November 5, 2013 • Estd. 1892 • Vol. 121 #8 • Published Monthly • www.ihstattler.com Ithaca High School, 1401 N. Cayuga St, Ithaca, NY 14850 • FREE
DeWitt’s “Special Room” IMAGE: AUDREY KAN
Developments at DeWitt could be the start of a district-wide change in how students learn.
By SARAH SKROVAN
New to DeWitt Middle School this school year is an interesting experiment in contemporary learning spaces: the “model classroom”. Using what was once a staff development room, this project to create an innovative new learning space was made possible by a grant that was part of last year’s budget process. The room isn’t quite complete, as the district is awaiting the arrival of a few more pieces of furniture. When it is finished, it will have many unique features. Its walls and tabletops have been treated
with a special paint that makes their surfaces writable, like giant dry-erase boards; these surfaces are certainly the first of their kind in ICSD. The room will also contain buoy chairs (chairs that wobble, spin, tilt, and bounce), one-to-one mobile devices, and an interactive whiteboard. Teachers at DeWitt will have the opportunity to sign up to bring their classes to the space, and the district hopes that lessons held in the model classroom will be largely student-designed. Staff development sessions will also continue to take place in the room. “We are hoping the prototype of the model classroom at DeWitt will lead
to us scaling this approach to reach all district learning spaces,” said Superintendent Luvelle Brown on the future of the contemporary learning space. “We anticipate making adjustments based on student and teacher feedback. However, the focus will remain on providing learning spaces that promote student-led creation, collaboration, and thinking.” Overall, there are high hopes for the model classroom, and the district is eager to complete this exciting new experiment at DeWitt. IHS may also install a similar room, but without the special paint on the walls.
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November 5, 2013
OPINION
Editorial
Hating What We Don’t Understand: Disciplinary Policies at IHS At the beginning of each year, we all sit down in our social studies classes, sharpen our pencils, and take an open-note, two-page test on the finer points of the IHS student handbook. We review the list of rules and repercussions for less than 45 minutes, after which most of us spend the rest of our year blissfully unaware of the policies and procedures that guide the disciplinary process at our school. The barriers we do run up against—a dress code violation or skipping a class, for instance—can make us feel uncomfortable, but we rarely realize the full extent of the administration’s power until a major transgression occurs. The school’s implementation of standard disciplinary procedures can be blown out of proportion by a student body uninformed about the Student Code of Conduct; i.e., the rules all students are expected to follow. (The code of conduct, a rather large blue spiral-bound notebook, is mailed out to IHS students at the beginning of the year.) For the adults who maintain order in the high school to avoid blind animosity and instead promote understanding about the importance of the policies they enforce, we need to establish a better system of education about these same enforcements. Unfortunately, unless students are directly told what is and isn’t permissible according to the code of conduct, few will actively pursue learning about these restrictions, and even fewer will appreciate their purpose in maintaining a safe, educational environment. Since the beginning of this year, many students have begun to experience the effects of the administration’s power in regulating the school day and activities on campus. Complaints began trickling in about students receiving referrals for going to their cars in C-Lot during their free periods. Then, almost a month ago, the conflict culminated in the punishment of a group of students for possessing alcohol in the main parking lot. From the administration’s perspective, the situation seemed simple: containers of alcohol clearly visible within a student’s car indicated a violation of the code of conduct (Board PoliThe Tattler is the student-run newspaper of cy 5312.1: The Board of Education Ithaca High School. It was founded in 1892 (BoE) is committed to creating a safe and is published monthly. and drug-free school environment), warranting a search of the student’s As an open forum, The Tattler inbelongings. The subsequent recovery vites opinion piece submissions and of evidence in a group text identified letters to the editor from all comothers as being in possession of alcomunity members. Drop off submishol and having consumed the same sions in E25 or e-mail them to: substance on school campus before editor@ihstattler.com a school trip. Principal Jarett Powers then contacted the students’ parents and suspended the students for five Mail letters to: days, as per district policy. The IHS Tattler For the students involved, how1401 N. Cayuga St. ever, this process was nowhere near Ithaca, NY 14850 routine. Unaware of the exact consequences of their actions, students are The Tattler reserves the right to edit all submisoften in the dark about the district’s sions. Submissions do not necessarily reflect powers during inquiries concerning the views of editorial staff. code of conduct violations. Continued on Page 3.
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November 5, 2013
OPINION
Editorial Continued from Page 2. Searching a backpack, locker, or phone may seem irrelevant when alcohol was discovered in someone’s car, but these are simply the actions that the district is authorized to perform in order to carry out the most thorough investigation it can. Some may be unaware that C-Lot is even located on school campus, and are skeptical that the school administration has the right to enter students’ cars when the district’s rules are broken. However, in the depths of the student handbook, the school does outline that “all vehicles are subject to search if there is reasonable evidence that contraband is present”, and that prohibited items include drugs and alcohol. The student handbook provides a general overview of the rules and disciplinary procedures in place at IHS, but the more specific policies are only discussed in the code of conduct, a document that many students do not know exists and is most easily accessed through the district’s new labyrinth of a web site. Much of the hostility toward the administration is caused by this lack of general knowledge concerning school rules and procedures. “I am responsible for you from the moment you step foot [on campus] to the moment you leave,” Mr. Powers summarized in a recent statement. This truly represents the task that the district is given in the management of students on campus: responsibility. By punishing a student for violating district rules, the administration is neither acting solely for its own purposes nor imposing a draconian system of discipline; it is upholding its obligation to protect and nurture students. The Student Code of Conduct was not solely created by the district itself, but is rather an amalgamation of New York State school mandates and decisions made by the BoE, a group of elected officials from the local community. The possession of drugs on campus or hanging out in the unsupervised parking lot do not promote the healthy education of youth; therefore, the district must make sure that those actions do not take place. The district may even be thought of as an additional parent for all students. In this manner, the administration is delegated the duty to both provide safety for and to encourage healthy habits in its students. This includes the task of ensuring the absence of drugs and alcohol from school campus and events as well as the responsibility for the location of individual students at any given time during the school day. Reliable accountability for student whereabouts hits a wall when students enter the parking lot. Although the area is technically on school campus, there are no means to protect student safety or regulate student activity in the area. Unless students have obtained senior privileges and can leave campus, they are required by school rules to spend free periods under adult supervision. For freshmen and sophomores, this means an assigned study hall, and for juniors and seniors, it extends to the use of the Quad, library, and Student Activities building, with H-Courtyard
reserved for seniors only. It is important for the school to be able to determine a student’s location in case of an emergency. This is the reason why the student handbook outlines that students are not allowed to access their cars at any point during the school day, unless they are driving off campus (page 38, parking rule 5). The high school administration is not trying to restrict our freedom of movement; it is simply upholding its responsibility for our personal safety. The school provides perfectly adequate lockers that can be accessed between classes much more quickly than a car out in C-Lot can. Despite its need to conduct investigations quickly and completely, the administration must also remain prudent in its treatment of students. One of the concerns raised during the recent event involving on-campus possession of alcohol was the fact that one student related to the situation was pulled out for questioning during the halftime of his senior-night sports game. This interview could have been saved for afterwards, as the administration publicly and awkwardly singled out this student as being involved in disciplinary matters. Our student body is not one that lets the administration go about its business of punishing those who violate school rules without showing off some blatant hostility. However, this anger and confusion does not stem from the school’s violation of student rights, but rather from a lack of general knowledge of what the administration is allowed to do when investigating these situations. If the lack of openness about the administration’s power is its most powerful opposition, then it is important for the school to ensure student understanding of disciplinary policies. Instead of completing a fill-in-the-blank sheet that gives an overview of the entire student handbook, teachers could give more in-depth instruction on important points to aid student engagement and avoid mindless answer-copying. Topics of discussion could vary based on grade level to increase relevancy (no more freshmen learning how to obtain parking permits) and classes could set aside more than one period to review both the student handbook and the code of conduct. This more in-depth education about the workings of the administration would help to improve the relationship between students and the school administration.
IMAGE: PROVIDED
News
Yet Another Odd Mishap at Caroline Elementary By MANDY KLABEN
What do three fires, a bird in a classroom, stray dogs running through hallways, turtles on the floor, a display light exploding, a three-hour lockdown due to a father going to get his kid’s sweater off the playground, crayfish escaping down the hallway, and two power outages have in common? They’re all events that happened during my six years as a student at Caroline Elementary School, and now, the newest installment in the string of interesting events at Caroline is a broken water pump. As you may know, Caroline is 10–15 minutes east of Ithaca, and is therefore too far away from the city to use city water. Instead, the water for the school is provided by a very deep well and an electric pump. The pump temporarily failed on September 25 and 26, but the district was able to fix it. On September 27, Principal Mary Grover reported, “At 7:02 a.m., we learned the pump continued to malfunction and were forced to close due to a lack of water availability.” According to Principal Grover, staff tried to get the word that school would be canceled out as soon as possible. However, some of the buses had already picked up kids, and some parents, unaware of the closure, had already dropped their kids off at school. PE teacher Ms. Seldin met parents at the drop off area to tell them that the school was closed, but still, some students had already arrived. These kids waited with teachers at the school until transportation arrangements could be made to take them back home. Over the weekend, employees from the Beacon Water Equipment Company worked on the pump. By Monday, September 30, the water pump was back up and running, and school resumed normal functions.
