February Issue 2019

February 2019 • Estd. 1892 • Vol. 126 #6 • Published Monthly • www.ihstattler.com Ithaca High School, 1401 North Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 • FREE

ICSD Unveils 11th Annual Equity Report Card Page 5

ICSD’s $120 Million Plan

Remembering Imaan

Five Reasons to Play a Sport

Page 6

Page 11

Page 24

Editorial

Editorial: Combatting Youth Violence

T

he 2018-19 school year has seen an unprecedented amount of shelter in place drills at IHS due to acts of violence.

Seemingly, fights have both increased in number and intensified in severity this year. The immediate response from the school administration has been to address these fights on a case-by-case basis, while maintaining the safety of the school community and the privacy of those involved in fights through limiting mobility around the school as fights are being addressed. While this approach has been effective in restoring order and preventing the spread of student-taken recordings of fights, it fails to address the fundamental errors that cause youth aggression and violence, both inside and outside of the school environment.

The fact of the matter is, there is not one reason why youth develop violent tendencies.

Rather, these tendencies develop through a series of interrelated psychological and behavioral factors, as well as through the relationships, communities and societal influences that an individual has in their youth. These behavioral factors often appear in combination with or as a result of influences from interpersonal relationships in one’s life, including with family, friends, peers, and even educators. Children model their behavior based on the social interactions that they have regularly, and when peers and figures of authority display violent or aggressive behavior, in many cases, so too do children. The absence of family and social support also affect youth’s emotional functioning and behavior— Temple University Criminologist Joan McCord found in her study of underage crime that youth who engaged in violent confrontations were far less likely than non-offenders to have experienced adequate parental affection.

Because social interactions have a large in2

fluence on children’s behavior, social integration within formative communities, particularly schools, is another major trigger of violent tendencies in adolescents. Oftentimes, violent tendencies can be narrowed down to youths and adolescents being unheard and unseen by their community and society. When children and their ideas become invisible to the rest of the community they’re supposed to be a part of, they behave in ways to become visible.

Early intervention in the form of social work and academic support is one of the most effective ways in which the district could go about to lessen effects of youth violence. Most of the time, children that exhibit problematic behavior in early childhood only escalate to more severe aggression during adolescence. That’s why providing social and academic intervention in the early years of education is a necessary step to curbing youth violence amongst adolescents.

While ICSD administration prides itself on its individualized attention for students with emotional support needs, their actions in recent years have not reflected this—the 201415 ICSD budget slashed funding for necessary teacher aides, a decision that hit most hard in elementary schools. In the years since, this funding has not increased to its previous level, and the district as a whole appears to be stepping backwards in addressing this problem given that fewer resources are available now than in previous years.

Although district-wide moves have seemed contrary to the goal of reducing youth violence, school administrations within ICSD have taken commendable steps to provide students of all backgrounds and interests with opportunities to express themselves and to find a community. Extracurricular programming at IHS has increased significantly in recent years, with

over 60 clubs and student groups, and although specific interest groups are less common in elementary schools, many inclusive after-school programs are available to students.

This level of programming does not exist at the middle schools within the ICSD, however, and individualized attention should be devoted at all levels towards ensuring that students are matched with clubs, student groups, and opportunities in which they can feel valued and heard. By strengthening an individual’s bond to school and their environment, raising their self-esteem, and improving their interaction, competency, and social skills, social development programmes have been cited in multiple studies as one of the most effective in decreasing involvement in violence behavior and other culprits later on in life.

However daunting a task it is, it’s also on every single student at IHS to take up a role in order to make the difference in youth violence.

The next time you see a fight happening, don’t stand by, cheer on, record videos, or stereotype the people involved in the fight. Not only are these videos humiliating and hurtful for those involved, but they contribute to a school-wide culture that minimizes the serious systemic social problems that are are at the root of these issues. Rather, if you know an individual who feels isolated or is dealing with in their family, social, or academic setting, talk to them and contact adults who may be able to help.

The uptick in rates of youth violence across the country is a generational crisis. A problem of this magnitude must be tackled with compassion and urgency. While complex issues lie at its root, there are steps that school administrators, district officials, and individual students at IHS can take to lessen its impacts.

Editorial

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On December 20, over 150 IHS students joined a rally supporting teachers in their upcoming contract negotiations. A student group, Students for Democratic Schooling, organized students and promoted the event. They formed a “tunnel of support” to cheer on the contract negotiation team as they entered the board building.

On February 1, heavy snowfall caused extensive damage to the IHS parking lot. Flooding caused a portion of the lot to be closed, and the cleanup effort took several days.

Tony Yang ’19 web@ihstattler.com

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Fiona Botz ’19 Karuna Prasad ’20 distribution@ihstattler.com

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Aurora Wulff ’19 archivist@ihstattler.com

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Deborah Lynn advisor@ihstattler.com

COVER IMAGE FROM UNSPLASH The Tattler is the monthly student-run newspaper of Ithaca High School. All currently-enrolled students at Ithaca High School are welcome to submit writing and photographs. As an open forum, The Tattler invites opinion submissions and letters to the editor from all community members. Email submissions to editor@ihstattler.com or mail letters to: The Tattler 1401 North Cayuga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Send submissions by February 15th to be included in the March issue. The Tattler reserves the right to edit all submissions. All articles, columns, and advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of editorial staff.

To read The Tattler online, visit our website at www.ihstattler.com.

Corrections in the Literary Issue There were two mistakes found in the 2019 Literary Issue. The poem “The World at Night” was by Zach Foley and the poem “Fallen” was by Raia Gutman and Louisa Miller-Out. 3

News

January 15 Board Meeting Recap

By VAYNU KADIYALI The January 15 Board of Education (BoE) meeting was one of the most wide-ranging in recent memory, with topics discussed ranging from childhood nutrition to the upcoming ICSD budget. Several of the changes discussed will have a significant impact on current and future IHS students, and below is a recap of some of the most important agenda items: Childhood Nutrition Collaborative This year, ICSD’s childhood nutrition program has partnered with a group of wide-ranging agencies, collectively called the Childhood Nutrition Collaborative, that are working to ensure that the nutritional needs of all children in the district are met. A diverse group of agencies are involved, ranging from agricultural non-profits to students enrolled in Cornell’s Masters of Public Health program. Together, the district and these agencies have set a very specific goal for the coming year.

The New York State Education Department has recently implemented a program that will award districts 19 additional cents per meal if 30 percent or more of foods used in school meals are grown or processed in NY; the Childhood Nutrition Collaborative is working to ensure that ICSD can meet this goal. The Collaborative came to the January 15 board meeting in hopes of securing funding that would go towards hiring a coordinator to organize the district’s farm-to-table purchasing efforts in hopes of meeting the 30 percent goal. After a brief questioning period, the BoE unanimously voted to provide this funding to the Collaborative.

Thanks to this decision, students can expect to see more fresh, local produce in school meals in the coming year. Additionally, ICSD now offers universal school meals at two schools in the district—Beverly J. Martin (BJM) and Enfield Elementary Schools—and will explore offering this program at more schools in the district when state funding for school meals increases.

4

ICSD Athletics At the January 15 meeting, ICSD Athletic Director Samantha Little gave a presentation about the changes and future plans for athletic programming in the district. One of this year’s most significant athletic changes was a partnership with Ithaca College’s sports health department that provided social and emotional support and performance training to fall and winter athletes. Additionally, Little mentioned that athletic study halls, implemented in the last year at IHS and both middle schools, have allowed student athletes to retain their academic focus during sports seasons. There’s reason to believe both of these programs were resounding successes—a record 8 out of 10 fall sports teams received state academic honors this year.

The athletic department has also tried to become more inclusive of students with different athletic interests. IHS students were offered the chance to work with the sports performance team during the fall season, and the IHS E-sports club now offers students the opportunity to competitively play, and in the future develop, video games.

The future of district sports looks bright.

The athletic department plans to partner with the IHS video production club to broadcast more games online, and perhaps even more boldly, Director Little stated her support for making cardinal and gold the official school colors of every school in the district.

In the comments period after her presentation, board members were quick to ask Director Little about the future of IHS football. Little stated that the athletic department has already begun a partnership with the Ithaca Youth Bureau (IYB) to kickstart a resurgence of football, with an intramural league in the works. She did mention that, if participation numbers continue to dwindle, the JV and Varsity teams may be forced to merge.

Innovation at BJM BJM has been at the forefront of experien-

tial learning and family assistance programs at ICSD, and Principal Susan Eschbach presented to the board about a series of initiatives that the school has run in the past year. She began by showing the BoE a case study about flight in which first graders were able to learn about complex physical phenomena like thrust and drag through hands-on experiments. They also learned about the scientific method through experimentation involving flight, and combined their science learning with history when they watched videos of the Wright Brothers’ tests and visited the historic Brinley Street airplane factory. ICSD hopes to offer similar learning experiences to all students in the district, and many presentations in recent months have related to developments in experimental learning in the district.

