The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
“Weathering with You”: Sorrow and Sogginess
‘The Coronavirus Outbreak is Overblown’ & ‘A Viral Excuse For Racism’
Arts & Entertainment writer Gavin McGinley discusses the cinematic merit of “Weathering With You,” Makoto Shinkai’s sequel to his global hit “Your Name.”
Science writers Gerard Lin and Jenna Mackenroth and Opinions writer Yewon Chang cover the scientific background of the coronavirus and why the public’s reaction against coronavirus is exaggerated.
see page 26
Volume 110 No. 10
“The Pulse of the Student Body”
see pages 13 and 21
February 14, 2020
stuyspec.com
Sandy Liang Debuts Fall 2020 Ready-to-Wear Collection at Stuyvesant By JAVED JOKHAI, KATIE NG, RAJHASREE PAUL, and SAMIA ISLAM
Zoe Oppenheimer / The Spectator
A line of catwalk models, sporting fashion designer Sandy Liang’s (‘09) latest collection, strode down the marble staircase to Stuyvesant’s lobby, where they were met by eager fashion enthusiasts, flashing cameras, and a string quartet playing “The Four Seasons.” Liang, recognized by The New York Times as “one of the most sought-after designers in New York,” debuted her Fall 2020 Ready-to-Wear collection on Saturday, February 9 as part of New York Fashion Week (NYFW). Liang’s collection featured pieces ranging from anime eye print puffer jackets to pink leather blazers. “I was inspired by the ‘90s,” she said. “I’ve always been inspired by nos-
talgia, so actually being here is a huge moment for me. It brings back a flood of happy memories.” Stuyvesant has always held sentimental significance for many alumni, and Liang is no exception. Even years after her graduation, Liang’s attachment to her high school experience remains prominent, as it has brought her back for her NYFW runway show. Assistant Principal of English Eric Grossman said, “Her designs are rooted in a sense of place and [...] reflect who she is and where she is from.” Model Laura Verhelst admires Liang’s choice of venue See more coverage of the Sandy Liang Runway Show on pages 16-17 continued on page 2
National History Day Finalists Advance to City Competition NEWSBEAT Junior Jiahe Wang won the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese New York Metropolitan Chapter Annual Poster Contest in the HandDrawn category.
Science fiction and fantasy magazine Antares won a gold crown in the 2019 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Crown Awards Program.
Social studies teacher Robert Sandler, Assistant Principal of Social Studies Jennifer Suri, and seniors Hana Kim and Christy Guan were invited to the Museum of the City of New York’s celebration of its 30th anniversary hosting National History Day.
Stuyvesant juniors gathered in Lecture Hall A to commence the National History Day (NHD) Awards Ceremony on January 29, 2020, where they watched their peers present their creative reports on history. Judges then announced the projects that had made it through to the city-level competition for NHD, as well as several honorable mentions. Regardless of whether they placed, everyone who participated received an honorable certificate to recognize the hard work they had put in to produce captivating and informative displays of history. NHD is a nonprofit organization and annual competition that allows middle and high schoolers to showcase history in contemporary ways. The competition consists of various levels. First, the top three projects of each category—documentary, performance, exhibit, paper, and website—are determined by a panel of judges, which include the librarians and history teachers. The winners are then given the chance to present their projects at the city championship in March. Should they place, the groups then move on to the state championship in April. The final round is the national championship in June. The competition was discovered by Assistant Principal of Social Studies Jennifer Suri. “[I’ve been doing this for] about five or six years. Ms. Suri has always encouraged me to do it, and she described it as the ‘History Olympics’ and [emphasized] how great it was,” social studies teacher Robert Sandler said. “I tried it on a whim and [the] first year we did it, we did really well at the city championships. I like the competition aspect of it. I think it’s kind of fun.” Students in the past have performed well in NHD. A previous group whose topic was on
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 not only made it to Nationals, but their documentary was also asked to be screened at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Seniors Christy Guan and Hana Kim were the first place winners at Nationals last year. In keeping with their year’s theme, Triumph and Tragedy, their project was “Trag-
barrier is and identify whether it is natural, physical, or ideological. NHD participants selected topics and ideas that marked revolutionary moments in American history and presented their information through an exhibition board, website, or film. Popular themes included LGBTQ+ rights, racial discrimination, and women’s rights. The assignment has a struc-
Zoe Oppenheimer / The Spectator
16 seniors were nominated to be candidates for the United States Presidential Scholars Program.
By JENNY LIU, JADY CHEN, and SARAH HUYNH
Social studies teacher Robert Sandler presents his students with qualifications for the National History Day City Competition. edy of the Great Fire and Triumph of Skyscraper City,” an exhibition board on the Chicago Fire of 1871 and the rise of the subsequent skyscraper city, which was accompanied by a 30-page annotated bibliography. “It was unbelievable. I really got to know Hana and Christy because I went with them to the [statelevel] championships at Cooperstown in New York, and then they went to Nationals,” Sandler said. This year’s theme is “Breaking Barriers in History,” which pushes students to define what a
tured and intensive timeline. Students first choose to work individually or collectively in groups. They then choose a topic inspired by the theme and a medium they wish to use, and conduct research through primary documents, secondary sources, archival information, databases, journal articles, or interviews. Though mostly independent, students receive the guidance and resources needed to successfully complete the assignment from Sandler as well as from social studies teacher Dr. Lisa Greenwald.
Sandler often assists with topic selection and helps students obtain interviews or other resources. “In the beginning, I help them pick topics. Then, they start with an initial search,” Sandler said. While they received support from Sandler throughout the semester, junior Rudolph Merlin and most of his classmates often had to gather information by themselves for this lengthy project. “I had an encyclopedia of the Civil War at home, and I just started looking into the primary sources,” he said. “It was mostly self-research.” Juniors Julian Cunningham, Mimi Gillies, Max Kahn, Asif Sattar, and Jonathan Schneiderman worked together to produce a ten-minute performance for the competition and placed first in the group performance category. Their topic centered around Harvey Milk, who was America’s first openly gay politician. He was later assassinated by his homophobic opponent, Dan White. They also conducted interviews for their project in addition to their performance. “We did [an] interview with Miriam Richter, [who] was the head of the Harvey Milk Foundation. [The foundation is a] gay rights organization that was founded by Stuart Milk, Harvey Milk’s gay nephew,” Gillies said. Merlin chose to write a historical paper about the 54th Massachusetts Regiment—the firstever black regiment in the United States—and their assaults on Fort Wagner, winning first place in the research paper category. “It broke the perceptions of the African American race and led to federal and state policy changes,” he said. “[The soldiers] fought while striking for better wages because they weren’t paid the same [amount] as white soldiers, and [they] also continued on page 2
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The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
News National History Day Finalists Advance to City Competition continued from page 1
suffered a lot of casualties.” Because the project requires extensive research, time, and meticulousness, it also helped students expand their project management skills. “[This competition] is not that kind of project where you bang it out over the weekend. It helps the kids go more in-depth. There are so many different levels of different skills: research, presentation, working in a team, [and] time management,” Sandler said. In comparison to other assignments, many students found the NHD project more unconventional and artistic. “[This project] gives more freedom and creative license. I wouldn’t normally spend time studying Harvey Milk,” Gillies said. “This was the case for a lot of people. As Stuy students, or as high
school students in general, we just don’t have time to sit around and study random things. This gives students an excuse to research [topics] they’re interested in that they otherwise might not have the time for.” Overall, the NHD project was an enjoyable and fulfilling experience for students. “Even if we don’t get to States, it [was still] a really good experience. I learned some things [and] put on a nice, fun performance that we wrote ourselves, which was so cool.” Gillies said. “I just liked having a finished product in the end that was actually good.” Looking ahead, students are polishing, preparing, and submitting their works to be rejudged at the next competition. “I made some edits. I definitely added some things in and took some things out because there were things that I could change, but I know for people who
were doing exhibit boards or websites, they probably also changed a lot of things,” Merlin said. The students moving on to the city competition feel optimistic about their progress so far and are awaiting the coming events. “It was a really fun time, and I’m really excited to move on to Cities because I think we had a really good performance, and I think we could make it even better,” Gillies said. This project often has lasting effects on the participants. “It’s exhausting, but it works. The students who get into it go so in-depth into their projects,” Sandler said. “It’s a project they can take with them. A lot of the things that we do here at this school—not all the time, but sometimes—is that the students cram for the test, and then they forget about it. But they don’t ever forget about [this project].”
Sandy Liang Debuts Fall 2020 Ready-toWear Collection at Stuyvesant continued from page 1
The event was especially exciting—and jarring—for the student attendees. “To [the crowd], the show being hosted at a high school might just be an aesthetic choice that doesn’t really hold [much] value, [...] but to me, this is my school,” sophomore Erica Huang said. “I see it in a way that no one else does, and that was a very odd feeling.” Junior Julia Panas agreed with this sentiment. “The diversity of the audience was, in some ways, [just as] rich as the show itself,” she said. “There were some very interesting characters in the audience, and it was cool to see everyone so high-fashioned—all together in this one room.” For students like Panas, Liang has become an inspiration for not only her work, but also for what she represents. “Fashion, as a field of study, is not as widespread as it should be, and even looking at colleges, there are very few that offer fashion majors, which is very limiting to anyone going into that industry,” Panas said. Liang’s career as a fashion designer and participation in NYFW serve as a testament to the variety of possibilities for Stuyvesant students despite the school’s distinction in the STEM field. “This was different for us and it really just shows that you can go into any industry. She came to an academic STEM school and then developed that interest into something else,” Ingram said.
WORLDBEAT Two avalanches hit the mountainside between the border of Turkey and Iran, killing 41 people. Many rescuers who responded to the avalanche were killed by a second avalanche.
A 44-year-old man from the Philippines has died from the coronavirus, marking the first confirmed death from the virus outside of China.
Many Democratic women during the 2020 State of the Union Address dressed in white to reference the women’s suffrage movement and wore buttons that stated “ERA Yes” in support of the Equal Rights Amendment.
The Senate has decided to acquit President Donald Trump of the charges against him, ending the impeachment trial and keeping him in office.
Sweets for Sweehearts
Sandy Liang.
By THE ARTS DEPARTMENT
Yaqi Zeng
Sammi Chen
Aishwarjya Barua
Zoe Oppenheimer / The Spectator
Zoe Oppenheimer / The Spectator
as an expression of a more personal sense of artistry. “It’s a unique location,” she said. “I’ve never done a show in a high school, though. It’s something special.” Liang approached Grossman with the prospect of a fashion show several weeks before the show date, who then met with the principal to relay the idea. “I talked to [Principal Eric Contreras] and said I thought that [the fashion show] would be cool because Stuyvesant likes to celebrate
all of our alums and show off all of the things they do,” Grossman said. Since then, the two worked very closely with Contreras, Director of Family Engagement Dina Ingram, and Liang’s production team to organize her show. Despite the various moving parts of hosting the fashion show, the administration and production team were able to collaborate seamlessly, due to Ingram’s prior experiences working on similar fashion shows. “After being around the business of e-commerce for many years and having held similar events at the studios still owned by Mr. Ingram, I was able to collaborate with Sandy’s production team easily and know their expectations and needs for the event,” Ingram said. Ingram expressed her excitement for Liang’s unconventional return to Stuyvesant. “Stuyvesant has had many alumni return, mostly to do lectures and engage with our students. [...] Most recently, we had the first women of Stuyvesant event. We also had HBO do their event here,” she said. “But I don’t know if Stuyvesant has ever had a fashion show in [its] lobby before. This may [be] a first.”
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and NASA
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
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The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
News Student Union Mid-Year Check-In By MOMOCA MAIRAJ, MAX KOSTER, EVELYN MA, RUIWEN (RAVEN) TANG, ZUZI LIU, EZRA LEE, ISABELLA JIA, and NEIL SARKAR
Student Union host a Town Hall with Contreras to connect the student body and the administration regarding the physics changes. Furthermore, the school was able to provide refunds to students who no longer wanted to take the AP exam. Sofat and Giordano have acknowledged that they have adapted to do what they believe is best for the student body. “We’ve tried to stick to the values we’ve created, but we have been flexible. As student government officials, we have learned in the past that not everything we want to get done will get done in that year,” Sofat said. “We’ve been able to adapt to those challenges that come our way but also be successful in making sure student voices have been heard along those steps at all times.” One of the SU’s biggest changes this year was its alterations to the SING! schedule and structure, specifically the addition of a judged show on Thursday night, instead of an unjudged Wednesday “New Haven” performance. Though they are enjoying the SING! season, they are keeping in mind the financial aspects of the event and the management of security and supervision. “While we want the students to have this platform to perform one more day and to enjoy it, we also want to make sure all students are prepared,” Sofat said. The SU worked with StuySquad this year to organize its performance, which was successful but ran into issues with faculty advisors and overcrowding. Despite these obstacles, the pair successfully organized apparel for all StuySquad members and helped the perfor-
mance run smoothly. “We have had a great partnership with them, and we’ve helped make sure that we can support them the best way we can [...] we were able to do the most we could, so they all focused on putting on the best performance and not the organizational details,” Giordano said. Sofat and Giordano have also been working on changes around the school, adding water bottle-filling stations in collaboration with the Wellness Council. These new stations are in addition to the ones purchased through social studies teacher Ellen Siegel’s participatory budgeting project this past winter. The SU furthermore anticipates a new printing station on the eighth floor this semester, which they have been planning since last summer. The last challenge before the station can be opened is figuring out where to place the printer without blocking hallways or obstructing the Fireway Code of Conduct. “We have all of the materials in place, and all we have to do is set it up, so we can have a second printing station in the school. Those are changes that the student body wants and will have the biggest impact on the grade,” Giordano said. Besides these larger projects, the SU has worked on smaller initiatives such as the addition of pronoun identification on Talos. They have collaborated with The Spectator to livestream Stuyvesant sports games, as students who might not be able to watch games normally now have a chance to enjoy school events. Sofat and Giordano created a new cafeteria and hallway code of conduct, organized SU apparel, and hosted Stuyloween, BooGrams, spirit week, and the
Matt Melucci / The Spectator
Student Union (SU) President Vishwaa Sofat and Vice President Julian Giordano ran on a platform of inclusivity, transparency, and accessibility, themes into which they sought to incorporate all their ideas for bettering Stuyvesant. “When we ran last year as the VISIAN campaign, we had three main goals: inclusivity, transparency, and accessibility, and the work we’ve done fits into at least one of those brackets at all times,” Sofat said. This year, they have been working on their usual annual projects, such as the ClubPub Fair, all the while initiating bigger changes, like the ones involving this year’s SING!. The pair began their term with many ambitious goals, but the rise of challenges such as the physics curriculum change has compelled them to change their agenda and manage these tasks instead. “I’d say the biggest obstacles this year that we faced were the changes that were made in the physics curriculum, which was big news to us, mainly because it was announced out of the blue,” Giordano said. Alongside the Junior Caucus, Sofat and Giordano assisted the junior class with the switch from “Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1” to “Advanced Physics with AP Physics 1 Topics.” They immediately met with Principal Eric Contreras, United Federation of Teachers Representative and chemistry teacher Samantha Daves, and Assistant Principal Scott Thomas in order to assess the situation and ease the transition. These meetings helped to open and establish a uniform grade-wide curriculum and guaranteed physics test prep books and sessions for students. The SU was able to
Club-Pub Fair. Some of Sofat and Giordano’s objectives for this year have been more difficult to achieve than others. During their campaign, they proposed installing phone charging stations from the company LocknCharge. They, however, decided not to invest in this initiative, citing the $3,000 cost for a set of five to 10 chargers and student apathy regarding the stations. In return, Sofat and Giordano, in conjunction with the administration, plan to transform the SU room into an active study space with new furniture. A major addition to this space would be chargers for laptops, tablets, and cell phones. The room would be monitored by an adult and abide by school regulations. Another initiative put to a pause is determining a uniform team mascot, which was put forward by William Wang (’19) and Sofat last year. The SU has already surveyed this year’s sports captains, who were largely willing to play under one mascot. The idea, however, cannot move forward until Public Schools Athletic League Athletic Director and physical edu-
cation teacher Peter Bologna meets with the principal. Sofat has communicated with Bologna multiple times this year, but has not received a significant response. “It is always a time issue, as such a change has to be during the summer, and even then there is not a lot of time as preseason for sports starts soon after,” Sofat said. Throughout this all, Sofat and Giordano have agreed that an important achievement of this past year has been improving relationships between the SU, the caucuses, and the administration. They were able to continue collaborating with the Parent Association and the Alumni Association as well, working with the former to organize the career fair and the latter to manage SING! ticketing. “These are relationships [with] benefits [that] will last far beyond just this one year and will help future leaders of the SU push change and continue working with parents, teachers, [and] alumni to create positive change for students,” Giordano said.
the caucus will re-open member applications in the spring semester so that students specifically interested in planning prom and graduation have an opportunity to do so. In terms of goals for the spring semester, the Senior Caucus wants to focus on communication with the senior class by increasing interaction with resources like the senior calendar, getting more seniors involved in caucus events, checking in with their grade more frequently, and finding a balance in information output. Overall, Bromberg and Kim believe that
they have achieved increases in accessibility and enjoyment of senior events without many obstacles, and they are looking forward to the spring semester.
Senior Caucus Bromberg and Kim’s goal of making their grade’s senior experience as memorable and filled with as much warmth as possible. Other smaller traditions include Movie Night and end of week hangouts with music and popcorn held in the senior atrium and Senior Turkey, during which seniors wrote about things they were grateful for. Looking ahead, the caucus hopes to host a senior breakfast, a faculty thank-you, a pi day event, and an informal spring dance. To aid with the college process, the Senior Caucus has provided various resources, including a calendar marking important college-related deadlines and a series of college essay editing sessions. While their college-outreach initiatives have mostly been successful, they faced obstacles concerning student attendance at their college essay editing events. Bromberg attributes the lack of turnout to the fall semester’s
heavy workload for seniors. For the spring term, the caucus is preparing for highlights of the senior experience, prom and graduation in particular. They are working hard to ensure that “senior events this year will not only be happening, but [also] be amazing,” Bromberg said. This year, the caucus has partnered with a new graduation company SmoothUSA, which is smaller than its previous partner. Notably, SmoothUSA’s smaller size makes it a more accountable and personal company, and it is sponsoring the cost of graduation materials for a number of students. As for prom, Senior Caucus has been reaching out to the Alumni Association to secure funds to help a handful of students afford prom tickets. These initiatives are part of their pledge to make these senior experiences as accessible as possible to the entire grade. To further increase the involvement of seniors in these events,
Sasha Burshteyn / The Spectator
Senior Caucus Co-Presidents Zeynep Bromberg and Hana Kim ran on a platform centered around four main pillars: accessibility, traditions and events, college, and convenience. Throughout the fall term, Bromberg and Kim focused on making the senior experience more enjoyable for everyone through community events and various projects concerning the two most important senior experiences: prom and graduation. This year, Senior Caucus spearheaded several new events that they “hope will become cherished traditions,” Kim said. For example, they organized Senior Sunrise for the first day of school, during which seniors watched the sunrise together. They began a time capsule tradition, where seniors wrote letters to themselves at the beginning of the year; they will open the letters in June. These two communitybuilding events work toward
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Page 5
News Junior Caucus tion the change from AP Physics to Advanced Physics. Because the situation was a significant shift for all of the juniors, they helped convey information regarding the change, how their physics classes would differ, and who students could go to with any questions or concerns. They also helped manage refunds for students who did not want to take the AP exams through meetings with the administration. This helped push for refunds, which were handled by Assistant Principal of Organization Dr. Gary Haber. Currently, Corr
Matt Melucci / The Spectator
Junior Caucus Co-Presidents Katerina Corr and Ayala Sela have continued to expand their initiatives from their Sophomore Caucus administration last year. They have continued the “So you want to be” program for career awareness and have been trying to expand the pen pal program to other languages besides Spanish. The Caucus has hosted multiple events in the last term, including a bake sale during parent-teacher conferences and a bake sale with a movie night. The Caucus helped to transi-
and Sela are working with Principal Eric Contreras to organize lectures and classes with a test prep company to teach the AP material that the school teachers are no longer mandated to teach. They have had one meeting with the physics teachers to discuss how to move forward with the class and plan to have future meetings. The relationship between the caucuses, SU, and the administration has improved through this situation, as they were able to work together to find a solution. Corr and Sela are continuing to implement their policies, including the college newsletter, which is part of their initiative to aid juniors entering the college process. Corr and Sela plan to work with the guidance counselors to provide students with condensed information similar to the current newsletter and will know their next steps after the College Office Presentations. Furthermore, Corr and Sela are working on sponsorships. Last year, they were successful in negotiating with Balloon Saloon and other companies such as Blick’s Art Supplies and are now aiming to obtain less foodbased sponsorships and more academic-based and accessible
ones. The pair is looking into neighborhoods for sponsorships based on a survey they distributed earlier this year to students that asked which stores and places they enjoyed going to. In order to find sponsorships, Corr and Sela are contacting several companies at once and following up every couple of weeks. Though it is uncertain whether a set sponsorship is planned to happen soon, they are currently in touch with a few groups. A program the pair has been continuing from last year is the pen pal program, which connects Stuyvesant students with those in a school abroad to exchange hand-written letters. These letters are partly written in both English and Spanish, so students can practice both reading and writing. The Spanish pen pal program this year has been successful, as Stuyvesant students have recently received their second letters from Spain. The program is in the process of expanding to Mandarin and French. As Corr and Sela communicate with schools from other countries through the language department, additional languages are expected to be available to students in the next school year. One of the challenges that
Junior Caucus has been facing is organizing Junior Prom, specifically with securing a boat. In the past, Stuyvesant has worked with HornBlower Cruises and Events, one of the major boat companies in NYC. Junior Caucus’s two year contract with the company, however, ended this year, and the company has not responded to Corr or Sela’s attempts to reach out since November. As a result, Corr reached out to a new company a couple of weeks ago, and the Caucus has started to move forward to get a boat. While the executive decision to move away from the old company has caused delay, the rest of the planning seems as though it will go smoothly. Most of the planning is about choosing a company and signing a contract, so currently, they are finalizing their choice for the boat and are determining ticket prices. Overall, Corr and Sela agree that most of their plans for the fall term worked out well and the issues that sprung up along the way were resolved productively. Corr and Sela are looking forward to their plans for the spring semester and hope that their goals will be reached as well.
Sophomore Caucus profit than what was expected. “It was one of the first Stuy has ever seen, and we’re planning to have another one soon,” Tan said. The second event was a gingerbread house building contest, hosted by the caucus’s events department. Groups of six were given around 75 minutes to assemble and decorate their gingerbread houses, which were later judged by Sophomore Caucus members using a blind voting system. The turnout for the second event was almost even with the turnout for the first. Tan and Torres further aimed to collaborate with Freshman Caucus throughout the year. Last year, when Tan was Freshman Caucus President and Torres was Chief of Staff of Freshman Caucus, they didn’t have any upperclassmen supporting them as they led their caucus. This year, Tan and Torres held cooperative meetings with the Freshman Caucus to show how the Sophomore Caucus operates and help the Freshman Caucus. Tan has attended Freshman Caucus meetings to help
Agnihotri and Bhattacharyya run them successfully. In addition, they organized for members of similar positions on both caucuses to meet one-on-one, giving the freshmen opportunities to ask any questions and understand their responsibilities. The Caucus has also been working to support their grade with study guides for almost every subject. They started by refining Harvey Blumm’s Opportunities Bulletin, listing all opportunities available for sophomores. Tan and Torres have worked to improve the navigation on their website. Over the summer, they sent out e-mails to the class of 2022 to ask their classmates what study guides they would like to see and then reached out to upperclassmen. “We asked juniors and seniors to send us old study guides, and we would pile them up onto our website,” Torres said. They are planning to post the release of their website on Instagram very soon. To top it all off, the pair has initiated better communication by sending out biweekly e-mails to
update their grade on the status of their projects. For the second semester, Sophomore Caucus is working on new events and continuing to collaborate with the Freshman Caucus. The two caucuses, for example, hope to host a talent show. In addition to the talent show, the Sophomore Caucus is planning to host a successful semi formal.
The caucus is shifting the focus of the sponsorship department from working mainly on student discounts to organizing speaker series, which would invite alumni to speak to current Stuyvesant students. Ultimately, the success of their projects this spring lies on Tan and Torres’ initial promise to provide transparency, innovation, and teamwork.
Sasha Burshteyn / The Spectator
While running last spring, Sophomore Caucus President Cynthia Tan and Vice President Elio Torres promised transparency, innovation, and teamwork. They campaigned to extract opportunities for sophomores from Internship Coordinator Harvey Blumm’s Weekly Opportunities Bulletin, add study guides for sophomores on the Sophomore Caucus website, implement a biweekly caucus update, and offer guidance to the new leaders of Freshman Caucus. Overall, they have accomplished all of their goals this year and have executed numerous successful events like the Escape Room fundraiser and gingerbread house building contest. Tan and Torres hosted two successful fundraising events: the Sophomore Caucus’s Detective Mystery Escape Room and a gingerbread house building contest. During the Escape Room event, 12 teams attempted to “escape the room” in under 30 minutes by solving clues. The event completely sold out, generating more
Freshman Caucus initiative. We had a meeting with [Principal Eric] Contreras, we’ve spoken with [Student Union President] Vishwaa [Sofat] and other SU heads […] to understand that [these] goal[s] [are] achievable, attainable, and realistic,” Agnihotri said. Unfortunately, Agnihotri and Bhattacharyya have also come to understand the limitations of the Freshman Caucus, especially considering their lack of experience as freshmen. “As a caucus, we are not as capable of creating [all of] these policy changes, and we should aim for one a year,” Agnihotri said. One policy Agnihotri and Bhattacharyya aimed to implement was to allow stu-
dents to re-enter the building early during free periods and lunches, a common initiative that previous Freshman Caucuses had attempted to take on. Another policy they wished to pursue was to allow students to have one earbud in while in the cafeteria. However, due to their limited influence and the short term in office so far, they have been unable to accomplish either of these goals. Despite the lack of progress made on their campaign promises and the limitations of their roles, Agnihotri and Bhattacharyya remain positive about the rest of their time as Freshman Caucus Presidents and will continue to advocate for the freshmen.
Sasha Burshteyn / The Spectator
Freshman Caucus President Satvik Agnihotri and Vice President Iravan Bhattacharyya ran on a platform of diversity, inclusivity and continuity. They emphasized having a diverse cabinet, one that represented a variety of interests, to serve as the voice for the freshmen. The largest event of the year that they have planned is the Snowball Dance, which is scheduled for February 14. Agnihotri and Bhattacharyya have spent the majority of their time in office planning the dance, which will have music, dancing, free food, and raffles. After the Snowball Dance, they plan to focus on achieving more of their campaign policies. “We have taken some
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The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
News Student Union Financial Report: Winter 2020 By TALIA KAHAN and ERIN LEE
In their VISIAN platform, senior and Student Union (SU) President Vishwaa Sofat and junior and SU Vice President Julian Giordano proposed to increase the SU’s transparency and communication with the student body by continuing to collaborate with The Spectator on its financial reports. The pair made due on their campaign promise, and released information regarding the SU’s yearly allocations and profits from the past school year, the club and pubs that received the most funding, and the breakdown of SING! expenses and revenue. FINANCIAL REPORT COORDINATED WITH VISHWAA SOFAT (SU PRESIDENT), JULIAN GIORDANO (SU VICE PRESIDENT), AND EUGENE SEO (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER OF COMPLIANCE, SAFETY, AND SECURITY)
Yearly Beginning Balance $195,000 $190,000
WHAT IS THE YEARLY BEGINNING BALANCE, AND WHY DOES IT FLUCTUATE?
$191,248.88
$185,000 $180,000 $175,000
The yearly beginning balance is the amount of money that the SU starts off with at the start of every year. The SU uses this balance to determine Club-Pub allocations, SING! allocations, event allocations, and other expenditures for the year. Currently, much of the SU budget acts as an emergency cushion that would allow the SU to continue all of its operations, even if it raised no revenue.
