Volume 108, Issue 10

The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper

FEATURES

A&E

The Congress of Vienna: A Becoming Stuyvesant Tradition

To “Havana” and Beyond

Post WWI, Europe is in shambles. Can David Hanna’s class of pretentious sophomores put it back together? Or will the snakery get the best of them?

SEE PAGE 4

Volume 108 No. 10

Stuyvesant’s Science Olympiad team competed in the NEW

YORK CITY 2018 DIVISION C REGIONAL COMPETITION at Grover Cleveland High School and won first place.

Sophomore KAI YAMAMOTO, juniors ANDREW CHOPEY,

ETHAN PARK, SEAN ROUDNITSKY, NICHOLAS WEN and AXEL TOLPINA as well as seniors LEON LAI, qualified for NEW YORK STATE SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Japanese teacher Chie Hellinski’s AP Japanese students’ videos is one of the eight finalists of the GLOBAL CLASSMATES VIDEO KOSHIEN CONTEST. Art teacher Leslie Bernstein’s 3D Art & Technology students are opening an exhibit at the Pratt Institute from February 14th through April 18th in the NANCY ROSS PROJECT SPACE. The Stuyvesant Model United Nations Team competed at the

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE. Senior DONIA TUNG as well as juniors JULIA ARANCIO and JOSHUA WEINER won the BEST DELEGATE award. Junior EMILY FURMAN and sophomore VISHWAA SOFAT won the OUTSTANDING DELEGATE AWARD.

After Camila Cabello “Zayned” from Fifth Harmony, sceptics questioned whether it meant the end of her musical career. Her new album “Camila” proves them wrong.

SEE PAGE 14

February 15, 2018

#NotAllStuyKids Is Not The Point

STAFF EDITORIAL In their recent article “The Disgraceful Cheating Scandal at One of America’s Best High Schools,” the New York Post’s Sara Dorn and Susan Edelman sensationalized what seems to be a perennial problem at Stuyvesant. Casting Stuyvesant as a “disgraced” school in which students feel encouraged or even forced to cheat in order to succeed, the article certainly struck a nerve.

The knee-jerk reaction from students and staff alike was righteous indignation at the offense to our hard-earned reputation—and therein lies the problem.

As students agonized over the effects the article could have on college admissions and accused the Post of yellow journalism, there was little dialogue surrounding the root of the issue—cheating. It’s true that Stuyvesant is home to ambitious, hardworking students; it’s also true that Stuyvesant has a cheating problem. Being proud of the former and acknowledging the latter are not mutually exclusive. We should challenge the Post’s sensationalist journalism; however, in doing so, it is imperative that we not overlook the legitimate and widespread issue it addresses.

stuyspec.com

Rebecca Collins / The Spectator

NEWSBEAT

“The Pulse of the Student Body”

Cheating exists in many forms, both severe and subtle, and in virtually every academic institution. Where there is competition, espe-

cially at Stuyvesant, there is academic dishonesty. The significance of our cheating culture is glossed over because there is an established

understanding among students to prioritize mental and physical health and test performance.

The Spectator’s survey, which is what the Post used to cherry-pick a few incriminating numbers, is reflective of both a generously vague range of academic dishonesty (ranging from receiving help on a homework assignment without giving credit to cheating on a New York State regents exam). When taken out of the context and mutual understanding of the students, it is easy to condemn the cheaters without taking the extra step and asking the real question.

Why do students cheat?

In the hours Stuyvesant students have after school, they squeeze in extracurriculars that go well past sunset, long commutes, studying, and, eventually, sleep. When there is no time to be allocated for a reading assignment, students rush to retain all the details from Sparknotes. Ultimately, the way that Stuyvesant prioritizes grades encourages students to choose from a few things: their passions, their grades, their health, and their integrity. continued on page 2

Stuyvesant Holds Second Annual Regeneron Awards Ceremony

By CAROLINE MAGOC With a few opening jokes, biology teacher and research coordinator Jason Econome opened the Second Annual Regeneron Awards Ceremony in Lecture Hall A on Friday, February 2, and then proceeded to recognize all of the students who had participated in the Regeneron competition, as well as the teachers who had aided them.

The awards for both participants and the three semifinalists—seniors Tiffany Chen, Jenny Gao, and Benedict Ho— were presented by a group of seniors in the various research classes offered at Stuyvesant.

These classes varied in length and topic, with three-semester Biology Regeneron and twosemester Social Science, Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics Regeneron. While Econome mentored students in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, teachers Gary Rubenstein and Ellen Schweitzer taught Mathematics and Social Science, respectively. Upon receiving their certificates, each researcher briefly summarized his or her work, and students were then led outside the lecture hall to view poster presentations created by the researchers.

The projects on display en-

compassed a wide range of topics. Chen’s project aimed to predict which New York City neighborhoods were most likely to gentrify in the future using machine-learning algorithms, and submitted her results to the Regeneron competition under the category “Behavioral and Social Sciences,” despite taking the Mathematics Regeneron class. Where many people see research as working in a lab, Chen disagrees. “I spent a lot of my time coding on a computer, and it helped me realize that research is not just going to a lab…

Being able to do a lot of research at home actually helped me understand more about what I was looking for,” Chen said.

Projects like Chen’s came as a surprise to several students, such as freshman Michael Hu. “I was expecting really science-y projects, but there were some projects, discussing [topics like] suicide or gentrification, and I wasn’t expecting that to come up here,” Hu said. “I did not know there were so many potential topics I could research on.”

Other researchers, like senior Razeen Adit, went the classic route of finding a lab and working on a project there. Adit studied the correlation between lupus and antinuclear antibodies at Johns Hopkins University,

and viewed his experience positively. “In a classroom, a teacher tells you things, force-feeding you knowledge, but when you do the research yourself, you actually see the connections for yourself, providing a deeper understanding in the topic,” Adit said.

Senior Brain Isakov, who also presented his project, was given the opportunity to work with a mentor in Condensed Matter Physics—a topic not conventionally covered in schools—but was also taxed by a daily two-hour commute both ways. Ultimately, Isakov’s work paid off, and he was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Regeneron competition.

“I had my own freedom to explore, which can’t be compared to being in a regular classroom setting,” Isakov said.

Students were inspired by the posters presented by these students. Freshman Jonathan Schneiderman felt that speaking with senior researchers was extremely eye-opening. “It didn’t seem doable [before], going to do a serious project like these. It still looks hard, but it doesn’t look like a Sisyphean task,” Schneiderman said, expressing interest in joining the program in the future.

Econome played a critical role in assisting the researchers

with getting into labs and developing their research interests and ideas. “Mr. Econome has so much experience in research.

He has tons of connections that help seniors work in labs, because he worked in so many,” senior Michael Zheng said. “His connections with alumni also helped. [My project] was completely double-checked by a researcher who works in molecular biology, from Stuyvesant.”

Econome also taught a three-semester biology research class, which introduced students to common research techniques that would be helpful in a lab, such as restriction enzyme analysis, PCR amplification, and transformations of bacteria, as well as how to read and analyze data. “This program teaches you how to be persistent, and to always think of problems as solutions waiting to be revealed,” Econome said. “This is a great way to spend the summer, working side by side with professionals, learning and making connections that will last a lifetime.”

Compared to previous years, the 2017-2018 research cycle at Stuyvesant came with additional aid from the Alumni Association. Board of Directors member Vanessa Liu identified three ways the association is helping students with the Re-

generon Science Talent Search: seeking out alumni to review papers, offering lab space, and stimulating interest in scientific research. In the future, the Alumni Association plans to offer field visits and opportunities to talk to scientists later in the spring.

Although none of the three semi-finalists became one of the forty Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) finalists this year, they were still rewarded, with each semi-finalist receiving two thousand dollars for both themselves and the school. On average, the last few years have seen two to three semi-finalists per year, but school faculty remains optimistic about increasing that number, with changes taking shape like the reintroduction of Social Science research and more events like the Regeneron Awards Ceremony.

Principal Eric Contreras was especially grateful for the increased interest in the research program this year, as the level of enrollment was more than double that of the previous year.

“The researcher and inventor are people that bring new and fresh ideas, new perspective, and are not complacent when looking at the world as it is. We are dependent on them to move forward, as a species,” Contreras said.

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The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

News #NotAllStuyKids Is Not The Point continued from page 1

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and NASA

WORLDBEAT THE WHITE HOUSE denied a request to release a Democratic memo

responding to GOP allegations of surveillance abuse directed at a former Trump aide due to national-security concerns. Democratic officials have expressed frustration but said they were willing to reexamine and revise the memo.

THE DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE

AND S&P 500 ENTERED CORRECTION TERRITORY last week, following concerns about rising

interest rates and volatility. Despite slight rebounds on Friday, both indexes shed over 5%, their worst loss in over two years. The volatility has rattled global markets as well, which dropped around $5.2 trillion in market value

NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA walked together under one flag at the 2018 Olympics opening ceremony in Pyeongchang. The controversial move symbolizes a break in tensions between the two countries.

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SECRETLY REACHED OUT TO IRAN in December, proposing the creation of a direct channel to negotiate prisoner swaps. Iran did not respond, and refused to engage US officials on subsequent offers.

THE PENTAGON is considering plans to send armed Marine Corps

units to East Asia, in response to rising Chinese influence. The move reaffirms the Trump administration’s intentions of expanding US military influence overseas, as expressed in the National Defense Strategy report last month.

We also wish to address the public misconception that any student that cheats is inherently lazy and does not value their work. While the percentage of cheaters who rely on academic dishonesty for grades is not to be discounted, cheating at Stuyvesant is often used as a supplement to academic diligence; For example, one might bring a study guide on the day of a test just in case, as a last resort to maximize the value of the time they spent studying, and earn points where they count the most.

A student might also cheat in one subject but not in most others—the ones they actually care about. The student body of Stuyvesant High School is, by design, a strategic bunch.

We are nothing if not efficient and numbers-motivated. It’s not surprising that we turn to the fastest way to get the grade.

Teachers are arguably the greatest controllers of students’ inclinations to cheat. If homework is assigned as busy work with little educational value, students are less likely to prioritize that assignment and more likely to copy answers.

In classes where tests count for the majority of the overall grade, students cannot afford to make mistakes. These make-orbreak situation places students on thin ice, where they study

to do well and cheat to do even better. This type of academic pressure persuades students to think that it is okay to throw in that “just in case” factor since they have studied. On the other hand, if a teacher establishes lenient policies, such as dropping the lowest test grade or giving several opportunities for extra credit, students are less likely turn to cheating as a failsafe.

Because of the competition at our high school, many academic, interested students rely on cheating to maintain their average, in part because they fear they wouldn’t be lost in the bell curve without it. And considering how many of those other high achieving students cheat (statistically speaking, of course), it is difficult to promise that they would not fall behind.

Currently, Stuyvesant’s homework policy mandates that teachers give about 30 minutes of homework a day, or an hour a day for AT and AP classes. However, much anecdotal evidence suggests that investigation of potential transgressions favors the teachers in question (Translated for the populous: The policy is all talk and no walk). Ignoring students’ concerns about homework length is a recipe for cheating; in a school with heavy classwork and extracurriculars, there is no room for teachers to “bend” the rules.

The role of guidance counselors in investigating trans-

gressions of the homework policy should be increased, and AP department heads should be receptive to student concerns if they care about the integrity of their departments. In addition, departments should strive to standardize both curricula and homework. In the status quo, some teachers cover and assign the bare minimum, while others teaching the same subjects give more homework and add content not strictly necessary for the course. While some independence for teachers should be retained, students should not be forced to cope with varying workloads simply based on the luck of the draw with program schedules.

Finally, the role of tests should be deemphasized across the board. Most classes at Stuyvesant today value tests as the majority of their final grades. The threat of one bad test sinking one’s class and overall averages is a major motivator for cheating, and one that should be significantly reduced.

Understanding the root causes of cheating and addressing them, rather than resorting to punitive measures that may only exacerbate the problem, is the path to overall academic honesty within the Stuyvesant community. We are right to be inflamed by Dorn and Edelman’s article. But we would be disgraced to waste that fire.

Red Cross Hosts Health Fair

By GREG HUANG The Stuyvesant Red Cross Club hosted Stuyvesant’s 8th annual health fair in the cafeteria after school on Friday, January 19th to promote the importance of healthy living to the student body.

During the health fair, student-run clubs present information about different aspects of health and host various healthrelated activities. Many clubs also use this as an opportunity to market themselves recruit new members. “It’s important to host the event to remind people that our health is even more important than school,” Red Cross publicity officer Maiko Sein said.

The health fair is one of several initiatives in Stuyvesant promoting health and fitness. This year, the administration started a collaboration with SoulCycle, al-

lowing students and staff to use their facilities for free for several weeks. There are currently discussions to revive grab-and-go breakfasts, which were discontinued last year due to logistical difficulties. Refillable water stations at water fountains are also under consideration.

Since last year, the administration has worked with teachers to set up homework guidelines to limit the amount of homework students receive, in hopes of giving them more time to stay physically fit. “[Staying healthy] is a challenge at Stuyvesant”, principal Eric Contreras said. “Our students face the challenges of managing time, eating healthy, exercising, and taking care of themselves.”

Planning for the fair started about a month before the fair itself. Because the fair is an annual occurrence, items such as post-

ers are frequently reused, and the fair is well-known within Stuyvesant. “[Since] we’ve been doing it for eight years now, it’s something that people know about”, SPARK coordinator Angel Colon said. The main objectives of planning were reaching out to teachers to give students extra credit and recruiting clubs to participate in the fair.

A variety of clubs participated in the fair. Some of these clubs, such as Road Runners and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), had central missions related to health or fitness. However, several non-health clubs, including Muslim Students Association and Transit Association, also participated to bring insights about non-traditional aspects of health, such as environmental and cultural health. “I like [the fair’s] nonlinear approach to participation,” Contreras said.

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“You can go to the tables that you feel you want to learn more about; it’s an open forum event.”

Some clubs also prepared optional activities and items for $1 each. These included friendship bracelets by the Sophomore Caucus, reusable water bottles by the Environmental Club, Twister

by Road Runners and a planking competition by the Wellness Council, which even had Contreras and Assistant Principal of Security, Health and Physical Education Brian Moran participating.

There were several changes in this year’s event compared to previous years. Red Cross, which traditionally served smoothies during the fair, replaced them with fruit skewers, which were easier to prepare and clean up after. Another former activity was pie-a-teacher/student. It was discontinued after the 2016 fair be-

cause it was too labor-intensive to clean up and caused injuries such as busted lips and bloody noses. “Some students were too aggressive in pieing teachers and adult staff,” Colon said. “We have to look at the safety of not just the students, but also the safety of the adults.” Concerns about safety also resulted in the size of the fair being reduced from 200 to 300 students this year compared to up to 800 in previous years.

Overall, the fair was considered successful and well-managed by both students and faculty.

“The ability of our students to put together large productions never ceases to amaze me, and it speaks to the creativity, skills, planning and ability to collaborate that Stuyvesant students bring above and beyond the work they do in the classroom,” Contreras said.

The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

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The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Features

Courtesy of Mr. Hanna

The Congress of Vienna: A Becoming Stuyvesant Tradition

By SHAN ARA, ARCHI DAS, LAURA ILIOAEI, and MAX MAH The year was 1814, and all the stability in Europe had crumbled. The old ways were cast out by the Enlightenment ideas of liberty, freedom, and equality in the French Revolution. What followed was a crushing blow: Napoleon Bonaparte’s authoritarian reign and vast invasions unleashed extreme terror and devastation among the territories of Europe. Out of the ashes, it was up to Prussia, Austria, Britain, Russia, and France to come together to reach an agreement and restore the balance of Europe. This convention was known as the Congress of Vienna.

In his six years teaching at Stuyvesant, AP European History teacher David Hanna has made the Congress of Vienna in-class simulation into a Stuyvesant tradition that takes place every year at the end of the Fall semester. It has gained a prodigious reputation, as stories of the assignment are passed down from upperclassmen to each new generation of students about the fun, competitive, and involved nature of this memorable experience.

“I had heard about it from friends in the previous year, so I wasn’t terribly surprised. I had been looking forward to it. It’s a rather unique assignment, and it was promised to be hugely fun,” Daniel Kodsi (‘15) reflected in an email interview as he recalled his initial reaction to the assignment when he was a student in Hanna’s class.

To simulate the Congress of Vienna, the class is divided into five delegations. Each group is assigned a country with a number of requirements with corresponding point values that need to be met through diplomatic negotiation with other nations. While communicating, each group is unaware of a foreign country’s point standing or point worth of that group’s requirements.

Sophomore Zeynep Bromberg said, “The point of the Congress of Vienna isn’t to simulate exactly what happened in history. It’s to come up with a mutually beneficial distribution of the regions that helps everyone.” The end goal is for all the delegations to reach a common agreement of goals and needs by the final presen-

tation day. On the final day, students dress formally or in early 19th-century costume to present their cases and celebrate the close of the simulation.

However, the fun that accompanies this assignment is coupled with responsibilities that are equally as great in magnitude. Counting for a hefty assessment grade, the Congress of Vienna simulation bears a great weight among the AP European History students, requiring arduous research and relentless negotiation.

The intensity of the simulation is multiplied tenfold with the fierce mentality and driven approach of many students; every point matters and every conversation can escalate to heated debate.

The origins of the Congress of Vienna simulation date back to Hanna’s days teaching a similar International Baccalaureate course at the American School in São Paulo, Brazil. He dusted off an old teaching book dating back to the 1970’s, whereupon he discovered instructions for such a simulation. “I looked at it, and I thought, ‘Wow, I can maybe use this,’” Hanna said.

Hanna implemented the simulation in his class, where the pressured atmosphere and high academic aspirations were much like those at Stuyvesant. In its early stages, the assignment was solely based off the point system for fulfilling specific requirements. It wasn’t long before Hanna realized the simulation had become an aggressive scramble for points rather than a diplomatic congregation.

Because of this, he added a portion of the assignment that graded presentation and communication skills. The holistic traits included thoroughness of planning, fluency of speech, enthusiasm, and group collaboration. A third portion was determined by class vote over best diplomatic demeanor: civility, integrity, and poise.

These elements currently make up Hanna’s Congress of Vienna simulation.

