Volume 105, Issue 2

The Spectator

“The Pulse of the Student Body”

The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper

Volume CV No. 2

October 6, 2014

• Former Parent Coordinator Harvey Blumm is now working as a guidance counselor.

Andrew Wong is the new Parent Coordinator.

• Tens of thousands of prodemocracy protesters block Hong Kong streets, maintaining pressure on China as it faces one of its biggest political challenges since the Tiananmen Square crackdown 25 years ago.

• Substance Prevention and Recreational Knowledge, SPARK, named this week Smile Week in an effort to address the issue of depression at Stuyvesant.

• A survey was given to freshmen asking how they feel about the lower cutoff score for minorities taking the Specialized High School Admissions Test.

• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed on September 30th that a Dallas patient had been diagnosed with Ebola, making it the first case of Ebola to be confirmed in the United States.

• Speech and Debate competed at the Yale Invitational, and the Speech team ranked fourth overall.

• The Borough of Manhattan Community College experienced a false alarm for a gas leak. Students at Stuyvesant were not allowed to exit the building until the situation was deemed safe.

Through the Lens of the School Budget: Transparency at Stuyvesant

By Tina Jiang and Ariel Levy With the start of each school year comes a transition into a new school budget. The Department of Education (DOE) allocated a grand total of S18, 281,632 to Stuyvesant High School in the 2013-2014 school year. Below is a breakdown of this budget.

DOE ALLOCATION FORMULA The DOE allocates funds to each public school based on “The Fair Student Funding Formula.” Every school receives an underlying amount of money for each student, based on the number of students and their needs. These funds are supplemented through several special categories, including Academic Intervention for students performing below average and struggling to graduate; English Language Learner for students still learning English as a second language; Special Education Services for students with disabilities; and Portfolio for students receiving a specific career or technical education.

Stuyvesant receives S4,245.83 as a base rate for each of its 3,291

enrolled students, for a total of $13,951,781. While Stuyvesant does not receive Academic Intervention or Special Education Services funding, it does receive $8,249 for English Language Learners, and $3,384,955 in Specialized Academic funding. The DOE requires Stuyvesant to use this money specifically for these programs.

DIVISIONS OF THE BUDGET The school budget can be broken down into two main components: Personnel costs and tax levy.

Division 1-Personnel Costs Personnel costs consist of the salaries of administrators and faculty. $16,530,030, or 90.4 percent, of the total DOE budget is designated for personnel costs. A very rigid formula is used for personnel costs, allowing minimal, if any, room for improvisation.

The salaries of administrators amount to $1,405,226. Principal Jie Zhang receives $150,926, the highest salary in the school.

The rest of the personnel budget is used to pay faculty salaries. This costs the school $15,124,804 annually, represent-

Graphic on Page 2

Justin Strauss / The Spectator

Technical Vandalism

By Sharon Lin An incident of vandalism recently occurred near the Stuyvesant first floor stagecraft room by the backstage entrance to the theater. Spraypainted across a section of the floor was a message reading “Art Crew.” The brick wall on the outside of the Stuyvesant building had another message that read “August.” Both messages were relatively small, but nonetheless clearly visible.

Features

The painted words were discovered on Tuesday, September 16 by an administrator, who promptly notified the custodial staff. Although no students were incriminated, an investigation immediately ensued, led by Assistant Principal of Security and Student Affairs and Assistant Principal of Health and Physical Education Brian Moran.

The administration declined to reveal details about the perpetrator of the crime, although they assured that there would Article on page 8.

12 Months of Freedom What happens after graduating from Stuyvesant? The answer isn’t always college, as proven by a couple of graduates who are taking gap years before re-entering the school scene. Read this feature on page 8.

be disciplinary action taken to prevent such an incident from ever occurring again. “Suspension is definitely possibly for [an action] like this,” Moran said. “Expulsion, not so much.”

Head Custodial Engineer Fred Arnibold sent his staff over to the stagecraft room on Thursday, September 18, to wash the paint off of the floor and wall.

“I’m not sure who did it or why—all I know is we received a call to clean up the area,” Arnibold said. The cleanup was finished within a day, with few traces left from the incident.

On the day the vandalism occurred, it was discovered that the door leading into the school building was left ajar. In addition, the stagecraft room was left open, allowing anyone with knowledge of the room to enter and steal equipment. The art cabinet, a metal cabinet used to store paints and other art equipment (including spray cans) for use when designing sets for various school productions, is located near the front of room.

Before this incident, the continued on page 2

“The Dumbest Person In The Room”

Eva I / The Spectator

Newsbeat

stuyspec.com

Math teacher Jim Cocoros tells a funny personal story that relates to the sum and difference formulas to his AP Calculus class.

continued on page 6

Stuyvesant’s School Survey Results

By Sharon Chao and Jan Wojcik

The New York City (NYC) School Survey is an annual questionnaire given to every student, parent, and teacher from grades 6-12 several weeks before spring break. The survey debuted in 2007, when the NYC Department of Education (DOE) wanted student and parent input about schools in order to create an overall perspective of a school’s environment and curriculum.

The questions are sorted into four categories: Instructional Core, Systems for Improvement, School Culture, and questions reported for informational purposes only.

“Instructional Core” centers around the school’s curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices. Students were asked how much they agreed with statements like: “Most of the teaching staff at my school help me approach challenges by suggesting new strategies that I can use.” continued on page 3

Reevaluating Teacher Evaluations

By David Mascio and Gabriel Rosen

All students know who their best teachers are. Opinions on teacher quality have powered class choices and websites like RateMyTeachers for years. Yet these opinions have never had a bearing on New York City’s Department of Education (DOE) teacher evaluations. Starting this year, however, the DOE will be piloting the use of student surveys as part of a new teacher evaluation system.

Two years ago, the DOE retired the “S/U” teacher evaluation system. Under the old system, an administrator would critique a teacher and then assign him or her a grade: satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U).

“It was a long-standing practice. I think the difference at Stuy was that historically, an extreme majority of teachers would receive a satisfactory rating. It was very hard to differentiate between a minimally satisfactory teacher and an outstanding teacher,” Principal Jie Zhang said when asked how effective the old system was for Stuyvesant.

Playlist on page 20.

The passage of a state education law, 3012-c, in 2010 laid the groundwork for an overhaul of the “S/U” system. Replacing this system is a new evaluative program that will measure teachers based not only on their classroom work, but also on the performance of their students, and, tentatively, the opinions of their students.

Under this new system, teachers will be rated on a fourlevel scale: ineffective, developing, effective, and highly effective. 60 percent of the score will come from teaching evaluations, and the other 40 percent from city and state measurements of student skills.

A portion of the scores derived from teaching evaluations will include the opinions of students through the use of student surveys. Surveys will only be used for students and teachers in grades 3-12. The DOE plans to test one student survey type, known as the Tripod system, this spring. The Tripod student survey, developed by Harvard researchers, is grounded in a continued on page 2

A&E Teacher’s Picks

Check out this issue’s playlist on page 20, which features a number of favorite songs from iconic Stuyvesant teachers.

The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Page 2

News Through the Lens of the School Budget: Transparency at Stuyvesant continued from page 1

ing 82.7 percent of the budget.

Division 2-Tax Levy The tax levy portion accounts for $1,751,602, or 9.6 percent, of the total budget.

Tax levy can be divided into three main parts: Per Diem, Per Session, and Other Than Personnel Services (OTPS).

Per Diem is the money used to pay substitute teachers who cover for full time teachers throughout the day, totaling $304,441 or 1.7 percent of the budget.

Per Session is the money used to pay teachers for afterschool work. For example, if the Speech and Debate team goes on a trip, the teacher who chaperones receives overtime for working on Friday after school and for working on Saturday.

This amounts to $348,842, or 1.9 percent of the budget.

OTPS is the part of tax levy that is used to buy the necessary materials not included in the restricted funding—essentially anything that doesn’t involve paying individual salaries.

Costs include internet service, laptops, paper, and printers.

This figure comes to $745,481, or 4.1 percent of the budget.

OVERTIME Overtime is measured by hours. Teachers earn $44 per hour for overtime work. Some jobs in which teachers are paid for their overtime work include Academic Intervention Services (AIS) tutoring and work as the Coordinator of Student Affairs (COSA), a position that is currently unfilled.

FIRING AND HIRING TEACHERS With such a meticulous budget, the decisions surrounding the hiring of teachers and the addition or removal of classes can be complicated.

During Zhang’s time at Stuyvesant, she has never asked a teacher to leave the school due to the constraints of the budget. However, when a teacher or faculty member retires, Zhang, along with the department chairs, takes advantage

of the situation in order to reweigh the school’s priorities.

One particularly controversial decision regarding teacher salaries occurred when Assistant Principal (AP) of Security and Student Affairs and AP of Physical Education Brian Moran was hired. When Zhang first hired Moran out of perceived necessity, she increased spending on the administration. “It went against my usual way of putting money back into the classroom, but I needed time to fix it,” Zhang said. When former AP of Physical Education Larry Barth retired at the end of the 2013-2014 school year, Zhang saw an opportunity to eliminate the original deficit by asking Moran to fill the position at no additional cost.

THE GENERAL FUND Funds generated for the school outside of the designated DOE budget are collected in the General Fund, which is managed by school treasurer Bonnie Pizzarelli. The General Fund can legally only be used for students.

“For example, I can pay a teacher to go to a conference with [money from the General Fund] because they will end up teaching students more effectively, but I cannot buy them lunch,” Zhang said. Most General Fund money contributes to the price of student activities, including the Stuyvesant Student Union (SU) and school field trip costs for reduced fee lunch students.

SU The SU uses separate fundraising to raise money for the General Fund, including the selling of Stuyvesant apparel and SING! tickets. Under the jurisdiction of the COSA, about half of the profits from SING! are assigned to club funding and half are reserved for next year’s SING! Selling of school locks also contributes to SU funds. While locks cost a little over 13 dollars, they are sold to students for the rounded price of 14 dollars, generating a profit of several cents for each locker purchase. “Over the years we generate some kind of surplus that is all going back to the students,” Zhang said.

Technical Vandalism

PA The Stuyvesant Parent Association (PA) is another organization that contributes to the General Fund. Each year, the PA appropriation committee allocates money generated through fundraising to the General Fund with specific guidelines for its purpose. For example, PA funds could go towards paying for teacher training or for new technology. Last year, PA funding purchased two class sets of iPads for the school.

Teachers can directly request funding for specific projects from the PA appropriation committee. For example, Social Studies teacher Matthew Polazzo receives PA support for a class-wide subscription to The Economist, a Britishbased political analysis magazine. Additionally, the PA can contribute additional funds to areas already supported by the DOE, like purchasing of textbooks or hiring new teachers.

The PA is technically allowed to help pay the costs of hiring a new teacher. However, this is not a common practice, because a teacher’s salary is annual. If the PA did not have enough money to pay that teacher’s salary one year, the teacher would have to be fired. As a result, Zhang generally asks the PA to help with non-recurring costs that the DOE cannot pay.

TITLE I FUNDING Schools with 60 percent enrollment of free lunch students qualify for Title I funding, which is an additional 1,000 dollars per free lunch student. Stuyvesant, with a population of 40 percent free lunch students, was eligible for Title I funding one year when the percentage cutoff was lowered, but no longer qualifies.

LOOKING FORWARD Stuyvesant’s budget is especially tight, even compared to other schools with the same student population. “In other schools with the same enrollment, their students don’t take nine or ten periods. That is why we are very thin outside the classrooms, because we hire many more teachers than schools with

Anne Duncan / The Spectator

stagecraft room was sometimes left unlocked for the convenience of the students using it.

The door has been locked since the vandalism occurred. Now, students must have supervision before entering and using the room for after-school Art Crew and Tech Crew sessions.

While vandalism of desks is a common violation among Stuyvesant students, something of this caliber is reported much less frequently. In this case, there was little damage done besides the inconve-

niencing of the custodial staff.

“It’s such a shame that anyone would think of defacing our property,” Moran said. “After all, the students here are so lucky to have a nice building [like Stuyvesant], and the last thing on their mind should be vandalism.”

While the stagecraft room is known for its walls covered in quotes and painted signs, the spray paint was still considered an act of graffiti that cannot be condoned. “We can only hope that this doesn’t ever happen again,” Moran said. “Once we catch the student, there will definitely be consequences.”

Tax Levy 9.6%

Personnel Costs 90.4%

Personnel Extension Administration

7.7%

Parent Coordinator

0.3%

Secretaries

3.4%

Arts

1.3%

English

9.5%

Language

7.2%

Health

1.3%

Physical Education and Athletics

44.0%

Library

0.9%

Math

13.6%

Music

1.3%

Science

14.8%

Social Studies

9.9%

Technology

3.1%

Vocation

0.9%

SAPIS (Substance Abuse Prevention)

0.4%

Guidance

6.4%

Paraprofessionals

0.6%

Social Aids and Other Support Staff

3.9%

Tax Levy Extention Per Diem

1.7%

Per Session

1.9%

OTPS (Other Than Personal Services)

4.1%

People Working Partial Year

1.3%

Setasides

0.3%

Reevaluating Teacher Evaluations continued from page 1

continued from page 1

similar numbers,” Zhang said.

However, due to the retirement of fifteen teachers at the end of the 2013-2014 school year, this year’s budget has more flexibility. Even though many, but not all, of those teachers were replaced, teacher salary is based on experience. Therefore the new hires will receive a lower salary than the nowretired faculty members, opening up a larger portion of our budget to the tax levy portion.

These adjustments will result in a less constricted budget and provide more opportunities for diverse allocations of funds.

framework that emphasizes the “7 C’s” of teaching: care, control, clarify, challenge, captivate, confer, and consolidate. Other student survey types will be tested in select schools this fall.

The main goal of these surveys is to ask students how much they agree with statements such as “My teacher wants us to use our thinking skills, not just memorize.” These survey results will not be used for scoring until the next school year at the earliest.

The city teachers’ union and the DOE are planning to discuss the value of student surveys at the end of this school year, and determine how much weight student opinions will have on teacher evaluations. If the organizations do not reach an agreement by this deadline, student surveys will automatically count as 5% of the evaluation score.

In contrast to this new system, the “S/U” system was based solely on observations of in-class teaching techniques. “The old system was a narrative; you discussed the teacher’s work and then rated them. The new system is more scientific,” Zhang said.

Although billed as an effective new tool for gauging teacher effec-

tiveness, students such as senior Sungwoo Park expressed doubts about the need for student surveys. “I don’t think they will make much of a difference because there will always be good and bad teachers, and evaluations should pick up on that without students giving their opinions,” Park said.

Supporters of the new system, such as senior Marielle de Leon, shared a different perspective. “I am hopeful for the new system because I have been here almost four years already and I know that no matter what system is in place, our teachers will do the best that they can to teach us, which will be seen in any evaluation system used,” Leon said.

The 60 percent of teachers’ grade that measures classroom effectiveness currently allows teachers choices between four distinct evaluation options. Each offers a different mix of formal observations and informal observations by school administrators, along with visits by colleagues.

During observations, evaluators report on various components of the teachers’ skills, such as how they manage student behavior, or engage students in the material. Evaluators are required to not only report their information for use in the DOE’s evaluation

data organizer, Advance, but also contact the teachers and let them know how they can improve.

The 40 percent that measures student performance, known as “Measures of Student Learning,” is divided in half, with 20 percent from state measurement options and 20 percent from city measurement options. Within each portion, there is significant leeway. For example, principals and committees can choose between different models of student skill growth for measurement.

The city’s commitment to move forward with this new evaluative system was reaffirmed by DOE Chancellor Carmen Fariña in a letter to teachers dated September 12, which emphasized the value of the new system in improving instruction. “To support our students in meeting [the higher standards of the Common Core], we must support teachers in continuously developing their instructional practice over time [through evaluations],” Fariña said.

Whether or not the new system will accomplish Fariña’s goal is still unknown. “It remains to be seen whether this new process will turn out better than the old one,” Social Worker John Mui said.

The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Page 3

News Stuyvesant’s School Survey Results continued from page 1

“Systems for Improvement” incorporates thoughts about how school resources are used for improvement. Teachers were asked how much they agreed with the statement: “School leaders give me regular and helpful feedback about my teaching.”

“School Culture” discusses the learning environment, which includes how well the parents and the school communicate, despite any language barriers, and how much the principal encourages open communication among the staff.

The 2014 School Survey results are shown below. The first chart shows the overall percent satisfaction among all students, teachers and parents for each category of the survey. The second chart provides the average of each group surveyed.

Senior Angelika Amog disliked the multiple-choice format of the School Survey. “Stuyvesant is so huge and complex that I can’t put everything down as number from 1 to 5,” Amog

said. “I don’t think these surveys are filled out honestly because of the mindset that even if even if [a student] says something, nothing will change,” Amog said.

In her perspective, this caused the lower-than-average scores.

Principal Jie Zhang attributed Stuyvesant’s subpar scores in part to misleading questions.

One specific question of the School Survey, directed toward teachers, asked how much the principal knew about what was going on in the classroom. According to Zhang, if the question was interpreted word for word, then the reply would mainly be negative. In a school as large as Stuyvesant, it would be impossible for Zhang to know everything in each room. “The question itself may be oriented more towards a small school. Depending on your understanding, that can give [the school] a low mark,” Zhang said.