$169,953.38
$170,000 $163,300.10
$165,000 $160,000 $155,000 $150,000 $145,000
19-20
18-19
17-18
Allocations Breakdown FUNDING DISTRIBUTION BY CLUB Other 15%
Yearly Revenue $140,000
$128,326.29
$120,000 $100,000 $73,872.77
$80,000 $60,000 $40,000 $20,000 $-
16-17
17-18
18-19
HOW DOES THE SU MAKE ITS REVENUE? The SU’s revenue comes mainly from SING! ticket sales, with other revenue streams including apparel sales, BooGrams!, and caucus events such as bake sales, movie nights, and dances. The difference in revenue year to year depends on the success of events and initiatives started under each administration.
Allocations
Speech and Debate 29%
Stuy MSA 5%
$127,380.00
ALLOCATIONS: 19-20 SING! 14%
Stuy Podcast 5%
Apparel 31%
StuyFlow 10% Dances/Events 1%
Stuy CCC 10%
Model United Nations 26% WHY DID SIX CLUBS RECEIVE SO MUCH MORE FUNDING THAN OTHER CLUBS?
Clubs 54%
ALLOCATIONS: 18-19 Apparel 8%
Large organizations such as Speech and Debate, Model United Nations, Stuy MSA, and Stuy Competitive Coding Club spend the bulk of their allocations on conferences, tournaments, and trip fees (so as to make these events less expensive for their members), which is why they make up nearly two-thirds of the total funds given out. Meanwhile, activities such as Stuy Podcast and StuyFlow required the purchase of new equipment, namely microphones and glow sticks. This equipment will last for many years and help both clubs expand. The SU also funded 17 other clubs, which collectively received the remaining $2,540.19. HOW DOES THE SU DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY ALLOCATED FOR CAUCUS AND SU EVENTS? The SU follows the Cost Revenue Analysis (CRA) model to determine allocations for events. Caucuses and Event Planning teams make itemized budgets with projected sales on a range of ticket prices. The SU Chief Finance Officers both review the CRA and approve the expenditure based on past records of sales, taking into consideration both student affordability and SU profitability.
$80,000.00 $70,000.00
Clubs 37%
Dances/Events 44%
ALLOCATIONS: 17-18
SING! Allocations & Expenses $90,000.00
SING! 11%
Apparel 10%
SING! 6%
$81,917.83 $73,012.67
$66,616.29
$60,000.00
Dances/Events 28%
$55,078.67 Clubs 56%
$50,000.00 $40,000.00 $30,000.00 $20,000.00
$17,934
$15,301.54
$10,000.00 $0.00
17-18 expenses
18-19 profits
revenue
WHAT ARE SING! ALLOCATIONS AND EXPENSES? Each SING! was allocated a “base” of $1,200 in 2018-2019, as they were in 2017-2018. This base supplements the dues collected by each SING! and helps them cover production-specific expenses. At the same time, the SU does make purchases on behalf of all of SING! at certain times. In addition to these allocations, the SU often pays the Galaxy Budget, which covers the cost for the SING! faculty advisors; this is why the expenses from 2017-2018 were much higher compared to other years. The SU also funds SING! video productions, playbills, and concessions. While the SU still funds SING! apparel sales, these have largely been incorporated into the cost of dues.
WHAT ARE ALLOCATIONS FOR CLUBS, PUBLICATIONS, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES? HOW DOES THE SU DETERMINE THEM, AND WHY DID LAST YEAR’S ALLOCATIONS DECREASE SO MUCH? At the start of each year, the SU Budget Committee—which consists of the Budget Department, SU President, Vice President, Executive Council, and the caucuses—uses the beginning balance to place a cap on allocations for activity funding for the year. Two rounds of allocations (one in the fall and one in the spring) are hosted, and all chartered activities have the opportunity to apply for funding, provided their request complies with the budget request rules. The rules prohibit allocations for expenses such as food and beverages, apparel, and trips that are not approved by the administration. After applying, organizations schedule an in-person meeting with the SU Budget Committee to discuss follow-up questions and affordable alternatives to current requests. Afterward, the committee votes on final allocations with the goal of funding as many activities as possible in a sustainable manner. In the 2018-19 school year, fewer activities applied for large allocations, which accounts for the decrease in funding compared to surrounding years.
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Page 7
News Parents’ Association Financial Report: Fall 2019 By VEDAANT SHAH and JAVED JOKHAI Additional Writing by SAAD GHAFFOULI The Stuyvesant High School Parents’ Association (PA) has agreed to release a financial report summarizing its yearly revenue, operating expenses, and program services. The report also outlines the distribution of funds for specific school activities such as extracurriculars and the college office. After working with the PA to interpret their tax returns and other financial information, here is what The Spectator found:
Spring 2020 Appropriations Report Breakdown Each year, close to half of the PA’s total budget is devoted to appropriations for a variety of activities around Stuyvesant. Two rounds of appropriations, one in the fall and one in the spring, ensure that activities remain funded throughout the school year. This also means that applicants who did not receive funding for their activities during the fall can apply for funding later in the year. Athletics and PSAL sports receive their own round of appropriations independent from academics, the college office, and extracurriculars and are typically allotted approximately $10,000 per year. The total amount allotted during appropriations was $96,967.57. Academic appropriations generally refer to add-ons the school cannot fund, such as smart boards or short-term purchases like trip fees and supplies for class projects. The total amount awarded in the academics section constituted close to $26,000 in the spring of 2019. Extracurricular activities make up the majority of appropriations and are generally divided into requests above and below $10,000. In the spring, two clubs, Speech and Debate and Robotics, received $12,500 each. Other, smaller clubs collectively sought around $25,000 and requested various items such as trip fees, tape, and posters for projects.
Program Services Breakdown Program services can be divided into three major categories: academic funding, administration funding, and college events and expenses. Academic funding refers to items such as trip fees, lab funding for science classes, and appropriations for clubs and Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) sports for a total of $283,362, or half of the PA’s approximate budget. Administration funding is used to pay overtime hours for staff, cover the salary of internship coordinator Harvey Blumm, and add to the Principal’s Educational Need Fund and the Fund for Needy Students. The Educational Need Fund allows Principal Eric Contreras to fund programs such as professional development for teachers and aid academically inclined teens in attending competitions such as Science Olympiad. The PA also pays for all overtime hours for librarians and college counselors, alongside other college office needs. College night and overtime hours total to $21,736.
Revenue Breakdown
Functional Expenses
The annual appeal, or largest fundraising initiative of the year, comprises close to two-thirds of the annual budget and is the PA’s largest push for funding throughout the year. Considering special events such as fundraisers, contributions, and merchandise sales, the PA’s total revenue reaches $427,238, close to an approximate average of $430,000.
As a tax-exempt non-profit, the PA’s funds are almost entirely dedicated to the student body. Program services such as appropriations, the Principal’s Educational Need Fund, and faculty appreciation such as monetary gifts for teachers fall under this category. Website upkeep and other administrative expenses constitute Management and General expenses, while fundraising expenses for the school are minimal. In total, expenses for the 2019 school year amounted to $458,590.
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Features
The Spectator ● November 22, 2019
Life on the Edge (of South America): A Look Into Guyanese Culture at Stuyvesant
At first glance, Guyana may seem like a meek country in the northeast corner of South America. It’s a countr y, however, of great c o m plexity: home to beautiful wildlife, the widest singled r o p wa terfall in the world, a n d one of the largest gold mines. Though it has a population of slightly less than a million people, Guyana has a rich h i s - tory, which led to t h e unique culture and t r a d i - tions practiced by Guya- nese people today. T h i s distinctive culture can be found in a handful of stu- dents right here at
Stuyvesant. Guyanese culture is made up of a blend of customs from many different countries. T h e
British founded the colony of British Guiana in 1814. After 152 years of British control, Guyana became its own independent nation in 1966. During the British mandate, many people of different races emigrated from and immigrated to Guyana, resulting in a diverse population. Sophomore Ethan Andrews, who is half Guyanese on his mother’s side, shared that “Guyana is a melting pot of African, Indian, and
European, especially British since it was a British colony.” While most Guyanese people identify with a specific ethnicity and religion, it is common for them to still partake in other religious traditions. “There is a Hindu f e s t iva l called H o l i where you throw around colored powder and water, and even if you’re not Hindu everyone celebrates it,” said sophomore Katelan Balkissoon, who lived in Guyana until the age of four and visits frequently. “You also have something called Carnival every year, and it’s just like a giant party everyone goes to.” Guyanese Creole, a main language spoken in Guyana, also represents the mixture of religions and cultures because it is a blend of English and African languages, along with a bit of Dutch and Indian.
Guyanese culture is based on strong, and somewhat traditional, morals. In Guyana, everyone is extremely close, and it’s important to be friendly to one another. Balkissoon said, “In Guyana, even if you’re not related, everyone is sort of family.” In addition, many Guyanese people, especially those who are older, have conservative mentalities when it comes to family and gender roles. Senior Rebecca Ramsammy, whose parents were born in Guyana, shared, “Because of the way the culture is built, [my parents and I] are not very close, and it’s more of a functional relationship between us.” Balkisson also explained, “Women have a more traditional role where they stay home, and they cook, and they clean and take care of their children.” These values extend past Guyananese. “The neighborhood I live in [in New York City] is ethnically Guyanese, so every time I go to visit back home in Guyana, it’s like the same exact culture,” Ramsammy said. “It’s not really like I’m leaving there ever.” For the small percentage of students at Stuyvesant who are Guyanese, the culture played an important role in their up-
bringing and their understanding of the world. Senior Reva Singh’s parents were both born in Guyana. “Being Guyanese has given me a better understanding of the impact of colonization and how racism is a very nuanced issue that is not black and white,” Singh explained. Ramsammy shares this mentality, explaining, “We always watch cricket every year; that’s something that’s a big part of my life, like I play cricket sometimes on the side.” Cricket is a sport first introduced to Guyana by the British when the country was colonized and has now become a huge part of Guyana’s culture. Though the Guyanese students no longer live in Guyana, they are still very much attached to their Guyanese roots. Even though Singh was born in the United States, she explained, “I really like Guyanese food; it’s something I really enjoy. I like little aspects of Guyanese culture.” Ramsammy, also born in the United States, said, “I would say I’m very in touch with my culture. It is very special to me.”
The Ins and Outs of the Stuyvesant Diploma By NICOLE ITKIN Whenever I say that I dropped the Stuyvesant diploma, I receive a series of responses that almost always fall into one of the following four different categories: “Why? It’s really not that bad,” “Me too! It’s so pointless,” or “Lucky, I wish I could, but my parents would never let me.” But, the final response—“But doesn’t that mean you’re not gonna get a Stuyvesant diploma? Then what’s the point of coming to Stuyvesant?”—sticks out the most because it is based upon a common misconception. The Stuyvesant diploma is not, in and of itself, an actual diploma. Rather, it is an embossment, essentially a seal, on your diploma that signifies that you’ve taken and completed certain additional credits. The actual diploma every single student who graduates from Stuyvesant receives, not in the embossment that the Stuyvesant diploma gives you, reflects the experience of getting through Stuyvesant. The requirements for the Stuyvesant diploma include fulfilling the necessary credits for the Advanced Regents Diploma, as well as taking additional, primarily STEM, classes. For the Stuyvesant diploma, students must pass one term of mechanical drawing, at least one term of computer science, and a total of five terms of computer science, technology, or applied science courses, four years of mathematics, four years of science, three years of the same world language and either pass the swim test or take a semester of swim gym. Art Appreciation and Music Appreciation are not elements of the Stuyvesant diploma as many think, but are rather Stuyvesant’s way of meeting the two-semester art requirement for the New York State Advanced Regents Diploma. This arts requirement, however, could be met with a
myriad of other options, including theater, dance, film, photography, and different visual art and music classes. Many students, especially those who already have prior knowledge in art and music, would prefer taking a more niche class over general art or music history. Staffing and programming are primary reasons for eliminating these other options. Assistant Principal of Administration and Pupil Personnel Services Casey Pedrick suggested, “If you’re not sure how many kids want to take painting versus watercolor versus sculpture, then this is a way of [streamlining the process].” Among the student body, the Stuyvesant diploma is widely disputed in its worth and necessity. Some students believe that the Stuyvesant diploma is an integral part of Stuyvesant. Freshman Julia Amiri expressed, “I felt that [getting] the Stuyvesant diploma came with the admissions letter.” Other students disagree. “I believe in choice [...] if somebody wants to try out a class, by all means they should. The Stuyvesant diploma doesn’t allow students to explore their interests and what they want,” junior Theadora Williams wrote in an e-mail interview. She went on to explain that the requirements of the diploma limit students’ ability to take meaningful electives. To this, Pedrick responded, “For staffing purposes, budget purposes [...] we really need to have a good idea of what path our students are on. So, this number of students are in this level of math, and they’ll roll into this level of math next year. It is a wonderful idea in theory for students to be able to have [the] choice [of taking more electives], but it may not be doable for all of the scheduling aspects that we have to consider.” A majority of Stuyvesant students do end up receiving the Stuyvesant diploma. Of the 2019
graduating class, 88 percent of the students received the diploma. When discussing the benefits of the Stuyvesant diploma, Director of Family Engagement Dina Ingram wrote in an e-mail interview, “The requirement of taking four years of math has brought the availability of courses well beyond the state high school requirements to Stuyvesant. If students only fulfilled high school requirements, who would take these post secondary courses? Lack of demand would mean we couldn’t run the[m].” It is unclear, however, as to whether a majority of students get the diploma because of an actual willingness to take the courses or a prevalence of misinformation and lack of knowledge. Already more than halfway through her freshman year, Amiri said, “I [still] don’t completely know all of the requirements.” Other students report not being informed of the requirements until they hear about it from their friends. Many students said they had first heard about it during their sophomore year or perhaps later, when they had already started taking classes required only by the Stuyvesant diploma. Junior Geoffrey Lin explained, “At this point, I feel as if it’s too late [to drop the diploma] anyway, so I might as well get it.” Pedrick explained that students and their parents are informed of the requirements when they come into Stuyvesant, but are not necessarily in the right headspace to be absorbing the information. This is because many incoming freshmen and their parents are occupied with the transition to Stuyvesant and because none of the requirements for the diploma occur during freshman year. In an effort to raise awareness about the diploma, the administration has added a segment about the Stuyvesant diploma to the freshman seminars.
The Stuyvesant diploma is a staple of Stuyvesant. As such, many guidance counselors and members of the administration push for students to get the diploma. This is a sign of how much the administration believes in the benefits of getting those additional credits. For those students that decide to stray from the typical path and drop the di-
Jennifer Sun / The Spectator
Rakhasree Paul / The Spectator
By AMANDA BRUCCULERI and RACHEL VILDMAN
ploma, however, it can be difficult to find support. Pressure from different sources and lack of support from guidance counselors can make both the decision to and the actuality of dropping the diploma difficult. Freshman Ameer Alnasser said, “Pressure from yourself is the main thing, but [there’s also pressure from] your parents because of the name ‘Stuy diploma’ and the fact that it’s mandated, which makes it seem as if you need to get it, and if you don’t, you’re not really a Stuy student. Another factor is guidance counselors not telling you [about dropping] and not allowing you [to drop].” Some students also feel a sense of pressure to get the diploma because they feel that it’s important for college. Williams
wrote, “[Many students feel that there’s] the threat of colleges looking at them differently.” There are, however, some students who do choose to drop the diploma. Sophomore Naomi Sacks said, “I dropped the diploma because I don’t feel it’s necessary for what I plan on doing with my life [...] I agree that the intent is to make students more well rounded, but if you’re just taking a class for the Stuy diploma you’re not going to use what you learn because you’re just going to be trying to get through it.” Pinpointing an increasingly common sentiment among Stuyvesant students, Williams added, “I dropped the Stuy diploma my sophomore year because it [...] would force me to take classes I didn’t want to take at the expense of ones I did.” Ultimately, the Stuyvesant diploma is a significant part of going through Stuyvesant. As Ingram said, “The Stuy diploma plays an important role in who we are as the Stuyvesant community and an integral role in what this school represents as an institution.” That being said, it is important that all students understand that they have the option of not receiving the diploma and are able to make the right choice for themselves. Every student that graduates from Stuyvesant goes through the Stuyvesant experience regardless of the presence or lack thereof of an embossment on their diploma. At the end of the day, it’s up to each student to decide whether the additional credits are worth it or whether a different path would be more beneficial to them. As Ingram said, “Those who decide to opt out do so thoughtfully and still thoroughly engage in the unique experience of being at Stuyvesant High School graduating with a diploma from this fine institution, just not bearing that extra seal.”
The Spectator ● November 22, 2019
Page 5
Features Stuyvesant and Lockers: The Right or Wrong Combination?
By JUDY CHEN, SAMM YANG, and CHRISTINA PAN
Aishwariya Barua / The Spectator
Every Stuyvesant student is familiar with the daily routine before the first bell of the day—the walk across the Tribeca bridge, the satisfying beep of the ID scanners (or perhaps a birthday song)—and for many, a visit to their lockers. In classic high school movies like “Mean Girls” or “The Breakfast Club,” lockers are unforgettable—they’re the place where boy meets girl, where dares and duels are held, and where bonds are broken and ties are made. Though not as compelling as the lives of fictional alter egos, Stuyvesant students use their lockers for a wide variety of functions, whether it be for school, after-school activities, or midday-snacks storage spaces. For many students, lockers serve as a rite of passage from middle to high school. These students had to learn to adjust to locker-life upon entering Stuyvesant. Freshman Ilana Livshits recalled her first few weeks adjusting to Stuyvesant, or more specifically, Stuyvesant’s lockers: “A really funny story was that because [my middle school], Mark Twain, didn’t have lockers, I was being a dumb freshman, and in the first weeks, it was really difficult to open my locker, and once, I just went home without taking my stuff out.” Livshits’s situation, however, is not unique. Sophomore Sabrina Chen, for instance, also did not use lockers in middle school. “We used to have closets instead of lockers where we dropped off our jackets and
picked them up at the end of the day,” she said. This alternative approach, however, created major issues. Chen stated that her belongings often fell from the closet hooks, and at the end of the day, bags, jackets, and notebooks would be scattered in complete disarray.
Some Stuyvesant students prefer the middle school version of lockers. In the middle school that an anonymous freshman attended, lockers served as a form of personal expression and community. Students often decorated their lockers, and during birthdays, they would adorn friends’ lockers with stickers, heartfelt images, and birthday gifts. For some, lockers serve a more practical purpose. Junior Kaitlyn Lee was not provided
with a hallway locker in middle school. She believes, however, that she would not have used it much anyway: “If I did have a locker in middle school, I don’t think I would have used it as much as I do in Stuy now because I had a lot less traveling to do. My school was only three floors,” she explained. Now that Lee has ten floors to climb and much more of a burden to carry, Lee appreciates the accessibility of lockers a lot more. “They make life at Stuy a little easier,” she said. Sophomore Kripamoye Biswas agreed with Lee: “Some schools don’t have lockers, and then they have kids with broken backs.” While some love lockers for their convenience, others don’t agree. It’s a tradition at Stuyvesant for upperclassmen to have priority to lower-floor lockers. As a result, freshmen are faced with a major inconvenience because they are assigned lockers on the eighth, ninth, or tenth floors. Freshman Aaron Hui spoke for a majority of the freshman population at Stuyvesant when he described the inconvenience of having a locker on such a high floor. “You have to go all the way to the eighth to tenth floors, so that’s quite inefficient, especially during passing,” Hui shared. Livshits echoed this issue but found the journey up worthwhile: “It’s a real hassle that I have to go up to put my coat away when my first class is on the lower floors, but it’s better that I don’t have to carry a coat.” The discontent brought on by the system led to some students selling, buying, and sharing lockers, all of which are against
the rules of the school. Assistant Principal of Security, Health, and Physical Education Brian Moran expressed frustration about students breaking these rules. In a big school like Stuyvesant, a lot of work needs to be put into managing and maintaining the lockers, so student cooperation is necessary. “There’s not a need for students to share lockers, but ultimately [there’s a rule] because we need to know who has their stuff where. In the event of an emergency or any kind of wrongdoing, we need to be able to know who they’re assigned to,” Moran explained. “In addition, there are times when things get lost or stolen because students are sharing and selling. We also want to make sure that there’s not an inequity going on because what happens is when there is buying and selling of lockers, people with money have the ability to pay for things and wind up with better lockers, and to me, that’s not fair.” Additionally, this year, some freshmen were given gym lockers in the fifth floor hallway due to a shortage inside the locker rooms. Though it may be inconvenient when it comes to changing for gym, many freshmen found them more convenient than their high-floor hallway lockers. “Because I have a hallway locker for Phys Ed, I don’t see a need for my actual hallway locker,” Hui shared. While the shortage of gym lockers has given some freshmen a more convenient alternative to their regular hallway locker, this scarcity has not made other students, mainly upperclassmen, as happy. Seniors, for example, find
Confessions of a Stuyvesant Student
By SOPHIA LIN
being afraid,” Wong explained. He feels that Stuyvesant Confessions is an important and very entertaining part of Stuyvesant culture. He shared, “It allows each of us the chance to share our story without having to reveal our identities.” An anonymous sophomore, who has had two of her confessions posted, shared why she
posts helped her gain a feeling of validation, as she felt reassured that there were others who thought and felt the same way she did. Stuyvesant Confessions has since expanded from its original purpose—to provide a place where students can verbalize their concerns without having to reveal their identities—to
make a cheesy joke.” Senior Wesley Wong has submitted a confession to the Facebook page, but it was never posted. Instead of feeling discouraged, Wong said that he actually felt more confident than before. “The fact that I actually put the confession out there made me feel like my confession wasn’t so bad after all and that I could actually share it without
chose to submit a confession to the platform instead of speaking to someone personally. “I find it hard to share difficult things through conversation,” she explained. “Not only is a confessions page through text, so you can put your ideas down clearly, but it’s also anonymous, meaning the people you see in your daily life won’t know it’s you.” The response she received from both
include a diverse range of humor; a significant portion of posts submitted each day are either lighthearted or amusing. These confessions usually get more attention—as measured by likes and comments—than their more serious counterparts. “Obviously the joke confessions would have more to talk about because it’s funnier, but it’s also a bit sad if a serious confession
Semoi Khan / The Spectator
“The worst form of peer pressure present at this school isn’t drugs or anything like that; it’s hearing everyone else turn to Page 2 of the test when you’re still on Page 1.” This quote, written by an anonymous junior male, is one of more than 2,500 posts the Stuyvesant Confessions Facebook page has made since its founding in June 2014. The page, littered with rants about the incompetence of the Stuyvesant administration, and random, heartfelt comments, has now reached nearly 11,500 followers. In an interview with a moderator from Stuyvesant Confessions, she revealed that they usually look for confessions they consider “original” or “juicy.” The page receives dozens of submissions each day and tries to choose ones that are applicable to many followers. “A good majority of the submitted confessions are of people in various grade levels writing edgy rants about their love life or about being very sad and depressed at Stuy,” shared the moderator. These submissions are often repetitive and thus are rarely posted. Occasionally however, they do post ones that genuinely seek advice. When asked about how much the expected feedback of a post determines whether a confession is posted or not, the moderator responded, “As a moderator, I can see the amount of attention and engagement each post gets. It can vary from 3,000 to 10,000 people reached. That shows me which confessions are more appreciated than others, and I try to
post ones that will garner higher numbers and pique people’s interests versus the ones that people don’t really enjoy.” In general, she is glad that the page is able to help operate what the moderators jokingly refer to as “a page that has become integral to Stuy culture and allows all students to express their secrets, give their opinions, spill some tea, or just
their hallway lockers to be not convenient enough to compensate for their lack of gym lockers. Another issue comes with the fact that freshmen have an assigned “locker buddy.” For many, the situation is uncomfortable because many of the students sharing a locker are complete strangers who don’t trust each other entirely. Though Hui is not bothered by the idea of sharing lockers, he sympathizes with those who are. He said, “I can see why some people dislike the idea because if someone does something bad, both people can get in trouble for it, so that’s the one aspect I dislike.” Moran recognizes the inconvenience these shortages have brought and revealed, “We are ordering more lockers for both the locker rooms and the hallway because our enrollment keeps going up, so we’re hoping to fix that so that just about all students will have a Phys Ed locker inside the locker room. […] If we had more hallway lockers available for the students, that would also be good since freshmen, as it is right now, share [lockers].” More positively, some students find themselves making new friends by being paired up for lockers. Biswas shared that though she was initially uncomfortable, she was glad to get to know her locker buddy as a very nice person. Whether lockers are merely long-lost time capsules or a key necessity for high school life, students—and Stuyvesant as a whole—can unlock a more convenient life for all.
doesn’t get any traction because the attention is taken away,” the anonymous sophomore said. In contrast, Wong shared a slightly different view: “The joke confessions are actually very funny and entertaining, and I like the balance it provides with all the serious ones. Of course, the serious ones need attention too, but I feel like the jokes are a healthy reminder that it’s okay to not be serious sometimes,” he reasoned. To these more serious posts, an anonymous fan worries that “there are some depressed people ranting on Stuy Confessions when they should be seeking professional help […] people are sending likes and sad reacting, but that doesn’t help the creator of the post,” he acknowledged. The page extends its reach beyond just Stuyvesant. An anonymous student from Townsend Harris High School described the page as “a very fun and interesting way in seeing the relatable life of Stuyvesant high school students.” He came across Stuyvesant Confessions when Townsend Harris’s confession page was taken down and one of his friends referred him to Stuyvesant’s and Brooklyn Technical High School’s confessions pages. The wide-reaching effects of the page are evidenced by the fact that it has upwards of 11,000 followers. Stuyvesant alumni make up a significant portion of these followers and occasionally even submit their own confessions, ranging from how happy they are to have graduated or wishing that they had savored their time at Stuyvesant more.
Page 6
The Spectator ● November 22, 2019
Features
Love is in the Air By THE FEATURES DEPARTMENT
Stuyvesant students, single and taken, getting crushes and getting crushed, reflect on Valentine’s Day.
“Chocolate, flowers, consumerism, and possibility.” —Natalia Velez Rios, junior
“When I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of the heart chocolate and a day for members of a relationship to show their appreciation for their partner.” —Sean Fung, junior
“I think of equally distributed heart shaped candies, because that’s what Valentine’s Day was in middle school […] some people take themselves too seriously.” —Dexter Wells, sophomore
“I prefer to watch anime and contemplate whether my existence truly matters” —Maxwell Zen, sophomore
“I think of [EXPLETIVE] sweethearts candy.” —Bernard Wang, senior
By LAUREN LEE
“Chocolate and candy and other s weet things.” —Nikki Chen, freshman
Andrea Huang / The Spectator
“When I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of just appreciating your significant other and just loving them and really valuing their presence in your life. It’s not all about gifts and flowers and chocolate, and though those are cute, it’s the person who matters, not the materialistic things.” —Sajia Athai, sophomore
My sister once told me that my great-grandfather died on Valentine’s Day, and I’m still not sure if that’s true. But Valentine’s Day usually makes me think about the love that my great grandparents had for each other.” —Neve Diaz-Carr, sophomore
“Haha, you’re single. Get wrecked.” —David Shi, junior
Level One security agent to a Level Three agent, a position analogous to a sergeant in the police department. Now she is a respected safety agent. “[I have] four clusters. I have 15 agents under me. I sort of supervise them all in regards to rules and regulations of the job,” Agent Burns said. Clusters are groups of school safety agents that are supervised under one Level Three agent. In the case of an emergency, the Level Three agent determines what the lower ranks do to keep the school safe. Shahida Begum had quite a different path that led her to work at Stuyvesant. Agent Begum was born and raised in Bangladesh. She moved to the United States 12 years ago when she was 17-years old. Her first job in the U.S. was completely different from her current job as a safety agent. Twelve years ago, she worked as a medical assistant for a private company, but her family encouraged her to find a job in law enforcement and move up the ranks because they wanted her to learn about law in the U.S. “In 2017, I decided to enroll myself into law enforcement, and I got called within nine months to the job, but I had to go through pre-organized military training. It was pretty hard, but I made it,” Agent Begum said. Through all the challenges Agent Begum faced before becoming a safety agent, she was able to pull through because of the motivation her father gave
her. Her father reminded her that getting a job in law enforcement would be a stepping stone for Agent Begum to better her life. A colleague of Agent Begum, Natasha Smith is yet another safety agent who ended up at the Stuyvesant security desk in a completely unexpected way. She was born in Panama and is a Level One agent. Level One agents have vari-
ous jobs including checking visitors, making sure no unauthorized items are being brought in, walking around the building, and writing incident reports. “I always wanted to work with children, so this is my opportunity,” Smith explained. After working at Morgan Stanley for 16 years and being laid off, she decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. This career path seems to be a family trend; two of Smith’s sisters also have jobs in law enforcement.
