Volume 35, Issue 4 (December 2004) - The Rampage

Swnhhlrt Dan Rrvol.rd

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Th� Pnfecl Club F'l)tr

�

Winier �lovlt Pre,lew

e RamPage

Volume X:X,\'.\I Number 4

Pugt JJ

Pag� 18

The Ramuz Upper School

Englewood Bus Mobbed After School

Four Freshmen Transfer'Out . Admi�1istratio11 Says It's D,sappo111ted But Nof Worried

D� Miriam Krule •OS 1s uncommon m Rama7. the adnun1str-a11011 1s confident that 11 1s no! cause for concern Mr. Miller explained tha1 the transfers tud 3 lot to do with commu1mg. as :ill four frcslunen lived outside of the city and toot.. rt bus to and from school. "It hns been a pJttern that students from commuting nei ghborhoods have had more of a resistance 10 come to R.amaz." he said.

In addition he s.:ud tha t "stu­ dents felt amb1valencc about not bemg wnh thcu fncnds. and that the tS'i.UCS that arose were probably clements of d1sc-uss1on before the decmon to come 10 Ramaz.."

Ms Lassncr, Dean of

Freshman Mugged after Driver Co11fro11ts Gang Uy Dtn Btrnsltin •OS

,,,,._..,.c....wts..,.,...

An uptrlmt"nt In the chtml1try lab i.:tt off tht fir-e abmu during 10th ptr-lod on Nov. I I, summoning the fir-c dtpartm,nt. Su Page 6

2 Men Steal $2 Million Painting Dy Nicole Dtmby '06 and Laha,• 11.ar�ov ·OS A French 011 pamung wonh alnlC'bt S2 million doll.:us was stolen from the Adam Williams G:,lk-,y al 50 Eas1 781h S111:ct. nghl oat &xx- 10 Ramaz, on Nov. JO. Tix:- stol� wctk was an 1851 oil pamung by Theodore Oussenau.

At 11 :JO A�l two men alla<Xl tl,c gallcry. One �-cd a manab,er m a convcmuon wtule the other around lhe �llery. AJlcr tl,ey lcll lhe manal}., nooccd th.1t the p:unllllg wasnussmg.

1bc 1,,0 burglars were dcscnbcd JS m their thutJcs, one Slid IO be 5'9" and lheolher 5'10". lbc parnung soows a iq,lcss wonun. b'Ctting dn:sscd \V1d1 the help of another wooW\. II is 18 by 14 lllChcs, and dienforc oould

�:umoo

�.,,.c--1°""""""

The freshm2in grade w1lk.s In Ctntral Park during IU odtnf.ation.

Pagt's ]].])

December 2004/Kislev 5765

After a Month of School

lly 1hc founh week of school this year. four fresh­ men had already tr.msfcm,•d out of Ramaz to other h igh schools. Of thes<.· four. three, all girls. switched to Fnsch and one. a boy sw11chcd t� Solomon Schcchlcr.

The three girls did not ·w ant 10 be mtervu:wcd and declined to comment\ one did not feel comfor table d1!--­ cussmg the issue bec:au.se she did not "-'.In t to offend th e fncnds she made. while :moth­ er. who asked that her name not be ment ioned. felt tlut sht: had nothmg le11 to say aside from the fact U\at Rnmaz ,, as nol the nght fit for her \\'h,k the sudden d1sop­ peJ.rancc of so m311y freshmen

Spu.-1.1 Ll1ldatt

have easily been snuck out 0�"113u, a Fn.-zlCh a.rust whose pamtmgs have been fca­ lURxi m dlC Louvre and lhc Metropol,UI Museum of Art. was a cluld prodigy "t.o snx!,cd "1tl1 Ingres and held pubhe exlu­ b,uons by age 16 Edche Qu1Jano, a Ramu sccw11y &'\lard and n:nrcd <rtCC· uve, was approochod by Officer Oool.stover ofd,c 191h pnx:incl, "t.o is mvcsug;itm.g the case While Qut)'IOO had OOl sa.'Tl lhe men. he menboocd tlLJI 1f lhey had paS>Cd lhe school !hey would be caught on \he schcx>I surve1l­ lana: l.lpc. (Adam Wtlhams Galk:ry has no secun1y cameras ) Two men fitting � profile were seen on tape, and llooks!ovcr saxl d13t lhe bpcs could lead IO an >nest

An Sarna '08 knew when he enrolled in Ramaz that the c it y 1s notonously a place where people arc assaulted and robbed. but he, "never thought It would happen to The unthrnkable me." occuncd on the cveomg of Nov. JO when he was s11t111g m the second to \�sl row of a F1rs1 Student bus returnmg home from school to Fnglcwood, Sew Jersey A.'i. the bus dm er was mak ing the turn onto Amsterdam A\Cnue at West 86 Street, scvc111l Afncan American you1hs banged on lhe wmdows outside of the bus "It \\as not a big deal." said GJry Stem '05, "Jt prob­ ably hurt the guys' hands more 1han 1t damaged the bus" !-lay.ever, to the bus dnvcr, 1l was a b ig deal.

"She pulled the bus over and told all of us 10 not lcll her manager about this." said (contuwtd on JMgt 2)

For a Freshman, Conferences Mean More Than Chaos Tiie RamPage trailed a fr.esl11na11 d11n11g st11de11t­ teacher co11/erences 011 Nov. 17.

TI1e followi11g is fris stonJ, Dy Cabritl Oppenhtim : os TI1c halls arc empty, the lounges dcser1cd.

Si lence hangs O\ er the usually turbulenl sta1r­ ways--as 1f the admm1s1r.111on has moved school 10 another place for the day Bui 1f II has. Jonathan Gan�rsk1 '08 never gol the memo. lie stands alone on 1he seventh floor wait• mg to meet wllh Mr. Eli sha, "Jusl one to go," he says out loud, peering for a moment mto the window of702 It is nearly J·JO P.M. and mosl studenls have alre.idy lcO lhc. building. On Student-Teacher Conference Day, though.

Gan7..3rsk1 isn't rnosl students lie is the last s1udent 10 finish con ferences.

Bui 11 all began six hours and JO mmules c:irher.

It's 9:00 A M., and Gan.z.usk1 has met w11h health teacher Ms. Amberg and phys ical educa• 1100 mstruclor Mr. Oulny.

"I've already seen 1wo," he says. sprawled ou t on the gym bleachers hslcnmg 10 lus MPJ player. ''I'm 1101 nen ous to gel pushed around" Gemng pushed around 1s exactly "'hat Rabbi Rubm had warned the freshmen of m a speech following sh:ichant "For some 1cason, student� lose their c1vil1ty today:· he said. as Ganzarsk1 Sal m Lhe last row wrappmg tcrillm "Frcsluncn. 1f someone mi.s trcals you. tell the teacher whose li ne you're w311mg on Today's a wild day" Others might have considered Rabb i Rubin's talk to be a somewhat inauspicious start 10 a notoriously grueling d:1y for fresh• mcn•-a day on whi ch upperclassmen tr.1d111on­ ally flaunt their semonty by cutting and s1de(ront,,111,d on pagt 17)

Jonathan Canzankl '08 r-tvlsu hlJ hblor)' noles "'·hilt waillnlJC lo ue �h. ltonn•Zamrro.

