Volume 109, Issue 11

The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper Humor

OPINIONS

A Legal Jeopardy

Home Sweet Home

Junior Adam Oubaita discusses the future of double jeopardy in 21st-century law.

In “The Spec Roasts: Staten Island,” juniors Yaru Luo and Omar Ali cover some of the most flattering traits of “that other borough.”

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Volume 109 No. 11

NEWSBEAT At the Harvard National High School Invitational Forensics Tournament, senior Julianna Fabrizio, junior Jeffrey Chen, and sophomores Aidan Ng and Anne Rhee made it to the octafinals for

Varsity Policy.

Policy.

Seniors William Lohier and Shray Tripathi and junior Ali Taoube also made it to octafinals for Speech.

Stuy ASPIRA and Black Students League hosted their annual Black History Month Dinner on February 14.

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February 28, 2019

stuyspec.com

English Department Uncovers Cheating Ring

By SAAD GHAFFOULI, CHLOE TERESTCHENKO, EVELYN MA, and ZOE ZAKRZEWSKA

During Regents week, the English department uncovered a case of academic dishonesty involving a group of seniors. The students, some of whom are in English teacher Minkyu Kim’s English class, were engaging in the buying and selling of essays.

Kim became aware of this situation when he caught one of his students cheating on an essay assignment. “It became known to me that a student in my class reached out to another student in my class soliciting an essay in exchange for money. Through investigating both those students involved […] it became clear to us that this was not just one person to another,” Kim said.

This incident was referred to Assistant Principal of English Eric Grossman. He held a meeting with Kim and the student supposedly writing essays for others, in which the student presented a text thread verifying the situation. Grossman then spoke to the student who requested the plagiarized English paper, and they confirmed the interaction.

From there, investiga-

tion of past assignments produced more students possibly involved in the affair. “I went back and looked through some past work that I received that semester and picked out [a] couple of the pieces that seemed a little suspicious. I called those people in and we got the names of a few people [who] were potentially involved,” Kim said.

When students are caught committing academic dishonesty, they face serious disciplinary action. To what degree the infraction affects the student’s overall English grade is determined by the importance of the assignment. “[The student] will get zero credit for the assignment.

It’s meant to be a sliding scale. If it’s a big final paper, that’s going to be more meaningful,” Grossman said. Students are told to also notify their parents, and their parents are to reach out to the school. Assistant Principal of Security, Health, and Physical Education Brian Moran is then notified of the incident, and if it is a second offense, the student will receive a suspension.

This is Kim’s first time encountering the sale of essays on this scale. However, he noted that the commodification of such school assignments is becoming increasingly popular. “In researching some of this, I found that

Michael Hu / The Spectator

Sophomores May Hathaway and Matthew Qiu were finalists for Junior Varsity

“The Pulse of the Student Body”

there are external sites that do this. […] It seems like it has been going on for a while [and that it is] a known practice,” Kim said.

Both Kim and Grossman recognize that a major factor that contributes to participation in academic dishonesty is the stress and heavy workload students at Stuyvesant experience, especially toward the end of a semester.

“There are always a few students who are in a tough spot or in a jam and they find a way to cut corners, or they feel like their work isn’t good enough [to] get them the grade that they desire, so they go to other means,” Kim said. continued on page 2

Creating Cultural Connections: Language Department Introduces Spanish Pen Pal Program

By JAMES LEE and MADDY ANDERSEN

letters, those students received responses, and the responses to those responses have just been sent out,” McAuliffe said.

The letters are written in both Spanish and English so that both student groups can improve their language skills.

“My students wrote their letters in Spanish, and then when the students in Spain received the letters, they said that they wanted the letters half in Spanish and half in English. This way, they can practice their English skills and here, they can practice their Spanish skills,” Montserrat said.

The letters concern everyday topics like music, movies, what life is like in New York, politics, and current events. “I saw the letters from Spain. The English is really very good actually. They want to know a lot of things like, ‘How is New York?’ and ‘What type of music do you listen to?’ and ‘What movies do you like?’

They’ve also asked about current events, and ‘What do you think about the government, about Trump?’” Montserrat said.

Writing letters not only allows AP Spanish students to interact with native-speaking Spanish high school students and further develop an interest in their foreign language, but it also helps them prepare for the AP exam. “One of the tasks of the AP Spanish exam is responding to an e-mail. This is the perfect practice, even though letters are more formal,” Montserrat said.

The language department hopes to expand the program

Christine Yan / The Spectator

The language department has begun a pen pal program between Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish students and high school students in Sabadell, Spain, a city near Barcelona.

The program was initiated last school year by sophomore Claire De La Roche. “I always thought that Stuyvesant is unique and encompasses all of these different areas, whether that be math or science, but I felt that there was one thing really lacking, and it was with the language department and perhaps not having an international conversation going on between students all over the globe. If you are actually learning a language like Spanish, you can feel removed from it if you don’t have someone who is experiencing it every single day.

The purpose of this program was to give students that firsthand exposure to create cultural connections,” De La Roche said.

At the time, De La Roche was a member of the Communications department for her Freshman Caucus. She brought her idea to the president of her Freshman Caucus: current Sophomore Caucus President Katerina Corr.

“I thought it was a wonderful idea, so we worked with then Assistant Principal of World Language Dr. [Ernest] Oliveri, and we spoke to both Principal [Eric] Contreras and Assistant Principal of Security, Health, and Physical Education [Brian] Moran about

actually organizing it,” Corr said.

De La Roche and Corr also reached out to Spanish teacher Anna Montserrat, whose brother is an assistant principal at a high school in Sabadell. “We contacted Señora Montserrat first, and [...]

Señora Montserrat’s brother is in Barcelona, Spain, and we thought that it was the perfect opportunity to establish a connection. I was able to e-mail him, and he put me in contact with the woman [who] is in charge of the language department at that school. From there, we were able to send out the letters from the students here at Stuyvesant,” De La Roche said.

Initially, De La Roche envisioned an electronic pen pal program. “In the beginning, we thought about sending it via email to make it simpler. We also thought about scanning, which proved pretty difficult. [...] We decided instead that it would be better to actually send letters in a package overseas,” she said.

Handwritten letters also have an allure for those involved in the program. “I think it is really nice to have it be an authentic pen pal.

I just feel that handwritten letters are a dying art, and it is really beautiful to see someone’s penmanship. A lot of the students [who] first sent the letters added photos and drew pictures, and it was really charming to see,” Assistant Principal of World Language Francesca McAuliffe said.

The pen pal program has been successful so far. “There have already been three interactions. Ms. Montserrat’s class sent

to other AP language classes for the next school year. “We are still working on figuring how well the program is going this year, and once we have the concrete idea of how it’s gone and how well the students have liked it and how the teachers leading it have enjoyed working on it, we can decide whether or not we actually want to expand it. As of right now, we hope to expand to AP French and AP Mandarin,” Corr said.

They also hope to create a similar program for all levels of Spanish. “With the level one classes, I am piloting Boomalang this spring semester with my students. They will actually be setting up one Skype-like con-

versation with a native speaker that is 15 minutes long, totally in the target language, and it is okay if they make errors. [...]

Hopefully, we will have some type of cultural connection in every level that is appropriate for the level,” McAuliffe said.

While the program is still being evaluated and feedback is being collected from students and teachers, the results so far have been encouraging. “Everyone is very excited. They can’t wait for the letters. Every single day, they ask, ‘When are the letters going to come?’ I have to say, ‘They are coming! They are coming!’” Montserrat said.

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The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

News Farm of the Future Comes to Stuyvesant

By RUBY ETHIKA

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and NASA

WORLDBEAT At least 110 people were killed in a fire in Chawkbazar, the historic part of the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka.

2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders announced his 2020 presidential campaign on February 19.

North Carolina election officials ordered a new U.S. House election after a voter fraud inquiry.

The Hanoi Summit, the second meeting between North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, is being held on February 27 and February 28.

Amazon pulled out of its plan to build another headquarters in New York City after strong opposition from city and state officials.

R&B singer R. Kelly was charged for 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four victims, at least three of them minors, on February 22.

Over the years, humans have developed many methods of growing food, ranging from traditional soil farming to Inca terrace farming to Aztec chinampa farming. Now, many people are beginning to adopt a new method—hydroponics.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using a water solvent containing a mineral nutrient solution instead of soil.

Often referred to as the “future of farming,” hydroponics provides a way to grow food indoors and in urban settings with little space, rather than in soil, the traditional method of growing food.

Hydroculture is increasing in popularity as people are becoming aware of the importance of sustainable urban agriculture. The biology department at Stuyvesant has embraced this innovative method and is now developing a hydroponics lab at Stuyvesant.

A few schools in New York City, like P.S. 122, I.S. 126, and Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School, have already developed hydroponics science labs and are teaching students about agriculture, technology, and nutrition. “We are hopeful that the lab will help our students become more environmentally conscious and put them on the path to becoming energyconserving citizens,” Principal of I.S. 126 Alexander Angueira said.

While the biology department hopes to create a similar program at Stuyvesant, they are still in the process of working out the logistics around the development of a hydroponics lab. “It’s more of a concept right now,” Assistant Principal of Biology Elizabeth Fong said.

One of Fong’s main concerns is funding. A hydroponics system requires expensive pipes, equipment the biology department does not have the funds to pay for. “It is a complicated feat of engineering,” Fong said. “There is a very precise water delivery system.”

Additionally, the biology department has not found an ideal location to build a hydroponics lab.

said. “Hydroponics would allow us to reduce our water use and soil runoff, which is amazing.”

Junior Yifan Wang is the secretary of the Environmental Club and thinks the hydroponics lab will provide a great opportunity to the Stuyvesant community. “I certainly believe that it is a way for our school to be more environmentally friendly [...], which

Often referred to as the “future of farming,” hydroponics provides a way to grow food indoors and in urban settings with little space.

The remodeling of a barely-used tech room has been suggested as a potential option, but a final location has yet to be decided upon.

Though the hydroponics lab is only a concept as of now, the biology department hopes the lab will be a reality by 2020. They also plan to develop a hydroponics elective as well, in which students will learn how to grow food using new and innovative technology.

Many Stuyvesant students are interested in taking a hydroponics elective and are excited about the opportunity to put concepts they learn in biology into action. The elective will be unique in its ability to teach students scientific concepts through a hands-on experience. Students will plant the seeds and watch them grow into herbs and vegetables. “We’ve always been taught that we should be environmentally conscious,” junior Flora Fu

is what our club tries to advocate for,” Wang said. “Also, students [will be] introduced to more technology-related alternatives to a lot of conventional ways of living, which I think can also influence them to be creative and can open their minds up to possibly creating these in the future.”

While Stuyvesant already offers a handful of geosciencerelated electives, such as Oceanography, Urban Ecology, and Geology, Fong thinks Hydrology will be a substantial addition to the biology department’s course list. She sees hydroculture as an important subject for Stuyvesant students, especially because it is an alternate way of supporting the nutritional needs of the exponentially growing world population. “We want to have students make use of it with the goal of learning,” Fong said.

English Department Uncovers Cheating Ring continued from page 1

Kim understands that the vast majority of students work extremely hard, so when cheating does occur, it negatively impacts both the reputation of the school and the Stuyvesant community.

“I hope that the students who are involved in this read [this] story,” Kim said. “I hope that they’ll un-

derstand that this hurts them too, because if Stuyvesant continues to have the reputation [of] a hub of cheaters, it tarnishes everyone involved, not just the students but also the people who work here and really do care about the school.”

Grossman hopes to prevent this kind of academic dishonesty from reoccurring. In response

to this particular case, Grossman has requested that all English teachers create a Turnitin account for their classes. Turnitin, a plagiarism detection service, would allow teachers to see whether a student’s work is completely authentic. “We interviewed a number of kids following the thread of those conversations, and one dynamic seemed to be their

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awareness of which teachers use Turnitin and which teachers don’t.

At this point, I just want to take that off the table,” Grossman said.

“Overwhelmingly, it’s just good, hardworking kids who feel stressed out and panicky and make a bad decision, and there is certainly no English teacher who wouldn’t rather prefer their students saying,

‘I’m feeling really overwhelmed and maybe I could have a couple more days,’ or, ‘I’m confused about how to get started and maybe you can help me,’” Grossman said. “We’re here to help. We are understanding. [...] It’s always best to speak to your teacher and let them know what’s going on.”

The Spectator ● February 28. 2019

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The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

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Features Behind the Scenes of SING! Part One: Setting Up Who, What, and Why

By JENNIFER LIU

utes,” Kronman pointed out. “I checked for qualifications and experience, and then personality and creativity. If a person had one but not the other, I would think that their ability to be a solid producer would be fairly limited.”

Gary, on the other hand, valued complementary leadership styles and skills. “I looked for diversity in experience. We have members [of Slate] who [were] in Slate before, participated in the writing process, directed an individual crew, [or] had no previous SING! experience at all.

They vary on degrees of artistic and managerial expertise, but each have proved themselves more than able to step up and help with every aspect of the production,” she detailed.

Diversity in writing style is also an imperative attribute that the Slates seek for when choosing scriptwriters and songwriters. Writers are chosen based on their breadth of creativity, talents for writing, dedication toward SING!, as well as how well their writing styles and senses of humor complement one another. The latter, especially, makes the process difficult. “Most of the applicants were very talented but we needed the best of each ‘style.’ I use quotation marks because there are no definitive categories each writer falls into,” Kronman elaborated. Scriptwriter applicants, some of whom received an interview, were asked to detail their ideas for the selected theme and submit a three to four page-long script, while songwriter applicants were asked to elaborate on their ideas regarding songs and write two sample song parodies inspired by the theme.

Writers typically have a fair amount of creative writing experiences. For instance, SophFrosh Songwriter Irene Hao has written short stories, book and movie reviews, and poems, including one that is structured like a rap song.

Despite all her previous exposure to writing, Hao’s experience as songwriter stands out to her. “I never wrote something meant to be performed, read, or sung by people other than me,” she said.

While this process is exhilarating, it is also challenging. Songwriters must choose well-known songs from a variety of genres and decades to encapsulate the wide range of tastes in the audience. Though most of the writing is done at home, the lyrics must be clever and match that of the original song both syllabically and contextually. To Dexter Wells, another SophFrosh songwriter, songwriting allows him to “be an integral part of the process [of creating the show] in a very caring, not power-obsessive way,” he remarked. “Working [as songwriter] for SING! has introduced me to many new people, and I’ve really gained a sense of respect for the astounding independence of students at Stuyvesant.”

The Slates also focused on breadth of creativity when choosing the theme for their show. After compiling students’ theme ideas and gathering votes, they finalized the theme, making sure that it appealed to the most number of

students, was expansive in visual and thematic ideas, and best invoked the spirit of their respective grade level. “We wanted something that represented us as juniors, something more serious than say, Candyland, but still fun! Mafia seemed like a perfect fit,” Junior SING! Producer Lena Farley said.

Senior Slate, on the other hand, chose the Renaissance as their theme because it paved way for “a large cast, eye-catching set pieces, classy costumes, more mature undertones, and a plot that supports moments that will stay with the audience far after they leave the Murray Khan Theatre,” Senior SING! Producer Elias Economou explained. “We’re very excited to watch our creative leaders translate this period of change and discovery onto the stage for our grade’s swan song,” added Marion Cassidy, another Senior SING! producer.

Aside from the central theme and storyline, the very participants of each crew are what make the show come alive. When asked what was personally the most exciting aspect of SING!, Junior Producer Tina Zheng responded, “SING! is the only thing that keeps me going at times. It’s so difficult to pinpoint one thing that I’m most excited for, [from] watching the opening scene for the millionth time to perfecting the spotlight cues to everything in between. But mostly, it’s the SING! spirit which blows me away as you can literally feel the passion and dedication of every member, no matter their crew.”

To reach all the hundreds of students in their respective grades to spread the collective SING! spirit, Slates sent out grade-wide e-mails and invited their peers to the SophFrosh, Junior, or Senior SING! Facebook groups. Junior SING! also has an Instagram page with over 300 followers. Yet, aside from their tremendous efforts in granting easy access to information about SING! through the electronic screen, Kronman has found word of mouth to be most effective in garnering interest.

“We’re all in the same building, so social media helps but the physical interactions are even more

helpful,” he said.

Even without the interpersonal and digital marketing efforts, SING! would have nonetheless garnered widespread interest. Those who have not participated in SING! before “can be convinced to ‘test the waters’ with a little persuasion,” Stansberry expressed. “SING! isn’t your everyday high school experience, and the peculiarity of it convinces many people to try it out while they can. It’s definitely an experience you’re going to be hard-pressed to replicate.”

“People may think of us as a math and [science] school, but SING! goes out and proves them dead wrong. There are opportunities for every skill set and interest.

I love how there’s something for everyone. Though hectic, crazy, and extremely stressful at times, it’s all worth it in the end when everything is able to come together on stage and generally at the last possible minute,” Stansberry continued.

The SING! spirit does not waver, even for the seniors participating for their fourth year.

“It has been such an honor to watch the show grow from a mere idea to reality,” reminisced senior Julia Arancio, who is producing SING! for her third consecutive year. In fact, many students were motivated to branch out toward different crews outside their niche. Senior Producer Il Kyu Lee believes that “more flexible schedules and a sense of nostalgia fostered increased risk-taking among peers this year. That kind of vulnerability and excitement about our production has energized Slate greatly.”

With over 400 students participating in Senior SING!, the graduating class of 2019 is seeing the largest number of people, compared to their previous years, partake in this tremendous production. While the selection of coordinators, producers, and writers is vital to establish strong beginning stages of SING!, it is ultimately the passions and dedications of contributing students that make this Stuyvesant experience memorable.

Rebecca Collins / The Spectator

In the words of SophFrosh SING! Coordinator Liam Kronman, SING! is “25 clubs meshed into one, where people meet others who share similar interests [as well as] people who have wildly different interests.” An annual student-run production showcased in mid-March, SING! is known for being one of the most intense but exhilarating extracurricular activities in Stuyvesant.

Each year, hundreds of students compete in either SophFrosh, Junior, or Senior SING!, combining their talents and creativity to cultivate a vibrant stage and intellectually humorous plot. What initiates such unity within the rehearsal rooms and on stage? It begins with the selection of the coordinator, producers, and writers that sprouts the beginning stages of SING!.

During the hours-long afterschool rehearsals in the weeks leading up to show nights, the lower floors are filled with soprano riffs juxtaposed with bass harmonies, leftover strips of fabric accumulating in the costumes bins, pirouettes, and clickety-click tap shoes racing down the halls. In every room, there is laughter, the sound of young souls working together. In short, SING! is “a crazy conglomeration of the variety of talents found at Stuyvesant,” Junior SING! Producer Timothy Stansberry described.

Though rehearsals begin around early February, the very beginning of SING! dates back to mid-December. The Student Union (SU) makes the first move by sending out coordinator applications via e-mail. Article II, Section A of the SING! Charter states, “The Student Union President, [Vice President], the respective Caucuses and the [Coordinator of Student Affairs (COSA), Mr. Polazzo] are to interview and choose three SING! [coordinators], one senior, one junior, and one sophomore. The Student Union President, [Vice President], and the COSA each have one vote. The Caucuses have one vote together. A three-quarter vote is required to select a SING! [coordinator].”

Only sophomores, juniors, and seniors with previous SING! experience can apply for coordinator. Yet, the SU considers not only an applicant’s experience but also his or her sense of leadership and general knowledge on budget management and theater. “We look for someone who can understand the [wants] of their grade and make sure that everyone who we choose will comply with us,” SU President William Wang said.

One way the SU gauges each applicant’s ability is by raising difficult hypothetical situations. For instance, they asked, “The administration cuts back on three days of rehearsal because of logistical issues, and it’s very close to the show. How would you approach this issue?” Wang commented, “It’s a very hard question, especially since a lot of people don’t know how to work under pressure. A lot of these people who apply have good answers, except we always look for the best. Some of the best answers we got were probably from [Senior SING! Coordinator Ruby Gary], who has [had] a lot of experience with SING!.”

As in many other appli-

cation processes, each candidate possesses unique attributes that encourage him or her to apply and influence interviewers’ decisions.

For Kronman, it was his “skill set and passion for musical productions, specifically SING!, and extensive musical background,” he said, which he believed synchronized with the responsibilities the coordinator’s role entails.

Kronman has worked on the SU as secretary of treasury and director of sponsorships for Freshman Caucus, was a producer in last year’s SophFrosh SING!, sings in the Stuyvesant Madrigal Choir, writes and composes songs, and plays in jazz and rock bands.

“Ultimately, I don’t know what ran through the heads of the SU members who decided I would be coordinator, but I know all of these aspects were substantial in their decision,” he reflected.

The next step is choosing four producers who, along with the coordinator, form the Slate. To keep the applications for producers, as well as writers, who are selected afterward, as fair as possible, either only OSIS numbers were asked for, or the names were blacked out in the spreadsheet of responses. The notion that nepotism prevails throughout the school community, often seen through the line of succession in producers, motivated this move.

“I won’t deny that there has been nepotism, but this year, we tried to cut it [...] down. [SU Vice President Vishwaa Sofat] and I had a campaign promising that corruption through the school would be minimized as much as possible,” Wang explained.

While it is mainly the job of the coordinator to conduct the application process, the coordinator may consult the respective caucus presidents, unless the presidents express interest in a role directly chosen by the producers (e.g. scriptwriter, songwriter, or director). “Amit Narang, the Senior Caucus President who helped me with the process, has no SING! experience. This was very helpful in providing me with an outsider’s perspective,” Gary recalled. “[Narang] encouraged me to take [some] time before the application process to concretely identify what I was looking for in the producers, which laid helpful groundwork as I made the final decision.”

According to Gary, this year’s producer application pool for Senior SING! consisted of the most qualified and thoughtful applications compared to the past two years when she was coordinator. In contrast, fewer juniors applied. “I sent my producer applications on the same day I made the [Junior SING!] Facebook group,” Junior Coordinator Debi Saha recalled. “Two days before the deadline, I had zero applicants. I was stressed so I extended the deadline and asked [Junior Caucus Co-Presidents] Eve [Wening] and Zeynep [Bromberg] to message people to encourage them to apply. Eventually, I had 11 applicants so I gave them all interviews.” On the other hand, there were 30 producer applicants for SophFrosh SING!, so only half of them were selected for an interview.

Regardless of the number of applicants, choosing a solid group of four producers was tough. “It’s very hard to make a [holistic] judgment of someone in 10 to 15 min-

The Spectator ● January 29, 2019

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Features A Look Into Stuyvesant’s Future Entrepreneurs

By CHRISTINE LIN A report due in two days. An exam the next, and three essays that must be typed and printed by the end of this week. Not to mention that extra credit project which was optional, but the teacher “suggested” should be done.

This seems to be the endless cycle faced by Stuyvesant students as they struggle with balancing their academics. After this, it can feel like there is barely any time left for them to do anything else, so much so that even extracurriculars and sleep may become hard to manage. Nonetheless, there are a number of students who have kickstarted their own businesses, buying and selling products, and have taken part in larger initiatives outside of this community. Some of these students provided insight as to how they manage their businesses and exactly what they do.

KEVIN LU While some people view the buying and selling industry as a job, and take it as seriously as a business, junior Kevin Lu engages in it more for the fun of it. Lu was introduced to the buying and selling community during his freshman year but only began to focus on it toward the end of his sophomore year. “I was interested at first, but I tried it out and realized how fun it was,” he stated.

