September 2014 by The Tattler

ALL THE NEWS THAT’S FIT TO TATTLE September 2014 • Estd. 1892 • Vol. 122 #6 • Published Monthly • www.ihstattler.com Ithaca High School, 1401 N. Cayuga St, Ithaca, NY 14850 • FREE

Principal Powers to Depart ICSD, Will “Miss IHS a Heck of a Lot” By OWEN ZHANG

ents! Did d u t s w e n Welcome one can y n a t a h t you know ler? The t t a T e h t write for g is on in t e e m ’ s r e first writ ber 8, in m e t p e S , Monday at 3:45. y r a r b li e h t

Ask the Admins By KALIL HENDEL

Principal Powers in front of IHS.

IMAGE BY OWEN ZHANG

Principal Jarett Powers will be leaving IHS on November 1 to become the superintendent of the Union Springs Central School District near the northern end of Cayuga Lake. “I love IHS a great deal . . . but I was at a point in my life when it was a good time for change,” Powers said. “I decided to take a chance and try something new and learn and grow as an individual, as an educator.” At Union Springs, Powers will lead a district consisting of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. With a third of the number of schools ICSD operates and half the land area, Union Springs will present a whole different set of challenges, Powers said. “Part of my entry plan is to get to know people and do a lot of listening and really understand how I could be helpful and how I could help that district grow and develop,” he said. While the district is already academically “solid” and has a high-school graduation rate of over 90 percent, according to Powers, it faces difficulties when it comes to mainContinued on Page 6.

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to sit down and talk with IHS principal Jarett Powers about some issues that have been on my mind and my friends’ minds. This is the first article in a recurring question-and-answer series with administrators, teachers, and other members of the ICSD community. If you have a question that you would like answered, send an email to news@ihstattler.com. All questions will be asked anonymously. Continued on Page 5.

In This Issue

High-School Cheat Sheet

Breakfast Prices Increase

Best Day of the School Week

Clubs of IHS

Summer Summaries

Abandoned High School

Coloring Page

September 2014

opinion

Editorial High-School Cheat Sheet You’ve picked out your outfit, prepared your school supplies, and checked your new bus schedule. You’re ready for the first day of school. You’re about to step on campus when a flurry of scenarios surges into your brain. What if your locker gets stuck? What if none of your friends are in your classes? What if you can’t find Upstairs K? You walk into the building and your eye catches a stack of papers on the threshold of your homeroom. Upon closer inspection, you find yourself face to face with a copy of the IHS Tattler. You flip to the “High School Cheat Sheet”, and as you read, the butterflies in your stomach morph into happy bunnies: still excited, but less apprehensive. In all seriousness, the experience of freshman year seems like the stuff of niche Hollywood, but you will soon feel as though you have been walking through the hallways of IHS your entire life. Hopefully these tips will help you reach that point sooner. (Note: This is the only form of “cheating” endorsed by the Tattler. Cheating and plagiarism are unacceptable practices. You can read more about disciplinary policies in the student manual.) 1. You are now a high-school student. Academics is the most important thing to focus on as a high-schooler. After all, the public education system was instituted in order to foster a well-educated citizenry. Do your best to understand the material and make the best of your classes, because the curriculum only gets more challenging. On that note, homework exists to help with that transition. Develop good study strategies that will help you succeed. Do you need to write down every new vocabulary word in order to remember it? Do you need to twiddle your thumbs in order to pay attention? Do you learn best through lecture or hands-on labs? It is your responsibility to take charge of your education. That’s why you’re here. 2. Use your time wisely. Ah, procrastination. It’s the cool thing to tweet about the night before a project is due. But after you realize you can’t stay awake in second period, it won’t feel so cool to stay up past midnight. Time management is a skill that only becomes more important as life goes on. It’s amazing how much you can get done in those little windows of time between music lessons and sports games. Getting all your work done will make binge-watching shows on Netflix that much more enjoyable. And even though multitasking may seem productive in theory, in practice, it’s very distracting. Don’t tweet about procrastinating—tweet about how you just finished your research essay and can now have a relaxing weekend. Continued on Page 10.

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opinion

September 2014

Editorial Respect Your Bathrooms One humid Thursday afternoon, two male high-schoolers were pacing nervously around the entrance to G107. They were not contemplating whether they should intrude on the club meeting that was occurring in the room, but were debating whether they should use the women’s bathroom across the hallway. Why? Because on that unfortunate day, all the men’s bathrooms in the vicinity of G-Building were unavailable. Lower G and H? Flooded. Upper G and F? Locked. How did it come to be that a school of over fourteen hundred students lost access to so many of its central bathrooms? Last year, IHS bathrooms needed attention for two main reasons. First, most were in pitiful condition—they lacked basic amenities and frequently needed maintenance. Second, they were often the targets of misuse and sometimes even blatant vandalism by a small population of students. Over the summer, the bathrooms have been cleaned and repaired. Let’s keep them this way. It is well known that a large percentage of IHS bathrooms were in decrepit condition, not only because of their pungent odors and tendency to breed pools of unidentified liquids, but also because of their lack of locks and, often, doors. Many men’s bathrooms had urinals that remained unflushable and became repulsive reservoirs of waste, and multiple bathrooms had faucets that seemed to require a magic touch in order to function. It was the administration’s responsibility to renovate the bathrooms and equip them with basic features such as reliable plumbing, flushing toilets, and consistently operational sinks. At a time when the district was and is facing an increasingly restrictive budget, instituting such a large-scale renovation process was understandably challenging, though nevertheless important.

Not exactly a dream bathroom.

IHS bathrooms are too often misused by students. Obscene graffiti marks the stall walls of a certain upstairs bathrooms. The crucially convenient located bathrooms near the cafeteria have been closed too often because of toilet paper incidents and improper disposal of sanitary napkins, resulting in messes and floods. One IHS custodian, when asked about why so many of the school’s bathrooms were out of service last year, stated his belief that the closures were the result of “negligence” and “carelessness”. As a school, we must collectively maintain bathroom quality. First, intentional student mistreatment of bathrooms must cease. Such mistreatment disservices the entire student body, not to mention the custodial staff, who must restore the bathrooms to their original state following any instance of student vandalism. Intentionally vandalizing school bathrooms is, in short, rude and immature. One solution is to implement harsher punishments for bathroom vandal-

IMAGE BY JOHN YOON

ism. Perhaps vandalism should result in suspension or community service in the form of restoring the misused bathroom to its original condition. Those who are acquainted with students suspected of vandalism should take action to bring an end to the vandalism, either directly—by personally instructing the offender to stop his or her behavior— or indirectly—through notifying a staff member of the identity of the offender. It sounds obvious, but all students should make an effort to use bathrooms properly—aim carefully, conserve toilet paper, flush when possible, and clean after themselves. Just because the bathrooms are not in one’s own home does not mean that one should neglect to treat them well. Proper bathroom treatment is a responsibility shared by all students that, if practiced, would benefit the entire student body. As for the anecdote involving the two boys? Fortunately, that story has a happy ending. The two were finally able to locate an open bathroom across the school, having exercised in the process.

