The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper
Volume 107 No. 11
March 10, 2017
“The Pulse of the Student Body” stuyspec.com
SING! 2017
By Ryan Kim This year, the cost of the Advanced Placement (AP) exams offered at Stuyvesant was subsidized from $93 to $9.00 for those who pay for full-priced lunch. For students who receive free lunch, they will not be charged for taking the exams. While taking an AP course, students are required to complete a full year of the class and are encouraged to take the final AP exam at the end of the year. Initially, students received an e-mail from Assistant Principal of Organization Randi Damesek announcing that the Department of Education (DOE) would charge students $93 to take each
AP Exams Reduce in Cost
test on Monday, February 6. When offered a $9.00 rebate, the school declined because they wanted extra funding to go toward the reduction of exam costs for students who receive free/reduced lunch. With this money and the $31 discount these students receive from the College Board, the cost of their exam would have been $53. A finalized announcement that the DOE would be covering the full cost of the AP exams for students with free/ reduced lunch was sent out on Friday, February 10. Students who are ineligible for free/reduced lunch are still required to pay $9.00. In addition to this cost reduction, there has been
a $15 fee established for students that miss their AP exams. Stuyvesant’s status regarding Measures of Student Learning (MOSL), a system where teachers are evaluated on a standardized test that all their students take, contributed to this significant drop in price. While the DOE does not require that all schools use MOSL, it is pushing for schools to participate. At Stuyvesant, AP exams were chosen as MOSL selections, meaning that the AP exams were used to assess the students and teachers in accordance with the MOSL guidelines. This year, the DOE allowed for schools that used MOSL last year to benefit from a cost reduction, and Stuyvesant was
one of the schools that fit into this category. “Since the College Board did not submit a request for AP exams to be an option [for MOSL selections], they were not possible MOSL selections. But the DOE, understanding that the transition might be challenging, has offered waivers. The exams will be either free or reduced depending on if they were used last year,” Interim Acting Principal Eric Contreras said. It is quite important that AP exams maintain their free or reduced cost status, because without all students taking this examination, teachers would never receive a truly authentic review of their students. “The reason they [AP exams] are free when they’re
Turn to pages 9-21 for SING! Coverage
MOSL options is that in order for them to be valid, it can’t be contingent on students being able to pay for it or not,” Contreras said. Contreras, having taken a wide number of AP courses during his high school career, believes that students should be taking AP courses for the sake of expanding their knowledge and horizons rather than for a high test score. “I think you should take an AP class because you want to pursue a career in that area or you have an interest in that topic,” he said. “You should take it not for the sake of taking the AP exam, but you take it because of the journey of learning you’re going to have throughout the time in that course.”
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Page 2
News Language Department Holds Second Annual Chinese New Year Festival
NEWSBEAT The Model United Nations team competed at GCMUNC on Friday, February 23. Stuyvesant won the award for Best Large Delegation. Freshman Heiley Tai won the award for Best Position Paper. The Debate Team competed at the 43rd Annual Harvard
National Debate Tournament. Juniors David Doktorman and Isaac Segal
were quarterfinalists and senior Neil Yang and junior Matteo Wong were octafinalists in the Policy division. Senior Katherine Fennell was an octafinalist and second speaker in the Lincoln-Douglas division. Senior Asher Lasday was also a finalist in Congressional Debate. Senior Dhiraj Patel placed second in Original Oratory at the 43rd Annual Harvard
National Speech Tournament. Senior Liam Elkind was a finalist in Program Oral Interpretation. Seniors Liam Elkind and Kate Johnston placed fifth in Duo Interpretation.
FRC 694 Robotics Team won the FRC Chairman’s Award on March 4, at the FIRST Robotics Competition South Florida Regional. The FTC Robotics Team 310 was in the winning alliance for the FTC NYC Finals.
David Liu / The Spectator
The
Students line the hallway to sample food during the Chinese New Year Festival.
By Shameek Rakshit, Sasha Spajic, and Selina Zou
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and NASA
WORLDBEAT President Trump accused former President Obama of wire-
tapping his phones during the 2016 presidential campaign. Despite widespread condemnation of the comments and the lack of evidence to back the claims, Trump has ordered Congress to investigate the Obama administration.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations into Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election after it was revealed that he met with the Russian ambassador during the campaign. Sessions joins a growing list of Trump administration officials with ties to Russia, raising concerns about Russia’s influence in the White House. The shooting of two Indian-American men in Kansas and the shooting of an Indian-American man in Washington have raised concerns about the increase in hate crimes across the country after the 2016 election. A number of cases of vandalism have also been reported at Jewish cemeteries.
President Trump delivered his first State of the Union address as President to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, February 28. The speech was noted for its optimistic tone—a sharp contrast to the rhetoric used by the President during his first month in office. Two woman were charged on Wednesday, March 1 for the murder of Kim Jong Nam—the half-brother of North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un. The two women are believed to have used a nerve agent to kill Kim Jong Nam in a Malaysian airport. Many suspect the North Korean regime to be behind the assassination.
Scientists discovered seven earth-like planets orbiting a star 40 light years away. Their similarity in size to Earth and location in relation to their star raises the possibility of finding water on the planets. The discovery is part of ongoing efforts to find life outside
Earth.
The film “Moonlight” won the Best Picture award at the Academy Awards after it was initially announced that “”La La Land” had won the award. “La La Land” won the most awards at the ceremony with six Oscars.
Students crowded the seventh floor language wing amidst a sea of red paper lanterns and cutouts on Tuesday, February 14. The homemade decorations were the product of weeks of preparation for the language department’s annual Chinese New Year festival. Chinese New Year, also known as the “Spring Festival,” marks the start of a new year on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. It is a widely celebrated holiday throughout China, and is known for its rich culinary traditions. The language department hoped to bring that culture to the student body with the second of its annual Chinese New Year celebrations. “I would say [Assistant Principal of World Languages] Dr. [Ernest] Oliveri [...] is very supportive. He strongly believes that culture is a really important part of learning a language, so he said we should definitely do something for the Spring Festival. That’s how we started. I also firmly believe that learning a language should not be confined to the classroom,” Mandarin teacher Jia Zhou said. The language department has engaged in a collective initiative to celebrate more cultural holidays by hosting such events. Since the Día de los Muertos Celebration on November 1, teachers have approached Dr. Oliveri about organizing these festivities for their respective department. The festival was originally planned for Thursday, February 9, but a snow day forced the event to be rescheduled. The language department had planned for the festival to be held in the library, and reserved the location for the original date. However, because the li-
brary was unavailable on the later date, the department was forced to move the event to its seventh floor hallway location. Despite the last minute changes, the Mandarin department and its students quickly adjusted to the new date. Students brought in a large assortment of Chinese dishes for the celebration, ranging in variety from dumplings to fried rice to egg custard tarts. The festival attracted a large number of students, causing organizers and student volunteers
ees wished that the celebration included more aspects of Chinese culture than just the cuisine. “[The organizers] should teach us some things about the language since we all [take] different languages and we might not know anything about Chinese New Year,” junior Rafsan Hamid said. In response to this critique, organizers noted that the festival was not originally supposed to focus solely on cuisine. “The main problem was that we had a snow day on Thursday [...]
“The decorations are beautiful and the food is very authentic. It [feels very] home cooked.” —Melissa Gao, sophomore
to quickly become overwhelmed by the large volume of participants. “We weren’t able to limit the number of people attending the event. In the end, everyone crowded the hallway and it was pretty [disorganized],” sophomore Tanya Cao said. For most attendees, the most notable attractions of the celebration were the food and decorations. “The decorations are beautiful and the food is very authentic. It [feels very] home cooked,” sophomore Melissa Gao said. Although students enjoyed the festival, some attend-
so a lot of the presentations and clips we were supposed to see weren’t there,” Gao said. The language department is already looking forward to next year’s celebration, planning to improve on these along with other issues it faced this year, including the date always falling during Finals Week. “We hope to [...] be able to decorate the entire seventh floor. I am also planning on purchasing or finding bigger speakers so students will be able to hear beautiful traditional Chinese music,” Dr. Oliveri said.
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Page 3
Features
Courtesty of Nancy Ko
Nancy Ko: Long and Winding Rhodes
By Vincent Jiang and Shameek Rakshit While science, mathematics, and the humanities are present in every aspect of our daily lives, few people come across subjects like Jewish history. It is even rarer for non-Jewish people to be exposed to this field. Nevertheless, Nancy Ko (‘13) found herself captivated by the story of the Jewish people and their diaspora. This unusual and unlikely combination became a recipe for success for Ko when she was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship on November 19. The Rhodes Scholarship is a prestigious award which gives 32 postgraduate students from 16 regions in the U.S., as well as over 90 other students from the rest of the world, the opportunity to study at Oxford University for two years. Applicants need to submit a personal essay and a letter or recommendation before they are considered for an interview, and even if they reach this point, applicants still need to be outstanding to become a Scholar. “[President] Barack Obama was a finalist, but did not receive the Rhodes,” Ko said. Ko, who has been pursuing studies in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, will build on her existing work by taking courses in Modern Middle Eastern Studies and Turkish at Oxford. “First of all, I felt deeply humbled. These finalists were some of the most sensitive, interesting, and determined people I had ever met,” Ko said in
an e-mail interview. “I also felt a good deal of both relief and responsibility: on the one hand, I now had [...] post-college plans; on the other, these plans put me and the other Scholars in a unique position to do good in the world.”
Into the Promised Land
The road to acceptance began with Ko’s interest in Jewish people. Because of her childhood in Brooklyn as the daughter of two immigrants, Ko feels her curiosity is natural. “I grew up in Bensonhurst at a time when a lot of my parents’ customers were secular, post-Soviet Jews [...] nearby is Borough Park, a heavily orthodox, Hasidic neighborhood, ” Ko said. “I grew up both acutely aware of how ‘Jewishness’ could mean vastly different things to different people and the ways in which Jewish narratives of diaspora [...] related to my family’s own immigrant experience.” Ko pursued her interest in Stuyvesant by taking social studies teacher Robert Sandler’s Jewish History Class, but it wasn’t until she was introduced to the story of Middle Eastern Jews in college that she became fully invested in this course of study.“My freshman year, I knew I wanted to pursue Jewish History, and thus study Modern Hebrew or Russian. I chose Modern Hebrew, which met at 10 a.m., because the Elementary Russian class met at 9 a.m. and I overslept,” Ko said. That mistake ended up shaping her life. That day, Almog Behar, an Israeli poet, was invited
to share his poem about life as an Iraqi Jew living in Israel. Middle Eastern Jews, or Mizrahi Jews, tend to speak Arabic over Hebrew—a language often associated with Judaism. As Behar told his story of being shunned because of his appearance and his dialect, Ko was captivated. “I had never read poetry that felt so close to me,” she said. “Pieces of my childhood were flung back into my face, memories of kids teasing me, insisting I didn’t know English even though I was born in Staten Island, even though I had read Jane Eyre and they hadn’t.” Ko’s journey to understand the Jews of the Middle East took her to Israel that summer. “While walking the Old City of Jerusalem, I tried to strike up a conversation with a stall keeper selling spices, to practice my Hebrew,” Ko said. “He grimaced. Thinking this was because I had been unclear, I persisted until with a pained expression he said, in English, ‘Please don’t use that language. Please speak English.’” Although Ko was initially confused, the encounter gave her a new perspective on the subtleties involved with studying the Jewish people. “I had not considered that for this Palestinian shopkeeper, my use of Hebrew seemed like a taunt. He asked me to speak English not to demean me, but to restore his own dignity,” Ko said. “In that tiny spice stall in Jerusalem, I realized that a sensitive study of modern Jewish history [...] would be impossible without acknowledging the realities of occupation and the communities it marginalized. And such a task would be inconceivable without the Arabic language.” Moved by her encounter, Ko began studying Arabic. In the winter of the following semester, she returned to Israel, determined to confront the apparent alienation of Palestinians in Israeli society. But once again, her perspective shifted after a visit to the small town of Arad in the middle of the Israeli desert. In Arad, Ko met an Iranian-Jewish woman who showed her a photograph taken by an Israeli artist named Meir Gal. The photo showed a 400 page Israeli history textbook out of which only nine pages mentioned Middle Eastern Jews or Mizrahi Jews. “That image could not leave me. The photograph highlighted a disparity that Behar had touched upon in his poetry: though more than half of Israel’s Jews are of Arab or other non-
European descent, the public discourse continues to be dominated by a conception of Jewishness that excludes them,” Ko said. Ko returned to the United States to continue her research and do her part to confront misconceptions about Jewish culture. “I think the historian’s most noble job is to unfix the fixed notions of the present,” Ko said.
sues I faced in the Rhodes process are no different than the ones we always face getting to this point,” Ko said. “In the East Coast ivory tower, they often come in the form of unintentional, but consequential, abrasions.” Though the rest of the application was relatively straightforward, Ko’s stress was finally relieved on November 20 when she joined the Rhodes Class of 2017.
For Ko, the application process for the Rhodes Scholarship started in the spring of her junior year at Harvard. At first, the thought of applying to the scholarship was unappealing to her, mostly because it would be emotionally draining to try and convince the judges she was a suitable candidate, and her chances of getting in seemed to be low. Yet, she also wanted to make a difference in the world and “fight the world’s fight.” Ko also saw the Rhodes Scholarship as an opportunity to gauge her potential and decide what her role in the world would be. “I concluded that, regardless of the results, such a personal excavation—How do I see the world? How do I see the world changing? And what is my role in helping to change it?— would be well worth it,” Ko said. But she would learn that the application process would be harder than she had expected. When Ko spoke with her advisor, she was discouraged from applying because she did not seem like a Rhodes scholar. “This advisor—without knowing anything about me beyond what he could see—told me that scholarships like the Rhodes were ‘really only’ for people who could be potential leaders in their field,” Ko said. She explained that because she was an Asian woman, she was considered by her advisor to be unlikely to convince the judges that she was Scholar material. Nevertheless, Ko was determined to make a difference in the world. She was able to overcome her advisors’ skepticism once she convinced them to look at her essay drafts. “I had to assert myself, to trust in my own potential rather than wait for someone else to affirm it. Sometimes no one will affirm you. That doesn’t mean they’re right,” Ko said. The issues that Ko faced before applying to the scholarship are, in her mind, issues present in all aspects of the academic world. “The race and gender is-
The Next Chapter
Climbing the Ivory Tower
For Ko, the scholarship represents an opportunity to work with and learn from fellow scholars and some of the brightest minds in the world of academia. “The most valuable aspect of my college career has been the people I’ve met on campus and abroad; consequently, at Oxford, I’m most excited about interacting with the other Scholars and with the Oxford community, and learning about questions I never would even think to ask, problems I couldn’t even imagine existed,” Ko said. The scholarship will also give Ko a chance to make her own efforts to reform the academic world and broaden its horizons. She mentioned how there were many incorrect notions that even the most scholarly of people believe, describing President Barack Obama’s statement in his final State of the Union address, where he said the conflicts in the Middle East had ancient roots. Ko woefully disagrees, and she feels many historians can do much more to spread knowledge to the general public. “I don’t think a historian’s task of recuperation, of reversing historical amnesia, is complete until she pushes her research into the public. There is so much amazing, valuable knowledge out there, but it’s sitting behind pay walls and in academic journals,” Ko said. “I think it’s condescending to think the public isn’t interested in that knowledge. We just have to communicate it.” In turn, Ko expects the scholarship to help her become a better historian. “As a Scholar, I hope to live in humility and courage, to constantly be insecure in my knowledge yet steadfast in my values,” Ko said. Most importantly, however, Ko wants to enjoy the next two years as much as possible. “I look forward to gaining life-long friends, life-long wisdom, and two years of a normal sleep cycle,” Ko said.
ADVERTISEMENTS
M A T H
C I RC L E
Summer programs Learn the math you never knew existed! at Emory University
in Atlanta, GA -- July 2017
Visit www.mathcircle.us/summer/emory to apply!
! ! ! ! !
Wetlab Look-ins
Pier 40 at West St. and Houston St. To check the Wetlab Look-Ins schedule, please visit: http:// www.riverprojectnyc.org/events_calendar.php www.facebook.com/TheRiverProject
!
Want to learn more about the fishes in the Hudson River, the Hudson River ecosystem, and New York Harbor? Come to our Wetlab Look-ins!
!
Come to The River Project’s Wetlab on Tuesdays and Thursday, from 2pm to 5pm, beginning in April 2017. The Wetlab is located on the south walkway of Pier 40. Wetlab Look-ins are centered on an ‘estuarium’ system of live circulating river water that houses a living collection of native fishes and invertebrates, mainly focusing on the living Eastern Oyster Reef Ecosystem exhibit. The collection represents the biodiversity of the Hudson River Park Estuarine Sanctuary, and sometimes includes hundreds of animals.
! !
