The Pulse April 2020 Volume 20 Issue 4

April 2020 Volume 20 Issue 4

Harvey Dancers Shine on Stage

By Lauren Grauer

On Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020, The Harvey School Dance Concert took place in The Lasdon Theater. The Dance Concert is an annual event that occurs during the end of the Winter Term.

The dancers start preparing for the performance at the beginning of the fall term. There were 33 dancers in the concert from grades nine through 12. As dancers progress in the program, their roles in the Dance Concert grow.

The theme of this year’s Dance Concert was “Exploring our life stories, things that make us think, move, and act deeply.” The dancers displayed this theme through their dances.

Featured in this issue: l Reports l News from The Harv l Reviews

The 2020 school year marked teacher Melanie Gambino’s 16th year as Director of Dance, Choreography, Somatic Movement, Meditation, and Mindfulness at The Harvey School. Ms. Gambino puts forth hard work, creativity, and dedication for The Harvey School’s Dance Program, year after year.

Ms. Gambino’s vision and goal are to

foster and support collaboration within the Dance Company creatively, artistically, and educationally.

This year in particular, Ms. Gambino was thrilled with how that vision and goal Harvey School Dancers. Photo courtesy of John Brooks. were realized throughout the entire concert. Ms. Gambino connection to the deeper meaning of was pleased, largely due to the seniors’ the Dance Concert. This was due to the participation along with the whole stories that came before the dances.”

Dance Company’s contributions.

It was the last Dance Concert at The Harvey School for seniors Monet (Yuming) Sze, Marina (Zhirui) Man, Kai (Lingkai) Zhao, and Victoria Cartularo.

Zhao said, “As a senior, it was very cool to take a leadership role in the concert by helping to choreograph several dances. Although it was very exciting for me to take a leadership role, it came with a lot of challenges. The schedule this year was a lot tighter.”

Zhao also said, “This year, all of the dancers had a huge

Each senior had a very specific vision for their own piece. Each piece had depth, emotion, meaning, and its own dance and theatrical style. Each dance furthered the greater vision.

The Dance Concert could not Harvey Dancers Shine...: cont. on page 7.

Robotics Taking Over

By Steven Chase

The Harvey robotics team has had some recent success in their tournaments, especially team 6277B, which consists of Michael Martirano, Marley Shyer, and Robert Gross. The team has won many tournaments throughout the year, including the Night at the Museum tournament. The tournament is said to be the second most challenging tournament of the VEX Season, next to the World Tournament.

The Harvey School 260 Jay Street Katonah, NY 10536

Ms. Gambino has been teaching and mentoring the seniors for at least four years to become leaders in choreography, as well as dancers and performers, and they did an outstanding job!

6277B was the only team to participate from New York in the tournament, which was located at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VirTeam 6277B and Team 6277C with their robots ginia. The tournament lasted from Jan. and awards after the Harvey Tournament.

31-Feb. 1, and 60 teams from around Photo Courtesy of the Harvey Newsletter. the world participated. discuss the teams’ participation in the

Out of the 60 teams, 6277B tournament and the success throughout came in 27th place, which is an excelthe year. lent placement, especially considering how difficult it is to get into the tourna The Pulse asked Mr. Kelly ment, and the teams that are there are about his expectations going into the the best teams around the world. The and in response, Mr. Kelly said, only way teams would be able to qualify year, expectation each year first and for the Night at the Museum tournament “Our foremost is to hopefully provide our is by winning the Excellence Award, students with a positive experience Tournament Champions, Design Award, that encourages and motivates them to or Robot Skills Champion Award at a become innovative problem solvers. local event.

The competitive robotics platform helps our students build their communication,

The Pulse interviewed Directeamwork, and leadership skill sets. “ tor of Robotics Mr. Chris Kelly and Mr. John Wahlers, robotics teacher, to

Mr. Kelly also stated, “Our

biggest hope every year is to qualify for the National Championship and the World Championship.”

When The Pulse asked Mr. Kelly about the joys of being a robotics teacher, he responded, “We are incredibly fortunate to be in a class that students look forward to every day. The robotics lab is a great place to work and is what, I believe, your generation might describe as ‘chill.’ The best part for us is when we see our students approach the engineering challenge in so many unique ways.”

When asked about the competitions, Mr. Kelly stated, “We are extremely impressed with our students’ robots and their achievements. The Harvey robotics teams have been historically very successful, and this year’s teams are building on that history with much success of their own.”

Finally, The Pulse asked about any advice for future robotics students, and Mr. Kelly responded, saying, “A great way to get started is to take our Robotics 1 elective and see if there is an element (or two or three) that you enjoy.”

The Pulse thanks Mr. Kelly for his time and words, and we congratulate all of the teams on their success.