Succeeding in this simulation is neither simple nor straightforward, accurately representing the difficulty of making compromises in history. Groups have to keep their own country’s interests in mind while making sacrifices to reach agreements with other countries. This balance is tricky and often requires secrecy while making treaties with

other countries. “It was timeconsuming and stressful, especially since Facebook, where much of the game took place, is conducive to secret chats, and one can never know to what extent one is being excluded from the action,” reflected Kodsi.

This reveals another facet of the simulation which makes use of the highly ambitious and aggressive character of Stuyvesant students. Students may be put into difficult situations which force them to choose between losing points and being deceitful. “I feel that there was the potential to hurt your friends, and that limited the scope of how far people would go to get what they wanted,” sophomore Marko Krstulovic said.

In order to make sure the treaties do not get out of hand, keeping a friendly mindset is essential. This was Bromberg’s mentality during the simulation; she said, “I often feel like when people try to betray each other and think that they’re smart, even if that does end up working out in their favor, why would you want to come away from this experience knowing that you betrayed someone?”

This stressful environment can bring out the best or the worst in people. Sophomore Sara Stebbins said, “It was very emotionally fraught. You can feel this energy that everyone wanted to snap and start yelling at each other, but everyone [also] wanted to go home and be done with negotiations.”

She added, “It was hard for me to see people who I had seen as friendly being willing to betray people.”

The simulation outlines the actual struggles that the delegations underwent during the Congress of Vienna to reach a consensus. Not only does it help students experience the historical authenticity of the Congress, but it also grapples with the true difficulties of diplomatic negotiation.

Hanna explained that the main point of this simulation is to teach the students how challenging it was to come to an agreement after years of conflict, which is why he was inspired to teach the lesson in this format. “The people who wrote [the original simulation directions] made it really tough because that’s how it really was.

It’s very explicit that these delegates were pulling their hair out trying to come up with something,” Hanna said. “There’s no lesson I could teach that could

come close to doing this.”

Despite the fact that it is not a formal classroom lesson, students retain historical and applicable lessons through the interactive challenge. “My biggest take-away from the simulation was the importance of trust when conducting negotiations. That was an important lesson to learn that applies to much more than just this simulation,” Gabriel Rosen (‘15) recalled in an email interview. “A typical lesson would not have conveyed, to the same extent, the drama and tensions involved in the establishment of such a peace.”

Building on that point, Stebbins said, “You can read about the Congress of Vienna and how they divided up the territories, but you don’t get to experience the very human aspect of what it’s like to fight it out with someone over land.”

The accuracy of this simulation enables those who participate in it to understand the greater idea at hand: how social interactions manifest between individuals, and how these manifestations have not changed with the passage of time. “What happens a lot of the time is you can’t just get a majority vote. You have to get certain combinations of votes, certain delegations have to vote for certain items, and everything is contingent upon everything else. You might have 99 percent of something all agreed on, but there’s this little one percent that could unravel all of it,” Hanna said. “That can be really frustrating, but that’s part of diplomacy. It’s not just what happened in Vienna in 1814-1815, it’s relevant now.”

He elaborated by connecting this to the Syrian crisis and the difficulties governments are having reaching an agreement to move past the war, proving that diplomacy and negotiation are not obsolete.

In fact, the Congress of Vienna simulation brings together a class full of around 30 students who otherwise may never have turned to greet one another. That is inevitable in a school as large as Stuyvesant.

Students usually don’t know everyone in their class, even in a largely discussion-based class such as history.

However, when the big day arrived, the energy in room 305 was astounding. A common buzzing of excitement hummed throughout the room as the sharply dressed sophomores bustled in, greeted by

an expecting Hanna. His voice boomed as he looked around the room and peered into the bright eyes of his students ready to share and celebrate their hard work. The students sat with their country; their national flag rested at the center of their table, which was covered with an emerald green tablecloth.

Students passed around Whole Foods cookies and Martinelli’s Apple Cider as Hanna joked, “Martinelli’s: only the finest.” He even helped a student put on a tie—everyone has to look and act the part for this simulation to be a success (one student even donned a top hat).

A slideshow displayed photos from the historical Congress of Vienna. Sophistication and professionalism rang through the room as Hanna broke up the last-minute negotiations and debates.

Stebbins stood up to play Haydn in G minor on the violin. As the music ricocheted throughout the room, the students’ anxiety was slightly soothed. However, the most crucial part of the assignment was yet to come: the presentation of the constructed treaties and the distribution of points.

As Stebbins played her final note, the room erupted in applause and Hanna joked, “We’re an orchestra with a country.”

As Hanna said “The future of Europe is in your capable hands,” the Grand Duke of Warsaw, Russia’s representative, stood up and recited their point allocations. Leaders from each country voted by raising their hands. Most students were relieved, but a few glared at Russia and glanced around the room nervously.

Sabotages are possible in this simulation—it is all in the art of negotiations. However, negotiations continued smoothly and Hanna was impressed by the closeness of the points distribution. In fact, a more even distribution of points marks a successful Congress, in which a settlement is reached and everyone is satisfied.

After points were tallied, written work was collected by the secretaries, and the various delegations voted to receive additional points of diplomacy in their grades. The Metternich Cup gleamed under the fluorescent light and awaited being held by the victor. continued on page 4

The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

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Features The Congress of Vienna: A Becoming Stuyvesant Tradition continued from page 3

By TALIA KAHAN and HAYEON OK Biology teacher Jessica Quenzer, a New York native, began teaching almost accidentally.

While in graduate school to get her PhD, she faced severe funding issues, which caused her to drop out. Quenzer’s Principal Investigator, the head of the laboratory, recommended pursuing a career in teaching after noticing that Quenzer excelled as a teaching assistant for a biology class.

Although Quenzer was reluctant to leave her PhD behind, she decided that she would go into education.

Before making her final decision, Quenzer worked at Rockefeller University as a research assistant for a year. “I’ve never regretted it. I am much happier teaching than I am working at the labs all day. I do miss the labs, but I am very happy here,” Quenzer said.

After her job at Rockefeller University, Quenzer began teaching Regents Biology and Health at NEST+m, a selective public K-12 school in Manhattan. Afterward, Quenzer taught at the High School of Economics and Finance (HSEF), another Manhattan public school.

Finally, after teaching at HSEF for four years, Quenzer came to Stuyvesant, where she now teaches Advanced Topics in Biology, a freshman biology research class, and Biology Lab Techniques. Additionally, Quenzer coaches the Science Olympiad and the U.S. Biology Olympiad and is a mentor for Genes in Space and the Urban Barcode Project.

Among her many notable classroom practices is her unique Valentine’s Day lesson: “Around ‘Singlehood Awareness Day,’ I have this lesson in which students are analyzing published articles about the biochemistry behind the emotion of love,” Quenzer explained. Students read articles from both layman newspapers (newspapers for the general public) and scientific journals, such as PNAS and Nature. Quenzer

Courtesy of Ms Quenzer

Finally, as the session drew to an end, everyone cheered on the victors as they posed for a group photo.

As the minutes ticked away, the room’s atmosphere relaxed, and a surge of friendliness swept the room. Smiles stretched across the students’ faces and laughter erupted as Hanna explained how much he looked forward to the final presentation, and that the excitement and stress kept him from sleeping at night—feelings that almost every student in the class related to.

However, all the students stood tall and proud for a group photo to celebrate this simulation, carried out over days and negotiated in all sorts of venues, such as chemistry classrooms, locker rooms, bathrooms, hallways, and Whole Foods. For most of Hanna’s students, the Congress of Vienna was the first simulation they had ever experienced in a history class (but not the last: Hanna holds a similar simulation towards the end of second semester on the Hague Peace Conference).

The experience and toil of negotiations left everyone with a feeling of triumph regardless of whether or not they won the Metternich Cup. “We make it an occasion because you’re celebrating, hopefully, the settling of the future of Europe for the next 100 years,” Hanna said. “It’s not that there’s a crisis that you’re trying to avert;

you’re trying to lay the groundwork for peace, so you should be celebrating it.”

“This year, all three sections were able to reach a settlement before the formal session was held,” Hanna said. “That’s the first time it had ever happened.

In other words, they were able to come up with an agreement that enough of them were satisfied with the aspects that it passed. That’s not easy to do.”

In fact, in previous years, Hanna stated that the formal sessions sometimes broke down and students began blaming each other.

“Sometimes Stuyvesant students, the type A’s, they want to lead, they want to win. That doesn’t really work in things like the Congress of Vienna simulation,” Hanna said. “You have leaders, and sometimes they can push through things, but eventually they come up against the wall. You have to be willing to modify your demands and be creative. When that happens, it’s just wonderful.”

The Congress of Vienna is less history and more relevant and crucial to the modern day.

Many more students will be able to experience the same simulation and step into the shoes of their predecessors.

The same music, excitement, and competition will flood the air, and be released in a wave of relief and companionship.

The Congress of Vienna has brought 1815 to 2018, and this budding tradition will continue doing so for years to come.

Quenzer’s Unique Twist on Valentine’s Day

Quenzer and her dog, Po, sharing the love

described an important aspect of this lesson: “[The students] can see that a lot of stuff gets sugarcoated or left out in the news for general consumption,” she explained. Frequently, the layman newspapers leave out critical scientific facts such as the number of test subjects were involved, how often the test was repeated, and if there was a sufficient amount of data to back the conclusion.

Quenzer thinks that it is crucial for her students to realize this and look out for this type of information while reading articles in the future. Quenzer ultimately wants her students to learn “how to think,” and feels that this lesson teaches students how to do so, because it helps them come up with creative questions.

The articles Quenzer shares during the Valentine’s Day lesson range from humorous ones about smelly white t-shirts to serious articles about parasites. Describing an article she shares, Quenzer said, “There was this study conducted in which women smelled sweaty white t-shirts worn by men, and the idea was for them to rank who smelled attractive.

The scientists would determine whether or not there was any connection between what the women found attractive and the chemistry of this man.” Quenzer also talked about an article relating the effects of birth control to women’s scent perceptions. Es-

sentially, when women are taking birth control, they might consider a certain scent to be attractive, but once they are off the pill, their perception of this scent changes.

Another article she uses is about Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that infects rodents and makes them undaunted by cats.

Although this might seem like a disease unrelated to humans, Toxoplasma gondii makes its way into humans and might even explain attraction to cats. “The parasite moves into cats and people could pick up that parasite while cleaning the litter box,” Quenzer said. “So there could be truth to the crazy cat lady, because the parasite makes rodents like cats a lot, [and] it could make humans like cats a lot too. In rodents, Toxoplasma gondii attacks the hypothalamus, but scientists are still unsure of which part of the brain is affected in humans.” Quenzer’s personal favorite article talks about how being with dogs can increase oxytocin levels. These high oxytocin levels are comparable to the levels between mother and child.

As Quenzer spoke about oxytocin levels, she fondly said, “I have a dog, and she is my blatantly obvious child substitute.”

Hopefully, all of us will feel love like Quenzer does toward her dog, Po, this ‘Singlehood Awareness Day.’

Makeup Philosophy at Stuyvesant

By LAURA ILIOAEI and JULIA PANAS We all use brushes to comb our hair or to brush our teeth in the morning, but some of us also whip out the brushes required to put on cosmetics. Certain individuals find that slapping on concealer blurs both discolorations and negative self-perceptions. Others seek the identity that rests within them as they don their second skin. Then, there are those who simply wear make-up for amusement. Regardless of these assorted stigmas, students at Stuyvesant can often be seen in the hallways sporting looks ranging from naturals to neons.

First, here is the positive: behind highlighted cheeks and temples, parts of the makeup-wearing crowd believe that wearing makeup is a way to express one’s individuality and creativity. “I feel that Stuyvesant has a very diverse makeup culture, and as makeup is a form of self-expression, it can truly show how varied the cultures, ideas, and ideals in the Stuyvesant student body are,” freshman Julian Cunningham said. It can be said that a makeup wearer’s face is her canvas, with cosmetics serving as a palette of pigments. As artists, they can paint whatever picture they desire.

But just as such powerful fantasy sparks wonderment within them, it may also provoke feelings of inferiority. Critics of makeup often report that it’s a tool of vanity, meant to perpetuate insecurities within consumers in order to inflate profits for cosmetics companies. To the critics’ credit, certain individuals become dependent on

utilizing makeup .

“Last year, when I first started wearing makeup, I got so obsessed with it that I insisted on wearing it practically every day and didn’t ever leave the house without it.

It got to the point where I hated pictures of me without makeup, and I finally decided that I needed to cut down and change my attitude toward makeup as a whole,” freshman Sarai Pridgen admitted.

The makeup wearer will inevitably

of my guy friends mentioned that he wants me to help him out with trying out makeup,” freshman Alyssa Meczkowska confessed.

Despite such curiosity, the overwhelming majority of males still don’t intend to ever wear makeup seriously. Freshman Yasmine Chokrane offered one explanation for this phenomenon: “I think they see it as demeaning to their masculinity in a way,” she said. Though the present has been revolutionary

my sister who is three years older wear it made me kind of look up to her and want to be like her, maybe even [wear makeup] to a greater extent,” freshman Lara Somoroff explained. Her view presents the duality of this influence: it can be used for bandwagon purposes that risk limiting an individual, but can also be used as a tool for self-empowerment. And for some, fitting in is in itself empowering.

Regardless, there are those

“An art arguably more primitive and influential than other forms of creative expression, the use of makeup will only continue to provoke ideas in the present period.”

need to address hidden discontent if she encounters dissatisfaction with her “barefaced” appearance.

Otherwise, what initially begins as something fun manifests into a gruesome reminder of societal and personal superficiality.

Though cosmetics usage is more pronounced in the female population than the male population, the latter group sometimes portrays an interest in using the various products. “I’ve noticed a few guys wearing makeup. In fact, I was sitting with a group of friends, and one of the guys in the group mentioned wanting to try out makeup and that he thinks it would be fun. Also, one

in regards to gender roles, and male makeup artists such as Patrick Starr and Angel Marino have emerged in the makeup guru world, males typically still regard makeup usage as something strictly feminine when not used for events such as theatre performances or Halloween parties.

Peer and familial influences often pose the greatest effect on when and why a makeup user starts applying different products. “I do not usually wear makeup. Interestingly, the time I wore makeup consistently was in seventh grade where it was a natural impulse, almost because my friends did. Also, seeing

who prefer to disregard cosmetics and go au naturel. “I feel like I don’t need to wear makeup. I don’t have the time, the materials, or the knowledge,” sophomore Arielle Aney said. When inquired if her stance would change if she knew more about makeup application and whether her opinion was influenced by the fact that she is a swimmer, she replied, “I’ve never worn makeup before practice, but I’ve seen how other girls’ mascara will get watery and run. I would probably stay barefaced. I don’t really think I’d like the way makeup would look on me. For example, concealer would make my skin

look too smooth for my liking.”

Comparably, Chokrane stated, “I [neither] wear makeup, nor intend to wear makeup for three reasons. One, I do not have time. Two, [it costs] way too much money and [is] really expensive. And three, I’m not comfortable enough with myself to actually put it on. […] I have no views on people [who] do or do not wear it. I don’t care. You [can] do whatever you want.” Other students report that they would rather spend the minutes that they could spend applying makeup sleeping, as sleep deprivation is a definite issue at Stuyvesant.

One may also choose to ditch the poofs and powders for more personal reasons. Somoroff explained how she came to her decision to not wear makeup, admitting, “I wanted to discover myself and what I like, and given that I was leaving my old school, I felt I didn’t need or want to conform to the normal or mainstream attire, […] not because I thought of them as lowly or because I did not like them, but because I did not feel like I had a skin to call my own. I did not feel like wearing the coating of mascara and straightening my hair was really who I was.”

Whether conceited or creative, egocentric or expressive, unthinking or unique, cosmetics don their own set of dual reputations. An art arguably more primitive and influential than other forms of creative expression, the use of makeup will only continue to provoke ideas in the present period. It can never be brushed under the carpet, as it has and will continue to leave its brushstrokes on the rest of the world, one face at a time.

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The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Editorials

Courtsey of Chloe Delfau

Our National Debt: To the Kurds

By JOSHUA WEINER The Middle East may be the world’s most diverse region. It contains governments ranging from strict autocracies to blossoming democracies, and power vacuums where extremists reign supreme. But this is not a story about the entire Middle East, nor is it one about how the region got to be this way. This is a story about the Kurds, a people who have been divided and repressed for decades—if not centuries—in this tumultuous and ever-changing region.

U.S.-Kurdish relations began during the Wilson Presidency, where Wilson pushed for nation-states across the globe to be built based on a shared culture and ethnicity. The Kurds, as a distinct people from the Turks to the North and Shiite Muslims to the South, constituted a nation under this principle. An independent Kurdish state was established in 1920 after the fragmentation of the Ottoman Empire outlined in the Treaty of Sevres. Only three years later, however, their state was split between Turkey, Iran, and Iraq, which marked the birth of the modern Kurdish struggle for independence and unification.

This was the United States’ first failure toward the Kurdish people.

Fast forward to 1970: the Kurdish Democratic Party was encouraged by the United States to support the new Ba’ath government in Iraq under the promise of greater autonomy.

For the Kurds, the promise of United States-backed autonomy led them to reconcile with the Iraqis, who thought the Kurds were an inferior group. In a cruel twist of irony, the leader of those negotiations was none other than the future dictator of Iraq and abuser of the Kurdish people: Saddam Hussein.

Hussein soon betrayed the United States by signing agreements with the Soviets, which prompted the United States to arm Kurdish rebels opposed to Hussein’s rule—the first example of the U.S. using the Kurds as a convenient ally. But Washington’s actions precipitated terrible consequences for the Kurdish people.

In the Kurdish territories, it’s called “Bloody Friday.” To exact retribution for Kurdish opposition, Saddam Hussein carried out one of the bloodiest abuses of human rights in modern history. Chemical weapons were dropped on Kurdish cities and towns—men, women, and children were executed for wanting autonomy. Children died in the streets, choking on the air they breathed. As these atrocities occurred, the United States not

only turned its back on the Kurds and downplayed the incident, but also gave Saddam Hussein intelligence and chemical weapons that he used to exact mass murder on the Kurdish people.

Not only did we abandon the Kurdish people and their hopes because of our greater geopolitical agenda, but we were complicit in their slaughter.

Since then, the United States has continued to turn its back on the Kurds in favor of bolstering relations with other nations.