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Page 4
Opinions
Kaia Waxenberg / The Spectator
On Gender Roles and the Family
By Stiven Peter As an immigrant, I lived in a dangerous neighborhood and went to a failing elementary school. My parents were too busy working, and my most basic notions of masculinity came from machismo; my neighbors and classmates encouraged me to objectify women and take pride in brute physical strength. In fact, I was bullied because I failed to meet those expectations. My own story is one of many who grew up in Bushwick. Kids my age either had working parents too busy earning just enough money to pay for essentials or lived with a single parent, usually their mother. Either way, the majority of kids lacked sufficient care and guidance from their parents and instead looked to prevailing cultural models of masculinity and femininity as paradigms of behavior. Thus, boys were taught to glorify strength and the objectification of women and girls were taught to conform to absurd, degrading values of artificial beauty at the expense of being called ugly, disgusting, and shameful. It is no surprise for me to say that these perverse values manifested themselves in high schools in my neighborhood that were fraught with abusive relationships and drug abuse. All this to say that the disas-
By Mia Gindis Feminism as a term was coined in the 1890s to represent an assemblage of suffragettes working to reduce the gender divide in America. Fighting for social equity has been a noble cause constantly championed by women throughout history. Recently, a minority of vocal extremists have been redefining the movement’s intent: equality and feminism are no longer interchangeable. According to The New York Times, though 82 percent of American women believe in equality between the sexes, only 18 percent consider themselves feminists. This discrepancy is caused by a fading illusion. The public is beginning to perceive feminism as a movement with more marketable prospects than unifying. After years of fierce identity politics, contemporary feminism has fostered a divided America. For instance, the wage gap is continually upheld by various modern feminist groups. This is the notion that a woman earns 78 cents to every dollar a man earns. However, these statistics are ambiguous and inflated. They don’t account for certain variables: life choices, education, field, and hours worked, all of which impact someone’s pay, regardless of his or her sex. The commonly
trous lives of many of my, now adolescent, peers were the result of being instructed about gender norms that continued to influence their lives. These gender norms arise from the reality of sexual difference. The interplay between the social aspects of gender roles and the biological grounding was the subject of my previous article: “A Beautiful Thing: Sex and Sexual Ethics.” In it, I claimed that we need to frame sex, gender, and marriage under the concept that a human is a unity of body and mind. From this definition, I argued that a person’s gender should correspond to his or her sex and that marriage is a mental, spiritual, and bodily unity that is structured toward procreation. The marriage is then part of a larger good, the family. The family is the fundamental unit in human society. We all are part of a family that ideally constitutes our closest bonds. Thus, the family should be the environment in which children learn proper gender norms from the behavior of their parents, which they will act out in their own relationships. This creates a virtuous cycle that preserves the family. My thesis can be likened to an African proverb, often cited by Cardinal Robert Sarah, which says, “Man is nothing without woman, woman is nothing without man, and the two are nothing without a third element, which is the child.” That is to say that in the family, man and woman fully express their complementarity through fulfilling their respective gender roles as they raise children who depend on them for guidance, support, and love. In this way, being in a family teaches them not to think, “What are my entitlements?”, which is fundamentally selfish, but, “What are my duties?”, which is fundamentally uplifting. First, by participating in marriage and forming a family, we demonstrate what it means to be male and female. These refer
to the gender norms I elaborated on in my previous article. These gender norms, or patterns of behavior, arise from general socialbiological differences between the sexes. While some gender norms put degrading expectations on men and women, I believe it is possible to glean from respective cultures and find a general framework for viewing gender norms. In prescribing these gender norms, I am in no way implying that women are inherently inferior to men. I am saying that because of the complementarity of sexes, males and females have differing norms of behavior and obligations toward each other. One norm is masculinity. Masculinity is not a license or freedom to demonstrate superiority, self-exaltation, and chauvinism. Rather, masculinity says that by virtue of being male, you have a sense of responsibility to lead, protect, and provide for women in appropriate way. By “a sense of” I mean that the man must affirm his responsibility. Thus a disabled man may not be able to put food on the table as easily as a nondisabled person, but he can still try to lead, protect, and provide for his family emotionally and spiritually. Men’s servant-leadership takes on many forms, from a father caring for the emotional development of his wife and children to a father admitting his mistakes and asking his wife for help. In short, it entails the husband putting the concerns of others above his own. The consequence is that leading is not dominating women but rather a work of self-sacrifice, humility, and initiative. Similarly, I am not suggesting that a wife can’t financially provide for her family, but that the man should feel the primary pressure to provide, materially and spiritually, for his household. Even in couples where the wife provides financial support, the husband should work and affirm his responsibility. On that note, as a man, it’s
difficult for me to address femininity; however, I believe I can make some conclusions. The essence of femininity is a sense of responsibility to nurture and care for worthy men; that is, men who properly uplift their family. Like men, women have to act in a certain way. This disposition is one that gladly receives the leadership of the husband, and strengthens him by offering support in a compassionate manner. Adopting such a stance does not mean being a rubber stamp that approves of a man’s actions, but instead means correcting a husband and encouraging him to conform to the definition of masculinity offered here. In contrast, a father in a patriarchal household would not accept help from his wife, fearing that would damage his value, and the wife would only have power granted by her husband. In my model, the wife has a primary duty to help the husband provide for, emotionally support, and manage her family. Thus in the family, the married couple complement each other by supporting each other in ways they are best physically, emotionally, and mentally fit to do. This complementarity finds its deepest fulfillment in the raising of children. As a married couple, a husband and wife have a duty to protect, provide, and care for their offspring. As such, the use of contraception is strongly advised against because contraception intentionally stops the natural fulfillment of marital union. Rather, it is better to have sex on infertile days since that does not thwart the procreative aspect. Moreover, under this framework, abortion is immoral because it violates the obligation of the mother and father to protect and care for human life, especially their own. According to my thesis, the child exists not in a regular relationship with the mother and father, but in a special one that ties the mother and father to raise the child. The child builds the marriage up,
The Fallacies of Feminism
cited statistic is simply a ratio of women’s average hourly pay to men’s average hourly pay. When crucial variables such as these are taken into account, the ratio rises to almost 92 percent from 78 percent, say Cornell University economists Francis Blau and Lawrence Kahn. Additionally, even when women are given every opportunity available, they often don’t choose high-paying careers. Research conducted by American Enterprise Institute scholar Mark J. Perry indicates that women received 57 percent of all bachelor degrees granted in 2014, despite the fact that men represented more than 80 percent of the college graduates in eight of the highest-paying college majors. Women overwhelmingly choose jobs in lower-paying fields, such as journalism and nursing. Yet the greatest cause of this disparity is the “motherhood wage penalty.” Women often hold a greater role in nurturing children, so work hours and advancement opportunities are essentially inhibited. Feminism needs to help women push this boundary, not enforce an outdated “equal work, equal pay” agenda which is not specific to the challenges working-class women face today. Feeding this false narrative is only contributing to the prob-
lem. A wage gap does exist, but it’s much more complex than feminists let on, and it’s scarcely the result of discriminatory practices. The solution here isn’t to align human nature with a feminist ideal, but to perfect the standards for career-driven women, regardless of whether they want to start a family. A particularly dark chapter of second-wave feminism condemns this exact notion, with American political essayist Ellen Willis claiming she “saw having children as the great trap that completely took away [a woman’s] freedom.” Steps have already been taken to solve any wage disparity; the Equal Pay Act of 1963 strove to abolish any sort of inequality. The EPA imposes strict liability on employers who partake in wage discrimination. If a woman feels she is subject to such practices, it is her legal right to apply for a prima facie retort. Feminists should educate women on such rights and reprimand specific employers guilty of violating this legislature, not just push a careerist mindset. They should be campaigning for fair scheduling practices and affordable, high-quality childcare for working mothers. Feminists also need to accept that in their pursuit of happiness, men and women often take different paths. Denounc-
ing women who willingly sacrifice careers to raise children is entirely backwards. Propagandist statements and misconstrued information often reflect an untrustworthy cause. By distorting statistics, feminists tend to discredit the people who really need a voice. Western women are arguably some of the most liberated women in history, and consequently, most advocacy for equal rights occurs on their behalf. Extreme oppression ravages poorer parts of the globe, and girls who bear its effects need legitimate aid. Feminists should preach about empowering economies and promoting global educations. According to the organization Half the Sky, actions that can be taken to support this cause include providing financial incentives in exchange for parents keeping children in school, or even simply funding school uniforms. These methods are entirely achievable by supporters of the feminist agenda. Second-wave feminism often flaunts a similar exclusivity. Only about a month ago, streets across America were flooded with pink, tight-knit “pussyhats,” a notable attribute marking the route of the Women’s Marches. However, these events were undoubtedly focused on the predominantly white attendees. Many women of color and transgender women
encouraging the husband and wife to fulfill their roles in his/ her rearing. In this way, the raising of a child is the meaningful outcome of the love of the mother and father and the roles they act out. In turn, the child has role models and is instilled with proper forms of behavior that he can act out as he or she grows. Consider my own neighborhood’s children, especially the boys, who lacked this structure and because of it were left alone to make sense of their relationships, purpose, and identity. As a result, many turned to drugs, reckless relationships with other people, and even self-harm. Since the community was poor, those kids could not afford to make the reckless decisions they committed. They needed a cohesive family structure with a father that would teach boys how to treat women and lead their own families, and a mother that would teach girls how to treat and correct men, and care for their own families. Such a dynamic would have given them a higher chance of moving out of poverty. In fact, the nonpartisan Child Trends reported in a brief summarizing research done in 2002 that children do best when they grow up with both biological parents in a low conflict marriage. Children in single-parent families, in stepfamilies, or in cohabiting relationships have a higher risk of poor outcomes due to, in part, the instability of those relationships. We all exist as part of a family. As such, we need to pursue the ideals I outlined here in our own family. We need to cherish our filial relationships. For many of us, this means that we may have to re-prioritize our time and behavior to spend more time with our family. Though this may be difficult due to the pervading forces in our society, it is what is ultimately best for all of us. In the end, we must all strive to express our deepest virtues and truths about who we are as male and female through the family.
were left feeling unheard. Catchy slogans and empty promises do little for people of color and are not substitutes for genuine calls to liberation, something the Women’s March severely lacked. This poses the question: what excites a movement riddled with such backwards fallacies? Feminism tends to diffuse through popular culture, capitalizing on celebrities who advance its modern agenda. Big-name stars such as Taylor Swift, Amy Poehler, Beyoncé, and Lena Dunham are all self-proclaimed feminists. However, their lack of advocacy for women who face extreme oppression indicates motives that are less than commendable. This name-brand sort of feminism manifests itself in tshirts and tote bags. It advocates for relatively unimportant issues and makes it hard to separate facts from fiction. It has blurred the line between inequality and inconvenience, and tends to prioritize the latter. American suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton persisted, “The best protection any woman can have… is courage.” Contemporary feminism often misses the immediacy of certain issues above others, as well as the proper solutions. But, with the right direction, perhaps humanity can help feminism regain its noble foundation.
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Page 5
Opinions
Courtesy of Eliana Kavouriadis
Redefining Humanity
By Eliana Kavouriadis Sexuality and self-expression are two of the most fundamental facets of human nature. We rely on them to form relationships, procreate, and ultimately, survive as a species. However, while sexuality and self-expression are so rooted at our core, we as a civilization have very little understanding of them. For answers, people have historically turned to religious texts like the Old Testament. In the book of Exodus, the concept of a male and female gender, determined by one’s genitalia, is articulated through the story of Adam and Eve. In Leviticus, it is established that men must only have sex with women: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination” (Lev. 18:22). For the past several thousand years, ideas like these have been accepted as fact, and
anyone who disagreed faced scrutiny and ostracization. As western society becomes more open-minded and sociological research challenges long-established ideas about sex and gender, people begin to live their lives more openly and freely, but are often met with opposition. Let’s continue the conversation that senior Stiven Peter started in Issue nine, Volume 107, of The Spectator about sex and sexual ethics. In his article, “A Beautiful Thing: Sex and Sexual Ethics,” Peter finds fault in transgenderism, samesex unions, and premarital sex. His argument uses philosophy and statistics to prove certain notions of human purpose and what it means to lead a traditional, healthy life. The idea that transgenderism, same-sex unions, and premarital sex are unhealthy ultimately stems from religious texts and the ideas they have engendered in many populations. However, these ideas support a very narrow, limiting idea of humanity that doesn’t account for the human population’s diversity. Gender and sexuality, like most of our other characteristics, are fluid. While we enjoy grouping people into identifiable categories, these categories are mere social constructs. We exist on broad, multidimensional spectra that each account for our uniqueness as individuals, similar to race, eye color, or body type. The traditional view of gen-
der is that it corresponds to one’s biological sex, being either male or female. While the words “gender” and “sex” are often used interchangeably, gender and sex refer to different things: Gender identifies a person using social and cultural factors, while sex pertains to one’s biological characteristics. In many cases, people’s perceptions of themselves do not reflect their biological makeup. The notion that every person falls into “one of two” categories not only invalidates the wide variety of gender identities that exist in today’s society, but overlooks the fact that even biological sex is a spectrum. According to the Intersex Society of North America, over 2 percent of the human population is intersex, meaning that their anatomy and chromosomal makeup are not strictly male or female. In 2015, a study in the weekly science journal “Nature” stated that even for people whose sex can easily be assigned at birth, hormones and characteristics of the opposite sex are usually present. Transgender people do not contradict a so-called “fundamental truth about being human.” If anything, the uniqueness and the complexity in each individual’s sex and gender is a defining aspect of humanity. Likewise, the people we fall in love with can fall anywhere on the spectra of sex and gender. While people often have sexual preferences, these preferences vary from person to person, and some people don’t have a sexual
ADVERTISEMENT
preference at all. Findings from the Academy of Science South Africa indicate that a person’s sexual orientation is caused by a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors. The factors that determine sexuality are the same for everyone regardless of sexual orientation, and nonheterosexuality is therefore just as natural as any other sexuality. Why, then, do we view nonheterosexual couples differently than heterosexual couples? Peter argues that heterosexual couples should be regarded differently because they are a “biological unit” with the ability to procreate. However, due to the variant nature of sex and gender, non-heterosexual couples do occasionally have the ability to procreate. Likewise, heterosexual couples are often infertile. In many animal species, barren couples have played a crucial role in survival, nurturing abandoned and orphaned babies and treating them as their own. Many of these couples are homosexual. In 2012, “Yale Scientific” reported that homosexuality exists in at least 450 species worldwide. Although prevalent in the animal kingdom, Peter calls sex without the intent of procreation “immoral,” an idea that originated in Leviticus. He articulates a very specific idea of sex—that it should be simultaneously affectionate and lifeproducing. However, the word “sex” is used to describe an act
undertaken by over a million species, and as such, sex takes many forms and has a multitude of purposes. For humans, sex has been found to have several benefits unrelated to reproduction. Numerous reputable health-related websites and magazines, including Health.com, AARP, and DoveMed, published findings by medical doctors noting that sex releases endorphins, strengthens emotional bonds, relieves stress, improves bladder control, and reduces the risk of cancer, among other things. Sex plays a different role in the lives of different people, but as long as sex is honest, consensual, and healthily practiced, no act of sex is inherently inferior to another. The sexual decisions a couple makes, regardless of the status of their union, are private, intimate, and unique, and are not indicative of the nature of their romantic bond or their moral character. Sex, gender, and sexual ethics are examples of the beauty in human nature. However, the narrow, exclusive definitions of these concepts that Peter uses does not account for much of this beauty. It’s time that we as a society unlearn the preconceived notions about nature and morality that limit our perception of humanity. We should appreciate the natural diversity and fluidity with which we exist and acknowledge the beauty in every human, regardless of gender and sexuality.
