Volume 106, Issue 7 by The Stuyvesant Spectator

The Spectator

“The Pulse of the Student Body”

The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper

Volume 106  No. 7

December 11, 2015

Class of 2016 Paints Mural on Senior Bar

he Junior States of America club earned nine “Best Speaker” Gavels at their Fall Conference on Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15 in Boston.

lumnus Geoffrey Lin (’73) won the Physician of the Year Scientific Award from the Chinese American Medical Society.

unior Brian Chu won first place in the Boys Manhattan-Bronx Individual Bowling Championship on Friday, November 20.

Xin Italie / The Spectator

t the Speech competition on Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, Senior Danielle Hahami placed sixth in the Poetry category and junior Liam Elkind was named Round Robin Champion. The team placed fifth overall.

By Jennifer Lee Decorating the senior atrium and senior bar with streamers, lights, and banners is expected of each class before they graduate. This year’s seniors, however, have taken an extra step during their final year of school by painting a mural on the senior bar. The mural, which will eventually depict a global skyline, is set to be completed by Winter Break. The idea originated when senior Krzysztof Hochlewicz, Senior Caucus President William Yang, Senior Caucus Vice President Daniel Poleshchuk, and Student Union (SU) President Ares Aung invited members of the Student Advisory Council to help decorate the second floor on Wednesday, September 9. Inspired by the Alice in Wonderland mural next to the TriBeCa Bridge, they came up with the

idea of repainting the plain mintgreen senior bar with a mural. Yang took responsibility for the project, recruiting a team of seniors who had participated in art crews in SING! and in Stuyvesant Theater Community productions. The group, dubbed “Spooky Art Crew” by Yang after his favorite word at the time, included seniors Nancy Li, Michaela Papallo, Sofia Collins, Yueer Niu, and Sally Bao. Yang also created a Senior Bar Design Submission page for any senior to submit ideas or artwork. No submissions were entered, however, so the Spooky Art Crew collaborated on a design based off of this year’s Indicator theme, “Around the World,” and submitted it to the submission page. “I originally thought the shape of the bar was perfect for some sort of skyline scene, so we just decided to represent architecture from

Google Forms Used for Spring 2016 Scheduling Requests By Jonathan Buhler and Dhiraj Patel With the loss of Daedalus (Student Tools), the recently reorganized Programming Department was hoping to use the new data management and communication software, eSchoolData (eSD), for Spring 2016 scheduling requests. However, as a result of logistical issues that made eSD unfit for Stuyvesant’s programming needs, the programming department has made a temporary switch Google Forms to handle student course selections. The initial transition to eSD required manual adaptation of the software by its creators to include the necessary features of Daedalus that were in demand by other schools making a similar switch. “[The creators of eSD] were busy fixing other small problems so that parents could see your report cards, your transcript, [and] what time you came to school,” Programming Assistant Jonathan Cheng said. However, adapting eSD to Stuyvesant’s unique scheduling system was not a priority. “It’s because nobody ever asked them for [features] like that, we program you guys like no other school in this city, and there-

WHAT’S INSIDE? Features A&E

fore we have some really crazy things we have to account for,” Cheng said. “Other schools put you on a certain track, but we give you so many options and little things to check for that we get really complex problems.” Therefore, eSD was not an option for Spring 2016 programming. “By the time they got around to asking what we needed [for course requests], they said they could give us something to work with in January. And […] January is when we have to have everything more or less done, because [students] are getting schedules in February.” As a stopgap between Daedalus and eSD, it was decided that using Google Forms was the simplest way to schedule programs without purchasing a dedicated software. Four Google Forms were created, one for each grade. “It’s not the best solution, and I’m not a big fan of it, but it’s enough for us to get something going,” Cheng said. While Daedalus was tailored to the needs of schools, Google Forms is much more generic. Previously, conditional variables known as Booleans were programmed into Daedalus to control the options presented to a student. However, Google

Forms lacks a mechanism that inhibits students from signing up for classes they do not have space for or are not eligible for. This makes the selection process far more complicated than it used to be. “It’s good enough to collect data, but for what we need, it’s not really great. Students aren’t understanding which options to choose, and they have a lot of questions,” Cheng said. As a result, the Programming Department must check Google Form responses manually as they finalize each student’s courses. These course selections are compiled into a request file, which is then then loaded into the Student Transcripts Academic Record System (STARS), a system that was used for the first time during Fall 2015 programming. STARS then generates schedules for individual students. “Once we have your choices, we load them into STARS, and it schedules those requests,” Programming Chairperson Joy Hsiao said. Google Forms, however, is by no means a permanent solution to the programming issue. “We’re definitely hoping that once this is done and once Spring [2016] is scheduled, we can sit down with eSchoolData and figure out a long term game plan,” Cheng said.

The Writing Center Orchestrator Meet Casey Griffin, Stuyvesant alumna and new head of the writing center.

around the world,” Papallo said. Based on the sketches, the series of architectural structures will be lined up in order of location from east to west. The design of the front panel will transition from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, to the Freedom Tower in New York, Big Ben in England, the Eiffel Tower in France, Burj Khalif in the United Arab Emirates, St. Basil’s Cathedral in Russia, Taipei 101 in Taiwan, and more. The left and right sides of the front panel will depict constellations and the Western and Eastern hemispheres, respectively. Each member of the Spooky Art Crew contributed to the initial design. Papallo created the black skyline in the background with the main buildings in the front, Collins sketched the preliminary outline, Li designed the side planes, which will depict pine trees, and Bao helped design the buildings. Before the team could begin the project, the SU and senior caucus needed permission from Principal Jie Zhang, Assistant Principal of Technology Randi Damesek, and Assistant Principal of Organization Saida Rodriguez-Tabone. The administration required that a faculty member would have to be present whenever they worked on the senior bar. This resulted in a slowed schedule, since the Spooky Art Crew was unable to work on the bar during Thanksgiving Break and on weekends. Once the team got approval on Thursday, November 17, they immediately began painting a navy blue base coat. The crew is apply-

ing each aspect of the design in layers, starting with a black skyline backdrop and finishing with the details of each of the buildings. In the later stages of the project, the crew will also apply a sealant to the surface in order to prevent the paint from peeling. Seniors seem to view the revitalization of the senior bar as an admirable endeavor. “[The project] allows more people to express creativity and generate senior spirit,” senior Kristen Chang said. While the endeavor to repaint the senior bar has been received positively by most of the student body, students have intentionally damaged the paint. When the art crew applied the base coat and put up signs asking students to be mindful of the newly painted senior bar, students actively chipped away at the paint on the top surface, etching in obscene phases. “The decision to paint [the bar] and give it originality is something we should be proud of, and the fact that someone was thoughtless enough to mess with that is absurd and ridiculous,” senior James Chin said. While students were upset with the vandalism, they acknowledged how other students who were uninformed of the repainting of the senior bar felt. “I would feel left out if I was in the position where I didn’t know what was going on. I would be upset if I walked into school and our senior bar was suddenly painted a completely different color from the color scheme of the rest of the school,” Niu said. continued on page 2

BuzzFeed Workers Give Insight Into Computer Science Careers

Soham Ghoshal/ The Spectator

NEWSBEAT

stuyspec.com

By Dhiraj Patel and Chloe Hanson “Ignore the haters and don’t be too hard on yourself. You can be your own biggest hater,” said Polina Giralt, reflecting on her own experiences. Giralt, a software engineer at BuzzFeed and her co-worker Jane Kelly, a lead data scientist, came to Stuyvesant on Tuesday, November 24, to inspire students to pursue computer science. Giralt and Kelly were invited to come speak at Stuyvesant by the co-presidents of the Girls Who Code club, juniors Stephanie

Yoon and Sarah Yoon. Stephanie Yoon first met the two speakers over the summer at the Girls Who Code Immersion Program at global technology company AppNexus. Stephanie Yoon contacted these speakers during the school year, and was able to organize the event. “We organized this event because meeting women who have succeeded in the tech industry and who have a lot of insight and experience in pursuing computer science can be incredibly inspiring to students, female students in continued on page 2

Bring Him Home Check out this lyrical review of “The Martian,” a movie set on Mars starring Matt Damon.

The Spectator ● December 11, 2015

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News BuzzFeed Workers Give Insight Into Computer Science Careers continued from page 1

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and NASA

WORLDBEAT

mass shooting in San Bernadino, California left 14 dead on Wednesday, December 2. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials have stated that the suspects, a married couple that was shot dead in a manhunt following the attack, had extensive supplies of weaponry and that at least one of the two was in contact with Islamic extremist groups. The FBI, however, has not yet attributed a motive to the attacks.

ollowing the San Bernardino shooting, Obama spoke to the nation from the Oval Office on Sunday, November 6. He laid out plans for defeating ISIS, called for stricter gun control laws, and stated that Muslims must not be discriminated against based on the actions of ISIS.

ontenegro joined NATO, a political and military alliance among 28 countries, on Wednesday, December 2. Russia, weary of NATO’s expansion, plans to retaliate, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov. The move further complicates the relationship between Russian and NATO countries as they attempt to work together to defeat ISIS.

ore than 250 people have been left dead in a devastating flood from rainfall in Chennai, India. The storm, the worst the country has seen in a century, has caused numerous Information Technology centers to close.

particular, because girls would see the speakers as role models and believe that they too can succeed in such a male-dominated field,” Sarah Yoon said. “By introducing Stuy students to speakers from BuzzFeed we hoped to increase interest in the field as a career choice and show them that being a computer scientist can be a lot of fun.” Even in her childhood Giralt was a tech fan. At the age of twelve she started teaching herself how to program. “I was bored at home during summer break, and my dad had a book on the bookshelf about Visual Basic, so I used it to build this little hello world app,” Giralt said. Giralt then discussed her encounters with “haters” as she moved on in life. “At the end of high school, my guidance counselor told me not choose computer science as my major,” she said. “That was the first hater. I didn’t listen to her, and started off as a [computer science] major at Rutgers University.” During the second week of Rutgers, Giralt was struggling in data structures class, so she went to the professor for help. “He said, ‘Don’t worry you’re supposed to fail this class. You’re a girl, you aren’t expected to pass this class

mpeachment proceedings were set in motion against Brazilian’s first female leader, President Dilma Rousseff, on Wednesday, December 2. Over the course of Rousseff’s time in office, Brazil has faced a devastating economic slump and top officials have been accused of accepting bribes. The political unrest could bring instability to the largest economy in South America.

Most of BuzzFeed’s media content, especially videos, are released and spread by other technology companies, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Snapchat. In fact, Stephanie and Sarah Yoon plan to collaborate with several more technology-oriented companies on similar events in the future. One such event took place on December 5, 2015, when the club took a trip to Goldman Sachs for a presentation on graphics. This event will be part of a series of speaker events from Goldman Sachs. The students who attended the event appreciated Giralt and Kelly coming to Stuyvesant to speak about their jobs. “The speakers were really inspiring and charismatic. I really liked how they describe the journey to their careers, and all the obstacles they faced,” junior Kate Johnston said. Junior Sachal Malik agreed. “Being a girl in STEM is not easy, but the speakers really highlighted that if you know what you want to do in life, it will be worth it when you overcome that adversity,” he said. “Their descriptions of the kinds of adversities they faced as women in [computer science] gave me a new level of respect understanding of female programmers and the challenges they face.”

Class of 2016 Paints Mural on Senior Bar continued from page 1

anyways, so either take the course again or change majors,’” Giralt said. “That was the second hater.” Similarly to Giralt, Kelly struggled to find her footing in the field of computer science. Her starting point in computer science wasn’t even in the field of computer science. Kelly is an alumna of Bronx Science High School and Colgate University, where she started studying geographic information systems (GIS), which are designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of spatial or geographical data. Kelly realized that she “wanted to make cooler maps,” but needed to use larger amounts of data more efficiently. She found that she was constantly copying and pasting into each program. “I thought that there has to be a script to replace this, and that’s how I got into computer science,” Kelly said. “The first language I learned was Processing, and I thought it was a cool entrance point into the field of computer science.” Giralt and Kelly then discussed their current place of work, BuzzFeed. “It’s a tech company, but really it’s more like a media company. Half of our staff is producers, writers, and illustrators,” Kelly said. “As a whole, the company is based on the intersection of the two sides.”

After the students working on the mural decided to remove the chipped paint on the top of the bar, they altered their design to exclude the top plane. The original layout entailed a depiction of the globe on the horizontal sur-

face of the senior bar. Because repainting the entire top surface after it was vandalized would delay the schedule, the Spooky Art Crew decided to move the globes to the sides of the front plane. The Spooky Art Crew designed the mural with hopes that future generations of seniors will keep it. “We want the senior bar

to become a part of the school that everyone can embrace, even future grades, so we didn’t want to specifically write ‘2016’ on it in large letters,” Papallo said. Collins shared Papallo’s hopes for the mural’s legacy. “We’re going to put a lot of work into the mural, so it would be nice if they left it. It’s our mark on Stuyvesant,” Collins said.

Courtesy of Vanna Mavromatis

Israeli and Palestinian Women Brought Together By Breast Cancer Speak at Stuyvesant

Ruth Ebenstein, an Israeli, and Ibtisam Erekat, a Palestanian, (third and second from right) spoke about how surviving breast cancer had brought them together on Wednesday, December 2.