In Other News:
Vitamin L’s Upcoming Milestone Vitamin L is celebrating its 1000th performance on Saturday, November 2 by giving a free concert. The concert will be at 1 p.m. in the State Theater of Ithaca. Since 1989, Vitamin L has been spreading love and goodwill by performing songs to throughout the community.
Joe Cassidy is an experienced lawyer who hopes to do good for Ithaca.
Joe Cassidy: New Tompkins County Judge By CHRISTINA CONSTAS
On September 10, Joe Cassidy won the Tompkins County Judge Democratic primary election. With no competitors, Cassidy will be officially elected on November 5, the day of the general election. Cassidy, with 1501 of the 3768 total votes, beat Pamela Bleiwas, Seth Peacock (an ICSD Board of Education member), Kelly Damm, and write-in candidates to secure his victory. The Tompkins County Judge supervises half of all felonies, child protective cases, custody cases, integrated domestic violence cases, juvenile cases, and Persons in Need of Supervision (PINS) cases in Tompkins County. Cassidy was born in Elmira, but spent most of his childhood in Brooklyn. He attended Tulane University and majored in English and Anthropology. After teaching English and Western European History at a Brooklyn high school for a year, Cassidy decided to attend New York Law School. Cassidy practiced law in New York City before moving to Trumansburg, where he continued to practice independently. In 2007, Cassidy began working for the Tompkins County Department of Social Services. When Cassidy started working for Tompkins County he “immediately felt great respect for the local [judicial] system.” He ran for the position of County Judge because he wanted to become more involved in such an “innovative and fair” system. During his campaign, Cassidy emphasized the importance of eliminating racism within the court system as well as in our local community. His experiences as a teacher helped to set Cassidy apart from the other candidates. As County Judge, Cassidy aims to keep our court system running well and equitably. “Focus on the general skills and knowledge that make a good community leader,” Cassidy advised those looking to pursue a career in law or a public office. “Keep an open mind.”
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November 5, 2013
NEWS
Luvelle Brown: Thoughts on Technology Since becoming ICSD Superintendent, Luvelle Brown has placed an emphasis on integrating new forms of technology into the current learning environment. I sat down with Dr. Brown to go into depth about what he thinks about technology. Elie Kirshner ’14: What role do you think technology should play in education? Luvelle Brown: Well first, let’s define technology. When I think about technology, I think about nouns: a book, a pencil, and/or an iPad. Here [in the district], we think about verbs: analyze, problem-solve, communicate, collaborate, etc. Those are the focuses. A robot or a whiteboard just enhances our ability to interact with students around those verbs. EK: What technological innovations have you introduced in your time with the district? LB: Infrastructure was in need of significant improvements when I first came here. We have quadrupled bandwidth so you are actually able to watch a YouTube video in class, and we now have wireless infrastructure everywhere, from schools to playgrounds to parking lots. We have worked on improving distribution and replacing old technology. Every school now has a 2:1 student-to-device ratio, with all of those devices being less than five years old. Before, there were far fewer devices, and many of them were ten or more years old. Professional development has also improved so that teachers are able to effectively interact with technology. EK: What are the pitfalls of introducing technology in the classroom? LB: If people see the noun, or tool, as less important than the verbs, it doesn’t work. A piece of technology can-
not love a student like a teacher can. Technology can’t replace interactions, whether teacher-to-student, student-to-student, or person-to-person. EK: Is there an upcoming or current district project involving technology that you are particularly passionate about? LB: Two things: First, one-to-one deployment. Every student will have a teacher and a device. You see this already starting to happen in some freshman English and Global classes, as well as in some elementary school classes. We want all students to have a device available to them. Second, experimenting with virtual avatars and—again, thinking of verbs—engaging in class through those virtual avatars which will solve existing problems for kids who are unable to physically attend school.
IMAGE: PROVIDED
By ELIE KIRSHNER
Superintendent Brown, always dressed to impress, hopes to use technology to influence contemporary learning.
EK: Are we (as a district) prioritizing technology over other aspects of education? LB: We are prioritizing student need and investing in students. We have not seen a significant increase in funding for technology; we have just been more efficient. EK: You were recently spotted alongside a robot. What is the story behind that? LB: I was testing out one of the virtual avatars I mentioned for a young person at home. I fell in love with it. It will have many significant impacts not limited to being the eyes and ears of some students. It will also be helpful for par-
ticipation in meetings and transforming parent–teacher interactions. EK: Does the district currently own a virtual avatar? LB: No, but we’re hoping to purchase one soon. That one is on loan. EK: You talked earlier about maintaining the bond between teachers and students while introducing more technology into the classroom. What is your strategy for this? LB: Most of all, it’s to recruit and retain good teachers. A master educator and other guidance positions are also more important than ever. These tools, without their guidance, may not be used as effectively. My job is really to recruit and retain good people.
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November 5, 2013
NEWS
Board of Education Discusses Developments in Elementary Math, Middle School ELA By ARYEH ZAX
The ICSD Board of Education (BoE) held its bimonthly meetings on October 8 and 22. At the latter meeting, Adam Piasecki, President of the Ithaca Teachers’ Union, read an open letter to the BoE concerning the adoption of Common Core standards. Around 100 schools in New York State have postponed their adoption of the Common Core, citing flawed evaluation systems for teachers and principals and high-stakes testing. There is currently legislation pending to have a three-year moratorium on the implementation of high-stakes testing with serious results (e.g., whether or not a student can graduate on time). At IHS, the end of the first five weeks arrived; mid-quarter reports were mailed out in mid-October. Dates of note included the Open House on October 10 and homecoming, which was the week of October 14. New starting this year, teachers are sitting in on other teachers’ classes—a Government teacher in a Calculus class, for example. Teachers who observe others’ classes are allowed to have shorter staff meetings. The pep rally was held on Friday, October 18, with shortened periods to make room for it at the end of the day. Rumors, IHS’s one-act fall play, ran during the weekend of Friday, October 25. The cheerleading squad won “Most spirited team” at the Southern Tier Athletic Conference (STAC), and the girls’ varsity swim team completed its 24th consecutive undefeated dual meet season. The junior prom will be held at the Statler Hotel, though the location of the senior prom and trip are still to be determined. Ihotu Onah ’14 received a full scholarship to Columbia University through QuestBridge. Of special note is that IHS student representatives Michaela Brew ’14 and Noah Frostclapp ’14 received new swivel chairs for their seats at the BoE table. LACS celebrated Indigenous People’s Day on October 14, showing respect to those living in the Americas before European conquest. The weekend before was the school’s annual fall retreat to Arnot Forest, which all students attended. The school’s pecan sales, which serve as its major fund-raiser, have been going smoothly. The school also sent delegations to Power Shift and Bioneers, two conferences focused on climate change. The school’s Halloween dance was held on October 25, and was sponsored by a Katrina relief program. The PSAT was administered in mid-October at both schools: the test is required for all IHS juniors and optional for sophomores and juniors at LACS, with priority given to juniors. The stated goal of IHS’s policy is to promote equity by ensuring that all students take the test, not just those with a stronger academic focus.
At the October 8 meeting, Jeff Bartholomew gave an extended presentation on the School Tax Relief Program (STAR) property tax exemption, whose basic form is available to those whose yearly household income is less than $500,000. Seniors may also be eligible for an enhanced STAR exemption. More information can be found at www. tax.ny.gov/pit/property/star/index.htm. The BoE accepted an independent audit of the ICSD 2012–2013 school year budget. An extended presentation on elementary school mathematics took up a large portion of the October 8 meeting. ICSD has recently transitioned from the controversial Everyday Mathematics program to Singapore Mathematics, a widely successful program for elementary school students. Current problems with the system revolve around engaging students and getting teachers more familiar with the curriculum so that they can better help students who are having trouble with the subject matter. About 50 percent of Ithaca third graders are proficient by state standards; fourth graders are at 60 percent and fifth graders are at 45 percent. Stricter Common Core standards have caused across-the-board drops in proficiency levels, though these rates are all above state averages. While black, Hispanic, free/reduced-price lunch, and special-needs students are all performing at or above state averages, they still trail white and, especially, Asian students by significant margins. At the October 22 meeting, Jason Trumble and Gina Amici, who both work or have worked at Boynton Middle School, gave a report on middle school ELA proficiency. In recent years, ICSD has tried to standardize curriculum at Boynton, DeWitt, and LACS so that all students learn the same things at the same times regardless of which school they attend. Around 50 percent of ICSD sixth and seventh graders and 55 percent of eighth graders are proficient by New York State standards. Although, Asian students in general do somewhat better than white students, who in turn do much better than black, Hispanic, free/reduced-price lunch, and special-needs students, all the above groups are performing at or above state averages. As with mathematics, ICSD is currently focusing on smoothing out disparities among these groups.