September 2014

NEWS

September 2014

Former IHS IT Dies at 25 IMAGE PROVIDED

Cody Banas, formerly an IT technician at IHS, died on July 18 at the age of 25. He attended Tompkins County Community College (TC3) and the ITT Technical Institute in Liverpool for software programming and computer technology. He held positions at several local places including Cornell, TST BOCES, and here at IHS. Cody will be fondly remembered by staff and students who had the pleasure of working with him. Cody Banas, 1989–2014

ICSD Breakfast Prices Increase Due to New Fruit/Veggies Requirements By OWEN ZHANG

Regular breakfast at IHS now costs $1.75, or $0.15 more than it did last year. This increase in price is due to the most recent set of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines for school breakfast programs. The guidelines require, among other things, that schools provide each student with at least one cup of fruits or vegetables with breakfast per day and that schools only serve whole-grain grain products (breads, bagels, rolls, etc.). Regular breakfast now costs $1.50 at both ICSD elementary and middle schools, up $0.15 and $0.10, respectively, from last year. Reduced-price meals, however, will continue to cost $0.25. All lunch prices will remain the same. “The price increases vary because of the difference in portion size,” explained Denise Agati, director of ICSD dining. She said that she does not foresee any additional school meal price increases in the near future. According to Agati, fruit and vegetable options available to students will vary throughout the year as certain fruits and vegetables go in and out of season. “[For example], in the fall, we do purchase our apples from a local orchard, Long Point Orchard, so you will

see more apples; we also purchase or- cessful,” she said. “We try to offer many anges, bananas, watermelon, and dried options, and we are always willing to fruit,” she explained. “Now, we are pur- listen to the customers’ requests.” chasing fresh kale from a local farm, Wood’s Earth Living Classroom.” The latest USDA standards for school Agati also said that she expects dif- meal programs were developed in 2012 ferent schools within the district to and were designed to be gradually impleprepare the fruits and vegetables in dif- mented over the course of two years, acferent ways depending on student feed- cording to the USDA web site. In addition back. to the aforementioned requirements, the “I try to get as much feedback from guidelines call for the removal of twothe cafeteria supervisors because ev- percent and whole milk options from eryone eats differently,” she said. “For schools and now qualify tofu as an alinstance, if they are serving kale, some ternative to meat. For more information, like it cooked, made into kale chips, or visit www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/ even served like a salad.” nutrition-standards-school-meals. While students can technically refuse to accept the mandated serving of fruits or vegetables, those who do so will be charged à la carte and will have to pay more than the regular price, according to Agati. “The customers—students and staff—are the ones who can make this [initiative] suc- Expect to spend more here every year. IMAGE BY JOHN YOON

NEWS Q: Why did IHS build a new gym complex instead of replacing outdated technology, renovating the pool, or improving the salaries of teachers? A: The facilities that existed prior to the renovations were of low standards. There was a need to update and maintain. We’re attempting to become a world-class educational facility, and to do that, we need world-class educational facilities. We had special-needs kids doing PE in the hall because they didn’t have a space of their own. That’s not world-class. That’s not even satisfactory. We needed to define and improve our spaces. What’s important is that the community voted for this; it wasn’t something someone came up with and said, “Let’s go spend money on this.” And the changes at the high school weren’t the only improvements that went on. There were also heating and cooling upgrades at the middle schools, security upgrades at the elementary schools, parking lot redesigns—a whole bunch of stuff. The bond that paid for the facilities at the high school was part of a once-in-ageneration plan to improve the entire school district. When the money was bonded in the early 2000s, the economy was much better; the community decided that this was a wise use of the money. Because we did the bond when we did it, the interest rates were a lot lower and we were able to get a lot more out of our money. In fact, at the time, the decision was fiscally prudent. Unfortunately, you can’t use bonded money to save teaching positions. They’re separate parts of the budget, and they’re separate parts under law. As for the pool, I know that it’s a large issue for kids on the swim team especially. There’s regular BoE discussion about the pool, and we’re always working to improve the air quality and circulation. There are some plans under the Energy Performance Contract to do some upgrades. As that goes along, you’ll start to see some marked improvements to the pool. Q: What are the steps in your decision making for hiring and firing

Ask the Admins Continued from Page 1. teachers? A: When there’s a vacancy, it gets posted for about two weeks, followed by a period of screening, in which a committee that goes over the applications is formed. The committee consists of various members of the community and representatives of the different unions (teachers, paraprofessionals). The screening committee then turns over recommended names to an interview committee, which asks the applicant questions that have been approved by the district. A recommendation is then given to the superintendent, who in turn makes a recommendation to the BoE. The person can then be hired. Based on my and other teachers’ observations as well as feedback from students and parents, if in my professional opinion the teacher shouldn’t return, then I make a recommendation to the human resources department and the superintendent. They can say, “Let’s support this teacher and do some mentoring and do some staff development,” in which case we devise and work together with the teachers’ union to get the teacher support (sometimes a professional coach who can help them teach more effectively). There’s a whole plan that goes into place before someone is dismissed. Q: What security measures are in place on campus to ensure the safety of the students? A: We have a cogent school safety plan for different scenarios. The plan outlines what’s supposed to happen in a perfect world. Of course, we end up needing to revise and adapt, so after a situation is over, we debrief with district officials and with law enforcement and we figure out what we can do better. We have paper copies of everything for when the computers go down; we have what’s called “gotta go bags” for when you gotta go, so if we ever actually had to go, there’s a whole logistical plan for what that would look like. We’re a very big campus, so we try to have our hall assistants close and lock doors that should be closed and locked. There’s radio contact all over campus,

September 2014

and we have regular drills to ensure that anything that could go wrong will go wrong smoothly. In regards to fights on campus, breaking up a fight is a responsible thing to do. The hard thing is that, if there’s a fight and everyone jumps in, it’s very hard to determine who was assisting and who was “assisting”. There are eight hall assistants, 118 teachers, 20 support staff, and four or five administrators in this building, so if you see a fight, whether it’s two people fighting or one person beating up another, there are more than enough adults around who can support and assist in the situation. If you take matters into your own hands, determining the extent of your involvement can be extremely difficult and will probably end poorly for you.

Historical IHS: Racial Tensions By KALIL HENDEL

Last year, while walking through the cramped halls of IHS, I had something of an epiphany, an insight into the chemical and genetic makeup of our campus. I realized an uncomfortable fact: I knew the names of nearly all the upper-middle-class white students in my grade, but knew almost none of the names of black or minority students. The only place where the student body is fully represented is in the chaotic mess of the hallways, a mess that can easily be blocked out by headphones and a glazed stare. IHS is a melting pot of urban and rural, rich and poor, minorities and majorities of every facet. Coming face to face with students so different from me in every way was a real shock. How could such a collision of culture combined with that insular method of tracking not create an explosion? How could the school even function? For a while, it didn’t. Back in the late 2000s, it became so dysfunctional that the police, the New York Times, and even the Supreme Court became involved. The history of Continued on Page 6.

September 2014

Historical IHS: Racial Tensions Continued from Page 5. racial tension in Ithaca and in ICSD is long and runs deep, but the spark that set off the latest conflict was a 2005 case of racial harassment at DeWitt Middle School. Kearney (first name not released), a black student there reported that she was being relentlessly bullied by a group of white students, and that the school was, in the family’s view, failing to act to stop the bullying. They sued ICSD, and over the course of seven years, Kearney v. Ithaca City School District was brought in front of local, state, appellate, and national courts, as well as several human rights organizations. The case peaked in 2007, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the family, but its effects lasted well into the 2010s. The lawsuit polarized the ICSD community and raised longstanding feelings of mistrust and ill will on both sides. A central player in the drama was IHS’s then-principal, Joe Wilson. A common complaint was Wilson’s head-on approach to dealing with the problems, which many felt was the wrong approach for such a sensitive issue. In December of 2007, over 200 Ithaca residents petitioned for Wilson’s resignation after what they believed was a series of mishandled incidents at the school, including rumours of gun violence, many fights, and coordinated student protests. The administration eventually banned items that were seen as tied to racist groups, like confederate flags, camouflage clothing, and bandanas, but many community members and students felt it was too weak of a response. Wilson received the brunt of criticism aimed at the administration and resigned in 2009. The conflict was exacerbated by an attempt to restore school unity with a Color Day, which devolved into vandalism, violence, and was used by many students as a platform to express their spite and resentment. For two days in 2007, half the school stayed home, fearing for their safety.

NEWS

The need for reform was clear. What caused IHS to become the nucleus of tension is open to debate. Factors like the way the incidents were handled by the administration, the size of the school, and the insulation from diversity that I experienced contributed, but no single person or issue caused the whole situation. At the time, many IHS students thought that the tensions were more class-related than race-related. The collision of poor urban or rural students and wealthier students who often had ties to Cornell seemed like it could be more of a factor than racism and color lines. Since race and class divisions often lined up, it was likely a combination of the two. It’s been an important mission of ICSD and IHS to continue to improve relationships between all students, especially those from different backgrounds. From the ground, it may be hard to see the difference between IHS now and IHS nearly a decade ago, but for long-time administrators, the improvement is stark. IHS principal Jarett Powers, a teacher during Wilson’s administration, said that the 2005 case challenged the school community to address “discipline disparities” involving students and spurred changes that helped improve the atmosphere at IHS. “There were a lot of discipline and workforce diversity reforms that came out of it that were really positive,” he said. “Discipline is down, achievement is up, the performance gap between students of color and white students is closing if not closed in many areas.” Ensuring the safety and comfort of students at the high school is a challenge that no doubt continues to face IHS. It seems that, for the most part, IHS has learned and adapted and is more prepared than ever if an issue like the 2005 case arises again. There will always be more room for improvement, as I saw in my own experience, but the strides that the school has taken in the last ten years are impressive and bode very well for the future.