Eschbach also discussed a family assistance program at BJM that has been extremely successful—its participation in the Federal Housing for School Success (HSS) grant program.

Through the program, a BJM social worker works with families experiencing or entering homelessness to contractually set goals regarding setting housing and career goals, and maintaining their involvement in their children’s education. If a family is able to sign such a contract, they are moved to the top of Ithaca’s public housing list, and so far, no family in the program has stayed in a shelter or hotel for over a month.

As one of only a handful of schools in the nation to have met the benchmarks to receive HSS funding in consecutive years, BJM sets an example for schools throughout the state and country that look to tackle homelessness.

The benefits have been drastic—the academic performance of children in the program has improved drastically, and BJM now has one of the district’s most involved parent communities, composed in part of parents who succeeded in the HSS program.

News

ICSD Unveils 11th Annual Equity Report Card

By JULIAN PERRY

I

n December, ICSD hosted several “conversations” around the community to discuss the latest edition of the ICSD Equity Report Card. The Equity Report Card measures metrics within the student body, ranging from graduation rates to suspension rates to involvement in co-curricular activities. The report card compares these metrics for students of differing races, economic statuses, and classifications.

According to its website, “We will have achieved equity when all measures indicate an absence of disproportionality in participation and achievement in terms of race, class, disability, and gender.” The report card measures progress toward that goal.

This year, ICSD made an effort to include students in the conversation over equity. An event aimed towards teaching students about the report was held at IHS on December 6. Students were shown tools for navigating the website, including how to view trends among particular demographics. Each metric can be viewed for a particular ethnic group, gender, or classification of special education versus general education.

Data for each metric is also available to compare free or reduced price lunch (FRPL) students and non-FRPL students. These distinctions can serve as proxies for socioeconomic differences when comparing student outcomes.

The Equity Report Card indicates that in 2017, the latest year for which data is available, graduation rates fell after several years of growth. In 2017, the rate of graduations from high school in four years was only 86 percent.

The decline in graduation rates was more pronounced for FRPL students, whose four-year graduation rate went from 87 percent in 2016 to 74.3 percent in 2017, while the rate remained steadier for non-FRPL students. The increased discrepancy between these two groups represents a growing socioeconomic achievement gap.

In addition to the statistics provided, the Equity Report Card includes links to pages detailing the district’s plans for meeting its goals with each metric. Already implemented policies to raise graduation rates include “data-informed decision-making structures” such as strategic reviews of grades and attendance to see who is in need of additional support, as well as the use of a “district data team” to keep students on track to meet graduation requirements.

In 2017, 2.5 percent of all ICSD students received out of school suspensions, an increase from just 1.78 percent in 2016. The disparity between FRPL and non-FRPL students is large: in 2017, 4.97 percent of FRPL students received out of school suspensions, while only 0.83 percent of non-FRPL students did. This means that in that year, an FRPL student was almost 6 times more likely to get suspended than their average

non-FRPL counterpart, a significant socioeconomic gap.

As part of efforts to decrease the suspension rates, ICSD lists “restorative justice” as a priority in finding alternatives to suspension. Additionally, a plan called the ICSD Professional Development Framework is being implemented to create a more inclusive district as part of plans to reduce the need for out of school suspensions.

As a metric for attendance, the Equity Report Card measures the rate of “chronic absenteeism,” the number of students missing more than 10 percent of school days in a year. This metric has remained steady over the three years for which it has been measured, as has the persistent gap between FRPL and non-FRPL students.

The threshold of 10 percent comes from the New York State Education Department, which has stated that missing that much class can have an effect on academic achievement.

ICSD says it is currently working on ways to identify and intervene with students chronically absent. Additionally, the district lists the creation of more meaningful curriculums as a way to reduce chronic absenteeism.

All data for the previous graphs comes from the Equity Report Card, available on the ICSD website. It can also be accessed at sites.google. com/icsd.k12.ny.us/erc, where statistics are available for other equity metrics as well as for specific racial groups and other classifications.

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News/Opinion

ICSD’s $120 Million Plan

By FIONA BOTZ

A

s more students, faculty, and staff continue to enter the ICSD community, a $120 million dollar proposal will be used in an attempt to address the growing need for flexible learning spaces and new facilities in the district. The ICSD Board of Education (BoE) has named this enterprise the Ithaca City School District Capital Improvement Project.

According to the ICSD website, the project is “...designed to enhance safety and security, upgrade teaching and learning spaces, and improve infrastructure across the District.” The ten-year-long plan aims to upgrade all of the ICSD schools in some way.

So far, the BoE has conducted five presentations regarding the project. At the first board meeting on June 26, 2018, the capital improvement process, capital project information sharing, and a conceptual project timeline were all discussed. The planning process has already taken place; facilities were evaluated from April through June. When these facilities were evaluated, deficient conditions were identified, corrective actions were proposed, ranked, and prioritized, and a funding source was identified.

Additionally, educational planning began in May and was finished in September. Currently, the scope of the project is being developed.

By March, details will be finalized. Throughout April and May, more about the project and its implications will be shared with the ICSD community. May 21 is the expected date on which the capital project referendum vote will take place.

At the monthly discussion and voting meeting on December 11, 2018, a presentation to

the BoE discussed in depth the scope of the project. The BoE addressed the main goals: to innovate teaching and learning environments, improve safety and security, and update infrastructure. Large multi-purpose rooms, more flexible learning spaces, co-curricular support, and classroom furniture are expected to be added to schools. The project also aims to update playgrounds, improve traffic loops, and make adjustments to areas that do not meet the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibits discrimination based on disability. Exceeding ADA requirements and bettering safety are the two goals behind the updates to front entrances at certain schools.

More adjustments include better roofing, heating and cooling systems, flooring, and painting.

Bathrooms are also expected to improve at some schools.

What can we expect to see starting in 2020?

At IHS, there will be a large amount of work done. The synthetic turf carpet will be replaced with new material, and the track will also be replaced due to its deteriorating condition. The stadium bleachers currently have limited accessibility and there are safety concerns around the bleachers. To address this, the bleachers may be decreased from 3,000 to 2,500 seats; walkways would be added to increase safety. The baseball field will have better drainage, and in the pool, the tiles, bleachers, diving boards, and ceiling will all be updated. Perhaps most significantly, the outside courtyard will be enclosed so students will have to check in to the main office before having access to the courtyard; this is intended to improve safety.

Other changes are also expected at IHS— the plan for the main office is to take it out of

the J wing and to transfer it into B (Activities), which will include a welcome center. The existing main office will be renovated to create a wellness suite, relocating guidance, nursing, and the psychology office there. Lab areas for humanities and STEM will fill the areas left behind from guidance, nursing, and the psychology office. Furthermore, York Lecture Hall is proposed to be separated into two separate areas; the bottom level would be used as a tiered seating lecture room, and the upper half would be turned into an area where either study halls or professional development conferences could take place.

In the elementary schools of the district, there will be more internal control over interior and exterior doors, and impact-resistant glass will be added to many locations. However, Caroline & South Hill will not be getting these changes during the first round of renovations.

The outdated septic systems will be improved at Caroline Elementary school, and roofing at South Hill will be updated. These are just a few of the many changes that ICSD expects to implement. In meeting with school administrators and community members, specific goals for future stages will be solidified in the coming months.

The BoE has conducted and will continue to conduct “Community Conversations” to ensure that all members of the community can and will take part in creating a vision for ICSD as the Capital Project is underway. The Capital Funds Project will be lengthy, but may provide long term improvements after its eventual completion.

Where Is Our Left?

By ISAIAH GUTMAN

O

n October 6, 2017, “centrist” James Damore, creator of the Google Memo, tweeted a picture of a bird, accompanied by the aphorism “Like a bird, society needs a functional left and right wing.” Damore’s quote is basic and seemingly useless, as usual, but his “observation” accidentally reveals an important insight into American politics. Taking Damore’s assertion at face value, he provokes a question about the nature of our discourse: do we have a thriving left-wing to match the very obviously vibrant right-wing? For some who would con6

sider themselves on “the left,” the answer would be a defiant Yes! Unfortunately, as many others on the left would be quick to remind us, leftists do not set the rules for debate, nor really have any input on them. James Damore probably wouldn’t like you to know it, but it is the left-wing, not the right, that is lacking in the American eagle, and our society’s dysfunction can at least partly be blamed on that.

