Volume 106, Issue 12

The Spectator

“The Pulse of the Student Body”

the Stuyvesant high School newspaper

Volume 106 No. 12

March 18, 2016

stuyspec.com

SING! 2016

Students Request Renovations, Administration Responds

By eLIJah KarShner

The day after February break ended, Stuyvesant buzzed with conversation about seemingly simple things, like the new automated paper towel dispensers in the bathrooms and the new chairs in the cafeteria. The upgrades are part of the school’s plans to modernize the school and address complaints put forward by the student body and parents.

Parents and students brought up complaints about the old paper towel dispensers and cafeteria chairs at the December and January School Leadership Team (SLT) meetings. These concerns included general dissatisfaction with the lack of paper towels, as well as a desire for more sanitary bathrooms. A few other additions were discussed, such as

the installation of hand-sanitizer dispensers in the hallways, which are still under consideration.

The installation of the new paper towel dispensers has led to a decrease in the amount of paper towels students waste, with more left over at the end of the day. The upgrades have been met with approval from much of the student body. “These changes will greatly affect the school and its environment,” junior Alex Serbanescu said. “It’s really the small improvements that make life at [Stuyvesant] better.”

One of the leading proponents of upgrading the school is sophomore Kevin Boodram, a frequent observer of SLT meetings. He was present at the meetings where the proposals were made, and worked with the school administration to implement the changes

in the bathrooms. Kevin Boodram worked with his brother, senior Ryan Boodram, and junior Anna Usvitsky to visit all the bathrooms and make a list of issues, which they then submitted to head custodian John Brennan. “We were always unhappy with the bathrooms, and we felt like this was something that Stuyvesant could improve,” Kevin Boodram said.

Kevin Boodram then brought the issues to Principal Jie Zhang’s attention. Zhang communicated the ideas to the janitorial staff, which ultimately made the decision to purchase and install the new paper towel dispensers. Funding for these upgrades came out of the custodians’ budget, which is controlled entirely by the head custodian.

The new cafeteria chairs were also a recent upgrade. “I

received feedback from the custodians and the kids, saying the chairs were very old and that we should change them,” Zhang said.

The money for the cafeteria chairs was taken from the school’s general budget of $18 million. The budget is divided among staff salaries and individual department funds, with a small, unallocated amount left over. In February or March, there is an annual re-assessment of fund distribution, and a certain amount of “overflow” money is set aside. The administration decides how to spend this money, based on suggestions from students and faculty.

For larger projects, the funding comes from Resolution A grants, or as grants from the education budgets of local politicians, including Councilwoman Margaret Chin and Borough President

Gail Brewer. The politicians allocate funds from their budgets to the various schools in their districts based on needs. These stipends come annually, and usually amount to around $100,000 each.

Zhang works with the Parent’s Association to submit an application for Resolution A grants, and if the application is approved, the money goes to large-scale projects such as renovating the theater.

Currently, there are a few grant applications being processed for future projects. The renovation and expansion of the third floor robotics lab is a major priority, and the administration is also considering renovating the fifth floor outdoor area, adjacent to the lunchroom. “In order for us to provide the best education, [we need] to have the best facilities available,” Zhang said.

SING! COVERAGE PAGES 9-20 SOPH-FROSH

SING! by the Numbers

CHEERS LAUGHS BOYS IN BELLY Number of dog jokes in Soph-Frosh SING!

5

18 60 3

JUNIORS

16 72 1

Number of times Arnold Frump (Alec Dai) squats in Junior SING!

53.5

SENIORS

37 55 12

Ratio of Channing Tatums to Potatoes in Senior SING!:

1:1

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 2

News Library Understaffed, Closed During First and Tenth

NEWSBEAT

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S

eniors Vanathi Ganesan and Munawar Rahman and juniors Sharon Lin and Zhi Lin advanced to the Finals Round of the NYC Science and Engineering Fair.

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unior Sharon Lin was named a Distinguished Finalist in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and received a President’s Volunteer Service Award for her work.

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eniors Aaron Orelowitz, Munawar Rahman, and Justin Skobe students have advanced to the finalists’ round of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Inspire research competition.

William Bui / The Spectator

he Speech and Debate team won first place in the overall sweepstakes in the tournament from Friday March 4, to Sunday, March 6 at Columbia University. Seniors Brianne Cotter and Shannon Lee and juniors Asher Lasday won first place in the Original Oratory, Lincoln-Douglass Debate, and Congressional Debate categories, respectively. Senior Danielle Hahami placed third in both Oral Interpretation and Dramatic Performance.

By Lauren Ng and Blythe Zadrozny Due to a shortage of librarians, the Stuyvesant library has been closed during first and tenth periods since the beginning of the Spring 2016 semester.

This arrangement will last until the school can hire additional faculty to work in the library.

Three full time librarians currently work at Stuyvesant High School: Jonathan Cheng, Mary

McGregor, and Christopher Bowlin. Each librarian is required to work in the library for five periods each day, except for Cheng, who is required to spend one of those periods working in the programming office.

“Because we had new programming people this year, [Cheng] was assigned for one period to the programming office to help ease that transition.

While [Cheng] hasn’t neglected his [library] duties […] it has

March 2: SAT and PSAT Attendance Stuyvesant administered the new SAT to juniors and PSAT to sophomores free of charge on Wednesday, March 2. Stuyvesant was one of 92 public high schools to opt into the Department of Education (DOE) pilot-program administering free, in-school SATs. The DOE is planning this initiative to increase the number of high school students taking college-entry exams. Though Stuyvesant signed up for the program, few juniors took advantage of it—many had already taken the old SAT, and others were deterred from taking the March 2 SAT because it did not include the essay section, which several top colleges require.

94.4%

S

enior Caitlin Stanton and junior Sharon Lin were both awarded She++ #include Fellows for their non-profit work in increasing diversity in the technology industry. They will be presenting their initiatives to Silicon Valley executives this month at the She++ #include Summit in Palo Alto, California.

meant a lot more periods than not in the programming office,” Grossman said. All three librarians declined to comment.

With these constraints, it is difficult to adhere to the Department of Education rule that, according to Principal Jie Zhang, requires one librarian for every 1,000 students. Since the whole school would not be using the library at once, two librarians need to be on duty at all times. “So we are a little short,” Zhang said.

To temporarily solve the problem, the school has closed the library during first and tenth periods, as significantly fewer students use the library during those periods. Students who have first period free usually come in later and students who have tenth period free usually leave after ninth period.

However, this has not worked out perfectly so far. “As a school we can say if you start second [period], you shouldn’t come to school first [period],” Zhang said, “But our kids come into print before they start, so there does seem to be a need [to keep the library open].”

The system also creates conflicts for students who have activities after school. “With the library being closed, it’s really hard for me to catch up on my work because I stay until eight for SING! and I have tenth free,” freshman Rachel Lee said.

The permanent solution Zhang is currently considering is to have one full-time librarian work with one of the helpers sent from the Department of Education for the lighter periods. The heavier periods would be assigned two full-time librarians. “I don’t see [the need to hire] another full-time librarian,” Zhang said. “That’s over the budget.” This strategy was in use during Zhang’s first year as principal at Stuyvesant; as such, she is confident in its success.

26.7%

Percent of sophomores who took the PSAT

Percent of juniors who took the new SAT

Water Pipe Burst Causes Student Evacuation

By Greg Huang Approximately 150 students and staff were in the school building for SING! rehearsals on Sunday, February 14, when supervisors noticed a foul odor spreading throughout the school.

The smell was caused by flooding from a water pipe, and the building was evacuated as a safety precaution. SING! practice was terminated over an hour before the scheduled time.

In the early afternoon, extremely low temperatures caused a standpipe (a large water pipe that stores water for the sprinkler system) on the first floor near the north entrance to burst.

“When water freezes, it expands, and [the pipe burst],” Computer Science Coordinator JonAlf Dyrland-Weaver said. The north exit is not as well-insulated as the rest of the building, which contributed to the incident.

Faculty knew immediately that there was an urgent situation. “It was a Sunday [...] I knew that people weren’t around testing the [fire alarm] system,” Dyrland-Weaver said. Around the same time, Assistant Principal of Guidance Casey Pedrick was notified that something was wrong.

After a brief investigation, the staff decided to evacuate as a safety precaution. At the time, the administration knew little about the severity of the incident or the risk it presented to students, and some incorrectly assumed that the unpleasant odor was a gas leak. “It smelled like a [car] mechanic’s shop,” Pedrick said. The water coming out of the pipe was slightly brown, which caused further concerns.

During the evacuation, Dyrland-Weaver and College Counselor Jeaurel Wilson cleared most of the building below the fifth floor, while art teacher

Leslie Bernstein was in charge of the first floor. “It went very smoothly,” Pedrick said. “The advisors that I had on for SING! did a great job in quickly and calmly clearing the building.”

they were concerned,” DyrlandWeaver said. “A few kids had to be urged to move faster.”

By approximately 2:30 p.m., the school was fully evacuated. Though SING! practice

“It went very smoothly. […] The advisors that I had on for SING! did a great job in quickly and calmly clearing the building.”

—Casey Pedrick, Assistant Principal of Guidance However, many students had to stop what they were doing very suddenly, and some were reluctant to leave. “The art crew had a big canvas, and

was scheduled to continue until 4 p.m., the staff decided to end practice early. However, the three SING! advisors, Pedrick, Dyrland-Weaver, Wilson, and

Bernstein, stayed to find out exactly what was going on.

Eventually, the school discovered that the odor was caused by a water pipe leak rather than a gas leak. “It [smelled] bad because the standpipe water stands, [...] so it gets a little funky smelling,” Assistant Principal of Safety and Student Affairs Brian Moran said.

Around this time, the New York City Fire Department sent one fire truck to the building. There was also a response from the New York Police Department’s school safety team.

The custodians quickly cleaned up the flooding and repaired water damage. “[They] did a great job taking care of it,” Dyrland-Weaver said. By Sunday night, the building was declared safe by the Department of Education’s Department of School Facilities, and students and staff were cleared to enter the building on Monday.

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 3

News Detention System Implemented

By Queenie Xiang and Selina Zou

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and NASA

WORLDBEAT

D

uring the March 1 primaries, dubbed “Super Tuesday,” Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump dominated the polls by winning seven states each.

W

ith 40 percent of votes, Texas Senator Ted Cruz won the annual Conservative Political Action Conference’s presidential straw poll, a conference attended by conservative activists and officials from across the U.S. Florida Senator Marco Rubio took second place with 30 percent of votes, while GOP front-runner Donald Trump finished third.

Republican candidate Ben Carson announced during his speech that he is ending his bid for the White House.

A B

boat carrying migrants from Turkey to Greece sank on Sunday, March 6, causing the loss of 25 lives.

illionaire businessman Babak Zanjani, who allegedly helped Iran evade oil sanctions, has been sentenced to death on corruption charges. However, Zanjani can appeal the verdict.

N

ancy Reagan, wife of the 40th president of the US, Ronald Reagan, died on Sunday, March 6, at her home in Los Angeles at 94.

T

he Los Angeles Police Department is currently testing a knife that was allegedly discovered years ago at the former home of O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted of the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. The knife had been in the possession of a now-retired police officer.

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alifornia Governor Jerry Brown signed the “End of Life Option Act,” which allows terminally ill patients to request life-ending medication. This legislation will go into effect on June 9.

I

n response to student protests, Harvard Law School is considering changing its official seal, which honors an early donor who was also a slaveholder.

O

n March 31, the Federal Communications Counsel will vote on the first-ever set of privacy rules for Internet service providers.

had some problems with their old system in this regard [...] so after school detention is definiteA new detention system that ly a step in the right direction.”

Moran also aims to reduce the operates out of school hours has been introduced in the last two number of suspensions given to months as an alternative to sus- students, in accordance with the pension. With the new system, Department of Education’s efstudents who commit repeated fort to do the same. In 2015, New minor infractions may be asked York City Chancellor Carmen to report to detention before or Fariña and New York City Mayor after school instead of facing oth- Bill de Blasio worked together to er possible disciplinary actions. enhance the Department of EduIn the past, students who cation’s discipline code to implecommitted minor infractions, ment more restorative discipline for example cutting class or re- practices such as counseling, and peated lateness, faced either to make it harder to remove a stua minor punishment, lunch dent from school for infractions.

The new detention system detention, or, in cases of repeated infractions, suspension. at Stuyvesant is modeled after The administration and the previously established lunch many of the staff members felt detention system, during which that this system lacked the ability students can read or work quito really hold students account- etly under a supervised environable for their actions. Many saw ment after committing repeated lunch detention as too minor of minor infractions. Either Moa punishment to teach a lasting ran or a designated staff memlesson. However, they thought ber will oversee the detention.

There are no official guidethat suspension for minor infractions was also counterintuitive, lines for what infractions qualify because it pulled students out of for a detention, and Moran, who their classes and was detrimental oversees the system, deals with to their education. “I’ve observed detention on a case-by-case bahow the other disciplinary meth- sis. He also deals with all referods help and don’t help, and [the rals of possible detention cases.

Moran has thought about inadministration and I] really just wanted to [...] make sure that stu- stating a detention system out of dents were being disciplined in a school hours since assuming his way that doesn’t take away from current position in September class time, like suspension does,” 2014. However, he chose to wait Assistant Principal of Security, in order to better understand Student Affairs, Health, and Phys- Stuyvesant’s established disciical Education Brian Moran said. pline code before changing it.

Guidance Counselor Vivien “I felt like an additional method Ngai, who previously worked at to discipline minor infractions the Bronx High School of Science, was necessary, but [I] wanted to had a similar mindset. “At [the get a better feel for the school Bronx High School of Science], and the other methods of diswe had a system where cutting cipline we have in place before class or being late three times putting a new detention syswould lead to a session of after tem into action,” Moran said.

Though the system was school detention,” Ngai said. “I like the idea of clearly holding primarily planned and implestudents accountable for their mented by Moran, Principal actions, and I think Stuyvesant Jie Zhang continually gave her

45+35+128 What Standardized Tests Are Juniors Taking?

8.6%

approval for it throughout the process, and worked with Moran to get the School Leadership Team’s approval, which came at the beginning of this year.

“I’ve felt for a long time that we needed to improve our [discipline] system, and [Moran] has worked on this project for a long time,” Zhang said. “When it came down to approval of it, obviously I was involved, but all of the real planning was [Moran’s] work.”

Student response is mixed, with some students acknowledging the benefits of the system.

“It’s really good that the administration is trying to reduce the number of suspensions and trying to improve the discipline system. I think that most students won’t like the idea of after school detention. [However,] in the long term, [detention] is a good thing for both students and teachers, because it’s a real warning for students, but isn’t something that’s as serious as suspension,” Freshmen Caucus Vice President Jason Feng said.

Other students question the effectiveness of the policy.

“I think that there are other solutions that could be better. Although minimizing the amount of lost class time is a good thing, I don’t think keeping students for extended periods of time after school is definitely the best discipline choice,” sophomore Amy Ren said.

While the outcomes of the new detention policy have yet to be seen, Moran is optimistic about its benefits, noting that it aids both students and teachers.

“The feedback I’ve gotten back is overwhelmingly supportive, since teachers are genuinely concerned about disciplining students in a way that isn’t [detrimental] to their education, [...] that still teaches them a lesson, and this does just that,” Moran said.

Comic

11.6%

45.1%

34.7%

100 New SAT 100 ACT

Yujie Fu / The Spectator

100 Two or more of the above 100 Old SAT

Page 4

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Opinions

Jensen Foerster / The Spectator

The Unbearable Whiteness of Voting

By STEPHEN NYARKO Iowa’s racist.

Now I’m sure Iowans aren’t racist themselves. But as the first state in the nation to vote in the primaries, Iowa’s overwhelmingly white voter base has an undue influence on the course of presidential primaries, and thus on the politics of the nation. Because Iowan citizens are predominantly white, the Iowa caucus results tend to leave minority voters out of the campaign conversation.

Iowa lags behind the demographics of modern day America on the whole, as seen in U.S. Census data: Iowa is 92 percent white, while the U.S. overall is only 77 percent white. As a result, according to census data, Iowa is the seventh whitest state in the United States.

This demographic disparity wouldn’t matter if the Iowa caucuses weren’t the first elections during primary season. But with

the election organized the way it is, with Iowa and New Hampshire, another very white state, voting much earlier than the rest of the primaries, candidates who are able to appeal to the white vote are more likely to gain Iowa’s valuable “momentum.”

Throughout the Iowa caucuses, candidates made little effort to reach out to minority voters.

Though Hillary Clinton has been making stops to engage with black voters elsewhere in the country, her appeal to minority groups was essentially obsolete in Iowa, causing her to win by only the smallest of margins. On the other hand, Bernie Sanders’s wide support among young, white voters brought him very close to winning Iowa, and allowed him to carry on with the allimportant momentum that Iowa lends.

This momentum grants candidates the ability to use their win in Iowa to put them on the national stage, and it has been influential in the presidential elections since 1976, when the Iowa caucuses became the first in the nation. For the past ten elections, eight of the democratic primaries saw the winner of Iowa become the eventual nominee.