September 2014 Principal Powers to Depart ICSD Continued from Page 1. taining a steady level of taxation and ensuring that its students have access to a wide variety of courses and both academic and extracurricular opportunities. “There’s a lot more in terms of collaborating with other districts, in terms of collaborating with different community agencies to ensure that the resources are there and the opportunities are there for kids,” Powers said. Under Powers’s administration, IHS has undergone numerous reforms. Earlier this year, Powers became the first IHS principal to receive tenure and stay at the high school in nearly three decades (see the April issue of the Tattler for information about a few exceptions). According to an ICSD press release, IHS has experienced a significant decrease in student discipline cases during Powers’s three-year administration, and its graduation rate has continually increased from 80 percent for the Class of 2011 to just below 90 percent for the Class of 2013—well above the state average of 74.9 percent for the Class of 2013. In addition, Powers increased the amount of time students spend in science lab periods and implemented a stricter attendance policy that has decreased absences. Powers began student teaching at IHS in 2003, and soon joined the staff as a social studies teacher in 2004. He ascended through the ranks, becoming department chair, associate principal, and ultimately principal in 2011. “I’ve really gotten to know the school from an entry level to a managerial level and . . . I’ve learned a great deal from parents and from fellow teachers and staff members and kids,” he said. “At each stop along the way, you learn, you grow, and you’re pushed, and you’re asked to think differently, and you’re challenged, and I think those things help shape and guide your thinking.” After Powers departs, an interim principal will take his place while ICSD searches for a new principal. “We will be advertising and connecting with potential candidates through national, regional, and local publications/networks,” said ICSD superintendent Luvelle Brown. “We are looking for candidates with a passion for working with young people, a track record of exceptional instructional leadership, and a commitment to the vision and mission of ICSD.” Brown said that he will make the final recommendation to the Board of Education, which will then need to approve the candidate. In an interview with the Tattler, Powers advised students to continue engaging with curriculum Continued on Page 7.

NEWS Principal Powers to Depart ICSD Continued from Page 6. and to take advantage of the resources and opportunities offered at IHS. “This high school is something special,” he said. “You have some great teachers, some great opportunities—really take advantage of everything that comes your way, because this high school is an awesome place to learn and grow.” He said that the biggest challenge facing IHS at the moment involves implementing the Common Core and other state initiatives while simultaneously adapting to an increasingly restrictive budget. Nevertheless, he advised his successor to become acquainted

September 2014

with the people of IHS first. “Try to understand where people are coming from; it’s not always as it seems on the surface,” he said. “We have real challenges and kids really need you to be a champion for them and to advocate for them and to listen to what their needs are.” Indeed, Powers said that the thing he will miss most about IHS is the people. “This is my professional world; this is my professional family; this is my professional community,” he said of IHS. “At the same time, part of life is taking risks and taking on new challenges and continuously learning and pushing yourself to develop.” “But I’ll miss this place a heck of a lot.”

The Business of Books at the IHS Library By OWEN ZHANG

Among the books that will be coming to the shelves of the IHS library this year are Immortal Game, a paranormal young adult series; Kill My Mother, a graphic novel with film noir themes; and Everything I Never Told You, a realistic account about immigration and loss. These books are some of the many that will replace the aging library books that were offered to students and teachers for free this past June, according to IHS librarian Armin Heurich. The rest of those aging books will be offered to the public in a sale sometime this fall, Heurich said. The phasing out of damaged and outdated books and magazines and their replacement by new or updated titles is part of collection development, a standard practice at libraries throughout the world, according to Heurich. “School libraries are not archives. It’s our job to connect our patrons with the best, most recent materials available,” he said. “Books in certain categories—especially science, technology, and politics—are considered aged and outdated rather rapidly.” New books will be displayed in front of the circulation counter as they arrive. At IHS, decisions involving the purchase of new library resources are made by the library staff, who consider input from students and teachers and also reference library journals, paying close

attention to series by trending authors, said Heurich. The staff focus on several major objectives, he said. “The two biggest considerations are supporting the curriculum and choosing a wide range of fiction and nonfiction to support leisure reading and inspire independent learning,” he said. New reference materials, for instance, are selected for not only their currency, but also their presentation. “Today’s students are unlikely to wade through large chunks of text in a reference or nonfiction book,” Heurich explained. “Today’s students expect updated information presented with text, photos, charts, and other visual features that make the content more accessible.” “Our collection needs to reflect our diverse population, as well as an equitable world view,” he added. “School library collections must represent a variety of viewpoints and encourage global connections.” As far as leisure reading goes, IHS students have shown increasing interest in manga / graphic novels, dystopian science fiction series such as The Hunger Games, and “supernatural fiction featuring zombies, werewolves, vampires, and ghosts,” according to

IMAGE BY JOHN YOON

Definitely not an archive.

Heurich, who has worked at the library for 17 years. Funding for collection development at IHS stems from three sources, according to Heurich: a budget of $6.25 per student given by the state, a fund for nonfiction print resources through TST BOCES, and funds from IHS principal Jarett Powers’s building budget. Heurich mentioned that hardcover library books typically cost about $25, while reference books can cost over $100, but said that the exact number of books purchasable with this year’s library budget has not yet been determined. Is the IHS library missing a book you like or want? Students and teachers can suggest titles to library staff directly or via the suggestion boxes at the library’s circulation counter.

September 2014

opinion

The Execution of Justice: An Argument Against the Death Penalty By KALIL HENDEL

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Are all sentences justified?

IMAGE PROVIDED

American society prides itself on its foundations of justice and morality. When you take a practice as corrupt as the death penalty and try to reconcile it within a just and moral society, the foundations will crack. With every death, they will splinter and fall apart. Of the recognized countries in the world, 140 have ceased using capital punishment in law or practice, while 58 countries retain it. The United States is one such country. Since 1976, we’ve executed over 1,300 defendants. We cannot claim the moral high ground necessary to dispense justice while behaving like the very criminals we prosecute. There are absolutely no cases in which the death penalty is appropriate, ethical, or necessary. A pervasive argument for capital punishment is that it’s effective as a crime deterrent. In his book The Case Against the Death Penalty, noted philosopher and professor Hugo Adam Bedau wrote that most murders are confirmed to be committed in the heat and irrationality of a moment or under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or insanity. Crimes outside of this category are almost always conducted by criminals who expect to escape arrest and don’t consider that they’ll be caught and put to death. This claim is also supported by the numbers. A 1973–1984 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) study suggests that lethal assaults against police officers—a crime which receives an automatic life imprisonment or a death sentence—were not any more or less frequent in states that prohibit capital punishment than in states that use capital punishment. Another study conducted by ACLU from 1992 to 1995 concluded that “the vast majority (84 percent) of prison murders occurred in death penalty jurisdictions.” The study goes on to say that the threat of the death penalty “does not even exert an incremental deterrent effect over the threat of a lesser punishment in [states that have Continued on Page 9.

opinion The Execution of Justice Continued from Page 8. abolished the death penalty].” Even if execution were a deterrent, which it clearly isn’t, the possibility of life imprisonment without parole would surely deter just as effectively. A compelling argument could be made for the death penalty with case examples and stories of how remorseless serial baby rapists were never brought to ultimate justice. A report by the National Council of Synagogues and the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, To End the Death Penalty, responds: “Some would argue that the death penalty is needed as a means of retributive justice, to balance out the crime with the punishment. This reflects a natural concern of society, and especially of victims and their families. Yet we believe that we are called to seek a higher road even while punishing the guilty (for example, through long and in some cases lifelong incarceration) so that the healing of all can ultimately take place. . . . We say that teaching people to respond to violence with violence will, again, only breed more violence.” They say that the death penalty is just “eye for an eye” dressed up in modern rags. It’s not justice; it’s revenge and cruelty. Should we rape our rapists, steal from our thieves, or immolate our arsonists? I know that, if I myself saw a loved one murdered in cold blood, I would of course want the murderer put to death—and would happily pull the trigger myself. That’s why it’s the responsibility of the justice system to make sure the decision isn’t in my hands when I’m in emotional pain and won’t consider ethics or morality. Capital punishment perverts justice, allowing outrage and revenge to dictate what’s right. Our society can’t claim any moral authority unless we hold ourselves up to a higher standard than that of our criminals. If we choose to continue the cycle of violence any longer, not only will our justice system collapse; there will be a heavy price paid in further crime and further bloodshed. In an ethical society, one execution is too many.