Before discussion of the left’s lack of power, however, it would be prudent to define “the left.” It is, in fact, a good barometer of the left’s status that this is necessary, as a vast majority of Americans do not understand what the left is at all. The defining characteristics of being a CONTINUED ON PAGE 07

Opinion “WHERE IS OUR LEFT?” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 06 leftist have been obfuscated by a Democratic Party loyal more to business than worker, but the small, weakened movements that struggle on have not forgotten. The classic definition, no more out of date now than those of “conservative” and “fascist,” is simple: to be left, one must oppose oppression where ever it may arise.

Naturally, nothing is ever that simple. With a definition as simple as this, there are never-ending ways to either shoehorn yourself into qualifying as left or as disqualifying some ideological opposition as not left enough, or even not left at all. This leads to most of the Democratic Party being able to—without meaningful opposition—call themselves left-wing, just because they support gay rights, aren’t flamingly racist, and maybe support some stimulus spending.

This framing is incredibly damaging to the actual core of left-wing politics, which is tangentially related to some of this, but has a fundamentally different core. The real basis of left politics is the working class, labor politics.

The usage of the term “left” to describe a political position came from the French Revolution, when the more radical factions in the National Assembly would sit on the left side, across from the more conservative factions on the right. The French Revolution was a specific reaction to the treatment of the lower classes in France—upset by Louis XVI’s economic policy and the increasingly poor state of the country—and the grievances of the left have not been too significantly altered in the last two centuries.

Today, the world is still home to economic inequality not unlike what France experienced in the end of the 18th century. Unlike in France, the contrast is less visible to us. The ravages of imperialist capitalism and the extractivist policies of our contemporary economic order have been exacted on countries far outside our normal consideration. India, for example, lost tens of trillions of dollars of value to the British Empire and its occupation, which still leaves its mark today in the exacerbated caste system among other lasting effects. The Congo faces massive projects which exploit natural resources like coltan, which are essential to Western multinationals’ new gadgets. Meanwhile, many Westerners never consider the people, let alone the natural resources, of these nations even once in their lives, while the vast majority are not reminded nearly often enough to leave a lasting

impression. Just like pre-revolutionary France’s Ancien Regime, the governments of the Western world—and too often their counterparts in the Global South, their hands forced by the IMF and World Bank—ignore the well-being of their populace in favor of companies and the wealthy, allowing gross exploitation at home to pair with their neo-imperialist practice. Really, I could choose any modern Western state, not just pre-revolutionary France, to make this point. The problem the left must tackle is not just small incidents of oppression or even the systematic disadvantaging of one group or another. The enemy is nameable, and any respectable left must name it: the enemy is capitalism.

The sad reality of the matter is, the left does not really exist in this country. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) may have some degree of cultural relevance, especially online, but their members don’t even number in the hundreds of thousands. Outside of DSA, there do exist various, more explicitly anti-capitalist organizations, but the usual disagreements on the left (Anarchists vs Marxist-Leninists for example) have prevented any unified left movement from coalescing.

In the interest of fairness, it is not only petty disagreements that have been obstacles for the left. It is a very real issue that the US government has shut down any serious left activity in the past all of its existence, from nascent movements to once-strong ones like the labor unions.

Most of this was accomplished in two fell swoops in the 1910s/20s and 1940s/50s with the dual Red Scares, but the process has been gradual as well as punctuated by dramatic action. A former FBI official recently let slip that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez embodies the kind of person the FBI tried to keep out of government when he first got into the organization.

While this admission was certainly surprising, the content he revealed should shock no one on the left. The suppression of generations of left movements and figures, coupled with mass hysteria and propaganda against leftist governments, successful or not, have carefully built an America where the left is not a real presence in any discourse.

Recognizing that the left is not present, we must ask what the left brings to the table that is missing in American mainstream discourse. In reality, all of the left’s focuses are represented in discussion today, from environmental concerns to housing to mental health. The difference

comes in how they are addressed, and how they are incorporated into a narrative, or if they are.

If you went out on the street in America today, it would be difficult to find someone who believed everything was completely fine. Grievances run from the existential to the absurd, but they are near-ubiquitous. The way normalized discourse tackles them, however, reveals the left’s place in our politics. Nearly always, these issues, especially the environment and mental health, are treated as a result of the tragic flaws of humanity, a simple folly that we must resist within ourselves. The left offers a much more coherent alternative: analysis grounded within a critique of the institutions themselves that not only allow these issues but cause them. Global climate catastrophe is not a result of human nature, a drive to destroy, but a direct consequence of overproduction driven by capitalism. To stop it, the left argues, we need to fight global capital along with fighting our more destructive vices. The mental health problems that are so common among young people today, with huge numbers suffering from depression or anxiety, are not just problems with brain chemistry. The problem is much deeper, caused by a capitalist system where labor is not valued and the future is not invested in. These analyses are incorporated in a coherent metanarrative, where many of the world’s problems can be traced back to capitalism and the exploitation of the worker.

This is not to say that all these problems are so easily solved, but politically, having something that can be tangibly changed with material benefits makes for an excellent goal. Here, we come across a problem, as there is another political philosophy that almost fits the same description. Fascism did in fact arise as a reaction to the left, and as a result co-opts a lot of its rhetoric in an attempt at harnessing the raw power of the angry masses. However, fascism is a movement that does not originate in the working classes, but instead preys on them, turning them against a minority in their midst.

The left does the opposite—it has the potential of uniting the working class, by far the largest political force in any country, both against their mistreatment at the hands of the capitalist class and for a vision of the world where they are centered. This is where the core appeal of the left lies—in the hope for a better world, one where we can work together on saving us all.

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Opinion

The Democrats Need to be Smart in 2020

By CHLOE MOORE

W

ith the 2020 presidential primary season on the horizon, the Democratic field is beginning to come into focus. While just about everyone on the left, many in the center, and some on the right think that any alternative to the current administration would be an improvement, the Democrats must be careful to make it clear that they represent a movement of real change, not simply a return to stagnation and neoliberalism. That being said, they must also unite (yes, unite) around a candidate who has an actual shot at winning.

The Democratic field is already shaping up: Tulsi Gabbard (Rep.-HI), John Delaney (Rep.MD), former Housing Secretary Julian Castro, Venture for America’s Andrew Yang, and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg have all announced their intention to run for the highest office. Senators Kamala Harris (CA), Elizabeth Warren (MA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) have also announced. Several others are expected to declare soon, among them Amy Klobuchar (Sen-MN) and possibly Beto O’Rourke, who narrowly lost his 2018 Senate race to Ted Cruz in Texas. And while some on the left have concerns about their candidacies, Joe Biden, the former Vice President, and 2016 Democratic primary runner-up Bernie Sanders (Sen-VT), are two high-profile politicians who are likely to join the crowded field.

Let’s take a look at these potential candidates. Tulsi Gabbard is a representative from Hawaii and supported Sanders in the 2016 Democratic Primary election, but she has recently come under fire for her past support of groups that support LGBT conversion therapy.

She also has ties to Hindu nationalist groups.

John Delaney, of Maryland, has said that if he is elected, he will make “only bipartisan proposals in the first 100 days [of his tenure in office].”

While bipartisanship is an important quality, this comes across as having no real convictions.

It comes at a time when Democrats are, as a whole, moving further left, and Republicans are digging in their heels in support of Trump.

Castro is one of the most high-profile Latinos to ever seek the Democratic nomination. His liberal policies and young age (44) make him appealing, but many say he is too inexperienced.

However, even if he does not win the nomina8

tion, his candidacy would further diversify the field of candidates.

In terms of slightly more serious candidates, there are a number of possibilities. Elizabeth Warren is a highly intelligent, powerful woman, but she describes herself as “a capitalist down to [my] bones,” and has come under fire for claiming to be of Native American descent. She has signed a pledge to refuse fossil fuel donations and, as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, has been tougher on banks than many of her colleagues, but she has traditionally been a fairly easy target for the right, who describe her as “shrill” and “unlikeable.” While these insults are largely the result of sexism, she is admittedly not the most appealing of candidates overall.

Kamala Harris served as California’s Attorney General and is currently a Senator. She is more likeable than Warren, more experienced than Castro, and represents a more liberal side of the Democratic establishment. She has stated her support for, among other things, Medicare for All and a $15 minimum wage. The question remains, though: is America ready for a smart, sharp, empowered black woman to be President? Kirsten Gillibrand is another potential candidate. She was just elected to her second term as a Senator from New York. Her political career has been one of commendable adaptation; she has moved left along with the rest of the party on key issues such as gun control. Furthermore, she is distinctly likeable, and has the undeniable advantage of being white, which, unfortunately, may be what the party needs.