Melanie Chow / The Spectator

The Republican track record has been a little less consistent, but the combined power of Iowa and New Hampshire is immense: in that same 40 years, no has become the party nominee without winning either Iowa or New Hampshire in the primaries.

However, Iowa does serve a purpose: it allows the candidates to engage with voters, as there are fewer voters in total, and the sheer length of the campaign in Iowa allows voters across the U.S. to get a sense of who each candidates is and for what issues they are campaigning. The relatively low media cost of Iowa also allows underfunded and little-known candidates to make themselves heard, like Bernie Sanders did this year and like Mike Huckabee did in 2008.

But the importance of the Iowa caucuses also leads the candidates to appeal to Iowans specifically, as Ted Cruz learned early in his campaign when he was placed in jeopardy because of his anti-ethanol stance. Ethanol is made from corn, and, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, Iowa is the largest producer of corn in the country. Cruz’s anti-ethanol stance could significantly damage the Iowa corn industry and economy at large. As a New Yorker, I wouldn’t choose a candidate based on his or her policies surrounding ethanol production.

But, specifically because of Ted Cruz’s anti-ethanol stance, the Governor of Iowa declared, “it would be a big mistake for Iowa to support [Cruz].”

But the most basic and significant measurements of what the U.S. people want comes in the wake of Super Tuesday. With a huge number of

people voting, many of whose state populations are more demographically representative of the nation, voters get a better picture of the public opinion. During the 2016 election’s Super Tuesday, it was very clear: the nation wanted Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Clinton and Trump both picked up huge numbers of delegates from the southern states that voted on Super Tuesday, in contrast to the relatively weak number of votes they received in Iowa and New Hampshire. Iowans voted for Cruz and, though Clinton eventually won the Iowa caucuses, significant numbers of Iowans voted for Sanders. Neither Cruz nor Sanders is currently leading in the delegate count, largely due to large voter turnout in the south for Clinton and Trump.

Iowa simply didn’t choose winners this year. This means that Cruz and Sanders were able to stay relevant in the race much longer than they would have if they had not gotten an influential number of delegates in Iowa.

Further, though Iowa’s demographics pose some significant problems, the fact that Iowa holds a caucus rather than a primary only magnifies those issues. Caucuses are essentially neighborhood meetings that are hours long and aimed at deciding, with pushpins and literal ballot boxes, how many delegates each candidate receives.

Caucuses are notoriously unrepresentative, as only the most committed voters are willing to spend their entire evening caucusing. This leads to more radical candidates, such as Cruz and Sanders, gaining more delegates than they otherwise would have.

Our election system needs to change—Iowa simply isn’t representative of the U.S. electorate. No candidate should gain extremely valuable momentum based on their stance on corn products, nor should they lose because of “New York Values” (a phrase that was used by Cruz as an attack on Trump during the Iowa campaign), which

Julie Chan / The Spectator

China’s Broken Promise

By KOFI LEE-BERMAN I first remember traveling to Hong Kong exactly ten years ago.

That was also the first time I became acquainted with the idea of censorship.

We started in Beijing, where my parents instructed me that I was forbidden to say anything about the Chinese government. As we crossed the border into Hong Kong, they said it was okay now, that it was no longer dangerous so say whatever I wished. From that point on, it was cemented in my mind that Hong Kong was inherently different from China and somehow separate from it.

I still have that vision of Hong Kong—to me, it’s the one Chinese city where it’s acceptable to speak out against the government without fear of repercussions. But that vision is rapidly disintegrating.

Today, I can barely distinguish

Hong Kong from the mainland.

My Hong Kong—an oasis of democracy in an otherwise undemocratic nation—is being taken over by an oppressive regime, and the international community doesn’t seem to care.

One day in October 2015, Gui Minhai, a publisher of antigovernment books in Hong Kong, vanished without a trace from his vacation home in Thailand. He was neither the first nor the last member of the dissident Hong Kong publishing community to disappear. Little was known about these publishers’ whereabouts until recently, when they suddenly came out on public television confessing to “illegal book trading.” Human rights groups, however, suspect that the publishers were in fact kidnapped by the Chinese government.

These suspected abductions are only the most recent indications of an alarming trend. Beijing has increasingly infringed on the autonomy and rights of Hong Kong’s citizens, in spite of its own agreement to recognize the city as a special political unit with a unique status.

For over a hundred years, Hong Kong has retained a degree of autonomy from the mainland, both geopolitically and culturally. In 1990, seven years before the Sino-British Joint Declaration formally handed back the city to the mainland, China established the Basic Law, which forms the backbone of the “one country, two systems” policy, separating the administration of Hong Kong from that of the mainland despite an overarching national unity be-

tween the two.

For over a decade after the handover, the “one country, two systems” policy held in Hong Kong, and the Basic Law ensured autonomy, democracy, and a degree of free speech not enjoyed in the mainland. Recently, however, the rights of Hong Kong citizens have been disappearing—much like the citizens themselves.

I was last in Hong Kong in April 2015. It was just months after the student-run Umbrella Revolution brought short-lived international attention to Chinese interference in the Hong Kong democratic process. Over a hundred thousand protesters filled the streets of Central, the downtown business district, stopping traffic for weeks.

The disparate voices of countless student groups all echoed the same ultimate demand: restore real democracy in Hong Kong.

From the outside, it might seem superficially that there has been no violation of democracy in Hong Kong. Over a dozen political parties are represented in its legislative council, some of which openly oppose Beijing. Citizens vote for the Chief Executive (the equivalent of governor) in elections conducted by Hong Kong’s own government. Thus China may appear to be making good on its promise to uphold the Basic Law, which states that “the Chief Executive […] shall be selected by election or through consultations held locally and be appointed by the [Chinese] Central People’s Government.”

While seeming to follow the letter of the law, China’s routine exploitation of ambiguities in the

language of the law undermine its spirit entirely. In essence, China gives the citizens of Hong Kong the right to elect anybody they want—just so long as the national government first allows that person to run. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if the citizens of Hong Kong want you in office; if Beijing doesn’t like you, you don’t stand a chance.

China sees any expression of free speech, no matter how trivial, as a threat. That’s why the Chinese government has taken measures to quell even harmless criticism. The gossip books, such as “Xi Jinping and His Lovers,” that landed Hong Kong publishers and booksellers in so much trouble are the equivalent of American supermarket tabloids. The books, which are not taken seriously and are at worst tasteless, pose no danger to Chinese power, but their great popularity is an indication that many citizens have little respect for the Communist Party.

China will not tolerate that.

It’s clear that this is a human rights crisis in the making.

Furthermore, it’s indicative of something much more dangerous—a sense that the Chinese government is invincible, that it can do anything to its people with complete impunity. Hong Kong may very well be setting a precedent which, given ten or twenty years, could lead to much worse human rights violations on the mainland. What’s most upsetting is the attention, or lack thereof, that Hong Kong receives. Since the Umbrella Revolution there’s been minimal media coverage.

Foreign governments like our

Iowans may not appreciate. But, at the same time, the more personal aspects of politics in early voting states must not be lost, as they are crucial to maintaining the connection between voters and candidates.

There are many ideas swirling around about how the election system should be set up, but doing away with Iowa is key. The most effective plan that has been proposed in the last couple of years has been the Graduated Random Presidential Primary System. In this proposal, a handful of states would hold caucuses sometime within the first two weeks of primary season. Over the next two weeks, a set of larger states would caucus, and the pattern would repeat until all the states had voted. The key to this plan is that a different group of states would caucus first each year, increasing the overall diversity of early voting. However, a switch to primaries instead of caucuses would make this plan much more effective, as it would increase voter turnout and get a more representative sample size. This would still allow room for retail politics, or many local campaign stops and one-onone interactions between candidates and their voters, as a group of smaller states would go first, but it would also allow for a more demographically representative election season.

Iowa is 92 percent white, and that means that a 92 percent white population determines which candidate gets the earliest election’s momentum. We need to get that figure down to 77 percent or even lower, as the nation becomes more diverse, and that means reforming the election system. The Graduated Random Presidential Primary System may be more complex than our current system, but it would give urban minority groups a voice, and, thus, would be a more equitable way to choose the Leader of the Free World.

own have remained curiously— and disturbingly—silent.

The international community is in a tough position—uninvolved countries do not want to risk their relationship with China and thus, even if they support Hong Kong, cannot back it up with any kind of action. That said, the power of international solidarity is not to be underestimated. If the U.S.—or the U.K., for that matter—comes out in support of democracy and free speech in Hong Kong, China will be reminded that its actions are being watched by the international community. Enough of this pressure may make China recognize that it cannot act in such blatant violation of the promises it has made.

Still, even these promises have an expiration date and, according to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, Hong Kong will lose its political status as a Special Administrative Region in 2047. Unless a new policy is created, Hong Kong will, by default, lose its capitalist economy and quasi-democratic system, becoming just another Chinese province with no unique privileges. Though it will be immensely difficult to convince China to sign a new agreement, political pressure is the global community’s only recourse.

It is disturbing enough to see China continue to restrict the basic human rights of its own citizens. However, when China chooses to snatch away the existing freedoms of a people who have long known democracy and define themselves by it, it is grounds for international outrage.

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 5

Opinions

By JANE RHEE The FBI wants Apple Inc. to unlock and decrypt messages on an iPhone that belongs to one of the two attackers who shot and killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California last December.

Though the FBI knows a lot about the killers and their motives, it’s unclear whether the incident was isolated or part of a larger threat against U.S. soil. The phone may contain information that could tie the San Bernardino killers to other terrorists. But the iPhone is configured to wipe its data after ten incorrect password attempts, so the FBI cannot risk manually guessing password combinations through a process called “brute force” hacking—rather, it needs a backdoor.

By creating this backdoor for the FBI, Apple would not only enable the government to gain access to the information on this specific iPhone, but also allow it to sift through the data on at least nine other smartphones that are currently identified as belonging to criminals. It is also possible that the same backdoor program could be used to unlock almost every single smartphone that exists.

Thus is born a battle between consumer privacy and national security.

Apple claims that, could it create such a program, it would be strongly opposed to doing so, as it could put its customers’ privacy at risk. As Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “No reasonable person would find that acceptable.” Apple claims that it has taken this stance out of concern for consumer privacy, not its own business or public image.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

Though Apple claims this case is unprecedented, news sources report otherwise. According to The Wall Street Journal, in the first half of 2015 alone, Apple received “nearly 11,000 requests from government agencies worldwide for information on roughly 60,000 devices, and it provided some data in roughly 7,100 instances.” Not only does Apple have the means to provide sensitive data

to law enforcement, but it has supposedly done it before and can very much do it again.

Clearly, by refusing to unlock the San Bernardino phone, Apple is putting its sales ahead of safety—or, as the Justice Department put it, the face-off is, on Apple’s part, a “marketing strategy.” In the age of a growing awareness of digital privacy, Apple recognizes the value in publicly opposing the compromise of a customer’s privacy, making its commodity all the more valuable.

But that’s not the most important issue here.

Though Apple has made it clear that its main priority is consumer privacy, by protecting the digital information of terrorists, it is tolerating their attacks. If Cook and the rest of Apple truly stand behind their “deepest respect for American democracy and a love of [their] country,” as they state on their website, they would readily try to help with the San Bernardino investigation. By deciding to uphold digital security for its customers, Apple is compromising privacy with safety. The FBI should not let Apple undermine its authority and let the San Bernardino case set a precedent for how future investigations are handled.

No one wants their text messages, photos, health records, or any other personal data broadcasted to the world or even scanned by government officials.

If Cook and the rest of Apple truly stand behind their “deepest respect for American democracy and a love of [their] country,” as they state on their website, they would readily try to help with the San Bernardino investigation.

But in purchasing a device from a thirdperson party, it is unrealistic to believe that your data is perfectly secure. In an age where digital theft is becoming more prevalent than physical theft, it is, of course, important to be able to trust your third-party provider. But it’s also important to put trust in your government so that it can do its job—a job that includes protecting you.

Julie Chan / The Spectator

Jessica Wu/ The Spectator

Victoria Huang/ The Spectator

Point-Counterpoint: National Security vs. Personal Privacy Biting Down on Apple, The Bad Apple and Freedom

By MATTEO WONG Jokingly, my parents sometimes call themselves my “servants” when they clean up after me. But, soon, chores won’t be required from either of us; with only a voice command, the increasingly popular Amazon Echo can wash the dishes, do the laundry, or turn off the lights. The Amazon Echo is one of the latest additions to the “Internet of Things,” a phrase first used by technological inventor Kevin Ashton in 1999 to refer to the network of everyday appliances, such as lights and heaters, which are now being connected to the ever-growing Internet.

The constantly expanding Internet is extremely convenient, but its regular use also requires extreme confidence in computer software’s ability to protect your devices against intruders. Since the newest dishwashers, lights, and heaters are connected to the web, and devices like the Amazon Echo are able to record every sound in your home, the meaning of “private life” is changing rapidly. Even if you don’t own these devices, if you use any facet of the Internet, from Facebook to Google, if this information were released into the wrong hands your, life could be carefully monitored. So, in a world where Amazon Echo or your iPhone weren’t proctected, anyone—including the government—could watch every movement you made.

Thus, personal privacy, and much more, is at stake in Apple’s battle with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In December of 2015, 14 people were killed in San Bernardino, California. Since then, the FBI has issued a court order to demand that Apple unlock the iPhone of Syed Farook, one of the San Bernardino

The FBI’s showdown with Apple would provide the bureau with an untapped world of information—that of the home and the private sphere. shooters, to see if the attack was linked to ISIS. Farook’s phone is locked with a 4-digit passcode, and, after 10 failed attempts to unlock it, the phone will erase its memory. As a result, the FBI can’t just guess random passcodes to break in through brute force—it needs outside help.

The FBI isn’t asking Apple to unlock only one phone—it is ordering Apple to write a program that would allow the FBI to manually enter an infinite number of passcodes without the data being erased.

The program, while intended for Farook’s phone, could potentially be used to unlock anyone’s phone.

Already, some of the most threaten-

ing privacy violations have come from the federal government. In 2013, Edward Snowden exposed the National Security Agency and FBI’s insidious surveillance of metadata, such as call time, call duration, e-mail addresses, and more—information that allows the government to track and predict people’s movement and behavior. But if Apple, the world’s largest tech company, complies with the government’s request, the government will be able to access much more than phone numbers.

The FBI’s demand is far-reaching, making it very dangerous: the bureau essentially wants a “backdoor” into any Apple product. Beyond making Apple devices insecure, the case would serve as a precedent for the future, inviting other companies to follow Apple’s example and create backdoors for the FBI. Practically overnight, the federal government could have unlimited access to people’s homes, lives, and interactions.

There is a long history of the FBI using surveillance to control the public. Until its termination in 1971, the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program was used to attack and incarcerate leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, assassinate Puerto Rican

In the battle between security and privacy, accessing one more phone is unlikely to prevent large-scale threats to the country. independence advocates, and repress many more groups searching for civil liberties. Since then, other measures under the Patriot Act have served to achieve similar ends, such as monitoring people’s web browser histories. But, if the FBI wins this case, it will have unfettered access not only to your last Google search, but also to the entire Internet of Things.

The case could provide the bureau with the ultimate source of coercive power: it could, in effect, allow the FBI to keep a tab on any person of interest and silence any popular movement.

Thankfully, Apple is currently refusing to comply with the FBI’s demands.

The FBI and its advocates are enraged, because they claim that Apple is threatening national security. However, in the battle between security and privacy, accessing one more phone is unlikely to prevent large-scale threats to the country.

But, clearly, the FBI’s battle with Apple over backdoors isn’t only about Farook’s phone. Instead, its interests lie elsewhere: in gaining access to every byte of available data. Since its formation, the FBI has consistently found new, more insidious ways to gather intelligence—from wiretaps to monitoring call logs—and its showdown with Apple would provide the FBI with an untapped world of information—that of the home and the private sphere.

Imagine George Orwell’s 1984: in every home there is a Telescreen, always watching and listening, and sending the information it collects to the Thought Police. In the United States today, personal devices monitor routine behaviors: where you are, whom you call, and what you say. The Amazon Echo, like the Telescreen, records every sound you make.

If Apple adheres to the FBI’s commands, the case will set a powerful precedent to allow the FBI access to all previously personal devices, transforming it into a Big Brother-esque entity.

Over sixty years after 1984 was published, Orwell’s warnings bear more relevance than ever. In an era during which the Internet keeps a record of people’s entire lives, the government cannot be allowed to infringe upon encryption, an essential safeguard of modern-day privacy.

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 6

Opinions

Xin Italie / The Spectator

Rethinking Race Politics

By STIVEN PETER Everything I assumed about my community and neighbors broke down as I sat in a meeting hosted by the New York Civilian Complaint Review Board. I heard Black members of my community tell their personal stories of how friends and family were unjustly abused. Initially, I listened with great skepticism, unable to believe that I lived in the same neighborhood that they did. I was completely unaware of the problems in my community until that day. A simple distinction, skin color, had separated me from the hardships of my neighbors.