Contrary to popular belief, the results of or number of people who complete the School Survey do not in any way contribute to funding. However, up until two years ago under Chancellor

Dennis Walcott, the results of the School Survey were a factor in the letter grade Stuyvesant received for the School Environment section in the NYC School Progress Report. Since Chancellor Carmin Fariña and the de Blasio administration entered office, the letter grade system of the Progress Report was removed. As of now, it is unclear what the results of the School Survey will be used for.

Despite Zhang’s explanations for Stuyvesant’s scores, she still wishes to see what Stuyvesant was behind in. To do so, she has created a list of all the questions from the 2013-14 School Survey that had less than 80 percent positive response.

Numerous questions on the list had ambiguous meanings.

Stuyvesant may have had less than exemplary showings on the school survey, but this does not represent the school as a whole. The school survey is only a tool used by school leaders and city officials alike to assess how students, teachers, and parents currently view the school and see what can be improved.

New Teacher Contract Adds After School Time for Teachers

By Sharon Lin and Vanna Mavromatis

The New York City Department of Education recently mandated uninterrupted staff development each week for high schools around the city. Beginning September 29, 2014, teachers will be required to meet every Monday afternoon for 80 minutes.

New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña added this meeting time to the new teacher contract, which was accepted by teachers in June 2014. She hopes it will uplift the current state of public education. “I hold professional development dear to everything I believe in,” Fariña said in an interview for the publication Capital New York. Though mandatory, the allotment is rather flexible, and it is up to each individual school to determine how to spend it. Different schools across the city have been proposing ideas for what they might be able to do with this time, such as scheduling teacher-led workshops, visiting other schools, watching videotaped lessons, and developing lesson plans for technology integration in the classroom. “[On] Monday [t]here is an 80-minute block of time imme-

diately following the school day that will be used for Professional Development. If less than the entire 80 minutes is used for Professional Development on a given day, the remaining time will be used for Other Professional Work,” the United Federation of Teachers said on its website.

Some teachers are optimistic about the added time, hoping that it will help them to improve their lessons. “I like it, I think it’s a great idea,” Italian teacher Pasqua Rocchio said. “I’m using this time to work with the Spanish and Latin teachers. We hope to be able to create a lesson plan on the Aqueducts. I also hope to be able to plan a poetry recital.”

But not all teachers are as excited about the added time.

“I think it’s pointless,” Physical Education teacher Howard Barbin said. “These ideas might seem great in theory, but they’re really just another idea the education department’s trying to force onto the teachers. It’s really just a burden.”

Fariña’s initial idea was to create a program that could cater to each school, and to allow teachers to learn from each other. While there is not a prescribed way in which the time must be used, certain restrictions have been put in

No

(145)

Yes

(190)

By The Spectator News Department In tandem with the staff editorial, this poll was conducted to guage student opinions about mathematics and the way it is taught at Stuyvesant. 335 random students responded to the poll. Their responses are shown below.

Which better describes your view of mathematics?

Artistic/ Creative (71) Formulaic (264)

If Stuyvesant offered more math electives, would you take them?

place. The sessions encourage inter-department cooperation, and do not allow teachers of the same department to meet alone, for example, which Assistant Principal of English Eric Grossman believes is a loss to the school. “I think the idea that they had for staff development is good, but the way that it’s implemented is the real problem.

For instance, departments won’t be meeting as full departments.

I might sit on a round table with the other English teachers two or three times in an entire year.”

The real problem to some at Stuyvesant may not be the added time itself, but the unique circumstances of the place in which it is being implemented.

Barbin agreed that the idea might be better for students at other schools. “The students here are so motivated that they can really handle a lot, which is why something like this is pretty unnecessary,” he said.

But Fariña remains confident that, when viewed holistically, additional time for teachers to prepare can only improve the overall quality of education. “If you help teachers better their practice, students will be more successful in the classroom,” she said in an interview for New York education news source Chalkbeat.

Do you believe the math teachers at Stuyvesant are effective in engaging students?

Issue 2 Poll

No

Yes

(199)

(136)

Do you find explanations of the proofs behind mathematical concepts engaging?

No

Yes

(150)

(185)

Do you have a clear idea of the real world applications of mathematics?

No

(161)

Yes

(174)

The Spectator â—? October 6, 2014

Page 4

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The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Page 5

Features A Timeline of Wacky Clubs and Pubs

by Lisa Shi It’s two in the morning, and for Stuyvesant students that indicates many different things. For one student, the smell of fresh chocolate cupcakes wafts from her kitchen and she abandons her history assignment to nibble on a snack. Another student glares at the computer parts on the floor and turns his gaze towards a semi-mobile robot that has, for the past three hours, fallen apart. All of these students are connected in one way— their totally wacky extracurriculars.

Pink Lemon

Confectionary Delights

As expected in a school with multiple clubs pertaining to Asian pop music, idols and anime/manga, Stuyvesant was also once home to a unique club called Pink Lemon. Danny Peng (‘10) is a former member of this club, which focused on a specific subset of J-Rock (Japanese Rock) called Visual Kei. The club’s goal was “to spread the knowledge of the music Visual Kei and to discover all the different styles of Visual Kei music,” Peng explained. Visual Kei music has also inspired a street fashion with the same name. “It wasn’t a fashion club, but a J-rock club,” Peng clarified. He had never gone out to research the fashion, but one of his fellow club members had. He recalled “walking into the club room and seeing [a club member] with crazy dyed hair and lots of chains.” It was a startling sight, so much that the student was pulled away by a teacher to discuss her fashion choices.

The club meetings themselves were rather ordinary. Pink Lemon met once a week and most meetings consisted of “mostly watching music videos and [eating] potato chips.” However, a closer look revealed how strange some aspects of the club were.

“I remember there was one video where the singer hurled his intestines on stage,” Peng grimaced. “It wasn’t uncommon for Visual Kei music videos, but this one was really graphic.” Another strange part of the videos was the amount of cross-dressing involved. “I thought it was kind of cool,” said Peng. “Most bands here [in America] don’t do that but it’s really popular over there [Japan].” Despite not being a fashion club, Pink Lemon had tried to construct their own flashy outfits to imitate the singers, even making trips to local fabric stores at one point. “None of us knew how to sew, so it turned out pretty horrible,” Peng laughed. “It was fun and we learned a lot about how hard it was to make their clothes, but I still don’t how a thing about sewing!” After graduating Peng has pretty much left the Visual Kei scene, but he admits to occasionally checking up on the popular music groups in Japan. The club ended with his graduation.

As suggested by its name, Confectionary Delights, this club was centered on baking, but members only made vegan goods. “I’m not a vegan,” said Natasha Andiz (‘10).

“Never was, still not. But vegan food is delicious.” The club met once every two weeks on a Friday, and each meeting had a few members bringing in homemade baked goods. “I looked forward to Fridays, partially for the weekend, but mostly for the food,” Andiz laughed. Andiz remembers one time when vegan Oreo brownies were brought into the club. Andiz explained that sometimes after eating, the leaders of the club would share recipes and explain certain steps, “but vegan food crumbles, so we ended up creating a mess!” This is because vegan food doesn’t use eggs, which is an important binder for baked goods. Instead, the club tried to use alternative methods for binding their baked goods, like “cornmeal, extra flour and vegan ‘fake’ egg whites.”

“We had a girl who couldn’t get her cake to rise because it included vegan flour. The club came together to give tips to that girl, and before we knew it hours had passed by.” Andiz had tough situations of her own, ranging from burnt cookies to deflated cupcakes. On one of her turns to cook for the club, she made brownies and cakes. “It was fun, but it wasn’t as good as eating other people’s [cooking]!” laughed Andiz. “Once we had a girl bring in a loaf of gluten-free bread. My friend, who couldn’t normally eat bread, ate almost half the loaf.” Andiz had tried for gluten-free products before, but found it difficult to ensure all her meals were gluten-free. But this was one of the positives of the club— allowing people with different menus to come together and taste delicious foods. “I wouldn’t say I’m a health food junkie, but people need to realize healthy food can be fun, yummy food!” exclaimed Andiz. Her particular favorite healthy snack was introduced to her by a fellow club member: gluten-free chocolate cupcakes.

Unfortunately Confectionary Delights no longer exists, and upon hearing this, Andiz seemed downcast. “It wasn’t a huge club, but the meetings were fun, and who doesn’t like free food?” she mumbled. Andiz continues to keep in touch with several of the old members. “We don’t all live in New York anymore, but we met up last summer,” Andiz expanded. “It was a ‘bake-off’ and felt like old times.” She enjoys the emphasis on eating healthier food for today’s youth and expressed hope for someone in Stuyvesant to create another club with the same goals as Confectionary Delights. “More and more people like healthy foods,” she commented. “Why not make a fun health club in Stuyvesant?”

Fission and Fusion

Alisa Su / The Spectator

Almost everyone in Stuyvesant has heard of the robotics team with their trophy case and their constant victories. But the Stuyvesant FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics team Fission and Fusion is wacky in its own way, in that the members “volunteer to be put in wheelchairs,” said Kyle Hom (‘10), a member of the team. The members aren’t literally put in wheelchairs, of course, but the team is “severely limited by the design kits, materials, and [technology] we’re allowed to use. The rules force us to use only two types of building materials (TETRIX and 80/20), one controller, one programming language, and a pre-assigned list of approved electronics.” As Hom explained, the team meets once a week until four months before the competition; in this time students must build two robots and compete with them against other schools. The team essentially allows themselves to be banned from using the wide variety of technology that most people take for granted today. “It’s like playing basketball, except you’re not Bryant or Jordan. You’re the kid down the block, strapped to a wheelchair,” Hom said.

Hom recalls his final tournament in 2010, when the team prepared 10 hours before the actual competition with a robot which he thought was going to be award-winning.

“Come competition, our robot didn’t work. We had no idea why. All the mechanics were good, all the electronics were good. The programs were fine. We had to submit a failed robot to every match,” Hom recalled. As he later discovered, a Bluetooth wave the competition used that kept dropping was the reason for their failure. “You can imagine our disappointment,” Hom said, but things looked up when he “found out later that we had won the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award. This award is given to the robot that was the best (and the most innovative) in design in every aspect,” he said. Being the designer of the robot that year, Hom felt proud and exhilarated at this victory. It was an extraordinary win for him, especially since, “starting off, [he] was just a wrench monkey, and then by the grace of God [he] became Director of Strategy and Design during senior year.”

Now, years later, Hom continues to live on with this experience. “Some of my best friends are from that team. There’s a real value in building something with people who are just as passionate about it as you are,” said Hom nostalgically. He is still a member of the team today, as he mentors entering members of the team and teaches others about tricks that he learned during his time. In fact, the team had such a presence in his high school life that he changed his career direction for it. “ I was planning to apply to Columbia College and pursue a law track, but I shifted into the Mechanical Engineering program. My masters is in Robotics and Control Systems,” Hom said. His decision to switch majors has landed him in Philips Research NA on medical robots for minimally invasive surgery, a job that severely restricts what he can do. “My team taught me the patience to handle those limitations, and the innovation to find solutions for them,” Hom said. And as an incentive to those in Stuyvesant who may be interested, he added: “Fun fact: 25% of our alums are in the top 10 engineering schools.” Fission and Fusion may not sound like the easiest club to participate in, but as Hom sees it, it’s a club that changes people’s lives.

Cyclopaths The Cyclopaths, a team dating back to the 1920s, is a club that was focused on cycling or biking. The team became very large very fast, with a variety of both students and teachers participating. Students of all levels of experience were allowed in, and the team soon became big and determined. An especially ambitious action of the team was to build the first cyclotron of a United States high school, though it resulted in a failure. Nevertheless, the team continued on with an ambitious streak. Even the late Richard Geller was a fan of the club. An avid cyclist himself, he often joined the team on their trips.

As the New York Press revealed on January 22, 2014, the club planned their trips through the NYC Five Boro Bike Tour in honor of Geller. The trips consisted of groups of students with a few teachers, and their trip would, as the advertisement said, lead them through all five boroughs with thousands of other enthusiastic cyclists. New members of the club who did not know how to bike would be given free education lessons concerning riding safely and becoming confident on the bike. But at the very beginning of the club, their trips consisted of Sunday trips to Coney Island, Sing Sing, Pelham, Rockaway and Rye beaches. Some of these trips include camping. The Cyclopaths also tried to establish a High School Bicycle League and gain PSAL status. While they were successful in gaining PSAL status, they failed to establish the Bicycle League.

The team appeared to have a major role in Stuyvesant’s past. Similar to other teams and clubs, the Cyclopaths were competitive and had several members compete in triathlons, a three stage competition; these triathlons mentioned had three segments: swimming, running and cycling. Like the other trips to their camping locations, the triathlons were held far from the city, which was no problem for a team that loved to bike.

Other than these marathons, members competed in smaller races between themselves and other high school teams in the borough. Although the Cyclopaths had a note-worthy past, the team no longer exists. But its enthusiastic personality and determination lives on in Stuyvesant’s wide variety of teams.

The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Page 6

Features

By Scott Ma “He’s in law school, he’s at NYU, he’s getting a PhD in Physics, he works at some fancy investment bank, he works in computer science,” said math teacher Jim Cocoros as he pointed at a collage of photos of him standing next to various members of the graduating class of 2010. This collage is stapled onto a cabinet in the back of his classroom.

Cocoros continued to identify the students pictured. “He works for the [National Security Agency]. I love the fact that Yevgeniy Rudoy, born in Moscow, works for the NSA. Thank God he’s on our side,” Cocoros explained.

The photo collages aren’t the only factor that distinguishes Cocoros’ classroom from any other room in the building. The walls are also covered with felt banners from nearly every college in the country, each sporting the names of alumni who have gone off to those respective universities.

On top of the cabinets in the side of the classroom sit large stuffed animals and tall math team trophies. On his desk lies a portable speaker for his iPod. Last week, Cocoros played Bach’s Harpischord Concerto in A Minor for his eighth period Precalculus class, calling it the very manifestation of the Stuyvesant student body. The class listened to the song while copying down the lesson’s aim, which was “Super Fun Practice!!”

Music plays a large role in Cocoros’ life. In fact, if you saw him walking around the school, he would probably be wearing a large pair of headphones, either on his head as he listens to music or around his neck as he speaks to a student. Cocoros has

“The Dumbest Person In The Room”

loved music since his childhood in a Baltimore suburb. The arts were prevalent in his family; as he grew up, his mother pursued a degree in Art History, his sister practiced her viola, and Cocoros himself played the oboe and developed an appreciation for the fine arts. “Its ability to set an atmosphere or set a tone is really nice. Even as I went through life, I always tied music into what I was doing,” Cocoros said.

In school, Cocoros was a talented student, but had what his teachers viewed as an inability to follow directions. As a result, he spent much of elementary school in the remedial group.

He sees the largest turning point in his life as the day his mother graduated from college. “Seeing what she worked for, seeing what she went through to finish her degree, helped me set goals for myself and what I wanted to do and what I wanted to accomplish,” he said.

Academically, math came naturally to Cocoros. When tutoring his peers in high school, he discovered that he enjoyed learning mathematics far less than he enjoyed teaching it. He was never sure exactly what he wanted to pursue, but ended up settling on engineering. “I was good at math and I was good at science, so I decided to apply for engineering,” he said.

Cocoros applied early to Cornell University, a school six hours from home, and was accepted. “I remember when [my parents] got in the car to drive away,” Cocoros said. “I ran after the car trying to say one last goodbye, but they didn’t see me and drove off. That’s when it really hit me.”

For Cocoros, the true value of his time at Cornell was not academics, but self-discovery. “I realized I wanted to be the sort

of dorky, mathy guy,” he said. He also made friends with those he lived with. “The dorm I was in freshman year was where I met my wife Helen. We started dating in November, a couple of months into college, and we’ve been together ever since,” Cocoros said.

Despite his undergraduate degree in engineering, Cocoros decided to study law at the University of Chicago postgraduation. Both his father and his uncle had studied law, and at Cornell, he was a very successful member of the debate team. Most significantly, however, Cocoros noted that, “when I looked back at my transcript from my time at Cornell, I found that there was a whole chunk of me that wasn’t developed: the philosophy and humanities side,” he said. “I thought that law school would fill that void.”

To some extent, it did. Classes like Roman Law and Development of Legal Institutions piqued his interest, but in the end, he found law school slightly unsatisfying.

Unsurprisingly, Cocoros ended up spending as much time as he could at the school’s art institute.

After spending two years working in law, Cocoros decided that the profession wasn’t quite his thing. He decided to throw his career to the winds and try something new. “When I look back, my most enjoyable experiences in life were helping someone figure out math problems,” he said. “At the time they were so desperate for math teachers, [the Board of Education] didn’t mind that I didn’t have credentials,” he said. “So I got a gig at Sheepshead Bay High School.”

Cocoros’s first experience teaching was in the March of 1999, with five Repeater Algebra classes—filled with students

who had failed Algebra I. “That was my start to teaching, and I loved it. I never looked back. I loved it from day one,” he said.

One student, Eustace Straker, had Cocoros for five consecutive terms. “Kids will ask me ‘Who are the kids you remember?’ and they expect me to say the Adam Sealfons,” Cocoros told me, referencing Sealfon (’09) who got a 2400 on the SAT, became an Intel finalist, and was a valedictorian.

“I love those kids, but Eustace [made] his way through the courses, earning the hard 70s— really took a lot of effort to get a 70 in the class—but he did, and he took great pride in it.”

Cocoros first got onto Stuyvesant’s radar when he restarted the Sheepshead Bay High School math team. “It started with five kids who would come in before school. It then became a group.

Eventually, it became a class,” he said. He later gave a presentation at a meeting in which Stuyvesant’s head of mathematics, Danny Jaye, was present.