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Page 6
Arts and Entertainment Hidden Figures: A Look Into the Lives of NASA’s Invisible Heroes
Film By Shray Tripathi
Tiffany Zhong/ The Spectator
In the opening act of “Hidden Figures,” released in theaters on December 25, 2016, we meet our three world-changing heroines in front of a broken down blue Ford Mustang on a lonely twolane highway in Hampton, Virginia. Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) is merely a pair of stout legs sticking out from under the car’s bonnet, with her bright beige stockings covering her black skin. Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) is sitting in the car with her nerdy glasses on and her eyes set on the road, and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) is slumped over the bumper doing her makeup with a sass in her tone that wouldn’t mind a little trouble. A closer look at this scene shows us what an exquisite job director Theodore Melfi did— we not only get a sense of each character, but an accurate taste
of the American South in 1961. Melfi’s choice to zoom in on the beige of Vaughan’s stockings puts us in her shoes for a moment. Perhaps stockings that would reveal her true skin color were simply not an option for her, or maybe she wore beige to avoid judgment from others. Whatever the reason, her stockings remind us of how black Americans in the ‘60s were alienated by their own country—a country in which many of them were valuable members of the workforce. A relationship dynamic is established immediately among the three. When a white cop drives by and asks them belittling questions, Jackson can’t seem to hold herself in, until she realizes that it could get the others into trouble. Johnson, on the other hand, wants to avoid trouble at all costs, which shows from the stern expression on her face, and Vaughan does all the talking, almost as if she is the
Music Insights By Paulina Klubok The internet broke when Beyoncé revealed she was pregnant with twins. The announcement was made quietly to her 92.3 million Instagram followers, with a photo of Beyoncé decked out in lingerie and a pale green veil, kneeling in front of an extravagant flower arrangement. A simple caption expressed her joy and gratitude. The media proclaimed her “flawless,” “goddess,” and “queen,” all with an air of, “Duh, it’s Beyoncé; can she be anything else?” The pregnancy announcement, like almost everything Beyoncé does, was elaborately orchestrated but seemed organic. The logic of it seems almost ridiculous—to create the photo, Beyoncé sat through hours of hair, makeup and dress, posed for the same, if not more time, in a bed of tulips in front of a photographer, then had the image edited to create what we perceive as a natural look. Despite the obvious effort to make all of her actions seem effortless,
Beyoncé has been elevated to an unattainable level of perfection. She is the standard, the personification of everything we want to achieve. However, few actually know much about her personal life. We have an almost religious fascination with Beyoncé, yet her status as a goddess is relatively new and has been carefully manufactured to create an universally appealing idol out of a talented singer. Beyoncé Knowles came into the public eye as lead singer of the R&B group Destiny’s Child. She released “Dangerously in Love,” her solo debut album, in 2003. It launched her image of the “independent woman,” pairing sexy, catchy melodies with an empowering image of femininity and confidence. This combination, in part because it was a one-person manifestation of the best parts of Destiny’s Child, was incredibly popular; the album’s single “Dangerously In Love” debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and branded Beyoncé as one of music’s top-selling artists. When
main adult. Our three heroines have a common story: they work for NASA. That’s right—they’re working towards zero-gravity calculations that would help lift a man off the Earth, while most
Even more painful are the repeated scenes of Johnson running a mile and a half across the campus just to get to the nearest colored bathroom. As viewers, we start to rely on her tolerance of having to do this every day,
event. However, Melfi leaves major issues like segregation and discrimination to be portrayed in more intimate scenes, like Johnson’s experience with the coffee pitcher. Melfi may have done
The fact that it has taken nearly 50 years for figures like Johnson, Jackson, and Vaughan to gain widespread recognition for their achievements is indicative of the unconscious racial divides that still exist today. black people in that time were not allowed a fair education. The film continues to shine light on the stories of Johnson, Vaughan, and Jackson as they work towards calculations for the launch of John Glenn’s 1962 mission to become the first man to orbit the Earth. The times are competitive: the Soviets had already launched their own satellite into orbit, leaving the NASA team pressured to get their game on for a chance to win the vicious Space Race. Johnson’s white manager, Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), is the first character we meet whose role is somewhat problematic. Harrison is supposed to be depicted as an unremarkable man in the story. Although it was necessary to include him in the film, he is often over-shown, and his character does not fit well into the theme of “Hidden Figures”. By separating Johnson, Vaughan, and Jackson’s work lives into different scenes and settings, Melfi is able to show us each of their stories with much more focus. This not only organizes the content of the film, but allows us to individually appreciate Spencer, Henson, and Monáe’s awe-inspiring performances. One simply cannot forget the silent frustration of the scene when Jackson walks over to her workplace’s lounge, where there is normally a shared coffee pitcher. Instead, she finds a “colored” pitcher set up just for her, and to no surprise, when she turns it over, nothing pours into her mug. She sighs and uses the “white” pitcher instead.
once again, making us believe that she is the kind of character who wants to avoid trouble. But when Harrison asks Johnson why her bathroom breaks are so long, Melfi gives us a startling surprise by having her shout angrily in response. However, by placing such emphasis on Johnson’s experiences, Melfi creates a somewhat unfair hierarchy of the three women’s stories. With Johnson at the top, the rest of the film seems to spend an unfortunate amount of time juggling between Vaughan and Jackson’s much shorter scenes. Nonetheless, they are well-woven in and are complemented by exquisite performances from Spencer and Monáe. Melfi does a fine job of tying our heroines’ personal lives into the story, adding touching moments of Jackson’s marriage, Johnson’s life at home with her husband and children, and Vaughan’s dedication to her church. While these women’s work lives made them stand-out heroes in history, they also had family, friends, and love, just like any average person. The challenges that “Hidden Figures” faces as a historical film are endless. Due to time and budget, for example, the film has to hide much of the reality of the 1960s. Evidently, the Civil Rights Movement was heated during this time period, and more current events could have been highlighted in the film. For example, segregation had ended entirely in the Southern railway system in 1961, which clearly was a newsworthy and historical
this to keep matters simple, but incorporating more events into his plot could have been a nice addition if not overdone. In the time frame of less than a century, our country has seen many changes in terms of racism, discrimination, and segregation, but the fact that it has taken nearly 50 years for figures like Johnson, Jackson, and Vaughan to gain widespread recognition for their achievements is indicative of the unconscious racial divides that still exist today. Unfortunately, many of us still dismiss racism as a tired topic or a solved issue, and we often ignore the racism in our politics, media, and daily lives. These three hidden figures are not alone. There is a treasure trove of underrepresented heroes who have changed our history for the better, and their names are eagerly waiting to be discovered by the spotlight. Take Eunice Hunton Carter, for example, who was one of New York’s first female African American lawyers, defying racial and gender barriers. Another example is Philip Emeagwali, a Nigerian computer scientist who moved to the United States and invented a formula that allowed for the creation of the internet altogether. Even though February, a time nationally known as “Black History Month,” has come to an end, publications and news sources across the web still strive to spread word of such unsung heroes. Hopefully, more movies like “Hidden Figures” will be made to help us appreciate them all someday.
Behind the Reign of Queen B Beyoncé married hip-hop artist Jay-Z in 2008, an enormously successful artist in his own right, they merged their fanbases and brands, appearing as a dual force of attraction, each catering to a specific audience. Their union also remains an endless source of gossip and fascination for the public, the drama and scandals behind the supposedly perfect couple putting spotlights on Beyoncé and Jay-Z as individuals. Just as Beyoncé blew up, she cleverly withdrew from the public eye. In the past four years, Beyoncé interviews have been few and far between; her PR insists on full editorial control, and even her social media accounts consist primarily of textless photos and retweets. She plays hard to get and it works; the media and public are hopelessly obsessed with her. Beyoncé’s pregnancy post broke the Guinness World Record for “Most liked image on Instagram” in 12 hours. Particularly in our world of internet culture, where everyone is readily available, Beyoncé is infinitely more desirable and appealing
because of how hard she is to find. Beyoncé’s emphasis on privacy intensifies her attributes as an artist and a figure, framing it so those are all that we see when we look at Beyoncé. Without personal backstory, her music speaks for itself, transcending her as an individual but simultaneously adding to her character in others’ eyes. William Lohier, a sophomore and long-time fan, explains, “As an artist, as a creator, she’s very profound, and her artistic vision expresses itself so vividly and so clearly that people latch onto that.” Beyoncé’s most recent album, “Lemonade,” is at its core a work of art, one that sends and sells an experience of struggle, and ultimately empowerment. The fact that Beyoncé is an incredibly successful black woman makes women and people of color feel like they can relate to her, allowing her to reach out to a demographic other artists can’t. Though there is no doubt that her work is poignant, bold, created with heart, and representative of her values,
it can’t be forgotten that it was made under the assumption that it would be extremely popular and profitable, which “Lemonade” absolutely was. Though launched with no warning, it has now sold more than a million copies and garnered great critical acclaim. The question, then, is does the careful manipulation and manufacturing of her image diminish her value as an artist? I think that the answer is no because it’s Beyoncé’s job as a celebrity to sell to as many people as possible. This is not the purest goal, but it allows for the empowering and uplifting messages of her songs to reach a large demographic, which is a wonderful thing. Beyoncé’s work should be approached without an immediate infatuation with her every move but rather with an objective and open mind. Whether you love her or hate her, the most important thing to remember is that despite Beyoncé’s appearance of perfection—just like the rest of us, she is unfailingly human.
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Page 7
Arts and Entertainment The Art of Protest
Art Insights Nina Simone once asked, “How can you be an artist and not reflect the times?” Art has been around for a long time and it’s difficult to pinpoint when it was first used as a form of protest. Each person who creates art to protest has a unique, personal reason behind their protest, and their creation, whether it’s music, dancing, or traditional painting, reflects it. The emergence of art to protest is evident today. When Donald Trump was elected as president, hundreds and thousands came to the streets to protest controversial policies and they used art to express their views. President Trump has certainly done a lot in the few weeks he has been in office. Implementing a travel ban from seven Muslim majority countries, rolling back federal protection for transgender students, and advancing the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines are only a few of the policies he has implemented. In many ways, he was implementing the same rhetoric he had preached throughout his campaign—to fix a “crippled” America, to unite people, and of course, to make this nation great again. The one thing he managed to do the most successfully was connect people, that is, unite
Fashion
By Shruthi Venkata When discussing “modern” clothing in Senegal, most people think of T-shirts, jeans, and Nike sneakers or suits, blazers, and loafers. Traditional clothing, worn for holidays, weddings, and baptisms, receives its own category. The imposition of western clothing in Senegal is unfortunate. Senegal has undergone a myriad of changes due to its colonization (which ended in 1960), from an entirely French education system to the adoption of French dietary elements. Western culture has since been excessively idolized in Senegal due to its association with development and economic power— clothing does not need to take part. Clothing is one of the most unique and beautiful aspects of the Senegalese cultural identity, and retaining and developing it is crucial. Senegal should embrace its own clothing in all settings, professional and unprofessional. Traditional clothing in Senegal includes several varieties of women’s dresses and men’s and women’s boubous. Men’s boubous are large long-sleeved garments that reach below the the knees made of “bazin” (a type of cloth with a sheer, metallic tint) cloth or cotton cloth and are usually paired with matching pants. The top is embroidered around the sleeves and vertically down from around the neck to the upper stomach. Along with them, men wear “babouches,” pointed Moroccan leather slippers, and a “kopati,” a tight cap that is usually flat on top, a variant of those that Muslims wear throughout the world. Women’s boubous are more gown-like than those of men and reach the floor. Women’s dresses are made with similar patterned fabrics, most commonly wax prints (colorful, patterned, stiff cloth) for daily use. Most types hug curves and flare at the bottom. The “taille-basse”
them against him. Hundreds of thousands around the world have come together in feminist, anti-travel ban, planned parenthood, LGBTQ rights, and other marches against the Trump administration. Attend any one of the protests occurring around the world, and you will see images of different sizes and colors. Often, protesters choose humor to convey their frustration and create art that exaggerates specific aspects of Donald Trump’s body. These include his lips (President Trump is known to be quite talkative) or his hair. Others depict him as a toddler or the poop emoji. Some strike a more serious and symbolic tone. One poster depicts President Trump with a toothbrush moustache and another shows him surrounded by swastikas, a reference to Hitler and the Nazi party. However, people who attend these marches are not the only ones who use art to protest President Trump. Notable artists and institutions are also making statements with their artwork. Take Shephard Fairey. A street artist, Fairey is the founder of OBEY clothing and designed President Obama’s 2008 “HOPE” poster. His work has been featured in the Smithsonian, The Museum of Modern Art, The National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Before President Trump’s inauguration, he produced a new set of images featuring Muslim, Latina, and Black women— groups he specifically chose because he felt President Trump targeted and neglected them the most. Fairey also teamed up with The Amplifier Foundation, a self described “art machine for social change,” to create these posters. The goal of this collaboration was to distribute these images across the country before President Trump’s inauguration to remind everyone that “we the people” refers to all types of people. The Museum of Modern art also made headlines when it decided to display artwork from the seven Muslim majority countries that were a part of President Trump’s travel ban. The artworks are opposite Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” one of the most popular paintings in the world, ensuring that visitors notice the installation. When people enter the museum, they receive a card which states, “[artwork on the] fifth floor galleries … affirm the ideals of welcome and freedom as vital to this Museum, as they are to the United States.” MoMA’s defiance of the Trump administration did not slip by the media. By replacing artwork from artists such as Picasso and Matisse with work by artists from Muslim majority countries, it managed to grab
international headlines. MoMA’s chief curator of drawings and prints Christophe Cerix wanted this gesture to be “inclusive and not disruptive,” as traveling serves as inspiration to many artists, writers, and scholars. The use of art to protest against Trump is not limited to painters or illustrators; musicians and singers are also taking a stance. “30 Day, 30 Songs” was a project started by Dave Eggers where popular rock musicians recorded music advocating against Trump. The band Green Day released a music video for “Troubled Times” on Martin Luther King, Jr. day and blasted Donald Trump without mentioning his name. “Quiet” was a song composed by Connie Lim under the stage name MILCK in 2015. It was based off of her experience of abuse. Though initially advised by her management company to not release it, she released it after Trump was nominated as president. The song became an anthem to many women who attended the various women’s marches after Connie and 25 women sang it in a rally on January 25. “Dreamers of America” was a song released by Adam Torres, whose family had migrated to the United States from Mexico. It was inspired by the rhetoric President Trump spread about Mexican and Latin American im-
migrants during his campaign. When asked about this song and its political ties, Torres stated that he did not want to be a spectator as “Trump, Pence, and Bannon are making sweeping attempt[s] at power consolidation while attacking and dismantling the fabric of our nation’s values.” During the Grammys, A Tribe Called Quest, Anderson Paak, and Busta Rhymes made headlines when they sang “We the People,” a protest song released after President Trump was elected, along with a diverse group which included women in hijabs, black women, and others. Protest art, whether it is an illustration, music, or dancing, has a rich history. Picasso’s “Guernica” revealed the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. “We Shall Overcome” was a gospel song that became popularized in the 1960s when it became the main anthem of the Civil Rights movement. Bob Marley released the song “War” in 1979 to protest war and used Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I’s speech to write its lyrics. Art moves people. It provokes emotions and inspires new ideas; it incites curiosity, questions, and feelings. From well known artists to average people, people in the world are using art to protest the radical changes occurring around them.
Corail and Modifying the Senegalese “Mode”
is a women’s outfit with a tight top that flares around the stomach paired and a pagne, a rectangular piece of cloth wrapped around the waist like a skirt. Other two-piece outfits pair pagnes with tops that reach mid-thigh or mid-shin. In addition, women drape “fulars” around their shoulders and wear “mussors,” pieces of cloth intricately tied on their head. Depending on the workplace, employees wear either or both traditional and western attire. Some of my teachers wear nothing but boubous to school, whereas the entire class cheers on the rare occasion that my biology teacher comes in wearing one. While it usually isn’t inappropriate to wear either one in any setting, workers in higherpaying or service-related jobs, like banking or security, usually wear non-Senegalese business attire or uniforms. Before the past decade and a half, people typically bought fabric from one of Dakar’s ubiquitous boutiques and had them sewn by equally ubiquitous tailors who put little thought into design. Styles didn’t change significantly, reinforcing the idea that traditional clothing was viewed as belonging in a traditional setting, as if there were a separation of Senegalese culture and changement, or the modern workplace. Fifteen years ago, there was some sort of an explosion of clothing design in Dakar—on a large scale, couturiers began creating their own lines of carefully designed boubous and taillebasses. Although still much sparser than the largest fashion hubs like Milan and New York, the streets of Dakar are beginning to host many “maisons de mode”—fashion houses. The Maison de Mode Corail, based in Sacré Cœur, Dakar and directed by Fatimata Bintou Aimé Diack, is a manifestation of the development of Senegalese fashion. She serves an extremely diverse clientele that is roughly
60 percent non-Senegalese, including government ministers, first ladies (she recently tailored a dress for the first lady of Niger), and other distinguished customers. Having sold to retailers from Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, and Gabon, among other countries, she has contributed to Senegalese couture’s growing international popularity. In light of her recent success, I decided to look into her work. When I visited Diack’s small but productive workshop, she introduced me to her team of tailors. She strictly draws and manages and then offers a critical eye to perfect their creations with an attention to detail that is distinct to Senegal. Once her templates are complete, customers can bring their own fabric and select one to be modeled after. She also has a pret-à-porter line. While watching Diack at work, I fell in love with her style. She works mainly with bazin fabric or generally more sheer materials that glisten slightly in the light, making them look dressy at the base. It’s a smart start, since Senegalese culture demands people, especially women, to be well-dressed at all times. Whereas Americans often dress for themselves, Senegalese usually dress to look respectable in others’ eyes. Embroidery is the company’s forte. Geometric patterns line garment borders, multicolor designs along the sleeves, and designs on the chest. They are extremely varied but somehow all very distinctive of Corail. Diack says she likes to “take things that don’t go together and find a way to make them look good together.” She combines colors that one wouldn’t have expected to find together, like purple and yellow-green, and can fit them into an elegant outfit. Furthermore, none of the outfits go overboard with curvehugging uncomfortable forms. On several occasions on which I wore Senegalese outfits, I found it harder to walk or was gener-
ally not at ease. Diack’s outfits, however, loosely drape over the body, which both characterizes her style and makes her clothing more comfortable. One of the most intriguing aspects of her work is the method by which she chooses to modernize traditional styles, borrowing from others in an age characterized by globalization. She explains, “I take other cultures’ styles and incorporate them into what I make. We normally have a large annual cocktail party where we expose an entirely new series and sell it all at once. Preparation for it takes a very long time. I usually go to New York for a week to find materials, even little things like buttons. It’s the little parts not from here that are mixed in that add a special touch.” Diack’s goal is to “reinvent elegance by adapting to fashion here and beyond.” The Senegalese pioneer has already made solid progress in her field, and
she will continue to influence style in the larger West African sphere with her global outlook and dedication to fashion. The style of Corail could mark the direction of Senegalese fashion. The style does not stand out, but seems to combine the most elegant possibilities among what Senegalese clothing has always offered: colors varied but never too flashy; fabric shiny and waxy, but unstiff; embroidery intricate but simplistic; designs modest but unplain. Some of her dresses also are just like regular long dresses, but with Senegalese fabric. While Corail’s style resembles much of what upper class women wear, it hasn’t infiltrated the entire population. Even if it never predominates the Senegalese fashion industry, it will have been one of the first among generations of Senegalese maisons de mode to come—maisons that will impress the world with West African style.
