May 2014 • Estd. 1892 • Vol. 122 #4 • Published Monthly • www.ihstattler.com
IMAGE: AUDREY KAN
Ithaca High School, 1401 N. Cayuga St, Ithaca, NY 14850 • FREE
District Faces Harsh Budget Reality; Problem Has Many Sources By CHRIS SKAWSKI
Salaries of ICSD teachers like Mr. Lesser are still less than those of teachers in comparable districts.
ICSD Teachers Still Don’t Make Much: An Update To start, it seems as though non-salary benefits once did outweigh ICSD Last month, we discussed the drastic teachers’ salary deficiencies, but ICSD difference between the salaries of ICSD teachers’ benefits currently lag behind teachers and those of teachers throughout those of teachers at many comparable the state. school districts. To summarize, the median teacher Consider the Baldwinsville School salary in ICSD is $50,756, which is about District, which has approximately the $9,000 below the Central New York me- same number of students, staff, and dian, and puts Ithaca at a dreadful 584th wealth as ICSD and, notably, a mediout of 697 districts in New York State. Al- an teacher salary $15,000 greater than though everyone agrees there is a problem, that of ICSD. ICSD’s health-care plan nobody agrees on how to solve it. pays 70 percent of an individual’s preBut, in case that wasn’t enough, oth- mium costs, while Baldwinsville’s pays ers have suggested that ICSD teachers are up to 90 percent of the cost—and an actually compensated fairly because the additional 30 percent of the difference non-salary benefits they receive outweigh should the individual use a more exany deficiencies in their salaries. One pensive plan through a different promonth later, things are only slightly clearer. vider. The Fayetteville-Manlius Central Continued on Page 4. By RUBIN DANBERG-BIGGS
ICSD is facing a dilemma over the 2014–2015 academic year budget. In what was described by Brad Grainger of the Board of Education Committee of Finances as a “difficult situation”, ICSD must grapple with a lower revenue stream and growing costs. But this has been true in each of the last four years. How is this budget difficulty substantially different from its predecessors? The answer comes in three parts: the Gap Elimination Adjustment, depleting reserves, and a decreasing fund balance. The first thing that needs to be addressed is the idea of a tax cap. Taxes are the primary way that governments take in revenue, and property taxes in ICSD amount to about $75 million. This amount comes from a tax rate of between 2.4 and 2.9 percent annually, which is the official tax cap. The tax cap prevents the district from simply raising taxes to cover its budget, unless it can get a two-thirds supermajority: if 66 percent of Ithacans vote for a tax levy (increase), then the district can raise the tax rate and be able to spend more. This is an issue for our budget. While it is possible that voters will not vote to increase taxes, they may be unaware of the district’s other options should the district not be able to raise more taxes. “Fund balance” is money the district made up as a result of what are essentially Continued on Page 5.
2
May 2014
OPINION
Editorial The 113 is the Least Bad Bad Option In the approaching 2014–2015 school year, the district money is not flowing as per usual but rather, trickling. There are three budget proposals, all of which make dramatic cuts: the $113 million budget, the $111 million budget, and the $109 million budget (previously the $108 million). The Tattler ardently endorses the $113 million budget not because of what it does, but because of what it does not do, as it cuts the least. The Tattler applauds the Board for approving the 113 and encourages all eligible voters to vote for it. Although the 113 makes $6.1 million in cuts from a rollover budget, it is the least devastating to IHS of the three proposed budgets and makes few cuts to IHS, in comparison to the dramatic reductions to Central District administration and to the other 11 schools in the ICSD, those reductions in the 113 are not as detrimental to IHS. The 113 includes something comforting to many in the IHS community: the largest percentage cuts will affect administration in central district offices, as opposed to cuts to full-time equivalent teachers. Another significant advantage of the 113 is its lack of class-size increases at the high school, which occurs in a 113 scenario at the elementary level. With the $113 million budget, the smallest number of recreations, athletics, teaching staff, special education, building administration, and activities at IHS would be affected. One may wonder how the other two scenarios compare with respects to their effects on IHS, which are significant to say the least. If the 111, which involves an additional $2 million in reductions, were adopted, changes to IHS’s culture would become profound. With a 12 percent reduction in teacher salaries, high-school course offerings would start to be cut to accommodate Regents-level courses, catering to a “bare minimum” perspective, a beginning to offering only courses needed to graduate. With courses that students signed up for being cut, master scheduling would become complicated, causing stress over scheduling (which had been mended) to rise again. This budget also calls for a 10 percent decrease in paraeducator personnel (teacher aides and teaching assistants)—layoffs are according to seniority, so those paraprofessionals who have been at IHS the shortest would be laid off, regardless of their performance or effect on students. The Tattler is the student-run newspaper of The 109 involves the most-dramatIthaca High School. It was founded in 1892 and is published monthly. ic cuts to IHS. Firstly, the building administration (associate principals, As an open forum, the Tattler inprincipal, master educators, Associate vites opinion piece submissions and to the Principal for Family and Student Engagement) would see dramatletters to the editor from all comic cuts—with the guaranteed eliminamunity members. Drop off submistion of the master educator position, sions in E25 or email them to: leaving state-mandated teacher evaleditor@ihstattler.com uations in the hands of another administrator who would already be Mail letters to: occupied with his or her overflowing The IHS Tattler list of duties. Also, with this budget, 1401 N. Cayuga St. a restructuring of the associate principal positions exists, one that could Ithaca, NY 14850 potentially have a large impact on how discipline is dealt with at IHS. The Tattler reserves the right to edit all submissions. Submissions do not necessarily reflect The 109 would also cut club fundthe views of editorial staff. ing by $100,000, surely equating in Continued on Page 8.
2013–2014 Editor-in-Chief
Rubin Danberg-Biggs ’14 editor@ihstattler.com
News Editor
Rex Lei ’14
news@ihstattler.com
Opinion Editor
Elie Kirshner ’14 opinion@ihstattler.com
Features Editor
Jensen Lo ’14
features@ihstattler.com
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Emily Scarpulla ’14 arts@ihstattler.com
Sports Editor
Chris Skawski ’14 sports@ihstattler.com
Penultimate and Back Page Editor
Conor Coutts ’15 backpage@ihstattler.com
Copy Editor
Aryeh Zax ’14 copy@ihstattler.com
Photography Editors
Audrey Kan ’14 Naomi Powers ’14 photo@ihstattler.com
Layout Editor
Owen Zhang ’15 layout@ihstattler.com
Business Manager
Aleksa Basara ’14 business@ihstattler.com
Advertising Manager
Tracy Lai ’14 ads@ihstattler.com
Webmaster
Julian Eng ’14 web@ihstattler.com
Distribution Managers
Carrie D’Aprix ’15 Steven Stover ’15 distribution@ihstattler.com
Faculty Advisor
Deborah Lynn advisor@ihstattler.com
May 2014
3
IMAGE: PROVIDED
Catching Good Behavior: The PROPS Awards
By OWEN ZHANG
Last month, through IHS’s new PROPS awards, several IHS students won cookies, yogurt, or hot wings. The PROPS awards are a project of the school’s Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) committee. PBIS is a collaboration between the United States Department of Education and several support centers nationwide that seeks to use positive reinforcement to help American high schools improve their students’ academic performance and overall behavior. IHS’s PBIS committee is composed of students, staff, and parents, and is seeking new members. The committee developed “PROPS”, which represents a group of expectations for students. These include being present for class, respectful to others, on time for class, prepared for learning, and safe. The expectations are “basic expectations necessary to be successful at IHS,” according to Mary Leonardo, a school social worker and a PBIS committee leader. “The [PROPS awards] are just one way to acknowledge and celebrate positive behavior demonstrated by our awesome students. Positive feedback for positive behavior!” All IHS students are eligible to win the awards. Upon demonstrating one of the PROPS values, students may receive a PROPS card from a staff member. Students enter the weekly PROPS prize drawings by depositing their PROPS card(s) into the box located in the principal’s office (J15). Winners are announced via the morning announcements each Friday. So far, in the weekly drawings, students have won small food prizes. All students who enter the weekly drawings also become eligible to win larger prizes in the monthly
drawings (last month’s “large prize” was a $25 gift card to Joe’s Restaurant). Leonardo plans to offer items such as film tickets and tickets to school dances and theater productions as large prizes in the future. Reception of the awards has been generally positive. “I think the award is a nice gesture done by the school to award students for acting well in class,” said Gabrielle Duffett ’16, who won hot wings and yogurt for being prepared and respectful in her history class. “If [the PROPS award] helps other people who struggle to be good in class, then I am totally for it.” Jeffrey Miller, an IHS English teacher, agreed. “It is admirable to see the high school looking for ways to recognize students’ hard work, positive attitudes, and contributions to the classroom,” said Miller. Nevertheless, some have expressed skepticism at the concept behind the awards. “Is it really beneficial to lower our standards and reward high-schoolers for behaving as they should?” said Aryeh Zax ’14. However, considering the lack of evidence pertaining to the awards’ effects on the student body, it is still too early to conclude whether the awards have helped the IHS PBIS committee move towards fulfilling its objectives. For more information about PBIS and PROPS, contact Mary Leonardo in G108.
Programming Contest Victories IHS students Rex Lei ’14, Jensen Lo ’14, and Aryeh Zax ’14 placed first at the first Cornell University High School Programming Contest on April 3. IHS students Gayathri Ganesan ’15, Connor Simpson ’14, and Jesse Yuan ’15 took third place. The competition was organized by Cornell research associate Robbert van Renesse, IHS math and computer science teacher Frederick Deppe, and graduate student Daniel Fleischman. Ten Cornell staff members and computer science and engineering graduate and undergraduate students also helped organize the event. All teams spent three hours coding in Java and attempting to solve eight computing problems that ranged from finding words in a word search to stacking pancakes in order, to converting between Roman and Arabic numerals.
4
May 2014
NEWS
BoE Discusses Budget Cuts, District Events, and a Notable Alum By CARRIE D’APRIX
The boardroom was packed during the ICSD Board of Education’s bimonthly meeting on April 8. Several community members, including students, staff, and faculty, began the meeting by expressing their concerns about the proposed budget cuts for the next academic year. Cuts that received negative attention involve the pre-K programs, elementary school music programs, and libraries throughout the school district. Rena Brand ’14 spoke about the opportunity she had in grade school to start playing the violin. She explained how she fell in love with the arts and even focused on them in her college application essay. She mentioned how elementary school music programs provide kids with opportunities to learn a musical instrument, opportunities they may not have outside of school; cuts to the music programs would hinder these opportunities. Katie Henderson ’15, Mattie Hause ’15, Isabel Boratav ’14, and Amy Zhong ’14 played “Flight of the Bumblebee” as a flute quartet to demonstrate the talent of ICSD musicians under the instruction of teachers like Ms. Zawel. After their performance, Dr. Brown said, “That is an example of why we are considered to have one of the best music education programs in the country.” An ICSD clerk spoke about her hopes for the future of libraries in the district. All three of the proposed budgets include cuts that will affect library clerks. She described how she and the other clerks work not for the salaries, but because they love their jobs. They assist teachers and students by helping research and literacy efforts. Throughout the high schools in the district, many exciting accomplishments and events are under way. Also, the annual LACS spring trips are beginning. At IHS, the production of Legally Blonde was extremely successful. Not only were the performances superb, but all three performances were attended by a full house. The junior prom at Cornell’s Statler Atrium had a record-breaking turnout of almost 270 students. The Math Team placed third in a regional competition. IHS’s first-ever lip-dub video, which featured many IHS clubs and sports teams and can be viewed by searching “Ithaca High School Lip Dub” on YouTube, was fun and successful. Throughout April, IHS history facts and poems are being read during the morning announcements. IHS alumnus Gabe Mendola ’10, who is currently a senior at Harvard, dominated the midfield during the annual Harvard vs. Cornell lacrosse game. Cornell-crazed fan and Board president Rob Ainslie jokingly remarked, “Hats off to Gabe. I mean, we want him to do well, but not that well!”