By Vanna Mavromatis Ibtisam Erekat, a Muslim woman living in al-Eizariya, which is a village under joint Israeli-Palestinian control, was pregnant when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite deep personal misgivings, Erekat, on the insistence of her doctor, had an abortion. However, even after terminating the pregnancy, Erekat continued to show signs of carrying a baby. A trip to the doctor confirmed what she already knew: through some miracle, her child had survived. Erekat

refused to have another abortion. The child, a son she named Yousef, was born without complications. In West Jerusalem, Americanborn Israeli Jew Ruth Ebenstein was breastfeeding her son when she felt something was off. Having friends who have had breast cancer in the past, she decided to visit a doctor. The doctor confirmed her fears: she had breast cancer, and would have to have a lumpectomy. Ironically, it was these devastating events that would bring the women together, setting the stage for a beautiful—albeit

unique—friendship. Social studies teacher Eric Wisotsky invited Erekat and Ebenstein to share their story at Stuyvesant on Wednesday, December 2. Following their treatments, both women independently sought out an environment where they could find support from others who faced similar trials. They both came upon the Cope Forum, an Israeli-Palestinian breastcancer support group, in January 2011. Despite living in Jerusalem and having a few male Palestinian friends, Ebenstein never really interacted with Palestinian women before the support group. “I [had] been living in Israel for 20 years, and I needed to get breast cancer to be in a room with this many Palestinian women,” she said. Apart from being socially separated, the women’s friendship was originally limited by physical barriers: concrete walls and checkpoints stood in between their homes, which are 15 miles apart. Erekat required an entry permit to go to West Jerusalem, and was only able to receive one when she needed to have medical tests done there. And Ebenstein, too frightened to enter the West Bank, would not visit Erekat. That changed, however, when both women were chosen as part of a group that would visit BosniaHerzegovina for a breast cancer conference. The night of their arrival, they sat at a picnic table, sharing stories. By the next morning at

breakfast, a clear divide had developed: the Palestinians sat at one table and the Israelis at another. Ebenstein took a risk and sat at the Palestinian table, despite needing Erekat to translate. This, along with the subsequent conference where the women shared their breast cancer stories, helped to solidify Ebenstein and Erekat’s friendship. When they returned to Jerusalem, Ebenstein visited Erekat at her home in East Jerusalem. “I realized the fear was just in my head,” Ebenstein said. Now, the two women refer to themselves as sisters. Their families are also very close, with their children often playing together despite the lack of a common language. “To [my children], this is normal,” Ebenstein said. Their relationship is one of few like it in the Middle East, where tensions between Palestinians and Israelis are high. “It’s just inexplicable hatred. One day, they just woke up and they hated each other,” Ebenstein said. This deep cultural divide is often reflected in how others react to the friendship. Once, while the women were riding in a car with their families, someone threw a soda can at them. “You can’t feel what I’m feeling,” said Erekat, speaking of those who don’t understand their friendship. “We are one family.” Outside pressure has had its effect on their friendship, however. Last year, a hate crime was committed against several Palestinians in retaliation for a hate crime com-

mitted against several Israelis. Erekat’s children sent Ebenstein pictures of the violence, asking for an explanation. “I’m the only JewishIsraeli they know,” Ebenstein said. “They need me to condemn this.” The women are not alone in wanting cooperation. There are other Israeli-Palestinian groups attempting to promote peace, including a soccer league and an environmental council. “You discover there’s a lot going on once you get into that group,” Ebenstein said. She hopes the conflict will end so the groups can begin the difficult work of coexistence. The presentation was inspiring for those watching. “The enthusiasm and optimism [the women] brought to the presentation made me feel hopeful for the future,” junior Jonah Sachs said. To others, the presentation was touching on a personal level. “The presentation was really inspiring to young women like myself,” junior Jennifer Lu said. “[It showed] how positive outcomes can happen even in depressing situations, and to always look at the brighter side of things.” Ebenstein has written a memoir titled “Ibtisam and I” to help spread their story. The women hope to prompt others to cross social barriers, just as they did. “When you see someone and feel some instinct of preconceived notions, just try to push that down,” Ebenstein said. “Give the person a chance.”

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Features The Writing Center Orchestrator By Jeannie Au and Anthony Liang The Writing Center, located in the library, is a tranquil area where students and peer editors work together on essays. If you were to take a look into it, you would see a blonde-haired woman in the corner. This is Writing Center head and alumnus Casey Griffin (‘10), who just came to Stuyvesant three months ago. Before interviewing Griffin, we contacted Assistant Principal of English Eric Grossman to ask him some preliminary questions. According to Grossman, who has known Griffin since her sophomore year, Griffin was a leader even when she was a student. “[It is satisfying] to be able to bring her back to Stuyvesant, and to watch her supervise current students of mine in the Writing Center,” Grossman said in an e-mail interview. “She’s surpassed my expectations [...] After her first day, she came to me with a list of things to improve and after a week she was asking for additional tasks.” When we sat down with Griffin, we immediately noticed her cropped blonde hair and easy smile. As the interview continued, we learned more about her

background. During her education at Stuyvesant, Griffin loved English. She took AP English courses and enrolled in electives such as “Creative Nonfiction.” “Writing served primarily as an emotional outlet—a way for me to deal with the things happening in my life,” she said. She also loved social studies and spent much of her time outside of the classroom participating in student government. This passion carried into college, where she majored in American Studies. “During college, I was encouraged to write using a mix of personal narrative and academic styles and content,” Griffin said. She feels that she is most confident and proud of the writing she did for this major. Her American Studies class made her appreciate and develop courage in her writing. Surprisingly, Griffin was never completely confident about her writing and still is not. “I like to think that most people, even best-selling authors, feel this way as well,” she said. “I know that I always undervalued myself as a writer in high school and I worry that other Stuyvesant students do the same.” She understands that not everyone is born as a

natural writer, and empathizes with their dilemma. Her insecurity inspired her to work at the Writing Center and provide students with the confidence she lacked in high school. This attitude permeates various aspects of Griffin’s life—when we

“I fully expect to be working for her one day.” —Eric Grossman, Assistant Principal of English

asked her what punctuation mark she would be if she had to become a punctuation mark, Griffin said she would become a colon. Colons are used to push forward a sentence and allow a writer to expand on her ideas. Similarly, Griffin wants to push

her students onwards to better writing. As a result of her desire to help students improve with their writing, she tends to focus on large-scale revision. While her peers target the specifics such as grammar, formatting, and sentence structure, Griffin prefers to work on the piece as a whole. She likes to restructure the piece and offer new ideas to get students thinking. In addition, Griffin says that she enjoys reading creative assignments over the analytical pieces. This is because it allows her to know students she would otherwise have no idea about. Her favorite pieces to read are personal writing. Recently, she has been helping seniors edit their college essays and doing so has allowed her to get to know several students on a more personal level. By managing the Writing Center, Griffin has improved its organization, and sends out an e-mail every weekend to all the peer tutors to make sure that there will be a few students present during every period that the Writing Center is open. English teachers have noticed this change, and are grateful for it. “I know my students have benefitted greatly from her be-

ing a consistent presence there. My teacher mailbox has been stuffed with receipts from their meets,” English teacher Mikaela Dunitz said. “I am super grateful she is the Writing Center orchestrator.” Aside from managing the Writing Center, Griffin is also working a second job at a market research firm, which occupies a lot of her time. “My main passion is educational philosophy, so I like to read theory, go to talks, and pursue projects in that realm,” she said. Her hobbies include reading and seeing theater a lot. She studied drama in college and tries to stay engaged with the theater world of New York. To do so, she sees shows and tries to help her friends who are more actively pursuing drama. In the near future, she plans to start a master’s in philosophy and education at Teachers College, Columbia University. “I would like to eventually be able to make large-scale changes to the way this country’s education system works,” Griffin said. How she would like to go about that, she is not yet sure. However, Grossman is confident that Griffin will succeed in her goals. “I fully expect to be working for her someday,” he said.

Julie Chan/ The Spectator

A Crumbling Wall

By Sumaita Mahmood and Kamila Radjabova Three years ago, in the hot, sweaty climate of Kerala, India, the mustache of history teacher Zachary Berman was elaborately styled using the finest tools that local barbers had to offer. Berman felt the cool blade against his burning skin and watched curiously to see the barber at work. When Berman looked into the grimy mirror, he was elated to see the barber shape his mustache into the style popular amongst many of the area’s young Hindus. Interested by this new look, Berman found out the historical significance of mustaches and decided to keep the mustache for the rest of his travels in Southern Asia and Africa. However, what Berman didn’t realize at first was that this mustache was tricky to master in other parts of the world. In Kerala, the mustache style may have meant that Berman was a young, humble Hindu, but upon traveling to Egypt, Berman had now transformed into a young, modern, secular Muslim. His appearance was exactly the same except for the facial hair, but in the eyes of every Egyptian, he had changed completely. Cul-

tural clashes like these fascinated Berman and motivated him to pursue a career in history. Berman encountered his first cultural clash while growing up in San Francisco’s Castro District. His family had moved all around America before finally settling in a place with a large LGBT population. During the ‘80s and Berman recalled seeing gay couples with no children living in the surrounding houses. “It was a strange place to be a kid. [I saw] not just men making out on street corners, but for some reason it was very popular for men to wear leather chaps over their jeans,” Berman described. “It felt almost like growing up in a neighborhood that has a majority ethnic group that wasn’t mine. I felt like a minority.” Yet, his experiences with his neighbors allowed him to learn to respect people not for their culture, religion, or sexual orientation, but for what makes them special, a valuable quality to have when it comes to history. While his experiences growing up were quite different from those of many of his students, Berman’s school life was surprisingly similar to that of Stuyvesant students. During his years in high school, Berman re-

membered sneaking out during lunch to a pool hall and hanging out with his friends. “We were all nerdy. I was not the most popular kid,” Berman said. However, Berman’s style of hair and taste in food were all too similar to his ‘80s peers. “We all grew our hair long. It seemed like everybody was becoming vegetarian and growing their hair long,” said Berman. “I became a vegetarian, and I was a vegan for six months. I was just the thing that everybody did.” Despite his rather unconventional experiences in school, things quickly changed as he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, as a religious studies major. He didn’t know what he was doing with his career at that point. “I would sit on a tree on campus and do goofy stuff,” Berman said. He even sat in on a pagan ceremony, just out of curiosity. On the day of his graduation, Berman remembered feeling stressed about his future. “I remember having this weekly planner and on graduation day I drew a brick wall. [I did not] know what was on the other side of that wall. That was really scary,” Berman said. After graduating, he moved to New York and was immediately worked in a series of odd jobs, like driving people on bikes. “I had lots of friends [in New York] and it seemed like there was something to do [there],” Berman said. During this time, he witnessed the events of the Twin Towers falling. As buildings came crashing down and people went into a frenzied panic, Berman stopped and reflected on the event. In the days after 9/11, Berman finally realized what he wanted to do with his life. He found what was on the other side of the wall: a doctorate degree in Middle Eastern history. Berman took classes at Columbia and New York Uni-

versity, including a 10-week summer immersion course in which they could only communicate in Arabic. “I learned Arabic, and I moved to Egypt,” Berman said. His Ph.D. took him on adventures throughout places in the Middle East, such as the archives in Cairo. There, he looked through old letters and documents of historical events related to Egyptian history. “That was really hard. [I had to] self-translate [Arabic], and the archives were really sloppy,” Berman explained. Along with traveling to Egypt, Berman visited other Middle Eastern countries like Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. He also traveled to other parts of the world like Norway, Tunisia, and India. “I don’t know what I expected [out of Egypt],” Berman said. “Sometimes you learn things by reading books and sometimes you learn things by being there. Going [to Egypt] is such a subjective experience. It’s better to learn about it by

“It felt almost like growing up in a neighborhood that has a majority ethnic group that wasn’t mine.” —Zachary Berman, history teacher

reading about it.” In addition, Berman visited other places involved in various trade networks that affect Middle Eastern history. He lived in Morocco for one summer and nostalgically recalled the front doors of houses being painted light blue in the city of Chefchaouen. Berman was surprised by the development in Morocco, or the lack of it. “Seeing that it’s so close to Spain, [it’s surprising because] it’s so underdeveloped, and there’s Berber culture. The Old City of Fez is so [amazing],” Berman said. Even though Berman was visiting the city with a tour group, he still happened to get lost. “It’s so hard not to get lost there, you have to bring a compass,” he joked. Over the course of his travels, Berman grew attached to both Morocco and Egypt. However, Berman realized that he liked the aspect of teaching more than he liked the research. “At some point I also realized that I wanted to be teaching,” Berman said. “All along I was teaching, [I taught at] City College, Pratt, and Cooper Union and all these different places around town. I [taught] after I got back from Egypt and before I left for Egypt.” Ultimately, Berman believed a Ph.D. would only prevent him from pursuing a job that included his passion for teaching. Growing tired of his adventures in the Middle East, Berman settled down in New York with his wife and two kids. Yet, he hasn’t completely forgotten about his love of the region. Berman has hopes of starting to teach electives at Stuyvesant, his choices being modern Middle Eastern history, the IsraeliPalestine conflict, or an Arabic language class. “I don’t want to leave Stuyvesant,” said Berman, expressing his final career choice after his many years of exploring.

The Spectator ● December 11, 2015

Page 7

Features

Julie Chanl / The Spectator

STC: A Harmonious Balance of Genders

Junior Adam Wickham.

By Claire Jin and Kate Sherwin Junior Adam Wickham grew up as a boy interested in performing arts. He has been participating in art classes and making his own Halloween costumes since he was young, and is familiar with the stereotypes associated with being a male theater aficionado. “Of course there [are people] that assume that you’re feminine or you’re gay,” Wickham said. “And like that’s just a bit frustrating at times because even for some people for whom stereotypes are true it doesn’t define you. For example, I don’t know how your sexual orientation makes you a better person at sewing.” His point is well taken, but not everyone decides to look past the stereotypes into reality, and unfortunately, bullying occurs as a result of it. When senior Mark Abiskaroon first expressed his desire to audition for performing

arts high schools, he was forced to fac bullies who assaulted him with stereotypes and general negativity. However, Abiskaroon and Wickham agree that there is a clear lack of bullying of boys in the arts at Stuyvesant. “We all just do our own things, and everyone’s fine with that,” Abiskaroon said. They describe an environment that encourages them to do what they love. Theatre becomes especially popular in the Stuyvesant community during SING! season, when everyone is encouraged to participate in some way. Chorus is also a place where boys are encouraged to engage in the arts. Not only is the Stuyvesant community as a whole generally supportive of boys in the arts, the sense of community that the actors, directors, and crew have with each other is what stands out the most to anyone who is involved in or goes to watch Stuyvesant Theatre Community

(STC) productions. “I’ve never seen so many people together enjoying one thing and just the love and the connection, the family connection that I sensed was just amazing,” Abiskaroon said. “I wasn’t perfectly sure how I was going to be able to fit myself in there, but the STC accepted me pretty naturally.” Everyone in the community strives towards a common goal: to put on a good show. This eliminates much of the animosity that might be prevalent, especially in a school where competition is common. Because of its welcoming atmosphere, the STC serves as an appealing outlet for young artists to explore their creativity and passions. But students’ reasons for taking part in the community vary. For junior Griffin Strout, it happened to be an experience during his middle school years that pushed him to join STC. “I played in a pit band [for] The Little Shop of Horrors, which is a musical near my grandparents’ house,” Strout said. “I was playing this little keyboard part and I had a really great experience with it, even though the show was horrible. It was just a little dinky show to me, but I had a really great time. The music was really fun to play and it gave a lot of variety.” For Abiskaroon, his interest blossomed from witnessing acting and the surprise that came over him after delving deeper into the performances he watched. He explained that as a child he was intrigued by the immense amount of skill the actors had. “For as long as I can remember, like maybe five years old, I always

wanted to do something involving performance, and one of the things that I was even more interested in was acting, because something about it just appealed to me,” Abiskaroon said, and decided to join in pursuit of memorable moments in his life. Like Strout, Abiskaroon was intrigued by the open and accepting atmosphere of the STC. However, he was especially encouraged to join due to the contrast of the theatre ambience in Stuyvesant with those he had participated in the past. In his past experience as a male in theatre, he was discouraged and even inhibited himself from participating. “I never got a chance to participate until coming to high school, where there was [STC], and I could actually embark on a ‘performing path,’” Abiskaroon said. “That’s when I started auditioning, just hoping I nailed some roles.” He was surprised to find that the stereotypes that he had combatted in the past were virtually nonexistent in Stuyvesant. In fact, he discovered that the STC is very well rounded and accepting towards all genders. “People actually encourage me, like, ‘Hey! Join the STC! Join SING! It’ll be so much fun!’” Abiskaroon said. “If this is something you really feel like you want to try or something you want to do, just go for it— don’t let things hold you back.” Additionally, the diverse number of crews such as costumes, band, and tech adds to STC’s sense of inclusion. While there is a limited number of actors that can be cast in a show, male or female, it is simply because of the way the show is written.