“Couples? Dating, cuffing, spending time with people you love and your friends” — Michelle Zhang, sophomore
“Tbh when I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of a teddy bear holding a fluffy heart.” —Emily Young-Squire, freshman
“I think of love. Not necessarily just romantic love, but also the love that exists between friends or between a mother and a daughter. All kinds of love!” —Lamia Simrin, senior
Getting to Know Our School Safety Agents
Pedro Esquer / The Spectator
Every day we walk into school and swipe in at the scanners to start our day. And every day, we pass the security desk without giving a thought to the school safety agents that sit there. You may know of the safety agents as people who make you show your ID before coming back into the building. These agents, however, are much more than people guarding the entrance. School safety agents are officially responsible for securing the building and following protocol. Many of the school safety agents, however, go beyond their official roles and care for the students who walk by their desk every morning. One of Stuyvesant’s safety agents is Rosalin Burns. Agent Burns dropped out of college due to her financial situation. Having difficulty paying her rent and supporting herself, she decided to become a safety agent and had to undergo training as well as a test to prove she was ready for the job. The test, however, was not the most difficult part. “[The most difficult challenge was] coming to the field,” Agent Burns explained. “Coming out and doing the job [...] the problem is coming out to the school.” Though Agent Burns started out at the lowest rank, a Level One safety agent, she wanted to experience all levels of the job. She worked her way up from a
“Singles either feeling bitter about being single or talking on and on about how they’re happy they’re single; couples participating in extravagant displays of affection because they feel obligated to give a performance of their love when Valentine’s Day is simply a foolish social construct.” — Rakiba Sultana, sophomore
“Romance and hearts. I don’t feel anything toward it. It’s nice. I get chocolate.” —Tori Lieberman, junior
“Chocolate and flowers.” —Brian Lee, sophomore
“Single people.” —Koey Ng, freshman
“Valentine’s Day is when you force yourself to shoot your shot because it just feels so much worse when you get rejected that day.” —Alvin Yao, senior
“I think of the color red because that’s the color of hearts.” —Victoria Yu, junior
“How single I am.” —Khandaker Ridwan, senior
“I think of my family and friends and everyone I love in my life. Everyone who has loved me or dedicated time from their life to me.” —Eduardo Lozano, freshman
“The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Valentine’s Day is chocolate. Even though I don’t get them, thinking about them and buying it for myself feel nice.” —Xinlei Lin, junior
“Chocolate ads everywhere.” —Abir Taheer, junior
Smith went through the police academy for three and a half months in order to graduate and become a school safety agent. The training was similar to pre-military training, but despite the challenge, she didn’t give up. “My dad and my son kept me motivated. I didn’t want to show my son that I was giving up on something so that’s what kept me going,” Smith said. Even though Smith chose to become a school safety agent because she had always loved the idea of working with children, not all children feel the same toward her. “[Students] are scared of us, but we don’t do anything. We love all the kids,” Smith said. Though the safety agents do care for the students tremendously, they are often stereotyped and seen in a bad light. Junior Jonathan Xu explained his personal encounters with school safety agents. During his freshman year, while doing homework in the Hudson Staircase during his lunch period, a particular school safety agent always seemed to bother him. He recalled, “She always kicked me off the staircase and claimed that it was a fire hazard, even though I was very obviously the only student there.” When asked about this, Smith told us that “We just follow protocol from [the] principal.” Though it may seem that some safety agents are sticklers for rules, they’re merely following orders. Though some students like Xu
might believe that some security guards wrongfully force them to move their location during a lunch period, many students love the safety guards as much as they care about us. Senior Cecilia Bachana recalled a small moment she shared with a school safety agent while entering the theater. “One time I was entering the theater just behind two officers, and one of them was singing absentmindedly. I complimented her singing because it was nice, and she was so touched, and it made me so happy,” she said. The seemingly little moments that connect students with the school safety agents allow us to understand them better as people. Even though they are authority figures, they can often just be people to talk to or ask for advice. Though school safety agents are present to enforce the rules, they also hold very strong connections with the students at Stuyvesant. They love interacting with the students and getting to know them. For Begum, her favorite aspect of her job is the happiness of the children. “[I’m happy] when the kids are happy, when they graduate,” Begum said. Smith advises students: “Don’t give up. There’s so much more out there, and there are so many other people that have it worse than you,” Smith said. Students are precious to the agents of our school. “We love our Stuyvesant students,” Smith said with a smile.
The Spectator ● November 22, 2019
Features
A Guide to Guidance By CHRISTINE CHANG and CHRISTINE LIN As Stuyvesant students, we all have problems. Whether they be personal, academic, or due to bad ravioli we ate last night, we often have to lug more than just our bookbags up the stairs.
Jessica Chock-Goldman
That’s where guidance counselors come in. They’re an integral part of Stuyvesant; they present in classrooms, set up organization days and workshops, process our program changes, and write college letters, all while offering a listening ear to anyone who needs one. “We’re like the middle person connecting different Stuyvesant communities,” described counselor Undine Guthrie, giving insight on how a lot of her work involves communicating with parents, teachers and students.
Cecilia Yang
Despite being a relatively niche job, a guidance counselor never has a boring life. Counselor Joseph Feola loves that every meeting he has is unique and varies based on the the individual with whom he is talking. At the same time, he realizes that students have similar problems and many of their experiences overlap. This is one of the main reasons that Feola runs “groups,” which are sessions of six to eight students who are called in to have a meeting. “I think that sometimes being able to share your experiences with other students who are going through something similar is super awesome. It can help people to know that they aren’t alone in their experience and to […] troubleshoot with each other,” he explained. Feola loves to hold these sessions not only to allow himself to reach more students, but also to facilitate a sort of peer-counseling.
fession based on his longtime interest in education. Though becoming a classroom teacher was a possibility, Walkes ultimately decided to become a counselor. “I have found out about myself that I am a small group [or] individual conversation type of person,” he wrote in an e-mail interview. “My personality is better suited for this as opposed to teaching in a classroom with 30 [or more] students.”
“Teenagers are teenagers, and while the issues might be a little different, a lot of them are universal,” counselor Sarah Kornhauser added on. She noticed that common issues that students come to her with include feelings of anxiety, stress, pressure, and disappointment and questions about college. Of course, becoming a guidance counselor isn’t a decision that one just makes overnight. For counselor Gregg Walkes, he was led to the pro
timent, saying, “I love that no day looks exactly the same. I love that I might plan out my day and something will happen: a student will need me, and I need to quickly think on my feet and rearrange what it is I’m doing.”
thing, reach out to us; we want
Audra Parris
Kristina Uy
Sandra Brandon
Joseph Feola
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Counselor Paul Goldsman had a similar introduction to counseling: “I’ve been a camp counselor, tutor, baseball and basketball coach my whole life, [...] so [guidance] just seemed like a natural career for me.” Like any job, being a guidance counselor has its perks and drawbacks. Guthrie’s favorite part of counseling is the intimacy of the job. “I like when I feel connected; [I] and the student that I’m working with have a connection at that moment in time that’s real and genuine and in the moment,” Guthrie said. Another perk of counseling is its spontaneity. Each day brings new surprises, and for Goldsman, that is the best part of his job. He described, “I love that every day is unpredictable. I’m never bored. I’m excited to come to work, and I look forward to helping kids with any of their problems and sometimes teachers as well.” Feola shared the same sen-
I t can be hard, however, to try and find a solution to everyone’s concerns, especially in a school with nearly 4,000 students. Counselor Sandra Brandan explained, “You can’t please everyone. There are times when I don’t have the answer, or I cannot give someone something they need. That’s the most difficult time.” Kornhauser added on to this idea, saying, “I think my role is to offer support and care in guidance, and some students, when they’re having a hard time, avoid the care and guidance. And students are allowed to choose how they want to use me or not use me, but I think the hardest part for me would just be watching them struggle and stray away from help.” When asked if they had any advice to give to students, Brandan suggested, particularly for freshmen: “Please utilize your school counselor. And get to know them. Because when we know who you are, we know how to best plan for you.” Walkes emphasized, “If you find yourself really struggling a great deal with some-
t o help.” But the guidance counselors are not only there to sort through problems. “Come, share good news. I love [it] when kids come in and share their news. Even if they just got a haircut or a new pair of shoes. That brightens up my day!” Brandan exclaimed. “A common stigma around guidance is that students only see their counselors for bad things,” Kornhauser added on. “You do not need a crisis to build a relationship with your guidance counselor. We invite you in here if you just want to maybe chat or tell us what’s going on.” This aspect of the job— building relationships with students—is one of the most fulfilling and meaningful parts of being a guidance counselor. “I think the position itself is the coolest job in the world. You make a living off of supporting young people and their goals. What else would you want to spend all of your time doing? It’s just really fantastic,” Feola said. His sentiment is echoed by all the counselors. Kornhauser too reflected, “I like helping young people be powerful. I think it’s really important for young people to believe in the future and be set on the right foot. I think that they absolutely are change makers, and I love to be a part of it.”
“Knowing the Language is Understanding the World”
Dorin Flocos / The Spectator
By ARPITA SAHA
Many of us know her as Señora Montserrat: the Spanish III, Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish, and Spanish Cinema teacher. What students don’t know, however, is that she is an avid swimmer, is part of a women’s choir, and loves to travel. Anna Montserrat’s love for teaching and learning new languages led her to work as a Spanish teacher. Montserrat grew up in Barcelona, Spain, where she spoke both Spanish and Catalan. Catalan, another language commonly spoken in Spain, is a Western Romance language and the only official language of the country of Andorra. Montserrat is very pas-
sionate about learning languages; in addition to speaking both Spanish and Catalan, she studied French and Italian throughout her youth in Barcelona and later English after arriving in the United States. Montserrat discovered her love for teaching while working at a community center in Spain, where she organized various activities for children and teenagers, such as camping and skiing. She also taught a bit of Spanish there, which later inspired her to become a teacher. As a young adult, Montserrat was very passionate about theater and studied at the Institut del Teatre de Barcelona for a year. Her love of learning and teaching languages, however, triumphed over her interest in theater. When Montserrat was 26 years old, she moved to America. Prior to coming to America, she received her bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Barcelona. After arriving in the U.S., Montserrat got her master’s degree in education at Queens College. Montserrat’s teaching career began at John Bowne High School in Queens. She soon dis-
covered, however, that she wanted to teach a different group of students: “I needed a change in my career, teaching other types of students, students that were eager to learn, ready to surpass teacher expectations, students intellectually engaged,” she explained. She ended up finding exactly the right place. After teaching at John Bowne for five years, Montserrat came to Stuyvesant. At Stuyvesant, she found herself teaching a completely different type of student, just as she had wanted. “The students are very motivated, wellrounded, and very interesting,” she described. Montserrat has found that as a teacher, one of the most important things is being able to teach students who are motivated, and she encountered this experience at Stuyvesant. She spoke fondly of her students, explaining, “[Stuyvesant students] want to learn the language and make A’s. They want to go beyond just learning the grammar. They just want to know more about the culture. And this is what keeps me going.” Montserrat feels that “knowing the language is understand-
ing the world.” For her, Spanish is not just about understanding the grammar, but understanding beyond: how the world works and truly knowing the language. “Learning a language is how you understand specific cultures, specific countries,” Montserrat explained. Montserrat’s favorite part about teaching is talking to her students and asking them questions about different topics. In her AP Spanish class, Montserrat enjoys discussing a wide range of topics with her students, including social media, immigration, discrimination, climate change, and more. These are all important issues in the world today that her students feel engaged with. In her free time, Montserrat is fond of swimming, loves to sing in a women’s choir, and is an avid traveler. She has traveled to most Latin American countries, including Colombia, Ecuador, and Guatemala. Her favorite country to visit is Mexico, where she has visited at least 11 times. “Mexico is a huge country with amazing people, different cultures, different languages, […] you really have to go several times to dif-
ferent parts of Mexico because each part, every time I go, is different,” she described. Montserrat has loved all of the countries she has been able to see, saying, “Every single one has my heart.” Though Montserrat enjoys engaging in many other hobbies, teaching and learning new languages are Montserrat’s priority. For her, being a teacher means being someone who cares about others and in this case, her students. Montserrat understands the importance of being able to understand her students and their struggles. She tries to do so by “being a teacher in front of my students and understanding them, what they’re going through, the hard work that they put in, the stress they have, and so on.” When asked what kind of advice Montserrat has for her students or for others who are passionate about languages, she recommended traveling, studying abroad, and stepping outside of their comfort zone. Montserrat emphasized, “Discover, connect, interact with other cultures, with other languages, with other countries, and become an understanding global citizen.”
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The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Science SCIENCEBEAT Stuyvesant hosted Celebrate Science Night on January 31 to showcase the experiments that seniors completed for the nationwide Regeneron Research Competition.
Christina Koch has just finished the longest-ever mission by a female astronaut.
Stuyvesant alum Julian Rubinfien (18’) recently had his Genes in Space research published.
China set up mass quarantine camps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus on February 7, 2020.
By SONYA SASSON
In recent years, artificial intelligence (A.I.) has proved to be a sensitive topic, especially when considering the ethical dilemmas surrounding its medical applications. Nonetheless, brain surgeons are bringing A.I. and new imaging techniques into the operating room to diagnose tumors. Recent efforts to implement this state-ofthe-art technology have focused on analyzing tissue samples of patients undergoing surgery in order to guide further treatment. A major concern with the traditional method of sending a biopsy to a lab for analysis is efficiency: it takes more than 20 minutes while the patient is under anesthesia. As prolonged sedation is undesirable, reducing the time needed to analyze the biopsy is a top priority. The new method, taking at most three minutes, is extremely promising. This new technology called stimulated Raman histology employs lasers to scan tissue samples with different wavelengths of light that each scatter uniquely for different types of tissue. When the light hits a detector, the detector ascertains the light’s scatter pattern and emits a signal that a computer can use to reconstruct the image
and identify the tissue. This enables neurosurgeons to, in the case of brain cancer, distinguish normal from cancerous brain tissue. Also, unlike the traditional method, this technology does not destroy the tissue sample, allowing it to be used again for further testing. This technique can detect details as small as a tumor spreading along a nerve that the traditional method may miss, leading to fewer false positives and negatives. A clinical study funded by the National Cancer Institute and published earlier this year involved brain tissue samples from 278 patients that were analyzed by both deep neural network algorithms and neuropathologists during surgery. The result was a draw: the pathologists were correct 93.9 percent of the time and the algorithm was correct 94.6 percent of the time. Such misdiagnosis is a problem that plagues medicine as a whole, not just neurosurgery. For example, traditional screening mammograms miss about 20 percent of breast cancers, including false positives and negatives. Clearly, just as brain surgeons need a better method for analyzing tissue, oncologists need a more reliable way of analyzing mammograms. Luckily, similar steps have
been taken in the interpretation of mammograms for breast cancer by researchers at Google. A machine learning algorithm was trained on a dataset of 100,000 images whose diagnoses were already known. The system did better than radiologists, having lower percentages of false positives and negatives by as much as nine percent. Interestingly, both of these systems made mistakes that the pathologists didn’t and vice versa. These systems won’t be interpreting scans and biopsies on their own anytime soon; however, their accuracy suggests that rather than replacing doctors, A.I. can assist their judgment by participating in doctors’ routine practice in reading these scans. The combination of an algorithm and human intuition can only improve the ability to make correct diagnoses; each can catch the other’s mistakes. After all, robots don’t get tired or face clouded judgment after a long day of work. Nevertheless, putting robots in charge of many patients’ healthcare comes with its flaws. Dr. Eric Topol’s book “Deep Medicine” weighs the benefits and drawbacks of A.I.’s recent intrusions into medicine. A notable con is that the highly technical nature of the systems’ algorithms makes explaining
Vaccine Stops Ebola in its Tracks
because there were no methods of reducing the incidence of cases, or new people who had contracted the disease. But not anymore. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the first Ebola vaccine, sold under the brand name Ervebo, in mid-December of 2019. The new vaccine contains a virus genetically engineered to provoke a neutralizing immune response against the Ebola virus. This vaccine works similarly to those for other highly infectious diseases, such as polio. However, instead of exposing the recipient to ac-
breaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo triggered a worldwide scare in early 2010. The vaccine was tested during the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa and was designed to protect individuals older than 18 from infection. “I’m excited that we are there. And of course, it has taken too long,” said Dr. Heinz Feldmann, the designer of Ervebo, in an interview with The New York Times in December 2019. Dr. Feldmann explained that the vaccine could prove to be a crucial tool in containing the outbreaks now that it is being used in a real-world setting.
Health Organization published the preliminary results of its research in April 2019: Ervebo had been 97.5 percent effective at stopping Ebola transmission. “The belief was that the virus was so aggressive that you couldn’t find a vaccine that would protect people,” Dr. Feldmann explained. But now, with Ervebo on the FDA’s official list of approved substances, there has been a paradigm shift in the way the world views Ebola outbreaks. During a later outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the summer of 2019, the vaccine was used, and what was
tual Ebola microbes, scientists altered the genetic material in a related virus to stimulate similar effects. The reason for not exposing the person directly to the virus is because the speed with which the virus attacks the immune system overpowers the body too quickly for a sufficient response to take place. Instead, the recipient is exposed to these weakened viral microbes, and in turn, produces antibodies that bind to the virus’s antigens, as well as memory cells for future immunity. Scientists began researching a treatment for Ebola after out-
However, a critical issue that arose during the experimental trials of Ervebo was how to prevent transmission of a virus that was already so widespread. As Ebola was already so extensive within Africa, scientists and researchers found it difficult to accurately predict the effects of the vaccine. So, they used the “ring-vaccination” method, in which people already infected were vaccinated in an attempt to build a wall of immunity that cut off viral transmission. Following a large-scale ring-vaccination plan carried out during the Democratic Republic of Congo outbreak, the World
once 1,706 infected individuals was rapidly reduced to zero. While cases of Ebola in the United States are extremely rare, the FDA considers the vaccine a crucial tool in stopping the spread of the disease, and it was approved for medical use in the U.S. on December 20, 2019. Since then, 250,000 people have been vaccinated. Merck also received permission from the European Commission to market Ervebo in October of 2019. “Ebola virus disease is [a] rare but severe and often deadly disease that knows no borders. Vaccination is essential to help
Andrea Huang / The Spectator
Ebola (Zaire ebolavirus) is one of the deadliest diseases known to mankind. After entering the body, it wreaks havoc on the immune system by causing cells to explode, leading to internal bleeding and the destruction of nearly every single organ in the body. The Ebola virus contains a type of genetic material called RNA, which contains the blueprint for assembling new virus particles. In order to create new viruses, the virus must infiltrate a living cell, where it hijacks the host cell’s machinery to make copies of itself. Often, this appropriation of the cell’s replication machinery comes at the expense of the cell being unable to make all of its own needed machinery, leading to an inability to function properly and even death of the cell. After the new virus is fully assembled, the virus “buds” from the cell, using the cell’s own outer coat to make a capsule for traveling to new cells and restarting the cycle. Scientists have found that Ebola specifically targets liver cells, immune system cells, and endothelial cells, which line the inside of blood vessels. By targeting liver cells, the body’s ability to clear toxins out of the bloodstream is compromised, and by infecting the immune system, whose cells travel everywhere in the body, Ebola has an opportunity to rapidly increase its area of infection. Ultimately, organ failure and shock caused by internal bleeding lead to death. The virus earned its reputation with an alarming fatality rate of over 90 percent. According to the Center for Disease Control, the virus spreads to people via direct contact with blood, body fluids, and animal tissues. This is especially problematic in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea, where living conditions are unsanitary and clean medical equipment is sparse. Ebola was so detrimental to large populations, primarily those in western Africa, partly
By ARTHUR LIANG
A.I. in Medicine
medical procedures to the patients’ families hard, inevitably making them uneasy about their loved ones’ healthcare. Dr. Topol is also adamant that robots can never replace surgeons, alluding instead to a sort of competitive exclusion in which they take on a new role. He says that they can provide “human expert contextualization,” interacting with patients and acting as the mediator between life and death that machines lack the humanity to be. In fact, he thinks that A.I. can save doctors from increasing levels of burnout and depression from doing tedious tasks like reading scans and taking notes. Productivity will skyrocket with doctors being less pressed for time when connecting with patients. Recent advances in A.I. are making significant headway in medicine. Deep neural networks are cutting down time needed for crucial brain tissue analyses, and machine learning algorithms are analyzing mammograms just as well as professionals. However, judging by their limited accuracy and the clear ethical barriers inherent with putting robots at the helm of healthcare, A.I. in medicine still has a ways to go before being accepted as common practice.
prevent outbreaks and to stop the Ebola virus from spreading when outbreaks do occur,” said Dr. Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Not only is the FDA’s approval of Ervebo a major advancement in protecting against Ebola, but it is also crucial in advancing the U.S. government’s preparedness efforts. Though the FDA’s official press release about the vaccine does not specify who Ervebo will be available to, there have been some concerns regarding the age restriction of 18 and older for the vaccine. A study done on the effectiveness of Ervebo administered a dose of Ervebo to 234 children and adolescents six to 17 years of age across three trials. In a Phase One trial observing children six to 17 years of age, results at Day 28 and Day 180 post-vaccination were similar to those observed in adults in the same study. In other words, the vaccine is as effective in children as when it is used on adults. However, the reasons for the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) decision to withhold the vaccine from children are still uncertain. More Ervebo studies are yet to be completed, but the EMA has transferred the responsibility of submitting the results to pediatricians specializing in Ebola prevention. Though we have yet to definitively uncover its effects on children, the discovery of the Ebola vaccine, Ervebo, and its approval by the FDA have solidified a monumental breakthrough in the ongoing fight against infectious diseases. Developing the vaccine for a seemingly unpreventable disease has given scientists hope for other deadly infections. The development of Ervebo has also shone a light on the effectiveness of genetic engineering in producing a viable vaccine. The idea of using a virus to fight another virus, similar to the phrase “fighting fire with fire,” has introduced a new and efficient method for the future of medicine.
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Page 13
Science By GERARD LIN and JENNA MACKENROTH Coronavirus. This word has been thrown around in the news, with report after report describing its symptoms and the number of confirmed cases. Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, is under federal quarantine, with no travel allowed in and out of the city. On social media, each new “statistic” about coronavirus—erroneous or not—is quickly reposted. But in the middle of a media frenzy, the meaning of the coronavirus and its origin can easily be overlooked. In comparison to the common flu, coronavirus has received a disproportionate amount of media attention. The flu sickened an estimated 42.9 million during the 2018-2019 flu season, of which 647,000 were hospitalized and 61,200 died. The 2018-2019 flu season set a record of being the longest season in a decade, despite the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) giving it a “moderate” severity rating. The flu is one of the most infectious diseases happening yearly, but it receives little media attention. Perhaps what makes coronavirus so terrifying is its foreign origin. Scientifically classified as 2019-nCoV, it originated in Wuhan, China; according to several studies on the disease, it was most likely transmitted to humans by bats present in Wuhan wet markets. These markets sell freshly slaughtered meat and fish as well as live animals, most notably bats. These animals are excellent carriers for diseases, most likely due to an abnormality in their STING sequence compared to terrestrial mammals. STING stands for “stimulator of interferon genes,” and, as its name sug-
The Coronavirus Outbreak Is Overblown gests, codes for the production of interferons—a protein that has the capacity to inhibit viral replication. To do so, STING detects cytosolic DNA, a type of genome that may indicate the presence of a virus. If the STING sequence has a mutation, as it does in many bats, it may not be able to detect cytosolic DNA, thus allowing pathogens to infect an organism. The coronavirus can be easily transmitted from bats to humans because both species have a shared virus receptor:
velopers will have to perpetually manufacture new vaccines to fight it. There are no definite solutions to coronavirus, and it’s always wise to prevent disease using standard procedure. However, wariness can be taken too far, even with new and relatively unknown diseases like coronavirus. An effective way to put the effects of a specific disease into perspective is to compare it to statistics from previous viral outbreaks. Coronavirus has infected 12,037 people and killed 259 as of February 1. This is a mere
media have been made showing dead bodies in the hallways of hospitals in Wuhan and people twitching under hospital sheets. These clips utterly lack context, and it is unknown if they actually show victims of the coronavirus outbreak. The origin of the virus in Wuhan has led to racist and anti-Chinese sentiments against Asians. One headline in a French newspaper read “A New Yellow Peril?”; it references the skin tone of Asians. In the United States, anti-Asian sentiments have been spread
The panic over the current Coronavirus outbreak is unfounded. Instead of bringing information to the public, the media has misinformed frightened citizens of the world to the point where all news, no matter how absurd, is taken as fact. the angiotensin-converting receptor 2, which contributes to increased viral reproduction. Because of this, viruses that commonly affect bats are also able to affect humans. Due to the shared structural and chemical nature of coronavirus and its viral relatives, doctors believe that finding a cure to the current outbreak would also help prevent the next. Gilead Sciences, a pharmaceutical company, has developed an antiviral medication called Remdesivir. Gilead initially developed Remedesivir in response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak, and though it wasn’t entirely successful against Ebola in humans, it has shown promising signs in mice. Though Remdesivir is promising, a vaccine against coronavirus will take years to create. Coronavirus is continually evolving, and vaccine de-
two percent fatality rate. By comparison, the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak infected 8,098 people and killed 774 people, a 10 percent fatality rate, and the 2013 Ebola virus outbreak infected around 28,000 people and killed 11,323, a 39.5 percent fatality rate. The panic over the current coronavirus outbreak is unfounded. Instead of bringing information to the public, the media has instead misinformed frightened citizens of the world to the point where all news, no matter how absurd, is taken as fact. For example, a viral Facebook video falsely showed a market in “Wuhan” where it was claimed that the virus strain was first transmitted to humans; in reality, the market depicted was an Indonesian market. In addition, several posts on social
over social media depicting the Chinese as unclean, uncivilized, or immoral through images and videos showing Chinese people eating bats, the original host of coronavirus, and live rats. In South Korea, a widely-circulating Youtube video claimed that the current coronavirus was leaked from a biochemical weapons factory in China, furthering anti-Chinese ideology in non-western countries. In Australia, an Instagram post warned that shops in Sydney containing items like fortune cookies, rice, and the Chinese version of Red Bull were contaminated with coronavirus. An Australian newspaper, The Herald Sun, had the line “China Virus Pandamonium” over an image of a red mask as their headline. The impact of such messages is undeniably far-reaching. It has led some restaurants
in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Vietnam to ban Chinese people from eating in their restaurants. In Singapore, tens of thousands signed a petition to the government to ban Chinese nationals from entering the country. Many East Asians all over the world have shared their stories of discrimination due to the outbreak. The New York Times reported that in France, a Vietnamese woman was insulted by a cab driver who exclaimed, “Keep your virus, dirty Chinese!” and “You are not welcome in France!” Additionally, the University of California, Berkeley, has recently shared a now-deleted social media post on their health department’s Instagram account stating that xenophobia is a normal reaction to the coronavirus outbreak. While this epidemic should be taken seriously, it is also imperative to understand that it isn’t directly linked to ethnicity or nationality. Coronavirus is incredibly infectious due to its linkage between humans and animals, but the country of origin does not affect how contagious it is. The panic it caused as it took the world by storm stems from the lack of understanding about coronavirus, especially its non-lethality. CDC-recommended guidelines for coronavirus prevention include regularly sanitizing your hands, cleaning often, and taking immediate action when experiencing symptoms; none of these things require governments to enact anti-Chinese travel bans or for people to harass others for their ethnicity. Justifying such actions is not a precautionary measure against an epidemic. And compared to previous outbreaks, the coronavirus is a reason for caution, but not widespread panic.