Teacher Salaries: An Update Continued from Page 1. School District also pays a greater percentage of its teachers’ health care than Ithaca does, with 90 percent of a teacher’s premium being covered, and 75 percent of that of his or her dependents. This difference between coverages provided by these districts has applied to all teachers hired in the last ten years. There is a stalemate—or at least a lack of progress—in the conflict between the district and the teachers’ association over increasing salaries. Each side seems to see the other as the problem. We can now provide some more concrete details about the exact nature of the disagreement. To begin with, it is important to note that, in any district, newer teachers make far less than teachers with more teaching experience do. So, if a district replaces its older teachers with newer teachers, it can maintain the size of its faculty while spending less on teacher salaries. That’s what ICSD did. Several years ago, the district began offering retirement incentives to teachers in an effort to cut costs by hiring new teachers. This did affect the median salary of teachers in the district, but ICSD starting salaries lag well behind the Central New York median, so costs were significantly decreased. It does raise the question as to whether it is wise to eliminate large amounts of teaching talent in the name of cost-saving, but that aside, this brings us to the important difference between the Ithaca Teachers Association (ITA) and the district in their negotiations. Sources on the Board of Education (BoE) have indicated that the district would be willing to significantly increase starting salaries, but the teachers’ association has refused unless salaries can be raised across the board, for both current and new teachers. A decision made in negotiations about 30 years ago eliminated the ladder salary structure. So, teachers can only receive raises (while remaining teachers) by spending more time in the district or by having ITA negotiate a raise in the contract. Before this point, gaining higher degrees or excelling as a teacher could potentially result in an increase in a teacher’s salary without actually changing his or her position. Consequently, the ITA has been very reluctant to negotiate a raise for only one portion of its teachers. Any across-the-board raise would present a far greater cost to the district, which claims to be unable to afford such cost increases. Certain BoE members see this as the ITA making perfect the enemy of good, but the ITA sees it as blatantly unfair for an incoming teacher to make more than a teacher who has taught in the district for a few years. However, a higher starting salary would undoubtedly have a positive effect on the quality of teachers the district is able to attract. A lot of this is very murky. However, there is clarity in the results: both teachers and students suffer. To summarize, here’s what we know: • Teachers in Ithaca are poorly paid by New York State standards. • The benefits they receive are not at a level that makes up for their poor salaries. • Everyone agrees about the two previous statements. • The district might be willing to raise starting salaries. • The teachers’ association won’t agree unless all teachers get a raise.
NEWS Harsh Budget Reality Continued from Page 1. unexpected changes in what the district needs. For example, suppose a veteran teacher who currently makes $100,000 a year expresses interest in returning for another year of teaching instead of retiring. That salary is budgeted for the following year. Then, that teacher finally decides to retire. In his stead, the district hires a new teacher who comes in with the average starting teacher salary of $36,000. That $64,000 difference is called fund balance. It may not seem like much, but in 2013–2014, the total fund balance amounted to $4 million. However, as teachers retire and are replaced, there aren’t as many veteran teachers to retire and as much to add to the fund balance. The projected fund balance revenue for 2014–2015 is only $2 million. Moreover, as more teachers retire, teacher health benefits and retirement packages stack up, adding even more costs. Since the fund balance next year will be much less than this year’s, the district effectively has a couple million less dollars to work with. An even greater area of lost revenue is within the Gap Elimination Adjustment
(GEA). The GEA is a New York State program designed to reduce the state’s budget deficit. Basically, the state gave out a bunch of money to schools all over New York, then took back about an eighth of it. In ICSD, for instance, the state has taken back $17.99 million in the last five years, with another round of over $3 million in take-backs planned for 2014–2015. To compound matters, the state has also set more costs on districts to meet new mandates. The Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) is a set of teacher reviews that every building principal is responsible for completing. To compensate for this increase in work and to relieve the burden from building principles, the district was forced to hire more administrators, which drove up salary costs and was not paid for in any way by the state. As a side note, the ballooning costs of ICSD may be in part due to the presence of higher-paid administrators, but the additional administrators aren’t unnecessary, despite what many at IHS feel regarding the position of Associate Principal. Ultimately, they are employed in order to help the school district. There are 34 administrators currently employed by ICSD. With a district of over
May 2014
5
six thousand kids, that comes down to a ratio of 1:176. To put that in perspective, the maximum ratio for teachers at IHS who teach five periods a day to students is 1:150. The biggest fiscal problem that compounds the two discussed above is the nature of ICSD’s reserves. Every year for the past five years, the district has chipped into its reserves to cover deficits. Over five years, it has spent $9 million from its reserves. Now, the nature of reserves makes them inherently unsustainable to draw from every year. Moving into the 2014–2015 school year, the district can only take about $1.5 million, meaning that it has no good way of gathering money to bridge the gap. Going into the 2014–2015 school year, the district will be forced to make cuts in order to balance its budget, at the expense of taxpayers and ICSD students. That’s why this year is different than most. In defense of the district’s financial choices, Grainger said that “education is our basic business.” However, the district spent money that it didn’t technically have and dipped into reserves and used fund balances—two unsustainable models for raising money—to cover the costs over the last few years. IMAGE: PROVIDED
Summary of the Three Proposed Budgets The Board of Education voted for and approved the $113-million proposal during its meeting on April 22.
6
May 2014
NEWS
Board of Education: A Secret No Longer IMAGE: SETH PEACOCK
does your job consist of? SP: I am the vice president of the BoE. In addition to my regular duties as a BoE member, I also work closely with BoE president Rob Ainslie and Superintendent Luvelle Brown to set the Board agenda and appoint BoE members to committee assignments. CP: Where did you work before becoming a BoE member? SP: BoE positions are voluntary elected positions. All BoE members work in addition to serving on the BoE. CP: What is your other job? SP: I am an attorney with a focus on criminal and civil litigation. Seth Peacock, Board of Education Vice President.
By CHARLOTTE PERRI
Based on my conversations with other students, there seems to be a general lack of knowledge about the ICSD Board of Education (BoE). This seems strange, considering that the policies and procedures imposed by the BoE affect every member of the district, from students to teachers and from administrators to the hall assistant with the hella strong eyebrow game and chinstrap, in addition to future generations of students within the district. That being said, increased awareness of the BoE may be just what students need in order to understand the influence that members of the Board have on our schools and the opportunities that they create for students. I interviewed BoE vice president Seth Peacock about his work for the BoE. Charlotte Perri ’17: Where are you originally from? Seth Peacock: I’m originally from New York City. I grew up on the west side of Midtown Manhattan. CP: When did you start working for the BoE? SP: I was elected to the BoE in 2005. CP: What is your official title, and what
CP: What are the qualifications for being a Board member? SP: The qualifications are living in the district and having citizenship. But more importantly, you must be committed to serving the youth of our community. It also helps to have a background in or experience with public education. CP: And do you yourself have prior experience working in public education? SP: No. My only experience was as a student. CP: What made you interested in pursuing this career path? SP: Frankly, I was unhappy with much of what I saw from the school district, and I thought that, rather than just complain, I should try to take action to try to make things better. CP: Describe an average day of work. SP: There is no average day of work. In a typical week, there are normally three to four meetings about various areas of the school district. The
Board has four standing committees: curriculum and instruction; policy; facility and finance; and human resources. There are also other meetings and events that Board members attend (e.g., Parent–Teacher Association (PTA) meetings, individual school events, award ceremonies, and meetings with our community partners). CP: With whom do you work on a daily basis? SP: The most important people we work with are other BoE members, followed closely by our administrators and teachers who serve on leadership committees. CP: What sort of changes do you see in the district’s future? SP: I see us continuing to be a leading school district. We have a strong and stable local economy, which financially supports the district’s programs and offerings. We also have a community that understands and values education. I see us moving toward more student-driven learning opportunities. With our increased technology infrastructure and capacity, our teachers will be able to provide a more individualized and engaging learning experience.
Babiak Shines at Computational Linguistics Competition IHS student Alexander Babiak ’14 placed third in the 2014 North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad. Of the 1645 Canadian and American high-school students who participated, Babiak earned his spot with a 89.51 out of 100 points in the invitational round. Babiak qualified to represent the United States at the 12th International Linguistics Olympiad in Beijing, China on July 21–25. Congratulations Alex, and good luck in July!
OPINION
May 2014
7
Opinion
Perversion at 5 p.m. CST / 6 p.m. EST It seems to be the consensus that the state of American news media is similar to that of a squirrel on a freeway or a folding chair under notably rotund rapper Rick Ross, but there is no such consensus on what exactly the problem is. We all have our ideas: some hate the news for being biased, others hate the news for having a bias different from their own; some hate the news for dealing with inane and trivial topics, others still hate it for being too depressing. What makes some loathe certain media outlets is precisely what makes others flock to them, but in this lies the deeply rooted belief that the news should always be something we like. The news consistently disappoints the American people, but just as crucially, as a nation, we differ on what we would like the news to be. As a result, we have been able to stretch the definition of what the news can be without ever having to deal with the question of what exactly the news should be. We’ve created news for the left, news for the right, and news for the apathetic; we’ve made the news look shiny and beautiful, eye candy to satiate those who really just want to something to look at. We’ve build intricate optical illusions, designed to draw the viewer’s attention away from the carnage they are being shown, substituting graphics for substance and what is important for what is palatable. Whenever I visit my grandparents, I am told of a new and destructive war on some noun. Not a proper noun, mind you, like Germany or Japan, but a regular, run-of-the-mill noun like terror, drugs, or poverty. The wars of which I’ve been informed over the past several years have ranged from “on business” to “on freedom”, and have been defined by the singular characteristic that I had never heard of them before. Now, where I come from, we have our own wars on nouns; consider for a moment the wars “on women”, “on teachers”, and “on diversity”. Yet again, the fascinating characteristic of these wars is that they are only being fought on the side of the victims. This is because the source of these wars, or at least their classification as wars, is the news media to which my grandparents and I have been exposed. We are isolated from each other’s problems by a comfortable distance of several channels. The liberally charged rhetoric of MSNBC has informed the people of my town that a war exists on women: that the efforts to restrict access to abortion and contraception constitutes a war, and that it is very definitely being waged with conscious intent by the Republican Party in the United States. Now, the crux of the problem with this claim is the intentionally divisive rhetoric that is being used, but we’ll get to that later1. Conversely, Fox News has told my grandpar1 On second thought, we’ll get to that right now. It is one thing to claim that there are proposals of the Republican Party that would have a negative effect
IMAGE: PROVIDED
By RUBIN DANBERG-BIGGS
Who?!