Important School Dates November 11: Veterans Day November 15: Parent–Teacher Conference Day November 27–29: Thanksgiving Break
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OPINION
November 5, 2013
Opinion
Humanities vs. Sciences
Trading Art for Reason
The Sciences Are Supreme By JENSEN LO
These days, the focus of education is moving more and more towards the exact truths of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Meanwhile, the more aesthetic disciplines of art, English, and history are being marginalized. STEM subjects are certainly important, but so are more theoretical and subjective concepts. As a student who gets equally excited by graphing as by literary symbolism, I often wish my classes would emphasize the applicability of aesthetics as much as they do algebra. I believe our school system today mistakenly trades art for reason. Specialization in education occurs more often now, with job-oriented people prioritizing a thorough knowledge of one or two subjects rather than an understanding of many disciplines. But specialization is slanted mostly towards students interested in STEM classes; there are many more “credible” opportunities to focus in on the sciences than on the arts. Students in our education system are considered slackers when they stop taking the most difficult math class after junior year, and yet are not required to expose themselves to any art at all after eighth grade. In an ideal system, neither the study of reason nor the study of art would be sidelined. Even English, a required liberal arts class, has had its curricular priorities change. While people used to discuss themes, emotions, and the aesthetics of language, students now learn how to write research papers. Even Shakespeare, a true artist of English, is seen as a “truth” requiring memorization instead of as an interpretable thing of beauty. We have traded away the study of prose and the raw expression and emotion of poetry. The humanities are devolving into a tool for serving the sciences. Continued on Page 10.
As all pundits on political talk shows know, there are two sides to every issue: their side, and the wrong side. At some point in their lives, all scientists must leave their laboratory to defend not only their own work, but the incontrovertible truths of science itself (p-value < 0.001). These noble truths are self-evident and well known to the educated Ithacan: global warming exists and is ultimately caused by human civilization, the remarkable diversity on Earth is the product of millions of years of evolutionary change, and science is clearly the best. Even though everyone knows that science is the best, it’s rather difficult to define exactly the nature of scientific supremacy, much like it’s difficult to define a vocabulary word. Even though most people are aware of it and can use it in their everyday lives, concisely explaining the reasons behind scientific awesomeness is tricky. For the purposes of discussion, we will define the awesomeness of a field as its contribution to human civilization; by this metric, it’s clear that the sciences emerge as the winner. Perhaps the strongest evidence behind science is quite simple: it works. The tremendous changes of human civilization in the past 2000 years were the results of scientific advancements, from the printing press to the steam engine. Civilization itself was only made possible by the domestication of crops and the development of agriculture. In fact, even though the sciences have already given us so much, they’re so generous that they’re still giving to us now. Almost everything that you can see right now is a product of a science: physics gave us the electricity powering our lights, the plastics in your writing utensils were brought to us by chemistry, and you can thank biology for the fact that you have not died from a childhood disease. Let’s take a brief moment to see a small sample of everything that the sciences have to offer us.
IMAGE: PROVIDED
By OLIVIA SALOMON
Your House, The Wheel, Clocks, Pencils, Cereal, Pottery, The Internet, Cooking, Your Favorite Breed of Dog, Remote Controls, Maps, Bricks, Jeans, GPSs, Glue, Television, Calendars, Antibiotics, Lasers, Paper, Fire, Coinage, Electricity, Automobiles, Batteries, 3-D Printing, Books, Surgery, Vaccines, DNA/Fingerprint Identification, Airplanes, Photography, Computers, Lightbulbs, Plumbing, Fiber Optics, Cell Phones, Weather Forecasts, Fertilizer, Metal, Robots, Radios Origami may not get you a job at NASA, but is that any reason not to do it?
Continued on Page 10.
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November 5, 2013
OPINION
That Crazy Little Bit
IMAGE: PROVIDED
By RUBIN DANBERG-BIGGS of knowledge that many have of the rea- without adding this one last bit. Like the soning behind these views that irked my Lorax, he speaks for a forgotten group, Allow me to first preface this by not- counterpart (and myself), but the appar- and says, “I couldn’t leave without adding that this is somewhat of a rebuttal to ent disregard that they have for their lack ing this: if you blame the decline of the article written in the October issue of knowledge when blindly touting their America on gun owners, Christians, Tea of The Tattler titled “Being a Republican views to everyone who will listen. Of Partiers, home-schooling, meat-eaters, in Ithaca” (BRI), although I don’t think course this is permissible, because they rednecks, veterans, or hunters, congrat“rebuttal” is the appropriate word, as are speaking to nodding heads, people ulations! You are what is wrong with this this particular article does country.” not exactly merit what we Yes! He speaks for the would consider to be a reChristians (79 percent of buttal. “Rebuttal” generally America), the gun ownimplies that one party states ers (an extremely vocal 37 facts supporting a certain percent of America), and position, and another party meat-eaters (93 percent of counters with what it beAmerica). Our writer sees lieves are more pertinent these as groups that have facts supporting the oppobeen blamed, and will not site position. In this case, finish without adding that however, I actually find mypoint. He does not choose self in agreement with the to distinguish between portion of the article that an opposition to certain allowed for such a reasoned wars and a hatred of veterresponse, and only take isans. He sees no difference sue with portions that were between a promotion of so far from reality that any public schools and a witch attempt to rebut them in hunt for homeschoolers. the normal sense would be He draws no line between a waste of time. Anyways, concern about exorbitant I’ve been thinking about rates of gun deaths and the this article for weeks, trying vilification of hunters. But to come up with a very prethen, I suppose, this makes cise response. The issue is an unfortunate amount of not that I can’t think of anysense, because what we’re thing to say, but that I have dealing with here is that so much to say that to comb Despite what you hear to the contrary, politics isn’t just a frenzied, tribalistic brawl. crazy bit. What we’re dealthrough each unbacked and ridiculous who already agree and will, as a result, ing with here is the Tea Party. A wellclaim made by BRI would take pages on never look to challenge what has been thought-out and reasoned article robbed pages of what would be best described as said. It’s the same as how it’s permissible of its ability to appeal to any large audisomewhat hysterical ranting. My name for Governor Bob McDonnell to say on ence by the ridiculous claims made by a is not Chris Matthews (it is unlikely that Fox News that the United States Sen- very small portion of it. If we were to enI’ll bring him up again, but in case I do, ate hasn’t passed a budget in four and a vision the Republican party as if it were know that he will be referred to as The half years, or for Rachel Maddow to say described by this very article, then the Potato) or Sean Hannity, and I only have on MSNBC that a recent Ohio budget final paragraph would be the minority about 500 words to work with, so that required women to undergo mandatory proclaiming the truth about President would not do. Instead, I suppose I’ll focus vaginal probes. Both of these claims are Obama’s birthplace (it rhymes with on the structure of the article, its distribu- boldly untrue, but neither went chal- Shmenya). Why can’t a Republican win a tion of crazy, and the striking similarities lenged at the moment it was said because national election? Why is this article unit has to the Republican party as a whole. the people who would do so were a safe able to appeal to anyone that had not alThe writer of BRI had a pretty good five channels away. So to this extent, I ready formed the opinions it states? The idea. As a resident of Ithaca, I’m well agree with BRI. But now we have to get answer is not tactics, it’s not style, and it’s aware of the distinct lack of understand- to the crazy. not a problem with the general message. ing of the liberal viewpoints expressed The writer of BRI is a noble man. He The answer is, and has been, that crazy by so many of my peers. It’s not the lack does not want—no—is not able to leave little bit.
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November 5, 2013
OPINION
From the Head of Ned: Why LACS? IMAGE: PROVIDED
Additionally, students are asked to write their own self-evaluation in each course. This forces students to reflect on their own learning style, and enables them to recognize both the areas in which they are strong and those in which they need improvement. The combination of a student self-evaluation and a teacher evaluation really allows me to find out how I learn best. If I graduate high school knowing how I learn, I will be in very LACS gives students more freedom and influence than IHS does. good shape for the rest of my life. The second thing that I value about By NED LAUBER LACS is the school-wide democratic decision-making process. Every Wednesday, during a different period each I attend the Lehman Alternative Community School week, we miss one of our regular classes to attend an All(LACS). I’ve been there since sixth grade. Throughout my School Meeting. At these meetings, we discuss proposed seven years at my school, I have had countless frustrations changes to our school. Any student may write a proposwith and criticisms of LACS. However, I do not regret my al and bring it to one of these weekly meetings to be dischoice to go to LACS, and I do not regret my choice to cussed. At these meetings, all students and staff members stay there. My school is certainly not a school for every- have the opportunity to share their opinions on every one, but it has a number of remarkable strengths that many proposal and then vote on whether the proposed change students at IHS know nothing of. My school is more than should be implemented. a school for slackers, hippies, and potheads: it has many The benefits of these All-School Meetings are complex unique characteristics that make me truly happy that I and multifaceted. They give everyone in our school the have had the opportunity to attend it. opportunity to practice public speaking. They force everyThere are three main factors that cause me to love LACS: one to think deeply about what would improve our school. first of all, the long evaluations written each quarter in And they enable everyone to practice sharing ideas and lisplace of numerical grades; secondly, the school-wide dem- tening to others. ocratic decision-making process; and finally, community What I value the most is the emphasis placed on comservice and career exploration opportunities and require- munity service. In order to graduate from LACS, every ments. student must complete 60 hours of documented commuSo how have these three things contributed to my ed- nity service. There are numerous community service opucation and growth as a person? First of all, any system portunities coordinated by the amazing Jon Raimon, but based on evaluating students through numerical grades is the net result is that everyone in the school has contributinherently and fundamentally flawed. I understand that, in ed something to our community by graduation, perhaps many situations, the sheer number of students means that through working at a food pantry, helping coordinate an afa grade is the only effective way to evaluate each one. How- ter-school program, or helping out a teacher at school. ever, a numerical grade reduces an entire quarter’s worth There are many other things that I value about LACS: of work into one number, which is simply not an accurate the fact that we have annual spring trips that enable learnrepresentation in any situation. Written evaluations are ing outside of the classroom; the graduation-by-exhibition an immense amount of work for teachers, but they give system, where every student must compile multiple portstudents, parents, and colleges a very accurate and specific folios of work and complete two senior projects in order picture of each student’s strengths and weaknesses. Rather to graduate; and the unique classes based around things than simply seeing one number, any outside observer will like psychology, journalism, and Middle Eastern politics. see a student’s specific strengths and weaknesses in each Finally, I enjoy the freedom to be able to learn the things subject. that I want to learn and take the classes that I want to take.