OP/ ED

Page 2

Dear Editor,

The Pulse Staff Editor-in-Chief Daniel Patrick Galgano Sports Editor Jacob Reid

Samuel Aidan Thomas Buchmueller Steven Chase Grant Doherty Max Edelman Ben Goodman Lauren Grauer Jacob Ross

Faculty Advisor Virgina Holmes

On Jan. 21, 2020, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) voted on the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame class.

Two players were elected: Derek Jeter and Larry Walker. However, the two best players on the ballot were not elected.

In the late 1900s and the early 2000s, Major League Baseball entered what is now known as the steroid era. Baseball was a high scoring electric game that encapsulated the attention of the American sports world. Players like Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, and most notably Barry Bonds dominated sports talk around the world. They put up numbers that had not been seen for almost a century.

Bonds over the years.

Two decades later, these players who brought baseball to Photo courtesy of Associated Press. its peak popularity have been blackballed from the league’s most honorable position: The Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Every winter, the BBWAA votes on who should be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Every player who has been retired for at least five years, played at least 10 seasons, and had not previously received less than 5% on a ballot is eligible for the Hall of Fame.

With players from the steroid era retiring over the past five to 10 years, the era’s superstars have appeared on the Hall of Fame ballots the last few years. So far, not a single person who has tested positive for performanceenhancing drugs (PEDs) has been inducted.

The fact that the people who are supposed to represent the greats of the game of baseball are ignoring a whole era of the game is absurd. The fact of the matter is that these players dominated the game for almost two decades, at a time where it is estimated by players that over half of all players were using some sort of PEDs.

If the writers want to exclude borderline hall of famers from this era such as Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa over steroid allegations that makes sense. However, some of the greatest players of all time will be excluded from the hall of fame due to the fact that they were accused of steroids, most notably Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.

If you were to ignore their names and look only at their stats, Bonds and Clemens would both be inducted to the Hall of Fame unanimously. Throughout his 20 year career, Barry Bonds set seemingly every hitting record ever. He won seven Most Valuable Player awards and set the all-time and single season home run records with 762 and 73 respectively. He would constantly record on base percentages (OBP) above .550, which is unheard of in Major League Baseball history outside of Bonds.

Anyone with an OBP close to .400 is considered elite at getting on base in modern baseball. Not only did he put up record shattering numbers with steroids, but the fact of the matter is, he did most of this without them.

He made his Major League debut in 1986, and he did not start using until 1999. Two-thirds of his career was 100% clean of performance-enhancing drugs, and even if you exclude his post-PED stats, he is still a clear Hall of Famer.

Everything that I stated about Barry Bonds can be said about Roger Clemens. Clemens dominated for over two decades, and he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball for most of that time. According to his lawyer, he only used steroids for a few years from 1998 to 2001 while recovering from several arm injuries. While it is difficult to prove this claim, we can reasonably assume that for the vast majority of his career, he was clean of PED just like Bonds, and if you exclude the PED stats, he is still clearly a Hall of Famer.

The BBWAA has to do what is right in the upcoming years and give these greats of the game the respect that they deserve. Clemens, Bonds, and the countless others who dominated the game for decades should be allowed to be appreciated with the people whose records they shattered in the Hall of Fame.

Sincerely, Thomas Buchmueller

Spring 2020 Pulse Staff

Reports

Page 3

New Canaan Murder-Suicide

By Samuel Aidan

The husband of the late Jennifer Dulos recently killed himself in a suspected murder-suicide. The couple was going through a divorce battle at the time of Mrs. Dulos’ death. On May 24 in the Connecticut suburb of New Canaan, Mrs. Dulos went missing after taking her five children to school.

As the police began investigating, the disappearance began to seem more like a physical attack.

The evidence against Fotis Dulos began to build up as police found cell phone records, blood in her home, and footage of him dumping bloody evidence in a garbage bin. Dulos was arrested and charged twice during the case, but police never accused him of attacking Jennifer Dulos.

On Tuesday, Jan. 7, seven months after Mrs. Dulos’ death, police went into Fotis Dulos’ house and charged him with his wife’s murder.

He was charged with murder, felony murder, and kidnapping.

According to The New York Times, the police believe that Dulos was motivated due to his financial need, and they say that he faced $7 million in debt. Each of his children,

however, had trust funds of more than $2 millio. Dulos would be granted access if he gained custody over the children, so he allegedly made her disappear to gain custody.

Arrests were also made on Dulos’ girlfriend, Michelle C. Troconis, and a friend/lawyer, Kent Mawhinney, for conspiring to commit murder. After the arrests, Carrie Luft, a close friend of Mrs. Dulos, said, “Although we are relieved that the wait for these charges is over, for us there is no sense of closure.”

She also said, “Nothing can bring Jennifer back. We miss her every day and will forever mourn her loss.”

On Thursday, Jan. 30, Fotis Dulos died, two days after his attempted suicide. The police found him unconscious after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning in his car near Farmington, Connecticut.