Lu experienced several difficulties in the business world. “I found it challenging and often frustrating at times when I wasn’t able to get the items I wanted,” he said. Despite that, Lu realized that he has learned a lot from being a member of the buying and selling community. It has shown him how to work well and communicate with others, as well as make business deals that allow him to maximize profits on both ends. However, he still prioritizes his family and education first as he avoids cutting classes to get new releases and tries to stay on top of his grades. “I never did—and I still don’t—care much about the money,” he stated. “I just view it as a fun hobby, being able to obtain these limited products.”

Allison Eng

Raunak Chowdhury Senior Raunak Chowdhury is the co-founder of Pegleg Prep and BlockchainsForSchools. Pegleg Prep, a startup that he founded along with three other seniors, aims to spread free online Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) resources to middle schoolers. Chowdhury’s motivation for this stems from his childhood. “As a first-generation, low-income student, I was hard-pressed to find adequate SHSAT prep for myself. Forking over a few grand to a tutorial was a financial burden for my family,” Chowdhury recalled.

As a result, Chowdhury created Pegleg Prep to help support others in similar situations and ensure that they did not have to go through the same hardships he did. “Finances should never be a roadblock to higher education,” he claimed. Chowdhury also cites his uncle as one of the most influential people in his life because he allowed Chowdhury to realize the life-changing impact one’s actions can have on others, which is something he hopes that Pegleg Prep will have on other people out there going through the same struggles.

In contrast, BlockchainsForSchools is an organization started by Chowdhury and a Harvard alum that pairs all New York City high school students with experienced mentors in the blockchain industry, an industry that protects publicly distributed financial information. After taking part in the Alumni Mentoring Program his junior year, Chowdhury recognized the worth of mentors, for they had provided him with extensive knowledge and connections. This, combined with his interest in the blockchain industry, prompted him to start BlockchainsForSchools. “At my internship, I was consistently the youngest person working there,” Chowdhury recalled. “I just asked myself, ‘Where is the next generation?’”

Courtesy of Allison Eng

Ben Shpetner An avid reseller and sneakerhead, junior Ben Shpetner has been a part of the buying and selling business for over four years. Shpetner credits his love for fashion, which he traces back to elementary school, as his reason for entering this business. He began actively participating in the fashion industry during mid-2014, when brands like Supreme, which were gaining popularity, piqued his interest.

“During that time, I was already kind of on that wave,” he said. “I learned a lot of information that other people didn’t realize until after. And later on when I started to accumulate more pocket money, I [...] decided to try [to] resell.”

Shpetner believes that the success of a reseller depends on their ability to predict trends and obtain the most sought-after items on the market. “If something—for example, Kanye’s Yeezys— gets mass-produced to an extent where they’re no longer a rarity and everyone has them, then their market value decreases dramatically,” he explained. It is the reseller’s job to anticipate this change and plan accordingly.

“It’s a big business,” Shpetner also commented. He went on to describe what an interactive community it is and how it is able to bring so many different people together. At the end of the day, despite their age gap, experiences or knowhow, they all just stand in the same line, vying for the same items, in hopes of acquiring something big.

Senior Allison Eng has turned her love for stationery into a self-run online business. She uses social media and her stationery website as her main forms of communication with her customers.

Over the years, her Instagram account (@stationerystoreco) has amassed over 50,000 followers with eight to 10 sales per week. Eng acknowledged the difficulty she sometimes experienced when it came to balancing both an active account and schoolwork, especially because she “liked to dedicate time to the packages,” she said. Additionally, though some of her products are obtained from larger suppliers, many of them are also novelties that she collected while traveling to local or unique stationery stores. This can be a time-consuming process but is also the reason that her account stands out in comparison to other stationery accounts.

Vincent Gao Sophomore Vincent Gao goes by the motto “go big or go home.” While others procrastinated or hung out with their friends, he came up with the idea of Aethereal, an innovative clothing company co-founded by him and a few friends. They are currently working on developing a new fabric that will be versatile enough to keep you cool during the hottest summer days, and warm during the coldest winter nights. Gao believes that this, if done right, could be a gamechanger for the fashion industry.

Of course, endeavors like these are difficult. They require immense commitment and sacrifice. As the chief marketing officer, Gao often finds himself having to travel to places or stay late during business meetings to build up his project. “Once I got home at midnight with a test and [a] project due the next day,” he admitted, also revealing that it has not always been smooth sailing for his company. “Especially in its earlier stages, businesses often hinge on a few significant decisions. [There are] stakes on these decisions and if you [mess] one up, you could potentially ruin the business,” he said. Nonetheless, Gao sees this as a long-term establishment that could be viable if the cards are played right. “I’m the type to not accept anything but the best, and this is my means to be the best,” he said.

The dedication and work that students put into these self-run businesses and enterprises are often overlooked and underestimated, shrouded by their roles as students.

They all originate from a simple interest or idea that has unfolded into something more, with some of these students having long-term establishments and others just continuing for fun.

Regardless of success, it will be their entrepreneurial attitude that defines their ability to accomplish greater things in the future.

Page 6

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Features How To: Life After Stuyvesant

By THE FEATURES DEPARTMENT

For many students, their only main concern is their high school career. They ask fellow classmates, teachers, and other faculty members for advice on how to succeed in a high school as rigorous as Stuyvesant. After graduating from Stuyvesant, the majority of the student body heads on to college. Here, teachers and administrators offer their advice on how to succeed in college.

Michele Yi / The Spectator

“My advice is to be open to what your college offers and [...] be willing to change directions if needed. Most of my friends and colleagues are doing different work today than [what] they may have envisioned for themselves at 17. The most interesting thing about people [is] all of the unexpected skills and jobs they have behind them!

“I went from studying English education at one college to transferring to a new college and majoring in advertising. At some point later, while working at a financial services company, I started volunteering at a local library in my free time. I was shocked when I realized that I wanted to be a librarian after all of that. I completed my master’s degree in library science part-time while still working full-time in my corporate job, and I had to take a huge leap of faith and leave my job without another job lined up when it was time for me to do my student teaching. It was scary and it required me to let go of defining myself by what I did for work or what I studied in college. As the first person in my family to graduate from college, that was a huge part of my identity and it was a painful realization for me. I am very glad I ended up where I did and that I was open to the unexpected turns in my career.

“I often tell students what you get from your college or university experience largely depends on what you put into it. Really, many of you already know this from your time at Stuyvesant. There is no college that can guarantee you success or fulfillment, no matter their reputation or prestige. If you are open to the unique resources and opportunities available at the college you attend, if you are able to make meaningful connections with peers and mentors, and if you direct as much effort to learning and growing personally as you do to maintaining your GPA, you will come out the other side well-equipped for adult life. Many of my college classes were useful, especially in my earlier career. Even though I’m doing different work now, the experience and responsibility [of college] while making some of the longest-lasting friendships in my life were all the things that made college worthwhile for me.” —Mary McGregor, librarian

“Here’s a couple of quick takes, bearing in mind that I’m an old person and things would have changed since I went to college. First thing, do not be that stressed out about what college you go to. For the most part, no matter how prestigious the institution, assuming it meets a certain threshold, you’ll still have the opportunity to take amazing classes, meet cool people, and make connections you’ll need for life. It’s so hard to be oppressed these days that even at the supposedly low-tier universities, you can still be guaranteed to meet big flying scholars.

“When it comes to choosing courses, you should try to do your best to ascertain the quality of the professors before you sign up for the classes. Don’t be fooled by the subject material. Do your best to talk to upperclassmen and find out the [reputation] of that professor. When I was in college, I took one class on the Shogunate of Medieval Japan—how could that be cooler, right? But the professor was boring, and the class was a drag. This other professor taught a course about regulatory harmonization of the European Union—what could be more boring, right? But she made it amazing. She had this whole discussion about what constituted chocolate in [...] different countries. [...]

There are some professors [who] some people love and [others who] some people hate, so figure out if you’re one of the people who will love them.

“Third key element would be time management. For a lot of Stuy kids, going to college will be significantly easier academically. [...] You won’t be around peers [who are as] smart as you are at Stuy. The workload’s going to be a lot less intense. So the key is figuring out a way to [not only] keep your academics and do them well, but also your non-academic times. College is as much about managing the time you’re not in classes as it is about doing coursework.

“Number four would be social life and having a key idea on how you want your social life at college: deciding which high school friends to stay close to, which would fall by the wayside, and which group of people you’re going to hang out with.

“A personal piece of advice: [don’t overdo] it when you are away from your parents. A classic freshman mistake is to eat too much, drink too many alcoholic beverages, or indulge in vices. This can feel liberating at first, but it can quickly grow into a cage that’s hard to liberate yourself from. You’d need maturity. Avoid that.

“People stress out way too much about their majors, but for the most part, it doesn’t really matter unless you’re planning to go into a more technical field like engineering or medicine. College is the last opportunity for you to learn for the sake of learning. And I would definitely advise you to take advantage of that opportunity and really chase down the fascinating [concepts]. Given the colleges [Stuyvesant students] get into, it really doesn’t matter what you major in, even if it’s in Russian or theology. It is hard to have a career in those areas but you can major in those areas [as well as] more mainstream areas like investment banking, or go to law school.

“You should also at least have one eye on what your life is going to be like out of college. I do think it’s helpful, when you graduate, to have some kind of plan on what you want to do in the years following, whether you want to pursue a creative career—good luck, that’s very difficult but still possible—or a more conventional model. [...]

This is worth thinking about because nobody wants to end up back in their mom’s basement. Having a good plan is the best way to avoid all that.” —Matthew Polazzo, history teacher

“I would suggest to new college students from Stuyvesant to take it easy the first year. Take a variety of classes that are not too difficult to expand your horizons and get to know who you really are and what subjects you really like. And also, drink plenty of water instead of alcohol!” —Monique Nicotra, global studies teacher

“What you do in college matters much, much more than where you go, with regards to who you meet.” —Michael Orlando, chemistry teacher

“One bit of advice I have is to find out who the best teachers are and even if it is in a subject you never intended to study, take a class with that professor.” —Jennifer Suri, Assistant Principal of Social Studies

“Big colleges offer more opportunities and allow a student to be more flexible when choosing a path they wish to follow in life.” —Dr. Zachary Berman, global studies and AP World teacher

Alyson Lin / The Spectator

“I think it’s really hard to know what’s going to be the best college. So when you set all your sights [on] one college, that doesn’t mean that it’s the right place to go. Students ought to think about financials, and it is important to make connections to the faculty. Any school can really be your dream school.” —Dr. Susan Brockman, Latin teacher

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Page 7

Features How To: Life After Stuyvesant “Get involved. Write for the paper, see your school teams, start a club, attend theater productions, and definitely have post-class discussions with your professors. Meet people; ask about your classmates’ majors and why they are pursuing [a] certain field. Travel, study abroad, be inquisitive, complete all of your assignments, and challenge yourself.”

—Francesca McAuliffe, Assistant Principal of Languages

“I think getting out of the city is an important part of the college experience. New York City is very unique in many ways and you guys have an advantage coming from the five boroughs in terms of independence. You guys take public transportation to school and navigate your life just as a working adult does, while most students across the country do not have that experience. They get driven around by their parents or a yellow school bus and don’t yet experience this sense of adulthood. [...] I think getting out of the city is something that could broaden your horizons and open your eyes to the different landscapes this country has to offer. I went to Binghamton, which has the largest nature preserve in New York State, and this helped me develop as a person outside my experiences in the city and develop an attachment to nature. I think it’s worth looking outside of the city, even if it’s just a few hours away, creating a whole new world of experience.” —LoriAnn Newman, AP World and U.S. History teacher

“My advice is to be open to what your college offers and [...] be willing to change directions if needed. Most of my friends and colleagues are doing different work today than [what] they may have envisioned for themselves at 17. The most interesting thing about people [is] all of the unexpected skills and jobs they have behind them!

“I went from studying English education at one college to transferring to a new college and majoring in advertising. At some point later, while working at a financial services company, I started volunteering at a local library in my free time. I was shocked when I realized that I wanted to be a librarian after all of that. I completed my master’s degree in library science part-time while still working full-time in my corporate job, and I had to take a huge leap of faith and leave my job without another job lined up when it was time for me to do my student teaching. It was scary and it required me to let go of defining myself by what I did for work or what I studied in college. As the first person in my family to graduate from college, that was a huge part of my identity and it was a painful realization for me. I am very glad I ended up where I did and that I was open to the unexpected turns in my career.

“I often tell students what you get from your college or university experience largely depends on what you put into it. Really, many of you already know this from your time at Stuyvesant. There is no college that can guarantee you success or fulfillment, no matter their reputation or prestige. If you are open to the unique resources and opportunities available at the college you attend, if you are able to make meaningful connections with peers and mentors, and if you direct as much effort to learning and growing personally as you do to maintaining your GPA, you will come out the other side well-equipped for adult life. Many of my college classes were useful, especially in my earlier career. Even though I’m doing different work now, the experience and responsibility [of college] while making some of the longest-lasting friendships in my life were all the things that made college worthwhile for me.” —Mary McGregor, librarian

Outside the Stuy Bubble: What Students Know About Current Events

By CLARA SHAPIRO The U.S. government awoke from a 35-day shutdown that had catapulted thousands of federal employees and their families into a financial crisis on January 25, 2019. On Christmas Eve, an eight-year-old migrant boy died in border patrol custody. And most recently, yearbook images of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam in blackface and multiple accusations of sexual assault against Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax have thrown the state’s politics into chaos.

Yet here at Stuyvesant, with the stormcloud of first semester report cards only now beginning to recede, many students are too busy coping with the storm’s aftermath to pay attention to seemingly irrelevant current events.

In one overheard lunchroom conversation, an anonymous, all-A freshman asked, “Who’s Nancy Peloski?” referring to the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. A nearby peer replied that she “had something to do with Trump.” This exchange embodies the paradoxical combination of academic excellence and political obliviousness so common among Stuyvesant students.

At the other end of the spectrum, senior Jonathan Singer makes an active effort to follow current events. “I fairly actively read the news, and I’m interested in geopolitics so I do a lot of research there,” he said. Singer acknowledges that many of his peers do not share his interest: “They just gener-

ally have focuses on other aspects and while it might be good for them to understand what’s going on in the world, most of these events don’t directly affect them,” he said.

To many students, an unstudied-for math test poses a more immediate threat to their survival than the abstruse concepts of global warming or Russian electoral interference.

All-consuming schoolwork hogs the spotlight of student consciousness, pushing current events to the benighted sidelines.

Yet this patchy understanding of current events is not the product of unwillingness to learn or political apathy; for many, news would be more accessible if the learning began in the classroom.

Sophie Poget / The Spectator

“You benefit from knowing what’s going on around you in society, and we don’t get

learn about current events, even if it might be controversial.”

While social studies teachers

Yet actively pursuing the login information and subscription details requires a degree of ef-

“But isn’t it great to get students riled up? And curious and interested? I think, how exciting that people are passionate and ready to talk about these things!” —Jennifer Suri, Assistant Principal of Social Studies enough of that. But if it’s in the curriculum, then we’re sort of forced to know about it,” freshman Michael Borczuk said.

To junior Caroline Magoc, vice president of Stuyvesant Young Democrats, an activist organization involved in citywide rallies, incorporating current events into the curriculum could bring relevance to America’s past as well as its present. “I think current events are absolutely necessary because it makes people feel like they can relate more to the curriculum and it makes you more invested in what you’re learning,” she said.

Magoc also proposes that such knowledge has larger implications for the future of democracy. “I think it definitely has an impact on future voter turnout, which is really important as a whole, and also just getting people more involved. If we try to incorporate current events, we’ll feel more related to what’s going on [at] a higher level so it’ll definitely have a positive impact on America,” she said.

Emphasizing the role of students as future voters, sophomore Anna Zhang added, “As students, we’re getting older.

Soon we’ll have a say in politics, so we should know what’s going on. […] School is the place to

aim to tie the past to the present whenever possible, in-class discussion of current events is constrained by the teacher’s obligation to prepare students for standardized tests and the requirements of the state curriculum. Educators may only incorporate current events into their lessons to the extent that it is relevant to the curriculum.

“I try to incorporate current events into every unit,” history teacher Svetlana Firdman said. “I post optional readings and podcasts on my class website, and articles and studies— anything that’s going on that’s relevant to what we’re talking about.” And while a handful of students may be politically savvy, this is not the case for many of Firdman’s students.

“There are definitely blank stares sometimes when I bring up ‘Oh, did you guys hear about this that’s happening?’” Firdman said. “I can give you an example. This morning, we were talking about fascism and the way in which women were treated in fascist societies. I said ‘Did you guys hear about the prime minister of Hungary, how he is instituting a bill where women with four or more children won’t have to pay income tax as a way of increasing population boom?’ And they had no idea what I was talking about.”

Firdman adds that students who want to develop greater political savvy have an underused resource at their disposal: Stuyvesant’s free subscription to The New York Times, provided by the Student Union.

fort that many students, weary from the long school day and the hours of homework that follow, simply cannot muster.

Teachers also struggle with their own set of restrictions. For most, the gravitational factor preventing free flight into current events is the requirements of state curriculum. “We have a state curriculum that we’re following, so sometimes it’s just not relevant to the content and you can’t devote lessons to every current issue,” Assistant Principal of Social Studies Jennifer Suri explained. “But sometimes we’re also compelled to discuss certain things if we feel it really impacts our lives, our country. Like 9/11, elections—certain things happen that make it our duty to discuss [them] in social studies class.”

Suri notes that some educators feel that the combination of classroom and politics can present other challenges. “Certain topics and events can become controversial and divisive if you’re talking about politics and certain policies of the current president. For example, some people feel very strongly about gun control or abortion rights or immigration,” she explained.

Though the land of current events may be turbulent, Suri feels that that should not deter students and teachers from exploring the terrain. “But isn’t it great to get students riled up?”

Suri asked. “And curious and interested? I think, how exciting that people are passionate and ready to talk about these things!”

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Page 8

Features

By HAYEON OK The booming music playing over the speakers, the deafening cheering of the crowd, the pounding of feet against the floor. To the 30 to 40 teenagers moving to the beat, these are the happiest moments: stripped of Stuyvesant’s academic pressures and on stage or practicing in the Gibney Dance studio a few blocks away from the school.

This dance team, called Stuy Legacy, was founded in 2016

by Jordan Zhou (‘16), John Wen (‘16), Sorato Doken (‘16), and Peter Lee (‘18) to “take the Stuyvesant urban dance community to the next level,” according to senior and current Executive Director Kyle Tau, who has been a part of Legacy since its first season in the spring of 2016. “I decided to join because, during Stuy Squad freshman year, I was exposed to the school’s dance community,” Tau explained. Before coming to Stuyvesant, Tau was introduced to the foundational styles of urban dance by his eighth-grade teacher. “Annually, my eighthgrade math teacher makes a crew of a few of the eighth graders to put on a performance choreographed by him,” he said. Other than that, he fueled his interest in dance by watching YouTube videos and trying to copy the dances of other performers.

Tryouts for Stuy Legacy take place once in August and again in January for the fall and spring seasons respectively. “First, you warm up. […] Next, the choreography is taught. They usually teach one or two choreographies,” sophomore Min Sun Yu explained in an e-mail interview. “This is definitely the most nerve-wracking part of the experience because you end up worrying about two things: how well you’re retaining the moves they throw at you and how you look when you’re executing them.”

Yu learned about Legacy when she was in seventh grade and had wanted to join since then. “Before joining Legacy, I did have some dancing background,” she said. “I started dancing in first grade with tap and then continued dancing until sixth grade. […] I did tap,

Voices A Note to the Reader: We, the Spectator’s Editorial Board, did not take the decision to publish this article lightly. We are aware that it contains content which some might find disagreeable, but believe that it tells a story worthy of being heard. It is important that we bravely, candidly, and transparently face the issues described in the article as a Stuyvesant community rather than sweep them under the rug. On the author’s request, we kindly ask that anyone who uncovers his or her identity refrain from making it public. We invite you, the reader, to read the following narrative: A lot of my peers at Stuyvesant casually tell their friends, “I’m going to kill myself.” I hear it a lot—actually, too often for it to be funny anymore. We say it often enough that any psychologist in her right mind should put us in a straitjacket and have us sent to the nearest hospital. And yet, every one of these remarks is met with nonchalance, because nobody has the guts to act on those urges, and everyone knows that.

I think that out of all the people I know who have graduated from Stuyvesant or are still currently attending it, I have come the closest to achieving such a

Leaving a Legacy

ballet, jazz, and hip hop.” After discovering one of Legacy’s competition videos, Yu was intrigued by their coordinated moves.

“The style of the choreography also seemed a lot more interesting than traditional ballet or jazz moves,” she said. Since then, and leading into high school, Yu dreamed of being on the team.

She eventually tried out in her

because we are all friends but when it’s time to focus, we focus,” Tau said. “It’s always a happy environment because everyone has a passion for dance and we are sharing that passion together.”

The team is built on this shared passion and bond that connects each member like a family. However, they also have small rivalries and assessments

hugged, cheered, and comforted each other, I took a step back to watch everyone and process everything that was happening in the room,” she said. “I remember thinking to myself, what did I ever do to deserve having this group of amazing and talented people in my life.” Melody Lin first discovered Legacy through social media and was motivated to join

official Stuyvesant club, school showcases allow members to experience a different side of performance: performing to show off their talents on the school stage rather than competing citywide.

When asked if they are thinking of continuing dance in the future, the most common answer among them was that it is just a hobby for now. “I definitely

“Stuy Legacy was named this way because they wanted this team to leave a ‘legacy.’

And they have. I hope even after I leave, Legacy will continue to have an impact on our school and the dance community.” —Kyle Tau, senior and Stuy Legacy executive director freshman year and was accepted.

Senior Tina Lin is another member of Legacy who had danced before joining the team.

“I started ‘dancing’ when I moved down here to NYC in seventh grade and my friends introduced me to K-pop (EXO!),” she said.

“I never considered trying dance before that, much less loving it.

After I got into Stuy[vesant], I did SophFrosh SING! and SOS in freshman year and Stuy Squad in sophomore year before joining Legacy.” However, Tina Lin does not believe experience defines how good someone is at dancing or their likelihood of being accepted into the team.

She explained, “The concept of ‘prior experience’ doesn’t apply because some people are naturally more spatially aware [and] controlled than others.”

Once students are accepted into the team, they attend practices, which occur once or twice a week near the beginning of the season, and three to six times a week before competitions. “In meetings, we either build on some of the foundations of dancing— grooving, isolation, etc.—learn more choreography, learn staging, or clean. It really depends on the time of the year,” Yu explained.

Practices are led by the person who choreographed the piece.

“Practices are always full of jokes

of each other, like a family does. “[Though] there is a bit of competition between members, it only acts as motivation to work harder,” Yu said. “Usually, we critique each other to help each other grow, and we know not to take it the wrong way.” Tau added, “I think it’s the amount of time we spend dancing and sweating in a studio, and then getting food afterward that brings us together.”

On competition day, the team arrives on site in time for their tech time, which is a run through of the show. Because this practice is recorded, the dancers can monitor their performance afterward and fix any mistakes before the actual show.

Then, it is showtime. “For each competition, there are exhibition performances and competing performances. After all the teams perform, the judges do a showcase and then awards are announced,” Tau explained. The team has won many awards, including first place for the Boom Dance Competition and second place for Prelude NY 2018. Freshman Melody Lin remembered how she felt at her first competition, Reign or Shine. “After seeing everyone crying tears of joy and relief as well as sorrow [after the performance], I couldn’t help but burst into tears myself. As everyone

by watching the videos posted on the team’s social media accounts.

Behind this excitement during performances and award ceremonies, the dancers are still students who must fulfill their responsibilities of being a student at Stuyvesant. Because Legacy calls for high commitment, members must manage their time wisely. “Since it is a commitment we signed up for, we are informed that if we join, we will have at minimum one practice every week. In the end, time management is really the only answer in minimizing its interference with schoolwork,” Yu explained.