Canzankl was <"ul many llmH while walling.

Page 2

Tht RamPagt

Dtctmbtr 2004/ Kialtv S76S

News

Driver Incited Englewood Bus Attack, Students Say (rontimml from pagt J)

Mure Sehgal 'OS. "She was going to assess the damage."

While assessrng the damage the bus driver Ms also hc3.rd screaming racial slurs at the boys. "She used the n•word many times," said Stein.

"She provoked them," said Daina Anhalt '06. "She really just wanted to give them a piece of her mmd."

After the dnvcr turned her back to rc•cnter the bus, the boys chased afler her in an attempt to board the bus.

The driver managed to block the intruders from entering through the front door and screamed to the students in the rear to keep the back door closed. That was Sama's job since he was the student clos­ est to the door. (Since the back door is an Emergency Exit, it can be opened from the ouiside.) The bus then pulled away only to be stopped at the next red light.

The group of boys followed the bus.

"They thought ii would be funny 10 open the back door," said Sarna. ·1 tried 10 close it but the door got jammed so one of them was ab1c to get on the bus." Once on the bus. the perpetrator grabbed Sama's iPod from his pocket. "So I pushed him," sa.id So11na. "He then threw a punch at me but he missed. He pw.hcd me onto

my scat and punched me a few times, stole my cell phone and 1hen jumped off the bus." The bus driver came lo the back of the bus, closed the back door and then finally drove off.

It seems that only Sama got up to uy to get 0,e boy off the bus. "When the guy first came on the bus we all froze, bul then I really thought about gelling up and taking him on since he was a little guy," said S1ein. "I looked outside and saw he had seven other bigger friends. If we stancd a brawl and they c.amc on, all of us would have got­ ten hurt. Besides, who knew if they had knives?"

"It all happened so fast," said Sehgal 'OS. "We couldn't have done anything."

After the bus drove off Sama asked Anhall if he could use her phone to calt his parents.

Five minutes later Mr. Rochlin was informed of what happened. He notified other members of the admin­ istration. He then, "call�d the bus company," because he "figured the bus driver had been in contact with them."

To his surprise, she was not.

Mr, Rochlin the, called the twentieth precinct who said they could not help him since the bus was no longer in the city. Later that evening the bus driver contacted First Student. She gave her boss

and Mr. Rochlin a report of what happened. The adminis­ tration demanded a.ssuranccs

After the driver turned her back to re-enter the bus, the boys chased after her in an attempt to board the bus.

The driver managed to block the intruders from entering-but only momentarily. from the bus company that the driver would be taken off the route and the bus route would be changed. Now the bus goes cross town on 79th Street instead of 86th Street.

Bruce Middleton, con­ tract manager at First Student. is the person who Mr. Rochlin spoke lo thal However, Mr. night.

The told Middleton RamPage, "I am not going to make any comments at this point."

On Wednesday the bus driver went to the police precinct and filed a report.

That same day Sama and lus parents went down to lhe police station, where Sama told a detective what hap­ pened that evening. Another detective called Mr. Rochlin on n,ursday to follow up but he had not read the rcpon on the incident, and, in fact, knew nothing about what happened. "n.erc is a real lack of police interest in this case," said Mr. Rochlin dis• appointingly.

Rabbi Rubin said that soon after hearing about the incident and making sure Sama was okay, "the admin­ istration had an informal meeting to determine how to handle the situation the next day."

The following morning Rabbi Rubin and Dr. Zeilchik spoke to all the studcnlS who traveled on this panicular Englewood bus to hear their reactions to the incident.

After listening to a few stu­ denlS Rabbi Rubin said, "You all have cell phones; if you feel like you arc in danger don't hesible to call 911."

AJhson Aaron '06 then explained how she dialed 911 but hung up because she did not know what to say. Rabbi Rubin also stressed that in New York City things like this happen all tht time and we ju.st have to grow from iL Aller the meeting, Max Schwartz 'OS, a New Yorlc City resident who was on the

bus because he spent the night at Stem's house, n1d, "I Jive in 1hc neigl1borhood where 1his happened. It's not bad neighborhood. a Sometimes lhis stuff hap� pens."

The school is considering bringing in a representative from the police department to ulk to 0,e Sludenis of the Englewood bus. According 10 Rabbi Rubin the individual from tl1c police deparuncnt would discuss the recom­ mended procedures that one should undertake while being assaulted or mugged.

Additionally, he hopes that this meeting will give the stu• dents a chance to reflect on the incident and understand what they can learn from iL The day after he was assaulted Sarna tried to keep a low profile. Hi.s friends admilled tha1 he was proba­ bly hiding from everyone because he docs not like all the attention. .Punng the meeting. he said nothing. \Vhile recounting the story of the previous night he spoke in a very soft. yet serious tone, never once cracking a smile. Several students came up to him and told him he was the "schooJ hero" and a " superstar" for doing the "smart thing." Yet Sama said, •1 could've fought back more, I just let him hit me."

Following a Month of School, Four Freshmen Leave (conh,rutdfrom pa.gt 1) Admissions, expressed her sorrow that these freshmen lcfl, bul said thal ii would have no impact on future out-of• 1own applicanlS. "We under• send that there arc many other new schools opening and we want to continue to extend to all of these communities. The diversity is what makes us Ramaz,• she said Rabbi Rubin, the fresh· man grade coordinator, explained that ii was hard for the school to intervene because the p,renlS had called after the decisions had been made. "I I was disappointing," he said, "but Ramaz is an enriching, and challenging pro­ gram that is not lit for everyone."

He said he was not so nervous about future years because "this generation of students is sclc:tting schools more than parenlS arc" and studenlS tend to make deci-

sions about tr.J.nsferring based on thetr emotions at lhe time.

Like many students, Rabbi Rubin felt that "sludenlS need pat.icnce to create new social bonds and find them• selves in new environments."

"It is weird." said Rebecca Krcval '08. "They did not even have a chance to get used to anything. how could they know thal they didn't like i1?"

"It's frustrating because we've all had times that were difficult. especially in our .freshman year,• said Ellisheva Bellin '05. "But we all learn to deal with it and everything works out for the besL It's the responsibility of the school to explain to tht freshman that everything will be okay and that it's always difficult in the beginning."

While Dr. Zeitchik, dircc­ lor of guidance, respected the student's decision to leave, in general he makes it "a priority to try and help siudenlS and to keep the lines open with them

in order to help them create a positive experience for them­ selves. We uy 10 help and sup­ pon a positive experience in school." Bui he added, "with some freshman it takes a while to sec how the year will tum oul" In terms of how it affected 1he other freshman, Rabbi Rubin noticed that "some were swpriscd," but he said he did not think "it created a signifi• . cant dynamic with the social framework. Since the depar­ ture there have been two major social experiences that were well received."