This death comes several months after his wife went missing. The police have yet to find her remains, although helicopters and dogs have been searching for months. Only a few weeks before his suicide did the authorities conclude that she was killed, and Mr. Dulos

was charged with kidnapping and murdering his wife.

Now the assets of the family are being argued over in court.

His attorneys are also fighting to exonerate him and clear his name. Kevin Fotis Dulos representing himself in court.

Smith, Fotis DuPhoto courtesy of The Daily Beast. los’ attorney, said

As of now, Gloria Farber, Dulos was charged with murder and the mother of Jennifer Dulos, has was suffering two foreclosure probeen granted custody of the children. ceedings and facing $2.5 million in Farber had requested a motion to inlawsuits filed by his mother-in-law. tervene in the custody battle between Jennifer and her estranged husband.

Smith also said he expects all of the charges to be dropped dur “Ms. Farber has acted as a ing the Superior Court in Stamford. parent to the children since [Jennifer] If the charges are dismissed, Smith disappeared May 24, 2019,” Judge and Patis will try to file for wrongful Heller said. “Their safety and secudeath, malicious prosecution, and lerity have been paramount. They are gal malpractice lawsuits. Smith said, emotionally bonded to her. It would “His [Fotis Dulos] last instructions be harmful to them to be removed were to make sure that his name was from her care.” cleared and that he was exonerated.”

Curing the Exodus

By Daniel Patrick Galgano

On Jan. 23, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, ordered the Myanmar government to take steps to protect the Rohingya population in their country. The decision came as an immense moral and legal blow to the Myanmarese government, which is led by the notorious State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

In late 2016 and early 2017, the Myanmarese military executed a series of operations in the Western Rakhine State, primarily populated by the Rohingya Muslim ethnic and religious group, which resulted in over 10,000 deaths and another 700,000 displaced to refugee camps in Bangladesh, according to a report by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

While the international community widely condemned the actions of the Myanmarese army, the United Nations decided against an intervention in the conflict.

On Nov. 11, 2019, the Republic of The Gambia, acting as an agent of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), filed proceedings against the Myanmarese government with the International Court of Justice.

The proceedings allege that Myanmar violated the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the

Crime of Genocide by systematically killing and displacing the Rohingya Muslim population.

Myanmar challenged The Gambia’s authority to make such a complaint. However, the ICJ ruled that since The Gambia was representing the OIC, an international organization who claims to represent international Muslim populations, such as the Rohingya, their claim to the Court was valid.

The Gambia then requested that the ICJ force Myanmar to protect the Rohingya peoples who remain in their borders, as a large portion of them currently reside in Bangladesh.

Myanmar fought against The Gambia’s request, claiming that the Rohingya population required no protection, as the government did not persecute them.

State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in person in front of the ICJ to defend her government.

While her appearance did catch many headlines, the Court did not appear to be swayed by her testimony, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

On Jan. 23, 2020, the ICJ released a press statement saying that it had ordered Myanmar to protect the Rohingya people.

While the unanimous ruling

did not explicitly acknowledge that genocide had taken place, it did signal the Court’s penultimate decision.

As evidence that the Rohingya population may need protection, the ICJ cited a controversial 2018 United Nations Human Myanmarese State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and Rights Council members of the Myanmarese delegation at the International “Fact-Finding Court of Justice. Photo courtesy of Koen Van Weel of the Mission” report European Pressphoto Agency. that said that that found that the also indicates that the mood of the Rohingya population was under the Court is leaning toward condemning threat of genocide.

Myanmar for crimes against humanity.

The report also found grounds for many of Myanmar’s top

The Bangladeshi governgenerals to be prosecuted for genoment estimates that approximately cide, crimes against humanity, and 1.1 million Rohingya refugees curwar crimes. rently reside in Bangladeshi refugee camps.

The acceptance of this report into international ‘legal can While the Myanmarese non’ implies that the ICJ may favor government has announced that it The Gambia in this case. The report’s is willing to allow Rohingya refurecognition could also spark more gees back into the country, very few legal and political consequences for have accepted the offer, due to fear Myanmar and its leaders. of persecution, as reported by The Economist.

Additionally, the fact that the ICJ’s decision was unanimous

Curing the Exodus: cont. from page 7.

Reports

Page 4

Royals Gone Wild

By Lauren Grauer

On Jan. 8, 2020, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced that they are exiting the royal family. This news was a huge shock for everyone close to the couple and fans around the world.

The meaning of “Megxit” used by the public is to portray her as a “social climber” and “gold digger.”

This puts Markle in a negative spotlight.

military titles, honors, and official duties. Prince Harry was not aware that stepping down from being a senior member of the royal family would entail giving up all of these titles.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their big geographic move and step down from being “senior members” of the royal family by posting on their Instagram page named @sussexroyal.

