The Spectator
“The Pulse of the Student Body”
The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper
Volume CIII No. 16
June 26, 2013
By Lindsay Bu, Noah Rosenberg, and Eugenia Sanchez with additional reporting by Edric Huang
The most recent election season came to a close on Monday, June 10. At the time, only select members of the Board of Elections (BOE) were aware that the Cahn-Moon ticket running in the Student Union (SU) election had received 447 votes to the Zilberbrand-Carpen ticket’s 329. The next day, on Tuesday, June 11, following a meeting with Principal Jie Zhang and Coordinator of Student Affairs Lisa Weinwurm, the BOE announced that junior Jack Cahn and sophomore running mate Remi Moon had been disqualified from their candidacy according to the BOE’s standard three strikes protocol. Cahn and Moon appealed to the BOE on Thursday, June 13, in the presence of Zhang, Assistant Principal of Organization Randi Damesek, Assistant Principal of Security, Safety, and Student Affairs Brian Moran, Assistant Principal of English Eric Grossman, and Weinwurm. According to an official, eight-page statement released by the BOE on Sunday, June 17, the administration upheld the BOE’s decision to disqualify
Cahn and Moon. “The administration played a small role. Ms. Zhang and the other administrators present in the meeting were there to listen to all sides, hear all the facts, and try to determine if anything inappropriate had happened,” Grossman said. “I know that the margin of victory was one concern—that not overturning the BOE’s decision would be going against the will of the people or the student body—and I understand that argument. The other side of the argument is that there are rules, and it is very slippery and problematic to apply them sometimes and not at other times.” Until the BOE released its statement and discussed its ruling with the administration, the rules and Cahn-Moon’s violations had been debated solely by each campaign and its supporters over Facebook. “The statement of the BOE needed to be ratified by Ms. Zhang before it was issued to the public. If we were to tell the student body that a statement would be released, there may be questions regarding the content. How then will the BOE respond?” junior and future BOE chair Charles Lee said in an e-mail interview. “The BOE must be careful of its actions to safeguard the integrity and rectitude of the board and its pub-
Disruptions and Confusion After Bomb Threat Forces Evacuation
By Coby Goldberg
A bomb threat aimed at Stuyvesant was phoned into the office of Assistant Principal of Security, Safety, and Student Affairs Brian Moran at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 11. The school building was evacuated until the police confirmed that the threat was a hoax, at which point juniors were allowed to reenter the building for testing. The call was received just 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the Comprehensive English Regents Examination. “Not many students were in the building, so it was pretty easy for the administrators to just make the announcement over the loud speaker system telling us to leave the building,” Spanish and German teacher Gabriele Dehn Knight said. Moran called 911, and officers from the First Police Precinct arrived promptly to search the building for any potential explosives. “It’s nothing too fancy when we do stuff like this, we just check around the building and if there is nothing there, we clear out and let stuff run like normal,” a representative of the New York Police
Special
Department (NYPD) Deputy Commissioner of Public Information said. “No changes are made for future precautions.” The NYPD did not provide any information on possible suspects. Students and teachers were given little information on the cause of the delay while waiting along Chambers Street. “People were coming up with a lot of different reasons, a fire, a gunman, but then it just went around that there had been a bomb threat,” junior Frankie Li said. “Besides that, though, people were pretty calm in general. Normal conversations, studying for the Regents.” Students began entering the building at approximately 9:15 a.m., and the English Regents exam was administered one hour behind schedule. The Biology Regents exam, which was scheduled to be administered at 12:30 p.m., was also delayed by one hour. In a seemingly related incident at approximately 3:30 p.m. the same day, freshman Farihah Miah was sitting on the wall with friends when an older man approached her and began harassing her, repeatedly asking the
Article on page 17.
An Unexpected Career Dr. Utting reviews his life and time at Stuyvesant in what he might have said, had he been chosen as the graduation speaker of the class of 2013.
same question. “The guy kept asking, ‘Did you hide a bomb?’” Miah said in a telephone interview. The man soon left. Soon after he left, a woman, whom the students suspected to be an undercover police officer, approached Miah and her friends. “She asked if we knew the man. When we said no, she left,” freshman Lea Ormandy, who was sitting with Miah at the time, said in a telephone interview. “She was probably an undercover cop, because at one point a siren in her car went off. The woman followed the man around the corner.” “We followed them around a corner and saw her asking him questions. Then another cop car came and we left,” Miah said. The NYPD public information office said there was no record of the incident and that the man was not taken into police custody. The NYPD Bias Crimes Unit declined to comment on the incident. “This has never happened to me. I was pretty speechless. Maybe it was because of my race. I think my appearance implies that I am Muslim,” Miah said. “It was a pretty awful experience.”
Danny Kim / The Spectator
Cahn Disqualified as SU President Despite Landslide Victory
Newsbeat • The Medical Ethics club hosted Colin O’Niell, a professor of bioethics at New York University, to talk about the ethics of placebo-controlled experiments on Tuesday, June 4, after 10th period. • Social studies teacher Robert Sandler invited New York Times Urban Correspondent Sam Roberts to discuss his new book, “Grand Central: How a Train Station Transformed America,” and his upcoming book, “NYC Through Fifty Objects,” with Sandler’s New York City History classes. Sandler also invited Columbia University professor of urban history Liz McEnaney to discuss the development of Staten Island over the course of several centuries. • Social studies teacher Matt Polazzo took his students to the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square to meet with David Johnston, the governor general of Canada. He discussed the importance of learning, creativity, and innovation in 21st-century life. • Matthew Mendell, a mergers and acquisitions expert at Evercore, a NYC investment bank, spoke to students of economics teacher Catherine McRoy. He discussed the clash between theory and practice and how this affects investment banking and other aspects of economics.
stuyspectator.com
Junior Jack Cahn (right) and sophomore Remi Moon’s (left) disqualification from the SU election initiated much discussion and debate amongst the student body and administration.
lications.” According to the Board of Elections (BOE), Cahn and Moon first violated campaign protocol by using SU resources to campaign. On the morning of Wednesday, June 5, Weinwurm requested that the Cahn-Moon ticket remove its three boxes, two of which were empty and one of which consisted of campaign pamphlets, from the SU Office. Cahn claims that by the end of the day, the office was locked, preventing him from removing the boxes. “I’ve put my stuff on that bookshelf all year as a member of the SU,” Cahn said. “The rule is arbitrary and vague, because
it doesn’t specify what SU resources are.” On the first page of its statement, however, the BOE refers to rule 10 in the “Candidate’s Guide to the School Election,” which states that “No campaign may use SU resources, which includes (but is not limited to) the use of SU computers, supplies, or walls/spaces. Doing so results in a strike.” The night after this initial incident, Cahn and Moon were notified via e-mail of not only their first offense, but also of a second: six of their campaign continued on page 2
Students Petition for Nedwidek to Teach AP Biology By REBECCA CHANG Following the retirement of both current Advanced Placement (A.P.) Biology teachers, Roslyn Bierig and Dr. John Utting, it was decided that Assistant Principal of Biology Elizabeth Fong and biology teacher Marianna Reep will teach the class during the 2013-2014 school year. In response to this, a petition on Change.org was started on Tuesday, May 28 by two anonymous students calling upon the administration to allow biology teacher Dr. Maria Nedwidek to teach A.P. Biology as well. The two wanted to appeal to Principal Jie Zhang to reconsider the situation. A total of 307 people have signed the petition thus far. Many students and alumni have also commented on the petition with their reasons for supporting the petition. “[Dr. Nedwidek] is completely suited for the job, simply because she is such a good teacher. She’s always made it really enjoyable and she is able to explain things in a way that conveys the topic much more Spread on page 6.
interestingly,” senior Jill Chow said. “She has a lot of heart and she is really devoted.” Though her teaching skills were the primary focus in the comments, some students mentioned her eagerness to help her students do their best. “I’ve talked to [Dr. Nedwidek] at 2:00 a.m. at night and she’s still awake. If you have a teacher who is willing to do that for students out of their own time, I feel like that teacher should be rewarded,” junior Keshara Senanayake said. Fong has been a teacher for over 20 years at both Brooklyn Technical High School and Stuyvesant. In addition to being the Assistant Principal of Biology, Fong currently teaches Vertebrate Zoology and Anthropology and Sociobiology. Reep has been a biology teacher in Stuyvesant for over 25 years, and currently teaches Research Biology and A.P. Psychology. “I respect Ms. Fong [...] and Ms. Reep is actually highly qualified and I’m happy that she’s teaching A.P. Biology,” Senanayake said.
Features
TEDxStuyvesant: Ideas that Inspire The TEDxSHS team inspired Stuyvesant students through not only the event but also their diligence in putting it together.
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
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News continued from page 1
posters were found on a thirdfloor bulletin board. BOE rules state that a maximum of three posters may be placed on one bulletin board, and that inability to remove them within 24 hours results in a strike. Some have pointed out that sabotage could have occurred, given the ease with which someone may move campaign posters to a single bulletin board. Cahn also guaranteed that he had personally hung up only three posters per bulletin board during the campaigning season. The ticket of juniors David Cahn and Jason Duong was also disqualified from last year’s Sophomore Caucus election due to a poster violation. “It could have been anyone,” Jack Cahn said. On Friday, June 7, Cahn and Moon received another e-mail from the BOE stating that too many posters had been found on a ninth-floor bulletin board. The e-mail also included a picture of the violation. When Cahn went to remove these posters from the bulletin board, however, he found none. He explained that when he confronted senior and BOE chair Casey Ching about this issue, she conceded that she, too, had found no excessive posters on the ninth floor. Cahn claims that Ching deemed the e-mail a “mistake.” However, Ching stated that there had never been a mistake. “The picture of the violation was received in the Board of Election e-mail on Friday, June 7, at 8:09 a.m. Because Jack was already holding two strikes from earlier violations, leniency was given so that he would not be disqualified from the elections that Monday,” Ching explained in an e-mail interview. In response to these incidents, the Cahn-Moon ticket organized a meeting with Zhang, Weinwurm, junior Eddie Zilberbrand and sophomore runningmate Keiran Carpen, and the BOE, to be held after school the same day. The BOE chairs, however, were unable to attend the meeting due to interviews they were conducting for their prospective successors. With the absence of the BOE, Weinwurm pushed the meeting back to Monday, June 10, which was also the day of the election. On Monday, however, Zhang was unavailable. “It was decided that Ms. Zhang opinion was needed in the discussion. Therefore, the decision to meet the following day was arranged for Ms. Zhang, Ms. Weinwurm, and all six of the Chairs,” Ching said. The BOE ultimately upheld this second strike, including in its statement that “Cahn and his party does not have any proof of another party trying to undermine his party. Poster violations were found on three separate bulletin boards (the third of which a strike had not been granted due to leniency). Cahn, Moon, and the ticket’s ten campaign managers were responsible for making sure every day that there were no more than three posters per bulletin board.” The BOE delivered CahnMoon’s third strike as a result of the ticket’s actions during the weekend of Saturday, June 8. According to Cahn, it was then that the two launched their most intensive campaigning. “I spent
six hours straight on Sunday night building a campaign on Facebook,” Cahn said. “My two campaign managers and I personally messaged every freshman, sophomore, and junior on our Friends Lists to try and get [students] to vote. Based on our messages, people started endorsing us even though we didn’t ask them to.” On Saturday, June 8, Cahn had also personally messaged via Facebook the Junior and Senior Caucus candidates. As presented on pages seven and eight of the BOE’s statement, Cahn messaged the four tickets asking them to endorse him. In these requests, Cahn explained the necessity of strong leadership amongst the student body and his qualifica-
“It’s not about who we’re sticking up for. We want to respect the culture of students making decisions here.” —Jie Zhang, Principal
tions as a strong leader. He also wrote, “Eddie [Zilberbrand], on the other hand, accomplished nothing as Sophomore Caucus and readily acknowledges that. But he’s popular. So our race is close.” For this “Inappropriate conduct in attempting to recruit the support of Senior and Junior Caucus candidates through belittling the opposing mate,” as the BOE’s statement details, the Cahn-Moon ticket received its third strike. In a personal meeting with Zhang and the BOE, Zilberbrand acknowledged that one of his campaign managers had made some negative comments regarding his opponent. Due to the fact that Cahn did not report the incident and no BOE member had seen it, the ZilberbrandCarpen campaign did not receive a strike. “The Zilberbrand-Carpen ticket did not receive any strikes—no violations were found nor reported to the BOE. If it is argued that the BOE selectively enforces, then the BOE apologizes for the over twentyfour hour leniency period it gave to the Cahn-Moon ticket to adjust the number of posters on the third floor bulletin board before formally giving them a strike,” Ching said. In wake of these strikes, on Monday, June 10, the BOE held the SU elections, which employed the StuyVote system implemented during previous school-wide votes. However, instead of releasing the results at the end of the day, as is customary, the BOE waited until 11 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11 to do so. As mentioned earlier, this decision was made only after the BOE chairs met with Zhang and Weinwurm in order
to approve the chairs’ proposal to disqualify Cahn and Moon. “The BOE had initially come to me with their proposal, and I had approved it. They decided to move ahead with the proposal, while I just wanted to make sure that everyone had the opportunity to appeal,” Zhang said. “There was no bias against the candidate. We just allowed the student organization and its authority to remain.” Nevertheless, the delayed announcement of both the official results and the disqualification sparked immediate controversy among the student body. Zilberbrand, for example, posted an update on Facebook regarding the issue. “I ran for SU President because I’m passionate about the SU and I think I have the qualities to make a good leader for it. And that’s the only thing I reported [Cahn] for—not seeking an explicit disqualification. But Jack constantly being rude to me throughout the election and instead of pursuing a clean and friendly one he transformed it into a violent and negative campaign [sic],” he wrote. A debate broke out in the comments section under his post, an act representative of many Facebook posts over subsequent days. Senior Neeta D’Souza—one of multiple seniors passionate about the issue, though it does not directly affect them—wrote, “When the voting margin is as large as it was this election, in a school where elections usually don’t really count for anything, that usually means that one candidate was clearly well-chosen by the student body.” In the comments section of a subsequent post made by Eddie, junior Keshara Senanayake wrote, “With these turn of events, I want our school to come together. Eddie is just as capable as Jack, and I have no doubt in my mind him and Keiran will fight for what’s right. Also, Keiran’s strong sense of fairness and justice is what really gets me. Keiran wanted a fair election, and even went above that in wanting to get Jack’s strikes removed. That kind of selflessness needs to be showed.” Though Carpen has agreed to concede the election to Cahn and Moon due to the large discrepancy in votes, Zilberbrand maintains that he deserves the win. “The wide difference between our voter response shows that the majority of voters support [Cahn and Moon]. However, like any election or other school activity, rules must be enforced and the BOE did the right thing in their disqualification,” Zilberbrand said in an e-mail interview. That Tuesday night, David Cahn started a petition on Change.org to protest the BOE’s “arbitrary and subjective means” in disqualifying his brother. In the petition, David Cahn writes, “The larger issue is not these minor violations. It’s the fact that time and time again the Board of Elections has gone out of its way to skew the elections—to pervert democracy to prevent the will of the students from being heard.” The petition also explains that, according to dismissed BOE member and sophomore Wenhao Du, the decision was made by the BOE chairs alone, not by a vote by the entire board. On Du’s dismissal from the BOE, an action that added to the controversy when publicized by
Danny Kim / The Spectator
Cahn Disqualified as SU President Despite Landslide Victory
Junior Eddie Zilberbrand (right) has remained adamant in maintaining his presidency even in spite of sophomore and running-mate Keiran Carpen’s calls to concede.
Du and others, Ching explained, “Wenhao Du was dismissed from the Board of Elections due to the spreading of false information to the general public via Facebook. Furthermore, he expressed his personal views that were procandidate instead of taking the neutral viewpoint that a BOE member is supposed to have when judging rules. While the BOE does not believe in preventing its members from expressing their personal views, it was inappropriate to link his position in the BOE to his beliefs.” On Du’s statement that the chairs alone have acted in place of the entire organization, Lee upheld that certain decisions, depending on their levels of importance, fell strictly onto the chairs. “Each organization has its own managing board, as does the BOE. The purpose of the managing board is to make vital and critical decisions for its governing organization/club.
“I know that the margin of victory was one concern […] and I understand that argument. The other side of the argument is that there are rules, and it is very slippery and problematic to apply them sometimes and not at other times.” —Eric Grossman, Assistant Principal of English Therefore, the members of the BOE were not left in a state of ignorance, but rather, [there were] things that they should not be concerned about,” he continued. “As students, we were explicitly made aware that any information we reveal without the consent of the administration
could potentially result in disciplinary actions,” senior and BOE chair Yixuan Song said. Thus far, 332 people have signed David Cahn’s petition. Many of Cahn’s supporters have also sent e-mails to Zhang urging her to overturn the BOE’s decision. Zhang chose not to respond to any e-mails dealing with the election. “This is the one time I did not respond to my e-mails. I kept all of them and read all of them, but I did not want to make it seem that I was inserting my opinion anywhere,” Zhang said. “It’s not about who we’re sticking up for. We want to respect the culture of students making decisions here.” In wake of the disqualification, Jack Cahn himself accused the BOE of violating its own rules. On voting day, candidates were told at 4 p.m. (as soon as voting had closed), that the announcement of election results would be delayed, but were not given a reason. “They violated our due process rights because they did not tell us what the alleged strikes were nor did they allow us to have a discussion. They violated their own rules by not having a meeting within the BOE. They violated their own rules by allowing a strike to be reported the day of the election, which must happen before the election,” Cahn said. In response to his accusation, Ching said, “The BOE apologizes that the schedule that the BOE runs and the way that the BOE is run does not suit his taste. If the meeting is referring to the appeals meeting, only the Chairs were invited to present their case. […] The strike that was ‘reported the day of an election’ had been sent during the weekend before the election. Had there been more days of school following [Monday, June 10], the run-off election would have been pushed forward in order to have a day to discuss the third strike.” The members of the administration involved in the controversy, including Damesek, Grossman, Moran, and Zhang, opted to play minimal roles in the election. Even so, they agreed the best choice was to maintain order and enforce the existing set of rules. “I don’t have a stake in whether [the BOE’s] rules are the right rules or not, but if there’s a set of rules and everyone in the election process agrees to abide by them, I understand why it’s problematic to say, ‘Well, we’re going to choose not to abide by the rules in this case,’ because what if the victory were a little less wide?” Grossman said. “What if it was a victory of one continued on page 3
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
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News Cahn Disqualified as SU President Despite Landslide Victory continued from page 2
vote, would that change anything? Where do you draw the line? What if it were 10 votes? Fifty votes?” However, Cahn argues that these rules have been subjectively enforced by the BOE. He said, “They went out looking to disqualify me and succeeded in find minor infractions to justify this. Had they gone out and done the same to Eddie’s campaign, they also would have been able to disqualify him. The problem is that the rules are selectively enforced.” The BOE chairs assert that they have no reason to subjectively or selectively enforce the rules set forth by their organization. “I do not think that the BOE has to struggle to remain democratic and unbiased because there were never any situations that undermined the fairness of the BOE,” Lee said. “The BOE, as a board, did not and will not have any grudges towards any candidates. It is not there to disqualify candidates at will, but to
maintain a just environment for candidates to run in.” Following this controversy sparked by the BOE’s rules, both of the involved parties support the idea of better BOE administration and organization in order to prevent such issues from reoccurring. “The BOE is an illegitimate organization,” Cahn said. “They don’t have a charter and they’re not mentioned in the SU Constitution once. Therefore, they have no authority to disqualify.” Cahn cites the SU Constitution, which states in Article V, Section One, Clause Seven that the SU President shall “be elected by a popular vote in the election held during the Spring term and take office on the last day of the school year.” He also cites Article IV, Section Three, which states that this document “supercede[s] all other Constitutions, documents, and other related governing instruments of the Student Union Government and all Student-Operated Organization.” “The SU Constitution says that once a popular vote is tak-
“The BOE must be careful of its actions to safeguard the integrity and rectitude of the board and its publications.” —Charles Lee, junior and future BOE chair en, there can be no retroactive disqualifications. You cannot disqualify someone after the popular vote is taken. The entire proceeding is illegal,” Cahn said. In response to Cahn and his campaign’s concern that no one
may be retroactively disqualified, the BOE wrote, “The decision to disqualify Cahn and Moon was based on aforementioned violations which were all reported to the Board of Elections prior to the end of the election season.” To avoid future controversies of a similar fashion, Zilberbrand encourages regulation and revamping of the BOE. “Looking on from this election and past elections, I think a greater regulation of the BOE by the administration is recommended and a good idea,” he said. “It would remove the inconsistencies that students dislike and would help create a more involved administration, considering how much the SU represents the student body. An official BOE charter would help solve these problems as well.” While recognizing that “every organization has certain faults,” the BOE chairs believe that the “BOE followed the rules fairly and to the best of its ability,” senior and BOE chair Georgiana Yang said in an e-mail interview. “The BOE will be making changes for the Fall 2013 term in
regards to the organization and the rules,” Ching added. Cahn agreed to meet with Zilberbrand on Monday, June 17 to discuss the possibility of working together as Co-Presidents of the SU during the 2013-2014 school year. Reflecting on the past two week’s events, Grossman hopes that everyone, especially the candidates, remains as “civil and kind and forgiving as possible,” he said. “Any election has the potential to be really divisive, and sometimes—counter-intuitively—the smaller the community, the more contentious the contest can be. As much as anything else, elections are a test of everyone’s character, and there’s such a thing as a pyrrhic victory.” Zhang encourages the school community to move on from this controversy. “It’s a great practice that students are learning in this way, and I want to treat it as part of the educational process,” she said. “And sometimes you should give in, and that’s a valuable lesson to learn.”