According to the European Commission, Turkey has committed a form of “cultural genocide” against the Kurds: forcing assimilation, barring the use of the Kurdish language, and physically uprooting and spreading out Kurdish communities. Despite the Turkish government’s horrific transgressions, the U.S. seems willing to remain complicit as long as Turkey continues leasing out its air bases to American aircraft. Even when reports from Amnesty International show that the Turkish government is currently engaged in a war with Kurdish paramilitary

thing to lose, Kurdish forces single-handedly captured tens of thousands of square miles of territory from ISIS while receiving minimal air support and supplies from the United States.

In turn, the United States adopted a passive stance, choosing to ignore the clamor for Kurdish independence and hoping that the movement would blow over.

Doing relatively little to advocate for a Kurdish state in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, or Syria, we let the Kurdish people fight our battles for nothing in return. However, now that ISIS has lost most of its territory in the Middle East, the questions regarding Kurdish independence have similarly vanished. The world—and the United States in particular—only supported the Kurdish people while they were a convenient ally. After all they have done, they deserve so much more.

It is wise and long overdue for the United States to formally support the quest for Kurdish independence. After remaining silent while Kurdish children were gassed in the streets of their villages or as President Erdogan of

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Turkey uproots thousands from their homes, we owe the Kurdish people our full support. We have dangled the promise of statehood in front of the Kurds for the better part of a century while they received nothing. Supporting the Kurds has benefits far beyond preserving our moral integrity. Becoming an ally of the Kurds would mean promoting a stable, democratic state in an area of the Middle East in dire need of one and supporting a U.S. ally right next to Iran.

The story of the Kurds deserves a new chapter: statehood.

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groups, jailing politicians and burning down villages, the socalled “leader of the free world” turns a blind eye.

The calls for an independent Kurdistan came to a head during the United States’ onslaught against the Islamic state. During that time, the U.S. was looking for allies in a region without stable governments or governments willing to combat the threat of ISIS. They found an ally in the Kurdish people, who fought bitterly to protect their homes and, in the process, earned the respect and support of people around the world. With every-

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Not only did we abandon the Kurdish people because of our greater need to help Iraq fight Iran, but we were complicit in their slaughter.

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Kurdistan is a key region in the Middle East in terms of both strategic importance and geopolitical influence. The Kurdish fight for independence, which has been going on for over a century, seems to be reaching a climax.

VOICES Would you like to share a personal narrative with the school? Whether it’s an essay you’ve written for class, or a piece you’ve been working on by yourself, if it’s in first-person and it is nonfiction it could get published in The Spectator’s issue-ly Voices column! Send your stories into opinions@stuyspec.com, or email us with any questions or concerns you have.

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Page 7

Opinions Should Oprah Run for President?

Oprah Winfrey, the famous talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist, delivered a speech at the Golden Globes that led many to believe she was interested in running for president. In this PCP, Opinions editor Eliza Spinna and writer Angela Wong debate an Oprah presidency, what it would mean for American democracy, and if she would be equipped for the White House.

By ELIZA SPINNA With no clear frontrunner for the 2020 election, the Democratic party is jumping to find popular candidates who can run for office in two years. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced he was “seriously considering” running for office in December. Before his sexual misconduct scandal, comedian and Senator Al Franken was also considered a potential frontrunner. After Oprah Winfrey’s political speech at the Golden Globes, many Democrats read her message as an indication of her willingness to run in 2020.

Her speech, however, shouldn’t be read as a premature campaign announcement. It was certainly political— she touched on the #MeToo movement and the struggles women endure in the workplace—but her fundamental message was not partisan. By telling her story as a young, black woman observing media representation of women and racial minorities, Oprah likely intended to send the hopeful message that young women will “speak their truth to the power of those men” in Hollywood and industry in general.

The Democrats’ willingness to interpret any political dialogue by celebrities as an announcement of their intentions to run for office reveals a larger panic and insecurity in the party. Democrats know that beating Trump in 2020 will be a tricky task and are searching for someone with sheer popularity to give them a chance to occupy the White House. Rather than attempting to be the “adults in the room” and rising above Trump’s populism, the Democrats are stooping to the Republicans’ level, which has dangerous political consequences.

By standing behind Oprah, Democrats validate the notion that Trump is not uniquely unqualified for office and that celebrity politics are acceptable.

While Oprah is certainly a better version of Trump—she‘s a successful businessperson and media personality—she, like Trump, has no concrete political experience.

Political experience is important because it allows politicians to effectively create and push for policies within the complex and often esoteric American government. Experienced politicians know what concessions they can and cannot make and what routes to take when advancing legislation. For example, understanding how to execute a discharge petition after 21 years of working in the House and the Senate allowed Lyndon B. Johnson to push his Civil Rights Act of 1964 through an otherwise uncompromising House controlled by southern Democrats who opposed civil rights legislation.

And recently, as a member of the Sen-

ate Foreign Relations Committee, Barack Obama made official trips to Middle Eastern nations such as Azerbaijan, where he collaborated with foreign leaders to create strategies to control terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

This experience gave him the knowledge and international political clout to negotiate the Iran Deal.

Oprah simply does not have the understanding of how our government works that Johnson gained in the House or the international political experience that Obama gained as a senator. While Oprah certainly is an international philanthropist, funding schools in Africa is not equivalent to negotiating with potentially hostile foreign leaders.

Similarly, putting your starpower behind a policy as a celebrity, like Oprah has done before, is not the same as pushing a policy through the House of Representatives and the Senate as the president. The former is much easier because it does not require the gritty negotiation skills and political knowledge that the president must exercise to push for policy.

Like Trump must be reliant on his cabinet, Oprah would similarly be forced to depend on her advisors, which would severely slow her ability to respond quickly to emergencies and push for policy changes effectively.

The Democrats’ willingness to interpret any political dialogue by celebrities as an announcement of their intention to run for office reveals a larger panic and insecurity in the party.

Beyond this, the Democrats’ willingness to back Oprah delegitimizes local politicians and the current political system in which politicians work their way through smaller offices to eventually amass enough support and experience to run for larger offices. If the Democratic party backs Oprah, it will confirm that a new political dynamic is supported by both sides of the political aisle, one in which wealthy newcomers take office merely because of their personality, wealth, and starpower. This will discourage younger potential candidates from running for smaller offices because they believe they won’t be able to work their way up to the presidency or to a higher office.

If Trump is usurped in two years, the American government will be faced with the tough task of returning to a normal White House and political order. If that happens, it will be essential to find someone with the political experience to make that transition as smooth as possible.

Only governors and congressmen who have worked their way up through the political ranks have the ability to return America to its pre-Trump state.

Winfrey for the Win

Elena Sapelyuk / The Spectator

Elena Sapelyuk / The Spectator

The Case for a Little Less Glamor and a Little More Policy

By ANGELA WONG A new day certainly is on the horizon.

Oprah Winfrey is considering running for President of the United States. With such a prestigious and honorable position comes immense responsibility. Nevertheless, Oprah has proven throughout her life that she is more than capable of running our country as the first female African American president.

At the 75th Golden Globe Awards, Oprah received a standing ovation for her motivational and presidential speech.

She assured her audience that a “new day is on the horizon,” in which the women of Hollywood overcome sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. For these eight minutes, Oprah resembled a potential American president: someone who acknowledges the hard work of men and women over the course of American history who have fought to make the world a better place. Beginning with her inspiring story of watching the first black man to win the Cecil B. DeMille award in 1964, Oprah’s speech focused on inclusivity. Her uplifting speech offered Americans what President Donald Trump’s demeaning rhetoric cannot. Onstage and off, Oprah remains one of the most hardworking, caring, and inspiring celebrities and would make an incredible president.

Though Oprah is one of the wealthiest women in America, she cannot be defined by her net worth, but by the many contributions she has made as a philanthropist. Some of her most notable advancements in human welfare, such as the creation of her own bill and the construction of a South African high school, revolve around a main goal of hers: to provide greater opportunities for disadvantaged children.

Having gone through a difficult childhood herself, she converts her past hardships into motivation for creating reforms to protect children whose voices often go unheard. Using her platform to spread awareness on the issue of child predators, she announced her support for the PROTECT Our Children Act on her Oprah Winfrey Show. Testifying before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, her “Oprah Bill,” which advocated for a national database for convicted child abusers, passed in 1993. Furthermore, 12 years later, Oprah featured the Oprah’s Child Predator Watch List on her show in hopes that everyone on the wanted predator list would be caught.

14 years after the Oprah Bill, she established The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa aiming to educate and empower young girls.

Oprah founded this high school to improve the education of poor children by

providing the “exposure and opportunity [to] nurture them to understand their own power and possibility.” According to a study by Girls’ Education Monitoring, African children’s participation in formal schooling, specifically girls, decreases in HIV-prevalent areas. With the majority of the student body made up of South African girls from HIV and AIDS infected families, Oprah wished to change the way South African culture limited the capabilities of women. While Oprah has spent millions building the school, its principal is most thankful for her talent and how “she’s present, she is amongst the students. That is a very unique feature for any founder of a school to be so personally invested.”

Representation in government is crucial. Having a woman of color holding the highest national office would be inspirational for young women and men of color. Oprah may pave the road for more women of color to participate in the American government. A study by Jennifer Lawless of American University’s Women and Politics Institute revealed that women are much less likely than men to think that they are qualified to run for office and to receive the suggestion to run for office. It had also concluded that “barriers to women’s interest in running for office can be overcome only with major cultural and political changes.” As the first black female president, Oprah can inspire young women to pursue careers in politics. Such increased representation of women in the government may help

Having gone through a difficult childhood herself, she converts her past hardships into motivation for creating reforms to protect children whose voices often go unheard.

tear down social and cultural limits of women, strengthen their image as leaders, and increase awareness on policies that affect women and center around social and gender equality.

Oprah, a once economically disadvantaged child who worked her way up through hard work, can empathize with and provide Americans with a relatable and reliable voice. Coming from poverty and as a survivor of sexual assault, Oprah can understand and effectively pass policies helping the disadvantaged. With her platform and influence, she can transform this power into a voice fighting for affordable education for all children, empowerment of young girls, and against child abuse. By believing in a brighter future for America and using her knowledge and success in past government affairs, she can work toward decreasing rates of sexual harassment and child abuse while increasing female representation in politics and in higher levels of education. Oprah can truly transform our country into a safer one for our current generation and for those to come.

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The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Opinions Classes We Want to Take Stuyvesant offers a wide variety of classes for students to take, ranging from AP Calculus BC to British Literature to New York City History to Urban Ecology. In spite of this, there are still many subjects that are not in the curriculum that students wish to take. In this spread, Opinions writers describe a few of the classes they’d like Stuyvesant to offer, from personal finance to professional skills to philosophy to positive psychology.

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, OR HOW TO BE HAPPY AT STUYVESANT

PUBLIC SPEAKING CLASS

By SHAFALI GUPTA

Elena Sapelyuk / The Spectator

By ELIZA SPINNA In Yale University’s 316-year history, the most popular class has been Psychology and the Good Life, a course that nearly a fourth of Yale undergraduates enroll in. The course focuses on positive psychology: the study of the environments and characteristics that allow humans to flourish. It also covers behavioral change, or applying these lessons to one’s life.

The final assessment is a personal improvement project.

As a school famous for its crushing workload and competitive environment, Stuyvesant should offer a similar course: How to Be Happy at Stuyvesant. This course would be a one semester elective, with priority given to freshmen and sophomores. It would start with a monthlong summary of the history of psychology to establish a base of general knowledge on the terms, ideas, and themes studied by psychology. Then, it would hone in on humanistic theories of psychology that focus on the study of human flourishing on multiple levels, including the biological, personal, relational, institutional, cultural, and global dimensions of life.

The discipline of positive psychology is divided into three categories: positive emotions, positive individual traits, and positive institutions. Positive emotions involve being content with one’s past, being happy in the present, and having hope for the future. Positive individual traits are one’s strengths, abilities, and virtues.

Finally, positive institutions are ways to better a community. The class would be divided into three units, each looking at the meaning of the themes and flesh out what each means to each individual student.

The course would integrate behavioral applications specific to Stuyvesant High School and being a teenager in general. For example, one lesson plan could be identifying positive activities, institutions, and programs within our school that have helped us flourish and discuss why these specific clubs or programs are so important. Students could also look outward to the larger New York community and assess how local programs contribute to public happiness and growth.

The class would be largely discussion-based in order to allow to students relate the material to their own lives. The class would be graded with monthly quizzes on course content, as well as group and individual projects where students analyze how the principles of positive psychology interact with their own lives.

While junior health classes touch briefly on positive emotions and behaviors, they simply do not have the time to cover the concepts of psychology that interact with and produce these emotions and behaviors in depth. This class would also be an alternative to the oversubscribed AP Psychology classes, especially for students who are interested in psychology but do not want to or do not have the GPA to commit to the year-long workload of an Advanced Placement course.

A positive psychology course is uniquely relevant and important to Stuyvesant because many students, especially freshmen and sophomores, have not adapted to the competitive environment and are struggling to find their strengths in this rigorous environment. Allowing students to choose to focus on self-improvement and self-esteem would be a step toward creating a more positive Stuyvesant environment.

Before I came to Stuyvesant, I hated speaking in front of people. I would freeze up and start stuttering. Even in the classroom setting, other than the occasional reading in English, I used to sit in my seat, stare at the board in silence, and only talk to the people closest to me.

However, I made the goal to be able to speak coherently and to be able to say one sentence without an “um” or an “uh.” After researching the various extracurricular options that allowed me to practice my public speaking skills, such as Speech and Debate, I decided to join Model United Nations.

Students that do not or cannot participate in these extracurricular programs, however, may go through four years of high school without learning how to effectively communicate their ideas and knowledge.

In some classes, the lack of these skills can negatively affect students’ grades.

For example, multiple language classes require students to create presentations or skits and present them in front of their class. These are often difficult for students to complete, as there are several components to a successful public speech. Projection, clarity, conciseness, and an engaging tone are necessary for an oral presentation, but none of these skills are covered in general high school education courses, meaning many students lose points not due to a lack of content knowledge, but an inability to communicate that knowledge.

Public speaking is not a skill limited to the classroom. Unless you plan on having a job that requires virtually no face to face contact, you will most likely need to constantly speak in front of people throughout your life, whether it be for your 16th birthday party, a group interview, or when you are the CEO of a company.

Stuyvesant prides itself in its intellectual rigor, which allows students to prosper in the most prestigious universities academically. However, intellect is only one part of the process of getting a well-paying job. The rest depends on how you present yourself and how you speak in front of those who will determine your status at that job. This crucial skill should be taught in a class for students who are unable to learn these skills elsewhere.

A public speaking class would be a great addition to the Stuyvesant’s list of electives. This class would put a focus on three things: projection, clarity, and tone. Projection is one of the most crucial skills that many Stuyvesant students lack. Getting rid of filler words and long pauses are essential for clarity. Finally, a monotone voice can make one’s speech unengaging. Along with these skills, concision, speed, and persuasive devices would also be discussed.

As for the rubric, the class would be participation-heavy. 60 percent would come from attendance and participation, 30 percent would come from presentations that students will have a minimum of one week to form, and 10 percent would come from homework. Teachers would have discretion over what the day-to-day work would look like, but it would largely consist of what the students collectively decide to work on. There can be options where students can practice presentations from other classes, such as their language class. Although Stuyvesant does offer an acting class, this class would be less focused on literature and memorizing lines and more on how students can effectively relay information.

Public speaking is not a skill that comes intuitively to most people; rather, it requires practice. It is something that is often overlooked, especially in a school like Stuyvesant where grades are many students’ primary focus. An important thing to remember is: how someone looks on paper will get them to the doorstep, but how one presents themselves is needed to get them through the door.

A PROFESSIONAL SKILLS CLASS

Elena Sapelyuk / The Spectator

By ANTA NOOR A professional skills class would be extremely beneficial to sophomores and juniors who are applying for internships or jobs, and it could give them a leg up, especially if they haven’t learned the skills earlier. When I was a sophomore, I applied to many summer internships and was rejected from most of them because I had not learned how to make the best of an interview. I was often caught off guard by questions I wasn’t prepared for, and I stuttered a lot. Learning how to be an effective interviewee would’ve helped me because it would’ve made me more comfortable with interviews.

My idea for a professional skills class came from a professional skills workshop at Stuyvesant’s Alumni Mentoring Program. The lessons that some students learn from the workshops should reach a larger audience since the program is selective, meaning many students don’t have the opportunity to learn these skills.

In addition, many of the students at Stuyvesant are immigrants or first-generation Americans like myself. Most of them wouldn’t be able to learn these essential skills at home because of internal problems, like language barriers or students’ parents not knowing the skills themselves. Therefore, these skills should be taught to all students

who are interested, and not just the ones in the mentoring program.

However, this class should be an elective because it would give willing students the chance to learn the skills, but also allow students who feel as if they’ve already acquired these skills to decline to take the class. This class, being an elective, would also be beneficial on a student’s college application, but definitely not needed. Colleges could see that students chose to add an extra class in their already rigorous schedule to learn these skills. However, if students already learned the skills, then not taking the class wouldn’t put them behind their peers. Instead, it would make sure that all students are on an equal standing in terms of professional skills.

A professional skills class would be a great addition to the Stuyvesant curriculum. In the class, students would learn skills such as building a resume, preparing for interviews, networking, the basics of finance, the basics of public speaking, organization, and other things students might need for their future at college and in the workplace. When students go off to college, many of them lack the skills necessary to run their daily lives or help with important events.

In addition, the curriculum for the course would consist of delving into a new major skill every few weeks, such as focusing on interview preparation for two weeks.

Students would practice with each other, and at the end of the two weeks, mock interviews would be hosted, in which students are put into an interview setting and an interview is conducted. Their grades would come from the effort they put in, meaning students would be graded on timeliness, participation, and completion of the assigned home- and classwork. 50 percent of the student’s grade would be based on their work in class and from home. 30 percent of their grade would be the mock interviews, resumes, and presentations. Lastly, 20 percent of their grade would be class participation and engagement in class. It would be less stressful than most other classes because students wouldn’t need to worry about tests or quizzes.

continued on page 9

The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

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Opinions Classes We Want to Take continued from page 8

A MODERN PERSPECTIVE ON MUSIC APPRECIATION

PERSONAL FINANCE CLASS

By ROHAN AHAMMED

Known for some of the most esoteric and highly specialized courses offered in a public high school, Stuyvesant is remarkably lacking in classes teaching important life skills, such as personal finance.