A death chamber in California.

IMAGE PROVIDED

September 2014

Day of the SchoolWeek By RORI HENDERSON

There really is no question that the best day of the school week is Thursday. Thursdays are about trying to complete work that’s been put off the rest of the week and then procrastinating more to watch whichever new episode of an overly dramatic Fox show is on at 8/7 central. The more rebellious among us will choose not to start work until after the nine o’clock show. No matter how much you have to do, you will likely not do some of it rather than actually stress yourself out on a Thursday. On Thursdays, we all make an unspoken agreement to schedule every minute of our Friday free periods around the mountain of homework that still needs to be done. Thursdays are the perfect combination of productivity and binge-watching. Most importantly, a good Thursday sets you up for a good Friday. A good Friday means a good weekend. If you have a good weekend, then the following Monday, Tuesday, and even Wednesday can be tolerated. Therefore, by the transitive property, good Thursdays make every day of the week good. Basically, you owe your happiness to Thursdays, so show them the respect they deserve and agree with me that they are the best day of the school week. “THE BEST: _____” is a recurring column that anyone can write! Do you think you know what THE BEST ice cream flavor is? THE BEST time of year or THE BEST temperature to fall asleep to? Submit your ideas and questions to opinion@ihstattler.com.

September 2014

opinion High-School Cheat Sheet Continued from Page 2.

Channel your inner Elie Fredricksen.

3. Take advantage of your resources. When the equation of life equals stress, it’s probably best to seek out some support. Thankfully, you have friends, teachers, staff, and administrators who all want to help you succeed. Many departments have periods during which you can get one-on-one tutoring from a teacher—the Science Help Room, for instance, is a great resource. Check with your own teacher to see when he or she is available to answer your questions. Study with some friends or ask your Link Leader for advice on pretty much anything. If you just need someone to talk to, drop by the Hub near the girls’ locker room. Spend some time in the library, where the atmosphere will ensure that you will do your biology homework instead of playing 2048. The librarians are also always willing to help you find materials and sources for any project you’re working on. If you’re looking for ways to unwind, attend an athletic match or check out an orchestra concert. There’s always a school event to look forward to. 4. Channel your inner Ellie Fredricksen. Adventure is out there! And you’ll find it by taking interesting courses, joining new clubs, and making new friends. This year’s schedule is already

IMAGE PROVIDED

set, but there is a huge buffet of courses to keep in mind as you select classes to take in the coming years. Pick courses and activities that you want to take, not necessarily the ones your friends want you to. If Forensics, Design and Drawing for Production (DDP), or Studio Art sound interesting, sign up! Have you ever wanted to act in the drama productions, make the school greener, or even write for the Tattler? Go to the meetings for these clubs and see if you really like it. (The first Tattler writers’ meeting is next Monday, September 8 in the library after school.) Be open to meeting people. You’ll make new friends in the process. 5. Keep the (academic) future in mind. Although you don’t have to create a Common App account yet, if you plan to attend college, keep college in mind! It’s a good idea to be conscious of your grades and extracurriculars, but don’t fry your brain trying to tackle ten classes in one year or join a large number of clubs only to be barely involved in any of them. You should hold yourself to high standards, but they should be your high standards—not your parents’, not your friends’, not society’s. It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do in college—no teenager is expected to have his or her life already

mapped out. However, you can narrow down your interests by trying different activities. 6. Treat people like people. Sometimes old adages are gold adages. The axiom “Treat people the way you want to be treated” is incredibly true. Right now, the latest gossip may seem important, but no one will pay much attention to it in a couple of days. Don’t view high school as a cutthroat competition. Build good relationships with your teachers and mentors. Sometimes you will have to work with people you don’t like, or have a teacher with whom you are not impressed. Being flippant or irreverent may satisfy you temporarily, but after the material experience of high school fades away, you will regret how you made someone feel. Whether or not you get along with someone, treat him or her with absolute respect. After all, you expect to be treated the same way. 7. Take a deep breath . . . . . . no matter where you find yourself. Some days, you will step into Spanish a second before the bell rings, your favorite food will be served for lunch, and your math test will not be as difficult as you anticipated. Other days, you will be three steps late to French, you’ll be running on a high of flashcards and insomnia, and you will have a pop quiz in English on the one reading you forgot to do last night. Either way, life will go on. The day will pass by, then the week, and then suddenly you will be done with your last Regents exam of the semester. Sometimes, high school is stressful, especially as you transition to larger workloads and more responsibilities, but you will survive. Instead of panicking over your unfinished essay that’s due tomorrow and your makeup sectional and your group project that isn’t getting done, it’s time to buckle down and problem-solve to make sure everything does get finished. It’s important to realize that you will get over the speed bumps—and you will be better afterwards.

opinion

September 2014

Why I Love Ithaca

Why I Hate Ithaca

By PEARSE ANDERSON

By OLIVIA SALOMON

IMAGE BY BRIDGET FETSKO

IMAGE PROVIDED

Ithaca: a place of Milton’s fantasies?

. . . or more like 1984?

Ithaca is a fantastic town for anyone of any age. I’ve seen nature-based preschools, lifelong learning programs for the elderly, and a diverse range of community college courses for high-school students. Cornell, Ithaca College, and Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) all provide an amazing base for the community, bringing in not just opportunities for education, but also jobs, infrastructure, grants, and people. We’re situated in a fantastic part of the world, just hours away from major cities as well as from Canada. Around our little town, there’s also Trumansburg, Hector, Auburn, Moravia, and other beautiful places—slices of Americana at its finest. I’ve spent days walking through our swamps and state parks, eating nothing but sweet peas and carrots picked in Lansing just days earlier. Ithaca fosters culture as quickly as hot springs foster microbial life forms. Festivals, art shows, concerts, and other live performances occur almost weekly now. I have yet to meet a nicer community, or one so accepting. Small businesses can flourish better than they can in most of New York, and many charitable organizations are growing just as quickly. We live in a great melting pot, with countless opportunities for growth, education, and the development of a stronger community. Sure, the Commons isn’t great, and perhaps the sports scene isn’t quite as accomplished as you may prefer, but there is so much else to enjoy. On a good fall day, you can feel it in the air, that hum of possibilities, the chance to do anything. Those who claim that there’s “nothing to do” should look again, because they’re living in one of the best towns America has to offer.

Like any teenager, I have complaints about my hometown—it’s too small, there aren’t any good places to shop, we’re so far away from a major city, etc. My real problem with Ithaca, however, is more significant than the lack of decent shopping and our unfortunate location relative to other towns. I don’t like Ithaca because of the hypocrisy I observe in so many Ithacans. Ithaca is known as a liberal town, which is great for me, a liberal-minded individual. But I believe that, despite all the talk of “accepting” others and their life choices, Ithacans are quite disrespectful of people who do not share their liberal values. This issue came up after one of Lehman Alternative Community School’s (LACS) All-School Meetings last year, when students discussed creating a gender-neutral bathroom at their school to meet the needs of transgender and gender-nonconforming students. In that discussion, those who spoke against the new bathroom—even hypothetically—were called transphobic and shut down. Later, on a Facebook post recapping what had happened at his school’s meeting, Adrian Clavel ’15 commented, “I have been saying for a while that our school is only a ‘safe space’ if your opinion is that of the majority, and that isn’t democracy.” I believe that what Clavel said last May can be applied to much of Ithaca. We think that we are being kind and compassionate, but we are (and I am guilty of this too) simultaneously shutting down a group of people who are not evil, merely different or uneducated on all the social justice issues. This is what makes me dislike Ithaca. I believe that extremism to the point of disrespect is wrong, no matter what direction that extremism takes.

Center Spread

Dear Freshmen: Get Involved! By CONOR COUTTS

At a school with 1,400 unique students, a profound faculty, and easy access to a vibrant community, getting involved is the best way to meet new people and discover things about yourself. With 17 sports teams and over 60 clubs representing different cultures and hobbies, IHS has an activity for everyone.