Hart Levine 'OS was an adviser on one of these events, Freshman Shabbaton, and did not feel that the departure of the students had a severe impact on the grade. "Nobody really mentioned it, it did not really seem to concern them,• he said "It has not really affected me," said Jason Sugarman '08.

"They were here for such a

short period of time. I know I ahya, and two swi1c:hed 10 difwould have waned a bit longer fcrcnt private schools. Of to make a decision." these eight students, seven Although a freshman is were girls. The next year, five girls transferred yel 10 transfer m, as of now into the grade. o,ere are sever- "It is weird. The y ·1t·s crazy." al S1udcn1s. said Merav not even d 'd Silverman 'OS 1n1erested in / transferring to have a chance to who transferred from Fla1bush Ramaz for tht get used to aflcr her freshsecond semester.

"The --how man year. ·1 anything has school I remember already had could they know wantcd lotrans• inquiries and rcallyquickthat they didn't fer has no problem ly too, but I granting a spot stayed for the like it?" based on merit rest of the year. in the middle of __________ I guess I missed the year," Rabbi part of the growing and changing process Rubin said A differen� though slight· that the grade experienced as a ly similar episode of a mass_ whole, but most of the time I exodus of freshmen oceuned feel like I've been at Ramaz with tht dass of 2005 during forever and I fo rget that I their freshman year. At the transferred." end of that year, eighl studenlS had decided to transfer, four switched 10 Frisch, two made

The RamPage

December 2004/ Kislev 5765

Page 3

News

Students: Abaco Busing Still ·Not Up to Par Students Cite Recent Crnsl,, E11gi11c Explosion 0) Cabrirl Opptnhtim ·Os

Abaco's service has not The since 1mprO\'Cd RamPage ran a report on bus­ mg problems in its November issue, students say. They add that Abaco buses still fail to arrive at school on time, or at all, and cite a recent crash as evi­ dence that Abaco drivers arc unsafe.

"While there pave been minor 1mprovements.. for instance, drivers remember their routes oow--thc compa­ ny is still disorganized and Raquel 'not helpful."

Greenberg '05 said. "l miss Supcrtrans."

Supenr.10s is the busing company that, in the past. serviced Ram32 students liv­ ing m Westchester, among other places. Abaco began servicing Westchester stu­ dents this year :after Supertrans stopped busing Ram:iz following its decision to downsize.

Several recent events have led students to question Abaco drivers' competence .ana sa(ery. A driver mashed his bus 'into a bus stop pole on M3dison Avenue after school on Nov. 18. The pole smashed into the rear left

wmdow of the bus, sha1tering its pane of glass and shower• mg students ' with glass shards.

"There was glass flying into the bus," Leah Hammem1an '08 said. "I screamed."

''The late bus driver stopped in the Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers and was about to drop us off there.

We're supposed to be dropped off in the Golden Horseshoe shopping center in Scarsdale."

What scared other stu• dents was not the glass. but the fact that the driver left Madison Avenue covered in glass and did not immediate• ly report the accident to the Abaco dispatcher. Students

,,_�CbllOlq.,-.,.., An AbHo bu, w■ll.1 lor siudrnb on M1dlJoft Avnut nnl lo lht bu. ,tnp pole th■I an Abuo driver cruhed Into on Nov. 18,

also nolcd that as the bus accelerated on the highway that afternoon. more loose glass from the wmdow began falling into the bus.

"The dnvcr JUSI told us to move to the first two rows of the bus," Carolme Trencher "06 said . She added that most of the glass fell onto the street and not into the bus, but other students disagreed.

"Enough 'glass fell into the bus that if Corey Miller had been sitting where he usually docs, he could have been scnously hurt," one SIU· · dent said, requesting that he remain anonymous. Miller ·os had stayed late on Nov. 18 lo help plan fhc freshman Shabbaton.

The same bus driver who crashed into the poll was accosted by another driver on the road and called "danger• ous" recently after flashing his lights on Riverside Dnvc.

"Don't flash your lights at me," the car driver told the Abaco dnver. "What? You wanted to go faster on Riverside Drive•2S miles per hour instead of 20? Do you want to keep this job?• , According to parents, Mr. Rochlin said that Abaco fired the driver. But as of Dec. 2, the driver wt1.s still running his routes.

But student complaints about Abaco arc not limited to one driver's puta11vc reek• lcssness.

Many students say they still arrive at school afterJhe .

8:00 A.M. start of davcning. and buses still don'I use £.

ZPass. Abaco President Howard Uangrowfsky lold a RamP11gc rcponcr in October thal he offered his drivers E· ZPass, but they declined. saymg lhat cash•only toll• booths were faster. However, when an Abaco dnvrr pulled in10 a cash•only lane on the Henry Hudson Dridgc Nov. 9 and was 1old 10 move, he contradicted seemingly Dangrowfsky.

"I can'l move to another lane," 1hc driver told the toll auendant. "Our company doesn't give us E·ZPass."

Abaco buses also arrive late to Ramaz in the afler· noon. "l11c 6:30 P.M. bus lo Scarsdale comes late all tl1c lime," Hammerman said.

Abaco uses 1he same bus for its 6.30 route to Scarsdale as it docs for one of us S.00 roules. TI1crcfore, tJ1e 6:30 bus actually has to travel from Ramu 10 Scarsdale and back lo Ramaz within an

1:

First Student Disappoints docs not get picked up at lus house in Hackensack (as he Teaneck passengers on has for 1he past three yea�) R3m3z's First Student bus because that would r1ake the remain disappointed with route 15 minutes longer. their commute. While some Instead, he gets dnvcn to a students have come to terntS stop m the morning and with their ride __________ picked up at lo school in the night. Wlulc he "The bus has gouen used morning.. many . arc sllll upset Company Stf/1 tohisrideto lhe bus slop. hns wi th the long _ hasn't picked out still upset With drive home al n1ghl decent route. It the route home from the city.

"The momfinally ings an: bena. takeS me ImOSt "We We get lo an hour-and-a- slopped using school before the FOR and half to get stancd using davcning and Riverside now I hav,: time home." to get to my---------- Drive, but we locker." said II.in Muans '08. should still be taking the West "Out the way home is rid,cu- Side Highway. It's so much lous the bus company still faster." . h3sn't picked out a decent Some, like Moshe route and we're always stuck Neiman 'OS, have given up u, traffic for so long. It lakes al� logctl1cr. "Nothing has me almost an hour and a half changed. I still hale the bus to get home... and I dri,•e in whenever my David Schumcistcr 'OS parents let me." y Miriam Krult •OS

a

hour-and-a-half.

Gaby Clingman '06 ..id lhe Scarsdale l31C bus driver doesn't '",1lways know where he's going."