ents that any attempt to require greater accountability and follow-up in gun sales is a liberal “War on Freedom”, which was a surprise to me, as I thought war was reserved for the battlefield and the Planned Parenthood lobby. So of course we’re a nation that is politically frozen. How can two sides find a middle ground when one believes it’s fighting a war? But the problem is not that we’ve asked for different types of news; the problem is that we’ve been listened to. As viewers of the news, we’ve been mistaken for consumers, and as a result, we have been listened to as shoppers in a store. Rather than thinking of themselves as parts of a collective doctor diagnosing the troubles of the nation, members of the media see themselves as the purveyors of a product, seeking to profit by providing audiences with exactly what they want. You may not like the news, but rest assured, it is not that its creators are bad at their jobs; it’s simply that they’re doing the wrong one. We would never go to the doctor and ask to have only one body part checked because we were sure the results would be positive, so why do we consistently seek out information that confirms what we already believe? Our entire system of political discourse could be used as a warning against confirmation bias. When Sean Hannity rails for five minutes against Obamacare, then asks his predominantly Republican audience to text in their opinions of the system, he ensures that these people will be told that their opinion is almost universally agreed upon. He crowd-sources political policy, but first selects a very particular crowd that will support the opinion he hopes to prove. Hannity is certainly not Continued on Page 9. on United States women, but to classify these proposals as a war is to imply that not only does the Republican Party desire to defeat women, but that it would ideally hurt them in the process. This is the difference between an argument and a fight.
8
May 2014
OPINION
Why I Am an Independent: The Case Against Partisanship
Editorial Continued from Page 2. the loss of extracurricular opportunities for IHS students. A $100,000 cut to athletics would also be in play. This budget scenario would also further cut course offerings, challenging the “Diploma with Distinction” opportunity many benefit from. This budget also contains the largest amount of teacher salary cuts, which would result in the largest layoff of teachers at IHS among the trio of budget scenarios. Compared to the two other scenarios, the 113 is quite pleasant. In the other two situations, a completely different IHS would result: one with fewer course offerings,
IMAGE: PROVIDED
with a party will always exist as long as parties do. Further“If you are bored and disgustmore, political independence ed by politics and don’t bother to removes the ideological convote, you are in effect voting for straints that bind a party. There the entrenched Establishments would no longer be pressure to of the two major parties, who take extreme positions because please rest assured are not dumb, they’re more divisive; instead, and who are keenly aware that candidates could express only it is in their interests to keep you the crazy opinions that they disgusted and bored and cynireally believe in. Personal and cal and to give you every possimoral beliefs would be tied to ble psychological reason to stay candidates instead of whole at home doing one-hitters and political wings. But really, the watching MTV on primary day.” biggest issue with political —David Foster Wallace parties is that they promote Just a sample of the diverse political spectrum. apathy. Independence forces Did you know that there are thirty-four political parties you to discover your own opinions and positions instead of in America? If each were given at least 15 percent of the vote echoing the views of your parents or peers. That trait is key in in five national polls, we could watch the United States Mar- the development of an active, socially minded young person. ijuana Party and the Justice Party battle out issues of foreign It’s really very troubling for me to see the kind of willful igintervention, or the National Socialist Movement and the norance that can blossom so easily in the average voter (or, in Prohibition Party create nonpartisan plans for environmen- this case, usually non-voter). It’s selfish—it’s admitting that tal action. Oh, would that be sweet. No longer would you it’s too hard and uncomfortable to care about other people. be forced to vote for the candidate with the least abhorrent Without a doubt, it should be a civic responsibility to particpolicy; instead, you could find a legitimate candidate who ipate in public discourse and work for change. Martin Lumore or less reflects your ideas in their entirety. But why stop ther King, Jr. recognized this in his “Letter from Birmingham there? Many countries have shown that a more diverse fac- Jail”: a white moderate who prefers the absence of tension to tion group only leads to more gridlock and inter-party hate. the presence of justice, King said, is a larger obstacle to freeWhat’s the next step? dom than the Ku Klux Klan. First, it’s important to recognize the negative effects that It starts with you. There are so many things that can be partisanship has. It’s totally crazy that there’s a taboo against done short of devoting 25 hours a day to political activism; talking politics in America. If you’re in the wrong compa- small actions that, if repeated, can form a great swell. Get ny, “Democrat” can mean “communist” and Green Party involved, get active, vote for third party, fourth party, or insounds like “Unabomber”. In Ithaca, it’s not something we dependent candidates. Democracy can only be regained if see as frequently, since we’re practically homogeneous in our it’s used. And it’s clear: political parties are anti-democracy. views (some say it’s easier to come out as gay than as Repub- They foster an environment where average citizens believe lican here), but dissonant politics can easily lead to vicious they can’t do anything to change their situation. They must personal, moral, and even occasionally physical attacks. The be abolished if we hope to move forward. Or we must estabknee-jerk judgment that anyone can receive for identifying lish a system with runoff elections. By KALIL HENDEL
fewer administrators to help teachers be better teachers, fewer administrators to handle discipline, fewer support staff, and fewer teachers, not to mention devastating cuts in extracurriculars. Another dilemma with the scenarios is that the first two budgets (the 113 and 111) require a supermajority—60 percent voter approval—because they exceed the mandated spending cap. So, unless a supermajority of voters approves either of the two budgets, we will have a $109 budget with $11.9 million in cuts from a rollover budget. Students should encourage anybody they know who is eligible to vote to approve the 113, the budget that is least devastating to our school’s culture and community.
OPINION
May 2014
9
Regal Cinemas Too Tempting; Grades Suffer IMAGE: PROVIDED
By NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS
High-school students have a lot of homework. Everyone knows this. Everyone, it seems, except for Regal Cinemas in the Ithaca Mall. Regal’s student discount only applies on school nights—Sunday through Thursday after 4 p.m. When I sauntered up to the counter and asked for a ticket to The Lego Movie last weekend, I was startled to discover I had to pay the full $11. I had worked hard all week and thought I would treat myself to an animated delight, saving a few bucks in the process. I was wrong. In a 2007 survey, MetLife discovered that, of students who received mostly A’s, 50 percent spent an hour or more on homework on a typical night, including 21 percent who committed two hours or more on a typical night! In contrast, of the students who received C’s or worse, only 35 percent devoted an hour or more to homework on a typical night, including a meager 10 percent who dedicated two hours or more on a typical night. Clearly, a strong association exists between time spent on homework and positive report cards. Regal Cinemas’ student discount encourages students to blow off homework for movies and, in the process, discourages them from getting good grades. Many stores, entertainment ven-
The enticing Regal Cinemas.
ues, and restaurants have sales on days when customers are scarce. For example, Papa John’s in the Franklin Market sells $1 pizza slices on Tuesdays. Plane tickets are more expensive during normal vacation times (e.g., spring break) and cheaper during less popular intervals. When companies are having trouble attracting customers during the week, they frequently offer discounts to attract buyers; these specials are known as off-peak deals. The difference between the previous examples and Regal’s student discount, however, is that cheap pizza on a Tuesday does not keep a student from completing his or her homework. In fact, I often turn in pizza-stained homework on Wednesday after Papa John’s dollar-pizza
Biased News Outlets Continued from Page 7. unique in this practice. Viewers consistently tune into programs that they expect to pacify and reassure them that not only are they right, but that they are also in the majority. The networks they tune to ensure that their viewers will never be exposed to the dangers of a dissenting opinion. So, ratings drive content, and liberals and conservatives have sources of reaffirming and reassuring information. The universal bias experienced by all news media is not political but financial: it is a bias to sensationalism and commercialization. Many Republican lawmakers have passed laws making it more difficult for certain citizens to vote, but it is Chris Christie’s bridge scandal that captures the attention of MSNBC. Though the first issue is extremely dangerous and far more damning, it isn’t nearly as interesting as circular dis-
sale. Watching a two- or three-hour movie, on the other hand, severely depletes time left for homework. Regal Cinemas’ student discount is not just a ploy to make a profit by encouraging students to put off homework for The Wolf of Wall Street; it is also directly targeted at the youth. Senior citizens receive reduced-price tickets at all times, every day of the week; plus, if seniors hold an AARP card, they receive extra deals on concessions inside the theater. Regal Cinemas allows senior citizens to buy tickets at lower prices at all times (which makes perfect sense), while it only gives student discounts during the times when students should be . . . being students. Of students whose report cards show mostly A’s, one third spend an hour or more doing homework on an average weekend day. Unfortunately, only 14 percent of pupils who receive C’s or below spend an hour or more completing homework on Saturday or Sunday. Students are not only considered students Sunday through Thursday, and they should not be treated as such by Regal Cinemas. Regal should reward students for making smart decisions, such as going to the theater on nights when they do not have to wake up for school the next morning. Offering a student discount exclusively on school nights sabotages school ideals.
cussions about House of Cards–like intimidation and political maneuvering, so that’s what we saw for upwards of eight weeks. In my life, I have never seen the news produced in a way that seemed proud and purposeful, so it may be that, before we look for what news is, we need to explicitly define what it is not. News isn’t meant to make us happy, sad, or angry; it isn’t meant to tell us what we want to hear or attack the people we don’t like; it isn’t a tool for political gain, nor is it a product whose characteristics can be shaped based on the desires of its viewers; it isn’t petty or small, and it only competes for the position of most honest, not most viewed; it seeks to expose weakness, but it does not create it when none exists; news has no enemies, no party, no affiliation nor preformed beliefs, and its only measure of success is the number of people it informs, not the number of people it entertains.
10
May 2014
OPINION
IMAGE: JULIA BLEIER
Jarett Powers Deserves Tenure: An Original Rap By CONOR COUTTS
25 years 25 years—it took 25 years for a leader to get tenure and stay! Ain’t that cray? Now we have JP in play, a talented small-town dude with a big-city attitude. An internal hire, he started the success fire up again. Powers was ten feet from stardom when he was elected graduation speaka’ five times and once as an AP And if that isn’t beautiful, then you’re a damn fool! But flash forward to the bruthuh’ who became Principal at 28 but was never late in taking the tenure of teachers to the bank. When it comes to tenure he doesn’t just choose anyone; You gotta work for it because the bruthuh’ knows if weez gonna spend one million dollars on you, you better be worth it. A first-class communicator, Powers gets on the loudspeaker and appeals to the public when there’s a so-called emergency but doesn’t skip a beat in the cafeteria when he makes a kid laugh so hard that he shoots out to Mars. The dude needs tenure so we can relic his angelic presence and because hey—we have a right to have a people’s man and we ain’t had one since ‘04. He is one-hundred-and-ten percent for the students Loving the littluns is in his blood For ten years, his careers have been IHS and the others don’t mess with the best ’cause they know if there’s a situation it’s handled. In fact, it has been already handled before you heard about it in the gossip line. But hey! Let’s not play: it’s a high school; it’s Ithaca High School and there’s drama, but he ain’t no llama. He does what he needs to do, obeys the laws, and gets kids where they need to be. The graduation gap? Closed. Powers worked with the best and brightest to throw the egalitarian windbreaker in the face of the student body and in doing so decreased discipline and got us off that list. He knows the puns, the names, the fun but never stops working; he doesn’t forget how he got here; he’s here for everyone, and depression won’t be tolerated. Jarett Powers knows this place can be number one so yo central district administration: Tenure the headmaster faster or it’s gonna be a granspankin’ disaster.