Academics:

Brain Team Library Club Math Team Science Olympiad Mock Trial Model United Nations (MUN)

Culture:

African-Latino Club Asian-American Club French Club International Club Gay-Straight Alliance Strong Women Impacting Society (SWIS)

Gaming and Hobby: Minecraft Club Tiddlywinks Club Baking Club Book Club Chess Club Drawing Club Peaceful Music Club Science Fiction and Fantasy Club Urban Art Club

Literary:

Inklings (creative writing) Tattler (newspaper) Yearbook Club

Performance:

A Cappella Club Fashion Club Fiddle Club The Players (jazz quartet)

TSA

Sports (clubs):

Badminton Club Ping Pong Club Ski Club Ultimate Frisbee Club

Technology:

Code Red Robotics DEV Club (programming) Remote-Control Car Club Technology Student Association (TSA) Theater Tech Club

Tiddlywinks

Government and Service:

Key Club (community service) Red Cross Club Green Team National Honor Society (NHS) Site-Based Council Student Council WIHS (school announcements / intercom broadcasts) WRED (ICSD television production)

Book Club

The Players

Asian-American Club

Badminton Club

SWIS

Chess Club

September 2014

Affidavits, Fair Preponderance, and Courtroom Sangfroid: The IHS Mock Trial Team

features The Hall Monitor INTERVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY LINDSEY YUAN

What are you looking forward to this year?

“Just spending the last year of high school with my friends.” “Knowing more.” — Luc — Sarah Cohn-Manik ’15 Wetherbee ’17

“I’m looking forward to doing well in lacrosse. I want to win “Knowing what college regionals again. And I want I’m going to.” — Caoily to do really well in school.” — Adele Lawless ’16 (left) Andrews ’15

“The end of the year.” — Sam Heimbecker ’17

“Graduating.” — Irene Yoon ’15

By RICHARD GAN

“. . . And Penn HydraGas is a dues-paying member of your organization, correct?” “Yes. The Natural Gas Institute receives membership dues from Penn HydraGas.” “Your salary comes from the Natural Gas Institute, correct?” “No. I work pro bono.” A gasp echoes through the court. The judge appears flabbergasted. “That’s a LIE!” hisses one spectator under her breath. Such is the kind of unexpectedness one should expect to encounter at a Mock Trial competition. Risks are taken, debates are intense, and the atmosphere in the courtroom can change from businesslike professionalism to vehement denial and outrage in an instant. At the competition, teams consisting of lawyers and witnesses—all played by highschool students—vie with each other in front of a real judge to either convict or exonerate a corporation or individual. It isn’t just a courtroom; it’s an arena. For lawyers, the excitement is in outwitting opponents to prove the innocence or guilt of the defendant, anticipating opponents’ arguments and formulating clever questioning for use against opponents’ witnesses. And in the end, there’s nothing better than the ecstatic feeling of shutting down an opposing lawyer’s line of questioning while at the same time ensnaring the witness. For witnesses, the fun is in figuring out how to best use their story to baffle opponents’ lawyers. Like escape artists, witnesses tactfully frame their answers to opposing lawyers and portray themselves in as ideal a way as possible to avoid capture by the lawyers. Clever acting and a solid understanding of law earn witnesses vital points for their team. Teams begin preparing for the spring county and regional competitions in December, when the New York State Bar Association—the state’s official law association— sends an information packet containing details about a fictional lawsuit to high schools across the state. Students then spend months sifting through case details and evidence, brainstorming arguments and scenarios, and practicing role-play with each other. At IHS, Mock Trial members meet weekly to discuss strategies and practice their roles in the presence of Ricardo Henriquez, local lawyer, Cornell alumnus, and IHS Mock Trial coach of two years. Henriquez, for instance, might point out that a question is worded in an objectionable way or suggest that a witness be less compliant on cross-examination. In addition to having fun, members report that Mock Trial has helped them acquire many valuable skills. “In addition to developing skills like public speaking, thinking on the spot, teamwork, etc., it's actually a lot of fun to figure out aspects of both sides of the case, try different techniques, and spend time with your teammates,” said team captain Sarah Couillard ’17. Ultimately, Mock Trial is a team effort, one that requires collective planning and preparation in order to be successful. And it’s immensely rewarding. “It builds self-confidence, and you get to be a part of a group of great people who love doing the same thing,” said Couillard. “And, of course, there's nothing like the feeling of walking out of a courtroom after winning a case.” IMAGE PROVIDED The Mock Trial team.

features

Summer September 2014

Summaries Summer in Korea By FRANCIS SCHICKEL

For six weeks, I stayed in Jeonju, South Korea, a traditional yet modern city in the Jeollabuk-do Province. The trip was made possible through a United States State Department program called the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y). I went with 12 other high-schoolers who hailed from all over the United States. Almost none of us had prior experience with the Korean language, and none of us were fully Korean. We stumbled through the first few days completely jetlagged, yet eager to learn. Our student director, the American saving grace who translated us out of any confusing situation, sent us to our new host families for the first night. I was so disoriented, I could barely speak. My host family Continued on Page 16.

The National TSA Conference: a Riveting Experience By TRISTAN ENGST

For many, the school year reached its climax during final exams. However, for me and nine other members of the IHS Technology Student Association (TSA), the climax came June 27–July 2 at the National TSA Conference in Washington, D.C. The culmination of hundreds of hours of preparation, it was challenging, fun, and ultimately amazing. TSA members spend the school year developing their skills in programming, design, manufacturing, robotics, writing, and public speaking. By the end of the year, we’re ready to attend the huge national conference and compete in events against teams from across America and from other countries. This year, the conference was attended by 6,829 students who competed in Continued on Page 17.

NYU Summer Filmmakers Workshop By CRISTINA BEVIA

This summer, I participated in an intensive filmmaking course for high-school students at New York University’s (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. The program not only encouraged me to major in film, but also left me with lasting memories and friendships. At the beginning of the program, I had no idea how to use a camera or certain editing softwares such as Adobe Premiere. Fortunately, the program was designed for people like me—students with limited filmmaking experience. The first few days of the program were designed to get everyone on the same page and teach participants about the software Continued on Page 17.

The German Exchange Experience By LIZ ROSEN

This summer, I was lucky enough to spend three-and-ahalf weeks in Germany. The trip was sponsored by the German government and the American Association of Teachers of German, and through it, students from across the country got the chance to engage in an immersive experience and improve their German skills. I actually can’t express how amazing this trip was. By far the best part was my host family. I was hosted by a family of four in the city of Kulmbach, an hour away from Nuremberg. To a German, Kulmbach is large and sort of old, which means to an American that it is pretty average-sized and absolutely ancient. Continued on Page 18.

features

September 2014

Summer in Korea Continued from Page 15.

Duckboki, a popular Korean dish.

tried their best to talk to me a little, but all I knew how to utter back was che iduumuun Francis ibneda (“My name is Francis.”). I couldn’t even say I was happy, I couldn’t ask what their names were, and I couldn’t ask, “Where’s the bathroom?” Luckily, most younger Koreans now know at least a limited amount of English. My two host brothers, Junsung and Rocksheen, were able to help me explain myself a little better and get basic information for my survival. My host family helped me through my homework and awkward situations such as when I got lost on the bus during the first week. They became a real family to me. Umma (mom) didn’t cook, so we went out to eat every day. My host family treated me to such a huge variety of Korean foods that eating sometimes became a game of dare. Snails, spicy foods, and other strange foods were all on the menu. Appa (dad) taught me baduk, a Korean version of Go, and crushed me in every game we played. On weekends, we would do other activities together. Once, I was taken to a restaurant that only served raw fish; another time, I traveled to the ocean. I really couldn’t have done the trip without my host family. Finally, we started classes: four hours a day, Monday through Friday, with homework and all. It was like school had never ended for me! The program was created to be the equivalent of a year’s worth of college studies compacted into just six weeks. But it really was different—we all wanted to be there, we all wanted to figure out the language, and without the language, it would’ve been a lot harder to survive. Only two of the four teachers knew how to speak English, yet through some miraculous body language and pictures, we managed to break down the language