Cocoros was invited to work at a summer program at City College run by Jaye, and eventually came to teach at Stuyvesant.

Since his arrival, Cocoros has taught Honors Precalculus 11 times and AP Calculus BC 10 times. He not only remembers every student he’s taught, but often keeps in touch with them well after they graduate. “They’ll send a Facebook message or whatever about where they are, how they’re doing,” he said.

Looking back at his life, Cocoros has no regrets. “I’ve been blessed to be the dumbest person in the room for my whole life,” Cocoros said. “Cornell was packed with talent, Chicago was packed with talent, and being here, the students and teachers, it’s one talented person after another.”

And Cocoros has stories about each of the talented people who were lucky enough to cross his path. I asked Cocoros about a picture of a senior holding a giant photograph of him.

“I guess he got it from [my wife] Helen. He got an old picture of me before I donated my hair,” Cocoros told me. “I came in from Christmas break and in front of the classroom is this life-sized cutout of me that he gave as a present.”

This is just one of the many stories that are often told in Cocoros’s classroom. A lot of his stories are about his young daughter, Clio, and he incorporates them into his lessons and problems. Cocoros uses everything from amusing stories to 1970s rock music to helpful acronyms and songs to help his students understand math concepts.

It’s also become tradition for seniors to give Cocoros their college t-shirts, resulting in an impressive collection of what Cocoros claims is enough shirts to clothe a small country. I asked him if he remembered the person who gave him Dartmouth apparel he was wearing that day.

“Jamila Ma, 2008,” Cocoros said, smiling. “She was the head of the [Student Union] and really wanted to go to Harvard.”

I asked about the lone name on the Haverford banner: TAHA ‘10. “He went there and absolutely loved it. Got involved in the student government there, kind of made the experience his own,” Cocoros replied almost intuitively. It was almost as if someone had just asked him what one plus one was, or who wrote the Toccata and Fugue in D minor.

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The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Page 7

Features

Justin Strauss / The Spectator

Robotics’ Not So Robotic Names

By Michelle Chan I knew that we had a robotics team. I knew that they usually took over the 4th floor after school. I knew that they made robots.

What I didn’t know was how these robots were named. The robotics team wouldn’t refer to their dear robots as “it.”

But before we get to the names, here is some background information. Stuyvesant’s robotics team, StuyPulse, has two divisions: FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition Robots (FRC) and FIRST Tech Challenge Robots (FTC). Both teams create different robots each year and name their robots differently.

Every year, the organizers of FIRST Robotics competitions create different games or challenges for competitors’ robots to complete. Each team builds a robot that is controlled by a joystick and accomplishes such challenges. FRC deals with creating larger robots and is funded by DE Shaw, which is a major global funding investment firm. These are the names of some FRC robots: DESiree: built in 2013 The task that year was to build a robot that would be able to shoot Frisbees. FRC agreed on the name DESiree (pronounced dez-er-ay), which was named after the sponsor DE Shaw. This robot was able to accurately shoot Frisbees at

targets and made it to the NYC regional, a big robotics competition. DESiree’s name was supposed to be “Desire”, but the team wanted to be fancy and add an extra “e”.

DESmond: built in 2014 DESmond is the newest FRC robot. DE Shaw, FRC’s sponsor, chose DESmond’s name. DESmond’s task was to catch and shoot balls, and it helped the team win second place in the NYC regional, the highest rank the team has ever achieved. DESmond is also the only robot that has travelled overseas, as it was the robot the team brought to Shenzhen, China, to coach Chinese teams on how to build robots.

Michael1: built in 2009 Michael1’s name is somewhat anomalous, because it does not begin with DES. Rather, this robot was named after one of robotics teams’ mentors because he was the one who designed its code. To the team’s excitement, Michael1 had no mechanical failures and was eventually ranked second in the world.

The second division, FTC, is like FRC’s younger brother.

They create smaller robots and use Xbox Controls for their robots. They don’t get funding from DE Shaw, but they do share FRC’s funds. The FTC robots’ names are as follows: waffleBot: built in 2014 FTC was given a difficult task: to build a robot that

could lift boxes and do pullups. The team chose 310Bot as the temporary name for this robot while it was still in the making. Multiple trials and errors resulted in a robot that could lift boxes like a shovel, but couldn’t do a pull-up. The team was unfazed, as 310Bot was able to lift itself onto the pull-up bar (it latched itself onto the pull-up bar from the rotation of leadscrews on its back) and just couldn’t do the pull-up. Still, the team entered 310Bot into the tournament, and after doing so, agreed to name their robot “waffleBot” because the boxes it lifted looked like waffles. legaC: built in 2014 This robot, originally 479Bot, had the same task as waffleBot. 479Bot, however, used a spinning mechanism to do pull-ups and this method proved successful. The members of FTC celebrated the amazing result of their hard work, and to their surprise, 479 Bot was their first robot to make it to the regional tournament. To commemorate, team agreed to permanently name this robot “legaC”. The “C” was used instead of “cy” in reference to robotC, which is the language the competitors used to code the robot.

FTC’s algorithm for naming their robots is based on what their robots are created to do or if there’s a special feature associated with the robot. Usually these robots receive a temporary name: either 310Bot or 479Bot as these are the names of the two FTC teams. It’s become a convenient measure for an impermanent name.

Though names such as “legaC” are easier to say than “479Bot”, the actual purpose of changing robots’ names is to distinguish the robots from those of rivaling teams in competitions. Judges may take this into account while scoring.

And that concludes my little hunt as to how the names of StuyPulse’s robots came to be. Who knows what new names their robots will have this year?

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The Young Student’s Guide to Stuyvesant

By April Miao and Philipp Steinman

24 Problems Only Stuy Students Will Understand 1. Feeling like you’re not as good as others: It’s all too natural, especially at a school as prestigious as Stuyvesant. Our tip: Get yourself a juice box, sit on the couch, open up Netflix, and just think about Brooklyn Tech kids.

2. Feeling like you have way too many things to juggle at once. Like a hot dog vendor in one of those minigames, where you get seven different orders simultaneously and everybody wants a different kind of topping on their hot dog.

3. Really needing to print something and finding the library closed.

You bang on the door, you yell out desperately, but all in vain: the sweet printers lie beyond your grasp.

4. Having to choose between sleep and getting your work done. As Principal Teitel used to say: “Grades. Sleep. Social life. Choose two.”

At least that’s the myth.

5. Meeting a person you really like in a class and then never having a class with them again. The dreadful hallway “’sup” only grows more awkward over time.

6. Having the luxury of escalators but never being able to use them because they’re always broken; makes you feel like an ancient Egyptian slave worker trudging up the steps of a half-finished pyramid with a load of bricks on your back.

7. Being stuck behind incredibly slow walking people in the halls. Alternatively, moving against the flow of traffic in the cramped English hallway during passing. For the sake of public order, please restrain from shoving, insulting, or attempting to climb over these offenders.

8. Feeling like a class is simply pointless and wishing you could just move on with your life already. Well, you will just have to swallow that resentment, because you have a final coming up. Release all your rage on ratemyteachers.com afterwards.

9. Wishing you could just ride the elevator to class. Things aren’t easy in life, champ. Keep climbing.

10. Not having the time to catch up on the ridiculous reading assignments that some teachers give, and finding yourself lagging farther and farther behind as the semester goes on. You can only pretend you didn’t “get” the last chapter for so long.

11. Not being able to understand why people get envious when they hear you go to Stuyvesant because your own experience has not shown it to be a walk in the park.

12. Hardly finding time anymore to do the things you love, like playing sports or reading. Sacrifices, sacrifices.

13. Lying awake in bed after an unusually short day of homework then trying to remember what you obviously must have forgotten to do to be able to go to bed this early.

14. Having that little “power nap” before you start your homework turn into ten hours of sleep.

15. Having to wait in long lines during the first few days of school for a program change, only to be rejected when it’s finally your turn.

16. Not having conference days anymore. We feel you, brothers and sisters.

17. Feeling like if there isn’t ivy growing on your college acceptance letter it isn’t not worth it.

18. Being told by the college counselors that you can’t use Yale as a safety.

19. Going into the nurse’s office with a painfully excruciating injury, only to be handed a pack of ice and escorted out. But a nosebleed makes you a hero.

20. Not being able to go outside because you’re an underclassman and it’s your free period right now, not your lunch period.

21. Having multiple tests on the same day even though there is supposed to be a specific day of the week for each subject.

22. Being in class where multiple people have the same last name as you. You already know that there’s going to be a special bond between you guys by being known as the Wu (Tang) Clan.

23. Having more enticing electives to choose from than you can fit in your ten-period schedule. Who needs lunch anyway?

24. Feeling ambivalent about your teachers’ habits of telling fascinating stories about their lives when you sort of have a final to prepare for.

Page 8

The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Features 12 Months of Freedom:

Find out about what some members of the Class of 2014 are doing during their gap-years

By Ariella Kahan For most high school students, college is a mysterious institution looming in the distance that sends persistent emails and clogs your (physical) mailbox with spam. Some view it as an exciting adventure to look forward to, but for others, its beginning marks the halfway point in a marathon that began in ninth grade and ends at your college graduation.

For some Stuyvesant students, who aren’t ready to jump into another world of school, the decision to take an extended water-break in the middle of this race and opt for a gap year makes sense. Gap years have become increasingly popular in the past decade, and there are a plethora of options available for students who would like to take a year off. This range of opportunities is perhaps best illustrated by the variety of locations in which Stuyvesant alumni are residing this year.

With some in Los Angeles, others in Israel, and a couple who remained in the Big Apple, each gap year experience is certainly unique. Read on to learn about how Stuyvesant alumni chose to spend their 12 months of freedom.

San Kim: Los Angeles

Before San Kim (‘14) boarded a plane and landed in Los Angeles, she thought she was going to major in English the following year in college. Just a couple of months into the year she changed her mind. Now, Kim plans to major in Education.

Kim is working in a public school in Los Angeles as a member of City Year, a program in which participants go to public schools across the country and tutor disadvantaged students. “I serve as a tutor, a role model, and a mentor for students. So right now I’m in a third grade classroom, and any students that are struggling I just help them out and create lesson plans to help them get back to where they need to be,” Kim said.

She is one of a seven-person team working at this public school and has gotten really close with her team, despite the fact that the other six members have already graduated from college. “I think I’m really lucky because a lot of other teams are not that close and that has to do with how small we are; we’re only seven people,” she said.

Though the work hours are long (7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with only thirty minutes for lunch) and the pay is meager (Kim makes around $950 per month), it is all worth it.

One particular moment that illustrates how rewarding City Year is to Kim took place when she was in the afterschool program, which lasts from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day.

Her students had finished their homework and had to study for a spelling test the next day. She decided to give them a practice spelling test and promised her students that if they all got 100s on the real test she would

reward them with stickers. “All four of them got a 100 on it and that was really rewarding. One of them wrote me a thank you letter for helping them with that,” Kim explained.

Big moments aside, Kim simply enjoys seeing her students finish their homework during an open study session after school. “It makes me really happy to see them finish so that when they get home they can just chill and then the next day in class they’re not getting reprimanded for not finishing their homework,” she recounted.

Of course, Kim’s happiest moments are not only in the classroom, as she also loves spending time at Santa Monica beach and finding new places to eat in L.A. From getting to know a new city to experiencing the joys of not using the MTA to get around (Kim has taken to getting driven around by her friends who have cars), her gap year has definitely been a new and transforming experience.

Not only has her choice of major changed, but Kim also feels like she has grown a lot this year. “Before, I used to have a little bit of trouble with public speaking and I think that City Year has helped me with that because now I’m leading students in class [and] we’re having discussions all the time in my team,” she said.

She has also learned a lot from her students, citing one boy in her third grade class. “He is really funny and clever and I think that working with him is always really fun [because] he always makes me laugh. But the thing is that he struggles a lot with his schoolwork with math and writing. And I think that he’s opened up my eyes to how almost all my students are very intelligent; they just have a little trouble focusing or they just need a little push to do better with school,” she explained.

Zachary Lemonides: Israel Zachary Lemonides’s (’14) family never thought he would take a gap year. He had always been the academic type, focusing on schoolwork and studying for his next big exam. “First I was studying to get into middle school, then getting into Stuyvesant, and then studying for the SAT and getting into college. And once I got into UChicago I was very excited to go there and [my mom] kinda just assumed I would go straight there,” Lemonides explained.

Lemonides, however, had something else in mind; he wanted to take a well-deserved break before college to see a different part of the world. And since he loved history teacher Robert Sandler’s Jewish History course and was “very very very very much a Zionist,” going to Israel seemed like the most logical destination.

Through some Internet surfing, Lemonides found the program he is currently a part of, Course Year. Right now, Lemonides resides in Bat Yam, a small beach town outside of Israel’s largest city, Tel Aviv.

He is living in an apartment with the other participants in Course Year, who are mostly American, although some are from Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, there are some Israeli teens in the program that are taking a year off before joining the army.

On an average day Lemonides wakes up at 8:00 a.m., makes himself some breakfast (cereal, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and hummus and pita are common choices), and begins an intensive Hebrew class, which has proven effective in boosting Lemonides’s Hebrew skills. Though he came into the country without speaking a word of the language, he thinks he will be able to hold his own in a conversation with an Israeli by May. After class, Lemonides eats lunch, often opting for the grilled avocado sandwich and an “Iced Chocolate,” an Israeli drink made of crushed ice with a chocolate flavor, and then participates in an afternoon activity. On the day of the interview he had spoken with some locals and the Rabbi of Bat Yam about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Following the afternoon activity is dinner, and at around 8:00 p.m. there is a nighttime activity. “Generally we get together and the [Israelis] teach us Jewish history,” Lemonides said. “A while ago we had an activity where we played tic-tac-toe with water balloons based on a jeopardy type of thing.”

This routine is interrupted on Fridays and Saturdays, as Shabbat calls for a halt to all activities. Lemonides occasionally attends Shabbat services, recounting one weekend in which he stayed with a traditional Jewish family in Bat Yam and went to services with them.

However, he is less religious than many of the program’s participants and mostly just rests and enjoys the day off.

He also enjoys the hikes he has gone on, recounting a recent hike near the Dead Sea in which his group hiked to a waterfall and then swam around in a creek for a while. “That was very refreshing and a very nice view after the whole day of trekking through the desert,” he explained. “We have a bunch of different hikes all around Israel; we wake up at 6:30 in the morning and go hiking and end up at the beach.”

All in all, however, it is Israel’s foundation that makes this program meaningful to Lemonides. “Being in Israel has definitely been an interesting experience in that it is weird if you’re not Jewish and not the other way around,” he said. “I think that subconsciously this program will definitely influence me in some way or another. I’m spending 9 months in this country. It’s a very long time surrounded by this sort of environment.”

Jasper Lu and Steve Zhu: Base.us Last spring, Humans of New York (HONY) posted a picture of three well-dressed teenage

boys sitting outdoors on a ledge with their backpacks strewn around them and serious looks on their faces. The photo’s caption was: “We’re hoping to get some funding from angel investors before telling our parents we aren’t going to college.”

HONY fans loved the photo, and many asked what this angel funding was for. It was for the trio’s startup, Base, which is an online buying and selling forum (thus its name, which stands for Buying and Selling Everything). Sitting in the middle was Keshara Senanayake (’14) who, unfortunately, could not take a gap year because of family issues. His two friends sitting on either side of him, however, succeeded in convincing their parents to allow them to take the year off.

Sitting on the left clad in a blue and red striped sweater was Jasper Lu (’14). Lu was concerned about his parents’ reaction to his announcement about taking a gap year, and decided to prepare for the confrontation. “I did a lot of research—for example whether a gap year was effective—and I was so ready to throw out all that research in front of my parents and be like ‘look at this; this is why I’m taking a gap year,’” he explained. The research proved unnecessary, however, as his parents were very accepting of the decision.

After explaining to his college that he wanted to take the year off to develop Base, Lu set a number of goals. He said, “I first and foremost hope to be a lot more disciplined with myself. [And] my goal is to just build something throughout the year that I could be proud of.” Additionally, Lu hopes to read 200 fictional books, one self-help book, and one educational book about psychology and economics. His last goal is to “be able to run five miles without dying,” he explained.

On an average day, Lu wakes up at around 8:00 or 9:00 a.m., goes on a quick run, and then heads to the Union Square area to code, send emails, and read, usually at a cafe called Pret A Manger. After a couple hours of programming, he heads off to New York University to meet up with some friends for lunch, then returns to coding, finally returning home at 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. He usually stays awake until 2:00 a.m., a sleep schedule that is “a holdover from Stuy,” he said.

Though some things, like Lu’s sleep schedule, have not changed, others have. Despite Lu originally planning to devote his gap year to Base, he has recently been working on developing the website for a different startup called Stuy Buy, which is “the world’s first crowdsourced discount engine,” according to Stuy Buy’s website. The idea behind Stuy Buy, named simply because “Stuy” rhymes with “buy,” is that the more people who are on the site, the cheaper featured items are. For example, an iPhone 6 might start at a price of $600 and the price would lower as the number of people viewing the iPhone 6 part of the Stuy Buy page in-

creases. Once a certain number of people are on this page, the item will become free.

When he encounters a problem in his code that he doesn’t know how to fix, Lu has two potential solutions. One is to take a break from coding and read a book or watch a show—a habit that has proved helpful for his goal to read 202 books. On the day of the interview, Lu said that he had just finished “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck.