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November 5, 2013
OPINION
I Won “Most Likely to Win an Oscar”! By RAYMOND XU
Just kidding! I actually won “Most Changed Since Ninth Grade”. Bet you didn’t even notice. I do recall my sophomore year of high school. When I got my first yearbook, I flipped through every page. I remember the senior superlatives in that yearbook. Back then, I thought, “Hmm, this seems pretty lame.” But then senior year came around, the superlative winners were announced, and I realized, “Wow, this really is that lame.” No hate on members of The Annual. They do a very good job at making a book that always has fewer pictures of me than it should. But the superlatives are silly. “Most Likely to Rush in College”—how are we supposed to know? These superlatives aren’t even complimentary anymore, nothing like “Most Likely to Succeed”, “Most Swag”, or “sm4rtest dude”. Why point out who’s the worst at driving right now? Why not make the superlatives just straight up insults? I would die to see who wins “Dumbest Dude”. So I have created my own categories for what I think senior superlatives should have been:
“Least Likely to Win a Grammy”: These are the people who you hate to be next to when it’s time to sing happy birthday. “Most Likely Not to Know How to Read” will replace “Most Likely to Have Read Every Book in the Library”. “Still Acts Like a Dumb Freshman” as opposed to “Worst Case of Senioritis”. Who the heck didn’t change between freshman year and now? I, for one, was wearing size 9 shoes in ninth grade, and now, I still am wearing size 9 shoes . . . wait. I don’t think I’m doing this comparison right. “Least Likely to Graduate”: Better than “Most Likely to Forget to Show up to Graduation”. I mean, how can you forget that? People will tweet about it. “Most Annoying Tweeters”: A.k.a. biggest tweeters. “Why Don’t You Have Your License” to replace “Worst Driver”.
“Gym Is the Only Thing I Have This Year” over “Gym Class Hero”, of course. “Smallest Flirt”: Hardcore introverts here. “Most Attached to Candy Crush”: Rubin Danberg-Biggs ’14 and all others who have passed level 100: looking right at you. “Stupid Arbitrary Category”: Tops “Most Likely to Rush in College”. Bonus: “Nominate Yourself Here”: People would be schemin’ on the low to win this one. “I Hate This Person”: Self-explanatory. Self-nominations welcome. “I See You in the Hallways Every Day but Don’t Know Your Name”: This is a hard one. You probably have a face in mind, but don’t know the person’s name. Draw the person’s face to nominate him or her. I can’t see one way this could go wrong. . . .
Humanities vs. Sciences: Continued from Page 7. Pro-Humanities Pro-Sciences When discussing the relative importance of art and reason, Let’s face it though; the humanities are pretty great, too, the argument that the study of art isn’t “productive” always arisin large part because they borrow from the sciences. The anes. This comment cannot be properly considered until we have cient Greek philosophers spent a large amount of their time determined what is productive in the global sense. What are we, pondering the mysteries of the universe, a method made as humanity, working towards? And is our end goal already so obsolete by actual science and empirical evidence. Even the well-defined that we are confident that art plays no role whatsoevgreat Descartes dabbled in mathematics from time to time. er in our collective future? Is everything we hope to achieve from In addition, the humanities are frequently invigorated by the now on only dependent on our knowledge of math and science? unimaginable ideas drawn from the sciences. For example, If our objective is to achieve a greater understanding of life and the discoveries that the Earth orbits the sun, not vice versa, the universe, aesthetic studies can, in fact, provide just as much and that the solar system is not even in the center of the galaxy of an answer as reason can! By being a part of today’s education led to a re-examination of humanity’s place in the universe. system, students run the risk of exchanging their appreciation of The ideas of Romanticism were borne out of the Enlightenart for an objective type of knowledge dependent on logic and ment (the intellectual movement that would ultimately shape facts. I do not believe one to be lesser: I only know that it would modern science). Even modernism was the result of the great be a shame to discredit the study of either. societal changes caused by the Industrial Revolution. Many artists and scientists throughout history have proved From all of these examples, we can see empirically that that it is possible and beneficial to be knowledgeable in both fields; science is clearly the most successful endeavor of humanity. why would we not continue to strive for that ideal today? The deScience—the Truth; the herald of progress and civilization; bate of what should be prioritized in the educational curriculum that soul-sucking, creativity-destroying abomination—call will rage on, but I think that the study of aesthetics needs to be it anything you’d like. After all, a science by any other name fought for. Science isn’t going away, but neither should the arts. would be just as factually correct.
IMAGE: PROVIDED
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November 5, 2013
Pro
OPINION
The Value in PE Class?
In an age in which we spend more and more time sitting in front of computers, it doesn’t hurt to run around for half an hour a few times a week.
By CHRISTINA CONSTAS
Many high-school students do not view PE as a real class. Some think it’s a waste of time; others think it’s a total joke. However, let’s imagine a school day without PE class. It’s in a normal five-day school week packed with homework and tests. You slave for six solid hours in your classes, hop on the bus right after school, and head straight home, where you conclude your day with a night full of procrastination (via your favorite TV show or the Internet) and an overload of homework. Let’s think back on your day. Did you notice that it was the most beautiful day all month, with a cloudless sky and a warm, gentle breeze that smelled of flowers and freshly baked cookies? You probably did not, considering how you spent a total of just five minutes outside all day (spent walking between your house, the bus, and school). Now, had you gone to PE class that day, you most likely would have spent a good 30 minutes frolicking outside, enjoying the wonderful weather, absorbing your daily dose of vitamin D, and possibly even getting a little tan. Those 30 minutes of frolicking would have inevitably resulted in exercise (even if you tried very hard not to, you at least burned a couple calories walking to the turf and back). It is widely known that exercise releases endorphins into the human body. Endorphins help us feel happy and less stressed. So the requirement of participation in PE essentially helps us to be happy and less stressed during the school day, two feelings that most high-school students constantly crave. While some athletes seem to understand the rules of every sport imaginable, most high-school students do not. Though many try to deny it, it is clear that every student learns at least one new piece of knowledge while attending PE class. Whether it’s a new sport, a new skill, or a new move Continued on Page 12.
Con
By MADDIE SPITZNAGEL
As a non-athlete, I have very strong opinions about PE class. I have never participated or been interested in any sport, and all of my knowledge of sports stems from what I have learned in PE class. This knowledge has proved to be very lacking and insufficient. PE classes should be less about playing the sport and more about the strategies, rules, and methods of gameplay. More in-depth lessons about rules and structures of games would provide a better understanding of how sports are played and why teamwork is so important. As PE classes currently exist, they should not be required throughout all four years of high school. They should be required for two years, but those two years should be flexible. Many students, typically freshmen and sophomores, have full schedules with no lunch periods and zero- or ninth-period classes. Having the flexibility not to take PE with a full schedule could allow more students to have study halls or lunches every other day, which they could use to do other homework, eat, or just get much-needed breaks. However, PE should not be made entirely optional because of the beneficial knowledge of sports and physical activity that it has the potential to provide. The completion of only two years of PE, instead of the current four, should be a graduation requirement for attendance purposes. My overall experience in IHS’s four-year PE program has been negative. The units often try to accomplish too many things in far too little time, with too many skills, games, and rules crammed into a time that is inappropriately brief. The units should be longer, with different units every year instead of always repeating the same rotation of sports and games. Doing different units every year would allow the units to be at least twice as long, allotting time for all of the things currently being crammed into three or four weeks. My experience with the short units has been that, by the time I actually understand a unit, there is only one day left. This lack of understanding drags my participation down dramatically. The lack of flexibility in the units can also be discouraging. Instead of having one unit that we have to do, a choice of two would be preferable. This would allow us to better choose one that we are more likely to participate in. The other hindrance to my participation are “ball hogs”. In my experience, there are four or five students in every PE class who really put everything into participating. Not only do they prevent the less athletically inclined people from playing, but they take all the fun away from playing. Instead of friendly gameplay, these few athletic students make PE class a competition, which is discouraging to those playing for the fun of the sport. These few over-confident players rarely pass to those of us who do not identify as “athletic”, limiting our ability to participate, even if we want to. From what I have seen, PE teachers do very little to prevent this. Continued on Page 12.
