms of social studies, Max knows a thing or two about Cambodia, as he studied the country’s history and culture for an entire summer.

While Ben may not always be found with a book, this crossword puzzle genius can surely be found with a newspaper.

Nate also has a newspaper related talent: his comics are original, creative and, most importantly, funny.

Hackley boasts artists and artisans in almost every medium. Olivia, for example, knits scarves that could be sold along with the best of them, and Melissa’s knitted creations are just as stylish and well-crafted. With these two, our grade could be cozily outfitted for the winter without paying a cent!

Sailor Markus may not seem too artsy outwardly, but his photos are worth a wall or two in a gallery. And while Robert may seem quiet, his expressive photos could definitely hang beside Markus.’

Alexander is yet another great photographer whose skills often fly under the radar.

Andy H. does more than review movies for the Dial—he makes his own. And judging by their quality, I would say that our grade may include the next Steven Spielberg. Perhaps Jackie will join him behind the lens, for she is also talented with a video camera and even gets paid to tape sports games! Teddy can make the soundtracks for these feature films, because this lacrosse player also plays the piano.

There may not be a building named after Sarah R. just yet, but her keen skills in architecture will surely lead to one.

And perhaps the walls of the future I.M. Pei’s buildings can be hung with work by one of our two resident artists: Alice, who has an arresting talent with a paintbrush, or Chloe, whose sketches compete

Library

Philanthropic When it comes to giving, the class of 2011 knows how to make others smile and feel loved, including each other.

Kevin displays this best, as he is always smiling, comforting, or complimenting one of his many friends in the hallway, and his contagious laughter can be heard in all corners of campus. His fellow boarder Eddie is a similarly welcoming presence, always lending his friends a hand or saying hello when you pass him in the hallway.

Drew D. spreads that caring nature beyond the hilltop, training and caring for animal therapy pets that will become integral in helping the lives of the needy and disabled. Mark G. similarly helps the needy as a volunteer in the ambulance corps, rushing people to the hospital in the midst of emergencies.

Isobel reaches her helping hand beyond New York and all the way to Kenya, selling jewelry to help Kenyan women.

Emily S., on the other hand, helps those who have already come to America by teaching Spanish to immigrants at Neighbors Link.

Taylor thinks globally when it comes to service. He attends conferences and teaches others about ways to help the environment. Bryan similarly goes green—with his green thumb, that is.

Bryan not only gardens for himself, but also teaches Lower School students how to garden in order to make Hackley a more beautiful campus.

When it comes to little kids, they are cute, but definitely a handful. Patience is clearly a virtue of Sarah M., who saves many a teacher’s life by watching their little ones. And Michael D. is a similar savior to his parents, as he is always great at amusing and playing with his younger siblings. Most surprising, however, might

be Alec’s skill with children. He may be tough on the football field, but when it comes to the little kids he works with at camp, Alec is nothing but sweet.

Mark P. combines his love of kids with his work at Hawthorne Country Day School for autistic children. Perri does similar work when she plays and does arts and crafts with the children at Blythedale Children’s Hospital, where she brings smiles to the patients’ faces.

And First Place Goes To...

Many sports teams will face a loss next year when they lose some of their most talented players who are graduating. Tommy, for example, is a force on the soccer field whose fierce playing will definitely be missed. Track will be losing a star runner when Angelina graduates.

Yolanda will surely be missed on the both the Hackley and her travel fencing teams, with whom she travels across America to compete. Yet another winter sport, wrestling, will lose a strong asset when Ignacio departs. Swimming will miss one of its captains and Hackley one of its brightest minds when Regina leaves next year.

Our seniors, however, participate in some less common sports as well. Both Devon and Adriana know how to shake things up on the dance floor with hip-hop and Latin dance, respectively. And Soj will hopefully make her musical talent and singing a sport, for she could blow competition out of the water.

Eric’s sport, shotgun shooting, may not be tone of the average high school competitions, but it sure is just as difficult to master. And, despite it not being offered at Hackley, David and Gentry both show off their athletic abilities by pursuing crew with determination and expertise.