The second solution is to message his friend Steve Zhu. Zhu, Lu says, can “make things work like magic,” and since he is also taking a gap year he is often available to answer Lu’s questions. In fact, Zhu was also a member of the Base team who was pictured in HONY’s photograph.

Zhu has spent the majority of his time since last June working on Base, spending an average of eight hours a day on it. When I spoke to him, Zhu was in the midst of creating a package for publishing and describing a database. Though he is not sure if Base will become successful, Zhu feels he will learn a lot from the experience no matter what.

“This is the best chance to make a startup, for me at least,” Zhu said. “There are a bunch of people willing to invest and there is so much knowledge on starting startups right now.

There are startup workshops and incubators— now is the perfect time to start. And who knows what will happen in the future.”

When asked how he would be spending this gap year in a perfect world, however, Zhu explained that he would like to pursue a different project, which is a music distribution program that operates across countries. “It’s something like Spotify, but it would probably have a different structure,” he explained. He did not decide to take a break from Base to pursue this idea because making deals with entertainment companies would be extremely difficult at his age. Additionally, if Zhu is “working on Base [he] wants to completely work on it.”

Though Zhu and Lu do not regret their decisions to spend this year pursuing Base, both admit to occasionally wishing they were at college. “When all my friends were moving in and they left New York City and they were talking about how much fun it was there, it’s hard not to wish you were at college,” Lu said.

Zhu agreed, explaining that, “I do kinda regret sometimes not being able to experience the college life right now because some of my friends are talking about it.”

Nevertheless, Zhu and Lu form something of a dynamic duo, and will likely make the most out of this gap year. “Me and Steve get along insanely well,” Lu said. “Someone once said that programmers normally fight a lot but [he doesn’t] understand how [me] and Steve work together so well.”

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The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Features The New, The Excited, and The Ready

by Rose Cytryn and Fionna Du

There are some elements of Stuyvesant that seem to never change. The broken escalators, the bipolar air conditioning, and the hordes of students in the staircases are just a few examples. Each year, however, there are a few new faces in the crowd who are not 14-year-old teenagers taking Music Appreciation.

Though they all have different expectations for this school year, these new teachers worked hard to prepare for it and could not be more excited. Read on to learn about each of their unique backgrounds.

Jennifer Dikler / The Spectator

Jennifer Dikler / The Spectator

Cindy Latchman, English

Like all Stuyvesant students, Cindy Latchman (‘07) used to hang out on the wall just outside school. In fact, she first realized she was meant to be an English teacher when she was sitting on the wall with her best friend, having just handed in their senior portraits.

“We both felt changed,” she said simply. “It was one of those times when I realized, if I could feel so different in an amazing way after taking an English class, I want to be able to make students feel changed in amazing ways after taking an English class.” As a student in Dr. Moore’s Freshman Composition, Poetry, and Great Books classes, Latchman found a love for English and literature. She had known she wanted to be a teacher from a very young age. “In pre-school my teacher... helped me write welcome on the board and I just felt special. I wanted to hold chalk forever. ” In a Stuyvesant English classroom, Latchman will be able to use all the chalk she’s dreamed of. She values being the unique, silly, sticker-giving teacher in “this great environment.” She reminded herself, “I’m here because you all are so talented and smart and valuable and creative in ways that you have not yet unlocked and I’m hoping that this class can do that for you.” When told that students would love to have a teacher as eccentric and passionate as her, she simply replied, “I did. Her name was Dr. Moore.”

Dermot Hannon, English

Cindy Li / The Spectator

Deame Hua, Biology It is hard to think of a set of locations that is more random than Thailand, Nebraska, and New York City. Deame Hua, however, has lived in all three, and has taken a special liking to New York, explaining, “I like the city. It’s vibrant with a lot of opportunities for young people.” Upon arriving in New York, Hua received a Masters degree in science education and was a student teacher at New Dorp High School. Hua’s passion for teaching was apparent throughout the interview, as she explained that teachers, “instill [a] high order [of] thinking in students.” She elaborated, saying that the purpose of education “is to expand the student’s thinking abilities and to make them think in different ways about different aspects in life.” For Hua it is a teacher’s honor to see students find new understandings and discover the world of science that she loves.

Dermot Hannon, like most of us, enjoys spending time on YouTube and going to the theater. However, he watches BBC documentaries and has a passion for attending plays, while most of us are watching cat videos and waiting for the next Hunger Games movie to come out. Hannon prefers classic books, such as “Of Mice and Men” or “The Great Gatsby” to the modern works of Suzanne Collins. Though not a fan of contemporary pop culture, Hannon is not new to the city scene; he worked in The Bronx High School of Science and Hunter College High School before coming to Stuyvesant.

The events of 9/11 prompted Hannon to become a teacher.

After seeing the attacks on the Twin Towers from a nearby office building where he worked, he was struck with a feeling of nowor-never. “It was like ‘Carpe Diem,’” Hannon said. Although he had always dreamed of becoming a teacher, he doubted his capacity to control a classroom and didn’t think his knowledge of English was extensive enough (Hannon is originally Irish).

Teaching, however, was his calling, and Hannon could not deny this any longer. Once he got into the profession, Hannon found that his favorite parts of being a teacher were the one-on-one time with his students and the ability to watch his students’ papers go from first drafts to finished pieces. Hannon is also fond of the atmosphere at Stuyvesant, as the English department welcomed him warmly, and his favorite restaurant chain, Le Pain Quotidien, is just a few blocks away.

Alice Oh / The Spectator

Christopher Galano, Stuyvesant’s new athletic director and physical education teacher, is a team player, and not just because he played lacrosse in high school and college. Though he sustained numerous injuries (including three surgeries on the same shoulder, multiple concussions, broken bones, and stitches) while playing lacrosse, Galano considers it time well spent. “I have no regrets being a part of the team and I still keep in contact with a lot of my friends from teams. I do think that is why I’m in this profession and wanted to be an athletic director to encourage it and get as many kids as possible into athletics,” Galano said.

As athletic director, Galano will be dealing with more paperwork than at his previous job at Long Island City High School (LIC). This will not be the only change; Galano also sees a sharp difference between the students at LIC and at Stuyvesant. LIC is near housing projects, and the students there were “a little more rough,” Galano said. At Stuyvesant, “students are very socially nice and respectful. It is a great atmosphere as far as you see students hang out, they’re able to hang out but the have the discipline to do their schoolwork,” he explained. Despite the rougher population, Galano loved his job at LIC and knew almost every student’s name. Galano hopes to create the same kind of bond with Stuyvesant students. He looks forward to, “getting to know the kids, who they are, what they like, having a conversation with them and building a relationship with them so they can succeed.”

Stephanie Chan / The Spectator

Christopher Galano, Physical Education

Micaela Dunitz, English Though Micaela Dunitz is teaching English this year, she could just as easily be leading her class through a crème brûlée recipe. Though she only graduated from Columbia’s Teachers College a few months ago, Dunitz has plenty of experience in the classroom, as she was a student teacher under English teacher Katherine Fletcher last year and previously taught cooking and nutrition. An English major from Georgetown University, “[she’s] always loved English and literature and especially creative writing.” From her experience teaching cooking and nutrition, Dunitz realized she wanted to “be in the classroom full time because [she] loved the teaching aspect. And that’s how the two got married.” Though she teaches English, Dunitz still pursues cooking and other favorite hobbies including “being in the wilderness for days and hiking and backpacking and dancing.”

The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Page 11

Jessica Wu / The Spectator

Jennifer Dikler / The Spectator

Features

Marianne Prabhu, Biology

“If you have me on your program, it’s going to be a good year,” Marianne Prabhu assured us with a smile. She laughed as she remembered, “Some students, maybe they don’t want to get up, they’re tired.

No, I was always the one at the foot of my parents bed [saying] ‘Let’s go, let’s go! I gotta get to school. I can’t be late!’” Prabhu was drawn to teaching because of her love for school as a child, which has remained strong over the years, as she’s currently working on getting a graduate degree in Geology. Before coming to Stuyvesant, Prabhu taught at High School of Economics and Finance for seven years. She has an undergraduate degree in biology from Bucknell University and a graduate degree in science education from New York University. “I love school,” Prahbu said. “I want to be a student forever.” Beyond studying and teaching, Prabhu also loves to compete in triathlons, even though she’s experienced a hard fall which resulted in the loss of several teeth.

She encourages students to try the event, saying, “It’s a great way to make new friends.”

Julie/Hui Zhu, Mandarin

Cindy Li / The Spectator

Jessica Wu / The Spectator

Hui Zhu travelled thousands of miles to get to where she is now, at her “first formal job.” At her past job as a student teacher, Zhu taught elementary school, middle school, and high school students. Describing her first day as a student teacher, Hua said, “I was nervous [for] my first class, but after my first class I was all good.

It’s exciting and busy.” Her ability to adjust to changes might be the product of her nomad-like childhood, as she moved around a lot while in China with her family: from Guangdong Province to Beijing and then to northeastern China for her schooling. She started her graduate school education in China at Dalian Maritime University and participated in an exchange program where she finished her education in Buffalo at Medaille College. She then got a master’s degree from NYU and studied foreign language education there. In her free time, Zhu attends church, goes hiking, and, as we all do, enjoys tasting the variety of foods offered in New York City.

Gabriel Ting, Chemistry Gabriel Ting was planning on going to medical school, but while studying for the medical school admission test, he decided that it wasn’t for him. However, he “still wanted to go into a field that was related to kids and helping people, and that’s where teaching came from,” Ting said. After making this decision, Ting taught at LaGuardia for two years.

Though Ting misses his LaGuardia students and the energy they brought to the classroom, he is very excited to be working at Stuyvesant. “I wasn’t really planning on leaving LaGuardia; I actually really like the kids there... it just so happened that Stuy[vesant] had an opening and they were willing to give me a job so I took it,” Ting said. Outside of the classroom, Ting enjoys doing typical guy stuff such as playing sports, eating, hanging out, and “doing things you can only do when you’re over 21,” he said.

Anthony Del Latto, Math On the first day of school Anthony Del Latto’s students probably pegged him as a huge math lover, and that is definitely true. They may not have guessed that he plays ice hockey and is a goalie for his team. Coming from a job as a student teacher at LaGuardia, Del Latto is “a little nervous because it’s [his] first time teaching, but more so excited” to work at Stuyvesant. It is not just his love for math that drove him to teach, however. “[It is] definitely my love for math that made me become a teacher and also just the impacts teachers have had on me throughout the years,” he said.

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Editorials Staff Editorial

Let’s Make Math Beautiful

A rising melody can be beautiful; the architecture of a building can be beautiful; a three-point shot can be beautiful. There’s also a beauty that comes in the form of mathematics, filled with letters from the Greek alphabet and trigonometric functions. Teachers always talk about the elegance of a math proof employing unique concepts that converge in an inconceivable way, and they always introduce theoretical math as a mystery. For example, how is it possible that there are different sizes of infinity? And while students who are passionate about math can easily advance their knowledge of the subject within their four years at Stuyvesant, humanities-oriented students tend to find their math classes to be a steep descent into a pit of formula-based drudgery and memorization.

The reason why students are prone to nodding off in math class is that it sometimes seems irrelevant. Math is often taught as an isolated subject, with no connections to the outside world.

The set-up of many math classes involves teaching a bunch of formulas, followed by some practice problems, creating a very mechanical environment. Because of this, students assume that

If students are not engaged creatively when learning the foundations of Math in these courses, not only will they be discouraged from pursuing math in college, but they may never be able to understand math as a language beyond the jumble of numbers and formulas thrown at them. math is useless if they don’t intend to pursue it in the future, and therefore they do not appreciate the subject.

When in life will students have to know the graph of

a sine or cosine function?

When do calculating limits and logarithmic functions apply to everyday life? Why learn math when calculators exist? This perception needs to change.

Teachers can start by relating mathematics to the world outside, and convey the impact that math has in life. For example, students should be shown that breakthroughs in physics have defined history, that tempo and time signatures are fractions, and that argumentative logic’s purest form is a truth table. No matter how obedient and cooperative students are, they don’t learn as well when they believe their work is pointless. Math cannot exist in a vacuum. It is a skill like any other skill and it needs to be applied or it will be forgotten.

But beyond just being a skill applied to various fields, Math is also an art-it’s a way of thought. And it should be taught that way in class. We recognize that this beauty may only become apparent at higher levels of mathematics, as the material covered in early high school math is analogous to the basics of English: vocabulary and grammar skills. There is, however, one important difference between these two subjects.

By high school, students are already composing essays and narrative pieces that allow them to express themselves through the English language, whereas in Math, students are still mastering the fundamentals in Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry, and Pre-calculus classes. If students are not engaged creatively when learning the foundations of Math in these courses, not only will they be discouraged from pursuing math in college, but they may never be able to understand math as a language beyond the jumble of numbers and formulas thrown at them. Instead, they may quickly identify themselves as non-math students, and give up in this area.

It is possible, however, for a humanities-oriented student to appreciate the beauty of mathematics, and the key to this lies in crossdisciplinary classes. These classes, which combine the aspects of two different subjects, offer students a chance to explore the links between two seemingly unrelated fields. While they are widely used in colleges to help students fulfill certain course requirements in areas that do not interest them, examples of such classes have also existed at Stuyvesant.

For instance, there was the AP American Studies class (no longer offered), which allowed students to analyze

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The potential is there. Statistical analysis of social patterns, mathematical artistry, the art of writing about math, and the history of math are just a few ways of making math accessible and interesting to all students.

American literature through the lens of US History, and the Science Writing class (no longer offered), which married the subjects of English and science.

Math electives, however, do not accomplish this task.

Classes like Math Team and Math Research attract people who are already interested in this subject. Students who struggle with math and its relevancy find no relief until electives like Human Reasoning are available during their senior year. But the potential is there. Statistical analysis of social patterns, mathematical artistry, the art of writing about math, and the history of math are just a few ways of making math accessible and interesting to all students.

An understanding of multiple knowledge bases and how they connect is extremely valuable as we move forward into college and eventually, adult life. Although specialization is important, learning how specific subjects relate to others can be incredibly useful in the world, especially when dealing with math, which applies to so many different industries. We commend the math teachers at Stuyvesant who increase our appreciation of the subject by explaining these connections and by making math cool and fun through the teaching of proofs and unconventional problems. Stuyvesant math education, which can often seem daunting to students, needs to apply these strategies across the board.

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Opinions

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The Role of Foreign Aid in Ending Poverty

By Nino Dickersin America is a land of opportunity and wealth. Other nations are not so lucky. While Americans suffer from our fair share of issues, we face what comedian and writer Louis C.K. humorously described as “white people problems […] people in other countries have real problems […] here, we make things up to be upset about. Like, ‘How come I have to choose a language on the ATM?” While C.K.’s mockery makes us laugh, it also exposes the real issues with the American attitude towards the issues with which the rest of the world has to deal. In his book, “The End of Poverty,” Jeffrey Sachs explains how the problems facing the poor nations of the world are severe, but also easy to deal with.

According to World Bank estimates, twenty-one percent

of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty. Some one and a half billion people live on less than 1.25 US dollars a day. In terms that most teens can understand, it takes a person falling under this category around a day to pay for a bag of Doritos. The extreme poor are spread across the world, but are mostly found in South Asia, East Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. For these regions, the struggle of poverty extends past a lack of Nacho Cheese flavoring to basic necessities that we take for granted. Those living under extreme poverty suffer from malnutrition, poisoned water, malaria, HIV/AIDS, high infant mortality, infertile soil, and a host of other problems.

Worst of all, these calamities combine to form what is known to economists as the poverty trap, a situation in which an individual or a group can’t save

enough capital to maintain what they already own or to build upon it. What this means is that, without help, people living in extreme poverty have no way to improve their condition.

Fortunately, the poverty trap is incredibly easy to escape with only a little push from the world’s wealthy. Most of the ills that cause extreme poverty have easy solutions that only require a bit of investment.

Malaria has been eliminated in most of the Western world through the use of technologies like anti-malarial bed nets, and preventative or curative medicines, all of which can be used across the world. Effective contraceptives exist that help in the battle against HIV/AIDS, and medicine also exists for those who have contracted the virus.

Fertilizers and nitrogen-fixing trees replenish soil, and fight malnutrition while, at the same time, providing the poor with a surplus of crops that can be sold. These technologies aren’t expensive either; many companies have developed cheap, yet functional, versions of all of them.

As Sachs points out in his book, the issue here is not cost, but will. In 2005, the U.N. Millenium Development Goals (a set of targets that the world is supposed to accomplish by 2025 in the effort to end poverty) estimated that it would take only 0.7% of the global GDP (or a 7/10 of a cent on every US dol-

lar produced) to pull the entire planet out of extreme poverty by 2025, and that number still holds true today. It is hard to imagine anyone thinking that working to fight this issue is not a good idea, and yet the US only spends 0.19% of its GDP on foreign aid, far from its fair share.

It was estimated that 0.7% of world GDP would not only provide all the aforementioned technologies, but it would also give the entire world access to primary and secondary education, the basic infrastructure necessary for growth (including ports, roads, and hospitals), and many of the other key resources that would not only assist the poor but also help them help themselves; it would give them the tools necessary to break free from the poverty trap and propel themselves upwards into the global economy.

Again, the real question is not the availability of money but the effort put forth to allocate money to helping the poor.