bit by bit. Of course, there were days of completely blank stares. Korean grammar is filled with formalities. In order to be socially correct, one must vary word choice, conjugations, and sentence structure, depending on the context of the conversation. I hit a brick wall during the first two weeks. The completely new alphabet coupled with an ever-decreasing amount of sleep had me giving blank stares and a lot of pauses. But the teachers acted quickly. They gave me the opportunity to work with a teacher after school. My host family also really helped make my homework doable. They kept pushing for more and more conversations in KoIMAGE BY FRANCIS SCHICKEL rean, which helped widen my vocabulary. I was able to leave the program feeling confident with understanding questions and being able to speak in some brief conversations. My favorite teacher, Kim Qu-nam, was extremely supportive when I was confused and pushed me to use the language more. He hammered the basic understandings into everyone’s head. After school, we needed to live a little. Every day, we would have culture classes at one of two places: a cultural high school dedicated to the traditional arts or a college for students learning to be taekwondo masters. The culture classes at the high school involved painting, cooking, or music and dance. In painting, we were supplied with fans and shirts and taught to paint in a traditional style. Art was fun, but I doubt my stick figures look any better now. The other two activities, however, were great. Korea has its own set of traditional musical instruments and its own style of dance. One day, the ten girls in our group got to dress in dancing skirts while we practiced traditional all-girls dances. We experienced difficulties with the musical instruments, like a flute that I almost passed out trying to play. But all the students there who helped us had dedicated their lives to learning these arts, so after a while, the songs made more sense. The cooking classes were different. Our student helpers were overjoyed to work with Americans, and only one person got cut badly enough to bleed! And the food was delicious. I helped by doing simple things like frying an egg and some vegetables for dishes like bibimbap and duckboki. Those days became feasts of rice-based meals. Continued on Page 18.

features NYU Summer Filmmakers Workshop Continued from Page 15. and the camera that they would use. Our tasks progressed from learning simple shots and how to frame them to making a one-minute video, a music video, and finally, the short. In our arts and culture class, we had the chance to attend Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway and the Blue Man Group. Additionally, we had the opportunity to meet many professionals within the field. Many guest speakers, among them John Canemaker (Academy Award winner), Sam Pollard (editor of 4 Little Girls), Sheril Antonio (dean of NYU’s Kanbar Institute of Film and Television), Andy Goldman (Vice President of Program Planning and Scheduling at HBO), and Chris Chan Roberson (producer at YouTube), came to talk to us about different aspects of film. I especially enjoyed these guest speakers because we would screen their work and talk about it in great detail afterwards. We would ask questions and get to know them personally. It was very interesting and inspiring. By the end of the four weeks, I was comfortable with writing, directing, editing, and filming a 3–5 minute short film that premiered at the Angelika Film Center in New York City for my friends, colleagues, and family to see. The experience was one of the best I have ever had, especially because of the talented staff who helped us through every step of the journey. I was lucky enough to work with NYU graduate students in the field, as well as Ezra Sacks, an esteemed professor at NYU. This aspect of the program was the most helpful of all. We had lecture with the professor to dissect films and workshops with editing teachers. I was always guided in the right direction and pushed to do things I might not have done otherwise. I especially enjoyed the close relationships I developed with the teachers. Even though they were older than me, I felt as if they were my good friends. Many encouraged me to keep in contact and work on their thesis films in the future. I am so thankful that I was able to attend this program, and encourage anyone who is even slightly interested in film to apply to it next summer. Although it was a serious and timeconsuming program, I had an amazing summer and can’t wait to apply to film schools in the fall! T he N ational TSA C onference Continued from Page 15. over 60 events. We left having continued IHS’s legacy of excellence in TSA. You’d never guess that everyone at the conference is in an extremely aggressive competition. Except for the occasional “Where are you from?”, people interact as if they are close friends who have known each other for ages. “[I’d talk] to people from all across the country and realize how much I liked them,” said Jacob Silcoff ’17. “It felt as if they rounded up all of the people whom I would be friends with at every school in the United States and put them in one place.” One of the most unique ways TSA encourages students to interact is through the promotion of pin trading. Most pin trading

September 2014

TSA precedes its very distant government cousin by 23 years.

happens on the first night at an event called the Meet and Greet. Each state or country sending delegates to the conference has a special pin design—this year, the New York pin featured our state insect, the nine-spotted ladybug. The idea works, too. I ended up having a 30-minute conversation with a girl from Germany as a result of trading pins. Of course, the main attraction of TSA is the competitive events. These events range from Animatronics to Fashion Design to one of my favorite events, Video Game Design. However, we expected our adventure game to struggle with the swarms of bugs. No one expected us to do well, so when someone checked the semifinals postings and announced that we had made the top 12 in Video Game Design, my reaction was disbelief. When you place in the semifinals, it’s a moment of pristine exultation, a moment when the gates that previously confined you to failure are suddenly opened and a chance at placing in the top ten—the ultimate goal—is presented. I spent the next half an hour dizzy in my euphoria. Then, Silcoff and I were nominated to go to the semifinalist interview to defend our video game and documentation. This interview would determine which teams placed in the finals of Video Game Design. We had anticipated that our video game would be barely good enough to place in the semifinals even with good documentation, so the interview was our last hope for victory. I started preparing for the interview immediately, but it wasn’t until several hours before it that the stress set in; we were up against the top teams in the country, each of which had defeated many other teams in its state. We were scared. My will to succeed began to buckle: how could I prevail against students who were the cream of the crop in their state? However, the interview went well, and we walked out hopeful that we had a chance at placing in the finals. Three days later, the awards ceremony finally came. Our Video Game Design entry—created by Silcoff, Akshath Garg ’15, Kenzo Uchigasaki ’16, Zak Stillman ’16, Freya Ryd ’17, Lauren Eng ’17, and me—had beaten hundreds of competitors to finish in seventh place. Silcoff, Stillman, and Sophia Shi ’15 placed eighth in System Control Technology. Two finals placements in a chapter of ten delegates is an impressive feat that can only be achieved through competence and camaraderie. As we were called to the stage to receive our awards, we reveled in our victory. This is why hundreds of hours of preparation are worthwhile, I thought.

September 2014

features

The German Exchange Experience Continued from Page 15.

At Sans-Sovei, a Rococo palace Outside of Berlin. IMAGE BY LIZ ROSEN

It was founded in the 1100s and is famous for its beer: every year in July, there’s Bierfest, where everyone gets super drunk and wears dirndls or lederhosen. I’m not kidding. As you can see, Germany is surprisingly stereotypical. In general, all of the food I had on my trip was amazing, from wurst and bread to schnitzel and spätzle. The chocolate there is also amazing. If you have a hankering for Kinder Eggs, which are illegal in the United States, be sure to visit Germany. Our group saw a lot of Germany through touring Nuremberg, Berlin, and several other cities. Berlin was especially interesting because of the remnants of the Cold War there; the division of the country into East and West is still very vivid for most Germans. Berlin is an incredibly old city full of haunting sights, from the Holocaust memorial to the bits of the Berlin Wall sprinkled throughout the city. I wouldn’t say that the German culture is very different from American culture, except when it comes to football, otherwise known as soccer in the States. The day we landed was the day of the rather disappointing United States–Germany game. From the time we landed to the time we left, Deutschland was consumed with World Cup fever. Everyone there knows the names of the best players, and there’s regional pride involved (my host sister’s favorite player is Thomas Müller because he’s from the state of Bayern, where Kulmbach is located). It was very exciting to be in the country when it got its fourth star. Last but not least, the people I met on the trip were great. My host family was amazing, and so were the other Americans I met. The 13 of us came from all over the country, from Texas to Maine to South Carolina. We all had very different interests and personalities, but the experience of being together in a totally foreign land helped bind us into a very close unit. I highly recommend that everyone, if given the opportunity, go on a foreign exchange. If none of the above reasons—culture, food, and history—have convinced you, then do it for the people. You’d be surprised at just how amazing people across the globe are.