However, the members of the STC Slate in the past few years have been mostly female, and there are often more female than male participants in STC shows. This can be attributed to the fact that there are generally more girls that try out, and there are more females than males interested in performing arts when they entered Stuyvesant. In The Spectator’s survey of the Class of 2019, 11.3 percent of males and 28.9 percent of females said they were interested in performing arts. Junior and STC member Nadia Filanovsky believes that there are underlying confidence issues among males who wish to pursue it. There are no stereotypes holding male students back in the STC, but rather, they themselves are, according to Filanovsky. She also explains how a central quality in theatre requires a sufficient amount of assuredness in yourself: “To do it, you need to be very sure about yourself.” Filanovsky said. “My big thing is to try out! This year [...] we went to auditions and were blown away by the casts. We had the hardest time casting those roles that we thought we weren’t [going] to find people for.” From costumes to band to those on stage, the STC is no place for intolerance and stereotyping relating to gender. It is a welcoming environment for all of those who want to join, an escape from the highly academic world that is Stuyvesant, offering student relief from a long and strenuous day of school. And what better thing is there to kick back from a hard day of school than to immerse yourself in a creative and talented community of peers?

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The Spectator ● December 11, 2015

Art

ART COMICS

Sylvia Yu / The Spectator

Rachel Zhang / The Spectator

see page 21 for “holidays gone wrong”

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.

Page 9

The Spectator ● December 16, 2015

Page 10

The Spectator ● December 11, 2015

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The Spectator ● December 11, 2015

Page 12

Editorials Staff Editorial

Snapshots of our Stuyvesant Experiences Stuyvesant’s size guarantees that no two students have exactly the same experience: one student’s handful of classes, extra-curriculars, and social groups represent only a sliver of the many available. In this Staff Editorial, individual editors wrote blurbs about what they like, dislike, or wish to improve about Stuyvesant with the goal of providing a glimpse into a few of the many facets of Stuyvesant that can contribute to a high school experience. “It’s outdated. It’s useless.” Those are the most common reactions to the one-semester technical drawing class that Stuyvesant requires. And that may be true. Modern tools used by architects, like CAD, are barely covered in the course, and for those who do not plan to become architects or engineers, the oldfashioned method of drawing hardly seems relevant. For many students, the course seems like a waste of time because it feels so remote from other studies. But that’s not the case for me. Admittedly, I remember my first day in drafting when I drew sets of straight lines. It sounds silly, but drawing lines was a difficult task. My teacher’s imposing presence and loud voice scared me; he was moving from person to person, down the row, examining each line. “Too dark,” he howled, or “Not straight enough,” he said. Needless to say, it was an intimidating first day. Yet, that didn’t stop me from falling in love with the staff. Yes, my teacher would lash out randomly, but I had come to learn that most of the drafting teachers had a uniquely hilarious eccentricity. Jazz music floats through the classrooms, punctuated by the shouts of the teachers as they heartily call out to each other. The drafting teachers possess a kind of quirk that made my rather mundane schedule somewhat eventful with every unpredictable, bizarrely funny comment. Over time, I began to enjoy the subject too. There is something almost meditative about hunching over the straight lines, the neat lettering, the precise angles. And while not everyone can be expected to enjoy this type of work, just as not everyone is expected to enjoy math class, I began to feel that the subject could offer something to everyone. Drafting is peculiar in that there is virtually no way to cut corners. There is no Sparknotes to read, there are no answers to copy from the back of the book. With drafting, the work you take out directly reflects the work you put in, a significant amount that must be stretched over many days. High school teaches us how to be master crammers, but drafting reminds us of what it is to be precise and efficient. The tenth floor is a disheveled sanctuary for the arts with old architectural models and tools littering the tops of overflowing filing cabinets. It is not a place that appeals to everyone, and it doesn’t have to be. But I suspect that I am not the only one who is thankful for the little one-semester requirement that brought me up there. When I went searching through the Stuyvesant course catalogue the summer before my freshman year, I fell in love with the Wall Street course. I was excited by the possibility that I could take such specialized courses, a stark contrast with the classes my middle school offered. Alas, when it came to programming that fall, I found out that I wouldn’t even have the option of signing up for the class until my junior year. Three and a half years and three denied requests later, I have yet to take Wall Street. Don’t get me wrong—I’m very grateful for the amazing selection of in-depth and diverse electives this school offers, but the way the elective system is set up makes it difficult for students to take the classes they want. Freshmen and sophomores, who tend to have mre free periods than upperclassmen, are given the fewest options and the least priority when it comes to elective selection. By the time their options finally open up, many upperclassmen choose instead to fill their schedules with Advanced Placement (AP) courses. At this point, they have to choose between potentially more fun electives or resume-boosting AP courses. With just a few policy changes, we could allow all students to take advantage of Stuyvesant’s many resources. If we expanded the number of elective open to freshmen beyond Math Team and Math Research, we could give them an opportunity to explore their passions early on if they aren’t solely interested in math. To maintain upperclassmen priority, freshman and sophomores could be grouped into the same application pool to increase their chances. Another option is to allow underclassmen to take drafting and health so they could take electives during their junior and senior years. The ability to have 10 periods in our schedules is rarity among high schools—why not let us use them? During the school day, the Stuyvesant halls are filled with bustling students trying to make their way to classes. But after 3:35 p.m., the halls really come to life. On any given day, you can find people practicing their hip hop routines for Stuy Squad, discussing foreign policy at a Model United Nations meeting, or engineering robots at a Robotics team session. The building is filled with people pursuing their passions. As a freshman, joining my first club, Speech and Debate, was exhilarating. I was a part of something that felt important, and I met people with whom I am still close friends today. At practices after school, I wandered the halls with my new friends and discovered the liveliness of the people participating in their different clubs. Seeing this enthusiasm made me feel absolutely certain that I had made the right choice in coming to Stuyvesant. The excitement Stuyvesant students have about their extra-curriculars stems from the fact that there are so many different types of clubs at our school. It’s almost impossible for someone not to find their niche. The Speech and Debate Club turned out not to be the right place for me, but I found other clubs that I love, and don’t mind devoting hours after school to. This is the best thing at Stuyvesant for me — being someone who, after the school day, helps bring the halls to life. At Stuyvesant, the passage of time tends to feel totally out of whack. Days, weeks, months, and even years bleed together, so much so that it’s virtually impossible to differentiate between the events that occurred two days ago and those that occurred two weeks ago. I never really know whether or not I have Phys. Ed. because my concept of “yesterday” is so blurry and nebulous. On Sundays, I nervously anticipate the week ahead, but by the time I stop to breathe, it’s already Friday. Months pass, but until after I’ve taken my finals, I feel as if the year has just begun. There are no meaningful milestones to separate chunks of time from one another because there’s always another standardized test to cram for, another English essay to write. After years of sitting in the same desk chair for the same number of hours a day and writing the same heading on every homework assignment with the same pink Muji pen on the same top left-hand corner on that all-too-familiar sheet of loose-leaf paper with its all-too-familiar horizontal blue lines and vertical red one, nothing feels unique anymore. Sure, there is a fair share of special moments: you recognize the beauty of induction proofs, you notice a particularly pretty butterfly metaphor in “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” or you are so excited about something that you learned about in history class that you share it with everyone who will listen. But these breaks from monotony don’t last long. There is no time to sit around and appreciate things, because, at any given moment, there are about six assignments waiting to be completed. A prevalent idea among many students at Stuyvesant is that they are “better” than students at other schools. Students turn their noses up at those who attend zoned schools, and express wonderment at the average SAT score in America. Jokes about BMCC are frequently made whenever a student gets a lowerthan-usual grade. While students can and should be proud that they go to one of the best high schools in the nation, it is one thing to be grateful and another to be elitist. At best, those Stuyvesant students who promote their own brand of elitism demonstrate an inflated ego, and, at worst, show a lack of understanding about the world at large. SAT scores and GPAs are not the most important things in the world, and to measure the worth of schools, students, or people by such measures only leads to a lack of perspective on the world. It is unfair to reduce all of a person’s worth into a number. You don’t judge a friend based on her average because you know that she is much, much more than that; so why do that to anyone else?

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The earliest concrete example I can remember of over-thinking was in my sophomore chemistry class. I was solving alpha and beta decay problems, and upon watching a student put up her answers on the board, I noticed her using a complex solution that involved logarithmic equations. I did not think to solve the answer that way, and the fact that I had no immediate understanding of her method troubled me. Fast forward a year and I am currently drowning in the rapidly paced words of my classmates as they attempt to decipher the cryptic nature of physics. I have no doubt that my classmates’ discussions are enlightening to some, but what I understand can be best analogized to the sound a TV makes when it has lost connection. In other words, I understand absolutely nothing. I feel as if my mind is too simple to catch up to the lightning firing in these students’ neurons. But one day my teacher told me that I was, in fact, struggling in class because of the exact opposite reason. I was over-thinking everything. Despite the intended negative connotation of over-thinking, I could not help but feel slightly complimented. In stating that I was over-thinking, I felt it was implied that I am, in fact, capable of complex thought. I just don’t know how to wield it yet. Unfortunately my tests do not reflect that same type of optimism. And now instead of hearing my thoughts buzz during exams, I hear them scream. In a competitive atmosphere like Stuyvesant, where ingenuity and originality give students a name, over-thinking is a common problem that gives us unnecessary anxiety and stress. Many of us scoff at the simplicity of Regents exams, or argue for incorrect answers to get points back after tests have been graded. When students see a complex new interpretation of a problem, they may feel like they must raise their standard of thinking to identify themselves with the ideal Stuyvesant student. In reality, by blowing up a problem’s appearance, we wrap ourselves around trivial details, when we should focus on learning the foundations of the concept. Of course we should be proud to think creatively, and ought to ask questions and defy conformity when judgment calls for it, but we should also take care not to get sucked up into the peer pressure of over-thinking. Simple thinking should be an indication of intelligence, not inferiority.

The Spectator ● December 11, 2015

Page 13

Opinions By Alex Berg and Nalanda Sharadjaya Instead of spending their typical Sunday nights watching television on the couch of their Florida home, Curtis and Catherine Jones, aged 12 and 13 respectively at the time of their crime, have been serving time in an adult prison for the past 18 years. They, along with the tens of thousands of other young Americans living in adult prisons at any given time, were tried, charged, and sentenced as adults despite their youth. The biggest difference between being tried as a minor and as an adult is that the purpose of juvenile sentencing is to rehabilitate—rather than to punish—the offender in question. Sentences are supposed to be administered with the child’s best interests in mind. Though many believe that adolescents should be held accountable for the crimes they commit, regardless of their age, the practice of trying minors as adults is ultimately unjust—not only because it ignores the lack of maturity and development present in children, but also because the system reinforces

In Prison, Too Young to Drive

the school-to-prison pipeline that disproportionately affects many black Americans. The numbers alone are staggering. According to the Campaign for Youth Justice, African Americans comprise 16 percent of this country’s adolescent population, but represent 30 percent of children who are arrested, and 62 percent of those transferred to adult courts. Black children are also nine times more likely than their white counterparts to be sentenced as adults, with adult consequences for their inherently juvenile actions. It comes as little surprise, then, that Curtis and Catherine Jones were black, and that racism likely factored into the way they were treated by the court. Their crime—killing their father’s girlfriend—was serious, but their alleged motivations were equally, if not more, disturbing. They claimed that sexual abuse within the family, as well as their victim’s ostensible refusal to acknowledge or address these concerns, had driven them to plot the murder of their abuser, their father, and his girlfriend (only she, ultimately, was killed).

Because black people are identified with crime, they tend to be treated more harshly by the criminal justice system.

The judge was unsympathetic, citing a lack of evidence. Seeing little chance for legal recourse, the children chose to accept a plea bargain, signing off 18 years of their life to adult federal prison. They were not granted a trial, and never had a chance to give testimony. Sometime during their imprisonment, an investigation by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) uncovered a wide history of abuse within the Jones family. Not only did their findings corroborate the children’s allegations of sexual assault, but they also brought to light evidence of their father’s physical abuse toward the children and their mother (who eventually left in order to protect herself). Unfortunately, though the DCF’s conclusions legitimized the Jones’ case, neither resentencing nor exoneration were ever considered, and they lived out their transformative adult years in prison. This summer, in July and August, respectively, Curtis and Catherine were released from prison into a world that had, in the nearly two decades since their sentencing, passed them by. Though it is difficult to conclusively prove their judge acted on racist principles, it’s clear he handled the case clumsily. And their story is painfully familiar, in varying degree, to black youth across the country. The crux of the problem lies in the conclusions of a study by the Sentencing Project, which confirms popular suspicion that “white Americans overestimate the proportion of crime

committed by people of color,” and, more specifically, “associate people of color with criminality.” Because black people

African Americans comprise 16 percent of this country’s adolescent population, but represent 30 percent of children who are arrested, and 62 percent of those transferred to adult courts. are identified with crime, they tend to be treated more harshly by the criminal justice system. Moreover, these stereotypes are not merely confined to black adults, or even older adolescents; according to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, black boys lose their perceived “childhood innocence” as early as ten, far younger than children their age of other races. They begin to be dehumanized, both by civilians and law enforcement, because they’re seen as older and less deserving of sympathy and understanding.