While many of us would never think of being racist, we indi-

rectly support racist institutions through our tacit indifference toward, and doubt of, the existence of systematic racism. Our simple apathy perpetuates racial oppression.

This ethos of racial oppression and indifference are pervasive in the U.S. For instance, a 2013 Pew Research Study drew the astonishing results that half of White people do not sense that Black people are treated less fairly than others by police, employers, and doctors, or at restaurants, schools, and the ballot box.

There are three main theories about how we can pursue ending racism: Regeneration, Reform, and Revolution. Regeneration is based on the idea that “culture” is simply a collection of individuals. Ending racism would require the changing of the individuals who compose our culture to become more aware of racism.

Reformation theories regard racism as something larger than individual human wills and therefore something that must be handled by using a broader

base than individual regeneration. We can elect legislators who will pass laws to end racism or at least eliminate the conditions that constitute structural evil.

Other strategies such as placing economic pressures on racist institutions, civil disobedience are means of seeking form.

Lastly, the most radical ap-

refuted by the South instituting Jim Crow laws after the slavery amendments were passed.

Instead of exclusively adapting one model of change, I propose a model that includes reforming institutions and converting individuals. Currently, organizations like Black Lives Matter (BLM) uses methods like

Rina Lubit / The Spectator

proach to ending racism would be to destroy or revolt against racist structures of society, using force if necessary. This assumes that whatever will arise in place of these racist institutions will be basically good, an idea clearly

scattered protests and rebellions. BLM should instead commit to raising awareness of the pervasive extent of racism in our society, getting White people to acknowledge their own personal failings, and strengthening the

resiliency of Black communities.

BLM will have to move beyond its current strategies and work toward an organized movement that seeks reform through social, political, and economic channels. These actions will make Black people the doers of their own liberation and will carve a society where Black people are free to determine their own future.

While it is easy to say, “Racism is not my fault,” or, “I am not responsible for the country’s oppression of Black people,” that is simply an escape from guilt.

As long as we tolerate racism in educational, political, economic, and social institutions, we are directly responsible for racism. As a community, Stuyvesant students need to participate in ending racism. This begins by acknowledging the incalculable amount of racism in the U.S. and our responsibility for its perpetuation because of our indifference. It includes working with students from impoverished communities to increase their academic success and achievement. Black persons should then push for reforming the racist institutions that oppress their communities and families. While we are a long ways ahead from reaching this ideal, it is imperative that Black men and women stop at nothing to express their distaste for oppression. And when they do, we must listen.

Xin Italie / The Spectator

What Aren’t We Learning?

By OLIVIA KUSIO The Puerto Rican debt crisis, the Iran Nuclear Deal, the Ferguson protests, the Benghazi scandal: do these terms sound familiar? Probably. But do you know enough about one of these to have an in-depth discussion about it? Probably not.

This is a situation even the most expertly informed have encountered at one time or another. I often find myself able to recognize name or a phrase relating to a current event, but not nearly knowledgeable enough about it to formulate any real sort of opinion about it. And it seems that I’m not alone. In 2014, a survey conducted by The Spectator found that only 37.3 percent of 135 Stuyvesant students knew that Russia was controlling Crimea at the time, and only 67.2 percent knew that Joe Biden was the Vice President of the United States.

In our current public school system, the curriculum is structured to include certain subjects that are deemed most important by the Department of Education (DOE). Students are required to complete a basic education in math, science, English, history and foreign language. These subjects are certainly important for students’ development. They are the areas of study that relate to

many careers that students will consider in the future. However, these classes often fail to develop students in ways that are necessary to thrive in today’s society.

Current events are almost perplexingly disregarded in the school curriculum. Though some students and teachers occasionally connect events in their history classes and books in their English classes with issues in the world today, the curricular focus is largely on completing the designated material.

“Some of my teachers mention small things in class, but definitely not in depth,” freshman Hanah Jun said. “Especially in history class. We never go through any current events, besides when my teacher says things like, ‘the U.S. political system is failing.’” Junior Chloe Delfau agreed, noting that, “Very few

more important than memorizing another vocab set.”

There is little active administrative advocacy for the inclusion of current events in academic classes, so it is up to the teachers themselves to pack in what information they can. This is understandably challenging, as teachers must complete a large portion of material in the duration of the school year, and are given very specific list of units and topics to teach. For Advanced Placement (AP) and Regents classes, which have an added time crunch because of the culminating standardized exam, teachers feel even more pressure to prioritize the curriculum over current events. Regrettably, this is especially true in history classes, where teachers are forced to rush to teach the last 50 years of history, giving them little extra

Carrie Ou / The Spectator

teachers talked about the [Black Lives Matter] movement and police brutality.” While she admitted that the topic was not necessarily applicable to coursework, she insisted, “Being informed about the effects of racism […] is

time to focus on modern issues.

And, even though several history courses are supposed to cover up to the present day, teachers rarely get this far, and standardized tests rarely cover it.

Some teachers, like history

teacher Robert Sandler, do value putting an emphasis on current events in their lessons. “Even though my [AP United States History] class is not a government class, current events like this election are important to discuss now. When are we going to discuss them? Next year?” asked Sandler. “But you can’t allow the whole class to be taken over by it.

There is a lot to cover, especially in history classes. I do have some anxiety sometimes that current events discussions could take up too much time, but you have to use your judgment.”

It is especially important that teachers are the ones to present important information and arguments regarding the outside world. Resources like the Internet, while valuable in its breadth, can often be misleading. Finding informative and unbiased information can be difficult for students inexperienced in discerning fact from fiction. Many students look to teachers as role models, and listening to them speak about important topics in the world is crucial to the development of an interest in current events. History teacher Lisa Greenwald, for instance, said she discusses the 2016 presidential election in her AP United States History classes because its outcome may have a direct effect on her students’ lives. “I choose to speak on certain subjects because some of my students are being directly targeted and they look to their teachers to offer them guidance.”

While history classes are well suited by content to incorporate current events, it is not up to history teachers to be students’ only source of information. Literature read in English classes can emphasize social ills that persist today. Contemporary breakthroughs in science can provide interesting examples of applying scientific principles, and the ethical quandaries they may present are just as important to discuss.

If students see that they need to be well-informed in order to succeed in a variety of fields, they may be more motivated to keep

themselves up to date on current events.

Students cannot enter society oblivious to what is going on around them, and it is up to the

It is up to us, the students, to educate ourselves on topics that affect us. school system to ensure that they are prepared. Isn’t that what education is all about?

A feasible way to incorporate current events into the school curriculum is to create a mandatory elective, like art appreciation, in which current events would be studied and discussed.

Students could practice argumentative skills and learn to form opinions on the world’s problems. This would not only foster greater awareness within them, but also train their critical thinking skills. There would not need to be a set curriculum for the class. Teachers could adjust their lesson plans as the news develops, and students could put together materials of their own in order to prepare for discussion.

Though including such a class would be ideal, chances are that it won’t be implemented any time soon. And as much as current events really should be taught in our core classes, we cannot put the onus on teachers to keep us up to date. It is up to us, the students, to educate ourselves on topics that affect us. Raising intellectual citizens is crucial to the development of our society, and it is one of the main purposes of our education system. Students need to put in their own time and effort in order to become informed and invested members of society.

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 7

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The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 8

Arts and Entertainment The Frustration and Ecstasy of Kanye West

Christine Jegarl / The Spectator

Music

By Justin Pacquing In the early hours of Valentine’s Day, the album, “The Life of Pablo” (2016), became available for streaming exclusively on rapper and entrepreneur Jay Z’s music streaming service, Tidal. The drop marked the end of an album launch so manic that only one artist could have possibly escaped from it relatively unscathed: Kanye West.

Listeners finally were able to listen to a new West project after a hectic promotion cycle that included a performance on “Saturday Night Live,” a tie-in fashion line launch in MSG, teasing tweets of multiple album-name and tracklist changes the weeks leading up, several collaborations with legendary Beatles bassist Sir Paul McCartney, and a constant anxiety that an act of Kanye-ism would prevent the album from ever reaching the light of day.

Kanye survived the fiasco because of his legendary status in Hip-hop, if not in contemporary music. If you still need an introduction to Mr. West, he is a native Chicagoan who first made his name as a producer for the likes of Jay Z and Alicia Keys before exploding on to the scene with his breakout debut “The College Dropout” (2004). Just as listeners were getting to know “Kanye the Artist” for his signature soul-sampling and reflections on growing up in the tumultuous South Side, they began to know “Kanye the Polarizing Public Persona,” after he infamously declared, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” during a televised charity benefit for Hurricane Katrina Victims.

West is the modern case of how differently the artist and his art are perceived in the public eye. His

discography is regarded as consistently high-quality and stylistically diverse. Due to his background of creating instrumentals, Kanye excels in crafting albums with distinctive sounds that create a palpable emotional atmosphere.

After the optimistically soulful “The College Dropout” and “Late Registration” (2005), there’s the celebratory synth-pop “Graduation”(2007), the autotuned melancholy of “808s & Heartbreak” (2008) (notably a major influence on powerhouses like Drake and The Weeknd), and the ornately dark aggression of “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” (2010), considered by some the apex of Kanye’s artistry. At the same time that we saw the rise of his controversial status—from numerous award show incidents that may or may not involve Taylor Swift, to egotistic radio show tirades to Twitter rants that he’s turned into an art of his own.

Needless to say, this release was a huge deal, not only for the Hip-hop community, but for Kanye himself. Though he is no doubt a living relic, his musical influence has waned, and is now in the hands of frontrunners like Kendrick Lamar and Drake. It doesn’t help that his last release was in 2013, the abrasively experimental “Yeezus,” which was perhaps his most mildly received album by fans. West raised the expectations for this forthcoming release even higher by announcing on Twitter that it will be “not album of the year…[but] album of the life.”

Enter “The Life of Pablo” (TLOP). At first, due to the album’s experimental cover art— an orange avant-garde atrocity with the guiding artistic principle of a Microsoft Paint tutorial—and West’s tenden-

cy to compare himself to the great geniuses of our time, the title was thought to be a nod to Picasso.

West then revealed that the name was an allusion to Paul the Apostle, shedding greater light on his earlier comments in a radio interview proclaiming TLOP to be “a gospel album with a whole lot of cursing.” For an artist known for jumping from one innovative sound to another, could this be an indicator of the new style of Kanye listeners could expect?

The lead-in track, “Ultralight Beam,” would certainly make you think so, and what an introduction it is. Listeners are immediately greeted by a sample of a fervent toddler giving a homily, followed by the hymnals of R&B singer TheDream, a whole choir, and Kanye himself, singing, “Deliver us serenity / Deliver us peace / Deliver us loving / We know we need it / You know we need it.” In his words, we hear what sounds like a Kanye that just had his second kid. We hear a Kanye that, perhaps, has matured, that knows he’s done wrong in the eyes of many and wants to make up for it through his faith.

Kelly Price, the other R&B singer featured on the track, picks it up with her own emotional exploration of faith: “So, why send depression, not blessings? / Why, oh why’d you do me wrong?” In the final featured verse, up-and-comer Chance the Rapper brings down the house with his verse culminating in a triumphant declaration: “This is my part, nobody else speak / This little light of mine / Glory be to God, yeah.” The production is as much an epic as the lyrics it scores, starting from the minimal chords of a church organ, building up with thunderous bass drums, and crescendoing into the heavenly bellow of the choir.

“Ultralight Beam” is undoubtedly the best track of the album and the perfect embodiment of the gospel label. Yet, for better or for worse, the rest of TLOP does not follow suit. Instead, listeners are confronted by the juxtaposition of the faith Kanye wished he had or could live out (as he explored in the opener), and the mischief Kanye takes part in with his partying, promiscuity, and celebrity (a subject he’s explored in previous albums).

In fact, the style of TLOP is really a synthesis of the styles and messages of his previous works, a representation and reflection of his life as an artist.

As a result, we see the full virtue and folly of West’s artistry. Sonically, we get West’s most eclectic mix of production on an album, and pretty much all of the instrumen-

18

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Through this line, Kanye blatantly devalues the hard work Swift put in to gain prominence. What’s even more outrageous is that the line was originally, “Taylor Swift owe me sex,” which just further implicates West in his disrespect for Swift and his misogyny. It’s infinitely disappointing and frustrating that an artist whose music can represent so much sympathy and empathy can be just so oblivious to emotion.

An even more basic problem with the album is sheer volume of it, and it makes a listener wish that maybe he had stuck to the planned length of 10 or 11 songs instead of 18. Songs like “30 Hours,” “Facts (Charlie Heat Version),” and “Fade” seem to be tacked on unjustifiably, serving to only muddy the vision of the album.

“TLOP” feels a lot like a Kanye twitter rant. You definitely get the sense of what he wants to say, but he also hides what he wants to say in riddles, sends out mixed signals, and starts to talk in tangents, putting it on the audience to figure out just what exactly he is trying to say.

Even if its message is not worth amount of mental effort and glue it takes to piece it together, the album’s sonic experience makes it worth paying attention to. The album is a smorgasbord of sounds and energies, every song a unique dish. Tracks like “Father Stretch My Hands Pt.1” can even sound like different songs at certain points.

The result is an album that always keeps listeners on their toes, sometimes dancing and sometimes reaching for tissues. Yet a sampler platter of emotions and messages might not be enough to hold some listeners over, especially since previous albums seem more like fullcourse meals in comparison.

Ultimately, listeners got an album that is diverse, vibrant, and fun to listen to, but also one lacking a unified message. The album branches off into many directions that range from compelling to infuriating, but that lack depth all the same. This is not inherently bad, but you’d think with all his bravado and idealism verging on quixoticism, Kanye would want the listener to come away with something. The veteran West falls into the rookie trap that a group of great songs, enjoyable on their own, will without a doubt make a great album. What West has made is an artist’s lifetime collection of frustration and ecstasy that some will call a mesmerizing collage, and others a disjointed mess. How it all fits into the legend’s legacy, heaven only knows.

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tals are a pleasure to listen to; after all, they’re what what Kanye does best. And when he has his lyrics down, they can blissfully complement a track.

In “Pt.2,” “Wolves,” and “Freestyle 4,” we get multiple portrayals of West’s regret over his wild actions. In the first, West raps, “Up in the morning, miss you bad / Sorry I ain’t called you back / Same problem my father had,” over the hectic claps of a trap beat. In the second, reminiscent of “808s,” a slow, distorted bass drum and the haunting howling of a female vocalist underscore the lamentations, “If mama knew now / How you turned out, you too wild.” And in the third, an inebriated-sounding West calls out celebrity culture on top of a track of ominous and piercing violins that could have come straight out of “Yeezus.”

On the other end of the spectrum, we can get something like “Waves” with its vibrant instrumental of dreamy, staccato synths and outbursts of ad-libs that can really hype up a listener. The poplike nature feels like an upgraded “Graduation” single, and the sense of optimism is slow, lasting, and to be savored, like waves of endorphins, of ecstasy. The lyrics here are also on-point with the atmosphere: “Sun don’t shine in the shade / Bird can’t fly in the cage / Even when somebody go away / The feeling don’t really go away.”

It’s worth noting Chance the Rapper’s influence on the song as a writer and producer, the same artist featured in “Ultralight Beam” and seeming pioneer of feel-good rap with songs “Sunday Candy” and “Angels.” Certainly his prominence on TLOP will help skyrocket his already steady rise as he prepares his third release, almost as if West is preparing to pass the Hip-hop torch to his fellow Chicagoan.

At the same time, Kanye’s lyrics can be problematic. It can be difficult to know if West is actually praising the virtues (or lack thereof ) of his lifestyle rather than condemning them. In “Father Stretch My Hands Pt.1,” although regretfully singing “I just want to feel liberated / If I ever instigated I’m sorry,” he immediately follows up that with an absurd line describing having sex with a model in an obnoxious tone of Auto-Tune, making you wonder if he really serious about reforming his behavior.

And then In “Famous,” West infamously claims that he and “Taylor [Swift] might still have sex” because the MTV Video Music Awards incident of 2009 “made that b**** famous.” West says this seemingly unapologetically, even proudly.

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SING! 2016 The Stuyvesant Spectator March 18, 2016

Table of Contents Soph-Frosh SING! Review

p. 10

Junior SING! Review

p. 11

Senior SING! Review

p. 12-13

Highlights

p. 14-15

Scoreboard

p. 16

Features: A History of SING!

p. 17

Staff Editorial: SING! Nepotism

p. 18

SING! Humor

p. 19-20

Playlist

p. 20

Photos by Chloe Delfau, Jensen Forester, Soham Ghoshal, Xin Italie, and Kaia Waxenberg

Page 10

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Soph-Frosh SING! Even In The Apocalypse, Hope Lives on in Soph-Frosh SING!

By LIAM ELKIND It was just a regular day on Notsoscary Street, evocative of our very own Chambers Street—it even had a bagel store called “Quakers.”

Then, “Hurricane Maggio” struck, leaving behind destruction and chaos.

Despite the apocalyptic setting of the show, the talent of the Soph-Frosh cast and crews was impressive and exciting enough to overcome a somewhat meandering plotline and sometimes underwhelming gags to produce an effectively amusing and interesting production.