Courtsey of Shruthi Venkata
By Anika Hashem
Page 8
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
ADVERTISEMENT
SING! 2017 The Stuyvesant Spectator March 10, 2017
Table of Contents Soph-Frosh SING! Review p. 10 Junior SING! Review
p. 11
Senior SING! Review
p. 12-13
Highlights
p. 14-15
Staff Editorial
p. 16
Scoreboard
p. 17
The Spirit of SING!
p. 18
The Lesser Known
p. 19
SING! Humor
p. 20-21
Photos by ZhenHong Chen , Stefan Engquist, Julia Lee, Elena Sapelyuk, Lumi Westerlund, and Martin Xu
Page 10
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Soph-Frosh SING!
By SOPHIE FENG Watching this year’s SophFrosh SING! proved to be something akin to the experience of eating a Hershey’s chocolate bar: pretty enjoyable, but lacking much of the nuance and expertise required to truly make it a rich and fulfilling experience. Nevertheless, the underclassmen showcased their burgeoning talent, creating a lighthearted production with relatable characters and an entertaining plot. Soph-Frosh SING!, led by coordinator Ruby Gary, executive producers Ting Ting Chen and Julia Arancio, and producers Hiro Kimura and Debi Saha, began when the curtains rose upon a bright and vibrant set. It was built to resemble the inside of a candy store, a cute set-up that foreshadowed the rest of Soph-Frosh’s (for the most part) cheerful performance. We are introduced to the basic premise of the plot through the dialogue between two employees of the candy store (played by Alexa Nobert and Alexa Kong): the store is to open tomorrow, and consequently, the candy is going to get eaten. A Hershey’s chocolate bar (played by William Lohier), who is also the king of all the candy, sits on his throne in the background as he listens to the fateful news with growing dismay, evidenced by his entertaining facial expressions. Faced with news of his subjects’ imminent death, the king
Soph-Frosh SING! Puts on a Sweet Show grapples with whether or not to tell them and subsequently ruin the magnificent party that is planned for that night. Eventually, he decides not to, with the help of his assistants, two M&Ms (played by Matthew Carlson and Kevin Zong), who provide mostly comic relief in contrast to the king’s harshness. Their characters are, for the most part, one-dimensional, fulfilling the trope of the comical, bumbling pair. We are introduced to the rest of these characters when they come onstage for the opening number, “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” showcasing both Soph-Frosh’s costumes and vocal abilities. Although the theme of candy would seem to have a great deal of potential in terms of variety and creativity for costumes, Soph-Frosh’s were not only relatively simple, but they lacked the diversity that could have truly made the stage pop. Chorus, for instance, were all skittles, whose costumes consisted simply of a large “S” stuck onto a colorful T-shirt. The fact that they spent more time on stage than any other crew gave the impression of a candy store seemingly overrun by skittles. Furthermore, chorus, although strong on its own, faced difficulty in being heard over the sound of the band, an issue that plagued almost all of the vocal performers of Soph-Frosh SING!. At its least, this was a nuisance, and at its worst, a detriment to the plot. Although the songwriters undoubtedly put a lot of effort into
the songs, the words were oftentimes impossible to hear over the music coming from the pit. During the performance of “Closer,” this was especially harmful as the characters simultaneously sang and acted out plot points, making it difficult to follow. Regardless, the Soph-Frosh cast boasted a remarkable number of talented singers (and one rapper, in the form of a bold gumdrop played by Freddie Minzberg). Sour Patch’s (played by Victoria Wong) vocals were especially strong in her rendition of “We Can’t Stop,” displaying a strong, rousing voice that perfectly portrayed her call to action to all the candy. Band’s musical interludes were equally charming, and kept well with the theme by playing snippets of music such as “Lollipop.” Dance crews well displayed their technical skill, but, like the cast’s singing, occasionally struggled in their presentation. Step, latin, and hip-hop both showed a great deal of talent through their complex rhythms and moves, but this talent was not fully reflected through the music choice or costumes. Hip-hop danced, somewhat confusingly, to a song in a strange key that was not reflective of their fast-paced moves. Step and latin’s costumes (pop rocks and candy corn, respectively) were not reminiscent of the actual candy they were attempting to portray. Nevertheless, they both earned well-deserved cheers for step’s lively chants and latin’s tricky maneuvers.
Another issue facing some of the dance crews was that their entrances felt forced, as when Belly entered as hot tamales for little reason other than to show the audience what’s “hot.” Integrating dance crews into the plot is, albeit, a frequent issue for SING! script writers. One way Soph-Frosh especially succeeded at this was through flow, a crew that often does not typically stand out. In this case, flow’s portrayal of lifesaver candies was highly memorable and clever, their bright rings of light being highly evocative of the candies they were trying to represent. Furthermore, their role as lifesavers was a clever play on words as they came to the rescue of the protagonists, including Candy Heart (played by Chelsea Cheung) and Tootsie Roll (played by Nathaniel Unger). Both of these characters showed remarkable depth in their narrative arcs, while simultaneously being highly relatable. Tootsie Roll, for instance, was awkward and goofy in a combination that made him very comical. We watch as he adorably struggles with social interactions with the other pieces of candy; for instance, he bends down in front of Candy Heart and she grows excited (imagining some sort of proposal) before he simply tells her that her shoe was untied. The main conflict he faces further helps us relate to him. After Tootsie accidentally overhears the news of the store’s opening
the following day, the king stipulates that if he keeps his mouth shut at the party that night, he will be allowed to leave that night and escape being eaten. He struggles with his burgeoning attraction towards Candy Heart and his promise to the king, a conflict that is hard not to empathize with. Candy Heart’s character also possesses a great deal of depth, as evidenced by the growth she displays throughout the narrative arc. At first finding it difficult to be without a guy, by the end of the show she has realizes that “I need to love myself before I love anyone else,” an impassioned statement that is pure and meaningful. Her assertion that she is “smart and in control” is an inspiring declaration of girl power and subversion of the typical romance plot that so often clogs SING! scripts. While this is a noble effort, it is diluted slightly by the fact that romance still figures into the plot of Soph-Frosh SING!, through the unlikely pairing between Sour Patch and Gumdrop. Regardless, this can be overlooked behind the show’s larger message, illustrated by Candy Heart’s assertion of her independence, by Tootsie Roll’s growing confidence, and by Sour Patch’s newfound leadership: everyone is unique and has the power to change one’s own circumstances (even if that involves breaking out of a candy store to avoid being eaten).
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Page 11
Junior SING!
Love and Laughter in Junior SING!—We’re On Board
By Archi Das and Sophie Watwood Following the gangster Frank on his battle between money or love, we take a journey through the 1920s on a ship with a precious jewel. What starts off as a cheesy love story, evolves into a deep, relatable narrative. Coordinated by Ray Jones and produced by Stephanie Zheng, Lydia Zhang, Donia Tung, and Adam Abbas, Junior SING! kicks off the show by giving us a Broadwayesque preview of all the characters as they rush onto the boat. From the very beginning, Junior SING! shows off its skills: a sheer see-through screen is cleverly used to heighten the suspense of the set reveal. Opening with a rap medley between the two stowaway gangsters, the characters of Frank and Harry (Garrett Hall and Holden Higgins) become enticing. The blind screen lifts, and we are introduced to a hilarious mother and son duo, played by August Murphy and Cody Lin. Murphy plays the rich wife of a billionaire who spoils her overdramatic, sassy son. The pair is complaining about their incompetent captain (Travis Tyson) just as he walks in. As we get a taste of their characters, Murphy performs “Since You Been Gone” while hitting shaky high notes. Lin portrays his character excellently, making the audience laugh along while calling the captain “Captain Crunch” and “Craptain.” Quickly switching scenes, Frank and Harry bump into the lovable yet dumb Naive Steve (Justin Chan) who reveals the existence of the prized jewel. Chan’s portrayal of his character was successful as every single word he said made the audience laugh. Along their search, Junior SING! takes us through the different areas on the boat and sets the stage for the different dance crews.
First, we follow Harry and Frank as they walk into a dance class while looking for the jewel. The dance teacher pairs up the dancers, and we are introduced to Bella (Nicole Shin), who is paired with Harry. Instantly, we observe their connection as they begin to hesitantly flirt, and they leave us wanting to see more of this charming connection as their dance gets cut off. Harry and Frank continue their search for the jewel and break off into another duet. As they search for the jewel, they are caught by the guard (Mark Shafran) who immediately suspects that they are thieves. Bella enters and we discover that she is actually the daughter of the rich wife that we met earlier. She supports Frank and Harry and claims that “the jewel [they are looking at] is made of cheap material like glass, or quartz, or Soph-Frosh jokes,” one of the many disses that keeps the script colorful. Bella proceeds to invite Frank to the ball being held later in hopes of finishing their dance. Meanwhile the captain, who suspects that someone will plot to steal the jewel, voices his concerns to the rich wife. To prove his point, he belts an impressive solo version of “They’ll Steal It,” (based on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”) while overshadowing the backup flow dancers. The audience doesn’t know where to look, and we are whisked back to Harry and Frank as they stumble into the engine room. Here, the step crew, directed by Sophia Heo, Derek Tran, and Jacqueline Xu, plays coal workers donned in aesthetically gritty costumes and makeup, who are yelled at to “Get back to work!” Step gives an impressive performance with great synchronization and ripple effects. Towards the climax of the show, we see an outstanding performance by Hall as his character battles the choice between money
or love. Frank’s complexity was accurately portrayed, and the audience could relate to his inner turmoil. As he battles with his own storm of emotions, quite symbolically, the ships faces a storm of its own. Contemp plays lightning and thunder, and though their dance doesn’t produce the stormy atmosphere, they have flowing moves and show control as they dance in one silvery skirt connecting all the other dancers. Junior SING! deserves recognition for their hilarious writing, which kept the audience amused. The script was riddled with absolutely golden one-liners like “I haven’t seen something thrown around like a Bronx Science Fight Club” and “If you wanted to have feelings you should’ve gone to LaGuardia.” Little moments of hilarity left the audience in stitches, like Ray Jones making a cameo as a Freshman plaything for the bratty rich son, whining “I don’t want to go back to the candy store! It’s so boring!” Harry, the older, less moral gangster, is the comic engine of the performance. His role is half reason and half humor. He tries to entice Frank to steal the jewel and drop his romance with Bella by explaining that the gem would be worth “20 million dollars! That’s… *stops to do calculations in the air* 4 million halals!” (“I could pay for half of my college tuition,” Frank responds, eyes shining). Much of his role, in fact, incorporates current slang, using the backdrop of the 1920s as ironic leverage. His and Frank’s chemistry on stage is part of what makes the show so amusing. “We need to talk,” Harry says, referencing Frank’s failing allegiance to the plan. “Are you breaking up with me?” Frank responds, his voice cracking. In another scene, they keep the audience laughing with an onslaught of competing puns: “I certainly am on board! Get it?
Cause we’re on a boat!” and “I’m not going to betray her for some cash!” followed by “But it’s not some cash! It’s a BOATload.” Smaller characters made the most of their moment to keep the audience amused. Eliana Kavouriadis, as the dramatic cruise-ship dance teacher, proclaimed in an exaggerated, posh accent, “The joy of the arts, dance!” Even the bodyguard, played by Rigneyla Rigneyla, performed an unexpected solo singing “I’m a well dressed guy.” Humor went into every detail of the production—beyond the script and the actors, jokes were put in at every opportunity, like the prop box aggressively labeled “JEWEL,” and the title of the ship, painted onto the set: “The S. S. Sugarfree.” But, Junior SING! also deserves to be praised for its impressive romantic aspect. At the ball, Bella and Frank begin to fall deeper in love and Frank becomes further conflicted. This scene leaves the audience feeling warm and fuzzy, with adorable lines like Bella saying, “Frank, come on up, the view’s amazing,” and Frank responding, “The view’s already amazing.” They broke out into a harmonized version of “City of Stars.” Bella’s voice was sweet and melodic, blending nicely with Frank’s. Band member Connie Walden enhanced this moment with a beautiful trumpet solo from the side of the stage. What shines about this romance is the complexity of its characters and their interactions. Bella loves Frank because he “sees the real me”―something she hadn’t experienced before, as the child of a rich family. Frank, on the other hand, is conflicted, trying to decide whether or not to weigh his romance with Bella over the gain of stealing. Romance is frivolous and unfaithful; wealth is reliable, yet cold. It is this on-and-off faith-
fulness that makes the romance interesting. “You can trust me,” Frank promises Bella. The entire audience hisses. As the ball comes to an end, belly enters the stage. Though their presence is unexpected and not very well integrated, they give an alluring dance showing off their skills. Also, somewhat awkwardly inserted, the hip-hop crew enters with a great, flirty concept and catchy beat to back up the bodyguard and his solo. Kevin Li frantically rushed up from the band pit to play his triangle during this performance showing his clear dedication to make sure even the smallest details worked out. When Bella finally discovers the truth about Frank and Harry, she overhears them just as they are about to steal the jewel. (“And [Frank] has the key to your room?” the captain asks, appalled. “And the key to her heart,” adds the bodyguard). In suspense, the audience wonders whether Frank will choose money over love, but fortunately, love prevails. Harry is arrested while Bella runs into Frank’s arms. “I lied earlier,” Frank says, tying the necklace holding the jewel back around Bella’s neck. “You look absolutely beautiful,” and he pulls her in to finish the show with a stunning kiss. At the end of a closing narration, Travis Tyson meandered back onstage; “And I have just one more question for you,” he said. “Are you ready, kids?” “Aye aye, captain!” the rest of the cast screamed, bursting on stage to close the show with what can assuredly be called the most enthusiastic Spongebob-theme parody ever to be sung by high school students. All in all, Junior SING! was a stunning success, balancing the romance and the comedy on a razor blade, weaving subplots together amongst individual moments of glory.
Page 12
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Senior SING!
Senior SING!: Fairy Tales By Anne GEORGE and matteo wong Fairy tales are women’s tales: Sleeping Beauty rescued by the gallant Prince Charming, Snow White’s maternal impulse toward the dwarves, and Cinderella forced to scrub the floors. These stories used to put us to bed at night, teaching young girls that they should strive to become objects of male attention and teaching young boys that every girl is an unambitious damsel in distress. With Princess Esme’s (Lizzy Lawrence) strong-willed temperament and Prince Chauncey’s (Michael Holmes) ineptitude, Senior SING!, coordinated by Winston Venderbush with the help of producers Vicky Wu, Maddie Ostergaard, Namra Zulfiqar, and Dina Gomaa, was medieval with a twist, weaving an entirely new women’s tale. The audience is immediately made aware of Esme’s predicament: her first queue to speak is cut off by King Bartholomew (Dennis Ronel), her father, whose focus is entirely on Chauncey’s coronation. Continuously silenced and overshadowed, Esme is disgruntled with Chauncey’s nonchalance toward the throne, yet she remains anything but demure or helpless. It may not have been a girl sitting in a tower, singing to the birds, but Senior SING! opened up with visions of our childhood. Within a castle on a hill, stained glass reflected light onto golden thrones. With a stunning background and eagle statues, senior art, directed by Yuji Fu, Lauren Moy, Jasmine Zhang, and Miranda Luong, and senior props, directed by Sydney Dlhopolsky, made us feel like we were in the Kingdom of Wessex. The coronation festivities
began with a hymn-like rendition of “Some Nights,” as chorus, step, and cast gathered on stage, the sheer number of performers inspiring awe. Amidst this flurry of celebration, senior latin, directed by Levy Agaronnik and Joshua Lishnevetsky, sensually materialized before the crowd, hips thrusting and bodies swaying. Their liveliness was pronounced and every movement emboldened with character, making them our favorite crew of the night. Following King Bartholomew’s resounding “no” to Esme’s attempt to speak, Yorick the jackin-the-box (Alec Dai) is brought forth as comedic relief. Taking a drink from Chauncey’s goblet, he collapses back into the box— poisoned. “Clear the Senior Atrium!” is shouted across the stage, a reference to antagonisms between the senior class and administration, connecting the otherwise distant theme to Stuyvesant students. From the ensuing stampede emerges senior step, the castle guards, directed by Jason Chen, Samuel So, and Kelly Wang. Between their reverence for senior pride and the reverberations created by each stomp, their unity was on full display. Holding their S-E-N-I-O-R shields high, they ended with a blindingly fast sequence. Once again, Esme’s tensions rise to the surface when King Bartholomew focuses his attention entirely on Chauncey. Reminding us of her misplaced anger, Esme remarked condescendingly, “Who would want to kill Chauncey?” This continuous use of foreshadowing gives the script a complexity not seen in years past, creating anticipation amongst the audience for a breaking point in their relationship.