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Evidentials: Keep 'em coming mattmacfarlane Coordinating Editor

I

miss evidentials. I miss waiting in panic for mail to come in the morning, hoping I could intercept my report card from my parents to prepare them for what they would find. I miss the clever, witty, and often irrelevant things my teachers would write. If for nothing more than a good laugh to accompany a bad grade, I hope the school chooses to return to its previous, twice-yearly evidential-writing method. With the introduction of the January-only evidential, my joy has been decreased by 50%.

I’ve never been able to do well in Latin. In eighth grade I did so poorly in that class that my teacher wrote at the top of one of the tests she handed back, “D-, much better.”

Again, my report card provided me some comic relief. I received a “D” on my report card, with a 1 effort grade.

Eighth grade science was equally difficult for me. After receiving yet another “D-” on a notebook check, my teacher wrote in an evidential, “Matt better learn to swim—because the Titanic is about to sink.” Evidentials such as these made it difficult for me to convince my parents I would begin to take my classes more seriously, given my struggling to suppress laughter as they read my teachers comments aloud.

Indeed, I failed to heed my science teacher’s advice.

One day later that year, after returning to that teacher a calculator he had let me borrow for a math exam, he pulled me aside and said, “Matt, one thing you’ve lacked this year is responsibility. By giving me back this calculator, you’ve proved that you can be responsible. So I’ve decided not to fail you.” Yet another beautifully comical rationale from a teacher, but one I certainly appreciated.

Freshman year was worse than eighth grade. I was, I liked to say, a “solid C” student. Indeed, I said this so often, one of my teachers finally included it in an evidential: “Matt received a very solid C on the midterm.” Some teachers try to tailor their evidentials to course material. Later that year that same teacher wrote: “On his final exam in Latin, Matt tried to make up for indifferent performance over the course of the semester, but it is a Herculean task to try to cram so much material into a short span of preparation.”

That year, all my teachers devoted much of their evidential to analyzing why my performance was so mediocre.

One teacher, however, dealt with this succinctly in his first sentence: “Matt continues to perform well on assignments that require little to no extended effort and poorly on those that do.”

Come sophomore year I began to pull myself together.

I received my first “A” as a quarter grade in years. I couldn’t wait to see what my history teacher wrote in my evidential.

I thought he’d write about how I was prepared for class, engaged in discussions, and committed to my learning.

From an 8th grade evidential: “Matt better learn to swim— because the Titanic is about to sink.”

Alas, it was not so: even when I did well, my evidentials were still ridiculous. For half of that evidential my teacher took to describing my physical location in the class: “Matt sits at the far table, as a matter of fact as far from me as he could be, and I hope he is not taking advantage of that fact. There are times when I look over and his eyes are on something on his lap, which he assures me is his book or notebook. So far his work gives me no reason to doubt him.”

I miss evidentials, and I think it’s a shame that other students will not receive the same comprehensive, in-depth, twice-yearly reports from their teachers as I had. Sometimes evidentials I read were enlightening, and at other times they were purely amusing.

But the best evidentials, without a doubt, were the most serious ones. A teacher once wrote for me in an evidential, “Matt has demonstrated this year that he has the ability to be a B student.”

Starve the Beast: A message from Treasurer MacFarlane mattmacfarlane Coordinating Editor

B

efore Ronald Reagan came along, there was a different form of conservatism—“starve the beast” conservatism. This ideology rested on the notion that if government taxes were slashed, government would be forced to become smaller and more efficient, as it lives off less. I have not advocated any such proposal for the Council; rather, I’ve pushed for the opposite.

I want to starve the Council not by having it take in less, but by having it do more — by having the Council spend more on supporting the students, rather than having it hoard its reserves year after year. Once the Council spends more, once students see that the Council is a force for good in their day to day lives, students will be more willing to invest into the Council and support Council events.