"The late bus driver stopped in the Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers once and was about to drop us off there." she added.

"We're supposed to be dropped off in the Golden Horseshoe shopping center in Scarsdale."

The 5:00 PM. Abaco buses frequently leave Ramaz before S:00, students said. On Nov. 17. Student• Teacher Confer�nce Day. all the Abaco buses except for one left Ramaz before S:00 P.M. "They're all on the high• way now/ Abaco President Dangrowfsky told Louis Potok '07 and olhcrs when they c31Jed to find out where the buses were.

Maia Lichtenstein 'OS said she gave up on the after­ noon buses a month ago, and now only uses Abaco busing in the mornings.

"I tl1ough it would be fine that way," she said.

On Nov. 23. though, she and all other students in White Plaip.s were picked up by a different bus than the one that usually took them. "l11cy didn't tell us they had made a different route," Lichterutcin said. "They just made a six person, While Pl:iins•only bus and came."

a

The bu• picked the SIU· dents up ,30 minutes ancr their designated pickup lime and did not contain a healer hkc otber Abaco buses.

Halfway through the trip lo Ramaz, students began smelling "burned rubber."

"We opened the wfo. . dows,. Lichtenstein said, '"but then the front of the bus started to smoke-and then the smoke from the engine started entering the vch.fcle.!

The driver called Ilic Ab•co dispatcher. who said the dnv• er could either continue trav• cling to Ramaz or pull over.

The driver did not pull over.

A few mmules later. stu­ dents noticed th:n the bus was lcaymg a 10-foot cloud of smoke behind 1l as it moved down the highway. The driv­ er S::>.w the smoke trail. too, and as he pulled over to inspect the bus, smoke crept up under tl1e students' scats.

Smoke began swirling through tl1c bus.

"I got dizzy."

Lichtenstein said.. When the bus reached tJ,e highway's shoulder. students got off and waited for another Abaco bus to pick 1hcm up, which came several mmutcs later.

Abaco dtd not return se:v• eraI calls about the incident

Page 4

The ll.lmPag,

News

December 2004/ Klslev 5765

After Petition Cimtlates, School Lets Girls Don Sweatshirts ll)' Miriam Kta\\ll.t '06 "Why would you ban sweatshirts'» It's better to drc-ss a hnlc sloppy th:m slut­ ty," s:ud J ahna Rosenberg '06, the stud"nt at the- center of the rt'Ct.:nl S\\catslurt contro­ ,crsy.

Th< thr<>d of th< story began when Rosenberg \\3S approached by Dr Goylord and Ms. Amberg who mfonned her thll \\'C::mng a swcatslun m school \\'il.S not pcnnlltcd. Unbeknownst to Rosenberg, as well 'as the cnt1.rc Sludcnl body, all teach­ ers had rcccn1ly r«cl\'cd a 0011cc from the admm1str:111on s1:1tmg that the wc:mng of swcatslurts was now pro­ l11b1tcd III school for both grndcrs "I rccc,vcd an C'-ma1I from the admm1strat1011 which s.aid that students arc not Jllo\\cd to wear swcat­ sluns. Smee I am pan of tJ1c facuhy, 11's my Job 10 cnfort'f this rule," s:ud Ms. Amberg In tlus yC'a.r's C'd1uon of Preludes, II says th:11 sv;cat­ shuts arC' bannC'd for boys only The booklet stales, "'Rugby stuns, polo shins. .sweatshirts with or without hoods. crc\,-ned. sv;('atcrs worn alone, an: not permll­ . ted . The admm1stra11on dis­ cussed this ban ond decided lhlt tlus rule should be enforced for the girls, os \I.ell, "to apply !he dress code morc evenly." s;11d R.1bb1 Rubin.

The first lime students heard 3bout this rule for �iris w:as ,i.,.hen they read Rosenberg's pcllllons hang­ ing on bui1<11n boards by the elcv.:uors. An e�cerpt ,cad "By s1gnmg tlus pehlJon you agree 1h.11 the 'no !<lwcatsh1rt' rule docs not concern mod­ esty and thus there 1s no appropnalc reason for the ban Would you like the adnumstrallon to reconsider lhc ban'/" Whelher it's ftom 1he Gop, Land's End, Russell Athkue or a hand-me Jo\1.11 from a.n older s1blmg, the sweatsh1t1 1s .apparently one wardrobe esscnual 111 every­ one's closet. The pcl1t1ons were lilled ""th scores of s1g­ na1urcs rn a maner of hours llu� pct1llons were then given to Moshe Neiman ·os :and Alex Me1row1tz 'OS. two offi­ cers of the GO, who present• cJ them to Rabbi Rubin "I fed like I really aecompl1shcd some1h1ng," Rosenberg said.

While some s1udents were outraged by the sweat­ shirt prol11b111on. the adnun1st.ra11on said sweatslurts look messy.

"S,\Cltcr$ arc more dig­ nified tho.n sweatshirts," Rabbi Rubin added.

TalyJ Skolnik '08 under­ s1ood only some of tlus logic •1 thmk that S\l.catshH"ts C3n be sloppy," she said. "but maybe the school should ban bag messy '-' catsh1rts :snd not

hood1cs or zip-ups " Many sludcnts feel that although swc:n.sluns ought appear unlcmpt, they do guarantee wa nn1h. Noting the some111ncs fng1d cond1t1ons ms1dc the school bu1ld­ tng, Nmn �ddsburg '06 said, '"'flus 11\ a hcJlth issue. I shoulJ be able to wear a swe:stslurt 1f I'm cold. A teacher cJn'I tell me 1f I'm cold or not, therefore, I should be able to wear a sweatshirt."

•11,c swcatslurt policy 1s line. as long as they don't oul­ law earmuffs," said Mr. Kuck. refcrnng to the cold cond111ons m his classrooms Thctc 1s also du: issue of lsmul, modesty of dress and app�rance. Some students feel thar the school ,s taking away one of the only 1ypcs of modcs1 dr�ss \I.Om by female students. Etan Segclman '06 said. "This policy of banmng swe:11.sh,ru 1s 1akmg awoy an aspect of tzniut which 1s 1mporun1 to a halakh1c msll• tullon such as RamaL" Several students also r.used the p:1r'ldox of a school that designs, produces and sells dozens of sweatshirts e3ch year to h1s})hght school spirit and feature a particul:u athletic team and then pro­ l11b1ts weunng those iame S\l.eatslurts.

"How can Rarnaz make so many sweat­ slurts and then forbid stu• dents from wearing them" Rosenberg asked

,,._..,s.-� A ttudml Man I i""tal\hlrt b)• ttw locbn. Tht adminlslndon m::udy 1iitflt I memo to &cu� prohibidng d,rk rrom -.-n.ri.n2 ,;-.-abhU'b.

