Exploring the necessity of the swim test

Our very own Alexa Murphy ‘24 has been appointed Westchester County’s Youth Poet Laureate. An application was sent out at the beginning of this year to youths in the county by B.K. Fischer P ‘24, the current Poet Laureate, as well as by the Youth Board; Murphy was chosen for the position along with Harmony Hopwood. Murphy and Hopwood were considered among 14 candidates.

Fischer said, “Her work has spirit, urgency, and relevance. She speaks passionately in her work about both the social and natural worlds, about the heart and the mind, and about the role of women. She connects with her audience on things that matter.”

Murphy is honored to have been given this opportunity to share poetry with others in the county. “I think my love and passion for poetry was what motivated me to apply,” she said. “Poetry has been such a deeply formative part of my life, and if I can do something to make that part of me which is so important more accessible to other people, then I’m going to take that opportunity and take it as an honor.”

Murphy has always loved poetry; from a young age, her mother introduced her to many important authors. “My mom is not someone who reads a lot of poetry except for mine,” Murphy said. “She is an avid reader, and I respect her so much for it. It’s kind of just been her and I having this connection via the literature we read, because it’s such an important part of both of our lives, and so that’s kind of where that came about.”

About her lifelong love of poetry, Murphy said, “I think there was always this understanding that it was a very beautiful and delicate and unique form of art.” She cited her membership in Outspoken, Masters’ spoken-word poetry club, as what

Murphy continued, “The frst show case, last year, I had presented a poem called ‘The Women Poem,’ and I had never been prouder of myself for anything else. It was so well-received; I had people coming up to me and telling me how much it meant to them. That feel ing—that I created something that could really resonate with people and resonate with people for a long time, because I still hear feedback about that poem that I presented last year—was what made me fall in love with poetry all the more, and what made me realize how important it was to make it something that can reach everyone.”

According to a letter sent to Mur phy by Westchester County Executive George Latimer, Alexa’s duties as Youth Poet Laureate include “a myriad of activities ranging from creative writ ing, spoken word poetry, playwriting and flm making.” She will also be able to “collaborate with educational insti tutions such as schools and colleges, local libraries, after-school programs.”

Murphy said, “To be real, a po sition like poet laureate is largely sym bolic. The county made the youth posi tion to show that they were invested in the youth’s accessibility to the arts. But to me, it means so much more. It means that I get to go out and take what I’ve learned about an art that I’m so deeply passionate about and turn it into some thing more tangible. In short, it means a lot to me to be able to make some thing real out of a symbolic position.”

ALEXA MURPHY ‘24 RECITES poetry at an Outspoken showcase. Murphy has been in Outspoken since her sophomore year. year, swim lessons will be booked. Before they are able to pass the test, the aquatics ademic day. They won’t need to continue taking swim lessons after they pass the swim test. And if students do not pass the swim test before graduation, they will

Students have different ideas about tial skill; however, I don’t believe that sure that every student can swim. I fnd it frustrating to use up valuable school time for swimming, getting cleaned up, and changing into dry clothes before returning to class. Additionally, many wear in front of their classmates, which adds to the inconvenience. Overall, I believe that the swimming requirement can be more of a hassle than a beneft for many students,” senior Youri Lee said. ions on the swim test, the requirement of the swim test seems to be a done deal and there is little possibility of ry” requirement is the school’s desire

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MATT HI A S JAYLEN XAVIER ROLSTON Opinion & Web Editors

Fernando and Priscila

Mendoza run the deli and restaurant Los Ferchos right here in Dobbs Ferry, a business they bought around a year ago. Their slogan is “the best tacos in town,” but do they live up to that reputation? Tower decided to fnd out.

Los Ferchos is located at 90 Main Street in Dobbs Ferry, and is named after Fernando’s nickname from his hometown, “Fercho.” They serve a wide variety of Latin dishes and products. From their specialty Mexican dishes to their daily Dominican lunch and dinner specials, everything that we’ve tried, (and we tried a lot) was to die for. For all you dessert lovers, they even make homemade favorites like passion fruit, mango, and blackberry ice cream.

Another great part of Los Ferchos was their display of imported and hard-to-fnd Latin American snacks and drinks.

The frst thing we noticed was how fresh the food was. After every order was placed, we could watch the kitchen staff pulling out ingredients and cooking everything fresh on the spot for all of their customers.