Other possibilities have even closer ties to the establishment than Harris, Gillibrand, and Warren. Cory Booker has recently been criticized for taking a lot of money from large pharmaceutical companies, and is seen by many as out of touch with the increasingly popular leftist wing of the Democratic party, spearheaded by the new Congresswoman from NY-14, the 29-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota, represents a bipartisan, amiable face that the New York Times called “Minnesota nice,” but that others say is too centrist. As a Senator, she has been derisively called the “Senator of Small Things,” for her focus on things like regulating swimming pool safety and lead levels in toys. While she

would be a nice change from the toxicity and partisanship of our current politics, it is unclear that she represents the kind of radical change Democrats want in 2020.

Former liberal hopeful, Beto O’Rourke garnered national attention for his impressive Senate run in Texas. He raised millions of dollars from small donations only, and did good work to make Texas more purple. He is also a younger white man, which seems in many respects very pragmatic. However, when he was a State Senator from El Paso, he voted in line with Donald Trump’s policies nearly a third of the time, and has been hesitant to support ideas like Medicare for All and the abolishment of ICE, which are becoming more mainstream in liberal policies.

Many are worried that Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders will run again. Biden is distinctly out of touch with the new face of the Democratic party, and is frankly too old (he’ll be 78 by the time the next president takes office). Bernie is even older, and, while I believe he should have been the 2016 Democratic nominee, his moment in the spotlight has, in my view, largely come and gone. Both Biden and Sanders should instead focus on using their large bases and web of connections to campaign for whoever appears to be the most likely to win.

This campaign season appears to be shaping up to be difficult. Democrats must decide if they will run someone more radical or more establishment, a firebrand or someone committed to civility. My opinion, formed by political values and pragmatism, is that Kirsten Gillibrand would be the best option, with someone like Beto O’Rourke, a generically appealing man, as her Vice President. While I would love to see Kamala Harris become our first black female president, I worry that her identity represents too much change for those in the center. Should Gillibrand win, I would recommend Harris as her Attorney General and Warren as her Treasury Secretary. Regardless of who secures the nomination, the left must be ready to rally around that candidate completely, rather than remaining split the way it did in 2016. It is important to hold powerful people accountable, including those you support, but first, you have to get them elected.

Opinion/Features

The Word ‘Like’

By JINHO PARK I’m plagued by the word ‘like.’

This is the same sentence, but instead, how I would word it in speech: “I’m, like, plagued, like, by the word ‘like.’” The worst part is that I’m not exaggerating. I use the word ‘like’ excessively, and every time I use it, I curse myself for not stopping myself.

Why do I use ‘like’ so much?

‘Like’ allows me to compensate for my lack of creating a complete thought before I speak—‘like’ lets me catch up with myself. I finish my next phrase in my mind right as I race to put my previous jumble of thoughts into one coherent sentence. But instead of taking the time to construct a more complete idea, I race through my sentences, letting ‘like’ fill up the gaps.

Sometimes, ‘like’ can also bring a casual factor to conversations. It has become part of my vocabulary for day-to-day conversations with friends.

It’s difficult to explain, but I’m sure today’s students get this—‘like’ accentuates a more casual vibe that our generation strives for in conversation.

In a perfect world, ‘like’ would be used only as a linking phrase that compares two ideas, and not as a sentence filler. Depending on the occasion, it’s important to be formal or casual, and since ‘like’ can also be uti-

lized in a casual manner to great effect, the usage of the word ‘like’ should be adjusted accordingly.

A fresh perspective on the word ‘like’ concerns pace. In a time of instantaneous communication and widely available information, the world is becoming faster, day by day. Our usage of the word ‘like’ demonstrates that. ‘Like’ allows us to engage in a conversation at a faster speed. It’s like trying to play a piece of music faster than you’ve ever done before. You race through the piece, with technical errors littered throughout. In our conversations, the word ‘like’ is the technical errors. As a result, we get through our conversations faster, but we lose out on a more eloquent and refined form of speech.

Of the countless slogans I was fed in elementary school, perhaps the most ubiquitous was, “Think before you speak.” Now, as I reflect upon my usage of ‘like,’ that mantra takes on a different meaning. Spending the time to structure a well-phrased sentence before you speak eradicates the usage of the word ‘like.’ Without ‘like’ as filler, the sentence breathes free.

‘Like’ is unique—it is being repurposed as a modern filler word from its original use as a tool to compare. Reinvigorated by this change, ‘like’ is a multipurpose word that is best used in moderation, and is one that we should consider more for the large role it fulfills in our lives.

Luna Incognita...Cognita?

By ANNA WESTWIG

C

ontrary to popular belief and Pink Floyd, the dark side of the moon isn’t, well, dark. It’s bathed in the same amount of the sun’s rays as the near side is; it just never turns to face Earth. This has made it somewhat difficult to study. But the far side has just been metaphorically illuminated by China’s Chang’e-4 lander, which completed the first successful soft landing on the far side of the moon on January 3. The examination of the mysterious pockmarked surface offers up a plethora of discoveries that could tell us the origin of the universe, establish a greenhouse on the moon, and determine the chemical composition of lunar rock on the far side.

The far side of the moon has been out-of-bounds territory for space agencies because it is very hard to communicate with, thanks to radio signals not being able to travel through the entire moon between it and Earth.

In fact, the first humans to ever glimpse the far side of the moon were the Apollo 8 astronauts as they orbited around it. Chang’e-4, therefore, has to go through a communications-relay satellite, called Queqiao (literally “magpie bridge”). The Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) launched the satellite on May 20, 2018 in preparation for its landing.

But because of the inability for radio signals to pass through, the far side is also a prime spot for an astronomical observatory. This is why Chang’e could give us information about the origins of the universe. After the urging of several astronomers, a low-frequency radio telescope has been included among the lander’s several capabilities. The microwave background radiation, discovered by Arno A. Penzias and Robert W. Wilson in 1965, will be measured and could help us discover more about the Big Bang, the event that created the entire universe. In order to do this, they will use the Advanced Small Analyzer for Neutrals (ASAN).

The main goal of the Chang’e mission is to study the lunar composi-

tion of the far side. An ancient collision event left a colossal crater on the moon, called the Aitken Basin, which is exposed to deep lunar crust and mantle materials. This would be unprecedented in terms of figuring out the internal structure of the moon. The far side is also helpful in this aspect because the lack of lava flows has left an intact record of impact craters.

The moon’s surface is also surprisingly full of water. One theory for its existence is that solar winds (highly charged particles including hydrogen) react with the oxygen in the minerals of the surface. But this is notoriously hard to replicate in a lab, so it’s most easily observed where it happens naturally: on the actual moon. Discovering how this water is created could have long-ranging implications for a manned base on the moon, where harvesting water from the surface could be much cheaper than bringing it.

Less weight means less money, and in the billions of dollars it takes to do these kinds of missions, every cent counts.

Directly after landing, Chang’e deployed a rover that made the first tracks of its kind in the soft lunar soil, with solar panels spread out like a baby chick learning to fly for the first time. The rover, dubbed Yutu-2, is named after the jade-rabbit, which was the pet of the moon goddess, Chang’e. The rover sent back images of far side surfaces on January 3.

Perhaps the most interesting among the capabilities of Chang’e is the fact that it houses a biosphere filled with cotton seeds and insect larvae.

Unfortunately, only ten days after the cotton seeds sprouted, the low lunar temperatures proved too dangerous, and the 100-day experiment was terminated on January 13. Despite its brevity, the experiment was still a success; seeds germinated, which could have long-lasting implications for a self-sustaining moon base. Overall, Chang’e-4 is historic, groundbreaking, and maybe could even be the start of a second space race between the U.S. and China.

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Features

In Memory of Kathleen McCarthy

By AURORA WULFF

K

athleen McCarthy ‘64, passed away on May 29, 2018. Kathleen was the first in her class to learn to read at Cayuga Heights Elementary School. Her father, Stephen McCarthy, was the head librarian at Cornell, and her mother was a librarian at Tompkins County Library. Kathleen went to Radcliffe College to study philosophy and literature and received a B.A. cum laude with concentrations in English and Philosophy. Her first career was in publishing in New York City. She worked at Farrar, Straus & Giroux, then became an editor at Africana Publishing company. Subsequently, she acquired the position of philosophy editor at Columbia University Press.

In her thirties, Kathy switched career paths and went back to college to receive her B.S.N degree summa cum laude/first in class from Hunter College and the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing. She worked as a community health nurse and provided care for geriatric and HIV-positive patients in Harlem and the Lower East Side. Kathleen was an avid reader throughout her life. Her sister, Louise Mehta, says of her: “She was a woman who combined qualities seldom found in a single person. She was intellectually gifted and found much pleasure in the life of the mind. At the same time, as reflected in her career shift, she was deeply compassionate and driven to serve those in need. She fiercely opposed privilege in all its forms.” Kathleen also traveled widely, visiting Mali, the Sahara, and a remote village in Bangladesh to visit girls who she supported through Save the Children. She visited Africa, India, and traveled to Eastern Turkey, Jordan and Israel. In the US, she made cross-country trips and circled the perimeter of Manhattan (32 miles) twice.