OPINION
From the Head of Ned: School Culture By NED LAUBER
Having taken classes at both IHS and Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS), I have to admit that there are a remarkable number of similarities between the two schools. However, there are also some distinct differences. One of the least quantifiable but most palpable differences that I have noticed is the difference in culture. LACS has a general culture of political correctness. This is more than just the fact that most people at LACS are fairly politically correct— LACS is almost hyper–politically correct; that is, if you say something that could be offensive to a single person living on this earth, someone at LACS will probably call you out on it. My experience with IHS has been more towards the other end of the spectrum. In general, people aren’t nearly as worried about saying something that could be offensive. I think that very few people at IHS are trying to be offensive, but words and phrases that could be hurtful to people are often thrown around. Specifically, words such as “retarded” or phrases such as “that’s gay” are thrown around with surprising frequency. These words might seem innocuous, but you can imagine how throwing these phrases around as common insults must feel to someone who is gay or does have a mental health condition. There is a point at which political correctness is excessive. I’ve certainly felt that way at LACS. Not every phrase should be deeply analyzed for its sexist or racist undertones. However, if I call something gay at LACS, someone will call me out on it, and that is a positive thing. It makes people feel more comfortable being themselves. People know that words that offend them aren’t tolerated by anyone in the community. Many people who insult others by calling them “gay” are not homophobic, just as most people who call others “retarded” are not trying to offend those with mental health conditions. However, the use of these words in this context is offensive. When someone describes a person’s outfit as “gay” or a score on a math test as “retarded”, most people just register this as an insult. But to someone who is actually gay, or who has a sibling who has a mental illness, hearing these phrases used as insults can be very painful and discomforting. These words can make an environment feel hostile. The lesson here is to think before you speak, especially when you are in a public setting such as school. Think about how the words you say might sound to those who are around you. Call others out when they use language that could be offensive. You don’t have to analyze every sentence for every possible offense, but you should avoid using insults that refer directly to specific groups of people. I believe that this is a very important step to making a school feel welcoming to everyone.
write email editor@ihstattler.com
May 2014
11
Letter to the Editor The ICSD proposed budget is a 2.36 percent increase in spending. Yet, the tax rate will rise by 5.67 percent. Why the difference? State aid to ICSD continues to be reduced by the Gap Elimination Adjustment by $2.8 million for the coming year. This $2.8 million represents 4 percent of the rate increase in property taxes. The governor continues to tout a $2 billion surplus while retaining nearly $1 billion in aid allocated to school districts. The Governor’s “gap” has become the surplus to campaign for reelection on. The state aid gap leads ICSD to seek a large increase in a single year, but, in the context of the past three years, the total increase is understandable. Increases in the tax rate for the past three years have been 1.45 percent, 0.32 percent and 0.69 percent. Adding the proposed increase for 2014– 2015 of 5.67 percent brings a four-year total of 8.13 percent. This is an average increase of 2.03 percent per year for the four years. This is a modest increase given the substantial increases in state-required pension payments and health care costs over these four years. The ICSD tax rate will continue to be the lowest school tax rate in Tompkins County. ICSD has achieved a graduation rate of 90.2 percent for IHS and Lehman Alternative Community School. The faculty, staff, and students continue to earn awards for their achievements, and bring positive recognition to Ithaca. The voters have the choice to continue the quality of ICSD by voting on May 20, 12:00–9:00 p.m. Brad Grainger Board of Education Finance Committee
12
May 2014
Teacher Feature: Keith Thompson Keith Thompson teaches AP United States History (APUSH) and is the Social Studies Department chair. An administrator-in-training who can be seen around campus in a trench coat and with a walkie-talkie, Thompson is known for his wry humor and his “fascinations” with everything from Theodore Roosevelt to whiskey distillation. I interviewed Mr. Thompson to learn more about his wide range of interests and life experiences. Owen Zhang ’15: Where did you grow up and go to school? Keith Thompson: Gloversville, New York, once the glove-making capital of the world! Unfortunately, it suffered the same fate as most small manufacturing towns in the Northeast did. OZ: What is one fad you participated in when you were young that is no longer popular among today’s youth? KT: Pen pals! At one point, I wrote to seven people at least once every week. I think this is one of the key differences between my time and today—narrative. Let’s face it: if you only have 140 characters, you’re kind of limited. I guess people could spend hours crafting text poetry that touches the soul, but they don’t. LOL! OZ: What type of student were you in high school? If you could go back in time, would you change the way you acted? KT: I was a solid-A honors student. My high school had nowhere near the resources as IHS, and the teaching staff was pretty lackluster. However, some of my social studies teachers were amazing! I learned more in Mr. Van Arnam’s class than I ever thought possible. He changed my view of history and learning, and if I
IMAGE: KEITH THOMPSON
By OWEN ZHANG
can do that for even one student a year, then it’s all worth it. OZ: Some claim that your teaching style focuses more on thematic analysis and less on specific facts. Would you agree? If so, why do you choose to teach in such a way? KT: Completely. So, if you were a student of architecture, you would have to be familiar with the tensile quality of steel, but hopefully you’d develop a bigger sense of design. Mechanics don’t spend all day thinking about the viscosity of the oil they use. Poets and novelists don’t spend their entire careers on phonics and rules of punctuation and grammar. While it might be great to have all the presidents and the state capitals memorized, it doesn’t really help explain anything about how the world works. Facts are important, but only when they help to explain something significant or bring meaning to life. If you never see the big
picture, you’re really missing the point. OZ: Some students remark that highschool history courses lack value and relevance to their lives. Thoughts? KT: Ooh—that hurts! But it is true: I had classes like that all the way from elementary through graduate school, and not just in history! One of the biggest problems is that the way both students and teachers are assessed tends to reinforce the learning of information, not how well you can think. It’s easier to tell whether someone knows that Gandhi practiced non-violence than to explain why it was successful, the fundamental shift it brought to the 20th century, or what it meant to the people who practiced it. The Common Core, although it has its problems, was aimed to do exactly that. Until the tests and curriculum change, teachers will always feel pressure to stick closer to “the test” to make sure their students are prepared to pass them. OZ: What do you hope students will gain from your class and teaching style? KT: I hope that students gain an appreciation for history as a discipline, and maybe remember at least a few interesting observations about America. More importantly, I hope they get the idea that, while history is great, the key to education is exploring the connections between things, looking carefully, and not being able to put in hard work and ask good questions. The subject matter is irrelevant at that point. Every discipline is fascinating and worthy of a lifetime of work; you just have to decide where you want to put your energy. Some of my best compliments have always been from people (usually science/ Continued on Page 19.
May 2014
13
Teacher Feature: Jeffrey Dumont Conor Coutts ’15: What is your alma mater? Jeffrey Dumont: SUNY Cortland. I have two degrees from there: a bachelors in physical education and a masters in education with a concentration in adaptive physical education.
IMAGE: PROVIDED
By CONOR COUTTS
CC: Why do you teach? JD: A professor in college once told me, “You are morally obligated to do that which you do best,” and I happened to teach kids motor skills better than I do anything else. CC: What are some key differences between teaching adaptive PE and teaching normal PE? JD: The key difference is attitude. It’s not really different. Rather, my attitude is a bit different than what I do as a regular PE teacher. CC: What is the greatest challenge of teaching at IHS? JD: The greatest challenge is combating apathy. I explained to one of my 11thand 12th-grade classes that the bulk of what we do in PE is to get you to embrace something that you’re running away from: your youth, your health, and your attitude. Activity levels are high in our youth, but as we age, they drop away to the point where we are concerned about obesity and cardiovascular disease in adults. We know that part of that is we stop caring about that at an early age in America. We are convincing students that they need to embrace their youth because we all want to be 21-year-olds and move down the ladder that is human nature. We all went through it. I think the problem is that kids don’t care what we do in PE. We try so hard to help them in the long run. The biggest challenge I face as a kids’ adaptive PE teacher is we often have kids of drastically different abilities: communications styles, motor ability. I often have large numbers of kids in one class; it’s difficult to adapt the instruction for
kids who are drastically different in communication and needs. CC: What kinds of things do you make a point of teaching your students? JD: The main thing I make a point to teach students is 90 percent of life is just being there. And if you put in the effort to show up, then the rest is in the details and doing simple things well and repeating that. So that’s really what I try to communicate to all of my students. Hopefully they will take the initiative to then explore what I talk about in class on the outside. CC: Describe your life as an athlete. JD: I began being athletic at the age of 4. I started skating in the Ithaca Youth Hockey team with my older brother. I started competing at 6. I think my first state championship was in 1968. I played with some people who are on the IHS Hall of Fame—some very talented people. That got me excited. We took fourth place. I have the trophy on my mantle; my father was the coach. That is where I enjoyed the whole team experience. I enjoyed the travel, activity, and comradery. That was the evening of my athletic life. I dabbled in, competed in, and experienced more parts than I could list in the next 20 minutes. My primary team sports were baseball in high school and soccer. I played high school football. My high-school didn’t have a soccer team until I was a senior. I
played junior college baseball. I played one semester of baseball at Cortland— Division 3. Then, from there, I got out of college and played in the local rec leagues in Ithaca—I played softball and hockey in our local leagues. I began to explore more individual sports. I competed in windsurfing. I’ve been to national championships in freestyle snowboarding twice. 12 years ago, I finished fourth. My participation path is very broad and vast. CC: What is your greatest moral failure? JD: Perhaps that I may have been a better actor than a teacher, and when I say I am morally obligated to do that which I do best I might have been a better entertainer. When I was young, I acted and was very good at it and I got some prompting but I didn’t get the push that I needed to pursue a possible career in it. I had a mental block that I would never memorize the lines to be a mental actor then later I realized that they don’t memorize the lines; they memorize scenes. So I probably could have done it but I had a metal block. I could have been. That is my greatest moral failure. So whenever I see or hear about a kid with an interest in something, I really go overboard for them to pursue it. For example, I said to a student who was interested in film, “Don’t let anybody dissuade you from your dreams.” It’s a very competitive industry, so I gave him a contact—a producer in Hollywood—and I said, “Here’s a camera that they use in Hollywood; if you want to get experience here is the camera and put that on your resume, that you can operate a Canon XA10.” So I have needed to do that as a PE teacher and that’s what I do as an educator: I help you to find what you want to do so you can look back and be happy with what you did. I believe we have an obligation to society to teach young kids to give and not take. I honestly believe it when the professor told me you need to do what you do best. That’s what our society has to learn to Continued on Page 18.