Wonder Material Graphene Recycled from Trash By RUOXIN CAI Within the honeycomb layers of graphene lies great potential to disrupt current industries or even to launch entirely new ones. Graphene boasts an impressive list of superlatives: it is 200 times stronger than steel but has incredible lightness, it has an impressive thermal conductivity of 3000-5000 W/mK, and it is the first 2D material ever produced that is thinner than the width of a human hair. These qualities make graphene incredibly useful for a variety of industrial and research-oriented applications. For example, the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology found that coating lithium ion batteries in graphene increased their capacity while reducing their charging speed by up to 500 percent. Similarly, graphene may also revolutionize the production of solar cells— though the graphene-lined cells were found to be slightly less efficient than aluminum solar cells, their flexibility and lightness opens many new avenues of potential expansion
for solar cell installation. Besides its solar power applications, graphene could be used to create “heavy water”: water that contains a higherthan-average concentration of the hydrogen isotope deuterium. Such water is used to cool nuclear reactors in power plants. Heavy water needs a sizable amount of resources to create; furthermore, it emits up to 9.64 tons of greenhouse gases per gigawatt hour. The introduction of graphene would do much to mitigate both issues. Industrially, a graphene concentration of 0.1 percent in concrete would lessen the environmental impact of concrete production by almost a third. Considering that cement production accounts for eight percent of human carbon dioxide emissions, the potential gains are huge. In the medical field, graphene could deliver chemotherapeutic drugs to tumors. Alternatively, it could be used to induce autophagy—the removal of dysfunctional cells from the body—as graphene oxide was found to induce apoptosis in cancer cells when applied to the tumor. It could
even eliminate incorrect DNA altogether, as studies have demonstrated that graphene can induce translocation of DNA segments. Unfortunately, up until now, these experiments were almost impossible to bring to life in marketable products. Originally, an adhesive was used to strip thin layers of graphene from high quality graphite, but the technique was error-prone and inefficient for mass production. Such imperfections have stymied the commercial adoption of graphene for years. However, a relatively simple manufacturing process recently discovered by Professor James Tour at Rice University may finally be bringing graphene to a wider market. The procedure is able to turn reasonably sized chunks of any carbon-based material into valuable flakes of graphene by heating it to unbelievably high temperatures via electric pulses. The newly dubbed ‘flash’ graphene, so named because the excess energy from the reaction is released in a flash of light, is actually made in just a flash—10 milliseconds, to be
exact. The heat in the process, reaching up to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit, speeds up the geological evolution of carbon into graphite, stopping at the graphene stage. The process is known as ultrafast timeresolved and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (trARPES); Tour hopes that it will be able to create 2.2 pounds of graphene each year. The flash graphene is actually turbostratic, meaning that its layers are not aligned with each other. This makes the extremely fine sheets of graphene much easier to work with and pull apart. Hydrocarbons from oil and gas can be repurposed into graphene, not only reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also using once untapped carbon to our advantage. However, the flash graphene has not been tested for imperfections or drawbacks yet, so we should be wary lest flash graphene turns out to be as dangerous as asbestos proved. Economic questions for this process have not yet been raised in this early stage, but as scientists get to understand the uses and manufacture
of graphene better, they will play a large factor in its introduction to society. As previously mentioned, graphene has the capability to disrupt and perhaps even make certain industries obsolete, which surely those businesses will fight tooth-and-nail against. Moreover, questions of patents and governmental regulation are problems that must be considered soon, just as they were for other revolutionary technologies upon being introduced to the market, like gene editing and electricity. Though dreams and speculation of future use of this seemingly wondrous material seem far from reality, with time and more research, graphene could become a staple in our society, whether in flexible, light solar cells grafted to our clothes, in cancer treatments, in nuclear power plants, or in industrial manufacture. The widespread use of graphene would be akin to the introduction of plastic. This time, however, it seems like the new material will be saving turtles rather than killing them.
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Page 14
Science Highlights from Stuyvesant’s Celebrate Research Night The Regeneron Science Talent Search is the most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors across the United States. Each year, Stuyvesant’s brightest student scientists join laboratories at esteemed institutions like New York University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to perform experiments, write scientific papers, and develop winning submissions to the competition.
Radiation Repairs Specific Types of Cancers By RANIA ZAKI Senior Janen Khan has spent her past three summers doing research: first studying at the Harlem DNA lab and later interning at Columbia University. Khan reflects that her earlier stages at Columbia rooted in her a “deep investment to discover the promising field of work that researching the genome provides in the study of life.” This led her to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she spent more than eight hours a day at the Oncology and Radiation Lab over the summer. At Weill Cornell, Khan researched the impact of different variables on cells lacking the Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) gene. The PTEN gene is a tumor suppressor that plays a role in fighting many types of cancers and regulates the cell cycle. Cells that have unregulated tumor suppressors—such as those lacking the PTEN gene—are likely to develop cancer. Khan explained that “the loss of PTEN primarily results in cells exhibiting cell cycle deregulation and fate reprogramming.” Her research focused on radiation treatment’s impact on the growth of engineered PTEN-deficient cancer cells. She constructed these PTEN-deficient cells by modifying histones, proteins that interaact with DNA, thus preventing the production of PTEN. “If I introduce a mutation into a plasmid, the plasmid will produce the effects of the mutations. It’s like mimicking what cancer patients have,” Khan said. The resulting cells had mutated PTEN genes and therefore lacked the PTEN protein. These cancer-prone PTEN-deficient cells were subjected to radiation therapy, a method of killing rapidly dividing cells. Analyzing the results of the radiation was not an easy feat. According to Khan, she “...had to analyze 5,000 photos and foci of each cell, [which had] at least a minimum of 100 cells per photo. I took five photos per each [result]. It took me several hours.” When she saw the results, she was stunned. “What we want to see is fewer foci, but I saw more. [This] meant that the cancer cells were actually repairing themselves, which is a bad thing,” Khan explained. “They were growing. [The radiation treatments] were causing them to abruptly divide.” PTEN mutations are increasingly being linked with cancer but are still poorly understood. By performing more research on the effects of these mutations and how to combat them, we can transform the way cancer therapy is delivered. The most prevalent cancers today, such as colorectal and prostate cancer, are affiliated with high levels of PTEN mutations. This makes cutting-edge epigenetic therapies targeting PTEN transcription especially promising. Cancer continues to be a major cause of death worldwide. Understanding different mechanisms of the disease is vital for developing and regulating new treatments. Khan is an advocate of research, especially research related to medical applications. “No matter how much we progress in life as a society with technology, if we can’t ensure the well-being of our species and [that of] others, I feel that it depreciates the value of all the advancements,” Khan said. “Examining the basics of life will allow us to refine our techniques for finding cures to ‘incurable’ diseases and help us take leaps in progress.” Using inovation, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and everyday people, like Janen Khan, can work to reduce the incidence of cancer.
The Effects of Cellular Growth Factor Deletions on Lung Cancer By SONYA SASSON Senior Eren Ucar is what you could call a “biology enthusiast,” to say the least. Ever since the age of 15, understanding the world around him and how it works has been his strongest passion. Throughout his middle and high school careers, he was always researching and pursuing problems that afflict humans every day. Over time, one particular topic captured his interest and stood out among the rest: lung cancer. In addition to Eren’s strong interest in lung cancer as a subject in biology, Eren was also drawn to the topic on a more personal note. Eren wrote in an e-mail interview, saying that “Since some of my own family members have been victims of lung cancer, I felt it would be a good use of my time to help in the effort to treat it.” It wasn’t until the summer of 2019 that Eren tackled this disease during his research project at Weill Cornell Medicine, where he explored the most common subtype of lung cancer, lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Lung cancer develops when a DNA mutation occurs within cells of alveolar tissue, leading to a rapid proliferation of cancerous cells throughout the respiratory tract. What baffles scientists about this disease is not only how difficult it is to cure, but also how the cancer cells themselves are able to evade cell checkpoints throughout the human body and continue dividing uncontrollably. Lung cancer is the most lethal cancer in the United States, taking more than 150,000 lives each year. LUAD is driven by mutated growth factor receptors within cancer cells. These receptors—epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs)—are responsible for the extreme mutations and cell division that occur in lung cancer cells. In many instances, the cancer is able to overwhelm the body by hijacking the body’s cellular machinery in order to inactivate the normal tumor suppressors that prevent the cells from growing. One of the most prominent tumor suppressor genes is retinoblastoma protein (RB1). RB1 prevents excessive cell growth by inhibiting cell cycle progression until a cell is ready to divide and controls the the expression of transcription factors (NKX2-1 protein). Though LUAD patients are clinically treated with target therapies, these treatments often lead to the deactivation of these suppressor genes, specifically RB1. Eren’s goal was to isolate specifically which segment of the RB1 gene is most responsible for preventing cancerous cell growth when working properly—and allowing this growth when malfunctioning. To address this, he chose to manipulate the known functional subgroups of RB1, domains A, B, and C, to determine which parts are required for NKX2-1 expression. In order to accomplish this, Eren generated a synthetic version of RB1 by assembling DNA fragments. He altered the expression of either domain A, B, or C in these synthetic fragments. First, Eren genetically modified the RB1 gene so that it lacked one of the functional domains in each of his trials. By using quantitative PCR, a molecular research tool in which certain DNA or RNA fragments are highlighted within a sample, Eren observed the expression of the transcription factors over the course of seven days. His results demonstrated that the deletion of domains A and C did not impair the ability of RB1 to express the transcription factors of NKX1-2, whereas the deletion of domain B severely diminished the expression of the protein. Thus, domain B was most responsible for the gene’s vulnerability to LUADs. This data reveals how crucial domain B is in expressing NKX2-1. Without the appropriate production and expression of NKX2-1, these malignant cancer cells have the ability to grow and divide until they metastasize to other parts of the body. More importantly, this discovery offers an explanation as to why LUAD patients often develop a resistance to target therapies, and it might also offer a solution for future treatments. Now that scientists know the importance of domain B in preventing cancerous growth in lung tissue, they can begin devising a strategy as to how to protect the gene from being hijacked. Even though developing a cure to cancer is a long and tedious process leading into the far future, Eren believes that every step in the right direction counts. “My research, or research in general, is not about always making the groundbreaking discovery. It is about discovering more about the human body and its intricacies,” Eren said. “It’s about pushing the needle ever so slightly, which in turn can lead to the discovery of major cures.”
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Page 15
Science Reaching Out to Older Adults with Mental Health Disorders in New York City By KRISTOFF MISQUITTA The term “science experiment” usually evokes an image of safety goggles, test tubes, and volatile chemicals in a lab. But to senior Justin Lam, a participant in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, it conjures up memories of number crunching and lengthy statistical analyses at the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) this past summer. Lam’s social sciences project, “Reaching Out to Older Adults with Mental Health Disorders in New York City,” aimed to determine which groups of adults (generally older than 60 years) underutilize clinical services, including counseling, screening, and treatment planning. Then, armed with a better understanding of where patient outreach falls short, it would explore alternative methods of engaging those adults—more specifically, victims of mental health disorders. Lam’s project took flight after making a special connection with the Director of Research at the NYC DFTA, Dr. Jackie Berman, and his mentor, Dr. Madison Gates. Working just a few blocks west of Stuyvesant, she had generously agreed to talk to Jason Econome’s Research Club one Friday afternoon about their team’s work. Then, over the course of a few months, Lam applied inferential statistics––including chi-squared tests, kruskal-wallis tests, and logistic regression––to analyze data gathered from the DFTA’s 2016 Geriatric Mental Health Initiative. Concerning disparities immediately became apparent: Caucasians were four times more likely than Asians to use clinical services. White Hispanics spent about 246 days in clinical services, while African Americans only spent about 177. Around two-thirds of higher income groups used clinical services, while less than half of their lower income counterparts used these same services. Seeing that minority groups or groups with low socioeconomic status are underutilizing clinical services, Lam hopes that his research will inspire new ways to spread mental health awareness. He is firm in his belief that financial and cultural barriers have no place in medicine, and that through new methods of outreach like non-clinical intervention services, the gap can be bridged.
On the Lac Operon in E. Coli By CLAIRE SHIN
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E. coli is one of science’s most extensively studied bacterial species, primarily because of its exceptional evolutionary capabilities. This has resulted in the creation of scores of different strains of E. coli. Senior Lily Jin found a way to keep track of them using a computer program that compares the bacteria’s genomes based on the lactose operon, a sequence of three genes that creates the enzymes necessary to derive energy from lactose. Lactose operons are further subdivided into sections of genes, each called LacO, LacP, LacI, LacZ, or LacY. By comparing lactose operon gene sequences between strains, Jin cleverly used this information to construct a detailed evolutionary tree of E. coli. Her research is especially relevant because E. coli is evolving faster than modern medicine, and this research will allow scientists to more effectively understand and even predict its evolutionary patterns. She began by testing a pilot program that would analyze a small number of strains. This program was created by synthesizing the existing programs MUSCLE and BLAST, which are commonly used in genetic research, and then compare the DNA structure of the strains manually. MUSCLE, boasting a sequence alignment tool that can pinpoint and highlight specific DNA differences, proved useful. Jin then used the program BLAST to compare LacI, LacY, LacA, and LacZ genes between strains. Once she combined data for both, she was able to construct a comprehensive evolutionary history of E. coli. The computerized results demonstrate that though the lactose operon remains relatively constant between strains, the differences, when they occur, are both noticeable and extensive. There appears to be more differences between the LacY and LacZ genes, which may give clues to their evolutionary role. Additionally, the order of these genes differs between strains; while the most common order follows as LacA, LacY, and LacZ, this seems to vary between strains. In this way, the order of such genes could prove to have some evolutionary significance. E. coli infections prove to be lethal even in the modern day; that’s why research like Jin’s can have far-reaching impacts. Using her data on E. coli evolution, we may one day be able to find an effective cure for such infections. Jin plans to showcase her inventive work at the New York City Science and Engineering Fair in March, and may have yet more information on her research at the event.
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The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Fashion Show
A Nostalgic Ode to Adoles 2020 Ready-ToBy JIAHE WANG Stuyvesant High School might seem like an odd choice for a runway show venue at first. It is only expected, however, when you hear that the designer is none other than Sandy Liang. She has chosen many unusual locations for her past runway shows, ranging from her father’s restaurant—complete with fake menus and waiters serving lemonade—to the hip Lower East Side eatery Mission Chinese. This time, Liang returns to her high school with her new collection during the fall season of New York Fashion Week. The famed math and science high school was transformed into a makeshift runway over the weekend.
Spotlights lit up the majestic marble staircases between the first and second floors (the ones that Liang walked down every day 11 years ago while she was a student here), history classrooms were turned into dressing rooms, the long corridor next to the escalators was marked with blue masking tape, and the hallway walls were plastered with signs giving directions to “hair & makeup” and “backstage exit.” At around 7:30 p.m., guests started arriving, most of them wearing Liang’s signature fleece jackets. Soon after they settled down in the two long rows of white benches, elegant music by a live string quartet filled the spacious first-floor lobby. To the rapid crescendo of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” models walked
out in whimsical looks with a quick succession of baby pinks, royal blues, and beiges. This season, Liang departed from her earlier style of florals and feminine cuts, opting for sophisticated unisex looks. All of the softer pieces were punctuated with no-fuss weighty ones. A loose-fit long silk dress in the dreamiest shade of light pink adorned with dainty crystals hanging off of tiny rings opened the show, followed by a billowy white blouse with Liang’s classic Peter Pan collar. It was worn with a black leather midi skirt, which added a hint of a tomboy feel to the otherwise delicate look. A sheer organza shift dress was paired with an oversized pink leather jacket and kneehigh cowboy boots. Then
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
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Fashion Show
-cence: Sandy Liang Fall Wear at Stuyvesant came Liang’s celebrated fleece jackets: this time, there was a white high-neck that had a small strip of black and white gingham running down its center front, finished with an industrial belt at the collar. Liang continued to play with different textures in the following few looks: the next teddy bear jacket was with a cut of baby blue shirt fabric, also in gingham. The oversized silhouette was further exaggerated by a heavy fur coat with matching white ovals on a camel background. As Liang herself said, her new collection returns to the ‘90s with its boxy cuts and nostalgic references to her adolescence. Motifs of the show included the straight-legged leather pants and cargo pants reminiscent of the sporty style
that was in fashion back then. The overall vibe was playful but elegant, and the evolution of Liang’s artistic sensibilities was evident. She strayed away from the campier elements in her spring collection, such as neon yellow tulle draped over a skintight leotard, a large cartoon flower printed on leggings, and even a Spongebob graphic tee, to produce a collection that not only reminds one of the innocence of childhood but is also fit for more serious occasions. Liang’s magical touch of whimsy is omnipresent even in pieces with the most graceful tailoring; two models walked out arm in arm, both wearing cardigans with overall prints of giant blue anime eyes, which is most definitely a homage to the Japanese shoujo anime
that was ubiquitous in the ‘90s. Liang’s wholesome sense of humor could be felt in almost every look on the runway. The guests oohed and aahed as one model in a simple royal blue sweater descended the stairs with a small white figure cradled in her arms. Upon some squinting and exchanging whispers with those around them, the guests realized that the figure was indeed a cute little chihuahua (which, as Liang told us after the show, turned out to belong to her brother). And as the Vivaldi music came to a stop, the audience seemed to have woken up from an intimate dream about their own teenage years.
Photos by Zoe Oppenheimer and Jiahe Wang
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The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Editorials High Fever, High Stress During finals week last month, attendance dwindled as sickness spread through the halls of Stuyvesant. With crucial exams and projects jam-packed into the days leading to the end of the semester, students had no choice but to attend their classes with stuffy noses, sore throats, and burning foreheads, inadvertently passing on their symptoms to their peers. While academics are central to school life, we must be cautious of our health and that of our classmates. Copious amounts of stress and exhaustion, both of which are all too common at Stuyvesant, greatly weaken our immune systems. But with deadlines to meet and finals to study for, we are unable to rest our bodies and minds, and we force ourselves to push through our illnesses, worsening our condition. While the simple solution would be to simply stay home, in students’ minds, the consequences of doing so often outweigh the health benefits. Students often come in and attend a full day of classes to avoid the burdensome process of making up tests and quizzes following an absence, for instance. Students who miss a test are required to take it either during the respective class period, which causes them to lose out on important material, or during a time when they and their teacher are both free, which often results in students staying after school to make up their exam. Hence, students often choose to come to school and risk doing poorly on an exam out of their sick-
ness, as it is more convenient and appealing than to make it up later on. Not only are assessments difficult to make up, but some teachers exacerbate the issue with their testing policies, which ban make-up exams on the grounds that allowing make-ups would create a breeding ground for academic dishonesty. Other teachers provide accommodations by dropping a missed test, but doing so only increases the stress that comes with academic performance—the student who missed an exam due to supposed sickness no longer has a safety net to fall back on should they do poorly on another test. Some teachers allow make-up tests, but make them more difficult than the original, encouraging students to take the easier and earlier-administered test rather than take a day off. Regardless of whether there is a test that day, missing school has detrimental effects on a student’s academic performance. Being absent from school means that a student is missing all of the notes for that day’s lesson and accordingly has to ask their peers in each class for them. Even if a person gets adequate notes, digesting information without actively learning the content in person is much more tedious and usually less effective than being present. This, combined with parental and school pressure to maintain perfect attendance and academic excellence, contributes to a culture that normalizes the practice of pushing oneself past a healthy limit. Going to school even when one is sick or mentally unwell is
not simply expected—it is encouraged. While the inconveniences that come with make-ups and catching up will always persist, there are several courses of action that students and the administration can take to limit the spread of illnesses and maintain their health. One way to solve this problem would be to create a standardized policy for students who are absent on a test day due to sickness. Students should not be put in a position where they must choose between health and academics. As such, they should be allowed to take make-ups, and a test missed because of illness should not simply count as that student’s dropped test. It is unfair and pernicious for public health to force students to decide between taking a day off to recover and coming to school in order to take a test. A warped set of priorities or expectations is no reason to push oneself beyond one’s physical limits or to infect one’s friends and teachers with a preventable illness. At Stuyvesant, a school community with approximately 4,000 members, everyone must take care of their own mental and physical health. The student body has an unfair reputation for its ruthless pursuit of a maximum amount of school possible, to the point where it might feel more like a punishment than an education. Help out not only yourself, but also the Stuyvesant community as a whole, and please, just stay home when you are sick.
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Police TV Programs Are Neither Serving Nor Protecting
By ELIO TORRES
The historically shaky relationship between citizen and police officer has become a matter of more than just mistrust, extending into the realm of normalizing anti-police sentiment. The crux of the argument against empowered public servants is that they lack accountability for mishandled fieldwork. This liability problem is predicated on the recent string of dismissals of police-instigated shootings. In fact, few police officers ever face trials for shooting deaths. Even fewer are convicted. Viral videos of unwarranted force and altercations have taken over Instagram feeds, and the New York Police Department slogan—“Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect”— comes across as hypocritical to populations exposed to the unfiltered footage of abuses of power. In what seems to be an effort to mitigate the perception of the police as an adversary to public betterment, notable broadcasting networks, including Fox and CBS, have pioneered a more mainstream representation of cops through police and border agency shows. The tele-
vision series “COPS,” whose earnings are nearing $400 million in revenue as it enters its third decade of airing, has an effortless production algorithm—put a cameraman in a police car and compile the video with relatively minimal polishing. As a viewer of the show myself, the appeal
work is only the facade. The producers allow the police officers to make the final say on what content is aired in each episode. “There is a remarkable level of control the police have over the content that is aired,” the New York Times’s Dan Taberski said in his new podcast “Running from
The consequence of not trusting the police— the entity that also happens to be the one that must knock on your door to protect you in the event of an emergency—is threatening to personal safety, and this perception of the police as the enemy is dangerous, but that does not mean we should let injustice slide, especially under the guise of gun and badge. comes out of its raw and genuine depiction of real-world crime, an intriguing grittiness that contrasts the fabricated formulas of many other television shows. However, the deliberate organization of each episode to achieve an impression of authentic police
COPS.” This gives police “the ability to craft their own policing message.” Granting the police the ability to censor their footage makes it easy for them to distort the authenticity of the policing. As viewers, we have to recognize the dynamic be-
tween the entertainment producers, who rely on police cooperation, and the police departments, which recognize the show as an opportunity to control how their officers are perceived. Moreover, the show blatantly violates the requirement that criminals legally consent to having their arrests aired. The producers of “COPS” claim that they uphold all legal standards, but in an interview with 11 of the shows many suspects, they each claimed to have been coerced into signing an agreement or simply never provided their consent at all. In general, these shows offer a distinct take on how we should perceive police work. The take provided by the shows is that the police are conscientious people that simply “enforce the law.” Though the police do “enforce the law,” the show often appeals to the fact that the police serve a “higher purpose” to get away with being emotionally inconsiderate and abusive. And to say this only scratches the surface of the problems and injustices riddled throughout each episode. Beyond the police officers’ self-curation, is it also important to recognize that these shows glorify
the use of excessive force as proper protocol and reinforce racial stereotypes and inaccuracies that fuel a more prejudice-driven society. In a recent piece in the Columbia Journalism Review, Nick Pinto wrote that “episodes emphasized African American suspects out of proportion with reality.” Through its depiction of minority communities as the focus of police precincts, the show is associating these vulnerable groups with society’s worst problems. I did preemptive research in preparation for this article, and the episode I happened upon embodied exactly what I feared. Five out of the six suspects apprehended were people of color and I could not help but glance away as a father of two was tased in front of his family. The consequence of not trusting the police—the entity that also happens to be the one that must knock on your door to protect you in the event of an emergency—is threatening to personal safety, and this perception of the police as the enemy is dangerous, but that does not mean we should let injustice slide, especially under the guise of gun and badge.
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Lessons From A Childhood in Sports By ELENA HLAMENKO First, it was tennis. Then swimming. Then track, a brief stunt with ballet, and finally, volleyball. In the past 16 years, I can’t recall a time when my schedule wasn’t punctuated by sports practices, workouts, or tryouts. At seven years old, I’d rush from tennis practice at the park to swimming class at the local YMCA, turning my high ponytail into a tight bun. During the summer, when most of my peers attended sleepaway camps, I always found ways to attend tennis lessons three times a week—even in rural Belarus. And as a 16-year-old, I’ve learned that volleyball practice takes precedence over birthday celebrations, club meetings, and grueling amounts of homework. Having a schedule that consists of school, sports, and little else has helped me recognize how fortunate I am to play a sport in the first place. Across the country, thousands of youths are deprived of these opportunities. For instance, children from low-income families are half as likely as their middle class counterparts to participate in team sports, and are three times more likely to be physically inactive—an alarming trend that can be largely attributed to a lack of funding for sports programs in low-income school districts. Parallel to the opportunity gap is an underlying decrease in children’s sports participation across the country. From 2008 to 2018, childhood sports team participation declined by seven percent. While physical activity levels have decreased, youth obesity rates have skyrocketed: as of 2019, one in five children suffer from childhood obesity. Aside from fighting obesity, participation in sports leads to developing early emotional maturity, as children learn the values of teamwork, conflict-resolution, and leadership. It builds character and simulates conditions that individual players may experience outside of the court, field, or pool. I can confidently say that learning the afore-
mentioned lessons from my years of sports participation has helped me develop many crucial aspects of my personality—aspects that I otherwise might not have developed to the same extent. One such lesson that I learned from participation in sports was the importance of self-advocacy. Following years of attending all-girls group swimming lessons and competitions within my YMCA, I was encouraged to attend supplementary co-ed practices once a week. At the time, I was only in the seventh grade, and practices with high school freshman boys were meant to challenge me, the only girl in the co-ed group. The boys I practiced with were not the best athletes and certainly not the best teammates. They mostly kept to themselves, but occasionally teased me and shot me dirty looks
The boys, however, did not stop their torment. After two more practices that ended in my eyes burning from chlorine and my throat tasting of pool water, the desire to drop the extra practice would not leave my mind. The boys seemed intimidating and powerful, which discouraged me from complaining for fear of the repercussions. But, halfway through the next supplemental practice, my patience snapped. With a sharp tone and an angry scowl on my face, I displayed my first signs of resistance, promptly reporting the abuse I suffered to our coach, the administration, and my parents. No longer would I let immature boys dictate my success as an athlete. In fact, I now felt embarrassed over how long it took me to act upon this mistreatment in the first place.
sports. But it also serves the greater purpose of highlighting the importance of self-advocacy. In the dayto-day world of team sports, my experience serves as an extreme example of a lesson children learn from their first day on the court: how to ask for what you want. In sports, advocating for oneself encompasses anything from requesting to play a particular position to speaking with a coach about a personal conflict. Though it may seem simple, self-advocacy has been referred to as one of the most crucial skills a child must learn in order to succeed: promotions, bonuses, and initial employment are directly tied to this ability. In short, self-advocacy is mastered through participation in team-sports—without it, I believe I would be much more docile and lack a crucial element of what makes me who I am to-
The experience I had with this
each time I
passed one of them in the swimming lane. At first, I naively didn’t take issue with their behavior. After all, “boys will be boys,” as my coach told me with a smile after noticing a couple of remarks thrown my way. A few weeks later, however, the older boys were no longer entertained by simply making comments about my body or my bathing suit. Instead, they held my legs together while I swam, kicked me underwater, and splashed stinging, chlorinated pool water into my eyes each time I adjusted my goggles. I told them to stop, but refrained from involving my coach or telling my parents.
Delia Qiu / The Spectator
swimming team sheds light onto the imperfect world of childhood
day.