However, each dancer prioritizes schoolwork before extracurriculars. “Past members have even taken breaks from being on the team to focus on school,” Tau mentioned. Balancing schoolwork and extracurriculars is not easy, as Legacy competitions collide with schoolwork and other dancing showcases such as Stuy Squad.

Tina Lin described how she tries to finish her schoolwork during free periods and in between practices. “If I love to do something, it is easy to put in the effort to [make] it work,” she said. Despite the overlapping commitments, most Legacy members annually participate in one or more dance crews in Stuy Squad. Since Legacy is a student-run team and not an

see myself dancing in the future,” Melody Lin said. “But I’m not sure if I’d do it as a career.”

Yu agreed but held an optimistic view that she is open to the idea of having dance as a career option. “[Though] I haven’t really thought about me and dance in the future, I am not opposed to it becoming my full-time job,” Yu said. “If I [am] able to make money doing what I love, that would be the best thing one could ask for.”

Similarly, Tina Lin stated that “it will definitely be a passion I hope to continue for as long as I can move.” No matter what the future holds, these young dancers are fulfilling the goals that the founders initially had of making “a connection between the growing youth community and the alreadyestablished collegiate [or] adult community,” according to Tau.

The founders of Legacy cleverly named the team to show this connection between youth and adult. “[The name represents] their mark on the school and the team’s future impact on the dance community,” Tau explained. “Stuy Legacy was named this way because they wanted this team to leave a ‘legacy.’ And they have. I hope even after I leave, Legacy will continue to have an impact on our school and the dance community.”

Why I Cut Myself and Why You Shouldn’t

goal—on multiple occasions.

When I was in sophomore year, I was brushed off by my crush, and I carved a line into my wrist.

Being very antisocial, I was unable to talk to anyone at the time, and I vented at myself, which was a very rash and unhealthy decision at the time. But being blinded by my emotional pain, I could not see the consequences of what I was doing. The line felt good at the time, and I expanded it into a small pitchfork. In hindsight, I now say I did it to “learn my lesson,” and the pitchfork is a “symbol of the evil that had befallen me.” Frankly, that is b.s. to cover what I really felt and what the line really meant at the time.

It was just a result of my depression and how far I was willing to go, because someone had twisted my insides with her words.

In junior year, I made the same mistake again. And a snake composed of three lines forming a Z joined the pitchfork’s handle.

I sought my friends for “help” when really all I wanted was attention. I drew more concern and worry for my own well-being than what I really warranted.

What I needed was someone to talk to, and putting that burden on my friends when my life was

on the line was extremely inconsiderate. They had their own stressors and things to take care of. My depression did not merit a couple of Stuyvesant students nervously waiting for me to text back, because just in case I didn’t, they would have to dial 911.

And again, I made the same unhealthy decision during my last year at Stuyvesant. After I was rejected from two colleges during the early acceptance days, my father broke down, and I was distraught. Tangled in that situation, I locked myself in my room and proceeded to draw blood in the shape of the two Chinese characters “努力.” I swore to myself and the friends who I proceeded to contact about the marks on my forearm that “I won’t let my father see another rejection again.” An empty promise at best. There is no guarantee of anything, especially when you’re dealing with colleges. And even though those characters mean “work hard,” did I really “learn my lesson”? My lazy attitude remains, and I often struggle to get out of bed in the morning.

I’m an emotional person, but Stuyvesant doesn’t really foster the environment for us

to communicate the truth and our feelings. It’s always met with the following: “Alright, we get it”; “Big sad”; or “Relatable.”

There’s no amount of nor attempt at real understanding there. So, I totally understand if you’re in a large elephant-sized mound of depression and stress right now. But don’t let that get to your friends, because they have the same mound to deal with. Adding more stuff to their pile without taking away any of your own doesn’t help anyone.

Don’t let it get to your parents.

My mother was shocked when I showed her the pitchfork and snake. But she’s also the internal type, and I’m sure she held in more emotion than she showed.

I was her flesh and blood. For nine months, I ate what she ate, and she went to the bathroom for me. It’s a deep connection.

Her heart was most likely broken when she heard about what I did, and there’s nothing I can do to fix that. My scars remain, and by extension, so do hers.

My advice? Go look for your counselor, and just talk it out. It’s not something that I have done often before, and that’s one of my regrets in high school. But they’re always there for you, and

it’s what they’re there for—to help you understand your emotions and your stress and to properly manage and handle them. Or better yet, look for someone outside of school. A psychologist is not something many people can afford, but it’s an option for those who can really use the help.

It’s not worth it to put a knife under your skin. Yeah, sure—you’ll only risk infection and maybe losing an arm to gangrene. But you’re also going to hurt a lot of people around you. Friends and family members have their own problems, and you giving them one more is not an ideal situation for your relationships with them. Also, associating an emotionally painful experience with physical pain is not a surefire way to go. It’s almost an addiction. You might get heartbroken by someone, and you’ll start needing the physical pain to overwhelm the mental pain you just felt. A couple of rejections might leave you with some scars on your arm, but what happens if you lose your future job? Your home? Your family? These are all questions that I don’t want to find out the answers to. Neither should you.

Page 10

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Editorials STAFF EDITORIAL EDITORIA L

Adapting APs: Integrating Freshmen Into AP Classes of material over the course of one year, which allows teachers and students to spend more time on certain topics. Originally, incoming freshmen were required to write an essay as a placement exam, but the social studies department dropped the essay system in favor of middle school humanities grades. Additionally, the humanities are fundamentally different from the sciences; it is difficult to imagine the essay-based screening system that the social studies department used for several years working for AP Biology or AP ES. Instead, the biology department should look to the mathematics department for inspiration. While there are no AP math courses available to freshmen—very rarely, there is the calculus-ready ninth grader— there are honors courses and the math team.

To select admission to these classes, the math department administers an in-house placement test. This test is more effective than the Regents examination at sorting incoming students into regular and honors math. By adopting a similar approach, the biology department would prevent freshmen from making the decision to take an AP class solely for the prestige. Students would be placed into varying biology classes based on the mandatory placement exam, an objective and accurate metric of their suitability for such a class. This approach would take massive steps toward ensuring that incoming freshmen are appropriately challenged and learning new material in their biology class, whether it be an introductory course to modern biology or an AP class.

Additionally, students should be informed repeatedly about the difficulty level of AP classes. Before they apply, students should be told in accurate and realistic terms how much work AP classes require by those who have taken the courses. Some elective teachers will (truthfully) frame their classes as extremely difficult on the first days of the term to scare off unready students; teachers of freshman AP classes should do the same.

Public spaces like Facebook can be helpful at informing incoming freshmen about the holistic class experience. Incoming freshmen can also utilize the Stuyvesant website, which provides a description of each course.

However, the descriptions generally do not accurately reflect the weight of an AP class.

They detail the goals of the class and provide an overview, which is similar to the list of objectives at the beginning of each chapter in a textbook. In the few months preceding a new school year, incoming freshmen have limited options to inquire more about the nature of AP classes open to qualified students. The resources that are currently available should provide information not only about a course’s objectives, but also about its grading policies.

While it is true that certain AP classes like AP HUG are more suitable for freshmen in terms of content, it is still important that freshmen have the ability and resources to make well-informed decisions regarding those classes. Though high school can be perceived as a compilation of decisions, the choice to take an AP class as a freshman should not be the deciding factor of an exciting and memorable first year at Stuyvesant. A balance must be struck between maintaining the difficulty of the classes and making sure freshmen don’t become overwhelmed under the weight of everything Stuyvesant has to offer. It’s sure to be a delicate balance, but the administration, which has proven itself receptive to students’ voices in the past, should be able to strike it.

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Omar Ali Abdulla Elkhadrawy Victor Kuang Olly Stewart Please address all letters to: 345 Chambers Street New York, NY 10282 (212) 312-4800 ext. 2601 opinions@stuyspec.com

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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!

If yo

Send your stories to features@stuyspec.com, or email us with any questions or concerns you have.

If you wish, it may be published anonymously.

from: The Spec Roasts: Staten Island, page 22

Michael Hu / The Spectator

Transitioning from eighth grade to freshman year at Stuyvesant is daunting, to say the least. To most rising ninth graders, a local middle school is a stark contrast to a reputable high school with over 800 students per grade, many of whom have come from the top of their graduating classes. Some of the persistent concerns voiced by Stuyvesant students are centered around homework, stress management, and sleep (or lack thereof ).

What is surprising, however, is that many current freshmen have opted for an even more demanding schedule, choosing from the three Advanced Placement (AP) classes available to them: Biology, Environmental Science (ES), and Human Geography (HUG).

At first glance, the rigor and college preparatory skills that AP classes promote appear to be perfect for the traditional Stuyvesant student. By taking AP classes as freshmen, students can both experience the weight of an AP class early on and ease their schedules in the future. Many of the classes that are now being offered to freshmen, such as AP Biology, were previously reserved for upperclassmen; by completing them beforehand, freshmen can pursue other courses of study or obtain free periods in future years when the workload is heavier.

Unfortunately, these details only tell one side of the story. Freshmen, who already face transitional stress and are potentially inexperienced at seeking outside support, may not be able to handle the immense pressure of AP classes, which do not abide by the 30-minute per night homework rule.

Because AP classes are difficult and prestigious, students want to pursue them for social clout or college admissions rather than for a sense of genuine excitement for the material. They may be a privilege in the sense that they only accept top students, but they also demand sacrifices (e.g. commitment and time) in return.

AP classes require skills like studying, managing time, and handling pressure—all of which are teachable skills. As important as these skills are, not everyone has them in spades, especially in freshman year. The rigidly defined schedules of ninth graders don’t help; for instance, freshmen in AP Biology have a double period every other day, whereas juniors and seniors have a double daily. With classes as rapidly paced and challenging as APs, time means everything, and the loss of a double period every other day means that freshmen in AP Biology have only three-quarters of the class time of upperclassmen.

In recognition of the difficulty of AP classes, the school administration has introduced screening systems to make sure that only those who are prepared to take AP classes can take them. However, a number of these screening systems are not perfect indicators of preparation. For example, the biology department uses eighth grade Regents scores to determine an incoming freshman’s suitability for AP Biology. Though Regents are by no means a breeze, they reflect a simpler, significantly less difficult curriculum than AP classes. It is possible to do quite well on them with a rudimentary, non-AP understanding of the material, with one social studies teacher even describing the social studies Regents as “basically a reading test.” As a result, the students chosen for AP classes can be academically unqualified for the courses.

The social studies department has offered AP HUG to freshmen since the 2016-2017 school year. AP HUG is designed to be for ninth graders; it covers one semester’s worth

The Spectator

BOA RD

It is estimated that at some point, the deer will take over Staten Island (which would probably make for a more educated voting bloc).

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Page 11

Opinions

By MATTHEW QIU Congo’s general election last year marked a peaceful transition of power in a nation plagued by a history of violent coups and political upheaval.

The historical significance of this event needs to be framed within the context of outgoing president Joseph Kabila.

Following the assassination of his father, he served as president from 2001 to 2019. Kabila’s presidency offered promises of improvements to infrastructure and quality of life in the Congo.

Despite this, many still criticized the president for silencing dissent and crushing widespread protests against his rule. His successful reelection campaign in 2011 was also widely disputed and raised many questions about the electoral process. Throughout the rest of his presidency, he would continue to experience substantial unpopularity, as he cemented his position and warded off acts of civil protest with violence.

By the end of Kabila’s second term in 2016, many were weary of his despotic rule and looked forward to a change in administration in order to resolve the country’s ongoing crises. However, the Congolese people saw their worst fears come to pass when an electoral commission announced that there would be a two-year delay in the presidential elections.

Kabila’s refusal to give up his position resulted in widespread protests throughout the Congo, criticizing Kabila’s lack of adherence to constitutional limitations on his presidency.

However, general elections were finally held to determine the country’s next president on December 30, 2018. This marked a peaceful transition

Democracy is Dead in the Congo

of power in this country— one that had not been seen in a long time. There were three main candidates. Former Interior Minister Emmanuel Ramanazi Shadary was Kabila’s chosen successor. The two main opposing candidates were Martin Fayulu and Felix Tshisekedi. Prior to the general elections, a comprehensive report released by the Congo Research Group showed poll numbers that favored Fayulu by a margin of more than 20 points over both of the other

results that indicated Fayulu’s significant edge over Tshisekedi and Shadary. A margin of over 20 points should be significant enough to establish a sizable lead even when taking into account potential variability and room for error. Secondly, the Congolese branch of the Roman Catholic Church had sent out over 40,000 observers to numerous polling stations across the country to help preside and spectate the electoral process.

The interesting part is that the observers’ reports did not match

in the general election does not correlate whatsoever with the results of the legislative election.

Why the populace supported Kabila’s people in the legislature and not in the general election remains unclear. The theory currently floating around is that Tshisekedi likely made some sort of deal with Kabila in order to secure the former’s victory in the election. The basis behind this is that Shadary’s victory over Fayulu would be too easily seen as an action taken by Kabila to secure his party’s control

The Democratic Republic of the Congo—as ironic as its name sounds—has set a dangerous precedent for the coming years, and time will tell how long its hollow democracy will hold up. candidates. Fayulu was widely predicted to be the winner of the election, but in an upsetting twist, Tshisekedi won the majority vote with 38.6 percent.

He narrowly beat Fayulu’s 34.8 percent. Fayulu immediately called the electoral results into question, and he appealed to the courts in order to challenge the results. He was denied, and Tshisekedi has assumed the presidency since then.

While many have touted this as a monumental step toward democracy in the Congo and a break from its troubling history of totalitarian oppressive rule, several sources of suspicion have cast doubt on the reliability of the election results. First, it is important to examine the aforementioned polling

with the announced results, indicating a discrepancy. While both of these things cast some doubt, they are still relatively subjective criticisms of the results. Furthermore, Kabila’s chosen successor, Shadary, was dead last, securing only 23.8 percent of the votes. However, the Congo’s primary legislature, the National Assembly, saw that a majority of the seats were taken by those in support of Kabila. This noticeably indicates a stark contrast with Shadary’s performance in the general election.

This brings us to the first indication of collusion between Joseph Kabila, the former incumbent president, and Felix Tshisekedi, the current president.

Shadary’s subpar performance

in the government. Utilizing Tshisekedi would mitigate the backlash and possible suspicion.

This was also compounded by the fact that there were multiple releases of leaked data that indicated Fayulu’s victory in the election.

What we now see is an overarching pattern that has been observed since the removal of Mobutu’s region and the subsequent implantation of the Kabila dynasty. Election after election, fraud and cries of foul have been heard across the country. The Kabilas have firmly cemented their presence in the government, and they have ingrained a culture of electoral deception and faux democratic processes. The U.S. and much of the international

community remained complicit in the repetition and perpetuation of these perversions of democracy. U.S. Ambassador Michael Hammer announced the recognition of Tshisekedi’s legitimacy by the U.S. He also praised the Congo for this peaceful transition of power. This is an example of the complicit acknowledgments of injustices throughout the world made by the U.S. Democracy in the Congo had died long ago with the violent removal of the country’s first democratically elected leaders, which was ironically backed by the interests of the U.S. The democratic ideals that the Congolese people fought for have fallen into shambles, and if something doesn’t change, the only thing that the world can expect is further corruption and repetition of history down the line. Kabila even stated himself that running for president again in 2023 is not something that he had ruled out. Massive reform is needed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and these electoral results should not be so easily accepted. The complacency of world powers only lends further legitimacy to the Congo’s morally bankrupt regime.

The international community needs to come together to put the Congolese electoral process on trial. It also needs to encourage the necessary changes to dismantle the underlying structures that prevent the Congo from achieving this democratic ideal.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, as ironic as its name sounds, has set a dangerous precedent for the coming years, and time will tell how long its hollow democracy will hold up.

The Green New Deal Isn’t Just a Huge Deal for the U.S.

By ANNA LU Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal (GND) excited some and left many others skeptical of its plausibility. The primary objectives of the GND include achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, transforming the economy to better serve historically oppressed and disadvantaged communities, and beginning work on a number of projects to modernize the infrastructure of the U.S. The GND’s goals include a boost to public investment in clean energy sources, the creation of millions of high paying jobs, and the restoration of natural ecosystems. It also has an overarching aim of meeting 100 percent of America’s energy demand with

clean and renewable energy in just 10 years.

The far-reaching goals of the GND make it difficult to take the proposal as a serious piece of legislation. To many politicians and analysts, the plan seems to be nothing more than a jumble of left-wing policies presented under a shiny veneer of environmental reform. The costs of the various planks of the proposal have yet to be calculated, but the combined price tags for the nation guarantee free college, increases in infrastructure spending, and rapid implementation of green energy sources. The Green Party has estimated a cost of $13.4 trillion for the transition into providing 100 percent clean energy for the U.S. alone. An additional $400 billion would be allotted for public job programs. The Green Party proposes increasing taxes for the wealthy, cutting at least 50 percent of the military budget, and imposing a carbon tax to muster the sum needed to pay for the expensive implementation of the plan.

None of these propositions are likely to be passed by the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans.

With the world’s largest economies shifting from using fossil fuels to using renewable energy, countries that export fossil fuels will lose much of their political importance. This

is because energy access plays a huge role in the formation and maintenance of good relations while the world still centers on fossil fuels. The GND and other carbon reduction missions will make oil and natural

of other nations to address the issue of climate change as well. Incorporating this form of collaboration with other nations into the GND would drastically increase its impact.

However, as extensive

The unlikelihood of meeting those ambitious aspirations is not an excuse to remain stagnant in climate policy. gas obsolete, thus weakening nations that wield those resources as influences. Thus, in order to effectively reduce carbon emissions, the GND must acknowledge and address disparities regarding providing access to clean energy across the world. India has already begun addressing this by partnering with France to create the International Solar Alliance, which brings over 120 nations together to make solar energy infrastructure accessible to developing countries. This is a plan that encourages a transition to clean energy on a much larger scale than the GND, and it will likely produce a better net result because it bolsters the ability

as the faults of the GND are, Ocasio-Cortez’s plan is admirable for taking the initiative to push policies that address the appalling state of social inequality and the environment. With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change claiming that the planet will be experiencing extreme natural conditions and crippling poverty in an estimated 12 years if carbon emissions remain consistent with projections, the U.S. must take immediate action to reduce carbon emissions— whether or not Congress gives support. The GND will make it the responsibility of the U.S., which is a technologically

capable country and a large culprit in releasing greenhouse gases, to start reducing carbon emissions through economic reform. It addresses the critical connections between energy policy, infrastructure, and equity. This includes how disadvantaged groups living in polluted areas suffer from asthma and other health issues that they often cannot treat due to lack of health insurance.

The GND is not only loud and compelling, but it also furthers vital discussions about climate change and equity.

Ultimately, the U.S. must take action in creating policies that decarbonize the economy as quickly as possible. The unlikelihood of meeting those ambitious aspirations is not an excuse to remain stagnant in climate policy. But the U.S. must also realize that this plan will have a global impact and that we cannot strive to create this utopia within the U.S. at the expense of the rest of the world. In order to maximize results, the GND must broaden to address climate change through a global lens so that all nations are able to participate in the effort. The GND is green in more ways than one, but its zeal—hopefully tempered by the pragmatic reality—is an attitude that is needed in the way we approach climate policy.

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Page 12

Opinions Saving the New York City Housing Authority

By JULIAN GIORDANO Over 400,000 New Yorkers throughout all five boroughs call New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) buildings their home. There are 325 NYCHA developments throughout the city that intend to provide affordable public housing for low-income New Yorkers. Apart from its developments, NYCHA also oversees Section 8, a Housing Choice Voucher program that shares part of the costs for low-income families in private housing. All in all, NYCHA houses approximately seven percent of the city’s population. However, NYCHA has consistently faced issues in providing adequate heat amenities, repairing dilapidated infrastructure, and providing basic lead inspections. NYCHA barely avoided a complete takeover by the federal government on January 31, 2019, by agreeing to be monitored by a federal appointee, accepting deadlines to resolve many of its massive infrastructural problems, and dedicating $2.2 billion of the city’s budget to building repairs over the next 10 years.

Since its creation, NYCHA’s tenants have had to deal with a plethora of issues. Recently, mainly due to poor management and a lack of funding, many spent the winter without any heat or hot water for days at a time. Others had lead leaks left

unrepaired for decades. All the while, there’s virtually no tenant involvement in any policy or decision-making. It is no wonder that after all of this, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) thought that it was necessary to intervene, especially following the resignation of NYCHA chairwoman Shola Olatoye.

Despite the steps HUD has required NYCHA to take, more needs to be done if substantive, long-term changes are to be made. With $32 billion needed for NYCHA repairs in the next five years alone, NYCHA is in need of a dependable source of funding and responsible management to guide it.

NYCHA was created under Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia in 1934, and it quickly grew to be the largest public housing authority in all of North America.

It is also one of the only public housing authorities in a large city that maintains high-rise projects. Apart from its 326 developments throughout the city, NYCHA runs a citywide Leased Housing Program that subsidizes the rent for over 235,000 New Yorkers. NYCHA’s leadership is made up of a board with seven members (three being residents of the buildings), with each member appointed for three-year terms by the mayor.

In the past 20 years, NYCHA buildings have slowly deteriorated, and the NYCHA budget has fallen further and further behind without adequate state and city funding. This strained budget has contributed to one of NYCHA’s largest problems: lead paint in thousands of apartments that received spotty inspections up until 2012, after which NYCHA stopped inspections altogether. This has resulted in a total of 1,160 children with elevated levels of lead in their blood since 2012 alone.

Even when residents call for inspections from the Health Department, NYCHA’s response is to challenge the veracity of the alarming lead-level results, causing the Health Department to back down in 158 of 211 cases between 2010 and July

of 2018. This saved NYCHA millions of dollars. This kind of conduct—challenging Health Department lead findings—is unheard of amongst private landlords, and it explains why NYCHA was number one on former Public Advocate (and newly elected Attorney General) Letitia James’s 2018 NYC Landlord Watchlist.

NYCHA had 240,000 open work orders (requests for repairs and maintenance) as of October 2018. Apart from those concerning lead inspections, many work orders were filed as a result of a lack of heating and hot water, dilapidated and unsanitary rooms and hallways, and elevators that barely functioned. Despite having 13,000 employees, NYCHA hasn’t been effective at lowering the number of open work orders—and that’s not just because of its low budget.

Only last August, the entire staff of the Throggs Neck Houses, a complex of 29 buildings with 2,500 residents in the Bronx, was reassigned after city investigators found that they had been drinking on the job. They also found the presence of a “culture of misconduct, employee mistreatment, and favoritism,” said Luis Ferré-Sadurní, a writer for the New York Times.

On a larger scale, federal prosecutors released a civil complaint in 2018 that accused NYCHA of neglecting the safety and health of its tenants through cover-ups, failed inspections, and management failures akin to those at Throggs Neck. As a result of this complaint, NYCHA negotiated a settlement with the US Attorney’s Office that was rejected by the judge, who set a deadline (January 31) for a final agreement before NYCHA would be taken control of by the federal government. Narrowly avoiding the government takeover, de Blasio negotiated a deal wherein $2.2 billion of the city’s budget would go to funding repairs and agreed to deadlines on certain changes, such as a 20-year timeline for complete lead removal.

For the city to meet these agreements—and more impor-

tantly, for NYCHA to thrive— a lot of work must be done beyond small budget increases.

To establish a consistent budget that can meet the billions of dollars NYCHA buildings need, a funding compromise between the city, state, and federal governments must be reached.