Chloé Delfau / The Spectator

Two Heads are Better Than One

By Asher Lasday Near the beginning of every fourth November, Americans go to the polls to cast ballots for the leaders of the free world. After election day, about half the populous is incredulous that their president elect is from the opposing political party, instinctively pointing to what they perceive as the candidate’s incompetence and lack of support. They blame the results on faulty polling stations, low voter turnout, or an increasing level of political apathy. The truth is that, as news sources become more digitalized, it becomes easier for people to surround themselves with media that promotes only their political and social ideals. This, in turn, makes it harder for liberals to understand where conservative viewpoints come from, and vice versa. As a result, it is often impossible for people on opposite ends of the political spectrum to understand each other’s strengths, and thus, how their opposition could win a national election.

Social media in particular greatly prevents people from understanding opposing political ideologies. Since most of the content you see on platforms like Facebook is posted by people in the same circles as you, it is primarily in-line with your political leanings. This means that it is not only easy to overestimate the number of those supporting your party, but also difficult to get a real understanding of another party’s political beliefs. Statistics seem to support this lack of empathy, with the Pew Research Center finding that 18 percent of people have unfriended or unfollowed a friend on a social networking site. Not only has social media allowed us to largely isolate ourselves in spheres of political homogeneity, but the lowering cost of media production has allowed for more niche political commentary. Democrats can watch MSNBC and read articles from sites like Vox and Think Progress. Similarly, Republicans aren’t limited to Fox News—they can also enjoy online newspa-

This polarization is a problem, especially because it is most common in the youth of the U.S., who will be leading the nation in 20 years. Recent Pew studies show that more than half of all Americans believe that the internet has allowed those with extremist political views to gain influence, clearly leading to a more radicalized society. Unfortunately, the issue does not have a single panacea—instead, we must take a multi-faceted approach toward increasing our ability to empathize across ideological lines. One way to strive for political empathy is to make an effort to understand the arguments of those across the aisle. In order to accomplish this, people should read in-depth news analyses from thinkers who completely disagree with their political viewpoints. While it can be easy to discount the simplistic arguments of pundits, when reading carefully thought-out policy analyses or suggestions it becomes harder to discount the arguments of those across the

always difficult, which seems to play a big part in the political divide that we’ve witnessed, preventing people from at all

aisle. Next, when engaging in arguments, remember that it is okay to be wrong. Admitting the fallacies in one’s own arguments, especially if one’s arguments are closely tied to their moral center and sense of self-worth, is

that are difficult to diagnose and harder to treat. However, we can impose mechanisms to make it harder to treat children as adults across the board. If we can’t try children as adults, or send them to correctional facilities that are not explicitly allocated for juvenile offenders, we’ll be preventing our perception of black children as older than they truly are from interfering with their criminal punishment. And, though there’s still a long way to go from there, we can take comfort in the notion that stories like that of Curtis and Catherine will never be repeated. Vahn Williams/ The Spectator

but rather with a willingness to compromise and listen from the beginning. This will allow people’s beliefs to change, rather

Not only has social media allowed us to largely isolate ourselves in spheres of political homogeneity where opposite opinions can be impossible to comprehend, the lowering cost of media production has allowed for more niche political commentary than ever. leaving their political mountain. Due to the echo chamber effect, those participating in arguments have become more convinced than ever that they are correct, thus making them less willing to have their beliefs changed and be proven wrong. This results in

One way to strive for political empathy is to make an effort to understand the arguments of those across the aisle. pers and blogs such as Buzzpo, The Federalist, and The Washington Free Beacon. In this way, it has become easier to surround yourself with both online peers and more credible news organizations that support your ideology.

Racism in the criminal justice system is pervasive and complex, in part because it is caused by collective biases

countless arguments, particularly online, where two sides do not actually engage in argumentation and instead simply repeating their own belief. In order to allow for people to change their positions, arguments should not begin with angered comments,

than causing a blockade based on their reluctance to backtrack or contradict themselves. Recently I have attempted to enter online arguments with this attitude, to some success. After getting into an aggressive and unhelpful argument with my friend about the legitimacy of recognizing other nations attacked at the same time as the Paris attacks, I entered another argument— this time first recognizing what I agreed with my opponent with, then what I disagreed with. This allowed me to, when convinced in some regards, to exit the argument feeling that I’d sincerely had my views changed. Political polarization is a massive problem, not only freezing any process in Congress, but gripping our youths especially. Those who are willing and excited to engage in meaningful political discussion must be openminded, or they risk completely losing the ability to engage in debate or compromise.

The Spectator ● October 2, 2015

Page 14

Opinions Step In Or Step Down

By Haider Nazir As the sun rises and winter clouds cover the sky, college students wake up in their dorms, craving hot coffee after staying up all night to write papers and study for final exams. As they get ready to attend their classes, they see a group of teachers standing outside their university’s African American cultural center. The center is covered in rolls of toilet paper and appalling heaps of garbage—yet another message threatening and abusing the black students on campus. This is just one example of a nationwide network of oppressive incidents students of color have been facing every day for decades. Recently, these incidents drew media attention at universities such as the University of Missouri and Yale University. Though many of these cases, which often involve public assault and racist slurs, are clear mistreatment of people of color, some believe that many of these cases simply exercise students’ right to free speech,

In order to maintain public safety and promote a more just society, people in power must speak out against racist actions. Free speech is undoubtedly a right that must be upheld in the United States. However, Christakis, as Associate Master, also has a responsibility to make her students feel safe and welcome on campus. By sending out an e-mail that compared students’ qualms with appropriative costumes to “a blonde-haired child wanting to be Mulan for a day,” Christakis showed an extreme lack of care

for students of color, and by ignoring the wishes of student-

Though some students argue that calling for the Yale

In reality, this issue has very little to do with the fundamentals of the Constitution. formed committees that aimed to protect minority students from racially oppressive actions, Christakis and the other members of the Yale administration neglected their duty to listen to and address students’ fears. Students of color at the University of Missouri have also suffered due to similarly oppressive actions, including public assault on school property. The situation came to a head when recently, the university’s system president, Tim Wolfe, resigned due to accusations that he mishandled these campus incidents. Though this, at surface, is a similar situation to that of Yale University, Missouri’s students have been much more successful at affecting change. At Missouri, the university’s black football players refused to participate in team activities, including an upcoming game, until Wolfe stepped down—a decision that was ultimately effective only with the support of the student athletes’ coaches and teachers. Faculty members at the University of Missouri, such as coach Gary Pinkel, who posted on Twitter during the protest, saying, “We are behind our players,” acted the way Yale’s administration should have when put in a similar situation.

administration to speak out against racism on campus is an infringement on their rights, in reality, this issue has very little to do with the fundamentals of the Constitution. Asking Yale’s administration to promote equal treatment and a safe learning environment is reasonable and valid, and does not prevent other students from dressing offensively—it only discourages it. Thus, the anger and frustration of these

Soham Ghoshal / The Spectator

Happy Bananas

By Alec Dai It was 8 p.m. and I was riding the train back home after a particularly bad day at school. While thinking about all the work I had yet to do, I noticed a very bright advertisement from the corner of my eye. It was an advertisement for a banana producer

called Chiquita Bananas. It had the slogan “Just smile! Smiling is natural, like a Chiquita!” branded across a face with a banana for a smile. Right, I thought, because a banana’s advice is totally legitimate. This advertisement is a classic example of the happinessbiased world that we live in: our society is obsessed with promoting positivity. No matter what we are truly feeling or going through at any given moment, we are always expected to be upbeat and have a smile on our faces. Socalled “bad emotions” aren’t seen as being worth our time. They are scary and often awkward or distressing to discuss, so we collectively ignore them. But they’re still there, and we still feel them on a personal level—we just don’t talk about it. Neurobiologist Tali Sharot describes this phenomenon as the “optimism bias,” citing a human tendency to overestimate the probability of positive events and underestimate that of negative ones. She suggests that there exists a collective mindset that

Most studies also point to the fact that all emotions—including negative ones—are natural and valid, and that no one kind of feeling necessarily dictates prosperity.

things will turn out O.K. if we can ignore the negative and focus on the positive. In her research, Sharot notes that this bias exists in all stages of life all over the world. There are many scientific explanations for this bias. For start-

inherently bad. In the wake of an initiative for greater awareness of mental health in teens (especially with respect to anxiety, depression, and suicide), general positivity is often advocated for. Platitudes like “Everyone is beautiful!” and “You don’t deserve to

In order to create a culture that truly encourages mental health awareness, we need to be able to talk about negative emotions—our very own mental health—without feeling like we’re bringing down the “vibe.” ers, there’s the simple fact that optimistic predictions are biologically more satisfying. It feels good to feel good! And because our brains are telling us just how good it feels to be happy, we’re prejudiced towards feeling that way as a society. Furthermore, happiness is seen societally as a measure of success. Studies show that humans tend to want to present themselves in a positive light; we want the people around us to think we have a happy, meaningful, fulfilling life. However, most studies also point to the fact that all emotions—including negative ones—are natural and valid, and that no one kind of feeling necessarily dictates prosperity. The idea of promoting happiness doesn’t, on the surface, seem

students is fueled by sensitivity, not censorship, which is fully constitutional. This is more importantly a purely ethical dilemma, and one that could cause a ripple effect that would affect the country’s status on the whole. In order to maintain public safety and promote a more just society, people in power must speak out against racist actions. While individual rights are important, this issue goes beyond that. It is our responsibility to solve the problems caused by the oppression upon which our country was founded. By remaining silent on the issue of racism on college campuses all across the nation, college administrators are abandoning the ideals of the US Constitution on the premise that they are protecting them.

Yujie Fu/ The Spectator

Yasmeen Roumie/ The Spectator

given to them and protected by the Constitution. At Yale, institutionalized racism has caused students of color to feel uncomfortable on their own campus since black students were first admitted to the university. Recently, a heated debate between students of color and the Yale administration has evolved over an e-mail from Associate Master of Yale’s Silliman College Erika Christakis, which claimed that students should be entitled to wear costumes that are culturally insensitive for Halloween as a matter of free speech.

feel this way!” are well-intentioned, certainly, but by only validating a certain emotion, we are essentially devaluing all others. And for those of us who have real, genuine, negative feelings, this kind of atmosphere can feel positively stifling. Think about it: how many times have you been told to “just smile” or “cheer up”? Psychologist Jane Richards describes this as an unhealthy emphasis on “expressive suppression.” For instance, when we see someone we know on the 4-6 escalator, or run into them in the library, our instinct is to say “Hi!” with a wide smile on our faces,

no matter how we actually feel at that moment. However, if the person in question doesn’t respond as emphatically in kind, we feel insulted. Even though faking enthusiasm feels uncomfortable— sometimes even draining—to us, we expect everyone around us to meet that same, strange emotional Now, Chiquita Bananas isn’t all wrong. Smiling and happiness come naturally (like Chiquita Bananas themselves) to humans. But other emotions are natural too. In order to create a culture that truly encourages mental health awareness, we need to be able to talk about negative emotions—our very own mental health—without feeling like we’re bringing down the “vibe.” So, the next time your friend complains to you about her bad day, don’t just tell them to “smile” or “cheer up”; that puts them under more stress than they’re already in. And, let’s be real—you hate it when other people do that to you. Instead, listen. Make your friend feel like their feelings are real: that it’s O.K. to have a bad day, to feel bad things when bad things happen. After all, a banana can make a variety of other faces—like a frown—and that’s pretty natural, too.

Amber Yang/ The Spectator

The Spectator ● December 11, 2015

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The Spectator ● October 2 2015

Arts and Entertainment film By TJ Westfall “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2,” directed by Francis Lawrence, is the dystopic finale of “The Hunger Games.” Based off of the second half of Suzanne Collins’s eponymous novel, “Mockingjay, Part 2” takes place in Panem (postapocalyptic United States), where there is a full-blown civil war that the anti-government rebels are winning. The film follows the story of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a rebel, and her quest to personally kill President Snow, the sadistic and tyrannical ruler of Panem. In the first “Mockingjay” film, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), Katniss’s admirer and enemy, was captured and tortured by Snow and his friends until he became unstable and aggressive around Katniss. His role in this film is mainly to mentally recover from his time spent captured. Peeta’s case creates an aura of uncertainty that adds to his complex personality. Hutcherson pulls off an incredibly realistic portrayal of this man gone insane, struggling to figure out his feelings for a person he once loved while simultaneously fending off the constant urge to kill her.

Between a War and a Vendetta The action scenes in “Mockingjay, Part 2,” though sparse, are incredibly smooth and add to the entire viewing-experience significantly. They give the viewer something to savor in between the long, slightly boring discussion scenes. People who watched the previous films in the series are used to all-out modern warfare and brutal scenes of teenagers killing each other, so naturally, it would be hard to top that off with little to none of either. A particularly interesting action scene is the one in which Lawrence pits Katniss and her friends against a bunch of fish-like mutants in the dark and disgusting sewers under Panem’s capital. As they scramble and slosh in knee-deep putrid green water, two of Katniss’s allies fall prey to these creatures. This scene is one of the few in

which the viewer gets to see Katniss’s weapons go to work. Though she may not be fighting important characters, this fight is fun to watch and does a great job keeping viewers on their toes. Watching “Mockingjay, Part 2” without any prior knowledge of “ T h e Hunger Games” is a waste of time. The characters and the setting will be entirely unfamiliar to the viewers who have not seen previous films, since there are no introductions to the plot or the characters in this one. In the eyes of a child sitting down to watch this film without any prior knowledge, the term “Hunger Games” has no meaning. This lack of an introduction is detrimental to

the viewing experience of newcomers, because it forces them to make a choice: sit through the film and understand next to nothing plot-wise, or figure out what happened in past films by consulting friends or the Internet. “Mockingjay, Part 2” is an acceptable ending to a series that did not disappoint. But, Lawrence almost ruined the series by suddenly turning its last book into two films. There’s no clear reason Lawrence ended a film halfway through the story and started another where it left off. Whatever the reason, Lawrence’s decision confused viewers, making them feel like they flipped on the TV and started watching the last episode of some series they had never heard of. That is not to say that it is impossible to enjoy random television episodes or film sequels without having seen earlier episodes or films. Usually, they are fairly enjoyable, because the format of a finale almost always includes a summary of what happened previously in the series. “Mockingjay, Part 2” may only tell the story of half a book, but it is a whole movie in the eyes of the public, and thus, should have been formatted like one.