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November 5, 2013
OPINION
The Injustice of Clarence Thomas By CONOR COUTTS
The United States Judicial Branch is often overlooked. The Founding Fathers created the trio of governmental branches to check and balance each other, and when there is a severe threat, a person perhaps, to these three sacred branches, that person—a nuisance to our democratic system—must be removed. Ladies and gentleman: there is no single person that is a bigger threat to our government than Supreme Court “justice” Clarence Thomas. George H. W. Bush, widely regarded as a moderate for his time, did indeed have some “moderate” appointments, the most relevant to this article being David Souter, a fair-minded lawyer from New Hampshire who was nominated and confirmed as a Supreme Court justice one year before Thomas was. Many expected Bush to appoint a more moderate justice to fill the shoes of the great Thurgood Marshall, but things simply got ugly. From the beginning, Clarence Thomas was a controversial pick due to his extremist right-wing views on social issues. However, his extreme conservatism was simply the tip of the disgraceful iceberg: a former co-worker of Thomas (from his time at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) testified at great lengths about how Thomas had sexually harassed
her in a multitude of ways over the duration of two years. Although the co-worker’s testimonies were all logical, believable, and obviously factual, Thomas, instead of stepping down, denied all the charges, in hopes of clinching an undeserved spot on the high court. Despite this, Thomas— luckily supported by both a patriarchal Senate (it contained only two women at the time) and a Republican majority—was confirmed by an appalling four votes, the narrowest margin for a Supreme Court confirmation in over a century. Thomas has been surrounded by incompetence since his appointment, and has kept it up during his 20-year tenure. During cases before the Supreme Court, it is expected that justices ask questions, whether they be to the lawyers or to each other. All but one justice—Clarence Thomas—frequently ask questions: Thomas did not ask a question before the Court for a whopping seven years. In fact, he didn’t even speak for that entire time, and broke his silence by making a fourword response to a joke told by Justice Scalia—impressed? Aside from his odd and questionable court behavior, his views are highly toxic. Thomas, widely regarded as the most conservative member of the Court, is expected to have “strict” views. However, his opinion and dissents in many cases have just been appalling. He is known to justify
his opinions by being “a strict interpreter of the Constitution”, a well-known excuse for being out of touch. For example, he was the only justice who ruled that the strip search by school officials of a 13-year-old girl did not violate her rights. In trying to defend his heinous opinion, he wrote that “judges are not qualified to second-guess the best manner for maintaining quiet and order in the school environment”. In a case involving school officials forcing a minor to become nude due to suspicion that she had ibuprofen in her undergarments, judges are qualified to challenge a school. Thomas is also well known for his disdain for affirmative action, thinking it to be unconstitutional. Ironically, he admits that, without affirmative action, he would not be the person he is today, yet he still goes as far as to compare affirmative action to slavery. He also holds the view that companies should be allowed to donate an unlimited amount of money to campaigns without disclosing it, and renders regulation of this as “a violation of the First Amendment”. Clarence Thomas—unable to be impeached because he has not been convicted of the sexual harassment crime (which he did commit)—should, for the better of the Court, the country, and his beloved Constitution, step down and end the disgrace.
The Value in PE Class: Continued from Page 11. Pro Con Other than occasionally yelling something along the lines of to use in a workout plan, you can’t go a week in PE without “Include everyone”, little effort is made to make sure that there learning something new. It may seem unlikely, but some day, is fair involvement. The third quality about PE that has caused a new skill learned in PE class may just spark a new interest me to dread the course is the FitnessGram. I find this test of or hobby for you. So without PE in your school day, you may our physical fitness to be unfair and inaccurate. I am not an have missed an opportunity to learn or a chance to discover athlete, but stay healthy because of what I eat and my job, which a new pastime. requires me to be always moving and on my feet. I do not feel Finally, to put it plainly, PE class is an opportunity to that the FitnessGram is in any way necessary to test my physical achieve an A+ on your report card. I’m not saying that PE is fitness. a “joke class”; rather, with full effort and participation for just In general, I can’t say I find much value in PE class. The class 45 minutes out of an entire school day, it is simple enough focuses too much on “playing”, and not as much on rules and to earn a 100 percent class grade on your report card (which strategies, or even on ways to stay active that are outside of the we all know will make your parents a tiny bit less upset about norm. Furthermore, the class structure itself provides a very the C you might have received in math class). dissatisfying experience, favoring “try-hards” and discrediting From getting your tan to scoring an A+, PE class has non-athletic people such as myself, while not valuing things we many positive impacts that make your day at school a much do in our own lives to stay healthy in our own way. more enjoyable experience.
New AP Classes
Blast from the Past
By NAOMI POWERS
By TESSA PARISH
Before this year, the ambitious right-brainers of IHS mourned a lack of difficult classes for the creative types. If your math friends can take AP Calculus, why can’t you take an AP music class? This was a paradox that puzzled many of us within the IHS community—until now. As of the 2013–2014 school year, IHS has added AP Art History and AP Music Theory to its course selection, raising the number of APs offered into the high teens and promising challenge for a new demographic of upperclassmen. AP Art History students are given the impressive task of learning not only about specific works of art through time, but about the history and culture of the era in which they were created. If you imagine all of world history and its complexity, put that in one corner, and fill the rest of the space with artwork, you will have the general idea of what AP Art History is all about. In order to fully comprehend and discuss works of art, students must learn the context as well as intent of the artworks. The AP exam includes tasks such as identifying artworks and artists, providing information about periods and styles of creation, and writing multiple essays. This class is similar to AP United States History in terms of difficulty, with heavy textbook reading and in-class discussion augmented by frequent tests. The goal of AP Music Theory, taught by choir teacher Ms. Zaryski, is to educate students in the recognition, writing, description, and analysis of musical scores. Dictation, the transcription of songs or melodies into notes on a page, is practiced often, and yes, you are required to sing for the final exam. The course emphasizes the understanding and composition of scores in order to produce students who are musically literate and fluent. When asked about his motivation for taking the new class, Felix Fernandez-Penny ’14 said, “I signed up for Music Theory because of my passion for music; I wanted to learn to transfer between music as it is written and as it is heard.” The AP exam for the course evaluates students on terminology, notation and composition skills, score analysis, and auditory abilities.
Did you know that IHS once had a nightclub? The following article is from an edition of The Tattler that came out all the way back on February 10, 1944. It talks about the opening of the new high-school nightclub downtown, where students could go to dance and socialize. Students only had to pay 35 cents to get a membership card, which they could then use to get in. The club was open every Friday and Saturday night.
“La Cabana Has Big Opening Night; Open Every Weekend” “The opening of the new high-school nightclub, La Cabana, was a grand and glorious affair. There were over 500 kids there, all of them having a wonderful time. There has been much work done on the club by many willing students, and there is much more to do. A soda bar will be installed within the next few weeks, where members of the club can buy ice cream, pop, and candy. Dancing will be done to a jukebox or some nights to a band. For those who had a hard time finding it the other night, may we just remind you it is on the third floor above Atwater’s. La Cabana will be opened on Friday night from 7:30 to 11:30 and on Saturday from 3:00 to 12:00. Only members will be admitted; however, membership cards will be sold at the door. The small fee of thirty-five cents will go for keeping up the hall. Many students will drop in Friday or Saturday and dance to their favorite tunes at the club where all their friends are . . . La Cabana.”
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November 5, 2013
Teacher Feature: Ms. Kim IMAGE: AUDREY KAN
By CONOR COUTTS
Lena Kim comes to IHS as a newbie. However, from teaching in the suburbs for 13 years to moving to Ithaca for love (while taking a drastic pay cut), she is no newbie to hard work or sacrifice. “Hardworking” is indeed an attribute that truly describes her. She makes a two-hour round trip commute every day from Newark Valley. She still arrives at 7:30 and does not leave until 5, teaching four periods of chemistry. Through her classroom instruction, her knowledge of chemistry and divine dedication are ever-present. Take a moment to read my conversation with Ms. Kim to get to know one of our newest teachers. Conor Coutts ’15: Where were you born/educated? Lena Kim: I was actually born in Ohio, but grew up in southern California. I went to UCLA, where I studied biochemistry, and did my graduate work at a small university in southern California called California Lutheran University, where I got a master’s in education. CC: Describe your childhood in one sentence. LK: It was exciting. I had a good family and wonderful friends—a good time. CC: Who are you? LK: I am a very concerned and caring teacher, and I hope that shows in my teaching. I am also someone who loves to travel and go to different places. CC: What made you want to leave southern California for Ithaca? LK: I got married in the summertime. My husband works in Ithaca, and I left southern California to be with him. CC: How do you feel IHS will be different from past teaching experiences? LK: From what I can tell, IHS is a great school. There seems to be a lot of concern about equity for students,
LK: Really pursue your interests. Sometimes, parents want their children to pursue something that they think is more stable, but really, find out what you’re interested in and explore it. CC: What is one thing you have never done but have always wanted to do? LK: I have always wanted to go and see Africa.
Lena Kim is a dedicated new hire in IHS’s Chemistry department.
and I am very excited about that: to make sure all the students are successful. I think it is also interesting, because you have so many students from different parts of the world coming to the school. CC: What started your interest in chemistry? LK: That’s easy! I had a very good chemistry teacher in high school: he made things very fun and easy to learn, and that sparked my interest in chemistry and made me want to pursue it in college. I hope to emulate and inspire students to pursue chemistry. CC: What was the worst experience you have ever had as a chemistry teacher? LK: I think maybe the worst experience is when students do not follow directions and something dangerous happens; for example, maybe a student does not abide safety rules and sets something on fire (this has happened before). CC: If you could give one piece of advice to graduating seniors, what would it be?