Currently, the Cuomo-de Blasio rift has impeded adequate state funding of NYCHA. Cuomo gave hope to a funding solution in April of 2018 by pledging $250 million of state funding for NYCHA—hopefully, more will follow if NYCHA’s structure and organizational management improve. A better but less reliable source of funding would be HUD, but HUD has consistently cut funds for NYCHA. This year was an anomaly after President Trump approved Congress’ Omnibus Budget, which increased NYCHA’s budget by $190 million. This, however, isn’t a trend that will likely last. In fact, Trump’s initial budget proposal would have given the NYCHA a budget cut of 66 percent for capital projects and a cut of 11 percent for operational costs.

The most effective way for NYCHA to increase state and federal funding is by demonstrating that it is functional, efficient, and cost-effective.

NYCHA is hopefully at the end of months-long turbulence following the resignation of Chairwoman Olatoye, who is under pressure for covering up NYCHA’s failed inspections and the degradation of its infrastructure—among other issues.

A week prior to her resignation, Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency in NYCHA because of the health and environmental hazards of lead and mold. De Blasio appointed a new interim Chairwoman in February 2019. She is the current city’s sanitation commissioner, Kathryn Garcia. While it is commonly agreed that Garcia’s history as an effective manager of the city’s sanitation department will make her a stable force for NYCHA, stability can only come with an official— and not interim—new chair.

Apart from a chair, NYCHA board needs to gain more trust from both tenants and external stakeholders. Currently, all board members are appointed by the Mayor, which is troubling when combined with the fact that only three members of the seven people on the board need to be tenants. If future changes would require four members who are tenants (which would constitute a majority), tenants would have greater trust in the board, as it would better represent them and their interests.

Stakeholders would be satisfied to learn that the board is being run by tenants themselves rather than by wealthy businessmen and mayoral cronies. They are motivated by their situation to improve NYCHA as a whole.

There are also many less orthodox means by which NYCHA can acquire funding.

These include selling the “airrights” (the rights to the unused potential building space) to neighboring private developments as well as a potential $600 million-plan to build private housing on empty and underused public housing sites.

Another source of funding can be found in re-negotiating union contracts for NYCHA employees. Many contracts are outdated and have absurd regulations regarding unscheduled overtime, which can cost NYCHA up to $150 million every year. Other old regulations make it difficult for repairs and work orders to be addressed in a timely way. Re-negotiating union contracts is a big hassle for any agency—nonetheless one that employs 13,000 people—but it may be worth it if the costs continue to add up in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Given the appropriate structural changes, NYCHA can secure the trust of its constituents and state and federal governments, which will get it further funding. It can also establish a transparent, quality, and affordable housing experience for low-income New Yorkers.

Ending Double Jeopardy

By ADAM OUBAITA The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects all people from double jeopardy—being charged twice for the same crime. However there is an exception to this right. It is known as the separate sovereignty doctrine, which allows both state and federal governments to charge someone for the same offense. A case currently pending in the Supreme Court, Gamble v. United States, will not only answer the age-old question of

whether charging someone twice for the same crime is morally wrong, but it will also establish a precedent that might impact the Mueller investigation.

Terrance Gamble of Alabama was pulled over for a faulty headlight in 2015. After searching the car, a police patrolman discovered two bags of marijuana, a digital scale, and a handgun. Gamble was then arrested and charged for violating state drug laws. He also received both state and federal charges for felony possession of a firearm. Gamble received a sentence of one year in state prison and an additional four years in federal prison.

On the grounds of the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment, he appealed his federal conviction, claiming that he shouldn’t be prosecuted for the same crime twice. The district court ruled in favor of the United States on the grounds that the separate sovereignty doctrine allows the federal and state courts to issue punishments. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is directly below the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), upheld this decision.

Gamble successfully appealed to have the SCOTUS hear his case,

and a decision will be made later this year—probably in June. The case has drawn national attention in part because if Gamble wins his appeal, former Trump staffers who receive a pardon from the President may be immune from state-level prosecution.

The separate sovereignty doctrine was first established in the SCOTUS case Fox v. Ohio (1847), which concluded that a citizen can be punished by both the federal and state governments. However, it was mainly used to punish people who protected fugitive slaves; the court found it necessary during a time of great strife to limit double jeopardy protections. A ruling made to limit American freedoms over an unrelated issue more than 100 years ago should no longer be in effect. Double jeopardy principles safeguard the individual right to not be successively prosecuted for the same offense; the doctrine directly contradicts the spirit of the U.S. Constitution.

A reversal of the separate sovereignty doctrine could drastically change how criminal cases are handled and prosecuted. Its removal could save years of people’s lives, make courts more available

so people do not need to wait months to have a trial by reducing the number of trials, reduce the chances of innocent people being punished, and limit the intrusiveness of the criminal justice system. However, there will be political backlash.

Paul Manafort, the former chairman of President Trump’s 2016 campaign team, has been convicted of eight separate federal crimes and will be sentenced on March 5, 2019. Currently, a pardon by Trump would not protect Manafort; the moment Trump issues the pardon, Manafort will be prosecuted at the state level for the same crimes, since presidential pardons only apply to federal cases. However, if the Supreme Court rules in favor of Terrence Gamble, neither state nor federal justice systems will be able to prosecute a pardoned Manafort for the crimes he has already been tried for. However, legal experts are skeptical that a ruling in favor of Gamble would do anything practical to alter Manafort’s punishment. “Where Manafort’s case is as of today, there are plenty of state charges that are still available for state prosecutors to bring against Manafort if he were to be pardoned,” said Jed Shugerman,

who is a Fordham University law professor.

The federal government already has an expansive scope over the justice system. Even more dangerously, there has been increasing federal-state cooperation in law enforcement, which is detrimental to maintaining a fair trial. Due to the sharp increase in the federalization of crime, people have to wait for two separate trials. Even if a defendant is found innocent in court, they can face jail time. This torments those who are supposedly innocent until proven guilty. But, the idea of “innocent until proven guilty” doesn’t really apply to Manafort. The entire hypothetical here is a pardon. Manafort has been found guilty.

The overturning of the separate sovereignty doctrine could help facilitate plea bargaining.

Under the status quo (where the stakes are twice as high), defendants are probably less likely to plead guilty than they would be if they were guaranteed only one prosecution. A SCOTUS decision restoring our Fifth Amendment rights could lead to more continued on page 13

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Page 13

Opinions Rewriting the Incomplete Narrative of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Battle for Equality

By KRISTIN CHENG As Black History Month concludes, the all too often neglected accomplishments of black Americans who helped shape a better, more equal society have been honored. Well-deserved commendation is granted to figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who devoted his life to advocacy against glaring human rights abuses and federal malfeasance. But as we commemorate his efforts, which diminished overt manifestations of extreme, blatant racism, we often tend to subconsciously engage in toxic blame-shifting.

When Dr. King stepped out of his car on August 5, 1966, and took strides toward a crowd of several hundred people, he was met not by supporters, but by a piercing, heavy stone that soared toward his body. Aides shielded his struck-down body from the stream of bricks and bottles that followed. Dr. King was accustomed to this sort of physical violence from furious crowds; the Southern white supremacists he encountered were often aggravated by his advocacy, and they felt inclined to take action.

But this time, he was no longer dealing with racist fanatics in the South—he was in Chicago.

Dr. King’s arduous grappling with Southern inequalities, which have long plagued the lives of minorities within America, are frequently cited as examples of his most important campaigns. But as we memorialize him, we often place blame entirely on the South, absolving the North of any responsibility for injustice. Despite our convenient neglect of his Northern struggles, however, he began

during his final years of life a battle that remains unfinished today—one against Northern whites who claimed to be liberal and lauded Southern reform, but actually disparaged movements in their own neighborhoods.

Dr. King confronted various inequalities he discovered in both Northern and Southern cities during the 1960s, demanding desegregation and an end to police brutality. Californians were quick to boast their support for Dr. King and victims in the inequality-ridden Jim Crow South, pushing for protests and picketing with signs that demanded justice.

They sympathized with victims of hate crimes in Birmingham, Alabama, and students called for the desegregation of Southern institutions. However, Californian support for civil rights came to a screeching halt during Dr. King’s 1964 trip to Los Angeles. He campaigned against Proposition 14, an attempt by citizens and developers to nullify the Rumford Fair Housing Act, which had banned racial housing discrimination. Consequently, he was repeatedly labeled as anti-American and an extremist. When the proposition succeeded, Dr. King received a clear message from white, liberal Californians: segregation was detrimental and should be eradicated—as long as it survived in California.

The press exemplified this hypocritical tendency to claim commitment to equality and activism while also revealing that they preserved segregated institutions and rampant criminal injustice. Newspapers sung the praises of his Southern reforms, but when he tackled the same issues in the North—where racism seemed “subtler”—the media felt less inclined to support reform, denouncing his actions instead. The largest civil rights demonstration of the decade was seen in 1964, with 460,000 New York City students refusing to attend school and demanding a plan for desegregation. The boycott was deemed by The New York Times to be “unreasonable and unjustified.” Furthermore, in a poll conducted by The New York Times that year, 80 percent of New Yorkers insisted that the civil rights movement had “gone too far.”

When confronted with the 1964 Civil Rights Act, North-

ern constituents fought avidly for schools to remain segregated without jeopardizing their federal funding. Protests pushed legislators to secure a loophole in Title IV, Section 401 of the act, which permitted the maintenance of segregated school systems. Northerners pointedly made distinctions between Southern segregation and their own, making allowances for their resistance to change. But these distinctions were rejected

by Dr. King repeatedly, as he contended that the “de facto segregation of the North was as injurious as the legal segregation of the South.”

Dr. King was condemned to similar adversity in affairs of police brutality. The brutal police killing of 15-year-old Jimmy Powell in Harlem provoked Dr. King to travel to New York in 1964. In light of the six-day public uprising incited by Powell’s death, Dr. King sought to provide accountability for police brutality, suggesting police supervision by a Civilian Complaint Review Board. However, he was driven out of town by infuriated city leaders and civilians. They picketed with signs boasting phrases such as “Thank God for Chief Parker.” Chief Parker was a Los Angeles police officer resented by civil rights activists for his brutality.

Dr. King said that through “showered praise on the heroism of Southern Negroes,” the North was quick to claim support for equality. However, when it came to local matters, “only the language was polite...the rejection was firm and unequivocal,” he said. Northerners were clearly unwilling to rectify their own rampant inequalities. Dr. King noted, “As the nation—Negro and white—trembled with outrage at police brutality in the South, police misconduct in the North was rationalized, tolerated, and usually denied.”

These limits on Northern liberalism were highlighted when Dr. King addressed New York’s Urban League in 1960. He argued, “There is a pressing need for a liberalism in the North.”

Disillusioned with the hypocrisy of Northerners, he said that he dreamt of a liberalism that “rises up with righteous indignation when a Negro is lynched in Mississippi, but will be equally incensed when a Negro is denied the right to live in his neigh-

borhood.” He was certainly well acquainted with fervent, fanatical white supremacists.

Yet, he continued, saying that “the white moderate, [which] is more devoted to order than to justice,” was more of an obstacle to reform than “the White Citizens Counselor or the Ku Klux Klanner.”

By emphasizing the blatant severity of racism in the South, Northerners were able to justify their own inequalities and claim that reform in their own neighborhoods was unnecessary.

When juxtaposed, white liberals believed that their de facto injustice paled in comparison to the de jure inequity of the South.

Shifting the blame permitted the widespread focus of attention exclusively on the South—that is, while little effort was expended for reform in other areas across the country.

With the vast amount of progress made in the past few decades by the inspiring civil rights activists whom we have celebrated this month, it can be easy to see glaring inequalities and blame-shifting as mere vestiges of the past. However, we continue to find it easier to scrutinize issues in Southern areas than to address our own injustice. The Civil Rights Project at U.C.L.A. revealed New York State schools to be the most segregated in the nation in 2014, with wealthier families continuing to fiercely oppose plans for integration.

By highlighting problems in the South, we continuously relieve ourselves of responsibility for remedying our own issues.

Thus, our “Southernization” of Dr. King’s legacy is an extension of our desires to keep the necessity for reform at bay.

We conveniently forget to mention the adversity he faced in the North because if we did, it would become apparent that the same hypocrisy persists. Our actions today echo those of Dr. King’s contemporary Northern liberals, and reckoning with Dr. King’s reality would force us to think of the present in uncomfortable ways. By pinning both historical and current blame entirely on the South, we comfortably neglect our own duty to secure justice for all.

This Black History Month, every aspect of Dr. King’s struggle should be recognized and honored. Instead of disregarding his struggles with Northern lib-

erals to permit resistance to reform, we should highlight them and take responsibility for the perhaps uncomfortable and extensive changes that still must be implemented.

Mayor Bill de Blasio contends that the severe segregation of schools in our city is simply the product of long-established residential segregation. “We cannot change the basic reality of housing in New York City,” he said. Residential segregation is certainly a driving factor of the disparities that exist, and we should implement policies similar to the Department of Education’s 2015 plan to make high-performance, well-funded Upper West Side schools more economically and racially integrated by redrawing the zones of District 3. However, the issue runs deeper than housing and the partitioning of school zones.

In fact, 40 percent of New York City kindergarteners do not attend their zoned schools, instead opting to venture into different neighborhoods in search of high-income, well-funded, and intensely sought after schools.

Consequently, the students who leave zoned schools are replaced by children of color from lowincome neighborhoods—those who simply don’t have the option to leave. Thus, the schools that wealthier students flee from are forced to serve the city’s neediest children with the city’s most inadequate funding. For example, while only 44 percent of students in the district are eligible for free lunch, all students who attend P.S. 287 are poor enough to qualify. Regardless of the schools’ racial demographics, if resources were distributed more evenly among schools in various neighborhoods, families of means would be less incentivized to flee from their zoned schools. This, accompanied by the rezoning of school districts to curb the effects of longstanding residential segregation, would be the first step in reversing the deeply entrenched racial inequalities that Northern liberals refused to take.

For decades, maintaining the status quo has taken precedence over securing justice. But the seeds of Dr. King’s legacy remain to be sown, and only by finishing the battle he never had the opportunity to do so may we properly commemorate it.

Ending Double Jeopardy continued from page 12

the person (here, the prospect of dual prosecutions) rather than to protect more against [him or her].” However, others remained unconvinced. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recounted, “You told us that there is a mountain of evidence supporting your interpretation of the original meaning of the Double Jeopardy Clause.

This is your mountain?” There has been a limited number of cases strengthening the Double Jeopardy Clause, none of which were in the United States. A majority of justices agree that preserving precedent—known as Stare decisis—will be the most critical part of their decision-making.

The SCOTUS will have to choose between federalism and supporting individual rights in this case. The decision made will have a resounding impact on politics and criminal justice in the U.S.

Emily Tan / The Spectator

prevalent plea bargaining. This benefits both criminals and the government. Plea bargaining “is an essential component of the administration of justice [that] is to be encouraged,” said Chief Justice Warren Burger, who wrote in the majority opinion for Santobello v. New York. It can prevent costly trials and limit pretrial detention.

Ultimately, the separate sovereignty doctrine is an abuse of power. Yet, overturning the doctrine will present a myriad of issues. For instance, the doctrine has established Indian tribes as sovereign, allowing them to prosecute domestic abusers without waiting for state or federal courts. This is especially important because Native Americans suffer from the highest rates of domestic abuse. Further-

more, under Gamble’s argument, “The U.S. or a state government would not be able to prosecute a foreign terrorist if a foreign government had also tried him,” said Amy Howe, a reporter for SCOTUSblog.

The implications of overturning the separate sovereigns doctrine bring impartiality to the court; a decision will be made baseless of politics. This petition is unique because judges have voiced support and disapproval not based on political views. In fact, during the hearing, liberal and conservative justices found themselves agreeing on an outcome.

Both Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Neil Gorsuch are Supreme Court Justices who agreed on reconsidering the Double Jeopardy Clause. Justice Gorsuch stated, “I can’t think of another case where federalism is used to allow greater intrusions against

Page 14

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Opinions The Forgotten Children of Russia

By ELENA HLAMENKO In the past few decades, many countries in the Western world have taken strides to protect the welfare of their youngest and most vulnerable citizens. But not all nations have followed suit. In particular, Russia’s corrupt adoption system has led to heavy scrutiny over its failure to fulfill even the most fundamental charters of protecting human rights.

Currently, international human rights obligations include ensuring that children are not separated from their parents against their will and that children are protected from all forms of violence and neglect.

Yet, countless investigations, interviews, and firsthand accounts from young victims of Russia’s poorly run adoption

system reveal an alarming failure in the country’s ability to fulfill its responsibilities.

Russia’s orphanage crisis became apparent to the rest of the world after a viral video released in 2013. It showed two boys being whipped by a caretaker in an orphanage specializing in developmental disorders. Soon enough, a barrage of reports about pedophilia, sex trafficking, and severe emotional and physical abuse made it apparent that few of Russia’s 500,000 orphans were getting the care they needed. The longterm effects of such mistreatment are equally devastating; estimates from The Moscow Times concluded that 50 to 95 percent of all children raised in Russian orphanages end up committing suicide or becoming drug addicts.

Pinpointing the sole cause of Russia’s inadequate child support system is difficult.

Yet, the lack of punishment for crimes committed against children undoubtedly allows for the problem to fester. In the city of Orenburg, 26 children were reported missing.

Yet, only one criminal case was opened by police. Perm’s police department did not open a single case in connection with any of its own 27 missing children. Child abuse seldom gets the same degree of attention in Russia that it does in the

U.S. While child sex offenders and abusive parents will find themselves with lengthy prison

transplants or sexual pleasure, there will remain 50,000 who can be recruited for war against

Russia’s corrupt adoption system has led to heavy scrutiny over its neglect to fulfill even the most fundamental charters of protecting human rights.

sentences in the U.S., they will rarely be imprisoned for committing the same crimes in Russia.

President Vladimir Putin’s stance on the issue makes the problem even more apparent.

The Duma—Russia’s legislative body—passed a series of sanctions against the U.S. in 2013 under the Dima Yakovlev Act, which banned the adoption of Russian children by American parents. Duma Deputy Svetlana Goryacheva justified the legislation by saying that “60,000 children have been taken to the U.S. from Russia.

And if even one-tenth of these orphans were used for organ

Russia.” According to The Moscow Times, Russian children adopted by U.S. parents “do not go to heaven,” Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin said.

If the government’s defense of its ineffective and broken orphanage system is to point to conspiracy theories, serious reform has little chance of being passed.

It’s not just the officials in charge of the orphanages.

Many traditional and archaic stigmas against adoption persist in Russia. Parents of children with various disorders are often encouraged by doctors to give them up for adoption, allowing for parents to “try

again.” Adding to this phenomena is the fact that there is no conscious effort to include disabled individuals in society, leading many parents to give up their children in fear of the isolation that parenting a disabled child would bring.

In this fashion, children in the orphanage system are labeled as the equivalent of “damaged goods,” and adoption is discouraged as a whole.

Better resource management and increased publicity for children in need of adoption would go a long way to improving the adoption system. The country’s long-standing stigma against adoption, which is one rooted in outdated beliefs and traditions, must be abandoned. A serious crackdown on child abuse and crime must occur, since the normalization of child abuse is one of the biggest reasons why the orphanage system is so corrupt.

It is also essential for Russia to not let international tensions affect its domestic agencies.

Opening up adoption to parents from the U.S. would relieve the system of much of the pressure weighing down on it and catalyze reform. By taking these steps, the forgotten children of Russia will finally have a chance at a real childhood.

The Future of U.S. Foreign Aid

By BRIAN MOSES The origins of U.S. foreign aid programs can be traced back to the Marshall Plan, which was instituted in 1948 to rebuild shattered European economies and avert an acute humanitarian crisis.

By the time it had ended, Western European economies had undergone a dramatic turnaround—from devastation to postwar boom. The program also created prosperity at home by creating demand for producers in the U.S. and allowing European consumers to buy American exports.

The benefits were not only economic in nature—the U.S. also generated goodwill with its former enemies Germany and Italy, which decreased communist influence and forged alliances that exist to this day. In short, the Marshall Plan was the first large-scale experiment in foreign aid conducted by the U.S., and it proved to be enormously successful.

This early success paved the way for the creation of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1961. During the Cold War, U.S. aid was directed toward nations like Israel, South Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, and Chile. Similar in function to the Marshall Plan’s programs, USAID facilitated economic development and eased humanitarian crises around the world. It also served U.S. interests by combating communist influences and creating commercial and military alliances that continue to benefit the nation today.

However, it was during this time period that U.S. foreign aid began to decline from taking up around 0.6 percent of its annual GDP to its current level of 0.18 percent.

This is lower than that of most other Western countries. It is also far below the target of the United Nations, which concerns foreign aid taking up 0.7 percent of the annual GDP. That is a shame. In the face of massive humanitarian crises, the spread of terror, and rising Chinese global influences, U.S. foreign aid is now needed more than ever.

In an address at the United Nations in 2015, SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-Moon stated that “The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance around the world has doubled in just 10 years.” Every year, around 1.5 million children below the age of five die from diseases that vaccines can

prevent. Conflicts in Yemen, Syria, Congo, and elsewhere have created famines and the greatest refugee crisis since 1945. In light of these events, the U.S. has a responsibility to alleviate humanitarian suffering wherever it can.

Current U.S. programs have been enormously successful in alleviating humanitarian crises.

For instance, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program to stop the spread of the AIDS epidemic in Africa saved at least five million lives since 2003. Basic medical supplies like vaccines have also decreased child mortality rates and increased life expectancy rates—all at very low costs.

If we increase spending on humanitarian assistance, many more lives can be saved.

U.S. assistance also goes toward stabilizing other countries that are in danger of disintegrating into conflict and civil war. Since the outbreak of civil war in Syria in 2011, millions of refugees have fled the country. Terror groups have become increasingly powerful and numerous, leading to a number of terrorist attacks both within Syria and in other countries like the U.S. In an open letter written to U.S. political leaders concerning the proposed cuts, a group of nearly 120 U.S. generals wrote that fighting terrorism required fighting against “drivers of extremism—lack of opportunity, insecurity, injustice, and hopelessness.”

In the modern world,

foreign aid improves opinions of the U.S., which helps shore up alliances and friendships overseas. For instance, after the U.S. provided substantial disaster relief aid to Indonesia in 2004, 79 percent of Indonesians said that they had improved their opinions of America. In a world where developing nations constitute an increasing percentage of the global population and economic power, it is important for the U.S. to maintain strong relationships with other countries. The portion that developing nations contribute to the global GDP has grown from about 20 percent in 1965 to 50 percent today. If the U.S. wants to retain a position of global leadership, it will have to do so by building partnerships with other countries.

Aid and investment also helps to counter the influence of powerful nations like China.

President Donald Trump seems to have acknowledged the importance of aid in this regard.

Last year, he signed into law the bipartisan Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development (BUILD) Act. In the words of Vice President Mike Pence, the program is intended to facilitate and fund investment in other nations. It serves the purpose of “seeking collaboration and not control,” said Pence, who is referencing China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The China’s Belt and Road Initiative has been accused of luring countries into debt traps.

Foreign aid clearly benefits both the U.S. and other countries. But over the years, many have voiced concerns that foreign aid money is spent ineffectively and funnelled into corrupt governments that misuse the funds. However, partially for that very reason, 85 percent of aid is administered either to institutions based in the U.S. or directly to nongovernment organizations.

Furthermore, the use of funds that are given to governments is strictly monitored. Though exact numbers are unavailable for obvious reasons, evidence suggests that almost all aid given is used for its intended purpose.

A investigation conducted by Congress on aid given to Iraq, for instance, found that 91 to 95 percent of aid was used properly. We can reasonably assume that most foreign aid programs would involve less corruption than one administered in a recently invaded country.