According to GOBankingRates, nearly 40 percent of Americans can’t describe a 401(k), and according to a Gallup poll, only 30 percent of Americans have a long-term financial plan that includes savings and investment goals.

A vital part of adulthood is being able to manage money, but many Americans fail to do so effectively. More importantly, personal finance decisions are becoming increasingly significant for younger people as college tuition and attendance rates increase. Even so, general public school education does not prepare them to make financial decisions regarding student loans, budgeting, credit, and taxes.

A lack of financial literacy is leading young people to take on more debt and difficult financial situations that will affect them for their entire lives. For example, Barack and Michelle Obama were still paying off their student loan debts up until five years before Obama’s presidency; this was also around the same time they began saving for their daughters’ college education. According to Pew Research Center, four in 10 adults under the age of 30 have outstanding student loans, with the U.S. average debt per student at just over $17,000, according to Business Insider.

A personal finance class at Stuyvesant would include topics such as budgeting, taxes, mortgages, credit cards, the stock market, investments, debt, and student loans. As opposed to current macro- and microeconomics classes, a personal finance class would follow a student-centered curriculum focused on preparing students for their immediate financial future.

The class would be largely designed from students’ questions. For example, teachers could create student questionnaires at the beginning of the year to see what personal finance issues are most relevant to students, whether that is understanding the complexities of federal student loans and grants or learning about the importance of credit, credit cards, and credit scores. Additionally, the class would be able to harness modern technology with stock market and budgeting simulations and other interactive content. The class would be targeted toward upperclassmen, who would utilize the information that they learn in the class in real life as they apply to colleges and for grants, set up credit cards, and take out loans.

This class would result in the increased financial literacy of Stuyvesant graduates, a skill that is not exclusive to those interested in a career in business or finance. Stuyvesant is a highly intellectual environment, but it is one that focuses a lot on scholarly, theoretical material, much of which has little application outside of highly specified careers. Nonetheless, Stuyvesant already has classes such as health (which is now being taught to some freshman classes) and computer science, which are both acknowledged as important in their own ways. What is missing is the understanding that personal finance is equally important as health or computer science to students’ lives.

At Stuyvesant, every student’s academic interests are considered important, and improving and creating higher level classes in theoretical topics such as math and science have been stressed by the school for years. Practical classes need to be considered under the same light, and should be seen as even more relevant, as they apply to the immediate future and well-being of every student.

ZhenHong Chen / The Spectator

By JULIAN GIORDANO and ANGELA WONG

I was sitting in my Music Appreciation class right after I finished taking my final when I thought of an important question: Did this class make me appreciate the classics and older music? I’m still unsure of the answer to that question. The class had forced me to study the history of classical music and to listen to it, but it did not make me want to listen to those pieces after the class had ended.

The current curriculum is severely outdated and does not reflect recent developments in music; the curriculum largely terminates before the 20th century, the century of many influential innovations and developments in music. The creation of jazz, scat, and rock ‘n roll music show the gradual development of modern music to be focused on a new type of genre: pop music. This is the type of music that most modern teenagers listen to. Although modern music is more popular than classical music among our generation, it is still important to recognize and learn about the compositional, historical, and social aspects of modern music, rather than only learn about classical music.

This calls for the creation of a Modern Music Appreciation course, or an update to the current Music Appreciation course to contain the history and pieces of modern music.

Learning about the history of genres and styles of music, such as rock ‘n roll and scat, would teach students about the music that they listen to every day, which is important to learn about and analyze when we are living in the era of pop music. Not only would the course explore how different genres of modern music are composed, but it would also expose some of the more social aspects of pop music, like what makes it catchy or popular in our society.

The current curriculum for the course includes 20th century classical music and exploring styles such as minimalism. It makes sense to start the modern curriculum at the beginning of the 20th century with the creation of jazz, placing an emphasis on the beginning of modernism. The curriculum should end in the current day, with emphasis on electronic dance music (EDM) and trap. The course should also explore the use of music videos, pioneers of modern music (along with the many controversies that occur in the music industry), the expansion of the different roles in the modern industry, the association of certain dances with music, and how the role of a musician has changed over time.

The course would also give students a chance to learn about music from a global perspective. Almost all of the musicians and composers we currently learn about in Music Appreciation are white. The diversity in the modern music industry, starting from the beginning of the 20th century, is a large change from previous centuries, which gives us more reason to explore it. Not only have we globalized economically as a nation, but we have also done so culturally and socially. “Despacito” was the most popular song of 2017 and before that was “Gangnam Style” in 2012, despite the lyrics to both being in Spanish and Korean, respectively.

If offered as an elective, this course would be popular because it would contain information on topics that students are passionate about and enjoy. For example, students who enjoy listening to EDM music are very likely to be interested in taking the course because they would be able to learn about the history and composition of the EDM genre.

The course would offer a modern perspective into the music that surrounds our world today and surrounded our recent past.

PHILOSOPHY CLASS

Lumi Westerlund / The Spectator

By HRISTO KARASTOYANOV In my time at Stuyvesant, I’ve taken a great number of classes that I wouldn’t have normally taken any interest in and whose material largely passed through one ear and out the other. Nevertheless, subjects that have been the bane of my existence, such as geometry and algebra, have deeper meaning than training us to become mathematicians. They ingrain important logical and problem-solving concepts into our brains, concepts that we can take outside into our everyday and professional lives.

Similarly, I have no great fondness for biology, chemistry, or physics, but all of them give me a deeper understanding of natural phenomena that we should not only know, but apply to practical situations. In other words, what makes certain subjects necessary is their utility outside the field they apply to.

A subject that fails this requirement is drafting. The class doesn’t teach anything on the conceptual level that can be transferred elsewhere. The constructions unit in geometry covers a large part of the material taught in drafting, and for most students, the challenge in the class comes not from the difficulty of understanding the material, but from its workload. That isn’t to say that drafting is a useless class that should be entirely wiped from the curriculum; it should simply be made an elective, like the nu-

merous other subjects whose practicality is limited to the fields that they teach, which isn’t a bad thing. Drafting is still a tremendously useful class for those who want to go into architecture or industrial design.

On the other hand, a subject which doesn’t have many practical applications, but is tremendously important for an aware and cultured person to know at least a bit about, is philosophy. This subject should replace drafting as a mandatory one semester class.

Currently, the material is only covered superficially, if at all, in English and history classes. It’s safe to assume that most students’ understanding of the field is limited to the names of famous philosophers and general outlines of their ideas.

Philosophy is about thinking in a different light than the numerical, singularly goal-driven objective of college admission and success (presumably financial) that most Stuy students have. It is particularly important in a curriculum that is focused on driving home the exact content of the sciences, and which, even in the humanities, have percentage-based grading scales that treat even class participation as something to be graded. Of course, the specific structure of the course would be up to the teachers, but my proposal for the course would be something that isn’t too workload-heavy and has some light daily readings, supplemented by a few writing pieces over the course of the semester. However, there should be at least some assignments that ask students for their own opinion and thoughts, something that I’ve noticed is lacking in certain English classrooms.

Students could, of course, do this learning on their own time. However, is that a realistic expectation in a school where most students already struggle to sleep a healthy amount, let alone have ample personal development time? In its objective of making us the brightest scientific workforce possible, the school has made a crude omission to a well-rounded person’s education.

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The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Opinions The Government Shutdown: Politics of Idiocy

By AIDAN GRIFFIN In September 2017, Trump made an executive decision reversing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, a piece of legislation that represented Obama’s signature executive order. In addition, he gave Congress a six-month timeframe to prevent DACA from expiring.

There have been a number of negotiations over this decision that provide the context for the recent government shutdown.

Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and motivated by strong, leftwing outrage over the Dreamers, decided to shut down the government over DACA, an issue unrelated to the budget.

The shutdown was not only completely avoidable, but was a terrible political mistake that may prove costly for Democrats when voters go to the polls in November later this year.

It is clear why Democrats wanted to initiate this government shutdown. After all, just four years ago, the Republicans, led by Ted Cruz in the Senate, forced a government shutdown over the funding of Obamacare.

In the 2014 midterms the year afterwards, they gained nine seats in the Senate, taking control of it in the process. While this election was clearly not a direct result of the shutdown, as it happened nearly a year later,

it is worth looking at to understand why Democrats would possibly want to force a government shutdown.

However, a moral equivalence should not be drawn between the two shutdowns. The first was over an important and noteworthy issue in the budget—a program that costs the federal government more than $100 billion annually—

There are seemingly many parallels to be drawn between the actions of Ted Cruz during the Obama shutdown and those of Chuck Schumer during the Trump shutdown. After all, they were both sticking up for their beliefs and supporting popular pieces of legislation. Support for Obamacare was around 40 percent and support for DACA is currently around 70 per-

when it can’t reach an agreement on immigration policy.

Even worse for the Democrats was that they opposed the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six additional years, something that they had slammed Republicans for not including in their healthcare plan. In addition, the Democrats made it clear that they are

The first was over an important and noteworthy issue in the budget—a program that costs the federal government more than $100 billion annually—while the other was a shutdown over immigration policy, which Schumer described as “politics of idiocy” in 2013.

while the other was a shutdown over immigration policy, which Schumer described as “politics of idiocy” in 2013.

But causing veterans to go without pay as a result of a government shutdown is comparable to the disastrous effects of Obamacare. Thus, reluctance to support Cruz’s actions in 2013 is understandable. However, it cannot be denied that his actions took tremendous courage and that he ultimately did what was right.

cent. Thus, it seems like Chuck Schumer made a good political calculation.

This idea can be dismissed once one considers the reason for the shutdown: a policy over illegal immigrants brought here as children. We should feel sympathetic toward Dreamers to the extent that it was not their decision to come here illegally, unlike their parents. But shutdowns are meant to happen when the government can’t agree over the specifics of a budget, rather than

a party that prioritizes illegal immigrants and partisan politics over veterans and current military members. That message is not likely to be well-received by voters in Indiana, West Virginia, North Dakota, or even moderate states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, or Ohio, all of which are going to decide in 2018 whether to keep their current Democratic Senators in office.

It was interesting and surprising how quickly Schumer caved on this once he had re-

alized how poor of a political move it was. Three days after the failure to vote for a funding bill on Friday, January 19, Schumer decided to reopen the government in exchange for a promise from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that there would be action on the issue of immigration, something that was inevitable anyway.

Recent developments during the State of the Union address were even more astounding.

Trump offered the Democrats protection for more than three times the number of illegal immigrants that the Democrats asked for, and they refused. This seems to suggest that Democrats’ interests are their own reelection first, illegal immigrants second, and U.S. Citizens last, a policy which won’t help with Independents, the very voters they need to gain seats in Congress.

Ultimately, this can only be seen as the Democrats being afraid of the Republicans claiming more victories, in this case a potentially bipartisan one, and thus hurting their own chances in the midterms. Their refusal to vote for something more in favor of their policy views than what they originally demanded shows that all they want is President Trump’s failure, a policy that doesn’t even feign any concern for the interests of their constituents, and one which is much worse than what the Republicans have to offer.

Joan Xiao / The Spectator

Religion: A Modern Moral Dilemma

By MIA GINDIS I’m not particularly observant—other than the celebration of major holidays, proclaiming myself agnostic wouldn’t tremendously alter my lifestyle.

Yet my fascination with religion has caused me to cling to it in times of need; in this way, it’s remained an enormous part of my identity. Religion, a belief system based on belief in the presence of an omnipotent God, is shared

by billions across the world. My personal adherence to it may be a result of my parents fleeing the Soviet Union for my right to practice it or from influences within my community, the majority of whom identify with the same beliefs.

Yet the worldview on religion is hardly ever so rosy. Religion has been a critical factor in countless wars, human rights violations, and instances of discrimination.

Over hundreds of years, it has fostered tensions and rivalries that still make breaking news and has led plenty of nations into periods of scientific repression.

Newer generations vehemently reject its teachings, pointing to historical atrocities fueled by religious violence as to

Although most millennials cling to the spiritual aspect of organized religion, the number of God-fearing individuals continues to dwindle.

why it has no place in contemporary society.

But the enticement of religion lies less with the social benefits of being religious and more with the distinction that religious texts draw between “right” and “wrong.” An individual’s morals also depend on

cent study by the Pew Research Center shows that while only 54 percent of Americans think of themselves as religious—down 11 points since 2012—at least 75 percent consider themselves “spiritual.” They subscribe to a more general wondering about the universe and their place in it, but d o n’t

Anne Kibatullin / The Spectator

the values they were raised with, as well as their unique outlook and circumstances, which are often altered during a lifetime.

The idea of morality has always been extremely difficult to define, and religion seeks to do so more tangibly than anything else.

So regardless of the discrepancies between our personal moral compasses, religion has always been a facet of life that’s closely tied to an individual’s values. But there’s no doubt that our generation is welcoming secularization. Although most millennials cling to the spiritual aspect of organized religion, the number of God-fearing individuals continues to dwindle. A re-

maintain strict, relig i o u s lifestyles.

And in a way, secularization makes sense. It’s difficult to protect religion as a perfect moral guide when the basis of judgement in most religions is “because God said so.” But this outlook is caused by a conflation of genuine, and often harmless, religious values and extremism within communities.

The media stresses outliers such as the Westboro Baptist Church, discounting the millions of people doing community service and donating to charities in the name of religion. Unless one has an unconventional amount of power as well as malicious intent, self-respecting human

beings normally opt to use the concept of God to do good deeds, stopping themselves from committing objectively “bad” ones. And in that sense, religion fulfills a beneficial role.

A silent population relies on an otherworldly being to accomplish the impossible, or sometimes even just to complete simple tasks during difficult times. Countless individuals have been inspired by religion, fueled by the promise of prosperity after life, and motivated by the fear that an entity could take it all away. Through a religious community, people can seek love and support during rough periods in their lives.

A belief in an unchanging God offers a perspective of the world which lies in stark contrast to the chaos of the present. Now more than ever should we hold on to it, rather than rejecting the stability its teachings offer.

Religion and morality, in their most essential forms, are separate concepts. But upon closer inspection, the two lean on each other for support, with religion necessitating morality whilst the latter gives meaning to the words behind every sacred text. There are certainly instances where religion can be misguided. In spite of this, secular society needs to trust that people of faith will use religion to guide their own lives and direct society in a moral direction to the benefit of all. Extremism should not be allowed to define or take away from the multitude of benefits religiosity plays in individual lives, as well as society as a whole.

The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Page 11

Opinions Trump’s Cult

By BRIAN MOSES Despite what the media, statistics, and pundits say, Trump won the popular vote, as well as the electoral college. The negligible three million vote shortfall came from the votes of illegal immigrants who were able to vote in states with notoriously loose voter registration laws, such as California and New York. This claim, rated “Pants on Fire” by Politifact, remains remarkably pervasive. About 30 percent of Americans, mostly supporters of the president, believe this myth, which was originally created by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

Those who oppose the president are bewildered by his supporters’ systemic denial of facts contrary to their position. Some have even compared his base to a “cult following,” utterly devoted to their leader.

In any case, the existence of such a cult is subjective: if you were a “member,” you would certainly deny that your cult existed. According to organizations such as CNN and NBC, Trump routinely tells dozens of lies that his supporters believe. However, Trump and his supporters denounce these sources as fake news, claiming that their goal is to destroy Trump and enrich themselves rather than to objectively report news stories.

Depressingly, it matters little whether these media sources are beacons of liberty or full-time liberal propaganda machines.

Either way, the gulf between both sides in recognizing basic facts seems nearly insurmountable. Trump’s cult could not exist without a deep-rooted and pervasive partisanship in American politics.

Partisanship in relation to politics is defined as firm adherence to a person or party. Partisanship has always existed in most democratic societies like

America because it is rooted in human nature. Groupthink, a practice by which people in a group strive to reach a consensus and relegate individual thought to a secondary role, can change people’s opinions over time and make them hesitant to reject falsehoods. Additionally, factors like confirmation bias, the tendency to prioritize information that backs up your viewpoint and ignore the rest, have always existed and affect people on both sides of any issue.

But while partisanship has always existed, recent technological and geopolitical trends have brought it to a level that has not been seen since the American Civil War. In particular, a variety of news and social media platforms allow people to only see information they want to see. According to a study conducted by a team of researchers in 2016, sites like Facebook can propagate false or misleading information because users are more likely to share and promote articles that conform to their viewpoints. This feeds into their confirmation bias and can lead to the creation of online “echo chambers,” where people primarily communicate with other people with similar viewpoints. In addition, people are becoming more geographically isolated: Democrats tend to be concentrated in urban regions, whereas Republicans mostly live in rural areas.

There are a few ways to reduce partisanship in politics.

One method is to reduce partisan gerrymandering, whereby politicians draw electoral maps that distribute votes to favor their party. This method has been used by both parties in order to to gain more seats in legislatures.

Because of a natural advantage in terms of rural voters and control of state legislatures, Republicans have made big gains in Capitol Hill through gerrymandering.

For example, in Pennsylvania’s 2012 Congressional elections, Democrats slightly edged out Republicans, winning 50.28 percent of the vote. However, the Democratic Party only received five out of 18 Congressional seats. Just this week, the Supreme Court ordered Pennsylvania to move forward with a redistricting process.

Through the use of nonpartisan redistricting committees, we can ensure that voters pick their representatives, not the other way around.

Another promising solution would be the introduction of a “top two” primary system. In the current system, voters can only vote in their party’s primary election, which creates candidates that are more radical and less likely to vote across party lines if elected. In this system, all voters, regardless of party affiliation, would be allowed to vote in one primary, and the two candidates with the most votes would advance to the general election.

This would encourage more moderate candidates to better reflect their constituencies as a whole.

Critics note downsides to this plan, which include shutting out third party candidates, reducing the ability of party voters to pick their own candidates, and the possibility that candidates will become too moderate, lacking differences in anything but character. However, these concerns are unfounded because there are currently no third party representatives in Congress or the Senate, and top two primaries might actually increase third party representation by making such candidates serious competitors if they were to make it onto the ballot.

The top two system would also allow independent voters who feel disenfranchised by the primary system to have a voice in deciding who can advance to the general election. In areas histori-

cally dominated by one party or another, it could make races that would’ve been virtually decided by the primary more competitive.