Sweatslurts were ong1- complamts of the s1udcnts. nally used only u a top shin Smee there was never an offie1al policy bannmg sweatfor athJctes. They were first produced 1n the 1920s by sh1ru for girls, the adrmnasbrothers Abe Jnd 01II tr.moo felt th::1t changmg Fembloom, founders of the dress code mid-year was unfair. Howc\Cr. we are Knickerbocker Kn1111ng Factory As the business strongly cons1dcnng this progrew mto what is known h1b1uon fo1 next year " today 35 Champion Products, So we now return 10 the ongmal ruhng--affinnat1ve the gray swe3tsh1rt expanded for the girls and negauve for mto a "ariety of colors and s1Z<s with hoods and z1ppcr1. the boys TI,o 2005-2006 In the late I 970s, tl1c ganncnt ed111on of Preludes will tell made the leap from athletic us the fate of hood1cs and wear to fashion when design- zip-ups for the future. Pupils er Norma Ka.mah UJCd .sweat· may yet again gel hoi Wldcrshirl material in a variety of the collar over this issue, but for now, :idmm1stnuon and Jacket, skut and pant designs The request for 3 review students :ihke have chilled out of this recent ban on S'-'eatshins for guts was tJkcn up by the admmistrauon. R:ibb1 Rubm said, "We saw the pct111ons and we listened to the

Auditioning for Dance Team, Boy is Dismissed from Tiyouts

By Miriam Krult •06 In the p:sst, Ramaz's dlncc ensemble has been pri­ m:mly made up of girls. This year, howcf'er. a boy, llya Schwo1rtzburg '06 Lned out for the team Jn111ally. Ins Vachnoon, the choreobrr.1pher and leader of the dance cnsemblc, was impressed "1th his dancmg skills :md mv11cd lum back for a second auduion. l·lowe,•cr, the guts on tJ1c team fell uncomfortable dancing with a boy and he was asked to leave.

Hts dcpanure from the team has mspired a campaign by otl1er Junior boys 10 "'free lly:i," and since his removal, flyers hJve been hung on every floor of the building.

"It's unfair for the girls lo complain about tzniut 1f they arc constantly pcrfomu.ng in

front of men. Al least let tum have some kmd of solo," said Yehoshua C1rhn '06. "It's supposed to be a co-ed club, it's not like he 1s uymg 10 make a Joke out of ti Ilc's a senous Jancer."

Ms Goldherg. dir«lor of performing arts. explained 1hat nhhough the dance cn�cmblc has never been ad\'Crllsed as girls only, boys rarely try ouL "lly:i tncd out, and had every nght to Ins thought he w:is cap,bk and tned to figure out ways to mclude tum m the dance, as 1s done in many Ramaz musi­ cals, but it made the girls uncomfortable."

Sh< •greed with ln.s thot Schwartzburg could b< worked mto a few dances, but the reaction from the girls was too strong.

M.s. Goldberg did not think it was so much an issue

d:mcmg might work out, but "afler the second aud111on some girls felt uncomfort­ :ible. Even though there 1s no conbct, m genera.I u is a con­ tact sport. h's nothing 3gainst him, but wc feel more com­ fonablc \lo'lth JUSt the girls," she said.

While many of his peers think th:it his not bemg allowed to dance is an inJuS• lice, Sehwartzburg docs not of tznml :s.s much as the envi­ want to cause such an uproar. ronment tlut the guts had "I'm • littk disappointed, I created. "I got a sense that �ally hk< to done<, but I they wouldn't dJnce," she don't want to make people said. "11,ey have been doing uncomfortable," h< said. an extraordinary JOb for the Some eveq support the post few yo:irs •nd I did not idea of a male addition to the want to destroy their dynam­ t=n. ic..

"It's a good thing and Devora Stechlor '05, cap­ should b< encouraged. The tain of the dance team, lC3m is dancmg in front of explained that Iris was look­ men anyway. It's actually ing 31 the whole picture. in better for the me:i who don't which case Schwartzburg's want to look at the g,rls, they

The girls "have been doing an extraordinary job for the past few years and I did not want to destroy their dynamic."

can look at llya instead," said R•bb, B,cnonfeld.

Many years ago the1c w::.s a male student who came m for one d:mce and the girls on the team liked il But, cxphuned Ms. Goldberg. this group of guts felt more hke ti was a lime for girl bond.mg and his mclus1on changed the dynanucs makmg them much more sclf-consc1ous.

Ms. Goldberg d,scussod w1lh Schw:irtzburg the poss1bihty of dancing at Celebration of 1he Arts or maybe in future plays.

"Ramaz offers many ways for him to cxpl'Css his choreo­ graphic inner self," she said.

Sh< kfi open the option of stanmg a boy, dancing group, yel that docs not seem hkdy because: of the l•ck of interest among other male studenlS.

December 2004/ Kislev 5765

The RarnPage

Pages

News

Betting Spreads and School Bans Card Play

By S:1m Ecksttin '07

At Mincha on Tuesday, November 9, Rabbi Rubin officially banned oll forms of card playing m the school.

He g;ivc two reasons for this edict. First. he said that "although card pl3y 1s not wrong, 1t inherently leads to :m excessive involvement with cards" even 1f money is not involved. Second. Rabbi Rubin said, "it would be dif­ ficult to eliminate gamblmg while allowing card playing."

In the past frw years there has been a prolifer.uion of gambling. predominantly a game known as Texas Hold­ . cm Poker in school. A soph­ omore recalls that on a typi­ col d:ly lost year he would "win or lose around 50 dol­ lars a day playing poker."

Another student who has recently quit gambling con­ siders this recent trend to be *a serious problem that must

Freshmtn pi:.y poktr during a fru ptrlod In tht sl:ith noor loungt. be dealt with in a serious way."

Rabbi Rubin. many s.lu• dents and most people in gen­ eral attnbutc this tecent surge m gambling, primarily poker, to ESPN and its popular show, World Senes of Poker.

Adolescent boys previously admired and sought to emu­ late successful athletes such

The Carmel String Quartet. sponsored by the Perpetual Fund. performed Nov. 4 at the Upper School (or the junior class and a group of students from the Yeshiva ofFlatbush.

The concert consisted of four pieces, each from a dif­ ferent composer. The pro­ gr,m included works by Salamone Rossi, Felix Mendelssohn. Paul Ben1 f- atm, and Shimon Cohen's arrangement of Al Kol Eich/ Ycru.shalayim Shel Zahav, both writlen by Naomi Sherner The concert was coord1na1ed by Ms. Goldberg. who wa, cont.acted by the head of the slrmg quar1el. Dr. Stephen I forcnstein. I le had ar,..ngcd for the group to play al Carnegie llall on Nov. 11.

One reason Ms Ooldbcrg o,ougl11 11 would be appropn­ atc for the junror clas, 10 hear Una quartet WiH that the pro­ gram included lwo pc:rsonah• llel studied at port or lhe JUll· 1or mu1jc cumculurn, Rout and SllCmcr

school gambling won't stop students from partic1paung an gambling acuviues outside of school. However. he believes "discussing the values associ­ ated w11h gambling can put an end 10 1t for some people."