Meghan Markle is the first person to identify as biracial in British royalty, and her role in the royal family is ground-breaking for the history of the royal family.

Prince Harry will not represent the Queen anymore. This means that people who work for charities and foundations might not want to work with Prince Harry.

The most prominent reason why the couple is moving to Canada is for the couple to be able to raise their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, in a more private environment.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, along with their son Archie, will live on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, in a massive waterfront mansion.

When Markle and Prince Harry move to Canada, they will continue their work on their very own charity called “Sussex Royal: The Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.” The charity kicked off in July 2019 and aims to empower thousands of volunteers to protect beaches for everyone.

Although Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are very excited to be moving to Canada, according to express.co.uk, the majority of the Canadian people do not want the family to be living in their country.

The opinion many Canadians have about the family moving to Canada goes beyond a simple answer. The Canadian people feel that their tax money should not be going toward security and other costs associated with the family living in Canada.

Of course, when shocking news hits the world, words of hatred fill the media. People began referring to the family’s move as a “Megxit” (similar to “Brexit”).

Queen Elizabeth supports

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

the couple’s decision to live a more independent lifestyle and blesses them.

Fans around the world are commenting on Prince Harry’s change of lifestyle, as he has been in the Royal Family since his birth to the England throne’s heir apparent Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.

Prince Harry will be given a lot of media attention, but he will not have the same prestige that comes with holding a senior-royal status.

Harry will also have to give up all his

During the couple’s transition, moving from the United Kingdom to Canada, they will be living half of their time in the U.K. and half of their time in Canada.

According to Harper’s Bazaar, when they are in the U.K., the family will still be living in their cottage paid for by the Queen.

The family’s living in their cottage contradicts the couple’s statement about being completely financially independent with this move.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took a huge chance when they announced that they will be leaving the Royal Family. Hopefully, people all over England and the world can wish them the best of luck as they embark on this new chapter of their lives.

High School Student Discovers New Planet

By Steven Chase

The discovery happened on Cukier’s third day of his second year with an internship with NASA, and Cukier stated, “I couldn’t say that I was confident it was a planet because it was Day Three on the job. And I couldn’t say anything with confidence quite yet.”

has been named “TOI 1338 b” and is a gas giant around the same size as Saturn. Space.com reports, “Astronomers will only be able to study this new planet until November 2023, when the tilt of its orbit around the stars prevents it from blocking their light. But in 2031, instruments like TESS will be back in luck, able to study TOI 1338 b again.”

The planet that Cukier found wasn’t just Wolf Cukier giving a presentation at his high school. any planet either; the planet Photo courtesy of Cukiers Family, via VOA News. found is orbiting two stars.

He is one of a small num Have you ever thought you ber of people who have discovered were doing a good job at your intern- planets like this one. The NASA teleship? Think again. 17-year-old Intern scopes and missions have only been Wolf Cukier was working a twoable to discover around two dozen month internship at NASA when he other planets like the one Cukier made a stellar discovery. Three days discovered. into his internship, he showed NASA his skills when he discovered a new

Cukier remains humble planet. about his work, stating, “Yes, what I did is impressive, but it also didn’t

Cukier, from Scarsdale take that many special skills… It just High School in New York, had just happened to be me, who saw this completed his junior year when he one.” decided to apply for an internship at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight

Cukier does, however, use Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, as the new attention and fame to give he had done the year before. No one advice for future NASA interns and was expecting the discovery that this for people who have an interest in young teen was about to make. space. He goes to schools giving presentations about how to find planets

According to Dogonews, and the requirements for a planet to Cukier was “examining images of the be habitable. (Seen in the picture.) variations in star brightness captured

by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet

The planet circling two suns Survey Satellite (TESS).”

According to Time magazine, TOI 1338 b is about “6.9 times bigger than the Earth… [and] is located in the TOI 1338 system about 1,300 light-years away.”

can never be fully trusted in finding everything, and according to Veselin Kostov, a research scientist at the SETI Institute and Goddard, “The human eye is extremely good at finding patterns in data, especially non-periodic patterns like those we see in transits from these systems.”

TESS could only detect the planet circling one of the stars, and according to CNN, “TESS could only spot the transit of the planet passing in front of the larger star.”

Veselin Kostov responded stating, “These are the types of signals that

The planet originally went unnoticed by the TESS Systems, with the system picking the stars up as an eclipsing binary, where two stars circle around each other and eclipse each other. Cukier, however, noticed the dips in the brightness picked up by the TESS systems did not match with the sun’s eclipse cycle, and it turned out to be a planet.

Cukier managed to study this data through the TESS Systems, which is equipped with four different cameras that watch the same area for 27 days at a time. During these 27 days, they take pictures every 30 minutes that get sent back to NASA where people like Cukier study the brightness in each picture.