Summer in Korea Continued from Page 16. Lastly, we did taekwondo. I’m a white belt (at best) now, but the Sabom-nim (our coach) was the best. He was deadly, one of the top taekwondo practitioners, and also incredibly charismatic. And he couldn’t understand how none of the guys could do a split. Still, he taught us how to do basic moves and a little tumbling while the college students did flips and air kicks for warmup. I was also able to experience the everyday lifestyle of an average Korean. After all of our activities were done on Fridays, we were able to go out and explore the city. As I said before, Jeonju is both a modern city and a city with traditional areas. Honoakmal is a section where traditional buildings still stand and old artifacts are still displayed. The downtown shopping district isn’t far from there, and is filled with every possible store. (Even though we were in Korea, many of the signs of name brands were still in English, which I found a little weird.) Some all-Korean stuff was to die for. There is ice cream in Korea, but there is also a dessert called patbingsu. It’s a bowl of powdered ice made of concentrated milk and covered in fruits and rice cakes. It’s something I really miss. This trip became extremely meaningful to me because it allowed me to meet my South Korean family in Korea, something I had never done before. I met my grandparents for the second time and two of my aunts, my uncle, and two little cousins for the first time! The best part was being able to finally understand them a little. My grandparents don’t know any English, so before the trip, I couldn’t even talk to them. But when I visited, I could actually carry on a conversation! In my mind, that visit gave the scholarship a purpose.

The Tattler accepts submissions of poetry and creative writing! Email editor@ihstattler.com

September 2014

A&e Welcome Back to School Rap By CONOR COUTTS

Welcome back to school, don’t act like a fool And it’d be really cool if you were not cruel to yo teachers. And don’t be late or Create excuses about juices in the cafeteria Respect the personnel who don’t fear ya but wanna help ya graduate and participate in sports and clubs and research grubs in science class So don’t be crass. Be sure to visit the library—it’s all free you can set your readin’ on and your feedin’ on. Ithaca High School, represent all the people in the house will not be as quiet as a mouse but will douse the world in talent and skill That build this high school to be my school and your school It’s not a poor school but an open-door school So let’s all make this year dear to cheer about.

Relics of Ithaca: Ludlowville Union School By PEARSE ANDERSON

It’s a cool summer day in Ludlowville, a small hamlet in Lansing. The two-story Ludlowville Union School towers in front of me as I look towards the central belltower. Once you have seen this abandoned school, hidden by the bushes and treeline, you cannot unsee it. The story behind the school is fascinating and old, stretching back more than a century. In 1882, architects Clinton Vivian and Arthur Gibb designed a schoolhouse for use in Lansing, then a booming community thanks to the salt industry. The large influx of people into Lansing (Ludlowville especially, thanks to hydropower provided by local waterfalls) demanded that a new school be erected. Bert Fortner showed me the blueprints of the once-symmetrical schoolhouse in his backyard. Bert is an architectural preservation expert who bought the property 35 years ago and now lives adjacent to the schoolhouse. Ludlowville, Bert told us, had become so powerful in the 1880s that it vied for the county seat. By 1911, the school had expanded, with new sections for boys and girls in addition to an improved roof. By the ’40s, however, Ludlowville had fallen in strength, and the school was sold to Kincaid to be used as a barn and a storage space for wheat. So much wheat was pressed into the schoolrooms that the door and window frames now bulge out, forever bent by the thousands of bushels that have been pushed through them. The school has become somewhat of a legend around Ithaca and Lansing. Few have heard of it, and there is little to no trace of it online. Bert explained why. “Morning rummagers,” he began as we walked into the school itself. “People have broken into the school, stolen things, burnt things.” He and his wife have had to scare away rummagers, arsonists, squatters, and misbehaving teenagers. Before Bert acquired the property, kids would play hockey inside the school, with one broken window equaling one point scored. Now, groups of old men sneak into the classrooms and drink. The school is filled with strange trinkets and supplies. After Bert bought the property, he allowed his friends to use all the rooms as storage space. He expected that they’d return one day for their belongings. Few have. As a result, the school is full of other people’s belongings, some originally the school’s and others belonging to Bert’s friends. Tires, canoes, and stacks of lumber blocked our passage through the first few rooms of the school. What looks like an antique dentist chair rests in one of the side rooms next to a torn up Cornell diploma and a book titled Some Haystacks Don’t Even Have Any Needle. Ironically, the hockey games the children used to play inside the school promoted the flow of air, therefore helping stabilize the building and keeping it in good condition. That said, other pests plague the school. The raccoons, described as “the Mongols” by Bert, came in such numbers and stayed for so long that their urine rusted and decayed most of the tin ceiling. Vagrant cats have supposedly traveled through the school, but we saw no sign of them. The bees had settled into the window frames, their wax forming buzzing stalactites. Bert assured me that each spring, when the bees first come in, their collective sound can be compared to that of a “small freight train”. The upstairs of the school is gorgeous. The flooring around the staircase is unstable, which created an atmosphere of danger as we climbed further up. The desks and chairs had long since been removed from the upstairs rooms, yet some fragments remained. In one room, we saw an unsettling rocking horse and rocking chair; in another, holes in the walls and the beginning of a grafittied muContinued on Page 20.

September 2014

A&e

Ludlowville Union School Continued from Page 19.

Ludlowville Union School, 2014.

ral of the night sky; found between the two, a hundred-year-old water fountain in as good condition as the ones at IHS. Though my tour was comprehensive, we could not summit the illusive bell tower, as it was far too unsafe for us to climb. The bell, Bert promised, had been removed and placed in the new Lansing High School. We later saw this bell—still ringable thanks to a wooden lever—in the lobby of the new school. The last stop through the school was the basement. Two cars were once in the basement, an S2 Ford and a 1960 Buick, but both had been removed. The basement, like the rest of the property, is a hodgepodge of rust and wood, complete with a complex lake-based air-conditioning system.

Ludlowville Union School is still maintained, but is mostly unused. “I originally got it as a condominium,” Bert explained. “The school could’ve functioned as one nicely. Lots of apartments, in a good location, with rooms still intact; it looked great.” The condominium idea has yet to become a reality. The roof of the school needs work, and the rest of the school requires an enormous amount of repairs to be habitable. Although the rooms are intact, whether they are usable is an entirely different question. Several community college classes have been taught at the school, and several art installations have been developed inside the space, but overall, the building still sits without purpose. Despite all the

IMAGE BY JOHN YOON

problems it has, Bert was optimistic and grinning for the entirety of the tour. “Sometimes, I’ll have a car drive up to the school and have an elderly man or woman approach the doors,” Bert said. “They just stare and smile and say, ‘I remember being taught all my schooling from this place.’ It’s nice when that happens.” Ludlowville Union School is but one of Ithaca’s many captivating relics. Whether it’s in the Emerson Power Transmission building or the destroyed Dryden bus at the bottom of the Mott Road ravine, there’s history all around us in the abandoned and derelict. Ithaca is a mysterious place if you know where to look.

A&e

September 2014

Late Night Playlist

6. “Golden Dreams”: Scratch Massive Scratch Massive, much like Kavinsky, is a group of French DJs with slow, building songs. “Golden Dreams” is more sedated, relaxing, and ambient compared to most of the other pieces. If this playlist were a waterpark, “Golden Dreams” would be a lazy river—if the water were a halogen-lit highway.

By PEARSE ANDERSON

7. “You’re My Dream”: Proud Nicolas Winding Refn, director of Drive and Only God Forgives, certainly knows how to select eerie, tension-rich songs. “You’re My Dream”, used in a karaoke scene in Only God Forgives, is one of the better Thai music box songs, a niche but very popular genre. As the piece progresses, hushed Thai lyrics build and build with the notes of the music box turning in the background. It can be creepy or empowering—but you should listen to the song either way.

The nights are still warm enough for you to venture outside. Your head is as full as the night is dark. Your face is only illuminated by headlights, passing neon signs, the flash of a phone screen. You’re heading to or coming from someplace important. This is the playlist you should listen to. 1. “Nightcall”: Kavinsky It’s hard to create a late night playlist without including at least a piece of the soundtrack from Drive, Ryan Gosling’s perfect crime drama. Kavinsky is a French house artist whose electronic music is reminiscent of Los Angeles, ’80s video games, and car chases. If you are involved in any of those things, or want to sound like you are, this is the song for you. 2. “Ribs”: Lorde Maybe some of you are sick of hearing Lorde. If you are, replace every song of hers on this playlist with a Gorillaz track and you’ll be happy. If not, listen to “Ribs”. The lyrics, a testament to youth’s first taste of independence, are both entrancing and powerful (“We're reeling through the midnight streets / And I've never felt more alone / Feels so scary getting old”). 3. “Retrograde”: James Blake Popularized by its recent use in The Leftovers, “Retrograde” is a number-one hit from R&B dubstep artist James Blake. The overarching synth and eventual bass drop add so much to the piece, making it a journey rather than just an earworm. 4. “Don’t Swallow the Cap”: The National Jumping down from the electronic side of things, the National blends quiet drums with dark, catchy lyrics. The entirety of its newest album, Trouble Will Find Me, is fit to be listened to late at night. The deep, crackly voice of the lead singer and the layered harmonies and whispers combine to make this song close to perfect. 5. “Kerosene”: Crystal Castles Imagine dozens of VHS tapes burning in the corner of a basement. Imagine a hidden black-light party. Imagine a tattooed stranger waking you up at three in the morning and pulling you underground. Put all that to music. This is the most accurate description of “Kerosene” I can give you.