Soph-Frosh SING!, led by coordinator and sophomore Ray Jones, executive producer and sophomore Stephanie Zheng, and producers, freshman Julia Arancio, freshman Ruby Gary, and sophomore Lydia Zhang, opens with a group of friends on their intrepid journey to what was supposed to be a normal day at Stuyvesant.

As the squad travels to school, an old man (freshman Adam Elsayed) dashes onstage, prophesizing that the end of the world is near.

The group quickly rebuffs him, but when an earthquake strikes (powerfully and brutally conveyed by girls’ hip-hop), the group is forced to concede that he may be right— after all, as Stuyvesant student Kevin (Kevin Zong) points out, eSchoolData is down. It truly is the end of the world. The Prophet asserts that only a magical scroll in the middle of the forest can save the world. The group of friends agrees to travel with him to obtain the scroll.

The cast presents a diverse array of perspectives on the situation.

Gloria (Augie Murphy) continues to have an upbeat attitude, while Mol-

S O P H

F R O S H

ly (Chelsea Cheung) chooses to assert her hilariously depressing aura over the rest of the group. The two play well as foils to each other, but occasionally seem to be little more than one-note outlooks on life.

For the most part, however, the entire cast works cohesively to give their characters depth, an impressive feat given the harsh time constraints SING! offers. Rather than giving in to the easy out of playing caricatures, the actors devoted themselves entirely to the complex, albeit frequently ludicrous, desires of their characters.

Of particular note was Trevor (sophomore Travis Tyson), the down-for-anything, lovesick puppy dog who doted endlessly after Gloria, and consistently provided comic relief with inordinately strange comments about his nonexistent dog. By himself, Tyson worked effectively to increase the energy onstage.

But, when coupled with Murphy, the two seemed almost unstoppable. The duo has excellent chemistry, sweetly discoursing and gravitating naturally toward each other. Tyson’s solo song, adapted from The Lumineers’ “Hey Ho” to allow him to express his love for Gloria, was not only well-sung, but also adorkably sweet and able to effectively convey the spark of hope in a wasted landscape.

Elsayed played his role with manic energy and frantic whisperings. When the group learns that, after all, the apocalypse was entirely made up by the Prophet, he carries on with his incessant mumbling. He served to provide comic relief, but also a sense of desperation that juxtaposed Tyson and Murphy’s more upbeat perspectives.

As the show wears on, natural

disasters continue to interfere with our heroes’ journey. Rain begins to fall, in the form of the tap dance crew. The light drizzle quickly becomes a thunderstorm, performed by step. The two crews worked together to create a rainstorm, full of focused energy and genuinely intimidating characters.

Other dance highlights included boys’ hip-hop, an aweinspiringly energetic version of a kidnapping scene, and flow, which lit up the stage in a creative interpretation of a volcanic eruption.

Belly played a group of Mayans who aid the heroes in their journey to save the world. Their choreography worked well—the performance was a true feat of athletic strength, and they effectively incorporated boys into a dance crew not typically known for gender diversity.

Contemp was particularly well-executed, delivering a beautifully choreographed dance that conveyed the flood that attacked the survivors. The dancers moved fluidly, making use of a long blue scarf to create the mesmerizing image of ripples and waves.

Soph-Frosh SING! suffered from a disjointed plotline. Many subplots were left unresolved at the end, such as the aforementioned kidnapping scene, in which the Prophet is kidnapped by a group of bandits and later returned to the group unscathed and without explanation.

Additionally, the Prophet’s romantic backstory with his stalker, Sheila (Eliana Kavouriadis), was left without any satisfying resolution. Both were undeniably talented actors, and their song was performed beautifully. Kavouriadis had a powerful, carrying voice, and Elsayed, while bogged down by malfunctioning microphones,

compensated well with his ability to carry a tune gorgeously while projecting. The script, however, didn’t give them enough material to flesh out their relationship, and Sheila’s last line, a threat to hunt down the entire group, never amounted to anything more than a throwaway gag at the end of the show. The dissatisfaction with the ending took to Facebook, where a new hashtag, #WheresSheila2016, was launched.

Oftentimes, the plot was taken in directions that didn’t stay true to the show’s main narrative. For example, the introduction of the Latin crew as a group of ducks seemed disjointed and out of place. The crew, however, was able to overcome this fault because of their dancing talent.

That said, the script did allot for creative choices. When the supposed apocalypse was seconds away, the entire cast froze in place, creating a jarring difference from the general excited movement of the production as a whole. Trevor and Gloria are the only two left unfrozen, alone in this unusual moment of silence. Trevor professes his love for Gloria, thinking he has only seconds to live. It is a quiet but powerful moment, sweet and touching. After the moment is over, the rest of the cast continues counting down to the apocalypse only to find out that nothing has happened—the Prophet was crazy, after all.

This slightly anticlimactic scene made the show feel like it went out more with a fizz than the boom expected of an apocalyptic plotline. At first, it seemed like the theme was more, “A Group of Stuyvesant Students Runs in to a Crazy Guy” than “Apocalypse.”

However, the story’s resolution

proposed a more nuanced explanation and justification of the climax (or lack thereof ). Throughout the show, the characters are able to connect easily with the audience because of a shared experience: almost all of the leads are Stuyvesant students, dedicated but stressed, excited but nervous.

This Stuyvesant experience is a common trope in Soph-Frosh SING!. Two years ago, the extraterrestrial theme featured two Stuyvesant students traveling to Mars and immediately feeling nervous and out of place. The script allowed for a commentary on this notion that, though we may sometimes feel out of our element, and though high school problems may seem as massive as the end of the world, they often have a way of resolving themselves through faith and friendship.

Kevin, getting over his relief that the world has not ended, begins to despair over his overwhelming workload and the daily trudge he has to return to at Stuyvesant.

Molly (Alexa Kong) reminds him, “Hey, we saved the end of the world today. There are things in life to be happy about. Don’t let that stress bring you down.” This is a testament to the playwrights’ ability to give Soph-Frosh SING! a clear message that rings true for all students walking through the famed halls of Stuyvesant High School.

The students’ talents and the ideas put forth contributed to a wholly immersive and impressive experience. Hopefully, Soph-Frosh will continue to give an insight into the Stuyvesant experience: stressful, yes, but an opportunity to grow and overcome problems, even those that seem the most apocalyptic in scope.

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The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 11

Junior SING!

Snowy Junior SING! Is On Fire

By EMMA BERNSTEIN and ARIELLA KAHAN One of the most ambitious songs in this year’s SING! performances was a rap battle that took place between politician caricatures. Arnold Frump (Alec Dai) squats and raps in the center of the stage, Icerock Snowbama (Lowell Weisbord) beat-boxes in American flag boxers, Barnie Sandowitz (Tyler Chen) yells about infrastructure shortfalls in his classic Brooklyn accent, and Billary Linton (Emily Ma) interrupts the rapping with melody. The song was characteristic of the entire Junior SING! performance—a daring intellectual and political twist on the romances so often seen in SING!.

Coordinated by Winston Venderbush and produced by Xin Italie, Vicky Wu, Dina Gomaa, and Yuan Yue, Junior SING! was introduced to the audience after biology teacher Marissa Maggio, staying true to character, comes out on stage to announce that there will be absolutely no eating in the theater.

As she wheels away her cart, her snow globe tumbles to the ground and cracks, launching the world of Junior SING! into havoc.

The set was nothing short of a winter wonderland: the curtains opened to a stage lined with bare trees adorned with blue lights, intricately painted white and light blue heaps of snow and blocks of ice, and a picturesque snowy mountain backdrop.

Estelle (Lizzy Lawrence) and hypebeast boyfriend Nate (Andre Castro) sat in the foreground, and performed a heart-warming rendition of “Falling Slowly,” which showcased Lawrence

J U N I R

and Castro’s impressive vocals, beginning the show with a first number that was a hands-down highlight of the evening (and a highlight of their relationship). The number was accompanied by a dynamic Northern Lights show from junior flow. The colors of the lights and slow nature of the song diverged from the typical high energy of flow and instead served more as a dynamic backdrop for a duet, though during pauses between verses flow performed their more impressive moves.

The show transitions to an Effie Trinket-like debate moderator (Nadia Filanovsky) who spoke shrilly and was clad in a elaborate purple dress as she implored the five politicians— Billary, Barnie, Frump, Snowbama, and Tara Nailin (Lillian Carver)—to stay on topic, a trope that was fully exhausted by the time she ran off the stage out of frustration around halfway through the show.

As expected, the politicians debated ways to fix the crack while staying true to their caricatures and their idiosyncrasies. Though some of the jokes felt stale given the sheer number of comedic takes on this election cycle, the juniors managed to bring some fresh humor into their plot. Linton presents sweeping statements about how she will serve the people, occasionally taking instructions to do something hip and trendy (like a dab) from her earpiece when she fails to induce applause.

Dai’s portrayal of Donald Trump was especially successful; in a moppy blonde wig, he puffed out his lips and declared that he’d put “the best” people on the job to repair the snow globe: “I know the best people, I know the people

you don’t know,” he proclaimed. Latin took the stage in the middle of the scene and mimicked Donald Trump’s patriotic cheerleaders, dancing to “The Donald Trump Theme Song.” Though Latin was well-placed and exceptionally well costumed, the nature of the song and its lack of dynamic structure limited the crew’s ability to go above and beyond with its choreography. At the end of the scene, a co-ed hip-hop crew composed of the townspeople overtook the politicians, demanding change. They filled the stage with original moves that took advantage of having both male and female dancers to create a bold routine.

The debate scene closed, and Krystin (Kate Sherwin) an overenthusiastic, politically-correct activist, Edna (Kate Johnston) a cynic with a Mary Poppins-esque fanny pack, and Estelle and Nate took the stage. Frustrated by the politicians’ inability to act, Krystin and Estelle decided to find the crack themselves. Nate came along out of loyalty to his girlfriend, and Edna— whose deadpan one-liners and superb facial expressions salvaged the fact that her character was a bit out-of-place and flat—joined the group as well. The gang’s quest to find the crack, interspersed with returns to the debate stage and peppered with dance crews, dominated the rest of the plot.

Step, composed of penguins, was especially well-integrated into the plotline. They came onto the stage after a lost baby penguin (Dine Re) approaches the gang, and Edna taunts the penguin with a dead fish and a pack of gum she pulls right out of her handy fanny-pack.

When Edna refuses to give the penguin the fish, the penguin sadly waddles off

the stage. But moments the penguin is gone, its fully-grown elders stomp onto the stage to chase away the harassers.

With bright orange feet that highlight their energetic movements, step, directed by Samuel So and Jason Chen, was one of the best dance crews in Junior SING!; they refrained from repeating the same moves, and switched formations frequently from dancing in rows to columns to a circle and finally, in a closing sequence, alternating between sitting and standing.

Two songs followed step—the first was a mash-up of “Forget You” by Cee Lo Green and “F— You” by Lily Allen performed by Edna and Krystin, and the second was an interpretation of “Crazy” performed by Santa (Dennis Ronel), who entered the stage on a well-crafted sleigh. The songs were performed in quick succession of each other, and were equally impressive. Johnston and Sherwin both sung in beautiful, clean voices, and they performed the song well while advancing the plot—after watching Krystin put up with Edna’s cynicism for a while, the audience finally saw her let out her rage. The song choices were especially apt for the argumentative lyrics, and the mash-up was refreshing.

Ronel was fearless in his portrayal of Santa, a jaded and drunk version of the jolly gift-giver everyone is familiar with. In a beard, a white and red fluffy jacket, and Christmas-themed boxers, Ronel stepped out of his sleigh and captured the audience’s attention immediately. While singing, he strutted around the stage and danced around the disgusted-looking Edna. Ronel hit the high, long notes, spurring awed cheers

from the crowd.

After a return to the politicians and the aforementioned rap battle, the show drew to a close as Krystin, Edna, Estelle, and Nate finally located the crack with the help of Santa and the belly crew, composed of Santa’s elves, and discovered that it was significantly less problematic than expected.

While brainstorming ways to mend it, Estelle asks Nate if he’ll let them use his sneakers to fill the crack, and he says no—the sneakers are too important to him. As Edna reaches into her fanny-pack and sacrifices some of her beloved gum to fill the crack (a confusing development; how could a crack be filled by either sneakers or gum?), Estelle gets rightfully angry at Nate for being too selfish to give up his sneakers to save the snow globe. In a cliché turn of events, Estelle trips and falls off the platform the gang was standing on and Nate, as a knight in shining armor, jumps down to save her, singing to the tune of “Hurricane” from the Hamilton Musical. The couple reuniting via song was accompanied by a flurry of modern dancers who dazzled the crowd with their grace and silver and blue feathery face paint.

Touched by Nate’s valiant effort the save her, Estelle forgives him for his earlier materialism and again, with the help of Santa, the couple returns to the town and tells the politicians that while they’ve been wasting time debating about how to fix the crack, the crack was fixed. Just a few seconds later, Edna and Kristin arrive, and the entire cast unites on the stage, finishing the show as a happy amalgam of activists, elves, and politicians.

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The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Senior SING!

In Senior SING!

By DANIELLE EISENMAN and SONIA EPSTEIN Most horror movies are not valuable for their frightening qualities—at least, not to us. Instead, it’s the nostalgia-inducing tropes that bring us back to trickor-treating as 8-year-olds: walking past houses draped in plastic cobwebs and orange lights, and waiting until midnight to watch “Rocky Horror Picture Show” on our friends’ laptops. The best parts of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” are not the spooky-scary encounters with the undead, but the varsity jackets and the Halloween-y theme song.

Likewise, the opening to Senior SING! did not shock us with horror, but swept us back to those crisp autumn nights of our childhoods, when the atmosphere felt delightfully haunted, but not so haunted that it was worth cowering from. It is in this vein that a group of high school students, emboldened by a night of partying, approach a graveyard. Perhaps for the sake of tradition, they chant an old line summoning “Big Evil,” and as the chant grows louder and the wrought iron gates of the graveyard swing open, the group and their audience are transported into a murky world, where fifty leering, hooded, sunken-eyed apparitions sing the opening number, which is, unsurprisingly, the theme for all graveyard escapades: Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

This collision between the worlds of the living and the notso-living sets the stage for the (rather simple) plot for Senior SING!, coordinated by Hajra Safraz and produced by Rishika Jikaria, Rahul Francis, Annabelle Gary, and Kara Follosco. The group of teenagers drawn into the

Seni r SING!

graveyard would soon become prey for the demons residing there, who must bring a certain number of souls to their master, Big Evil, before the night is up.

The audience members do not grow terribly attached to these teenagers, and they are not supposed to—they are, after all, transient figures in the scheme of the play, and archetypes we’ve all seen before. There’s the jockcheerleader duo, Thad (Luke Stocker) and Stacey (Nicole Rosengurt), the goody two-shoes nerd girl (Alexis Kushner), dressed in mom jeans, complete with over-sized glasses and braided pigtails, the leather-jacket-clad technophile (Mark Abiskaroon), and the stoner friend, Leaf (Fiona Cohen).

The fantastical figures of the story were more interesting than the human ones, however, mainly because they weren’t modeled after stereotypes. Banshee (Kelsey Watts) is a squeaky-voiced spirit who doesn’t wear evil as well as her nefarious friends. At the start of the show, Banshee still hasn’t managed to make any kills, while Count Dracula (Jordan Foster), the vegan vampire who drinks fair trade coffee and buys his clothes at thrift shops, is much more successful. The Clown (Jeremy Elkayam) and the Shining Girls (Ruth Elias and Valerie Vishneveskaya) are also distinct characters.

Even though the Shining Girls are based on characters from a Stephen King book, they have their own hilarious quirks—they speak in poetic rhymes, but occasionally break character to accuse one another of purposely saying words that are difficult to rhyme with.

In a Romeo and Juliet-esque cliché, the link between the two worlds comes in the form of a

romance. Hunter (Philip Chun), one of Big Evil’s minions, is dating Carolyn (Kristen Chang), a member of the high school clique who, while charming, is a rather flat character. As the story hurtles toward its end, with each teenager having been captured, and each demon getting a “kill,” it becomes clear that the quota will not be fulfilled without Carolyn’s death.

When Big Evil, a smoke-spewing skull and paper mache masterpiece appears, he orders Hunter, who has not yet sacrificed a soul, to “kill her, or be destroyed.”

Hunter and Carolyn’s subsequent meetings are filled with all of the expected tension and release that a one-hour production permits. Hunter disgraces Carolyn for sacrificing her friends, and Carolyn shames Hunter for continuing to serve Big Evil. Banshee sits in the background, eating popcorn—a wink from the directors of Senior SING!. They recognize the clichés of the plot, and play into them. Of course the two make up, because it is SING!, but in the next moment Banshee, triumphant, stabs Carolyn. Some inkling of sadness perturbs the audience for a moment, but then, the mourning is replaced with the joyous jives of senior swing.

Even though Senior SING! had its share of memorable characters, the plot was underwhelming.

It felt repetitive, like every scene was exactly the same as the one before it, except with a different character being killed by a different crew of creatures. In addition, the jokes weren’t spectacular, and there also weren’t very many. (The jokes that got the most laughs were plays on words, which probably isn’t a good sign.)