This is not to say that everyone should feel guilty and rush to the nearest charity and donate 100 dollars; far from it. While individual contributions are helpful, the easiest and most effective way to pay for such an effort is through a global commitment by the world’s governments to an incredibly small tax increase, perhaps based on income level, for the sole purpose of providing aid to impoverished nations. That would allow aid to be used in an organized

fashion, and would ensure that key areas are targeted first (as the money would be distributed by government officials according to an established development plan), allowing for the fastest and most beneficial boost for impoverished nations.

In addition, one issue that Sachs spends a minimal amount of time on in his book is the effort that should be put into reducing poverty by the nations that suffer from it. Foreign aid is necessary, but countries need to develop strong plans for spending that money. Rather than a top down approach, such plans should be built from the bottom up, by going into towns and villages and figuring out what the greatest issues afflicting those places are, most likely by surveying the villages and villagers and finding out what is causing them the most damage.

The combination of both an effective plan for acquiring foreign aid and an effective plan for spending it would significantly decrease, and hopefully even eliminate, extreme poverty across the globe. We like to joke about privilege, but we don’t take action, often arguing that we can’t afford to. We need to remember that the real issue isn’t that we can’t afford to help these people, but rather that, with the current world poverty crisis, we can’t afford not to.

In Vivo Saves Lives

By Jason Mohabir There have been fewer than 150 polio cases thus far in 2014, compared to 350,000 in 1988.

More than 600,000 people have had successful organ transplants. Nearly three million diabetic patients use insulin daily to manage their disease.

All three of these monumental medical achievements are products of animal testing.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals often states, “92 percent of drugs that test successfully in animal trials fail in human trials.” If this were all that mattered, it would be damning evidence for the animal testers. However, Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, a credentialed stem cell researcher in London, explains why such statistics are misleading. “Animal experiments remove 36 percent of the potential drugs from moving onto the next stage.

This is almost certainly a good thing as it avoids humans being given drugs which are likely to be toxic to them,” Lovell-Badge wrote. Before preclinical animal tests are done, many nonanimal tests are completed first such as computer models, automatic screening, and more.

The purpose of preclinical animal tests is to check if the drug will be safe enough in humans and could provide therapeutic value. In the United Kingdom, for example, not a single death has occurred in human clinical trials for over 30 years, meaning animal testing has been exceptionally effective at keeping dangerous drugs away from people. When animal rights activists claim adverse drug reac-

tions can be blamed on animal tests, remember that clinical trials in thousands of people provide evidence of safety.

Most drug trials have to follow specific protocols. Federally funded scientists have to follow protocols in order to perform their experiments. If researchers violate rules enforced by the National Institute of Health Office of Animal Care, they will be tried for animal cruelty. Thinking logically, why would a scientist subjected to strict regulation, labor-intensive work, and expensive procedures throw his or her research away by violating animal rights? The laws protecting animals from abuse and mistreatment are ubiquitous and far-reaching in science. The United Kingdom is regarded for having the strictest animal testing laws and regulations. Researchers will only get permission to test on animals once they have obtained three licenses that allow them to handle animals and experiment on them. In order to get these licenses the experimenters must prove that very intelligent animals such as primates are only used as a last resort, all animals have specified caretakers, and the minimum number of animals is used.

Though these strict rules regarding treatment of animals are in place, going a step further and banning animal testing completely is unrealistic because it would greatly inhibit modern developments in biology. Harold Varmus, Director of the National Cancer Institute, stated, “Now, more than ever, research with laboratory animals is required to bring the

benefits of advances in molecular genetics, neuroscience, and other highly productive fields to clinical application through the study of intact organisms.”

Nearly every Nobel Prize winner in Physiology and Medicine has tested his or her hypothe-

“Now, more than ever, research with laboratory animals is required to bring the benefits of advances in molecular genetics, neuroscience, and other highly productive fields to clinical application through the study of intact organisms.”

—Harold Varmus, Director of the National Cancer Institute

ses on animals. The 2013 Nobel Prize was awarded for research on how vesicles, or sacs of substances, move throughout a cell.

Genetically modified mice, rats, and hamsters were used. The 2012 Nobel Prize was awarded for research on making mature cells pluripotent, or similar to stem cells. The procedure was first tested on frogs and then lab mice. This is not a coincidence; it is a trend showing that these animal tests are still contributing to scientific breakthroughs to this day.

Animal testing is not an antiquated science, as it is used in the development of many drugs to treat forms of cervical and breast cancer. Tamoxifen, which has been shown to reduce chances of developing breast cancer by 38 percent in high-risk women, was first tested on mice. Thanks to research on animals, AIDS is a manageable disease and asthma inhalers have been developed. A current application of animal testing is the creation of the Ebola vaccine, in which multiple variants are being testing on primates to see the immunological responses. Primates have immune systems similar to, but slightly tougher than, those of humans. A vaccine that works on primates has a high probability of working on humans. Animal testing still has the potential to save thousands of lives today.

Opponents of animal testing have suggested many alternatives. From embryonic stem cells to microdosing, these methods are simply not as effective as animal testing. Stem cell tests are highly controver-

sial. A few isolated studies have shown that adult stem cells cause unusual side effects such as induced cancer and neuroautoimmune diseases. Stem cells are no longer the singular transformative factor that saves lives; they are, rather, a progressive and pragmatic treatment.

Injecting embryonic stem cells into a patient might solve the problem—or it might do nothing or seed a tumor called a teratoma. And it may be years before the outcome is obvious, as in the case of a paraplegic American woman who had stem cells from her nose implanted into her spine as part of a clinical trial in Portugal. The therapy failed, and eight years later, the woman had a tumorlike mass of nasal tissue surgically removed from the implant site.

Microdosing is simply inaccurate. Too little of a drug (or ‘subtherapeutic’ doses) does not affect the body in the same way normal doses would. Microdosing is not, however, a completely flawed idea, because it can work with animal testing to improve drug safety. The need for animal testing may come to an end in the future, but not for moral reasons. Rather, it will be eradicated if it becomes scientifically inefficient.

To ensure lives are not endangered during a time of constant medical advancement, we must continue to use living organisms in experiments. History has shown the benefits of animal testing, and these results have changed many lives for the better. Animal testing has paved the path for modern medicine and continues to help it advance.

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The Spectator ●October 6, 2014

Opinions

Carol Deng / The Spectator

We Can’t Simply Wait for Injustice to End

By Daniel Kim (’14) My uncle, Chang-hwan Kim, was a short, kindly man with white teeth that shone brightly when he smiled, which was often.

His ivory face was thinly veiled with a web of wrinkles he had acquired from smiling too much, and his toothy, loving grin, when broadcast in sunlight, was a perfect picture of someone impossibly content with his life. My last memory of him is at a chicken restaurant in New York, where he insisted, in between mouthfuls of searing thigh meat, that I was the most handsome boy he had ever seen.

The news of his murder utterly destroyed me.

Chang-hwan Kim spent his life helping North Koreans—the starving, broken, and oppressed Koreans he always considered his countrymen. For years, he had worked in the border city of Dandong, helping persecuted defectors from the North find new lives in China at the risk of his own. He and my father planned to start

a food factory there, and I had listened to them talk excitedly about ways to send baby milk, tofu, and other comestibles to malnourished North Korean orphans and mothers. His was a life of depth, compassion, and love; a primordial need to help others at his own expense shone through everything he did. I aspired, and still aspire, to be like him.

So when I was told that he had been killed by a poison dart in front of a department store in Dandong, the rest of the narrative fell easily into place: he had been murdered, targeted by the soulless and avaricious regime that was most threatened by his great heart for the North Korean people—the Kim Il-Sung autocracy. The wicked dynasty responsible for the slow starvation of millions and the systematic torture and oppression of its own citizens had turned an angry eye onto his charity, and my uncle paid the price with his life. They found him foaming at the mouth in Dandong, in incredible pain.

The hospital officials in China claimed that he had committed suicide by swallowing pesticides, which all who knew him found patently absurd. After the Chinese government released an autopsy report declaring his death a tragedy of psychological circumstance, my aunt took steps of her own and retrieved some of his blood from his corpse to conduct a proper examination. The report from a Korean hospital revealed levels of poison high enough to kill several men.

I have never recovered from this firsthand, visceral encounter of the brutality and evil the North Korean government has embraced in its endeavors to delude and oppress its own people.

My uncle’s death was a wake-up

slap; I shook myself free from the comfortable cloud of my own life and awoke to a raging fire in my veins. It was the spark that lit the tinder of my conscience; the disembodied chorus of a thousand hungry refugees crying out for the help that my uncle could no longer give. I was full of justice, and justice was angry.

I could present statistics, facts, reams of narrative. I could speak of the eight million North Koreans who are malnourished, or the 200,000 imprisoned in Soviet-style gulags filled with testimonies of rape, abuse, torture, forced abortions, and even executions. I could wail and weep about the fact that 70 to 90 percent of North Korean women who escape become sex slaves in China and undergo lives of absolute torment and inhumanity. I could even tell of one North Korean woman I talked on the phone with: her daughter was unable to escape the country with her, and is currently in a prison camp being held for monthly ransoms that my father is helping to pay.

But unless a conscientious people with fire in their hearts are prepared to assertively help the North Koreans, nothing will be done.

North Korea is ironclad, encased in an agenda hell-bent on preserving the misery and suffering of its people. The extent to which it has sequestered itself from the outside world is unmatched in history. Furthermore, it is peerless in its efforts to trick its population into revering the people who cruelly oppress and starve them. The delusion is heartbreaking: it’s terrible enough to see starving people curse their oppressors, but what can we do when downtrodden and broken people actually praise their tor-

mentors? The unspoken tragedy is too great to ignore.

But most heartbreaking of all, perhaps, is a figure unveiled at the United Nations Commissions Inquiry Report on February, 2014: 646 million dollars. That is the amount that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un, spent on “luxury goods” in 2012, including cosmetics, handbags, leather products, watches, electronics, cars, and top-shelf alcohol. In the same year, he squandered 1.3 billion dollars on ballistic missile programs while orphans wasted away on the streets.

What can we do against such a puissant, audacious evil? What can we do against a political machine that is quite literally using the blood of its constituents to lubricate its parts? What can we, mere men and women of the first world, possibly accomplish against such an amazingly flagrant evil?

We can risk our lives.

Because everyone inside North Korea is either benefiting hugely from the bloodshed or awash in propaganda, aid must come from outside. It must come from enlightened, courageous individuals who have counted the cause as dearer to them than their own lives and are willing to launch themselves at iniquity like a bullet of singular trajectory. It must have its origins in a spirit of rarefied purpose and strength, a person of immense fortitude who can exult over the rescue of a human life the way most people exult over a winning lottery ticket.

This is the single greatest hope for the North Korean people today.

Not many other solutions exist. Sanctions are frozen; China, North Korea’s greatest ally, has taken sure steps to counter any

financial embargoes the United States places on the country. Political rhetoric is as useless as always; the many outcries against the regime fall largely on civilized ears immune to human sympathy. But one shining hope remains to those who weep for the plight of the North Koreans: people like my uncle, who have paid for the transportation of starving and broken refugees into safety with their own life. As long as people like these exist, we can take hope and confidence in a better tomorrow for North Korea.

One thing that astonishes me most about North Koreans is their incredible heroism. After the typical North Korean refugee is brought to the truth of what is happening in his country, he is utterly inflamed with a desire to go back into North Korea and help his fellow countrymen. One refugee told my father, “I must go back, and tell my brothers and sisters about the truth of what is out here, and about Jesus who loves them. I will help you bring them out.” This from a man who wandered the North Korean mountainsides eating grass and fantasizing about dumplings for most of his life. If these uneducated, poorly fed, stunted North Koreans can save their countrymen, why can’t we?

We must work towards a North Korea in which grass is not food, and where dumplings are not dreams. To sit back at this crucial juncture and wait for change without partaking in it is the very height of negligence. We cannot allow the whims of an avaricious despot to separate Korea into a people of “North” and “South” Koreans. No, we are of one race, and our hearts must bleed for our countrymen.

Courtesy of Justin Strauss

Weather of My Discontent

By Philipp Steinmann Some say we’ve entered the “Anthropocene” epoch—when the impact of humans has become so strong and irreversible that it will leave a mark on the geological record. At the Climate March on Sunday, September 21, when hundreds of thousands worldwide marched for climate change, Ligorano Reese, an art team, installed a 3000-pound ice sculpture in front of the Flatiron building in Manhattan. It was called “Dawn of the Anthropocene” and was supposed to melt away gradually throughout the day. The words it spelled out were “The Future.”

The marching numbers are impressive: 2,646 events around the globe; 400,000 people at the New York City march alone; 1,574 participating organizations. On the Climate March’s official website you can view pictures of Sixth Avenue filled to the brim, Pacific Islanders posing with banners

on their beautiful beaches, pretty girls in Nepal asking people to “Save our Himalayas,” and Bengali children with handwritten signs in front of trash heaps.

The march in our city was not lacking in celebrity appearances, either: former vice-president Al Gore, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon marched arm-in-arm. Leonardo DiCaprio was seen holding an anti-tar sand banner, looking better dressed for the Williamsburg Flea Market than activism in his groomed beard, flat cap, and Toms shoes.

The following Tuesday, though, DiCaprio put on a suit and stood in front of an international audience at the UN Climate Summit in New York to deliver a speech. Only a few days ago Ban Ki-moon had named him one of the UN Messengers of Peace, a title held by numerous other celebrities, and DiCaprio was plainspoken and earnest.

“You can make history, or you can be vilified by it,” he told the delegates, who had arrived from around the world. “The time to answer humankind’s greatest challenge is now. We beg of you to face it with courage and honesty.”

“Courage and honesty” are the least that we will need to overcome the climate crisis. We are quickly hurtling towards disaster, but progress is hardly being made; imagery of rising water levels, droughts, wildfires, and hurricanes is, to most Americans, as familiar as it is remote.

The predictions are worsening every year. A study in May found that glaciers in West Antarctica are being melted away by warm currents from below, a process that adds some ten feet of sea level rise to current predictions and is deemed, by the study authors, as “unstoppable.” A few weeks ago NASA announced that August 2014 was the hottest August on record. Legislation is lagging behind, and pessimism, at this point, is wholly requisite.

President Obama took the stage later that day. He was bursting with pride. “There should be no question that the United States of America is stepping up to the plate,” he said, after citing achievements like “ambitious” investments in clean energy and “ambitious” reductions in carbon emissions. But he needed the help of other nations, first and foremost China’s. “As the two largest economies and emitters in the world,” the U.S. and China have “a special responsibility to lead. That’s what big nations have to do,” Obama said.

The audience applauded.

It set a strong tone, and the other news from the summit was equally positive: China made an unprecedented promise to reduce its carbon emissions, many companies and countries signed on to stop deforestation by 2030, and France pledged 1 billion dollars to the Green Climate Fund.

That sounds good, doesn’t it? It unfortunately depends on whom you ask, and therein lies the great problem of climate change. The consensus among scientists is absolutely clear, but the models are so complex, and the entrenched business interests sow doubt so powerful that many reject the concept altogether. Even among those who recognize this most urgent of issues, everybody seems to have a different opinion about how we should get there. Sometimes it seems like there is so much dissonance about which way to move that we hardly move at all.

Take the climate summit, for example. While the BBC spoke with cautious optimism about the carbon reduction pledges issued, the prominent World Socialist Website called them “empty,” “self-serving,” and “nowhere near adequate.” The New York Times ended an article about the summit with a quote from a climate scientist calling for even stronger reform; on the other hand, Fox News concluded a report on the same topic with the founder of a right-wing thinktank saying, “If you look at the big picture of fossil fuels, at the positives and negatives, the only conclusion to draw is that it’s imperative to use more of them.”

You might not watch Fox News, but many Americans do.

In a recent Gallup poll asking what “the most important problem facing America” was, forty times more Americans thought it was the economy than thought it was the environment.

The issue is messy, and the People’s Climate March was correspondingly diffuse. When at 1:00 p.m., as scheduled, the “climate alarm” was rung and everybody became as loud as they could. The noise was deafening for an instant, but it died down within ten seconds. People held signs about pretty much anything, from general “climate justice” to fracking, tar sands, carbon taxes, gentrification, vegetarianism, the Gaza Strip, and nuclear power. At the side, opportunistic conspiracists handed out pamphlets on the 9/11 attacks. The march seemed like it was about everything and nothing at the same time.

There are many voices calling for all sorts of reforms, and at times they can drown out the fact that our very existence is at stake with this issue. A plaintive reminder came after the march: Ligorano Reese’s ice sculpture, which I stumbled upon as I was walking to the subway. The words were positioned with a view of the Flatiron, and the curiously branching streets, behind them.

Erected seven hours before I arrived, the thick block letters had already dwindled to sticks and puddles lying at their base. Parts of some letters were completely gone already, and the rest looked shiny and frail. In a few hours it would all be melted away completely.

The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Page 17

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

Youth Attends Climate Rally After Blasting AC All Summer

By Shane Lorenzen

On Sunday, September 21, Jeremy Ritter, a boy who did not once turn off his air conditioner between the months of April and September, walked through the streets of Manhattan, holding signs and participating in the People’s Climate March, the largest climate rally in history.

The event had a turnout of over 300,000 people as activists from all over the globe joined forces and walked slowly down Manhattan’s west side in order to combat apathy and political gridlock about fossil fuels and natural gas. As Ritter took his usual 24-minute shower earlier that morning, he was looking forward to an event that he hoped would inspire meaningful steps towards mitigating the climate crisis.

Ritter arrived promptly at 11

o’clock, half an hour before the march began. Afraid of running late, he had his mother drive him to the rally in her SUV. “I don’t mind getting up so early if it’s good for the environment,” said Ritter, who has never shut down his desktop computer since buying it in 2011. “To everyone else who thinks this event was too early and wanted to sleep in instead, I say, ‘we might not even have a planet to sleep on in a few years.’ Yeah, think about that.”