Anika Hashem / The Spectator

Bring Him Home

film By Liam Elkind and Samantha Han Five hundred million miles away on Mars, the planet where nothing grows, a new story arises in the form of Ridley Scott’s film adaptation of Andy Weir’s fiction novel “The Martian.” At once a touching underdog story and a brutal and exciting sci-fi action/ adventure film, “The Martian” delves deep into the unchartered territory of both the vast expanse of planet Mars and the equally boundless limits of the human psyche. Matt Damon stars as Mark Watney, an American astronaut who, after a massive sandstorm, is accidentally left for dead on Mars by his crew. All alone on the planet, he struggles to find a way to survive the harsh winds and infertile soil, while holding on to the hope that he will be rescued. Both immense in its scope and intensely personal in its story, “The Martian” presents a beautifully nuanced image of one man in the face of seemingly insurmountable opposition. The film’s action begins quickly, almost startlingly so. Before the sandstorm starts, there are only a few minutes of expository shots of the planet and of Watney joking around with his fellow astronauts. This immediate transition from humor to action was jolting. Though, the lack of exposition was certainly deliberate; Scott knew the audience would be spending enough time on Mars to make up for the lack of establishing shots in the opening. There are only hints of the impending sandstorm at the beginning, but it becomes increasingly large, until it seems almost colossal in size, throwing the group of astronauts into disarray. Watney is knocked unconscious by a piece of falling debris, and the rest of his crew is forced to leave the planet without him.

This fosters the two-pronged storyline that follows the rest of the movie: Watney’s story as he attempts to survive, and the story of the scientists back on Earth, trying to reestablish contact and rescue him. Damon may be known for his roles in dramatic films like “The Bourne Trilogy” and “Good Will Hunting,” but he is also an extremely humorous and charismatic actor. As Watney, he easily garners sympathy by maintaining a friendly optimism and sarcastic sense of humor. He also has an interminable smile that, when juxtaposed with the oppress i v e atmosphere o f Mars, exemplifies h i s brave r y . As the movie pushes through setback after setback, his smile seems a little more forced, and his physical stature, at first big and imposing, becomes small and frail. This coincides well with Watney’s psychological changes, as he suffers from a lack of direct communication with the outside world. While not explored as deeply as it could have been, the psychological aspect of Watney’s character was subtly played by Damon, who expertly navigated the heavy subject of depression with slight changes in his character’s stance and facial expressions. To the cynical observer, this is just another space movie churned out by Hollywood. It’s easy to feel

this way with the recent trend of blockbuster astronaut films: “Gravity” in 2013, “Interstellar” in 2014, and now “The Martian.” However, the script never falls too directly into the hands of a classical science fiction film or overwhelms its audience with long monologues filled with perplexing jargon. Although Watney is an astronaut who’s capable of producing water from rocket fuel, he’s also designed to repres e n t the

Ruby Gary / The Spectator

layman. His witty banter and straightforward vocabulary make him a more down-to-Earth character despite his command on outer space. Damon does an excellent job at framing his character in exactly this way, aided by a script that preserves his affable personality, even though he is marooned on a planet millions of miles away. While the movie easily could have been half-silent, screenwriter Drew Goddard decided to play with Watney’s surroundings to give him speaking time. This surfaces in the form of video logs, which Watney records in order to preserve his story in case he is

killed before returning to Earth. He discusses his survival methods, like growing potatoes using his crew’s waste as fertilizer and plastering duct tape on his cracked astronaut helmet, knowing there’s a chance nobody will ever see the footage. As he slowly manages to interact with Earth, he communicates with the scientists there, discussing how he’ll be able to return home. The movie focuses on the fact that, despite his physical separation from Earth, Watn e y ’s con-

tinued interaction with his home allows him to never be completely alone. Damon uses his interactions with Earth effectively, remaining staunchly determined to survive. Another way the silence is filled is with music—the only songs available to Watney are, much to his chagrin, his captain’s beloved disco tracks. The juxtaposition of ‘70s dance music like Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Watney’s increasingly grim expressions make for outstanding dark comedy. The cinematography contributes to this notion of bravery by drawing subtle parallels between the scientists on Earth and Watney. They are both working towards a common goal, and they have conversations on Earth similar to those Watney is having on Mars. This implicitly sug-

gests that, despite his physical distance from the civilized world, Watney is able to hold on to his humanity and ability to engage with people. On the other hand, certain distinctions are drawn between the two planets that accentuate the danger Watney faces on a daily basis. Earth’s buildings are new and beautifully designed. The windows are clean, the people wear business suits, and though they are concerned about Watney, they never seem to break a sweat. On Mars, the technology is dilapidated, Watney’s central base is perpetually surrounded by sand, and instead of a cleanly pressed business suit, Watney wears a broken-down, hastily repaired orange and white astronaut suit. He seems almost to blend in with the dreary atmosphere of the inhabitable planet. As superb as Damon was, credit must be given to the excellent cast on Earth as well. Most notably, Chiwetel Ejiofor shines as Vincent Kapoor, a scientist trying to rescue Watney while presenting the ordeal to the world in a positive light. He, too, effectively uses humor to amuse with short, clever one-liners, while he utilizes the absence of humor to heighten the tension further. His eyes brilliantly capture the fear and hope that accompany much of the film’s central arc. The cast works cohesively to present a well thought-out narrative that balances both Watney’s story and Earth’s struggle to “bring him home” (the movie’s tagline). In a film so impressively vast in scope and scene, Scott’s steady hand navigates the mysterious terrain of Mars with an easy-to-follow narrative that poses questions about technology, bravery, and humanity that we are still struggling to answer today.

The Spectator ● October 2, 2015

Page 17

Arts and Entertainment calendar

Get a Life: The Cultured Edition

ONGOING “Art Brut in America: The Incursion of Jean Dubuffet “ American Folk Art Museum Museum exhibit “Philippine Gold: Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms” Asia Society and Museum Museum exhibit “Hand to God” Booth Theater Play “Cirque Mechanics” New Victory Theater Circus

12/21/2015

12/24/2015

“Handel / Mozart’s Messiah” Carnegie Hall Concert

“Holiday Caroling at Washington Square Park” Washington Square Park Music

DECEMBER 12/31/2015 12/20/2015

12/23/2015

“Celebrate the Holidays with The Queens Symphony” 137-35 Northern Boulevard Music

“The Little Match Girl Passion” Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium Concert

“New Year’s Eve Fireworks!” Prospect Park Fireworks

“Phish” Madison Square Garden Concert

New York Cinema (NYC)

crossword It seems that since the dawn of time, half of all the movies in existence have taken place in our hometown. How familiar are you with the cinematographic history of this city?

ACROSS 2. Type of animal that stars in “An American Tail” 4. Time of day at the museum 8. Gojira 10. Biopic about Neo-expressionist American artist 11. “Annie _________” 13. “The _________ Take Manhattan” 17. Whose look is “blue steel”? 19. Adverb to describe the way Susan is being sought 20. Designer brand worn by the devil 21. The littlest borough, starring a miniature Peeta Mellark 22. “Do the _________ Thing”

Answers for Issue 6 1. DAISY 2. LANG 3. ANGEL 4. DICAPRIO 5. POCAHONTAS 6. CATHERINE 7. CLYDE 8. CLEOPATRA 9. JOCASTA 10. GRACE 11. BROKEBACK 12. BUFFY 13. BUTTERFLY 14. MONTAGUES 15. HER 16. PEENISS 17. WAGNER 18. CAMELOT 19. VENUS 20. SHAKESPEARE

DOWN

1. Who’re you gonna call? 3. “Eternal Sunshine of the _________ Mind” 5. Neurotic fellow whose films often take place in this grand city 6. Citizen _________ 7. [Cardinal direction] Side Story 9. The Wizard of Oz, but funkier 12. “The Squid and the _________” 14. Will Ferrell wears yellow tights for much of this Christmas movie 15. Snaggletoothed predator of Wall Street 16. Number of angry men 18. Which meal at Tiffany’s?

Angel Zheng / The Spectator

The Spectator ● October 2 2015

Page 18

Arts and Entertainment Mercurial Moods

playlist

Thanks to our hormonal changes and identity searching, we teenagers can be pretty moody. One minute, we’ll feel like we’re on top of the world. And, the next, we’ll feel incredibly angry that the world even dares to exist. One day we’ll be skipping around in springy 60-degree weather, and then, 12 hours later, it’ll be practically freezing. When everything seems to be changing erratically, it can be comforting to listen to songs that are equally erratic—sometimes calm and quiet, sometimes loud and distorted; sometimes cheery and pleasant, sometimes broody and sorrowful. This playlist encompasses an entire spectrum of sounds and feelings, as do many of the songs themselves.

“It’s Oh So Quiet” Bjork Art rock

“Wonderless” Pierce the Veil Post-hardcore

“Goner” Twenty-One Pilots Indie rock

“Know Yourself” Drake Rap

“Hot N Cold” Katy Perry Pop

“The Other Woman” Lana Del Ray Alternative

“Lithium” Nirvana Alternative rock

“New York City” The Chainsmokers Electro house

“Moanin’” Charles Mingus Jazz

“The Light Behind Your Eyes” My Chemical Romance Alternative

“Bohemian Rhapsody” Queen Classic rock

“Seven Nation Army” The White Stripes Indie rock

“Kill V. Maim” Grimes Art pop

“Misty” Etta James Vocal jazz Follow @spec.ae on Spotify to access our playlists!

Taylor Choi / The Spectator

thinkpiece By Justin Pacquing We are the generation that was born with Walkmans in our cribs, grew up with iPods in our toy chests, and now have headphones in our ears during our commutes. For us, music has been such an ubiquity that we consider it a fact of life, background noise to daily routines. We are not used to considering what we listen to as more than tools of motivation, of passing time, of cheap entertainment. On November 3, pop/street culture magazine “Complex” published the article “Why Did

Kendrick Lamar and the Meaning of Music the dark poetic atmosphere maintained throughout, and the palpable emotional intensity of Lamar easily make the album one of my favorites of 2015. Still, the article did make me consider how much I’ve truly considered the deeper cultural implications of the album, or the deeper messages of music in general. In casual listening, I don’t pay as much attention to the meaning behind music as I should, and perhaps many others of my generation can say the same. It’s a symptom of growing up on music that’s mostly meant to make you

For us, music has been such an ubiquity that we consider it a fact of life, background noise to daily routines.

Everyone Claim to Enjoy Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly?’” in which writer Justin Charity argues that Lamar’s 2015 release was lauded for its cultural significance rather than its musicianship. Personally, I disagree with Charity in that I enjoy the musicianship of “To Pimp a Butterfly.” The uniqueness of the jazz and funk elements in the hip-hop record, the cohesiveness of

feel, not think. Lyrics solely about relationships, free-spiritedness, inspiration, or the lack thereof have become indistinguishable between individual songs, yet dominate the majority of pop music. This is because the emotional underpinnings of lyrics are more important, more resonant than their literal meanings. And then on March 15, Kendrick Lamar dropped the

much-anticipated follow-up to his certified-platinum release “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.” Listeners expected an album like his previous one that, though touched upon weighty subjects on occasion, was ultimately easy to listen to. Instead, they got an album that not only often made them feel unpleasant but also made them ponder why they felt so. By giving his listeners an album that was to be confronted, Lamar immersed listeners in an experience they perhaps didn’t understand fully. In an interview with The New York Times, Lamar told his listeners: “I want you to get angry—I want you to get happy. I want you to feel disgusted. I want you to feel uncomfortable.” Perhaps there are other albums in the mainstream that have deeper implications, but none seem to be as visible or have as visible meanings as Lamar’s. It’s extremely difficult to miss imagery of black culture in Lamar’s record. On its cover is a group of shirtless black men posing in front of the White House, used by Lamar, as he stated, to put on display “the same things that people call bad and [bring] them with me to the next level.” Songs titles themselves immediately bring to light the issues Lamar wishes to expose his audience to: “Hood Politics” muses on his experience of gang rivalry and violence in his hometown of Compton and “Complexion” on the effect of race in our view of beauty. The lyrics and instrumentals in his songs encompass his feelings on his culture. His reflections on his experiences range from the upbeat highs of realizing selfworth and black pride in “i” to the aggressive, resentful lows

of witnessing black-on-black violence in “The Blacker the Berry.” Lamar uses his album not only to share his experiences but also to pay tribute to and give exposure to the “black experience” in the past couple of years, whether it be in the context of being more than halfway through President

the more reason “To Pimp a Butterfly” is such a significant record—it works to bridge the disconnect between Lamar’s experiences and ours. As listeners, we have a responsibility to widen our perspectives by recognizing the deeper messages in our music. We need to seize the opportu-

Perhaps there are other albums in the mainstream that have deeper implications, but none seem to as visible or have as visible meanings as Lamar’s.

Obama’s last term or in light of high-profile police brutality cases. In a sense, there is a universality to the record. I can speak for the ability to connect with Lamar’s feelings of confronting one’s own failure, of one’s difficult circumstances, and of one’s desire to stay optimistic. At the same time, however, one cannot fully comprehend Lamar’s album without having been in the same situation. Sure, I can sympathize with the situation, but as an adolescent son of Filipino immigrants living comfortably in middle-class Queens, I cannot fairly say I understand the album’s influences, motivations, and messages. Still, that’s all

nity to learn about these universal emotions in different contexts, perhaps starting with Lamar’s story. This is especially the case for our generation, now adolescents who are evercloser to experiencing the real world. No longer can the only perspective we consider be our own, whether it be in our interactions, our politics, or our music. Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly,” a triumph of musicianship, is one such record with a greater cultural significance that can’t be ignored. We must grow to truly understand the messages hidden behind music and hopefully be able to grow in our capacity to empathize and appreciate.