CC: In what areas of your life have you failed? LK: There are many things. For example, I have always been interested in science, but have also been very interested in other fields like art. I would love to be a great artist, but unfortunately, I just do not have the ability. CC: What skills differentiate you from other science teachers? LK: That’s a hard one. I know there are a lot of great science teachers at this school, so I can’t say, “Oh, there’s one thing that makes me very different from others.” However, I know I do care a lot about my students’ success. I know other science teachers do as well, but feel as though I am just really dedicated and work hard at being successful. CC: What is your favorite thing to do outside of school? LK: I like to travel. For example, for my honeymoon, I went up to Alaska and spent ten days there. It was very wonderful, and I hope to see more of the world, such as Australia, Africa, and South America, as well as spend time with my husband. I also like to watch television, like Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey. CC: Who is the most influential person in your life, and why? LK: Definitely my parents. I believe that they taught me a very strong work ethic and a good sense of morality. I think that that is very important.
Star Trek: Into Darkness: A Review IMAGE: PROVIDED
old when the show first aired in the sixties, which is odd because he is still alive today, and looks older, but not by fifty years. Perhaps he was just somebody who aged young. Random observations aside, Star Trek: Into Darkness was awesome. It started out with action and did not stop for the entire movie. The graphics and special effects enhanced the feeling of actually being in space, and the well-choreographed fight sequences made the story all the more believable. The script, although a pretty standard action-movie sci-fi script, was good. The real stand-out feature of this movie was its amazing cast. There is Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), a perfect portrayal of the cocky but self-sacFifty years after the original Star Trek, the universe is still pretty epic. rificing captain; Spock (Zachary By RENA BRAND Quinto), amazingly analytical without being completely unemotional; and Scotty (Simon Pegg), adorable and the Star Trek: Into Darkness was originally released on perfect comic relief at every point in the movie. Benedict May 16, and is now available to rent from Redbox or to Cumberbatch plays the villain; he is one of my favorite buy. The movie, which is a sequel to Star Trek (2009), actors, and was just as amazing as usual in this movie. He describes more adventures of Captain Kirk and his crew definitely steals the scenes he is in, and plays the villain on the USS Enterprise. A new villain (no spoilers!), re- with just the right amount of tightly constrained but easturning from the original series, has arisen, forcing the ily releasable anger. He, and the rest of the amazing cast, crew into a war zone in Klingon territory in order to stop make the movie very enjoyable to watch. him. In preparation for seeing this movie, I watched a few Overall, I would give Into Darkness four out of five episodes of the original Star Trek TV series, from which stars: it’s not perfect, but serves its purpose as a sci-fi the characters in this movie are taken. The show, which action and adventure movie, and is thoroughly enterfirst aired in 1966, is actually pretty good, but the cheesy taining. It is the perfect movie for a night in, because it graphics and plot lines made it so that I could only re- isn’t boring, so you won’t fall asleep; there is good actally get through a few episodes. The show did, however, ing, so you won’t be watching the movie with a relatively help me to re-familiarize myself with the characters after unimpressed and judgmental look on your face; and it a four-year break. One random observation I made was is on DVD, so it won’t cost you a movie ticket plus an that Leonard Nimoy (the original series’s Spock) looked eight-dollar popcorn.
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November 5, 2013
A&
Songs to Be Thankful For IMAGE: OLIVIA MALONE
By NAOMI POWERS
November is a time for thankfulness: thankfulness for family, for food, and for weather consistently cold enough for people to wear giant sweaters. So, in light of this time of joy, I am giving you a playlist of songs I am thankful for. Don’t worry: there is an absolute minimum of sappiness involved. 1. “So Far”: Cults There was definitely a period in time when none of us thought that Cults’ new album would happen. However, despite the end of core members Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion’s romantic relationship, the duo has stayed together musically. Static splits drastically from its predecessor, creating a rougher, more atmospheric sound. There is also a distinctive lack of standout songs on Cults’ sophomore album. Although we can no longer expect another “Go Outside”, Static maintains a very coherent quality, and has set up Cults to become more of a niche group than a pop chart staple. 2. “Breezeblocks”: Alt-J Is this song about domestic violence? Or Where the Wild Things Are? Or was the whole thing just an excuse to direct a morbidly trippy music video? Whether you try to discover the answer or not, you will end up listening to this track on repeat for at least the next month. 3. “Simple Things”: Belle and Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are like an optimistic version of The Smiths. Same chill vibe and blurry lyrics, but more smiles. 4. “Don’t Save Me”: HAIM This trio of sisters has us all hoping for a female takeover of the alternative chart. Raise your bejeweled, nail-arted hand and make a fist!
Come join the Cult.
5. “Apartment Story”: The National As much as I love Trouble Will Find Me, Boxer will always have an especially warm place in my heart. This song is of one of The National’s catchier tracks, even though the lyrics are consistently low-spirited. So far, only Pitchfork has managed to summarize The National properly: “They write songs about existential dread and the real pressures that result when others are depending on you to have your shit together.” Umm, welcome to being a high schooler. 6. “Ça Plane Pour Moi”: Plastic Bertrand In order to create decidedly obscure mixtapes, always be sure to include punk-inspired, new-wave Belgian hits from the 70s that will get stuck in your head for years. 7. “Teenage Riot”: Sonic Youth If you’re still afraid of Sonic Youth, this is a good song for you. As well as being the band’s most “easy listening”–type song, it is also its only track you can hum in public without having others worry about your psychological health.
8. “Not Fade Away”: Buddy Holly and The Crickets Decca Records initially felt that backing Holly with a band would increase the success of both the album and the songwriter himself. The Crickets have since fallen far out of music history, but Buddy Holly will always rave on. 9. “Ask”: The Smiths As someone who has struggled with shyness my whole life in a culture that glorifies social butterflies, it’s nice to have a song that speaks to the introverted. Morrissey celebrates the awkward, the quiet, and the self-conscious in his full flower-swinging glory. 10. “Finger Back”: Vampire Weekend The next time someone tells you that you’ll never make it as an English major, remember this: Ezra Koenig, the lead singer of Vampire Weekend, graduated from Columbia with a degree in English. He even taught it at a New York City middle school until he made it as a musician. And now he’s writing beautiful songs about falling in love in falafel shops and probably getting tons of girls in polo shirts. There is hope for you.
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November 5, 2013
A& IMAGE: APRIL CARROLL
Caption The cast of Rumors put on one of what will be many successful student-directed plays.
Rumors: A Review By CHRISTIAN HENRY
Did you go out and see the IHS production of Rumors, by Neil Simon? If you didn’t, you missed a whole lot of fun! Rumors is a hysterical play, and had an amazing cast to support it. Rumors starts off with Ken Gorman (Noah Elman ’15) and his wife Chris (Sarah Skrovan ’14) at Charlie Brock’s house for a dinner party celebrating Charlie and his wife Myra’s tenth wedding anniversary; but once they get there, they soon discover that things have gone terribly awry. It seems as if Charlie has shot himself in the head and Myra is nowhere to be found. While Ken and Chris search for answers, the doorbell rings! Ken opens the door to find that other guests are arriving to celebrate as well—Lenny (James Slusar ’15) and Claire (Ellen Shockey ’14). When Ken and Chris try to figure out what to tell them, more guests show up. Eventually, all together, there are eight guests at the party trying to figure out what to do with Charlie and his missing wife. This play was very funny. The actors had a great sense of comedic timing, as well as talent at portraying characters that are just crazy. (The characters are supposed to
be rich and very educated but lacking in common sense.) The set and costumes of the play were also beautifully done. The costumes were put together by April Carroll ’15, and the set was put together by Steve Brookhouse. They all did an outstanding job to make the show just phenomenal. Ms. Tino, an English teacher and the adviser to IHS Drama, was the head director of the show, and Emily Scarpulla ’14 was the assistant director. They both clearly know a few things about directing. Everything on that stage was sharp and crisp. All the performers knew exactly what they were supposed to do and when to do it. Rumors is not an easy play to do, especially with only a month of rehearsal. It took a cast and crew of extreme talent and brilliance to pull it off, and they sure did. It was obviously a great play, and for anyone who hasn’t seen it, I recommend looking it up because it was just that great. And finally, a shout-out to all of those in the cast of Rumors: Noah, Sarah, James, Ellen, Malama ’15, Mitchell ’15, Claire ’16, Deep ’14, Josie ’14, and Kaitlyn ’16—you all did a great job! You all were hilarious and had everyone in the audience laughing out loud non-stop throughout the entire show!
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November 5, 2013
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Winter Theater: Student-Directed One-Acts By OLIVIA SALOMON
Last year marked the beginning of IHS’s foray into student-directed theater, with two one-act plays directed by Emma Plotkin ’13 and Emily Scarpulla ’14. The experiment, supervised by English teacher Ms. Tino, was a clear success. This winter, a second collection of student-directed one-acts will open in the black box theater. Directors for the 2013 productions are April Carroll ’15 and Olivia Salomon ’15. After a lot of research and deliberation, they have each decided on a show to direct this year: Crushed by Don Zolidis and My Beautiful Soldier by Dano Madden, respectively. Separated only by a short intermission, the two plays with very different plots will be performed on the same night. Crushed is a crazy comedy exploring the different (successful and unsuccessful) methods of beginning, developing, and keeping a relationship. My Beautiful Soldier is a drama depicting the immediate and long-term effects of war on two young girls. The shows will open on Friday, December 6 at 7 p.m. More information regarding auditions, ticket sales, and additional performance dates will be announced as they become known. But for now, students of IHS, be sure to mark your collective calendars for Friday, December 6, and get ready to come out and support IHS theater!