For example, California Republicans would have had almost no influence in Senate races because the state is predominantly Democratic, so whoever won the Democratic primary would be guaranteed to be elected. But under the top two system implemented in 2010, Republicans have had a say in the elections and a moderating influence on Democratic candidates.

As much as the 2016 Presidential election inflamed partisan

tensions, Trump is far from the root of partisan politics in America. His cult following, whether it exists or not, is indicative not of Trump’s exceptional character, but of the partisan nature of politics in America. Trump will eventually leave office. When he inevitably does, we will be left with the same broken system we have now. As the birthplace of modern democracy, America has long been the leader of the free world. As a nation that seeks to lead the free world, America must first learn to govern itself and preserve the integrity of its democracy.

Gerrymandering is the practice of dividing states into partisan electoral districts in order to benefit a specific party or candidate. This is often done through grouping opposition voters into the same district while spreading out friendly voters such that they hold a narrow majority in as many districts as possible. Notice how this is done in the map below:

Vivian Lin / The Spectator

Milking it for all it’s worth.

Minseo Kim / The Spectator

Asking for a friend: will the attendance office accept this?

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The Spectator â—? February 15, 2018

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The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

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Arts and Entertainment When Love Sucks, Watch Rom-Coms

By PAULINA KLUBOK and GABY UMANOVA Has the glamour of a “U up?” text finally worn off? Are you tired of your future significant other leaving you on read? Do you wish you were back in the good ol’ days when romantic gestures were more than tagging your crush in memes?

The fact is that with the internet, love and its challenges have changed profoundly over the last century, but love itself has not. No matter what decade you’re in, it seems as though others are doing the whole love thing better. Rom-coms love to rub that in and to remind us that, (for other people), love is extraordinary. This Valentine’s Day, let some of film’s best rom-coms help you leave your disillusionment with the world behind. Instead, drown your eternal sorrow in the most unattainably perfect love stories ever to grace the big screen and a few boxes of half-off chocolates! Your love life might be a mess, but your Valentine’s Day will be #goals.

HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940)

THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987)

“His Girl Friday” stars Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, who respectively play a newspaper editor, Walter Burns, and his ex-wife, Hildy Johnson, a former investigative journalist seeking to escape her fast-paced and grimy lifestyle in favor of a tame, domestic life with a similarly unexciting fiancé.

Grant and Russell’s effortless chemistry and transparent acting skill make this film one of the greatest rom-coms of all time, proving that they didn’t need color to make an absolutely beautiful movie. The quick and witty dialogue is executed perfectly between the leading pair, making their love story more compelling and the film hilarious. Walter Burns oozes charisma, but behind his confident persona is a man desperate to hold onto the woman he loves, the woman he knows is perfect for him.

Hildy and Walter’s love for one another is far from ideal, but they are ideally suited to one another’s flaws and oddities—they challenge one another and work well together, not just in writing breakthrough articles, but in romance as well. However, the film also reflects the time period in which it was made, both with its entirely white cast and the relationship between the sexes. While Hildy defies the housewife stereotype, she is still ultimately subject to Walter’s will—his sneaky tricks succeed in bringing her back to his side and he never seems to learn his lesson about why Hildy first left him: the need to be treated with more respect.

“The Princess Bride” is not just one of the greatest romantic comedies ever made, it’s one of the greatest movies ever made. Yes, there’s romance (and true love), and yes, there isn’t an unfunny moment, but there’s also drama! and action! and sport! and evil villains! and adventure! The beauty of “The Princess Bride” is its accessibility; sure, it’s driven by the quest of Wesley (Carl Elwes), the farm boy turned roguish pirate, to rescue the heartbroken Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright), but it’s easy to be swept up in the comedy of his unlikely sidekicks - Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), the vengeful Spaniard, and Fezzik (Andre the Giant), the lovable, rhyming giant.

“The Princess Bride” is well-aware of its own cheesy nature, and while it satirizes over-simplistic Hollywood movies, its originality and quality make it an absolute must-see. So, whether you’re moping in your #foreveralone status or Netflix and chilling with your boo, “The Princess Bride” will surely not disappoint this Valentine’s Day.

HOW TO STEAL A MILLION (1966)

LOVE ACTUALLY (2003) “Love Actually” combines the two best things in life—love and Christmas magic— to produce a spectacular classic. “Love Actually” features nine intertwining stories that all revolve around love; among them, the prime minister falls for his junior staffer, a widower struggles to build a relationship with his stepson, a workaholic takes care of her mentally ill brother, and a woman struggles with her husband’s affair. The movie excels in how deeply real its characters feel. It is their vulgarity, awkwardness, and silliness that makes them relatable and prevents the campiness of “Love Actually” from becoming corniness. This is no doubt also in part due to the movie’s legendary cast; big names such as Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, and more all deliver a moving performance. “Love Actually” explores love in all its messy forms and leaves viewers with an ultimate message: though navigating it may be hard, love really does conquer all.

Watch “Love Actually” to remind yourself to value all the different kinds of love in your life.

Darren Liang / The Spectator

“How To Steal A Million” features Peter O’Toole alongside Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn, as the two join forces in order to pull off a museum art heist they believe is worth a million dollars (the statue they are plotting to steal is actually a forgery). Audrey Hepburn shows why she was such an icon: her performance is elegant and graceful. The beautiful scenery of the set complements the artfully designed costumes that highlight Hepburn’s famous style.

The premise of the art heist, in which both members are reluctant participants, brings an element of humor and suspense to the film.

This movie is adorable and calming, with no overplayed drama.

At its core, it is a simple love story with an important key message: Get you a mans who will steal a forged statue for you.

THE BIG SICK (2016)

10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (1999)

“The Big Sick” is an adaptation of the real-life love story of Pakistani stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gordon. Kumail (played by himself) tries to reconcile the expectations for arranged marriage of his traditional immigrant family with his unexpected relationship with Emily. When Emily falls ill, he forms an unlikely bond with her loving but complicated parents who struggle with their own relationship problems.

Zoe Kazan shines as a spunky and overwhelmingly modern Emily who struggles with the difficulties of their relationship. “Can you imagine a world in which we end up together?” she asks in a emotional and poignant scene after Kumail tells her that he can’t lose his family to be with her. Emily’s parents, Beth (Holly Hunter) and Terry (Ray Romano) deliver the most memorable performance of the movie as they awkwardly attempt to close the cultural divide between them and Kumail. Terry tries to make conversation with Kumail by asking him how he feels about 9/11; Beth later loudly confronts a man who tells Kumail to go back to ISIS at a comedy show.

“The Big Sick” is a honest and compelling story about identity and what it means to be an American. It’s about overcoming biases and loving in spite of them. In featuring an untraditional male lead and a successful interracial relationship, “The Big Sick” is reflective of how much our definitions of love have shifted. It is incredible that we live in a time and place where we can love people for who they are, regardless of race, gender, religion, and more. Love and in turn, rom-coms, have come a long way and they must continue to keep up with the ever-changing world and to reflect the beauty and challenges of modern love.

“10 Things I Hate About You” is the dreamy and unlikely high school romance between two outcasts: bad boy Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) and antisocial intellectual Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles). An adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy, “Taming of the Shrew,” Patrick’s and Kat’s romance begins when new student Cameron Jones (Joseph GordonLevitt) pays Patrick to date Kat as part of a grand scheme to get with her younger sister. In his lavish attempts to win Kat over for the money, Patrick finds himself falling in love with her—and Kat with him. Ledger nails the role of a confident heartthrob who is, at his core, thoughtful, and kind. This movie contains swoon-worthy romantic gestures and top-quality teen-movie kissing scenes.

Their relationship is full of witty banter and sweet moments of vulnerability. Though like “Taming of the Shrew,” the movie has misogynistic overtones (Kat’s feminism quickly fades as soon as she falls in love), it is ultimately a heartwarming story of two outsiders finding each other.

A great cast of supporting characters entertains throughout the movie; the two most noteworthy performances are of sassy English teacher Mr. Morgan (Daryl Mitchell) and amusingly overbearing father (Larry Mitchell). Together, Patrick and Kat push each other to triumph over the roles expected of them in their suburban high school. “10 Things I Hate About You” is the movie to watch for every hopeless romantic and all those who love young love.

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The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Arts and Entertainment

Stuy Squad

By ANNA GRACE GOLDSTEIN As always, the auditorium was packed with excited students for this year’s Stuy Squad performance, and the line went through the lobby. Once the audience (or at least most of it) was seated in the auditorium, the board came onstage to introduce their show. This year’s Stuy Squad performance thrived under seniors Snigdha Sarker, Sammie Paul, Peter Lee, Ran Yoo, Michela Marchini, and Caitlin Chin. Stuy Squad 2018 co-president Snigdha Sarker said of her experience with Stuy Squad: “Stuy Squad has been the show that unites the entire dance community of Stuyvesant. This is especially due to the fact that whether you are a beginner or an experienced dancer, or whether you want to experiment with tap or hip hop or any other kind of dance, Stuy Squad has a place for everyone to participate. The show has continued to get bigger with every year and we expect that within the next few years even more styles of dance will be represented.”

The first crew to come onstage was tap, dazzling the audience in their glittering blue jackets. They danced flawlessly to a variety of pop songs, with “Uptown Funk” as their finale.

As the stage began to glow red, J-Pop came out in red shirts and white suspenders, dancing with dizzying speed

and agility. They were followed by modern, which was stunningly graceful. Girls Hip Hop B was a showstopper, marching out in vibrant red jackets.

Despite being one of the larger groups, they were as synchronized as any of the other crews.

Seniors Amy Ren, Anna Pacheco, and Hannah Huang hosted the show. The three kept the audience excited and engaged with their antics in between numbers, occasionally doing silly imitations of the different crews before introducing them. Their energetic, skitlike routines helped make Stuy Squad feel like a cohesive show, not just a collection of random dance numbers.

Coed K-Pop, from directors Michelle Yang, Danny Kim, Ryan Kim, and Jhoonho Kim drew the loudest reaction from the audience. In their lengthy performance, each song felt like an entirely different number.

The large crew continuously swapped out its members, so that there was a different subcrew onstage for each song. Regardless of this, the audience’s excitement was completely renewed every time a new routine began. It was as surreal as it was fun to watch, and stood out from all the other crews. Girls K-Pop evoked just as big of a reaction from the audience.

Bollywood, a small crew with great choreography and eyecatching costumes, also stood out from the crowd. Latin, cute and energetic, gave way to belly.

PHOTOS BY ELENA SAPELYUK AND TING TING CHEN

The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Page 15

Arts and Entertainment

2018 Review Belly was sassy, skillful, and wellchoreographed as always. Step X and Y definitely captured the enthusiasm of the crowd with their loud, but not at all clumsy, performance.

Boys Hip Hop B (BHHB), one of the most anticipated groups of the night, literally hopped onstage and right into their dance with the utmost confidence. For the beginning of their performance, directors Jeff Lin, Simon Min, Henry Carver, and Colin Dan opted for more emotional music, though the dancing was smooth and carefree. Towards the end of the performance, the entire audience started rapping along with the music. BHHB member Jesse Hall said, “From my, albeit exacting, quality standards, the show was rough as all hell. But no one seemed to notice, so who cares? All I will remember is the pleasant emptiness of performing.”

Undoubtedly, the biggest showstoppers of the night were Boys Hip Hop A (BHHA), directed by Philip Park, Kyle Tau, Peter Lee, and Marvin Wong, and Girls Hip Hop A (GHHA), directed by Olivia He, Olivia Chan, Kristina Kim, and Queenie Xiang. Cool, committed, and remarkably talented, the members of both crews stole the show (and GHHA rocked their camouflage pants). One of the best qualities of both crews was their flawless synchronization, and GHHA was arguably more creative and unique in their choreography, while GHHB was faster-paced.

To those of us who aren’t dancers, the Stuy Squad crews make it look easy. It looks almost too good to be a high school dance performance. But even with the months of rehearsal beforehand, things don’t always go as planned in Stuy Squad, and it isn’t easy by any means. Sophomore Talia Pomeroy highlighted some of the difficulties that come with being a Stuy Squad crew member: “I was in tap and flow. I found Stuy Squad to be a really stressful and rewarding experience. Even though it wasn’t my first performance, I was still super nervous beforehand. It’s a lot of pressure being up there, because everyone always expects you to be amazing at dancing or something.

It’s also hard [for tap] because we open the show and we set the standard for everyone else.

For tap, our music didn’t turn on right away, and I think we all sort of freaked out, but in the end, everyone said our number looked amazing. For flow, it’s all about the glow-sticks, and of course mine didn’t crack. Again, most people couldn’t tell but like for me it was a pretty upsetting experience to have all that effort over months of rehearsal come crashing down like that at the performance. But ultimately I guess it’s really not about just the performance itself. And yeah, I know it sounds dumb, but you become really close with your fellow crew members and make lots of lasting friends through them.”

Page 16

The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Arts and Entertainment To “Havana” and Beyond

By THOMAS CHEN

Twitter was alight with disbelief the day Camila Cabello left, or “Zayned,” from Fifth Harmony to venture out as an independent artist and explore her own sound. The split got messy during Fifth Harmony’s savage MTV VMA performance when the girl group set up a “dummy” Cabello that jumped off the stage when their song “Angel” began.

With bad blood and overwhelming amounts of shade from her “empowering” girl group, many wondered whether Cabello would be able to succeed without her bandmates by her side.

To warm up, her releases of “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “Bad Things,” and “Havana,” with Shawn Mendes, Machine Gun Kelly, and Young Thug respectively, propelled Cabello’s music into the mainstream and received positive critic reviews.

This slew of collabs with established artists across genres set the stage for the release of her self-titled debut album “Camila” on January 12.

Despite these tracks, Cabello does not rely on features to decorate her debut album, unlike Fifth Harmony. None of the singles preceding her album resemble the artistic direction that “Camila” achieves. Aside from “Havana,” she sings ten of the eleven tracks on her own, fo-

cusing on revealing her vulnerability rather than producing flashy chart-toppers.

“Camila” has enjoyed commercial success as well, charting two songs in the Hot 100 songs within the first week of its release (a feat that hasn’t been achieved since Beyoncé in 2003!). It’s safe to say that Cabello won’t just be remembered as the one who tried to go solo.

Cabello’s album is centered around pop but succeeds in mixing in other genres. “Never Be the Same” starts off the track list with strong electronica beats and psychedelic pop synths that pair nicely with her falsetto. Just like the lyrics describe, the song is the equivalent of a chemical high but quickly sobers up with “All These Years.” Free of any bells and whistles, the mellow acoustics are only the accompaniment as Cabello’s raw vocals carry the song. Lamenting, “Sounds like you’re happy with her / But does she kiss you like I kissed you? / Ooh, I wish I loved you like I miss you,” her reminiscence of love delivers delicate but strong emotions of regret and longing.

The 20-year-old seems to have a penchant for ballads, with tender reflections in “Consequences” and the painfully relatable “Real Friends.” She opens up about the drawbacks of fame with, “No, I think I’ll stay in to-

night / Skip the conversations and the ‘oh, I’m fine’s’ / No, I’m no stranger to surprise / This paper town has let me down too many times.”

On these tracks, Cabello’s voice is raspy and breathy, producing a sensual sound as a whole.

Among the upbeat tunes on “C a m i l a ,” “She Loves Control” is the discussion of Cabello’s fight for creative control, making for an empowering song. Cabello revealed on a YouTube livestream that she wanted to become more involved in the songwriting process with Fifth Harmony but was denied by her record label Syco Music and Epic Records.

“She Loves Control,” along with “Inside Out” and “Havana,” are explosive and heavily influenced by Cabello’s own culture.

Peter Jin / The Spectator

MUSIC

Utilizing reggaeton, saxophone, piano, a Latin snare beat, and even congo drums, these songs are the most sonically successful and speak volumes about the authenticity of Cabello as an artist. The tracks highlight Cabello’s commanding yet playful vocals, verifying that Cabello is a versatile singer as a whole.

With today’s rise of Spanish pop, Cabello’s sound comes at the perfect time, smoothly blending Latin influences and acoustics with both dance tunes and ballads.

Thematically, “Camila” is an album about exploring relationships. Cabello continuously brings us through the ups and downs of love and also finding herself. While these themes create the veritas of the album, its weaker points lie in the lack of unique or distinct subject matter, especially in the ballads. She also stretches the use of piano slightly thin, despite the general musical and lyrical cohesion of the overall album.

In comparison, many of Fifth Harmony’s hits were either

empowering girl anthems or songs about sex, with just about nothing in between. Though impressive chart-toppers, Fifth Harmony’s lyrics tended to lack substance and seemed largely impersonal. On the other hand, Cabello explained in the same livestream that her songs were from her own experiences, and “very personal.” These tracks are not only more palatable and relatable to her target listeners (young teens), but allow the world to know Cabello a little more intimately.

Cabello has certainly already set a very high bar for herself, with the smashing success of “Havana” reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 after twenty-three weeks on the chart. Right behind Ed Sheeran, she currently stands as the second most streamed artist on Spotify, with over 46 million monthly listeners. There is no doubt that Cabello has already carved out her own spot in the music industry, and is here to stay. Her sound is refreshing in the pop landscape and her authentic, unembellished talent will continue to make waves. As an artist that produces music from her own experiences, age is likely to be reflected in her future works, and I have high hopes that Cabello’s music will mature very well.

Dueling Duets

MUSIC A mere two months into 2018, we have been blessed with countless musical collaborations, from Cardi B and Bruno Mars’s smash hit “Finesse” to Migos’s “Culture II.” In what is looking to be a tumultuous year that will doubtless have its share of arguments and misunderstandings, we must recognize that while colluding with foreign powers to influence an election is illegal, some of the most successful projects are collaborative. For our first playlist of the year we have compiled a list across genres of some of the most

successful musical collaborations in hopes of encouraging a spirit of teamwork, musical and otherwise, in the coming year.