Alumnus and Sci-Fi Novelist Isamu Fukui Visits Stuyvesant By Ariel Levy and David Mascio Stuyvesant alumnus and novelist Isamu Fukui (’08) visited the classes of English teacher Vito Bonsignore and social studies teacher Michael Waxman on Friday, May 7. The informal question and answer sessions Fukui held in each class were centered on his experiences as a writer. Fukui is the author of three young adult novels: “Truancy,” “Truancy Origins,” and “Truancy City.” Together, the works comprise the “Truancy” trilogy, the story of a dystopian city that derives its power from a brainwashing school system. Fukui started writing in his free time at the age of 11 after picking up a book of J.R.R. Tolkien’s notes and unfinished drafts. “It was fascinating for me to see that writing process and how he truly invented the fantasy genre,” Fukui said.
Tolkien’s writings, including the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and science fiction authors such as Jules Verne were Fukui’s original models for creating fantasy works. When a student asked Fukui what his primary inspiration for the “Truancy” trilogy was, he responded that it was his anger towards the school system in his youth. “I was just always, always angry in middle school,” Fukui said. He felt left out among his peers in a school system he thought was degrading. Hoping it would resolve his problems, he moved from Hunter College High School to Stuyvesant. Yet at Stuyvesant, his resentment towards school did not subside. The summer following his freshman year at Stuyvesant, he decided to use his enjoyment of writing to vent his anger. During the summer after ninth grade, instead of writing fan fiction (as he normally
did), Fukui spent his monthlong family vacation in Maine creating the first draft of his inaugural novel, “Truancy.” As an outlet for his anger, Fukui created a school system in the “Truancy” trilogy that reflected and exaggerated what he disliked most about his education. Specifically, he spoke of discontentment with strict security measures. For example, when he was a student, metal detectors were used at Stuyvesant, so he incorporated them into the school system of his books. When asked if he had wished from the beginning to become a published writer, Fukui answered that he originally did not want anyone to read his manuscript. Upon the draft’s completion, however, his father advised him to send it to an agent. Fukui followed his father’s advice, finding an agent who negotiated the publication of “Truancy” by Tor Books in 2008. Fukui explained
that having a good agent is vital to the process of getting published, as a writer’s agent is his or her primary advocate in the publishing world. As a word of advice to his audience, “never trust an agent who asks for money up-front, otherwise they have no incentive in promoting your book,” he said. Tor Books later published “Truancy Origins” and “Truancy City.” Fukui visited the classes of Bonsignore and Waxman because he has maintained long-standing friendships with the two faculty members. As a freshman, he studied under both teachers, and they encouraged Fukui to write. They continued to keep in touch with him and provide him with encouragement after he left their classes. In gratitude for their support, he dedicated “Truancy City” to Bonsignore and Waxman, along with some of his other favorite teachers. Both Bonsignore and Wax-
man saw value in having Fukui visit their students. Bonsignore teaches “Truancy” in his Freshman Composition classes. Waxman believes Fukui is a role model of how a person can transform a childhood passion into a livelihood. When each class ran out of questions, Fukui read the prologue of “Erica Immortal,” the novel he is currently working on. The book follows the adventures of an immortal girl who has been sixteen for a thousand years. It is set in a fantasy universe that echoes the modern world. He hopes to challenge himself as an author by writing in a different style than that of the “Truancy” trilogy. “Erica Immortal” is narrated in first-person instead of third-person, with a female rather than male protagonist. “Pushing yourself outside your comfort zone as a writer is the best way to grow,” Fukui said.
Students Meet Miss Israel By Eugenia Sanchez Juniors David and Jack Cahn and social studies teacher Michael Waxman were invited to a dinner honoring Yityish Aynaw, Miss Israel 2013, on Tuesday, June 11. Aynaw, who goes by the nick-
name of Titi, is the first Ethiopian winner in Israel’s history. Titi came to the United States when she was 12 years old, an orphan, and was forced to learn Hebrew in six months. She not only succeeded in learning Hebrew but excelled as a student. She
joined Israel’s military police, where she worked as an officer in command of 90 soldiers, when she was 18. During her three years of service, she rose in the ranks of Israel’s military, becoming a lieutenant. When Titi left the army, her friend entered her in the
Miss Israel competition. After a series of challenges and tasks, Titi won the award. Now, she is in the United States for the first time in her life, fundraising for a personal charity project, which she hopes will help provide educational opportunities to children in
her home town of Netanya. “Her story is inspirational. The fact that she was able to overcome adversity and become a leader for the State of Israel is incredible. We had a great time at the event, meeting Titi, and I’m really glad we got this opportunity,” David Cahn said.
Chandra Discusses Fracking at Wall Street Elective By Sam Morris Subash Chandra (’88), the managing director of Jeffries and Company, a prominent investment banking firm, visited history teacher George Kennedy’s Wall Street class on Friday, May 23. In his visit, Chandra provided insight into the emerging industry of hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracking.” Fracking is a technique in which water is mixed with sand and chemicals and injected at high pressure into a well in the
ground to create fractures in the surrounding rock. These fractures then become channels through which fluids such as gas and petroleum can flow into the well. The concentrated fluids are collected and sold for profit. “[Chandra] spoke of the rapid increase in shale gas production and the decreasing importance of other dry natural gases like tight gas and coalbed methane. He also spoke about the new methods of acquiring shale gas and described these methods in great detail,” junior Wai Tan said.
The visit allowed students to understand the ways in which the financial concepts taught in Kennedy’s class could be applied in real-life situations. “Students had the opportunity to learn more about fracking and methods used to find pools of oil,” Kennedy said. “This let them to gain an understanding of how to think about fracking business-wise.” Though Chandra presented fracking as a profitable and important industry from a financial standpoint, he did rec-
ognize common criticisms of the practice. “He presented it from a pro-fracking viewpoint,” meaning that he presented fracking as a growing industry with a potential to be very successful, “but he did say that the authorities of the State of New York are investigating the effects of fracking, and people in the industry are working to ensure that it is safe and stable,” Kennedy said. These effects include pollution of groundwater and destruction of ecosystems as a result of clearing land, drill-
ing wells, fracking the well, and transporting the waste. Kennedy had the class read an article criticizing fracking to balance his coverage of the issue. “To show the students both sides of the story, we analyzed an article in the Financial Times from an opposing perspective, which said that fracking was not a permanent solution to the lack of oil because the pockets become depleted quickly,” Kennedy said.
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
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Features
Laura Eng / The Spectator
Roving Reporter: Why Procrastinate?
By Stanley Chan Procrastination tells a story of backbreaking amounts of schoolwork and tests, but also of late-night chats, video marathons, and timeless moments with no worries. Nearly every student procrastinates, but students have varying interpretations on that evil thing that makes students stay up countless nights. Freshman Lisa Shi calls herself a procrastinator, but “the latest I have ever slept was at 12 a.m., and that was when I procrastinated,” Shi said. She gets home at about 5:30 p.m., and it seems natural to go on the Internet before and after dinner. However, she rapidly does and finishes her home-
work from 9:30 p.m. to about 10:30 p.m., the result of good timing. Her schedule fixates on the power of habit. While “procrastinator” can be seen as a misnomer, because Shi gets her work done, the term remains a personal standard: there is always room for improvement. Sophomore Girish Jayant has a more relative view of procrastination. He compares himself to other people. Jayant doesn’t consider himself a major procrastinator. “I admit I will procrastinate maybe one, at most two, hours, but I will try to get my work done,” he said. By comparison, there are people “who would wait until the night is half done,” he said. Jayant gives two reasons for procrastination: the massive number of internet distractions
and the Stuyvesant mentality that there is no such thing as sleep. Many students choose grades and social lives over sleep, something valued less. In contrast, Jayant has a strict bedtime, set by his mother. Because of this, he is forced to sleep and limit his internet activities. He holds true to his priorities. “If you can get your work done first, then you can relax later,” he said. At the end of the day, he believes that procrastination is a terrible thing. “Certain big projects, like [history teacher Josina Dunkel’s], turned into my first almost-allnighter,” Jayant said. It was a scarring experience, but it has helped Jayant cement his bedtime, and, in turn, regulate his workload. Ultimately, Jayant tells a story of checks and balances. His bedtime is more stringent than most. Late nights have been a wake-up call. “My mother wouldn’t have a punishment [for procrastination]. She would be very angry at me, and in my case, that’s what counts for most,” Jayant said. Sophomore Jakob Urda, sitting next to Jayant during the interview, offered a different outlook. “I never procrastinate. I have never procrastinated in my life, and I will never procrastinate,” Urda said. Procrastination centers on the concept of delaying more important actions. “So if I were to put off Starcraft for homework, that would be procrastination, right? Because that would be putting off the more important thing, Starcraft,” he said. Urda has read a lot of existential literature, and it’s pointed him in the direction of having fun. Some people could consider his beliefs a reversal of roles, but he preferred it to the alternative: “I would like to think of it [in comparison with] people like Girish, who think doing homework is more fun, or some con-
voluted thing like that,” he said. Jayant, in turn, could see Urda in a perpetual state of procrastination. The difference comes from varying explanations of “procrastination,” which has nuances within its subjectivity. Junior and self-proclaimed “king of procrastination” Boyuan Zhang offers a relatively lax perspective. His typical day consists of video games, dinner, CNN, and finally, at midnight, homework. At 1 a.m., he goes to sleep. “I could have just done everything in one hour and then chilled out, or done something productive,” Zhang said. “And then the next day, it will be the same thing.” He wanted to use countermeasures against “the curse,” he said, such as software that would block access to everything that could cause procrastination, but never got around to it. When all’s said but not done, Zhang “would rather be doing other things than homework,” he said. Zhang has experienced a clear progression from being a “good boy in middle school,” but does not know how it changed. However, he does not consider the Stuyvesant environment to be the problem. “[It] is the only thing keeping me from going full-on procrastination, because I am sure that if I went to a school like Brooklyn Tech, I would finish all my homework in 15 minutes and procrastinate for the other six hours,” he said. He haplessly embraced procrastination. When Zhang received low grades, he “would study longer, but that’s not necessarily more,” he said. His ratio between effort and success did not match his ideal, so he was left in a cycle of procrastination. Zhang understood that procrastination was a problem, but he lacked the resolve to deal with it. Senior Jeffrey Shih was able to break that cycle of pro-
crastination. “Our workload is comparable to college-level work, so [Stuyvesant] students are definitely under a lot more pressure academically than others,” he said. As a perfectionist, he knew that “if I started a paper, I would be toiling through the entire night,” Shih said. Subconsciously, he wanted to avert that. “Sometimes, I just wanted to do nothing and relax. At times, it was a form of rebellion against everything stressing me out—a form of escape,” Shih said. Above all though, he knew that college was at stake and he needed to keep his grades in good shape. “One day, I just thought, I’m too old to [procrastinate], but it didn’t mean everything changed then,” Shih said. He had a lot of motivation: videos of athletes who want to succeed, friends to compete with, and parents for support. He began to limit his procrastination by signing off of Facebook and blocking Youtube during junior year on a whim, but it never really worked. “The worst thing is realizing how much you have left to do,” Shih concluded. In Stuyvesant, Shih believes that procrastination distinguishes the group of people who are more likely to succeed: “it comes down to how much effort we put in and our ability to prioritize,” he said. Shih wanted to be part of that group. A term such as ‘procrastination’ underscores a set of values and standards for people. Many consider themselves procrastinators and selectively put off work. Procrastination becomes a balance between hedonism and responsibility. Some students, such as Urda, live for the present, yet do not see it as procrastination. Others, such as Shih, scale down or terminate their procrastination. Upon hitting their targets, they open another chapter of their stories.
Teachers’ Class of 2013 By Wei Wu and Ariella Kahan Cap and gown? Check. Yearbook? Check. Graduation tickets? Check. As this year’s graduating class scrambles to collect autographs from friends and teachers, a few teachers will be joining them, using their final days to reminisce about their period as Stuyvesant teachers, and bidding farewell to students and fellow staff members. Our Teachers’ Class of 2013 includes Dr. John Utting, Roz Bierig, David Park, and Dr. Jonathan Gastel.
Sneaking into private Rockefeller University facilities with his students and meeting Nobel Prize Winner Gunter Blobel, picking up urban slang and learning the word “swag,” and offering a skeleton as a prom date—these are all memories by which students will remember biology teacher Dr. John Utting. As a Stuyvesant teacher for twenty years, Dr. Utting has inspired generations of students with his enthusiasm, knowledge, and witty personality—and it works the other way around, as students have often taught him new tricks and terms that keep him caught up with the times. Dr. Utting immigrated to United States with the intention of becoming a research biologist, but he settled into a job as a high school teacher because of his love for New York City. Stuyvesant was Utting’s first job as a high school teacher, and though he was originally disappointed in himself for not
becoming a research biologist, he has learned to love teaching. “I wasn’t [happy] at the beginning. I thought I was a little bit of a failure, to tell the truth,” Dr. Utting said. One of Dr. Utting’s favorite parts of teaching is how rewarding the job can be, especially when past students visit him and explain how his teaching prepared them for classes they are taking at college. “When students understand something that is particularly complex, then I can understand that I’ve done a decent job in explaining it,” Dr. Utting said. While teaching at Stuyvesant, Dr. Utting has come to understand how difficult it is for students to learn, and he sympathizes with his pupils. “The thing with students these days is that there are so many distractions. When I went to school, there was no television, there was radio. And I had to do my homework before I was allowed to listen to the radio, and there were no other distractions,” Dr. Utting said. “I think it must be hardm
so I try to be understanding. I have kids fall asleep in my class and sort of find it disrespectful, but then they’ve been up half the night applying to college or writing an essay they should have done last week.” Though Dr. Utting will miss teaching, he believes that “it’s time,” and looks forward to all of the free time he will have next year. “I definitely enjoyed my time here, very much so, and I will definitely miss it. It will be hard for the first year...[but] I’ve been doing this a long time, and I am getting tired,” Dr. Utting said. While he feels he will miss many parts of Stuyvesant, the students are what Dr. Utting thinks he will miss the most. Next year, he plans on traveling and spending more time with relatives in Ecuador and England.
Sora Kim / The Spectator
John Utting
Roz Bierig A close friend and colleague of Dr. Utting, AP Biology continued on page 5
Biology teachers Dr. John Utting (left) and Roz Bierig (right) have touched their students’ lives with both their lovable eccentricities and teaching.
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
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Features
In leaving Stuyvesant, research coordinator and biology teacher Dr. Jonathan Gastel leaves behind the success he has had in guiding and inspiring students through research.
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and Medical Ethics teacher Roz Bierig has taught current students and faculty at Stuyvesant High School. She has been at Stuyvesant for almost 31 years, all the while gaining bountiful memories and experiences. In addition to being a widely-loved teacher, Bierig leads an interesting double life as a passionate grandmother who loves visiting her children and grandchildren in Israel. Sometimes, she even assumes a motherly role in her students’ lives, due to the overwhelming amount of concern she displays for her pupils and their work. Two of Bierig’s favorite parts of teaching are the bonds she has made with students and the annual cat dissection, which she loves because of her passion for dissecting. She notes that maybe, she should have become a surgeon. She also cherishes all of the gifts she has received throughout her time here. “I have all these special things; my grandchildren call it my museum,” Bierig said. While Bierig feels she will miss Stuyvesant, she has many plans for the coming years. These plans include going on prolonged visits to her children in Israel, something she has been unable to do because of constricting school breaks; writing a book about medical ethics in the media; and sitting in on classes in the medical school at Hofstra University, which is a substitute for her lifelong wish to become a doctor. Bierig
“I am a teacher and when my students understand something that is particularly complex then I can understand that I’ve done a decent job in explaining it.” —John Utting, AP Biology teacher
also plans on implementing a medical ethics curriculum at a local school and doing guided imagery, a type of meditation, with the elderly. Bierig currently does guided imagery with her students on Fridays. “It looks like a morgue in my classroom because they are all lying down... on the desks and on the floor, some sit, and they follow my voice,” Bierig explained. “The kids love it, because of
“This is my family!” —Roz Bierig, AP Biology and Medical Ethics biology teacher course they fall asleep at the beginning, but now they follow through.” Bierig is excited for her plans for the future but still upset about leaving, and looks upon her departure from Stuyvesant with a twinge of sadness. She is passionate about the school’s students and faculty, going as far as to call them her family. Bierig will also miss little things about Stuyvesant, including her “daily hug” with Assistant Principal of Technology Edward Wong. “Every morning, I come into school, and [Wong] gives me a hug. I look forward to that hug every day, and I don’t know what I am going to do without that hug,” Bierig said. Jonathan Gastel As the brainchild of Dr. Jonathan Gastel, the research department and its improvement over the years is an incredible token of Dr. Gastel’s dedication and love for both Stuyvesant and science. From Intel to TEDx to Research Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, Dr. Gastel’s goal as a member of the Stuyvesant community was to establish a strong research foundation for aspiring scientists and doctors—and in his time here, he certainly has much to be proud of. Starting as a Biology teacher in September 2006, Dr. Gastel came to be the research coordinator five years ago, when the previous Research Coordinator and current biology teacher Anne Manwell took a leave of absence. With no one else in-
terested in the position, he was willing to step up to the job and the massive amount of work that accompanies it. In 2008, for the first time, Dr. Gastel was able to guide three students from Stuyvesant to become Intel finalists who went to compete in Washington D.C. At the time, the number of students participating from Stuyvesant was 10 percent of the nation (and greater than that of the whole state of California). Assistant Principal of Biology Elizabeth Fong was impressed with the performance, and Dr. Gastel was ultimately appointed the Research Coordinator position. Dr. Gastel continued to be a biology teacher, however, and despite having doubled his work, he believes that being the school’s Research Coordinator has been was a rewarding experience. “I truly believe that students who want to learn science should be given a chance and experience the practice of science and science leadership as well,” Dr. Gastel said. He also taught a lab techniques class, where he enjoyed seeing students learn and develop skills that would help them in the scientific field. Dr. Gastel has guided a multitude of students in competitions, ranging from regional fairs such as the New York Science and Engineering Fair to national competitions such as the Siemens and Intel Science Talent Search competitions. Nonetheless, his most memorable moments came when the students were enthusiastic about their work and his work. “I suppose most teachers— [myself] included—remember the times students showed their appreciation for our efforts,” Dr. Gastel said. He remembers fondly a moment in his freshman biology class during his first year of teaching at Stuyvesant High School, when, after a difficult laboratory demonstration, the whole class stood up and applauded. “I thought that was nice of them,” Dr. Gastel said. Despite his retirement Dr. Gastel plans to continue his own research project in the education of the students. Finishing his last years at Stuyvesant with a successful record in student research, he is leaving to pursue administering and encouraging science education on a wider scale. “I participated in a program to train myself to work on a broader scale on science education, and I thought I may do that,” Dr. Gastel said. He hopes to foster science education outside of Stuyvesant High School, but he gives his best wishes. “This school has the good fortune of getting [Physics teacher] Rebecca Gorla to replace me for, hopefully for several years,” he said.
“I suppose most teachers—me included–– remember the times students showed their appreciation for our efforts. ” ––Jonathan Gastel, Biology teacher and Research Coordinator didn’t shed a tear when my pet cat died.” He slings his hiking backpack over his shoulder, smooths the creases out of his collared shirt, and walks out of the classroom. And then it begins: swooning girls begin gravitating to him, while sweater-clad boys rapidly take a mental inventory of everything on his body—a day in the life of math teacher David Park is not an average one for most teachers. In his four-year teaching career at Stuyvesant, Park has become just as notable for his impeccable grin as for his skills in trigonometry. Park started teaching unintentionally. He was thrust into Clara Barton High School while participating in a program called the New York City Teaching Fellows. The program assigns college graduates to teaching positions for needy schools.
“I really thought it was a temporary thing, but I really fell in love with it,” he said. Park eventually found himself in Stuyvesant High School when his old school was facing budget cuts. Park’s time at Stuyvesant was filled with many hilarious yet memorable moments, all of which took place in his math classes. One of Park’s funniest memories was when he told his students how much he hates bananas. The next day, they threw a pile of bananas on his desk. “I don’t know if that speaks for how much they like me or dislike me,” Park said, laughing. Another fond memory Park has was when he received a Christmas card from one of his classes. “One thing that stands out is after my first semester teaching. I remember getting a Christmas card from one of my classes, and that was really unexpected. It was really heartwarming. Actually, I still have it,” he said. Now, Park plans to head to New Delhi, India, to teach at an American Embassy school. Park chose New Delhi out of the many options presented to him through an organization that teachers use to find international jobs, because it was “the most exotic and interesting to me,” Park said. He will be teaching there for two years, and, depending on how he feels about the experience, may prolong his stay or come back to the United States. While Park is very excited to teach in New Delhi, he feels he will miss the relationships he has made with students and faculty members at Stuyvesant. “I save all of the letters that students write to me at the end of the year or the end of the semester, and I really appreciate those things. I think those are the fond memories that I will take away from Stuyvesant,” Park said.
David Park “He’s got such a great smile, he can play the guitar and dresses well! My mother would love him.” “Look at that hair. I totally saw his shoes on Zappos.” “I heard he played lacrosse for South Korea. That’s like, an entire country. I haven’t even been outside of the Tri-state area.” “You know I cried when he stepped on the stage at SING!? I
Sam Kim/ The Spectator
Megan Yip/ The Spectator
Teachers’ Class of 2013
Though his career at Stuyvesant has been shorter than those of the other featured teachers, math teacher David Park will be leaving behind fond memories of Stuyvesant as he departs for New Delhi.