In an attempt to protect Chauncey, the king calls on the services of Sir Komsyze (Evan Lieberman), a Monty Pythonesque knight and sorceress Helloise (Emily Ma), Chauncey’s budding love interest. Far from being stoic bodyguards, this pair lead the siblings on an adventure to find a safe haven, but instead they come across a plague-infested village. In the face of this suffering, Esme emphasized that a leader must shoulder the burden of his or her people. Meanwhile, Chauncey cowered at the people’s pain, shattering the traditional association between masculinity and strength or conviction. The atmosphere darkened, the air became murky, and the black plague encircled Chauncey. Senior modern, directed by Nadia Filanovsky and Enver Ramadani, began their performance with a haunting execution of “Ring Around the Rosie.” Wilting flower petals fell to the floor as the dancers sought to embody the plague with each eery, coordinated step. Donning black silk and green velvet, the powerful figure of Helloise stepped in to save Chauncey, who was overwhelmed by the reality of his subjects’ living conditions. Even supporting female roles, traditionally lacking depth, were able to manifest themselves into positive role models. The next obstacle the travellers overcame was a snake pit: senior belly, directed by Shupti Biswas and Sabrina Pirzada. A mix of jazz and blues highlighted their sensuous, undulating torsos, only a small sample of the senior band’s talent, directed by Jean Joun and Sam Lazarev. Somewhat incongruous with last year’s performance, belly lacked male participation. When a third obstacle ap-
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Page 13
Senior SING!
are Women’s Tales pears, the path to safety threatens to become repetitive and tedious, but senior hip hop, directed by Jian Ting, Muhammad Rivaldo, Nina Uzoigwe, and Tony Zheng, managed to further engage the audience. Dressed as bandits in black, holding knives, and dancing fluidly, performers popped up in the aisles to create an electrifying moment. Almost randomly, a dragon then appears in their path. With its four members, senior flow, directed by Wilson Wong and Ayman Ahmed, seemed to lack purpose. Last year, senior flow set the precedent of being much more than floating lights; this year, flow failed to innovate, and unlike the other crews, seemed to be carelessly thrown into the story. Completely in character, Chauncey fails to protect himself, and his carelessness pushes Esme to her breaking point; she proclaims it would have been better if he had died. Back at the castle, the Royal Family has troubles of its own. After interrogating several quirky characters, Esme becomes their prime suspect when her best friend Priscilla Marie (Lillian Carver) testifies against her. Marie is represented as a gossiping gold digger, and was executed brilliantly. Her nasally voice and frantic body motions lent themselves perfectly to the stereotype. Making her first appearance as a developed character, Queen Christiana (Kate Johnston), shocked by this information, performs a heartbreaking medley of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” with the overlapping voice of Esme singing “Back to Black” as she confronts her hateful words toward her brother. Though Junior SING! attempted a similar feat, they were unable to achieve
this level of cohesion. Finally, our protagonists reached two forks in the road, and we appreciated the pun. Here, Sir Komsyze and Helloise each took different routes, leaving Esme and Chauncey to confront their culminating tensions. Esme vented her frustrations: while Chauncey spent his childhood learning to joust, she was taught to dress pretty. The intent of her speech was to have the audience acknowledge how gender roles can be discouraging forces, transforming SING! from a celebration of creativity to a platform for student voices. Through a duet of “Halo,” Chauncey and Esme are able to reconcile. As the lights and sound crew, directed by Jonathan Mikhaylov and Lela Ni, placed a simple spotlight on Chauncey and Esme, the audience showed their support with flashlights. Chauncey’s timbre was warm and rich and complemented Esme’s sweeter tones. This tender moment is interrupted by a surprising plot twist. Overlooked for the majority of the play, Sir Komsyze stabs Chauncey and reveals that he has successfully framed Esme for this murder. Esme takes a stand by picking up Chauncey’s blade and fighting the trained knight, showing her courage and compassion. All night Senior SING! had tip-toed around the fourth wall, and they finally breached it: Lawrence and Lieberman break character and call for stunt doubles. A dramatic fight scene ensues, and Esme emerges victorious. However, her success is short-lived; she is captured and taken to the castle for her execution. Confronted with seemingly concrete evidence that his daughter killed his son, King Bartholomew grieves for both
of his children through his moving performance of “Hallelujah.” When Esme attempts to explain the situation, she once again is silenced. In the final minutes before her execution, Chauncey and Heloise miraculously arrive at the scene and reveal Sir Komsyze’s treachery. Chauncey comes to the realization that Esme understands and cares about the wellbeing of the kingdom more than he does. He forfeits his crown to Esme, showing the importance of humility and reversing the stereotype of men being best suited for leadership positions; her coronation is a feminist triumph. The coronation festivities were born anew, and senior swing, directed by Levy Agaronnik and Joshua Lishnevetsky, excelled just as much as senior latin. Senior SING! seemed to make deliberate decisions that shaped their show, not only as a progressive, but also as a well-crafted story. In an almost cyclical manner, Esme and Chauncey’s long journey begins and ends with the passing of the crown. Likewise, Senior SING! was able to incorporate pop culture references that modernized what would have been an archaic fairy tale. Though he was a recurring comedic relief, High Priest (Lowell Weisbord), with his rapping, dancing, and pop culture references, proved to be one of the highlights of the show. By the end of the show, Senior SING! solidified the idea that fairy tales are women’s tales. These are the stories our children will grow up hearing: Michelle Obama, Angela Merkel, Sonia Sotamayor, and Queen Esme.
Page 14
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Highlights Best Acting Performances
Best Dance slightly ignorant best friend of the princess. Her pink frills and curly hair, however, hide her backstabbing mentality, and she secretly works with the malicious Sir Komsyze to frame the princess, revealing herself in a “soliloquy.”
1. Spoiled Son Cody Lin, Juniors As the favorite child of an aristocrat, Cody Lin does not fail to amuse the audience with his sassy, hilarious impression of a spoiled brat. With a voice perfectly tailored for the part and skillful acting, Lin’s depiction exudes confidence and talent. 2. Sour Patch Victoria Wong, Soph-Frosh Staying true to the taste of the candy she portrays, freshman Victoria Wong plays the initially sour, then sweet Sour Patch. With her stunning vocals and perfectly executed humor, Wong is able to realistically develop her character
from a sarcastic skeptic to a brave and lovable heroine. 3. Queen Christiana Kate Ly Johnston, Seniors Playing a beautiful and regal queen in power, Kate Ly Johnston perfectly captures the need to balance love for her daughter with her duties to the kingdom. Though she is quick to mistrust her daughter, she is soon able to see through the knight’s plot while recognizing her own faults. 4. Best friend of Esme Priscilla-Marie Lillian Carver, Seniors Lillian Carver beautifully portrays the bubbly, energetic, and
5. Princess Esme, Lizzy Lawrence, Seniors Lizzy Lawrence portrays a hardworking and overlooked princess while showing off her adept acting skills with a powerful performance. Expressing a thoughtful message about loyalty and fairness, her portrayal sent chills through the audience by voicing words that are just as relevant in the 21st century as they were in medieval times. Honorable Mentions King Bartholomew, Dennis Ronel, Senior Frank, Garrett Hall, Junior Naive Steve, Justin Chan, Junior M&Ms: Matthew Carlson & Kevin Zong, Soph-Frosh
Best Songs 1.“We Can’t Stop” Victoria Wong, Soph-Frosh Victoria Wong, as Sour Patch, delivered a powerful and captivating solo of “We Can’t Stop,” earning a roar of cheers from the audience. As her voice swelled and crescendoed, her gloomy character took on a new life, serving as the high point of both the plot and Soph-Frosh production in general. 2. “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Back to Black” Kate Ly Johnston and Lizzy Lawrence, Seniors Johnston begins the medley with power, funneling the emotions of her character into “Bohemian Rhapsody” with a voice of might, and Lawrence joins in with “Back to Black” seamlessly, equaling Johnston’s strong vocals. The robustness of both voices melded seamlessly with the fast paced rhythm of the band. 3. “Halo” Elizabeth Lawrence and Michael Holmes, Seniors Seniors Elizabeth Lawrence and Michael Holmes powerfully belted a duet version of “Halo,” chockful of emotional climaxes. Although the song’s tense opening
2. “I haven’t seen someone get thrown around like that since the Bronx Science Fight Club.” —Harry (Holden Higgins), Juniors 3. “That is a magnanimous gas! Allow me to presenteth alternative facts!” —Sir Komsyze (Evan Lieberman), Seniors
2. Swing, Seniors Beginning Esme’s coronation party, senior swing opened with an energy contradictory to how late it actually was. A dash of suggestiveness and comic relief elicited laughs and even a few whistles from the audience. With previously seen but nevertheless fabulous moves, along with daring new maneuvers, the crew dazzled the audience. 3. Step, Juniors With impressive formations and ripple effects, junior step’s choreography was eye-catching
and original. The dancers even threw in creative stunts which left the audience in awe. With the loud “hi ho, hi ho,” chants, the junior step choreography was enthusiastic and brought a fresh, spirited mood to the show. 4. Step, Seniors Knights are expected to step in unison, and senior step took this role to heart. With incredible unison and interspersed spirit chants, senior step was all about pride. Between impressive cannons and shields handed up from the pit, they managed to innovate above and beyond past crews. 5. Modern, Seniors Elegantly clothed in black, senior modern delivered a striking performance brimming with emotion. Accompanied by haunting vocals, the dancers set an atmosphere of mysticism and darkness, throwing rose petals into the air and stunning the crowd with the grace of their perfectly coordinated stunts.
Best Moments
faithfully depicted the initial adversity between the two siblings, the chorus reflected the newfound unity between the duo. 4.“Hallelujah,” Dennis Ronel, Seniors Senior Dennis Ronel delivered a soulful rendition of “Hallelujah” that was teeming with emotion. Ronel’s masterful contortion of his voice to capture the passion in the song made it an incredibly powerful performance.
5. “City of Stars” Nicole Shin and Garrett Hall, Juniors Shin and Hall’s duet mimicked that of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s song in “La La Land,” with Shin’s sweet voice effortlessly harmonizing with Hall’s deeper one. The emotions of their characters rang true as they sang, and Shin’s soft laugh in the midst of confessing her love through the song led to a performance filled with character.
Best Jokes
1. “And the winner of SING! 2017 is … Candyland?” “I’m sorry, there’s been mistake. The winner is … Senior SING!.” —Yorick (Alec Dai) and Winston Venderbush, Seniors
1. Latin, Seniors Senior latin’s performance set Senior SING!’s tone with a breathtaking opening! From the moment the dancers charismatically strolled onto the stage, to the twirling and swirling of pink skirts, fast-moving feet, sexy body rolls, and gravity-defying jumps, senior latin did not fail to keep their audience moving to the rhythm and gawking at the stage.
4. “My lord, what do you want me to do with Sir Komsyze?” “Off with his head!” —Daisy (Jessica Sparacio) and King Bartholomew (Dennis Ronel), Seniors 5. “Also, if anyone lost an iPhone in a purple case, please come to the dungeon. This is also IDNYC’s last day in the castle, so make sure you come on by.” —Announcing Voice, Seniors 6. “I’m with her.” “And so is the popular vote.” —Harry (Holden Higgins) and Bella (Nicole Shin),
Juniors 7. “I’m ready to instill fear in the eyes of children.” “You’re a king, not Ms. Damesek.” —Prince Chauncey (Michael Holmes) and Queen Christiana (Kate Ly Johnston), Seniors 8. “Damesek? Is it Ms. Damesek? Don’t let her know we have candy in the theater!” —Yellow M&M (Kevin Zong), SophFrosh
1. Fencing Stunt Doubles, Seniors The duel between Jian Ting Gao and Lowell Weisbord was an impressive display of artistry and dexterity. Called by Lizzy Lawrence and Evan Lieberman, they leapt onto the stage and filled the auditorium with the clash of metal, dancing about each other. Though brief, this was one of the most breathtaking displays of the night. 2. Faculty Appearance and Coronation After Party, Seniors Though a different teacher performed each night, this moment did not lose its hilarity. Unfurling a scroll and reading aloud, Mr. Ramirez, Mr. DyrlandWeaver, and Ms. Maggio, each on a different night, took turns announcing that the royalty was not associated with the Coronation After Party, CAP. 3. Frank and Bella’s Kiss, Juniors When their lips locked dreamily, the audience’s memory of the previous cutesie blushing and hand-holding love scenes disappeared. Clearly the apex of Junior SING!’s performance, this moment did not disappoint and left us yearning for this undying love in our own lives.
4. Ring Around the Rosie, Seniors Dancing in an eery circle, senior contemp brought the bubonic plague to life, accompanying their graceful movements with a haunting chant. Throwing flower petals into the air, they wowed and spooked, the audience. 5. Learning to Love Yourself First, Soph-Frosh The duet between Candy Heart (Chelsea Cheung) and Sour Patch (Victoria Wong) at the conclusion of Soph-Frosh SING! was a particularly memorable and touching moment. Defying the usual romance that takes place in SING! productions, their assertion of self-love and the beauty of being unique was both a plot twist and a breath of fresh air. 6. “Candy Heart, your shoe is untied,” Soph-Frosh We watched with bated breath as Tootsie Roll (Nathaniel Unger) kneeled before Candy Heart (Chelsea Cheung) after she proclaimed her love. It came as quite a surprise when, instead, he informed her that her shoe was untied, a moment that made it impossible not to love Tootsie Roll’s awkward, adorable geekiness.
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Page 15
Highlights Best Costumes
Best Disses
1.Queen Christiana (Kate Ly Johnston), Seniors Fully adorned with a luxury red cape trailing behind her and a glistening golden crown, senior Kate Johnson’s costume perfectly depicted the elegant attire of a royal queen. Her golden dress and rosy accessories shimmered in the light flawlessly.
1. “The jewel is made of cheap material like glass, or quartz, or Soph-Frosh jokes.” —Bella (Nicole Shin), Juniors 2. “My lesser child, my mistake, my Soph-Frosh SING!.” —Jewel-Obsessed Mother (August Murphy), Juniors 3. ”How do you know you’ve had a wild night after two shots of Capri Sun? When you vote for can-
dy as your SING! theme!” —Yorick (Alec Dai), Seniors 4. “We are all playing Candy Crush tonight.” — Priscilla Marie (Lillian Carver), Seniors 5. “How do you know you’re desperate for extra credit? When you base your entire SING! script on your U.S. History textbook!” —Yorick (Alec Dai), Seniors
2.Bella’s Ball Gown (Nicole Shin), Juniors After sporting a more casual outfit for the first half of Junior SING!, junior Nicole Shin changed into a dazzling red dress for the ball. The costume directors of Junior SING! stayed true to the styles of the 1920s with this outfit, but also added modern elements: the sequined dress was composed of a halter style top and a long skirt. 3.Coal Workers, Step, Juniors Junior step danced as coal miners, and to play the part, they
had to look the part. Clothed in ragged overalls and faces dusted with soot, junior step’s costumes encompassed this look perfectly. The sheer number of costumes made for the group and the detail that went into the creation of each, from the stains on the denim to the loose frays of over-worn clothing, showcased the great efforts of the costumes crew. 4. Knights Step, Seniors Senior step’s powerful dance was complemented with equally powerful costumes. Each performer sported a metallic helmet and upper body armor, which was color coordinated with the flashes of yellow and red that appeared in the set on flags and thrones. 5. High Priest (Lowell Weisbord), Seniors The impressive detail of Lowell Weisbord’s white and gold attire wonderfully complemented
Senior SING!’s bright, traditional ambience. The cross worn around his neck and the white mitre atop his head further added to the elegance of the costume.
Playlist
Jousts, Heists, and a Twisted Game of Candy Crush From medieval murder mysteries to singing and dancing candy to the glamor of the roaring ‘20s, SING! 2017 was sensational from start to finish, and the memories made both onstage and offstage will undoubtedly stay with us for years to come. After such exuberant performances, it won’t be easy to go back to the usual humdrum of Stuyvesant High School. Nevertheless, life goes on, and fortunately, post-SING! depression is only ephemeral.
While you let your nostalgic feelings ruminate, listen to the music that you rehearsed to for the past month during late nights and all-days spent in the cafeteria. Transport yourself to a medieval kingdom, a magical candy store, and an extravagant ‘20s cruise ship as you ride the seven train or study for the SAT. SING! season may be over, but the show must go on.