Cukier’s internship at NASA exists because algorithms

Planet TOI 1388 b.

Photo courtesy of NASA.

algorithms really struggle with.”

Cukiers’ story is inspirational to teens all over, sending the message that no matter how old you are, or what position you hold in a job, you can still do something great.

Sports News

Page 5

Best Halftime Show Ever?

By Jacob Ross

At this year’s Super Bowl on Feb. 2, 2020, the 100th year edition, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, two top mainstream artists, performed in the halftime show at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Overall, people seemed to love it, but there were some complaints.

Many complaints were about it being “inappropriate,” mostly from parents concerned about young children watching because it could be considered sexually provocative.

However, the goal for Shakira and Lopez was to spread joy for the Latino community, as both are Latina performers. Many, however, felt that was not the message that was conveyed. A Florida columnist, Gil Smart, said it was obscene and too inappropriate for the writer’s young child. He told SB NATION, “We let my 9-year-old son stay up and watch, thinking — hey, it’s the Super Bowl, so long as we’re not talking about another Janet Jackson ‘wardrobe

malfunction,’ how bad can it be?

Less than a third of the way through my wife started saying, ‘Ummmm …

Call it educational programming, I guess.’”

Another writer, Homer Dolly said, “Body positivity is a good thing. But I draw the line at displaying clothing that should be saved for the privacy of the home. Aren’t there enough designers to come up with flattering clothes without creating what should be considered underwear?”

I had a different view of the whole matter, however. Beforehand, we knew it was two top artists who are both Latina, which is great for the culture. It started off with Shakira performing “She Wolf ‘’ and then another two songs until Jennifer Lopez came out.

Shakira’s performance in the beginning started off well, and then it went to Lopez’, who, in my opinion, wasn’t so entertaining. I’m

not a fan of her music, but it was cool how her daughter, Emme Maribel Muñiz, came on to the stage and sang a few songs. For example, she sang “Born in the USA” and some other songs.

After that, Shakira came out again with a gold outfit, playing the piano and singing “Waka Waka” and doing a new dance, and for the last five minutes or so, Lopez and Shakira danced.

Shakira and Jennifer Lopez before the halftime show.

Photo courtesy of CNN.

Personally, I thought the last five to 10 minutes were the best of the whole show. The two dancing together was amazing and seemed to have requireda great deal of practice.

A lot of the people who are getting upset over the show are the same people who loved Adam Levine’s show last year when he performed shirtless, and he didn’t get

nearly the backlash that Lopez and Shakira are getting.

Instead of criticizing their performance, we should appreciate all the effort and time they put into it.

They are two top singers representing their culture!

Strong Finishes for Junior Varsity Sports

By Ben Goodman

Harvey’s JV boys Navy basketball team thrilled the home crowd Monday, Feb. 10, by pulling off an exciting 64-60 overtime win against Soundview School. The Navy boys held an 11-point lead at halftime but had a sloppy start in the second half that allowed the Bulldogs the opportunity to claw their way back.

With both teams battling to take the lead with the clock winding down in the fourth quarter, Soundview missed two free throws, and Harvey missed a buzzer-beater basket that kept the score tied 55-55 and sent the game into overtime.

In overtime, Harvey did a good job of setting the tone and putting the pressure on Soundview while controlling both the ball and the clock. The Cavs outscored Soundview 9-5 in the extra period to get the win.

Sam Levine led the Harvey boys with 16 points and seven rebounds. Hudson Chris followed with 15 points, and Jaxson Schneider notched another double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Emerson Day finished with eight points, including a team-high four points in the overtime period.

The Harvey Navy team then took on Chase Collegiate Wednesday, Feb. 12, when they defeated Chase 63-42 on Harvey’s home court. The Harvey boys took the lead early and never looked back. The game saw four players score double-digit

points, as Sam Levine led the boys with 18, Hudson Chris and Emerson Day each had 14, and Jaxson Schneider had 12.

The boys did an excellent job of setting the tone against a team that played them tight earlier in the season. “The plan was to come at them hard early and not only did we do it, but we also did it successfully,” said Harvey coach Christian Coscio.

“The offense was really clicking for everyone, even those that were not scoring as much as the others,” Coach Coscio said. “Everyone did a good job of working the ball up, getting rebounds, finding open guys for assists, and just trying some different things in an effort to learn more and become better,” he added.

Levine each had a big game, as Day tallied 14 points, 11 boards, six assists, three steals, and five blocks, and Levine had 10 points, eight boards, and eight steals. Eli Birch was the team’s fourth-leading scorer with six points, going 2-2 on 3-pointer attempts.

The JV Navy team finished their season strong and compiled a record of 6-8. While the boys ended up two games under an even season, the JV girl’s basketball team did not have much luck either.