This year we’ve been able to put this policy into practice. The Council has used every cent in its reserves, and because an investment in Hackley students is as close to a “sure thing” one can find in this capitalist land, the Council has been able to replenish its reserves.

To meet the demand of increased Council

spending, the student government had to work harder to keep its finances in order.

Last year the Council didn’t hold a single fundraiser, despite the fact that Council is the only student group allowed to hold such events.

That year, the Council took in around $200 more than it put out, a similar increase from the year before. The student government is comfortable—they start the year with a little over $3,000 and traditionally don’t have to worry about raising funds. Council has a large cushion that lulls its members into a nice, peaceful, responsibility-free dream world.

We have to shock them—starve them—make them a little less comfortable and wake them up, so that the Council can start working for Hackley students.

When I speak of the Council, I don’t mean our school President Bryan Hahm or any other individual Council member. Far from criticizing them, I think they’ve done an excellent job this year. Even before the academic year began, Bryan began laying down the groundwork for a successful 2010 as he introduced a new committee system to

handling Council events such as dances and for coordinating new Council initiatives such as supporting student groups directly. On Field Day, we saw that our School President was willing to invest time, but more than that, willing to invest money for the benefit of Hackley students. Bryan has been at the forefront of supporting student groups such as the Tailgate Club and the Paintball Club, and has done much in his time as School President to reverse some of the doubts students have in the Council.

This year the Council has stepped away from precedent. The Council has supported the Tailgate Club to the extent of $100, and $100 has been committed to the Paintball Club for a second outing to be held later this year. At Field Day, we’ve spent far more than we have in the past, with far higher results. The Council has invested heavily in its first dance of the year, and we can now see that this investment has been worthwhile.

For this dance, for the first time in recent memory, the Council did not charge a dance entry fee, and even provided soda and pizza free of charge.

I’m calling for one more last great Council investment in the student body. I’m asking the Council to set aside $600 for a Unity “World Fair” to be held next year in early to mid-May on Akin Common during a community time slot.

This would be a landmark opportunity for the Council to show that it stands side by side with the student body, and that the Community Council can only truly have a successful year if the students themselves succeed. Hopefully Unity can expand the cultural awareness of Hackley students while simultaneously expanding the role of the student government in supporting students’ endeavors.

Despite the absence of the Council’s main source of revenue, dance fees, and despite the unprecedented support of student groups, which will only continue and grow as the year progresses, the Council is on a sustainable financial path. I can confidently say that the Council is poised to meet its goal of ending the year with Council reserves equal to its 2009 end-of-year total.

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Pre-Election Survey

editorial

the voice of the student body

The Dial interviews candidates for grade president

Juniors Miyuki Sasada

45%

David Dronzek

53%

Dial: What do you plan to accomplish and how do you plan to accomplish it?

Miyuki: I’d try to make more people involved in clubs and fundraisers. When I was an underclassman, I was intimidated to join clubs, so I want to make the whole process more welcoming to students.

Dial: What do you plan to accomplish and how do you plan to accomplish it?

David: There are no specific plans yet, but I look forward to working with our president, Matt MacFarlane, to keep the Council going strong.

Photos by Bobby Grusky.

Sophomores Will Walker

43%

Daniel Hoffman

57%

Dial: What do you plan to accomplish and how do you plan to accomplish it?

Will: I really hope to get a lot more school spirit.

As a football player, I really want to get more people to the [football] games and even games for other sports as well.

Dial: What do you plan to accomplish and how do you plan to accomplish it?

Dan: I plan to make it easier for my classmates to get their ideas heard by going to them instead of waiting for them to come to me.

Photos by Bobby Grusky and Mellisa Warshauer.

Freshmen

Dial: What do you plan to accomplish and how do you plan to accomplish it?

Michael Leonard

Michael: I’m planning to continue the progress that’s already started in improving Council and plan to bring creative ideas and give a voice to next year’s sophomore class.

Corinne Alini

Dial: What do you plan to accomplish and how do you plan to accomplish it?