“BEST PART” Daniel Caesar & H.E.R. R&B “LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE” Eminem & Rihanna Pop/Rap “LIKE I’M GONNA LOSE YOU” Meghan Trainor & John Legend Pop

“FEELIN’ MYSELF ” Nicki Minaj & Beyoncé Pop/Rap “HEEBIEJEEBIES” Aminé & Kehlani Rap “SEE YOU AGAIN” Wiz Khalifa & Charlie Puth Hip-hop/Rap “FORGOT ABOUT DRE” Dr. Dre and Eminem Hip-hop “BROOKLYN’S FINEST”

JAY-Z and The Notorious B.I.G Hip-hop “HIPS DON’T LIE” Shakira and Wyclef Jean Pop “FINESSE” Bruno Mars & Cardi B Pop “ALL THE STARS” Kendrick Lamar & SZA Hip Hop/Rap “REWRITE THE STARS” Zac Efron & Zendaya Pop

“ALL I NEED” Noname & Xavier Omär Pop/Rap “GET YOU” Daniel Caesar & Kali Uchis R&B/Soul “RUNNIN’ (LOSE IT ALL)” Beyonce & Naughty Boy Pop Listen to this playlist, and all our others, on spotify @spec.ae Have a playlist idea? Want to review a new album? E-mail spec.ae@gmail.com

Jade Lo / The Spectator

“Freshmen”

Catherine Joh / The Spectator

“When Mid-Winter break COMMENCES”

The Spectator â—? February 15, 2018

Page 17

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1/17/18 5:16 PM

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The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Humor These articles are works of fiction. All quotes are libel and slander.

An Amorous Accident

By LAURA ILIOAEI Earlier this February, two sophomores took their chemistry lab notebooks and snuck off to the laboratory at the crack of dawn. Two hours later, they were still unable to decipher the instructions for the titration lab. “‘Neverending ardour, Overtly Heartfelt’…This has got to be the weirdest technical name for NaOH.” “That’s because love acronyms are like NaOH: basic as hell.”

They finally decided to mix the chemical with vinegar in a flask, resulting in a rosy liquid.

Before one sophomore could post the beauteous results in an exclusive Chemistry Facebook group in exchange for homework answers, the potion’s contents fizzled and disintegrated into the air in a heart-shaped poof.

Immediately, the sophomores clutched their chests and winced as a foreign emotion overtook them.

“Ugh…why does the world look like I’m literally seeing it through rose colored lenses?”

The other sophomore ripped off his shirt, sweat droplets forming on his brow.

“I can’t believe I’m forming a sense of chemistry with a subject that I previously hated. My goal this semester was not to

passionately become one with the Benson Burner, thanks.”

Suddenly, a Spectator writer, who had been investigating illegal lab use in the school (think Breaking Bad) and following them, emerged from the shadows. She stormed angrily into the room and threw her arms up in the air in amorous surrender.

“Shoot, I suddenly realized that I’ve fallen head over heels for my editor!” She glared at the sophomores.

“Now I REALLY can’t blame my own laziness and lack of originality for my late

that I want it to!”

“Forget about you being done because Stuyvesant is totally done for,” one sophomore sighed as the first period bell rang.

“We can finesse our allnighters, but we can’t deal with matters of the heart.”

A tsu-

drafts!

How am I going to tell him, ‘Oh, by the way, I Fareeha Tabassum / The Spectator tried writing that article, but I ended up writing several sen- nami of passion swept through timental sonnets about you the hallways. Dizzying emoinstead’? This is going to screw tions crept into the hearts of me over, and not in the way every student. Teachers were

How to Woo Your Crush

By MARIE IVANTECHENKO and ALEXANDRA WEN Have you ever spent hours agonizing over what to say to your crush? Well, look no further! Here are 10 easy-peasy lemon squeezy steps to astounding your crush (more than your report card will).

PREPARING YOURSELF FOR CONTACT

THE APPROACH

4. To make sure they’re really the one for you, interview them!

Pretend you’re part of the “The Spectator” and you need this for an important article. Y’know, for Valentine’s Day. 5. Then, consult others. Share their interview answers and every single intera c -

1. First and foremost, cover your tracks! Since they can’t

know about your feelings ahead of time, it’s important to keep them in the dark.

Spray lemons in their eyes so they can’t see you coming, and make sure to clear your Facebook search history and Google browser history. It’s always better to cover ALL your bases.

2. Next, figure out their schedule. It’s critically important to gather intel which you can use to force yourself into their life.

Lurk in the corners. Become their shadow. Know what really makes them tick. Identify their friend group and steadily infiltrate it. That way, you’re already assimilated when it’s time to get cuffed.

3. Finally, realize that you can’t exactly avoid talking to them.

You gotta.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE

6. Understand that you’re a THOT: A Thoughtful, Honest, Open-minded Treasure. Give yourself the confidence you need. Be your own cheerleader.

7. Practice kissing. Kiss your hand, kiss the mirror, kiss up to your teacher. If you currently lack expertise, look through WikiHow (https://www.wikihow. com/Kiss) for extra help. If your technique is bad, consider going to a meditative make out monastery where you will be trained to be a master. That way, if you don’t win them over with your game, you can wow them by planting a well-executed wet one.

As President Trump says, “Women love surprises. Love ‘em.

Love ‘em like they love my […]”

8. Print out their favorite memes. This is the alternative to talking to their friends. Keep them handy in your bag along with a few Hershey’s Kisses, in case all goes wrong.

Carrie Ou / The Spectator

tion you’ve ever had with them (including breathing the same air) with your friends. Ask your pals to validate them— your friends might notice things you won’t and point out fundamental flaws. Like, do they like sweet pickles? If so, they’re not the one.

THE TALK (NOT THAT KIND OF TALK)

9. As far as hangouts go, we have a few ideas: a. Invite them to UNO! Give them a Wild Card— tell them that YOU KNOW you’re the one for them.

continued on page 15

immediately baffled.

“So I’m like going to my first period French class, and everyone’s out saying they’re excited to learn ‘The Language of Love,’” French teacher Monsieur Ramirez confusedly explained. He was shocked to find that certain students had also tried French-kissing, but he immediately told them to quit it once a couple confessed to believing that the act entailed eyeball-licking.

The mathematics department faced complications as well as a result of this spell.

“Everyone wanted to ‘get into the heart of algebra,’ and we ended up graphing (x2+y2-1)3 = x2y3, the equation for a cardioid/heart-shaped graph,” admitted mathematics teacher Mr. Del Latto, as he was taking down posters of the graph plastered throughout the hallways.

“It wasn’t in the lesson plan, but it was the first time I’d seen them genuinely interested in the class, so I just rolled with it?”

Then there were the second-term seniors who began freshman-hunting.

“I can’t slide into class on

time, but I can slide into your DMs,” one senior flirted with a freshman.

“Not if you slip and fall into my list of blocked accounts.

Boy, bye!” he replied.

The nurse’s office became overcrowded. “It looks like Stuyvesant’s having a lovesickness epidemic,” said Nurse Karunadasa, chuckling as she dismissed several students who were complaining about dizzying feelings of infatuation.

The administration didn’t wish to intervene until March, but Mr. Choubaralian protested that something needed to be done. “It’s crazy that more students are being caught making out with their textbooks than they are hiding their phones,” he protested. Everyone turned to the science department for an antidote. Dr. Horenstein suggested, “Looks like we’re going to have to use the wizardry they warn you about in med school.”

So, each science teacher collaborated on an overnight mission where they drew chalk pentagrams on every nook and cranny of every floor, chanting angsty poetry as they did so.

Immediately, the romantic atmosphere dissipated into the air.

However, it was revealed the next morning that certain students had remained lost in their own emotions.

“I still have feelings!” they cried.

Thanks, New York Post

By GABRIELLE UMANOVA To the writers and editors of the New York Post: On behalf of the entire Crooked Stuy community, I would like to extend a big thank you. I hope the fact that this letter was, of course, entirely plagiarized (fortunately, the Spectator doesn’t require we use

and scholars, there must be something about Stuy’s unique toxicity that forced us into a life of bitter lies. Even more heartbreaking is how woefully unreported this issue was. It was the elephant in the room—a big, oppressive problem that no one really talked about or mentioned. No one talked about it. No one. No one was brave enough. Until the New York

What scandal was actually being reported on is still a total mystery.

Turnitin!) wouldn’t take away from its meaning, which is that the writers of the New York Post are heroes. Honestly.

For the longest time, issues of cheating have afflicted Stuyvesant. Completely mortified, our student body watched helplessly as we ourselves leaked homework answers, developed sophisticated CIAapproved technology to share test answers (apparently memorizing complex T-F sequences based on algorithms hidden in Mona Lisa’s smile), and reconstructed a Scantron machine that could only mark answers correct. We swear we didn’t mean it!

Despite our communal desperation to be academically honest and upstanding citizens

Post, that is.

But on January 27, 2018, a day that will surely go down in history, our “disgraceful scandal” finally made its way to the mainstream. What scandal was actually being reported on is still a total mystery. Was it the VHL thing that happened last year? Does the NYP think that “last spring” qualifies as news in need of reporting? We may never know why academic dishonesty executed by our “brainy kids” in this “educational crown jewel” suddenly became worthy of commenting on out of the blue; the important thing is that someone finally had the nerve to do it! continued on page 15

The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Page 19

Humor Thanks, New York Post

How to Woo Your Crush continued from page 14 b. Invite them to a “group hangout.” Say you’re inviting other people, and then pretend they cancelled last minute. “Unfortunately,” it’s just you and him/her. c. Follow them home (using the information gathered from Steps 1 and 2). Casually bump into them, and pretend you’re shocked to find them in “your” neighborhood. Invite them to do a casualflirtatious-ambiguous romantic/ platonic activity, such as going to a movie, playing a game of croquet, or connect-four [limbs]. d. Taking a step back from the “journalistic” route, make it seem

like they’re willingly telling you where they live. Ask if you can have a study date near their house. What they don’t know won’t hurt them.

10. Now, there are three paths: a. Acceptance: Rejoice! Ask them out on another date, and refer to Step 7 in preparation of said date. b. Deferral: Send them memes for a few more days. Maybe weeks.

If they don’t call the police, you have hope. c. Rejection: Listen to a lot more emo music. Fall Out Boy’s older albums are pretty good for this kind of stuff. Set Pete Wentz’s scream as your ringtone to truly let your inner turmoil out. Good luck, my guy.

continued from page 14

Fortunately for us all, the New York Post was lucky enough to find a reliable source to quote for 97 percent of their article!

Some random newspaper called The Spectator had some stats or something, which is incredibly convenient. It’s almost as if kids at Stuyvesant are self-aware and have tried bringing attention to and investigating their own issues, without the interference of uninspired reporters.

However, the New York Post article is not just the “whistleblower” we all desperately need-

ed, no. While it deserves a million overjoyed celebrations (at the very least, multiple lectures in every class about the horrors of academic dishonesty followed by a swift and brutal downpouring of homework), it also brings our attention to a problem I imagine most of us didn’t even know we had: David Bloomfield is aLarMeD!!! I’m afraid it’s true.

A random educator is concerned about us, so that’s how you really know we’ve fallen from our graces.

The New York Post has taught us a lesson, and we need to learn from it. Guys, this “hanky panky” needs to end! Now, all that’s left is

to be gracious. Thank you, New York Post for repurposing our journalism (the citations were properly formatted!! The only thing that could have been better is if they had linked us!!!), demonizing and undermining our school (the only place where any academic dishonesty happens), and, as is the hallmark of great writing, failing to ask any important follow-up questions (i.e. What is at the root of this academic dishonesty? Why is it so epidemic? Perhaps even: How can we help and better the school so as to resolve this problem?).

And yeah, you can quote us on that.

Guidance Counselors Take Himalayan Vacation Conveniently as Schedules Are Released

By JOE ANNE Hundreds of students flooded the guidance office on Tuesday and Wednesday at the start of the new semester only to be greeted with peculiar “Out to Himalayan Vacation” signs. Tired of being bombarded with genuine requests from suffering students, the guidance counselors decided instead to rent an Airbnb in the Himalayan mountains for a quick vacation. “The climate is frigid and cold and everybody hates it, so we still get the Stuy atmosphere here,” Ms. Audra Parris said.

It seems that the program change chaos was too much for the guidance counselors, so they truly embodied Stuyvesant by deciding to run away from their problems. “These

children are so greedy! I mean sure, your classes majorly influence your mental health for the next six months, and sure, some teachers give low grades, which will affect your GPA, which affects college and your entire future; sure, it would take me a grand total of 17 seconds to change your program, but have you thought about how that makes ME feel?” said Mr. Gregg Walkes, after failing to adequately explain the excessive amount of g’s in his name.

At their Airbnb, the counselors took part in fun group bonding activities, such as “pin the cycling class on the second term senior,” and Schedule Twister. Irish kale smoothies were accompanied by a spirited game of darts and some gossip from

full-grown adults about which teenager had the ugliest outfits. They then roasted marshmallows over a lively fire made out of students’ e-mails pleading for help.

Upon arriving at the guidance office on Tuesday to see his coworkers all gone, Mr. Di Wu simply sighed, said “Not again,”

and prepared to take on the responsibilities of his coworkers like the selfless Di-eity that he truly is.

In an attempt to uncover the inner workings of guidance counselors as well as their job satisfaction, The Spectator interviewed a few of them.

In re-

sponse to the question of why she became a guidance counselor, Holly Sugarman responded, “Well, what else was I going to do with an English degree from Oberlin?”

Another guidance counselor, Jo-Ann Mahoney, was asked what brought her joy, since her job clearly didn’t. “My favorite hobby is to make hapless students wait outside my office during my lunch period and refuse to answer their pitiful requests,” Mahoney said.

“Sometimes when I’m feeling especially playful, I’ll open my blinds and stare directly into my students’ tear-filled eyes as I eat my low carb arugula salad, one gluten-free leaf at a time.”

Darren Liang / The Spectator

Caption Contest WELCOME TO THE GRAVEYARD! In the making of a biweekly paper with a page limit, articles often get cut. Unfortunately, this sometimes means that beautiful art doesn’t get to be published; it becomes “Dead Art.” To make sure good art doesn’t go to waste, The Spectator is holding caption contests to turn lonely art into fulfilled cartoons, so that the art can go to heaven! This winning caption (by Max Zlotskiy) was chosen from comments on our facebook page!

You can participate in our caption contests by keeping track of our Facebook page (The Stuyvesant Spectator), and by following us on Instagram (@stuyspectator). We love keeping our audience engaged, so we hope you participate.

Jade Lo / The Spectator

“How did you find out about us?”

Page 20

The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Sports Major League Baseball

2018 MLB Preseason Power Rankings

By BRANDON RIM Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Major League Baseball’s spring training in less than two weeks, yet the vast majority of free agents still remain unsigned. Clubs have spent tremendously less during the 2017-18 MLB offseason, and only three of the widely-considered top 10 free agents have signed with a club. With superstars like Jake Arrieta, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakas currently jobless, these power rankings can shift accordingly when these superstars find a team.

During this year’s historically slow free agency, clubs have spent a total of $880 million on free agents, much less in comparison to the $1.5 billion spent at this time last year. Many franchises are beginning to realizing the importance and value of farm systems as they stray away from expensive and lengthy commitments to aging players.

The Dodgers and the Yankees, notorious for their lavish spending each year, have spent a total of $12 million on this year’s free agents.

Baseball experts and professionals continue to examine the peculiar course of this offseason, which has had major names change teams through

blockbuster trades rather than free agency. This blend of significant trades and the historically slow free agency of the 2017-18 offseason has led to a intriguing outlook for many teams, completely altering baseball’s hierarchy.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

1. Houston Astros The reigning World Series champions are undoubtedly the favorites to win it all this year.

They kept their rotation intact while adding former Pirates ace Gerrit Cole. The top of their rotation now includes Justin Verlander (two-time Cy Young award winner), Dallas Keuchel (2015 Cy Young award winner), and Cole. Paired with the most potent offense in baseball led by 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve, the Astros look to make it back to the World Series.

2. New York Yankees The Yankees now boast the best outfield in baseball, made up of 2017 National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton and American League Rookie of the Year, Aaron Judge. The two behemoth sluggers hit a combined 111 home runs last season. With top prospects Gleyber Torres and Justus Sheffield slated to make their debuts at some point during the season, the Yankees look

My prediction is that the Blue Jays will go all out during this year’s trade deadline due to Donaldson’s contract expiring this season and the continued decline of Tulowitzki. This is possibly Toronto’s last chance to make a legitimate run at the Championship, and they’re going to capitalize.

to earn back their “Evil Empire” nickname.

3. Los Angeles Angels The acquisition of Japan’s “Babe Ruth,” Shohei Ohtani and the critical additions of Ian Kinsler, Zack Cozart, and Justin Upton give the Angels a whole new look that will hopefully help superstar Mike Trout make it to the postseason. Their pitching is key, as the team needs to get healthy seasons from Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, and the rest of their starting rotation to have a legitimate case to become the best team in the league. Adding a relief pitcher or two during the deadline could further shore up any weaknesses the Angels have, since they lack a proven closer.

4. Cleveland Indians The Indians finished on top in the American League Central division in a season that included a 22-game winning streak, the longest in the last century.

Having super relievers like Andrew Miller and Cody Allen relieve pressure from the starting rotation, which already includes elite pitchers Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, and up-andcomer Mike Clevinger, gives the Indians a strong pitching staff.

Good pitching is valuable in the modern era of baseball, and Cleveland has all the pitching any team could ask for. Kluber, Carrasco, and Clevinger had earned run averages (ERAs) of 2.25, 3.29, and 3.11 respectively, creating a dynamic trio.

5. Toronto Blue Jays Nothing worked for the Jays last season, from slugger Jose Bautista never finding his stroke to the significant number of sidelinings of Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Donaldson because of injuries. Getting healthy seasons from Tulowitzki and Donaldson is the key to Toronto’s success.

If Tulowitzki stays healthy, his projection to hit 25 home runs complements Donaldson’s pro-

jection of upwards of 35 home runs nicely. Their rotation is loaded with sleepers, including Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman. My prediction is that the Blue Jays will go all out during this year’s trade deadline due to Donaldson’s contract expiring this season and the continued decline of Tulowitzki. This is possibly Toronto’s last chance to make a legitimate run at the Championship, and they’re going to capitalize.

NATIONAL LEAGUE 1. Los Angeles Dodgers The Dodgers are young, sensational, and have enormous upside. Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger continued to impress with their explosive bats as they combined to hit 61 home runs last season in the heart of the Dodgers lineup. Not only have the Dodgers successfully made the transition to get younger, they have been able to retain valuable veterans like Justin Turner and Matt Kemp to round out their team and provide veteran leadership. Kershaw is expected to opt out of his contract this year, creating a sense of urgency for the Dodgers to win. After making it last year, it would be no surprise to see this team win the World Series this year.