Beyond teaching me how to stand up for myself, growing up as a n athlete has
built my self-confidence. In particular, playing tennis for nearly nine years while consistently practicing with better, often older players has shaped my understanding of what I am capable of and has diminished my anxiety over new experiences. As a sixth grader, I didn’t expect to practice with girls in the eighth grade, nor did I imagine that I would consistently compete with players who seemed better than me in every way: their serves were stronger, their groundstrokes were faster, and their confidence was far greater than my own. Unsurprisingly, my uncomfortable and intimidated fifth-grade self had a difficult time catching up to
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Opinions the skill level I felt I lacked. Though there wasn’t one distinct moment that changed my perception of my abilities, after several months of practicing with better players, I began to see tangible results. I began winning sets, then matches, and ultimately developed mental stamina to recover from my mistakes. Despite not becoming the best player in my group, I gained confidence in both myself and my skill, accepting the notion that I belonged in the challenging environment. The newfound trust I had in myself and my abilities reflected a growth in self-confidence that often accompanies sports participation. At the core of self-confidence is the ability to see past initial challenges and overcome a sense of intimidation—lessons children learn from being surrounded by both competition and role models. Ultimately, childhood participation in sports develops skills that are crucial to mental maturation and teaches lessons that are essential to later success. As for myself, I view my experiences in the sports I’ve played as a direct cause of my ambition, hardworking nature, and sense of self. Reflecting on how self-fulfilling my involvement in sports has been has led me to firmly advocate for an increase in youth sport participation. As students, we can reverse the steady decline in sports participation by donating old sports equipment, encouraging our younger siblings to engage in physical activity, or volunteering for sports-related charities such as the Global Sports Foundation and Fresh Air Fund. As active members of society, we can continue to support efforts against child inactivity by starting corporate partnerships with similar nonprofit organizations or by making financial contributions to local youth leagues. Most importantly, we can introduce youths in our communities to a variety of physical activities and support their athletic ventures. Sports participation may fight the rising rate of childhood obesity, but it’s true impact lies in the developmental ef-
The Pleasure in Chaos By ANISA GAO
Jennifer Sun / The Spectator
I used to think that I was a quiet child. I felt this way because I became an even quieter teenager. But the more I think about it, the more I remember all those times my loud mouth got me into trouble. I was an only child back then, and I had no
one to talk to at home. Everything interesting was saved for school, and at school, I would keep blabbing until I lost my voice—four times one year. I quieted down after third grade when my classes grew louder. I always preferred listening to everyone around me argue, laugh, and beat
each other up over nonsense that I would never care about; it was like watching downgraded reality TV on a kids’channel. Everything good was censored, and the best parts were always the flashiest. I had one of the best classes in the fourth grade. The girls and boys acted alike, and my class slowly turned from the gifted program into a giant Asian gang that loved teaming up on our substitute teachers. This one substitute teacher, Ms. Horse, was old and nearly blind. She brought in a wooden board with all the months engraved in white and encouraged us to recite the months in French with her. When no one batted an eye, she got up to the blackboard, plucked a shard of chalk from the ground, and scratched out some letters shakily. Ms. Horse couldn’t write without turning her back on us, which nudged the masterminds of my class into action. The three lightest boys leapt up onto their desks and began making faces of mockery. A dozen of the others made play gun symbols and stood up, gently pushing their chairs behind them without a squeak. Everyone laughed silently, one girl beside me even falling out of her chair. But the teacher turned back around too late, for all the mischievous students had already returned to their seats, aimlessly twirling their pencils as if nothing ever happened. I treasured every moment I spent with this class. They were never too serious, rowdy, boring, or exciting. The loud classes I had before always annoyed me, but this class felt balanced. And when I moved to another country in 2018 with different
people, I did not look for new friends and instead looked for people who resembled my old friends—other puzzle pieces I could rearrange to fit into the picture I had before. These standards I put my peers against prevented me from making new friends in the eighth grade. I lost my will to socialize and began stalking my old classmates through their instagrams, attempting to reconnect with what I had already lost. I got anxious and disturbed by everyone around me until I met two people I had never seen before. I was louder and more reckless around them. Everytime they listened to me, they seemed happy, making me realize that I didn’t need replicas of my old friends. I couldn’t survive on a dormant friendship with these two with no drama; my attention span is rather small. I need that spark, a little flame to kickstart an entire fire, to quench my thirst for excitement. I’m still in the process of finding friends at Stuyvesant. I learned that it’s supposed to be a difficult process that could take months, years, or sometimes just a sudden chance. I’m still getting over the mindset that in order to feel comfortable, I have to be surrounded by people I’m used to seeing. Life feels more beautiful when you open your eyes wide and look around: the bell ringing, doors swinging open, the teens all storming down the halls, and the occasionally locker slamming shut—and the chatter all make up this crazy symphony that shape shifts everyday. It’s not just disorder, overpopulation, or chaos. It’s real life. I’d be insane if I lived a quiet
life. That quaint and natural life that so many of my old friends dreamed about is nightmarish. I can’t imagine walking through the night without the buzzing chatter and jeering cars. Those moments are when the ghosts of the past come about, whispering and creating trivial thoughts that terrify me. When there’s nothing else to criticize, I can’t stop thinking about all the dumb things I’ve done in the past: asking my Girl Guide leader if her baby was dead, throwing a pinecone and turning my brother’s eyelid green, dropping the Pepsi bottle during my Shakespeare rendition of “Much Ado About Nothing,” and attending my middle school graduation. I didn’t blame the thousands of people who didn’t clap when I got my diploma, because who would cheer for someone they’ve never seen? Only Canadians do that. Unconsciously digging up buried bones prevents me from getting over anything. I’ve noticed that whenever the room gets quiet, I feel the urge to say something dumb. Just something that would provoke a reaction, a conversation of some sort. It’s nervewracking to be around people who like to stare and watch for something loud to happen. I used to want to be that person—the witness, the grey area, the spectator—long ago, back when I was happy to sit in silence. But those dancing thoughts of falling back into my past mistakes morphed into something that drove me crazy, making the thumping of my heart louder and louder until I despised the noise. I’d choose the crowded halls, scraping limbs, and shrieks of laughter over that any day.
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The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Opinions By AYA ALRYYES In elementary school, people knew me as “the reader.” I was seldom found without my nose in a book, and certainly never without one in my hand. And, contrary to what you may be thinking, this wasn’t isolating in the slightest. To me, reading wasn’t a way to escape the world; rather, it was a way to explore new ones. I remember playing the game “Desert Island” in second grade. The game was simple: my peers and I made choices about what we would bring with us to a hypothetical desert island. Most decided on a TV or a pet, but I chose my favorite book—at the time, it was Italo Calvino’s “Italian Folktales.” It seemed impossible to be truly stuck anywhere—to be truly deserted—as long as I had Prezzemolina and Tabagnino the Hunchback to keep me company. My friends looked at me strangely as I answered, but I was secure in my love for reading, and the world of discovery it provided me made their odd glances wellworth it. But now—after a childhood of breezing through books in a matter of hours and being wellacquainted with the local librarians—I can count the number of books I’ve read this past year of my own volition on one hand. It was a gradual change, but a significant one nonetheless. Growing older has meant reading less and less frequently, and it hurts knowing I’ve lost what was once such a big part of my life. Lately, I’ve been looking back and trying to figure out what caused this shift. The answer, it seems, lies in the weakness of my middle school English classes. My transition from elementary to middle school was abrupt for many reasons, one of which was how different the teaching methods were. I was used to smaller classes where everyone
had a say and everyone’s learning methods were accommodated. Middle school, however, offered neither. At Mark Twain, getting through the curriculum, not learning or enjoying one’s education, was what really mattered. And through later experiences in my other English classes, I have learned this to be dishearteningly—but unequivocally—true. To do well on tests in my sixth grade English class, I needed to memorize the most minute and insignificant details of the books we read. I distinctly remember losing three points on the written response portion of an exam because I misidentified the object a character had used to hit another character. The rest of my response was correct, and insofar as I could tell, insightful. But when I approached my teacher about my seemingly unfair grade, I remember her shaking her head dismissively, telling me that she took the points off because I “clearly didn’t comprehend the book.” In seventh grade, we read “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros. It is a critically acclaimed book, but at the time, I abhorred it. In every class discussion, someone would explain their interpretation of the book only to be corrected by our teacher. I stopped raising my hand and participating as much as before, because all it did was make me feel foolish when my teacher would smirk and explain all the reasons my thoughts and interpretations of “Mango Street” were wrong. My middle school English classes thus taught me that reading is about two things: memorization and correctness. Its sole purpose was mere retention of the “right” details. There is only ever one moral or message of the story, and that the teacher must tell you what it is. Before middle school, I had
never even considered the question of whether I was reading “correctly” or had the “right” interpretation of my favorite books. But today, those discussions make it difficult for me to read a book without thinking about it in the frame of “correctness.” And the fear of being wrong has been allconsuming, closing doors to the world of discovery that I once held so dear. My father—a professor with a Ph.D. in comparative literature who has always taken interest in my English class endeavors—was appalled when I described the way we were being taught. He shares my distaste for my previous English teachers’ approach, instead believing that there is no singular message or correct answer in literature—to him, a work of literature may know more than its author knew, or serve a purpose other than what they intended. As such, it is illogical for any individual, including teachers, to claim possession of the sole “correct” interpretation of a book. I want to clarify, however, that I am by no means trying to criticize English teachers at large. I’ve simply had the misfortune of having a few teachers whose wellintentioned but inept methods resulted in negative consequences. The three I have had so far in my time at Stuyvesant have been nothing short of incredible. In fact, they have been catalysts for the restoration of my relationship with reading. It took me only one day to realize that high school English classes would be much different from what I had experienced in middle school. On the first day of my freshman year, my teacher gave the class excerpts of poems and articles to read and discuss. I had resolved to start the year and my high school experience off well, a large part of which involved me participating more fre-
Ismath Maksura / The Spectator
What Teaching Literature Isn’t
quently. When we moved into a class discussion, I hesitantly rose my hand and began to speak. My teacher met my words with not the smug, dismissive looks that I had grown so accustomed to, but rather a smile and nod of encouragement. As I was speaking, she softly interjected, directing me to “speak to the class.” I realized that I had just been staring at her, trying to read her expression to see whether what I was saying was right or not. The concept of English classes being about working with others to truly understand and appreciate readings seemed almost foreign. But, over the past
one and a half years, thanks to Stuyvesant’s English department, I’ve relearned that this is exactly how literature should be taught. And my positive in-class experiences have prompted me to make conscious efforts to renew my passion for reading. A few days ago, I picked up “The House on Mango Street” for the first time since seventh grade. I only read a few pages, but it was enough to move me to tears. Books, despite my middle school memories, have always meant home. And, little by little, I’m rediscovering the same magic in reading that I loved when I was younger.
“The Horrors of Hollywood” ft. Harvey Weinstein
By LAMIA HAQUE
Beyond the blinding, golden doors of Hollywood is a world of coercion—a world in which Harvey Weinstein lies front and center. The story of the Oscarwinning film producer is riddled with decades of sexual assault allegations that have recently caused tremendous chaos in New York City (NYC) and Los Angeles (LA) courts. His current charges include one felony count of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force, and sexual battery by restraint. If convicted, Weinstein will face up to 28 years in prison. Though his crimes have only recently been brought to court, the Hollywood producer’s crimes first began in LA over two decades ago, when he invited young actress Ashley Judd to the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel. His invite came under the pretense that it was a mere business breakfast meeting. But when they met, he brought her up to his room, attempting to coax her into having sexual relations with him in exchange for a chance in the film industry. She quickly left. This rejection, however, did not discourage Weinstein; he invited Emily Nestor, one of his employees, to the same hotel in 2014 and offered her the same deal as that of Judd. Weinstein forced a fe-
male assistant to give him a massage while he was naked in 2015. Each victim was afraid to take action because of Weinstein’s tremendous power in the film industry. They feared that refusal would mark the beginning of the end of their careers. Weinstein’s crimes eventually extended from coast to coast: Dawn Dunning met with Weinstein in NYC over a period of several months in 2004 to discuss potential roles in his movies a n d do screen tests.
up her skirt during a meeting at a hotel in Soho, she shrugged it off. Dunning wanted her break in the film industry, and disregarding his behavior seemed like a necessary evil for true success. However, events escalated at their next meeting in a hotel near Park Av
was left with neither the audition nor the role that she sought, but rather traumatic memories and immense emotional distress. In each instance, Weinstein used his fame to take advantage of young women hoping to enter the film industry. While women like
Judd and Dun-
ning were able to es
Ka Seng Soo / The Spectator
W hen Weinstein commented on her body, Dunning chose to ignore what she thought were harmless remarks. When he put his hand
enue, where Weinstein “cut to the chase,” showing her contracts for three films in exchange for her consent to a threesome. Dunning left the hotel with her dreams crushed and her dignity lost. In the summer of 2005, Weinstein raped Tarale Wulff at his downtown Manhattan apartment. He had asked her to meet for a possible role in one of his movies, and then told her that he had a vasectomy before forcing her onto his bed. Wulff froze but could not do anything to stop Weinstein. She
cape, others like Wulff were unable to stand their ground against the ever-powerful figure. It was a matter of domination and subjugation, a fight of power. And it was a fight that Weinstein knew he would always win, which emboldened him further to continue his disgusting behavior. Though his private image is stained by his years of sexual assault, Weinstein presents himself in public as a “liberal lion” and a “champion of women.” In fact, the film producer’s defenders posit that his case is an exam-
ple of the #MeToo movement “gone too far.” But the notion that scrutiny of blatant, repeated sexual assault has “gone too far” is absurd, especially in the context that an American is raped every 92 seconds. The mere prevalence of sexual abuse in our society renders this assertion invalid and the movement imperative. In their attempts to exonerate Weinstein, defenders cheapen this key movement and—even worse—empower other sexual predators, sending the false message that their behavior is acceptable. Thus, the delivery of Weinstein’s long, overdue punishment is critical, and his film industry success should not and must not excuse him from facing it. On a broader scale, Weinstein’s lack of punishment would pose a threat not only to women who wish to enter the film industry, but also to working women at large. If Weinstein were to be acquitted and his victims were to be deprived of the justice they deserved, future women in the workforce might be even further discouraged to speak out about their male colleagues’ inappropriate behavior—vocalizing their concerns would seem but a futile endeavor. Thus, to create real change in the face of defendants attempting to clear Weinstein’s name, champions of the #MeToo movement must push further and rally harder. Unity in light of sexual assault is still unity, and it is as powerful as ever.
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
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Opinions By YEWON CHANG
The Coronavirus: A Viral Excuse for Racism
The 2019-nCoV—better known as the coronavirus— has begun to infiltrate immune systems, the media, and nearly every aspect of our daily lives. As sensational headlines blare, the global community’s panic intensifies. Both these fearinducing pathogens circulating through the air and the fearinducing news circulating on air have brought out the very worst in the people they infect. The 2019 novel coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, is a new strain of the respiratory infection-causing coronavirus. Symptoms range from mild fever and dry cough to pneumonia and death. As of February 4, 10:30 PM EST, the global death toll and number of cases confirmed stand at 490 and 23,324, respectively, and are expected to rise exponentially. The outbreak, which began in mid-December 2019, gained mass media attention in mid-January as the virus spiraled into an epidemic. 2019nCoV now has the potential to become a pandemic as well; as of February 4, there were 11 cases in the United States alone. Furthermore, the majority of the infected are asymptomatic; this lack of visible symptoms puts victims at greater risk of unknowingly transmitting the virus to others. In addition, China’s previous botched attempt to prevent coverage of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic greatly lowered its credibility within the international community. Rumors of a similar cover-up for the coronavirus have circulated and become prevalent across all social media platforms. The average citizen, then, is forced to decide between clickbait articles with outlandish claims—such as several that claim Bill Gates funded research that released the virus—and China’s official but seemingly untrustworthy reports. Many people choose to follow the outlandish articles, thus exacerbating the current panic on a greater scale than the Chinese state’s lack of transparency does. Most notably, a video promoted by the Daily Mail of a Chinese woman eating bat soup in Wuhan went viral, and she was subsequently attacked by various Twitter users. Their claim that the “disgusting” cuisines of China and their unsanitary wet markets caused the disease soon became a popular opinion. Though it was shortly confirmed that the video was shot by an online travel show in Palau, an island-country in the Pacific ocean, and that early coronavirus victims had no
contact with such wet markets, many still unabashedly utilize the bat-eating video as a racist example of dirty Chinese disease carriers. Meanwhile, nations themselves seem to have trouble implementing preventative measures without triggering further xenophobia. A Twitter user named Zack Tang relayed the story of a traveler who “escaped” Wuhan to the Toronto Pearson International Airport on January 23. The airport enthusiastically responded, “Thank you for letting us know!! We will share this information with Canada Immigration.” Amidst fear ful cries to quaran tine the woman, one user demanded, “For God’s sake keep [her] away from us!!!!” Perhaps more concerning than this clear violation of the traveler’s privacy and civil liberties is the fact that the airport immediately accepted an unverified story from an unknown user. Understandably, precaution is necessary when it comes to epidemics, but when a major organization announces on a massive online platform that it will readily accept and believe such a story, it only causes naive fear and destruction. In doing so, the airport has unintentionally set a precedent: unsupported accusations against Chinese travellers as coronavirus-carriers and Wuhan escapees are welcome. In such a context, many dismiss these incidents as “cherry-picking,” especially because they were recorded in the very early stages of the epidemic. However, history tells a far different story. Honolulu’s Board of Health issued an exclusive military quarantine of Chinatown in Decemeber of 1899 after several Chinese immigrants died of the bubonic plague. After such drastic measures did not contain the spread of the disease, officials set 41 fires to burn infected buildings, leaving 7,000 homeless and in detention camps. Soon after, San Francisco was struck with the bubonic plague in 1900. Similar quarantine measures were instituted in Chinatown, and rac-
ism was further intensified by various political cartoons that cruelly depicted the Chinese as disease-carriers. The Chinese Exclusion Act, established in 1882 to halt the immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States, was indefinitely extended as a result. Though differences such as the origin of the coro
Sophia Li / The Spectator
navirus in China and the lack of outright sinophobic legislation set the two cases apart, historical events still support the grim prediction that racism will only worsen alongside the epidemic. To witness the interplay of various age-old stereotypes—
such as Asians eating disgusting, contaminated food and preferring unsanitary conditions—is terrifying. Diseases already destroy our livelihood, safety, and security—we must not allow the coronavirus to dismantle the progress we have made in combating racism, too. Thus, practical solutions are imperative to eliminate paranoia and combat the coronavirus properly. First, the media must evaluate their stories more carefully before publication or promotion. Favoring profitable clickbait articles that bring readers emmasse over journalistic values is not only immoral, but dangerously divi sive in times of crisis. Small blogs and major media platforms alike must re-adopt their responsibilities and engage in far more vigorous fact-checking to verify their stories. As for public entities, it seems that many have forgotten their responsibilities. All states and associated organizations must understand that their influence on the people should be used to protect against, not to promote, unrest and animosity. Rather than rushing to implement extreme policies with crisis-inducing consequences—such as the burned buildings and racist political cartoons that resulted from bubonic plague preventive measures—they should prioritize the wellbeing of their citizens
by including them in solutionmaking. An inclusive example would be to hold an open dialogue with Asians of their country in order to lessen the vulnerability of citizens to both the coronavirus and the consequent xenophobic panic. Finally, as the backbone of society, the people must serve as a stable and strong support as disaster shakes us to the core. In short, we should watch our words. There is a vast difference between recognizing that the coronavirus originated in China and accusing Chinese people of causing the coronavirus. It is mainly by misfortune that the 2019-nCoV originated in Wuhan, as it was that the 2014 Ebola outbreak originated in West Africa. If society is still hell-bent on playing the blame game, we must rather blame the lack of proper medical care that allowed the coronavirus to flourish, not the people who are victims of an underfunded system. Then, we must go beyond mere assignment of blame and act upon our concerns by donating to foundations and relief organizations that provide aid to Wuhan. The coronavirus is a serious, frightening disease, but it is still within our hands to take appropriate action against it. Venting frustration at our inaction through racist and xenophobic remarks is highly inefficient, and for a society as divided as ours, will accomplish nothing but further hatred. It is often said that the earlier you diagnose a disease, the greater chance you have of overcoming it. Thankfully, the coronavirus is still in its initial stages, and the same applies to our modern racism pandemic. We have identified the toxins of xenophobia that entered our society’s bloodstream, and it is now time to eradicate it from our system, once and for all.
Masks At Stuyvesant Since the coronavirus outbreak gained traction in mid-January, there has been a noticeable increase in mask-wearers throughout New York City. Especially at Stuyvesant, it is common to see a classmate or two wearing a surgical mask in school. However, the CDC does not consider the common surgical mask as respiratory protection against the airborne disease, as loose-fitting masks cannot completely prevent the inhalation or exhalation of miniscule particles. Especially because there has been no coronavirus outbreak on the scale of Wuhan’s in the United States, there seems to not be much benefit to wearing one. Additionally, Americans tend to perceive masks as an indicator that the wearer is ill. Thus the social stigma around masks prevents many East Asians from wearing one, for many believe that the racist and xenophobic remarks they would receive are not worth the trouble. It is completely up to the individual to decide whether to wear a mask or not. However, it is important to consider both the pros and cons before strapping one on.
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The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Opinions The 2020 Presidential Election: A Spec Explainer
By JONATHAN SCHNEIDERMAN
The 2020 election has been raging for a bit over a year— since Mass. Senator Elizabeth Warren launched an exploratory committee on December 31, 2018. But 13 months and 32 campaigns later, the Iowa caucuses are behind us; the New Hampshire primary is five days away; and the New York primary, in which a fair number of Stuyvesant students will be voting, is just two months away. With the daily deluge of news coverage, it can be difficult to follow the election, especially if you are a well-adjusted person and didn’t start following it last spring. Here then is The Spectator’s very own explainer on the 2020 Presidential Election. Part 0: Are There Republicans Running? Technically, there are two fields right now: a Democratic field and a Republican field. The Democratic field has narrowed down to 11 candidates, five or six of whom could be said to have a remotely plausible shot at the nomination. Right now, that’s where the real election is. The Republican field consists of President Donald Trump and a handful of challengers who are running more to make antiTrump statements than to win the nomination, at which they have no shot. They are former Ill. Representative William Joseph “Joe” Walsh and former Mass. Governor (and 2016 Libertarian Party candidate for Vice President) William “Bill” Weld; former S.C. Governor Marshall “Mark” Sanford ended his campaign in November. The New York Times has a fantastic and intuitive graphic explaining who is, was, and never was running; we strongly recommend it. Part I: What’s the Shape of this Thing? Or, What’s an Iowa Caucus? The Democratic Primary is the race to nominate someone to run against President Trump as the Democratic Candidate. It consists of a series of statewide contests over the course of the five months from February to June. In each statewide contest, a certain number of delegates are awarded to each candidate based on their performance in that
state—sort of like a one-party version of the electoral college with way more electors and stretched over half a year. The Iowa caucuses, which were held on February 3, were the first of these statewide contests, and that is the sole reason they are so important; the number of delegates that Iowa actually contributes to the nominating process is unremarkable. A great Iowa performance can propel struggling candidates by making others take them seriously. For instance, Sen. Barack Obama’s victory in the 2008
Amy Klobuchar
Michael Bloomberg
cus space. The caucuses go on for some time throughout the night, during which caucusers can move around from candidate to candidate. The caucus method has drawn some criticism for its lack of closed ballot voting and the fact that its time-consumption is exclusionary toward people who work long hours and people with children. We don’t have conclusive results in Iowa. The reporting process for the results went awry, resulting in their trickling out over the course of the past week, rather than coming out in full
Bernie Sanders
Joe Biden
precise numbers end up being, we can say this pretty confidently about Iowa: Sanders and Buttigieg essentially won in a tie. This is pretty good for Sanders, who was expected to win the caucuses and is now most favored by the political prognostication blog FiveThirtyEight to win the nomination, but it’s really good for Buttigieg, who was not expected to do terribly well and who was widely thought to need a win in Iowa to have a shot at the nomination; he got one. There will be three other contests in February. Along with
Elizabeth Warren
Pete Buttigieg
Adrianna Peng / The Spectator
Iowa caucuses sent him from trailing 20 points in national polls behind Sen. Hillary Clinton to being right behind her, while her third-place performance established her vulnerability; a little over a month later, he overtook her, and the rest is history. Similarly, the surprising performance of Vt. Senator Bernard “Bernie” Sanders (also a 2020 candidate) in Iowa in 2016 showed he was running a real campaign and wasn’t just a protest candidate against Secretary Clinton, and Ted Cruz’s victory in the 2016 Iowa caucuses established him as the leading non-Trump candidate of the Republican field. In other words, a lot of establishing goes on in Iowa, and that’s its value. Underdogs hope it will give them a boost, and favorites hope it won’t embarrass them. The reason they’re called the “Iowa caucuses” rather than the “Iowa primary” is because they are, well, a bunch of caucuses. Instead of Iowa Democrats casting a closed-ballot vote for a candidate, they go to openly declare their support for their candidate of choice, standing in their candidate’s area of the cau-
by the end of the night of the caucuses, as is usual. And then, a few days ago, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez called for a recount amid widespread reports of flaws in the counting process. While the Iowa Demoratic Party (IDP) has declared South Bemd, Ind. Mayor Peter “Pete” Buttigieg the victor, Perez has stood by his call, though he has clarified that he only wants a recount in certain districts. At this point, Mayor Buttigeig and Sanders have both declared victory. Buttigieg is pointing to the fact that, by the IDP’s official count, he won the most state delegate equivalents, an Electoral College-like measure that determines the winner of the caucuses; Sanders is pointing to the fact that, also by the official count, he had the most individual supporters at the caucuses. Both candidates’ claims are based on a combination of their campaigns’ independently collected data and the official results, neither of which is necessarily reliable. Don’t hold your breath for full results. But, regardless of what the
Iowa, they make up the “early state contests”: the New Hampshire primary (February 11), the Nevada caucuses (February 22), and the South Carolina primary (February 29). Then, March 3 will see Super Tuesday, when there will be 1616 primaries, many of them in the South and one in California, which contributes a lot of delegates to the nominating process. On Super Tuesday, one candidate traditionally pulls ahead of the pack, either clinching the nomination— that is, passing the threshold of delegates needed to win the nomination—or gaining a nearinsurmountable lead. The nominating contests will last until June (with the New York primary on April 28), and from July 13 to July 16, Milwaukee, Wisconsin will host the Democratic National Convention, where the delegates elected in the statewide contests will officially vote on a nominee. At this point, one candidate will likely have clinched the nomination, from a combination of delegates they won themselves and delegates won by a candidate who later dropped out. The Na-
tional Convention is usually essentially a coronation. The one surprise might be the Vice Presidential pick, depending on how coy the nominee is about their pick. Traditionally, the nominee announces their pick a few days before the convention. There is a small possibility, however, that there will be no presumptive nominee by July. If this were to happen, there would be a brokered convention, during which candidates actually have to battle it out. At a brokered convention, the delegates vote multiple times (103, in 1924) on a nominee, until they arrive at a winner. At a brokered convention, all bets are off. New candidates can enter the race. Old candidates can come back. Delegates switch from candidate to candidate. Kingmakers emerge. The convention, which is supposed to be a celebration of party unity, becomes a no-holds-barred contest between the various camps. It’s brutal—and it would almost certainly weaken whomever the eventual nominee was. On the Republican side, things will be much simpler. Barring removal from office, Trump will be the nominee, and the Republican National Convention (from August 24 to August 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina) will be a celebration of his first term and an attack on the Democratic Party and its nominee. For the next several months, the general election—that is, the election between Trump and the Democratic nominee—will be in full swing. In September and October, there will be three Presidential debates and one Vice Presidential debate, and on November 3, 2020, Americans will pick electors to pick the next President. Read the rest of this explainer here:
Sweets for Sweethearts By THE ART DEPARTMENT
Susannah Ahn
Serena Chan
Delia Qiu
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
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The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Arts and Entertainment Art By JAVED JOKHAI The title “art journalist” exists in a similar vein as “civil war” and “old news,” in that it’s truly oxymoronic. Art, in its most essential state, is using the ordinary to create something larger than the sum of its parts. In contrast, the work of a journalist is akin to that of a detective, in which we extract a concise, distilled truth from the immense web of reality. There’s no real definition of an art journalist, at least not one that is completely accurate. Instead of getting bogged down in semantics, we art journalists circumvent a solid definition and make up our job title as we go. This usually goes quite well, seeing as the title is never tested, even by our editors. I thought I would never be in a situation where I would have to question what my denomination truly means. I was wrong. You may have never heard of “The Comedian” or Maurizio Cattelan, the artist of the work. But unless you completely avoid the Internet or news, you have probably seen it or at least one of its hundreds of parodies and pastiches. “The Comedian” by Maurizio Cattelan is the banana duct-taped to the wall at Miami’s annual Art Basel that was sold for $120,000 and caused a massive reaction amongst both art lovers and art haters. Considered both conceptual art and an art assignment—as it is art focused on representing a singular idea and comes with instructions on how to create the piece—“The Comedian” is one example in a long line of Cattelan’s art pranks. His past “joke works” include statues of giant middle fingers, taxidermied golden retrievers, and his previously most famous work, a golden toilet titled “America” that was available for use at the Guggenheim. However offensive his previous works may be, none have rocked the mainstream more than “The Comedian,” which is sur-
Music By LIANNE OHAYON The Grammys are the biggest night in music of the year. With incredible performances by prominent artists and awards commemorating achievements in music and production, the Grammys never fail to disappoint. We laughed, cried, and sang along to emotional ballads by Billie Eilish and Demi Lovato and electric songs by Lizzo and Ariana Grande. Despite the somber tone of the evening due to basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s death earlier that day, the Grammys paid their respects while showcasing this year’s phenomenal music. Hosted by Alicia Keys, here are some of the most memorable performances of the night. Keys serenaded the crowd with a parody of Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” on the piano. Her clever references to musicians like Cardi B, Ariana Grande, and Billie Eilish gave the Grammys a lighthearted and personal feel, highlighting warm personality and passion for music. Following her parody, Keys and the ‘90s band Boyz II Men performed a heartfelt acapella version of their song “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” in honor of Kobe Bryant. As the opening performance, Lizzo started the night off with a bang. Winning two Grammys, she
Outrage As Art: How Do We Talk About “The Comedian”? prising given the inoffensive na- interpretation of the artwork beture of the work compared to his ing “a wry commentary on sociprevious attempts at getting the ety, power, and authority,” but I public’s attention. believe the more interesting part is This seemingly unprovoked their recognition of the interactive outrage begs the question: why? nature of the piece. As opposed Why is it that a banana duct-taped to simply studying or observing to a wall is worthy of such at- the art, Art Basel Miami distinctly tention? Before answering this, says in an Instagram post that the an exceptionally complicated exhibit visitors that wait in line yet underrated question must be to take pictures with the work brought to the table: what even are “participating” in “The Cois “The Comedian”? The obvious median.” This would lead me to answer of tape and banana has conclude that “The Comedian,” already been mentioned, but this or rather, the concept behind the reductive response not only just piece, has nothing to do with bascratches the surface while ignor- nanas and duct tape but instead ing the possible depths, but it was the outrage. The millions of reacalso disproven at the exhibition. tions, both positive and negative, Well-regarded New York artist all the parodies, pastiches, and David Datuna used “The Come- memes referencing the work, and dian” as a prop in his own perall serious artistic discussions of formance art, titled “Hungry the piece, including this article, are Artist.” To put it bluntthe true spectacle of Catly, he did what we all telan’s work. All of us wished we could: he ate are the butt of the $120,000 banana. A the joke of rather obvious prank, “The Coyes, but what Datuna median,” for inadvertently exposed our swiftness to was something fascinatreact has caused us ing. Eating the banana all to waste time caring in no way hindered about a fruit signifythe exhibiting of ing nothing: the piece. UsC a t t e l a n’s ing the cergreatest tificate of magic trick. Sophia Zhao / The Spectator So how do authenticity purchased we talk about an artwork that infrom Maurizio C a t - sults us for simply trying to undertelan, the gallery was able to stand it? Some of the audience of reassemble an authentic Cattelan “The Comedian,” or rather particall by themselves. This would im- ipants, suggest avoiding discourse ply that the true art lies not in the altogether. Just as one would deal banana but in the unadulterated with an attention-seeking person, idea protected by the certificate some suggest withholding the one which manifests itself via taped thing both “The Comedian” and fruit. Cattelan himself crave—acknowlGoing off the implication that edgment. For what is a joke if no “The Comedian” is not simply one’s there to hear it? In fact, I the banana one sees but rather an grappled with not writing an arabstract concept, hence the genre ticle about “The Comedian” at all “conceptual art,” what is the idea? out of spite. Despite how satisfyWe grasp an idea of what it could ing that may be, it adds nothing to be by the gallery’s description of the world’s artistic collective intelthe piece. Of course, one could ligence and serves no one but my easily accept the Perrotin Gallery’s ego, as well as the egos of fellow
art critics. This is why discussing “The Comedian” is so difficult for art journalists. The traditional journalistic approach would rip Cattelan’s work to shreds as it is untruthful and disingenuous. However, the artist’s approach would be to praise Cattelan not only for his monetary success but for creating a piece that could possibly go down in the western canon, making me a fool. An identity at odds with itself, how does one cope with the dichotomy? Well, first recognize that this dichotomy is a false one, and then embrace the third option: facing the embarrassing confusion. If there is any moral or lesson “The Comedian” has to offer, whether unintentionally or intentionally, it’s that it’s better to be authentically confused than inauthentically pompous and sure of oneself. It’s okay for people, myself included, to be confused by the meaning of a banana on a wall because that’s the natural reaction. Being vulnerable and asking “silly” questions like “what is ‘The Comedian’ really?” is more honorable than being a snobby art critic using a banana to pontificate about status and power. At the end of the day, “The Comedian” makes fun of all of us equally. And by accepting this truth, we are able to return the favor and give “The Comedian” its own fair share of criticism. Ironically, Maurizio Cattelan becomes the butt of his own joke. Despite masquerading as someone subversive and against the commodity-fetishizing art world, he hypocritically submits to the institution and makes $120,000 off a piece of fruit. By trying to insult everyone, Cattelan has become the epitome of the people he attempted to make fun of. A roast that is directed at someone else but also applies to oneself is more of a joke on the insulter than the insulted. If “The Comedian” is the banana that the whole world slipped on, no one fell harder than Maurizio Cattelan.