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
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Features TEDxStuyvesant: Ideas that Inspire By Arina Bykadorova and Scott Ma What’s it like to escape from North Korea? How does a love for video games turn into a large-scale corporation? Can a poem be written with emoticons? One hundred attendees left Stuyvesant High School on Sunday, June 9, pondering questions such as these. On that day, TEDxStuyvesantHS, Stuyvesant’s first-ever independently-organized TED event, took place in the library. TED stands for Technology, Education, and Design, three spheres that the non-profit company TED seeks to bring together in conferences held all over the globe. These conferences attract talented speakers and avid listeners. TEDxSHS was no exception. Preparation for the pioneering event began in December 2012. Junior and curator Mandy Wong, after co-hosting TEDYouth earlier that year, developed the idea of bringing the magic of TED to Stuyvesant. Motivated by what she heard from other TED speakers and her own experience helping out, Wong envisioned TEDxSHS as a way to bring inspiration and critical thinking to the Stuyvesant community. “Next Generation: Ideas that Inspire” was the theme that Wong, her team of students, and research coordinator Dr. Jonathan Gastel settled on to unite the diverse program after they obtained the license to make TEDx official. “Inspiration is very hard to come by, and it’s something that’s so important in our everyday life,” Wong said. “I think it’s something that the youth can really relate to.”
At 11:15 a.m., the library was filled and TEDx kicked off with a speech by anthropologist Dr. Brian Palmer, a Stuyvesant alumnus voted best lecturer at Harvard University. Palmer, who spoke on the topic “How Heroes Teach Us Faith,” told of people such as Sophie and Hans Scholl, who distributed anti-Nazi pamphlets during Hitler’s regime, and Malala Yousafzai, an 11-year-old girl who, in her blog, exposed Taliban brutality while living under its control. As Palmer related these stories of bravery and heroism to a captivated audience, he asked the audience a simple, yet chilling, question: why? The topics addressed at TEDxSHS were as inspirational and diverse as the TEDx team had hoped. Mike Sepso, co-founder and president of Major League Gaming (MLG), spoke about his successful career as an entrepreneur. He explained how he helped turn gaming from a hobby to a profession, showing pictures of how MLG events went from hotel basements to large arenas with millions watching on live stream. He provided the audience with tips on creating a successful business, including what he called “The Grind”—the hard work that has to be done to make an idea reality. In addition to such renowned lecturers and even an editor from “Scientific American,” several Stuyvesant students presented their passions and innovative ideas. Junior Shannon Daniels spoke about the relationship between art and activism, culminating her presentation with a moving recitation of her own poetry. StuyArch, Stuyvesant’s architecture club, presented the plans that they had come up with to design a school for a devastated area in Japan. TEDxSHS also included five videos of other TED talks from around the globe. These were staggered throughout the program to present an even wider application of the theme of inspiration. They included a talk by William Kamkwamba, a Malawian inventor who created a windmill out of scrap metal to generate electricity in a time of extreme famine and poverty in his country. These videos served to further connect the audience with the outside world of ideas and innovations. As is the custom in TED, interactions among the attendees are very important to the event, so the day was divided into three sessions, each separated by breaks that allowed participants to mingle and enjoy their lunches with each other. “What was really compelling to me about TED is that every speaker is an innovator in his or her own way. There are ideas that each of them bring to the table that I would never really have thought about in the first place,” sophomore, co-business manager, and technical director Andrew Fischer said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a boring TED talk before, and that includes those that were at Stuyvesant.”
Justin Strauss/ The Spectator
Ideas Worth Spreading
Dr. Brian Palmer, a social anthropologist and scholar of religion at Uppsala University in Sweden, gave the opening keynote address at TEDxStuyvesantHS on Sunday, June 9.
“What was really compelling to me about TED is that every speaker is an innovator in his or her own way.” —Andrew Fischer, business manager and technical director of TEDxSHS
Justin Strauss/ The Spectator
“Inspiration is very hard to come by, and it’s something that’s so important in our everyday life. I think it’s something the youth can really relate to.”—Mandy Wong, junior
(From left to right) Adam DeHovitz, Miranda Chaiken, Mandy Wong, and Laureen Chan were all a part of the TEDxSHS team that made the event possible..
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
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Features From Idea to Reality In the period leading up to Sunday, June 9, the TEDx team worked long hours to get all of the money, equipment, and speakers they needed. Finances were a huge obstacle, since the estimated cost of the event was $3,000. According to the rules set by TED, the name of each potential sponsor has to be individually sent in for approval before the organizers can even approach that sponsor to contribute. Junior and Director of Sponsorship and Public Relations Risham Dhillon said that it was especially difficult to find sponsors because TED rules also prohibited advertising. She could offer prospective sponsors no incentive for their money. “We started with zero dollars and zero cents. We had to get all the money for everything we needed,” Dhillon said. “How do you create something out of nothing?” It took time, but eventually more and more sponsors were willing to offer support for the event in the form of gifts both monetary and material. “It was really a bit of a rocky start in terms of business affairs, but as the date approached, everything straightened itself out,” Fischer said. By June, the team had raised over $2,500, as well as a full lunch and a large, custom-designed cake. Miscommunication and time commitment were two other big issues. In fact, getting the entire team together in spite of the infamously busy Stuyvesant schedules was one of the team’s most serious challenges. “We had to meet a lot of times after school and we had to stay basically until school closed,” junior and Director of Logistics/Volunteer Management Saprina Truong said. “May is AP month, so it was very difficult to get stuff done.” The team met outside of school hours with increasing frequency as the event drew near, and much of the communication was done online late at night. The challenge of putting together a lineup of speakers was solved mostly by connections of the team members, the Stuyvesant faculty, and the Stuyvesant Alumni Association. Applications were available to in-house speakers in early April. Though most prospective speakers contacted were unresponsive at first, the number of positive replies gradually increased. After the speakers were chosen, team members helped speakers who were less accustomed to public speaking prepare for their presentations. Going into the event, many members of the TEDx team were confident that the event would be successful. “People who watch TED are generally very self-driven, motivated, innovative, and smart people who want to learn more about a certain subject, and at Stuyvesant there is an abundance of that kind of person,” Fischer said. “I had really strong beliefs that we would be able to attract a really great, really strong audience from the very get-go.”
“People who watch TED are generally very self-driven, motivated, innovative, and smart people who want to learn more about a certain subject, and at Stuyvesant, there is an abundance of that kind of person.” —Andrew Fisher, sophomore
“I feel like I have a section of white hair just from TEDx,” said Wong, reflecting on plans to bring back the event next year. In spite of the stress, there are high hopes of making TEDx annual. This year, one of the greatest regrets the team had was the cap placed on the number of participants. “We were only able to get a license for about 100 people here, but we know there was a lot of interest expressed in this event,” sophomore and co-director of speaker coaching/production Shahruz Ghaemi said. Many applications had to be turned down or waitlisted due to this license. Though the event ran smoothly overall, some technical difficulties with the projectors and powerpoint presentations had to be addressed by the tech team during breaks. The livestream also suffered from latency issues, likely due to poor internet connectivity. The TEDx team hopes that with some changes, these issues can be fixed at future TEDxSHS events. During breaks, speakers were also given a separate room with the intent of making them feel more exclusive. Sophomore and Co-Director of Speaker Coaching/Production Adam Dehovitz believes that this was a poor decision. “I wanted to talk more to the speakers,” he said. “Some of them I really liked, but I never got an opportunity to speak more with them.” In addition to being a feat of organization and a successful day, TEDxSHS served as a testing ground that gave the team, all rising seniors and juniors, valuable experience for the future. Each mistake becomes a point of reference for the next year. The team is communicating with other TEDx event organizers in New York City, and it hopes to bring even more great ideas in the years to come. “We want to make sure that the caliber of our speakers remains topnotch, as well as the event itself. This year, since we have a full year’s heads-up, we’re probably going to start right away,” Fischer said.
Curator Mandy Wong (right) makes the first cut into the TEDxSHS custom-designed cake at the conclusion of the event.
Justin Strauss/ The Spectator
Looking Back
“What I really got out of the speakers is that we’re smart people, and we have the power and ability to be innovative, and to take our ideas and making something of of them.” —Deanna Taylor, business manager
On Sunday, following tumultuous months of setup and preparation, the TEDxSHS team members were at last given the opportunity to sit down and be inspired alongside audience members. “What I really got out of the speakers is that we’re smart people, and we have the power and ability to be innovative, and to take our ideas and make something of them,” business co-manager and sophomore Deanna Taylor said. “They focused on taking your dreams and molding what you want to be, and you can be successful doing that.”
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
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Features
Sam Kim/ The Spectator
Capturing Stuyvesant, One Shot At a Time
Senior Mark Zhang’s new Facebook page, Snapshots of Stuy, has attracted many viewers to his collection of photographs of Stuyvesant students and teachers.
By Robert He Snap. A pause. “Oh that’s great, hold the pose for a second.” Snap. Another, shorter pause. “Ah! That’s perfect.” The photographer looks up and asks, “How do you like this?” Occasionally, he says, “I have the best caption in mind for you.” With the subject satisfied with his or her picture, the photographer sets his camera down and turns around. “Who’s next?” Earlier this year, senior Mark Zhang started a project called “Snapshots of Stuy” in effort to capture the spirit of Stuyvesant in a series of student and faculty portraits. “[Stuyvesant] has really molded the way I look at life and how I approach things,” Zhang said. “And consequently, Snapshots was started so I can photograph some of these kids and the
experiences I’ve had with them.” Over the course of a few months, the Facebook page for “Snapshots of Stuy” has garnered more than 1,500 likes and close to 200 portraits of friends, sports teams, the English Department, and plenty of beaming grins. Zhang created a Facebook event called “A Snapshots of People?” in early September of 2012 to tell others about the project he had in mind. “I think what makes Stuyvesant unique is not our alcoves, bars, or lockers, but the people who fill the halls.” he wrote. “So I figure it’d be cool to fill up some days throughout the next year taking pictures of the personalities I’ve met through the years.” He wanted a new name and decided to make a poll, leaving it to the public to choose the official name. “Snapshots of Stuy” had more votes than
“Humans of Stuyvesant,” “Snapshots of Stuyvesant,” and “People of Stuyvesant,” among others, and became the official name of the project. “It has a nice ring to it,” Zhang said. Since “Snapshots of Stuy” was an extension of Photo Club’s meetings, there was no need for Zhang to get administrative approval. “For a very long time it was just Tuesdays until I didn’t have enough time to take all the snapshots I wanted, so I started doing it Tuesdays and Thursdays,” he said . He received an overwhelming positive response to the project, even having people he had never met ask him for pictures. “Eventually, I started scheduling ten-minute slots instead of spending thirty minutes on one picture,” he said. To aid in the process of generating a snapshot, Zhang uses various equipment and programs. “I use lights, continuous lights. I keep it very simple on purpose, because it lets me focus on the person and it lets the subject focus as well,” he said. After taking a snapshot, he edits the photo and posts it on the Facebook page. Zhang’s work has captured the attentions of many people. One person asked Zhang for autograph, which made him a bit uncomfortable, simply because he believed the work he has done doesn’t warrant autographs. Some have even called Zhang’s project “community philanthropy.” Zhang thinks this is a stretch. He sees his project as more of “something to look at” to pass the time. Even before the creation of “Snapshots of Stuy,” Zhang has been known for toting around a chunky DSLR ever since his fresh-
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man year. However, Zhang was first drawn to photography when he was younger. “Photography first and foremost for me has always about aesthetics,” he said. “As a child, I was really interested in perspective and really framing. So, you know, I’d pick up one of those cheap disposable films cameras and I’d sorta just stick it up things and examine things.” He estimates that he has taken about 150,000 photographs since his first camera. “I don’t have an ideal for which I pursue photography. It’s really quite simple: I just like it. It’s a hobby I’ve been doing for a while. It’s a great stress relief,” Zhang said. “The moments that I really enjoy in life are if I have a camera and I’m allowed to take a portrayal of it. They’re nice reminders—they’re really nice reminders.” Perhaps the success of Zhang’s photography can be attributed to the fascination that he has for his subjects. Zhang likes to take pictures of people above all else. “I like how each [person] has something different—even twins have different personalities—and I try to capture that when I can,” he said. “I also try to reach for that aesthetic perfection. I like people. I like what they do, their roles in their life, and I want to remember that.” Zhang’s inspiration for “Snapshots of Stuy” came from the wide success of photographer Brendan Stanton’s Facebook page, “Humans of New York.” “The work [Stanton] does is exceptional, I love the way that he tells stories, but [“Snapshots of Stuy”] is actually an idea that I’ve had for a really long time,” Zhang said. He wanted to capture Stuyvesant’s unique environment. “I go to school with artists and
math geniuses and kids who will really shatter the way that we look at Stuyvesant,” he said. “It’s just all these incredibly bright and talented students who made me realize I just really wanted to have that one snapshot of them before they go on.” However, the portraits on the Facebook pages of “Snapshots of Stuy” and “Humans of New York” are stylistically different. While Stanton’s portraits are mostly candid, Zhang certainly does not trek around the school searching for spur-of-the-moment genius to capture. Stanton has a strict policy of not taking pictures of people when they ask on the street, while Zhang takes requests from students. In addition, the way that each makes the subject the centerpiece is different. “He uses a small depth of field to isolate the subject, I use a studio background,” Zhang said. Regardless of the technical differences between the two, Zhang and Stanton have the same goal in mind. “Really, we’re focusing on the same thing: the person. We both strive to find these ideas behind these people: what makes these people run? I know that I can put a more personal twist on some of these people,” Zhang said. To add the personal twist, Zhang adds captions to his photos that he think best capture his subjects’ personalities. Zhang hopes to pass the torch to underclassmen photographers, who he hopes will continue the quality of work that he wants for “Snapshots of Stuy.” Regarding similar pursuits in college, he jokingly replied, “I don’t know. Possibly Portraits of Princeton.”
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Page 9
Features Prepare to be Amazed: A Conversation with Cadabra Abra Through YouTue videos and Open Mic performances, seniors Sasson Rafailov (Cadabra) and Patrick So (Abra) have made their presence in the Stuyvesant community as the magic duo Cadabra Abra. Though their choice of name was a whimsical decision, it is quite telling. Just as the two have flipped the classic magic incantation “Abracadabra,” they’ve also reversed the manner in which magic is performed. In addition to amazing its audiences with clever tricks and unbelievable acts, the duo adds zany personality and cheesy (but hilarious) jokes. And even when the mask of Cadabra Abra comes off (like during this interview), the energetic stage dynamic is still present when Cadabra and Abra become students Rafailov and So. Q: How did you guys decide to create a magic duo? SR: I just remember that in freshman year, I’d be doing magic with my friends and they’d be like, “You need to meet Patrick So,” and I was like, “Ooh, I wonder who Patrick So is?” PS: That’s what everyone says [laughs]. Yeah, it’s almost the same thing, where I only knew of one other person who did magic and it would always be S—[points at Cadabra] him. We never really hung out that much. We both did our things separately. One day—I had always heard of Open Mic, but I never went to one or anything—I was like, “Maybe we should do something.” SR: Yeah, I think that we both just really wanted to perform for our school. We wanted to stop performing for small groups of friends at a time. We wanted to “hit the big time” in our own way.
PS: And honestly, part of the reason I wanted to [perform] as a group was because, individually, I felt [like there was] a lot of pressure. And also, I’m not really sure that I fully trust myself, but together it’s funnier to act— SR: You trust me? PS: [laughs] Yeah, after I met you, I realized I can’t trust you. Q: How did you individually become interested in magic? SR: I’ve been seeing people do [magic] since I was little, but I wasn’t really absorbed into “Oh, that’s incredible,” I just wanted to know how they did it. Then, I wanted to be able to do it again and make it better. PS: For me, it was more that I wanted to be able to do what other people did. Not so much on a big stage, not like “the rabbit out of the hat” type of thing, but more of the little detailed card trick or the sleight of hand skills, which was something I wanted to do myself. Even though it wasn’t as big as [other types of magic], it kind of reflects on the kind of stuff we do. We don’t pull rabbits out of hats. SR: Well, I didn’t really feel comfortable doing it at first. We do mainly card tricks, where you perform for small groups of people. So, going out and making these tricks that were good for larger groups of people—that was us getting out of our comfort zone. PS: Yeah, that kind of applies to both of us. Before our first performance at Open Mic, we had never performed for people on such a large scale with a trick like that. Q: How did you find inspiration for the name? PS: We were kind of spitballing different names. SR: I was like, “It’s really corny and cheesy, but one of us could be
‘Abra’ and the other one could be ‘Cadabra’ and we could be ‘Abracadabra.’” PS: And then I was like, “What if we weren’t ‘Abracadabra,’ but we were ‘Cadabra Abra,’ to make it a little more funny. Honestly, most of our act is a mix of magic and comedy. Most of the time, when people say, “Think of magicians,” they think of older guys performing for kids. That’s not what we want. We want to perform for people of our generation: for teenagers, not little kids and not necessarily for adults either. Q: How long does it take to develop a trick? [laughter] PS: The truth is that it’s a mixed bag. There will literally be days where we’ve been signed up—we knew that we were going to do it, but we couldn’t think of an idea, and it’s the night before [Open Mic] and I’m like, “This is my idea, we’re going to do this, this and this.” We practice the period before, and then we’re like, “Let’s go, let’s do it.” But then there are other ones, which are more polished, and honestly, those are the ones that have gotten more reception. SR: The robot trick and the cupcake trick... we practiced those. Now practicing the blood [trick], we went up to the park. It was really shady. Abra was like, “let’s go behind this bush in the park.” PS: He was screaming and going down on the floor. SR: Yeah, and then we realized that a playground, full of kids, was next to us. PS: And also, [for that trick], he had to lift up his shirt, and it was the middle of winter. So we’ve had some rough experiences. Q: What are future plans for
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Jin Hee Yoo/ The Spectator
By Teresa Chen and Emma Loh
As Cadabra Abra, seniors Patrick So (left) and Sasson Rafailov (right) performed at numerous Open Mics this year, impressing audiences with down-to-earth yet comical acts.
Cadabra Abra? PS: Well...we have business cards. SR: We’re both going off into different colleges. After [the last Open Mic performance], we’ll probably just go off and do our individual things. I know that I’m not going to go into big stage magic, and if I do anything, it will be perfecting the smaller things. PS: Our performances are more down-to-earth, plain-spoken, and we use a lot of duct tape, sandwich bags, and hammers. That’s intentional. We don’t want to saw someone in half, because you can’t find that in your house. We want something that people can relate to. SR: It’s something that [the audience] can go home and find all the stuff in their house— PS: And try to replicate. [laughs] Friday, June 8, 2013: Open Mic “Hello, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Abra, this is my partner Cadabra—and together, we’re Ca-
dabra Abra!” First-timers at Open Mic were entranced by Cadabra Abra’s act. “A question that we always get is... Is your magic real?” they said as the show started. “And, you know, we like to have our fun with that and then we’re like, honestly, look... YES!” Cadabra Abra proved their claim with a stunning act, involving mind-reading, smelly socks, and signature Cadabra Abra duct tape. Between countless serenades and senior farewells, the duo proved to be a fresh experience the audience could interact with, as waves of laughter echoed each of So’s witticisms. Countless pairs of eyes were glued to Cadabra Abra’s every movement, trying to find the invisible man pulling the strings behind them. But when Cadabra triumphantly pulled out the correct card from his sock blindfold, the audience could only gape in disbelief. Remarks like “no way!” and “they’ve done the impossible!” came out with gasps and smiles as the packed library erupted with applause.