Immediately upon arrival, Ritter made sure to take a selfie in front of the immense crowd of concerned environmentalists, all of whom also happened to be taking selfies.

“All I’m saying is if you’re not going to spread the word, why even show up to the rally?” said Ritter, the heir to Al Gore himself.

Before uploading the photo to Facebook, he wrote the caption, “Just, ya know, saving the world.

Nbd.” By 3 o’clock, Ritter had done his part in the battle to stave off imminent human extinction, so he called his father to come pick him up in his all-terrain vehicle that gets a mere 11-miles per gallon. Even though the event was scheduled to continue all day, Ritter felt he had heard enough hairy, middle-aged white people scream “No fracking way!” for a lifetime.

Ritter wrote about his day in his diary Sunday night, skipping over the pages on the right side because of marginal discomfort, and he slept easily knowing he embodied the best form of political activism that millennials had to offer.

freshman either gains the nerve to push in front of someone, or a kind upperclassman allows them into the traffic flow. The real danger in these situations exists when freshmen remain trapped for more than five to ten minutes.

In these cases, freshmen unaccustomed to the harsh environment can rapidly succumb to the extreme stress of not being in class on time. In addition, many are at increased risk from seniors and some juniors, many of whom are physically incapable of seeing “freshies” and consequentially run into them at high speed without noticing. According to senior Wei Li Lin, an expert on freshman behavioral patterns and former freshman himself, “Freshmen’s bodies are small and frail; many even rely on heavy ‘wheelie backpacks’ to stay upright. For this reason it is highly inadvisable to allow a freshman any more than five minutes in the hallways at any one time.”

The faculty has responded rapidly. According to a faculty

spokesperson, “We have already turned off the 4-2 escalator to ease student flow on the floor, and turned off all the other escalators because we don’t like students.”

Fortunately for the freshman, staff members have begun taking other measures. Dean Miguel Simon has been doing his part by standing on the 4th floor, confiscating anything that looks like, smells like, or makes him think of a cell phone. In addition, former Assistant Principal of Athletics Larry Barth has been recalled to duty and has begun patrolling the 6-4 escalators, telling students, “You didn’t do that one fast enough! Go up and do it again!”

If all else fails, the Principal Jie Zhang has reportedly authorized clearing the floor. This would use a somewhat controversial, rarely used technique whereby multiple school security officers walk along the hallway, loudly shouting at students to “go to floors 1 or 2” until everyone does.

Freshman Trapped on Left Side of Hallway

By Randolph Higgins

4TH FLOOR HALLWAY — Reports from the 4th floor hallway have confirmed that an unidentified freshman has become trapped on the left side of the hall. The trapped freshman reportedly used an opening in the flow of students to sit down on the left side of the hall, after tragically mistaking the 4th floor for the far slower-paced 2nd. He was then blocked in by the flow of oncoming students. An abnormal number of science free periods, mistimed bells, and a malfunctioning 5-3 escalator kept the freshman trapped for more than two periods, marking the longest recorded entrapment since the infamous Freshman Crushing Fiasco of 2011.

Trapped freshmen are not uncommon. Last year, there were more than 60 incidents of freshmen being trapped in the school’s corridors. These incidents are usually resolved in a matter of minutes, when the

Personal Advertisements

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3. Will trade third-period BC Calc and one (guaranteed) functioning kidney for a senior bar locker.

Meet in the third floor boys’ bathroom after tenth period.

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If you remember me, PM me with my only line, which I messed up.

6. Every day before sixth period I see you on the other escalator, descending right as I rise towards the fifth floor. You, mercifully released from the clutches of your Spanish 2 class (I recognize the textbook you hold so irreverently). Me, inexorably heading towards mine.

Would that I could be in that class 41 minutes sooner. O, cruel sched-

uling gods!

7. Dear Sr. Simon, The way you confiscate IDs and skateboards makes my heart race.

My Stuy days are empty when I don’t hear you yell at fools who don’t know better, and their fright I can tell.

Your dean’s office I longingly await; For writing this poem, I fear your gait.

8. Hey, you, the one who makes profound comments in fourthperiod English. Yeah, of course you know who you are—cut it out; you’re making me look bad. Seriously, dude.

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Email Sent by College to Over 900,000 Prospective Students Tells Recipients They’re Unique

By Dennis Nenov An email sent by Kalamazoo Bible College to over 900,000 highschool seniors and juniors reassured its recipients that they were “unique, motivated self-starters and innovators” and that “Kalamazoo Bible College was impressed by their accomplishments.”

The email went on to tell the nearly one million adolescents that “Kalamazoo Bible College isn’t for everyone” and that only “intellectually-curious and daring adventurers should dare apply” to the “selective institution” which regularly accepts over 80 percent of its applicants.

The email emphasized the college’s location in “bustling Kalamazoo”—“ranked by Cosmo

Magazine as the “eighth best midsized Michigan city in which to raise your pets”—and its “rigorous liberal arts curriculum, which seeks to shape students into future leaders and global citizens in an increasingly competitive and globalized world.”

The email also informed the students that if they “applied now to Kalamazoo using their special Select Applicant application,” their “application fee would be waived,” and they would be “immediately considered for scholarships.”

At press time, another email— encouraging students to “apply right now using the Common Application”—was sent by Kalamazoo Bible College’s arch-rival, St. Faymarble University, to over 700,000 high school students.

Which Spectator Department Do YOU Belong In?

By Shane Lorenzen and Winton Yee

Directions: Read each question carefully and pick the answer that fits you the best.

Each answer choice is worth the number of points that is indicated (1-4).

Disclaimer: The results of this quiz may not accurately determine which department you belong in; you very well may not belong in any of our prestigious departments, you monkey.

1) Which season tickles your fancy?

1: Winter 2: Autumn 3: Spring 4: Summer 2) If you weren’t already a Subway Corp. Sandwich Artist, which of these occupations would you be?

1: Reporter 2: Movie critic 3: Designer 4: Business marketer 3) What do you chew?

1: Pencils 2: Juicy Fruit 3: Bubbalicious 4: Tobacco 4) You see a rainbow. What do you find at its end?

1: An overwhelming sense of ennui 2: An empty pot 3: Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

4: Water vapor, you idiot 5) Whom would you want to meet?

1: Steve Jobs (Just remember, not possible; he died) 2: Rosa Parks (Died in 2005, so you two aren’t likely to meet honestly) 3: Pablo Picasso (Again, no longer living, so don’t get your hopes up about meeting him) 4: Jennifer Lawrence (As if she’d ever want to meet you! I’d say this one is really impossible) 6) Which drink floats your boat?

1: Greyhound (Vodka and Grapefruit juice) 2: Screwdriver (Vodka and Orange juice) 3: Irish Coffee (Coffee and Whiskey) 4: Chocolate milk (plus vodka)

7) “Turn-off” quality in a person: 1: When someone has that weird white stuff around their lips after eating, and in your head you’re like, “come on man wipe that off,” but they’re talking and you don’t want to interrupt them, but like, it’s totally gross.

2: When a dude’s in the locker room and he’s not covering himself at all while changing, and like, you’re not a homophobe or anything, but you don’t want to see a guy naked before you go to lunch either.

3: Messiness.

4: People who always have to post those photos on Facebook that say, “Like if you love your family, ignore if you love Lucifer,” like come on man, can’t a guy have it both ways?

8) Will any of you sell me your lockers?

1: Nah 2: Sure 3: What you willing to pay for it, huh?

4: We can split if you really need one, I guess 9) How do you best express your thoughts/feelings?

1: Through my art 2: In my diary/journal 3: By screaming at my pets 4: By making prank calls to exlovers 10) You have a health report due tomorrow; what is your approach?

1: Research facts, type up that report, and make sure it is free of errors 2: Make peace with my god 3: Eh, my mom will do it if I cry loud enough 4: Write a passive aggressive essay about the detrimental effects of stress on my health while constantly alluding to stress caused by health class Add up your points!

11-13: Layout 14-16: Web 17-19: Business 20-21: Copy 22-23: News 24-25: Sports 26-27: Art & Entertainment 28-29: Features 30-31: Art 32-34: Photo 35-37: Opinions 38-40: Humor

Page 18

The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Arts and Entertainment Comic

The Wages of Sin

By Geoffrey Luu Who pulled the trigger? After the gruesome murder of the extraterrestrial Watcher at the start of Marvel Comics’ latest miniseries, “Original Sin,” this is the question on the minds of every hero in the Marvel Universe.

The Watcher was introduced

by Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby in 1963’s “Fantastic Four #13” as an omniscient spectator who was forbidden by law from directly affecting events on Earth. In “Fantastic Four #48” the Watcher broke his vow by assisting the team in their battle against the planet-eater, Galactus. Since then, he has appeared in other crossovers such as 2006’s “Civil War,” but has rarely intervened in Earthly events. Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato’s eight-issue crossover miniseries brings the Watcher back into the spotlight by making him the focus of a murder mystery on a cosmic scale.

When Thor discovers the Watcher’s corpse in his lunar base, Nick Fury and the Avengers, along with solo heroes and members of such teams as the Guardians of the Galaxy, agree to split up and begin separate investigations into the murder.

They have only two clues: the Watcher was shot in the head and his eyes were subsequently removed. The heroes’ search leads them to z-list villains Dr.

Midas and the Orb, who possess one of the Watcher’s eyes, which contain all of the secrets of the Marvel Universe. Though Midas and the Orb are not well-known baddies by any standard, the Watcher’s eye and the knowledge it contains make them a legitimate threat. After the Orb releases its contents to the rest of the world, major revelations about all of Earth’s heroes are brought to light, eventually culminating in a massive battle on the moon between Fury, the Avengers, Midas, and the Orb.

They have only two clues: the Watcher was shot in the head and his eyes were subsequently removed.

Apart from the murder investigation, the events of the series tie into the stories of multiple other characters. In “The Amazing Spider-Man,” one of the more significant tie-ins, Peter Parker accompanies the Avengers while they are in New York so that he can repair his

reputation after the events of last year’s “The Superior SpiderMan,” when his body was occupied by Dr. Octopus. Parker is present when the Orb uses the Watcher’s eye and discovers that he was not the only person bitten by the spider that gave him his powers. The events of Parker’s “Original Sin” tie-in and the new spider-powered character will play a major role in the upcoming Spider-centric crossover, Spider-Verse. But Marvel failed to capitalize on a lot of other heroes’ tie-ins; their future plans for Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man will instead revolve around totally unrelated plots.

Although “Original Sin” is presented as a murder mystery, that is actually the series’ weakest aspect. Its premise killing off an established classic character is bold and intriguing, but the pacing of the series is somewhat inconsistent; the list of suspects is drastically narrowed down within the first four issues, seemingly without much effort.

The plot then slows down considerably in the fifth and sixth issues for the sake of lengthy exposition from Nick Fury, before speeding up again for its more action-oriented conclusion.

Unfortunately, readers won’t actually be able to figure out the identity of the Watcher’s killer by themselves from the presented clues alone. The mystery isn’t too simple, but it has no clearly

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discernable solution.

That’s not to say that “Original Sin” is a failure. While its execution is flawed, other aspects are strong, and the characters are especially compelling.

Writer Jason Aaron initially focuses on multiple small teams of heroes rather than a single massive group, making each scene more manageable. The teams themselves are unorthodox, grouping more violent and aggressive characters like the Punisher and the Winter Soldier with more restrained characters like Doctor Strange and Moon Knight, allowing for lengthy and often confrontational ex-

Aaron’s version of Nick Fury is the best developed and most closely analyzed character. changes. But Aaron’s Nick Fury is the best developed and most closely analyzed character. Fury takes center stage by the middle of the series, and many of the dialogue-heavy scenes contrib-

ute greatly to our understanding of his character, actions, and rationale.

Mike Deodato’s heavily shadowed panels suit the grim tone of the series and emphasize the unfamiliar threat facing the heroes. His multi-page spreads are grand in scale, aweinspiring, and at times even haunting. The image of Fury and the Avengers surrounding the Watcher’s mutilated corpse in astonishment is one of the series’ most memorable scenes, while the destruction of the Watcher’s base in a massive explosion at the start of the series and the Winter Soldier’s ruthless and violent actions at the end of its third issue rank among its most shocking.

“Original Sin” is not a perfect miniseries. It is much better at character building than it is at delivering a solid murder mystery. There is little opportunity for readers to piece together what clues they have.

They are given the minimum amount of information needed to understand the story, but not enough to logically answer its main question: who killed the Watcher? In spite of this, “Original Sin” is still worth reading for its striking premise and stillengaging story, strong character development for the heroes (especially Nick Fury), and the major changes it is intended to bring to some of Marvel’s bestknown characters.

The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Page 19

Arts and Entertainment Food

At Hudson Eats, Taste Every Side of Fanciness the coconut tiger shrimp with cilantro and Num Pang’s signature chili mayo. He also found the watermelon tomato salad to be a “cheap, tasty, refreshing side with a little kick.” Another customer reported that the pork belly sandwich reminded her of her grandmother’s cooking in the Philippines.

Mahfuza Sabiha / The Spectator

Umami Burger You might want to splurge on this for a celebration. It’s best if you order your burger medium rare—this results in a crispy outer bite that melts into your mouth as you chew. The truffle burger ($13) is made with a house-made truffle cheese and a complementary truffle glaze, and has an extraordinarily rich and earthy taste that is at the same time heavenly; there are truffle fries ($6.50) to match.

Overlooking the Hudson River on the 2nd floor of Brookfield Place, the newly created Hudson Eats food court features 600 seats and a vast variety of fast-casual eateries.

By Liana Chow The fanciest food court you’ve ever seen is now a choice for your lunch. Opened in June, Hudson Eats is a collection of upscale restaurants and takeout shops that are part of the new Brookfield Place, formerly known as the World Financial Center. Hudson Eats advertises itself as a “foodie’s paradise with no rules” and is particularly attractive to white-collar workers tired of the same food for lunch every day. Though prices are a little higher than a meal at Terry’s or Ferry’s, Hudson Eats presents itself as a great Friday afternoon hangout spot. The eatery includes fourteen of the city’s best dining options, ranging from Blue Ribbon’s artful sushi to Umami Burger’s fullbodied truffle burgers. Northern Tiger, a new Chinese restaurant, will be joining them later this season. Located four blocks down North End Avenue from Stuyvesant and up the escalator by the palm trees inside the Winter Garden, its location on the waterfront provides seating with a luxurious view, complete with yachts.

Dos Toros Now with a branch in Hud-

son Eats, this highly popular Greenwich Village eatery is one of the most economical choices for students. Dos Toros is best compared to a Chipotle with smaller portions. It sells burritos, tacos, and quesadillas ($4 to $7) with the option to add a selection of spicy sauces, tomatoes, lettuce, and guacamole.

The service is fast. However, the taste and textures are inferior to those of Chipotle; the beef at Dos Toros is tougher and the tortillas stiffer.

Mighty Quinn’s: A family friend claims Mighty Quinn’s pulled pork sandwich is “the best [they’ve] ever had—and [they’re] from Tennessee.” People with a craving for southern comfort food can satisfy their appetites here, and the queues are often long for barbecued dishes. In the nearby garden where patrons enjoy their food, a strong aroma of barbecue sauce fills the air.

The secret to Mighty Quinn’s top quality dishes lies within the process of smoking the seasoned meat with wood for hours, resulting in tender, spicy pulled pork. Other popular options include smoked sausage, brontosaurus ribs (aptly named because the ribs are huge and carry almost a pound of beef),

and chicken wings, either “naked” or in sandwiches.

Skinny Pizza This counter sells affordable thin crust pizza (for example, $3.81 for a Margherita slice) that I found bland. It is so thin that a couple of slices are likely necessary to satisfy people. Still, Skinny Pizza attracts crowds with its health-conscious menu. All ingredients are organic, and no preservatives are used in the process of the pizza making. A customer described a Buffalo chicken slice as “tangy and tasty,” though not good enough to make him yearn for another slice. Skinny Pizza may, however, have the best soft-drink selection in the food court, including delicious Boylan sodas.

Num Pang Num Pang’s dishes combine spices and details of Cambodian influence. The sandwiches burst with big flavor that matches their thick size. The salads are less cumbersome to eat and the peppercorn catfish salad is an exciting mix of spice and cool flavors. A recent visitor commented that “the sandwiches hit the spot for a Banh Mi-type sandwich” and praised

Dig Inn Dig Inn’s hearty food includes meat and fish, as well as salads that are large enough for two. Healthy ingredients like quinoa and kale abound, Dig Inn boasts a rotating menu that largely depends upon the produce grown locally in the area for cheap and affordable prices.

Seasonal menus and a grilled fish special with a market price demonstrate the restaurant’s “farm to counter” mission. The Happy Salmon salad that I ate ($10.10) was satisfying but for the flood of oil.

Chop’t If you’re willing to wait quite a while for the ingredients to be chopped and tossed by hand, you will discover how impeccable fresh ingredients make Chop’t salads a premium and distinguish Chop’t from other salad venues. Customers can order one of Chop’t’s specialties, such as the summery Mexican Caesar, or choose their own ingredients for an original salad.

The Cobb salad, with tender free-range chicken, avocado, smoked bacon, hard-boiled egg and crumbled blue cheese, is even better when kale and spinach are added to the standard romaine.