It almost felt like the little bits of dialogue were obligatory breaks from the crews, and the

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 13

Senior SING!

Crews Are Scary Good sole purpose of the lines was to introduce every crew.

But, that’s quite alright. Every crew was seamlessly worked into the plot, and it never felt random when a crew came onstage, even though this is often the case with SING!. Also, SING! is never about the plot—it’s the crews that shine. Especially in Senior SING!’s case—every dance was delightfully cohesive, satisfyingly organized, and generally flawless.

Senior belly, whose purpose was to kidnap Leaf, formed three, imposing walls, with an impressive number of boys occupying the middle row. With their flashing costumes, they proved fitting captors for the glimmering Leaf, just as the chic angels of girls’ hip hop claimed Stacey and the braindead zombies of Latin converged upon Thad. Soon after belly exited the stage, leaving Leaf tied to a stake, flow entered to ignite her. The beginning of the dance featured performances with fiery lights, set to Fall Out Boy’s “Light ‘Em Up,” again exemplifying the incredibly well-coordinated nature of Senior SING!. The highlight of flow, however, occurred midway through the routine: in the darkness, a small group clad in black entered the stage. As the music swelled, the outlines of their figures were suddenly illuminated in neon colors. As they danced, the handmade costumes blinked in sync, a feat made possible by programming created by senior Peter Strbik. The moment was a prime example of the visual appeal of the crews—well organized and clad in gorgeous costumes, their simultaneous mass production and beauty was hard to fathom.

Tap, a new addition this year, was one of the most fun crews to

watch. Dressed in all black, with anatomically accurate skeletons painted on their bodies and skulls painted on their faces, the crew managed to be well-synchronized and fun and swingy at the same time.

Our favorite part of tap, how-

singers included Watts and Kushner.

Senior SING! put on what was, in a way, a safe show. The seniors chose a theme they knew they would have a lot of room to work with. Art and costumes did not necessarily have to be cre-

The audience members do not grow terribly attached to these teenagers, and they are not supposed to—they are, after all, transient figures in the scheme of the play, and archetypes we’ve all seen before.

ever, was the music. It was an interpretation of the song, “Booty Swing” by Parov Stelar that felt like it was straight out of the 1920s, with active, sweet-sounding clarinet and muted trumpet.

Even though the saxophones were slightly out of tune, the song’s snappy groove was infectious.

For the most part, the senior band was undeniably impressive.

Everything was tight and professional, from the Latin jazz that the Latin crew danced to to the band’s interpretation of “Thriller.”

The seniors’ vocalists were also extremely talented. Chang’s rich, creamy, and powerful vocals made “Turning Tables” one of the show’s highlights. Other strong

ative, since anyone who has ever decorated their house for Halloween could have designed the Senior set. It had all the predictable decorations—scythes, fake skulls, bats, and devil tarot cards.

But, even though the seniors didn’t necessarily take very many risks—both in terms of their set and their script—the show was wholly satisfying because of how smoothly executed it was. After all, SING! is all about showcasing the talents of the student body, and after watching swing flip girls in the air, hearing chorus’s complex harmonies, and marveling over coded costumes, the senior class’s level of talent is undeniable.

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The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Highlights Best Acting Performances 1. Kelsey Watts, Banshee, Seniors It would be impossible to deny Watts’s exceptional talent as an actress after seeing this performance. Able to transition from providing comic relief at one moment to dramatic interpretations the next, Watts successfully portrayed this dynamic character.

2. Emily Ma, Billary Linton, Juniors Ma was able to engage the audience with her ability to work presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s classic power pantsuit, her efforts to integrate the “youth” into her campaigns, and her constantly enthusiastic speeches. Ma portrayed Clinton’s tendency to eat, sleep, and dream the presidency with constant dabbing and dramatic mannerisms.

3. Dennis Ronel, Santa, Juniors Portraying a crusty, cynical, drug-addicted Santa Claus, Ronel’s character provided a fresh, hilarious twist on the cheery, gift-giving saint. From the moment Ronel made his entrance, sitting on a sleigh and clad in Christmas-themed boxer shorts, the show was elevated to a new level.

4. Kate Johnston, Edna (Ed), Juniors Johnston’s Ed would have been absolutely intolerable if she wasn’t so hilarious. Clad in a massive fanny-pack and a pair

of physical education teacher Rhonda Rosenthal-style sweatpants, Ed was unpleasant, oblivious, and impossibly deadpan in the best way possible.

5. Jordan Foster, Vampire, Seniors Foster’s portrayal of a hipster vampire was on-point. His obsessions with thrift store clothing, vinyl, free trade organic coffee, and (ironically) veganism left his audience in stitches throughout his performance.

6. TIE: Alec Dai, Arnold Frump, Juniors and Lillian Carver, Tara Nailin’, Juniors While few actors can pull off the insanity that is presidential candidate Donald Trump, Dai did so successfully. His facial expressions, impassioned speeches, raunchy dancing, gold blazer, and tendency to throw money into the crowd were certainly over-the-top, and therefore fit Trump’s character perfectly.

Politician Sarah Palin’s voice, mannerisms, and movements were accurately portrayed and mocked by Carver. Even Carver’s laugh was uncannily similar to Palin’s, and her performance supplied high energy and bursts of laughter.

7. Tyler Chen, Barnie Sandowitz, Juniors Dressed in a gray powdered wig and more wrinkles than a Shar Pei, Chen executed a perfect impression of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders with

Kelsey Watts, Best Acting Performance

his hoarse, low voice and shaking body movements.

8. Chelsea Cheung, Molly, Soph-Frosh Like Johnston, Cheung executed a Debby Downer character with unwavering, laugh-inducing deadpan, providing the audience with a fresh personality.

9. Kristen Chang, Carolyn, Seniors Her smooth voice and calm demeanor matched Carolyn’s

cool-headed and twisted wickedness. As the story progressed, however, Chang’s execution of her character flipped the audience’s perspective on its head, demonstrating the well-played intricacy that comes along with a human-demon love relationship.

tossed over Santa’s shoulder, she always managed to bring a high level of talent and energy to the show.

10. Lizzy Lawrence, Estelle, Juniors Lawrence was sassy, dynamic, and poised at the same time.

Whether she was yelling at her imbecilic boyfriend or getting

Luke Stocker, Thad, Seniors

Honorable mentions: Travis Tyson, Trevor, Soph-Frosh

Nicole Rosengurt, Stacey, Seniors

Best Songs 1. “Turning Tables,” Kristen Chang and Philip Chun, Seniors Chang’s rich and powerful vocals enhanced the lyrics she sang and expressed the pain she felt.

Chun’s voice blended beautifully with Kristen’s when he sang the song an octave higher in the Saturday performance. The ending harmony between Chang and Chun provides calm relief in the wake of Chang’s strong solos.

2. “Screw You,” Kate Johnston and Kate Sherwin, Juniors Johnston and Sherwin were well-matched as actresses, and this duet brought out their rivalry.

In “Screw You,” a musically com-

plex and satisfying piece, their inverse chemistry was exemplified.

3. “Elastic Hearts,” Kelsey Watts, Seniors This number opened with a high a cappella note from Watts, which inspired awe in the audience from the get-go. Watts’s voice was full of power and soul, a fact that was accentuated by her lack of movement during the solo, and the song showed off her vocal range very nicely. The unusually large Senior chorus’s backing also gave the song layers of depth, although it was at times difficult to hear their voices over Watts’s microphone and the band.

4. “Chillin’,” Dennis Ronel, Juniors Ronel’s solo provided the audience with a clearer understanding of Ronel’s character as a strange Santa. His strong vocals along with the hilarious lyrics allowed for a lively song, stimulating chuckles and heads nodding to the beat.

5. “Ho Hey,” Travis Tyson, Soph-Frosh Tyson created a charming and engaging performance with his vocals, singing on the edge of stage with the Soph-Frosh chorus.

Honorable Mention: “Falling Slowly,” Lizzy Lawrence and Andre Castro, Juniors

“Turning Tables,” Kristen Chang and Phillip Chun, Best Song

Best Costumes 1. Clown (Jeremy Elkayam), Seniors The clown’s elaborate makeup, bright red afro, and eccentric red and black patchwork outfit made for a striking costume. The nose was also functional, honking at numerous times during the show, which created a comic effect for an only slightly evil clown.

2. Leaf (Fionna Cohen), Seniors Equipped with a 1920sesque headband and a draped, excessively glittery dress, Co-

hen’s costume gave her the impression of a cross between a Gatsby-era flapper and a 1970’s Stevie Nicks, ready to “connect with nature.”

3. Penguins, Juniors Junior step’s performance was highlighted by its cute, tuxedo penguin costumes, complete with orange, flipper-ed feet.

4. Santa (Dennis Ronel), Juniors This costume perfectly embodied the washed out stoner

Santa featured in Junior SING!.

By having a more traditional Santa jacket and Christmasthemed boxers on the bottom, along with an exceedingly ugly, monstrous wig, the costume showed the personality of Ronel’s character even before he had his first line.

5. Ducks, Soph-Frosh The colorful feathers and bills of the Soph-Frosh Latin costumes made them creative interpretations of ducks.

Best Disses 1. “Shut up, Snowbama! Your politics remind me of SophFrosh Latin. You’re a lame duck!”—Arnold Frump (Alec Dai), Juniors 2. Hunter (Phillip Chun): “Once we finish up these last kills, we can spend more time together, I promise! I love you.”

Carolyn (Kristen Chang): (Looks to the audience.) “More than your...Yeezys?”

Clown (Jeremy Elkayam), Best Costume

Hunter: “Well, obviously!” (Seniors) 3. Ed (Kate Johnston): “Shut up, Nate. Those fake sneakers are as low qual as your jokes!”

Nate (Andre Castro): “FAKE?!?!?!?” (lunges at Ed) Ed: “Relax. At least they don’t look as fake as Soph-Frosh’s store-bought costumes.” (Juniors)

4. “Sheila is like Senior SING!.

She sucks the soul out of you and wastes your time.”

—Prophet (Adam Elsayed), Soph-Frosh 5. Estelle (Lizzy Lawrence): “Is the world gonna...end?”

Nate (Andre Castro): “That’s a dumb idea. C’mon, this isn’t Soph-Frosh!” (Juniors)

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 15

Highlights Best Jokes 1. “Is that a scroll in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?” —Trevor (Travis Tyson), Soph-Frosh 2. (singing) “They tried to make me go to rehab and I said: ‘Ho, ho, ho!’” — Santa (Dennis Ronel), Juniors 3. Clown (Jeremy Elkayam): “All right, whatever you say, Count Whackula.”

Count Dracula (Jordan Foster): “You better shut up before I Count Smackula!” (Seniors) 4. “That’s why we need to invest money into drilling of oil, natural gas, unnatural gas, wildlife, and your mom using onshore drilling, midshore drilling, offshore drilling, offshore trilling, offshore grilling, deepwater drilling, ultra-deepwater drilling, mega drilling, hyper drilling, power drilling, and pelvic drilling.” — Tara Nailin’ (Lillian Carver), Juniors 5. “Sorry, man. Rudolph the

Red-Eyed Reindeer is a bit...out of it right now.” — Santa (Dennis Ronel), Juniors Honorable Mentions: “I have this rare skin disease.”

(Looks down at the ground, then looks up) “It’s called perfection.”

— Vampire (Jordan Foster), Seniors

(Looking at Estelle) “She’s almost as dateable as my daughter!” — Arnold Frump (Alec Dai), Juniors (Pointing at Santa’s rear as he’s bent over) “I think I found the crack.” — Ed (Kate Johnston), Juniors

Trevor (Travis Tyson), Best Joke

Best Moments

Arnold Frump (Alec Dai), Best Diss

Seniors Step, Best Dance

1. Rap Battle, Juniors This year’s Junior SING! was filled with unique and unusual moments; the rap battle between the various presidential candidates was, in this vein, as unprecedented as it was hilarious. Each politician delivered lines that captured the essence of his or her character, and the moment gave the show a surge of energy that lasted for its entirety.

2. Travis Tyson’s Dancing, Soph-Frosh As Tyson’s companions danced in an orderly fashion to the “Somebody That I Used to Know” duet performed by Sheila (Eliana Kavouriadis) and the prophet (Adam Elsayed), Tyson, immersed in his own world, rocked out to his own tune. His vigorous (yet perplexingly rhythmic) motions, reminiscent of junior Lorenz Vargas’s in SING! 2015, received some disapproving stares from his companions on stage, but delighted laughter from the audience.

3. Glow-in-the-Dark Costumes, Seniors While Senior flow captivated the audience with illuminated

wonders, a group of boys clad in black stealthily entered the stage, crouching in the center.

When the beat dropped, their clothes suddenly sparked to life, with neon lights outlining their powerful figures. Impressively, senior Peter Strbik programmed the costumes to flash in different patterns as the boys danced. The outfits were also homemade.

4. Social studies teacher Kerry Trainor’s Cameo, Seniors Though perhaps anticipated by some when Nick (Mark Abiskaroon) pulled out his

cellphone, Trainor’s ensuing entrance and smooth dancing to Drake’s hit “Hotline Bling” brought screams of approval from the crowd.

5. Snow, Juniors When Estelle and Nate finally fixed the snow globe, it began to snow again. The juniors creatively used bubbles to represent snow, their shimmering sight adding magic to the scene.

Honorable Mention: John Cena Interruption, Juniors

Rap Battle, Best Moment

Best Dances 1. Boys’ Hip-hop, Seniors Senior boys’ hip-hop wowed spectators with its impressive stunts, like backflips and frontflips, woven in with complex, sharp choreography. The boys, dressed as vampires, were fierce and terrifying—the sheer number of members, combined as one, visual entity, made the crew breath-taking to watch.

2. Tap, Seniors The tap dancers accurately brought their skeleton personas to life through their stiff joints and sharp movements. Combined with the lively tunes of the saxophone, their clickity clack clack sounds were reminiscent of old 1920s Halloween cartoons.

Boys’ Hip-hop, Best Dance

3. Step, Juniors Junior step impressed the audience with its quick-paced rhythm and complex, innovative moves.

More importantly, its claps, snaps, and stomp maintained perfect synchronization whether they were standing, sitting, or walking.

4. Step, Seniors The crowd exploded as senior step stomped onstage, their feet falling as heavily as the gargoyles they portrayed. The crew performed powerfully and yet completely in sync, creating the perfect build-up to the long-awaited entrance of Big Evil.

5. Belly, Seniors With 38 members, the Senior belly crew utilized creative formations and skillful techniques without sacrificing synchrony. The inclusion of 12 boys, an unusually large number for a belly crew, allowed the crew to entice the crowd with boy-girl partnering. Moving between v-shapes, lines, spirals, and circles, the crew told the story of how Leaf was killed as they worked with smooth shifts in music and lighting.

Honorable Mentions: Boys’ Hip-hop, Soph-Frosh Modern, Juniors

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The Spectator â—? March 18, 2016

SING! Scoreboard Overall Overall Impression Script Acting Dance Band/Orchestra Vocal Musical Elements Sets Technical Aspects Costumes Total Deductions Final

Soph-Frosh

Junior

Senior

83 79 90 96 87 79 88 75 71 743 -4 739

116 116 108 110 108 104 115 107 111 995 -21 974

123 99 112 140 126 122 123 107 117 1056 -66 990

Soph-Frosh

Junior

Senior

43 42 44 48 39 40 43 35 36 370

59 56 54 57 55 51 60 52 57 501

58 44 49 68 54 57 59 53 56 498

Soph-Frosh

Junior

Senior

40 37 46 48 43 39 45 40 35 373

57 60 54 53 53 53 55 55 54 494

65 55 63 72 59 65 64 54 61 558

Friday Overall Impression Script Acting Dance Band/Orchestra Vocal Musical Elements Sets Technical Aspects Costumes Total

Overall Impression Vivian Lin / The Spectator

Script Acting Dance Band/Orchestra Vocal Musical Elements Sets Technical Aspects Costumes

Xinhui Xu / The Spectator

Total

Vivian Lin / The Spectator

Saturday

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 17

Features

A History of SING!

A group of actors from the winning 1985 Senior SING! performance, titled “Behind the Mask.”

By ALICE CHENG, GEENA JUNG, and ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Every year during the weeks of early March, Stuyvesant students stream out of the doors onto the Tribeca Bridge at 8 p.m., with massive eye bags, flushed faces, and wild grins. They form clusters with their friends and talk animatedly — they’ve just come from SING! rehearsal, and the euphoria of just completing a full runthrough is still with them.

During SING! season, participants in SING! sacrifice countless hours after school, their entire February breaks, and a lot of sleep to come together and put on a show. For the faculty, the parents, and the students, it can be a huge inconvenience. But it’s a tradition that has persisted at Stuyvesant for 43 years.

Starting off as a small event in 1973, SING! has grown to the point where tickets sell out online in seconds. “This day is unique to this school. And I think SING! is one of the things that we have that’s a tradition. [...] That, to me, is the special thing about it,” Asher Lack (‘01) said.