Fall Fest By KUPONO LIU
Fall in Central New York is unique. You can take a deep breath and exhale without feeling like you inhaled some kind of city toxin. You can see the beautiful rolling hills in the wide expanse of the golden countryside. You have the front-row seat, from which you can see fall unraveling and observe its warm, welcoming sundry colors that bring back memories. The first-ever annual IHS Fall Fest on Saturday, October 19 encompassed all of the nostalgic and idyllic seasonal feelings in one fun-filled evening. This year, Fall Fest served as the homecoming event, replacing the Homecoming dance. The Class of 2014 student government decided to shake things up and gather everything that makes fall in Ithaca incredible into one event. Although it rained, the weather couldn’t stop the liveliness at Fall Fest. The doors opened at 5 p.m., and three hours of nonstop music filled the new IHS gym. The Z95.5 radio station switched off with music performers throughout the event. Fancy Dean kicked off the performance segment of the evening and bellowed out killer vocals. Raymond Xu ’14 followed with his soothing and vivacious guitar playing. To top off the evening, the freshmen Monkey Squids sent everyone going home with good vibrations. While listening to music, 100 IHS staff, students, and alumni chowed down on savory chicken barbecue, caramelized apples, and rich baked goods. They also played pumpkin ring toss, jumped up and down in the bounce house, and played yard games. All the activities and food were provided by the cafeteria and the enormous number of IHS clubs. Those who attended could partake in the activities and listen to vivacious music while sipping on complimentary apple cider. Fall Fest brought people together, as intended, and made them appreciate the waning fall outdoors and colors. It was a reminder that, through collaboration between faculty, students, alumni, and clubs, great things are possible at IHS. This festival encompassed the true warm colors of fall, and will continue to do so for years to come.
Wiles Guitar Studio Lynn Wiles • Instructor Serious Lessons for Serious Students www.wilesmusic.com guitarstudio@fltg.net (607) 592-9266
Team Feature: Boys’ Soccer IMAGE: YOUTH MINISTRY OF BETHEL GROVE BIBLE CHURCH
By AVEN ANDEMARIAM
After spending the summer and offseason working hard and preparing for the season, the IHS varsity boys’ soccer team stepped out onto the field ready to dominate its season and continue to play at the level that got it to the Class AA Sectional Championship last year. The soccer team is known for hosting players who live in the school district but play for different club soccer teams around the area. Soccer is considered a team sport, but can be split into three categories of positions: defense, midfield, and offense (striker). Even though these categories exist, every player is suggested to be well-rounded in all three areas. The soccer team bases most of its success on the terrific coaching of head coach Gilbert Antoine. Gilbert is currently the DASA coordinator at Dewitt Middle School, and has been coaching either modified, JV, or varsity soccer for the past 27 years. Gilbert is currently looking to win his first sectional championship in his third year as Varsity Coach. When asked about the team’s current state, Gilbert said, “We have been doing extremely well: we have won eleven games and lost three, and we have only allowed six goals in 14 games. One of the things that allows us to play well is that, no matter how we play, we most likely end up winning the game.” When asked about one thing he likes about the team, he responded, “There’s a strong bond among the players. The chemistry is really good, and it allows us to perform better on the field.” When asked about expectations for next year’s team, he said, “I can’t really say anything about how well we are going to do, but
The IHS varsity boys’ soccer team has kicked some serious butt this season.
most of the players on the team this year are going to return next year. My expectations are to continue from where we have left off this year, and if we end up in the postseason next year, for players to start making it to practice on a regular basis.” Even though the soccer team, like most varsity sports teams, is composed of mainly juniors and seniors, there are four sophomores that are on the team: Pierre Clavel ’16, Mason Wolff ’16, Jared Brooks ’16, and Tristan Roberts ’16. On October 9, the soccer team ended its particularly strong regular season (11– 3) and began its postseason by defeating Union-Endicott 3–1 at home to guarantee a bye and go straight to sectional finals for the second straight year. The expectations for this postseason are very high, as the team is expected to win sectional championships, and has aspirations to make it to state championships. Oseoba Airewele ’14 has played soccer for ten years, and is currently a captain
of the team. When asked about what he most enjoys about soccer, he said, “Working hard and playing well is the goal, but messing around with these guys is the most fun part.” When asked about the team’s current state and what he expects in the postseason, he said, “I’m confident that our team can win sectional championships and make moves towards states.” The captains for the team are Nicholas Gualtieri ’14, Geoffrey Twardokus ’14, Parker Hubbell ’14, and Airewele. Other seniors this year include Elias Gelber ’14, Thomas Hilchey ’14, Trevor Jerdan ’14, Sam Schaff ’14, James Eddlestone ’14, and Aven Andemariam ’14.
In Other News Like the government, The Win Column, by Peter Frey, has been temporarily shut down due to managerial incompetence.
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November 5, 2013
SPORTS
Shed a Tear for Your Superintendent By RUBIN DANBERG-BIGGS
Tattler Conference Standings—November 1
Team REC PCT CONF GB I don’t know if it’s nerves, bad luck, or sheer lack of skill, but Ithaca’s leaders, par- We Are Okay with the Cheatriots (Peter Frey) 6–1 .857 ticularly our superintendent, are just, well, Winning Will Be Too Brees-y (Chris Skawski) 5–2 .714 1 bad at Fantasy Football. A true measure 5–2 .714 1 of a person’s character, Fantasy Football We Hate the Cheatriots (Sarah Nixon) has been a cornerstone of American soci- Cruzing to Victory (Rubin Danberg-Biggs) 5–2 .714 1 ety for 200–300 years. The Tattler has organized a Fantasy Football league pitting students against prominent figures in the The World Conference Standings—November 1 Ithaca community. My bet with Mr. PowTeam REC PCT CONF GB ers stands, though, in which I will wear a custom T-shirt with his face on it should he Team Shinagawa 3–4 .429 beat me at some point during the season. 2–5 .286 1 Objectively speaking, my team whooped Team Powers our dear principal’s team in our first and Team Myrick 2–5 .286 1 only regular season matchup, but should we 0–7 .000 3 meet in the playoffs or in the consolation Team Brown bracket, the stakes will remain the same. To the right are the standings through week seven, in which you will note the downright abysmal play of Superintendent Brown, who has as many wins as the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mr. Powers, Nate Shinagawa, and Svante Myrick.
Pro–Athlete Pay By MADDIE SPITZNAGEL
Doing something you love while making money is great. Athletes, musicians, and artists all have the potential to earn big bucks doing what they love. There is some controversy surrounding all people who famously have copious amounts of cash, and athletes in particular attract criticism. The debate is over whether professional athletes deserve the amount of money they make. The answer is a simple “yes”. Like artists and musicians, there is a small percentage of athletes that have high salaries. In each of the three fields, there is a small number of people who have become stunningly wealthy. If athletes do not deserve their salaries, then singers like Beyoncé or Amy Winehouse and artists like Gerhard Richter do not deserve the money they make from their work. In each field, there are millions of people aspiring to be in the big leagues who aren’t making money. Of these, thousands of people have made a name for themselves and are profiting from it, representing a small number of people who have benefited from their own hard work more than most have. Athletes work hard for the money they make. Many sports require year-round training. During the season, the games are vigorous and require a lot of energy and stamina. This is a year-round, time-consuming commitment. Any money
they make from endorsements or ads is also earned, with effort going into being the spokesperson for a brand. These sources of income are similar to those of musicians who perform at concerts and record and endorse programs. Musicians will spend some time performing live, and may spend the rest of their time writing or recording new albums. Artists share a similar schedule, with most of their time spent creating new pieces with the occasional show in a gallery. All of the professionals in these fields, especially the ones with endorsement deals, have an obligation to be positive role models for society. Many of these people are often admired by fans of all ages, and since they are in the news so often, their actions can heavily influence the way their fans think of things. Being a positive role model sets a good example for all kinds of people. Being so constantly in the public’s eye is also a phenomenal opportunity to help with things like stereotypes and societal expectations. Professionals can break perceived limits by minding their behaviors and realizing the impacts their actions may have on a wide demographic of fans. Professional athletes, just like artists, musicians, and many other professionals, work hard to earn the salary that they make. They have the power to change and shape minds, and deserve the paychecks that they get from working hard year-round.