The Spectator ● October 2, 2015

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Arts and Entertainment FILM By Jongyoul Lee The opening scene of “The Peanuts Movie” is the epitome of embarrassing elementary school memories: the day you threw up in math class, the time you showed up to school in your pajamas, the awkward moment when you accidentally called your teacher “Mom.” It’s impossible not to cringe as Charlie Brown (voiced by Noah Schnapp) attempts to fly a kite for the hundredth time, only to tumble down a hill, ruin a hockey game, and skewer his kite on the “kite-eating tree” where his other 99 kites are pinned—all while his classmates witness his unintentional antics, mocking him. The film is based on late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip, “Peanuts.” Because of its popularity, “Peanuts” ran for nearly 50 years and was read by 355 million people at its peak. Countless newspapers still reprint old “Peanuts” strips today. Its memorable characters have inspired festive television specials during holidays, like Christmas and Halloween, and Charlie Brown’s lovable canine companion, Snoopy, continues to be featured on watches, lunchboxes, and other merchandise. “Peanuts’s” immortality can be attributed to its crew of idiosyncratic characters. The protagonist is Charlie, a lovable

feature By Anna Usvitsky For any tourist visiting New York City, museums like the Metropolitan, the Frick Collection, and the Guggenheim are on the itinerary. Concentrated in the “museum mile” on the Upper East Side, these beloved New York institutions are flocked by millions of art lovers each year. Just off a beaten path (or rather a few stops on the subway), in Washington Heights, The Hispanic Society of America is regrettably overlooked by tourists and New Yorkers alike. The Hispanic Society is a museum and research library housing the greatest collection of Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American art and manuscripts outside of the Iberian Peninsula. Archer Huntington, historian and philanthropist, founded the Hispanic Society of America in 1904 to educate the American people on Hispanic culture. At a time when much of the world was plagued by illconceived stereotypes of Spain, Huntington fell in love with it. Thus, Huntington set out to revive interest in Hispanic culture through the creation of an extensive research library and art collection consisting of over 250,000 books and manuscripts (including a first edition “Don Quixote”), 1,000 oil paintings, 15,000 prints, and 175,000 photographs. Huntington’s project proved a success, directly lead-

A New Take on “Peanuts” loser who sports a yellow tee shirt printed with its iconic zigzag, and never gives up despite his friends’ dubious attitudes. His right-hand man (or, more aptly, right-hand dog), Snoopy, has an endless imagination, and unlike Charlie, sports a confident attitude at all times. Charlie’s other best friend, Linus, is a precocious philosopher whose older sister, Lucy is known for

her bossiness, yet valued for her amateur psychiatric help. Her crush, Schroeder, is a meek musical genius who skillfully plays classical music. “The Peanuts Movie” fea-

tures the same nostalgic motley crew. A new girl, the Little RedHaired Girl, transfers into Charlie’s class and he falls in love with her at first sight. But Lucy (voiced Hadley Miller) stomps out Charlie’s

else: someone who dances better than Charlie does, flies kites better than Charlie does, and is more confident than Charlie is. As expected, however, his weighty endeavors inevitably fall apart due to his notorious bad luck. The dejected Charlie, realist Lucy, supportive Linus (voiced by Alexander Garfin), and mischievous Snoopy (voiced by Bill Melendez) are appropriately reminiscent of their well-known television special counterparts. Schnapp has mastered Charlie’s mumbling voice, and the other voice actors are equally adept at recreating that a d o ra b l e eightyear old squeak. T h e lack of adults, whose talking is replaced with blurred wahwahs, also shows that the filmmakers stayed

Rachel Zhang / The Spectator

dreams, as she does, by pointing out that the new girl would never like a “good-for nothing blockhead” like Charlie. To win her over, Charlie assumes the identity of someone

true to the original films. The plot is extremely similar as well. In fact, many of the scenes are identical to clips from previous episodes of the

beloved cartoon. It isn’t surprising to see Snoopy’s familiar antics, Charlie’s identity crisis, or his short-lived popularity. The film’s trailer misled viewers to believe that the film would feature modern numbers instead of the iconic smooth jazz soundtrack, though this was only a false alarm. To the relief of many fans, the film features many of Vince Guaraldi’s classic tunes including “Linus and Lucy,” “Christmas Time Is Here,” and “Good Ol’ Charlie Brown.” The only pop song in the entire film with lyrics is “Better when I’m Dancin’” by Meghan Trainor, a debut of her new song. It is quite different from the rest of the soundtrack, but its catchy, light, yet modern melody links this classic comic to the present. The film’s sleek 3D computer animation is evidence of the fact that this is an updated classic, emphasis on the “updated.” Unfortunately, the modern technology occasionally detracts from the beauty of the iconic hand-drawn animation. In fact, the most exciting part of the movie features retro blackand-white animation. “The Peanuts Movie” embarked on a difficult task—it is never easy to improve on something already etched into the hearts of the adoring masses. And while the new film version is lacking in some aspects, it is not devoid of the classic “Peanuts” charm.

Discover NYC’s Hidden Gem: The Hispanic Society ing to a revitalization of scholarship in the field of Hispanic studies. The Hispanic Society has contributed to exhibitions in

Don’t miss an opportunity to discover New York City’s hidden treasure, to appreciate its gems, and to delve into the beauty of Hispanic culture.

the world’s most renowned museums including the Metropolitan, the Frick, the Louvre, and Madrid’s Prado. Yet, today,

despite free admission and accompanying Saturday lectures, visitors will find themselves outnumbered by the paintings as they wander through the museum. Those who are willing to persevere and make the trek to the Hispanic Society are in for a remarkable experience. Amidst the weathered brownstones and apartment buildings of Washington Heights, there stands an imposing Beaux Arts building. In the courtyard, visitors will be welcomed by the bronze statue of El Cid on horseback, and lime reliefs of Don Quixote and Boabdil, the last caliph of Granada. These are works by prominent artist and, remarkably, Huntington’s wife, Anna Hyatt. As visitors step into the entrance, they are met with Francisco de Goya’s alluring masterpiece, “The Duchess of Alba.” Standing proudly at the center of the room, the duchess is accompanied by medieval sculptures on either side. This duality of contradicting styles is a refreshing break from the typically chronologically and thematically organized collections. The remainder of the first floor is filled with a variety of sculptures, reliefs, and artifacts dating back to the 16th century. An adjacent room, Bancaja Gallery, is filled with a mural cycle of 20th Century impressionist Sorolla’s work, “Vision of Spain”; viewers will be transported into the heart of

Spain through Sorolla’s ingenious use of color and light. Commissioned by Huntington, this monumental work is comprised of fourteen oil paintings, depicting different regions of Spain through cultural festivi-

Those who are willing to persevere and make the trek to the Hispanic Society are in for a pleasant surprise.

ties, as observed and romanticized by Sorolla during his travels. Sorolla’s “Vision of Spain” easily earns a place among the widely known French impres-

sionists. Surprisingly, this mesmerizing series is more eminent in Spain than in NYC. During its two year tour through Spain in 2009 and 2010, over two million people came to see this masterpiece, yet visitors will likely find themselves alone in the Bancaja gallery. On the second floor, viewers may realize that there are no windows in the museum as the only light permeates through the skylight. Huntington believed that “The windows of an art museum should be pictures,” and rightfully so. Wasting wall space on windows would be an audacity in a collection so rich. Along the balcony of the second floor visitors will find works by Spain’s most cherished old masters, Velázquez and El Greco. Other notable works include those of Murillo, Ribera, Zurbarán, and American portraitist, Sargent. Located on 613 West 155th Street, the Hispanic Society of America is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4:30 pm and on Sundays from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm; with spectacular free tours every Saturday at 2:00 pm. Take an afternoon off; hop on the 1 train to Washington heights; and escape from the hubbub of NYC’s tourist filled streets and into the heart of Spain. Don’t miss an opportunity to discover New York City’s hidden treasure, to appreciate its gems, and to delve into the beauty of Hispanic culture.

The Spectator ● October 2 2015

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Arts and Entertainment By Dana Chen Art imitates life, as the saying goes, but life is often filled with the mundane: caffeinedriven school days, family dinners, and witty remarks left unsaid. However, art can also portray a fictional world that is filled with the mundane aspects of life, but still manages to be magical. Such is the case with the television show “Gilmore Girls” (2000-2007), which often draws out the poignancy and humor of ordinary life, while still boasting unnaturally snappy dialogue and an idyllic small town charm that can only exist in fiction. Kevin Porter, a longtime avid fan of the show, created a podcast called “Gilmore Guys” dedicated to examining the female-dominated dramedy from a male perspective. He and his co-founder Demi Adejuyigbe, who had never seen the show prior to starting the podcast, spend most episodes of the podcast analyzing the details of each “Gilmore Girls” episode. “Gilmore Girls” tells the story of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore (Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, respectively), a dynamic mother and daughter duo, as they navigate life in the fictional town of Stars Hollow. The two main characters earn the adoration of their fans, who watch as the Gilmore girls face the world with their fast-paced speech, uncompromising wit, and fervent love of coffee. Though the show ended in 2007, its recent resurrection on Netflix has garnered a new and

The Guys of the “Gilmore Girls” Fan Base deeply devoted fan base that perhaps missed it the first time around. To add to that, the recent announcement that Netflix is making a new season of

The podcast episodes can often last for an hour or longer, which is a testament to the attention to detail that Porter and Adejuyigbe give to the events in “Gilmore Girls,” but, unfortunately, not a testament to my attention span.

“Gilmore Girls,” intended to tie up loose ends eight years after the series finale, has made the show even more popular. New fans, such as Adejuyibe, and old fans, like Porter, are the target audiences for “Gilmore Guys.” Since the release of their first episode in September 2014, Porter and Adejuyigbe have taped two episodes per week, most of which focus on single “Gilmore Girls” episodes. The podcast episodes can often last for an hour or longer, which is a testament to the attention to detail that Porter and Adejuyigbe give to the events in “Gilmore Girls,” but, unfortunately, not a testament to my attention span.

“Let’s go in the garden,” the lullaby begins. “You’ll find something waiting / right where you left it / lying upside down.” The song, “Everything Stays,” is soothing and nostalgic, and, to be honest, not exactly what I had expected to be in the story of a bass-playing, axe-wielding animated bloodsucker. “Stakes” is an eight-part series centering on Marceline the Vampire Queen, one of the main characters of the cartoon “Adventure Time.” Nested within the larger plot-line of the seventh season of “Adventure Time,” the miniseries features a modified opening sequence and rendition of the theme song sung by Olivia Olson, the voice of Marceline. Marceline’s story is a long one, as you’d expect in the case of a thousand-year-old vampire. Over the course of “Adventure Time,” scenes from her past have been revealed here and there, but “Stakes” contains a huge amount of previously unexplored backstory, including the circumstances that surround her becoming a vampire in the first place. For all of its scattered fantastical characters and settings, the present-day Land of Ooo (wherein “Adventure Time” is set) has been rid of vampires for centuries, with the singular exception of Marceline. But centuries ago, it was Marceline the half-demon, Marceline the not-yet-vampire, who took

and a segment called “PopGoes-the-Culture,” in which every pop culture reference in the “Gilmore Girls” episode is played. This segment has come to be one of my favorite parts of the podcast because it highlights how esoteric the pop culture references are. These references range from ‘60s-era sitcoms to pop stars from the early 2000s, like Avril Lavigne, and are an engaging way to begin the podcast. Aside from “Pop-Goes-TheCulture,” however, the podcast is primarily concerned with Porter and Adejuyigbe’s analyses of each “Gilmore Girls” episode. They delve deep into every aspect of the show—from

the larger character arcs down to what the characters are wearing. The podcast tends to feel very conversational, infused with Porter’s wry sense of humor and Adejuyigbe’s easygoing nature. This makes listeners feel as if they are laughing and talking with friends, rather than listening to a podcast. The conversational nature of the podcast does have its flaws, however. Porter and Adejuyigbe tend to go off on tangents, which can make it difficult to continue listening for the entire duration of the episode. These digressions can be funny and interesting, but the most interesting parts of the podcast are when Porter and Adejuyigbe discuss their favorite characters and examine the nuances of the show. In addition to the typical episode analysis episode, the podcast features occasional interviews (called “Gabs”) with cast members and writers from “Gilmore Girls.” These special

guests have included cast members Liza Weil (Paris Geller), Yanic Truesdale (Michel Gerard), and Scott Paterson (Luke Danes), as well as writers Sheila Lawrence and Jane Espenson. The interviews provide a refreshing perspective on the show and its inner workings, while retaining the conversational vibe that Porter and Adejuyigbe bring to each episode. The colloquial nature of the “Gabs” makes the interviewees seem more friendly and downto-earth, and often prove to be more engaging than the usual analysis episodes. Avid fans of “Gilmore Girls” may enjoy reliving each episode through the eyes of two like-minded fans. However, because of its lengthy and loosely structured episodes, most fans are unable to devote their full attention to the podcast. It offers moments of hilarity and wit, but “Gilmore Guys” is perhaps more appropriate to be listened to during a morning commute than on its own.