8. “Fineshrine”: Purity Ring All of Purity Ring’s music is beautiful from afar but, when looked at closer, terribly unearthly. “Saltkin” describes cults living inside the body of the singer. “Obedear” seems to be about pulling off skin from ankles and building cathedrals with it. It isn’t only the lyrics that drive these songs, but the great beats and hip-hop influences that turn what could’ve been poor electronic into amazing synthpop. 9. “Into the Black”: Chromatics Originally by Neil Young, “Into the Black” is a famous classic. Chromatics turns this originally hard-rock piece into something both soothing and melancholic. As proven by Sons of Anarchy, it’s a good song to play slowly when driving through the night, preferably in forests or canyons. 10. “Baltimore’s Fireflies”: Woodkid The trumpets and organs of Woodkid combine for a spectacular track off of his EP, Iron. Lyrically, this piece is just as good, though the slurred, almost incomprehensible voice of Yoann Lemoine may confuse some listeners. This memorable and hypnotic song is great for rainy, gray days.

September 2014

World Cup Summary

sports Parity in the MLB By NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS

With just over 30 games remaining in the 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) season, pennant races are heating up and older teams appear to have an edge. Except for the Baltimore Orioles, all of the division-leading teams are in the older half of the league in terms of average player age. Despite the teams’ veteran rosters, none of the division leaders made the playoffs last year, and the Kansas City Royals (leading the AL Central) have not made a trip to the postseason since they won the 1985 World Series. In a sport where experience is necessary to complete the 162-game season grind, how do bottom-of-theleague teams come to win the pennant the next year? Some would point to the draft, which gives the worst teams first choice of budding stars. While the current draft system clearly does allow the worst teams to improve, something more must be going on to allow all teams a fair shot at the playoffs. The revenue sharing program, which began in 1996, allows teams with less money to compete. Currently, the program works by having all teams contribute 31 percent of their earned money to a fund that is then distributed evenly among all 30 teams, allowing those with less money to get in on other teams’ markets. This year, the Dodgers spent more than any other team, and are leading their di-

By CONOR COUTTS

The German national team celebrating its win.

On Sunday, July 13, after a brutal one-month international elimination process, Germany won its fourth World Cup, having beaten Argentina in Rio de Janeiro. This made Germany the first European nation to clinch the championship on South American soil. It was a tense match, to say the least—players for both teams were actively scrambling—but still, no team scored for the first hour-and-a-half of the game. The noble action finally vision; however, the next topspenders, the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees, are both out of playoff contention. The majority of the best teams fall somewhere in the middle of the payroll scale. While some complain that the revenue sharing program takes money away from the teams that earn it, the system allows teams that might not be able to compete otherwise to play. Oakland, Cleveland, and Milwaukee all have mediocre payrolls but are still able to compete with highmarket teams due to the revenue sharing program. Parity is good for the players, good for the teams, and, most of all, good for the fans, who want to see their team make it to the World Series.

IMAGE PROVIDED

came not from famed player Miroslav Klose, but from his substitute, Mario Goetze, who scored the only goal in the game and gave Germany the title. Prized Argentine player Lionel Messi’s prowess played a large role in bringing his country as far as it came, but on the day of the World Cup final, it was lacking. As Germany celebrated its victory, Messi held back tears; a somber Argentina strutted off the field as the world acknowledged German dominance.

September 2014

penultimate

Instagram #food

Across: 2. Wow—that is one spicy canine! 5. Yeah, I know guac costs extra. 6. Barbeque. 7. Short for yummy. 10. Will.i.am spells it out in “Fergalicious”. 11. Fragaria ananassa. 12. When the height and radius of a cylinder are equal to a and z, respectively, what does the volume equal? 13. Omg they totally spelled my name wrong on the cup #smh. 16. Eminem. 17. Maybe better than pancakes? Down: 1. Brolo, let's go get some mo', yo. 3. Democratic berries. 4. Bob's ______s. 6. Gwen Stefani spells it out in “Hollaback Girl”. 8. thhhbbbbbbbbbttttttttt 9. Ice Ice Baby. 12. Maybe better than waffles? 14. Breakfast-lunch. 15. Please sir, can I have s'more?

Rejected Playlist By LINDSEY YUAN

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling. Gotta make you understand. 1. “Never Say Never”: Justin Bieber 2. “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)”: C+C Music Factory 3. “Give Me Everything”: Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Afrojack, Nayer 4. “You”: Chris Young 5. “Up”: Justin Bieber 6. “Never Say Never”: The Fray 7. “Gonna B Good”: Keith Urban 8. “Let It Go”: Idina Menzel 9. “You”: The Pretty Reckless 10. “Gangnam Style”: Psy Coloring page for your inner child.

the

backpage Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22): This could be the start of something new. It feels so right to be here with you. Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22): You gotta get’cha get’cha head in the game. We gotta get our get our get our get our head in the game. Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21): Well, if Troy can tell his secret then you can tell yours. . . . You bake. You love to bake! Strudels, scones, even apple pandowdy. Someday, you hope to make the perfect crème brûlée. Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21): Bop, bop, bop, bop to the top. Wipe away your inhibitions. Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19): Running, climbing to get to that place, to be all that we can be. Now’s the time, so we’re breaking free. Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18): We’re all in this together, and it shows when we stand hand in hand. Make our dreams come true. Pisces (Feb. 19–Mar. 20):

Horoscopes Wild cats: sing along! Yeah— you really got it goin’ on! Wild cats in the house: everybody say it now! Wild cats everywhere: wave your hands up in the air!

who. Humu humu nuku nuku apua’a. Oooooooooh, hawana waka waka waka neekee pu pu pu. Songs used: 1. “Start of Something New”: Troy and Gabriella 2. “Get’cha Head in the Game”: Troy and the Basketball Players 3. “Stick to the Status Quo”: Sharpay, Ryan, Zeke, Martha, Skater Dude, Jocks, Cheerleaders, Brainiacs, Skater Dudes and Dudettes, and the Wildcats 4. “Bop to the Top”: Sharpay and Ryan 5. “Breaking Free”: Troy and Gabriella 6. “We’re All in This Together”: Troy, Gabriella, Ryan, Sharpay, and the Wildcats 7. “We’re All in This Together”: Troy, Gabriella, Ryan, Sharpay, and the Wildcats 8. “Fabulous”: Sharpay, Ryan, and the Sharpettes 9. “Work This Out”: Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, Zeke, Martha, Jason, the Wildcats, and Kitchen Workers 10. “I Don’t Dance”: Chad, Ryan, Baseball Players, and the Wildcats 11. “Bet on It”: Troy 12. “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a”:

Aries (Mar. 21–Apr. 19): You want fabulous; that is your simple request. All things fabulous, bigger and better and best. You need something inspiring to help you get along. You need a little fabulous. Is that so wrong? Taurus (Apr. 20–May 20): You’ve got to work work to work this out. You’ll make things right; the sun will shine. Gemini (May 21–June 20): You don’t dance, no. Hey, batter batter, hey batter batter swing. You’ve got to just do your thing. Hey, batter batter, hey batter batter swing. Cancer (June 21–July 22): Will you find what you lost? You know you can bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it. Leo (July 23–Aug. 22): Humu humu nuku nuku apua’a. Maka heekee mala heenee

“O Captain! My Captain!” Link Crew Leaders ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Summer movie releases U.S. Secretary of Defense Tim Howard Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” Facebook videos of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Kim K: Hollywood Not having lunch with your friends

Solutions to June’s Sudoku

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Target during move-in week Powers’s departure