Kathleen gave back to her city through volunteer work. Through New

York Cares, she worked for New York Public Library, the Common Pantry, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, and the Parks Department, completing 149 projects and 450 volunteer hours. In her retirement, she worked with the Reading Partners Program at Public School 188 on the Lower East Side.

She also served as a homework assistant for children at Goddard Riverside Star Learning Center.

To memorialize Kathy and reflect her lifelong love of reading, her classmates, family, and friends reached out in June of 2018 to see if they could donate to the IHS library. The funds donated in memory of Kathleen McCarthy will be used to purchase several hundred books over the next few years, including titles recommended by her students, popular fiction, and titles that reflect her interests in philosophy and literature.

The primary purpose of the donations in honor of Kathleen’s memory is to encourage current and future students to enjoy reading. If you open up a book from the IHS Library and it has a dedication inside stating “In memory of Kathleen McCarthy. . .” you can now appreciate Kathleen’s legacy.

Below is an excerpt from the Tattler’s June 3, 1963 issue from Kathleen’s time as a Tattler editor.

‘Tattler’ Editors Named for 1963-64

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Two junior girls, Kathleen McCarthy and Martha Warren, have been named co-editors of the 1963-64 Tattler. Both of them have been members of the staff this year, and both of them have older sisters who were Tattler editors in their senior years. Louise McCarthy who graduated from Radcliffe this month, was a co-editor in 1958-59 and Mrs. Alice Warren Tomboulian, now living with her husband and two children in Rochester, Michigan, was co-editor in 1950-51.

Kathy is a member of the French and Latin clubs, the National Honor Society, and the library staff. She expects to go to a library staff. She expects to go to a liberal arts college after high school graduation but hasn’t decided on which one.

Martha is also a member of the French Club and the National Honor Society and until this year was Active in Girl Scouts. She expects to go the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell but has not yet decided on a major.

Remembering Imaan

By VAYNU KADIYALI

I

maan Grewal ‘18 passed away in December after a lengthy battle with cancer. While at IHS, Imaan was an active member of many communities—he was a member of Code Red, as well as the varsity football and baseball teams—and he touched the lives of countless friends, classmates, and teammates.

The joy that Imaan brought to others was on full display at a celebration of Imaan’s life on Saturday, January 12. The IHS cafeteria was packed with his family members, friends, and teammates, all of whom shared memories of Imaan and described the impact that he had on their lives. Members of the football team came in uniform to show their unity in light of the loss and to support Imaan’s family.

The Tattler wants to provide the IHS community with a chance to remember Imaan and his legacy as a giving teammate, a loyal friend, and a fun-loving individual. Below are some memories of Imaan from IHS students: Joshua Kuplen ‘20: I was absolutely stunned when I heard about Imaan’s passing recently.

Imaan was one of the funniest and most light hearted people I’ve come to know. He always had a positive attitude about everything, and was such a friendly person to talk to. I rode the bus with Imaan for many years. We would laugh and

talk year after year together, about everything from sports to school; it was always better with him there.

Thank you for being a part of my life, Imaan.

Boston just lost their biggest fan.

William Just ‘20: When Imaan would walk onto the bus every afternoon, Josh Kuplen ‘20 and I would pester him about not going to Code Red. This usually sparked long conversations about what he had to do later in the day, and we all became very close friends through this.

Davina Barrett ‘19: Imaan always laughed at me doing weird things. He had a great smile. I never seen him mad ever in my life. I didn’t talk to him much but I knew he was a good person.

He was always making jokes and trying to get laughs. His jokes sometimes were corny but I always tried to listen and laugh out loud.

Ren Hogg ‘19: I remember going to summer camp at the Codington Community Center with Imaan. Imaan, my brother, and I would play together in a fort that we were part of. Even though we were friends close to a decade ago, I still remember how infectious his smile was.

After all these years we went our separate ways, but Imaan, I will always have you in my heart.

Rest in Peace.

Features

Renat Urazgildiiev ‘21: Last year, when I was just a rookie in Code Red, he was one of the most supportive veterans of the club. He had a great sense of humor and he used it well. He would help others, he would explain things, and most importantly, he was a great friend to all.

Prachi Ruina ‘19: We watched the Super Bowl in 2016 and 2017 together at our friend’s house and I remember Imaan was one of the only people who was really watching the game. He lightened up the whole room with his enthusiasm and his laugh and smile.

Emma Duell ‘22: I would always see Imaan at Code Red competitions with my older brother and he was always so happy and inclusive. He answered any and all questions about the robot or what was going on, and he was extremely kind.

Mollie Creagan ‘19: I did not know Imaan super well, but I just remember always seeing him smiling and full of energy in the hallways. I had a lunch period with him, and he would always be making his friends laugh. One of my friends who was close with him would always talk about how supportive and goofy Imaan was, and when I heard he passed away I was in shock. I truly couldn’t believe this person who I always saw as such a bright presence was dealing with something so painful, and yet, it seemed like he always seemed to put his friends’ happiness first.

That was something so admirable that will always stick with me when I think about him.

Emma Hagen ‘20: I remember going to robotics competitions with Imaan, and anytime I would get stressed, he would give me a huge hug or let me punch his hands ‘till I calmed down. I also remember about a month before he passed away, we were talking and he told me, “You’re like my little sister and I miss you. I am so thankful to have you in my life.”

Donations in Imaan’s memory may be made to the Lymphoma Research Foundation, and to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Additionally, Imaan’s family encourages you to join a bone marrow transplant registry—it could save a life.

IMAGE PROVIDED Imaan Grewal ‘18 (right) and his friends at IHS graduation in June 2018.

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Features

From the Archives:

Excerpts from the Tattler Issues of Yesteryear

By AURORA WULFF

There is a small handful of people at IHS who know about a very small, very pink room at the very end of the E-wing. Although small and unassuming, this room is the deepest one can go into the chronicles of IHS. In that room, there are four average-looking filing cabinets that contain annals of IHS Tattler history, dating back 126 years. Here follows a selection.

Read more online at https://tattlerarchive.wordpress.com/ Note: The current Tattler does not necessarily endorse the opinions published in historical Tattlers.

February, 1929 A Thought

By: Esther Howley When happiness bestirs the air, And flowers blossom everywhere, Then is the time that you shall see, What the world was meant to be.

When birds return with their joyous cry, And lakes and streams and brooks are high, The world forgets the winter past, In the joy that spring has come at last.

February 20, 1936 Dogs in School By: J.T.

This title may sound incongruous, but there is truth in it. Every few days some wandering canine seeks the joy and variety of a scholarly companionship.

The extent of the dogs’ visitation depends entirely upon the room first entered. Although some of the teachers approve of “Fido” and encourage the elongation of his stay, others are not so hospitably inclined.

These insist upon his being led out into the cold world 12

Here peace and happiness should reign supreme And everything should sunshine beam, Then the world would wake and see What the world was meant to be.

A Friend By: Eloise Corgel I could sail the waters of all this world, Bitter and mild and blue; And never I’d find a friend to love As the friend I’ve found in you.

I could walk down all the roads in this world, And knock on doors forever; But never I’d find a friend like you Never, never, never

immediately. There seems to be a strange temptation to the male residents of our institution to attract the hounds attention by whistling and other means. The teacher resents this, rather than the outsiders mere presence.

Some of the varied expressions with which the innocent cur is created are: “Voici de chien!” “Sehen Sie den Hund!” and “Videte Canein.”

Inasmuch as not all of the instructors approve of this visitor, some way must be found to accommodate him.

Possibly we could set aside one room in which all the “Fidos” and “Rovers” could congregate. The new museum might be the answer.

Features

February 12, 1999 Valentine’s Day Resolutions By: Jimmy Moody ‘00

It’s that time of year again, time for the yearly outpouring of love and romance. It’s almost Valentine’s Day. Being only a month and a half away from New Years. I was thinking we might combine the tradition of the New Year’s Resolution, and the spirit of Valentine’s Day into a new holiday. It could be called “Romance Resolution Day,” where you make a resolution to help your love life, or those inadvertently involved in your love life. If your relationship isn’t running smoothly, and you’re not sure why, here are some sample resolutions for you to try: - I will expand my list of endearments (read: pronouns) past “honey”. This will not only help my sweetie, who is now confusing himself with an insect waste product, but it will save the ears of all who have to spend time with me.