Grading the Grammys arranged an energetic mashup of her songs “Cuz I Love You” and “Truth Hurts,” performing with a live orchestra. In between the songs, ballet dancers came out in tutus and pointe shoes. During “Truth Hurts,” she featured her well-known instrument, “Sasha Flute.” Her powerful belt and rap conveyed timeless messages of feminism and self-confidence. Ariana Grande gave a memorable performance by remixing
jama sets for her performance of “7 rings.” Rapper Tyler, the Creator’s electric performance shocked us all. He sang “EARFQUAKE” and “NEW MAGIC WAND” from his Grammy-winning album “Igor” (2019) alongside Charlie Wilson and Boyz II Men. His innovative backdrop (a neighborhood that eventually burst into CGI flames), erratic routine, and the vibrant suits and platinum
We laughed, cried, and sang along to emotional ballads sung by Billie Eilish and Demi Lovato and electric performances by Lizzo and Ariana Grande. her songs “Imagine,” “7 rings,” and “thank u, next.” Grande performed with a live orchestra for “Imagine” and an excerpt from the song “My Favorite Things” from the musical “Sound of Music” (1965) by Rodgers and Hammerstein, showing off her amazing range and incredible mix. Transitioning from a classic black stage to an adorned pink bedroom, Grande and her backup dancers were dressed in pink pa-
blonde bowl cuts of the dancers added to the creativity and liveliness of this performance. Billie Eilish, who won four Grammys (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist) performed a stripped-back version of “when the party’s over” alongside her brother and producer Finneas O’Connell, singing with only a piano and background singers. Eilish showcased her melodic voice and
captivated the audience with the intimate and raw ballad. Lil Nas X performed his hit song of the summer “Old Town Road” with BTS, Diplo, Mason Ramsey, and Billy Ray Cyrus. The rotating set in the background featured a melting green skull, an urban city, Lil Nas X’s living room, and a pink and silver horse stable. Unfortunately, due to the diverse range of artists like BTS and Mason Ramsey featured, the blend of genres was random and disorganized, detracting from the performance. Finally, Demi Lovato performed an intimate ballad titled “Anyone” that she wrote before her drug overdose and hospitalization back in 2018. Lovato even stopped and started over after tearing up, reflecting her struggle with self-love in her musical career. Her skillful vibrato and soulful voice expressed how powerless and alone she felt at the time, resonating with the audience. Throughout the years, the Grammys have developed into a night that values musical talent, creativity, and diversity, even developing the categories to represent more artists. As the music business has grown, the Grammys have become an awards show for lovers of Country, Pop, Rock, Latin music and much more.
Playlist Hip Hop Takeover! By THE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT DEPARTMENT Whether it be mumble, lyrical, trap, or old school, the popularity of hip-hop is unavoidable. In this issue, the Arts and Entertainment writers compiled a list of some of our favorite Hip-hop songs… I Wonder Kanye West Hip-hop/Rap How Much a Dollar Cost? Kendrick Lamar Hip-hop/Rap Rap God Eminem Hip-hop/Rap Act Up City Girls Hip-hop/Rap Baby Lil Baby & DaBaby Hip-hop/Rap SPEEDBOAT Denzel Curry Hip-hop/Rap Tribe Bas & J. Cole Hip-hop/Rap IV. Sweatpants Childish Gambino Hip-hop/Rap Mo Money, Mo Problems The Notorious B.I.G. Hip-hop/Rap Super Rich Kids Frank Ocean & Earl Sweatshirt Hip-hop/Rap 90210 Travis Scott Hip-hop/Rap GONE GONE/THANK YOU Tyler, the Creator Hip-hop/Rap The Box Roddy Rich Hip-hop/Rap Now I Made It Lil Blurry Hip-hop/Rap R.I.P. Playboi Carti Hip-hop/Rap Diamonds from Sierra Leone Kanye West & JAY Z Hip-hop/Rap INTRO DaBaby Hip-hop/Rap Yo Love Vince Staples, 6LACK, Mereba Hip-hop/Rap Tints Anderson .Paak & Kendrick Lamar Hip-hop/Rap
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
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Arts and Entertainment Going Full Circle: Mac Miller’s Final Album
Music By MORRIS RASKIN “I heard they don’t talk about me too much no more / And that’s a problem with a closed door.” The entire music world ground to a halt when news of Mac Miller’s untimely passing reached major news outlets in the fall of 2018. The 26-year-old rapper made an impressive impact on Hip-hop despite his relatively brief stint in the community, releasing six studio albums in the span of seven years. Miller’s most recent effort, his first and final posthumous album “Circles,” acts as a counterpart to his 2018 project “Swimming,” an album that gracefully navigates complex themes like addiction, depression, and heartbreak. “Circles” differentiates itself by looking at these topics through a more optimistic point of view, making the album all the more tragic in the wake of Miller’s death. “Circles” is a beautifully minimalistic project that is the perfect capstone to a tumultuous career for the Pittsburgh rapper. Miller’s first project “Blue Slide Park” back in 2011 received a measly
1/10 on Pitchfork, a prestigious music review website; it was their lowest-reviewed album of the year. However, with each project, the Pennsylvania native changed and evolved, and his final two albums each received a 7.5/10. Miller’s growth is undeniably apparent on “Circles,” which was recorded before the rapper’s death but mixed and mastered after he passed away. Opening with a progression of gentle chords blended with mournful guitars and a solemn electric piano, the introductory moments of “Circles” set the tone for most of the album to follow: reflective, optimistic, and just a bit regretful. The first words uttered in the project speak volumes about Miller’s state in his final days. “Well, this is what it look like right before you fall.” At its core, “Circles” is an album that has managed to accomplish a feat that dozens of artists have tried and failed to complete in the past. “Circles” is a coherent, moving, and thoughtful posthumous album, straying from the path that the estates of artists such as XXXTENTACION and Lil Peep have set. Handled
news, good news, good news / That’s all they wanna hear / No, they don’t like it when I’m down.” From a purely musical standpoint, this album is also as much a triumph as from a songwriting standpoint. With tracks ranging from being crushingly depressing to giddy and wide-eyed, a vast range of instruments and production techniques were utilized to make everything flow. Tracks like “Blue World” have the bounce and joy of a peppy Anderson .Paak track, with lyrics that provide an optimistic view into the end of Mac Miller’s life: “The devil on my doorstep bein’ so shady / Mmm, don’t trip / We don’t gotta let him in, don’t trip.” On the flip side, a number of tracks filled with airy guitars, soft electric pianos, and slow thumping drums provide a more realistic depiction of what his demise probably looked like. Miller gets by on the variety, with no two songs sounding the same but having enough cohesion to have a real flow to each track. This album was released just over 500 days after the rapper’s passing, a respectful amount of time to mourn but not too long to sit on the work that the artist
wanted to get out into the world. “Circles” was released with more grace than most projects that come from artists that are currently alive, which came as a shock to much of the Hip-hop community. Miller’s family released a statement a week before the album’s release, announcing the project to the world. “This is a complicated process that has no right answer,” the statement read. “We simply know that it was important to Malcolm for the world to hear it.” That was the only piece of promotion that any Mac Miller official social media account reported, and it promised that “Circles” was Miller’s last album to be released. “Circles” was launched into the world a week later on January 17, 2020. It is safe to say that the rapper went out with a bang. “Circles” by Mac Miller is a complex album. It doesn’t fit into one true genre but rather is a blend of Hip-hop, R&B, and Pop, with influences from Rock, the blues, and jazz. Gliding smoothly between introspective, optimistic, and remorseful, the project manages to do what most posthumous albums never can: give the artist at hand a fitting ending.
Let’s Talk About Sex (Again)
Television By JULIE GRANDCHAMPDESRAUX
with care and precision, “Circles” avoids the cash-grab trap that has left many similar artists’ reputations in ruins. “Circles” achieves this through a blend of complex songwriting, beautiful production, masterful artistry, and brilliant timing. In his lyrics, Miller doesn’t shy away from heavy topics such as addiction, death, and his waning fame. Instead, he brings them to light without judgment. “Everybody keep rushing / Why aren’t we taking our time? / Every now and again, baby, I get high,” he croons on the album’s final track “Once a Day,” accepting these facts without prejudice and simply presenting them for the listener to interpret for themselves. With a close listen, one can also lyrically understand the album “Circles” to be a cry for help. On “I Can See,” Miller raps, “Well, I need somebody to save me / Before I drive myself crazy.” This is just one of the numerous red flags of a deteriorating mental state that Miller displays throughout the body of work. Tracks like “Good News” further showcase Miller’s isolation in his final days, with the rapper singing “Good
and chaotic as its first. The second season picks up right where the first season left off but makes sure to give its viewers an understanding of where all the characters are now. Otis, the awkward virgin who ran an un-
again, and Otis’s mother comes in as an interim sex counselor. After watching the first season, I was sure the show had peaked. In an ocean of misogynistic, boring, and repetitive shows about teenagers navigating the tricky waters of
Fariha Mabud / The Spectator
“Sex Education” doesn’t waste any time getting back into the awkwardness that makes the show so fun to watch. Its second season begins by paneling over Otis (Asa Butterfield), who after spending the first season being unable to and complaining about it, spends the opening scene of the first episode masturbating nonstop. It’s a bold start to the new season, but it assures viewers that season two will be just as funny, embarrassing
derground sex clinic, is finally in a relationship with Ola (Patricia Allison), the daughter of the man his mother Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson) is dating. Eric Effiong (Ncuti Gatwa), Otis’s best friend, is now in his first gay relationship with a new student. Meanwhile, Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) quickly manages to get re-enrolled into school after being expelled by blackmailing her principal with their school’s rampant cheating. After a chlamydia outbreak rips through the school, Otis and Maeve agree to run the clinic once
sex, drugs, and high school, “Sex Education” brings a completely new perspective to all of these topics and goes above and beyond in its second season. Instead of ignoring the awkwardness that surrounds adolescence, “Sex Education” makes this subject its first priority by addressing real problems that teenagers face: anxiety, disabilities, consent, sexual harassment, and much more. It’s common for new shows to include greater diversity as the public pushes for representation in the media, but what separates “Sex Education” from shows like “Orange Is The New Black” (2012-2019) or “Insatiable” (2018) is that in this past season, it has represented the largest diversity of characters I’ve ever seen in a TV show. This show elevates past the overused tropes that so many shows simply throw into their character pool to make it seem appealing to a wide variety of viewers. Season two brings brand new characters to the table, like an asexual character who feels broken for not wanting to have sex. Struggles with sexuality seem to be swept under the rug in much of entertainment considering that there are still many people who believe that sexuality doesn’t exist outside of “gay” or “straight.” However, “Sex Education” makes sure to shine some light on people of each sexual orientation, which I’m sure resonated with millions of viewers besides myself. It also
introduces a disabled character named Isaac (George Robinson) who, for once, isn’t the laughingstock of the show or pitied miserably as so many disabled characters have been in other programs. The show also dedicated an entire episode to talk about the aftermath of dealing with sexual harassment. Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood), one of Maeve’s friends, gets harassed on the bus and experiences flashbacks every time she rides the bus to school. While in detention, Aimee and five other girls each share an instance in which they were sexually harassed. For young girls who have experienced sexual harassment in their lives, this scene was especially significant, as sexual harassment is often taken as a joke or ignored completely in TV and the media. “Sex Education” also brilliantly manages to expose the typical difficulties teenagers can face by introducing a multitude of subplots that are each interconnected, mature, and all the while funny. A personal favorite storyline of mine is the relationship between Jackson Marchetti (Kedar Williams-Stirling), the school’s head boy and swimming champion, and quiz team captain Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu). Jackson promises to help Viv get with a boy that she likes and in exchange, Viv promises to help Jackson with his acting in the school’s production of “Romeo and Juliet.” The two end up helping each other pursue their respective love interests and hobbies and
even help each other cope with anxiety, a problem that specifically follows Jackson throughout the show and becomes a pillar of his character development. Jackson and Viv deeply support each other as friends, and their relationship doesn’t include some awkward stalemate where one party isn’t capable of confessing their love for the other. Unlike almost every other relationship between male and female characters in these types of shows, this friendship focuses mainly on the well-being of the people involved, which allows both characters to freely develop. “Sex Education” tackles a multitude of topics that the media has swept aside by using raw honesty and humor to make them more understandable and relatable. It’s no surprise its second season has a 94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as this show manages to resonate with so many different people. The new season of “Sex Education” shatters every expectation, stereotype, and standard of how adolescence is typically portrayed in entertainment. It’s shows like these that give hope and comfort to people of underrepresented races and sexualities. It’s one of the few shows that truly understand what it means to actually be diverse and succeeds in doing so. There’s no doubt that season two has made “Sex Education” one of Netflix’s best shows and has left its viewers hungry for another season.
Sweets for Sweethearts By THE ART DEPARTMENT
Sophia Li
Ismath Maksura
Michael Hu
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The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Arts and Entertainment Music By ANSON GUAN Eminem is still here, and he wants you to remember that. The 47-year-old rapper is past the point where he can safely rest on his laurels and bask in his days of being America’s musical antihero. He dominated the 2000s with a vicious brand of Hip-hop that combined unrivaled lyrical dexterity with a propensity for taboo topics. Celebrity beef and vilification by the media turned him into a spectacle, and against all odds, the violent, rebellious young rapper achieved pop stardom. It’s 2020 now, and Eminem is the highestselling rapper of all time with a legacy of massively successful albums in his wake. But Eminem’s story has always been one of struggle, and the same hunger that drove him in his prime continues to push him further, for better or for worse. It was definitely for worse with the disgustingly awful comeback project “Revival” (2017) and the bitter tantrum “Kamikaze” (2018). These albums displayed the terrible lyrics, stiff flow, and cheap beats that plagued his latecareer music. As you listen to these albums, it’s hard not to feel like Eminem is a relic, a remnant of the past bitterly lashing out at
Film By GAVIN MCGINLEY “Weathering with You” is, surprisingly, a movie for everyone. The newest film by director Makoto Shinkai, it follows his global hit “Your Name” (2016), which received universal praise for its outstanding animation and script. Shinkai has found broad success in what is, at least internationally, a very niche genre: anime movies. His films have a wide appeal rarely seen in this field, reminiscent of the popularity found by many Studio Ghibli movies. And much like a Studio Ghibli production or its predecessor, “Your Name,” “Weathering with You” is fantastically done, with a great soundtrack, stunning visuals, and a charmingly off-beat yet emotional plot. “Weathering with You” focuses on Hodaka Morishima (Kotaro Daigo), a high school student who runs away from home to live in Tokyo. When Hodaka reaches Tokyo, he finds it to be bleak and unforgiving due to his failure in finding a job. His job search is worsened by the constant torrents of rain that shower the city, though its inhabitants accept the flooding as a part of life. He is forced to reach out to Keisuke Suga (Shun Oguri), a man he meets during his trip, to work at his newspaper in exchange for room and board. He then befriends Hina Amano (Nana Mori), an orphan with the power to control the weather. With Hodaka still needing money and Hina needing to support herself and her younger brother, the two start a business using Hina’s power to pray away rain for the many citizens of Tokyo fed up with the neverending downpour. Together, they struggle with the difficulties of adulthood, their budding romance, teenage awkwardness, the magical consequences of Hina’s powers, and the pursuit of social services seeking to bring Hodaka home. While the central storyline of “Weathering with You” is straight-
Eminem Leaves a Trail of Blood on “Music to Be Murdered By” new artists. Thankfully, “Music to Be Murdered By” sees Eminem finally settling in more comfortably into the position of elder statesman of rap. His lyrics are less cringey, his beats are more interesting, and he’s elevating new artists instead of complaining about them. It stands as a reconciliation of Eminem’s past and present as he enters a new decade. “Godzilla” is perhaps the best example of the reformed Eminem as he spits rapid-fire bars over a bouncy, bass-heavy beat. With a chorus from the late Juice WRLD, it successfully bridges Eminem’s hyper-lyrical style with more modern production, an improvement from the stale trap beats of “Kamikaze.” In the final verse, Eminem unleashes one of his signature light speed lyrical barrages. While it is sort of played out at this point in his career, you can’t help but admire his skill as you let his waterfall of words rush over you. While newer artists like the aforementioned Juice WRLD, Anderson .Paak, and Don Toliver pop up in the project, “Music to Be Murdered By” is firmly rooted in what Eminem knows. He continues to be a beacon of controversy, amending old wounds while opening up new ones in the pro-
cess. While he does apologize to Tyler, The Creator for the shots he took on “Kamikaze,” he has faced major backlash due to a line on the track “Unaccommodating” featuring New York’s own Young M.A. In it, Eminem raps “I’m contemplating yelling ‘Bombs away’ on the game / Like I’m outside of an Ariana Grande concert
to the rappers of the ‘80s and ‘90s that made him, which is ironic considering he has become a major influence on countless new artists himself. The combination of each featured rapper’s tight verses, a relentless beat, and a well-used Ol’ Dirty Bastard sample makes it one of the best tracks on the album.
Despite not reaching the heights of his early work, “Music to Be Murdered By” shows that Eminem is still here, still provocative, and still out for blood.
waiting,” a reference to the 2017 Manchester bombing that killed 22 civilians. It’s a reminder that even if Eminem has matured, the indiscriminately volatile nature of his early work is still alive and out for blood, no matter the consequences. Eminem taps into the past in a different way on “Yah Yah,” a ferocious tribute to a bygone era of Hip-hop. With a multitude of features, he pays homage
Eminem’s reliance on the past also manifests itself in less successful ways. His lyrics are still mediocre, and the occasional solid bars don’t save the album from its corny dad jokes (“Like a liar’s pants, I’m on fire”) or awkward sex stories. On the tracks “Never Love Again” and “Farewell,” Eminem retreads the tired topic of his failed romances with tepid results. “Stepdad” would be a dark track
about Eminem’s well-documented parental abuse if not for the chorus, a supremely awkward raprock fusion that you have to hear to believe. “Music to Be Murdered By” also sees the return of Eminem’s bland pop hooks, which were sung by either Ed Sheeran, Skylar Grey, or worst of all, Eminem himself. While “Music to Be Murdered By” has a lot of rough edges, at its heart is Eminem’s most interesting and relevant music in the past few years. Tracks like “You Gon’ Learn,” “Little Engine,” and “Lock It Up,” while not his best works, showcase Eminem’s willingness to experiment with new beats and flows. “Darkness” is a particular standout, with Eminem seemingly rapping about his anxiety before a performance until the song unravels itself; it reveals that he is rapping from the perspective of the Las Vegas shooter who opened fire in a concert and killed over 50 people in 2017. It makes a powerful statement about gun control and mental illness and stands as one of Eminem’s best tracks of his late career. Despite not reaching the heights of his early work, “Music to Be Murdered By” shows that Eminem is still here, still provocative, and still out for blood.
“Weathering with You”: Sorrow and Sogginess forward, the film clearly struggles to balance its many subplots. Shinkai’s films are, first and foremost, romances, but any focus on relationships or internal development in “Weathering With You” takes a back seat since the action-movie stakes of the rest of the film are more pivotal to the plot. Tokyo
certainly would have benefited from a slower pace. Despite this, several of the characters are well-developed. Though he tries to be independent, Hodaka is shown to be incredibly awkward and nervous between his moments of bravery, even hilariously turning to Yahoo Answers for everything from his job
floods, Hodaka is wanted by the police, and Hina struggles with the mystical ramifications of her magical powers, making it difficult for the duo to spend time together. The plot is a little chaotic, and though it focuses on the relationship of the main characters, it doesn’t develop the central romance or the other minor characters in a meaningful way. While the narrative doesn’t lose its emotional poignancy, it
hunt to his work as a writer. He runs away for the simple reason that he hates living in a small town but still lacks the competence to survive alone, so even in Tokyo, he relies heavily on those around him. Though he falls quite heavily under the trope of the amusingly bumbling teenage boy, Hodaka is still relatable enough for his eventual growth and acceptance of responsibility to resonate with the audience. His boss Keisuke, who
Serena Chan / The Spectator
at first seems like the classic nihilistic, alcoholic, scummy mentor, is shown to really care for Hodaka and becomes a kind of quasifather figure. Over the course of the film, he becomes a real family man, perhaps best illustrated by the reveal that Natsumi (Tsubasa Honda), the young woman staying with him, is not his mistress, as Hodaka assumes, but his niece. Confusingly, this is more development than Hina ever gets, with her position as “the sunshine girl” comprising her entire characterization. Her character definitely suffers the most from the film’s cramped storyline; though she is one of the protagonists, she is incredibly onedimensional, never becoming more than an amalgamation of positive traits. Hina only really works as a character in the context of her relationship with Hodaka, as her extreme autonomy and innate usefulness (she is the sole provider for both herself and her brother and has godlike super powers) offers him the support he is unable to achieve himself. While this makes sense in that her role is to quite literally bring sunshine to others, she ends up being the most boring character in a movie despite being the center of everything. However, the highlight of “Weathering with You,” as with any Shinkai film, is the animation and music. Every frame is beautifully drawn in an intricate, photorealistic style of animation, with every rundown building, rainy street, and Sausage McMuf-
fin advertisement (the movie features a disturbingly large amount of product placement) having an elegance that just can’t be found in any other medium. As one would expect with the setting of rain-soaked Tokyo, the most frequent background color is melancholy grey, making every sparse burst of color genuinely magical. Hina’s power to create sunlight visually impacts the audience as she changes the tone of the scene from dreary and dull to vibrant and dream-like. The film also emphasizes its soundtrack, made by the Japanese Rock band Radwimps, with some scenes resembling music videos than cinema. In any other movie, such an abrupt change would be incredibly jarring, but since every moment of “Weathering with You” displays such artistry, the shifting of focus toward the score instead of the dialogue is smooth and functions more as a means to show off the amazing animation and catchy music. “Weathering with You” is not a movie without flaws. With a number of structural problems, it ends up being equal parts fantasy-action and romance, and with neither being fully brought to fruition, the result is a disorganized plot with some disappointingly one-note characters. Despite these issues, the story and narrative maintain a pensive sadness that works perfectly with all of the beautiful shots of Tokyo in the rain. “Weathering with You,” despite its messy storyline, manages to deliver as both a romance, and perhaps more effectively, as a coming-of-age movie, with Hodaka’s maturity being the most compelling part of the film. It’s not often that an animated movie, much less an anime movie, is able to garner wide respect as a serious piece of cinema. So even if you’re the kind of person who wouldn’t touch this genre with a 10-foot pole, check it out. At the very least, the movie looks good.