14
May 2014
IMAGE: PROVIDED
This Month By JENSEN LO IMAGE: PROVIDED
1. United States no longer accountable to the People. The government “of the people, by the people, for the people” has perished from this earth, at least according to Professor Gilens of Princeton University and Professor Page of Northwestern University. In a study scheduled to be published in Perspectives on Politics this fall, the researchers identified 1779 political issues and used statistical modeling to compare how the opinions of key interest groups and of the general public affected the legislation passed by Congress on those issues. The study confirms what many have long suspected: the opinions of the very wealthy have a much stronger impact on legislation than do those of the general public, suggesting that the United States is no longer a democracy.
2. Earth #2? Astronomers have spent years trying to find the places with the best chances for hosting life elsewhere in the Universe, planets that resemble Earth in size and composition, with liquid water . . . and they might have finally found one. The exoplanet Kepler-186f orbiting the star Kepler-186 is calculated to be around 1.1 times the size of Earth, and it resides in the so-called Goldilocks zone, a range of orbits around a star where it’s not too hot and not too cold to have liquid water. Not much is known about the planet, but it’s the first one that astronomers have found that fits these criteria this closely.
Humans of IHS Jesse Yuan ’15: Playing Pokémon. Ya—I like playing competitive Pokémon like Pokémon Showdown. I’m pretty good at it. I’m like in the top two hundred in several different tiers, but it’s kind of hard to explain to a non-Pokémon player. My entire childhood was spent playing Pokémon.
[What’s your favorite Pokémon?] Ooh. That’s a tough question—there’s so many good ones. I’d say I like Scizor. Interviews conducted by Sophia Shi.
IMAGE: SOPHIA SHI
IMAGE: SOPHIA SHI
APs and finals are upon us. What is your favorite way to relax?
Eric Sinton ’15: In all honesty, probably—when I get home from practice—on the toilet. It’s just a time when no one bothers me. And, if you sit back—like actually sit back and play some 2048 for a few minutes—just to reset my mind. So ya. On the toilet.
15
IMAGE: PROVIDED
IMAGE: PROVIDED
in Science
May 2014
3. Revolution in stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells were supposed to usher in a medical revolution, but at a huge cost. These are cells with the power to become any other type of cell, potentially curing a whole list of currently untreatable diseases, but they could previously only be extracted from embryos, which raised many ethical issues. However, recent advances have made it possible to transform regular cells back into stem cells. In this month’s Cell, researchers report finding a way to transform the cells of adults into pluripotent stem cells, which could potentially be used to generate replacement organs and cure a variety of diseases.
4. Progress in Quantum Communications—So Tough That the NSA Can’t Crack It Interception of messages has been a constant problem with secret long-distance communication since the beginning. Before the invention of the telegraph and telephone, couriers were ambushed as they ran. During the Second World War, radio signals were intercepted and decrypted. Modern encryption techniques make these difficult to accomplish, but the problem remains on how to transfer the “key” to the encryption, which allows the receiving party to decode the encrypted message. Often times these keys are sent through the same network, allowing an eavesdropper to simply steal the key and decode all the information that comes afterwards. Enter quantum communications! According to quantum mechanics, the state of subatomic systems can be altered by the simple act of observation. This fact is used by quantum communications; if a quantum key is observed during transmission, then the key will change in a way that will alert the receiver, who can then inform the sender not to send the sensitive information. So far, these quantum keys have been sent up to 100 km, with both the Chinese and American governments planning to build their own secret networks.
Humans of IHS
Ms. Bell: Glass of wine and a book.
Anton Volkmann ’14: What is relaxing really? I mean, I don’t actually relax—I just do more work, whether it’s homework, studying, or actual work. Ya. I suppose I watch a bit of TV.
IMAGE: SOPHIA SHI
IMAGE: SOPHIA SHI
APs and finals are upon us. What is your favorite way to relax?
16
May 2014
MEET OUR PRINCIPALS Part of a Series of Interviews of Past IHS Principals by Conor Coutts
Principal Feature: George Kiley (’91–’93)
CC: What kind of problems faced IHS when you came? GK: Well, IHS was a bit of a disorganized, freewheeling environment—there were more students in the quad than in class! I left my job early in Schenectady just to see what happened and how things worked. Although there was a fantastic faculty, they needed to be given more autonomy over their students, which I did. It worked very well! Also, there were subsections of instruction that we needed to do away with. CC: What were some achievements you made as principal? GK: I think drawing the school together, working towards a common goal. We did a lot of fun things. There weren’t a whole lot of issues we dealt with. Even though I was tough, I think they liked me; they made the choice and I accommodated them. We always strived to make better citizens of the students. Something that I also took the initiative for was being very tough when it came to disobedience—disobedience that had been exiting beforehand. There was some upheaval towards our rules on the first day of school—I ended up suspending 29 students on the first day—but after that day, the students and I settled into a great working relationship. We worked together on the basis of trust. An important thing that I got out of this was that, no matter if you were my kid or a Board
IMAGE: PROVIDED
Conor Coutts ’15: What brought you to IHS? George Kiley: When I was an Ithaca College student, I always looked at IHS as an interesting place. It had diversity, good academics, outstanding music programs—all of the positives that made for an outstanding school that later made me want to apply to be a school administrator.
member’s kid, you were going to be held accountable for the same things; we were going to treat you students as young adults no matter what. To further this point, I actually suspended my own sons: all students had to act appropriately no matter what. I would spend every single lunch period—all four of them—eating lunch with the students and getting to know them, which was a great experience. Yet another achievement was placing trust in the faculty every period they had hall duties and other duties. Well, we decided to put them in teams so they could divide the duties amongst themselves and not be overly controlled by my administration. It worked great, and the staff loved it. Study halls are something we reformed, too. We got rid of the study halls that, in my opinion, were a waste of time. Some of the faculty thought I was crazy at first for doing this: students only had a study hall if they were disobeying the rules of their free period or needed to get caught up, but we made sure that students had a really nice experience during their free periods. We put a jukebox and
snack area in Activities, setting it up “student union” style—we functioned great as a school community! CC: What are your memories of the Tattler? GK: When I first arrived, the editor-in-chief asked me about a First Amendment issue concerning the Tattler. I told her that, as long as they printed the truth, there would be no issues—and they did print the truth. Thus, we had a great relationship! The Tattler was great and students would always be very excited for it to come out each month. CC: Recall and describe some funny or pleasant times at IHS. GK: High school is a place where you should have fun, and we did! We used to have quarterly luncheons that featured a BBQ for the students and staff. I, amongst others, would barbeque something new every time for the kids. That was pleasant. Football games were great—whenever the football game won, or when we would presume they would win, the band would invite me up to lead the team in a fight song. Even after I left, I would watch my sons play football and the band would still invite me up! We used to do a lot of fun events like jello wrestling, which absolutely packed the gymnasium with eager spectators. CC: You were principal during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, a monumental time in modern United States history. How did the school community react? Did the riots worsen ethnic divisions among students? GK: What I did was, I put televisions in the cafeteria and throughout the school so students could see the events that started with the abuse of Rodney King. It was part of American history, so it was Continued on Page 19.
May 2014
17
Principal Feature: Joseph Wilson (’04–’09)
CC: What problems faced IHS when you began your tenure as Principal? JW: The things that were brought to me most prominently were behavioral: student-on-student violence, safety, and the consistency—meaning inconsistency with which the students were held to standards and their behavior kept within bounds. CC: What were your initial goals? JW: My initial goals were to address student behavior, to increase the consistency with which the staff charged with discipline administered the school board’s rules. And also to maintain the academic performance of the students as a whole. CC: How was your first year as principal received by the school community? JW: I would say the reception was very mixed. There were people who were delighted that I was focusing on consistency and maintaining the standard of behavior that students require to allow them to work in the school. A number of the students were very unhappy because they perceived, maybe with some justification, that what they thought were their rights were being curbed. There were other people who were simply puzzled by the emphasis on rules and behavior. CC: In what way did you ensure that equity was realized for all students at IHS? JW: We were working at having stu-
IMAGE: PROVIDED
Conor Coutts ’15: Tell us a bit about your personal life. Joseph Wilson: I am very happily married to Martha Wilson. Our cat, Lucky, makes sure that we follow a daily routine that meets his needs. I spend my time when we are here in Ithaca as I described above. My wife and I travel some, mostly to see extended family and friends around the U.S. We have vague plans about traveling overseas in the future. Both of us serve as family historians for our respective extended families.
dents treated consistently and fairly, and we had heard early in my tenure that the transition from eighth grade to ninth grade was particularly difficult, partly because of hazing. We worked with middle schools, so there was a lot more freedom, so there were warranties for the students involved in the transition to be self-motivated. We put in the Link Crew to connect juniors and seniors with the freshmen. We also brought in AVID to increase the chances of students without a full complement of college-level skills, helping them develop skills at IHS and move on to good four-year colleges. The PLCs were an effort to bring framework for the education of the students across the curriculum as well as using data as opposed to just anecdotes to how people were feeling emotionally, socially, and especially academically. All of those were efforts to bring equity to the school. CC: What was the single greatest achievement during your tenure as high-school principal? JW: Well, I am not going to let it go to one. A theme was that, within the context of making a lot of changes that created a foundation for further progress at the school, we maintained the overall performance of the students
and kept a solid talented staff in place. There were specifics that I would love to point to—and I will! They include improving the consistently of our discipline, the development of a very strong set of department heads and assistant principals—the so called “leadership team”. A number of those folks went on to lead other schools in the area after leaving ICSD. Programs like Link Crew, AVID, and the professional learning communities (PLC) that are still being carried on by the staff. We made some improvements on how some of the less skilled students performed and stayed in school. CC: What is one area in which you were not as successful as you would liked to have been in? JW: There were three things. I didn’t think I connected successfully with enough students for students to feel that the things I was trying to accomplish were actually serving them. I did not have a good ongoing rapport with a significant number of the BoE members. Early on, there was discussion initiated with the then-superintendent, staff, and parents about bringing the International Baccalaureate program to the high school—there wasn’t much support among the parents who were the most interested, involved, and vocal. However, that would have continued to make IHS even better than it is today. CC: How effective of a communicator were you during your tenure as principal? JW: I think that I have to get a mixed review on that. See the comments I have already made about connecting with students and school board members in particular. Some parents would probably say I wasn’t across the board a successful communicator. Overall, I think I communicated well with the staff and I think I had a particularly good rapport with the leaders of the faculty, as well as most of the support staff. CC: During your time as Principal, Continued on Page 18.
18
May 2014
PF: Joseph Wilson Continued from Page 17. what was your relationship like with the Tattler? JW: Well, that too is a mixed bag. I’m sure you’ve already looked at the history of the relationship. I came into a controversy—a tug-of-war between the Tattler advisor and the leadership of the Tattler at the time—that started the year before I got there. It was a strong enough back-and-forth between them that I was literally telephoned by the leader of the Tattler when I was still principal of City College High School asking for my support. The advisor and the district administration had canceled the final issue of the newspaper the year before I got here. That round-robin or three-way struggle went on into the early part of my time at IHS; that’s what eventually spawned the district administration having its lawyer set forth new guidelines for the advisor to the paper, having me present them to the newspaper editors, and the newspaper leaders rejecting them. And then, eventually, the newspaper’s leaders and their parents found an attorney who would represent them. They brought a suit claiming that the new guidelines would result in, or had already resulted in, censorship. Several
years later, the courts decided in favor of the school district administration on those issues. Of course, that suit made the already-contentious relationship even more so. I would say that everyone moved on, and the relationship was fine and not contentious. I don’t think we had any controversy after the first year and half or two years after that.