- I will limit the number of girlfriends I have at any specific time to one. This will make dating logistics much easier, because one is less than two. Indirectly this will help my blood pressure, stress level, and the hole I’ve been digging in the carpet.

- I will admit that the baby is mine. This will not only get the police off my case, but it will end the angry messages my ex leaves on my machine at three in the morning.

- I will get a prescription for Viagra.

- I will talk to my boyfriend about having a kid, instead of replacing my birth control pills with Prozac.

- I will stop referring to my girlfriend as “ho”, “bitch”, or “woman.”

- I will stop referring to my boyfriend as my fiance.

- I will stop asking for a menage a trois with my current love and my ex.

February 3, 1961 The following is a promotion of a debate between two former IHS clubs—the Congress club, and the Legislative club. In this promotion, the leader of each club wrote a brief, humorous biography of the other. Paul Wolfowitz ‘61 headed the Congress club. (See the “Vice” review on page 18) By: Paul Wolfowitz “What do you mean, do I have dishpan hands?” shouted an enraged Sue Parsons as she flung a spoonful of spaghetti at the Tattler reporter who was attempting to get some earthy facts for a Who’s Who. This beguiling damsel, whose name inspires loathing and contempt in the heart of every Congressman but one, was cleaning up after the first Legislative success of the year.

Sue has had a lifelong interest in Legislative. Ever since childhood, she has been picking on her brother, who is too nice to fight back. Like the other members of her infamous club, she thinks Legislative will win the debate again this year.

Sue’s other interests include the National Honors Society and the swimming team. She is also a student-guide and a board member of Clubs Council.

During the summer Sue spends much of her time in Cayuga Lake sailing.

Sue likes the Congressional Record and men who smoke pipes. Her first love, however, is federal lunch, “especially that deevine corned beef hash.” Naturally,

she dislikes everything connected with Congress, except its members.

She would like to attend college. Her main choices are Mount Holyoke, Cornell, Smith, Sarah Lawrence, Caltech, and Colorado School of Mines. Her major will be psychology!

By: Susan Parsons “Who let the dog in?” asked Paul, looking up from the funny papers in which he was engrossed. He was busy planning the agenda for an upcoming Congress meeting, and had several comments to make about the organization which, unfortunately rests upon his tired shoulders. “Why,” he moaned, “does Legislative meet on our meeting day? Our attendance is shattered by this coincidence.” He consulted the scrawled agenda, and remarked that the first order of business would be the expulsion of Terry Boyle and Tom Rawsky for fraternizing with the enemy.

In addition to Congress, Paul’s distorted interests include Accelerated American History and National Honor Society. He is fond of both extensions and functioning committee co-chairman. Paul plays clarinet in the band, and is on the swimming team. In addition, he is a board member of Clubs Council. Paul serves as editorial assistant for the Tattler, and takes pride in harassing the entire staff to get assignments completed promptly.

About future plans, Paul commented: “I will attend college either at Cornell, Harvard, or McNeese (LA) State Teachers College.

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Introduction The language of flowers or, more scientifically speaking, floriography, has been around for hundreds of years with separate origins. It is said to have originated in Constantinople where harem wives would encode secret messages. However, it is also quite possible that Victorian women exaggerated a simple game to market something as “exotic” to the Englanders. Its popularity peaked in Victorian London and in America during the 19th century, where it was commonplace to encode intricate messages in the arrangement, type, and number of different flowers.

People, equipped with floral dictionaries, would often exchange small “talking bouquets”, called nosegays. Though floriography is quite arbitrary and the meaning of a flower can vary widely in different regions and times, it has always been something quietly budding in the background. Today, a few remnants of this craze are left over. After all, everyone knows what a rose means and forget-me-nots are self-explanatory.

Here are a few flowers that may help you with your Valentine’s day endeavours or in your attempt to stage a revolutionary plot.

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Rose The Rose is perhaps one of the most famous flowers, and certainly the one whose meaning is most widely recognized. They usually mean love, with the different shades each displaying a different kind: red is passionate love, yellow is friendship, white is purity.

There are a few exceptions to this rule.

For example, in Japan, this flower is a little more passive aggressive, saying that “beauty is your only virtue.” Harsh.

Also, the yellow flower meaning friendship? In Texas, not so much; a yellow rose (which is also the state flower) means passionate love.

Rhododendron It’s 18th century London and you’re walking briskly down the street when someone stops you. There is nothing more alarming than seeing the bright flash of Rhododendron buds. This bush means danger. This is because the lovely pink Rhododendron blooms are quite toxic. Another shade of meaning is “I am dangerous.” Don’t let anyone tell you that pink flowers aren’t intimidating.

Pineapple Pineapples have long been the sign of luxury and opulence ever since they were transported to Europe across the Atlantic during the Columbian Exchange. In fact, it was commonplace that those who weren’t rich enough to buy a pineapple, would rent one instead in order to show off at parties.

So, if you’re hoping to impress your significant other, you can do it the Victorian way by saying “you are perfect” with a quick trip to Wegmans.

Tansy Tansy, which was a herb commonly used to induce miscarriages, came to mean “I hate you”. So, while declarations of love may be blooming around you, break the mold and ruin relationships and friendships using a bouquet with tansy in it (note: The Tattler does not condone doing this).

Earlier on, during the middle ages, Tansy could also be used as a formal declaration of war. Again, The Tattler does not support or promote declarations of war.

Hyacinth Owing its meaning to the myth of Apollo and Hyacinth, in which the sun god kills the beautiful Spartan prince, the hyacinth means “please forgive me.” The myth says that Apollo and Hyacinth were playing a game of discus, when Apollo threw the discus so hard it slit the clouds and Hyacinth, hoping to impress the god, ran forward to catch it. Instead, the discus decapitated him and Apollo, devastated, wanted to die with him. As he was immortal and could not die, he created the Hyacinth out of his lover’s blood. The Greeks believed this to be the most beautiful of all flowers.

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Features

Hall Monitor

By ALEX CLAVEL

If you could have an unlimited supply of one food, what would it be?

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Felix Shi ‘19: “Ramen” Jackson Falk ‘19: “Hummus for sure”

Julianna Saggese ‘19: “Sumo rice”

Zach O’Neill ‘21: “Rice”

Blythe Hodgson ‘22: “Ice cream”

Annarose O’Bannion ‘22: “Chocolate”

Stella Frank ‘21: “Pizza from The Nines, because they’re closed”

Features

Jasmine Cuevas ‘19: “Chicken parm sub”

Ulyssa Presley ‘22: “Chicken caesar salad”

Tara Dikyikhangsar and Georgia Haverlock ‘20 Tara: “Rice” Georgia: “Cookies”

Peter Estill ‘19: “Something I could sell for a lot of money, like filet mignon”

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Arts

In Vice, the Horror and Hilarity of a Political Journey

IMAGE PROVIDED

By JULIAN PERRY

I

watch few new movies, but when I saw that Adam McKay was directing a Dick Cheney biopic, I knew that I had to make an exception. The director of some of my favorite movies—comedies like Step Brothers and Anchorman—was taking on the topic of US Cabinet history (fun!). Vice did not disappoint.

Going into the theater, I was nervous about what message the film would actually be sending. I knew that, should McKay approach the film with the tone of his previous comedies, it would serve only to depict Cheney as a lovable buffoon, rather than a man whose actions have had serious consequences in human history. Reducing the Iraq War to just a punchline, or turning torture into a comedic device, would fail to do justice to the legacies of those policies. This does not happen in Vice. McKay blends funny scenes with horrifying ones, making the film at points uncomfortable to watch, but managing to simultaneously find humor in the exploits of 18

the characters while exposing the grave consequences of their actions.

The most impressive part of the film may be Christian Bale’s transformation, playing Cheney from his early twenties until after the Vice Presidency, four decades later. The physical transformation, aided by extensive prosthetics and makeup, is only one part of this. The change in appearance is joined by character growth, as Cheney goes from a young man with political ambitions to a supervillain-esque puppet master whose influence extends beyond the White House to every federal department and both houses of Congress.

Cheney is surrounded by a diverse ensemble of political figures, embarrassments to our political system who keep the film entertaining.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, played

by Steve Carell, is an unexpected source of comic relief whose relationship with Cheney may be one of the most interesting parts of the film. Rumsfeld is joined by a variety of incompetent characters in the Vice President’s

inner circle, from Scooter Libby to Paul Wolfowitz ‘61 (that’s right! One of the architects of the Iraq War was an IHS alum). As Cheney transitions from an affable up-and-comer into McKay’s vision of a ruthless war criminal, these background characters do the heavy lifting to keep a comedic film from becoming too dark.