Soph-Frosh “Scars to Your Beautiful” Alessia Cara Contemporary R&B “Can’t Stop the Feeling” Justin Timberlake Pop “Closer” The Chainsmokers Dance/Electronic “We Can’t Stop” Miley Cyrus Pop “Elastic Heart” Sia Pop “Eleanor Rigby” The Beatles Classic Rock “What Makes You Beautiful” One Direction Teen Pop “Light it Up” Major Lazer (ft. Nyla &
Fuse ODG) Dance/Electronic “Jai Ho” A. R. Rahman Pop “All of the Lights” Kanye West (ft. Rihanna) Rap “Sad Song” We the Kings Rock “Danza Kuduro” Don Omar Reggaeton “Black Beatles” Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane Hip-hop/Rap “Gibberish” Max Pop “Company” Tinashe R&B/Soul
“Make Daddy Proud” Blackbear Contemporary R&B “Lollipop” MIKA Pop “Lollipop” The Chordettes Pop “Augustus Gloop” Danny Elfman Soundtrack “Wonka’s Welcome Song” Danny Elfman Soundtrack “I Want Candy” Aaron Carter Pop “Temperature” Sean Paul Reggae
“Since U Been Gone” Kelly Clarkson Pop “Sway” Michael Bublé Easy Listening “City of Stars” Ryan Gosling Jazz “Beat It” Michael Jackson Pop “Countdown” Beyoncé Pop
“Habibi” Azis Folk
“Sen Trope” Azis Pop
“Rolling In The Deep” Adele Pop
“Bonbon” Era Istrefi Pop
“Farmer Refuted” Thayne Jasperson Musical Theater
“Spongebob Squarepants Theme Song” “Spongebob” Soundtrack Children’s Music
“Down” Marian Hill Pop “Distraction” Kehlani R&B “Suit & Tie” Justin Timberlake (ft. Jay-Z) Pop
Seniors “Some Nights” fun. Baroque Pop
Juniors “Sunday Candy” Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment Hip-hop
Klaire Geller/ The Spectator
R&B
“Shape of You” Ed Sheeran Pop
“Bad Romance” Lady Gaga Electropop “Baby” Justin Bieber (ft. Ludacris) Pop “Dancing Queen” ABBA Pop “If I Ain’t Got You” Alicia Keys
“Hallelujah” Jeff Buckley Alternative Rock
“Manolo” Trip Lee ft. Lecrae Rap
“Move B****” Ludacris Hip-hop “Cellophane” Sia Pop
“Halo” Beyoncé Contemporary R&B
“Worth It” Fifth Harmony Pop
“Mambo Tequila” Azúcar Moreno Latin Pop
“Till I Die” Machine Gun Kelly Hip-hop “A
Dream Within Dream” The Glitch Mob Electronic “Anastasia” Slash Rock
“Bohemian Rhapsody” Queen Rock “Back to Black” Amy Winehouse Soul
a
“Let’s Get It On” Marvin Gaye R&B “All Star” Smash Mouth Alternative Rock “The Rains of Castamere” Ramin Djwadi Classical “Greensleeves” Mozart Classical
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Page 16
Editorials Staff Editorial
SING! Inclusivity: The Start of Something New
The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper
“The Pulse of the Student Body” E DITOR S
IN
C HIEF
Anne George* Matteo Wong* N ews
Ed i to rs
Nishmi Abeyweera Shameek Rakshit Blythe Zadrozny F eature s
Ed i to rs
Archi Das Asim Kapparova Sophie Watwood* O pi ni o ns
Ed i to rs
Jane Rhee Eliza Spinna S p orts
Ed i to rs
Ray Jones Sam Merrick Max Onderdonk* h u mo r
Ed i to rs
Kerwin Chen Shaina Peters Michael Xu* Please address all letters to: 345 Chambers Street New York, NY 10282 (212) 312-4800 ext. 2601 letters@stuyspectator.com
Senior SING! opened with an imposing combination of performers, ranging from the cast in their golden capes to Step’s red and black knight costumes. The unprecedented number of students on stage celebrated the unity and diversity within Stuyvesant, showcasing the best aspects of SING!. Yet at its core, SING! is a an attempt to best both rival grades and past performances, which often leads students to overlook the value of grade-wide involvement. The most notable channel for SING! publicity is Facebook, which spreads production information and application deadlines. Relying on Facebook, however, poses a large problem to making SING! fully inclusive. Often, freshmen without Facebook accounts are unaware of initial SING! announcements. When they don’t receive crew applications, this problem compounds, and eventually they are unable to participate in SING! at all. Even if somebody is aware of SING!, issues arise for those wishing to participate, because the majority of applications are released simultaneously. If a students are rejected from a crew, it may be impossible for them to apply to another. Furthermore, being rejected from SING! can be a problem in ensuing years, as a student may feel too defeated, or too unsure of their abilities, to apply again; Senior SING!’s cast, for instance, was composed mainly of returning students. SING! is entirely student-run, so the choices made are susceptible to biases and personality judgments. Crew directors, producers, and coordinators rarely
change, and they spearhead all personnel decisions, causing accusations of nepotism as their close friends more easily find themselves in leadership positions. While imperfect, SING! is incredibly meaningful to the student body. As a school often associated with the STEM-driven students, SING! showcases Stuyvesant’s unseen creativity. Crews like Latin, Belly, and Makeup give students the opportunity to develop talents they otherwise would not have explored. The pressure to perform breeds innovation and a laser-like focus, channeling students’ competitive energy into a creative outlet. SING! offers a different experience for its participants. Each crew becomes a family, forged through long rehearsals and late night subway rides. By the end of the season, SING! transforms us from students into dancers, artists, actors and actresses. Given the importance of students’ ability to participate in SING!, it is necessary to find solutions to these complex issues that hinder the production’s inclusivity. In terms of awareness, SING! coordinators and other members of the student body who interact closely with freshmen (including Big Sibs and Freshman Caucus) must make an effort to increase outreach to the entirety of the student body, not just those with a Facebook account. Furthermore, crews can distribute more information through means other than Facebook, utilizing posters and interest meetings to draw a bigger and more diverse crowd. SING! directors should begin
staggering crew applications to encourage participation. Despite the fact that SING! is already on a tight schedule, taking the initiative to work with the administration in advance may prove fruitful in making this possible. Most importantly, discouraged students must remember to keep trying. SING! puts the variety of talents in the student body on full display, and everybody has something to offer. Not making a specific crew is not the end of the world, and perhaps it will be the first step toward discovering a hidden talent. This year, SING! coordinators, in collaboration with the school administration, have already taken steps toward improving the overall inclusivity of SING!. The Caucuses kept the members of the student body informed with emails regarding application dates, voting processes, and general status updates. These emails began to give every student a chance to become actively engaged in SING!. Moreover, the Junior SING! cast featured students who not only had never participated in Stuyvesant theater before, but also had no prior acting experience. One such student is Justin Chan. “I’ve always had an inner passion for acting,” he admitted. “Being able to do whatever you want without being judged was appealing.” “I feel like it exemplifies everything that is beautiful and good about SING!,” Junior SING! Cast Director Mika Simoncelli said. “Kids that you think would be the last people to do musical theater come together and make something amazing.”
Arts & En t e r t a i nm e n t Ed i to rs
Karen Chen* Sophie Feng Eliana Kavouriadis Photo gra phy Ed i to rs
TingTing Chen Julia Lee Mika Simoncelli Art
Di re cto rs
Klaire Geller Christine Jegarl Vivian Lin L ayo ut
Ed i to rs
Arpita Nag Jessica Wu Katie Wu Co py
Ed i to rs
Vincent Jiang Michelle Lai Venus Nnandi Busi ne ss
M anag e r S
Saloni Majmudar Donia Tung We b
Ed i to rs
Jason Kao George Zheng F ac u l t y
Advi sEr
Kerry Garfinkel We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and length. © 2016 The Spectator All rights reserved by the creators. * Managing Board
A Note to Our Readers: The Spectator will now accept unsolicited Op-Ed pieces written by outside students, faculty, and alumni. These columns, if selected, will be published in The Spectator’s Opinions section. Recommended length is 700 words. Articles should address school related topics or items of student interest. Columns can be e-mailed to specreaderopinions@gmail.com.
Do you want to reflect on an article? Or speak your mind? Write a letter to the editor and e-mail it to letters@stuyspectator.com or drop it in The Spectator box in the second-floor mail room.
VOICES Would you like to share a personal narrative with the school? Whether it’s an essay you’ve written for class, or a piece you’ve been working on by yourself, if it’s in first-person and it is nonfiction it could get published in The Spectator’s issue-ly Voices column! Send your stories into voices@stuyspec.com, or email us with any questions or concerns you have.
The Spectator â—? March 10, 2017
SING! Scoreboard Overall Overall Impression Script Acting Dance Band/Orchestra Vocal Musical Elements Sets Technical Aspects Costumes Deductions Total
Soph-Frosh
Junior
Senior
90 86 92 96 73 93 90 80 84 -25 749
88 85 92 88 94 83 116 79 103 -25 803
123 106 108 120 122 113 132 101 122 -35 1012
Soph-Frosh
Junior
Senior
45 44 51 49 32 48 46 38 41 394
40 43 49 38 43 41 59 32 55 400
54 46 48 51 58 48 66 41 60 472
Soph-Frosh
Junior
Senior
45 42 41 47 41 45 44 42 43 390
48 42 43 50 51 42 57 47 48 428
69 60 60 69 64 65 66 60 62 575
Friday Overall Impression Script Acting Dance Band/Orchestra Vocal Musical Elements Sets Technical Aspects Costumes Total
Saturday Overall Impression Script Acting Dance Band/Orchestra Vocal Musical Elements Sets Technical Aspects Costumes Total
Page 17
Page 18
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Features
Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho!: The Spirit of SING!
By Nishmi Abeyweera and Archi Das Bathed in the moonlight, students trail out of Stuyvesant in large crowds. Their eyes seem weighed down by a lack of sleep, but they still excitedly chat with their friends about what is arguably the most significant event in their school year: SING!. It has a strange effect on our community—becoming our everything. Somehow, it manages to bring Stuyvesant together in a way that most things cannot. This year, SING! Spirit Week was held
from Tuesday, February 28 to Friday, March 4. It began with a day for students to wear Stuyvesant apparel, followed by students showcasing their past participation with their old SING! apparel. Thursday brought with it the comfort of Pajama Day. At last, it was Friday, and there seemed to be an overwhelming rush of SING! spirit: students came to school in their current SING! apparel and donned their war paint colors. More often than not, we are quick to turn our backs on the plethora of Stuyvesant’s other
spirit days, whether it be attending sports games or dressing up for Senior Twin Day. Somehow, SING! is able to incite a completely different emotion in us. The energy is everywhere. “I don’t think it’s easy to coordinate for a school of 3200 kids to do all the same thing at all the same time,” Soph-Frosh SING! chorus director Meredith Silfen said. “I also think that a lot of people are unwilling; I just don’t think people want to take a day to match with other people. They just wear what they want to wear every morning, and they come to school, and they don’t need to fol-
low a certain rule book.” Seeing the immense devotion for SING! makes you wonder why it’s such a uniting pressure. “SING! is probably the highlight of my year. I think the whole school can feel it,” Senior Art Director Yujie Fu said. “I’m super duper supercalifragilisticexpialidociously excited,” Junior SING! stage director Jacqueline Cao shrieked. Cao’s contagious enthusiasm is perfect representation of how devoted people can get to SING!. We coalesce around SING!. “People usually think of Stuyve-
sant as a math and science school, but then SING! is a showcase of these talents that we don’t see that often,” Fu said. “People getting to express that side of themselves is the amazing part of what SING! is all about.” The unity of SING! season seems to bring on a bout of nostalgia when reflected on. “Seeing everyone participate and even wear the same thing [...] acknowledges and confirms the fact that all of [us] are part of this process together, which is why it is so significant for us,” senior Mohammed Ullah said.
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Page 19
Features
The Lesser Known Heroes of SING! By SOPHIE WATWOOD
Lois Wu Name and Grade? Lois Wu, Sophomore What is your SING!? Art director.
title
for
What do you love about this? I like how it’s calming and you get to just paint stuff after school, and I really like how you can meet people, like especially for freshmen. Personally, as a freshman, that was really important and I met a lot of people and got involved with STC. How
did you get involved with SING!?
So my sister actually graduated the year before, and she was involved in art and was art director for all four years, and as a little sister I wanted to follow in her footsteps, so that’s how I knew about it.
How
do you think your job influences the show over all? How do you use your power to improve the production?
I think once the curtains open, the set is the first impression that you get, and I think that being in charge of how we paint the sets and the platforms really affects the feel of the overall show. What
was the highlight of the season for you?
I think the first time when my entire crew bonded was during the weekend on our lunch break and we started painting random stuff and like each other, like I have this pair of sweatpants that are like my paint pants and they painted their names on them, so that was really fun and I’ll remember that.
Luola Chen Name and Grade? Luola Chen, Junior. What is your title SING!? Props Director.
How for
What do you love about this? Even though SING! can be a bit stressful at times, there’s a sense of pride when you see everything that a handful of sixteenyear- olds managed to accomplish. It’s pretty cool that SING! is an entirely student-run production because it really shows how talented and diverse the Stuyvesant community is. For props specifically, being able to take abstract concepts that the producers want and creating tangible items is pretty impressive.
Jacqueline Cao
Sage Demopoulos
do you think your job influences the show over all? How do you use your power to improve the production?
Props definitely enhances the show overall. Imagine any play or musical without props; not only would it be incredibly boring, the audience would be unable to actually see any of the items that the characters refer to. To improve the production, I try to facilitate communication between different crews. As I said before, Props crew isn’t just about making things, it also works with other backstage crews to make sure the production runs smoothly. This may entail painting a part of the set that tech created, or working with art to figure out how to incorporate certain details into the production.
Name and Grade? Sage Demopoulos 11th Grade (Go Juniors!).
influences the show over all? How do you use your power to improve the production?
What do you love about this? I love directing art because with all the work at Stuy, this is my one time to really enjoy something that I love. It is also a way for me to meet new people and make a ton of close friends, because by the end of the year our crew is like a family.
Directing art is a crucial way for me to use my abilities to really improve the performance. I pass my knowledge onto others, allowing everyone in art crew to paint to their full potential. I use my power as a way to get creative ideas to Ray, in addition to telling crew members about what they could do to improve their painting. However, I do not overemphasize my directorship position because I could not have done everything without the help from my crew.
How
What
I have been in SING! since freshman year, when I first joined art crew as an assistant director. My Big Sibs told me it was something that I would really enjoy, so I gave it a shot, and ever since then I’ve directed art crew!
The set looked amazing and we all rejoiced together. When we were all gathered together and finally took our crew pictures, we were all smiling and laughing, and at that moment I realized that not only had we rocked the set, but that I had also made some great friends.
What is your title for SING!? I am one of the four directors for art crew.
did you get involved with SING!?
How
do you think your job
power to improve the production?
What is your title for SING!? Makeup Crew Director. What do you love about this? I love how much control we have over the course of the show. It’s really a community effort. We decide what happens and how, everything is really up to us. How
do you think your job influences the show over all? How do you use your
coordinating the timing of lights and sounds.
What is your title SING!? Stage Director.
What do you love about this? I love how my position allows me to work with so many different crews all at once. My role allows me to meet with every member in every crew because I need to communicate with everyone on their progress and how they will coordinate backstage during the show. I also love the bonds that my crew creates. Stage is a small crew and by the end of SING!, we’re always a lot closer than we were before.
Though it is a large stage and the main characteristics of the actors that most audience members see are the costumes, I feel that sometimes makeup can really make or break a look. For our theme in particular, I think the makeup and hair is particularly important as it was such a large part of the era in general. I want to make our cast look glamorous and really get them into their characters so they can give the best show possible.
you explain what you do for those who don’t know?
In Stage, we coordinate everything that happens backstage. Being on Stage involves being responsible for alerting actors, crews, and chorus of their entrances, maintaining and placing props before and after scenes, alerting band of their compositions and when to play them, and
Amanda Plasecki Name and Grade? Amanda Piasecki, Sophomore What is your title for SING!? Lights and Sound Director. What do you love about this? I love the rewarding feeling of seeing my work light up the stage during the show. Also, I find the machinery involved to be really cool, and I really enjoyed learning about how to work it. How did you get involved with SING!? I joined lights and sound for SING! last year, and I realized that I really enjoyed doing it, so I stuck with it. How
do you think your job influences the show over all? How do you use your power to improve the production?
I’m not trying to brag, but I think that my job is very important, because lights and sound is something that is essential to the
Lela Ni Name and Grade? Lela Ni, Senior. What is your title for SING!? Director of Lights & Sound. Can you explain what you do for those who don’t know? I’m in charge of the lights and sound crew, which takes of, well, the lighting and the sound design of the show. I handle the lighting side of things, and my co-director takes care of sound. My specific responsibilities for SING! are to train crew members in how to use the lighting system, design and program the lighting for the show, and operate the lighting board during the actual shows. What do you love about this? Lots of things. In the past, we used to have access to the catwalks, where we had a lounge with couches, a TV, video games, etcetera. All that’s been taken out, and we’re not allowed up there anymore without supervision, and I definitely miss the freedom we used to have in the theater. But I also love sitting in the booth in the back of the the-
for
Can
was the highlight of the season for you?
Dawn Zeng Name and Grade? Dawn Zeng, Junior.
Name and Grade? Jacqueline Cao, Junior.
success of the show. This improves the production because lighting allows you to actually see the action as well as provide mood and ambiance, and sound lets the audience hear what is being said. What
was the highlight of the season for you?