TF: Jeffrey Dumont Continued from Page 13. be morally right. Outside of that, one has to look at what their moral framework is. Mine is probably more liberal than conservative and maybe I should be more adamant about helping the people who need help and volunteering more.
do you talk so much? JD: Humans have a need to communicate and I enjoy hearing as well as I enjoy speaking; often none of my words are my own, I just regurgitate what I learn. I think that’s the greatest gift of education, that we want a change in behavior and it does not matter what it is as long as it’s a positive change. I think that the best way to do that is to excite thought and the easiest way to do that
CC: You are a very notable orator. Why
CC: Describe an especially funny or pleasant experience you had when you were Principal. JW: We had a particularly challenging color day one year wherein the morning of that cold day, a large group of seniors burst into the cafeteria while people were getting ready for school and brought with them yellow and red paint. They then went through the building painting the hallways and exhibiting borderline riotous behavior. A lot of students and staff as well as the administration worked very hard to restore order and not have the destructive foolishness that was going on. By chance, there was a staff party that night, but I and a number of the staff stayed on late and we met for a while with the representatives of the school board. The party concluded by the time we were free; we got there right when it was concluding. The place, however,
was still full of staff—they gave the administrative team an ovation to thank us for our efforts. CC: What is the best thing you ever ate at IHS? JW: Whatever was brought in by staff for the holiday buffet in December. The now-abolished fries in the cafeteria were pretty good, too. CC: What kinds of things have you involved yourself in since leaving IHS? JW: I spend a great amount of my time opposing fracking, working for a fossil-fuel-free future, and opposing what I see as the undue power of large corporations in our lives. I recently joined the board of trustees at New Roots School. I also make time for recreational sports and working out, which I did not do enough of while I was working. CC: How would you explain your basic life philosophy? JW: It’s not your start that is important, but your finish. CC: If you could give one piece of advice to graduating seniors what would it be? JW: Take three deep breaths, put on a smile, and follow your heart. is through words. CC: What is the greatest thing you have ever experienced? JD: The greatest thing I have ever experienced is wind surfing in a hurricane on Cayuga Lake. CC: What do you see in your future? JD: I see great things in my future both in terms of professional life and the opportunity to watch my kids grow up. I hope to coach more and to do more work with the alternative PE projects that we’re doing at IHS, like rock climbing. And one day sailing off into retirement to do all of the things I have been teaching my students to do. CC: What is one piece of advice you’d give to graduating seniors? JD: Be true to yourself—do fully what you do and be totally what you are.
May 2014 PF: George Kiley Continued from Page 16. necessary for the students to be able to see it. We had very little racial tension during my tenure. If a racial problem emerged, we would nip it in the bud and find an effective way to settle it before anything bad happened. CC: What was the most challenging aspect of the job? GK: Just to be able to manage the different levels of students we had and to make sure we could give each one the best program we could provide—and to manage TF: Keith Thompson Continued from Page 12. math people) who said that they never thought that history was interesting or challenging before taking my class, but thought it was one of the best classes they ever took. OZ: As the social studies department chair and an administrator-in-training, what additional responsibilities do you have? KT: Everything—I’ve been working with everything from discipline, planning exams and events, supervision, teacher evaluation, curriculum development, working with data, and too many other things to list. It definitely has been eye-opening! OZ: Why are you training to become an administrator? KT: Because I love lunch duty? Seriously, though. Education and schooling are pretty complex. As a student, you only see one small part of that, and teachers see a little more. It may sound hokey, but I wanted to see how the whole system works, and see how I can make the school a better place. OZ: What changes do you hope to see at IHS in the future? KT: The next few years will be difficult for IHS and public education in general. I’d like to see teachers and students working to develop a more engaging and integrative curriculum, with the support of the administration and community. OZ: What are some of your hobbies out-
our budget. CC: Why did you leave your post at IHS? GK: I was approached about being a superintendent for Geneva, and I felt as though it was a good opportunity, but sometimes I wonder why I ever left IHS, because I loved it so much and I could not have asked for a better school community. CC: What are some things you have done since leaving IHS? GK: I was superintendent for Geneva Schools in Geneva, New York. I left side of school? KT: It may surprise some people (and completely not surprise others) that I’m pretty introverted and geeky. I love to challenge myself and understand how things work. For example, I started out riding bicycles, then learned how to fix them. So, of course I took the train to Oregon one summer to become a certified bicycle mechanic. I loved photography, so naturally decided to learn traditional darkroom photography and then took a workshop on how to make daguerreotypes, the first true “photographic” process invented in 1839. I also work on cars and motorcycles, roast my own coffee, and know way too much about the making and qualities of whiskey. In the information-saturated world we live in, there is really nothing that you can’t explore, or any excuse not to pursue something you’re interested in. OZ: You have traveled extensively and even lived abroad. Please describe some of your experiences. What about traveling do you appreciate/value the most? KT: As a child, I traveled with my parents around the United States, but we didn’t have the money or opportunity to spend time abroad. When I started studying anthropology in college, I started to understand the power that culture and physical environment have on how we live our lives, and was determined to throw myself into an unfamiliar world, just to see what would happen. So I studied abroad at the University of Ghana in West Africa. I traveled, took classes, was a DJ at the local radio station, and never looked at the world the same way again.
19
there and became a vice president for McGraw-Hill. I then went to Maine for retirement but ended up being a superintendent in rural Maine, then Hornell, New York for seven years. I retired from Hornell in 2011. I now own my own consulting educational company. CC: What is one piece of advice you would give to graduating seniors? GK: Once you graduate—doesn’t matter first or last in your class—never look back; always look forward. The only person who can stop you from achieving greatness is yourself. Since then, I’ve oriented my life so that I have regular opportunities to see the world in a new way. I’ve discussed Lincoln’s legacy at Oxford, walked very slowly away from wild elephants, roasted fresh coffee, ridden a mountain bike in the Dolomites, and lived in a commune, among other things. You could spend your entire life without challenging the way you think or who you believe you are, but you would really be missing out. OZ: If you could go back in time and spectate any historical event, which event would you spectate? Why? KT: The testing of the first atomic bomb. Rarely do people change the world so dramatically in a single moment—and the combination of beauty, power, and horror is really something rare. OZ: According to at least one student, a portion of your thumb is missing. How did this come about? KT: At least one student? You guys need to pay closer attention! I’ll save that story for class. Fun Facts: Original college major: Biochemistry Most admired historical figure: Theodore Roosevelt Biggest pet peeve: People who continually make excuses—just admit error and move on! Favorite sport: Cycling! Favorite musician: Elvis Costello
Post-APs Party Playlist IMAGE: ARCTIC MONKEYS
5. “Hideaway”: Kiesza Good dance music is cool, but the one add-on that makes a decent song amazing every time? A killer lead female singer. 6. “Meet Me in a House of Love”: Cut Copy Just as glitz-hippie as its album title, Free Your Mind, might suggest, “Meet Me in a House of Love” is an upbeat, groovy, electronic track that will definitely relieve any lingering AP PTSD you may have.
Chill out with the Arctic Monkeys.
By NAOMI POWERS
The third quarter is finally over, half the school is still slightly tan from that one nice day we had over spring break, and summer is calling us to go outside instead of do our homework . . . so why have we suddenly transformed into textbook zombies, lurching through the halls with almost visible thunderclouds above our heads? Oh—that’s right. Yes folks, it’s AP test season, and honestly, the scent of coffee and half-finished review books is getting to be a bit overwhelming. That’s why this month, rather than just another sedate studying playlist, I’m giving you a mix that’s for the post-test celebration. Free-response: turn down for what? 1. “Miserable”: Tokyo Police Club Start off with some (predictable) Ra Ra Riot–esque clean indie pop. Now celebrate: you’re finally free from the im-
pending dread that has been building up all spring! 2. “I Wanna Get Better”: Bleachers Killers’ vibes meet a catchy chorus that only gets better the louder you play it. Go ahead—the under-400,000 views on YouTube (at the time of writing) give you permission to shout along. 3. “Doses and Mimosas”: Cherub The one time I actually listened to one of my friends’ music recommendations, I was introduced to this song. Now I’m addicted. The dreamy electronics and pulsing bass will not let this song out of your head. 4. “Waves”: Magic Man With a beachy, teen-movie melody, the instrumental chorus on this track only makes this song that much more danceable.
7. “Operate”: ASTR This rougher, more minimalist take on electronic dance music is no less powerful than its lush counterparts. For a more mainstream twist, try the Chainsmokers (of “#SELFIE” notoriety) remix of this song. 8. “Changes”: Faul & Wad Ad, Pnau The jungle vibes are strong with this one. Oh, you didn’t ask for a magnificently jazzy saxophone bridge in this forest of electric goodness? It’s alright—have one anyways. 9. “Let Go for Tonight”: Foxes It’s your cliché, guilty-pleasure party anthem that isn’t a guilty pleasure at all because Foxes are relatively not overplayed yet! Rejoice! 10. “Balaclava”: Arctic Monkeys Hah—I bet you thought I could make it through this playlist without pulling out an Arctic Monkeys. Well, you were wrong. In fact, if you wanted to scrap this entire playlist and replace it with the Arctic Monkeys’ discography, you’d probably be making the right decision. You have my full permission.