Vice is a funny movie, and not just for political junkies like myself. It is unique in its ability to convey a degree of humor while showing respect for the seriousness of the subjects it addresses. Rather than turning the war and torture of Cheney’s legacy into jokes, the film satirizes the incompetence, selfishness, and corruption that led to them. At a time when political comedy is finding unprecedented success, from the popularity of SNL to the growing influence of Stephen Colbert, Vice makes a mockery of our government from a time when we didn’t have an executive branch making that such an easy task.

Arts

Comparing Two Biopics of Vincent Van Gogh

IMAGES FROM ROTTEN TOMATOES

By CHLOE MOORE

T

wo movies about the life and death of the troubled painter, Vincent van Gogh, were released in the past two years, and both used a fascinating variety of cinematic techniques to portray the enigmatic figure. Loving Vincent, released in September of 2017, was beautifully animated with oil paintings done in van Gogh’s style. At Eternity’s Gate, released roughly one year later in September 2018, featured Willem Dafoe as van Gogh, and was filmed almost entirely with handheld cameras.

Both focused on van Gogh’s often troubled interactions with the people around him. Loving Vincent was set after his death, as his friends and doctors from his time in Arles, France attempted to unravel the mystery of his death. He was shot in the stomach, but it was unclear for some time whether it was a suicide or a murder. The characters were based directly on van Gogh’s

paintings of them, including the innkeeper and the postmaster, as well as a young woman he befriended.

At Eternity’s Gate worked to paint a portrait of van Gogh while he lived. It focused on his descent into mental illness, and illustrated his relationship with his brother, Theo (Rupert Friend), and fellow painter Paul Gauguin (Oscar Isaac). The handheld filming style depicted a very intimate portrait of the artist, but was slightly nauseating as the filming was fairly shaky. In addition, many of the shots could and should have been cut down in length by quite a bit. Another critique I would make is that the film occasionally played into the trope that van Gogh was only a talented artist because he was tragic and mentally ill, although, to its credit, the many scenes of van Gogh simply painting helped to offset that narrative by showing him actively practicing his craft. Most important to the film is the fact that Dafoe’s performance was breathtaking, and he brought both a ten-

derness and a slight wildness to the character.

I watched Loving Vincent first, shortly after it came out, and was blown away by the scale and scope of the production process, as well as the intricacy and accuracy of the paintings with which it was animated. Given its success both artistically and emotionally, I was hesitant going into At Eternity’s Gate, as I worried that the film would either exhaust the subject, fail to hold up to Loving Vincent’s standard, or worse, both.

However, I found myself pleasantly surprised and duly impressed. At Eternity’s Gate seemed, in some ways, to be as layered as one of van Gogh’s paintings. Produced by Jon Kilik, it used overlapping sound loops of both dialogue and background noise, as well as blurred filters over parts of some scenes, to add an extra dimension. Both films were masterful and insightful, and opened a window into the life and art of one of the world’s most revered and misunderstood painters.

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Arts

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Arts

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Arts

Febuary Jazz

By FRITS MAROHN

Link to Youtube playlist: “A Love Supreme Pt. 1 Acknowledgement”

by John Coltrane

A Love Supreme is a jazz album composed by John Coltrane and released in 1964. Composed in four parts, the suite of the album A Love Supreme is a mix of avant-garde jazz, modal jazz, and free jazz. Coltrane’s album received rave reviews and many jazz cognoscenti consider A Love Supreme the greatest jazz album of all time.

son, Stolen Moments appears on the album The Blues and the Abstract Truth. Musicians Freddie Hubbard and Bill Evans play on the record, marking Bill Evans’ only collaboration with Oliver Nelson.

“Nardis” (Joe Henderson Version) by Miles Davis

A staple of the modal jazz period, Nardis first appeared on Portrait of Cannonball in 1958.

“Nardis” is commonly associated with Bill Evans, who is often incorrectly believed to have written the tune. Joe Henderson included his take on the song in his debut album, The Kicker, released in 1967.

contributions to jazz after its release on Brubeck Plays Brubeck in 1956. Artists including Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Keith Jarrett, and Robert Glasper have recorded covers of the tune.

“Ginza Samba” by Vince Guaraldi

“Ginza Samba” is the third tune on the album From All Sides, released in 1964. Vince Guaraldi is known for composing the music for “Peanuts: Christmas Special,” from A Charlie Brown Christmas in the 1960’s, though his music career in jazz dates back to 1953.

“The Blessing” by Ornette Coleman

“In Your Own Sweet Way” (solo version) by Dave Brubeck

“Stolen Moments” by Oliver Nelson

A classic hard-bop jazz standard by Oliver Nel22

Brubeck wrote “In Your Own Sweet Way” in 1952 for his wife Lola Brubeck. The standard became one of Dave Brubeck’s most famous

Ornette Coleman’s 1958 debut album Something Else!!!! featured “The Blessing” as its second tune. Although the album is considered a classical bebop sound, Coleman would later experiment in free jazz further in his career.

Arts

“Soul Eyes” (John Coltrane Version) by Mal Waldron

“Soul Eyes” first appeared on Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors in 1957. Waldron says he wrote the melody to “Soul Eyes” with Coltrane in mind; Coltrane is one of two tenor sax players who performs on the 1957 record. Coltrane brought the ballad into the lexicon of many jazz musicians on his 1962 album Coltrane.

“Speak Like a Child” by Herbie Hancock

“It Could Happen to You” (Ryo Fukui Version) by Jimmy Van Heusen & Johnny Burke

Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke wrote the popular standard “It Could Happen to You” in 1943, and the song later appeared in the musical comedy film And All the Angels Sing in 1944. Ryo Fukui recorded his own take on his 1976 album Scenery, which largely went unnoticed in America at the time of its release.

Interestingly, Fukui taught himself piano at age 22 and released Scenery five years later.

“Ask Me Now” (Solo Piano Version) by Thelonious Monk

While Monk recorded his tonally ambiguous “Ask Me Now” in 1951, he reapproached the song again for his solo record titled Solo Monk in 1965. Described as possessing a mordant and angular sound, his style garnered praise from some and ambivalence from others. He is the second most recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington.

“Moon Dreams” by Chummy MacGregor and John Mercer, arr. Gil Evans

“Three Flowers” (1991 Solo Version) by McCoy Tyner

The title track of Hancock’s 1968 album Speak Like a Child sought to portray, in Hancock’s words, “a forward look into what could be a bright future”. The album is noted for employing an unusual lineup of flugelhorn, alto flute, and bass trombone. The cover shows Hancock kissing his then girlfriend Gigi Meixner.

“Three Flowers” originally appeared on the album Today and Tomorrow in 1964. The album Soliloquy, released over 25 years later, features the solo version of “Three Flowers.” Tyner recorded Soliloquy in Manhattan’s Merkin Hall without an audience.

“Moon Dreams” was written by duo MacGregor and Mercer in 1942, and was popularized by the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the 1940’s.

Canadian pianist Gil Evans wrote an arrangement for a variety of horns, including tuba and French horn, which are unusual in jazz, on the West Coast jazz album released by Miles Davis called Birth of the Cool.

23

Sports

Five Reasons to Play a Sport

IMAGE PROVIDED

By FIONA BOTZ

S

enior year is a time of reflection for many high school students. We reflect upon previous classes, friends who have come and gone, and amazing teachers who helped us along the way. A major aspect of their time at IHS for a great deal of students is their experience with sports. For most kids, it has helped shape them into the individuals they are today.

As I approach my tenth and final sports season, I can confidently say I will never regret the energy, time, and effort I put into my two sports: tennis and softball. I encourage anyone who is thinking about joining a sport to do so, and I want to share why I believe playing a sport at IHS is one of the best decisions you can make in your high school career.

1. Make incredible friends I would have never become friends with the majority of my teammates had I not decided to join the sport. Over time, tryouts, practices, and bus rides to and from games can transform distant strangers into great friends. It is a wonderful feeling to walk to your class and be able to say hi to teammates scattered throughout bustling hallways. Being a part of a team enables you to feel and be more connected to the IHS community.

2. Build communication skills Playing a sport teaches you how to handle constructive criticism and how to ask for help when you are not getting what you need. These skills can transfer over to every other facet of your life. Personally, I have become more confident in asking for what I want and I have learned how to truly receive and internalize feedback when it is given. Whether you are on the track, court, field, or rink, you will inevitably find yourself wanting 24

or needing assistance with your technique. Being a part of a team allows you to hone in on your communication and confidence skills.

3. Get exercise Everyone knows that everyday practices, workouts in the weight room, and games can be exhausting at times. Instead of dreading these times because I know they will be tiring, I think of the great workout that I am receiving. When I reflect upon when I was the happiest during my time at high school, tennis and softball come into mind. This is because exercise makes us feel happier, sleep better, and improves our overall physical wellbeing.