Considering the enormous benefits that aid has for both other countries and the U.S., the U.S. needs to prioritize its investments in foreign aid.

Eventually, it should aim to fulfill the United Nations’ target of spending 0.7 percent of the annual GDP on foreign aid. This will save lives, increase prosperity both at home and abroad, and contribute to the creation of a brighter future for all.

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Page 15

ScholasticOpinions Scholars

Rest, by Daisy Shay

Suzhou, by Jiahe Wang

Selling Chess Sets, Creating a Community

By RYAN KIM Chess pieces clack against tabletop chess boards with peeling paint and scratched wood.

The sound of orchestral strings streams in. Seated on opposing sides of the boards, the chess players murmur. They ponder their next move.

Standing behind what doubles as a display case and sales counter at Chess Forum, Imad Khachan, who owns the place, takes in the full view. The space is tight. One body can walk the single aisle separating the 11 tables for playing chess. The people are a mix of children and adults of different races and from different places.

He smiles.

“Your bank account, your pedigree, who the hell you are, [we] really don’t care. You just come here and play the sport for the sport,” said Khachan, 53, who began playing chess back in Lebanon. His country was at war. Chess, played by

flashlight, was their entertainment and distraction.

“There were explosions. But instead of being scared, we had chess. One guy was famous for being a coward. But even a coward, locked up in a house, goes crazy,” he said. “So he used to risk–with no electricity, no light in the streets, with a fear of the explosions–carrying his chess set and coming to my house just to play with my family.”

In 1995, Khachan bought the shop from the former owner, Nicolas Rossolimo. The business sells chess boards, but it tries to achieve more than that, Khachan said.

“This place is called Chess Forum. Not Chess World. Not Chess Shop. It’s a place of ideas and dialogue, and chess is just the facilitator.”

The players are a mixed group. They range from children and students to seniors and celebrities. They are red and yellow, black and white.

What ties them together is a

love of chess.

“Chess is a great bonding time for me and my son,” said Frantz Marine, of Suffern, 35 miles northwest of Manhattan. “It’s a very intricate game because you have to think two, three, four, five, six steps ahead.”

His son, Jackson Marine, was with him that day at Chess Forum.

“Chess,” the 7th-grader said, “is fun because of the strategy.

You have to find where your enemies stand and strike them at the right place.”

Rene Munoz, who teaches computer technology to middle-schoolers, started an afterschool chess program at a Bronx school. “Chess means freedom.

But it’s also an opportunity. The game has allowed me to interact with my students on a more personal level.” “[Chess] is quite nice,” said Bruno Birolli, a Paris-based novelist, who discovered Chess Forum in July 2018—and spent seven days straight there. “Here,

I could talk to different people and make different relationships … make a community.”

It costs $5 an hour to play on one of the 11 tables at Chess Forum; $1 for seniors at least 60 years old; and nothing for kids.

The low costs are Khachan’s way of keeping the place open and available to a variety of comers.

“This is an icon, a character,” he said. “And it’s part of the soul of the city … Without a place like this, New York is missing a part of its soul.”

People don’t just come to Chess Forum to play or learn chess. Some also have stopped in there as part of a first date, to make a marriage proposal, and to say “I do.”

That isn’t the only kind of affection blossoming at Chess Forum.

“I love, love Imad,” said Frenchman Birolli, also a former Asia correspondent for Nouvel Observateur magazine.

“He’s not only a shop owner, but he’s also a man that has a lot

of exchanges with other people.

I really feel at home because of him.”

Khachan hopes he and Chess Forum make people feel that way for a long time, and that they will approach the game as purely as he does. He doesn’t like, for example, that some people play chess online, instead of sitting across from an actual opponent.

“This is a business dinosaur,” a seemingly exasperated, yet hopeful Khachan said, raising both his forearms and opening his palms. It was as if he was introducing a newcomer to the space.

“One day,” he added, “this might be a Starbucks and no one will remember all the people that I’ve seen. Everyone that came had a memory … I hope [this] stays for another thousand years. And I’ll be there, hopefully, in a thousand years to see it.”

left: Daffodil Lips,

by Erica Chen

right: Symmetry,

by Jiahe Wang

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Page 16

Arts and Entertainment music

Artist Profile: The Ever-Evolving Tyler, the Creator

By Theo Kubovy-Weiss

In music, there is a trajectory that most popular artists follow: debut albums are great and allow them to garner a fanbase, after which the quality of their music (and popularity, in turn) slowly wanes. This has been the norm for many years, especially in hip-hop, where artists begin their careers in their prime and lose their prowess thereafter. Nevertheless, certain artists have followed a different path, slowly maturing over time and developing their abilities as their careers progress. Perhaps one of the most prominent embodiments of this pattern is Tyler, the Creator.

After founding the hip-hop collective Odd Future

He has developed and evolved as an artist throughout his entire career.

By Morris Raskin The Super Bowl this year disappointed from almost every angle possible. The game itself, between the Rams and the Patriots, was boring and the lowest scoring game in the history of the Super Bowl.

The halftime show was vomit-inducing, with an incredibly phony performance by Maroon 5’s Adam Levine (and his questionable fashion choices), who was later joined by Travis Scott, a rapper in much need of some autotune. The biggest offense of all was when the popular “Sweet Victory” song from SpongeBob SquarePants got cut off right before Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode.” It was a huge letdown for the 1.5 million people who signed the petition supporting a live halftime show performance of “Sweet Victory” at the Super Bowl.

There was, however, one aspect of this game that wasn’t totally ruined: the ads.

Without further ado, let’s go over some standout advertisements from the 2019 Super Bowl.

Some People Move On Coming early in the game, the “Avengers: Endgame” trailer started the grueling event off right, with a mysterious TV spot from 2019’s most anticipated movie. Though the trailer gives little indication on the Avengers’ plans to defeat Thanos after the cliffhanger from “Avengers: Infinity War,” it does feature cool shots of our heroes in an unusually melancholy tone for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though not action-packed, this trailer is just another step in the hype machine that is “Avengers: Endgame.”

Bubly/Bublé Bubly might be the most disgusting carbonated beverage currently available in stores, but its commercial was pretty funny. Michael Bublé emerged from his cave, though not for Christmas, but rather for this ad where Bublé tries to convince onlookers that the brand Bubly is pronounced “Bublé,” to no avail. I felt bad enough for the singer that I almost wanted to actually drink a can of overcarbonated Bubly. Almost.

Super Bowl Ads Is Pepsi Ok? This Pepsi commercial, starring Steve Carell and Cardi B, among others, asks the audience the oft-dreaded question, “Is Pepsi OK?” The ad, while confusing in its narrative (there’s a lot of “what’s going on” moments), does get the brand’s intended message across: Pepsi is on par with Coca Cola. After seeing Carell unsuccessfully try to copy Cardi’s famous “Oh krrr!” I was thoroughly convinced that Pepsi is, in fact, as good as its rival.

Higher, Further, Faster If you weren’t convinced before that Marvel Studios’ upcoming Captain Marvel movie will be a great one, the latest TV spot puts an end to all doubters. This trailer is everything a good trailer should be: inspirational, powerful, funny, and exciting. Unlike the “Avengers: Endgame” trailer, this one is much more inspiring and heartfelt. In the trailer’s mere 30 sec-

In this advertisement, football legend Howie Long tries to sell me the product I fear the most: Skechers. The bias against these shoes is sky-high, so it is a bold move to try to get me to buy them during the big game, but the effort paid off, as a funny ad like this makes me reconsider everything I thought I knew about Skechers sneakers. According to semi“reliable” sources, “It’s like first class for your feet.”

New Number, Who Dis? There’s always that one ad.

Or in this case, 164, as T-Mobile pushed for numerous generally unfunny and unoriginal ads about texting. One of the ads even blatantly ripped off a popular meme about Uber drivers. Admittedly, I am most likely not the target audience for this ad, but it was still frustrating to learn that a huge corporation like T-Mobile couldn’t even come up with original content. If each ad cost $5

There was, however, one aspect of this game that wasn’t totally ruined: the ads.

onds, viewers are immediately immersed in Captain Marvel’s world, full of powerful beings and chaos in space, while seeing actress Brie Larson’s character go from badass Air Force pilot to otherworldly superhuman. All throughout, punches are being landed in time with a heavy, yet simple drumming while the Captain repeats “higher, further, faster.”

In this case, Marvel Studios literally soars to new heights as it establishes its legacy in an era full of characters from all genders, races, and backgrounds.

Not only that, but Captain Marvel is just as badass, if not more, as she was in the comics.

million to create, then they should’ve used their $20 million to create a more enticing advertisement.

Alexa When it comes to Super Bowl ads, Amazon doesn’t disappoint, and the company kept their reputation up another year with an ad poking fun at all of the “failed” Amazon artificial intelligence products, including an explosive hot tub and a regrettable dog-feeding machine. This ad was packed with stars, most notably Harrison Ford, who took a break from his movie fame to overfeed his dog.

First Class for Your Feet

Jason Lin / The Spectator

in 2007 with artists like Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler released his debut solo album “Bastard” in 2009, followed by his sophomore LP “Goblin” in 2011. These two albums were dark and gritty, augmented by Tyler’s hoarse, gravelly vocals.

They were hit-or-miss with critics, some of whom were repulsed by the mention of rape, murder, and other dark subjects, while others were intrigued by his honesty and brutality. The two albums were striking and polarizing additions to the music world and were the introduction to the grim, and often appalling, music of Tyler, the Creator.

Two years after “Goblin,” Tyler released his third album, “Wolf.” The 71-minute LP was just as shocking and offensive as its two predecessors, with the frequent use of homophobic and racial slurs and the inclusion of further offensive remarks about women, religion, and police brutality, among other obscenities. However, in contrast to “Bastard” and “Goblin,” “Wolf ” feels relatively more introspective and personal. Objectively, the subject matter is the same as what was in the previous two albums.

Yet, the descriptions felt more three-dimensional and transcendent: when Tyler mentions women, he does so sincerely and genuinely; when he mentions drugs, he does so without

glorifying them and by discussing their harm. Similarly, on the track “Answer,” Tyler raps about his father leaving and how that motivated him as an artist (albeit doing so by calling him a derogatory term for gay men).

One of the biggest transitions between “Goblin” and “Wolf ” was the music: the dark, grim noise of “Goblin” was replaced by more upbeat piano and guitar-driven sounds in “Wolf.” This showed Tyler’s willingness to adapt and evolve as an artist, a willingness that persisted. Throughout future projects, Tyler continued to be more thoughtful and inwardlooking in anticipation of a follow-up project, one that would finally build upon Tyler’s shortcomings and become something incredible.

With his fourth album, “Flower Boy,” fans received what they had been hoping for.

Beginning with the first track, “Foreword,” it was immediately apparent that this album was unlike anything Tyler had done before; it was warm, melodic, and much prettier than the heavier, darker music Tyler had produced previously, and it featured a greater emphasis on instrumentals. Songs like “See You Again” and “Boredom” were more introspective and thoughtful than anything we had seen from Tyler.

Arguably the biggest development in Tyler’s style was the transition between this album and previous ones, which is best encapsulated by the song “Garden Shed.” While shorter than four minutes, “Garden Shed” is beautiful, melodic, witty, and creative, with the vocals starting over two and a half minutes in.

“Flower Boy” capitalized on everything that had been restricting Tyler, while remaining true to him, his defiance, and his creativity.

Throughout his entire career, Tyler has not been limited to music. He has also started the successful fashion brand Golf Wang and worked with Converse to create his Golf le Fleur line of sneakers. Even though his music may have offended and repelled some, he has stayed an extremely charming and humorous public figure.

Famous for his colorful, casual, and creative outfits, regardless of how his music may have evolved, Tyler remains a goofy, imaginative, and charismatic artist.

Since 2007, the world has slowly been getting to know Tyler, the Creator. Through all of his projects and collaborations, he has shown us that he has the aptitude to create a variety of styles of music and cater to a wide audience. He has developed and evolved as an artist throughout his entire career, and with “Flower Boy,” he showed us that his ability exceeds our expectations. He keeps us guessing and has made it clear that he is nowhere near the pinnacle of his career.

Television

Page 17

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Arts and Entertainment art

By Matthew Wagman The first thing Annina Roescheisen showed the small crowd in Lecture Hall A, after her cool minimalistic line logo, was a photograph of a young woman wearing a shawl and a dress, unraveling a large teddy bear on a bold, yellow backdrop.

The piece, titled “La Pieta,” was supposedly a modern-day representation of the classic “Madonna and Child” but with a spin: it was also a commentary on the sexual abuse happening in the very church that commissioned those paintings of Mary and Jesus.

The original “La Pieta” was actually a series of short slow motion videos, from which this still was extracted. A lot of Roescheisen’s pieces take a similar approach, whether it be the feverish furs and facepaint of “I Tribe You” or the trippy, waterlogged scenes of “What Are You Fishing For?” Roescheisen has also done sculptures, improvisational art based on paint splotches made with her eyes closed and topped with wavy pen lines, and social

music

Artist Annina Roescheisen Comes to Stuy to Talk About Destroying Teddy Bears

commentary chairs.

The lecture was hosted by the Student Leadership Arts Council, but most of the people in attendance (myself included) were there on the recommendation of German teacher Rebecca Lindemulder.

Most of the presentation involved Roescheisen flipping through a brief PowerPoint selection of her work on the computer (which still had the “Eye of the Tiger” files from last week’s Regeneron presentation) and passing around her glossy promotional booklet.

Roescheisen’s English was decent, considering that she is a native German who had only moved to New York recently to make the switch from working at an art auctioning firm to focusing on her own art-making career. Roescheisen described her path to the top as being filled with lots of hustle, having to go out and get invited to parties, and using her industry contacts to spread the word about her art. Her work paid off, getting her into the 56th Venice Biennale, the “Top Ten List of Emerging Artists

to Follow” in “Time Out New York,” and the Delacroix Museum in Paris. However, Roescheisen did reveal that she is currently mostly broke, as she is slowly selling off her things to pay for a social commentary installation in the Alps and a video to go with it (which she didn’t receive enough funding for).

While a lot of Roescheisen’s artwork is based around social commentary and striking images, it sometimes falls flat.

The “La Pieta” piece seems too bright and cartoonish to get its point across; the dissection of a teddy bear and removal of a key from its stomach is potentially symbolic but not powerful. All of the artwork featured on Roescheisen’s website are accompanied with long, winding descriptions because, like “La Pieta,” they are attempting at some form of commentary.

However, they fail to effectively deliver a meaningful message or do more than look cool. Art loses its impact if it needs to be explained and you need to be told exactly what it means, making it more propaganda

than creation. What works better is art that conveys its purpose more directly with a brief description pointing you in the intended direction to connect the dots and draw your own conclusions.

Despite such criticisms, I do believe that Roescheisen is a talented artist with a lot of promise. Besides her art, Roescheisen is multi-faceted, as can be seen by her well-shot videos and choreographed stills.

However, her vision tends to fall short of her artistic ability, as she tries to tackle too many subjects at once, and the resulting art then fails to convey its intended purpose.

In the end, though, I did like Roescheisen’s drawing, titled “Drawings,” and her paintings, titled “Paintings I” and “Paintings II,” featuring huge swathes of blue watercolor and thin, wavy lines. The relatively unplanned varieties of paint splotches layered with purposeful lines mixed the cerebral and the spontaneous mesmerizingly. While not the most original idea, the way the beautiful

gradients of paint splatters and wavy, black lines formed into oblong faces is visually appealing.

To me, Roescheisen seems to be a new type of artist, one with little traditional training and a multitude of talents and styles. Artists like her are still figuring things out, but the idea of someone not just being singularly talented in painting or filmmaking is very important.

Such artists can break down boundaries in art while improving it with the addition of new techniques and characteristics. Having self-confidence and harnessing the Internet certainly helps with that trajectory. Roescheisen talked about how she just went with her gut and against her traditional German family to do well, but, as she said, she is at a low point in her career and can’t really tell others how to do what she did beyond trying to network. She clearly puts in the work, and hopefully Roescheisen will be able to coalesce her message and figure out her artistic ambitions.

Playlist: A&E Tunes: Black History Edition

By The Arts and Entertainment Department

To commemorate Black History Month and counteract the lengthiness of the morning announcements, here are some excellent bops by black artists to get your hips moving and your fingers snapping. By the time you finish this playlist, the announcements will be all but over.

NEW! A&E is bringing back its Spotify account. Just type “spotify:user:spec.ae” to follow us and listen to this playlist and more music that we don’t share on the press.

“Sinnerman” Nina Simone Jazz

“Put Your Records On” Corinne Bailey Rae Soul

“Miss You” Aaliyah Pop

“King Kunta” Kendrick Lamar Hip-hop

“This is America” Childish Gambino Rap

“Halo” Beyoncé Pop

“Jump in the Line” Harry Belafonte Pop Reggae

“What a Wonderful World” Louis Armstrong Jazz

“You Never Can Tell” Chuck Berry Rock and Roll

The lights of the theater in the opera house begin to dim, and the voices in the audience grow hushed as the orchestra plays the opening sequence for the first act. The primadonna enters the stage. She dons a contemporary outfit of snakeskin jeans and a fluorescent orange crop top, and holds a microphone in her hand. Disapproval flickers in the eyes of the audience. She is meant to be wearing an ornate gown, and she should be able to project entire arias that can be heard from the heavens using her voice alone. It’s not that a microphone suggests an inferior voice, but that opera singing has traditional techniques that require the singer to use their entire body to evoke a response from the audience that the artificial amplification of a microphone is unable to replicate.

The more blunt of the viewers may quietly whisper, “Ugh, this

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” Whitney Houston Dance Pop

“Man in the Mirror” Michael Jackson Pop “Hey Ya!” OutKast Hip-hop “Natural Woman” Aretha Franklin R&B

Mal(opera)tions

Music

By Laura Ilioaei

“Fast Car” Tracy Chapman Folk

is a modernization,” incapable of shielding their dread and displeasure with a superficial veil of politeness.

Perhaps the dwindling interest in opera in the younger generations provokes directors to take centuries-old works and place them in more ultramodern settings and lenses. This is an effort to keep the performances relevant for their viewers. But this attempt to keep opera “fresh” nearly always spoils the work because changing visuals and scripts warps the context and intentions the opera’s creator had for their work. Language is delicate in the sense that too many changes in the words that are sung can convey warped ideas, ideas that contrast with their original meanings. This attempt to be relevant only results in it being repulsive.

“Romeo and Juliet,” while originally not an operatic piece, is often adapted to opera. Unfortunately, it has often been

modernized to the point of convolution, when even the identities of the characters have been compromised. Juliet Capulet is meant to be a girl who has just entered her adolescence, a 13-year-old filled with naiveté and intimidated by the intensity, profundity, and novelty of young first love erupting within (and ultimately demising) her.

Yet, I once saw a performance in which she played a woman in her 20s in a dominatrix guise, black leather ensemble and whipping, promiscuous remarks to boot. In another context, I would praise such a character for being an example of how a woman has the right to unapologetically be whoever she wishes to be without societal rebuttal. However, this was not appropriate because this was not Shakespeare’s Juliet.

In changing her character to this degree, many of the play’s themes became erased in this modernized adaptation. I will

emphasize that it wasn’t a bad performance by any means, but it simply was not Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

Indeed, one could argue that the opera’s writer is dead and that the themes in their work remain timeless. However, changing the lenses through which their work is regarded also changes how the themes in their work manifest in the performance. Their writing is a historical artifact, and modernization is like drenching that artifact in neon spray paint.

Occasionally, modernizations don’t create this stark effect, but that’s because the tweaks given to them are incredibly minor. The Metropolitan Opera had performances of “Carmen” that were modernized. “Carmen” is an opera composed by Georges Bizet that takes place in Seville, Spain during the midst of the 1800s.

The Met’s version took place during the Spanish Civil War, almost a century later. However,

this change in time period only affected some of the fashions worn by the opera singers, and the director did not take any greater creative liberties that would have otherwise affected Bizet’s oeuvre on the volatility and flightiness of love.

It should be noted that other art forms are not taken and modernized like most performing arts are. Artworks are preserved in museums, never altered. Words are retained in novels and when they are modified, the novel is explicitly labeled as “abridged.” Even in dance, modern interpretations are given their own genre, “modern dance.” (Perhaps, since modern opera deviates so much from traditional opera, it may as well be its own thing.)

Instead of using modernizations, opera writers of today should compose new works or parodies of old works to represent the present and create a new chapter in history.

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The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Arts and Entertainment Audrey Hepburn to Kim Kardashian: The Evolution of Women’s Fashion

Culture

By Shivali Korgaonkar

From royals wearing corsets to singer Billie Eilish’s baggy outfits, our idea of female beauty has evolved greatly in the past century. In the early 1900s, people used fashion as an indicator of wealth. Similarly, most trends today are spread by influencers with large fan bases that emulate whatever their favorite celebrities are wearing. Here are a few examples of the fashion trends that spread among women in the past 100 years.

1920s

In the Roaring Twenties, clothing reflected a time of rebellion among young women. A large wave of women, known as flappers, were introduced. They opposed societal norms by dancing, smoking, cutting their hair short, and wearing makeup and short skirts.

Throughout the past, women were expected to wear a corset to create a tiny waist, while maintaining a large bust and wide hips (sound familiar?), and they dressed extravagantly with large, long skirts and tight tops. However, the twenties were the complete opposite. Everyday clothing consisted of casual, calf-length skirts with flowy tops. Women also took on a boyish appearance: they had short hair and slim bodies, without the hips and bust that they previously desired. Coco Chanel designed the first little black dress in this era, which was worn by actresses, such as Clara Bow. At night, the style flipped, as flappers adorned themselves with beads, feathers, headpieces, and shapeless dresses to party in. Silent film actress Greta Garbo popularized the glamour of flapper fashion.

Though the twenties were a time of fashion that catered mainly to the upper class, this period spread a crucial message to women: whether you are feminine or masculine, flaunt your body however you want.

1950s

The fifties were a period in which women left the house looking flawless. With the rise of Hollywood, women wanted to mimic actresses, such as Marilyn Monroe. Monroe’s hourglass figure, perfect hair, and spotless makeup became a standard for women. Women wore swing dresses that cinched at the waist and puffed out below. One of the largest fashion influences of all time, Audrey Hepburn, displayed both a classy and wild persona in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Wearing a tiara, gloves, and a sleek black dress, Hepburn displayed a sophisticated style; however, she wasn’t afraid to rock cropped pants, a plain turtleneck, and a pixie cut hairstyle. Both the elegance and confidence displayed in icons of the ‘50s inspired, but also pressured, women to appear one specific way.

1930s-1940s

Sammi Chen/ The Spectator

During the Great Depression, fabric was rationed by the government. Because of this, the bikini was introduced as an attempt to conserve fabric. However, war did not stop designers from expanding designs and women from expanding closets.

Practicality and modesty, expressed in longer skirts and simple jackets or blouses with wide shoulders, were the themes that women followed. Blazers and trousers were worn by Katharine Hepburn and Ingrid Bergman. The preferred body characteristic was natural curves, due to the fact that no one wanted to look starved and poor. Actresses wore long, silky, and tight “bias-cut” dresses popularized by designer Madeleine Vionnet. Icon Bette Davis, who wore many of these dresses on screen, gave struggling workers a break from reality with her extravagance. Since there were bigger problems at this time, however, fashion was not a priority for women around the time of World War II.

1960s-1970s

From royals wearing corsets to Billie Eilish’s baggy outfits, our idea of female beauty has evolved greatly in the past century.