2. Washington Nationals The Nationals arguably have the best rotation in baseball with Cleveland being their only competition. The trio of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Gio Gonzalez is almost unfair for hitters. Adam Eaton will also look to bring his speed to complement that of Trea Turner and Bryce Harper after missing most of last season due to injury. This potent Nationals roster is bound to wreak havoc. As Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy enter their last seasons of their contracts with the Nationals, the club is expected to do whatever it takes to win it all this year, especially since Bryce Harper is a major

flight risk and due for a massive contract.

3. Chicago Cubs The Cubs don’t have the financial power to retain all their young studs. With the short amount of time remaining before major, young players such as Kris Bryant and Wilson Contreras demand lucrative contracts that the Cubs may or may not be able to pay. They must continue to develop and go far in the postseason. Luckily, they still boast the same core that finally erased the club’s 71-year old championship drought.

With their newest addition, starting pitcher Yu Darvish, the Cubs look to form a dynamic pitching duo alongside Jon Lester to guide them to their second World Series in three years. Furthermore, nobody should forget about the ability their potent offense possesses, with Bryant, Contreras, and Anthony Rizzo looking to annihilate baseballs.

4. Colorado Rockies The Rockies have long had one of the most productive offenses in baseball. Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon have consistently been RBI-producing machines, but the Rockies have never been able to take advantage and make it to the playoffs. Their pitching has always been an issue, but the Rockies have reinforced the back end of their bullpen with Wade Davis and Bryan Shaw this year.

5. Milwaukee Brewers The Brewers have been more active than usual this offseason with a trade obtaining Christian Yelich and the signing of Lorenzo Cain. These two bats will play well with sluggers Travis Shaw and Eric Thames, and the team has the potential to become a home run hitting lineup. They are still young and missing a few pieces if they wish to be true championship contenders.

Winter Olympics

The Hidden Gems of the Winter Olympics

By BEN PLATT The Winter Olympics began on Friday, February 9, and the world’s eyes have turned Pyeongchang, South Korea. Most people will tune in to popular events such as figure skating, downhill skiing, and ice hockey.

However, the Olympics features many sports that are just as exciting, but usually overlooked.

Here are some of these forgotten sports:

BIATHLON

A test of endurance, speed, and accuracy, biathlon is a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Competitors complete a cross-country course with their rifles on their backs, and after the completion of one lap of the course, take shots at a target 50 meters away. For each target they miss, they must complete a penalty lap, which wastes valuable time. There are five targets in total. The transition from the strenuous exer-

tions of cross-country skiing to the slow heart rate required to shoot accurately is incredibly difficult. This is the only Olympic sport in which the U.S. has never medaled, but that could change as reigning world champion, American Lowell Bailey, is a favorite to win a medal.

NORDIC COMBINED

Another sport that combines two disciplines, nordic combined originated as a Norwegian military exercise in the 1930s. A combination of crosscountry skiing and ski jumping, it requires both flexibility and stamina. It is also notable for being the only Olympic sport with no equivalent for women because of long-standing misogynistic pseudoscience regarding the ‘frailty’ of women (women’s nordic combined will be introduced at Beijing 2022). Competitors jump first, where they are scored on the basis of the length and the style of their jump. The competitors who score highest

get a head start on the crosscountry part of the race. The winner of this event is often not particularly outstanding at one of the components of the event, but rather, is better than average at both. Norway has consistently obliterated all competitors in this competition, winning twice as many medals as any other country, since nordic combined combines two of the sports they are most dominant in. The high point for the United States in this event was at the 2010 Vancouver Games, where they won four medals, one of which was gold.

CURLING

Perhaps the oddest-looking sport in the Winter Olympics, curling is a sport that is not as demanding physically as it is mentally, giving it the moniker of “chess on ice.” Teams attempt to slide heavy rocks down ice and lead them as close as they can to a target area at the other end of the rink. One person will

slide the stone while the others use brooms to sweep the ice to guide the stone to its desired position. Interestingly, all the granite stones are made from only two quarries in Scotland and Wales.

Did you know?

Stuyvesant has its very own resident curler—physics teacher John Avallone.

SKELETON

Many have heard of bobsledding, perhaps because of the film “Cool Runnings” (1993) and its Jamaican bobsledders that competed against incredible odds. However, bobsledding has a much more dangerous cousin, whose very name inspires fear— skeleton. In this solo event, sliders go headfirst on a small sled that has no steering or braking equipment, leaving all control up to the body movements of the rider. With their faces just inches from the ground, sliders encounter g-forces of over 80 miles per hour. Crashes are less

common than in the other sliding events of luge and bobsled however, because of the light weight of skeleton sleds and the more precise steering mechanisms.

SKI CROSS

Often overlooked among the high-flying freestyle skiing events of moguls and the halfpipe, ski cross has become one the most exhilarating events at the Olympics. It is the only alpine skiing event to feature more than one competitor at a time: four competitors race down a course that has natural elements mixed with jumps and banked turns. The ever-present possibility of a multi-skier crash leaves viewers hanging on the edge of their seats. Succeeding in this event requires a high amount of control, the ability to land big jumps, and a little bit of luck.

The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Page 21

Sports Major League Baseball

Yankees Offseason Activity

By MAX MAH 2017 marked an exciting year for the New York Yankees. Going into the year, the team was thought to be mired in a rebuilding season with the acquisition of younger, amateur talent. Faced with doubt from fans and sports broadcasters alike at the beginning, a number of these young and unproven assets developed into solid contributors. Luis Severino (age 23) became the ace of the starting rotation, Chad Green (26) became the bullpen’s Swiss Army knife, and rookie sensation Aaron Judge (25) racked up 52 home runs, the most ever by a rookie.

In recent years, the Yankees’ rosters have largely been built by signing veteran players through the free agent market. This strategy started to fall apart for the them after 2012, as they were either eliminated early from the playoffs in following few years or simply didn’t make it there. The Yankees appeared rather dull, playing with a starting lineup made up of veterans years past their primes. However, the new, young Baby Bombers provided a fresh, dynamic core that finished 91-71 and made it to the American League Championship Series. Throughout the offseason, the team has taken many of the next steps necessary to go the distance.

One of the biggest changes the Yankees will be undergoing is in management. Joe Girardi, who has led the Yankees to a 910710 record since 2008, will be replaced by former Yankees player, Aaron Boone. Boone stood out from the pool of potential candi-

dates for his strengths as a skilled communicator, open-minded outlook, and willingness to foster closer relationships with the Yankees’ staff and younger players. While Boone’s lack of experience in the managing spurs uncertainty, his extensive background in baseball will serve as a solid platform.

But arguably, the biggest move for the Yankees was acquiring the Miami Marlins MVP, outfielder Giancarlo Stanton.

ending with 61 home runs. The Yankees’ lineup looks promising with both sluggers on the same team.

During the winter meetings, Stanton expressed his gratitude and enthusiasm in playing with the Yankees. “I’m glad to be here and part of the New York Yankees. It’s going to be a great new chapter in my life and my career,” Stanton said. “They’re young, and they’re in a good position to win for a long time, and

Winning another World Series ring to close out his rich career with the Yankees would be a fortunate full circle for Sabathia.

Stanton was traded for Yankee second baseman Starlin Castro and two minor league prospects: pitcher Jorge Guzman and infielder Jose Devers. Over the next 10 seasons, the Yankees will pay off $265 million of the $295 million on Stanton’s contract.

During the 2017 season, Stanton and Judge led the leaderboards in home runs and combined for 111 in total. This is reminiscent of the Yankees’ 1961 duo of players, teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, who engaged in their legendary chase after legend Babe Ruth’s standing home run record, 60, at the time.

Mantle ended with 54, and Maris went on to break Ruth’s record,

I lost for a long time. So I want to change that dynamic and be a winner.” Stanton played 8 seasons with the Marlins and experienced losing seasons, rocky ownership dynamic, and small crowds. While Stanton himself rose from the ashes of the Marlins’ 77-85 season with incredible achievements, he will get to put his talents to better use by playing among the Yankees’ Championship-caliber team entering the 2018 season.

At this point, the Yankees have many different options in which they can shift their lineup and outfield. It remains to be seen which players will start in which outfield position; Boone will see

Boys’ Basketball

Early in the second quarter, senior Nicholas Kim put up a foul shot that rolled around on the rim before falling toward senior Sirazum Chowdhury.

Despite his best efforts, Chowdhury was beaten to the ball by a taller opponent, who immediately initiated a fastbreak down the sideline. Chowdhury, not giving up on the play, sprinted down the length of the court and executed a timely block.

This sequence of events summed up the struggles of the Runnin’ Rebels, Stuyvesant’s boys’ basketball team, who played with heart but ultimately could not score enough to keep the game close. Despite a valiant effort in the second half, the game ended 75-41 in Seward Park Campus’ favor.

The first half was not kind to the Rebels. They struggled to pass the ball from tipoff due to Seward’s incessant pressure.

This led to a frantic and fastpaced game with a multitude of Stuyvesant turnovers. Seward raced out to a 34-14 lead at the first half.

There were, however, bright moments in the game. “The bright spots of the season may never show up on a stat sheet,” senior Michael Gillow said. One such moment occurred in the third quarter when the Rebels began to figure out their op-

ly dropping Headley’s $13 million contract. This allowed them reset the luxury tax penalty and gave them another $30 million to spend.

While the Yankees’ starting pitching rotation remains an area of development, they can look forward to their veteran lefthander, CC Sabathia, returning to the club. On December 16, Sabathia re-signed for a one-year, $10 million contract. During the 2017 season, Sabathia compiled 14 wins and finished with a 3.69 ERA, his best over the last 4 years.

In the playoffs, Sabathia had many dominant performances, including when he hurled 6 shutout innings in game 3 of the

ALCS to beat the Astros, 8-1. After falling just short of the World Series last season, Sabathia decided to stick with his team and take care of the “unfinished business” in New York, according to his agent.

“I feel like this is a young team, and we will turn this into something great,” Sabathia said after Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.

“This is my home, and I want to see this thing through.”

When Sabathia first signed with the Yankees in 2009, he agreed to a $161 million, seven year contract, the highest in MLB until 2013. That year, he won his first World Series as the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies for their 27th Championship.

Winning another World Series ring to close out his rich career with the Yankees would be a fortunate full circle for Sabathia.

This year, he will be crucial as the backbone of the starting rotation and as an older veteran for the young Baby Bombers.

In the meantime, the Yankees still need to fill infield spots left

by Castro and Headley. To do this, they have been in contact with various teams, including the Orioles and Diamondbacks.

Overall, the year ahead looks prosperous. The Yankees have a stable situation with a workable, powerful outfield and solid pitching rotation. This will be a great starting team for Aaron Boone, and hopefully, he will be able to sculpt the Yankees’ potential into solid victories. With the entry and returning of several veterans, the young, dynamic team will be balanced by discipline and experience.

Boys’ Gymnastics

Rebels’ Struggles Continue

By AHMED HUSSEIN

what works best during spring training. In addition to adding to the Yankees’ lineup, Stanton will also serve as a veteran and mentor figure for the younger players. Signing Stanton was an extremely beneficial management move by the Yankees.

However, in order to take on Stanton’s massive contract, the Yankees had to trade third baseman Chase Headley and reliever Bryan Mitchell to the Padres for outfielder Jabari Blash, effective-

ponents. Paul Goldsman, their coach, called a critical time-out to settle his team, and the team responded—they began showing their ability on defense and made smart plays that found holes in Seward’s potent defense. It was obvious the Rebels had practiced avoiding pressure on the offensive end and maintaining positioning on defense, as the team executed both successfully during the second half.

“Slide, Slide, Slide!” coach Goldsman shouted to keep his players active on defense. However, much of their defensive effort was wasted since they misfired on too many open shots.

They were unable to capitalize on fast breaks from Seward misses and forced turnovers.

Stuyvesant currently has a 2-12 record in the Manhattan A1 Division. With playoffs all but out of reach, the team will look to close out the season with pride and look ahead to next year.

However, the Rebels’ struggles can be attributed to more than just the team’s play. With a new coach and system, an adjustment period is natural.

Coach Goldsman has been fiddling with the starting lineup throughout the season to try to find the best fits for the team.

Despite the changes, some players have been able to flourish under Coach Goldsman’s

tutelage. Senior Nicholas Kim leads the team with 9.25 points per game, good for 21st in the division. Gillow sits 13th in the division with 2.58 assists per game. Junior Kevin Chan has played some point guard this season and flourished in the position, using his passing ability to make plays for his teammates. “I love it when a player does good work near the basket then passes it off to a teammate for an easy basket,” Coach Goldsman said, explaining his decision to employ Chan in the point guard position.

Nonetheless, the Rebels will try to end their season on a high note. “My goal since the beginning of the season has been to get [the team] to play a complete and perfect game,” coach Goldsman said. The team is going to have to operate as a unit to have any chance of reaching their goal. When asked how he and his teammates can turn their season around, Gillow said, “We as a team need to end the season strong for each other.”

Even if they are unable to finish with a win, the future looks bright for the Rebels. With younger players such as freshman Mitchell Fogel getting critical experience on varsity and a strong junior varsity team that is currently 5-2, which could be the backbone of the varsity team in coming years.

Optimistic Lemurs Anticipate Divisionals

By LUMI WESTERLUND and LEE-ANN RUSHLOW As the Lemurs left Stuyvesant’s gym on February 7, they were filled with newfound confidence after their first divisional win this season. While the Stuyvesant gymnastics team’s win against Tottenville High School was expected, as Tottenville only has two gymnasts on its entire team, Stuy’s score of 102.1 put the divisional finals within reach.

The win moved the Lemurs up from a fifth place divisional ranking just ahead of Tottenville in sixth to fourth, not only putting them in the running for finals, but also placing them ahead of Laguardia High School, one of their primary opponents in the league.

Having placed either first or second in their division for the past three years, the Lemurs’ fourth place standing is actually a step down. “After seeing the potential and talent of the new kids, I think the team can actually score high and make it to playoffs. I don’t expect first place, but it’s definitely possible to make it into the top three or four,” junior and co-captain Andy Zhang said.

In anticipation of their upcoming meets, the Lemurs are pushing hard at practices. “We train harder, and kids are picking up more skills now that they’ve gotten stronger,” coach Autry said. With their team score on an upwards trend, the new skills—trained for during preseason—are making a difference for gymnasts like junior and co-captain Muhib Khan. “Muhib

has improved his B skill on Pommel [Horse]—the circle circle travel down. [Senior] John Lin picked up a couple of B skills on Pommel, and he picked up a couple skills on Rings,” Coach Autry continued. As the competition season has begun, rather than learning new skills, the team will focus on making their routines clean and solid, making productive practice key. For practices during competition season they were “spending more time working routines than new skills,” Khan said.

During their meet with Tottenville, the Lemurs competed with three all-around gymnasts, adding junior Khandaker Hasnain to the all-around roster. The gymnasts all performed well, as Khan finished with a 34.6, sophomore Jordan Kaisman with a 33.7, and Hasnain with a 25.5. This meet also brought the debut of new rookie gymnasts sophomore Minhajul Saim on vault and parallel bars and freshman Russell Low on floor exercise.

The Lemurs are looking forward to the rest of their season in hopes of reaching the division finals. The tremendous amount of improvement of the Lemurs is reflected in their team scores. Going from a 97.6 against John F. Kennedy Campus High School in their opening meet to a 102.1 against Tottenville in their last meet is a significant improvement from the entire group. The Lemurs have worked hard, but will have their work cut out for them if they are to reach the division finals.

Page 22

The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Sports Girls’ Basketball

Phoenix Look to Make Late-Season Adjustments

By DIMITRIY LEKSANOV

Stefan Engquist / The Spectator

There is something to be said about a team that faces adversity, but makes use of its advantages and eventually overcomes it. For the Phoenix, Stuyvesant’s girls’ basketball team, their two games against Millennium High School, and the 2017-18 season as a whole, are prime examples.

In junior Talia Kirshenbaum’s first game back after spending a semester at the Mountain School on January 8, the Phoenix went home with a disappointing 54-48 loss to Graphics Campus weighing on their minds. Though the game, in which Kirschenbaum and fellow junior Ally Archer combined for 31 rebounds, demonstrated tremendous promise for the Phoenix, the contest ultimately served as a microcosm of their struggles leading up to that point.

The Graphics Campus Lady 49ers, who currently hold a record of 12-3, are not a team to be scoffed at. That night, however, the 49ers did not beat the Phoenix; the Phoenix beat themselves.

Scoring no three-point baskets and missing 15 free throws over the course of the game, the Phoenix sunk their own offense through poor shooting, something that likely sealed the game’s outcome. To make matters worse, that defeat dropped the Phoenix to 4-5, matching last year’s loss total just midway through the season.

Since then, however, the Phoenix have looked like an entirely different team. After that hiccup on January 8, the team won five of their next six games (albeit one coming via forfeit), and seemed poised for a deep playoff run at 9-6 so long as their fiery pace persisted. Unfortunately for them, however, one of their final two games posed a veritable obstacle in the form of an away game at Millennium High School. 14-2 at the time, Millennium were the cream of the Manhattan A South division crop, with one of their mere two losses coming against Lab Museum United, who have quashed all of their first 16 opponents thus far by double digits.

The Phoenix already faced Millennium once in early December, falling 43-27 in Stuyvesant’s worst offensive showing of the season, during which senior, co-captain, and top scorer Shannon Lau managed just two

points.

According to Lau, the main factor of Millennium’s dominance was its defensive scheme.

She said, “Against Millennium, it’s all about working against the box and one.” The box and one scheme is a defensive set that combines aspects from both man and zone defenses. Essentially, it involves four defenders assigned to zones inside of and around the three-point arc (the “box”), with the team’s fifth defender tasked with manning up against the opposition’s top offensive player (the titular “one”).

This makes it exceedingly easy to nullify any one player on the opposing team by allowing the single man defender to nag her all game long without losing much help in the zones below.

Hence, Millennium was readily able to take Lau, the Phoenix’s top backcourt scorer, almost entirely out of the game.

This time, however, Lau was adamant that the team’s new offensive strategy would yield a different result. She said, “We’ve already drawn out plays to counter the defense and used them against other teams. They’ve worked well.”