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November 5, 2013
SPORTS IMAGE: LYNN ISCHAY
Is Dance a Sport? By BRONWYN GALLOWAY
IMAGE: GORDON ANTHONY
Is dance an art or a sport? Is it both? Does competitiveness matter? For years, dancers have been debating with friends, family, and even other dancers about this. Some, like Dway Htet ’15, a dancer at the Armstrong School of Dance, think that dance is a sport when done competitively. “Yeah, dance is a sport. . . . Why wouldn’t it be? Plus, it’s more well-known than football,” he said. And some think that it’s a sport because of its physical attributes. One student said, “Dance is a sport because it’s a physical activity requiring coordination.” Other interviewees stated that dance is an art form, not a sport. One even said that it wasn’t a sport because he “didn’t like it”. As a dancer myself, I think that dance is a sport when done competitively, but is an art form when done for fun. It’s more physically exerting than many people think, and dancers work for approximately two hours a day, four to five days a week. Also, according to Google Dictionary, competitive dancing completely adheres to the definition of a sport: “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others”. However, dancing in clubs and school dances doesn’t really count, because the moves used mainly consist of jumping up and down with fists raised. While that’s still technically “dancing” (the alternative definition of which is “to move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps”), it’s most definitely not a sport, at least according to the first Google Dictionary definition. Additionally, I’ve got a bone to pick with the athletes at our school (e.g., football, baseball, and lacrosse players). We dancers may not be able to throw a ball as far as you can, but we sure are equal in terms of endurance and teamwork. So stop jeering at us and telling us we aren’t athletes or that we don’t play a sport; we do more than you think. Why don’t you come to dance class with us sometime and see how long you last? It seems that the general consensus is that dance is a sport if it is done competitively against other dance teams or studios. Also, dancers don’t like it when they’re told that they aren’t athletes. Here’s a tip: just don’t tell people that they Dance may not involve penalties or a aren’t athletes, and you’re convoluted scoring system, but it’s just as good. Happy sport-playphysically demanding as any “real” sport. ing!
Nothing says “manly” like traversing a big, greasy pole.
Wacky Sport: Climbing a Greasy Pole Or, How I Learned a Valuable Lesson about Human Endurance in the Face of Adversity and Calamity By CHRIS SKAWSKI
Hey there, loyal Wacky Sport readers. Last month, you were told about the wonders of racing camels in the deserts of the world. This month, we here at The Tattler bring you a wacky sport to end all wacky sports. Across the globe, including in Indonesia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and the Caribbean, the sport of pole climbing is quickly, well, climbing the pole. The ancient art of shimmying up a tree has been modernized. In order to provide a challenge, the pole is greased, making it incredibly difficult to climb. In different versions, the pole can be horizontal or vertical, providing a flexible, challenging activity. In horizontal iterations, the pole is laid anywhere from ten to 25 feet above water, so as to prevent injury when a climber falls. The sport has gained notable popularity, and was featured once in the Olympics (yes, the real Olympics) in 1904. Nowadays, the biggest stage for the sport is the Greasy Pole Competition, which takes place every year during St. Peter’s Fiesta in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Between 40 and 50 men ages 18–60 test the slipperiness of the pole and attempt to be the first to climb it and grab the red flag at the end. The pole is 45 feet long, and can be, as in most locales, anywhere from ten to 25 feet above the sea. The pole is heavily coated with biodegradable axle grease, and, to make it extra slippery, anything from Tabasco sauce to banana peels is added. Due to the popularity of the contest, there are strict rules regarding who is eligible to climb the pole. The event is currently held at 4:45 p.m. on each of the three days from June 29 to July 1.
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November 5, 2013
SPORTS
IMAGE: PROVIDED
Paintball
Here, a paintballer sheds a single, painty tear of joy.
By LAHAV LIPSON
I’m sure that most people at IHS have heard of paintball, and can recall that it’s a game during which players shoot balls of paint at each other (You don’t say!). In a nutshell, that’s what it is, but I bet they couldn’t tell you much more. Well, now is the chance to learn a little more about the sport and what exactly makes it unique as well as similar compared to most other sports. In paintball, participants are given a gun and optional padding (though masks are mandatory). The players then get on their respective sides, shoot at each other, and go for the objective once the referee’s whistle is blown. The fundamentals are simple, but the game can be played in a multitude of ways. Paintball is almost always played on one of two playing fields: in the woods—with or without man-made wooden bunkers for protection—or in a speedball field, which is a 160 × 160–foot open field consisting of only manmade bunkers made of thick tubing or inflatable barriers. Depending on the field being played on, different game modes are appropriate. A speedball field is generally only appropriate for a deathmatch.The goal in a deathmatch is simply to hit as many opponents as possible without getting hit. As a rule, players must yell “hit” when hit with a paintball and raise their gun up in the air as they exit the field. If the paintball bounces off without bursting, however, the player is still in the game. The woods allow a larger variety in gameplay modes. In addition to the traditional deathmatch game mode, objective-based games can be played, including capture the
flag, Castle, or President (sometimes referred to as VIP). The woods field is preferred by many, as games will typically last longer due to the larger playing field and larger amounts of cover. Most casual players will play on the weekend and rent or use their own equipment, but there is also a huge competitive aspect to the sport. Most people are unaware that paintball actually has a very big competitive scene, consisting of all sorts of competitions, like tournaments, and even a world championship. Many schools, including Cornell, even have their own paintball team. The difference between casual and competitive players, aside from the obvious skill gap, is that competitive players will often go through about three times as many paintballs in a game as casual players will, and have lots of equipment, including goggles, guns, hoppers (paintball tanks), CO2 tanks, elbow pads, jerseys, cleats, and pods (containers holding extra paintballs that are strapped on players’ backs). For competitive players, the total cost comes close to $2000. Games are also played differently. While many of the same game modes are played, competitive players are more aggressive in their play styles, so a deathmatch will actually consist of seven individual matches, with each lasting about 45 seconds. There is, however, a time limit of 30 minutes for all games. Though anyone can play, having endurance and agility is especially helpful to playing paintball, considering that the sport requires a large amount of leaning, snap-shooting, and diving/sliding, hence the knee and elbow pads. With all this in mind, is there the potential of an IHS paintball team? In theory, such a team could work. But the question is, how would the school feel about being associated with a form of guns? The problem of who would manage and/or coach the team has already been resolved, as there are a few avid paintball players in the school already who have offered to do so if the opportunity arises. The team would train for competitions and have practices throughout the week, either on the school field doing drills or on the paintball field at Ithaca Paintball (on Wood Road) during weekends. As of now, this is still all hypothetical. So for all who are interested in playing paintball, for the first time or for the hundredth time, paintball is a wonderful experience to have, and is undoubtedly different from the traditional club or sport.
report that he was atsloth calls the police to g of turtles. When the tacked and robbed by a gan . the attack, he replies, “I . . police ask him to describe o soo . . . . . . all . . . happened dooon’t . . . knooow. . . . It . . . fassst. . . .”
Jokes
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y grandfather always said, “Don’t watch your money ; watch your health.” So one day, while I was watching my health, someone stole my money. It was my grandfather.
doctor and a lawyer were talking at a party. Their conversation was constantly interrupted by people asking the doctor for free medical advice. After an hour of this, the exasperated doctor asked the lawyer, “What do you do to stop people from asking you for legal advice when you’re out of the office?” “I give it to them,” replied the lawyer, “and then I send them a bill.” The doctor was shocked, but agreed to give it a try. The next day, still feeling slightly guilty, the doctor prepared the bills. When he went to place them in his mailbox, he found a bill from the lawyer. Man: So, do you want to go out? Women: Sorry—I don’t date outside my species.
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our mother is so obtuse that she stopped at a stop sign and waited for it to say “go”!
Person 1: Why do you smell funny? Person 2: It’s called soap—didn’t think you would have smelt it before. . . .
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wo fish are in a tank. One turns to the other and says, “Do you know how to drive this?”
Guy 1: Somebody said you sound like an owl. Guy 2: Who? . . .
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man goes into a bar with his dog. He goe s up to the bar and asks for a drink. The bartend er says, “You can’t bring that dog in here!” The guy, without missing a beat, says, “That’s no dog; that ’s my mom.”
Cartoons by Charles Chang ’14
Horoscopes Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21): You will find yourself strongly attracted to a new person. You will meet this person in the space above your bathroom sink.
Pisces (Feb. 19–Mar. 20): You will be feeling a sense of panic—not to worry, for there are still rainbow-colored urinals for you to “do your business” in!
Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21): You will soon come down with a bad case of the Black Plague—but remember: Honey Badger don’t give a sh—!
Aries (Mar. 21–Apr. 19): The stars tell me that, in honor of National Peanut Butter Lovers’ month, you should strip down to your grundies, cover yourself in peanut butter, and play music out of your iPhone very loudly while skipping through G.
Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19): While watching the critically acclaimed film American Beauty, you will realize that you left the oven on—but it will be too late, and your house will burn down. Luckily, you’ll rescue your 52-ounce jar of pickled mayonnaise.
Cancer (June 21–July 22): While drinking your daily dosage of lizard milk, you will have an idea . . . but your ideas usually fail miserably, so just keep on drinkin’ the lizard milk. Leo (July 23–Aug. 22): After eating a multitude of peaches that you mistook for olives, you will turn purple. Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22): The stars tell me that you will be arrested at the dish-to-pass dinner organized by the League of Asexual Boaters.
Taurus (Apr. 20–May 20): After watching overweight televangelists for five hours straight, you will, needless to say, collapse.
Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22): As Thanksgiving nears, you have much to be thankful for—like how you do not live in North Dakota.
Gemini (May 21–June 20): While attending a Pugilists Anonymous meeting, you will weep uncontrollably, but then you will be rewarded—with candy cigarettes!
Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18): Yeah, it feels good to be a gangster. However, you should try being a nurse, because nurses help people, and helping people is good.
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APUSH Non–Common App schools Hashtagging your life #Makingthe coolnessspectrum @IHSTattler1 @AOL.com Carver, MA Carver Jordan Raymond Carver George Washington Carver Men who don’t know urinal code