In the early sixties, Jackie Kennedy, like any first lady, had to maintain a sophisticated and poised appearance. Women had so much respect for Kennedy that they started to copy her boxy suits and geometric patterned dresses, which were inspired by the last decade. Later on, the controversial, bright-colored miniskirts were the trend among women. Despite backlash from many conservative critics, who disagreed with the provocative piece, miniskirts were seen on everyone, from college girls to business women. Mary Quant, the pioneer of miniskirts, claimed that girls of the streets actually invented the “mini” by cropping long skirts to be above the knee. Twiggy was a model whose twig-like body shape and doll-like eyes inspired women to go to great lengths to be super skinny, a phenomenon still around today.

In the late sixties, the hippie fashion rose in popularity, with the widespread wear of bright colors, bandanas, floral print, and headbands. The seventies carried on most of the fashion trends and body types of the sixties, in addition to natural faces, platform heels, and disco fashion. Cher was a disco enthusiast who displayed a lot of skin with mesh, mermaid dresses, feathers, and large earrings. Her style is highly apparent in high fashion events, like the MET Gala, Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and red carpet events.

1980s

Many trends of today were introduced in past decades, such as scrunchies from the ‘90s, or the body type of the ‘50s.

The ‘80s were a prominent era for fashion and still have a great impact on trends today. Many new designs spread, including the widely-loved leggings we wear today. Women complemented them with leg warmers, scrunchies, and off-the-shoulder sweatshirts. However, the key component of the ‘80s was the hair. Large, crimped hair was a necessity for women in this time. Models still known today, such as Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell, dominated the modeling industry and spread the idealistic tall and lean model body. Madonna popularized the fashion concept of “bigger is better,” with her large hair, colorful outfits, glam makeup, and shoulder pads. Many business women wore the broad-shouldered suit, empowering them in a male-dominated business industry.

Madonna’s messy, punk rock style popularized bustier tops, conical bras, black highlighted hair, layered necklaces, and so much more.

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Page 20

Arts and Entertainment Culture 1990s

Audrey Hepburn to Kim Kardashian: The Evolution of Women’s Fashion 2000s Today

The younger generation in the ‘90s mainly wore baggy flannels and floral prints, both found in abundance in vintage stores today.

Actresses Winona Ryder, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, and designer Marc Jacobs were a large influence on this carefree, grunge wave of girls. The glam fashion of the ‘90s featured minimalism, inspired by Jacobs and the movie “Clueless.” Classic silk slip dresses, soft makeup, and neutral colors dominated runways and streets alike. With the rise of hip-hop, singers like Aaliyah popularized denim and baggy clothing among African American women.

The early 2000s were an era of low-rise jeans, tight crop tops, tube tops, and yoga pants. Hair was pin straight and sometimes topped off with a headband, like Blair and Serena from the TV show “Gossip Girl.”

A major icon was singer Britney Spears, who spread all these trends with her relatable and affordable style.

“Sex and the City” had a large impact on middle-aged working women with its inspiring storyline of four single working women living in the city. The Spice Girls, each representing a different persona, peaked in the 2000s because girls could relate to at least one of the five styles. Leopard print and latex, among the other 2000s trends, were always worn by this girl group. The urge to dress over-the-top and to value designer brands were ideas started by this period.

Look around. Fashion remains an outlet for diversity and expression. Many trends today were introduced in past decades, such as scrunchies from the ‘90s or the hourglass figure of the ‘50s. Celebrities, such as the Kardashians and Jenners, play a large role in influencing fashion. Having almost all their outfits duplicated hours after they are released, Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian dominate the fashion industry today.

Body image is an issue a majority of women all around the world currently face. It’s inaccurate to think that fashion is only positive; not all girls can afford to keep up with the latest trends and not everyone loves their natural bodies. Our close-mindedness to different body types, skin colors, and heights, and the use of Photoshop has fostered a culture of women being stressed and insecure when they look in the mirror and don’t see the body or face posted by models on Instagram. However, many magazine companies today, such as “Sports Illustrated” and “Cosmopolitan,” display women of all shapes and ethnicities. From Marilyn Monroe to Ashley Graham, fashion has been used as a way for women to embrace their body and defy the boundaries that society has placed on them.

While writing this article, I learned that fashion is not about the way you dress and that fashion icons are not the women with money and fame. Fashion is about carrying yourself with confidence and projecting that onto others. The icons are those who inspire us to embrace the person we see in the mirror. Nobody can be Madonna, but anybody can generate the impact Madonna had on women.

Sammi Chen/ The Spectator

Ever since the late 2000s, these sisters have dominated the fashion industry, having almost all their outfits duplicated hours after one of them is pictured.

An Ode To St. Marks Place

Culture

By Laura Ilioaei Downtown Manhattan.

Critics who defend its uptown counterpart may call it downright filthy in terms of both appearance and atmosphere, especially when they try to strike juxtapositions between the two halves in favor of their defense.

“Are you really going to try to compare Canal Street fashion with any of what you’ll see in the Upper East Side?” Oh, quit that condescending attitude. I’m not “going to try”—I WILL gladly strike such comparisons. Blame it on the fact that my high school is in the “Triangle Below Canal Street,” because I adore downtown, and not just TriBeCa. As a matter of fact, my favorite street in all of the five boroughs is nestled just a brief train ride away from Stuyvesant.

St. Marks Place is a street smacked right in the East Village. You can’t miss it because of its distinctive bohemian flair.

Perhaps one of the first things you’ll notice are the open-air markets selling quirky sunglasses, caps, and possibly even drug-related paraphernalia tailored to tourists who find them-

selves hopelessly wandering in the area. These street vendors are here year-round, rain or shine, tempest or tranquility. In the evenings, they shine with an enticing ambiance, illuminating the entire street with a glow that provokes a tide of emotions that both soothe and excite the spirit. A more conservative person may find St. Marks wacky

artsy eccentricity about it. Personally, I believe it’s the unusual contrasting elements thriving together that give the street its unconventional charm. Take Search and Destroy, a store specializing in selling punk clothing and items that could serve as gag gifts. Overpriced sukajan jackets and plastic doll heads stacked on one another

If you were to personify this place, it’d be no saintly figure, but boy would it have the guts and grit of Joan d’Arc.

in the daytime, but they’d find its summer nightlife thrilling and mysterious, never knowing what awaits them as they take their next step down the block.

The sellers, or even the mysterious neighboring tattoo parlors, are not the primary reason that St. Marks Place has an

are sights not uncommon here.

The interior is bathed in pale fluorescent light as the eyes are overstimulated by what could easily be mistaken for a century’s worth of things stuffed in an attic. From the outside, passersby will usually find vintage dolls in bright colors under the

store’s black-and-white logo.

The shop itself is situated above Kenka, an izakaya (a type of Japanese bar where drinks and tapas are the main focus) specializing in fare such as okonomiyaki (fried cabbage pancakes covered in a variety of sauces) and karaage (fried chicken). This place is dormant until it opens up at 6:00 p.m., its small space quickly filling up with consumers ravenous for bar banter and edibles.

Don’t tell your parents about this place, though. The graffitidecorated bathroom walls, with their occasional explicit piece of artwork and various advertisements, may be too loud for the faint of heart. Ordering takoyaki (squid balls) may be awkward to do in front of your mama when there’s a tastefullydone erotic artwork of a posed and poised young woman covered in tentacles neighboring your booth.

Historically, St. Marks Place has also been associated with alternative artists. Andy Warhol, an icon of modern American pop art, once had a nightclub known as The Electric Circus, an establishment that was THE place to dance the night away in the crazed era of the ‘60s.

Unfortunately, the nightclub closed down before the turn of the century after someone tried bombing it down. Today, a Chipotle rests in its place, leaving its existence in the memories of those who had lived to experience it. It’s tragic that a mainstream chain fast food establishment replaced something one-of-a-kind, but perhaps this was the only way St. Marks Place could keep something so iconic a secret of the past to present passersby.

Unorthodox compared to anything else you’ll find in the city, St. Marks Place yields to no conventional rule. It’s random, it’s colourful, and it’s full of vivacity and sensory overload.

If you were to personify this place, it’d be no saintly figure, but boy would it have the guts and grit of Joan d’Arc. It might have some dirt on its pavements from untold happenings of the past and unmentioned consequences of one bar-hop too many, but its refreshing charm prevents it from ever being considered squalid and tainted by reality. Whether you have a remotely rebellious bone in your body or not, this brief street is worth a solo stroll, as it embodies originality.

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Page 18

Arts and Entertainment Get A Life: The Cultured Edition

By The Arts and Entertainment Department

February ONGOING

26 CONVENTION Astronomy Live: Exoplanets and Search for Water in the Universe Museum of Natural History $12-$15

Until 3/3 FILM FESTIVAL Athena Film Festival Barnard College Free

28 PERFORMANCE ART Ecstatic Music Festival: Irreversible Entanglements, Amina Claudine Myers & Nicole Mitchell Merkin Concert Hall $20

Until 3/5 PLAY The Cake City Center Stage I $89 Until 3/10 ART SHOW The Armory Show Pier 92 and 94 $33 with student ID

march 1

Until 3/17 ART SHOW Sterling Ruby: Ceramics Museum of Art and Design Free

MOVIE SCREENING March Pizza and Movie Night 53rd Street Library Free

Until 4/6 EXHIBITION Crusader: Martin Luther King Jr. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Free Until 4/28 EXHIBITION Orchid Show New York Botanical Garden $7 Until 4/29 ART SHOW Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future Guggenheim Museum $18

2 CONCERT Travis Scott Concert Barclays Center $90.95-$210.95

5 BOOK RELEASE You Asked for Perfect Laura Silverman Barnes & Noble and other major bookstores Paperback $9.60

BOOK RELEASE Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera Barnes & Noble and other major bookstores Hard Cover $15.49

Until 5/12 ART SHOW Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving Brooklyn Museum Until 5/12 $12 Until 6/2 EXHIBITION Siah Armajani: Follow This Line Met Breuer $12 with student ID

5

6 CONCERT J.I.D Catch Me If You Can Toad’s Place New Haven $25-$99

6 CONVENTION SciCafe: The Raw Truth About Cooking Museum of Natural History Free with RSVP

8 CONVENTION Cold Hart, Pictureplane, and Lil Zubin Market Hotel in Brooklyn $15

8 CONCERT Elton John Concert Barclays Center $181-$249

Page 21

The Spectator ● January 29, 2019

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

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Page 22

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Humor How to Write a Humor Article

By ANGÉLIQUE CHARLESDAVIS I have recently come to the realization that very little of the work I produce is funny. This is based on the fact that when I showed an article to my dad, he opened it up, read it, and then patted me on the back and said, “Hang in there, sport.” This discovery is particularly sad because I have been writing for the humor department since I was a freshman, which means that for the last two years the 4.6 people who read The Spectator have been reading my articles, then breathing out once through their noses, then toward the end slightly longer through their noses, and that would be the most amount of laughter that

would happen. In light of this discovery, I have decided to plot out my writing process in order to better understand why I suck.

1. I begin several minutes before the deadline. This isn’t always my fault since there have been times when on Thursday, at 3:00 a.m., I was sent a doc from the editor with a message saying “due Thursday!” complete with a damn smiley face, and the editor and I were both just supposed to laugh and pretend that Thursday wasn’t already happening.

2. I start writing, which always consists of me wondering what on earth I was talking about when I first suggested the idea. A part of me

wishes I would just stop volunteering ideas, or that my laptop and I would just sink into the ocean.

3. Eventually I manage to squeeze out a few things that I find humorous until I’ve written a solid paragraph. Heroin and finishing a humor article produce quite similar feelings, I’ve noticed.

4. I submit a mediocre first draft in the hopes that it will age like fine wine and become exponentially funnier the less I look at it. As we have mentioned already, this never works, and instead, the articles rot until they die.

5. After receiving some comments from the editor, most of which simply read “make fun-

nier,” “???” and “let’s not make fun of homeless people plz,” I begin the editing process. This consists of me rearranging some sentences, deleting my offensive jokes while a tear slides down my face, and sitting with my head facing the sun so I might be able to absorb some of her wisdom because God is a woman, you know.

6. Eventually, the article ends up in The Spectator. It’s always shorter than the other ones and you can kind of tell just by looking at it that it’s not funny. I read it and realize that several changes have been made by a nameless face that made it slightly funnier. I show it to my friends who breathe heavily through their noses and say, “That’s funny,” in the dead-

ened voice of someone who hasn’t laughed since 2006, while indicating with every single other part of their body that it wasn’t funny.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where along the way the article stops being funny, but I have an idea it might be when I start testing out whether a funky rhyme scheme might work, or how I can make a joke out of all those kids being detained at the border. Or maybe the whole thing stops being funny at the very beginning, like when I first think of the article idea. But either way, that’s my entire process of writing a humor article, and it repeats cyclically until all of us graduate, or die—whichever comes first. Humor recruitment apps coming soon.

Slothful Students

By JONATHAN XU Are you a scholar who wants to get to class six minutes early all the time? Do you just wanna pop into the bathroom to take a hit of your JUUL? If you answered either yes or no to these questions, drop what you’re doing and listen to me rant! Every day as I try desperately to get from my first-floor Swim Gym class to my ninth-floor chemistry class in a timely manner, I am bound to run into a giant mass of Stuy students, moving slowly downwards and even more

slowly upwards. “Get a move on!”

I always want to shout. “I’ve got classes to fail and teachers to disappoint!” (Plz don’t show this to the loml Papa G).

When Peter Stuyvesant rises from the grave every October to personally select the city’s finest to go to his school, as he has done since the school’s founding, why on earth does he choose such degenerates? They’re certainly not beasts of burden, at least everyone but the freshmen. They’ve got every reason to be slow, since they all have backpacks big enough to

hide themselves in when freshman hunters are on the prowl.

Once, I confronted my friend about why he walks so slowly.

“We’re all going to die sooner or later. Don’t you wanna get the hell to wherever you’re going before that happens?” I asked him.

“I’m dead already,” he tersely replied.

I’m dead already.

Oh c’mon! I have no social life, and you tell me that you’re dead?

I run from class to class so that I can use the rest of the passing time to make flashcards. I shovel

lunch into my pie hole and news about Mueller into my eye holes simultaneously. I listen to college lectures while running around with my freshman-sized backpack.

I’m so dead I dressed up as myself for Halloween. For some reason, a bunch of students accused me of stealing their costume idea.

The worst is when people make out in the hallways. Invariably, someone (usually Moran) tries to pickpocket the lovers in search of JUUL pods, phones, and ID cards. Once, someone wore so much cologne to impress his

girlfriend that the bridge was shut down for weeks. Another time, the smell of perfume was so strong and foul that I dove into a fullyloaded trash can to escape it.

Who knows what makes all Stuy students so slow? Maybe it’s the backpacks, maybe it’s the lack of sleep, or maybe there’s just something within every Stuy student that tells us to take our sweet time. Either way, I guess my advice is this: just fake an elevator pass.

Anything is better than dealing with the sloths in the stairwells.

The Spec Roasts: Staten Island

By YARU LUO and OMAR ALI In light of the Staten Island posts in the Dear Incoming Class of 2022 Facebook group, we believe it’s important for everyone to finally give Staten Island the rumination it deserves. Michelle Chen, this one’s for you: First, let’s get this straight.

What is Staten Island? Upon extensive research, we’ve found that Staten Island is actually not a type of fancy cheese or a dog breed, but the four other boroughs’ weird uncle from whom your parents tell you to stay away.

Staten Island has three things: fast food places for people to get fat, gyms for people to burn

off the fat (used only during the first week of the year), and spray tanning salons for people to do their weekly Trump tribute.

It was originally the world’s largest landfill until the Democrats of NYC decided they also needed a place to dump all the Italians, druggies, and racists in a great cultural melting pot. Well, I guess nothing much has changed.

Not only were Staten Islanders left out of civilized society, but they were also left out of the specialized high school craze until they copied Brooklyn Tech’s homework and changed a couple of things to avoid making it obvious.

The annual NYC marathon is literally people running away from Staten Island.

Staten Island is like the one friend who stops to tie his shoes and gets left behind.

There’s a street on the island named Weed Avenue. We’ll let you guess what goes on there.

As Staten Island’s most (and probably only) famous native, Pete Davidson has said on SNL: “When Hurricane Sandy hit Staten Island, I wish it finished the job.”

“If Staten Island is so desirable, why is it free to get there?”

The College of Staten Island has a 100 percent acceptance rate.

The railway station I live near is called Great Kills, and the other areas are called Fresh Kills and Arthur Kill. They’re the safest parts of SI, so you can guess what

goes on in the other areas.

Staten Island has such a low IQ that every. Single. Street.

Restaurant. Whatever. Is called Richmond Valley or Richmond Parkway or Richmond Avenue or Richmond Hill Road because they can’t think of anything else.

Staten Islanders go to the mall more times in one week than they think to wake up early enough to get to work without complaining about traffic.

The more northward you go, the more enlightened the population becomes as you get closer to civilization.

The express bus out of there is $6.75. Inference: the worse the place is, the more it costs to escape.

It is estimated that at some point, the deer will take over Staten Island (which would probably make for a more educated voting bloc).

The only things that ever originated in Staten Island were the kidnapping clowns.

The North Shore is made up entirely of those scary orange gangsters who are so high all the time that if they ever found one of those infamous clowns or deer, they would try to high five it. The South Shore is made up entirely of white Trump supporters who think that 9 + 10 is 21.

This report was brought to you by native Staten Islanders.

The Humor Dpt.’s Opinions on the Super Bowl

By HELENA WILLIAMS To be honest, the Super Bowl was a bit of a letdown this year. From the low, loooow scores to my complete inability to understand football, this event’s only high point was the incredibly expensive (and weird) ads. After all, who cares about men with shoulder pads the size of dinner plates ramming into one another and getting brain damage when you could be watching a minute of people walking through CGI backgrounds with a giant barrel of corn syrup? Or Hyundai simultaneously insulting jury duty, car dealerships, and colonoscopies?

Yet none of this was as disappointing as the disgrace that was called the halftime show.

No one wanted to listen to Travis Scott’s discordant rambling about being “sicko”; instead, everyone wanted to hear a certain sponge sing about winning. A true insult to the 1.2 million people

who signed that change. org petition. And a shame.

An absolute, bloody shame.

Even so, as the Super Bowl continued, I was unable to stop watching.

The sun was down, it was freezing cold, and that was how I already knew winter was here. I was a bit sick, so I was sipping my Jamba Juice as I sang my favorite song:

kill

The winner takes all It’s the thrill of one more

The last one to fall Will never sacrifice their will Don’t ever look back On the wind closing in The only attack Were their wings on the wind Oh the daydream begins And it’s sweet, sweet, sweet victory, yeah!

And it’s ours for the taking It’s ours for the fight In the sweet, sweet, sweet victory, yeah!

And the world is last to fall

By ERICA SUGIMURA The annual Super Bowl took place on February 3, 2019. It was probably the wackest game of all time, but we’ll cover that in another article. This article will be all about the halftime show and its… quirky events.

The halftime show is always a fire topic that gets everyone hyped, sometimes even more so than the actual game. Then, after the whopping 10 minutes are over, everyone goes on Twitter to talk about it. And boy did they have a lot to say about this year’s exceptionally terrible event. Even renowned musical artist Demi Lovato came on Twitter and tweeted, “So far 21 Savage memes have been my favorite part of the Super Bowl.” Though lowkey true, she should not be coming for 21 Savage like that because her twin sister, Poot, looks like one of his sperm cells. 21 Savage’s non gang-affiliated fan base came after Lovato and put her in her place.

To start the show off, Adam Levine started singing his songs. Then, a short clip of Spongebob’s “Sweet Victory” came on, which was supposed to be a special tribute to Stephen Hillenburg, but that was a disappointment because there was no tribute at all. They could’ve let Squidward have a feature and play it on his clarinet.

After the nonexistent tribute, the animation transitioned to flames shooting down from the sky to La Flame’s performance. Many people were excited for Travis Scott to perform, but he also dis-

appointed the majority of his fans with his lackluster showing. There was no autotune, which would’ve made his singing 10 times better. He sang “Sicko Mode,” which everyone was already tired of hearing. Also, he literally dipped into the audience after 10 seconds of rapping. Even Lebron James tweeted out his disappointment, “Soooooooo...This halftime show though. That’s all for Travis or nah?!?!?!”

Lebron, that’s what we were all thinking.

After Scott was finished, Levine performed another song and Big Boi pulled up fashionably in a big mink coat. Vegans were shooook. However, the biggest horror of the show was yet to come. Levine took off his jacket to reveal a weird-looking skin-tight tank top! Twitter was quick to mock him and compared his top’s design to furniture, such as a curtain print that had the same design as the shirt. The disrobing had only just begun, however, as Levine continued to strip off his clothes throughout the performance.

It did come as a sad, sad surprise when in the middle of a song he took off his last piece of clothing and threw it into the audience. People were not expecting that— and people did not want to expect it, but Twitter enjoyed making fun of it. His California tattoo was mocked and compared to pictures of men with beer bellies and their city’s name tattooed across it. It looked as if he went into a tattoo parlor one night and asked the artist to tattoo something that represented his state and the barber replied solely with, “Gotchu

fam,” and gave him a ratched, Hot Topiclooking “California” tattoo. His tattoocovered body was compared frequently to a Chipotle bag. However, that is an insult to the bag, as the bag would have been a better performer than him. More memes kept rolling.

Generally, the performance was a joke. Even celebrities thought the show was horrible. Sandra Bernhard tweeted, “Wardrobe malfunction in the midst of the worst halftime show during the lousiest #StuporBowl in history,” and Rainn Wilson from “The Office” tweeted, “Maroon 5 hours.” Not only was the halftime show a mess, but also the whole Super Bowl, and God knows the people in charge could have done a better job in picking the performers.

From Beyoncé to Lady Gaga and now to Maroon 5, who knows what we can expect for next year. To be honest, Swae Lee can come perform his one line of “Ss-someone said” from “Sicko Mode” and it will be better than whatever trash mode Travis performed this year. Shia Labeouf can repeat “JUST DOOO IT” multiple times and make a sick beat out of it. Also, Stormi Webster’s first birthday party was even more lit than the halftime show. How sad is that? We owe this to Left Shark and Right Shark who performed the hottest song, “Baby Shark.” If we have these two sharks perform at 2020’s halftime show, it will be ova doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doodoo for everyone.

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Page 23

Humor Some Conspiracies ‘Bout That Cold Man De Blasio

By AARON WANG and KELLY YIP Many Stuyvesant students have noticed in the past month that it’s not just their grades that are subzero anymore. While the weather has been abnormally cold, a result of the recent recordbreaking polar vortex that has consumed New York, it’s not the temperature that’s gotten on the nerves of the student body; rather, it’s Mayor de Blasio’s approach to the polar vortex that’s the problem. New York City public schools remained open during the entirety of the frigid temperatures and snowstorms that ensued during the polar vortex. Now, why would de Blasio have chosen for schools to keep running during such brutal weather? Wait, tut-tut-tut, don’t bother answering because your answer is inaccurate already.

Instead, feel privileged to know that The Spectator has generously decided to reveal to you some of its most accurate and plausible theories to address the real intent behind de Blasio’s decision to keep schools open.

DISCLAIMER: Now, you might be wondering why there need be such theories behind such a seemingly simple decision. That’s where you’re mistaken, you filthy casual and incompetent excuse of a Stuy student. Have you learned nothing about higher-order thinking questions from any of your English classes? But do not fear; as a courtesy of the most superior organization of journalism, The Spectator, the thinking has already been done for you.