Gianna D’Alessio

Corinne: I definitely would like to improve school spirit. Some people think it’s high and others think it’s low, but I think it should be improved either way.

48%

20%

22% Photos by Bobby Grusky.

methodology:

The Dial was not able to include Gianna D’Alessio in the survey or in the interviews as her name had not yet been listed as a candidate at the time the survey was designed.

There was, however, an “other” category, and many of her classmates wrote her in for the position.

The Dial conducted a survey of each grade presidential election. The survey was conducted on the 26th and 27th of April before the candidates delivered their speeches. The Dial also found that the candidates’ speeches were an important part of most students’ decision to vote. Sixty-nine percent of freshmen and sophomores surveyed responded that the speeches the candidates would deliver would influence their vote. Results may not add up to 100% as a result of write in candidates who received only one vote. Forty students per grade were surveyed. This survey has a margin of error of ±11%.

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Opening the cookie jar: Barrett bites into the sports world shaneweisberg sports editor

Just as any aspiring athlete would advise, the best way to get better is to practice. Senior Peter Barrett is doing just that, except not for playing professional sports, but for reporting them.

Peter is an aspiring sports writer, and he is taking every opportunity to get closer and closer to his goal. On July 8, 2010, Peter and fellow senior Marquis Wilson posted their first article, about Lebron James’ signing with the Miami Heat, on their new sports blog, New York Sports Cookie.

Peter has since purchased his own web address, added hundreds of new posts about all aspects of New York sports, and interviewed over 40 reporters, bloggers and athletes on his radio show, the New York Bite. Over 13,000 people have been on the New York Sports Cookie to read about the Mets, Yankees, Jets, Giants and Knicks.

Reporters Adam Rubin, Mike Vaccaro, Evan Roberts, Don LaGreca and Matt Cerrone have all joined Peter for interviews, as well as Hackley alumnus Ryan Ruocco ‘04, former Mets outfielder Darryl Hamilton, and president of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Jeff Idelson.

Peter also traveled to the MLB Network studio in Secaucus, N.J. to interview former Major Leaguers Harold Reynolds, Mike Cameron and Sean Casey. While he started the interview looking a little intimidated, by the end, he looked like a seasoned veteran.

Peter just wants to get practice. “I want to practice as many times as I can,” he said, “and hopefully get a head start in what I want to do.”

So far, Peter is off to a good start. He has won two internships over the summer, one working for MLB network in June and one working for Mets.com in August.

At MLB Network, Peter will work as a production intern.

“I’ll do a little bit of everything,” Peter said. “I’ll work on graphics and in the control room and possibly go to production meetings to see what goes on behind the scenes.”

Peter will be working from 9:30 to 5:30, five days a week for four weeks with the Mets. He will assist the Mets account managers on day-to-day tasks, competitor research, and wrapup desks. He will also be in touch with the Mets’ editorial and content teams.

He had to apply for the Mets.com position by entering a contest sponsored by Bentley College. “I wrote a 100-word

essay about why I love the Mets,” Peter said, “but I think the blog also helped me win the position.”

Peter was recently accepted into Gettysburg College where he plans to continue working with and covering sports. “I want to work on the paper, on the school radio network and hopefully on the school’s TV network as well,” Peter said.

Peter’s hard work has been rewarded: The Journal News recently published an article about Peter and his goals to

become a sports writer. And he has an interview scheduled with former outfielder Darryl Strawberry, a member of the New York Mets Hall of Fame and of the 1986 World Series Champion Mets.

Peter is working with Strawberry to benefit the Darryl Strawberry Foundation, an organization working to help fund autism research. Peter is selling bracelets for $5 with all of the proceeds benefitting autism research.

Senior Peter Barrett interviews Major League Baseball network analysts and former ballplayers Sean Casey (left), Howard Reynolds (middle) along with current member of the Boston Red Sox Mike Cameron (right). To listen to this interview or other interviews with other members of the sports media go to his blog at http://www.nysportscookie.com/. Photo by David Dronzek.

play

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Spring has been a strong season for Hackley sports.