4. Learn the game and make connections When you learn about your specific sport in depth, you are enriching yourself with information and expanding your mind. Later in life, such information can be a point of conversation with others. When people think back to their high school years, they usually bring up sports if they played them. This can help you bond with other people who have shared a familiar experience. Additionally, you may find yourself watching a basketball game and being able to understand exactly why a player acted a certain way. This is a fantastic feeling because it reminds you of all the hard work you put in to being a team player.

5. It’s fun!

When you pick a sport that intrigues you and that you genuinely want to get better at, you will have more fun than if you choose a sport based on its popularity or stigma associated with it. By picking the sport that is right for you, you will be happier and enjoy the sport even more.

Sports

The Aftermath of Russian Figure Skating Nationals

By KATIE LIN

T

he figure skating Russian Championships were held on December 19-23, 2018. In an exciting turn of events, Anna Shcherbakova won first, Alexandra Trusova won second, and Alena Kostornaia won third. These three Russian skaters are at the Junior level, but competed at the senior level for this competition, amazingly beating out all of the competitors who regularly compete at this high level.

Shcherbakova, Trusova, and Kostornaia are all skaters under Eteri Tutberidze, the renowned coach who is known for teaching some of the most talented students in the business, including Olympic gold medalist Alina Zagitova. For the first time in history, this entire podium was composed of athletes all part of the same group, “Team Tutberidze.” Even a few months after this competition, the questions still remain: How will the results of Russian Nationals affect the Senior skaters, how will other Juniors change, and what does the competition mean for Tutberidze’s team?

It is no secret that Tutberidze’s team practices quads after quads. Shcherbakova and Trusova both successfully completed a quad lutz during their long programs, securing major points for the first and second places. The full “Team Tutberidze” of Junior skaters, and the top two with their quads, means the quad method could be an effective strategy to win at competitions.

This is worrisome for the Senior skaters. At the Senior level, the skaters are refined, they have solidified a consistent technique, and their body is used to certain things. Basically, it is very hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Therefore, it would be harder for them to try to learn quads now to compete with these upcoming Juniors like Tutberidze’s. Sofia Samodurova recently competed in the Grand Prix Circuit, in her debut season as a Senior. The commentators discussed how important it was for her to make her mark this year. Next year, the Juniors will be age-eligible to compete against her, making Samodurova’s chances of winning or being selected for other competitions very low. Seniors like Samodurova are in danger of falling behind,

as when they were learning all their jumps, the “quad revolution” had not happened yet. The Senior skaters have only done triples most of their careers, and are already experienced and used to only that.

What happened at Russian Nationals and Tutberidze’s team could also change other Junior skaters. Perhaps some of them will try to rush into the Senior level, so they can get their necessary Senior competition experience before the jumping-bean Juniors of Tutberidze start. This could prove to be reckless and make the transition to Senior for the Juniors who might choose to do so very difficult and hasty, and could produce bad competition results. Samodurova was ready for the transition to Senior, and thus had consistently good competitions, but many Juniors may not be.

The Russian Nationals are further proof that Tutberidze’s team is excelling on all levels. It also shows what is happening within her team: The Juniors are overtaking the Seniors. It seems the success of the Juniors is overshadowing Tutberidze’s few Seniors. In reality, the only well-known female Senior skater of Tutberidze’s is Zagitova, and most the rest of the team are up-and-coming Juniors, like the three who owned the podium. Personally, I hope the attention she gives to the Juniors to fine-tune their quads doesn’t take her attention away from her Seniors.

Furthermore, one wonders if the Juniors on

Tutberidze’s team are pressuring her Seniors like Zagitova to try new things. For instance, Zagitova was recently seen trying a quad flip which we had never seen before, despite speculations about her knee injury, although she had the support of a harness. Inside a rink, competing with skaters who try new things can encourage you be better yourself and also try new things.

The Russian Nationals are proof Tutberidze’s Juniors are in the spotlight of that group, and this could encourage the Seniors on her team to try different things. The Juniors within Tutberidze’s team have both good and bad effects on the group as a whole, as the attention could be taken away from the Seniors and the Senior’s successes could be overshadowed, but a competitive atmosphere is a necessity for improvement.

Even a while after the Russian Nationals, the questions this competition sparked still remain important. The Juniors’ success could mean worry for the Senior skaters who have been training one way their whole careers, and change could happen to the other Juniors who don’t jump quads, as they might try to jump to the Senior level and rush the process. Tutberidze’s team is dominated by the Juniors, and we see the good and bad effects of this. Right in the middle of the skating competitive season, it’s an exciting time for fans to watch records be broken by Tutberidze’s team.

25

Literary

0.7 Miles

By Raia Gutman 0.7 miles of sidewalk Seven blocks Of October’s autumn leaves Of November’s frost Of December’s ice and snow Twenty pounds on my back Twenty-four inches between us Of October’s silence Of November’s words, though few Of December’s tension Two months later Ten and then five and then two Words exchanged 0.7 miles of sidewalk Plus another 0.8 miles until I reach home Eight blocks more Of imagining you beside me Of replaying your voice in my mind Of pretending there’s another set of footsteps beside mine

New Year

By Ryan Cunningham It is a New Year With it comes new goals It is a New Year 2018 gives way to a brighter future It is a New Year With it comes new realizations I guess it really is a New Year after all

Thinking In Metaphors

By Anonymous To the boy with suns for eyes, I’m trying to see that you’re not the only star in my galaxy.

You’re just the brightest and loudest, heating me from within Burning the surface of my skin to ash The fire in your eyes is not mine to use to keep warm I can’t hide beneath your shadow anymore Hoping for another word to hold onto A shooting star 26

Soccer Ball

By Anonymous Beautiful, sunny, sweet, summer day, you, soccer ball will always give my summer the happiest moments during this hot season, you, soccer ball are my motivation, my happiness, my sadness, you, soccer ball, were fun to chase down the field, you got me hella tired, you, soccer ball, are round like a basketball, a baseball, a softball, a tennis ball, but they are not fun to hangout with, you are the only one, and sometimes I cheat on you with basketball, sorry if I make you feel bad, you both are cool to hangout with, you guys are like brothers, you both are as round as the earth, I hope you guys get along with each other.

Is stronger than any ray Tell me everything I don’t want to know And everything I do

To The Present Me and Future Me

By Anonymous Stop watching movies. Start doing homework at home.

Instead of living in your room, start living out of your room.

Help out with the dishes. You should clean your room often.

Keep your dirty clothes off the floor of your room.

Keep yourself active.

Drink a lot of water to stay healthy.

Eat more breakfast, lunch, dinner on time so you don’t have to be really skinny.

Continue working hard and keep your grades up.

When you have the chance to go to college, go to college.

Make your family happy.

Show respect.

Hold up have some fun and crazy young life times as much as you can.

Listen to yourself.

Get lit but don’t get too lit.

Penultimate

Unwelcome

By Raia Gutman The dead of winter A single fall leaf appears Poke it with a stick

Universal Pondering

By Ariana Telyndru Space Endless space The sky extends-- eternally Shades of color make up the galaxy Decorate the universe Truly we are nothing Compared to what is out there What is out there Technology can only go so far We are but insignificant nothings In her grand scheme A scroll ever unfolding Enveloping all possibilities

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Back Page

The Signs as Haikus I Wrote on Scrap Paper Throughout the School Week

The Coolness Spectrum

By SOPHIE WRAY

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18):

Leo (Jul 23 - Aug 22):

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20):

Virgo (Aug 23 - Sep 22):

I’ll do anything If it gives me an excuse To wear my long johns

I talked way too much But it’s better than silence Hey man, listen up

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 19):

Gimme back my grades You’ve kept them for way too long Two months already

Everything’s better Someplace else but it could be Great right where you are

A white car, red roof I saw that on the T.V. Gotta get those keys

Oh nice cowboy hat!

Hey do you come here often?

Hay is for horses.

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21):

Gemini (May 21 - June 20):

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21):

My hands are tainted Schoolwork reminders in ink No recollection

Cancer (June 21 - Jul 22): Nothing like going Up the lake to think about Oh you know the lake

Black History Month

February Break

Libra (Sep 23 - Oct 22):

Taurus (Apr 20 - May 20): Yeah he’s got a brain Does he know how to use it?

What about his heart?

Cool

If I drop my glove Please stick it up on a tree For me to find it

They take off your feet When you go to the doctor And they measure you

School year is halfway over

OSCAR SEASON!

Valentines Day <3

Sub zero temps

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19): My mother taught me Bout writing notes on the back Of mail envelopes

Still half of the school year left

Flooded IHS parking lot

Frozen boogers

Uncool