When Immortality Is At Stake

TV By Alicia Kwok

The episodes usually lack a sense of structure, although they always begin with a short introduction to the “Gilmore Girls” episode being discussed

Ruby Gary / The Spectator

podcast

it upon herself to hunt vampires to extinction as a teenager. She was alone then, a half-demon feared by humans and mysteriously left to fend for herself. So she kills vampires, titular wooden stakes in her hands. She uses the gifts of her hellish heritage and sucks the soul from the first vampire she finds, the Fool, trading innocence for the power of flight. And so on and so forth, until Marceline comes face to face with the Vampire King, now the last of his kind. And so she kills the king but leaves him just enough time to bite his

Tina Lim / The Spectator

murderer. The rest is history. Well, it is until Marceline the now Vampire Queen decides she wants to give mortality another shot in the first episode of

“Stakes,” and visits her friend (and eminent scientist of the Land of Ooo) Princess Bubblegum, who has been working on an experimental cure for vampirism. In a heartbeat, the cure works like a charm. Marceline is mortal once more, science has prevailed, and angry vampireburning

mobs have b e e n sated. On the other hand, the souls of five potentially malicious vampires have escaped, and the weakened Marceline has to hunt them down all over again. It’s eerily and deliberately reminiscent of those first fights from ages ago. Only this time, Marceline isn’t fighting alone. She’s got friends. She’s got Princess Bubblegum, complete

with a full arsenal of vampirehunting gadgets. She’s got Finn and Jake, the sword-waving boy and his magically shapeshifting dog. She’s got people to fight alongside her, the kind of family she could’ve used when she was just a scared kid in the woods, all those years ago. U l t i m a t e l y, though, nothing has fundamentally changed. By the end, the vampires are gone once more. Marceline is bitten again. The sun comes up, and everything is as before. The thing is “Stakes” isn’t about fundamental changes. It’s not even really about vampires. “Stakes” is about the subtle d i f f e rences,

and that’s what I like about it. In the grand scheme of things, history repeats itself. But the details change, the im-

age sharpens, and new sides of the story come into view. Even if the world looks the same as it did before, you’re not the same as you were when you started. Even if Marceline ends up immortal once again, she’s still had that taste of mortality. For a moment, she could see the time she spent with the people she cares about in a different light. For a moment, she wasn’t going to be the one left behind when her loved ones vanish and lose themselves. For a moment, she saw the loneliness of immortality from the outside—with the vampires who struggled and failed to break the cycle of fighting they existed in, and with Bubblegum, too. Bubblegum, being made of gum, is as immortal as anything. Bubblegum, who’s both Marceline’s poised, rational opposite and easily one of Marceline’s oldest and dearest friends, caught me by surprise with her awareness of mortality, even if it probably shouldn’t have. Bubblegum, who invites Marceline to stay at her castle at the end of “Stakes,” is changing, ever so slightly. They all are. And it matters—the new perspectives, the unexpected invitations, the extra smiles make the world a little less lonely in the face of eternity. And even if I’m reading too much into cartoon vampires and sugary royalty, so be it. It’s a nice thought, and that’s enough for me.

The Spectator â&#x2014;? December 11, 2015

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Holidays Gone Wrong

Adam Wickham / The Spectator

Anne Chen / The Spectator

Joyce Gao / The Spectator

Jiaqi Gao/ The Spectator

Christine Jegarl / The Spectator

Rachel Zhang / The Spectator Yuxin Wu / The Spectator

Cien Huang / The Spectator

Vivian Lin / The Spectator

Tina Lim / The Spectator

Jarett Lee / The Spectator Min Liu / The Spectator

Minseo Kim / The Spectator

Emily Wu / The Spectator

Vahn Williams / The Spectator

Klaire Geller / The Spectator

The Spectator ● December 11, 2015

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

Starbucks Boosts Christmas Morale By Kerwin Chen Starbucks has caught on to the holiday buzz this year. Informed by many avid customers and Stuyvesant students that report cards for the second marking period were distributed on December 8, Starbucks has decided to alter the names of their cups to boost Christmas-time morale, since the employees are very well aware that the average Stuyvesant grade is around room temperature. The traditional tall, grande, venti, and trenta sizes are being changed to F, D-, C-, B- and A+, from smallest to largest, respectively, with A+ being the largest size at 40 fluid ounces, approximately 1.2 liters. Inside sources reveal that employees are currently being trained to add extra ice to the A+ cups without customers noticing in order to save more money, even if the customers ask for no ice. With this new cup program released, many Starbucks lovers expressed their opinion on this system. Devin Ramsammy, a freshman who’s struggling in many of his classes, expressed his gratefulness for this new system, stating that “the A+ cup is the only A+ that I’m gon’ get,” but he also revealed that his favorite drink—sugar-free, non-fat,

vanilla soy, double shot, decaf, no foam, extra hot, peppermint white chocolate mocha, light whip, extra syrup—in size A+ is $11.03, a huge toll on his wallet. “With that money,” he continued, turning on his Stuy math brain, “I coulda used $4.36 to buy a six-inch Subway sandwich, $6.54 to buy half a dozen of doughnuts, and then the remaining 13 cents to that

“With the cups, students will be happy, and if students are happy, then I’m not doing my job right.” —Dr. Emily Moore, English teacher hobo there at the corner of West Broadway and Murray.” However, sophomore Yuan Chen expressed her concern not financially, but anatomically. “With the thought of grades even in my favorite coffee shop, all I can think about is grades. I get really depressed when I have to request an F cup at Victoria’s Secret,” something she used to be very proud of. The most concerned group was the Stuyvesant teachers, who directed their anger at the motto of Starbucks’ new cup program, which was inscribed

A Night’s Sleep in a Drink By Kenny Lin “This modern era marks a rise in innovation, especially amongst those in the more youthful stages,” said Assistant Principal of Security, Student Affairs, Health, and Physical Education Brian Moran. He attributes this new streak of creativity to the corresponding decrease in procrastination and academic dishonesty, as well as the thousands of cellphones being confiscated throughout the years. “By taking away just one phone, I’m helping these kids achieve their path to success,” a proud Moran stated in a recent interview. However, many others cite a different cause: a radical, ground breaking invention from senior James Chin. “Many students suffer from lack of sleep every night,” Chin explained, “so I decided to do something about it.” Chin’s unprecedented new invention is a formula that activates chemical stimulators within the brain and allows students to function as if they had gotten an entire night’s worth of sleep. Laboratory tests show that this ingenious formula works almost immediately upon entering the body and can keep sleep-deprived students up and active for over twelve hours. “This is truly revolutionary,” chemist Branet Mores exclaimed. “We kept our human subje—I mean test bunnies up for almost 72 hours, but a single dosage of Chin’s formula meant that they were able to reproduce 16 times in the span of three minutes!” Mores declined to answer when asked whether

around the cup, stating, “Who needs harsh teacher grades when you can just choose your grade at Starbucks?” When math teacher Glen Chew learned of this motto, he stated, “This is outrageous! Everyone in my class is failing! With this new cup, students will be happy, and since happy teachers and happy students are negations of one another, based

it was possible for rabbits to reproduce 16 times in three minutes. With this success, Chin recently patented his invention, calling it “coffee,” and is starting to manufacture the product to be sold all across the world. Students are also extremely happy with Chin’s latest creation. “I used to pay five bucks a morning to buy a cup at Starbucks,” expressed the enlightened senior Brian Wong. “Now I just stop by at the senior bar every morning for some ‘coffee.’” Chin, who recently set up a shop on the senior bar, has even started selling to teachers. “No more of that fake Dairy Queen stuff from the breakfast cart,” said French teacher M. Ramirez. “Finally, I can get through more than two periods of bad French.” Although Chin wishes to keep his earnings a secret, the marketing staff of the Spectator estimates that he’s pulling in almost 72 million a day. However, many critics have expressed dissatisfaction for Chin’s work, saying that “coffee” was already invented thousands of years ago, and that his formula represents nothing new. In addition, many seniors are quite upset over the loss of their bar, especially captain of the chess team, Jace Chen. Even the sophomores started complaining when the homeless seniors took over their bar. However, they obviously do not realize the true scale of Chin’s genius and what he has done for the student community. Perhaps, they should stop by the senior bar for some of Chin’s “coffee” and experience life with eyes just a bit wider.

on the Law of Contradiction, happy students and happy teachers can’t both exist!” English teacher Dr. Emily Moore stated, “With the cups, students will be happy, and if students are happy, then I’m not doing my job right.” Principal Jie Zhang, however, was surprisingly content with this cup system. She said, “I’m totally cool with this new cup system. The A+ from the cup means as much as the percent of real coffee in Starbucks drinks—nothing. I never ever drink Starbucks anyways.”

Donald Trump Makes Stuyvesant Great Again By Shaina Peters On November 25, two Brooklyn Tech students tried to enter Stuyvesant, but were stopped by security guards at the entrance. While they claimed that they were simply coming to visit friends, the brave security guards stopped them, handcuffed them to a chair, and called a SWAT Team, claiming they smelled something fishy. The heroic guardians of Stuy knew something was up when they heard the students discussing math homework, and were determined that these students had arrived to sneak into Stuyvesant classes and learn from their higher quality content, or, even worse, sneak a small amount of food in to share with their friends. This was not an isolated incident. In fact, this has happened fourteen times since Stuyvesant was given a new head of security, Donald Trump, who has one goal: to make Stuyvesant great again. This change was one of many reforms made by Donald Trump. After Stuyvesant’s disgrace last year, when it failed to come first in some polls, the administration under Trump has taken some drastic measures. From requiring everyone to take an AP exam to faking studies on how students only need three hours of sleep a night to function, Stuyvesant High School has decided to do whatever it has to do to be number one. And Trump has done more than just worsen relations with

Brooklyn Tech. After Bronx Science beat Stuyvesant in polls, Trump has become obsessed with emulating them. In a public statement, Trump said, “When was the last time anybody saw us beating, let’s say, Bronx Science in a test? They kill us. I beat China all the time. All the time.” However, further questioning showed that Stuyvesant did, in fact, have higher test scores. And Trump has never once had a victory over Bronx Science. When faced with these claims, Trump had no comment. But while Trump is trying to emulate Bronx Science, more and more Brooklyn Tech students keep coming after school, claiming to just want to see their friends. According to Trump, they are taking up seats in Stuyvesant’s classrooms, and gaining a better education while not allowing Stuyvesant students to attend class. “It’s a flawless plan,” said Trump. “Well, flawless except for the fact that they keep coming after classes end. And whenever they do sneak in, all they ever do is talk to their friends and walk out again.” When asked about his harsh policies, Trump immediately spoke out against the students of Brooklyn Tech. In a speech addressing most of Stuyvesant, Trump said, “They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing Adderall. They’re all cheating. They’re bullies. And some, I assume, are good people.”

AP Lunch to be Introduced By Ved Patel AP Lunch was introduced as another Advanced Placement course to be offered at Stuyvesant High School as of Friday, November 13, 2015. Recently, Stuyvesant has mandated that each student must complete at least one Advanced Placement (AP) Course in order to graduate. Most students don’t see any concern over this new requirement since they begin to take AP courses as soon as they are eligible. However, there are a few students who

“Will I need to take notes, have to do homework or take tests, and be on time everyday? That seems like a lot of extra effort for just an AP.” —Leo Liu, sophomore are either ineligible to take AP courses or simply do not want to take them. Because of this

new policy, AP English and AP Psych are being applied for in extreme excess. There aren’t enough seats to accommodate

the Yeti, Loch Ness monster, a Dragon, or any other mythical creature, and have been to the 11th floor pool at least once.

“I’m in high school, not college, AP courses should be optional. Are they going to make extracurriculars mandatory as well?” —Khinshan Khan, sophomore the requests of all these students, and so many of them simply don’t receive an AP. When questioned about the new policy, sophomore Khinshan Khan replied, “I’m in high school, not college; AP courses should be optional. Are they going to make extracurriculars mandatory as well?” The School Leadership Team (SLT) had later convened and decreed that AP Lunch would now be offered so that all students may meet the graduation requirements. However, there are still requirements to be accepted into the new course. While the details are yet to be disclosed, what can be ascertained is this: AP Lunch will only be offered to those students who have completed at least one lunch course in Stuyvesant, have not yet met

Some of the lunch teachers are thrilled about this new development. Few students have ever reported seeing said lunch teachers and are skeptical of their existence, as well as of the content to be taught in this new course. “Will I need to take notes, have to do homework or take tests, and be on time everyday? That seems like a lot of extra effort for just an AP,” sophomore Leo Liu said when told of the addition of this course. The full details are still undergoing consideration by the SLT and will be completed before the start of the second semester. Many students are thrilled about the addition of this class because it will open up the option of majoring in the avant-garde field of lunch.

The Spectator ● December 11, 2015

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Humor

Courtney Chiu / The Spectator

De Blasio Preemptively Cancels School in Anticipation of Apocalyptic Storms

By Randolph Higgins NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday that all New York City public schools would be

closed throughout the winter in anticipation of the worst snowstorms in history. Before a group of reporters, de Blasio was quoted saying, “With all the global warming, it’s going to be

Ryan Boodram to Start Naysayers to Fun Club By Laszlo Sandler Citing a long-held opposition to all things not related to high school politics, senior Ryan Boodram recently submitted the charter to the Student Union (SU) for Stuyvesant’s newest club: the Stuyvesant Naysayers to Fun Club (NFC). The club, of which Boodram is the president, and whose expected members are comprised of the losers of SU elections, says its goals involve sitting in corners, pouting, and finding trivialities at which to grow outraged about. “I’ve never gotten so angry about something that has nothing to do with me,” said a vexed Boodram, when asked about his reaction to the SU’s decision to grant funding to the I Have Created This Club to Look Good For College Club. “It’s like [the SU] treats all clubs equally when considering budget requests, and that’s not how it should be,” Boodram added. “Despite not being a part of the Student Union, I should be the sole adjudicator of who gets what money.” Boodram says the club was born out of frustration at having a funding request rejected at the beginning of the year. “I filled out a request just like everyone else,” said Boodram, referring to a request for “as much money as it takes to purchase a new political power structure at Stuyvesant” filed on behalf of the Stuyvesant Student Action Committee (SAC). “Yet those clowns at the SU told me they would only consider it if I asked for a specific

amount. Can you believe that?” “I wasn’t sure why we should give funding to a club actively fighting against us,” said SU Vice President Matthew So, speaking of the SAC’s request. “But then I realized, just because I disagree with the club’s ideas doesn’t mean I shouldn’t treat them the same as other clubs. I offered to give them money if they gave me a number, but [Boodram] just kept talking about ‘discrimination.’” Clearly having learned from the SAC’s mistake, the NFC filed a request for $25 to purchase a set of orange plastic cones earlier this week. The SU is expected to grant the request at

“It’s like [the SU] treats all clubs equally when considering budget requests, and that’s not how it should be.” —Ryan Boodram, senior the next budget meeting later this month. Boodram says the NFC plans to destroy the cones in an effort to show potential club members just how much fun hating fun can be.

very precarious during the dark months ahead. We’re talking about ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ type storms. I’m certain.” The move was not surprising to most people close to the de Blasio administration. Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education Carmen Fariña had previously told the press, “It is the firm policy of New York public schools to entirely cease to function whenever our forecasts show snow, it looks like it might snow, or someone in the DOE thinks too hard about the possibility of snow.” Fariña added that the DOE was improving its policy using advisors from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) who she said were “second to none in their ability to shut down after any sort of harsh weather.”