The highlight was during the actual show when I was in the booth above the balcony overseeing my crew working the show. Seeing all the hard work come together was such a rewarding experience and feeling. What was it like to be involved in such a big production? It was somewhat stressful because I knew that a huge aspect of the success of the show was resting on me and my crew’s shoulders but honestly, nothing is more rewarding than seeing a successful show. So, I feel so happy that I was a part of this production because it just gives me such a unique wonderful feeling.
Irene Yuan
ater and being able to watch the show come together from a distance. The best part, however, is the crew itself; there’s nothing like being holed up for hours in a tiny booth with an eclectic group of people. You learn to love it.
Name and Grade? Irene Yuan, 12th grade
How do you think your job influences the show over all? How do you use your power to improve the production? The lighting and sound design of a show is a huge indicator of its production quality. When an otherwise good production looks and sounds bad, it’s incredibly frustrating to watch, because poor lighting and sound detracts from the viewing experience so much. Most people don’t notice the lighting or sound of a show unless they’re actually looking out for it, and they shouldn’t. The lighting/sound should be organic to the scene. When people become conscious of the lighting for a scene or the sound in the show, it’s usually because something seems off or unnatural. The best way we can improve a production is to be as clean as possible and focus the audience on the actors and dancers, not the lighting or sound.
What do you love about this? I love the rewarding feeling of seeing my work light up the stage during the show. Also, I find the machinery involved to be really cool and I really enjoyed learning about how to work it.
What is your title for SING!? Makeup Director
How did you get involved with SING!? I first got involved in freshman year when I realized SING! season started but a lot of crew sign ups were over except for makeup crew. I never was too involved in makeup crew during freshman year, but during sophomore year, I was more involved and chose to sign up for makeup crew director junior year and continued in senior year as director.
How
do you think your job influences the show over all? How do you use your power to improve the production?
My job helped make the small ornamentations of the show possible. In previous years makeup was just seemed like a small crew that didn’t make much of a difference— there was no recognition from people watching the show, or from the comments made with The Spectator because makeup is such minute detailing it’s hard to see in the audience. I pushed my members to make the small details bold and creative. I did so by giving them the ideas of decorating the characters with rhinestones, gold flakes, etc. When they did do so, that’s when it really stood out and people realized that makeup can really make the characters pop. I often tell my members that we are doing stage makeup, and if you want your work to show, it can’t be the makeup you do on
a regular basis. When they gave me ideas and I thought it was not enough to stand out on the stage, I pushed them to add more to the designs and gave my input on what they can use to add onto the makeup.
What was the highlight of the season for you?
The highlight was definitely the weeks of and leading up to the show. It is the most important time for makeup crew. Buying all the makeup was done the week before the show after finalizing the designs. The show days were chaotic, with over a hundred people rushing to get their makeup done in the course of a few hours, and people rushing into the makeup room backstage frantically trying to get their makeup changed for the next scene. All this hustle bustle really pumped me up and I thought it was the highlight of the season for me.
Page 20
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
SING! Humor These articles are works of fiction. All quotes are libel and slander.
SING! Reviews By Alec Dai and Laszlo Sandler
Soph-Frosh: The Soph-Frosh show was brilliantly original. The plot was something new and innovative and made the school cafeteria aides feel loved and appreciated. “Their show was so heartwarming and reminded me of my own grandmother’s homemade sausages. She would have little parties that were just as weird and original as Soph-Frosh SING!. It was so cute, she would call them Sausage Parties,” one aide said. “I really loved Soph-Frosh’s plot,” junior Holden Higgens said. “It was just like this movie about food I once saw. I think it was called ‘The Hungry Games’?” The props department added a different dimension to this amazing show. They gave very small lollipops to the yellow M&M and a huge, gigantic, larger lollipop to King Hershey. But it wasn’t about size because both lollipops were just as realistic and tasty. The casting of Kevin Zong as the yellow M&M and William Lohier as the Hershey’s bar was another job well done. “We made a concerted effort to make sure we cast people based on talent, not race,” Soph-Frosh Coordinator Ruby Gary said. “I mean, come on, everyone knows I don’t see color. I have black friends!” Despite this colorblindness, Soph-Frosh was still able to provide commentary on racial relations in modern-day America. Having a well-loved black leader removed from power for pure anarchy proved an inspiring message for current times. The political messages displayed by Soph-Frosh extended far beyond race. They also chose to support the widely popular meninism movement. Support for this movement was found in contemp lifting up the only male dancer, in the set with Hershey’s being replaced by HimHey’s, and of course, by the fact that the Soph-Frosh SING! reminded so many viewers of sausage parties. Both Senior Coordinator Winston Venderbush and Junior Coordinator Ray Jones expressed satisfaction with these political messages. “It was so incredibly moving to see Soph-Frosh display such powerful messages about keeping the sausage party alive #ImNotWithRuby.” The rest of Soph-Frosh SING! seemed like a desperate attempt to figure out what SAP is. “Is it Sausage After Party? Sausage Appreciation Party?” freshman Hiro Kimura asked. Their party scene seemed eerily realistic to the real Sausage After Party, with tons of underclassmen just awkwardly dancing on the sidelines.
Junior: One of Junior SING!’s strong suits was without a doubt the quality of its acting and the depth of its characters, with junior Mark Shaffran gracefully fulfilling the role of Mark Shafran, and junior Augie Murphy perfectly executing her role as Rich Person Stereotype. Cody Lin and Rigneyla Rigneyla (yes, his last name is also his first name), both stunned the audience with their ability to stretch themselves and play a flamboyant sassy boy and a stone-faced macho man respectively. The only mis-cast seemed to be of Holden Higgins, who struggled to portray a character who actually had to work for wealth. The juniors won bonus points in the eyes of The Spectator for complying with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 by making sure to include a mentally disabled character (played by junior Justin Chan) in the script. “I’m glad the juniors chose to acknowledge my legacy,” former President of the United States George W. Bush said. Junior SING!’s biggest challenge was reminding the audience that their theme was in fact ‘1920s’ and not ‘Boat with Al Capone impersonators onboard.’ However, they accomplished this very feat through their many well-developed female characters such as the yoga instructor, the useless girl who falls in love for a man trying to steal her jewel, and the annoying rich mother who hates her kids. One of Junior SING!’s highlights were its subtle subplots, like when Frank and Bella stood side by side admiring the “nice view.” Given that they were on a boat in the middle of the ocean at night, the audience was left to ponder what they saw. Was it another boat? Was it Candy Heart hooking up with Tootsie Roll at CAP (Coronation After Party) after preaching self love? Was it Junior SING! sinking? But for once, it was nice to see a SING! express appreciation for pitch blackness. This idea of pondering kept coming up in Junior SING!. Truly a work of art, many aspects of Junior SING! were left up to the audience’s interpretation. One notable example comes from their lyrics. From all the “zooms” to the “boms,” each word was open to interpretation. In one song, one singular word was repeated and shouted over and over again. Some heard the word “rain” while others heard “Ray.” “I thought they were shouting ‘pray’ over and over again,” Senior SING! cast member Lowell Weisbord exclaimed. “It was so touching to see young students being engaged in religious ideals.” Yet, Junior SING! was able to surprise the audience again by revealing the true nature of the word on Saturday night. “The word was simply sail. Sail. It was meant to invoke an image of watching the boat of opportunities, the boat of beating Soph-Frosh, and the boat of winning next year, sail away,” art teacher Leslie Bernstein explained. The junior set was yet another highlight of the show. Seated right behind The Spectator in the audience, Junior Coordinator Ray Jones’ father offered his opinion. “I don’t know if you know, but my son was the coordinator and he really brought this show to life,” Jones said. “That scene change with that single potted plant was minimalistic, yet instantly transformed the entire set into the scene of the ball. I felt like I was actually there and I envisioned dancing with my daughter, who by the way also helped Ray a lot with putting this show together.” The ending was heartwarming and what happened after the kiss was simply (Due to the word limit, The Spectator unfortunately must close the curtain on this section of the article).
Senior: Contrary to the meninist leanings of Soph-Frosh, Senior SING! made sure to assure students that the class of 2017 would have voted for Hillary by choosing to put a woman in power over her brother. “It was important that our show had feminist tenets,” senior Stiven Peter said. However, the two shows also had their racial similarities. “With the script and when casting, we made sure to do everything we could to keep the one person of color out of power,” cast director Livia Kunins-Berkowitz said. The seniors also had excellent diction in their script. “We made sure to add ‘-eth’ to each word to ensureth the dialogueth was an accurate representation of medievaleth languageth,” senior and scriptwriter Nadia Filanovsky saideth. As with the other SING!s, the casting turned a few heads, as a few judges once again walked out in tears after viewing Yorick the jester pop out of the box. “While normally I like surprises, seeing [senior Alec Dai] wearing whiteface was too touchy for me,” an anonymous judge said. “And to see a mocking of Italian cuisine. A-mama-mia! What a poor-a taste in jokes-a!” Perhaps the biggest highlight of Senior SING! was its subtlety in its messages. Sir Komsyze was actually meant to sound like the word compromise, advocating for the idea that SING! shouldn’t be a competition but rather a showcase of our talents. “It’s all about compromise. If the juniors wanted our plot so badly, they should’ve let us know and we would’ve given it to them,” scriptwriter Asher Lasday said. Likewise, Richard the Sword Swallower was meant to be about how to deal with hard things. “Life can be hard sometimes. Sometimes you just have to take it in and move on,” scriptwriter James Zhang said. While as a whole the casting was excellent, the chemistry between the king (Dennis Ronel) and the queen (Kate Johnston) was lacking. “I don’t know. There was just something off about the the king,” junior Alex Whittington said. “He seemed to be more fond of Richard the Sword Swallower than of his own wife.” Senior SING! ended on a very beautiful note, with people gathering at the CAP from all parts of Wessex: Eassex, Floorsex, Moresex, Wallsex, and Bathroomsex.
The Spectator ● March 10, 2017
Page 21
SING! Humor SING! Hate Mail By Amanda Piasecki Dear SING! Directors (Dictators), Your ruthless organization has utterly ruined my life—seriously. I can’t take the endless passive aggressive messages about missing practice any longer. First, you tell me that I’m missing practice too much and that I might as well not be a part of SING!. The next thing you know, another director is messaging me, telling me that I’m an indispensable member of SING!. I can’t even go to my locker because I get “point deductions” for being on someone else’s floor. Well guess what? I’ve gotten real point deductions on my average! My 99.3 has gone down to a mere 99.1! How am I supposed to get into college now? All thanks to SING!, I might be a struggling props maker for the rest of my life.
Dear corrupt SING! Slate, I can’t believe that you all have the audacity to reject me! I spent a full 10 minutes on my application and an entire 15-minute train ride humming the audition part. I put down really terrific improvement ideas, including having no rehearsals—after all, why do we need to practice when we’re all so talented? Even if you didn’t like my application, I should have been automatically accepted anyways. Why would you even read your best friend’s application and make them audition? SING! is supposed to be showing the glory of nepotism—not of talent! Don’t you all know that?
Dear Coordinator (I can’t remember your name), Sorry, but I can’t make it to rehearsal today, or ever. I know that I put that I had no time commitments on my application, but it turns out that I have a really important nap every single day from 4 p.m. to 6 a.m. I really can’t miss it, and unfortunately I can’t reschedule it.
Dear Art Crew,
Dear SING! Coordinators,
We’re really sorry about running over your canvas. Is there a “control Z” with paint or any way that you can do damage control on the 53 footprints all over the backdrop?
What’s SING? I haven’t heard about this strange event until I got an e-mail selling tickets for it. Is this a new concert? Or is it a vocal competition?
I just needed to put something on my otherwise blank college application. Thanks for accepting me though—it really means a lot to me! I might be able to show up to the crew dinner!
On the other hand, it was totally worth seeing the expression of shock on your faces—half of you were crying, and the rest of you were ready to assault Mr. Choubaralian and Dr. Markova with paint brushes and paint cans. Be sure to check us out tomorrow, when we ravage SophFrosh SING!’s backdrop!
See you not very soon F. Lake
Much love, Boys’ Track
I heard Soph-Frosh won this SING! thing with their 1920’s theme. Why would there be a singing Sour Patch in the 1920’s? Sincerely, Half of Stuy
From, S. Alty
Sincerely, S. Collar
Catherine Joh/ The Spectator
The Unsung Heroes of SING! 2017 By Kenny Lin and Gilvir Gill 5. Costumes, Soph-Frosh Soph-Frosh SING! had one of its strongest showings in years. The acting was surprisingly excellent and was only enhanced by the costumes and character choice. There were no better examples of this than Tootsie Roll, who was a candy version of the movie depiction of the early 2000’s internet sensation Fred, and whatever sophomore Freddie Minzberg was supposed to be. It was not made clear whether Minzberg was meant to represent a gumdrop, a Koffing from Pokemon Red, or a new grape flavored type of gatorade. Either way, the creative choice was a great win for candy diversity, as none of them had previously been seen in candy stores around the world. While the Junior and Senior costumes for crews were visually appealing, they were somewhat over the top. That’s why SophFrosh went for a much simpler design, with the hip-hop crew in simple colored T-shirts containing small logos of various brands. However, I was somewhat disappointed in the lack of diversity, as literally all of them were either skittles or cringey depictions of Junior and Senior producers. 4. Slaying the Dragon, Seniors Every good medieval play has to feature slaying a dragon or else it has failed worse than that scene in Soph-Frosh SING! where the junior and senior coordinators tried to go to the party the candy people were hosting and got kicked out for being lame. The seniors made sure not to mess this up and wisely integrated it into their flow performance. In fact,
they turned it up a notch and created a dragon with not only raw power but with metaphysical power as well; the dragon was so powerful that it was able to convince the audience that it was not a physical entity, but rather just some floating red and yellow lights, up until the point it was heroically slain, allegedly, with a disarming spell. The dragon’s ability to play mind games o n l y made it stronger and showed that the m o s t dangerous enemy of all was the one that you couldn’t see, foreshadowing a key plot element later in the performance in which the nephew of the royal family stabbed the heir to the throne with a plastic sword, which unsurprisingly didn’t actually kill him seeing as it was made of plastic. 3. Tech and Props, Soph-Frosh When the lights turned off for the first time during Soph-Frosh SING!, the audience eagerly held their breath for the much awaited appearance of the tech crew. And when the black outlines of various bodies became clear, the entire audi-
ence shouted in jubilation. The entire theater felt alive with vibrant energy as we all cheered the tech crew on. And, when the lights turned on, the work they had left behind simply blew everyone away. The amazing simplicity of Soph-Frosh SING!’s set, a pile of various sized boxes, was truly a masterpiece. Compared to
Courtney Chiu/ The Spectator
the Senior’s fabulous joker box, or even the Junior’s furnace, I could not believe that Soph-Frosh outdid them all. The boxes presented their true importance later, however, when they provided a
hiding spot for Tootsie Roll. Without such an amazing set, such an interaction would never have been possible. While critics may say that the lack of literally anything other than boxes detracted from the total impression, I have to say that the minimalistic outlook really makes the SophFrosh set stand out. 2. Polazzo’s Intermission SING! is a three-hour long performance, and while the audience may be fully captivated by all the beautifully done costumes of Soph-Frosh or by the professional quality of the microphones, they still need a break to fund the SU through purchases of overpriced snacks, in addition, to using the facilities. Between the performances of Senior and Soph-Frosh SING!, unfortunately, intermission wasn’t announced, leaving the audience rooted to their seats. The highlight of the Friday performance was when Mr. Polazzo took the stage and saved the day, along with the SU budget, by announcing intermission. While extremely brief, Mr. Polozzo’s announcement, “Ladies and gentlemen, there is now a 15-minute intermission,” received a mass reaction from the audience. Everyone stood up in awe of the announcement and unanimously exited the theater
in appreciation. Time and time again, Mr. Polazzo repeated this extraordinary feat and made sure that the audience could properly spend its money. Indeed not a single break occurred when intermission wasn’t announced, averting crisis. Though perhaps this might get overlooked compared to other highlights such as the wonderful synergy of senior chorus, Mr. Polazzo served a fundamental role in during the show. Without it, perhaps the audience would still be in their seats to this day, wondering when intermission would be announced. 1. Bodyguard, Juniors Despite this year’s SophFrosh performance being considered the best one in years, Junior SING! still bested them by almost 100 points, largely due to the efforts of cast member Rigneyla. For what he lacks in a last name, he made up for in his stunning performance as as the confident, altruistic bodyguard. Not only was his body language on point, with his eloquent and meticulous technique for taking off his glasses just to put them back on whilst adjusting his nonexistent earpiece, but he legitimately delivered the best musical performance of all three shows when he sang about his tie for 30 seconds. When he wasn’t performing, Rigneyla could still be seen in the corner of the stage, facing the audience with his arms folded calmly across his chest, establishing himself not only as the king of the cast and chorus, but also as an amazing prop. This was nothing short of genius, and according to the judges, singlehandedly resulted in a 20 point increase in Junior SING!’s overall score for sets.