Blue Ribbon Sushi Blue Ribbon is a fancy Japanese restaurant where you can eat carefully crafted, beautiful sushi and dare to try gooey quail egg while watching the

cooking spectacle in front of you. A tasty take-out choice that’s big enough to share with a few friends is the fish bowl ($16), which combines your choice of poke (raw marinated yellowtail, tuna, salmon, or octopus), rice or soba noodles, and a vegetable.

Sprinkles Cupcakes A pop of childlike color in the food court is the polkadotted façade of Sprinkles Cupcakes, and the cupcakes are just as fun. For $3.75, the shop sells classics like red velvet, in addition to unusual ones like key lime pie cupcakes, which were featured over the summer for a short time. Its puffy merengue top and strong lime filling made it addictive, so we can only hope for more featured cupcakes that are just as good. However, not all flavors are offered every day, so be sure to check the weekly calendar and opt to try the flavor of the month.

Tartinery This French restaurant is named for tartines, or openfaced sandwiches (minimum $12). The ricotta tartine was an uninteresting sandwich (dry toast, thinly spread ricotta, and a halved cherry tomato) that could easily have been made at home without exhausting my lunch money—so I didn’t try anything further. Other items include soups, salads, and breakfast tartines, one of which is topped with Nutella.

Little Muenster: Little Muenster brings a French twist to the classic grilled cheese sandwich. The cheese choices are not limited to Muenster; cheddar, gruyere, Swiss, and ricotta are also offered between slices of perfectly toasted bread. Made to be a fast food joint specializing in this classic American sandwich, Little Muenster aims to elevate this kid-favorite dish with a variety of seasonal ingredients. If you’re looking for a great combination, try the lobster grilled cheese, filled with endless bites of lobster meat.

It’s a little pricey, but worth the $18. For a cheaper option, try the classic, with layers of white American and Muenster cheese oozing out of a crunchy shell.

Bon appetit!

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Korea Triumphant

By Sunjay Lee South Korea’s contribution to the rising Asian film industry has been worth paying attention to; witness KoreanAmerican rookie Ki Hong Lee as Minho in “The Maze Runner,” or the Hollywood remake of the 2003 South Korean classic “Old Boy.” The newest addition to that growing list is the South Korean film “Admiral: The Roaring Currents,” directed by Kim Han Min. It was a massive success in its native country; the film took top spot for highest number of admissions in South Korea (more than 17 million admissions in a nation of 50 million), and it grossed $130.5 million in Korea in less than two months.

The film also opened in select theaters in the US last August.

“Admiral” is about the his-

torical Battle of Myeongnyang during the Japanese invasion of 1597, when Yi Soon Sin (Choi Min Sik) led a desperate Korean fleet against overwhelming Japanese forces. Exploiting the currents and whirlpools of Myeongyang Strait, Yi leads a measly 13 ships to victory in awe-inspiring, heroic fashion.

Myeongnyang’s impact on Korea’s cultural memory is comparable to Thermopylae’s, though I doubt “Admiral” will spawn parodies the way “300” did.

The extensive battle at Myeongnyang Strait is one of the longest I’ve ever seen in an action movie, but the special effects and Choi’s rousing lines, supposedly inspired by Yi’s actual words, keep the movie engaging. South Korean dexterity in computer graphics is showcased in the rolling waves and

the meticulously choreographed destruction of battle in this film. (Of the hundreds of ships shown, only eight were actually built). In fact, I did not realize that the battle scene took up a decent half of the movie until the end, when the credits rolled.

If it weren’t for the complex yet brilliant use of computer graphics, the battle scene could have easily seemed disorganized. The filmmakers also deftly judged how much blood and carnage the audience could stomach—I, who cannot watch gore, was able to watch the battle without any uncomfortable moments.

The movie does not have a singular villain; the main enemy is the faceless horde of Japanese, led by the appropriately evil Kurushima (Ryu Seung Ryong). But he is no goose-stepping cardboard cutout. Kurushima is introduced as a driven leader from pirate roots with insubordinate tendencies, and his hatred of General Yi is driven by an actual motive, his brother’s death at Yi’s hand. A few minutes before the battle, he pays his respects to his brother and vows to defeat the Koreans. He mercilessly commands his men against Yi’s army, but is murdered by Yi himself in hand-to-hand combat. This is still a patriotic movie, after all.

In typical war movie fashion, the characters are mostly subordinated to greater feelings of nationalism and battle-frenzy.

However, the movie’s dramatic subject and intense focus on Yi’s inspirational leadership of his troops still effectively draws on the sympathy of viewers. I watched “Admiral” in a theater full of Koreans, and many of them clapped and cried at moments of Korean success.

I watched “Admiral” in a theater full of Koreans, and many of them clapped and cried at moments of Korean success.

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The historical tension between Japan and Korea is a wellworn subject in Korean film, but at a time of geopolitical uncertainty and after the Sewol ferry tragedy, this movie let South Koreans rally around the story of a national hero. In Yi’s words (at least in the movie): “Victory will depend on whether we can turn fear into courage.”

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Playlist

Teacher’s Picks Who would’ve thought, teachers listen to music too? We went around asking some of Stuy’s distinguished pedagogues (plus some extra Moran and Zhang) about their favorite songs. Their answers included classic rock to esoteric basement-produced indie, though sadly passing right over mid-2000’s prog-rock. You can also find our playlists on 8tracks at “stuyspec.” Enjoy!

Mr. Bologna “All About That Bass” Meghan Trainor Pop

Mr. Henderson “Lipstick Covered Magnet” The Front Bottoms Indie Rock

Mr. Brown-Mykolyk “The Man” Aloe Blacc R&B

Mr. Holmes “Joy Spring” Clifford Brown Jazz

Mr. Cocoros “Here Come the Warm Jets” Brian Eno Rock

Mr. Lack “Archie, Marry Me” Alvvays Indie Pop

Ms. Dwyer “This Tornado Loves You” Neko Case Rock

Mr. Moran “Paint it Black” Rolling Stones Rock

Mr. Dyrland Weaver “Ramble On” Led Zeppelin Rock

Mr. Nieves “The Sidewinders Sleep Tonite” R.E.M. Alternative Rock

Mr. Ferencz “Exit Music” Radiohead Alternative Rock

Ms. Pedrick “Rainbow Connection” Kermit the Frog Folk

Mr. Fisher “Free Bird” Lynyrd Skynyrd Rock

Mr. Polazzo “Skeleton Boy” Friendly Fires Indie Rock

Mr. Garfinkel “Up the Junction” Squeeze New Wave/Post punk

Mr. Rothenberg “What a Wonderful World” Louis Armstrong Jazz

Mr. Hanna “Layla” Derek and the Dominos Rock

Ms. Zhang “You Raise Me Up” Secret Garden Inspirational

The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

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The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Page 22

Arts and Entertainment

Yueer Niu / The Spectator The Balloon Dog (top) and Play-Doh (bottom) are two pieces from Jeff Koons’ Whitney exhibit.

By Jongyoul Lee A giant pile of colorful PlayDoh, peculiarly resembling dog excrement, towers over its beholders. Coincidentally, there is an equally large poodle on the other side of the room. Both recognizable works of art by Jeff Koons, “Play-Doh” and “Balloon Dog (Yellow),” are currently on display in the Whitney Museum of American Art. The Jeff Koons retrospective at the Whitney museum, one of the last exhibitions in the Madison Avenue building before its relocation downtown, has attracted such immense flocks of visitors that the Whitney expanded its hours: not only were its Friday hours expanded to 11 am until 9 pm, but the museum is now open on Mondays, as well. The exhibit will be open until October 19th, and is free for everyone who is 18 years old and under, while it is discounted at $16 dollars for students over 19.

Jeff Koons, an American artist born in Pennsylvania, is recognized for his reproductions of ordinary objects, such as the Liberty Bell, balloon shapes, and

inflatable toys. One of his balloon shapes, “Balloon Flower (Red),” is only a few blocks from Stuyvesant High School; it is located between Greenwich Street and Washington Street near the World Trade Center.

His balloon sculptures are known for their stainless steel medium and cheeky colors, and several are present at the Whitney, including the “Balloon Dog (Yellow)” and “Balloon Venus (Orange),” a balloon-animal-esque version of “Venus of Willendorf,” the Paleolithic fertility goddess.

Aside from Koons’s most widely known works, the Whitney’s curator Scott Rothkopf organized the artist’s unrecognized works as well. However, some of his obscure “artworks” are quite bland. For example, there is a room full of “Inflatables,” replicas of cheap inflatable toys he found in downtown Manhattan. Yes, I admit, there is a slightly deeper meaning to the “Inflatables” than being mere decorative toys: Koons claims that these inflatables are a metaphor for life; we breathe, expand, and contract. Our last breath is equivalent to our deflation. Next to these are several piles of half a dozen sponges toppled on top

of each other and placed in front of a mirror; a seemingly unrelated, spontaneous combination.

Koons’s attempts to present these toys in a new light are fruitless due to the inconsistency of the objects in his collection – his sponges are not even inflatable.

On the third floor there are a series of digitally manipulated “paintings,” called “Made in Heaven,”which are printed on billboards Some of these photographs portray Koons and Ilona Staller, an adult entertainer, in explicit poses. His goal was to show a different perspective of sex.

The billboards also served to announce Koons’s upcoming movie, but the film was canceled. Shockingly, he decided to marry Staller, but their marriage soon fell apart.

To most, this was not very surprising since his wife could not speak English. Their marriage is an accurate reflection of this collection since Koons’s divorce is actually quite similar to the overall success of this series.

After I had trudged through three floors of unstimulating artwork, I found the fourth floor to be a slight redemption, if only because of the eye-catching colors and sizes, a contrast to the mundane objects of the previous floors.

This floor contains “Balloon Dog (Yellow)” and “Play-Doh,” which were previously mentioned, as well as “Moon (Light Pink)” and other sculptures and paintings.

These sculptures, though childish, are highly valued by the public. In fact, Koons’s “Balloon Dog (Orange),” an exact replica of the yellow artwork except in a different hue, was purchased at 58.4 million dollars, the highest price from a living artist. Still, these few eye candies would not have been worth the ticket price, had I paid the full fare.

Fortunately, one out of five floors of the Whitney is not invaded by Koons. The fifth floor displays art by Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, and countless more, each of whom expresses deeper messages in their artwork than Koons does. Semi-concealed between the fourth and the fifth floor is Edward Hopper’s exhibit, possibly the best collection of art displayed in the Whitney currently, although limited in number because of the finite amount of space. If Hopper’s wife were to witness “Early Sunday Morning” upstaged by, say, a vacuum cleaner, I am certain she would regret her decision to donate more than 3,000 of her husband’s works to the Whitney.

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Broadway Gold Heels, Big Hair and Jaw-Dropping Rock

By Frances Dodin

Based off of James Cameron Mitchell’s book of the same name, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is a rock musical that showcases the “internationally ignored” rock band named “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” It primarily focuses on Hedwig (Neil Patrick Harris), the band’s lead singer, as she recounts her journey from the Cold War-era in East Berlin to the moment she stands in front of the audience that day. She uses the songs in the show as reactions to each of the obstacles in her life, including her relationship with her mother, her botched sex change operation, and her relationship with a blossoming yet egotistical pop star.

Although her life is a whirlpool of adversity, Hedwig nonetheless ends up in somewhat of a Broadway limelight with her husband, Yitzhak (Lena Hall) and other band members (Skszp, Jacek, Krzysztof and Slatko). The concert is situated in the rubble of the set of “Hurt Locker: The Musical,” a show that closed in the middle of its first performance, which in and of itself becomes one of the many jokes that are sprinkled throughout Hedwig’s clever monologues, song lyrics, and the brief yet hilarious dialogue between her and her timid husband.

Hedwig surpasses a rollercoaster of events that leave her partially broken, but she is still left empowered and possessing a brazen personality. From April to August of 2014, Neil Patrick Harris became this role inside and out.

The complementary relationship between comedy and emotional struggle increases the intricacy of this character, and yet Harris manages to portray such a complex and multifaceted character realistically. Hedwig spends the show confidently cat-walking around the stage in her gold high heels as she narrates her own story. Because the show is set as an actual concert, Hedwig often interacts with the audience, sometimes even to an offensive degree (for example, criticizing an audience member for taking photos during the performance).

In addition, during the short period of time that Hedwig comes into the audience, she acts with astounding provocative flare as she licks an audience member’s glasses or even dances on them.

Throughout Hedwig’s multidimensional show of history and entertainment, the audience really feels like they have been moved out of the Broadway sphere and into an atmosphere that is a little more raunchy and exciting.

The songs showcased in this production also add to the electrifying environment. From the popularized story of Hedwig’s journey to America in “Sugar Daddy” to her hopeful dreams of finding the her other half in “The Origin of Love” (surprisingly, based off of Aristophanes speech in Plato’s “Symposium”), Harris belts song after song with unimaginable ease and liveliness. During one song he even sings while in a pit below the stage’s floor level as he undergoes a complete wardrobe change, with only his head remaining visible.

The show is a musical masterpiece, pieced together by the music- and song-writing talents of Stephen Trask. Songs like “Wig in a Box” and “Wicked Little Town” are catchy and memorable. The songs give an added dimension to each individual event of Hedwig’s rollercoaster of a life; some

Zovinar Khrimian / The Spectator

Museum Jeff Koons: A Retrospective

create a sense of fun and enthusiasm while others have a more somber and contemplative approach. Each number includes immensely intricate choreography that proves that Neil Patrick Harris may be something close to supernatural in order for him to painlessly perform them over and over. In his performance of “Sugar Daddy,” Hedwig runs and dances all over the set in her heels, and she also slides on the hood of a car and climbs the side decorations while keeping true to the vocals.

In addition, Hedwig runs around in increasingly fewer articles of clothing as the show progresses, although the wigs she wears become continuously greater and more fabulous.

Although the entirety of the show is a truly inexplicable experience, the last scene is by far the most touching and heart-wrenching moment. The way some of the seemingly superfluous comments throughout the show gather to form a thunderstorm of a storyline climax is spectacular. The idea of repeating the same emotional scene eight times a week is unimaginable. Even though Harris’s career includes greats such as “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Glee,” and “Beastly,” this finale, by far, best showcases his talent.

The 2014 Tony Awards acknowledged the success of the show by nominating it and its more than deserving cast and crew in over ten different categories. Most notably, Harris received the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, Hall received Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical, while the show itself won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical. By the end of August, Harris left the show with a grandiose finale and was soon replaced by “Book of Mormon” and “Girls” alum Andrew Rannells.

Rannells’s run is short and he will be replaced in October by “Dexter” star Michael C. Hall. Although many television fans rave about this exchange, Hall’s notably muscular and masculine physique might significantly interfere with his portrayal of such an emphatically feminine character.

Unfortunately, Neil Patrick Harris may have been the only person able to drive “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” to its current fame, but he is also quite possibly the only one that could keep it from falling. It is not yet clear whether Andrew Rannells or Michael C. Hall will be able to come close to the reputation set by Harris’s performance or if they will severely lessen the enthusiasm about the Broadway hit.

The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Page 23

Arts and Entertainment Movie

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Trapped

By Mei Huang Who am I? What is my purpose? These are questions inevitably asked by teenagers as we struggle to find our identities. This is no exception for sixteen-year-old Thomas (Dylan O’ Brien) when he wakes up trapped in the middle of a maze with no memories. “The Maze Runner,” based on the bestselling trilogy written by James Dashner, features a fresh take on the typical “hero in a dystopian future” theme.

The movie begins when Thomas wakes up panting and sweating in a rising elevator filled with supplies that is known as “The Box.” He has no memory of his past and no recollection of his name. When the

elevator comes to a stop, Thomas finds himself in a grassy clearing that is surrounded on all sides by extremely high and imposing walls covered in ivy.

This is known as the Glade.

At his arrival, Thomas is greeted by the other boys, known as the Gladers, who were also unceremoniously dumped into this location. These teenagers are trapped in the maze with no remembrance of their pasts, with the exception of their names: a piece of information that these teens are able to recall after a few days.

Thomas discovers that the Gladers have formed their own functioning society, led by Alby (Aml Ameen). This functioning society is based on 3 rules: Do your part. Never hurt another

Glader. And never go beyond the walls. Each of the Gladers have a job which they work at almost all day, taking a break only for lunch. The jobs are split into categories, each of which are headed by a Keeper.

One of these jobs is that of the Runners.

The Runners, headed by Minho (Ki Hong Lee), are the group of strongest and fastest of the Gladers who dare to enter an opening in the walls and explore the maze that lies within. They are also the only people who are allowed inside the maze. The maze is extensive and hazardous: it is navigable during the day, but at night it changes and is fatal to anyone who is unlucky enough to be trapped inside. As of Thomas’s arrival, no one has survived a night in the maze and no one has been able to exit the other side.

I was not familiar with the book that this movie was based on before seeing the film itself. I walked into “The Maze Runner” knowing only what the commercials revealed. However, this lack of knowledge turned out to be the perfect way to see this film. Instead of comparing it to the book, I was more focused on the movie itself. As Thomas begins to explore this new and strange world, I am right there along with him. This makes the

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scene development very effective as I was experiencing everything for the first time, and I found myself becoming drawn into the movie as Thomas discovers new things about the world and the maze.

The relatively unknown cast of “The Maze Runner” also helped to make the movie more accessible. Since O’Brien, the star of the movie, does not carry any preimposed impressions from prior characters, he is fully able to become Thomas to the audience. Ki Hong Lee’s depiction of Minho is also noteworthy. Although he is the leader and the one that knows the maze the best, he is not impervious to fear and at one point he even expresses readiness to ditch his friend in order to save his own life. It’s clear that he also has faults, and this makes the character more human, likeable and relatable.