Students across the city have lauded the plan, which many student body leaders say will help reduce snow-related stress, as well as the dangers of going outside when it’s cold, which they concurred “totally blows.” Students from around the city have also used the announcement to remind their friends about the deeper nature of the issue. One student, who will be referred to as Seagull to protect its identity, told reporters, “Every year, more than one billion women are forced to deal with bitter cold and even snow. This move by de Blasio is a step in the right direction, but what we really need is a dialogue about the gender issues so prevalent all around us.” However, some students have complained about the de facto

break. Senior Dillon Zhang told Spectator reporters, “If I miss more than three consecutive days of school, I start losing my sense of purpose. Homework is such a large part of my life that I might literally cease to [live] without it,” he said. Another student, unidentifiable through the cloud of scented water vapor around his head, said, “I’m not going to be in school anyway, but now I feel less edgy. Also, now I can’t meet people under the bridge after school.” Students should not worry about missing too much school—de Blasio later confirmed that schools would be spontaneously opened throughout the winter, but “only when the snow is up to your knees. Those days are really good for sending kids to school.”

Simón and Garfinkel Reunite to Play Concert in Teardrop Park By Danielle Eisenman At Teardrop Park on Friday, November 13, Simón and Garfinkel got back together to play what they said would be their last concert. More than 500,000 fans—many of whom have been attending the folk rock duo’s “last concerts” since 1970—stood shoulderto-shoulder in the park’s 10 by 12 meter-long meadow. The band formed in 1953 after Spanish teacher and dean Manuel Simón noticed English teacher Kerry Garfinkel singing at a Stuyvesant Open Mic. Garfinkel played a twinkly little ukulele number called “Pen In Hand” about the importance of catchphrases. When Simón, who had been looking for someone to harmonize with since he started teaching at Stuyvesant, approached Garfinkel about starting a band, Garfinkel responded with an enthusiastic, “Hokey-dokey!” Simón and Garfinkel were immensely popular in the 1960s, contributing greatly to one of the decade’s counterculture movements—an offshoot of the hippie-antiwar movement of the same name— that focused mainly on sitting on kitchen counters whilst consuming yogurt with active cultures. The band performed with such seemingly familiar,

but ultimately obscure, names such as the Beetles, Robert Dylan, and the Beach Men. After breaking up for the first time in 1970, and periodically getting back together after each ephemeral bout of affection conjured up by the next especially able couples counselor, Simón and Garfinkel have managed not to lose their relatively large fanbase, which consists entirely of dads and vintage coat-clad teenage girls. However, the times have not always treated Simón and Garfinkel well. Simón has become a fluent Spanish speaker since he spent a lot of time with Julio down by the schoolyard. In addition, the aggressive presence of technology in modern society has hit Simón especially hard—he is so addicted to his phone that he cannot help but snatch everyone else’s. Garfinkel has lost his golden cloud of curls, but none, as he would like to add, of his youthful vitality. When the show was about to begin, Garfinkel held up two fingers, causing former hippies in the audience to return the gesture and shout things about peace. They were then shushed by Garfinkel, who said that he was actually asking for the sound of silence. The set consisted of 102 of Simón and Garfinkel’s

most famous songs, like “The Tribeca Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” and “Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.,” a song about biology lab reports. Some of the audience members seemed perplexed by the musicians’ stage attire. “I’ve never seen rockstars wearing Dickies slacks and purple button downs before,” freshman Dylan Manuele said. The teachers’ stage presences were also considerably disconcerting. For the duration of the show, Simón seemed a bit stiff and uncomfortable—like he was trying as hard as he could to be vaguely emotive—but failing to sound anything but stern, or, at best, sardonic. He even attempted to dance once or twice, but was quick to stop himself so that he would not ruin his hair, which had been caked with viscous hair gel and hardened into a fairly solid block that morning. On the other hand, Garfinkel’s tasteless dance moves were surprisingly vigorous. His range of hip motion was impressive. A majority of the concert’s attendees left after the first song, but the one person who stayed, junior Greg Dudick, seemed not to hate the show. “That was… interesting,” he said. “Do you know if we’re we being tested on this?”

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The Spectator ● December 11, 2015

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Sports Girls’ and Boys’ Track

Greyducks Start Strong Greenberg and the rest of the team are still working hard to achieve their ultimate goal—a city championship. However, this season, it will be a tougher road to win cities than last. “Our team is certainly strong

Courtesty of Ed Yaker

“Our freshmen are strong this year and have a lot of potential. We finished crosscountry strong and are excited to fully transfer our energy to indoor.” —Sharon Hu, captain and junior

Senior Elias Saric placed 17th in the 600-meter run.

By Nadia Filanovsky and Max Onderdonk The Pilgrim Games, which took place at the Armory on November 29, was the first meet of the indoor season for both the boys’ and girls’ track teams, the Stuyvesant Greyducks. The distance runners, coming off a championship cross-country season, were showing their competitors that they were still a force to be reckoned with. Both teams had a successful meet, proving to the PSAL that they will be strong competitors once again this season.

On the boys’ team, senior Sam Greenberg led the distance runners. He placed first in the 3200-meter run. His teammates also performed exceptionally well, and Greenberg is looking to build off of this in order to continue their success. “[In the past], a lot of people [have] plateaued in track; they don’t slow down but they don’t speed up either. This year we want to focus on keeping the miles [in practice] up, and I think that’s what’s going to keep us improving,” Greenberg said. Coming off of an impressive performance from the team,

enough to win Boroughs, but after that I don’t know. It will be especially difficult this season,” he said. Compared to the long distance runners, the sprinters didn’t impress quite as much. In the 600-meter race, they were led by senior Elias Saric, who finished 17th overall. Despite having a very good finish in a field of 134, Saric feels that he has much room for improvement. “It definitely wasn’t the best I could have done. I went out really hard and took the lead, but I couldn’t hold the pace. It’s still early in the season, and I’m sure the strength for an ending kick will come in time,” he said. In the 55-meter race, senior Galen Ng and sophomore Brian Seo were the only two sprinters to finish in the top 30. They

finished 22nd and 27th, respectively. In the 4x800 meter relay, the male Greyducks finished in the middle of the pack, placing seventh out of 14 relay teams. The girls’ team also had a nice outing, dominated by their distance runners. Junior Zovinar Khrimian, a consistently strong competitor, came in second in the varsity 1000-meter run. “I was surprised because I hadn’t really practiced for indoor because I had taken a week off to rest after states. My time was pretty good, and I felt great before and after the race. I got second place, and I was really excited about that [...] I’m hoping that this indoor season will be better because I was injured during indoor last year [...] so this felt like a great way to start off the season,” Khrimian said. Another consistently strong competitor for the team, junior Catie Breen, placed seventh in the varsity 1000-meter run. Freshman Clara Mohri just

Sunday, I was satisfied with how I ran, but I definitely want to qualify for cities for 1000 meters, and I think I was just two or three seconds off, which is a little disappointing,” Mohri said. Additionally, the field event competitors started their season strong. Senior Tiffany Lam placed third in the pole vault, sophomore Daria Shifrina placed sixth in long jump and seventh in high jump, and sophomore Kelly Luo placed fifth in the long jump. The captains, junior Sharon Hu and senior Luna Oiwa, were very happy with the team’s performance. “Our freshmen are strong this year and have a lot of potential. We finished crosscountry strong and are excited to fully transfer our energy to indoor. We’re mostly looking forward to Borough Championships; last year we won Borough Champs in all three seasons, so we’re hoping to do the same this year,” Hu said.

“[In the past], a lot of people [have] plateaued in track; they don’t slow down, but they don’t speed up either. This year we want to focus on keeping the miles [in practice] up, and I think that’s what’s going to keep us improving.” —Sam Greenberg, senior

joined the team three weeks ago. In her first time ever running the race, she impressively placed first in the freshman 1000-meter race. She is already looking ahead and pushing herself to qualify for cities and continue to set new personal records. With Mohri running in the 4x800, the team came in first place. “On

The Pilgrim Games was not a meet with a winner; it was a meet at which every individual competes to set records. However, all participants got a good idea of where they stand and what kind of training they need to do. As a whole, both Greyduck teams proved that they are on track to do well this year.

Boys’ Table Tennis

Stuyvesant Defeats Far Rockaway in Blowout

James Young/ The Spectator

score of 11-2. He dominated and did not allow his opponent any chances to mount any comebacks. Junior Eric Amstislavskiy also swept his opponent in his singles match. He won each of the three games with a score of 11-1. His opponent was severely

Sophomores Derek Lung and Isaac Rose Berman win second doubles match 3-0.

By Arya Firoozan At the end of their second game of the season, Stuyvesant’s boys’ varsity table tennis team is already in good shape. They defeated Far Rockaway with a score of 5-0 on Monday, November 30, in the school cafeteria. It was

their second win in a row, and they dominated from the start. They looked extremely comfortable and relaxed as they dismantled the table tennis squad from Far Rockaway. Junior Alston Wang won his singles match in straight sets, winning all three games with a

11-1, the second with a score of 11-0, and the third with a score of 11-1. Overall, Stuyvesant looked extremely comfortable in every singles match. “We performed extremely well, and we expect performances like this every match we play,” junior William Yao said.

with scores of 11-2, 11-4, and 11-5. Derek Lung and Isaac Berman had a bit more trouble, but they still came out on top by scores of 11-3,11-8, and 11-5. The team looks to replicate their successes of last season, in which they went 9-1 and made the playoffs. “We put high stan-

“We put high standards in place for ourselves; we really want to have a perfect season and we want this championship.” —William Yao, junior outmatched and was unable to keep up. Senior David Song also defeated his opponent in the third singles match between Stuyvesant and Far Rockaway. He won the first game with a score of

In the doubles matches, Far Rockaway managed to put up more of a fight. However, the duo of Alvin Chen and Mark Amstislavskiy managed to defeat the doubles team of Far Rockaway

dards in place for ourselves; we really want to have a perfect season, and we want this championship,” Yao said.

December 11, 2015

Page 28

The Spectator SpoRts Boys’ Swimming

CALENDAR

Pirates Seek Ever So Elusive Gold

December Boys’ Swimming vs. Evander Childs FRIDAY Campus Stuyvesant H.S.

11 11 FRIDAY

Night at the Sprints - Track and Field

Stuyvesant H.S. Boys’ Table Tennis vs. Benjamin N. MONDAY Cardozo High School Stuyvesant H.S.

Paulina Ruta / The Spectator

By Islam Elsaid and Dean Steinman After narrowly defeating the Staten Island Tech Seagulls with a score of 51-50, the Stuyvesant Pirates faced the top seeded Brooklyn Tech Engineers in the finals of the 2015 PSAL Swimming and Diving Championships. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much of a contest, as the Pirates lost 58-36. The loss made it the third time in three subsequent years that Stuyvesant had lost in the finals to Brooklyn Tech. Winning city championships has historically been commonplace for the Pirates, but in recent years, doing so has proven to be an onerous and, ultimately, disappointing struggle. The seniors of the class of 2016 have never won a team championship, and are zealous to sport the coveted banner by season’s end. “Brooklyn Tech simply had more talent in past years,” senior and co-captain Aaron Glas said. “But several of their key guys graduated and our seniors this year are very strong so we believe we can bring the championships back to Stuy.” Stuyvesant also lost a handful of seniors after last season, but the Pirates believe they will possess enough talent to win it all. Stuyvesant still maintains dominance in events such as the 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle. In particular, Glas has swam especially well in the two events, boasting times of 1:47:96 and 4:54:11 in 200 and 500 yard freestyle respectively, some of the fastest times in the city. The Pirates also expect the

100-yard breaststroke to be one of their best events, with strong performers in senior Daniel Gutman (01:05:26) and senior Peter Strbik (01:06:10). In addition, Victor Gaitour (‘15), Gutman, Strbik, and senior Beck Zhu were all members of Stuyvesant’s premier 200-yard Individual Medley relay team. Although Gaitour graduated, the other three swimmers are returning, and there are many Pirates who are well suited to fill the fourth position. “We have enough guys to step up this year. Many swimmers from last year are actually much faster this year,” senior and co-captain Justin Lin said. “For example, Nick Wen goes around 02:06:00 for the 200-yard Individual Medley, an event we are lacking swimmers in. We will have enough people to not only replace, but make the team better.” Lin and Glas both lauded several swimmers, like sophomore Leon Lai, for working hard and shaving a lot of time in the offseason—a change which, they say, can be attributed to increased dedication and more effort, a problem present in previous years. “Coach [Bologna] cut two people from last year, showing that we take no nonsense this time around,” Lin said. This season, swimmers are also required to attend all swimming practices unless they’re practicing for a swim team outside of school. Apart from the leadership of Lin and Glas, other members of the team are taking it upon themselves to have a greater role this season. “Personally, I could

have contributed more [last season],” junior Kevin Zheng said. “[This year] I’m definitely trying to be more of an example.” This step up in leadership will likely boost the team’s morale, an effect that can boost the synergy of the group. The prospect of leaving Stuyvesant without a first place banner has left a bad taste in the seniors’ mouths. “We really want that banner and Opens trophy this year,” senior and co-captain Justin Lin said. “All the seniors this year have a huge forward drive. It would be great to know we still have the power to take everything this season.” At the end of the day, the Pirates are confident that this year can mark the end to their threeyear streak. This season’s team has lost a few key seniors, but a lineup of eager incoming freshmen is poised to fill in those gaps. Older swimmers, such as Zheng, are ready to contribute more while younger swimmers, such as Wen, look to showcase their talent from early on. The Pirates need to work harder than ever to ensure the gold by the season’s end, but after recognizing that the team boasts a talented core and is motivated by a close second place finish the year before, the Pirates are as hungry as ever to find that elusive treasure. “We made a promise last year and two years ago to the seniors graduating that we would win a championship and do [amazingly]. And we are not going to leave that promise unfulfilled,” Lin said.

Boys’ Basketball vs. Eleanor TUESDAY Roosevelt High School Stuyvesant H.S.

Boys’ Basketball vs. Brooklyn Technical High School

23 WEDNESDAY

Stuyvesant H.S.

WRAPUP boys’ varsity basketball team, the Runnin’ Rebels, lost 61-24 Theto Seward Park Campus, falling to 0-2 on December 3.

n December 4, the girls’ varsity basketball team won their first O game of the season when they beat School of the Future 2616.

varsity table tennis team beat Civic Leadership AcadTheemyboys’ 5-0, advancing to 3-0 on December 2.

table tennis team also advanced to 3-0 when they beat TheYorkgirls’ Early College Academy 5-0 on December 3.