Theory #1: The AirPods Theory De Blasio has described his mission as “to connect with the dope, lit, and hip teens of New York City.” However, at the decrepit and outdated age of 57, it’s clear that he won’t be appealing to any teen (or even child) without appalling them and frightening them away. This has even occurred with his own son, a Brooklyn Tech graduate, who deemed him “uncool.” His son went on the record and stated that the only reason he went to college was to disassociate himself from his father.

Determined to fulfill his promised mission for himself, de Blasio has gone to great lengths to raise his coolness level. Several months ago, he was spotted aggressively sulking (with both of his hands in his pockets) toward a trio of fresh individuals engaging in “Tik Tok” activity. When he came within several feet of the teenagers, he removed his hands from his pockets and proceeded to move his arms into a “dab” position in front of the poor victims. As he was bringing his forehead into his elbow, he overheard an iconic song from one of the their phones. “Excuse me, but what’s a Tracer?” de Blasio exclaimed aloud in genuine interest.

However, he did not realize what he had done, as, in his distracted state, he had forgotten to keep his other arm straight at a 45 degree angle and did not fully touch his forehead with his elbow. Despite realizing this unforgivable offense, and before he could apologize, it was already too late.

Immediately, one of the radicals in a knock-off oversized Gucci X Supreme X Yeezy sweater screamed an agonizing shriek, dropping her phone onto the pavement of the sidewalk. Another radical took out a can of pepper spray and sprayed de Blasio without hesitation. As de Blasio screamed in agony and crouched onto the floor, the third individual dabbed on the hater (de Blasio),

and then the three teens sprang into a synchronized Fortnite default dance, surrounding the defenseless old man. Confused, in utter pain, and very intimidated by their fresh moves, de Blasio fled the scene in defeat, losing all 69 remaining respect points he had left and being left with -69 coolness points.

In the few weeks leading up to the arrival of the polar vortex, de Blasio proceeded to put his new plan into effect. It seemed that he had decided that if he couldn’t change himself physically, he would do so with the help of material assistance. As a final resort out of desperation, de Blasio hesitantly adopted a new modern technology in hopes of assimilating to this “hip” culture: the AirPods. Upon wearing them, de Blasio was immediately blessed with an aura of radness, and a quite fab-looking “waves” hairstyle appeared across his gray, receding hairline. As he strolled through the streets with the AirPods in his ears, he unintentionally flexed on the impoverished plebs and was unable to hear the disapproving remarks of parents who were too poor to afford their own luxurious AirPods for their children. The fresh and hip teens he approached collapsed to the ground in disgust and screamed in horror, but alas, de Blasio could not hear them because he was wearing AirPods. He did not see them either, due to the distraction caused by the sick beats he was listening to, “Flavortown.”

De Blasio took the lack of negativity he was hearing to be a sign of acceptance and thus decided to continue wearing his AirPods for the rest of his life to preserve his dope new status.

It is because of this very crucial piece of theory that The Spectator speculates de Blasio kept schools open because he simply could not hear the weather forecast over whether or not a girl’s assumption

ing heavily with his hands on his knees and with a red-cheeked face.

It was also stated that he regularly breathes in through his nose and exhales out through his mouth.

With further research, we learned that due to the restricted nasal canal, an exhale from the mouth releases more carbon dioxide than one from the nostrils. It was also observed that he showed immediate signs of withdrawal after he stopped breathing; he immediately exhibited dizziness, disorientation, fainting, a decreased blood pH, signs of anaerobic respiration, and cognitive delays in his activities. Additionally, during an interview, de Blasio also stated that he had a cold and was severely congested for awhile, requiring him to mouth-breathe (but that’s what they all say), and therefore his statement can be inferred as a cover-up. From this evidence, we can conclude that de Blasio has an addiction to breathing, specifically mouth breathing, and that he is the cause of the polar vortex.

He decided to keep schools open due to his own insecurities and his self-denial of being addicted. Why he intentionally chooses to release excess carbon dioxide is a mystery, but it can be concluded that we cannot trust a mouth breather and that he needs special assistance to resolve his strange fetish.

This raises a greater problem.

Who else has this addiction? Can we trust anyone in our government? Can we trust our teachers?

Or even our friends? De Blasio has been breathing since he was born in 1961, starting his addiction from a very young age, and has been hiding his addiction for 57 years already. So, it is very possible that your closest friends may be hiding a similar addiction as well. If you have identified a classmate or friend with this addiction using the same rationale as above, refer them to the school guidance office so they can talk out their

had when his parents said eating snow cones would give him diabetes. However, his experiment went very differently from what he expected and the air conditioner went haywire. It was stuck on the highest setting of “cold.”

His knowledge of engineering was too limited to fix his horrible dilemma, and he was too ashamed to consult the professionals, so he modified other air conditioners in the area to spew out frosty weather. Upon various complaints about the sudden cold weather, de Blasio denies this rumor and has seemingly ordered the deletion of the sketchy security footage of himself suspiciously crying on a rooftop (which was recovered courtesy of participants in StuyHacks). We cannot assume this is because he doesn’t know how air conditioners work, but due to the rumor’s existence (which obviously is sufficient evidence), we created this very possible conclusion.

Theory #3: The Polar Vortex was a Hoax It is quite possible that the polar vortex simply did not exist at all. A very valid theory claims that the polar vortex was merely a hoax perpetrated by Mayor de Blasio to cover up his one too many mistakes. The incident happened several days before the arrival of the polar vortex. De Blasio was sitting on a bench in Battery Park and, with thermal vision goggles, our spies reported quite a revolutionary discovery. They observed a warm cloud of noxious gas emitted from his rear end. Yes, a very disturbing discovery, we agree.

Though most will not believe it, evidence suggests that our mayor, Mayor de Blasio, farted…and he who dealt it must have smelt it.

You see, de Blasio must’ve realized his flatulence as he was observed shifting uncomfortably on the bench and be-

...feel privileged to know that the Spectator has generously decided to reveal to you some of its most plausible theories to address the real intent behind de Blasio’s decision to keep schools open. that your boyfriend “doesn’t kiss ya” was a “hit or miss.” One would assume that de Blasio would’ve felt the unusual coldness. On the contrary, de Blasio couldn’t hear his teeth chattering nor could he feel the cold because he had AirPods on, as well as a rad new hairstyle to deflect the cold winds away.

What a truly “sick dude” that man de Blasio is.

Theory #2.1: De Blasio Created the Polar Vortex Due to a recent study, it has been discovered that the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air cools the polar stratosphere and makes a major dip in our jet stream, which can strengthen the fury of the polar vortex. Upon researching de Blasio’s decision to let young, fragile beings like you go to school in the freezing temperatures, The Spectator has discovered a more problematic predicament. For the sake of being thorough, we have sent spies to his seemingly normal home (Gracie Mansion) in Manhattan.

Upon reaching his home, he was seen taking two stair steps down from his porch and then breath-

insecurities and problems. Do not be afraid to expose them like the good friend you are. You may also report them to The Spectator to help with our current study, “The Culture of Repulsive Mouth Breathers at Stuyvesant.” Remember that you are doing them and the rest of the world a great favor and that they will have a better life after proper rehabilitation. If your suffering companions do not go to Stuyvesant, do not fret! Simply ask them to have a heart-to-heart discussion with the security guards, who will surely take pity and let them in. If their addiction persists despite their talk with their guidance counselor, consider calling your local addiction hotline.

Mouth breathing is not a joke to be taken lightly.

Theory Created

#2.2: De the Polar

Blasio Vortex

We have also formulated another plausible theory for how de Blasio caused the polar vortex. It has been rumored that de Blasio was on the roof of a building tampering with an air conditioner to make snow cones to satisfy those unsatisfied childhood cravings he

ing quite paranoid as he glanced around. De Blasio knew he had to act fast before it diffused through the air of New York City. Immediately, he requested his private jet, bought with the funds that would’ve otherwise gone to educational programs and paid off his debt, and was off to the New York City Council. There, de Blasio bribed the Council with money embezzled from schools across New York to pass a bill requiring for all air conditioners to be secretly turned on by hired agents and for new external air conditioners to be installed across the city.

He believed that by introducing such a disturbance in air movement, it would push his flatulence to a much more ideal location: New Jersey (the dumpster of New York!). He believed that the smelly change of ambience would make headlines and give New Jersey some much needed attention.

Within a few hours, New York City’s air conditioners had all been turned on. After a few days, the city was covered in thousands of new air conditioners, most of which were camouflaged so that they could not be identified easily.

The abundance of simultaneously

functioning air conditioners was strong enough to repel the fumes of de Blasio’s noxious toot out of New York before anyone’s lungs could be fatally damaged due to severe burning and inflammation (some of our spies were not lucky enough to have escaped unharmed, but they signed a waiver and they also got to use those cool thermal vision goggles!). However, it had also created a very cold environment leading many New Yorkers to believe in the red herring.

Paired with the placebo effect of a “polar vortex” being mentioned on the news, it’s easy to see why many would so unknowingly fall for such a ruse. Without an actual polar vortex, and to prevent suspicion of there ever being a situation, de Blasio decided that there was no need to close down schools.

Theory #4 (our most impressive and sound theory): De Blasio = Polar Vortex With a team of very talented analysts and linguists, we were able to formulate another plausible theory. For instance, de Blasio has described the economic inequality of New York City as the “Tale of Two Cities,” a novel written in 1859. The digits of 1859 add up to 23, a prime number. PRIME is a molecular biology tool used for research. Biology is a natural science. “Natural” is synonymous with “nature.” The letters for the word “tan” are found in the word “nature.” Skin tans occur in response to exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and the common nickname for this term is “UV rays.”

This term has two vowels and four consonants. What else has exactly two vowels and four consonants?

The word “vortex.” Coincidence?

We think not. But how can we be so sure that this is specifically a polar vortex?

With further research, we found that de Blasio is a self-proclaimed populist. Populism was prevalent in New Zealand (with the 31st prime minister). New Zealand is located in the Pacific Ocean, one of the major oceans of the world. The word “Pacific” also has two Cs, and not all names of oceans have two Cs. What other major ocean has two Cs? The Arctic Ocean, which is located in the Arctic region. Polar bears live in the Arctic region. The name of this majestic organism has the word “polar” weaved into it. This correlation is definitely not just one wacky coincidence. With two wacky conclusions, we can wack off the wacky (two negatives make a positive) and conclude that de Blasio IS the polar vortex. He has manifested himself to be one with the vortex. He has become the vortex. And he possibly wishes to consume us all with his wrath.

De Blasio’s decision to keep New York City public schools open during such frigid circumstances may seem to have been merely due to him being a cruel, heartless monster. However, with higher-order thinking, some spare time, and some extensive research, it seems that there may have been more underlying factors to this decision than what meets the eye. If you believe that you have any worthy theories, we encourage you to submit them but it will be up to us to decide whether or not you’ve wasted our precious time (as we definitely haven’t with yours).

This controversial verdict by de Blasio has sparked some definitely plausible theories, but the question remains: which one of these theories is the real reason behind his choice? Actually, don’t bother answering that. Leave the conspiring to the professionals.

Page 24

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Sports Girls’ Track

Greyducks Fly High at Borough Championships

By Bernard Wang and Shivali Korgaonkar

As the girls thundered down the track during the third leg of the 4 x 800-meter relay, junior Ester Suleymanov was the first to hand the baton off to her teammate. Senior Clara Mohri grabbed it and sprinted off with a five-second head start on the rest of the competition, looking to widen the gap and put the race away for good. But Hunter College High School’s relay team had other ideas. Their last runner, who started 50 meters behind Mohri, hit the jets and quickly caught up. With only 400 meters to go, she eventually took a 30-meter lead on Mohri.

As her vision began to blur, all Mohri could see was the Hunter athlete in first place. The race seemed over. Hunter’s team was starting their final lap, and Mohri was trailing by a considerable distance. However, if anyone could turn things around, it would be Mohri, the Greyducks’ fastest long-distance runner.

Knowing that the race was on the line, she dug deep into her reserves and shifted into high gear. The crowd cheered in excitement as Mohri began to inch closer to the runner in first place.

In the final 100-meter stretch, Mohri ran neck and neck with her opponent. With one last burst of speed, she finally took back first place, crossing the finish line barely three seconds ahead of Hunter. Her thrilling comeback gave the Greyducks a well earned victory, along with a time of 10:32.41, a season best.

This put the exclamation mark on an already successful Borough Championship meet.

This 4x800-meter relay is a fitting metaphor for the Greyducks’ entire season. After fighting through a season of unfamiliar challenges, Stuyvesant’s girls’ indoor track team ended the season on a strong note by taking home first place at the Manhattan Borough Championships. They kept their incredible streak of winning at the Borough Championshipsalive for the 16th straight season. The Greyducks displayed great perseverance throughout

the last few months, and they saw themselves back at the top of the leaderboard as a result of their efforts. Though there’s always room for improvement throughout the whole of the season, the athletes’ training and experience culminated in a well earned title.

Leading up to the Manhattan Borough Championships, the Stuyvesant Greyducks knew that they had to step up their game.

Since the beginning of the season, the runners were well beyond their personal records, and they worked especially hard to return to their previous levels of success. With only one runner placing in the top 15 in any event at the Stanner Games on January 12, the Greyducks were uncharacteristically absent from the leaderboard. However, rather than because of bad performances on the Greyducks’ part, this was mostly because of the exceptionally high level of competition found at the meet. In fact, many Greyducks achieved their fastest times of the season at the Stanner Games. This included the sprint medley relay team for sophomores. They finished in ninth place with a time of 4:53.69. Though the final placements at the Stanner Games were not outstanding, the Greyducks felt optimistic about many of their athletes gaining experience and improving their times.

Building off of this positive momentum, the Greyducks continued to improve in the following week. Sophomore Jessica Kwok placed 10th in the 1000meter race at the New Balance Games with a time of 3:24.40.

The most impressive run of the meet was when sophomore Julianna Yotv placed sixth at the two-mile event for a time of 12:12.81. The underclassmen put together a series of strong performances, gaining valuable experience with the Borough Championships around the corner. Not only were they working on personal growth, but by this point, they also plan on achieving their annual goal of winning Borough’s. With only one more meet left until the Borough Championships, the

Greyducks would have to work hard to fight for first place.

Being the Greyducks’ last chance to practice before the championships, the Martin Luther King Games brought the best out of the upperclassmen. Once again, Mohri put in an outstanding performance during the 1500-meter race. As she sped past her competitors and ran through the finish line, she secured fourth place with a time of 5:14.33. Suleymanov followed Mohri, and 12 seconds later, she passed the finish line and got ninth place. This 12-second gap between fourth and ninth place highlighted the competitiveness of the races that the Greyducks competed in.

The Greyducks went into the Armory on Sunday, February 3 for what would be the last time for most of the athletes on the team this season. The Manhattan Borough Championship meet had finally come; their hard work and dedication would be put to the ultimate test.

Straight off the bat (or starting block in this case), the Greyducks put up strong. The first event, or the 1500-meter racewalk, saw junior Angela Zhong, senior and captain Jeanette Cheung, senior Bernice Chen, and junior Sherry Chen take first, second, third, and fourth places, respectively. Not only did the Greyducks sweep the podium, but three of the four athletes also managed to set their best records in the race this season.

Zhong, who added to her already large collection of gold medals, was extremely confident leading up to the meet.

When asked to comment on her first place finish, Zhong said, “I’m not surprised. I qualified for cities beforehand and knew what my time was around.” The events at the Borough Championships were a prime opportunity for the Greyducks to continue their total dominance in the racewalk, and the girls capitalized on the moment.

Continuing throughout the meet, more and more Greyducks were finishing at the top, and the victory was well within reach for these girls. Ju-

nior Angelique Charles-Davis took home the silver medal in the 55-meter dash. She ran her fastest time yet this season at a blazing fast 7.54 seconds. “It was a really close race, and I’m happy with my time and placement,” said Charles-Davis, who has consistently been one of the top runners in the 55-meter dash. Underclassmen Kwok, Leah D’Silva, and Susan Zheng all placed within the top five in the 1000-meter run. Continuing the list, Mohri and Yotov placed first and second in the 1500-meter run, beating their numerous opponents and own records for the season.

But the wins didn’t stop there. The highly anticipated relays were approaching, and though the individual events had gone almost perfectly so far, nothing beats the feeling of winning a relay race with your teammates for the last time.

As the blow signaled the start of the 4 x 800-meter relay, the line of girls sprinted off with batons in their hand, getting ready to hand them off to their teammates after four laps around the track. As the Greyducks approached their last leg, Suleymanov reached forward to slap the baton into Mohri’s hand. The pressure was on. The whole team watched as their strongest runner pushed through the last meters to secure first place. Mohri and the Greyducks completed an unbelievable comeback, capping off an unbelievable day for the team.

After the dust settled, the Stuyvesant Greyducks comfortably took home the championship title for what seemed like the 100th time in a row. The seniors on the team now have four indoor track titles throughout their four years at Stuyvesant. But this season’s victory was special. The road to the championship was marred by individual obstacles and team difficulties, which made the final win even more rewarding. The girls all stepped up a level for the meet, with nearly half of the entire team achieving seasonal records in the races that mattered the most to

them. Each runner on this team played a crucial role in winning the championship.

After finishing the Borough Championship meet, the Greyducks sent some of their athletes to compete at the City Championship meet on Saturday, February 16. 10 Greyducks qualified for the meet, which is a fantastic achievement in and of itself. “Everyone is super fast at cities,” said Zhong, acknowledging the high level of competition at the city’s most challenging meet. In the weeks before the meet, the girls returned to train at the newly reopened McCarren Park, and they rested up in the days leading up to the meet.

The Greyducks fought hard at the City Championships, but the level of skill shown by the best of the best in the city was just too overwhelming for the girls to handle. Zhong provided the only podium finish for the Greyducks. She finished third in the 1500-meter racewalk with a time of 8:04.88—only one second behind the athlete in second place. Mohri placed sixth in the 1500-meter run (5:05.74).

The two girls achieved their best times for the season in these two races. The 4 x 200-meter relay (1:53.12) and 4 x 800-meter relay (10:24.40) also achieved the best times of the season. Collectively, the Greyducks finished 19th out of 28 total teams competing in the city.

Regardless of the results at the City Championship meet, the Greyducks are extremely proud of how the season ended.

After facing a multitude of challenges throughout the beginning of the season, the athletes managed to regain their composure just as the Borough Championships rolled around. Now, the Greyducks are gearing up for the outdoor track season, ready to take home yet another championship in May. The indoor track season has finally come to a close. Compared to the last few years of indoor track, the final conclusion may be the same, but the journey was much more meaningful.

Scholastic Scholars

Progression/Regression by Daisy Shay

Besties not Beasties by Avni Garg

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Page 25

Sports Girls’ Basketball

The Phoenix Fall Short of Ultimate Goal

By Ethan Kirschner and Benjamin Hamel Trailing by six points with a minute and 30 seconds left in the game, the Phoenix, Stuyvesant’s girls’ varsity basketball team, were on the verge of a breakthrough bucket that would elevate them past Hillcrest High School and into the second round of the playoffs. Senior and captain Talia Kirschenbaum took the post feed and looked at the rim, envisioning the bucket that would send the stands going wild.

Momentum was growing. She looked at the basket and shot a contested layup that bounced harmlessly off the rim and sealed the team’s loss, season, and fate.

Hillcrest High School defeated Stuyvesant 41-36 in the first round of the PSAL Class A playoffs on Monday afternoon. Senior and captain Alexandra Archer led the way for Stuyvesant, having scored 10 points and finishing just one

she forced opposing players to dribble out of the paint when they saw that she was ready to block a shot. All in all, however, it was a quiet offensive night for the Phoenix. The team had just two players who scored more than five points and only one finish in double figures.

Their three-point shooting was off-color, and the shot clock seemed to be a factor in every possession. Despite their attacking woes, the Phoenix played solid defense throughout the game, holding Hillcrest to only 41 points. Ultimately, it was their lackluster offensive execution down the stretch that condemned them to their defeat.

After being asked about whether he would change the way he managed the last crucial minutes of the game, coach Vincent Miller remarked on the attitude of his players. “I thought they were a little nervous…I want them to shoot with confidence,” he said. As the time dwindled down, no

timid in their drives to the basket, and they executed sloppily.

Archer added on to her coach’s statements and said that “the players lacked intensity and

one took the initiative to make the big play that would complete the comeback. They were

around them in the coming years,” coach Miller said. Point guard Allison Chan averaged five points, 3.7 rebounds, and over five assists in her first year

Trailing by six points with a minute and 30 seconds left in the game, the Phoenix, Stuyvesant’s girls’ varsity basketball team, were on the verge of a breakthrough bucket that would elevate them past Hillcrest High School and into the second round of the playoffs.

could have played harder in order to overcome the halftime

She looked at the basket and shot a contested layup that bounced harmlessly off the rim and sealed the team’s loss, season, and fate.

rebound shy of a double-double. Her psychological impact cannot be underestimated, as

struggles against man- to-man defense. “We struggle to make ourselves available,” Archer said. Stuyvesant’s stagnant offense has been a staple of their

deficit.”

A common theme throughout the team’s losses is its

losses in recent weeks. Against Millenium—Stuyvesant’s last loss in league play—the Phoenix struggled to move without the ball, finding open looks from both outside and inside of the paint.

This loss marked the end of an era for the Phoenix. They will see four players graduate this spring. Archer and Kirshenbaum, the leading scorers for the Phoenix this year, are a tough loss for next year’s team.

In addition, seniors Britni Canale and Kaitlyn Duong will be missed, as they were solid contributors off the bench as well as huge morale boosters at games.

However, the future looks bright with two freshmen. “[I’m] looking to build

in a Phoenix uniform. Next year, she will look to become more of a scoring threat as opposed to her primary role as a facilitator this season. In addition, Paige Wolfing played significant minutes off the bench this year, averaging 4.3 points per game. She will only see her role expand in the coming years.

This loss marked the end of a successful 2019 campaign that saw Stuyvesant go 9-5 and finish second in the division.

The Phoenix will certainly be victims of lots of attrition, but the will also have many valuable young players to build around in the future. The Phoenix will rise from the ashes stronger than ever.

Boys’ Track

The Greyducks Emerge Victorious from Boroughs

By Paul Liou and Rohan Saha The Greyducks, Stuyvesant’s boys’ indoor track team, emerged victorious at the Borough Championships on February 2. This marked the 20th year of the Greyducks’ dominance in Manhattan competitions. This continued success made the Greyducks a household name in the New York City track scene. However, the team had to come together and steer their way through tremendous adversity to secure this title.

The Greyducks finished first place in five out of the 16 events held. This were the shot put, 300-meter dash, 55meter high hurdles, 4 x 200meter relay, and pole vault.

The Greyducks amassed 158 points (46 points higher than the next highest team), sending nine athletes to the City Championships. A major part of the team’s success was due to the performance of the upperclassmen. Senior Richard Peng capped off a great season

and career at Stuyvesant with a first place finish in the 55-meter high hurdles event. Senior Leo Xu also contributed with a first place finish in the shot put event. Junior Harper Andrews

relay finals. Senior Andrew Wargo dominated in the pole vault, finishing first as well.

This success did not come easily. Despite having a blistered foot after participating

in the high jump, an event that he had never had practice with before. Despite these setbacks, the Greyducks finished in the top five in 15 out of the 16 events. This narrative perfectly sums up the Greducks’ sea-

The upperclassmen have already established themselves as forces to be reckoned with in the city; the underclassmen now have the opportunity to do the same.

put on a show by finishing first in the 300-meter dash. He was also part of the team that finished first in the 4 x 200-meter

in the final rounds for the 55-meter high hurdles event, sophomore Dean Carey ran the 4 x 200-meter relay finals.

Junior Jackie Dong competed

son as a whole. “In the beginning, I would say that a lot of them were rather unmotivated.