While the school is caught up in the hype of SING! 2016, it is interesting to take a step back, and explore how SING! has developed over the years.

That ‘70s SING! The early SING! shows, though different in style, parallel many aspects of SING! today. The same silly jokes, drama, after-party, and grade unification all characterized the SING!s of the 1970s.

The only major difference between the SING! of then and the SING! of now is the format of the story. Nowadays, students vote for a broad theme to use as a basis for the script, and the numerous dance crews work around that theme. In the ‘70s, SING! plots were more like silly stories. For example, “A Knight to Remember,” featuring characters like the knights at the round table, was the SophFrosh SING! of 1976. Vincent Montuori (‘78) wrote the show and starred in it. “Stuyvesant was an all-male school a few years before my class had gotten there.

The whole concept of co-ed was still relatively new, and there were some things that we didn’t do with boys and girls. So it was a parody on the silly rules keeping boys and girls apart back then. It was the middle ages and we were pushing for co-ed lunch so that boys and girls could actually eat together,” Montuori said when asked to describe the plot. “[These stories] were pretty silly. The names had the puns, and wacky stuff like that. Hardly great literature,” said Brian Sands (’79),

Senior SING!, the winning performance of 1990, put on a play called "Sex, Lies, and Televangelism," which featured a “A Murderous Affair,” the Soph-Frosh production of 1985, beat the Junior SING! production by nearly 200 points. corrupt televangelist named Adan Gelles.

a cast member of a different SING! production.

Another show of the decade, Senior SING! 1976, revolved around Stuyvesant becoming a nuclear power. Tim Robbins, a famous actor, director, producer, and screenwriter starred in this SING!. He’s won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Mystic River and has worked in various other movies. But he got his start in Stuyvesant SING! shows. In the nuclear power SING!, his character in the final scene accidentally launches the nuclear missile, and then Bronx Science appears with their weapons. “It was a pretty funny premise at the time,” Montuori recalled, laughing.

Despite the varying formats of the SING!s then and now, the jokes are extremely similar in their cheesiness and occasional obscenity. Jokes putting down Staten Island were extremely common, as well as jokes trashing Bronx Science. Students stuffed their script with puns; for example, the Senior SING! of 1977 was a fairytale story with a character named Princess Honeydew. One line read, “You cantaloupe with that melon-head, Honeydew.” They even had jokes playfully dissing well-known students. Sands remembers twin brothers in his grade, named Eric and James Brudner, who Sands referred to as “big men on campus,” since they were both talented pianists. “There was a line where someone said, ‘Do you want to play with the Brudner twins?’ and the response was ‘No, the Brudner twins only like to play with themselves,” Sands said. Sands also recalled a suggestive line they wrote to replace a lyric in “You Gotta Have a Gimmick” from the musical Gypsy. The line was “went to see a surgeon, now she isn’t a virgin.”

Something else that remained constant was the drama that comes along with SING! each year. “I know there was some clique-ishness, in terms of script writing, and senior year, two guys wrote a script that was not selected, and there were some ruffled feathers,” Sands recollected.

Montuori recognized the clique culture of SING! during his years at Stuyvesant as well. He returned to Stuyvesant to watch SING! during the ‘80s, and as he watched he realized that “the kids had done a much better job of tapping into the entirety of the talent in their classes,” he said. Each year he watched it, different kids were cast as the leads. “We would write a show, and we would have in our mind which one of our friends could fit what part. But [the kids in the ‘80s] did a very good job of making sure that everybody got a chance to be in the show in some

way, shape, or form,” Montuori said. “The cliques kept some talent that really would have been beneficial out of the mix.”

However, this drama didn’t stop students from enjoying what SING! had to offer. “The most wonderful thing about SING was the autonomy and the creativity. In the stress-filled world of a top-tier high school, there are not many opportunities for the students to be self-directed,” Sue Rock (’79), who sang in the chorus and had featured roles in SING!, said in an e-mail interview.

The SING! shows ended with a widely attended after-party celebration, just as they do today.

The tradition was to walk down to the Village, maybe spin the black cube at Astor Place, and try to find a place to hold as many people possible. “The SING! after-parties were infamous. The routine was to celebrate and then walk as a huge group down through Manhattan […] to Washington Square Park to continue to sing with the live musicians until the wee hours,” Rock said.

The SING! tradition was off to a strong start. The alumni we interviewed agreed that SING! politics and favoritism were unfortunate, but overall, had overwhelmingly positive experiences with SING!. Robert Fowler (’78) said in an e-mail interview, “SING! was a definite morale booster. The beacon of light at the end of the scholastic year tunnel.”

SING!-ers Just Want to Have Fun! Nowadays, most SING!s end with a senior victory and a second-place finish for juniors; during the ‘80s, however, it was not uncommon for juniors to win SING!, nor was it rare for soph-frosh to claim second place. This is evident early in the decade: Junior SING! victories started in 1980, and continued throughout the decade in 1982, 1986, and 1988.

Likewise, during 1984, 1985, and 1987, Soph-Frosh placed second.

With these fluctuations, however, not every grade was left happy: the class of ‘88 never placed first in a single SING!.

Selection processes for positions such as coordinators, producers, and writers were also different in the ‘80s. Today, the Student Union chooses coordinators, who in turn pick producers. Together, the producers and coordinators pick directors and writers for their grade. But the ‘70s and ‘80s selection process was a lot more chaotic. There was no set standard on how to select lead positions, but customarily, students who participated in previous SING!s gathered together to vote on who deserved the position.

But this method was not without its complications: in 1987,

controversy created high tensions pre-SING! when several members of the student government questioned the customary procedure for leadership election. As a result, each grade selected its own directors and coordinators through separate processes for that year.

Senior SING held a small meeting with caucus members. Junior SING! created an eight member council consisting of previous SING! members and representatives from the grade chosen by a lottery. And Soph-Frosh SING! held an assembly meeting for free nominations and elections. Afterwards, the question of what kind of role the Student Union should play in SING! became increasingly debated within the SING! community.

Nevertheless, the students of the ‘80s continued to produce entertaining performances. One was Junior SING!’s winning play, “Into the Jungle,” in 1986, a story about two boys in a museum who get trapped in a jungle painting.

Soph-Frosh SING! put on a show called “New Amsterdammed” in 1982, which takes place in New York City during colonial times and features Peter Stuyvesant, and Junior SING’s 1989 “Qwest For Time” chronicled Stuyvesant students traveling to back in time to the Wild West, where they accidentally meet the infamous outlaw Jesse James and his gang.

Not all SING!s were this adventure-heavy, however. In 1983, Senior SING! performed a play much closer to home called “Please Pardon the Interruption,” which followed the lives of a single homeroom through all of four years of Stuyvesant from the first day of freshman year to senior graduation. Similarly, in 1988, the senior class performed a complex but humorous inception-like play literally called “Senior SING!” about two spies who must retrieve the stolen Senior SING! script at the villain’s church hideout.

Hence, SING! during the ‘80s was a time still full of development. Its production values were in its beginning stages, and the lack of cumulative experience among the classes due to SING!’s early beginnings gave everyone a fair chance of winning first or second place. Selection for leadership positions was also in its early stages, leaving SING! even more hectic and frustrating at times than it is today. Regardless, the students from the ‘80s kept the tradition running and added a new page to its history.

New Decade, New Building, New Century, New SING! The SING! seasons of the ‘90s were distinguished from those of other decades by new changes.

During this time, multiple ideas

were proposed to make the student-run performances more fair and efficient. After 1993, the year Stuyvesant moved from East 15th street to Chambers Street, students decided to put the rules for SING! in ink and created standard procedures for selecting directors, cast, and script-writers. They hoped that this would be a way to keep SING! intact as the school made the transition from one building to another.

In their new home, Stuyvesant students created new SING! traditions. For instance, after the Saturday shows in the 2000s were finished, the students who participated in the performances would gather in the main lobby for a big rally. “The bands would bring out bongo drums,” English teacher Maura Dwyer (’04) said.

“But the administration decided to end the rallying because it was a safety issue with so many people squashed in one place.” The tradition of SING! spirit songs after every show is a vestige of this.

Like the previous two decades, the 1990s and 2000s did not fail to produce interesting storylines. In 1998, Senior SING! did a modernday James Bond story, where the main characters must destroy nuclear bombs in Washington D.C. In 2003, Junior SING! performed a story about the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was based off the premise that John F. Kennedy was working with Fidel Castro to create the crisis in order to distract the public from his affair with Marilyn Monroe. “Fidel Castro was the narrator—he’d speak to the audience directly to give them historical context, and he also had a teddy bear that was his best friend that he would talk to and make jokes with,” Tim Drinan (’04) said in an e-mail interview. The play closed off with a spirit song called “Sweet Home La Havana.”

Around this time, SING! became more theme-oriented rather than plot-oriented. For example, in 2008, junior SING! created a story set in Board Game Land, where Mr. Monopoly ruled over the other game pieces. The same class produced a show set in Cyberspace during its senior year, where the protagonist was pitted against the evil Hacker. To close the decade off, Senior SING! performed a show with the theme of Roman mythology, which included tributes to Michael Jackson.

Thus, since its birth in 1973 as a small production, SING! has evolved into a huge school tradition. With an ever-expanding culture, it is impossible to tell what new traditions will be added to SING!. Regardless, it has, and always will, leave a lasting mark on Stuyvesant history.

Page 18

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Editorials STAFF EDITORIAL

SING! Nepotism: Real or Imagined?

SING! has historically been a zany variety show of diverse dance crews, actors, and musicians coming together to showcase the talents of the student body. In addition to being a creative outlet for students, however, SING! is a competition. The Soph-Frosh, Junior, and Senior shows are ranked against one another, and one winner is chosen at the end.

Over the past few years, resentment toward the show has steadily increased, as students complain about being kept out of the production because other people—specifically, friends of those in power—seem to be more likely to get coveted positions.

Complaints of nepotism came to a head this year with protesters taking to Facebook and accusing producers and coordinators of selecting their friends for leadership positions.

They also noted that people tend to be given the same positions year after year, which prevents new ideas and participants from entering the SING! experience.

Those that make these complaints assert that nepotism only serves to benefit those in the more popular friend groups that tend to dominate SING!. Others maintain that the system is fair, because people who have experience in certain roles are more likely to be able to fulfill these roles again, and changes to accommodate everyone would weaken the grade’s performance as a whole. This mass discussion concerning SING! and nepotism has prompted us to consider the good and the bad of SING! applications, the things we would like the change and the things we can and cannot change.

How Are People Actually Chosen?

SING!’s very organization makes it exclusive. By utilizing secret, invite-only, minimally publicized Facebook groups as nearly the sole organizational tools, SING! excludes not only those who do not have Facebook accounts, but also those who exist outside most large social spheres. Because crew applications are posted and publicized in these secret groups, rather than more accessible platforms, those who were never invited to the SING! groups find it hard to get involved in SING!.

But before the Facebook groups are made, three coordinators are chosen: one for each SING!. The coordinators serve as liaisons between the SING!s, the Student Union (SU), and administration. Coordinators are chosen by an application and interview process, wherein all applicants are interviewed by three upper members of the SU, the Coordinator of Student Affairs (COSA) Matthew Polazzo, and the Afternoon Supervisor of the SU. There has been limited controversy over coordinator decisions, and this may stem from the lack of applicants. This year, two of the three coordinators were chosen unanimously because of a simple reason: they were the only ones who applied for the position.

After coordinators are chosen, they post a Google Form producer application (with questions along the lines of: “Why should you be a SING! producer?”) in the SING! Facebook group, along with other Facebook groups, like the “Dear Incoming Class of…” groups. Afterward, all prospective producers are interviewed by the coordinator of their respective SING!, members of their grade’s caucus, and Polazzo. They are chosen for their demonstrated interest,

leadership skills, and organizational abilities.

Then, the producers and coordinators release director applications for the various crews.

Because each SING! is run by a different coordinator, not everything is coordinated in the same fashion. This year, for example, Soph-Frosh SING! had all director applicants fill out a uniform application, and then check off which crews they wanted to direct. Junior SING!, however, had separate applications for the directors of each crew. Both applications asked questions about past participation in SING!, and most asked the applicants which other applicants they would want to work with. Most applicants were then interviewed by the coordinator and producers, though not all producers were always present.

The grades have different methods of selecting directors for their various crews. For example, the junior coordinator maintained a theme of asking directors applying for various crews to demonstrate their skills specific to these crews. Art director applicants were required to bring in a portfolio with samples of landscape and still-life illustrations to shed light on the applicants’ set-building capabilities.

In addition, dance crew director applicants were asked to choreograph a short dance, and then teach their interviewees the choreography. While the junior coordinator prioritized these types of skills, the soph-frosh coordinator and producers were less focused on gauging directors’ aptitudes for directing specific crews, and more focused on choosing directors for their leadership abilities and their abilities to work well with others.

Both Soph-Frosh and Junior SING! applications (for producer and director, and most other crews) asked applicants to provide their names in addition to their OSIS numbers. However, Senior SING! did not ask for names on the applications, so they could not be swayed by personal biases.

But...Is it Nepotism?

The process itself seems fair enough. That said, any time teenagers are in positions of power, and have the responsibility to appoint other teenagers to positions of power, things can get messy. Even though an unbiased adult, the COSA, is present during some interviews to prevent biases, every student is in his or her own social circle, and it’s only natural for students to want to choose their friends. They know they can trust their friends. They also know their friends will be fun to be around, because, after all, SING! is a social experience.

In addition, it seems that getting a leadership position in SING! starts during freshman year. Soph-Frosh SING! is led by the sophomores, so a welladjusted freshman with sophomore friends (in most cases, a freshman who is already “cool,” oftentimes because he or she has a “cool” older sibling who went to Stuyvesant) is more likely to be chosen by the sophomore directors. Because the freshman will end up having more experience than most of his or her peers, he or she will gain an advantage over peers when it comes to applying for important positions later on in his or her SING! career.

Experience tends to be very helpful when it comes to getting chosen for leadership positions. In the same way that directors and producers know they can trust their friends, they also know that they can trust people with experience, who they may have worked with in the past.

Yet, while people with experience may be more reliable than fresh faces, SING! is an important, outrageously fun part of Stuyvesant culture that should include as many members of our community as possible. The fact that certain social circles continue to be underrepresented is unfair—applicants should be judged based on their talents, not their friends.

Something that prevents SING! from being all-inclusive is the ambiguity about what SING! is all about. Is it about winning, and thus, selecting people based on who is most qualified? Or is it about giving everyone the opportunity to participate in a school-wide event?

Ultimately, it is a mix of both, and that is what makes the topic of SING! applications such a complex one. SING! participants can be too focused on winning, and while their main goal is to put on a great show, their main motivation to put on a great show is the possibility of winning. The competitive aspect of SING! gets people hyped up, but is also toxic to the celebration aspect of SING!, which should shine much brighter than the obsession of winning.

How Can We Fix Things?

It’s easy to say that things are the way they are, and the nepotistic nature of SING! will never go away. However, there are ways to take away biases from the process. For example, to prevent coordinators, producers, and directors from being able to choose their friends, it can be mandated, or at least recommended, that all applications ask for the applicants’ OSIS numbers instead of their names, like the seniors did this year. This way, people in leadership positions can’t allow their preconceptions about their peers get in the way of their decision-making.

While the applicants will not be able to remain anonymous forever, especially because interviews for leadership positions are in-person, the utilization of OSIS numbers will at least prevent some level of bias at the beginning stages. That said, OSIS numbers will be the most helpful for crew applications, which usually do not require interviews.

In addition, to make the SING! community more accessible from the get-go, the Facebook groups should not be put under the “secret” setting. Instead, to make it available to more people, while still preventing people of other grades from getting insider knowledge, the group should be under the “closed” setting.

In addition, the mass email system should be utilized to spread information about SING!.

Links to the Facebook groups should be sent out so that anyone can join without being invited. In addition, to keep people without Facebook profiles in the SING! loop, applications for leadership positions and crews should also be sent out via mass email.

SING! is one of the most beautiful and heartwarming parts of Stuyvesant, and everyone that is truly passionate about being a part of the production should be able to be a part of it.

While parts of SING! are unfair, they should not be blown out of proportion. The perception of nepotism, whether it is accurate or not, taints the SING! the experience. If, instead of making aggressive accusations or crafting aggressive defenses, every member of the Stuyvesant community tries his or her best to make things fair—as many people in leadership positions did this year—the entire experience will be more enjoyable for everyone.