Softball is off to a 4-3 start, and baseball is on a two game winning streak.

Junior David Dronzek delivers a pitch against Dalton (far left). Sophomore Mary Medure hopes for a big hit as she swings at a pitch during a game against Dalton.

[From left to right:] Sophomore Kathryn Harmon fouls a ball off her facemask in the game against Dalton. Senior Krista Lancione winds up for a pitch. Senior Conor McDermott watches his hit soar into the outfield during the Dalton game.

Photos by Paul Rapisardi.

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30,000,000,0000 From 2004 to 2009, 30 billion songs were downloaded illegally, costing the music industry 12.5 billion dollars and the US economy 75,000 jobs. According to the latest Dial poll, it seems the illegal downloading of songs in rampant amongst the Hackley student body

A

s digital music continues to dominate the music industry, music piracy is evolving into one of today’s most popular crimes. To download mp3 files directly to their computers or handheld devices, the digitally savvy use everything from streaming websites to “jailbreaks”—a process that unlocks all features on an Apple-made product, removing any limitations imposed by the creators.

Advocates of music piracy, many of them teenagers, say that illeg al downloads give the user most of what he or she wants for free. On the other hand, music piracy has led to a 26% decrease in unit shipments of recorded music in the United States because the consumers’ demand has diminished now that these files are available in the comfort of one’s own home. The music industry worldwide has gone from a $39 billion industry to a $32 billion dollar industry in the past three years. This decline is an important fact because as the industry shrinks, the harder it becomes more difficult for individual artists to make and release music to the general public.

To d ay l e s s t h a n 1 0 % o f w i d e l y distributed albums are profitable for the record label. The majority of new musical ar tists attempt to attract teenagers, but these aspiring stars face daunting odds. About 32% percent of 12- to 18-year-olds will download a new song they like for free, while only nine percent will buy the download. A small fraction would buy a conventional CD, and the rest would refrain from purchasing or downloading new music in any format, preferring to listen via Internet radio or another legally free medium. espite the negative effects of music piracy for new artists in particular, many Hackley students are unrepentant. One student, who wished to remain anonymous, blamed the pricing of iTunes, one of today’s leading sources for legal music downloading.

“Not only is it easy to download music, but once iTunes raised their prices, there was no way I was ever using it again,” he said. Most music files on iTunes cost $1.29. “Once I made the switch to free, illeg al downloads,” one sophomore said, “I realized how simple and effortless

D

22% 75% of students have illegally downloaded music

of students have never illegally downloaded music

it was, and it also saved me a lot of money.”

Having once taught at a school for young actors and musical artists, Head Librarian Laura Pearle feels strongly that illegal downloading is immoral. “It’s the principle of stealing—it’s theft,” she said.

“It’s like saying, ‘I don’t want to pay for something someone else has created.’”

Some students have reached what they consider a moral compromise. “[I] only download music illegally from artists who are already really famous and popular,” one student said. “If they are not very common or well-known, then I will most often pay for the music off of iTunes simply because I think it’s the right thing to do.” hat student did not comment on how she knows whether a particular artist is making a comfortable living or not—and therefore whether she should download the music illegally or not.

It’s rare that an illegal downloader can ask the artist directly about his financial circumstance, and whether he minds music piracy of his own works. But at Hackley that is possible for senior and iTunes ar tist Nick

T

the majority of students who illegally download music indicate that they’ve downloaded between 1000 to 2000 songs

DiPietrantonio.

Nick has an interesting perspective on the topic of music piracy because he is an example of an artist who could potentially be defrauded, but also one who also sees a benefit, no matter how his songs are listened to. “[Illegal downloading] is fine for a promotional purpose, to get your name out there,” Nick said. “But once you attract a fan base, you have to try to keep your songs away from being downloaded for free.” ne way to stop illegal downloading is to eradicate piracy sites, a position advocated by Ms. Pearle.