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The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
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Page 11
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Page 12
Editorials Staff Editorial
A Report Card for Ms. Zhang
The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper
“The Pulse of the Student Body”
It is not very often that the Stuyvesant High School gets a new principal, but as Principal Jie Zhang completes her first year at our school, we hope to use this opportunity to improve Stuyvesant as a whole. Unlike previous principals, Ms. Zhang’s outlook and method of running the school are not yet set in stone. So by “grading” her, we hope to offer her our perspective on how she’s done thus far. We hope Ms. Zhang and her administration takes this as constructive feedback and that—well—she is not defined by her grades, as our teachers so often tell us. E DITOR S
Communication
A-
Policies
B-
Environment
B
Leadership
B-
Zhang’s open-door policy has definitely been a plus for students. This was noticeable during the programming season, when students lined up outside her office to request specific changes that fell out of the programming office’s authority. Zhang has shown that she is willing to listen to and solve individual issues. In fact, she is known to respond to individual e-mails within minutes. Sophomore Caucus Vice President George Kitsios told The Spectator that Zhang has been very responsive about schoolwide issues as well. “[Zhang has] always been very open to us coming to her and just talking to her, even on a personal level, about anything SU-related,” Kitsios said. “For example, when I was doing the Soph-Frosh Semiformal, I had to do money-related stuff. I had to take care of a few things, and she really helped get things in order.” Kitsios said that Zhang’s open-door policy made it easier for the Student Union (SU) to approach her and discuss some of the student population’s complaints, such as the 15-minute rule imposed to control the number of people in the library. Parent Coordinator Harvey Blumm gave a few examples of his own to demonstrate Zhang’s strong relationship with the school. “Saturday night was the Speech and Debate end-of-the-year dinner with parents and students from the Speech and Debate team, which is a very big team with two hundred members, and [Zhang] came to that, the same way she’s gone to many other [similar events]. She went to homecoming for the football team, alumni meetings, alumni reunions,” he recounted. But when it comes to tackling problems that affect whole grades or the whole school level, communication often falls short. We’ve had numerous policies implemented without a two-way conversation. Zhang employs a mass e-mail server to inform students about new policies, upcoming important events, and, very rarely, to conduct surveys. She does reach out to the student body and is effective in doing so, but it seems that this form of communication is one-sided. In the coming year, the Editorial Board hopes that Zhang will look to actively increase her communication with the student body. Surveys, like the one to determine the graduation requirements of the class of 2015, are a must-have. Zhang may also benefit by being present in Open Forum discussions or at venues to personally hear the concerns of the student body. We understand that part of the burden rests on the shoulders of next year’s SU, but we hope that Zhang will take it upon herself to ensure improved communication between the student body and administration. Perhaps what has caused most discontent amongst the student body this year is how Zhang implements and executes new policies. The most uncomfortable aspect of these policies seems to be that they appear to arise spontaneously and are enforced inconsistently. The 15-minute library policy, the banning of the fifth floor to student use during frees, and the execution of the dress code have all been unresolved points of contention. The dress code, for example, has been arbitrarily enforced since former principal Stanley Teitel’s administration, and the Zhang administration has failed to set clear and consistent procedures to identify violators of the code. Instead, Zhang has pushed off discussion of this policy to September. Perhaps in their efforts to please staff, administrators, and students alike, Zhang’s policies backfire in that they tend to meet the interests of one group at the expense of the others. The 15-minute library policy may help the librarians manage the area, but it discriminates against students and does not allow them full access to a milliondollar resource. The truth is, students feel restricted under the new policies. And though it is a school’s job is to implement policies to maintain order, hastily-made, untested rules do not contribute to this order. It is important to note that Zhang has revised or completely eliminated some of her policies. For example, after discussions with SU President Adam Lieber and Vice President Tahia Islam, Zhang has removed the scanners from the cafeteria. But her retraction of certain policies does not make up for the vague and hasty implementation of them. And though the student body may look at these retractions as victories, to do so is to be disillusioned by a wishy-washy procedure of implementing and retracting policies. As we look on to the upcoming year, we urge Principal Zhang to rethink her procedure of instituting new rules, to ensure not only that each implemented policy is fair to all parties involved, but also that the administration enforces each one consistently. The Zhang administration receives an B in promoting a friendly environment. Though Zhang is known among the student body for her enthusiasm and approachable nature, the Editorial Board could not help but notice that this year, the school felt more divided than unified. Perhaps the issue at heart is the relationship between Zhang and Assistant Principal of Organization Randi Damesek, which appears to have divided the school into pro-Zhang and pro-Damesek factions. As Zhang grapples with redistributing duties amongst administrators, we hope that she also respects the duties that Damesek has been in charge of over the last few years. We are sure that with improved relations between administrators and staff, the school’s ambiance will improve. Though Stuyvesant students generally respect their peers and bullying has never been a major issue at the school, the amount of cyberbullying that has been occurring in the sophomore and freshmen classes this year should be noted. With the rise of Facebook pages such as Stuyvesant Insults, bullying at Stuyvesant has reached a new level. Perhaps this bullying is the inevitable result of a generation that does not think twice before posting something on the web, or perhaps it is an indication that on a school-wide level, we are not addressing a serious issue effectively. We believe that Zhang can readily improve the environment at Stuyvesant by addressing these sources of tension. Of course, most of these issues do not have easy solutions. But we are only evaluating Zhang’s performance. Zhang receives a B- in leadership because, despite her help in reviving the school’s reputation after the cheating scandal of last June, it seems that there have been few, if any, times that she has taken applause-worthy action. Perhaps we are being too critical of her, especially considering that this is her first year, but we feel that Zhang has avoided confronting certain issues that necessitated a confrontation (dress code, overcrowding issues, toilet paper in the bathrooms). She has built herself a reputation for routinely over-promising and under-delivering. She is known for saying “yes” to everyone, but when push comes to shove, we don’t see her take tough stances. When it came to graduation requirements, we appreciated her implementation of a survey, but there has been no evidence that our opinions were actually considered, and no clarification has been made. The toilet paper issue—one of primary concerns of students this term—was “resolved” when the student body was promised that it would be handled by the custodial staff. But even as late as finals week, when there were few students in the building, the school bathrooms continued to lack paper towels and toilet paper. While we respect Zhang’s decisions to allow students to make decisions, the administration ought to be an arbitrator at times to maintain order and set down their foot when the going gets tough. Leaders have to make difficult choices, and Zhang seems to avoid this decision-making altogether in an attempt to remain politically neutral.
IN
C HIEF
David Cahn* Edric Huang* N ews
E di to rs
Lindsay Bu* Noah Rosenberg Eugenia Sanchez F e atures
E di to rs
Teresa Chen Robert He* Alvin Wei O pi ni o ns
E di to rs
Benjamin Attal Risham Dhillon* Severyn Kozak S p orts
Danny Kim Sam Kim Justin Strauss Arts & E n t e r t a i nmen t E di to rs
Jane Argodale Joyce Koltisko Emre Tetik Art
D i r ec t o r s
Laura Eng Michele Lin Michelle Lin L ayo ut
E di to rs
Mark Perelmuter Da-Ye Shin Anne Tan Co py
E di to rs
Thomas Bajko Stephanie Yan B u s i ne s s
M anagers
Andrew Fischer Deanna Taylor*
E di to rs
Lev Akabas Timothy Diep Luke Morales h u mo r
Ph o t o g r a p h y E di to rs
E di to rs
Jeremy Karson Robert Melamed Please address all letters to: 345 Chambers Street New York, NY 10282 (212) 312-4800 ext. 2601 letters@stuyspectator.com
Web
E di to rs
Waqarul Islam Youbin Kim Eugene Lee Fac u lt y
Ad v i s o r
Kerry Garfinkel We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and length. © 2013 The Spectator All rights reserved by the creators. *Managing Board
The Spectator We are compiling an archive of past issues. We are looking for issues published before 1995. Please send any newspapers to:
The Stuyvesant Spectator 345 Chambers Street New York, NY 10282 If you have any questions, e-mail us at: archives@stuyspectator.com
A Note to Our Readers: The Spectator will now accept unsolicited Op-Ed pieces written by outside students, faculty, and alumni. These columns, if selected, will be published in The Spectator’s Opinions section. Recommended length is 700 words. Articles should address school related topics or items of student interest. Columns can be e-mailed to specopinions@gmail.com.
Do you want to reflect on an article? Or speak your mind? Write a letter to the editor and e-mail it to letters@stuyspectator.com or drop it in The Spectator box in the second-floor mail room.
Overall
B
We respect Zhang’s efforts and recognize that it is a difficult task to assume a position as Interim Acting Principal at a moment’s notice at a high school that has just been rocked by a cheating scandal. The smooth transition from Teitel’s administration into Zhang’s can be attributed to, we believe, Zhang’s enthusiasm and willingness from the beginning of the year to work with the student body. All the same, we believe that a principal who has had previous experience as a leader of a specialized high school, worked as a DOE administrator, and is also a Stuyvesant parent should have been able to leave a greater impact in her first year. In particular, we feel that stronger leadership and the alacrity to take clear stances on important issues will go a long way. Students, parents, and teachers want a dedicated and determined leader as a principal. The Spectator looks forward to another year with the Zhang administration. We hope that the administration will fulfill its potential to be great in the near future, and that it will help Stuyvesant fulfill its own potential as one of the country’s best schools, academically and beyond.
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Page 13
Editorials Staff Editorial
Scandalous. That’s what some have deemed this past Student Union (SU) election season, during which the CahnMoon ticket, which led with 118 votes, was disqualified the day after the elections for three violation. Many have been quick to point to the Board of Elections (BOE) for acting in a corrupt manner. And whether that has actually been the case, it is clear that this election has brought to light certain issues within Stuyvesant’s student government system that need to be addressed. There has been much speculation about the legitimacy of the disqualification. On a technical level—the question of whether Cahn-Moon violated the BOE’s rules—there is room for debate on both sides. We will not address these nuances. That is for the candidates and the BOE to work out with each other. The larger issue at hand is whether the rules themselves are just. For example, the CahnMoon ticket received a strike for posting too many posters on a bulletin board. We don’t believe that posting too many posters on a bulletin board is a violation egregious enough to merit disqualification. In addition, the same ticket received a strike for negative campaigning, but the limits and bounds of “slander” and “belittling” are blurred.
A Word on This Year’s Elections
Next, we need to address how to make the BOE more democratic. We don’t expect it
We don’t expect our Board of Elections to be a perfect democratic institution; in fact, we hardly expect election season in America to even be even close to perfect.
to be perfect. In fact, we don’t expect any election season in America to be even close to
perfect. But disqualifying the Cahn-Moon ticket after the election was not an ideal approach, given that the third strike was only confirmed when polls closed. The process by which the BOE disqualified Cahn-Moon also violated its own charter, because it did not have all of its members present when disqualifying the ticket. The BOE’s inability to follow its own rules make us somewhat skeptical about whether it has the authority to call out others for violating rules. Some members of past BOE’s have pointed to the fact that Cahn was vice chairman of the BOE last year, but failed to bring into question the same rules he has now been faulted with. However, the Editorial Board believes that this defense does not resolve the fact that some of the BOE’s policies are ill-suited. In short, it is time for the BOE to reopen and reevaluate its rule book. Let’s get down to specifics. The BOE ought to divide its current rule book into two separate sets of violations, each with different penalties. And one rule simply needs to be thrown out altogether. The rule that is most commonly subject to abuse is the one stating that a maximum of three posters may be placed on a bulletin board, because it opens the door to sabotage. Last year, the BOE wrote in an
email to candidates, “From what we heard so far from other candidates and BOE members, I heard many incidents of people moving posters from the board to wall to give another
In short, it is time for the BOE to reopen and reevaluate their rule book.
person a violation.” Two years ago, the BOE wrote, “I have to say the Board has been very disappointed with the poster situation. We are still looking into this issue, and if any candidate is found responsible for tampering with the posters, their ticket will be disqualified.”
This is a recurring problem. We know students fool around with candidates’ posters. Let’s just abolish the issue once and for all. Next, the BOE should divide its rule book into felonies, or violations meriting disqualification (including, but not limited to, bribery, sabotage, and harassment), and misdemeanors, or significant breaches that are not election-changing. Misdemeanors should include negative campaigning, using SU resources to benefit the candidate, campaigning without a name tag, distributed unapproved campaign materials, and lying in campaign materials, to name a few. One final note: Students chose to remain ignorant of the BOE until a scandal broke out to expose its problems. The BOE has made attempts in the past to host Open Forum discussions in order to reform its rules and take suggestions from the student body, but no one showed up to these events. Now, these same students are quick to point the finger of blame. The BOE needs to undergo major changes, but we can’t expect these changes to happen without the student body’s participation. We ought to take from this election a spirit of greater political involvement and positive empowerment to make student government elections into elections for candidates and voters alike.
Summertime
by the Photo Department
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Page 14
Opinions Letter to the editor
By wenhao du
is increasing at a sluggish pace that will barely keep up with the demands of such a fast-growing field. A 2011 study by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce estimates that “STEM occupations will provide 2.4 million job openings through 2018.” The arithmetic involved shows that there is, in fact, a shortage of STEM graduates, countering the very claim Kodsi makes in his article. According to the study,
STEM is now an essential part of the American Dream itself. this shortage is exacerbated by the fact that STEM graduates are often diverted to management and health-care careers—a point that Kodsi begrudgingly concedes but tries to downplay in order to preserve his argument that there “is no domestic undersupply” in STEM fields. Kodsi lambasts the government for allowing foreign workers to “flood” the STEM labor market. This is a gross distortion of reality, as the government only authorizes 100,000 H1B visas (which are required for the type of immigration that Kodsi is railing against) every year, a number that is less than .1 percent of the current U.S. population. Yet Kodsi still identifies these workers as the cause of “unemployment rates almost three times higher than they would be at full employment.” This argument, which uses general unemployment statistics as opposed to STEM unemployment, makes absolutely no sense. Nonetheless, in our globalized economy, Kodsi takes a radical stance when he refuses to support any
legislation that “seeks to encourage Asian applicants to come to American shores,” and viciously accuses businesses in STEM that hire these immigrants of harming “the long-term future of the United States.” But rather than harming our future, they help brighten it. Kodsi himself states that China has “enough stellar students to be able to lead in innovation,” so why can’t America, which has a history of attracting the best and the brightest, allow these students come to our country to innovate and create new products, the main engine of job growth? Despite the overwhelmingly radical assertions he makes, Kodsi brings up a good, albeit awkwardly phrased, idea when he suggests that the public is persuaded that “there are no American scientists.” This seems strange at first glance. In a time when scientific discoveries are frequently celebrated by the media, when knowledge and appreciation of brand-name schools such as MIT and Caltech are spread widely in popular culture, and when the defining moments of NASA’s numerous daring pursuits are watched by millions of Americans, it is rather counterintuitive to state that there is a lack of recognition of American scientists. However, despite popular support for science, there is often a disconnection between everyday Americans and their “nerdy” peers. Why is that? In 2012, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology concluded that an astounding 40 percent of college students who major in STEM end up switching fields. This is largely the result of our failing public education system, which does not adequately prepare students for these subjects. Unfortunately, Kodsi does not address this, putting it off as “a different issue for a different day.” That day should be today. Our education system clearly needs to be restructured when it comes to teaching STEM, and it can’t be put off any longer. First, we must recognize that merely portraying science as
“cool” is not enough. Sure, visiting a science museum such as the NY Hall of Science is a great way to introduce science to elementary school students. However, it detracts from the main point of science, which is understanding. To present an analogy: Watching a magician perform is fun, but who doesn’t want to learn how to do the tricks themselves? To achieve understanding, students must
clubs, pubs, or teams could use financial help. Teenagers usually aren’t shy about asking their parents for money, right? Here’s how: next fall, the PA
to figure out how to split up the money—sort of like a college admissions committee, but with much better odds. We will do it again in the spring. We have some other important goals for the upcoming year. We’d like to make our once-a-month general membership meetings as interesting and valuable as possible for parents—and for students who might want to attend. The membership usually hears from the principal and from Parent Coordinator Harvey Blumm, who tell the parents what is going on in the school. Then we move on to the meeting’s unique program. Over the next school year, we are likely to have several different kinds of programs. For example, we will hear from assistant principals about their departments and various programming choices and special programs. We will also likely have several sessions with college admissions and financial aid officers to educate parents on how to help you when that special college admissions time rolls around. We may also have a program on student stress, but luckily, there isn’t much of that at Stuyvesant. Please let us
We need to get rid of the idea that you need a “degree in teaching” to teach.
be engaged. Therefore, they should be exposed to problemsolving: utilizing the learned material instead of just memorizing and regurgitating facts. You have probably heard this argument before, so I will give you an example of what exactly I mean. Let’s say you learn in class that glucose, with a chemical formula of C6H12O6 , is a simple carbohydrate (an organic compound). A bad question that only tests memorization would be phrased like this: “What is the chemical formula of glucose?” A better, more engaging question would be phrased like this: “Which of these cannot be a sugar? A) C3H6O3, B) C6H12O6, C) C18H32O16, or D) C12H22O11.” In this question, the student must apply his or her knowledge to arrive at the correct answer, A. Second, we need to get rid of the idea that you need a “degree in teaching” to teach. Many col-
Letter from the PA: Your Parents at School
Courtesty of David Venderbush
According to Daniel Kodsi in “A Lack of Scientists Isn’t the Problem,” there is a serious malaise that plagues America today. No, it’s not the usual issue of economic downturn or even the slow sacrifice of our civil liberties that he’s talking about. Instead, Kodsi wrongly believes that there are too many scientists in our country. He puts part of the blame on highly-educated immigrants for causing this surplus of scientists, a surplus that any other country would be desperate to have. Unfortunately, such an excess is only imaginary. In reality, we have a deficit of scientists. In order to accommodate for this scarcity, the United States should not only train more scientists at home, but also reopen itself up to highly skilled foreign scientists who wish to reside in our country and boost our economy. Kodsi’s article begins with an unnecessarily convoluted analysis of economic indicators. He states that we, the United States, turn out “three times as many STEM graduates as the economy can absorb.” Unfortunately, that is not true. On page 2-33 of the latest (2012) edition of one of his sources (Science and Engineering Indicators), a graph indicates that approximately 250,000 U.S. graduates earned their first degrees in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in 2008. On page 3-10, it states that the current workforces in jobs that require technical expertise in “one or more S&E fields,” excluding social sciences, was estimated at 9,215,000. This means that even if we doubled the number of STEM graduates, the total workforce would still increase by only about five percent per year—which, in a modern economy such as that of the United States, is still a healthy level of growth that is both easily manageable and highly encouraged. His argument that the economy cannot absorb the graduates is therefore a baseless one. In fact, the STEM workforce
Scientists: The More, The Better
By DAVID VENDERBUSH Every night your mother or father asks you, “What did you do at school today?” And every night you answer, “Nothing,” as you head to your room to do your homework. Next time, before picking up your backpack, turn back to your parent and ask, “What did you do at school today?” You may not know it, but many mothers and fathers are very busy at your school. They are active members of the Stuyvesant High School Parents’ Association (PA). The primary goal of the PA is to bring Stuyvesant parents into an active role in students’ academic
and non-academic activities and to help establish a strong relationship between the home and the school. Those parents don’t think it’s enough to send you off every morning and hope for the best. Stuyvesant is a really great place with a great principal, great teachers, and great staff, but parents participate in the PA to make it even better. Next year, I will be the CoPresident of the PA and the parent of a senior and a freshman in Stuyvesant. My PA CoPresident, Haiying Ju, will be the parent of a senior. We and the other PA officers are very excited to work with Principal Zhang in her first full year as the permanent principal of Stuyvesant High School. One of the PA’s primary goals for next year is to provide financial support for extracurricular activities— your clubs, pubs and teams. This is a change from previous years, when much of the PA appropriations budget went to support academic programs, computers, copiers, and formal programs such as Camp Stuy. Given the new PA focus on extracurriculars, we want to make sure that students know to tell the PA if they think that their
One of the PA’s primary goals for next year is to provide financial support for extracurricular activities — your clubs, pubs, and teams. will get the word out that it is accepting funding request applications. We will make those applications available around the school and online. Then the Appropriations Committee will take all the applications and try
lege professors, including those at top universities, do not hold such degrees, but are highly competent all the same. According to a study by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (which is supported by America’s most renowned universities), there is currently a shortage in qualified science and math teachers, STEM occupations themselves. To alleviate this shortage, I propose that anyone holding a Master’s or PhD in a STEM field from any respectable institution be automatically qualified to teach it. Finally, we must not give up hope on struggling students, whom Kodsi decidedly “discounts.” Poorer districts often do not have multimillion-dollar education budgets, which puts their schools at a huge disadvantage in comparison with schools like ours. I believe that our politicians, instead of being loyal to the (often highly prestigious) schools they themselves graduated from, should budget more money for science education in every school. It is rather disappointing when our government spends roughly half of its yearly budget on military technology, such as state-of-the-art missile defense systems and naval carriers, but allocates only a slim amount to educate the people who will one day help build them. STEM is now an essential part of the American dream itself. At a time when the United States desperately needs foreign human capital to supplement its economy and improve its scientific output, we should allow neither politicians to slam the door on skilled immigrants nor our deteriorating education system to go unaddressed. The future lies not in naïve isolationism and the inclusion of only a select few to higher education, but rather in an “open doors” policy and an emphasis on high-level education for all citizens. It is time for the United States to start laying the groundwork for STEM in order to stay competitive in an increasingly globalized economy.
know if there is some topic or special speaker that you think would be worth pursuing. The PA will also continue to support the running of the school, including our work with: •the School Leadership Team (SLT) which is made up of parents, school staff, and students, and helps set policy at the school; •running the parents’ version of Camp Stuy (although parents don’t have to take math placement tests); •advising the school on any parent concerns with academic affairs; •supporting the College Office, both financially and with programming ideas; •reaching out to involve other parents, especially those for whom English is not their first language. It should be a great year. The PA will be looking for more parents to get actively involved in Stuyvesant next year. So if you ask your parents what they did at school today and they say, “Nothing,” tell them to go work with the Stuyvesant PA.