Throughout the season, I saw them grow into a brotherhood

that really cared for and motivated each other to achieve the goals that they set for the season,” said captain Joseph Lee, who was asked about the Greyducks’ progression throughout the season.

The remainder of the indoor track season consists of two events: the PSAL City Championships and the PSAL Freshman-Sophomore City Championships. The upperclassmen have already established themselves as forces to be reckoned with in the city; the underclassmen now have the opportunity to do the same.

“I am proud of the growth of the freshmen and sophomores,” Lee said. “I noticed that when they broke their personal records, they tried harder in practice to break them again.

Seeing that the team is being dedicated to its success makes me relieved, as I am assured that the team will stay strong.”

The Greyducks hope that their hard work will pay dividends in the upcoming City Championships and seasons to come.

Page 26

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Sports Sports Editorial

The Superhuman vs. The Alien

By Subhan Chahal and Ahmed Hussein

The Superhuman Now the greatest person to ever grace the pitch, Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo has come a long way from the scrawny teenager who debuted for Manchester United 16 years ago. Recently completing a $117 million transfer to Juventus in the summer, the 34-yearold continues to show why age is just a number, breaking records week in and week out and climbing to the peak of the football pyramid.

Recording the fastest sprint in the World Cup at the age of 33 and becoming the top goalscorer among all active players, he has a legendary status because of his physical fitness and killer instinct for making goals. Even his eternal foe, the Argentine Lionel Messi, can never truly compare to the Juventus professional.

Both Ronaldo and Messi have claimed five Ballon d’Ors, an award granted annually to the world’s best footballer of the calendar year. Messi may have claimed more league titles and domestic cups for Barcelona, but Ronaldo dominates continentally with four Club World Cups and a record of five Champions League victories. The Champions League is widely regarded as the most important club competition.

The Portuguese striker also remains to be the only player to win the league title, domestic cup, domestic super cup, Champions League, Club World Cup, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, golden shoe, and Ballon d’Or at two different clubs. At Manchester United, which is the club that developed him, Ronaldo claimed a record of three consecutive Premier League titles and has often been labeled as one of the greatest players in Premier League history. At Real Madrid, Ronaldo hit another gear, becoming their all-time top scorer with 451 goals in only 438 games. He also led them to four of the past five Champions Leagues and Real’s historic La Decima.

Throughout his career, Ronaldo has managed 677 goals in 945 games, compared to Messi’s 646 in 793. Comparatively, Messi’s goal to game ratio is slightly superior to Ronaldo (.82 to .71, respectively), however, this can be attributed to Ronaldo’s role in Manchester.

Before transitioning to an out and out forward at Real Madrid, Ronaldo was forced to play more like a traditional winger at Manchester United. His true role in England was not to score goals but to create chances for his teammates with his speed and dribbling. His 85 goals in 196 games may seem relatively subpar, but statistics reveal that he contributed more to United than Messi to Barcelona; Ronaldo was involved in 218 goals by the time his tenure at United ended in 2009, compared to Messi only contributing 138 for Barcelona by the same time.

The Alien

But after joining Messi in Spain and becoming more of a forward player, Ronaldo’s goalscoring feats were unrivaled. Since 2009, Ronaldo and Messi have had an almost identical goal to game ratio in Liga Santander, amassing roughly 1.06 goals per game. Yet, combining Liga Santander with the UEFA Champions League, where Ronaldo scored 105 in 102, and Messi scored 83 in 92, and other competitions, Ronaldo’s 1.03 goals per game trumps over Messi’s .99. .04 may be minuscule, but Ronaldo’s goals generally come in more important moments.

Ronaldo is simply a better big game player than Messi. The last time Messi converted in the Champions League quarter-final stage or after was 2015 (against Bayern Munich). Since then, Ronaldo has scored 11 goals in the quarterfinals, 3 in the semis, and 2 in the final. In fact, Ronaldo’s knockout stage record of 60 goals, 37 past the round of 16, and being the only man to score in 3 finals, trumps Messi’s tallies of 40 and 16 in the same phases, respectively.

Ronaldo steps up when his team needs him; he’s the top scorer in Champions League history with 121 goals, has been the top scorer in the competition 7 times (6 years running), has scored more UCLs goals in a single season than anyone else, and has been the European Player of the Season a record three times. Messi, on the other hand, crumbles in the big stages.

Messi has never won an international trophy for Argentina, one of the best teams of all-time. Ronaldo, on the other hand, led minnows Portugal, who had never won an international trophy in their footballing history, to victory in the European championship in 2016 with crucial goals in the semi-final and group stage against Wales and Hungary, respectively. Messi, on the other hand, disappeared in the big moments, losing all five of his international finals for his country.

The 31-year old maestro may be Barcelona’s greatest ever, but he never really shows the same form for Argentina that he does for Barcelona and fails to keep his calm on the big stage. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has become Portugal’s greatest, the Champions League’s greatest, and one of the Premier League’s best. Unlike Messi, Ronaldo has learned to adapt to any style of play, whether it be for his club or country, and this has led him to become the better big game player for his team. The undisputed number-one, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to compete at a top level, and after completing his move to Juventus, the Portuguese sensation is looking to add even more silverware to his decorated collection.

I am a Real Madrid fan. I watched Messi score goal after goal in El Clasico including the heartbreaker at the Bernabeu. I watched him carry the title over Real Madrid time and time again, yet I can’t bring myself to hate Lionel Messi. The magical Argentine has defined his era, dominating the Spanish league for 14 years and he isn’t letting up anytime soon. For 14 years, Messi has run circles around defenders yet, to this day, no one can figure out how to stop him. Many view Messi’s prolonged stay at Barcelona as a weakness but in fact, it proves his prowess, as he has remained the best player on arguably the best team in the world since his debut in 2004. He has continued to elude the players in one of the best leagues in the world, without showing signs of slowing down.

Messi is also a superb team player.

Great players make their teammates great and Messi has helped his teammates for years at Barcelona. No player who played with him can say they did not benefit from the experience.

His ability to find teammates in space and make himself available is uncanny. While Ronaldo stays forward and poaches goals, Messi can do that just as efficiently, while also dropping deep to play make when his team is under pressure. This alleviation of pressure is what makes him so crucial to any team he plays for. Players look for him to start attacks and he is always an outlet for his teammates to play off of. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has scored all of his goals through selfishness. That is not a flaw on Ronaldo’s part but when his selfishness blinds him from making the extra pass that would put a teammate in a better position, it becomes a problem. Messi has a much higher game IQ and knows what to do to increase the probability of his team scoring. If that takes a simple lay off to a teammate, so be it. So it should come as a surprise to no one that Messi has more assists than Ronaldo on both the club and international level, with about fifty more assists throughout their professional careers. As for goals, Messi falls about twenty goals short of Ron-

aldo’s tally but has played about a hundred games less than Cristiano, which is why he boasts a better goal to game ratio.

One thing Ronaldo trumps Messi in is physical prowess. Ronaldo is much more physically fit and his work off the field has shown with age. He wins headers, holds off defenders, and beats players with speed more efficiently than Messi. But this is not necessarily a weakness of Messi’s. Instead, Messi shys away from the physical side of the game because he understands his role so well and executes it to perfection.

Messi hovers around the field finding pockets of space where he doesn’t have to power his way through players What he lacks in brawn, he makes up for in brains.

Many will point to Messi’s lack of international silverware as a fault. However, this viewpoint is to achievement based. Sure, a player’s awards are indicators of success, but they matter very little. What matters is their overall play on the field and how their team plays when they are on the pitch. So, despite Messi not winning as many international competitions as Ronaldo, it is no detriment to his merit. Besides, Ronaldo lost to Greece at the 2004 European Championship, while Messi lost to an all-time great German team at the 2014 World Cup. Another flaw that fans will point to is that Messi has only played at Barcelona, while Ronaldo played in England as well. Messi has an answer to that as well. Messi has the third most goals against the top six teams in the Premier League (behind Sergio Aguero and Jamie Vardy) without even playing in the league. One can only imagine his scoring record in England if he played there consistently.

With this in mind, the choice is easy.

The best player in the world right now is Lionel Messi. Not only does he make his team better, he scores much more frequently than Ronaldo without having Ronaldo’s selfish attitude towards the game. He makes the game enjoyable for his teammates and viewers all over the world. That’s what the best do.

Recently completing a $117 million transfer to Juventus in the summer, the 34-year-old continues to show why age is just a number, breaking records week in and week out and climbing to the peak of the football pyramid.

Girls’ Gymnastics

Felines Bounce Back to Claim Fourth Place

By Yoonah Chang and Krish Gupta The Felines, Stuyvesant’s girls’ varsity gymnastics team, concluded a successful season by claiming fourth place in Division A of the city. They ended the season with a score of 115.425, which is a season high and their highest score in 11 years. This was a major improvement from last year’s

fifth-place standing and score of 106.25. After a shaky start to the season, Coach Vasken Choubaralian and the Felines—led by seniors and co-captains Olivia He, Lee-Ann Rushlow, and Xinyue Nam—turned it around. For the first time, Rushlow qualified to be on the New York City AllStar team. This will take part in the State Championships, which is an honor reserved for the top

15 PSAL gymnasts.

The overall season, however, didn’t go smoothly. The Felines lost their first meet to Bronx High School of Science, its division rival. The Felines fell short in every event except the vault.

However, the Felines quickly regained their confidence when they defeated Dewitt Clinton High School. The next three games were successes, as the

Felines were able to easily win against John F. Kennedy Campus and Christopher Columbus Campus.

Choubaralian believed that the team’s three club gymnasts were the major reasons for the Felines’ strong season. “Everyone was really supportive of them, and that made [him] proud. This is especially because gymnastics seldom has that team feel to it,” he said.

He hopes that the good chemistry between the members of the team remains the same next year.

Nam also thinks that the team owes its success to the devoted members. “There were so many injuries, mental blocks, and other obstacles throughout the season, but we bested them together,” Nam said.

Continued on page 27

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Page 27

Sports Girls’ Gymnastics

Felines Bounce Back to Claim Fourth Place Continued from page 26 Junior Lianna Huang had to take a break from the team midway through the season due to an ankle injury. “It was definitely a loss because she had worked her way up to being able to do a back handspring on the floor—only about six people on the team have this skill,” Rushlow said. During the first meet of the season, freshman Agatha Nyarko was unfortunately disqualified because of her earrings. The team was able to pull themselves together in the end.

Before Nyarko was disqualified, her score of 7.20 on the parallel bars bolstered the overall team

score.

The team’s mindset going into the season was “very positive because everyone was excited about the addition of Agatha

the team next year after Rushlow, the Felines’ highest scorer, graduates. She believes that next season will be better. She said, “[It’s exciting to see the team]

“My goals for next year remain the same as this year—to do our best and see where we end up.”

—Vasken Choubaralian, coach Nyarko,” Choubaralian said. The co-captains agree that Nyarko has been a huge asset this season. Nyarko will look to lead

learning new skills and maybe getting the resources it needs.”

The lack of resources may have been a big challenge, as the team

Talking with A Big Baller, An Interview with Talia Kirshenbaum

Grade: Senior Height: 5”10’ Eye color: Brown Hair color: Brown DOB: 03/10/2001

1. When did you start playing basketball?

I started playing basketball in a recreational league at around age nine. I continued playing throughout middle school and high school.

2. Do you play outside of school?

Not anymore—I used to play outside of school in middle school. However, once I started playing in middle school and high school, I gave up playing for my league team.

3. What are your goals coming into the first playoff game?

I think that the goal is to just to play our best. We are a team that has the potential to either play really well or really poorly.

The goal is to keep the mistakes down so that we can play the best quality game as opposed to slipping into some of our worst moments.

4. How do you feel about the Phoenix’s season this year so far?

I feel really good about it;

we were all a little worried after Shannon, [the former captain], graduated last year. However, we got incredible rookies and an amazing point guard, freshman Allison Chan. The same dynamic that I really love about basketball this year stayed strong, so it’s been a super fun way to end my basketball career at Stuyvesant.

5. As a year-round athlete, how have you juggled sports with work?

Though I came into Stuyvesant as a three-sport athlete, I never really struggled. However, I do think that it helps me in ways. It gives me a way to structure my schedule around games and practices, but it also gives me a way to prioritize my sleep and health. If I have a game the next day, I want to get enough sleep and eat breakfast. I think it has definitely made me take care of myself more than I would have.

6. Proudest moment this year?

The game against Bayern Rustin High School was my favorite game and proudest moment, as I scored 25 points. I felt that I was just playing at my best. I wasn’t overthinking anything. The game was a lot of fun, but I also felt that I had earned it after four years of playing and practicing. It was a game I earned that made me feel really good about how far I had come.

7. Did anything funny happen this year?

This season Mr. Vincent Mill-

didn’t call it, so Miller started yelling at the ref. He just wasn’t having it. He didn’t really deserve it. If you were there, you would know, but it was still very funny.

8. Something you are going to miss?

I’m going to miss everything about playing basketball here. I recognize how unique the team dynamic we have is, and I might go on to play sports in college to some capacity. However, I don’t expect to ever feel as comfortable and excited to be with a group of people every day, working and growing as a team.

Choice drink: Thai Iced Tea Favorite food: Japanese food Motto to live by: “If your knees aren’t green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-

“The same dynamic I have really loved about basketball stayed strong this year, so it’s been a super fun way to end my basketball career at Stuyvesant.”

—Talia Kirshenbaum, senior and co-captain er, our coach, got a technical foul (the first technical foul of his career) for defending my honor. It was because I got fouled under the basket. However, the referee

Rebels Get Their First Win of the Season in Their Final Game

By Yae June Lee and Waseq Ahmed

Courtesy of Talia Kirshenbaum

An Interview with Talia Kirshenbaum Talia Kirshenbaum is a athlete at Stuyvesant who plays for the volleyball, basketball, and softball team. She was a starter on the Phoenix, Stuyvesant’s girls’ varsity basketball team, for all 15 games. She is also a top scorer with an average of 11.14 points, 9.36 rebounds, and three assists per game. Along with senior and co-captain Ally Archer, Kirshenbaum has helped the Phoenix achieve a 9-5 record and qualify for the playoffs. With the season coming to an end and having achieved a win against Port Richmond High School, the team is hoping to advance to the next round.

their performance and improvement this past season, and they are keeping their hopes up for next year. The Felines will lose

six graduating seniors, so the underclassmen are determined to do their best and see what is in store for them next year. Some non-seniors who have shown great improvement and dedication to the team this year include junior Camille Sadoff, sophomores Naomi Khanna, Alyssa Yoo, Anna Zorin, and freshmen Nyarko and Ella Krechmer. The seniors are optimistic about the future and believe that the team will become stronger each year.

Nyarko remains enthusiastic and is determined to be captain her senior year. “My goals for next year remain the same as this year —to do our best and see where we end up,” Choubaralian said.

Boys’ Basketball

Athlete of the Issue

By Aki Yamaguchi

didn’t have all the equipment they needed. Furthermore, the practice space for this year was small.

The girls are very proud of

examine your life.”

Fun fact: I actually have dual citizenship. I am both a German and U.S. citizen.

In what has been a rollercoaster of a season, the Rebels have had their difficulties; for a long time, they were unable to break their losing streak and get a single win, despite hours of practice and dedication. Having started the season with a 0-10 record, the Rebels hoped to get their first win in their final game against Eleanor Roosevelt High School. With home-field advantage on their side, the Rebels finally found their first win, ending the season on a high note with a 53-32 victory.

The Rebels jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead with junior Lewis Woloch’s three-point shot in the opening possession, followed by a fastbreak layup by sophomore Mitchel Fogel. Stuyvesant managed to settle into a rhythm in the first quarter, which has been a challenge for the team all season long. This is because most of their games have begun with extremely slow starts.

Against Eleanor, however, the Rebels utilized their speed and strength to blow past defenders and score easy points in the paint. Senior and captain Ricky Zou, the team’s leading scorer, scored seven of his 16 total points in the first quarter.

The Rebels continued their impressive start to the game in the second quarter, with junior and center Samson Badlia using his big frame to get multiple rebounds, convert easy putback layups, and block layup attempts. Stuyvesant was able to massively outrebound Eleanor.

Rebounding is an aspect of the game that they had struggled with all season long. The team corralled a whopping 35 rebounds, 18 of which came from the offensive end. On the other hand, Eleanor only managed to get a total of 20 rebounds.

The rebounding advantage gave the Rebels many second chances to score and extend their lead. Badilia’s 13 boards complemented his 10 points, giving him a double-double on the night. Zou was able to take advantage of Stuyvesant’s rebounding, continuing his strong

start by knocking down a threepointer and scoring on a fastbreak layup. This gave Stuyvesant a comfortable 29-15 lead at the end of the first half.

Stuyvesant continued to build upon their lead in the third quarter. The Rebels played tight defense by following the defensive stance that Coach George Stork had emphasized all season. “Keep your hands up!” Stork reminded his team throughout the game. The defensive stance closed passing lanes for Eleanor. This forced a multitude of turnovers as Eleanor tried to thread the ball through tight passing lanes that the Rebels had clogged up.

Stuyvesant was able to take advantage of the turnovers, which led to fastbreak points that extended their lead. Fogel, the team’s second leading scorer with 11 points, was able to successfully convert easy baseline jumpers set up by his teammates, scoring seven of his 11 points in the third quarter.

During the fourth quarter, the game was already out of reach for Eleanor, so many of the underclassmen on the team got critical experience that will help them in the future. Stork substituted in the younger players so that they could gain valuable minutes important for their development. Fogel and sophomore Christian Nwenyi played tenacious defense by forcing a few turnovers made by Eleanor, capitalizing on the offensive side as well. Junior Ben Zenker converted a fadeaway jumper that drew appreciation from the crowd. Woloch and junior Brian Poon were able to successfully draw fouls in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

This experience will be crucial for the younger players on the team, as they will need to step up and lead the team in the future. Three seniors will be leaving the team next year. “Spending a year with the varsity team gave me valuable experience, and I will use that so that I can lead the team in the future,” Nwenyi said. With players like Nwenyi developing, the Rebels’ future looks bright.

The Spectator ● February 28, 2019

Boys’ Swimming

Page 28

The Spectator SpoRts

Pirates Take Home a City Championship

By Sam Levine and Farhan Chowdhury

The Pirates, Stuyvesant’s boys’ swimming team, hosted the Midwood Hornets in the semifinals of the playoffs on February 7, looking to reach the City Championships of the PSAL swimming playoffs for the fourth year in a row. Following an undefeated regular season, a first round bye, and a 58-39 victory over Quartz Hill High School, the Pirates entered the match on a hot streak, poised to let nothing stand between them and a third straight championship title. The pool area was deafening and packed, full of students, family members, and spectators who are supporting their very own Stuyvesant Pirates.

The meet began with the 200-yard Medley Relay, consisting of four swimmers. The Pirates started off the meet on a strong note, as they finished in first place with a time of one minute and 41.72 seconds. They earned themselves six points.

The second set of swimmers were not as successful as the first set. They came in third place, but they still got another point for the team. The Stuyvesant Pirates continued to score steadily. Their scores ranged from four to seven points in the following events. They were led by senior and co-captain Axel Tolpina and senior Andrew Chopey. In the 200-yard Individual Medley, they came in first and second, respectively. Tolpina and Chopey helped the Pirates gain seven points.

Stuyvesant only failed to secure any points in the last event, the 400-yard freestyle. The first set of swimmers finished in third place, receiving zero points.

The second set came in fourth place, again earning no points.

However, the points from that event were inconsequential to the final outcome, as the Pirates had jumped ahead to such a large lead that they still ended up winning by a score of 5737, earning their spot in the City Championship meet next Thursday.

The Pirates also competed in the PSAL A Championship the weekend following the semifi-

nals. They defeated the Bronx Science Wolverines by a whopping 53 points, taking home yet another title. Tolpina believes that a large part of their success was due to the semifinal meet against Midwood. “This meet really helped our team prepare for the PSAL A Championship over the weekend as well as for the PSAL finals this Thursday,” Tolpina said.

Stuyvesant participated in the City Championship meet on Thursday, taking on the Brooklyn Technical Engineers, who narrowly defeated the Bronx Science Wolverines by a score of 52-49. The matchup was the second year in a row and the

“Our team is going out stronger than ever to win finals against Brooklyn Tech and get a third consecutive win at the City Championships.”

—Axel Tolpina, senior and co-captain

third time in four years that the Pirates had taken on the Engineers in the city’s final rounds.

The Engineers surely sought revenge after what happened last year—the Pirates had defeated them 55-42. Going into the meet, Tolpina knew that the Pirates were ready. “We won at the A Championships with very strong times from our swimmers (including breaking the school record in the 200-yard Free Relay). Our team is going

out stronger than ever to win finals against Brooklyn Tech and get a third consecutive win at the City Championships,” Tolpina said.

Unlike the semifinal match against Midwood, the Pirates started off the meet a bit slowly. In the 200-yard Medley Relay, Brooklyn Tech narrowly took first place with a time of one minute and 39.97 seconds, less than one second faster than Stuyvesant’s second-place finish at one minute and 40.42 seconds. As a result, the Engineers jumped out to an early 7-3 lead.

Following events saw Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech trade first-place finishes, however.

Stuyvesant accumulated more points thanks to their strong performances in the 200-yard Individual Medley, 100-yard freestyle, and 500-yard freestyle.

The 200-yard freestyle was as tight as the 200-yard Medley Relay. The Pirates took first place with a time of one minute and 31.20 seconds, and the Engineers’ late comeback fell short at one minute and 32.82 seconds. To cap off the meet, Stuyvesant’s team for the 400yard freestyle took a comfortable victory with a time of three minutes and 29.64 seconds, more than 10 seconds faster than Brooklyn Tech’s relay teams. The Pirates ended up winning the PSAL City Championships with a final score of 58-36, once again proving their dominance in the city.

The Pirates have clearly taken over as the New York City PSAL powerhouse. They’ve won 32 straight regular season matches, and they haven’t lost a single match since their loss at the 2016 City Championships. They had lost to none other than the Brooklyn Technical Engineers. Now, the team is sending eight people to the State Championships, which will take place at the beginning of March. The Pirates will not only look to bring their undefeated PSAL season’s positive momentum to the State Championships, but they will also put up a fight with the best competitors in the state.

Wrapup

CALENDAR Stuyvesant Sports:

March

3

sunday

@ 9:00 a.m. Boys’ Track FreshmanSophomore City Championships @ The Armory

19

3

sunday

@ 8:20 a.m. Girls’ Track FreshmanSophomore City Championships @ The Armory

tuesday

@ 4:30 p.m. Boys’ Varsity Volleyball Season Opener vs. Louis Brandeis @ Stuyvesant Gym

Professional Sports:

March

March Madness kicks off as NCAA basketball teams battle it out for the NCAA title

5

tuesday

@ 3:00 p.m.

Real Madrid vs. Ajax

6

•

Bayern Munich and Liverpool draw 0-0 at Anfield and will head back to Munich for the second leg at the Allianz Arena

•

Atletico Madrid get a strong first leg result at home against Ronaldo’s Juventus setting them up for the away leg in Turin

•

Colin Kaepernick and the NFL reach a settlement regarding his accusations of being blacklisted in search of an NFL job

wednesday

•

Antonio Brown demands a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers, as his teammate Le’Veon Bell becomes a free agent once again

•

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is charged with soliciting prostitution

•

Team LeBron defeats Team Giannis 178-164, as Kevin Durant takes the All-Star Game MVP

@ 3:00 p.m.

Manchester United vs.

Paris Saint Germain

•

The San Diego Padres acquire shortstop Manny Machado on a 10-year contract worth $300 million