A&E
May 2014
21
Checking In to The Grand Budapest Hotel The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson’s newest cinematic caper, featuring all of his usual tropes packaged in colorful characters, a building that looks like a frivolous cake, and pastry boxes that are truly an engineering delight to behold. On the brink of what is ostensibly the Second World War, M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), the enigmatic and charismatic concierge of the Grand Budapest Hotel, is willed a priceless painting by one of his late lover-guests, Madame D (Tilda Swinton). However, her conniving son, Dmitri (Adrien Brody), refuses to let him have it. Gustave and his loyal lobby boy Zero (Tony Revolori) steal the painting, sparking a crazy criminal chase through the fictional Republic of Zubrowka as they try to find a way to return their lives and the hotel to peacetime order. This movie is hilarious if you like Anderson’s humor—that is, quirky, pure, uncomfortable yet earnest. The screenplay is full of offbeat similes (“She was shaking like a s****ing dog”) and lighthearted reactions to serious events. Every line is delivered precisely, giving the film a rhythm that steers you just to the edge of a dialogue cliff but saves you from careening off the edge. Also notable is the use of text in the film, which labels the obvious and adds another layer of humor: Madame D’s castle is called “Schloss Lutz”, the art museum is named “Kunstmuseum”, and people replenish their gas tanks at the “Fuelitz”. Visual and physical humor also earns laughter from the audience—when Gustave steals the painting, it is replaced with an Egon Schiele– inspired print (and that’s one of the reasons for the movie’s R rating). Anderson’s visual composition is always stunning, and the scenes in this movie are no exception. Each shot is a meticulous painting, with consistent symmetry and an impressive attention to detail. The backdrops seem simultaneously empty and intricate. Anderson uses perspective wisely, and varied character en-
IMAGE: PROVIDED
By SOPHIA SHI
It’s a Wes Anderson movie. What do you expect?
trances and shot depths make the viewer feel like a bystander in the scene. He also seems to enjoy shooting and panning at 90-degree angles. I don’t know exactly what effect this creates, but it is absolutely visually pleasing. The color scheme not only creates a whimsical aesthetic, but also elevates the movie to another level in time—for goodness’ sake, the hotel is Pepto-Bismol pink. But for some reason, it is a believable Pepto-Bismol pink, just like how the 1968 Grand Budapest is a believable EasyJet orange, and how the hotel staff’s uniforms are a believable Crayola purple. But let’s talk about how the movie deals with time, because indeed, there are a lot of levels. I could have described the film as one in which a girl reads a story that an author wrote in the past about a trip he took in the past where a man told him a story about events that happened in the past. Although Anderson is the writer and director, the film is actually inspired by the writings of Stefan Zweig, adding another layer of indirectness to the plot. Anderson is conscious of this use of time because he shoots each period in a different aspect ratio. When you watch the movie, you are transported to a time and place that never were, yet they evoke a real time and place grounded somewhere in reality. You can think of the war as World War II, but it is perfectly fine if you don’t. The logo of the occupying military is not exactly a swastika, but is reminiscent of the terror of Nazi Germany. Zero makes references to the very real Desert Uprising, which made him a refugee of his fictional homeland. This isomorphism between real history and the made-up setting is what makes the film interesting. Wes Anderson is an acquired taste. If you already savor that taste, then I would wholeheartedly recommend this movie. If you are open to tasting new things, I would also recommend it. If you think I’ve already beaten this digestion metaphor to the ground, then you might not like this film. You can try to nitpick a metaphorical meaning out of the movie if you want, like I have, but if you only watch it as a form of escapism, it is perfectly enjoyable as well.
22
May 2014
A&E IMAGE: PROVIDED
Captain America: The Winter Soldier: A Review By RENA BRAND
IMAGE: PROVIDED
I saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier at a pre-screening on the Thursday night of tech week for the school musical. This means that I spent the one night I was supposed to be catching up on homework seeing a movie . . . alone. It seems a little sad, but I don’t regret my decision at all. The Winter Soldier was, in one word, awesome. The movie takes place after The Avengers and centers on Steve Rogers (a.k.a. Captain America) in his continuing quest to understand and fit into the modern era. The conflict comes from a mysterious new villain known as the Winter Soldier as well as unrest within S.H.I.E.L.D. The awesome in The Winter Soldier definitely came from the melding of the world Rogers knew from the ’40s with the modern-day world. A main concern I had before watching the film was that the sequel wouldn’t connect very well to the first movie due to the 70-year time jump, but that ended up not being a problem. Characters from the original movie, other characters (e.g., Black Widow) from the Marvel universe, and new characters all melded together to make a wonderful combination of new and old. Rogers was still charming with his old-timey anecdotes and sayings, but the interactions with the modern characters made for some hilarious moments. The plot and the twists and turns it took meant that the movie never dragged or became boring. In some parts, I was on the edge of my seat. The fight scenes were also ridiculously cool. The one issue I had with this movie was its sheer number of characters. I liked all of them and thought that they all blended together nicely, but character development was lacking in a few of them. This presents an issue, because with the Marvel universe expanding so much and so quickly, I have concerns that some minor characters may fall through the cracks. The one thing I don’t want to think while watching future movies is, “Whatever happened to that one character from The Winter Soldier?” I have faith in the writers of the Marvel movies, but hopefully this will only be a concern I have, never a reality. The Winter Soldier receives a nine out of ten stars from me. It was wonderful, amazing, tons of fun, and totally worth blowing off homework to go see. The one point was deducted for the concerns presented in the previous paragraph. Overall, I would recommend this movie to fans and nonfans alike, but I leave you with one last piece of advice: stay for the after-credits scene. Just do The Winter Soldier ready to complete his mission. it—you won’t regret it.
Lindsay and her “freak” friends skipping class again.
Freaks and Geeks: A Review By EMILY SCARPULLA
Freaks and Geeks is another one of those incredible shows that sadly only lasted one season (Firefly, anyone?). It was made in 1999, but has recently made a comeback because of the huge popularity of some of its main actors. Its cast is almost the cast of This Is the End, with James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and many more recognizable faces. The great comedians were just as good back in the day as they are today and their quirky characters have a repartee that makes this show an absolute delight. This show follows two groups of high-schoolers in the ’80s dealing with all of your basic highschool woes, plus some more serious home problems, such as marriage issues. It focuses primarily on one family. Both children are extremely smart, but one decides to befriend the “freaks” (your basic pot-smoking burnouts) instead of her normal geek friends. This creates a social disruption and the collision of two very different worlds. Although many of the problems these teenagers deal with are time-specific, the basics of high-school hierarchy and relationships seem to still hold true. I really liked the way in which relationships developed throughout the show as well as the personal growth each character showed. The geeks became more social, and one freak even dared to play Dungeons and Dragons. I think that the paradoxical nature of some of the adventures shows how ridiculous our natural tendencies as teenagers are in the first place. It’s really something of a satire, which makes it very entertaining. I would give this show a 9 out of 10, similarly to the IMDb rating. This classic show definitely deserves the comeback that it is making. For anyone who likes the aforementioned comedians, I highly recommend the show. It is extremely funny and makes for an interesting commentary on high school.
IMAGE: SYLVIE STUDIER
This Month at IHS On 3/25, varsity and JV boys’ lacrosse opened against Horseheads; JV won, varsity lost On 3/31, girls’ lacrosse opened season with 14–4 loss to Corning
IHS track athletes at the races.
District in Trouble; Athletics to Suffer as Well? By CHRIS SKAWSKI
If you haven’t heard or don’t know, the situation ICSD is currently in with regards to the budget is not a good one: too much money that needs to be spent, and not enough money to spend—the age-old problem of a budget deficit. It’s no secret that governments do this routinely, but local governments don’t have the option to borrow large sums of money to cover their deficits. Read the news article earlier in the paper for a full explanation. What does this have to do with sports? When a district finds itself in need of cuts, athletics and the fine arts are usually the first things on the chopping block. As is explained in the editorial this month, there are several proposed budgets this year with varying levels of cuts. The proposals range from a $113-million budget with as few cuts as possible all the way to a contingency budget of $106 million, which comes with the most dramatic cuts. The 113 budget is the best option for the district; it keeps the most money
flowing through the district. Even with these “soft” cuts, athletics still stands to take a hit. According to a source on the Board of Education (BoE) Finance Committee, ICSD athletics will likely see cuts in the neighborhood of $50,000. But what exactly does this mean for athletes? Bottom line: not as much as you might think. With the 113 budget, the biggest difference will be the scaling down of some coaches and the reduction in uniform and equipment upgrades. Basically, sports won’t see a huge reduction under the 113 budget. Brad Grainger of the Finance Committee expressed that there would be no reduction in the number or availability of sports at ICSD. According to the BoE, athletics improves graduation rates; IHS has achieved a 90 percent graduation rate. The 113 budget was recently voted for by the BoE and will go before the voters on May 20. If it does not pass, a lower budget will likely be put to the voters for a second vote. The lower budgets are where things get a bit more drastic. The basic idea is that budgets lower than Continued on Page 25.
On 4/5, boys’ track and field became team champions at Pennsylvania–New York invitational On 4/9, boys’ and girls’ track and field won Oswego meet On 4/14, boys’ varsity tennis continued two-year win streak with 7–0 win over Horseheads On 4/15, boys’ varsity lacrosse won 11–5 over Irondequoit; Charlie Estill ’14 scored five goals On 4/21, JV baseball won first win of season over Trumansburg On 4/23, varsity baseball and softball both lost to Corning in doubleheader On 4/25, varsity and JV boys’ lacrosse both lost to Corning in doubleheader On 4/25, Ithaca and Corning named co-champions against 15+ teams at Dan Fravil Memorial Ithaca Relays On 4/28, varsity and JV baseball won doubleheader at Binghamton
24
May 2014
SPORTS
MLB Top Five: Predictions IMAGE: PROVIDED
for this is that they have arguably the best front-four pitchers in With the regular season unbaseball. Their major offseason der way, here is a list of Major pickup was Doug Fister (whom League Baseball’s top five teams they acquired in a trade with the this season; each one should be Detroit Tigers), and when he reconsidered a contender come turns from injury, their “fantastic October. four” will be complete. Washington’s hitters—led by Jayson 1. New York Mets Werth, Ryan Zimmerman, and Okay, not really. Bryce Harper, in the heart of the lineup—have also proven to be 1. Saint Louis Cardinals dangerous. The Nationals’ bullThe Cardinals should be the pen is of concern: aside from best team in baseball this year closer Rafael Soriano, there are Adam Wainwright is pumped to win the World Series this year. for several reasons. First, their few other talented arms. Injuries pitching rotation, led by ace Adam cus he attracts will only serve to distract are also a major threat to the NationWainwright, is stacked. Last year, the the team. Matt Kemp, who finally ap- als’ success. Top players Bryce Harper, Cardinals made it to the World Series pears to be healthy, is already express- Stephen Strasburg, and Ryan Zimmerby relying heavily on young starters ing displeasure with the Dodgers’ four- man have all suffered major injuries in such as Shelby Miller, Michael Wa- man rotating outfield system, which recent years (Zimmerman and several cha, Lance Lynn, and Joe Kelly. These does not allow him to play every day. others have already suffered somewhat players should continue to improve These issues will trip up the Dodgers, serious injuries this season). Should this year, further bolstering a rotation but they remain the baseball team with injuries like these crop up again, the that was strong last season. And should the most raw talent. team’s title chances would be destroyed. any of these pitchers suffer injuries, If they can stay healthy, the Nationals top-prospect Carlos Martinez is pre- 3. Tampa Bay Rays will win the National League East. pared to leave the bullpen for the startThe Rays boast a stellar rotation led ing rotation. Despite the loss of Carlos by David Price, and are one of the best 5. Boston Red Sox Beltran to baseball’s resident evil em- defensive clubs in baseball. Last season, Last year’s World Series champs are pire, the Cardinals’ lineup will remain they were a top-ten offense. Their bull- no longer the best team in baseball, or strong, thanks to Matt Holliday, Allen pen has been improved through off- even in their division. Despite this, the Craig, and young power-hitter Matt season acquisitions of Heath Bell and club remains one of the most talented Adams. The Cardinals’ defense was closer Grant Balfour. The American teams in the majors. The Red Sox have also improved by the addition of Gold League’s top team does have a notable a strong lineup anchored by Dustin PeGlove winner Peter Bourjos, and their question mark, however: its starting droia, David Ortiz, and Mike Napoli. continued improvement overall should lineup is starting to age. David Deje- They will certainly miss Jacoby Ellsland them their 12th national title. sus, the team’s leadoff hitter, is now 34 bury (who also left for the aforemenyears old, and half of the starting lineup tioned evil empire), who was the core 2. Los Angeles Dodgers is over 30. In spite of this, the Rays’ su- of the Sox’s baserunning and fielding Excellent starting pitching and a perior pitching and fielding—as well as success. And the team will also struggle menacing starting lineup will make the their younger core hitters, Evan Longo- to replace departed shortstop Stephen Dodgers poised for a deep postseason ria and James Loney—will carry them Drew. The Red Sox rotation lacks a surun. Dan Haren and Paul Maholm cer- to an American League pennant win. perstar, but all five starting pitchers are tainly don’t qualify as flashy offseason above-average veterans who can propickups, but they will be dependable 4. Washington Nationals vide quality innings throughout the seastarters who will provide support at The Nationals were one of baseball’s son. The Red Sox added Edward Mujica the back end of an impressive rotation biggest disappointments last season. over the offseason to support a bullpen headed by Clayton Kershaw. Unfortu- Widely considered to be the best team that is now one of the best in baseball. nately, the Dodgers will be hampered in baseball before the regular season, The defending champs lost several key by off-the-field problems. Young star the team faltered, missing the playoffs. players this past offseason, but they reYasiel Puig was already battling with Fortunately for our nation’s capital, the main a talented ball club with the rare manager Don Mattingly just days into Nats are in line for some redemption distinction of having few significant the regular season, and the media cir- this season. The most important reason weaknesses across the board. By ELIE KIRSHNER
SPORTS
To Hustle, or Not to Hustle
Athletics Budget Cuts Continued from Page 23. the 113 involve steeper and steeper cuts. Coaches will begin being cut substantially. At the 109 level, physical education teachers will begin being cut. Remaining teachers will have to move among different buildings from day to day to cover more classes. The rumor that modified
sports will be cut is inconsistent with the BoE’s stated goal of trying to keep as many sports options open; however, if lower budgets are passed, starting with the 109, some modified sports options will have to be cut. Director of Athletics Danielle LaRoche declined to comment on the possibility of athletics budget cuts.