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Page 15
Opinions
Let’s go back five years, to March of 2008, and take a jump across the Atlantic Ocean to Dijon, France. Let me introduce you to Chantal Sébire, a fifty-two year old woman suffering from esthesioneuroblastoma, an incurable tumor attacking her nose and sinuses. This tumor left her horribly disfigured, blind, and without the sense of smell or taste. She was in terrible pain. There was nothing this poor woman could do but make a request to die by euthanasia, but her plea for help was rejected. The next day she was found dead in her home from a drug that is used elsewhere in the world for physician-assisted suicide. She should have been able to get this drug from the hospital instead of having to kill herself. Ms. Sanbire’s case isn’t the only one in which a patient has made a request to die with a shred of dignity that was rejected by the patient’s government. The same has occurred time and time again within our very borders. It is time that we legalize euthanasia, the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma, in the United States. As of just last month, Gallup reports that an overwhelming 70 percent of Americans approve of “ending a patient’s life by some
painless means,” but the debate over euthanasia still persists. We have a right to control our own lives. We have a right to end our own pain and suffering. We should be allowed to die painlessly if we are already at death’s door, if the alternative is a slow, drawn-out, torturous process. Quite simply, allowing euthanasia is more humane. And, lastly, though it might seem awful to say, legalizing euthanasia frees up critical resources in hospitals that can be used to cure other patients. According to Wesley J. Smith, senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, the cost of the drugs used in assisted suicide is a minute $40. Instead of using scarce supplies on patients who are already going to die and no longer wish to live, it might be better to let euthanasia happen, so that a multitude of others might be able to recover. These are the reasons why we should legalize euthanasia; it’s the legal, logical, and humane choice. Of course, there are a variety of arguments against euthanasia. One of these is that having physicians administer euthanasia is prohibited by the Hippocratic Oath, which used to state something along the lines of “I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked.” But over time, the Oath has been modified—the original called for free tuition for medical
students and for doctors never to use a knife, both of which have clearly changed. As of a 1993 survey, only 14 perecent of US and Canadian medical schools oaths prohibit euthanasia, which effectively means that the large majority of physicians are no longer prohibited from doing euthanasia. Another oft-repeated inaccuracy is the fear that euthanasia undermines end-of-life palliative care, which is care for the terminally ill and their families. It is often stated, even by medical professors such as Dr. Foley and Dr. Hendin of Cornell and NYU, respectively, that since euthanasia is an option, the quality of care for those who chose to live will fall. Unfortunately for those who argue it, this has been fully disproven, at least within the United States. After the passing of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, which legalized physician-assisted suicide, palliative care jumped and hospice referrals jumped 20 percent, according to Barbara Coombs Lee, the president of Compassion & Choices, a national non-profit organization. The dreaded cuts never came. However, there are also arguments against euthanasia that must be considered, no matter what the final verdict is on legalizing it. The first of these is that dying patients aren’t renowned for being able to make thought-
out decisions. If the United States were to legalize euthanasia, it must include a system in which patients are found to both be in a coherent state of mind and fully cognizant of the consequences of their decisions. We should adopt a system like those in Luxembourg or the Netherlands, where terminally ill patients can only have their lives ended after meeting various, stringent criteria. For the Netherlands, these criteria include the following: the patient’s suffering is unbearable, with no prospect of improvement; the patient’s request for euthanasia must be voluntary and persist over time; the patient must be fully aware of his/her condition, prospects, and options; there must be consultation with at least one other independent doctor; and the patient is at least 12 years old (patients between 12 and 16 years of age require the consent of their parents). If any of those conditions are breached, the physician is held criminally liable. I would recommend we adopt all of these guidelines, and I would add the requirement of a series of meetings with a state-provided therapist, who could help determine to the extent to which the patient is able to make a deliberate decision. Similarly, there’s the fear that the decision might not made be purely with regards to one’s own
great deal about the art of teaching. Technology teacher Steven Rothenberg effectively combines positive and negative reinforcement with humor to make his class enjoyable and engaging, gives his students individual attention, and demonstrates a love for his subject that is inspiring. His teaching style is one of the most effective I’ve ever witnessed and should serve as a model for others. If you walk by his classroom, you’re likely to hear “give her four pluses!”, as Rothenberg instructs his monitor to distribute his form of positive reinforcement. Whereas many teachers ridicule students for asking “dumb questions” that have “already been asked,” Rothenberg compliments his students for asking questions, regardless of whether they’re great questions or obvious ones. Students feel comfortable asking questions because he makes it clear from day one that “you’re probably not the only one with that question.” In a school where students are often too intimidated to raise their hands, Rothenberg makes participation valued and rewarded. You’ll also hear him call out,
“give the whole class two minuses!” when students aren’t focused and talk out of turn. “This isn’t Chatties 81,” he’ll say. There is a strong emphasis on respect for the class. His strong enforcement of silence during work periods has two effects. First, students focus on their work. Second, students are unable to cheat, because talking isn’t tolerated unless students raise their hands and ask permission. The collective nature of the punishment creates a sense of responsibility for maintaining silence among the students, who don’t want points off. When grading assignments, Rothenberg calls up his students one by one. First, he tells his students how impressed he is with their work. Whether the student is a born artist or someone who has poor natural ability in the field of architecture, Rothenberg compliments him on her on the great work and improvement. “Let’s start off with the positive: I’m really impressed” are the first words that usually come out of Rothenberg’s mouth when he sees assignments. Each student is assessed on an individual basis of
improvement, thus encouraging students to keep producing the best work they can. I was penalized for poor artwork before Rothenberg’s class, because I’m far from artistically talented. Getting lower grades on projects was demoralizing, and I convinced myself that I must be terrible at visual work. That changed in his class. For the first time, I was encouraged by a teacher who seemed to value the effort I put into the project. Every time I submitted a project, Rothenberg gave me individual attention, pointing out ways I could improve. I, a student who never had a particular affinity for architecture, began to look forward to it every day because it was relaxing and meaningful. Rothenberg gives all his students individual attention across the board. He’s the only teacher I’ve ever had who grades projects in front of his students and corrects them on their mistakes, telling them how to improve. He allows students to redo projects for higher grades, encouraging them to improve their architecture skills. After sitting next to him all
ganization Randi Damesek’s office, something that almost all of the Big Sibs noticed. “I think she should have mentioned Ms. Damesek; she’s been here longer and she knows the school better,” sophomore and Big Sib Claire Burghard said. “I feel more comfortable talking to her… [and] she’s just as important.” Zhang went on to briefly mention the key rules at Stuyvesant (no phones, no cheating) and turned the floor over to Moran. Moran’s speech was intimidating and unwelcoming. He told students that they couldn’t, under any circumstances, have phones in the building, and that cheating is taken seriously at Stuyvesant. If they weren’t sure how to cite sources for papers, he noted, they should ask their teachers or guidance counselors for advice. The speech’s overwhelming emphasis on academic integrity seemed unnecessary, if unsurprising. Of all things to say to a new group of students, this aggressive and hard-line focus on rule-breaking was not appro-
priate. The incoming freshmen did not seem to know how to react to the speech. “All the kids were starting to open up and [the speech] hit, and they were all nervous and not as talkative. It was pretty noticeable,” junior and Big Sib Luke Morales said. The community-building and socializing that was taking place in the lunchroom abruptly halted as the incoming class, already nervous on its first day at Stuyvesant, was presented with a picture of a school that didn’t care about anything but its reputation. Still, many Big Sibs felt it was something that had to be addressed, albeit in a different manner. “I think it’s something they should bring up, [but] they were too threatening about it. [The administration] should have presented it another way,” sophomore and Big Sib Franco Caputo said. This is especially troubling in a school that has a reputation for a cold, heartless attitude when it comes to the social well-being of its students. With few social events through-
out the year and a daily schedule that leaves little time for socializing, many freshmen feel lost in the halls of Stuyvesant, either overwhelmed by the transition from middle school or just not confident enough reach out on their own. The speech only hindered Camp Stuy Part I’s effort to relieve some of this social anxiety. The speech contrasted sharply with last year’s speech to incoming freshman, in which then-principal Stanley Teitel welcomed the incoming class to Stuyvesant and explained a little bit about the school, including information about Camp Stuy Part II and a summer assignment. The total absence of such important information has left the incoming class confused, with dozens of posts on the official “Class of 2017” Facebook group asking for clarification as incoming freshmen await a hoped-for, but already long overdue, letter from the school itself. Stuyvesant has been increasingly caught in the media spotlight over the past year. But
Hayoung Ahn / The Spectator
I Have the Right To Die
By DANIEL KODSI
wishes. That is to say, it has been suggested that with euthanasia legalized, patients might feel like financial or emotional burdens to their families and be pressured into having their doctors pull the cord. This is a tough moral dilemma, but that’s where the restrictions I just mentioned must come in again. If the therapist and doctors were to feel that a patient were only choosing death to relieve his/her family of a burden, then they would be legally obligated to advocate against letting the patient pass away. And in the end, the facts that euthanasia is a way to end unbearable suffering, to give patients a way of moving on and dying with their dignity intact, and that legally, we have a right to control our own lives, all point to one clear conclusion. Euthanasia should be legalized.
By JACK CAHN Every teacher has immense power. Teachers can inspire students, open doors that otherwise would have been unavailable, and change the course of their students’ lives. This semester, I’ve had the opportunity to sit one foot away from a veteran teacher at Stuyvesant who, beyond teaching me architecture, has taught me a
By DAVID CAHN and SWEYN VENDERBUSH Stuyvesant held its annual Camp Stuy Part I, in which incoming-freshmen and sophomores take placement exams and are introduced to the world of Stuyvesant, on Thursday, June 6. By all measures, the Big Sib Chairs this year organized a fantastic day—we saw students bonding with their Big Sibs, and, personally, had a blast. But when Principal Jie Zhang and Assistant Principal of Security and Student Affairs Brian Moran got up to address the freshmen for the first time during lunch, Big Sibs stood, gaping, to the least welcoming address we’d ever seen. Zhang began by welcoming the students to Stuyvesant. She explained that being a student at Stuyvesant comes with great responsibility. But she soon went off on a tangent about the three most important offices at Stuyvesant—her office, Moran’s, and guidance. She blatantly skipped over Assistant Principal of Or-
You Are Unwelcome
semester, I witnessed his ability to compliment his best and worst students, giving each appropriate feedback and encouragement. In a school like Stuyvesant, where students are bound to get lost, Rothenberg helps students go down their own paths in experiencing architecture while keeping them engaged. One of Rothenberg’s most effective tools is humor. Whether he’s pretending to talk to his mother or making jokes about Korean food (his favorite), Rothenberg keeps his class laughing throughout the lesson. Some of his jokes are funny and others are corny, but all of them keep an easily distracted class attentive. While Stuyvesant students don’t like to participate and complain about having to take 5Tech, Rothenberg manages to successfully engage his students through a combination of positive and negative reinforcement and humor. His compliments and encouragements motivate students, while his constructive criticism allows them to improve. Rothenberg’s teaching style is ideal and should be replicated.
Philip Shin / The Spectator
Sam Kim / The Spectator
What Makes an Ideal Teacher? A Case Study
building back our reputation does not require changing the environment of the school. We should continue to be open and welcoming rather than strict and repressive. Hopefully, this speech is not an indication of how the school will be run next year.
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Page 16
Opinions ANONYMOUS I am a member of the Stuyvesant Board of Elections (BOE), and this is the second installment of my Inside Scoop column. I’m going to start toward the beginning of the election process and address a few of its key flaws. After prospective candidates submit the appropriate paperwork, photos, and campaign statements to the BOE, the Coordinator of Student Affairs (COSA) steps in and investigates each candidate to ensure that his or her grades are appropriate. (A candidate may not have any U’s or N’s on the first marking period report card.) In addition, the COSA examines students’ official records to ensure that they do not have any disciplinary blemishes on their records. This is where this year’s BOE began its path toward failure.
Inside Scoop: Part II
Following a lack of communication not only between the BOE chairs and COSA Lisa Weinwurm, but also between the chairs and BOE members, the spring election season was drastically delayed. The senior chairs went ahead and sent out e-mails to candidates indicating that the candidates could start campaigning. However, the next day, a stop order was issued and enforced by the chairs. To this day, regular BOE members do not know what happened, as nothing was explicitly stated by the chairs. I had to wait until The Spectator published an article to learn about the postponement of elections and that Keshara Senanayake had been removed. The BOE did not properly notify its members about any proceedings. BOE members are usually asked to vote on various decisions such as strike is-
suances and disqualifications, but this year’s process was done behind closed doors. The process of disqualification was not transparent at all and vague at best. When the elections began, rules were not properly enforced by the BOE. This was affirmed by an e-mail from one of the current chairs that stated that “In recent interviews for [the new] chair, I noticed that many of you commented on this year’s more lax reinforcement of rules, as well as letting violations slide.” This e-mail was coupled with a call to vote on whether the BOE members “wanna end this year with a bang, and tackle all these violations by Friday afternoon? I’m up for it if you guys are. (Candidates won’t know what hit them.)” This email was sent at 11:28 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5. Members were asked to reach a consen-
sus by “6/6/13 3 [p.m.] as if your life depends on it.” The e-mail that junior Jack Cahn and sophomore Remi Moon received was sent at 8:21 p.m. on Thursday, June 6. An attached photo of photos of violations was postmarked 6:32 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5. The process was clear: the BOE chairs went searching for violations to make themselves feel powerful, and it found them. In addition, the chairs have obfuscated supposed documents citing “confidentiality” reasons. BOE Chairperson Casey Ching stated in an e-mail titled “Keep calm and carry on” that “Many things cannot be revealed to the general public for various reasons. In addition, many things will not be revealed to you all via Google groups because, because.” Chairs have forced their members into a state of ignorance, asking them to “Please
trust your present and future Chairs. All SIX of us (yes, that’s right. six. not two.) have already met with Ms. Weinwurm and Ms. Zhang.” They insinuate that having a large number of chairs means a fair and trustworthy election. The truth is that the BOE has been comprised of six people. They made this explicit in their statement: “The six chairs were to vote anonymously, in the presence of Ms. Weinwurm and Ms. Zhang, to ensure that there was no unethical behavior, for one of two options. If a tie breaker proved necessary, then the vote would extend to all members of the Board of Elections.” These six chairs are not representative of the entire BOE. My solution? The BOE should be run by elected officials who are chosen by the entire student body.
By TINA JIANG and DANIEL KODSI When CBS, MSNBC, and Fox News are all reporting on the same story with the same opinions, you know there’s a scandal. As Ron Paul calls Congress “derelict in giving that much power to the government,” the New York Times attacks it, saying, “Mr. Obama is proving the truism that the executive branch will use any power it is given and very likely abuse it.” What is it that has America up in arms? If you haven’t heard, it’s the discovery that data on every single phone call that went through Verizon has been monitored, and that a program codenamed Prism, legalized by the Patriot Act, allows the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Security Agency (NSA) to have access to data of major Internet companies such as Facebook, Google, and Apple. All of these programs were leaked by a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee, Edward Snowden, who worked for the NSA with topsecret clearance access as an effort, in his words, “to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them.” While some are calling him a traitor for his leaks, Snowden is nothing less than a hero for his valiant efforts to inform the public. As for the government programs, we wouldn’t classify ourselves as abnormally paranoid, but we would say that the risk of abuse in a system where nothing is private is just too great. While Obama claims time and time again that his actions protect against terror-
ism, this time he has gone too far, abusing the Patriot Act itself. In fact, Representative Jim Sensenbrenner, the primary sponsor of the Patriot Act, recently told listeners on Laura Ingraham’s radio show that the administration and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court, which is responsible for issuing surveillance warrants (and has basically been a rubber stamp for the US govern-
of NSA surveillance on American rights, it is most important to examine whether or not his defense is justified. The answer is an overwhelming no. There is no need to monitor all 313 million American citizens. As the New York Times says, “The government can easily collect phone records (including the actual content of those calls) on “known or suspected terrorists” without logging every call made.” And, though NSA Director General Keith Alexander claims its snooping has stopped “dozens of terrorist events,” it’s almost comical how inaccurate that statement is. The fact of the matter is, according to a survey of foiled terrorist plots since 9/11 by the New America Foundation, it has been overwhelmingly thanks to traditional law enforcement methods that those plots were stopped. The report actually shows that out of 42 plots to conduct terrorist attacks, nine occurred without prevention andm out of the remaining 33, at least 29 were
When CBS, MSNBC, and Fox News are all reporting on the same story with the same opinions, you know there’s a scandal.
ment, declining just eleven out of 33,900 requests in the past 33 years, according to the Wall Street Journal), have taken the Patriot Act beyond what was ever intended. According to Sensenbrenner, Section 215 of the Act “was originally drafted to prevent data mining” on the scale that is occurring now. As such, it’s high time we reexamine the enormous surveillance powers that have been granted to our executive branch. But first of all, effectiveness. Obama’s defense of his overreaching tendencies has been that he is doing it in the fight against terror. Before any other arguments about the impact
stopped by those traditional methods, “such as the use of informants, reliance on community tips about suspicious activity, and other standard policing practices,” according to CNN. Furthermore, although the Obama administration has argued that NSA programs led to the captures of Najibullah Zazi and David Headley (both worldrenowned terrorists, the former of whom tried to plan a suicide bombing of the NYC subway system, the latter having killed 168 people over the course of three years in Mumbai), Prism wasn’t truly needed with either of those men. In Zazi’s case, his plot was stopped by govern-
Philip Shin / The Spectator
Hayoung Ahn / The Spectator
An Infringement on Liberty for No Additional Security
ment surveillance of a single e-mail address in Denver, “njbzaz@yahoo.com,” which was only monitored because it was believed to be connected to al-Qaeda. This in no way justifies the surveillance of 300 million e-mail accounts. Headley’s case is even more humiliating to government claims of Prism effectiveness. According to Sebastian Rotella, who reported extensively on Headley’s original capture, the US was only able to catch up to him after being tipped by the British Intelligence—another clear sign that the NSA has been ineffective in its duties. So, judging by the past ten years of terrorist attacks, monitoring every single American citizen has done nothing, or at least very, very little, to ensure American safety. But hey, no harm no foul. These programs might not have been helpful, but at least they haven’t hurt anyone. Well, besides American fundamental liberties. As the ACLU puts it, “PRISM violates Americans’ constitutional rights of free speech, association, and privacy.” And for a former constitutional lawyer, Obama hasn’t had any problem ignoring the Fourth Amendment, which protects against “unreasonable searches and seizures” and prevents specifically against the issue of warrants without probable cause. The warrants that have been issued by the FISA court, approximately 2,500 per year, are issued in order to protect against terrorism through surveillance, without the aforementioned probable cause. Despite the fact that these warrants are legal through the Electronic Communications
Act of 1986, the entire program still serves as a corruption of the American ideals that were promised in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. We are a nation founded on the belief that the populace has a certain set of unalienable rights, and that privacy is one of them. To corrupt, or even change, the meaning of the Bill of Rights isn’t only dangerous in that it gives a wealth of information to those who might abuse it for blackmail. It’s also dangerous because it also shows that we have moved away from our original ideals. To quote Benjamin Franklin, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” His words remain true today. Monitoring our calls, checking our e-mails, reading our search histories—none of it is helping. These clandestine programs have served as a massive abuse of power, not only violating American rights to free speech and privacy, but also contributing to a society where American citizens have every reason to be paranoid that they’re being watched… because they are. Lawmakers need to take a step back, reexamine the powers that have been granted to the executive branch, and reconsider the passage of the Patriot Act, which was rushed through Congress in a moment of fear and chaos. It is time to recognize that a breach of fundamental privacy and security is not worth a largely useless program, a program that is supposedly aiming to protect the US, but which is actually destroying the pillars on which our country was built.
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Page 17
Autobiography of a Stuyvesant Legend
An Unexpected Career
By Dr. John Utting It could be said that I owe my sojourn in the USA for the past 45 years to the Vietnam War. Young male US citizens were subject to the draft and had either gone to fight or fled to Canada, Sweden or other hospitable countries. Not quite the fight or flight of biological fame. There were post-doctoral fellowships on offer and a paucity of U.S. candidates to fill them. Resident aliens such as me were welcome. For years friends told me that the mention of the term resident alien immediately excited visions of Dalek – type Martians descending on Washington. I arrived in the United States in early October 1968, Dulles International Airport, and gateway to Washington D.C. Or, in my case, to Bethesda, Maryland where resided the vast network of low buildings scattered around a huge redbrick Hospital called the Clinical Center. It was said to be the largest brick building in the world, a somewhat odd claim for a place that performed cutting edge medical practice and groundbreaking treatment of multiple diseases. This great complex, my home for the next three years, was the National Institutes of Health, one of the foremost research institutions in the world and certainly one of the largest. In addition to the work done here and at other federally
“I ... was offered a position on the second day, (I sincerely hoped it was not because of the soft undertones of my English accent) and that was that.” funded laboratories around the country the NIH is one of the major grant organizations in the country. My eyes were soon awash with visions of well-stocked laboratories where one had almost carte blanche to buy any instrument or chemical, within reason, deemed necessary for the furtherance of my research. These three years were the zenith of my scientific experience. It was very exciting to be part of a laboratory with dozens of scientists and assistants, many seminars to attend, a constant ferment of discussion and ideas. Imagine my amazement, only a few days after my arrival to find the place in turmoil and not a few drunken eminent scientists wandering about in the middle of the day! What was going on? I was soon to learn that the first week in October was sacred in the scientific cal-
endar. The Nobel Prize. No one had won while actually working at the NIH. Many had gone on to other prestigious institutions, after training at the NIH, and won their Nobel Prize, but things were about to change. Marshall Nirenberg, head of a sister laboratory to the one where I was about to work, had won this prestigious award for ‘cracking the code’ as the national press would have it. In fact, working out the order of the triplets of nucleotides that corresponded to a specific amino acid, those essential building blocks of the most important molecules in the cell, namely proteins. What a tremendous way to begin my stay in the USA. I learned much about proteins and enzymes and the scientific community while working there and also participated in marches on Washington DC protesting the Vietnam War. Those were heady and exciting days. I had expected to return to England after my time at NIH but was bitten by the bug of scientific research and the prospects of such in England were rather limited. So I decided to attend Georgetown University to continue my research interests and then on to New York University. My first trip to NY, by the way turned out to be the day that the USA landed on the moon and just after Edward Kennedy lost the chance of ever becoming president because he let Mary Jo Kopechne drown at Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts. Imagine. In the next 15 years I did less research and more undergraduate teaching, mainly in pre-med courses, at NYU and at various branches of CUNY. I had hoped to attain tenure at one of these institutions, a necessity for a permanent position in a university. Sadly for me, at the time, I was not successful in that endeavor. I could have attained a university position out of New York but by this time I had put down roots here and did not wish to leave. Although, again at this time I didn’t see it as the life enhancing thing it would turn out to be for me, there was a big push by the then Board of Education to hire more qualified teachers of science. I went to a recruitment session, filled out the papers and found that despite my Ph.D I needed 12 credits in Education. This meant enrolling in four three credit courses. Of course I did well. I am not boasting, the level of teaching was not very demanding. However I could not take one of the courses at the time offered because it clashed with another. It would mean waiting for another year which I was loath to do. Someone suggested asking the professor if I could take the course as independent study. I approached her and she said of course and suggested I go to the nearest High School to my home in the East Village to see how a High School functioned. She knew the system in England was very different. Wouldn’t you know the nearest High School was the original Stuyvesant H.S. at 15th Street and 1st Avenue? What an extraordinary piece of good luck but, always
the slow learner, I didn’t appreciate that until years later. I knew nothing of the reputation of the school. I attended for about four days, wrote my essays, was offered a position on the second day, (I sincerely hoped it was not because of the soft undertones of my English accent), and that was that. I began teaching in September 1984; shades of George Orwell notwithstanding, imparting my wisdom, such as it was, to freshmen who looked at me as if I came from another planet. I looked at them in much the self-same way. I lasted the year and then faculty changes found me being excessed, as the Board of Education so sensitively described it. I ended up teaching in a school in Brooklyn for the fall semester. Another historical note, this was the semester when the Challenger disaster lead to the death of a courageous young teacher, Crista McAuliffe. I was rescued from the wilds of Brooklyn for the spring semester only to be excessed again for the fall of 1986. This time I was much closer to home at Seward Park HS on Grand Street. I needed rescuing again for the spring of 1987. Back at Stuyvesant but not quite out of the woods yet though because teachers with greater seniority could transfer into the school and one did into the Biology department. Dr. Utting is out again, but no, what is on
“... I needed 12 credits in Education. This meant enrolling in four threecredit courses. Of course I did well.” offer; transfer to the Chemistry Department for what turned out to be three years and one semester, saved again. There is a destiny that shapes our ends… Ask Mr. Mott! All this to illustrate the correspondence of chance, luck and happenstance in my eventual residence at the formidable institution called Stuyvesant High School. Now when I began to teach at Stuyvesant I really felt a failure because I had set my heart on a small pre-med program at some amicable college or university where I could both teach microbiology and biochemistry and do research. No matter how clever the students at this prestigious High School, it did not make up for my expectations, however unrealistic they were. The competition for such a sinecure was and is tremendous. Of course by the time I had tenure at Stuyvesant, in 1988 I had adapted well to the system and begun that rapport with students that has been the lifeblood of my experience here. I have had many very pleasant and funny situations to tell
my friends outside of teaching about and one, my best friend, tired of hearing me complain about my lack of achievement in my hoped for sphere, said to me that I was clearly having much more influence of the lives of some of my students than ever I had indicated while teaching in college. I begrudgingly agreed on the surface but deep down I was not so sure. Gradually however I saw it was true. Among my most treasured possessions are books that collected the sayings of Dr. Utting over the course of the AP Biology year. Many of these sayings are not at all PC but were understood in context, I hope. I don’t think I will repeat them just now but will read them again in my dotage in homage to my all time favorite fictional character Miss Havisham. One of my favorite schoolboy howlers, which I can repeat, is the following. There is a phenomenon in genetics where crossing two individuals with different versions of a character (alleles to the initiated) can lead to a third version. An example of this concerns that strange structure on the head of chickens called the comb. I asked a question about this in a test onetime and a student who had been absent when I talked about it in class wrote back an answer saying that since birds have feathers and not hair they had no need of combs. Well I liked it! Do I have a philosophy of teaching? A philosophy maybe too ‘high falutin’ to describe my approach. I do believe it is helpful to see the scientists who make the discoveries, as obvious human beings who inhabit the same world as us. By seeing them as human makes the task of understanding less formidable I feel. Often we just memorize a name, say Darwin, and an associated fact, here the theory of Evolution, but without some personal detail of this truly great man we have less desire to find out more and understand more. It has been a passion of mine to know more of the lives of the discoverers and use that information to help enliven my classes. What has Stuyvesant given to me over all these years besides many hours of work way beyond the school day, and many weekends? My current students may see me as hopelessly out of date in terms of today’s technology and yet I do reach them because I try to recognize the basic problems are the same and we are on the same wavelength when we discuss things. There is no doubt
Alice Li / The Spectator
or what I might have said had I been chosen as faculty speaker.