But Nick thinks such eradication of pir acy websites is impossible.

“It costs money to make music, so illegal downloading will always be a problem,” he said.

“I’m not worried about selling my mu s i c b e c a u s e m o s t a r t i s t s m a ke a lot of their money touring and performing in concerts.”

By necessity, Nick is banking on live performance. “Eventually people won’t buy music at all, and artists won’t be able to rely on iTunes at all,” Nick said.

69% of students who do illegally download music could afford the music they stole

O

94% 94% of students have friends that illegally download music

how to steal music

29% of students use Youtube converters to rip songs off the popular media sharing site

20% use a combination of both methods

45% of students use bittorent clients such as Limewire

6%

use neither method

survey size: 65 students randomly selected margin of error ± 11%

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Fashion: winter to spring isabellaberland

S

staff writer

tarting a new season does not necessarily call for a new wardrobe. Although the general belief is that you can only have certain pieces for certain seasons, by combining items together from different seasons, you will easily be able to create a fresh, spring wardrobe.

Shoes are one of the most important elements of an outfit. Although we would all love to have an unlimited budget for shoes, that’s most likely not going to happen for anyone. Some of the ways to make sure your shoes will last for at least two seasons is by investing in shoes. Freshman Annie Berning said, “I like to splurge on shoes a little more than I would on something like a trendy top, because I know if I spend a few more dollars on the shoes, the durability and the amount of time they will last will be worth it.”

“I would say I wear boots every day in the winter,” said freshman Katie Rand. So how do you take your winter staple item and turn it into your spring essential piece?

Just ask senior Emily Gustin who says, “just pair your winter boots with a sundress.”

By pairing your winter boots with sundresses you not only add a cute flair to the dress, but you also get great use of the shoes (and save tons of money)!

If you’re not in a “dress” mood, try white skinny jeans and tuck them into your boots. The white of the jeans helps add a bright touch to your outfit, and really symbolizes the warmer weather. And, if you have any capris that you are wearing this spring, you can wear them next winter by tucking them into your boots.

Pants are one of the most essential pieces in most winter and fall outfits. Freshman Gaby Oppenheim said, “I wear pants all throughout the winter, but when spring comes, and the weather is hotter, I find myself less and less willing to wear pants.”

When transitioning from the winter to spring, we tend to pack away our pants. Although I do recommend packing away your cords, because they are made of a thick material, keep your jeans, and khakis, out. You can pair your jeans and khakis with sandals or ballet flats if you want to wear them to school, but if you want to go out, you can pair your pants with open-toe wedges to give your outfit a fancier look. Also, to give any skinny-leg pants a springier appearance, try folding a thick cuff at the bottom of each leg.

When wearing pants, a belt will usually keep them up, or make them tighter. Take your classic pants belt and wear it throughout spring. Helen Ballentine says, “I would pair my classic brown leather belt with a floral spring dress.”

During the winter, you would have seen an abundance of cardigans in the Hackley hallways. Some were light, some were dark, and some were colorful. To wear your cardigans in the spring, take advice from sophomore Meredith Keller. “I like to wear my oversized cardigans with my dresses, and pair them with sandals or heels to make it more of a spring outfit.” Cardigans were a big trend, and if you stocked up on cardigans like freshman Camille Schmidt, you can wear them in the spring by “taking a light colored shirt and rolling up the sleeves.”

Leather jackets were huge this fall and winter- everyone was wearing them. “I would wear my leather jacket in the winter with shorts, or a casual dress,” said sophomore Meredith Keller. Instead of using your classic leather jacket as a way to provide warmth, as you might have in the winter, in springtime use it more as an accessory.

Roll up the sleeves, don’t zip it, and pair it with a casual spring dress to create the perfect spring look.

Although you think there’s not much you can do with accessories, there is. Take a silk scarf, or any lightweight scarf you have, and put it onto a black or brown bag in order to add a color pop.