Harvey’s JV girls ended their 2019-20 basketball season Wednesday, Feb. 12, with an impressive 25-12 victory at home against Forman.

The boys then traveled to play Forman Saturday, Feb. 15. They enjoyed a big offensive day, beating the Lions 60-29 in Litchfield, Connecticut.

The Cavs dominated from the opening minutes to the final buzzer. “It was another performance where our boys were able to come out strong and continue playing with that same level of effort and intensity in the second half,” said coach Coscio.

Chris led the team with 20 points. Day and

Harvey jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead by the end of the first quarter and maintained that lead throughout the game with consistent shot-making and a solid defense.

Freshman Celia Baer had a big game under the boards, leading the team with 12 rebounds. She also contributed four points.

Sophomore captain Wendy Lichtenberg led her team in scoring with eight points. She also grabbed six rebounds. Freshman Liz Hurley had a solid all-around game, creating many scoring opportunities in addition to recording two steals and putting four points on the board.

Freshman Emma Galgano also contributed four points. Freshman Loveleigh Viera played one of her best games of the season, getting five rebounds. Freshman Sara Adelman also played well, grabbing eight rebounds and contributing three points, one of them being a foul shot she made in a high-pressure situation.

“We’re so happy to have finished the season strong, and we are proud of all of the hard work we put in at practices,” Coach Samantha Saraniti said. The JV girls basketball team finished their season at 4-8.

Junior Max Edelman looks for an open man in a game versus Chase Collegiate.

Photo courtesy of Ben Goodman.

Sports News

Page 6

New for MLB in 2020 (Hopefully!)

By Max Edelman

With the beginning of spring usually comes the beginning of yet another MLB season.

The season is currently postponed, and if it takes place, which it hopefully will, the game will go through many changes.

ently from team to team. Each team developed their own strategies on how they would use their relievers. Current Twins manager Rocco Baldelli shared his thoughts on the new rules in an interview with Sports Illustrated. Baldelli stated, “It creates a different strategy. I would say some things are certainly going to change in what that is going to make you think differently. I don’t think it means it’s taking away anything from the game, it’s just a change to the game.”

First, there will be the implementation of many new rules. According to MLB, new rules for this season include expanding the March-August roster from 25 to 26, decreasing the September roster from 40 to 28, and creating a three batter minimum for pitchers.

The new rule that has caused the most controversy is the three batter rule. Pitchers must now face a minimum of three batters before being taken out of the game for a new pitcher.

The left-handed one out guy, or LOOGY for short, is a term given to left-handed pitchers who would face one batter, usually coming in for a right-handed pitcher to face one left-handed batter, and once that at-bat was over, the pitcher would be pulled. That role is now obsolete.

Pitchers who made their living filling out roles such as the LOOGY will now have little value in the league, as they will no longer be able to face just one batter. Former MLB manager Tony LaRussa was known to keep multiple LOOGY’s in his bullpen at once.

Former Rays and Cubs manager and current Angels manager Joe Maddon, one of the MLB’s best and most respected managers, is one

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

Photo courtesy of Bleacher Report.

of the critics of the new rules. In an interview with CNBC, Maddon said: “I don’t like it; didn’t like it from the beginning; I don’t quite get it.” Maddon went on to describe how he is all for changes to shorten the length of games but believes these rule changes violate the strategy of the game which Maddon called “sacred.”

These new rules will completely alter the way the strategy of the game and the way the game is managed. It was very common in baseball for managers to bring in a relief pitcher for one batter in order to gain an advantage, but now that is no longer an option, and it will force managers and teams to attack the game differently.

Relievers in the MLB are used differ-

MLB has taken many steps over the last few years in an effort to speed up games, and this rule is just another one in the long list. But are these new steps beginning to take away part of the great game of baseball? Many managers, players, and fans think they are.

With these major rule changes like the three batter rule, could the MLB continue to add new rules to change the game including adding a designated hitter in the National League? Whether the national league should get a designated hitter has been a debate among baseball fans everywhere, and with these new rule changes, that question could begin to be explored and even considered as soon as 2021.

The game is forever adapting and changing, and it is difficult to imagine that these will be the last changes to the game of baseball. But no matter the changes that are made to the sport, and no matter how long the season is postponed, it’s still the sport we know and love. Hopefully, soon we will be able to say, “Play ball!”

Reviews

Big Fun at Big Snow

By Grant Doherty

On Dec. 5, 2019, the American Dream Mall opened its indoor snow hill, Big Snow. Upon opening, the snow hill became the first indoor facility in North America.

The website for the makeshift mountain is one of the best that I have seen. It is effortless to navigate, as all of the information that you would need, and is clearly laid out with tabs like “Beginners Guide” that leads a visitor to a page with many how-to videos on skiing and snowboarding.