In the end, this maneuver generally proved to be successful. Although they lost, the Phoenix played a far tougher match against Millennium the second time around, with a final score of 47-37. However, while the first Millennium game suggest-

best (junior Ally Archer’s 12.75), in three of the Phoenix’s first six losses, she was not the team’s highest scorer. This suggests that for opposing teams, battling the Phoenix is much like battling a snake: once the “head” falls, the “body” follows.

In the second Millennium game (a loss on paper, but a quasi-win in that it indicated clear improvement from the start of the season), this top-heaviness

would cause the greatest impact on their offense, the Phoenix receive a significantly disproportionate contribution from the top of their lineup as opposed to the bottom. In Stuyvesant’s last three “close” games, games that ended with a scoring margin of under ten points (those being the aforementioned loss to Graphics Campus, a 46-42 loss to Beacon High School, and a 44-40 win against Seward Park

“Against Millennium, it’s all about working against the box and one.”—Shannon Lau, senior and co-captain.

ed that the Phoenix may have needed a shift in game plan, this match may have affirmed a different issue: that the Phoenix will ultimately only go as far as their top scorer goes.

Though Lau’s points-pergame average of 16.75 is four points higher than the second-

shined through. Lau dropped 14 points, tying her for first with Archer, while the next-highest scorer, fellow senior and cocaptain Delaney Demark, scored just four points.

Yet, the Phoenix’s top-heavy trend extends far beyond just Lau. While neutralizing Lau

Stefan Engquist / The Spectator

Campus), the team has had just five players record a single point in each of those games, meaning that bench production in close games has been almost negligible. This could suggest a lack of depth, which would be costly, especially if the Phoenix were to lose even a single key contributor prior to a tough playoff matchup.

In Lau’s eyes, however, simply judging bench production off of scoring totals is irresponsible and unfair. When asked about any concerns about the Phoenix being especially top-heavy, Lau said, “This isn’t a problem as other players are still involved [in] […] setting up plays and moving the ball.” Furthermore, while some players may not register eye-popping numbers on a consistent basis, they still have the ability to make major contributions on the court from time to time. One such player is sophomore Eve Wening, whom Lau raved about. She said, “Eve has been really outstanding, taking almost any role in the game.

Beyond that, she brings an irreplaceable spirit.”

Demark attested to this, saying, “I was really impressed with the way Eve stepped up this year, especially since she is only

a sophomore.”

In the words of Demark, “Since the beginning of the season, the team has really improved as a whole.” Considering the way the Phoenix battled back from a disappointing, tumultuous start to their season, these words resonate with sincerity and describe a truly commendable full-scale effort to improve.

However, to get over the hump and become a legitimate contender come playoff time, the Phoenix cannot afford to hibernate on their laurels quite yet. Ultimately, as the Phoenix head into this season’s waning light, there are multiple improvements to be made that may determine their fate. First, the Phoenix must continue to ride the coattails of the dynamic junior duo, Archer and Kirshenbaum, and make the most of the extra possessions that they provide through their dominance on the boards.

The Phoenix must also be able to fend off defensive schemes like the box and one, which isolate their top scorers.

Finally, and more than anything, the Phoenix must have a contingency beyond their stars. If they continue to receive substantial contributions from Wening and sophomore Selene Kaehny, the latter of whom has come on strong of late against teams like Seward Park Campus’s, they could potentially be in for a hefty playoff run. The Phoenix’s first-round matchup is against the Port Richmond Raiders.

With a record of just 7-7, Port Richmond seems like a weaker opponent.

This would be a relief, as one thing the Phoenix certainly have not struggled with is fending off feebler teams, having recently dispatched School of the Future 74-17. However, there are cases in which records can be deceiving, and this is one of those cases. The Raiders are an excellent shooting team, having made 72 total three-pointers this season with just one player shooting under 50 percent from the free throw line. To make matters worse, the match is a woefully distant road game, way off in Staten Island. On paper, chances may seem bleak, but with the right adjustments, the Phoenix could emerge with a win.

The Spectator ● February 15, 2018

Page 23

Sports SuperBowl

What Now?

By JEREMY RUBIN This was supposed to be the easy one. After last year’s miraculous comeback against the Atlanta Falcons, the Patriots were supposed to come in, go to work, and come away with an easy victory. Without rising star Carson Wentz, the Eagles were riding the arm of backup quarterback Nick Foles against the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) Tom Brady and mastermind head coach Bill Belichick. Nothing could go wrong.

Until it did.

I wasn’t worried when Foles led the Eagles to a field score on the first drive of the game.

I wasn’t worried when he piloted his team to a 22-12 halftime lead. This was Tom Brady after all; he’d find a way. And true to form, Brady pushed the ball down the field and connected with star tight end Rob Gronkowski less than three minutes into the second half. When he cut it to a three-point game to start the fourth quarter, I had complete confidence in him.

But Foles found a way. The backup, who was thrown into the heat of the playoffs after starting a grand total of two and a half regular season games, produced the biggest game of the year. He played out of his mind—I respect that. Brady did what he could and led the Patriots to a title, passing for a record-breaking 505 yards. Initially, I thought this loss could

signify the end of the Patriots dynasty. However, with the confirmed returns of both offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Belichick, I’m confident this team will come back as strong as ever next season.

However, one major issue that requires extensive fixing is the defense. Matt Patricia, the defensive coordinator, oversaw one of the top red-zone defenses in the NFL, only allowing 3.94 points per drive, which is the second best in the league.

He just became the head coach of the Detroit Lions. A new coordinator needs to be sought out. However, after heading the Pats for the last five seasons, the defensive players grew accustomed to Patricia’s style of coaching and a change will require adjustment.

Additionally, after Belichick’s controversial decision to bench top cornerback Malcolm Butler in the Super Bowl, Butler will assuredly leave this offseason via free agency. If Butler were starting as usual, he could have completely changed the outcome of the game. His backup, Eric Rowe, was targeted early and often by Foles and was repeatedly beaten by Eagles wide receivers. Butler, the superior corner, could have limited Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor’s production throughout the night.

Instead, he rode the game out on the bench and will seek out a change of scenery next season.

On the positive side, McDan-

iels, the offensive coordinator, has developed chemistry with Brady, leading to another MVP season despite a lack of top-tier talent at the skill positions. He will return and have a full season with top wide receiver Julian Edelman, who was injured early into this season. His return signifies stability on the offense, which can easily match, if not surpass, this year’s output with Edelman.

Belichick is also staying for at least another year, but it remains to be seen how he will work with owner Robert Kraft and Brady.

A rift opened up this past season when Belichick wanted to keep young backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, seeing him as Tom Brady’s heir, but Brady told Kraft that he could play for another four or five years. Kraft went with his superstar, telling Belichick to trade away his prized asset. Belichick did just that, giving him up to San Francisco for a second-round pick.

Garoppolo is currently 5-0 in his career for the 49ers.

Belichick thrives when in control and hates when management meddles in his affairs.

Brady went behind his back to Kraft to get rid of his only competition, souring his relationship with his coach. Brady and Belichick are the greatest player and coach combination ever and Kraft oversees the organization, and the trio will need to remain united and on the same page for the Patriots to remain a

Wrestling

The Spartans, Stuyvesant’s boys’ varsity wrestling team, are charging ahead to City Championships after putting on a spectacular performance at the Manhattan Borough Championships on Saturday, February 3. Seven Spartans medalled, and five qualified for the City Championships, leading Stuyvesant to 1st place in Manhattan. This achievement was a great way for the Spartans to close out their season, proving that they were more than capable of overcoming the challenges they faced earlier in the season.

“A lot of newcomers were sophomores, meaning two years from now they’ll be seniors, and really skilled wrestlers,” senior and co-captain Adam Abbas said. All year long, the newcomers have been gaining experience through both wins and losses. The team has bounced back from their 84-0 loss to Brooklyn Tech last month with strong performances.

When asked about the reason behind the success of their recent weekend meets, where the wrestlers performed significantly better than they did in the weekday dual meets, senior and co-captain Allard Peng replied, “That’s easy. It’s because we can get sleep.”

Peng, senior Edward Ro, senior Danil Chernov, senior Nicholas Tan, and sophomore Timothy Peng all placed high

Brady/Belichick/Kraft drama, the Patriots have issues they need to sort out. Wide receiver Danny Amendola (8 catches,

The organization prides itself in being the class of the NFL and has been too good for too long to completely fall off the map.

disappearing from the top-tier of the league is pedigree and pride. After Deflategate in 2015, when the NFL suspended Brady for four games and fined the Patriots $1 million, Belichick and the Patriots wanted revenge.

They cruised to the Super Bowl and won it all. Now, the Patriots were just out-coached by a young, new head coach and outplayed by a backup quarterback.

And Belichick, though rightly so, is taking heat for benching starting cornerback Malcolm Butler and using clock management badly. They will want another shot at a championship.

This dynasty is at a crossroad. From the devastating potential loss of Gronkowski, who is considering retirement, to the

152 yards in the Super Bowl) and running back Dion Lewis (teamleading 896 rushing yards) will both be free agents, and the defense needs work and a new coach.

However, I’m confident it will work out. The organization prides itself in being the class of the NFL and has been too good for too long to completely fall off the map, especially with so many key players coming back.

As long as Brady, Belichick, and McDaniels remain on the same page, the offense will continue to be top-notch. Go celebrate, Eagles fans, you earned this one.

We’ll be back next year.

Boys’ Basketball

Spartans Surprise by Winning Manhattan Championship

By ARYAN SHARMA and BERNARD WANG

top-tier team.

Besides the retention of the majority of the offense, another reason I can’t see the Patriots

enough in Boroughs to advance to City Championships.

Their success has been largely due to hard work and pushing themselves to their limits during practice, all with the help of head coach Michael Cigala.

“Coach has been a very good

teammates as well,” said junior and first-year wrestler Rubin Peco. In every weight class, the top two wrestlers of each borough will be competing in City Championships, presenting another level of challenge for the wrestlers. Ro placed first at bor-

“That’s easy. It’s because we can get sleep.” —Allard Peng, senior and co-captain.

pushing factor, but the assistant coaches have helped tremendously in terms of keeping us humble and teaching us technique,” senior Danil Chernov said.

Heading into Cities, not much will change in the team’s practice schedule. The Spartans will be training with other schools in preparation for the big tournament, and will focus on fine-tuning moves and keeping the mood light. “We go through the same intense training, and we go through it together, so when we go out on the mat, we’re not just wrestling for ourselves, but for our

oughs and is aiming to qualify for states.

The young team is looking forward to a strong season end.

“I think the future of the team is the best it’s ever been, and it’s only going to get better,” Abbas said. Passion, heart, and commitment are abundant. “The team also has a huge family vibe this year, where we have this love for each other that’s more than just [one for] teammates, and I think that’s gonna help [us] perform better and attract more people to join in the future,” he said. Now all that’s left for this season is finishing strong, and carrying over to next year.

Coach’s Corner: Meet Paul Goldsman, the Runnin’ Rebels’ New Head Coach continued from page 24

“Since the season began, we have struggled in protecting the basketball and rebounding,” Goldsman said. In order to overcome this, the Rebels have been working hard to improve.

“The guys have been working diligently to improve their skills, and they always display a desire to learn,” Goldsman said. “[Goldsman] has been a motivational figure for our team,” senior Nicola Manfredi said.

In particular, Goldsman likes the team to do one of his favorite drills, “Mine, not Yours,” in which two players are paired up and tasked with fighting for a loose ball that’s been bounced extremely high in the middle of the court. The players’ “ferocity and intensity” shine during this drill as they have to dive on the floor or run off the court to get the ball. “The team loves this drill as it is competitive and forces them to display their toughness in front of the entire squad,” said Goldsman.

What sets Goldsman apart from many other coaches is his mentality that the players deserve to actually play in games if they show up to practice and are willing to put in the time. “Due to the academic rigor at Stuyvesant, I know that when my players attend practice and games, they are sacrificing their time.

If they are making the commitment to basketball and display

a good attitude, they deserve to play; this is something I feel very strongly about,” he said.

As a result, unlike some other sports teams where many players remain, much to their chagrin, benchwarmers, Goldsman makes sure that unless they are injured, all 14 players on the team get the opportunity to play during games. “I think it is imperative for all players to obtain game experience,” said Goldsman.

Not only is he an experienced basketball coach and guidance counselor, but Goldsman is also very involved in community service. “Out-of-classroom learning experiences [are] something I strongly believe in,” Goldsman said. One of his fondest memories involves taking a group of QHST seniors to New Orleans to help build houses in the “Habitat for Humanity” program in response to Hurricane Katrina.

Goldsman hopes to replicate this initiative at Stuyvesant and create a “Habitat for Humanity” club to volunteer to help places such as Florida, Houston, and Puerto Rico.

As is readily apparent, the Runnin’ Rebels are training hard under the able guidance of their new head coach. While Goldsman is humble about his new position, it is clear that we are very lucky to have this experienced coach, guidance counselor, and humanitarian join our community.

February 15, 2018

Page 24

THE SPECTATOR SPORTS Boys’ Basketball

Emily Siew / The Spectator

Coach’s Corner: Meet Paul Goldsman, the Runnin’ Rebels’ New Head Coach

By NIKKI DANIELS The Runnin’ Rebels, Stuyvesant’s boys’ varsity basketball team, has a new head coach this season: Paul Goldsman. Goldsman joins the Stuyvesant community not only as the new head coach for the boys basketball team, but also as a guidance counselor.

Though new to Stuyvesant, Goldsman has had plenty of experience as both a basketball coach and guidance counselor.

He coached basketball for 10 years in middle schools, high schools, and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit. Before be-

coming the coach for the Runnin’ Rebels, Goldsman was the basketball coach for the Long Island Lightning, a travel AAU team that operated out of West Hempstead, Long Island.

In addition to being an experienced basketball coach, Goldsman has been a school counselor for 13 years, working at schools in Brooklyn, Queens, and now Manhattan. For the last 11 years, he was the school counselor for the Queens High School of Teaching (QHST) in Bellerose, Queens. Unlike Stuyvesant, QHST is a smaller school with approximately 1,200 students, who are further divided into three smaller learning com-

munities of 400 students each.

Goldsman was the counselor for one of the three learning communities at QHST and enjoyed getting to know the 400 students that were assigned to him. He stayed with the same students through their high school journey from the 9th to 12th grades.

While Goldsman really enjoyed his time at QHST, he was ready for a change, and decided to leave QHST to join Stuyvesant High School.

Goldsman has not regretted his decision. “I love being a member of the Stuyvesant community,” he said. Like so many of us, Goldsman takes the train from Queens to Stuyvesant every day, often experiencing train traffic delays and major crowds. But he has no complaints. “I am blessed with the opportunity to work at one of the best public schools in the country,” Goldsman said.

He is also quick to point out that his colleagues, including his supervisor, Ms. Pedrick, have been welcoming and supportive of him, and are always there to answer his questions about topics ranging from school protocols, to A days versus B days, to advice on the best food trucks in Tribeca. In short, “working at Stuy has simply been incredible.

I love coming to work,” Goldsman said.

Aside from his pivotal role as a Stuyvesant guidance counselor, Goldsman fosters a unique philosophy when it comes to coaching the Rebels. “I take pride in creating a team that is selfless, organized, and gritty,” Goldsman said. “I love when players set each other [up] with a great pass or dive on the floor for a loose ball.”

The camaraderie among team members and the team’s desire to improve has helped them overcome obstacles and become better players.

CALENDAR

February

15 THURSDAY Boys’ Gymnastics vs.

Bronx High School of Science Bronx High School of Science

15 MONDAY

Boys’ Swimming, PSAL Championship Lehman College

17 SATURDAY

Boys’ and Girls’ Indoor Track, City Championships Armory Track

continued on page 23

Boys’ Track

Perspiration and Performance Go Hand In Hand

By SUSAN LIN Tired, relieved smiles, and drooping eyelids flooded the end of the Manhattan indoor track and field championships as the Greyducks took first place, continuing their long streak of winning Boroughs. Although they have always dominated their competition historically, with heavy losses accrued from the graduation of key players and the departure of both of their coaches this season, like many other teams this year, the odds seemed to stack up against the Greyducks, Stuyvesant’s boys’ varsity indoor track and field team.

Maintaining their longstanding legacy proved to be a worrisome endeavor as the team prepared for the meet. “Going into Boroughs, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy as [it had been] the years before. HSMSE and Hunter were contenders for the title.

Hunter was actually projected to win by points alone,” said junior and long distance runner Justin Zhang. Thoughts like these plagued their minds, nagging at the runners and diminishing their optimism.

In addition to the ominous forecast of another school win-

ning this year’s championships, the team also had to adjust and compensate for the loss of current players. “We also had a fast senior who couldn’t run because of some paperwork issue; plus, our star junior Justin was coming in off an injury. [It] didn’t seem we brought our best game, to be honest,” junior and long distance runner Caleb Hoo said.

However, as the meet came to a close, it was evident that the Greyducks’ persistent perspiration and dedication had paid off.

A healthy combination of both sprint and long distance victories slowly added up to an over 50point lead on the other teams. In the 55-meter dash, senior sprinters Alexander Shevchenko and Eric Chen both placed first with performance times of 7.13 seconds. In shot put, five out of the top six were Greyducks.

In the 1600-meter run, Zhang took third place, with a time of four minutes and 49.21 seconds.

In the triple jump, sophomore Harper Andrews placed first at 37 ft and 8.25 in. “I wasn’t sure if we would win, but I was sure we would do our very best,” said Zhang. And that they did. In all the events the Greyducks participated in, they placed within the

top six.

It seems not all the changes this season were so bad after all.

Despite the team’s close relationship with their previous trainers, the runners have acclimated to the new coaches. “A lot of credit goes to our coaches, Mankit Wong and Carl Disarno, and our manager, [junior] Amy Lei, for

planning and strategizing for the meet,” said Zhang.

Ahead of them are the city championships, and with them comes the official conclusion of the winter track and field season.

“We have around seven athletes who qualified for cities, and with outdoor around the corner, we’re aiming for that triple crown,”

said Lei. With their feet back on the pavement, the Greyducks’ futures are looking brighter and better than before, as they finish this season without regrets. “Other than wishing it could’ve been less cold that one week, nope,” said Hoo when asked if there was anything else he wanted to say.