Don’t be closed-minded when it comes to fashion. Break the rules and have fun with it. By having a little bit of creativity in your fashion wardrobe, you can save tons of money! Always remember that you don’t have to wear clothes for only one season-they can be easily recyled.

Winter

Spring

Extreme Makeover:

Hackley Edition

amandachung

staff writer An automatic shudder or low collective grumble of “oh...”s is a typical response to two notorious words: freshman hallway. On a good day, the average ninth grader might find a cockroach curled up in the corner, have a squirrel run past as they try to get to physics, and end up with a mild case of hypothermia by the time they get on the 4:30 bus. We’ve all heard the crazy stories about “the dungeon,” but few know if there really is such a thing as the perfect freshman hallway.

Aside from the anticipated responses of “pinball machines” and a “ping-pong table,” many Hackley students are found wondering what a renovated freshman hallway could realistically have. “A couch would be nice,” mused freshman Aley Longo. “Yeah, or some benches,” added fellow freshman Charlie Gallop. “A bump out

would be nice…just a place where we can do some homework and chill,” said freshman Gaby Mezzacappa. Other recommendations are “proper heating that agrees with the seasons.” Right now there is no heating or air conditioning, and in May and June it gets hot and stuffy. Another nice addition if the hallway were to be renovated would be higher ceilings. The students complain about the exposed pipes and wires and general lack of ceiling, especially the taller ones. “I’ve walked into the lights twice today already…” laughed freshman Andrew Wolf. “The things I get for being tall.” And don’t worry freshmen; the pipes and wires are perfectly safe. “Hackley would never purposely put you guys in harm’s way,” Upper School Director Andy King reassured.

Imagine the freshman hallway without the

sophomore bubble. “They just built that on a few years ago; it’s fairly new,” explained Upper School Director Andy King. Just the thought of all of the sophomores and freshmen squeezed like sardines into the frosh hallway is enough to make anyone cringe. When asked about any previous renovation, Mr. King said that the lockers are fairly new and the carpets are replaced every few years.

There are no set school rules that say, “this hallway is designated for seniors,” or “this is the juniors’ bench.” Mr. King said that the freshmen should just take over the senior lounge. “It’s all about seniority. The freshman hallway epitomizes the meaning of being a freshman. The seniors get their hallway because they’re the oldest, so they get the best,” freshman Ally Mueller explained.

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nick dipietrantonio concentration: living machines medium: colored pencil

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“My concentration explores the relationship and similarities between humankind and technology on a personal level,” Nick said. Nick decided on this concentration because of his self-proclaimed “obsession with science fiction.” He describes his AP Art class as “one big family” that he is “honored to be a part of.” Nick will continue to study art at the Roski School of Fine Arts at the University of Southern California next year.

kyle kallman concentration: skulls medium: acrylic airbrush and spray-paint

Kyle’s decision to create an AP portfolio of images of skulls came from a desire to be “different, interesting, and funky at the same time.” He certainly succeeded; his largest piece, which took him around 55 hours to complete, is 8’ x 8’ and prominently displayed in the office of Administrative Assistant to the Upper School Director Claudia Coy. “I love its use of various shades of green,” Ms. Coy said, “and Johnny Depp, my love, is featured prominently.” Kyle plans to continue art in college because it’s “too fun much fun and too rewarding” to give up.

alice sun concentration: music’s influence on a player medium: charcoal

Alice enthusiastically described her concentration as capturing the “visceral emotion musicians experience when they’re playing their instruments.” She was torn about taking AP Art, considering how much time it consumes, but she “wouldn’t regret choosing this course ever,” she said.

chloe barron concentration: glass medium: colored pencil

Descriptions by editor-in-chief Randi Kramer. See next issue for the remaining five AP art concentrations.

Her goal in depicting what she describes as “an intense, close-up study of glass objects” was to transform the subject from “mundane glass objects” to “visually stimulating and less conventional still life drawings.”

Chloe stuck with art because of the “unrelenting enthusiasm and support of [art teacher Mark] Green and [Head of Visual Arts Gregory] Cice.”

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