that being around young people keeps us ‘old fogies’ on our toes and at least attempting to stay up to date. I do try hard to inject a sense of fun at times but I want everyone to know the thing I value most in classroom terms is developing the life of the mind. We teachers begin the process, and place it in your capable hands to expand and extend. Beware the superficiality of celebrity culture; it is, as my grandmother used to say in quite another context, ‘a snare and a delusion.’ It is about here in these effusions that we are supposed to be motivational. I can wish you a happy and successful life and especially that old canard; follow your passion (or bliss as Joseph Campbell used to say).
“I thank you, as representatives of all those students who have captured my heart and given me love during my years at Stuyvesant.” My thing is somewhat more personal. Absolutely the most important thing in life is to love and be loved in return and here I quote from the French novel, Adolphe by Benjamin Constant. Love is only a single speck of light, yet it seems to illuminate the whole of time. A few days ago it did not exist, and soon it will have ceased to be, but so long as it does exist it sheds its radiance on the time which has preceded it as upon that which is to come. I read this many years ago and longed for a time when I could use it as a quote. It distills the essence of that impossible emotion. That is where I wish you the greatest happiness and bliss. I hope that you enjoyed my efforts. I thank you as representatives of all those students that have captured my heart and given me love during my years at Stuyvesant. I will miss this place, most especially Room 731 and all those memories. Thank you, again.
Page 18
The Spectator â—? June 26, 2013
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The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
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The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Page 20
Arts and Entertainment Looking Forward SUNDAY
MONDAY 1
JULY
7
NYC Celebration of Nations Festival Madison Ave from 43rd to 57th Streets Museum Exhibition “Rain Room” MoMA PS1 Available through July 28, 2013
14
Bastille Day 69th St between Fifth and Lexington Avenues 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Free http://www.bastilledayny. com/. Concert New York Philharmonic: Concerts in the Parks College of Staten Island, CUNY3 p.m. Lexington Ave Summer Spectacular Lexington Ave from 23rd to 34th Streets 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
21
Theater Summer Mondays with Naked Angels Theater Company “Fast Forward the Fire Lilies and Now Press Play” By Phillip Gerson The New School for Drama 151 Bank St 3 p.m. Free admission RSVP to info@nakedangels Album release Editors’s “The Weight of Your Love” Genre: Post-punk revival Label: PIAS Recordings
8
Theater Summer Mondays with Naked Angels Theater Company “St. Vitus’ Dance” By Claire Kiechel The New School for Drama 151 Bank St 3 p.m. Free admission RSVP to info@nakedangels Concert Brian Stokes Mitchell Town Hall Theater 123 W 43rd St 8 p.m.
15
Concert New York Philharmonic: Concerts in the Parks Great Lawn, Central Park 8 p.m. Concert Hollywood Undead Irving Plaza 17 Irving Pl 6 p.m.
22
Rio de Brazil Block Party Concert 46th St from 6th to 7th Ave Fun. & Tegan and Sara 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Pier 26, Hudson River Park Fulton Street Fair 6 p.m. Fulton St from Water to Gold St Museum exhibition 10 a.m.-6 p.m. “Claes Oldenberg: The Street and The Store” MoMA The Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium Available through August 5, 2013
28
Theater “Then She Fell” (an immersion theater piece) Kingsland Ward at St. Johns 195 Maujer Street (in Williamsburg) Tickets on sale now Madison Avenue Summer Fair Madison Ave from 42nd to 57th St 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Harlem Week: A Great Day in Harlem U.S. Grant National Memorial Park W 122nd St and Riverside Drive 1 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
29
Concert Youth Lagoon Webster Hall 125 E 11th St 8 p.m. Tickets: $20 Album release Swim Deep’s “Where the Heaven Are We” Genre: Indie Rock Label: Chess Club
TUESDAY 2
Concert The Maine Irving Plaza 17 Irving Pl Genre: Rock 6:30 p.m. Concert Alpha Blondy B.B. King Blues Club & Grill 237 W 42nd St Genre: Reggae 8 p.m.
9
Musical Monkey: Journey to the West (musical theater adaptation of the Chinese Monkey King tale) Performed in Mandarin with English subtitles Lincoln Center Tickets: $25-$250 Available through July 28, 2013 Album release Skylar Grey’s “Don’t Look Down” Genre: Alternative rock, horrorcore Label: KidinaKorner, Interscope
16
Album release Sara Bareilles’s “The Blesses Unrest” Genre: Alternative, pop, pop rock Label: Epic Album release Chris Brown’s “X” Genre: Hip hop, pop Label: RCA Concert New York Philharmonic: Concerts in the Parks Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx 8 p.m.
23
Shakespeare in the Park “Love’s Labour’s Lost” Delacorte Theater in Central Park 8:30 p.m. Free Album release Gogol Bordello’s “Pura Vida Conspiracy” Genre: Gypsy punk Label: ATO/Casa Gogol Records Album release Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’s “Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros” Genre: Indie folk, folk rock, neo-psychedelia
30
Album release Backstreet Boys’s “In a World Like This” Genre: Pop, Dance, R&B Label: K-BAHN
WEDNESDAY 3
Movie release “Despicable Me 2” Genre: Comedy, family Directors: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin Movie release “The Lone Ranger” Genre: Action, adventure, Western Director: Gore Verbinski Comic book release Justice League #22, the first part of a multi-series crossover Writer: Geoff Johns Art: Ivan Reis
10
Comic book release Superman Unchained #2 Writer: Scott Snyder Art: Jim Lee and Scott Williams Concert New York Philharmonic: Concerts in the Parks Prospect Park, Brooklyn 8 p.m. Summerscreen (film festival) “Can’t Hardly Wait” Live music and food trucks Screenings at dusk, music at 6 p.m. McCarren Park Greenpoint, Brooklyn Free
17
Summerscreen (film festival) “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” Live music and food trucks Screenings at dusk, music at 6 p.m. McCarren Park Greenpoint, Brooklyn Free
24
Summerscreen (film festival) “The Craft” Live music and food trucks Screenings at dusk, music at 6 p.m. McCarren Park Greenpoint, Brooklyn Free
31
Summerscreen (film festival) “The Goonies” Live music and food trucks Screenings at dusk, music at 6 p.m. McCarren Park Greenpoint, Brooklyn Free
Album release Tech N9ne’s “Something Else” Genre: Rap, Hip hop, R&B Label: Strange Music Movie release “The Smurfs 2” Genre: Family, adventure, comedy Director: Raja Gosnell
THURSDAY 4
Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Along the Hudson River between W 24th and W 25th Streets 9 p.m. Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Nathan’s Famous 1310 Surf Ave 12 p.m. Album release Jay-Z’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail” Genre: Hip hop The Statue of Liberty reopens Ferry ticket $12, crown access additional $3
11
Concert Mac Miller: The Space Migration Tour Hammerstein Ballroom 311 W 34th St 7 p.m. Concert New York Philharmonic: Concerts in the Parks Cunningham Park, Queens 8 p.m.
18
Concert Cody Simpson & Ryan Beatty Best Buy Theater (Times Square) 8 p.m. Museum exhibition “XL: 19 New Acquisitions in Photography” MoMA The Edward Steichen Photography Galleries Available through January 6, 2014
25
Concert Will Hoge Bowery Ballroom 6 Delancey Street 8:30 p.m. Concert Ryan Leslie Webster Hall 125 E 11th St 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY 5
Album release Ciara’s “Ciara” Genre: R&B Label: Epic Concert Cayucas Mercury Lounge 217 E Houston St Genre: Indie pop 7:30 p.m. Movie release “The Way, Way Back” Genre: Action, adventure, Western Directors: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
SATURDAY 6
Concert She & Him Summerstage, Central Park Tickets: $47 Doors open at 6 p.m. Concert HARD NYC: Hot Natured, Jamie Jones & Lee Foss Terminal 5 610 W 56th St 8 p.m.
12
13
Movie release “Grown Ups 2” Genre: Comedy Director: Dennis Dugan Concert OneRepublic Good Morning America Summer Concert Series Rumsey Playfield, Central Park 7 a.m.-9 a.m. Free
Concert Rachael Yamagata Bowery Ballroom 6 Delancey Street 8 p.m.
19
20
Movie release “Pacific Rim” Genre: Action, sci-fi Director: Guillermo del Toro
Album release Selena Gomez’s “Stars Dance” Genre: Pop, dance Label: Hollywood Records
Times Square Summer Fair Broadway from 47th to 57th Streets 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Movie release “RED 2” Genre: Action, comedy Director: Dean Parisot
Earth Awareness Fair at Herald Square Broadway from 35th to 39th Streets 11 a.m.-6 p.m. New Museum Block Party Sara D. Roosevelt Park, Chrystie St between Delancey and Broom Streets 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Eight Avenue Festival 8th Ave between 14th and 23rd Streets 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
26
27
Movie release “The To Do List” Genre: Comedy Director: Maggie Carey
Annual Festival Santiago Apostol de Loiza a El Barrio 104th St between Lexington Ave and Park Ave 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Movie release “R.I.P.D.” Genre: Action, comedy Director: Robert Schwentke
Movie release “The Wolverine” Genre: Action, adventure Director: James Mangold
Concert Selena Gomez Good Morning America Summer Concert Series Rumsey Playfield, Central Park 7 a.m.-9 a.m. Free
Festival of the Americas 6th Ave from 42nd to 56th St 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Page 21
Arts and Entertainment Looking Forward SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY 1
Concert Soul Doctor Circle in the Square Theater 235 W 50th St 8 p.m.
AUGUST
Film “The Music Man” (1962) Main Park House in Cunningham Park 196 St & Union Turnpike, Queens 8 p.m.-10 p.m. Free
4
Concert Beyoncé Barclays Center 620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 8 p.m. Celebrate Brooklyn! 2013 Beck Benefit Concert Prospect Park 7 p.m. Free ($3 suggested)
11
Third Avenue Merchandise Fair 3rd Ave from 23rd - 34th St. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 32nd Annual Dominican Day Parade 6th Ave between 36th St and 52nd St 2pm-5pm
18
India Day Parade Street Festival Madison Ave between 23rd and 26th Streets 11 a.m.-6 p.m. NYC Children’s Festival YMCA Stage-135th St and St. Nicholas Ave 12 p.m.-6 p.m.
25
52nd Street Jazz Fair 52nd St between 6th and 7th Ave 11 a.m.-6 p.m. NYC Police Museum Fair Broad St from Water St to South St 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
5
Album release The Defiled’s “Daggers” Genre: Industrial Metal, Metalcore Label: Nuclear Blast Concert Serena Ryder Webster Hall 125 E 11th St 8 p.m.
6
12
13
Film “Saturday Night Fever” Astoria Park Lawn, Queens 8:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Free
Concert Parachute Irving Plaza 17 Irving Pl 6:30 p.m.
19
20
Concert Soul Doctor Circle in the Square Theater 235 W 50th St 8 p.m.
Museum exhibition “Everyday Epiphanies: Photography and Daily Life Since 1969” Metropolitan Museum of Art Available through January 26, 2014
26
Album release Franz Ferdinand’s “Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action” Genre: Indie rock, postpunk revival Label: Domino Records Museum exhibition “Hopper Drawing” Whitney Museum of American Art Available through October 6, 2013
7
Album release Movie release Mree’s “Winterwell” “Percy Jackson: Sea of Genre: Indie, folk, acoustic Monsters” Genre: Adventure, fantasy, Concert family Little Green Cars Director: Thor Freudenthal The Studio at Webster hall 125 E 11th St Summerscreen (film 9 p.m. festival) “Speed” Live music and food trucks Screenings at dusk, music at 6 p.m. McCarren Park Greenpoint, Brooklyn Free
Album release Sam Phillips’s “Push Any Button” Genre: Alternative Rock Label: Littlebox Recordings
Album release Blue October’s “Sway” Genre: Alternative rock, post-grunge Label: Up/Down Records Album release MGMT’s “MGMT” Genre: Psychedelic rock Label: Columbia Records
27
Film “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” 35th Ave and Cross Island Parkway in Crocheron Park, Queens 8 p.m.-9:40 p.m. Free Concert Molotov Irving Plaza 17 Irving Pl 7 p.m.
14
Concert Baroness Irving Plaza 17 Irving Pl 7 p.m. Age restriction: 16+
8
Concert Kermit Ruffins Highline Ballroom 431 W 16th St 8 p.m. Concert Ulrich Schnauss Bowery Ballroom 6 Delancey St 8 p.m.
Movie release “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” Genre: Action, fantasy, teen Director: Harald Zwart Concert Bridgit Mendler Best Buy Theater (Times Square) 7:30 p.m.
28
Concert Emeli Sande Rumsey Playfield, Summerstage (Central Park) 6 p.m. Museum exhibition “I, You, We” Whitney Museum of American Art Available through September 1, 2013
2
Concert Ne-Yo Good Morning America Summer Concert Series Rumsey Playfield, Central Park 7 a.m.-9 a.m. Free Movie release “2 Guns” Genre: Action, crime Director: Baltasar Kormákur
9
Concert Kenny Chesney Good Morning America Summer Concert Series Rumsey Playfield, Central Park 7 a.m.-9 a.m. Free Movie release “Elysium” Genre: Futuristic, sci-fi Director: Neill Blomkamp
SATURDAY 3
Concert The Psychedelic Furs Irving Plaza 17 Irving Pl 8 p.m. Celebrate Brooklyn! 2013 Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra/Banda Magda Prospect Park 7:30 p.m. Free ($3 suggested)
10
Celebrate Brooklyn! 2013 They Might Be Giants, Moon Hooch (last concert of the festival) Prospect Park 7:30 p.m. Free ($3 suggested) Giglio Feast of Saint Antonio Pleasant Ave between 114th and 116th St
Movie release “We’re the Millers” Genre: Comedy Director: Rawson Thurber
15
Concert Edwin McCain B.B. King Blues Club & Grill 237 W 42nd St 8 p.m. Film “Rocky” Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park Old Fulton St and Furman St Music starts at 6 p.m. Movie starts at sundown Free
21
FRIDAY
22
Film “Vertigo” Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park Old Fulton St and Furman St Music starts at 6 p.m. Movie starts at sundown Free Concert Iration, Through the Roots & Fortunate Youth Highline Ballroom 431 W 16th St 7 p.m.
29
Film Vote for the last film screened by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and Syfy: -“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” -“Good Will Hunting” -“Lost in Translation” Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park Old Fulton St and Furman St Music starts at 6 p.m. Movie starts at sundown Free
16
Concert Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Good Morning America Summer Concert Series Rumsey Playfield, Central Park 7 a.m.-9 a.m. Free Movie release “Paranoia” Genre: Crime Director: Robert Luketic Cast: Liam Hemsworth, Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Lucas Till
23
Concert The Wanted Good Morning America Summer Concert Series Rumsey Playfield, Central Park 7 a.m.-9 a.m. Free Concert One Direction The “Today” Show Summer Concert Series Rockefeller Plaza Free
30
Movie release “This is Us” Genre: Documentary, musical Director: Morgan Spurlock Movie release “Random” Genre: Horror Director: Olly Blackburn Concert Alicia Keys Good Morning America Summer Concert Series Rumsey Playfield, Central Park 7 a.m.-9 a.m. Free
17
Museum exhibition opening “American Modern: Hopper to O’Keeffe” MoMA Available through January 26, 2014 Concert We the Kings Best Buy Theater (Times Square) 7 p.m.
24
Concert Alex Goot Highline Ballroom 431 W 16th St 7 p.m. Lexington Avenue Fair Lexington Ave from 42nd to 57th St 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Hudson River Parks Blues BBQ Pier 84, 44th St and Westside Highway 2 p.m.-9 p.m.
31
Unicycle Festival Governors Island More information at http:// nycunifest.com/ Herald Square Block Party 33rd St from 6th to 7th Ave Concert Andres Cepeda Irving Plaza 17 Irving Pl 8 p.m.
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Page 22
Arts and Entertainment Split-Screen: The Forgotten Gems Every art form has its own share of forgotten masterpieces, and video games are no different. A game without a series of half-baked sequels riding on its coattails (looking at you, “Call of Duty”) should not be immediately brushed off as a mediocre one. In fact, some games initially released to spectacular reviews simply fell off the face of the earth, victims of a shift in popular interest or corporate failure. In this issue’s edition of Split-Screen, we highlight four such “forgotten” games that we hold particularly dear. By James Bessoir “Homeworld”
“Sam and Max” Though some of the other games mentioned in this spread are incredibly designed or straight- up beautiful, the “Sam and Max” series’s greatness lies in its humor and flat-out coolness. Following the exploits of two cops in the Freelance Police Department, the series stars Sam and Max, who describe themselves as an “anthropomorphic dog” and a “hyperkinetic rabbity thing,” respectively. The series’s charm lies in the cleverly written relationship between these two characters. They constantly bicker and argue, producing hilarious banter while developing the bromance between them. A typical exchange goes as such: Stranger: “Don’t you read the papers?” Max: “Only the funnies.” Sam: “You mean the obituaries.” Max: “Potato, potahto.” While crude at times, incredibly witty dialogue between Sam and Max is one of the best parts of the game, providing the player with constant entertainment as well as a structured plot. Gameplay is a mixture of solving puzzles and investigating crimes that, though not particularly difficult, are still solved entirely by the player with little to no hints. This typically leads to a satisfying detective-like feeling once the solution is discovered. Players walk around the environment at their own pace, interacting with various objects and characters in order to advance the plot. This produces a player-driven game, integrating users to the extent that they feel like parts of the story. The only reason “Sam and Max” is considered a cult game is because of its lack of publicity at launch, as is the case for most games from small-name companies. Nevertheless, there are three five-episode “seasons” of games that beg a weekend’s worth of attention, and they deserve it.