For those who own their gear and are experienced, Big Snow is the perfect place to get in a warmup run before going to a real mountain, with prices starting at $29.99 without rentals and two hours on the hill. If you are someone who does need to rent skis or a snowboard, then the price for a two-hour ticket is $64.99.

When you first see Big Snow, you might mistake it for just a typical ski and snowboard shop.

Upon a closer look through the back windows, however, you can see straight into the large indoor facility.

The first step of the pro-

cess is a quick check-in point where customers who are renting gear fill out their age, height, foot size, and weight. At this point, everyone receives a digital wrist band that, with a quick scan, tells other members of the staff exactly what you need.

After getting their wristbands, people are put into fake gondolas where they view a short three-minute video explaining the story behind Big Snow. Upon finishing the video, riders enter a large and clean changing area.

In this area, renters receive all of their needed gear, and everyone gets a locker that they open and close with their wristbands. Once you are changed and are about to hit the hill, it is time to receive your board and boots.

Once you get out into the man-made winter wonderland, which The Pulse was told stays at a constant 28 degrees and has average snow depth of 2 feet.

Each rider gets the choice of what “trail” they want to hit.

Customers can ride the bunny hill, the green, the blue, or the black trail, which contains a terrain park.

The bunny hill is a perfect example of what all bunny hills should be. The green run is just the end of the blue run and has a few drops here and there but is mostly flat.

Big Snow terrain park. Photo courtesy of Big Snow.

Both of those are for people who are just starting to learn how to ski or snowboard. The other thing that sets these two runs apart from the others is that they are accessed by a “magic carpet.”

Looking to add a bit more of a challenge? Take the chair lift up to both the “blue” and “black” runs.

If you go to the left as soon as you get off the chair lift, you will find yourself 16 stories up and looking at a 26-degree hill, according to a CNET YouTube video.

This trail is just a straight shot all the way back to the bottom with not much other than riders in your way.

However, if you were to go right off the chair lift, then it would

be a different story. The black trail has the same high and slope as the blue trail, but the second half of the black includes a terrain park.

As of February 2020, the park contains four different parts.

The first two aspects that the rider faces are a small kicker and a rail, and those features lead right into two of the same thing. While that might sound a bit boring, Big Snow constantly changes up what is in the park.

Big Snow is the perfect place for someone who is looking for a skiing or snowboarding adventure and not trying to break the bank. It is also great for those who are just starting the activity; however, those who are quite good, you might become a bit bored with the lack of variety.

Reviews An Enthusiastic Review A Review by Jacob Reid

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” is back for season 10!

Larry David, former Seinfeld creator and star of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” has said this could be the last season of the highly acclaimed HBO show.

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” was on HBO for eight seasons between 2000-2011, but then Larry David decided Writer, Creator and producer Larry David, during a bit that features a MAGA hat. Photo Courtesy of Raw to take a six-year hiatus Story. before season nine came back in 2017. Season 10 often confused with Harvey Weinhas finally returned for a 10th and stein.

This much darker sense of probably final season. humor has been a bone of conten tion and dividing point with fans of

Season 10 has been much the show. more risky in humor topics than other seasons, making jokes about

Personally, I found the use MAGA hats and the “Me Too” of it in the pilot episode very efmovement and lighter humor as fective. However this joke became well. A great episode features overused and lost some of its lusdecorative apples and destination ter; now it feels somewhat forced. weddings. Between those topics and a coffee feud with Mocha Joe

The Daily Beast also dives and Wabbly Tables, Larry David’s into their opinions on the new humor always seems to be stupid season’s darker humor, stating, “As to the non-viewer, but somehow it is generally the case, Curb doesn’t works once again. make many nods to prior outings an attempt to create some sort

Rotten Tomatoes currently in of overarching serialized narrative. rates the new season for Curb as When we pick up with David at the 93%, which is exceptionally high. outset of tonight’s premiere, he’s his same old egotistical, crotchety

However, Season 10 has self, bantering with trusty cohort been panned by some critics for Leon about black and white skin overdoing the sexual harassment colors.” bit, which some have viewed as highly distasteful.

Larry David has said many times that the character that

Gregory Lawrence, a was supposed to portray him on writer for colider.com, said the Seinfeld has the qualities about him following about the new season: “I does not like. However, he says cannot reiterate how hard I laughed he his character on “Curb” has the at this episode of television. qualities he loves.