The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper

“The Pulse of the Student Body” E D I TO R S

IN

E D I TO RS

Anne George Julia Ingram* Blythe Zadrozny F EAT URE S

E D I TO RS

Alice Cheng Geena Jung Elizabeth Lawrence O PI N I O NS

E D I TO RS

Zora Arum* Asher Lasday Nalanda Sharadjaya* S P O RTS

E D I TO RS

Nadia Filanovsky Max Onderdonk Dean Steinman H U MO R

Nancy Cao Xin Italie Kaia Waxenberg ARTS & E NT E RTAI NM E NT E D I TO RS

Liana Chow Liam Elkind

C HIEF

Danielle Eisenman* Sonia Epstein* N EWS

PHOTO GRAPHY E D I TO RS

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Alec Dai Laszlo Sandler Please address all letters to: 345 Chambers Street New York, NY 10282 (212) 312-4800 ext. 2601 letters@stuyspectator.com

ART

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Yujie Fu Christine Jegarl Vivian Lin L AYO UT

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Xinyi Gu Tina La Michelle Lin CO PY

E D I TO RS

Kate Johnston Fionna Du Zoe Orlin BUSI NE SS

M ANAGE RS

Evelyn Gotlieb* WE B

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Haley Zeng Sebastain Cain FAC U LT Y

ADV I SO R

Kerry Garfinkel We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and length. © 2016 The Spectator All rights reserved by the creators. * Managing Board

A Note to Our Readers: The Spectator will now accept unsolicited Op-Ed pieces written by outside students, faculty, and alumni. These columns, if selected, will be published in The Spectator’s Opinions section. Recommended length is 700 words.

Articles should address school related topics or items of student interest. Columns can be e-mailed to 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’s issue-ly Voices column!

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

FOR THE

R EC OR D

In Issue 11 of The Spectator, Newsbeat should have acknowledged the achievements of junior Kate Johnston and senior Brianne Cotter at the Harvard University tournament. Johnston placed second in the Humorous Interpretation category and Cotter placed third in the Original Oratory category.

Jonathan Buhler provided additional reporting on the grades investigative in Issue 11, titled “Math is Okay, You’re Struggling in Science, and You’re Thankful for Your Humanities Grades.”

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 19

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

SING! Reviews

By Alec Dai and Laszlo Sandler

Soph-Frosh

Soph-Frosh belly wooed the audience, and danced in a way that left many audience members wondering if they were at SING! After Party (SAP), and not SING!. Others worried if they were violating New York State’s Penal Law code 263 by watching. As parent Bobby Lawrence put it, “Soph-Frosh belly was almost as pornographic as the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s hall of Greek and Roman statues.”

Soph-Frosh had, by far, the most successful costumes—the protagonists did an excellent job making themselves look exactly like themselves. Sophomore Augie Murphy wore a yellow American Apparel dress, while fellow sophomore Travis Tyson wore a navy t-shirt he bought with his family on their last trip to Martha’s Vineyard.

The set was pretty successful, as well. The canvas accurately depicted burning charcoal and the bench looked like a bench. The umbrella did open and the street sign did stand up.

It was unclear what the relationship was between Soph-Frosh SING! and Junior SING!, however. “Was [freshman] Chelsea Cheung just [junior] Kate Johnston’s child? The resemblance in character was uncanny,” asked Assistant Principal of Guidance Casey Pedrick.

By the end of the show, however, most audience just wanted to know if the Prophet (freshman Adam Elsayed) was relatively okay.

Seniors

Congrats to the Seniors, But the Real Winner of SING! is Everyone

By Shaina Peters with additional reporting from Lazlo Sandler Disclaimer: This review of SING! was modified slightly so as to not annoy or offend anyone involved in SING!.

[Everyone] had an amazing showing in SING! this year. While point values may have varied, [everyone’s] performance was truly enjoyable. [Everyone] clearly put a lot of time and effort into their performance, and it really showed. [Everyone’s] band was particularly good.

[Everyone’s] victory wasn’t unexpected. Looking to the past, people knew that [everyone] was known for winning. According to sophomore Ann Caplin, “I thought that [everyone] would win, because [everyone] has always won in the past. In my opinion, this is due to the experience that [everyone] has gained over the years.”

[Everyone’s] love story was truly spectacular, with the two lovers coming together in the end. However, some endings were better than others. [Everyone’s] ending, where the boy and the girl come together for a song

Juniors

With a unique, politically-themed script, Junior SING! proved confusing for those unfamiliar with Fox News’s newest hit comedy, “The Republican Presidential Debate.” The name changes left many confused. “I wasn’t sure who Arnold Frump or Bilary Linton were supposed to be caricatures of. But when Lowell [Weisbord] walked onto the stage, I knew exactly who he was supposed to be.” said freshman Feras Roumie.

Once again pursuing underlying themes of racism, Junior SING! allowed Alec Dai to walk onto stage with his entire face colored orange. One judge, a former Oompa Loompa, left the theater in tears. As he proclaimed, “I just don’t understand. Why couldn’t they cast people who actually fit the role racially? I mean, if they could do it for Snowbama, they could have done it for everyone else.”

Moreover, the chemistry between Estelle (junior Lizzy Lawrence) and Nate (junior Andre Castro) was lacking. “I watched the SING! showing at an other venue, and Nate had more chemistry with Edna than with Estelle,” said senior Henry Takizawa.

and learn to value each other over the guy’s Yeezy’s, was truly spectacular. On the other hand, [everyone’s] ending where the boy finally asks the girl out after saving the world from the apocalypse felt a little forced.

In the end, the deciding factor that allowed [everyone] to win was crews. [Everyone’s] tap stunned the audience from the start, with a character summoning dancing skeletons. In fact, the only crew that was able to beat [everyone] was [everyone’s] step crew, which took the form of adorable penguins and claimed second place in the Top 5s. But, though they weren’t quite as good as [everyone], you shouldn’t discount [everyone’s] boys hip hop, which stunned the crowd as bandits, and provided an amazing but scary obstacle to the main characters of [everyone’s] performance.

However, this year’s SING! had both its highs and its lows.

Many parts of SING! have been accused of [something that most certainly isn’t nepotism]. Adding to this controversy, the annual tradition of SAP, or SING! After Party, continued [under entirely legal conditions].

Senior SING! decided to “make things a little more interesting” this year by beating the juniors by as few points as possible. “It was all part of the plan,” coordinator Hajra Sarfraz said. “Since we’ve clearly been the best SING! for each of our [5] years at Stuyvesant, we decided to have some fun this year and see how much we could play with the juniors’ emotions.”

Beginning with the longest of the three “Thank you so much for helping us—we couldn’t have done it without you” speeches, the seniors made sure to thank everyone for helping them, as they couldn’t have done SING! without the help of those that helped them. “I’m really glad we got to thank everyone” senior Miki Steele said.

“We couldn’t have done SING! without the help of those that helped us.”

Senior SING!’s strongest aspects were certainly its unpredictable plot and wholly developed cast of characters, ranging from a strongman to a selfie-taking, cellphone collecting, Mr. Moran impersonator.

With an eye on the prize (and perhaps another on SAP), seniors were able to win with a set well established with Big Ben setting the scene and their chorus members in Season 1 Yeezy clothing. They managed to win without a single point deduction.

SING! Highlights

By Kenny Lin and Michael Xu 1) Senior Flow Senior flow was perhaps one of the best flow performances of all time, smoothly combining the use of expensive props and raw and awesome senior vibes. Representing fire, flow not only defied the laws of physics by sprouting an entire crew of flames, but also defied the laws of physics by sprouting several demons in glowing bodysuits with the flick of a cigarette. What’s more impressive is the magic trick that the crew executed flawlessly. After throwing flames all around their victim, they managed to make her disappear without any trace of her body or the stake that she was tied to.

2) Soph-Frosh Canvas The Soph-Frosh canvas has been the object of much wrongful ridicule, with many people debating whether it is meant to be clouds or lava. After poll was given to the student body asking what exactly the Soph-Frosh canvas portrays, 39 percent of the polled answered the Zodiac Killer. Other responses included Mars, meteors, and “meh.” That said, it only seems fitting for the canvas to be a modern masterpiece. As such, it does not de-

pict anything, but rather seeks to make the viewer feel confused and befuzzled. In that respect, it succeeds, and is even more bewildering than Dunkel test.

3) Mad Dedicated Halal Cart Guy from Soph-Frosh Somebody give this man a cookie. Not only did he endure countless natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions, but he also stuck around to feed all the hungry Stuyvesant students. The man even managed to continue selling even in the middle of a flood, though he was forced to sell chicken over soup as an alternative to the rice platters. The simple perseverance of the Halal Guy is enough for him to steal third place victory. And what’s more, he did this all in a five-foot tall cart that was dwarfed by pretty much everything, including the Soph-Frosh canvas.

4) Soph-Frosh SING!’s Ending Soph-Frosh SING! in its entirety was beautifully crafted. Out of all these, their most exquisite polish was their ending, in that the world apparently didn’t end. This gave the audience the satisfaction of realizing that they would be allowed to live for another day, meaning that they would have to start all their homework, study

for all their tests and generally cry about their lives. The ending was such a plot twist that it left the viewer shocked and almost in disbelief. “We couldn’t see it from a mile away” said a distressed alumnus judge who wishes not to be mentioned. “It was completely unexpected.”

5) Senior Bernie Sanders Both the juniors and the seniors had their own variants of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. The Junior Bernie played a main role in their political debates, whereas Senior Bernie merely made a brief cameo.

Although Junior Bernie merely ranted about snowglobal warming without providing a solution, as most students do on Chew tests, Senior Bernie was more relatable to the middle class. After all, who besides of Trump can afford to ruin a suit? Arguably, however, the Juniors were better at portraying Bernie’s limp, which was magically cured by Trump’s rap battle. However, the best “Feel the Bern” joke must go to the seniors. Indeed, burning at the stake is already a laughing matter, but Sanders still felt obligated to ridicule the burning of wood for causing pollution.

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 20

SING! Humor Teachers Report Increase in Small Neck Bruises on Students Following SING! Weekend

Top 5 Snubs

By Alec Dai 1. Lorenz Vargas’s Existence, Juniors Even though Lorenz Vargas did not participate in SING! this year, The Stuyvesant Spectator should still honor his existence.

2. Lowell Weisbord, Snowbama, Juniors Snowbama’s existence made the positions of the podiums symmetrical and more aesthetically pleasing. His costume effectively portrayed the effort the costumes crew put into other people’s costumes. Weisbord’s performance was true to himself. After heartbreakingly being cut off every time, Weisbord’s ending monologue hit the hearts of the audience and brought tears into people’s eyes.

3. Eliana Kavouriadis, Sheila, SophFrosh Kavouriadis’s performance as a pregnant woman was truly

outstanding. Her entrance, then disappearance from the rest of the show, despite implications that she would be involved again added a sense of mystery to the plot.

4. Fiona Cohen, Leaf, Seniors Cohen’s depiction of a caring friend struck close to home.

Her wild and free soul resonates in the lives of many Stuyvesant seniors. Her connection with nature was truly magical.

5. Soph-Frosh Latin Perhaps, the biggest upset of the Stuyvesant Spectator SING! Highlights is the fact that SophFrosh Latin did not make Top 5 Dances. The confusion of Soph-Frosh Latin’s presence as ducks only added to its overall aura. Latin proved to us that you don’t have to make sense to be good. Few dance crews could pull off flopping around in bright yellow clothing.

By Laszlo Sandler Following the weekend of SING! performances, teachers have been reporting an increase of small, red bruises on students. The bruises, typically on and around the neck area, but on occasion extending as low as the belly button, are quarter-shaped and red in color, and are found mainly on students claiming to have had a “lit” or “turnt” weekend and attended a party called “SAP,” or something like that.

Assistant Principal of Safety, Security, and Student Affairs Brian Moran says the red, almost affectionate marks are worthy of an inquiry. “This deserves an investigation,” said Moran, who after hours of unsuccessful attempts to produce such bruises on himself concluded that producing

the marks must involve two people. “Someone has clearly been hurting these students, and we need put a stop to

my neck should be none of [Stuyvesant’s] concern,” said freshman Jeffrey Shen, who came into school on Monday

“Where I place my neck should be none of [Stuyvesant’s] concern.”

—Jeffrey Shen, freshman

them, or at least make sure they do not go to Stuyvesant.”

On the other hand, some students are saying that the faculty should mind their own business. “Where I place

sporting three-such bruises, all of which he claims came from seniors. “And, for that matter, it shouldn’t be any of my parents’ [concern] either.”

Playlist

It’s The End of the World As We Know It It’s all over now—from the frustration you felt when someone started painting over your work to the rush of adrenaline that overcame you just before the curtains opened.

You don’t need to practice that move every moment you have, and you now get home before the sun goes down. With that realization, the emptiness sets in, that is, post-SING! depression.

Luckily, we have a solution. While listening to these playlists, upload your batch of SING! photos to Facebook for the full nostalgic effect, or just listen to these songs on your ride to and from school and get transported into the devastation that is the end of the world. Find the tips of your fingers feeling numb from the blasts of cold winter winds.

Feel the goosebumps that crawl up your back as you become aware of the dark that surrounds you. Set your mind back into the world(s) of SING!

SOPH-FROSH End of the World “The Final Countdown” Europe Rock

“B- Better Have My Money” Rihanna Pop

“Radioactive” Imagine Dragons Alternative Rock

“Pompeii” Bastille Indie Rock

“Waves” Mr. Probz Hip-hop

“Somebody That I Used To Know” Gotye and Kimbra Indie Rock

“Bad Blood” Taylor Swift Pop

“Mashallah” Wajid and Shreya Ghoshal World

“Singin’ In the Rain” Gene Kelly Soundtrack

“Omen” Disclosure, Sam Smith Synthpop

“F- Up Some Commas” DJ Fetty Bronson Hip-hop

“Ho Hey” The Lumineers Indie Folk

SENIORS Horror “Afterhours” TroyBoi, Diplo, and Nina Sky Trap Tiffany Leng / The Spectator

JUNIORS “Carol of the Bells” George Winston Jazz “F- You” CeeLo Green Contemporary R&B “F- You” Lily Allen Pop “Falling Slowly” Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova Indie Folk “Thrift Shop” Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Hip-hop

Winter “Crazy” Gnarls Barkley Psychedelic Soul “Marvin Gaye” Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor Pop “Hurricane” Lin-Manuel Miranda Soundtrack “All I Do Is Win” DJ Khaled Hip-hop

“Bludfire” Eva Simons and Sidney Samson Pop “Beautiful Liar” Beyoncé and Shakira R&B “Elastic Heart” Sia Pop “Ex’s & Oh’s” Elle King Alternative Rock “Fireball” Pitbull and John Ryan Hip-hop “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” Fall Out Boy Pop Punk

“Russian Roulette” Rihanna R&B “Silhouettes” Kaitlin Riegel Alternative Pop “Shut Up and Dance” Walk the Moon Alternative Rock “Thriller” Michael Jackson Pop “Time Warp” Patricia Quinn, Richard O’Brien, and Little Nell Soundtrack “Turning Tables” Adele Soul

The Spectator â—? March 18, 2016

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Page 21

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 22

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

Fatima Irfan/ The Spectator

This problem has bothered Peters for a long time, and she finally aims to fix it. No longer will she upload a new profile picture and cry herself to sleep when it doesn’t get enough likes. Peters is now going to put her picture in The Spectator and simply not care what anyone thinks of it.

By SHAINA PETERS Many students have done vain things to get pictures of themselves viewed. On Facebook, most people try to feel good about themselves by begging friends for likes and tagging their friends, their mothers, and their friends’ mothers. Like many other Stuyvesant students, sophomore Shaina Peters wants to draw attention to herself in the most shameless way possible. However, whether it is due to a low number of Facebook friends or an inability to come up with a semi-philosophical status describing just how much pain she is in, her profile pictures just never seem to get that much attention.

Like many other Stuyvesant students, sophomore Shaina Peters wants to draw attention to herself in the most shameless way possible.

This ingenious plan allows for the mass distribution of a picture of herself without requiring any

actual quality or false modesty.

Peters’s picture is set to be released in The Spectator alongside actual articles that talk about actual things of merit and SING!.

However, her article and picture will exist as a reminder that Kanye West isn’t the most selfabsorbed topic of The Spectator’s jokes. However, Peters would like to remind readers that any donations of $53 would be really, really welcome, not that she needs them or anything; although, they would help her distribute bad pictures of herself while simultaneously wasting everyone’s time.

Because articles require a certain length, this paragraph will contain nothing but filler text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean tempor varius risus, bibendum porttitor tellus tincidunt sit amet. Nullam in nulla id massa porta tincidunt eget at purus.

In dapibus consectetur purus, tempor luctus lorem auctor eget.

Etiam ex velit, pharetra at neque ut, efficitur tristique lorem. Nunc sed sodales est, id gravida urna.

Sed consectetur tincidunt lorem, ut ornare ante dignissim id.

Phasellus consequat varius interdum. Aliquam sed cursus orci.

Nulla tincidunt velit odio. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Ut eget tortor felis.

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Kanye West Gifts Self Free Yeezys After Correctly Guessing the Title of His Own Album Courtesy of Ben Bloch-Wheba

Writer Writes Article Just So She Can Get a Picture of Herself in The Spectator

By JACOB FABER-RICO After promising a free pair of the Kanye West-designed Yeezy Season Three sneakers to whoever could correctly guess the title of Kanye West’s newest album, West correctly guessed the name of his own album, “The Life of Pablo,” in a truly outstanding feat of wit.

“It was a pretty difficult task.

You’d have to be a real genius to figure out what ‘TLOB’ could possibly stand for,” said West upon hearing that someone who happened to be himself had miraculously figured out what TLOB stood for. “To have come up with the answer all on his own, with absolutely no inside knowledge whatsoever—he must be blessed

by God himself.”