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The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Humor These articles are works of fiction. All quotes are libel and slander.
Peppa Pig: Beloved Children’s Cartoon or Signal of Ragnarök?
By VICTOR KUANG
By LOGAN RUZZIER As freshmen enter their second semester and begin to transform into bona fide Stuyvesant students, they run into the problems that plague high schoolers and must acquire the common knowledge of the greater school population. This, of course, includes reporting any issues concerning school security and the general assistance of both school staff and fellow pupils. Inexperienced students are often unsure of how to handle certain circumstances. This article saves those unfortunate students by outlining a few solutions to the cases one will inevitably face.
Problem: Your teacher assigns too much homework over the weekend. Verdict: Do not report to the school. Nobody likes a narc. If
of Fenris, Jörmungandr’s wolf brother…thing. Norse mythology doesn’t care about any anatomical legitimacy. When George makes a campfire in that one camping episode, he is burning parts of the Earth. Well, guess what? When released from his chain, Fenris is supposed t o
wat e r dudes. And no one likes poison because people die from it. And traditionally speaking, that kinda sucks. To top it all off, when Peppa and George go out to play in the muddy puddle, it is a disturbing representation of how civilizations everywhere will react. As the pigs laugh, we scream; as the pigs jump and play in the mud, we drown and erode from the foul essence. You’ve read that right: Peppa Pig has been warning all of us since its premiere, and we’ve been too blind to realize it. Additionally, there is substantial evidence of the release
burn half t h e w o r l d down! As the pigs frolic in their warmth, Smokey the Bear will be getting heart attacks left, right, and center until he is no more. Coincidence? I think NOT. Finally, Peppa Pig only has nine legitimate friends. Sure, there is an abundance of characters—including her family members—but in reality, how many of them actually care about Peppa? Just nine: Molly Mole, Mandy Mouse, Candy Cat, Danny Dog, Emily Elephant, Freddie Fox, Gerald Giraffe, Pedro Pony, and Rebecca Rabbit. Notice how all
(Don’t) Speak Up!
you make an obvious attempt to go above the teacher’s authority, the teacher will absolutely assign
plies, and setting small fires when appropriate. This will intimidate your teachers, and they will be
the school. Elevator passes are the holiest, most precious items around. The administration only gives them to the worthiest of students and, seeing as you let yourself be injured, you will never qualify. Besides, the escalators are always reliable and serve us commoners well. Problem: You notice a strange man behind the school, tampering with school facilities such as electricity and water supply. Verdict: Do not report to the school. He is sent by the government to monitor our school and is both well-known and well-liked. Do not approach him, for he is doing important work. If you happen to notice him pouring a mysterious substance into the water, don’t worry about it, for that’s what gives Stuyvesant teachers a dry sense of humor.
Rajhasree Paul/ The Spectator
Problem: You discover somebody else’s student ID on the floor near or within the school. Verdict: Do not report to the school. Make a conscious effort to prevent whoever lost the ID from finding it, whether that means moving it away from an area of foot traffic or even disposing it at one of our school’s waste and recycling centers. If one does not have the time to undergo such efforts, it is good practice to step on it as to encourage others to follow in your informed footsteps. This behavior is customary of our school, for it punishes the irresponsible!
family sad because it looks sloppier than the toilet after one eats a crap ton of Taco Bell. Is this NOT similar to how Jörmungandr will spray poison during Ragnarök? Like poison, no one likes rain: it’s filthy, acidic, and disruptive of multibillion-dollar industries such as t h e bottled
Qiao Ying (Emily) Tan / The Spectator
I remember my first time watching Peppa Pig like it was yesterday. Seeing that it was 5:00 p.m., I was initially heartbroken to see that some random pigs had replaced my beloved Cyberchase on PBS. Unfortunately, my family was too poor to afford a television plan, so no other channels were available. Turning off the TV certainly wasn’t an option, as that would mean I’d actually have to be responsible. My parents had been nagging me about doing homework, burying my dead pet goldfish, or whatever. Absolutely repulsive. Thus, I was forced to watch them British 2D pigs. In just minutes, my initial, eternal hatred for this television show turned into sweet, adoring love. Peppa Pig had everything I needed in a show: English accents, crappy drawing style, and characters who could be turned into bacon! I ended up binging that show for hours and only stopped when my mom threatened to beat me with a slipper if I didn’t stop intensely tracking a herd of pigs’ (and other assorted beasts’) conversations. As I have grown older and gained more depressing responsibilities, I have watched Peppa Pig grow into some sort of cultural sensation. From memes to rip-off Gucci Chinese fashion, it’s evident that Peppa Pig has made quite a name for itself. Seeing this wave of popularity, I decided to revisit the show for old time’s sake and to start off this decade with youthful innocence. As I rewatched these episodes, however, none of the childhood nostalgia came back to me. Instead of feeling nostalgic
joy, I sensed some sort of immense danger coming at my horizon. It couldn’t be the UChicago decision date—I had already gotten rejected. And it most certainly couldn’t be that weird-ass crocodile soup my parents claimed was good for me. No, this danger felt absolutely unreal. It was as if half the world suddenly found a TikTok some freshie forced me to make and then proceeded to laugh at my fatal blunder. Intrigued and tired of working on my fifth draft of Common App based off of some generic, over-dramatized music practice scene, I rewatched various episodes again, spending hours on each frame just to find a clue as to what was going on. Solving this mystery was a top priority of mine, and no 11:59 p.m. deadline would hold me back. As I watched more, I noticed a picture of Peppa and her family eating food. Their voracious appetites and a plethora of food made it appear like a normal family meal. That prediction couldn’t have been further from the truth. There is no denying it: Peppa Pig actually signals the beginning of Ragnarök, the end of the world in Norse mythology, involving an epic battle between gods, legendary beasts, and supernatural disasters. I knew immediately that nothing good could come out of whatever the hell the show was warning us about. To start off, the evidence of the freeing of Jörmungandr, a huge-ass Midgard serpent who happens to be Thor’s greatest enemy, is undeniable. The very first 10 seconds of the series depict a rainy day, which makes Peppa’s
even more work and single you out to reprimand. Instead, rally your fellow students and make the issue well known to all. Then, engage in scattered acts of classroom chaos, including leaving a mess at your table, borrowing and not returning classroom sup-
more considerate of their students next time they assign work. Problem: You are recovering from an injury and are having difficulties getting from class to class. Verdict: Do not report to
Problem: Your friend, having returned from a vacation in China, has complained of a dry cough and trouble breathing. Verdict: Do not report to the school. Everyone feels a little off after being exposed to the germs in airports and the pressure difference in the air. The best medication one can administer to a friend is a hug in the case. Problem: You have to use the bathroom in class. Verdict: There is a special solution necessary for this seemingly rudimentary circumstance. Seeing as all teachers have their own inane “hand signals” and sets
of these characters are not part of her family? Peppa’s family is filled with deception. From their physical heights to marital trickery (I’m looking at you, Daddy Pig!), there are no limits as to how ruthless Peppa’s ancestry actually is. Simply put, Peppa’s family actually doesn’t care about her. Like, let’s be real: if Thor and Loki actually got along, there would be no need for this mess. Unfortunately, Loki is very deceptive and thus plunged the realm of Norse mythology to a confusing web of family troubles, much like Peppa’s. Nine legitimate friends also represent the number of gods remaining after Ragnarök is over, making Peppa Pig perhaps the most brutal children’s cartoon to debut on television. Neville Astley and Mark Baker are the two most woke people on the face of this mothaflippin’ planet. By creating Peppa Pig, they are able to convey a complicated world-ending prophecy; though without a solid grasp of Viking knowledge and Amon Amarth lyrics, the messages will go way over a viewer’s head. However, TRUE fans understand each and every word that is being conveyed; they realize that it’s not mere fun and games but a matter of LIFE and DEATH. Mortals who dislike Peppa Pig are scum of the lowest level and must be EXPUNGED—they would never get the reference behind Peppa’s iconic “oink,” which clearly depicts the sound Thor will make when he dies. Sadly for me, I am the only one who knows of such secrets and am thus deeply ashamed of my race’s existence. Clearly, it’s too late. The end is coming soon.
of conditions under which one can leave, it is important to set your own precedent by showing them who’s boss and preventing yourself from filling your head with every teacher’s bathroom ritual. When the feeling strikes you, loudly push your chair and table away from yourself and stand up, as if you were to announce that the queen is dead. Then, once you have captured everyone’s attention, say, “I must attend the water closet at once,” making sure to utilize your outdoor voice. At this point, you must stride in a straight line to the door, steamrolling anybody in the way and knocking over the school supplies of the people along your route. After returning from your excursion, you must enter through the side door of the classroom, not the one that everybody uses for standard entrances and exits, “because it is less likely to interrupt the teacher’s lesson” (but really because it will aggravate your classmates and teacher alike). Finally, if your teacher still has any nerve left to ask why you took such an inordinate length of time, you must describe your bathroom experience in the most horrifically detailed manner. Having completed reading this short guide on the ins and outs of Stuyvesant policy, you are now ready to face the challenges of our school. A school experience laced with suffering may lie ahead of you, but at least you are now prepared for it. Farewell!
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The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Humor “CATS! The Movie” Will Dig Its Claws Into Your Soul
By CAROLINE PICKERING
Who doesn’t love cats? What cold, dead monster has the heart to look at a little ball of fluff sitting perfectly in a teacup and say, “Disgusting. I hate it”? You guessed it! Thespians. If the makeup in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s critically acclaimed “Cats” wasn’t already a war crime in and of itself, then let me present to you the living embodiment of sin: “CATS! The Movie” (2019). It’s truly such a shame to see anyone fall so far. For the sake of all these A-list Hollywood stars, I hope that they fired their agents for getting them into this glorified fever dream. It’s such a shame to see every suburban mom’s feminist icon, Taylor Swift, frolicking around looking like my sleep paralysis demon. “CATS!” is yet another poor, CGI-filled attempt by Hollywood to present what— despite its flaws—is ultimately a classic. At least on Broadway, the actors had to do their own makeup, which can excuse its hideousness in part. This is just a collection of incels circled around their mom’s computer chanting “Taylor Swift cat boobies.” I will now present my experience watching the film exactly as I
remember it. I enter the theater and already something feels wrong. No, it’s not the furries in the back row, yipping excitedly. It’s not the poor, ignorantly hopeful Broadway nerd sitting in the best seat in the house. The vibes indicate that I have just walked into a deathtrap of cosmic proportions. I sit down and feel my soul being ripped from my body, through the rat’s nest on the floor, down to Hell. I honestly don’t know what gave me the impression that the film would at least have a somewhat normal beginning. Instead, I am bombarded by what appears to be a malformed James Corden doing his absolute best to work a fur coat over his cat body. Why is he wearing a coat? Is it made of cat fur? What did he do to procure such an item? (Hint: it’s probably cannibalism). This is never addressed. Every single actor looks as if they have died, and the movie is simply CGI artists animating their bodies, except they seem to have forgotten how bodies work. Dame Judi Dench herself stares me in the eyes, and I can see she is on the brink of tears (I would be as well). The queen will revoke her knighthood; she is sure. This all occurs in the first 15 minutes of the film. It takes just 20 more minutes—
a grand total of 35 minutes into the movie—for the Broadway nerd to break. I turn to watch as he runs out of the theater crying, eyes burning, and ears bleeding, unable to take the sins of his craft any longer. I return my focus to the screen, feeling little remorse. It is people like him who birthed this nightmare and shoved it down our throats, and it is people like him
but they take no notice. I reach for the door when I am stopped. It is Jason Derulo. He commands me to stop with some sultry dance moves. I turn back to the screen to watch Idris Elba emerge, somehow coming to life from the film. I thought he was horrific on screen, but in person, it is so, so much worse. He glances at me with his inhuman, broken eyes and sheds
“CATS!” is yet another poor, CGI-filled attempt by Hollywood to present what—despite its flaws—is ultimately a classic. who shall suffer for it. A voice in the back of my head tells me I should run while I can. No Spectator article is worth this, and I am not even getting paid. I stand and turn to leave. There is a whoosh behind me, and I see the flick of a tail in the corner of my eye. I nod in passing to the furries,
his coat. His body is animated completely smooth, and I try to scream as he licks himself. When he is finished, Elba turns to the furries, who have gathered at his feet. Like some ancient deity lost long ago to the ghosts of time, he snaps his fingers, and the furries disappear. They have be-
come one with “CATS!” I look to Derulo, but he only continues to dance more fervently. My head is snapped back to Elba by a higher power. His eyes bore into the darkest crevices of my soul. He speaks: “The day of reckoning has arrived / The ancient sins shall be revived / Your soul, now broken, a feline slave / A weight for all time, taken long past the grave.” He returns to his realm, and suddenly Derulo is inexplicably holding a gun to my head as I am forced to watch Rebel Wilson consume a population of cockroaches, making each one squelch and scream as she bites down on them. These cockroaches are also human. They have six arms. I am sobbing as I try to convince them to let me go, but my voice fails me. The film ends, and the theater goes black. Derulo has disappeared, but I know he will be back. I grab my things and run. I keep running, long after I have left the theater, for I know that every second I am not running, they will only get closer, and only God knows what will happen when they catch up. Disclaimer: I have not seen the movie “CATS!”; this is all a fabrication based on what I have heard online.
Your Comprehensive List of Program Change Excuses By JONATHAN XU
“Who teaches pre-calc period seven?” you ask. “Sweet baby Contreras, it’s [sound of you banging your fists on the table].” We at The Spectator understand that shopping around for the “best” teachers is a favored pastime here at Stuyvesant and practically a religious mandate if you are a junior. So, to ensure that you will get the highest curve possible, here’s a list of excuses you can give to your guidance counselor when making program change requests on Talos. That way, you can finally have that teacher whom everyone says is the “love of my life.” Wait, how many love-of-life’s is that? I wish I had that kind of time. • • • • • • •
“I want to switch my free period and my <insert class>. This will not affect any of my other classes in any way, shape, or form. Please don’t pick up on the fact that I don’t even have a free period. All I’ve done is swap one eighth-period math class with another eighth-period math class.” “I’ll just make a million requests. Sooner or later, you’ll accidentally hit ‘Approve’ instead of ‘Deny.’” “The hedges in Seattle were short enough to build a maze with, but these are much too tall.” Good. The more confused your guidance counselor gets, the less likely it is that they’ll realize you’re trying to switch teachers. “HAHvai;jhsbddgyhHUHJNncddyuib” also works but is less effective. Be sure to phrase everything as eloquently as possible to make it sound like you know what you are talking about. “Help, I barely passed chemistry last semester, and my grades are going up! Wait, I can’t say my grades are ‘going up.’ Well anyway, I need an easy teacher plz plz plz.” “Banks hate him! See how a guidance counselor (AKA future you) made $100,000,000,000 by approving someone’s program change!” “Let me have so-and-so for drafting, or I’ll use my l33t h4cking skills to do it myself, you forking n00b. You’re gonna get yeeted and beated and deleted and fleeted.” This can only be used in an ominous e-mail sent from an anonymous account to have the desired effect. “I need eighth period religious lunch. What religion, you ask? Err, the cult of the giant spaghetti monster, of course! We devotees have to pray to him five times per day, and those times just so happen to coincide with when Muslims pray to Allah. Why didn’t I just call myself a Muslim? Don’t ask me.”
By AMY ZHANG Stuyvesant High School—the most elite of the specialized high schools and for that matter, all the schools within the New York City Department of Education— is not your average high school. Far from it in fact. It seems like Stuyvesant is its own little society shoved into a 10-story (though there are rumors of an 11th floor) building. Needless to say, Stuyvesant does not fit into what society deems a typical high school or at least, what Hollywood says a typical high school is. Here are some “all American high school” stereotypes that we break here at Stuyvesant: 1. Everyone seems to know each other. You may or may not have noticed in your seven-minute commute from the fourth floor to the third floor, but there are a lot of people at Stuyvesant. So much so, you probably wouldn’t even meet every single person if you were to stay an extra four years. Perhaps you’ll get there if you were to look at your Facebook recommended friends some more (suggested time: four hours a day). 2. A student runs into a chemistry lab late. She gets paired up with her crush and then proceeds
Breaking the Stereotypes
to blow the lab up by mixing salt water and food coloring. Maybe she’ll get a slap on the wrist or a stern talking-to by the principal. A more Stuyvesant-like scenario: A student stumbles in after running up to the ninth floor chemistry lab from the first floor
The cafeteria (also affectionately called the cafe or caf) contains around 150 students and mind you, 150 students who most likely do not know each other, let alone 150 students who can perfectly belt out a high G flat in the middle of an impromptu concert. The closest thing to a rhythm in
If you may or may not have noticed in your seven minute commute from the fourth floor to the third floor, there are a lot of people at Stuy. with her rolly backpack. She rushes toward her station and puts on her goggles, which instantly fog up from the sheer body heat. She’ll probably go around and do stuff with like hydrochloric acid or something—you know, nondangerous substances. 3. The chorus kids break into spontaneous song and dance on the lunch tables in a choreographed routine.
the cafeteria would have to be people pounding on the vending machines for plantain chips. As for dancing on the lunch tables, there’d be broken ankles because of the amount of banana peels and syrup left on top of them. 4. Regular physical education classes. Swim gym. 5. High schoolers have love
lives. High schoolers have successful love lives at that. At Stuyvesant, about 97 percent of us will die single and alone. As much as some of us crave the loving touch of another human being, most of us just want to graduate. Hot tip: if you want everlasting affection, go adopt a dog. At least he won’t leave you on read. To add on, “high schoolers” are always climbing out of some window to go meet their fling for a romantic rendezvous at 7:00 p.m. This is completely, totally, undeniably unrealistic, for a large percentage of us live in apartments and would most likely resort to climbing down a fire escape. The other scenario would be that you live in a house, which would also not be viable because the failing housing market in New York City would be the last thing that drives you and your partner together as neighbors. 6. There are hot vampires lurking amongst us. No. 6. The “popular” kids pulling up to school in sports cars, blaring rap music on the speakers, then driving practically everyone home after school. Driving a car (let alone driving your car to Stuyvesant) is wildly impractical in New York City.
The amount you’d pay for parking would most likely cover your first semester of college, and even if someone does find a mythical parking spot, he WILL forget where he parked. Though the subways and buses are problems, at least they’re not our problems. At least you’ll have your own subway seat sometimes? 7. Graduation! Everyone’s super happy and doing backflips that eventually land them somewhere that is NOT the stage. There are only about five minutes of name reading, and everyone goes home to party. What REALLY happens at Stuyvesant graduations is this: the names of 50 people with the last names Chan, Chang, Chen, Cheng, Lee, Li, Lin, Ling, Zhang, Zheng, Wang, Wong, Kim, and Park are read to an audience who has already fallen asleep. Would it be wise to try to do a backflip? Probably not, because you’re going to regret not spending your hospital bill money on college. Ultimately, though cringy high school movies and 30-year-olds pretending to be 16 will never be relatable to us, at least we’re blessed to have a unique and fulfilling, albeit different, high school experience. Right?
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Page 29
Sports Girls’ Indoor Track
The Greyducks’ Race to Borough Championships
“Runners, on your marks. Get set. Go!” Junior and first leg Jessica Kwok charges forward, ready to make her team proud at the Ocean Breeze Invitational. Especially in this race, the 4 x 800 relay, teamwork is crucial for success. But that’s the beauty of the Stuyvesant Greyducks, the girls’ varsity indoor track team. Each runner is motivated by her fellow teammates whom she wouldn’t dare let down. Three legs later, senior and co-captain Ester Suleymanov reaches back for the baton while looking straight ahead, unfazed by the anchors who have already taken off. As soon as she grasps the baton, Suleymanov leaps forward, unwilling to disappoint her teammates. Right, left, right, left. The cheers of her coach and team from the stands make the pain in her legs inconsequential, and she keeps pushing forward. She sprints toward the finish line,
solidifying her team’s confident performance. While this relay team placed 16th out of 29 teams, the runners could not have achieved greater sense of accomplishment. Suleymanov, Kwok, freshman Bella Stenhouse, and junior Julianne Yotov crushed their personal record, finishing with a time of 10:22.72. Moments later, the 4 x 400 relay team steps on the track and runs their best race at 4:35.19. Sophomore Susan Zheng, junior Caroline Ji, sophomore Zuzi Liu, and Stenhouse rejoice at the sight of their improvement, hopeful of the success that could lie ahead. While the Greyducks didn’t place at their usual dominating spot, these girls are taking it one step at a time. The culmination of the long hours on the track and postpractice pain will inevitably lead this ambitious team to the main event: the Manhattan Borough Championship. As the reigning champs, the Greyducks have high expectations for their upcoming perfor-
mance in February. With a large portion of their points previously coming from racewalking, the team is struggling to replace the racewalkers from last year’s graduating class. In addition, filling in the gaps in field events, such as shotput and long jump,
to find a way to balance their talent before their meet so that they can maximize their points. However, these goals are not false hopes. Placing first in every race isn’t necessary as long as the Greyducks are able to perform well in a wide variety of events
has not been an easy task. Yotov said, “While we have many great distance and middle distance runners, we are lacking sprinters, racewalkers, and field eventers.” It will be crucial for the Greyducks
and garner a significant amount of points to take home the win. The roster for this team seems impressive enough to take on this task. Interestingly enough, the freshmen are standing out among
Anthony Sun / The Spectator
By SHIVALI KORGAONKAR
the runners as they continue to beat their personal records at every meet and place well in the freshman category. Stenhouse has proven to be a powerhouse thus far. She placed ninth in the 3000-meter race amongst a competitive pool of runners at the Martin Luther King Games in January. She is the only member of the team to be in both relay teams, and her participation has certainly proven to be vital to their success. Similarly, freshman Sophia Wan-Brodsky has continued to impress her teammates after stepping up to be a prominent long distance runner. As the runner ups of the Borough Championships last season, the Greyducks will undoubtedly have to be at their best performance to redeem themselves and their legacy. The future of this team is looking bright, and motivation amongst the runners doesn’t seem to be lacking. As Yotov puts it, “We’re all excited to see what the future has in store!”
Sports Editorial By YOONAH CHANG and SHIVALI KORGAONKAR With only a four-point lead over the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs needed to push through the last few intense minutes of the fourth quarter to ensure that they would bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Missouri as the champions of Super Bowl LIV. Standing at the 38-yard line, quarterback Patrick Mahomes decides to run the ball to running back Damien Williams. Williams cuts past the 49ers’ defensive line and sprints straight for the end zone. Fullback Anthony Sherman chucks the 49ers defense out of the way, creating a clear path for Williams to bring it home. 31-20: touchdown Chiefs! The Super Bowl results are nearly secured, as it is very unlikely that the 49ers will be able to come back with the time quickly dwindling. Mahomes is about to fulfill his dream of going to Disney World as the Super Bowl LIV MVP. The 2020 season brought huge wins and unexpected losses for both teams. The Chiefs finished with a record of 12-4, while
A Super (Bowl) Comeback
the 49ers ended with a slightly better record of 13-3. The Chiefs’ tight end, Travis Kelce, and wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, who caught 66 passes for 968 yards, were both common targets for Mahomes; many of their receptions allowed the Chiefs to get first downs. San Francisco fullback Kyle Juszczyk showed the NFL how powerful the fullback position could be despite its lack of popularity in the league. The former Baltimore Raven is known for his versatility, as he is capable of playing several positions, such as tight end, wide receiver, and running back. His consistent blocks have been key to the 49ers’ offense, and coach Kyle Shanahan’s decision to keep him on the roster ultimately proved to be extremely beneficial. The first half of Super Bowl LIV started out slowly. There were many mistakes from both ends of the field: both quarterbacks threw two interceptions, and the Chiefs’ notoriously bad defense made poor decisions left and right. By halftime, each team had scored one field goal and one touchdown, leaving the score at 10-10. Nonetheless, both teams, having had faulty errors throughout
the first half of the Super Bowl, came back fired up and ready to redeem themselves. With the score tied, no one could predict which team had the upper hand, which made the second half all the more exciting to watch. Mahomes unexpectedly did not deliver. When his team needed him the most, the young quarterback could not capitalize on the quick decision-making and impressive play-making he had demonstrated all season long. And the 49ers took advantage of this weakness straight off the bat. In just the third quarter alone, Mahomes teased the 49ers with a risky fumble, and then minutes later, threw his first interception of the playoffs. However, this lull can’t be solely blamed on Mahomes, as the Chiefs’ offense was also initially lackluster. The team had scored 86 points during its first two playoff games, but only scored 10 points in the first three quarters of the Super Bowl. Then, the 49ers scored another field goal and touchdown. The 55-yard touchdown drive was credited to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, whose 26-yard play converted a third down-and-eight into a pivotal play for the 49ers. Running back Raheem Mostert
topped it off with a dive into the endzone, giving the 49ers a 20-10 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter. However, Mahomes and the Chiefs never lost sight of their Super Bowl dreams and instead turned their score deficit into a source of motivation. With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Mahomes launched the ball to Hill for an incredible gain of 44-yards. A few plays later, Kelce delivered his only touchdown after a pass interference call on Tarvarius Moore. After another huge reception by wide receiver Sammy Watkins, running back Williams managed to slip in a controversial go-ahead touchdown before the two-minute warning. Williams tip-toed out of bounds just before he extended the ball inside the end zone, but the touchdown call stood after official review. The final blow to San Francisco was struck when Williams scored a 38-yard touchdown, boosting the Chiefs up to a final score of 31 points. This Super Bowl win was the third consecutive double digit comeback game by the Chiefs during the postseason. In fact, this 10-point comeback is tied for the
second largest comeback in Super Bowl history. One of the most inspiring aspects of the game was how Patrick Mahomes was able to turn one of his worst performances of the season into his best within one quarter. However, while Mahomes ended the night as the MVP, other players made key plays that led to the Chiefs’ victory. Williams had a phenomenal game with 104-yards in over 17 carries. Sammy Watkins ran 98-yards in only five carries. The Chiefs’ defense was also able to contain the 49ers’ impressive rushing, only allowing the 49ers to run 141 yards. Most importantly, Coach Andy Reid was finally able to get rid of his nickname as the “winningest coach to never win the Super Bowl.” After a very long career as an NFL coach with over 200 wins, Reid finally secured his first Super Bowl title, giving him the second highest number of wins of any coach after the New England Patriots’ coach, Bill Belichick. Reid’s determination combined with the Chiefs’ persistence on the field will continue to be key for the young team as they head into the 2020-2021 season as the NFL’s team to beat.
Sports Editorial
Fools Gold?: The Uniquely Average Career of Eli Manning
By TAUSIF TAMIM
continued from page 30 Third and 11. Eli with a short sideline pass to Steve Smith. Caught. Then the play to give them the lead: “Manning. Lobs It. Burress, Alone. Touchdown! New York,” said Joe Buck, the game’s commentator. With a few incomplete passes and sacks, Tom Brady was unable to get the ball down the field and New York won the Superbowl for the first time in almost two decades. Eli Manning was finally getting superstar recognition. In the next four years, Eli would throw over 25 touchdowns. Though New York had
a top five defense in all those seasons, Eli played an integral role in helping New York reach a playoff spot. In a mediocre 2012 season, the Giants had a 9-7 record, just barely getting an NFC wildcard spot. No one believed that Eli and the Giants could push through and win their second Super Bowl. But with grit and grind, New York beat Tom Brady in the Big Game for the second time in five years, on the back of their star QB. Sadly, Eli would never reach the Super Bowl again due to a combination of a disintegrating defense due to a salary cap and a decline in play. However, after seasons of terrible records
for the Giants, things are looking up. The Giants drafted Saquon Barkley in 2018 with the number two pick of the draft, and in 2019, they drafted Daniel Jones with the number six pick. With a young and transcending roster, New York only has space to improve. Now that Eli Manning is retiring, we have a clear nickname for him: the dynasty killer. A prime combo of Tom Brady and Randy Moss was not once, but twice beaten by Eli. Recently, Tom Brady said on Twitter: “Congratulations
Michael Hu / The Spectator
on your retirement and a great career, Eli! Not going to lie, though, I wish you hadn’t won any Super bowls,” showing just how im-
portant those
two victories were to Eli’s career. Eli made a home for himself in New York, becoming a local hero as a Babe Ruth for our generation in football. Never once was Eli in the news for the wrong reasons off the field. Unlike Aaron Rodgers and Brett Farve, he kept his head high and his mouth shut, never getting into trouble in the public’s eye. Eli was also a role model for all the young players who went in and out of the Giants organization throughout his career. So when John Mara, co-owner of the New York Giants said, “No Giant will ever wear No. 10 again,” I couldn’t agree more.