With stunning visuals and a commendable cast, “The Maze Runner” succeeds in enthralling its audience and bringing them into the strange world created originally by James Dashner.

As if thrown into a maze themselves, audience members are kept on the edge of their seat as the film pumps out nerveracking moments, one after the other. “The Maze Runner” is definitely a must-watch movie of the year.

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The Spectator ●October 6, 2014

Melanie Chow / The Spectator

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Comics

Sports

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What’s Wrong With Manchester United?

By Daniel Gutman After a spending spree in which Manchester United used more than £170 million to reinforce their squad for the 2014-2015 Barclays Premier League season, many expected the Red Devils to catapult to the top instantaneously and put their seventh place finish last year far behind them.

Shockingly, despite capturing goal-scoring machine Ramadel Falcao, English record-signing Angel di Maria, World Cup stars Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind, and several

other extremely talented players, United currently occupies the 12th spot in the table, eight points off league leaders Chelsea and dangerously just two from the relegation zone.

No one could have envisioned a start as poor as this, with the British giants picking up just one win and suffering embarrassing defeats to Swansea City and the newly promoted Leicester City. There is obviously something wrong with the team—something spending almost £200 million over two months cannot cover up.

United’s most visible problem is overreliance on attack.

In their 5-3 defeat to Leicester City, coach Louis van Gaal fielded a side with Falcao and Robin van Persie in attack, Wayne Rooney behind them, and di Maria, Ander Herrera, and Blind in the midfield. He practically squeezed in every impact player on the attack (and it’s a wonder that Juan Mata wasn’t thrown in there as well). But as the saying goes, “offense wins matches, but defense wins championships.” Throwing everything into attack and hoping for a goal has been United’s strategy so far this season, and the team has been duly punished

for it.

Every failed United attack means the possibility of a soon-to-be-conceded goal.

Blind is the only holding midfielder, and as such is tasked with marshaling 30-40 yards of open space, practically on his own. Although van Gaal may field a 4-3-3 formation on paper, during the match it is closer to a 4-1-5, with midfielders moving up onto offense. He must get another defensive midfielder in the lineup, but unfortunately, all he has at his disposal to partner Blind are ageing Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher, or an out-of-favor Marouane Fellaini. As much as van Gaal appears to dislike Fellaini, Fellaini might be able to help Blind with midfield cleanup and, due to his status as a “leg-breaking tackle waiting to happen,” with putting fear into the opposition.

At the other end of the pitch, the defense is, simply put, awful. Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, and Johnny Evans make up a list of centre-backs that would be third string for clubs like Manchester City or Chelsea. Jones himself isn’t terrible, but isn’t worldclass either. However, with

a hard-hitting partner like the departed Nemanja Vidic, I have faith that he can fix United’s defensive problems.

A new centre-back is an absolute must if United wishes to continue playing the ultraattacking football I’ve seen in these past weeks. The Red Devils have been linked to Valencia star Nicolas Otamendi in recent weeks and were reportedly close to taking Milan’s Philippe Mexes over the summer. Barring some sort of form explosion from Smalling or Evans, the January transfer window should be focused purely on getting Phil Jones the help he sorely needs. Getting a veteran in the defensive

Their defense is, simply put, awful

line wouldn’t hurt either. Last season, Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, and Patrice Evra (all over 32 years of age) were featured in United’s lineup. Now with all three gone, the senior defender is Johnny Evans—not exactly the embodiment of leadership and experience.

The aforementioned Mexes, despite being a red card waiting to happen due to his recklessness, possesses the experience United could really use.

Commanding and intimidating, Mexes’s presence would make almost any striker reconsider barreling through the back line.

Most importantly, United’s “van Gaalacticos” shows that you can have all the money in the world to buy all the good players, but you can’t pay for chemistry. A sense of brotherhood will ultimately determine whether United will succeed or fall right on their faces. Louis van Gaal has the difficult task of showing that there is life after former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, but to do that he must get his stars to settle down and become more than they currently are: United.

The Spectator ● October 6, 2014

Page 27

Sports Girls’ Bowling

Boys’ Soccer

Centaurs off to an Impressive Start

By Louis Susser The Centaurs improved their record to 3-1 on Monday, September 22, by defeating the Brandeis Bulldogs 5-1. The Centaurs were able to prove their dominance on the field despite the absence of their goalie, senior Demos Sfakianakis, who was out with a sprained thumb.

Sophomores Laszlo Sandler and Taisei Manheim were able to take his place in goal, combining for nine saves while surrendering only one goal.

The Centaurs scored two goals in the first half, both set up by excellent crosses made by senior Mohammed Haque.

“[Sean and Isaac] are like two other coaches out there.”

—Vincent Miller, coach

“Haque, as a central attacking midfielder, created a ton of plays,” senior and co-captain Sean Fitzgerald said. Throughout the game, the Centaurs found life in their offense, which created 20 shots-on-goal.

Senior and co-captain Isaac Gluck was extremely impressed by the Centaurs’ teamwork. “[Fitzgerald] and I, as center backs, are really able to see the whole field. This allows us to communicate with the rest of our team about their positions,” Gluck said. Not only was the Centaurs’ offense performing at a high level, but also their defense acted as a wall, allowing only four shots on goal.

Once the Centaurs took the lead by a considerable margin, coach Vincent Miller emptied the bench to give the team’s younger talent the opportunity to prove themselves. In the second half, freshman Sunny Levitis seized the moment and scored his first goal of the season. Additionally, sophomore Laszlo Sandler capitalized on many plays. Once, he sprinted past the opposing defenders creating a break-away, one-onone situation with the goalie, resulting in a goal.

The Centaurs’ success this season, coming in second place behind Martin Luther King Jr. in the division, is largely due to the leadership and guidance provided by the captains, Fitzgerald and Gluck. “[Sean and Isaac] are like two other coaches out there,” Miller said.

Pinheads Rise to the Occasion

By May Chen Amidst the blasting music and the colorful LED lighting at Frames Bowling Lounge, the Stuyvesant girls’ bowling team, the Pinheads, picked up their first victory of the season against the High School of Fashion Industries Falcons on Tuesday, September 23. The girls expected an easy victory, as they had been practicing hard over the summer and on weekends in anticipation of their first game. High School of Fashion Industries has been one of their biggest competitors in the past. Last year, the Pinheads faced the Falcons three times and won twice. “I know some of our returning players were apprehensive about going against them first this year,” senior and co-captain Fawn Wong said.

Even though some factors threw the Pinheads off their game, the team narrowly pulled ahead for a victory. The A team won 425-417, and the B team won 346-316.

One of the biggest factors affecting the game for the Pinheads’ A team was an issue with their lane. After multiple players fell following their release, the team realized there was a slippery spot in the lane, which attributed to low scores during the early frames of the game.

“Bowling is largely a concentration sport, so if anything breaks your concentration, it can make or break you,” senior and cocaptain Stephanie Lin said.

Unfortunately, the Pinheads were denied assistance from the staff, so the team resumed

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“Bowling is largely a concentration sport, so if anything breaks your concentration, it can make or break you.”

—Stephanie Lin, senior and cocaptain playing by avoiding the spot.

The girls adjusted and picked up their game in the second half.

Wong led the way, scoring two strikes in the last two frames for a total score of 130.

For the B-team, two of their starting players, sophomores Ashley Chong and Lucy Li, were not allowed to skip 10th period class for the game. Therefore, the team had to substitute in reserve players sophomores Alina Sheikh and Han Oo, who scored 81 and 70, respectively. This is a good start, but the captains are hoping to bring the team’s averages up to 100.

The two other members of the B-team, newcomer junior Christy Cheng and returning

member sophomore Sosonia Ma also performed well, scoring 99 and 96, respectively. But still, even more factors were against the Pinheads. Coach Eric Wisotsky was late to the match because he taught a 10th period class.

Additionally, Frames Bowling Alley is not a preferred venue of the girls, mostly due to the attitude of the staff. They often don’t allow the teams to practice before the game, and even cut off the game if the girls don’t finish by 5:00. “Returning members can definitely attest to how we don’t really like Frames, and how mean everyone there is to the students that come to play,” Lin said. As of now, all of the Pinheads’ games this season are scheduled to be at Frames, which might be a factor in the team’s performance this season.

However, the captains are determined to keep this from affecting the team mentally and aim to be undefeated.

The Pinheads are already set on the playoffs, as their strong performance last season, in which they reached the quarterfinals, proved their potential.

This season, the Pinheads aim to improve their performance by encouraging their players to develop a passion for the sport.

“The more you love a sport, the more you want to practice and get better,” Lin said. The team’s strong opening performance should certainly help foster passion, and the players are all excited to continue improving.

October 6, 2014

Page 28

The Spectator SpoRts

Derrick Lui / The Spectator

Vixens Look To Bounce Back

Junior Georgia Kamm spikes the ball during the Vixen’s scrimmage against the Marymount School of New York.

By Jason Lee and Rayyan Jokhai The Vixens ended last season on a disappointing note.

They made an early exit in the playoffs, snapping a regular season winning streak that had survived for ten years. And with five vital seniors having left for college, the Vixens have a lot of gaps to fill.

Like other fall teams, the Vixens wanted to get a head start on their season, so they hosted tryouts before school even began. There was a week of no-cut tryouts, providing an opportunity for many girls to improve, learn more volleyball techniques, and practice for the upcoming season.

“There was a lot of good talent during the tryouts. Since we had a week of no-cut tryouts, it

was amazing to see how quickly some players improved,” junior Tammy Liang said.

With the bevy of talent during the tryouts, the decisions that coach Vasken Choubaralian had to make were very difficult. After careful deliberation, he added six promising players to the roster.

“We have a lot of talented girls filling in for the ladies who left. We have a lot of great new players who are learning the skills quickly,” senior and captain Julia Gohkberg said. “If we continue to help them develop their skills, they should be ready for the upcoming season.”

Last year’s early playoff exit stemmed from problems with defense and returning serves.

Defense and saving the ball have been emphasized through the practices so far and will

continue to be a focus for the remainder of the season.

“We need to be aggressive when it comes to saving the ball and not letting anything touch the floor on our side,” sophomore Mariya Kulyk said. “It was the most important thing we had trouble with last year.”

A major strength of the team last year was chemistry. During games, the girls were constantly energetic and supportive, regardless of the score. This season should be no different.

“I think our chemistry on the court has strengthened,” freshman Olivia Kusio said.

Choubaralian has pushed the girls through intense conditioning, including a plethora of defensive drills. He plans to have girls play in in-game situations in the coming weeks as the season begins. “One thing he brings to the team that makes us better is conditioning,” Kulyk said.

Choubaralian is coaching only his second season, but the team is ecstatic to have him.

“Choubaralian is a great coach and I think the whole team is excited to have him back for this season,” Gohkberg said.

The Vixens, however, are looking for some help from the rest of Stuyvesant, asking that fans be energetic at home games so that the team can ride the momentum. “In a tough game, the energy and excitement of the crowd for you can really push you to play harder,” Liang said.

Girls’ Golf

Birdies Tee off on Brooklyn Tech

By Jeffrey Su The Birdies, the girls’ golf team, went undefeated in the 2011 and 2012 regular seasons, and with four straight wins to start the season, they inch closer to the same mark this year. The latest of these wins, a 4-1 victory over Brooklyn Tech, came as no surprise. The Birdies had already defeated Brooklyn Tech, one of their fiercest rivals, in the first match of the season. “Brooklyn Tech has a good team and will be our greatest competition this season. We will play them one more time this season. Though we have

“It has been impressive that they have been able to step up and win their matches.” — Emilio Nieves, coach

won two matches against them already, both 4-1, the matches were not easy,” coach Emilio Nieves said.

The Birdies prevailed despite the absence of their usual position three player, senior Jane Jeong, who will be out with a wrist injury for most of the season. As a result, other players have been matched up against better players than they are used to facing. “It has been impressive that they have been able to step up and win their matches,” Nieves said.

Despite this change in positions, the Birdies still cruised past Brooklyn Tech. The Birdies’ position one player, senior Sabrina Chan, had her best game of the season. She parred a parfive hole and a par-three hole.

In total, she won four of the five holes with the lone loss coming from a lost ball. “I thought I lost my ball out of bounds on the fourth hole when I teed off, but when I found it I had to take a one stroke penalty after moving it back in bounds,” Chan said.

The position two player, junior Amanda Chiu, also played one of her best matches this season, scoring par on her fourth hole in a victory. “She has been very consistent and solid each match this season,” Coach Nieves said. Chiu has only lost one hole to her opponent all season.

Senior Erica Chio, the new

position three player, also won her match after struggling through the first three holes. “I wasn’t able to drive at all for a huge portion of the game, causing me to lose one hole and tie another,” Chio said. “There was this one drive that I drove around 200 yards, and it felt great after a series of disappointing shots.”

Position four player, senior Rebecca Lee-McFadden, has shown improvement after struggling in her first two matches of the season. In her last match against Brooklyn Tech earlier in the season, she averaged four over par through seven holes, but the second time around, McFadden scored a bogey, one over par, on her first hole in the match, and went on to finish strongly. “She has been steadily improving due to her hard work during practice in between matches,” Nieves said.

The Birdies will be facing Brooklyn Tech for a third time later on in the season, and will aim to hold onto their top spot in the division until then.

“There is no team in Brooklyn that particularly threatens our place in the playoffs, but if we are counting on taking it all the way to the finals, the entire team has to take the game more seriously and practice a lot more,” Chan said.

Sports Wrap Up The Peglegs, Stuyvesant’s football team, continued their undefeated streak with a 29-22 victory over Eagle Academy for Young Men for their fourth win of the season. Senior quarterback Eric Morgenstern has started the season impressively, throwing for 907 yards and eight touchdowns, six of which have been caught by senior Henry Luo, while completing over 70 percent of his passes.

Stuyvesant’s girls’ golf team, the Birdies, defeated Brooklyn Tech 4-1 for a second time this season. With four straight wins and zero losses, the Birdies are at the top of their league.

The Centaurs, Stuyvesant’s boys’ soccer team, beat Millenium 10-1 on Saturday, September 27, moving to 5-1 on the season, with their only loss coming from Martin Luther King Jr. in the first game of the year. Senior Sean Fitzgerald is tied for first in the division for most goals scored with seven in the first six games.

The Mimbas, Stuyvesant’s girls’ soccer team, lost to Bronx Science 8-0 on Tuesday, September 30. Their record fell to 1-7 on the season.

Boys’ Badminton

Swinging Into Next Season

Yi Zhu / The Spectator

Girls’ Volleyball

Senior Daniel Goynatsky (left) plays against Badminton Team Captain Kevin Liang (right) in the gymnasium.

By Joshua Zhu Last spring, schools scrambled to put teams together when the Public Schools Athletics League (PSAL) suddenly announced badminton as an official PSAL sport.

Despite this, Stuyvesant managed to generate an exciting team that made the semi-finals. Boys’ badminton is still a young sport and schools have yet to establish themselves within the high school badminton hierarchy. However, with Stuyvesant’s roster largely intact from last season, we have a good idea of what to expect this year.

In the 2013-2014 season, the mascot-less boys’ badminton team went 7-3 in the regular season to secure the fourth seed in the playoffs. Unfortunately, from there, the team lost 3-2 to Bronx Science in the semifinals. Nevertheless, the untested team gained a lot of experience.

“No one knew what to expect [last season]. We didn’t know what competitions were going to be like, which teams were going to be competitors, or how we would do against other teams,” senior and captain Kevin Liang said. “It was a learning experience for everyone [and] with the experience of last season, we’ll be much better this year.”

The experience will help Liang as he steps into the shoes of last year’s captain Christopher Lau, the player who graduated from last year’s roster. Liang played most of last season as a substitute, but that certainly does not undermine the team’s opinion of him.

“The whole team looks up to Kevin, not only because he’s an upperclassman but also because of his attitude. His optimism and enthusiasm bring the team together,” said sophomore Charles Sang, who played second singles last season.

Liang’s optimism will certainly motivate the team to improve upon last year and look to make

a deeper playoff run this year, although the team already has its sights set on improving. “The team is already incredibly motivated. All of them are already so passionate about the game. We have many of the more experienced players coaching the new guys, not because they have to, but because they want to. They love seeing their teammates improve,” Liang said.

One of the “more experienced players” is sophomore Jeffrey Wang. Though only an underclassman, Wang plays first singles and is nationally ranked 33rd in the boys’ singles division. Stuyvesant can surely count on Wang to be one of the strongest players in the city.

“I don’t think we will have much competition this year, other than [city champions] FDR. Even then, FDR lost their second singles, who was one of their best players. We also have a lot of great freshmen this year,” Wang said.

Stuyvesant’s players have gotten increasingly better, many of them spending their summers practicing in clubs and taking lessons. They also have less formidable foes this year; while Stuyvesant lost only one player from last year, other teams lost many more players, including city champions Franklin D. Roosevelt, who lost five seniors.

“I’m confident that we’ll not only make it to the playoffs, but we will also get to the finals this year,” Liang said. “In fact, we almost made it to the finals [last year], but we lost the determining game by only two points.”

Liang’s confidence is realistic.

The close result of the semi-finals last year shows that Stuyvesant had the ability to make the finals last year. With a more experienced roster virtually identical to that of last year’s, a nationally ranked ace player, and weaker opponents, Stuyvesant is all but assured a successful season.