As promised, West gave the man (Kanye West) who guessed the title of his album a pair of free Yeezys in an extravagant ceremony at Madison Square Garden.

“Tonight, I’d like to thank a really special fan, one who managed to correctly guess the title of my album. In doing so, he has demonstrated not only that he knows me better than anyone else, but also that he is the greatest mastermind in the world,” said West. “My greatest admirer, Mr. Kanye West.”

West, of course, was elated to receive the award. “Kanye West is a legendary rapper, a prolific designer, and most of all, my hero,” said Mr. West. “I am truly humbled.”

The Spectator ● March 18, 2016

Page 23

Sports Stunt

Queenie Tang / The Spectator

By Samuel Stamler and Eli Thompson

Sophomore flyer Patricia Tan is pulling a right liberty with Connyr Lu, Emily Chen, and Ege Duman.

What if you felt like your passion wasn’t taken seriously? What if something you loved, something that requires great effort and strength, was considered easy, or boring? This problem was a reality for junior Queenie Tang, captain of the Stuyvesant cheerleading squad, and new captain of the Stuyvesant stunt team. She and her fellow cheerleaders, who practice six hours a week, every week, year round, and go to cheerleading camp together over the summer for a few days, have always felt that their sport is not taken as seriously as others, like basketball or baseball. They wondered what they could do to change this. Now, there’s finally an answer: a Public School Athletic League (PSAL) sport called stunt.

Most students are familiar with the coed cheerleading team, the Peglegs, but are unacquainted with the new, co-ed stunt team. While the styles of cheerleading and stunt are similar, there are still many differences between the sports. Many of the cheerleading routines are based off of those choreographed by the Universal Cheerleading Association, but cheer squads modify them to make them their own. Cheerleading routines are also put to music for football halftime shows, and include chants for the matches.

On the other hand, stunt, introduced to PSAL in 2014, is a competitive sport where schools face-off in synchronized, group dance routines, which contain cheers and gymnastics tumbling. These performances are much more rigid: each team at the competition completes the same routine, and like gymnastics, the judges take deductions for mistakes. In stunt, the competitors perform in three different sets: tumbling, stunt,

With Satisfaction and Disappointment, Greyducks Finish Season The Greyducks, the boys’ and girls’ track teams, didn’t expect much out of the Indoor Track City Championships after scoring zero points at the event last year, but they came through with strong performances this year.

Though neither team reached the podium, each celebrated individual highlights.

On the boys’ team, junior Kiyan Tavangar, and seniors Jacob Hoffman, Galen Ng, and Sam Greenberg led the Greyducks with impressive performances. According to Greenberg, this was an historic performance for the boys’ team, which scored 33 points. “I was very impressed with the team’s performance,” Greenberg said. “It was the best Stuyvesant has done.” While the team’s score wasn’t high enough for landing a top spot among the numerous other teams in the city, it was a satisfying improvement from last year.

There were many impressive individual performances, including one from Tavangar, who finished first in the city in the 1600-meter race by less than two tenths of a second. Ng had a stellar performance in the pole vault, where he took the top spot in the city with a height of 11 feet and 10 inches. Hoffman also stood out, as he finished fourth in the 300-meter race.

“I am very happy that I was able to achieve my season-long goal of winning the [1600-meter race] at city’s. It’s something I’ve been working hard at since the beginning of the year and I’m glad it paid off,” Tavangar said. Having met this goal, Tavangar is aiming higher for the spring season. “Personally, my goals are to win another city title and to play a role in a strong 4x800 relay late in the season,” he said.

The Greyducks are looking to next season with high hopes, as the spring season will bring the outdoor track season, which Stuyvesant has thrived in recently. Greenberg believes that the team can get to the podium in city’s with some more hard work.

“I think we’re only going to get better. Our

“I feel like most people don’t know that [Stuyvesant] has one of the better cheer teams in the city.”

—Carmen Benitez, sophomore

Sophomore flyer Patricia Tan is prepping for a liberty with Connyr Lu, Emily Chen, and Ege Duman.

fancy, and entering in the A division, it will be a force to be reckoned with. “I feel like most people don’t know that [Stuyvesant] has one of the better cheer teams in the city,” sophomore Carmen Benitez said. With half the stunt team experienced in cheerleading, the team will enter their season with confidence.

“Even though it’s nerve racking as the first captain of stunt, I’m extremely excited to start this season,” Tang said.

Tang explained that the stigma associated with cheerleading was the driving force in creating the stunt team, and she hopes that its creation will change the way people think of cheerleading. Others on the team shared her sentiment.

“We’re excited for cheerleading to be taken more seriously now that stunt is a PSAL sport. It helps people recognize both sports as being very legitimate,” junior Connyr Lu said.

Girls’ Basketball

Indoor Track

By Max Onderdonk

and pyramid.

The atmosphere of a stunt competition is different as well; instead of performing on a football field or basketball court, with classic cheerleading uniforms and pompoms, stunt competes in a gym, wearing the mandated uniform of a tank top with Soffe shorts.

Still, the stunt team and cheerleading teams are very much connected—10 out of the 20 members of the stunt team are also on cheerleading. The assistant coach of the cheerleading team will help out the stunt team as well, though stunt will have its own Head Coach, guidance counselor Audra Parris Since stunt will be practicing three days a week during the spring, the cheerleaders will now have spring as an offseason, at least for this year.

Even though the team is still in its in-

Queenie Tang / The Spectator

Stunt: Launching Cheerleading to the Next Level

big weakness at city’s was that we were very weak in the field events, [so] we’re working to train high and long jumpers to try and compete with [Staten Island Technical High School], the team that won,” he said.

“Our goal is to get on the podium at city’s [this spring], a goal that I very much think is within our grasp.”

Like the boys’ team, the girls’ team could not reach the podium, despite enjoying several impressive individual performances.

Sophomore Ziqi Guo won the top spot in the 1500-meter race walk, and sophomore Joyce Wu followed in second. The Greyducks have dominated in this race this year: at City Championships, five of the top twelve competitors in this category came from Stuyvesant.

Guo was very happy with her performance and her team’s performance at finals.

“My personal performance at city’s was better than I expected. I beat my all time opponent and it wasn’t easy,” she said. “The team performance as a whole was wonderful. Everyone [improved] and as a team we were all very proud of the progress.”

Several of her teammates also celebrated success: freshman Clara Mohri finished fourth in the 3000-meter race in her first year competing, and junior Zovinar Khrimian finished fifth in the 1500-meter race.

At the Soph-Frosh Championships held one week later, the Stuyvesant boys struggled, while the girls, supported by their race walking team, thrived. Both the freshmen and sophomore girls’ teams finished second overall out of 30 teams. The boys didn’t do as well; the sophomores came in seventh, while the freshmen finished at 27.

Sophomore Matthew Fairbanks looks for the freshmen and sophomores to improve next season from this final meet. “We always tend to do better as a team in outdoor than indoor, and assuming I and [everyone] else who has done poorly get back in shape, we can have some high prospects [next season],” he said.

An Abrupt End to a Successful Season

By Arya Firoozan The Phoenix, the girls’ varsity basketball team, enjoyed a stellar season once again, finishing with a 13-2 record. After going 14-1 last year in the regular season and making it to the second round of the playoffs, the team hoped to have a long, fruitful playoff run this year. But the Phoenix came home empty-handed, losing to Tottenville 69-43 in the first round.

During the season, the team dominated in their division. They had no trouble locking up first place and a visit to the playoffs, winning each game by an average of 15 points. The season featured memorable blow out victories, including a 44-18 win against the High School of Fashion Industries, and a 53-16 win against the High School of Economics and Finance.

The team was led by a group of strong, consistent players, like sophomore Shannon Lau. Lau averaged 11.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. She also ranked 18th in total assists.

Senior Alexis Kushner had a similarly successful season with the Phoenix, averaging 12 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.47 assists per game. Kushner and Lau finished the season having scored a total of 180 points and 176 points, respectively, the 3rd and 4th highest numbers in their division.

Kushner tallied over 171 rebounds, 21 more than any other athlete in the division.

Having completed such a satisfying season, the Phoenix headed into their playoff game against Tottenville with high hopes.

Lau was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points along with five assists and six rebounds. Kushner also had a solid performance, contributing 11 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Alexandra Archer crashed the boards aggressively, scooping up 12 rebounds.

And yet, the Phoenix simply couldn’t keep up with Tottenville’s deft offense. Tottenville shot eight three-pointers, while Stuyvesant scored only one. In addition, Tottenville had a much more balanced offense, with 5 players scoring at least 6 points. Their team worked together like a

machine, with a pass-heavy style of play; Tottenville sophomore Deanna Benedetto exemplified this by racking up 20 assists against the Phoenix during the game.

The Phoenix scored only six and nine points in the first and second quarters, while Tottenville had 12 and 17, putting them at a 14 point deficit. “We came out a bit sluggish in the first two quarters,” coach Vincent Miller said. “We seemed to pick it up a bit in the third quarter, but we ultimately couldn’t come back.” Though they stepped up their game after halftime, scoring 12 and 16 points during the third and fourth quarters, it proved to be too little.

Tottenville scored 40 more points after halftime, giving them a 69-43 win.

“We were expecting a lot from Tottenville so we put in our all despite the tough competition. It was a game of executing passes and shots, and we failed to pull through,” Lau said. “Tottenville had a pretty good defense and they interfered with the flow of our offense. We couldn’t seem to hit open layups or shots and it really cost us the game.”

While they didn’t advance as far as they had wanted to, the Phoenix’s season was far from lost. “I’m proud of the amount of work we put in this year and proud of how much we’ve improved since November, and that is enough to call this season successful,” Lau said.

Not only did the girls play well together, they were also an extremely close-knit group. The four seniors, Kushner, Kate Boyle, Sunny Chen, and Rose Cytryn, served as leaders who will be missed next year. “[The seniors] really helped lead the team and gave us a lot of motivation,” Miller said.

Though they are graduating, the young core of the Phoenix will be kept intact with Lau to lead them. Hopefully, this will be enough to propel the girls into the playoffs again.

“In my eyes, they played well above expectations this year. They were a very young team and they’re only going to get better,” Miller said. “Next year we’re looking to do even better, possibly make it to the final 16 or the final eight, and I’m sure we’ll be able to do it.”

March 18, 2016

Page 24

The Spectator SpoRts Boys’ Swimming

CALENDAR

Pirates Fall Short of PSAL Team Title, 45-49

Paulina Ruta / The Spectator

in Stuyvesant’s defeat, as Strbik swam four of the last six races and was noticeably exhausted after the final relay. After the meet, members of the team attributed weak mental toughness and lack of focus to its demise. “They just wanted it more than us. They were tougher and in the end, when it came down to crunch time, they performed, and we didn’t,” Glas said. “But I’m proud of the team for the great season we’ve had.”

Though many swimmers did not perform as well as they had hoped, junior Brian Chan highlighted the reality of the situation. “ I [don’t like] how people are blaming themselves for the loss. It’s a team sport, and when a team loses, it’s not your fault, it’s not his fault, and it’s not his fault either,” Chan said.

The Pirates, undefeated in the regular season (8-0), have high expectations for next season despite losing many key contributors with graduation.

But with a core of young talent, the possibility of returning to the finals next year may not be so far-fetched.

Freshman Ethan Park swims the butterfly stroke for the Pirates.

The Pirates had made the long trek to Lehman College to face the Brooklyn Technical High School Engineers for the PSAL Swimming Team Championships. Merely a week before the contest against the Engineers, the Pirates won the PSAL Swimming and Diving Championships, commonly referred to as “opens,” with many swimmers qualifying to The Federation State Swimming and Diving Championships.

Buoyed by their success the week before, the Pirates started off the Team Championships well. Senior Beck Zhu grabbed a first place finish in the 200-yard medley relay (01:43:52) thanks to a 00:21:98 split time, his fastest of the season.

In the next event, the 200yard freestyle, senior Aaron Glas cruised to victory (01:46:32).

After two more events, the 200yard individual medley and 50yard freestyle, the teams were neck-and-neck, with Stuyvesant leading the Engineers 18-16.

Tension mounted, and the Pirates looked to the upperclass-

men for guidance and inspiration. Glas took it upon himself to swim the 100-yard freestyle, an event he hadn’t participated in for the entire season. Despite a valiant effort, (00:54:41), Stuyvesant’s lead was extinguished in the next race when Brooklyn Tech’s Elan Oumarov and Veniamin Konovalov took first and second place in the 400yard freestyle relay, giving the Engineers a four point lead over the Pirates.

The Pirates fought back: the 200-yard freestyle team of Zhu, seniors Daniel Gutman and Peter Strbik, and junior Lawrence Kwong revived Stuyvesant with a time of 1:30:49, beating Brooklyn Tech by less than two-tenths of a second.

With just one event to go, the Pirates found themselves at a two-point deficit. They would need a first place victory to go into overtime and have a chance of obtaining the elusive gold medal. Despite opening with a slight lead, Stuyvesant was unable to pull off the comeback victory, as the team finished in second and third place.

Fatigue played a large role

Girls’ Lacrosse vs. A. Philip Randolph Tuesday Campus High School Randall’s Island Field 72 Boys’ Lacrosse vs.

KIPP NYC College Prep

22

24

Girls’ Softball vs.

Thursday New Dorp Pier 40

23 Wednesday

Randall’s Island Field 85

Boys’ Baseball vs.

West 50th Street Campus

30 Wednesday

Pier 40

WRAPUP

Paulina Ruta / The Spectator

By Dean Steinman

MARCH

he boys’ junior varsity basketball team, the Runnin’ Rebels, fell short in their final game of the season with a loss to Martin L. T King Jr. High School. They finished the season last in their division with a 2-8 record.

Freshman Nicholas Wen stands on the block, preparing for his race.

ophomores Ziqi Guo and Joyce Wu finished first and second, respectively, in the 1500-meter race walk at the Freshman-SophoS more City Championships on March 6.

Boys’ Gymnastics

Junior Matthew Aleksey performs a front tuck on floor.

By Nadia Filanovsky The Lemurs, the boys’ gymnastics team, made a valiant effort at Team Championships on Thursday, March 3 at Long Island City High School. With a strong senior class, including Gregory Redozubov, Constan-

tin Flocos, Aaron Orelowitz, Joydeep Baidya, and Justin Oh, the boys had high hopes for a first place finish this year, but wound up falling just short of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School Athletics, with a score of 130.3-133.3.

The boys went into Team Championships with a strong 6-1 record, knowing that the first place title would go to either their team or the Athletics.

The rival teams are both lead by strong seniors, many of whom have spent their summers training together at the Big Apple Games, a New York City funded summer athletics program.

The boys got off to a strong start, scooping up an unprecedented 24 points on the pommel horse. Baidya, Redozubov, and Orelowitz competed on the event, scoring 7.1, 8.0, and 8.9, respectively. Orelowitz ended his routine with a new, more difficult dismount, which allowed him to obtain his highest score on pommel horse by 0.9 points, a large point difference in gymnastics.

The remaining two com-

petitors for the event, freshmen Muhib Kahn and Rikki Lin, also had high scores for the season, scoring 7.0 and 5.1, respectively.

In PSAL boys’ gymnastics, however, only the top three scores count toward the team’s final score.

The team continued to do well. The spectators cheered as Constantin Flocos scored a perfect 8.4 on his vault, which put him as the top vault competitor for the meet.

“It was a great way to end the season. [Redozubov] and I always rival each other on vault and floor, and we both beat each other on one event, and both [got first place] on the events we beat each other in,” Flocos said.

Flocos had a strong performance on floor as well, but there was some confusion with the scoring. The PSAL coordinators confused his 8.1, the seventh highest score, with a 6.6, a score that would not qualify him for individuals. This was the third year Flocos’s score has been reported incorrectly, but he was ultimately able to fix the

mistake.

The whole meet was quite tense, with LaGuardia and Stuyvesant trading the lead back and forth after nearly every event. The last event was the floor exercise, where each competitor brought his full energy to the performance—junior Enver Ramadani broke his toe in the middle of his routine, but still kept going. Redozubov finished with an 8.7, earning him first place.

When the scores were tallied, the boys had fallen short of LaGuardia by just 3.0 points, with a final score of 130.3-133.3.

This, however, was still a score with which they were proud.

“Breaking 130 didn’t even seem possible going in,” Orelowitz said. “We’ve never scored this high in my entire time on the team. I know it was frustrating to lose to LaGuardia, but we still [have] so much to be proud of.”

The team enjoyed several individual triumphs. Redozubov, junior Matthew Aleksey, and Orelowitz went first, second, and third in the all-around,

Johnathan Rafailov / The Spectator

Xin Italie / The Spectator

A Bittersweet End

Senior Gregory Redozubov holds a handstand on the high bar.

with scores of 45.80, 40.30, and 38.25, respectively.

While the team will be losing many of its strong competitors next year, Aleksey will be there to step up as a leader, and the hard-working freshman class will continue to improve.

“With that kind of discipline on the team, they have a chance at making it to team finals,” Orelowitz said.