For this reason .. Lhcre has been a coordinated approach with the Talmud department," said Rabbi Rubin, "10 empha­ size Judaism's perspectJve on gambling." Gombhng is • maJor 1op1c tn Tractatc Sanhedrin. wluch the entire school is currently leammg.

"Among the many moral issues implicated by lccnagc garnbhng." soid Rabbi Rubin "one of the most important 1s that students arc gambling their parent's money and arc therefore showing thal they don't appreciate the value of money." Rabbi Rubin con­ tinued. "1f it were money they worked for. they would not be giving It up so willingly."

Under New Rule, Make-up Tests Become After-school }\ctivity

String Quartet Plays for Juniors By 7...ach:a ry Ltlbman '06

as Derck Jeter and Michael Jordan. They now idolize run•of-the-mitl, overweight men, such as Chris Moneymaker or Greg Raymer who play poker on the ESPN show. "ESPN hos legitimized gambling without mentioning the corrosive, corruptive and destructive dilemmas entangled in it."

said Rabbi Rubin.

However, poker is not the only form of gambling cap­ turing the altention of R:1maz students. Last year many freshmen would huddle m comers and play dice games for an ::average of five dollars ::a roll, sometimes re::aching up to 20 dollar.; a roll. Other fonns of gambling at Ramaz include fantasy sports and March Madness pools. One student admits to pan1cipat­ mg in six fantasy sports leagues currently, each of which has a pot of over 100 dollars. The student said, "the reason for taking pan in the online leagues 1s not to make money, but to have fw1; the money gives me an incen­ tive to try to win." Come March. most boys in the school will be in\'olvcd in a March Madness pool where the pot moy top 500 dollar.;.

Rabbi Rubin recognizes that putting an end to m-

One piece that was played during the program, Mendelssohn's Quancl in A Minor, Opus 13 sparked debate over whether or not Mendelssohn was truly a Jewish composer. On this ,ssue, Ms. Goldberg said that Mendelssohn should not be considered a true Jewish composer simply because his Moses grandfother, Mendelssohn, was a lcadjng Jewish figure. "His parc-nts converted and he was b:ap­ tizcd," she so1d, "I le is Simply not Jewish." She also added that she believed that any lnces of Jewish melodies. tn his pieces were not intended 10 show an affiliation with Judaism.

T11e final piece of the program, Shimon Cohen's arrangement of cwo songs by Shemcr, received much applause from the audience.

Ms. Wcxner, daughter of the couple m whose memory !he Perpetual Fund was sci up. asked for an encore of the piece. wl11ch rhc quartet •grceably pliycd "The piece

by Naomi Shcmcr rocked, .. said Otlcc Yahalom '06.

Students must now take all make-up tests after school. 811I while administrators say this eases teach­ ers' workloads, com­ muters say it adds to theirs.

Dy O:anltl rt.hran1 '05 Students absent from class on the day ofa test must now take their make-up exam after school, according to a policy instituted by the administration this semester.

In the pasl, teachers sched­ uled m•ke-up exam$ after consulting with their absent students; now students must schedule a date for the exam with Ms. Chechik, the make­ up exam coordinator.

Mr. Milter said the new make-up testing system was pul in place panly to reduce teachers' workload. '"The old procedure was unfair 10 teachers because it often meant that tJ1ey had lo make more than one make-up exam for the same test," Mr. Miller said. ..And 1t was unfair to studen1s who some­ times had to take exams wluch were not consistent m difficulty with either lhe orig10111 exam or others that were given " Mr Miller odded thot pullmg the make.up exams

under ccn1ral control allows the Ramaz administration to keep track of how frcqucnl ly individual students were tak­ ing make-up exams because of absences.

Student reaction to the new policy was mixed .. tu a commuter. I think the new system 1s msensittve to commu1crs," �id Alhson Aaron '06, a student from Englewood, NJ. "Why should we ha,•e to come home late Just because we missed school?"

Amanda Sussman '06 echoed her sentiments.

Ms. Chcchik said the school tned to accommodate students' after•school plans.

"Because we arc working with more than one person� scheduling a make•up exam is not always ea.sy," she said, citing a recent instance in which a student had to cancel a doctor's appointment m order to take a make-up exam.

But whale being inter­ viewed, Ms. Oiechik allowed Jahna Rosenberg '06 to take her make-up exam earlier than scheduled,so Rosenberg could arrive at basketball practice on time.

L1b�ry Ass1stan1 Mr. Ofer Our. who proctors most make-up exams. said thal stu­ dents have lo be rcspon.s1ble for ottcndmg school the d.iy of• leSL •tf you t•ke the lest the day It ls g,\•cn. you do11'1

have 10 schedule a make-up date and stay after school. ..

One .anonymous student said 1he new system was to has ad"antage.

"They made me take my lest at math chnic," he said.

"The teacher adm1mstcnng Math chmc gave me as much lime as l needed. Most of my classmates who 100k the test in class didn't finish and ended up fo1hng. Decause of the extra lime, I did we11."

But the student added that tal;ng • test after school i.s less stressful e,•en without extra time. "It's good because H's a less prcssunzcd envi­ ronment; he said. "'When you're laking a regular test you can feel the tension of everybody trying to focus really hard. When you're alone you don't have 10 deal with that."

TI1e new make-up exam policy comes after a yc,ar m which a chcatmg ring was uncovered at Ramaz. While not specifically designed to prevent cheating, Mr Miller said that Ram:iz hopes the new policy will enforce aca­ demic integrity more cffcc• t1vcly I le added thot having one or two proctors for makc--­ Ull e.oms gives Ram:az "grcu1cr control of the proo­ crwironmcot." tonng S111dcnts oflcn took mukc-up exams olonc m the office m previous years.

P•g• 6

Orcember 2004/ Klslev 5765

�chool Investigates Water For Crustaceans

O,:lllrr oabldr tllir bulldinc ,

Fire Alarm

By Joaalbn Btrku •06 On N o v ember 1 1 . the lumu fin: alarm sounded.

T lus ""'Ould not hJ,·c oomu l­ ly •WJ> nscd students given the •WJ>IUS of recent dnlls, but II hoppcned at 3 46 P. M. , nght tn the m1ddlc of class.

"Rabb, Kobnn had <11U1 led us lhat there w o uld­ n'I be fire dn11s du nng umes n of instruc tion. It J USI did 't seem n ght," said Sam G n r Tcl '06.