The late ’90s were the peak of the real-time-strategy genre. Games like “Warcraft,” “Starcraft,” “Age of Empires,” and “Command & Conquer” turned geeks into generals and spawned sequel after sequel. However, these popular games had one unimaginative thing in common: they were played from a top-down, isometric perspective, with troops only able to move in two dimensions. Enter “Homeworld,” the space combat strategy game that broke these rules. Unlike its peers, “Homeworld” incorporated full-3D graphics in real-time. Instead of commanding troops bound to a flat map, you controlled armies of starships capable of moving freely in any direction. You could surprise your enemy’s fleet with an ambush from above or hide your ships in a dust cloud below your opponent’s mothership, emphasizing strategic gameplay. Beyond the engaging nature of its graphics, “Homeworld” had both a theatrical story mode and a robust, addictive online multiplayer one, in a time when both features were unheard of in strategy games. Visually impressive for 1999, it not only sported polygonal 3D graphics, but could also display dozens of units onscreen at once. Even today, it’s still a joy to play—that is, if you can get it to run on your computer. Watching your starfighters dance around their targets, leaving behind colorful contrails, never gets old. At the time, however, many people simply weren’t ready for the big shift to 3D, and in that respect, “Homeworld” is still a game ahead of its time, as real-time strategy games started to lose popularity before the concept of full-3D space gameplay could catch on. After a few sequels were released with moderate success, the game dropped off the face of the earth as a forgotten masterpiece. By James Bessoir
Michele Lin / The Spectator
Michele Lin / The Spectator
By Thomas Duda
“Shadow of the Colossus”
Many know the “Prince of Persia” series as one that involves the Middle East, the titular prince, and some serious parkour. The 2008 “Prince of Persia” was different. While it had all of these elements, it put them together in a way that set it apart from many other series mainstays. The game features an unnamed character roaming an open world and cleansing it of a dark force, but what really sets the game apart is its protagonist’s female companion, Elika. Most games make teammates into hindrances, but in “Prince of Persia,” Elika constantly saves the protagonist’s life, imbues his attacks with magical powers, and makes the desert-centric journey far more interesting, as the relationship between the two characters is poignant and constantly evolving. The game also benefits from gorgeous visuals. The comic booklike art makes the potentially boring desert environments jaw-dropping, helped by an incredible art direction that provides a vast color palette, in contrast with the grays and browns of previous “Prince of Persia” games. Though many fans were taken aback by the game’s non-linear, single-player story, the 2008 “Prince of Persia” provides an immersive experience that will be appreciated by those looking for well-presented, character-centric narrative.
If any game should be considered art and preserved in a museum, it would be “Shadow of the Colossus.” Its plot is very minimalistic. Wander, the protagonist, is tasked with killing 16 creatures known as colossi to resurrect a woman named Mono. To achieve this objective, the player sets out into a landscape that inspires awe and introspection. Everything the player can see is land that can be scaled or otherwise conquered. But from afar, the mountains and forests are bathed in eternal twilight, morphing the background into an impressionist painting. This brightness is often juxtaposed with dark and murky environments, which are vast but populated by no one but Wander, his horse, and the colossi. Gigantic but magnificent, the colossi look like whole sections of mountains and caves from an ancient landscape brought to life. Climbing their huge figures and killing them is an epic journey in and of itself. Every colossus is a different puzzle game of finding its weak points and clinging for dear life as it tries to shake you off. When it finally dies, the player experiences both the triumph of success and a reverent guilt for slaying something so awesome. The power of “Shadow of the Colossus” comes not so much from what it does, but from what it does not do. Long sequences of silence, during which the player traverses the landscape, offer time for contemplation. Is Wander a hero or an anti-hero? What will future challenges bring? The experience of playing this game is unparalleled, even by its developers, Team Ico, who haven’t released a game since “Shadow of the Colossus” came out in 2005.
By Thomas Duda
By Thomas Duda
“Prince of Persia” (2008)
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Page 23
Arts and Entertainment Where “Call Me Maybe” Came From
Katherine Chi / The Spectator
Michelle Lin / The Spectator
Let’s Watch Some Let’s Plays
By Emma McIntosh
By Caroline Bredthauer “How’s it goin’, bros? My name is Pewdiepie!” For over eight million YouTube regulars, these words represent an entire video genre that has only recently gained popularity: the Let’s Play (or LP). People unfamiliar with the video game industry and community have probably never heard of LPs. (And the majority of those who come across LPs on YouTube simply move on without watching.) After all, why would a non-gamer be interested in a gaming video? Despite their subject matter, LPs have enough humor to appeal to anyone. They are jam-packed with comedy, be it self-deprecating humor, exaggerated reactions, or terrible puns. In these videos, a gamer films him or herself playing a game, generally providing footage of both the game as well as the gamer’s face to better showcase reactions. LPs allow viewers and interested gamers to get a taste of the gameplay and storyline of a game without spending a dime. The real fun, however, comes in watching the LPers’ reactions. Some LPers will provide amusing quips, while others will complain incessantly about in-game events. Still others will exaggerate their reactions to the point of hysteria. In the past, sketch comedies (short, humorous, live-action videos) were what shot YouTube channels to stardom. Now, how-
ever, LPs have crashed onto YouTube’s list of most subscribed channels. Pewdiepie, the LPer with the aforementioned video intro, places sixth, while machinima, a channel that uploads LPs as well as sketches, walkthroughs, and other gaming-related videos, places seventh. When did LPs become so popular? Though an exact time and date can never be pinpointed, it is safe to assume that Pewdiepie’s sudden influx of subscribers (at around the end of 2012) marked a change in the relative obscurity of LPs. Pewdiepie, one of the earliest LPers, had been on YouTube long enough to gather a large fanbase. In part because of this existing fanbase and in part because of his popular overreactions, he has become the most popular LPer to date. In the current LP community, gamers often collaborate on videos, making it easier to find new channels and LP talent. Generally, one LPer posts a video of both gamers playing a co-op or multiplayer game together. For example, due to Pewdiepie’s popularity, gamers he has worked with receive an influx of subscribers. The huge success of one YouTube channel opens the door for hundreds of other LPers to get their starts. There are currently hundreds of people uploading LPs to YouTube, but only the most humorous gain a large enough following to become known in the LP community and beyond.
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As any gamer worth his salt can tell you that games have many different genres. Logically, then, LPers cover different game genres based on their preferences. Pewdiepie’s favorites, for example, are horror games. Watching him shriek his way through “Amnesia: the Dark Descent” will cheer up any viewer. Cryaotic, another successful LPer, prefers games with deep storylines, as exhibited by his “The Walking Dead” and “The Cat Lady” playthroughs. His cheerful nature and clever quips keep the experience from becoming too introspective. CinnamonToastKen, a friend of Pewdiepie and Cryaotic, likes to shake things up with indie games such as “The Last Door.” Another LPer, Tobuscus, likes “Minecraft” to the point of singing about it. Two Best Friends prefer the worst games they can get their hands on, and listening to them gripe about their current game can be hilarious. Because there is so much variety in the video game industry, YouTube LPs are extremely diverse and, in turn, extremely entertaining to watch. With summer on the way, everyone is soon to be bombarded with free time. People who generally don’t like games may enjoy watching someone else play, and those who are looking for a good laugh can always find one in the more popular LP videos. As for those who are already familiar with LPs, just remember: you liked them before they were cool.
More often than not, the most popular song on the radio is one that you heard once and immediately disliked. It was annoying and repetitive, with an upbeat melody that soon got you—however reluctantly— bouncing in your seat. The song is played over and over, playing every time you turn on the radio. Parodies arise on YouTube and younger siblings belt it at the top of their voices. Soon, it becomes an earworm, a song that you just can’t get out of your head, pervading every party, dance, and radio station. Probably the best example of this is the “Call Me Maybe” epidemic, in which a song with really no appeal other than a catchy chorus and a humorous theme gained worldwide fame. To put it simply, the constant repetition of the song was the primary way more and more people grew familiar and began to create a love-hate relationship with Carly Rae Jepsen’s most popular single. The reason behind the popularity of fundamentally irritating songs has a surprising amount of historical and scientific relevance. Written in 1957, Arthur C. Clarke’s “The Ultimate Melody” is fictional, but it deals with the science behind catchy
Radios are constantly regurgitating what is popular, what has already been determined to be popular, by their playing it in the first place. It’s a vicious cycle controlled by producers and forced upon unknowing consumers. songs. The scientist in the short story, Gilbert Lister, believes that
certain songs make an “impression on the mind because [they]
The “Call Me Maybe” epidemic is probably the best example of a time when a song with really no appeal other than a catchy chorus and a humorous theme gained worldwide fame.
fitted in with the fundamental electrical rhythms going on in the brain.” In addition, the science information website ZME Science determined that some of the most common characteristics in so-called “catchy” music are longer and detailed musical phrases, a higher number of pitches in the hook, and high male vocals with noticeable effort and strain. But the appeal of such music does not arise simply from a biological inclination to be drawn towards it. The procress by which earworms like “Call Me Maybe” or Rebecca Black’s “Friday” gain popularity begins with how often the song is played. We know that we dislike these songs when we hear them, but as we hear them at yet another party or on each and every radio station, we subconsciously memorize the repetitive lyrics that only days ago annoyed us incessantly. But why are the songs played so often? It goes like this: Music producers pitch ideas to radio stations to get the stations to play their music. If the station thinks it’s worth playing—if it has the qualities of a catchy, earwormy song—they’ll play it over and over again. Soon, although the song might not be great, listeners catch on and continue to listen to stations that play songs they know—the same few popular songs. And so it becomes a loop, as the stations continue play what the songs they have made popular in their own overplaying.
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Page 24
Humor These articles are works of fiction. All quotes are libel and slander.
Newsbeat • The Spectator Editorial Board went mini-golfing. When the final results were tallied up, David Cahn had the lowest score, but was disqualified for putting up too many posters at Hole 16, using the SU’s putters, and trash-talking his peers. • After what many are calling “the greatest Camp Stuy in centuries,” all of the freshman reportedly felt self-confident, socially adept, and fully comfortable in their new school environment. • Tuesday bomb attack postponed due to Regents examination threat. • According to reports, a Stuyvesant student was found studying for a final. • The nurse’s office experienced crowding on Tuesday after Prom by seniors complaining about headaches and fatigue. • Principal Jie Zhang failed to live up to family expectations in her Spectator Report Card grades. Becoming Harvard principal, once a “Target” for Zhang, is now only a “Reach.” • Stuyvesant students enjoyed the summer solstice, a 15-hour day of sunlight, by spending 15 hours on Facebook.
Students Almost Bomb English Regents By SPENCER WEISS
On June 11th, in what some are calling the most explosive development since the Big Bang, a group of Stuyvesant students almost bombed the English Regents Exam. Stuyvesant students have historically done very well on the New York City Regents examinations, especially the English Regents exam, but quite a few students were blown away by how difficult the test proved to be this year. One junior recounted the terror of the situation: ““I thought: I was going too do super! good? on the test; and I was shocked when i did’nt,” junior Erik Wong said in an e-mail interview. However, a larger majority of the population seemed to be unfazed by the difficulty of the exam this year. “I had a blast,” junior Farhaan Ahmed said. “Oh, hi hi,” physics teacher Eugene Majewski said when asked if he heard about the bomb scare before the English regents. “English? No, I physics.” The scare began at 8 a.m. on the morning of the exam. In an anonymous phone call, a student phoned the authorities stating that he was to “bomb the English regents.” Hundreds of cranky
Stuyvesant juniors were thus forced to occupy an entire block and a half of TriBeCa. Recently,
“It was a huge misunderstanding. I didn’t think I’d do well on the test. I meant that I was going to bomb the regents because I didn’t study.” —Sharar Rasha, junior however, the then-anonymous caller came clean and explained the call. “It was a huge misunderstanding. I didn’t think I’d do well on the test,” junior Sharar Rasha said. “I meant that I was going to bomb the regents because I didn’t study.”
Student Frustrated by Weekly E-mails from Harvey Blumm
By Daniel Goynatsky with additional reporting by Spencer Weiss
After receiving Parent Coordinator Harvey Blumm’s 212th newsletter of the school year, junior Kevin Hao spontaneously combusted. “All he would talk about for the last two weeks was how frustrated he was with these constant emails, so I broke up with him,” ex-girlfriend Jenny Lee said. “Of course, the fact that he blew up makes sense. He always had a tendency to burst under pressure.” Students are outraged by the constant bombardment of emails from Blumm. “These opportunities are terrible,” sopho-
more Andrew Fischer said. “In his last email, he talked about an internship. I got excited because I really needed one over the summer, and when I approached Mr. Blumm about it, he told me that it was just two tickets to see the movie ‘The Internship.’” In protest to the cornucopia of emails, a large group of students replied to Harvey’s emails in massive waves, despite the blatant “DO NOT REPLY” message in the subject of each email. “I thought that if I made my e-mail address ‘donotreply@stuyhs.net’, these kids would leave me the heck alone,” Blumm said. “But goshdarnit, they e-mail me anyway.” Sophomore Isaac Gluck organized the e-mail-replying assault
on Blumm. “It’s not about what happened with [Hao], it’s about sending a message,” Gluck said. In a last-ditch effort to stop Blumm’s useless spamming, students began bringing their parents into school in order to do the arguing for them. 103 angry and sweaty parents filled Blumm’s tiny office to do their children’s biddings. However, Blumm, using his skills as Parent Coordinator, shifted the conversation to the size of his room, eventually convincing the parents to donate money for a larger office rather than fix the school escalators.“And that’s how it’s done,” Blumm said as he left the room with a cheeky smile.
Daily Routine of Jim Teecher
By JEREMY KARSON
Jim is an educator for the New York City Department of Education. After years of public service, he has finally reached the pinnacle of the city’s public high school system: Stuyvesant. However, this major step in his career has led to an increasingly busy schedule. Some might even go so far as to call it overwhelming. Here is the daily schedule of Mr. Teecher: 6:45 - Jim wakes up in his small, one-bedroom apartment. He is ravenous, so he decides to make himself breakfast. He elects to toast a pop tart. 7:15 - Before leaving his apartment, Jim must make final preparations for the day’s lessons. He takes out a yoga mat and does a series of stretches. When he feels that his biceps, quadriceps, and glutes are sufficiently limber, he puts away the yoga mat and leaves his apartment. 7:50 - Jim arrives at Stuyvesant High School. He smiles at Mr. Wong, who is situated by the scanners. Mr. Wong nods back. 8:00 - Time for Jim’s first class. As the bell sounds, Jim locks the door to the locker room. However, Benedict Kim is knocking furiously outside the door, trying to get in. Benedict can go screw himself, Jim thinks to himself. Jim is a stickler for school policy. 8:05 - Jim stands in the sixthfloor gym as his students sit at their floor spots. He begins the difficult task of matching face with name and determining that student’s attendance. Many of the students look similar. This may be the hardest part of Jim’s day. 8:10 - Jim demonstrates to the class how to shoot a basketball. He aligns his wrist, squares up his shoulders and, brilliantly using the left hand as a guide, nearly makes the 14-foot jump shot. To compensate for his
miss, he makes a funny, borderline insulting joke at the expense of Edgar Lee. The class laughs, and Jim smiles. He is more than just a teacher; he is a performer, an artist. 8:34 - Jim decides he should probably dismiss his class early. They look tired. Either way, Jim is exhausted. 11:45 - Jim spends a grueling “free” period discussing the NBA Playoffs with his passionate coworkers. Because gambling is technically illegal in a public school, he has to whisper as he puts 10 bucks on the Spurs. 12:30 - Lunch. Finally Jim gets a breather. 3:30 - For most teachers, it is time to pack up and go home. But Jim is a model of dedication; his day is just beginning. He has to travel all the way to Central Park for his team’s rugby game, lugging the equipment the whole way. The things he does, only to get his butt handed to him by Seward Park Educational Campus. 5:45 - Drained both physically and mentally, Jim staggers into his apartment. He considers what to cook for dinner, and decides to roast himself some frozen Swanson fried chicken strips. 7:00 - You may think that Jim, having completed a strenuous work day, would have some time to relax. But Jim’s job is demanding. He needs to sharpen his understanding of baseball in order to prepare for the upcoming whiffle ball unit. He turns to MLB Network and, beer in hand, watches the game. 11:45 - Exhausted, Jim crawls into his bed. Before turning off the light, he takes a pen and marks the day on his Sports Illustrated calendar. “Only 12 more days until summer,” he tells himself. “Only 12 more days.”
BOE Disqualifies Zhang By ROBERT MELAMED On Monday, June 11, the night of the Student Union (SU) election results, the Stuyvesant Board of Elections (BOE) decided to disqualify junior Jack Cahn and sophomore Remi Moon from the election over violations of BOE rules. This decision resulted in an immediate backlash among Stuyvesant students. Several hours after the results were released, (now) former BOE
member WenHao Du revealed that the decision to disqualify the candidates was not made jointly by the BOE, but was instead decided by vote among the BOE executive members. Since Du’s announcement, the BOE has begun a crackdown on whistleblowers, beginning with Du’s removal from the BOE itself. “WenHao was specifically told that if he expended on his right to freedom of speech, we
JProm statistics
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Pictures taken with Mr. Miller
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would kick him off immediately, and he would not receive his share of the poll taxes collection,” freshman and prospective BOE executive Kevin Yoo said. “The BOE is an organization that deserves the utmost respect, and it will only keep the most ineffective members.” However, many students decided to protest the BOE’s decision with an appeal to Principal Jie Zhang. They have begun to sign an online petition created
Pictures taken with Mr. Orlando
by junior David Cahn. “I love my brother,” junior David Cahn said in his online petition. “No, I did not actually cry about the BOE’s decision on the matter, I’m just stressed out about these Regents,” David Cahn said in a later interview. After long hours of discussion between executive members of the prestigious BOE organization, they have decided to disqualify Principal Zhang from
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People who danced with Molly
making a decision on this matter. “It took too long for me to finally disqualify Jack from this election,” Yoo said. “I will not let some first-year principal reverse my decision.” It is strongly believed that no elections will be held in June of 2014. The BOE would rather decide the winners itself through an executive council vote.
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People who missed the boat Thanks to: Daniel Goynatsky
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
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The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
Sports The Ultimate Dedication By Timothy Diep Though you’ve seen them around school in their maroon and green sweatshirts, their achievements aren’t as publicized as those of Stuyvesant’s other sports teams. Since they aren’t part of the PSAL, they don’t have the same large white banners to display their success when they win the championship. When they play, they play in pouring rain, strong winds, and 40-degree weather. But the Sticky Fingers, Stuyvesant’s Ultimate Frisbee team, don’t play for the banners or for the sunshine; rather, they play for their love of the game. And they’re good at it, too. At the beginning of the year, the Sticky Fingers, packed with 13 seniors, aimed straight for the New York State Ultimate Frisbee High School Championships, which were held in Glenville, NY on the weekend of Saturday, May 25. They conditioned constantly, not only braving the weather during the winter but also running several sprints and doing plyometric exercises during each practice and after every game. Despite these workouts and practices, the Sticky Fingers were a mediocre team at best by early April. Their 8-9 year-long record was disappointing. Their fourth out of 14 finish at the YULA Invitational in Arlington, VA was decent. Their sixth out of eight finish at Born to Dive at Fairless Hills, PA was uncharacteristic. But by Saturday, May 18, at the St. Johnsbury Academy Invitational in St. Johnsbury, VT, the Sticky Fingers grew comfortable
as a team and were ultimately able to turn it around. “Everything—fundamentals, strategy, conditioning—came together during Johnsbury, and we started working very well together then,” junior Benjamin Attal said. The Sticky Fingers placed third out of 38 at St. Johnsbury. A week later, the team was ready for the state tournament, and
“I think [our coaches] are the best of any school in the city.” —Timmy Levin, senior blew past the competition in the first few rounds. In fact, the Sticky Fingers went into the finals having scored 82 points throughout the whole tournament, while only letting up five. In the championship game, they faced Fieldston High School, a team that they had beaten earlier in the year. After Stuyvesant opened with a solid 3-0 lead, however, Fieldston came back to win 9-6, putting a halt to the Sticky Fingers’ dominant run but leaving the Sticky Fingers with a respectable second-place finish. “None of us could believe the opportunity to win had come and gone so fast,” junior and co-
captain Ethan Schwab said. Much of the Sticky Fingers’ success can be attributed to their coaches, who, according to senior Timmy Levin, “have a combined 30 years or so of experience,” he said. “I think they are the best of any school in the city.” One of their coaches and Stuyvesant alumnus Devon Huang (’93) was named Coach of the Year by USA Ultimate in 2011 and 2012. Huang, nicknamed “Dvo,” is the one who pushes the team to do extra sprints and execute plays as efficiently as possible. Due to the team’s maturity and their solid fundamentals this year, Huang focused more on perfecting the players, rather than instructing them. While he believes in creating the most enjoyable experience for his players, Huang stresses hard work: diligence leads to success on the field, which leads to winning and satisfaction. The Sticky Fingers’ other coach, Malcolm Baker, is more easygoing, but his experience teaching physical education pushes the team through sprints and explosiveness drills. Baker’s ability to understand the body allows him to create unique workouts, such as combinations of mid-length runs and short sprints. What is most admirable of the coaches is their dedication to the team. Neither is paid for his efforts, yet Huang travels from Flushing and Baker from the Upper West Side to Prospect Park in Brooklyn for every practice. This dedication rubs off on the rest of the team members, as they also takes lengthy train rides to the
field and condition year-round without complaint. Though the coaches are always present, they only manage the team’s skill sets and gameplay. The logistics, which include scheduling scrimmages and practices and entering tournaments, falls on the team’s four captains: seniors Daniel Teehan, Nicholas Fung, and Remy Carr,
“In ultimate, we pride ourselves on something called ‘the spirit of the game.’” —Nicholas Fung, senior and co-captain and Schwab. Most importantly, the captains also handle the money. In the PSAL, there is no cost to enter the league tournament. In ultimate, there is no single tournament, so the team often has to travel to other states like Pennsylvania or Virginia to compete. Consequently, money is needed to not only enter these competitions, but also cover bus and hotel expenses. According to Fung, the cost to enter every tournament this year, excluding hotel and transportation costs, totaled around $3,500.