Page 22
The Spectator ● February 17, 2017
ADVERTISEMENT
The Spectator ● February 17, 2017
Page 23
Sports Boys’ Table Tennis
NBA
The Titans Take Home Their Fourth Banner By Alice Cheng and Allison Eng Brooklyn Technical High School’s freshman and first singles William Song was on an intensive winning streak. “CHO LEI!” Song yelled the classic table tennis victory chant as he gained point after point over Bronx Science’s senior and first singles Junjie Gao. His dark blue t-shirt cladded comrades filled up the third-floor gymnasium, screaming approval. It was no surprise to anyone in the crowd when Song overtook Gao in a victorious 11-9 win. “SECOND PLACE! SECOND PLACE! SECOND PLACE!” the Brooklyn Tech boys’ team, The Engineers, chanted as they encircled him in an ecstatic frenzy. Several members jumped up and down in time with the words’ syllabic rhythm. Song’s victory tipped the scales just enough for his team to move on to the finals, where they would later play Stuyvesant High School’s boys’ table tennis team, the Titans. Four years ago, the two teams, once intense rivals, exchanged table tennis battles in a full-out finals war. Stuyvesant was tied 2-2 against The Engineers before then second doubles freshman Eric Amstislavsky and senior Alan Baranov defeated their opponent 11-7 in the fifth game. Since then, the Titans have not faced a more challenging season. Then freshman doubles player Amstislavsky is now Stuyvesant’s senior second singles, and after the boys’ team defeated The Engineers and won their first PSAL table tennis championship, the team went on to win a chain of consecutive championship titles. This year was no different. When the Titan starter players were called to their finals match, each sauntered confidently and assertively toward their designated table. In less than 15 minutes, Amstislavsky defeated his opponent, sweeping him 3-0. Often, his loops and flicks deftly overturned his opponent’s underspin serves. Though much slower paced than the singles matches, the Titan’s first and second doubles
matches easily overtook the Engineers. Decisive serves, strategizing, and thought-out footwork between the doubles players gave Stuyvesant two more 3-0 wins. The Titan’s senior and first singles Alston Wang was the last to finish his match. Unlike his teammates, Wang’s match stretched all the way to the fourth game, in which he ended his opponent with an unreturnable smash. “[The game] was much closer than I expected,” Wang said. “The last two times I played it wasn’t that close, but I guess it’s finals, and the pressure was on, so it got close. He was returning my loops, and I got kind of scared.” Wang’s blunders didn’t stop his personal fans from vigorously applauding for him throughout the entire match. At the last point, Song overshot his counterattack, causing the white three-star ball to fly over the net and out of the table. Coach Bernard Feigenbaum was content with the results. “[It went] better than I expected, actually,” he said. “I was a little worried because there were four-year seniors who had already won three times [...], but they were actually stronger than I thought.” Captains Amstislavsky, Wang, and Yao have been on the table tennis team since it was introduced four years ago. Coach Feigenbaum spoke of their growth and improvement. “I knew them as freshman; they were little kids. And now, they’re all grown up,” Feigenbaum said. “[During] senior year, their mind[s were] on other things, you know, colleges, girlfriends, and [I] see how they [have] change[d]. It’s going to be sad [to see them leave]. [We have] a special relationship.” However, Chen, who will most likely be next year’s captain and first singles, is confident that he can add a fifth cup to Feigenbaum’s collection. “I think we have a 100 percent chance of winning, if I decide to play,” he said in good spirits. But until then, Feigenbaum is plenty satisfied with the trophy his team earned this year. “I’m going to go put this back in my office, give the principal the old one, and keep this [one] until I retire,” he said.
NBA Trade Deadline Recap By ARIEL GLAZMAN and sean stanton *Stats are updated through March 3, 2017 unless otherwise specified The National Basketball Association (NBA) trade deadline is usually a time filled with rumors but little action. However, in the 2017 deadline, lots of keys moves were made, including the DeMarcus Cousins trade, one of the largest blockbuster deals in NBA history. Here is a recap of the biggest trades that occurred.
Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker to the Raptors The Toronto Raptors traded guard Terrence Ross and a 2017 first round draft pick on Tuesday, February 14, to the Orlando Magic in exchange for forward Serge Ibaka. The Raptors have been in a slump as of late, currently in the fourth spot of the Eastern Conference with a record of 37-25, while the Magic sit in the 14th spot with a record of 23-39. Ross, who averaged 10.4 points per game (PPG) coming off the bench for the Raptors, can potentially be a saving grace for struggling Orlando offense, while Ibaka, who averaged 15.1 PPG, 6.8 rebounds per game (RPG) and 1.6 blocks per game with the Magic, provides some much needed rim protection for a recently inefficient Raptors defense. In his first game with the Magic, Ross scored 13 points and picked up five rebounds, while Ibaka scored 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked one shot in his first game as a Raptor. Bringing in a great rim protector like Ibaka without giving up too many assets gives the Raptors a better chance at winning the championship, making them the winner of this trade. The second of the trades that the Raptors made was the P.J. Tucker trade. The Raptors gave up center Jared Sullinger and two future second-round picks to the Phoenix Suns in this exchange. If you look at Tucker’s stats (6.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG), he may not seem like an extraordinary player. However, Tucker is going to bring a lot to help
ADVERTISEMENTS
the Raptors with their playoff run, as he is is well-versed in providing strong defense. The Raptors didn’t give up much for Tucker, as they already have two centers, so Sullinger wasn’t really needed and second-round picks don’t usually help teams. With the addition of another great defender, the Raptors are the winners of this trade and are looking for an even better playoff run this year.
DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans One of the biggest pre-deadline trades in NBA history occurred this year—the DeMarcus Cousins Trade. It sent Cousins and center Omer Asik from the Sacramento Kings to the New Orleans Pelicans for guard Buddy Hield, guard Tyreke Evans, guard Langston Galloway, a 2017 first-round pick (top-three protected), and a 2017 secondround pick. Cousins has had many disputes with the Kings organization, and with the unlikelihood of Cousins re-signing with the Kings, he was traded. However, with Cousins averaging 27.6 PPG, 10.7 RPG, and 4.8 assists per game, this was a terrible trade for the Kings. A rookie with some potential and two other mediocre guards, along with two draft picks, is very little for a superstar who is only 26 years old. Now that the Pelicans have one of the best, if not the best, frontcourts in the NBA with forward Anthony Davis already there, they will be in contention for the playoffs. Not only that, the Pelicans will be an attractive team for free agents during the offseason, possibly making them a soon to be championship contender. If they gain another superstar, the Pelicans easily become the winners of this trade and the soon-to-be winners of many games ahead.
Lou Williams to the Rockets The Houston Rockets, who currently have the third best record in the western conference, 43-19, traded Corey Brewer and a 2017 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for Lou Williams. The Rockets are looking for a deep playoff run this season,
and Williams is just the player they need. He is a seasoned veteran who knows how to score, averaging 18.6 PPG this season, and will be another great scorer off the bench for the Rockets. The Lakers also got a good deal out of this trade. Since it is unlikely that they are going to make it into the playoffs, this trade allows them to give more minutes to their younger guards, which will help them develop. Along with that comes a low first-round draft pick, but with this year’s great draft class, any pick is a good pick. Even though this trade is good for both teams, the Rockets are the winners of this trade, as Williams is a great player to have in the playoffs.
Nerlens Noel to the Mavericks Center Nerlens Noel was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for center Andrew Bogut, forward Justin Anderson, and a 2017 first-round pick (protected 1-18). Trading for Noel was a good move for the Mavs because it seems unlikely that they will become a championship team in the next couple of years. The 76ers already had a crowded front court where Noel wasn’t getting much playing time. They are gaining a second year player in Anderson who has some potential, however, the other two things they acquired are complicated. Since it is highly unlikely that the Mavs pick will be below the 18th, the pick will change into a pair of second-round picks from the 2017 and 2020 drafts, making them pretty useless. In addition, Andrew Bogut is seeking a buyout, which he will probably get, meaning he will no longer be on the team. With that in mind, the Mavericks building for the future with Noel makes them the winners of this trade. With only a month until the playoffs, the trade deadline marked the beginning of the final push for many teams. The Pelicans, Rockets, and Raptors all made key moves to set up a potential playoff run, and if things work out as they hope, a run to the Finals.
March 10, 2017
Page 24
The Spectator SpoRts Girls’ Basketball
CALENDAR
Phoenix’s Season Comes to a Close By Jeremy Rubin and Ronin Berzins Tension was high as the Stuyvesant Phoenix attempted to break a two year streak of first round exits in the playoffs. With a sea of fans donning “Bleed White + Blue” t-shirts, Stuyvesant Phoenix junior and co-captain Shannon Lau raced down the court during the first round of a playoffs game against LaGuardia High School. She was in the open for a clear layup, when suddenly, a Laguardia player came from the other side of the court to block her shot. Lau, unfazed, went up-andunder, easily laying the ball in as the defender flew by her. The crowd erupted, and Stuyvesant would go on to win the game, demolishing LaGuardia 41-27. Lau and sophomore Ally Archer both scored in double figures, leading the way for the Phoenix. Archer had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Lau contributed 11 points, six assists, and three rebounds. The rebounds both players picked up led to Stuyvesant annihilating LaGuardia in that category, 46 to 22. In addition to Archer’s 12 rebounds, sophomore Talia Kirshenbaum and junior Tara Greene grabbed seven rebounds each, more than all of LaGuardia combined. Tight defense was another key that led to the win. For much of the game, the Phoenix pressed against LaGuardia, forcing many turnovers which led to points. The press also limited LaGuardia’s center, junior Sarah Labiner, from getting touches. She averaged 10.6 points and 14.7 rebounds per game during the regular season, and her height advantage was a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. By limiting her to eight points and nine rebounds, the Phoenix were able to keep Labiner out of the action for much of the game and forced the team to find other ways to score. However, the next day against Bayside High School, the Phoenix suffered a 59-28 loss to end their season. The game proved tough from the start, as the team fell behind 16-4 after the first quarter, and was never able to climb out of the early hole. Much of this can be attributed to the fatigue the Phoenix faced after their game against LaGuardia, which is hard to bounce back from against
fierce playoff competition. “[The game] was definitely an intimidating setting to play in, and it limited our mindset in playing our hardest,” Lau said. “On defense, it was difficult to contest against their fast paced offense. They hit a lot of threes by driving in and kicking it out.” Coach Vincent Miller had similar sentiments. “Having the back to back days hurt us a little bit the day before we played a pretty intense game. It was very tough, and it got gritty,” he said. “Come the next day, it was a little bit of fatigue and a little bit of a hangover from the win the day before.” The Bayside game ended a successful season for the Phoenix, finishing 12-5 in second place in the Manhattan A division, behind Millennium at 15-2. After enduring four of their losses over a rough six game stretch in the middle of the season, the team went on a hot streak, winning five of their next six to close out the season. Lau led the team with 10.3 points and 5.1 assists per game, and sophomores Archer (9.5 points and rebounds a game) and Kirshenbaum (10.2 points and 10.0 rebounds) both drastically improved their abilities and led the team. They routinely kept plays alive by grabbing offensive rebounds for second-chance opportunities. Considering the team lost four seniors who were all major contributors to the team, expectations were tempered heading into the season. In the end, the Phoenix blew those expectations away, playing excellently for the majority of the season. Senior and co-captain Tiffany Ng was thoroughly impressed with their performance. “I thought the season would be really hard because we lost some key players last year, but we really pulled through. There were so many things I didn’t know we could do and it really helped us win games,” she said. Many players on the Phoenix ended up making large contributions to the team despite their limited playing time or their position as role-players on the team. Junior Joan Ngai had eight points against the High School of Economics and Finance to help the Phoenix’s victory at the beginning of the season. Greene, in her first year as a starter, contributed three points and five rebounds
per game, up from one point and two rebounds a game the season before, while playing a key role on defense. Freshman Eve Hausman provided tight defense and energy off the bench that led to a plethora of steals for the Phoenix. Sophomore Ruby Gary’s hustle and tenacity on both sides of the ball provided the Phoenix with the grit and toughness which characterized their strong end to the season. “Each girl on this team is fighting their own fight but also fighting for this team at the same time. The determination of this team is crazy,” Lau said. Ng, the only senior on the team, will be sorely missed next year. Her three point shooting ignited both the crowd and bench alike and shifted momentum back to Stuyvesant countless times. Her 19 threes in the regular season despite being injured (ten of which came in the last four games), were more than the rest of the team combined. After LaGuardia started creeping back into the game late in the second half of the playoff game, Ng hit two quick three pointers to snuff out their energy. Though the end to the season was demoralizing and disappointing, the Phoenix deserve to be optimistic about next year’s team. The team will largely remain unchanged, with Ng being the only graduating senior. “It’s bittersweet. [Ng] played excellent, but it is only one player that we are losing [instead of most years, where it is multiple],” Miller said. “Our four other starters are returning, and everybody else will be returning a year stronger, a year better, and a year with more practice.” In what was an up and down season for the Stuyvesant Phoenix, the team’s closeness became apparent. They played for each other and supported each other even after the tough loss that ended their season. After the loss, the team went into the locker rooms and talked about the season, but it eventually devolved into a group roast session. “It was a very Phoenix way to end the season, and it reminded me that the reason I love playing basketball is that I get to spend time with such an incredible, hilarious group of girls,” Kirshenbaum said. She, along with Lau and Archer, will look to carry the team deeper into the playoffs next year.
March
14 Tuesday
Boys’ Lacrosse vs. A. Philip Randolph Campus High School Randall’s Island Field 70
15
Wednesday
16
Girls’ Lacrosse vs. Christopher Columbus Campus High School Randall’s Island Field 74
Monday
Boys’ Lacrosse vs. Hunter College High School Randall’s Island Field 83
WRAPUP In the girls’ indoor track PSAL Freshman/Sophomore championships on March 5, sophomore Clara Mohri finished in first place in both the sophomore 1500-meter run (5:06.65) and the sophomore 3000-meter run (10:41.78). Freshman Cecilia Bechana (9:51.05) and sophomore Bernice Chen (8:18.80) also finished first in their respective categories for the 1500-meter racewalk.
Stuyvesant’s JV basketball team, the Runnin’ Rebels, concluded their season on March 3 with a 61-58 victory over MLK. With the victory, their first of the season, the Rebels finished the year off with a 1-9 record.
In the PSAL Freshman/Sophomore boys’ indoor track championships on March 5, freshman Baird Johnson finished first in both the freshman 1600-meter run (4:54.88) and the freshman 3200-meter run (11:10.78).
Boys’ Swimming and Diving
Undefeated Pirates Claim Championship Banner
By Michael Gillow and Celina Liu
The boys’ varsity swimming and diving team, the Pirates, defeated Susan Wagner 60-38 on Thursday, February 16, in the PSAL championship game. While there seems to significant difference in the scores, coach Peter Bologna believed that the game was a difficult one to win. “[Susan Wagner] had six really fast swimmers, but the way the meet works, we were able to excel at the end because we have a lot of good swimmers, which we rotated between,” he said. This season, in the Bronx/ Manhattan league, Stuyvesant was undefeated with eight wins. The Pirates’ closest regular meet was against Roosevelt Educational Campus High School with a final score of 44 to 39.
The Pirates also eased their way through playoffs with support from family and friends alike as two of the three meets were held at Stuyvesant. “I thought [the final] was going to be a challenge, but thankfully we pulled through with quite a [large] margin,” senior Kevin Zheng said. Last year, the team lost to Brooklyn Technical High School in the finals of the playoffs, leaving them hungry for a win. Although they were undefeated in their league last season, the tight loss caused the team to rethink their approach this year. “We felt we were the best in the city but in that one meet, that one final meet, we ended up losing and it hit us very hard,” Bologna said. Before this season, the team had officially lost four times in a row in finals. Many members of the team started to take the sport
more seriously and training harder during off-season.“That loss was pretty devastating and left us broken, but we picked ourselves up and trained hard and we were able to win,” sophomore Ethan Park said. “The team, in general, came back in great shape, and I felt they really wanted [the banner].” said Bologna. “It really was not a good feeling to go undefeated all season, and then lose the last and most important meet,” said sophomore Elias Economou, who placed first at several 200-meter events throughout the season. “All of us put in hard work during practice this season, and looking back now, being champions definitely validates the work we put in.” Additional motivation for the Pirates came from the fact that
this was coach Peter Bologna’s last season coaching because new role as Assistant Principal of Physical Education.. “Given the fact that this was our coach’s last year, we really wanted to bring back the banner to Stuy[vesant] for him,” sophomore Andrew Chopey said. “In the future, I, as well as the whole team, would love for our win this year to be the start of a new era for Stuyvesant’s swim team.” After this victory, the Pirates sent sophomore Nicholas Wen to the state championship this year. “We received a lot of talented swimmers, and our veteran swim members put in the time and effort to improve themselves, whether it was joining a swim team outside of school or improving their technique,” Wen said. Most, if not all, of the boys were consistently practicing out-
side of Stuyvesant’s pool, even if they had early practice the next day. Junior Vincent Yang believes he realized his potential after he re-joining the team after a hiatus. Although he only swam in the last event of the semi-finals of playoffs, he noticed a big improvement from the beginning of the season. “I’ll definitely work harder to become a swimmer that the team can trust to win an event,” he said. All in all, the boys dove into the season hungry for the championship title and were rewarded it after months of hard work. “With a fantastic close to the season, we’re definitely celebrating, but we already have our eyes on next season,” senior and co-captain Lawrence Kwong said.