The a larm, IC turned out, was not a dnll. M r. Will iams, toge ther with his tenth gndc Ct�. was conductmg a sci­ ence exper iment demonstrat­ ing the rclacjvc reactivity of Group One me tal< when the ab.rm went off. "lbc clements become progressively more reactive said Mr. w ith water, • Wolhams. "lbc product is hydrogen gu, which u explosi ve What hoppcns u that the hydrogen catches fire, the me tal bums, and lhcrc 1s smoke. AJI or th.i.s is normal" A lthough he had con­ experiment this ducted before, the hypc ncns ll ivc al•nn 1h31 had been installed w lhc science J3bs over the su mmer went off. " The re was never a safe­ 11 ty iss ue, he sa id �er e was • blast shoc1d between the studcnu ond the dcmonst ra ­ uon · When the fire alarm \IICOI ol T. I c vacu;itcd the sru­ dcntJ from the class even , though I behcvcd that the alarm had been sci off by the smoke detector. The students were never 111 any danga. • Ms. Scgul la, who p reps the scacncc experiments. con­ fi rmed th.at the cxpcnmcnl was nothing out of the ord i01,y and was surprised thal 11 , ,.·cnt ofT� "'It is a routine and very ufc expcrimcn�• she uid.

J\J the students evacua t­ ed the building rumon began to circulale.

"By the time I got ou t11de someone was already ,

• flrcncbttrs rtspondtd to lht Ramu 1 l1rm wllhla nve m lnu tn.

saying Uut 3 piece or hot bi rthday cake hod c•uscd a fire in the sc hool,"' said Joshua Yunis 'OS. "It's inte r ­ esting how quickly rumon stut. .

But word quickly spn:od and soon enough everyone knew about the experiment, turning the affm into a jolt• ing miner. Studcnu bepn to chca Mr. W,llwns for the cntertammcnt and lhc chof'\l.s of "Mi$-t<r \Vol -hams," could be heard around the block.

One fresh man JOk mg ly suggcs1cd Iha\ perhaps 1he science fac ul1y had pla Mcd t he event. " Ms. Slon nn must have known in adva nce 1ha1 the '.icc1dcnt' w:15 going 10 happen. Is it a coincidence that she was on a field tnp with her AP Envi ronmental studies cla.ss on that ver y day?"

Yoanna Frecdrnon '06 was m1hally coofuscd. bul once she found out whot hop­ pc:ned her concerns we re allayed, allowin& her lo focus oo mo re importa nt things "'Those firemen wtte so cuL e!

I . wish the chc m1s1ty l•b would ca tch on fire more often!• also inciden t The inspi red some rc.aJ conce rns.

•1 was worried aboul bow I was going to get down the stairs, " said Alyssa "I w:u tem­ Mensch '08. porarily do.sabled. The alann made me realize lhat the school needs to provide

how 10 deal wuh handi­ ••ppcd studcnu in case of a real fire. • As per New York law, the fir e dq:wtmmt was cont1c1cd and lhe fire f ighicrs atTl\'Cd oa. sc.cnc unmcdiatc� ly. The cnhrc incident lasted only SlXl«n minutc1. ·1t was cocounging to sec the quick response ume of the NYFD to save the most important bu ilding in New York, • said Yu n1s.

The adm1n istnllon found

In an attempt to vcnfy the kashruth of Ramaz's drinking water, the rabbm1ca.l staff of Romaz dec oded that 11 was necessary 10 test the water for cru.staccan.s. Aflcr consuhmg halakJuc outhon­ llcs and an cxpcnmcnl con• ducted by some or the SCI• cncc dcpartmcnl, lhc staff deemed the waler pcrmissi• blc.

Conc ern about lhc mall« first arose from a Nov 7.

New York Times art icle by Joseph lktgcr cntJ0cd "The Water's Fmc, but Is It Kosher?· The amcle dis­ cussed the " T almudic tcm• pest• that ensued aflcr SC\Cr• al Brooklyn rabbis sow 1,ny au.succ.an.s U1 their water.

The speci fic crust.acc:lll in qucs llon 1s called a copc­ pod. or D1acyclops thomas1, and is a distant cousin of shell fish. Jt is approx ima. tcly . 8 m1llimcters m size, and there fore, said Ms. Slonim, biology teacher and science cha ir, "'should be v1Sib lc to the naked eye. • In spuc of thiJ, Ms. Sagul lo, who is in ctwi• or lob pn:porotions, set up •n experiment that several of the science le3chm parucipatcd in. �ch teacher had 11p wata dr ip slowly from the &ucct through a paper filta mto a funnel lmed with filter p>pcr for over 24 hows. Ms. Slon,m explained 1h11 the experiment worked because "any eopcpods that might have been m the water would

II gra11 fy1ng thot students '-evacuated in 1 11mely and app ropn:ate manner and lhal lhc bu ilding was not dam­ aged.

"We ' re gl•d 1h31 every­ one 1s okay, " said Mr. Mi ller.

'It is olso grcot to sec thot all ! lhosc d n lls -.... ere worth tt " As the student walked bock into the building m.u,y stJ II chccrcd the event on.

"I thought 11 was all ngh�• said Bony Dcri,'CI' 'OS. "I mc:,n !

II wu m the name o fsdcocc ·

Top Ripl. St■dt■IJ ud tnc�• tn ,u ll o■tsidt o■ 18ti.. Slrttt ■11.11 U1t n nn,i..trn ctn tllrm pt rll\.Wlo■ to rtta r■ to Uit bllldl1i, Botl.,. Right: WloUt w1ld1c outsldt, teudrnlJ post sic•• o■ ti..clr backs t■couracl■c tllt admlalslnUo■ 10 allow llya Scbwa rt2bur& 106 to Jola tbt Danct Ttam.

-

-

111,·e been tnpped 10 the filter paper• Whatever wu even­ tually caught "could tl,cn be curnrncd under a m1cro­ seopc."

In all the cxpcmncnt.s conduclcd. notl11ng rcsem• blrn" the copcpods was fou nd I lowevcr. Ms . Slonim said that the re were some "mconchmvc aruf:lc1.s m the s•mple which could have been anything cl<e (An arti­ fac;I 1s an)'llung you pick up in research, bul don'I lcnow its on1ini) Perhaps 11 wa.s ncc.-­ csso,y to collect for longer. but 24 hours should have done 11 • The robb1n1col stlff of R= conferred 10 "dcta­ mrnc what our halakh1c response to the crustacean allcgauon should be," soid Robb, R u bin They dcc,dcd to fol l ow the Onhodox Un ion's tcmporory psok halakha on this con flict In a report p ublished on Aug. 1 3, 2004 , the OU ruled that restaurants and catenng com• panics operating under its supervision would be required either 10 filter tap wa ler "before use ,n dnnkmg, cooki ng, and baking." or use bottled woter. However, this decision u only tcrnporuy whi le the OU continues 10 dchbcroic llus issue.

In bght of the OU report aod the lack of crustacans found ,ftcr the cxpcrimcnu conducted, luhbi Rubm S>ld Iha� IS a SChoo� Ramll has decoded to rely on the "halakluc opinions lhat soy ,t is unncccsury to IDStall fi l.

----------­ -- --__ __ _,. ._

December 2004/ Kislev 5765

The RamPage

Page 7

ews

Reflecting on Sephardic Minyan, as It Hits Its Sweet 16 felt neglected," An1m1 s:ud.