There’s perhaps no show that can elicit such primal, guttural laughter A highly entertaining yet than Curb Your Enthusiasm, and kind of elementary humor point in it often felt great to lock in to its the show is David’s “spite store” particular POV. Smoove’s Leon that he is opening. It is a new, betcontinues to be one of television’s ter coffee store right next to “Mogreat comedic voices of reason.” cha Joe,” a store that banned David for life. While some fans find this

Lawrence also states, humor stupid, I tend to think it is “Much of the show’s reckoning done very well in the show and is with our miserable contempothe type of humor that “Curb” built rary politics, be it Jeff’s constant its reputation around. mistaken identity for Weinstein, or Larry’s delightfully cynical usage

Between “Mocha Joe,” of a MAGA hat, hit that sweet spot destination weddings, fake apples, of sour candy laughs — it hurts and a touch of somewhat darker in the best way possible. Isn’t this humor, this season “Curb Your Enenough to recommend a new seathusiasm” has been very divisive, son of Curb? Yes and no.” yet very good, very funny, and it is getting great reviews from critics

The character Jeff, in the and fans alike. pilot episode for the season, is Curing the Exodus: cont. from page 3.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Human Rights Watch have both indicated concerns over the current state of the refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Last year, the Bangladeshi government attempted to resolve the issue by consolidating most of the camps to a small island in the south. However, most reports have

shown little improvement, and in some cases, a deterioration in the health and safety standards of the refugee camps.

Many hope that the ICJ protections extended to Rohingya will help foster an internal solution to the conflict. However, that may change as the legal and political landscape of the situation change.

Page 7

Riverdale: The Best Show on Netflix A Review by Jacob Ross

I have become a frequent watcher of television shows after getting into programs like “The League,” “Blue Mountain State,” and “All American.” But after starting “Riverdale,” it has become my favorite. I enjoy the mystery, surprises, and each season.

The story of “Riverdale” is based onthe Archie comics, and it includes characters like Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead. The show starts by showing the scene where a character named Jason Blossom disappears. This scene goes right into the mystery of who killed him, and since you don’t know any of the characters, anyone can be a suspect. At the end of the season, after episodes of waiting, you find out who committed the murder, and it’s the person you least suspect!

In season two, another killer comes to Riverdale: the Black Hood. Once again, the whole season is focused on finding out the killer’s identity. The mystery of the Black Hood is a lot easier to solve since he has green eyes.

After more than 20 episodes in this season, you finally find out who the killer is, if you haven’t figured it out already.

Season three, which, in my opinion, is the worst season, is about a game created by the previous generation. The game turns into real life, causing deaths once again in the area. The reason it’s the worst season is because the main character, Archie Andrews, is wrongfully convicted and held in custody for absolutely no reason, which makes it less exciting.

Season four, the season currently being aired, has been very good so far. The show overall is amazing, but there are some variables I don’t like about it. For example, every episode’s final two minutes or so have an intense ending. Since this kind of ending seems to happen in every episode, it’s expected each time.

Main characters in “Riverdale.”

Photo Courtesy of J-14.

Another complaint I have is that too much happens in each episode. Having many transitions in scenes is usually good, but it’s almost predictable when a dramatic scene is about to happen.

Another example, the biggest flaw, is that it is often too dark of a show; it’s almost too much and can’t be enjoyable when you know that something bad is going to happen.

Lastly, the show kills off too many people, including important characters. As the show goes on, more and more key characters get killed, including the most recent series, where at the end of every episode, they go into the future and show that a key character has died.

Although there are some flaws to the show, there are way more examples of why I love it. First of all, every character has something tough going on in their life, making it relatable and makes you feel for them. The mystery is very exciting, especially with season two’s Black Hood.

As the show continues to get even better, the creators should bring more mysteries back like they did in season one and two, which is my favorite aspect of “Riverdale.”

Also, creators should strive to make the show more positive. Since the main characters are seniors in high school, they can add some positivity to end the characters’ last few months together.

“Riverdale,” however, has been amazing and makes you want to keep watching, making it something that you can watch for hours. I would rate it a good 8.5 out of 10.

Harvey Dancers Shine...: cont. from cover.

have happened without the people who helped out backstage. Allison Glass, Tulsi Gopal, Amanda Mohamad, and Angie Cooper were all stage managers and crew for the performance.

The pre-concert musical offerings were performed by student musicians Michael DiVestea, Leo Saperstein, Zach Grann, Issy Overlar, and Jonah Weinstock.

Mia Cornell created the program cover art, and Mrs. Kreiness created the program design. Ms. Gambino worked with the Dance Company, Mr. Morgan, and Ms. Davies (who also played flute live for one of the dances) to edit and orchestrate the music. Performing Arts Chair Mr. Alexander was the technical director.

The title of the Dance Concert was “Dancing Between Shadow And Light.” Ms. Gambino said, “The meaning behind this title was to help bring into light what’s hiding in the shadows in ourselves and in society, honoring the light and dark as Yin and Yang, balances both sides , like night and day and the stars and moon in the night sky. This is a very relevant theme in our world today.”

As Ms. Gambino said, the arts are, and hopefully always will be, a reflection of our deepest and most authentic selves. The arts allow us to explore and discover a safe and creative place to express our deepest thoughts, feelings, and emotions, bringing more meaning, joy, and beauty to life.”