Fung is responsible for handling the money and fundraising on the team, since the $499 from the Student Union and $1,000 from the Parent’s Association isn’t nearly enough to cover the costs. Often, the captains or coaches “have to carry on the debt of the team,” Fung said. “The team would be in debt with a couple thousand [dollars].” At the end of the year, the Sticky Fingers hold events such as an alumni tournament and disc sales to break even. Year after year, though, players usually end up footing the rest. The fact that the team has to struggle to be able to compete builds a sense of unity and camaraderie. While this may be exhibited in every sport, in ultimate, even opponents have an unspoken bond. “In ultimate, we pride ourselves on something called ‘the spirit of the game,’” Fung said. Because of the spirit of the game, “good sportsmanship just flows,” he said. Unlike in other sports, there are no referees or umpires in ultimate. “Everybody makes their own calls and tries their best to be fair and unbiased,” Levin said. “It is really frowned upon to make a call that benefits your own team.” As a result, the game is played as honestly as possible, and competitors rely on skill rather than on bending the rules. Fung further explains that the spirit of the game extends off the field. “If it starts pouring, people would offer you rides,” Fung said. “And you would barely know them, but they just do.” While there is still tough competition in ultimate, there is also a great sense of sportsmanship unparalleled in any other sport.
Boys’ Track and Field
Greyducks Stumble after Prom to Conclude a Successful Season By Grace Lu and Eric Morgenstern Having Prom the day before a big track meet might not have been the most advantageous of schedules for the Greyducks. However, they overcame this major scheduling conflict to have several athletes finish well in the City Outdoor Track Championship. Although most of the team declined to participate in the meet because of Prom, some were absent due to injuries. “Some of our best runners were injured,” senior and co-captain Danish James said. “Our top sophomore distance runner, Eric Chen, injured his foot, and he was essentially our second-best guy. Then our top distance runner, [senior] Jack Stevenson, also injured himself at the end of the season.” Only five athletes com-
peted, and managed to have decent finishes even in the intense heat. In the 1600-meter run, senior Eric Xiao finished 10th with a time of 4:52.35, his slowest run this season, and junior Jeremy Karson finished 14th with a time 20 seconds off his best. Junior Alex Lui came in ninth place in the 100-meter dash with the same time as his run in last year’s 100-meter dash, which was 0.3 seconds off his personal record. Junior Henrik Lempa Cho was fourth in the javelin competition, accomplishing a new personal best by 3.5 feet, and senior Ian Outhwaite finished third in the high jump but was unable to clear six feet as he had done in the past. Outhwaite thinks the extreme heat lead to many disappointing performances. “The
whole the team did not perform up to its expectations. [We] had to contend with the brutal summer sun, and as a result ran well under [our] personal records,” he said. The highlight of the meet for the Greyducks was Lempa Cho. “[He] threw the javelin 130’4” and claimed 4th place among stiff competition,” Outhwaite said. Though the City Championships did not go as well, this year’s team had a very successful season with outstanding performances from many runners. “At the Penn Relays, Jack Stevenson ran the fastest mile (4:13.96) by any PSAL athlete in this century,” coach Mark Mendes said. “At the Loucks Invitational he ran 9:12.20 seconds for 3200M. His time was also the fastest by a PSAL athlete this century.”
Next year’s track team will have high expectations despite a significant loss of talent, according to this year’s seniors. “We have four top distance runners graduating. Our sprinting team does not have as many people graduating, and I think they have a lot of potential,” Xiao said. The graduating senior distance runners include Evan Schechter, who finished second in the 1600-meter run at Manhattan Borough Championships; Cameron Abma, who was part of the champion 4x800-meter relay team at the Mayor’s Cup; Xiao, who was sixth for the 1600-meter run at Manhattan Borough Champs; and Jack Stevenson, a two-time PSAL Champion in the indoor 3200M run and a member of the PSAL record-setting Distance Medley Relay. However, Chen and Karson
“will be a very strong top two,” Mendes said. Though noteworthy sprinter Danish James is graduating, most of the varsity sprinting team remains intact, including Alex Lui, Lempa Cho, and sophomore Brian Lui. Outhwaite expects a lot from next year’s team. “The individual and group coaching that the sprinters and field event athletes received this season from [Assistant] Coach [William] Schneider was extremely effective as the vast majority of the team showed significant signs of increased strength and explosiveness,” he said. “Coach Mendes will continue to oversee the mid-distance and distance team, which I am sure will continue the Stuyvesant tradition of long-distance running excellence.”
Boys’ Golf
Close Ending To a Dream Season continued from page 28
an impressive 11-1 regular season record and a dominant run in the playoffs. In spite of these impressive stats, “we knew we had a good chance of winning,” sophomore and #3 Thomas Perkins said. “We did our research on them and knew that if we played solid, we could win.” #1 Niel Vyas started off the match with a win, followed by another win by Perkins, a loss by #2 Niel Basu, and a loss by
Zheng. With the match tied at 2-2, all the pressure fell to final team member Takeshi Fukui. “I got to see everyone tee up before me,” Fukui said. “But I didn’t see any of the pressure affecting their performance.” Thus, without any knowledge of how his teammates finished their matches, Fukui started a strong fifth match that, unbeknownst to him, would make or break the Eagles’ fantasy season. Fukui jumped to an early lead, winning the first two
holes. However his opponent, Jason Iannelli—the only senior on the Seagulls—built momentum and tied the game multiple times in the tight back-andforth battle. The largest score differential was a mere two holes held by Fukui, adding to the pressure and uncertain outcome of the game. “By the time I finished my 18th hole with a tie, I was told that the score was 2-2 and I had to play a tiebreaker hole to decide the winner,” Fukui said. “I was mortified, but I tried to
stick to the same plan as before to ease my nerves.” Fukui, in the closest match of his life, won the tiebreaker, and with it, the championship pennant for the team. “Overall, this was a team that was simply hard to stop. One of the parents called our team ‘the little team that could,’” coach Emilio Nieves said. “Perhaps one reason is because physically, we don’t seem very imposing. But another reason is that we just kept going and going like a marathoner and basically
pounding our opponents into submission with our steadiness, consistency, and competitiveness.” With this win comes more than just a championship title. With it comes a new reputation as, as Nieves dubbed it, “the team to beat.” With the same team returning next year and impressive freshman to join them, the Eagles’ potential for a repeat seems, at the very least, highly probable.
The Spectator ● June 26, 2013
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Sports Neil Vyas: A Freshman Phenom continued from page 28
trolled mostly by body weight—a disadvantage for Vyas, who has
Stephanie Chen / The Spectator
a small frame. Despite giving considerable attention to improving his long game, it became apparent that he would excel due to his performance in his short game, hitting shots close to or on the green. However, Vyas feels indifferent about player size in golf. “In a game where a person’s size doesn’t correlate to greatness, being a great short game player gives you a definite edge,” he said. Vyas proved this statement in his first place victory in the Individual City Tournament, sizing up against high schoolers much taller and heavier than him. Vyas admits that physical strength is an advantage in hitting the ball further, although this does not always equate success. However, he still believes that “the best golfers are those who can control their shots and still have a great short game,” he said. “[Driving] is not a weakness in [Vyas’s] game, though, because his greatness in all other areas overshadows this ele-
ment of his game,” Nieves said. Nieves focused on training Vyas’s accuracy off the tee rather than his strength. During his first season, Vyas went 8-0 in all of his matches against the top players of each school. Many of his competitors out-drove him, but Vyas’s short game, putting, and sand play were superior. Vyas is also a very experienced golfer. “[Vyas] is so knowledgeable at this point and has been playing golf for so long that there is nothing I can teach him. At this point, I can only support him and counsel him as to his mindset during the season,” Nieves said. Vyas uses his wide knowledge base to support his teammates, and providing tips and advice during practices. “He’s more experienced than anyone of us on the team,” Fukui said. “It’s always great to have a number one who can offer good advice.” In return, Vyas’s teammates gave him support when he needed it the most: at the Individual City Tournament, playing against the best golf players in the New York City public school system. “I didn’t think I could [win], even though my
teammates thought I had the capability,” Vyas said. Vyas defeated all of his opponents, some three grades older than him, and came back to Stuyvesant with the gold. “We had a lot more fun as a team this year, and it helps to know you’ve got the best golfer in the city playing for you,” sophomore teammate Kenny Zheng said. Although Vyas has already achieved much more than he ever thought he would in his freshman year on the golf team, nothing less is expected from him in the years to come. “He was definitely vital to our success this year,” sophomore and teammate Thomas Perkins said. “It’s also great knowing he’s just going to get better over the next three years.” “It is inevitable, based on his love of golf, skill level, and dedication to the sport,” Nieves said when asked about Vyas’s future improvement. Although Nieves believes that there are players who are on par with Vyas skill-wise, he cannot imagine anyone in the city more dedicated to golf than Vyas.
Third Annual BuildOn Tournament a Swish, Trumps Last Year’s Success continued from page 28
moved up from its third place spot and advanced to the final round. Team Weldon finished with a time of 2:15. In the final round, although both Team Park and Team Moran finished in under a minute, Team Moran (0:36) prevailed over Team Park (0:44) with clutch shots by senior Ian Outhwaite and a winning half-court shot by sophomore Jeffrey Zheng. Although he was once a physical education teacher at the Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, Moran “doesn’t really play basketball,” he said. The second event was the Three-Point Shootout, which tested the skill and accuracy of 12 students, Moran, Chew, and Park. Participants were given 20 balls and one minute to score as many three-pointers as possible. To advance to the next round, participants needed to make at least seven shots. Of the 15 competitors, eight progressed, including sophomore Lev Akabas, senior Thomas
Cui, Park, and Moran. Moran electrified the gym and got the
“It was a wonderful opportunity for the student body to come down here and see something fun.” —Philip Fisher, boys’ basketball coach spectators on their feet when he topped the first round’s field with
a total of 13 points. During the second round, Akabas and Park scored 11 points each, outscoring Moran’s 10 points and advancing to the final round. “I sort of felt bad beating [Moran] because of his strong first round, which brought the house down,” Akabas said. Akabas continued to dominate en route to victory, scoring 14 points and leaving Park in the dust with only three. The second day of the BuildOn tournament consisted solely of the Three-on-Three Tournament. In a thrilling 15-13 final match that closely resembled last year’s championship, the Tomcats, led by Cui, bested Team Curry, led by junior Imtiaz Hssan. After the Tomcats, consisting of Cui and sophomores Konrad Kras, Jeffrey Zheng, and Brian Quang, steamrolled through the first three rounds, including an 11-1 semifinal victory, they were ready for Team Curry, consisting of Hssan, Akabas, and junior Brian Ge. Both Hssan and Akabas were established sharpshooters en-
tering the championship match: Hssan made 13 three-pointers during the Runnin’ Rebels’ regular season, and Akabas won the Three-Pointer Shootout. Team Curry’s big surprise was Ge, who consistently drained three-pointers throughout the tournament, three of which were in the final round. While the game started with a 5-2 lead by the Tomcats, Team Curry turned the game around, using five three-pointers on an 11-2 run to put themselves ahead 13-7. But after the last three-pointer by Hssan, the Tomcats stepped up their defense, and Team Curry never scored another point. “We never gave up,” Cui said. “They’ve still got two more baskets to make. We shut them down the last possessions.” Using screens and a methodical offense, the Tomcats went on a 7-0 run capped by two threepointers by Cui to make the score 14-13, bringing back memories of last year’s championship. Last year, the score was also 14-13 heading to the conclusion, but Cui’s team had been trailing. Cui
had had two opportunities to drain the game-winning threepointer, but missed both and ultimately lost. This year, Ge was given these opportunities. Each time Ge got the ball, the crowd screamed “MVP! MVP!” in hopes of seeing him shoot the game-winner. Ge had a wide-open chance from the corner, but the ball rattled in and out as the crowd went crazy and settled back down. An offensive rebound by Hssan gave Ge another shot to send the crowd into another frenzy, but Ge missed yet again. Cui sank a mid-range jumper to conclude the competition. Regardless of the outcome, fans and coaches alike were glad to see exciting competition among Stuyvesant students. “I was just thrilled by the turnout and the good sportsmanship,” Stuyvesant’s boys’ varsity basketball coach Philip Fisher said. ”It was a wonderful opportunity for the student body to come down here and see something fun.”
Worth The Risk By Gavin Schall The Brooklyn Nets took a risk in hiring Jason Kidd barely a week after he retired. The vast majority of NBA coaches spend years toiling as assistants or as college coaches before they are hired. Even former NBA legends such as Patrick Ewing have to spend time learning the game at a higher level before they are ready for coaching positions. Yet Kidd was hired with absolutely no coaching experience. On the surface, the hire seems extremely counterintuitive for a franchise that has a roster built to win and an owner in Mikhail Prokhorov, who can
definitely afford a more accomplished coach. Despite all that, however, hiring Kidd was an excellent move. The first advantage of hiring Kidd is that, even if he’s an atrocious coach, he’ll be excellent at recruiting top free-agent players. Kidd was one of the most respected players in the league for years and, because he’s so recently removed from playing, will be able to relate to his players in a way other coaches simply won’t. Kidd’s rapport with players, combined with the allure of playing in Brooklyn and Prokhorov’s deep pockets, will make the Nets a sought-out destination for free
agents. Coaching is important in the NBA, but, for the most part, coaches cancel each other out tactically, and what wins games time and time again is talent. If Kidd can bring in talent, the Nets will win. Another upside of bringing in Kidd is his ability to mentor Deron Williams. Whether it’s fair or not, Williams has a reputation for being a coachkiller. That shouldn’t be an issue with Kidd, who Williams considers a close friend. Additionally, Kidd has more experience at the point guard position than nearly anyone else on the planet and will be able to pass down his knowledge
of the position to Williams. Kidd showed he could do that last year, when he mentored Raymond Felton and helped Felton have the best season of his career. He also showed an aptitude for getting through to players when he helped make J.R. Smith more serious about basketball, turning him from a loose cannon (at least for a short stretch) into one of the better scorers in the game. The final reason to hire Kidd is the same reason his detractors hold against him— that he has never coached before. It’s not like many of the “proven” coaches on the open market have had that much
success (with the exception of Lionel Hollins and, potentially, Doc Rivers). There are very few coaches in the NBA who are actually good enough to make a real difference. We don’t know if Kidd will be one of them, but we do know that most of the alternatives are not. Kidd is one of the greatest players of all time, despite being shorter and less athletic than most players. He’s always been a cerebral player and has relied on having a higher basketball IQ than his opponents. If he can transfer that knowledge to coaching (and all the available information says he can), Kidd will make an excellent coach.
June 26, 2013
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The Spectator SpoRts Boys’ Golf
Close Ending To a Dream Season
Neil Vyas: A Freshman Phenom
Courtesy of PSAL
By Louis Susser
Under the guidance of coach Emilio Nieves (far right), the Stuyvesant Eagles, seeded second in this year’s championships, topped the first-seeded team from McKee/Staten Island Tech to win the school’s first-ever boys’ golf crown.
Ever seen sports movies in which the team goes through an emotional, passionate journey that ultimately results in a championship title? Well, the Stuyvesant Eagles’ season couldn’t have been more Hollywood if Spielberg had produced it. After finishing the regular
season 8-0 without dropping a single match to any team, the Eagles stormed into the playoffs as the number-two seed, with a confident outlook on their chances of going all the way. “Confidence is key,” sophomore and #4 Kenny Zheng said. “If you don’t believe and trust what your body can do, your mind will not let your body perform to its maximum ability.” This seemed to be the Ea-
A Mandate to Waste Time By Samuel Fuchs and Chris Kim Principal Jie Zhang is looking to reinstate the Fitnessgram for all grades next year. The Fitnessgram, a test designed by the Department of Education (DOE), determines the body mass indices (BMIs) of students and assesses their fitness levels through various examinations, such as the PACER, pushup, curl-up, and sit-and-reach tests. This physical examination is required for students of all grade levels. Stuyvesant, however, has managed to avoid following this rule. Until now, only freshmen and sophomores were required to take the fitness gram. “Based on how the [DOE] evaluates schools, we’re out of compliance,” Zhang said. “I didn’t know until three days before the due date for evaluations. Every principal should make every effort to be in compliance with the requirements.” Physical education teacher Ronda Rosenthal agrees with Zhang. “We can’t decide on whether or not we implement the Fitnessgram. The Board of Education tells us specific instructions that we as physical education teachers have to follow,” Rosenthal said. Despite the DOE’s mandate for the Fitnessgram’s implementation, many students disagree with Zhang’s decision to enforce this mandate. “Students who are taking specialized physical education classes, such as ballroom, weight training, or lifeguarding, shouldn’t have to take over a week out of their schedules for an exam that is pointless and an utter waste of time,” junior Michael Mazzeo said. “I’d be interested to know why the [DOE] finds it valuable.
I don’t,” sophomore Anne Duncan said. “It’s a hassle to do every year. The Fitnessgram is meaningless to me.” While the exam itself is unpopular among the student population, Zhang sees value in it. “I think the [DOE] has a reason to make everybody go through the test to make sure you’re in certain fitness. I’m not going the extra mile to make you kids take it—it is something, as a principal, I feel obligated to follow,” Zhang said. Physical education teacher Vincent Miller also supports the implementation of the Fitnessgram for all grades. “Students can see how they progress from their freshman year all the way to their senior year,” Miller said. However, the fact that Stuyvesant has not required juniors and seniors to take the Fitnessgram in the past without running into problems implies that the DOE is not strict in enforcing this rule. It is Zhang’s personal decision, not the DOE mandate, that will be reinstating the test at Stuyvesant next year. The Fitnessgram was designed to promote physical activity amongst students, and that goal is noble. But the solution to a lack of physical activity does not lie in an exam. “If we were trying to stay fit, we should be having [physical education] every day, rather than a double science,” Mazzeo said. “Besides, an examination doesn’t help you stay fit—it simply tells you that you’re unfit. Likewise, with exception of a slim minority, nobody takes the exam seriously.” Adhering to the DOE’s mandate might help the school politically, but when efficiency and common sense are taken into consideration, the mandate for the Fitnessgram should be ignored.
gles’ approach to every game of the postseason, demonstrated by their first round, quarterfinal, and semifinal victories with scores of 5-0, 4-1, and 4-1 respectively. In their final match, the Eagles had to tee up against the number-one seed the McKee/Staten Island Tech (MSIT) Seagulls, who also had continued on page 26
continued on page 27
Third Annual BuildOn Tournament a Swish, Trumps Last Year’s Success By Timothy Diep and Annique Wong Although the basketball season had already ended, the third floor gym and atrium were still filled with loud cheers, bouncing basketballs, and squeaky shoes during the last week of classes. For the last time this year, students had the opportunity to enjoy friendly competition on the basketball court at the second annual All-Star Day and the third annual Three-on-Three Basketball Tournament, held on Wednesday, June 5 and Friday, June 7, respectively. The competitions were sponsored by Stuyvesant’s chapter of BuildOn, a charity and community service club, and hosted by a number of its members: seniors Sanam Rahman and Aniqa Tahsin and juniors Madnanul Islam, Tanzib Razzaki, James Chen, and Felicia How. This year, BuildOn will send the profits it received from participants in and spectators of the tournament to the Oklahoma City Tornado Relief and Band Together for Bangladesh fundraisers. The All-Star Day was comprised of two events. Players paid an entry fee of $3 to participate in the Shooting Stars Challenge and the Three-Point Shootout, while spectators paid $2 to watch one event and $3 to watch both. The first event was the Shooting Stars Challenge, which featured four teams, each consisting of two students and one teacher. The teachers participating in the challenge were mathematics teacher David Park, mathematics teacher Glen Chew, Assistant Principal of Safety, Security, and Student Affairs Brian Moran, and
Anne Duncan / The Spectator
By Luke Morales
The best player in New York City in any sport is almost always a senior, which makes it even more impressive when a freshman can reign supreme over athletes up to three years older. But with his first full season coming to a close, freshman golfer Neil Vyas—winner of the Individual City Tournament and the number-one player on the PSAL Championship Stuyvesant Eagles—has already accomplished more than most high school athletes do in four years, and is equipped with enormous talent and potential. Coach Emilio Nieves testifies to Vyas’s ability, feeling strongly that this freshman phenom will only get better in the coming years. Vyas’s passion for golf stems from his drive—no pun intended—for individual success. “Knowing that I can always play better is what drives me to never stop playing,” he said. “One time, after a match that he didn’t do so well in, he played again by himself even after team practice,” junior and teammate Takeshi Fukui said. Vyas’s godfather introduced him to the game when Vyas was only seven years old. With continued support from his immediate family, Vyas was able to follow his initial passion for golf. “My grandfather is a golfer. I started at age seven, and my
godfather introduced me to the sport and I took to it like a duck to water,” Vyas said. As a result of much focused practice throughout the year, Vyas has reaped incredible results. Last summer, he participated in many prestigious golf programs, including the Junior Metropolitan PGA Tour and the First Tee of Metropolitan New York, along with other topranked high school players in New York. The First Tee of Metropolitan New York chapter was founded at Mosholu golf course in 2001, with the intent of teaching core values through the game of golf. These core values include dedication and sportsmanship, and are revealed through Vyas’s respect for the game. “[Vyas’s] dedication to golf and his level of responsibility have solidified [the fact that Vyas respects] these alreadyvalued concepts in my mind,” Nieves said. Vyas continued his success from the summer programs in his freshman year at Stuyvesant High School. Under the instruction of Nieves, Vyas’s skills improved further, demonstrating the makings of a star player. Nieves held winter and spring practices at Chelsea Piers, where Vyas could work on his ability to drive the ball, one of his weaknesses. Driving the ball is con-
Math teacher Glen Chew shoots a three-pointer at the BuildOn All Star Day’s ThreePointer Shootout.
Spanish teacher Robert Weldon. Each team had up to five minutes to make shots from six distinct spots on the court. The two fastest teams advanced to the next and championship round. At first, the championship round was expected to be between Team Park (0:41) and Team
Chew (1:06). However, due to an unaccounted-for start from senior Niyaz Arif, Team Chew redid their first round and ultimately finished with a time of 1:29. Consequently, Team Moran (1:15) continued on page 27