The bistec taco was a strong start to the meal. The taco was served on a smaller corn tortilla, typical for a Mexican-style taco, but was loaded up with small chopped up pieces of steak. The mix of bright-green cilantro and white onions, alongside their signature green chile salsa, tasted fresh and acidic. Those bright favors paired perfectly with their saltier grilled steak. the only drawback was the tortilla: the tender grilled steak deserved a better vessel than the relatively boring corn tortilla it was placed upon. With a freshly made tortilla, these tacos would be unstoppable, but these were still nothing short of delicious. We rate these a solid 9.5 — blown away!

Another great dish was the Costilla de Res Guisada, one of Los Ferchos’s specialty Dominican dishes containing stewed beef ribs plated alongside rice and beans. The portion size was very large and flling, which earns them some points.

The beef ribs were very savory and the meat was so juicy that it fell right off the bone. There was also a nice favorful balance between meat and fat. Because the ribs were slow-cooked for so long, you were able to suck on the bone and get all of those juicy favors into your mouth. The rice and pinto beans were a perfect and flling balance to contrast the salty and favorful beans. For such a big and favorful plate of Dominican food we gave a rating of a great 8.5/10

Our favorite dish on the menu by far was their chorizo burrito flled with spicy pork sausage. The burrito came out of the kitchen piping hot and it was calling our names. and tasted like a sliver of heaven. Inside was their spicy chorizo wrapped with their signature rice and beans that were to die for. All of that mixed with their guacamole, cheese, and fresh greens made for a tremendous burrito. Everything was fresh, hot, and tasty. There are no downsides to ordering this. On top of that, the burrito was a monstrous size. Two people could share that burrito, though it’s so good that you might not want to share. For 11 dollars, it’s certainly a steal, and it’s by far the best dish at Los Ferchos and the best burrito in the river towns. 10/10

Another candidate for best item on the menu is easily the torta al pastor, a Mexican sandwich flled with pork The sandwich is flling, it’s deeply layered and complex in both texture and favor — there’s nothing more a diner could ask for.

All tortas are built on delicious telera rolls (comporable in size and favor to a typical Portuguese roll), which are toasted beautifully to get a nice charred texture on the bread, Miraculously, the bread remains light and soft on the inside while still supporting all the contents of this massive sandwich. Other toppings include freshly sliced avocado, which adds a layer of creaminess and fattiness, Oaxaca cheese (which for anyone who hasn’t had it, is a cheese similar in favor and texture to a fresh mozzarella, though a bit stringier and softer) which melts beautifully and adds some much-needed saltiness to the sandwich, refried beans, and some tomato and lettuce which add crunch and another dimension of freshness.The best part of the sandwich, though, is the al pastor — a beautifully marinated boneless pork shoulder that is slowly cooked on a spit and sliced thinly with pineapple. The meat, which is PILED onto the sandwich, is super greasy and saucy, and insanely tender. It has a nice spicy and smoky favor, which is balanced out by the sweetness of the pineapple and the acidity of the tomato. Every bite is nuanced in both texture and depth of favor. It is hard to fnd anything negative to say about the torta at all. There is no amount of description that can explain how delicious this meal was, and with no doubt, this earns a 10/10. Our experience at Los Ferchos was nothing short of mesmerizing. While describing our experience with this food may be informative of one aspect of our experience, it cannot possibly encapsulate all the delights of dining there. The owners of Los Ferchos, and all the staff, are some of the most genuinely kind and joyful people. The ambiance is friendly, and the atmosphere of the place is cozy and welcoming, albeit a bit cramped for space. Los Ferchos’ staff go out of their way to make conversation with customers, greet everyone with a smile, and put that same love into the food they prepare, laughing and having fun while doing their jobs the whole time. Being around that positive energy, while also getting some of the best food Dobbs Ferry has to offer, is a no-brainer. In addition to the delicious food and excellent service, everything offered is very affordable. With tacos being only $4 each, and our filling portion of Costilla de Res Guisada coming in at only $11, customers are getting the most bang for their buck possible. It’s hard to find an offer cheaper than that — especially so in the Rivertown area. Los Ferchos’ slogan, “The Best Tacos In Town,” is undeniably true. But our verdict extends beyond that: Los Ferchos is a must-try, hidden gem — that may perhaps be the best restaurant in Dobbs Ferry altogether.