25
The Win Column IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES
Almost all of us have criticized athletes for not hustling before. While we sit at home on our reclined chairs, popcorn in a bowl on our laps and the remote in our hands, we often turn to a fellow fan and say, “He didn’t even try to get to first base,” or “No one ever gets back on defense in the NBA.” Our hyperbolic censure is justified, though, right? After all, these athletes are often receiving millions of dollars to play their sport; all players should be trying to reach their full potential on every play! “If I were being paid that much,” we tell our friends (who pretend to listen), “I would try to sack the quarterback until the whistle blows.” If almost every fan has this mindset, one would assume the players do, too. But many do not. Injuries tell the story of players’ seeming lack of hustle. Jadeveon Clowney, the expected first pick in the 2014 NFL draft on May 8–10, was criticized by an anonymous National Football Conference (NFC) team scouting director who said that Clowney is “spoiled [and] lazy.” Clowney came under fire last year when many claimed he was taking certain plays off to avoid injury, and the game tapes seem to agree. When college athletes’ only chance of making money in their sport is to play professionally, it is difficult to blame players for coasting through their final season. In fact, if the primary goal is money, the South Carolina defensive end may want to continue this trend into the NFL, regardless of fan disapproval. Injuries in the NFL hit an all-time high in 2011 at 4,473, an average of two injuries per active player. Football is not the only injury-plagued sport; once-rare ACL tears have sidelined a plethora of NBA stars, from Rose to
Rondo to Rubio, and injuries in the MLB increased by almost 40 percent following the 2005 season. In February of this year, New York Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long said former Yankee Robinson Cano had “no acceptable answer” for not running hard to first base on every play, adding that Jeter had talked to Cano numerous times about his lack of hustle. A few months later, however, the Yankees’ infielder and backup catcher Francisco Cervelli ended up on the 60-day disabled list after hustling to avoid a double play. On April 19, first-year manager Matt Williams benched Bryce Harper when he jogged slowly on a grounder to the opposing pitcher. The manager’s decision was critiqued, especially when Harper’s replacement, Kevin Frandsen, hit an easy grounder for the second out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Professional athletes should certainly hustle, and they obviously will not be injured every time they work hard. Fans want players to exert top effort on every play, but with the increased likelihood of injuries and the strenuous seasons, athletes may be saving themselves during supposedly “less important” plays and therefore reducing injuries and increasing productivity when the game is on the line. During the postseason, though, there is no excuse for idle play, and coaches should reprimand their players for any hint of laziness. The culprit may not be the players, but rather the emphasis of professional sports leagues: expensive contracts. I want to see everyone on my favorite team hustle on every single play, but in sports leagues overshadowed by injuries and money, we cannot blame players for trying to lengthen their careers—and their paychecks.
By NICK BOGEL-BURROUGHS
May 2014
This man exemplifies the characteristics of Phillies sports fans.
By OWEN HARTMAN
It has come to my attention whilst roaming the halls of our great school that there are many misconceptions about professional athletics going around. I consider it my duty, as writer of the best monthly sports column in our school, to clear up some of those misconceptions. So, in each of my next few columns, I will be focusing on one major misconception I hear. My first misconception is going to be the idea that “Philadelphia sports fans aren’t all that bad.” I have been hearing this statement a lot more ever since my last article did not place Philly sports fans in the best light; however, I can definitively state that Philadelphia sports fans are a pack of . . . people who don’t like good sports teams. Any human being whose body composition is 25 percent hot air, 20 percent water, 5 percent bad judgment, and 50 percent whatever Camden, New Jersey is made of cannot be considered bearable by any means. Although Phillies and Eagles fans are by far the worst, other Philadelphia sports team fans are also quite awful. Don’t be fooled if someone tries to convince you otherwise; my word is all the proof you need that these fans are terrible—oh, and the fact that Philadelphia installed a jail, judgeship, and courtroom inside Veterans Stadium (the old stadium) to deal with unruly Eagles fans.
26
May 2014
Dear Dawyt, I need relationship advice. I am a working woman who works really crazy hours (10:30–11:40 p.m.). I do my best to cook healthful, cost-effective meals like jellied gravy, collard green smoothies, and even nutmeg sandwiches for my boyfriend, Dick, but he never eats them! He just ends up doing something men do, like sit there in the corner eating the dust out of the vacuum cleaner! How do I get Dick to eat my dinners? Sincerely, #mad
#mad,
As someone who hates food and relationships and has no experience with either, I am so glad you wrote in on this pressing issue! Your first mistake is making dinner. During these sweet, modern times, no one makes dinner anymore—by making dinner, you’re wasting emotional, mental, and physical energy! I think ole Dicky just really has a hunch for dust— just like I have a hunch for getting divorced! Don’t stress about this: just sit back, relax, and watch completely informative History Channel programs like Laundromat Battles. Sincerely, Dr. Dawyt Dabroski-Dolhun
Riddle
Jokes
Paul’s height is six feet, he’s an assistant at a butcher’s shop, and he wears size-nine shoes. What does he weigh?
?
A guy walks into a bar and takes a seat. Before he can order a beer, the bowl of pretzels in front of him says, “Hey— you’re a handsome fellow!” The man tries to ignore the bowl of pretzels, and orders a fine Pilsner beer. The bowl of pretzels then says, “Ooh, a Pilsner—great choice! You’re a smart man.” Starting to freak out, the guy says to the bartender, “Hey! What the—this bowl of pretzels keeps saying nice things to me!” The bartender replies, “Don’t worry about it. The pretzels are complimentary.” Two cannibals are eating a clown. One looks over to the other and says, “Does this taste funny to you?” Q: Did you hear about the kidnapping at school? A: It’s okay—he woke up. Q: What’s red and bad for your teeth? A: A brick. Q: What’s gray? A: A melted penguin.
A: Meat.
PENULTIMATE
May 2014
Fun Facts!
27
1. In response to Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, the forest products industry published Truax to teach kids about the importance of logging. 2. Andrew Jackson was the only United States president under whom the national debt was paid in full. 3. Elvis’s Aloha from Hawaii was watched by more people than the landing on the Moon was. 4. The dot over the letters i and j is called a tittle. 5. There are 261 words and phrases for “fart”. 6. The youngest pope was 11 years old. 7. St. Patrick was not Irish.
Comic
Horoscopes
Taurus (Apr. 20–May 20): Being the nature-loving person you are, you will adore the coconut festival out by the Armpit Society of Greater Tompkins County. There will be everything you love: intoxicated octogenarians, face-painting, drug raids, coconut custard, and live music!
gloves. You will then be arrested for streaking.
Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22): Channeling your artistic side, you will paint Julia Child in a do-rag. This will enable you to win the “Groton Town Art Show” and, thus, the grand prize of $3.25!
Gemini (May 21–June 20): Uncle Doopy will pay you a visit. He will try to tickle you until you are unable to breathe to let him know you are “too old for that claptrap.” Kick him in the chocycxx!
2 7 8 3
1
9
5
1
2
7
5
3
6
4
9
2
9
4
3
6
8
2
1
7
5
6
7
5
4
9
1
2
8
3
1
5
4
2
3
7
8
9
6
3
6
9
8
4
5
7
2
1
2
8
7
1
6
9
5
3
4
2
4
1
5
2
1
9
7
4
3
6
8
4
3
8
5
2
6
9
1
7
7
9
6
3
1
8
4
5
2
7 5
8
1
1
4
Unicorns and superintendents
Net neutrality
Svante Myrick making the front page of Reddit
Amphibians
Snow (days?) in April
FCC
The Luveness Spectrum
First half of May
Solutions to April’s Sudoku 8
4 6
Aries (Mar. 21–Apr. 19): Chicken farming isn’t your thing—after 88 bruises and a series of ungodly smells, you will lose your sanity and start worshiping things created in the name of Richard Simmons!
9
4 6
Pisces (Feb. 19–Mar. 20): After a crazy spring break in Salt Lake City, you will write your memoirs . . . then and only then will you get the tattoo of Joan Rivers!
Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21): The rhinestone jeans you ordered from 90smom. com will finally come this
3
3
Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18): While riding your lawnmower across town, you will see a straw hat lying in the middle of the road. You will pick it up but later put it down because it will smell of blood and acetone.
Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21): After a good night’s sleep in a wheelbarrow, you will suffer from four days of constipation. Have no fear—there will be light at the end of that tunnel, and its name will be Bill Clinton.
Leo (July 23–Aug. 22): In honor of May’s blooming flowers, you will walk into a flower garden wearing nothing but gardening
month! What an exciting moment for you and your depressing fashion! Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19): ICSD budget issues are nothing compared to the relationship issues you will be having: you will need to take a vacation . . . to Mars!
Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22): While listening to the tunes of 2 Chainz and Dolly Parton, you will spit out your rice pudding because you will be astounded by what you take to be their description of a promiscuous woman!
Cancer (June 21–July 22): Your “mama” is so short, she will hang glide on a Dorito. It is normal for you to have been prescribed loads of painkillers for that naval fungus you have—enjoy quality time with mommy!
Second half of May
AP preadministration
Budget cuts