Page 30
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Sports Boys’ Varsity Basketball
Rebels in Review: Finishing the Season Strong
By AIDAN FINGERET and DEVEN MAHESHWARI continued from page 32 January 24, 2020: Washington Irving Bulldogs 79— Stuyvesant Runnin’ Rebels 45
After losing by 38 points on their home court earlier this season to the Washington Irving Bulldogs, the Rebels went into this game guns blazing. “We came out and they just did not know what to do against us. Our offense was hitting on all cylinders against them,” Zenker said. The Rebels used this early offense to secure a decent first-quarter lead. Though they could not keep up this level of play for the entire game, the first quarter showed that they could compete with any team in their Manhattan A1 division, as the Bulldogs were in contention to make the playoffs at the time. Senior center Samson Badlia led the Rebels in scoring with 16 points, all on two-pointers and free throws. The only other Rebel to score in the double digits was Zenker with 13 points. He scored in a similar way to Badlia: inside and at the free throw line. No one else really produced points as the
next leading scorer, junior forward Nikkie Lin, only scored six points. The Rebels were unable to get their three-pointers to fall, only hitting one during the entire game.
January 28, 2020: Norman Thomas Tigers 91—Stuyvesant Runnin’ Rebels 46 In the Rebels’ second meeting with the Norman Thomas Tigers, the game ended with a similar score as the first. While the final score may show otherwise, the second half was extremely close, with the Rebels scoring 24 points against the Tigers’ 33 points. After starting off with a slow second half, junior Michelangelo Pagan and senior Lewis Woloch came out with intense defense, which energized the rest of the team. “Their team is bigger than us and they’re stronger, but we didn’t let that deter us,” Goldsman said. For the second game in a row, Badlia led the team in scoring with 10 points—including one three-pointer—but the Tigers had four players who scored double figures, which the Rebels could not overcome. After being down 58-22 in the first half, the Rebels played the next half in a hostile
environment, but showed great effort and determination against the fourth-place Tigers. January 30, 2020: Stuyvesant Runnin’ Rebels 49—Eleanor Roosevelt Huskies 46
Only two days after losing to Norman Thomas by 45 points, the Rebels, led by Zenker along with Badlia and senior guard Brian Poon, made sure to finish their season strong. With the entire gym packed with Stuyvesant students, the Rebels took the crowd’s energy and transferred it into their first win of the season, finishing in front with a final score of 4946. After presenting their first ever senior introductions to commemorate their final game of the season, the Rebels started slow but kicked off a couple of minutes into the first quarter with a putback by Badlia. They continued fighting and went into the second quarter with a 14-9 lead. The Huskies were able to keep the match close and even cut into the lead in the second quarter. It seemed that every other Husky possession ended in free throws as they achieved this lead at the free throw line. While the Rebels
may not have been getting the calls they wanted, they prevailed, as the Huskies were unable to hit many of their subsequent free throw attempts. The score at half time had the Rebels at 25 and the Huskies at 22. Even though the Rebels went into the second half with the lead, they could not keep up the momentum into the third quarter and fell behind. The Rebels finished the third quarter with a strong run, scoring three unanswered points for a score of 3733, Huskies up. Toward the end of the fourth quarter, junior guard Mitchel Fogel went on a personal 8-0 run, hitting two three-pointers and a layup to overcome the gap. The Huskies were able to retake the lead with a score of 46-45. With a minute and a half left in the game, Badlia drew a foul in the paint and walked to the free-throw line to shoot two of the most crucial free throws of his career. First shot, airball. Rebels were down by one point. His second shot hit the rim but didn’t connect. Back on defense, the Rebels came up with the steal. Finally, with 10 seconds remaining, Poon hit a clutch layup to put the Rebels up by one point and the entire gym began to shake with excitement. Poon then hit
two free throws, securing the Rebels their first win of the season. Final Thoughts This season was important and telling for the Rebels, who struggled with injuries throughout all 16 league games and countless scrimmages. Even after a few years without playoff berths, the Rebels still play with intensity and go into each game believing they can beat the opposing team. Whether or not the team will maintain this mindset is unclear, but this year’s seniors have left both of Stuyvesant’s boys’ basketball teams with goals and a winning mentality that can hopefully change the course of Stuyvesant basketball for years to come. It doesn’t only start with the players either: having an intense crowd cheering on the team in the final game pushed the Rebels to play for their school and end their season with a win. So the next time you find yourself wandering the lonely halls of Stuyvesant at 6:30 p.m., go home. But if you are still unable to find the exit, stop by the third-floor gym and see the effort these student athletes put in every day to represent our school the best they can.
Girls’ Basketball
The Phoenix Continue to Make a Playoff Push Despite Recent Struggles
With a record of 4-1, the Stuyvesant girls’ basketball team, the Phoenix, stood on top of the Manhattan A South Division and seemed to be in a prime position to control the division for the remainder of the season. In hopes to further solidify their first-place standing, the Phoenix looked to secure their fifth win against Seward Park Campus. Their short-staffed roster of only five players gave the Lady Bears of Seward Park a large disadvantage from the getgo, and it only got worse from there. The first quarter concluded with a score of 14-0; the Phoenix had completely shut out the Lady Bears. By the end of the game, the final score was 35-5, the greatest margin of Phoenix victory this season. The Phoenix faced division rival Washington Irving’s Lady Bulldogs in its next game. The team went in confident, as the Phoenix had previously defeated
the Bulldogs 48-40 in its season opener. In the second match-up, the Phoenix fought hard, but ultimately fell 51-45. Stuyvesant was down nine points at halftime, but managed to come back in the third quarter, trailing Washington Irving by 37-35. Sophomore Alison Chan’s impressive rebounding and offense was critical to Stuyvesant’s effort. However, the Phoenix were unable to overcome the Lady Bulldogs, and fell to a record of 5-2 for the season. Then, Stuyvesant went on to face School of the Future, looking to regain some momentum and retain their first place position. During a tough first quarter, the Phoenix only managed to score one point from a singular free throw, while their opponents, the Bulldogs, took an early sixpoint lead. In the next quarter, Stuyvesant began to close the gap, narrowing the Bulldogs’ lead to just three points. While the Phoenix were able to slightly bridge the gap, School of the Future pushed ahead and gained a large lead that they maintained until the end of
the game, with the final score being 30-16. Following the pair of losses, the Phoenix once again faced
Francesca Nemati / The Spectator
By JEREMY LEE and ANGELINA GRZYBOWKSI
Baruch High School’s Blue Devils, who they had also narrowly defeated earlier in the season. All was looking well for the Phoenix, who had a two-point lead entering the fourth quarter. Sophomore Paige Wolfing had an amazing game, scoring 16 points and
21 rebounds. But the Blue Devils managed to come back by scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter, thus defeating Stuyvesant by the narrow margin of 35-31. The Stuyvesant Phoenix suffered three straight losses, falling to a record of 5-4. If there were any means of remaining competitive in the division, the players would have to win at home against Lab Museum United. The Phoenix surged out of the gates strong and took a commanding 17-7 lead by the end of the first quarter. While the Lady Gators fought hard to come back by putting up 12 points in the final quarter, their efforts were not enough, and the Phoenix held on to win the game by a score of 32-29. Wolfing was a critical player for Stuyvesant’s success that day, as she put up a team-high of 13 points and an impressive 21 rebounds. Though the Phoenix suffered three losses and dropped to third place in the division, their performance thus far shows room for great improvement. “We lost those four games by only a few
points each, showing that we have the potential to win the rest of our games this season,” senior and co-captain Eve Wening said. “If we play with the same intensity that we did yesterday in the remaining games and into playoffs, then we can easily perform very well.” She also believes that the team can get a good spot in the playoffs and make it past the first round. Despite the team’s previous struggles, the Phoenix, armed with a determined and young core, still have hope for the future, as there are several pivotal games left. The Phoenix have a two-game “road trip” to conclude their season, facing Bayard Rustin and Seward Park Campus. Should the Phoenix round out their season with two final wins, they would bring their record to a solid 8-4, and enter the playoffs with a two-game win streak behind them. This momentum, combined with confidence in their ability, will be pivotal for the future of the Phoenix as they hope to keep their season going strong.
Sports Editorial
Fools Gold?: The Uniquely Average Career of Eli Manning
By TAUSIF TAMIM
The New York Giants and Eli Manning had their last press conference together on January 24, marking the end of a 16-year NFL veteran’s remarkable career after two Super Bowl wins and a four-time Pro-Bowler title. Now that he’s retired, let’s answer the question that’s on everyone’s mind: Is Eli Manning a Hall of Fame quarterback? In the 2004 NFL Draft, Eli Manning was selected first overall by the former San Diego Chargers (now the Los Angeles Chargers) but was then traded to New York for fourth overall pick Phil-
lip Rivers. Right before the draft, Archie Manning, Eli’s father and an ex-NFL quarterback, publicly announced that he did not want his son to play for the Chargers and would prefer he play for New York. This allowed New York to take Eli because the Chargers, who took Eli with the number one pick anyway, had reason to trade down the draft and acquire more assets. The New York Giants traded Philip Rivers, a third round pick and a 2005 first round and fifth round pick, to acquire Eli Manning. This completely changed the landscape of the 2004 draft because had the Chargers not made the trade, New
York would have selected Ben Rothlesberger, another quarterback and a future Hall of Famer. Was this worth it? For the Giants, definitely. When you take a good look at Eli’s stats, they are anything but extraordinary. In his best year, Eli threw for 35 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. But compared to other illustrious Hall of Fame quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Dan Marino, Eli doesn’t come close. Eli’s 35 touchdowns and 14 interceptions are often the statistics of a Hall of Fame player’s mediocre seasons, and Manning’s 117-117 (W-L) record suggests that he is a mediocre sys-
tem quarterback. His 60 percent pass completion demonstrates that he makes indecisive throws and is not up to par with other Hall of Famers. When looking at his average statistics, one would think Eli had an incredibly average career, even being seventh in career TD passes and yards. Even though those statistics shed poor light on Eli, he has put himself in the record books. He currently sits seventh in touchdown passes thrown and seventh for total passing yards. After a shaky start, Eli finally caught lightning in a bottle and reached the Super Bowl in 2008. The game was unexciting until the
fourth quarter, when there were four lead changes. With about one minute 10 seconds left, we may have seen the greatest throw and catch in football history: the “helmet catch.” Manning somehow avoided being sacked by two people, spun out of the pocket, stayed up, and fired the ball down the middle of the field, where David Tyree was waiting to haul in the catch using the side of his helmet. This play would be in history books decades to come as the defining throw of Eli’s career. With about 45 seconds left, it would again be make or break for Eli. continued on page 29
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
Page 31
Sports Athlete of the Issue
How These Gymnasts Swing to Success at the High Bar
By AKI YAMAGUCHI
Samuel Tan Height: 5’10” Eye color: Brown Hair color: Brown Birthday: 10/09/2002
1. When did you start doing gymnastics? PZ: Sophomore year, I saw Muhib Khan (‘19) do it; he told me to do it freshman year but I ignored him. I didn’t get into any sports teams, so I was just like, “Why not try this?” ST: Yeah, I was actually going to do track again my sophomore year first semester, but then in math class, Patrick said, “You should pop out to the uh… (PZ: Gymnastics preseason)” and I said, “Alright bet.” It was unintentional but (PZ: it was a good decision made by both of us). 2. What are your team goals for this season? ST: Definitely to get first place in the city. I think that every year, we have gotten really close but we have always been one or two points away. We haven’t won first in the city in at least 10-15 years, so we want to bring it home this year. PZ: Also, I think that [Marvin] Autry will be retiring soon so this is probably his last chance or one of [his] last chances to win the championship, so we really want to bring it home. 3. Are there any skills you want to improve on for yourself, and what’s your strongest event? PZ: Floor is definitely my strongest event and my favorite,
Sports Editorial By KRISH GUPTA continued from page 32 All the while, Kobe did what Kobe did best: play basketball. He continued to mesmerize fans around the world with his play and cemented his legacy with a ridiculous 81-point performance on January 22, 2006. This was, and still is today, the greatest number of points put up by a Lakers player in one game. Bryant’s enormous scoring spree ranks only behind Wilt Chamberlain’s historic 100 point performance. Despite this rather short title drought, Bryant wasn’t finished making his mark
Sports Editorial By SAM LEVINE and MATT MELUCCI New Year’s Day is generally happy and joyful. But this year, basketball fans all around the world were saddened to hear about the passing of former NBA commissioner David Stern, who had served for 30 years from 1984 to 2014 before dying at the age of 77. Though he wouldn’t admit it, Stern made an undeniably huge impact on the league in his 30-year tenure as the league commissioner. He stepped into the position when the NBA was in its toughest period to date—people were losing interest and basketball seemed to be a
of the risky part with gymnastics is that even with an injury, you have to continue doing the same exact thing that gets you injured in the same exact spot. Calluses. Rips. Tearing up all the same spots over and over.
Sophia Yuditsky / The Spectator
Patrick Zheng Height: 5’10” Eye color: Brown Hair color: Brown Birthday: 06/02/2002
probably because I’m not very good at the other events. For floor, especially because I just love tumbling, there’s something about it that seems innately really fun. It doesn’t require me to be super strong—I just have to be coordinated. Defi-
nitely in terms of skills, getting that back full or a full routine means I get a pretty high score. ST: The thing that I love about gymnastics is that there are six events for boys, so each event is distinctly unique. No matter what you’re good at, there is always an event for you to do. Pat is flexible; he’s good at jumping, so he’s going to do floor. Personally, I’m not flexible or jumping, so I do the strength events like rings (PZ: He’s definitely a lot stronger than I am). That’s my best event. I want to improve on the rings by getting a handstand on them. It’s very scary (PZ: Nah, what’s crazy is you have to get across and bring it back) and a lot about gymnastics is very scary as well. 4. Are there any challenges the team faced this year? PZ: Definitely. We lost our best all-around Muhib (ST: We all lost Eddie) but I actually think that our team is in better shape. We got Jordan (Kaisman, senior) back, which was really nice, and in terms of injuries, we haven’t had any fatal injuries yet. ST: Gymnastics is a dangerous sport and it’s very easy to injure yourself and be out for the rest of the season. PZ: A lot
5. How do you deal with schoolwork and gymnastics? Any tips? ST: Joining any sport is a big commitment and it takes a big chunk out of your day. There are some days that I really wonder if it’s worth it to be in an extracurricular because I’m going to sleep at such a late time, especially in my junior year. Now, it’s not as much of an issue because I don’t have as much work, but during that year, there were many nights where I stayed up putting in the work and [wasn’t] able to wake up in the morning. [...] The thing about doing an extracurricular is that you have those three or four hours to just relax [during gymnastics] and it prepares you to be able to do the work later that night. You’ve had your fun and it’s time to get to grinding. PZ: Ironically enough, joining a sports team not only teaches you time management, but you also actually find yourself having more time to do your work. Freshman year before I joined any sports team, I was dilly dallying in Battery Park and just playing basketball. I would get home really late, but without any activities, I had no purpose and I would just hang out
with friends. I would be in no mood to do homework. But being put in an environment where there’s always an end goal, especially in all the sports teams, I realized that we have a purpose in the team. It puts your focus on homework and I actually slept earlier; I would get home at 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. and you realize you have no time to do homework so you just have to find a way to manage everything.
6. How has the captainship changed your outlook on the game? ST: Well before I was named a captain, I didn’t really take this sport too seriously. I would just fool around during practice and come unprepared in jeans and a hoodie. Becoming a captain has made me realize the responsibility that you need to have in order to lead a team and actually bring that team to victory. It’s a lot of pressure and (PZ: People look up to you) I realized I couldn’t be fooling around all the time because it really shows a bad image. It gets me annoyed when other people do the same thing, which is hypocritical. It’s definitely changed my view on the sport. PZ: One of the things I came to appreciate while being a captain was being able to teach the new guys. I coach outside, so it was something I was able to bring to the team, and I’ve genuinely enjoyed this for a while—everything from having the leadership and people listening to you to having that responsibility about what’s going on all the time to [knowing] what to do for meets and how to support morale. We are always the loudest team because we have really good team energy and we are really close with each other. We say stupid stuff, but they all have meaning; we all have our little inside jokes. That’s just all part of being a family. 7. Favorite or funniest memory? ST: One of my favorite memories is leading the team in a conga
Remembering Kobe
on the league. In the 2007-2008 season, Bryant earned his first MVP Award, and led the Lakers back into the NBA Finals. The Lakers weren’t able to finish the job, however, falling to the Boston Celtics in six games. The next year, the Lakers refused to fall short again, defeating the Orlando Magic in five games with Bryant winning the Finals MVP award. At this point, Bryant had become a household name and the “Kobe!” jumpshot was beginning to catch on. Bryant and the Lakers went on to win another championship in the 2009-2010 season in seven games against—you guessed it—
the Celtics. Bryant went on to win another Finals MVP award, firmly establishing himself as one of the greatest players of all time. He continued to steal the hearts of basketball fans around the world in his last six seasons, despite not winning a sixth championship with a weak supporting cast. Despite battling injuries in the latter part of his career, Bryant was the leader of the Lakers, which was largely devoid of talent. The squad aside from Bryant was so weak that, in the 2015-2016 season, the Lakers finished with a franchiseworst 17-65 record. The last game Bryant ever played in the NBA was on April
13, 2016, and he went out with a bang. He put up an incredible 60 points against the Jazz at 37 years old, becoming the oldest player to do so in the NBA. Bryant will forever go down as an NBA legend, not only because of his incredible skill on the court, but also his revolutionary Mamba Mentality. Today, the Mamba Mentality is the ultimate mindset for basketball players and non-athletes alike. Even after his retirement in 2016, Bryant’s name is ubiquitous on courts around the world. What started as a meme became a basketball mainstay as amateur and professional players alike often shout “Kobe!” when taking a jump
A Tribute to David Stern
dying sport. Stern began by making TV deals that allowed channels to feature highlights and games on television. He pushed the Olympics Committee to include NBA players, which sparked the Dream Team, one of the most entertaining teams of all time that garnered immense viewership and interest. Stern even used the 1992 Dream Team, which featured NBA legends such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Charles Barkley, to calm the panic over HIV after Johnson announced he was diagnosed with the virus. Stern invited Johnson to join the team for the 1992 All-Star game, during which Johnson hit the gamewinning shot.
Stern spearheaded the globalization of basketball, which is now played by hundreds of millions of people internationally. The NBA quickly became one of the top leagues in the world, and the revenue from TV deals skyrocketed. Stern was open to accepting international players and set up games in Asia, Europe, and South America, further expanding the reach of the sport. While the NBA empire was expanding, seven franchises were added to the league and several were relocated. Stern assisted in the creation of the NBA Development League, now called the G League, in 2001. The NBA Development
League created more opportunities for rising players to pursue a career in basketball, which improved the overall caliber of the NBA. Stern also aided in the development of the WNBA in 1996. His contributions received backlash at the time, but Stern carried through with them and encouraged girls to pursue professional basketball. In an attempt to fix the financial instability that hindered the NBA then, Stern instituted a salary cap. This salary cap doubled during his tenure, matching the NBA’s growth in value. One of Stern’s biggest and most controversial contributions was his enforcement of an age limit. He implemented a rule before the 2006
line around badminton practice as we played an Indian song called Tunak Tunak Tun and paraded around the gym. Strangely, it was a bonding moment (PZ: It was really funny, and also, don’t people get married to that music?); we become closer because of our stupidity. ST: Definitely, and when we develop these inside jokes, the team gets closer and it’s a part of the morale. It’s part of being an actual team. PZ: It’s like realizing there’s fun in everything we do, and we can still be relaxing while we try hard. I love team dinners personally—nothing else compares. After practice during our town halls at McDonald’s, we just sit there and it’s always at the last moment. We’ll be packing up and we’ll just say town hall. ST: We all will pull up to McDonald’s and buy like nine cups and just sit there and talk about life and gymnastics. 8. Proudest memory so far? ST: I definitely have a lot of proud memories, [such as] when you are teaching the younger kids and the kids who don’t have the skills you have. When you see them do it perfectly and see them be happy with it, that’s definitely one of my favorite moments. PZ: We have some pretty promising new guys and they have definitely made us proud. ST: Also, [I love] seeing the pictures of us huddling together or jumping up and cheering. It definitely makes me very proud. Drink of Choice: >ST - Baja blast >PZ - A&W root beer Favorite food: >ST - Quesarito from Taco Bell >PZ - Strawberry milkshake with fries Motto to live by: >ST - Taco Bell. >PZ - If you ignore it, it will go away. Fun fact: >ST - I eat best watching other people eat. >PZ - I like the smell of wood.
shot. Despite Bryant’s untimely death, it’s important that we make sure he lives on in all of us. Bryant, known around the world as The Black Mamba, described his revolutionary killer mentality as “the ultimate mantra for the competitive spirit,” which centers on having trust in your hard work and the process. Just as monks may say that Nirvana is the goal state of mind, athletes across all sports aim for Mamba Mentality. Walking down Chambers Street, I hear a basketball bouncing, followed by a whoosh of air and the swish of the net. “Kobe!”
draft that banned players from being drafted straight out of high school and mandated that they play at least one year in college. Though this was criticized at the time, this rule has had a great impact on the NBA. Players now come into the league as more seasoned players and with better education. Stern is recognized for having forever changed the league. He was honored with a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014 in recognition of his determination and achievements within the NBA. The NBA wouldn’t be in its glory today without Stern’s marketing strategies and visions for the league.
Page 32
The Spectator ● February 14, 2020
THE SPECTATOR SPORTS Sports Editorial
CALENDAR
Remembering Kobe By KRISH GUPTA
school. He was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the nation when he attended Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia. He was so talented that he elected to skip college and enter the NBA Draft after graduating high school. Bryant was picked 13th as an 18-year-old by the Charlotte Hornets, who promptly trad-
It was supposed to be a normal retirement Sunday on January 26, 2020 for Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. The only reason for him to be on the news that day was because LeBron James had passed him on the NBA all-time scoring list the previous night in Philadelphia. Instead, the universe had other plans and tragedy struck. The world was shell-shocked when Bryant was confirmed to have died in a helicopter crash on that fateful Sunday—along with his daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant and seven other passengers. He was taking Gigi, a rising basketball star who had famously announced that she would continue her father’s legacy, to her basketball game at the Mamba Sports Academy. There was an outpour of instant grief, with fans around the world expressing their heartbreak through memorials, murals, and more. Fans immediately gathered at the Lakers’ stadium, Staples Center, in memorial. The Grammys were held that same night in Staples Center—The House That Kobe Built—and the awards show centered around the loss of the cultural icon. Host Alicia Keys began the night by bringing on the Boyz II Men to sing “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye” and Lizzo shouted “tonight is for Kobe!” as artists in the crowd wiped tears from their eyes. Bryant, son of the former NBA player Joe Bryant, was touted as a future superstar since high
Daniel Berlinsky / The Spectator
ed him to the Lakers.
As a rookie, Bryant didn’t receive much playing time, but he nonetheless became a fan favorite after w i n ning the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Challenge. Despite the phenom taking the national stage, his first season wasn’t all smooth sailing. In the Lakers’ Game 5 playoff matchup against the Utah Jazz that year, Bryant was forced to step up when ejections saw the starter Shaquille O’Neal leave the game. The Lakers ultimately fell to the Jazz 4-1 in the series, with Bryant missing many crucial shots toward the end of
the last game, including a potential game-winner. In his second season, Bryant demonstrated his prodigious talent. Despite not starting for the Lakers, he became the youngest All-Star starter. In his third season, Bryant vaulted himself into the Lakers’ starting lineup and signed a $70 million long-term contract with the team. Bryant certainly played well in his first three seasons, but his skill amounted to nothing as the Lakers fell short in the playoffs each year. But Bryant’s luck was changing. I n t h e next three seasons, from 19992 0 0 2 , B r y a n t , O’Neil, and the Lakers were bent on world domination. With new coach Phil Jackson’s implementation of the triangle offense, the Lakers flourished and won an unprecedented three straight world championships. Bryant, despite being overshadowed by the team’s MVP O’Neal, carried the Lakers on his back in clutch time to help them to three championships in three years. After the Lakers’ triple crown, they failed to win the NBA Finals again for seven years despite having a star-studded lineup. Bryant publicly feuded with O’Neil, Karl Malone, and Ray Allen. Some older players thought he played selfishly and argued about positional roles. continued on page 31
Boys’ Varsity Basketball
Rebels in Review: Finishing the Season Strong By AIDAN FINGERET and DEVEN MAHESHWARI
January 17, 2020: Stuyvesant Runnin’ Rebels 53—Murry Bergtraum Blazers 89 In the Rebels’ second matchup with the undefeated Murry Bergtraum Blazers, no one thought the Rebels had a chance after losing their previous game against the Blazers by 66 points. But the Rebels played with heart and made the rematch more competitive than the first one. One of the Rebels’ main problems in this game and throughout the entire season was their free-throw shooting. They had a free-throw percentage of 54 percent while the Blazers shot 100 percent from the free throw line, putting
When asked about what he wants the team to carry into next year, Zenker spoke a lot about their mentality. “I don’t want to have Stuy be the team that rolls over when you come to play them. I
Professional Sports:
16 sunday
18
tuesday
UEFA Champions League (1st Leg): Atletico Madrid vs. Liverpool
NBA All-Star Game: Team LeBron vs. Team Giannis @ 8:00 p.m.
18
tuesday
UEFA Champions League (1st Leg): Paris Saint Germain vs. Borussia Dortmund
Stuyvesant Sports:
22
saturday Girls’ Indoor Track @ The Armory @ 9:15 a.m.
26
wednesday
24 monday
Boys’ Junior Varsity Basketball @ Stuyvesant @ 4:30 p.m.
Boys’ Junior Varsity Basketball @ Stuyvesant @ 4:30 p.m.
SPORTSBEAT
Anaïs Delfau / The Spectator
A team’s record can never fully express the intricacies of its season. Just by checking the record of the Runnin’ Rebels, the Stuyvesant boys’ varsity basketball team, one may be significantly underwhelmed. Nevertheless, the Rebels demonstrated their season-long valiant effort and tenacity in their final four games, particularly in the finale against the Eleanor Roosevelt High School Huskies, their first win of the season. Here is a recap of the final stretch of games:
the Rebels at an immediate disadvantage that they were never able to overcome. The Rebels’ lack of accuracy from the foul line, however, was counteracted by their defensive intensity in the
February
The boys’ table tennis team, the Goats, beat Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and placed second in the City Championship. The boys’ varsity basketball team, the Runnin’ Rebels, won their first game of the season against Eleanor Roosevelt 49-46. second half, leading to a secondhalf score of 37-36. “The hustle, the defensive attitude, and effort is incredible and so obvious. […] [Their] defensive intensity was just amazing,” Coach Paul Goldsman said. The Rebels’ scoring was spread out evenly amongst eight players, with only one of them hitting double digits. Senior forward and captain Ben Zenker paced the Rebels in scoring with 10 points, all on two-pointers.
want Stuy to be the team that always believes that they can beat you,” he said. His wish may be granted, as the only sophomore on the team, Ethan Kirschner, adopted this mentality, dropping his career-high of seven points on the first-place Blazers. Kirschner scored on all levels, hitting a three-pointer while also getting to the foul line. continued on page 30
Freshman Bella Stenhouse qualified for the prestigious New Balance Nationals 5000-meter race invitational.
The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers 31-20. Sofia Kenin won the Australian Open against Garbine Muguruza in three sets (4-6, 6-2, 6-2).