"Our tndllions wer(n't bcmg r(cogmzcd nnd dLScussed in cfa1ly clmcs. The majonly of lhe popul!lt1on was Ashkcm1zi. We felt the need to ronlinue prar1icmg our da\'cning traditions."

A nu m rrca lled the mm)'3Jl's early dlys.

-You must remember th:11 back m 19 • the bu1ldmg housed the St\'C nth grade through 12th." he s,id.

"TI1ere were about 15 ScphJ.rd1m \\ ho attrndc:d the mmyun and ow first location w;is lhc Beil M1drash on the SC'Cond floor. llus w:i.s won• dcrful b«-Jusc we fell we \\ ere m a real shul llowc\'er. after ::a few short months we \\ ere mo\·cd 10 room 60 I." L.:LSt ac-:idcm,c- ) car. the mm)"ln w;is rcloc.atcd to the Sc\'enth floor. \\ here II now meets d.Jity for Sh:irh:mt and Mmch:i. Lale Romi::iz's other 'The Sephardic mrnyan1m. the Sephardic services :uc conduc-ted m students felt llebrtw. But tlut's -... here the stmllanucs more or l�s end. neglected. Our The Seph:irdic mmyan traditions weren't prays w1L11 WITcrent s1ddunm (contammg some d1stmct1\'C being pra)'m} 1h,n do the recognized and AshkenaZJe mmyan1m. use generally discussed in daily which •An.scroll· ond "Siddur classes."

Shiloh• prayer books. The SephJrd1c l1turs;1c:1I tunes dif­ founded the Scplurdic mm­ fer greatly from Ashkcnazic yon ,n 1988.

Robb, melodics sung Jurmg daHn· mg.. More specific 10 Ram:i.z.

Goldmintz said Joshw Amini '9-1 'A'ilS m 1he Sephardic mm)'ln has no se, cnth gndc 14 hen the real faculry overseer, \\ herCJs Seph.ud1c mmyan first the other m1nyan1m arc supcrvLSed by lcachcrs opened 1U doors Some Sc-phud1m see the "The S(Jlhard,c students

"I don't know anything about the Sephardic mmyan and its customs.· said Jonathan Rosen '05. cchomg the scn1imcnl.S'or many other students.

So what exactly is the Scplurd1c mmy:in all about?

Scphlrdic students 3.0S\\CTcd 10111:il\y by cmpha­ sizmg that the mm� is not :i.bout sq>J.r:lllon or seclus1on, even 1f it dO<"s conduct sen•• ices far a,Hy from the Ashk:cruz.ic nun)'"1nml.

•1t•s JUSI 3 mmyan not ::a d1,is1on," said Josh Romano '05. , studrnt Imler of the Scpb.ard1c mmyun. "Before the Stphl.rd1c mmYJ,.D \\';JS foumlcd. people foll th,t they "crcn't uphold.mg a p.irt of thcu own cu1turt' • A group of students led

by Yechczkel Kh:iyy,t

=·

SC'phardk mlnyan mtmbns rC'cltt Shmonth Euch tlurlng shacharll. Thr mln)'l.n �·as foundC'd In 1988 by a 1tnlor. lack of :i. faculty adviser as an :affront. The adm111is1ra11on s:1ys 1hc forulty s1tua1ion dcvclopcd because no Sephardic 1eachers worked at the school. ·The "hole pomt of the Sephardic mmyan 1s so Scphard1m won't hJ\'e to daven AshkenJ7..1," Rabbi Goldmmtz said. "L1kew1se we don't want to force Ashkenazic faculty to cb\·en Sephardi. Therefore. \\e ha\'C a man from the community, David Tawil. who comes ncryJ:iy for Shachant and S(f'\'eS as the faculty ad\'1Ser 111 the mommg. For Mancha, Rabb, Jordan Yasgur from Lhc Learn.mg Center, wh()1 J,as Sephardic roots; supervises the mmyan," Anun1 said not ha\'mg a faculty member present m the mmy:m bo!..11 benefited and hun the Sephardic services.

"Without the faculty. we became sclf. rehant." he said "However, tlus gave cct1a111 students thc hcense lo come :md do thetr home" o,k in the

back rows mslcad of davcn• ing. Some students did take advantage of the lack of superv1s1on."

TodJy's students protest what they deem the "school's the dl\'cstiturc" from Sephardic m1nyan.

"We never hear announcemcnls, we're late for class. and we're not given breakfast, hkc 1he other nunyamm," Sasha Berk '06 saul.

Mmyan lc:idcr Romano disagreed.

"The ::i.dmm1strat1on is responsive to students." he said, c1ung the school's pur­ chase of a new Torah for the minyan after the preVlOUS one began to deteriorate.

The ad1111nistra1ion wel­ comes increased focus on Sephardic students :ind their 1r.1d1non.1. "We -...ould hk.c to elevate their culture." Rabbi Goldmmtz said "We would love to cn:alc a Scph:tnhc club but there w.1sn'1 a maJor student response. It's really up 10 I.lie students."

Regarding the mmyan not receiving the announce­ ments, Rabb, Goldrruntz said, "The announcements arc from the daily bulletin board.

It's the respons1b1li1y of tlie sludcnts 10 pick up a copy."

Dcspllc some initial turd• ships III forming the mmyan, Amm1 said he looks back on tJ1c c>1.pt:nencc fondly. ''The mmyan enabled me to connect to my past, cspe­ c,ally to my Persian g.r:mdfa• thcr," he said. "W1Lhout this mmyan m place, 11 would have been easier for me to abandon Sephardic 1rad111ons The fact that It still exists 1s a strong statement."

TI1ose fccltng.s arc shared by current students. most of whom s:11d they feel more .:11 home m :1 Sephardic ser-.,1ce than they do m an Ashl::cn:J.Z.1c one.

"In the Middle School, we didn't have Sephardic mmyan." said Eh Kr:uccr '08, -... ho JUSI Joined th(: rrunyan and plans to be a member throughout h1.� stay at Ramaz. "?\ow, I feel more comfort• able pr.iymg with people of the same cullure."

Though new to the mm­ yan. Kra1cer sa.1d he saw no ev1dcncc of m1strcatmcnl by the administration. • in1crv1C\\'ed. \Vhen Arnmt asked a reporter whether some 3SpCC'tJ of 1he ongmal ephard1c- minyun rcmamed. "'Nol gcmng the announcements on the s"th noor did ma.kc us fc-cl kfi out to some extent-.., he .s;i,d. ·rm sure tha1 has ch::mgc:d, no'(

Students and Teachers Debate Disengagement ----------

By UhH llarkov ·OS

Recently, lsr.aeh Pnmc Mm1s1cr Ancl Sharon's D1scngagemcn1 Plan was approved by the K.nessel The pl::m calls for 1he cvacua­ uon of Jews llvmg m Ga:z.J and sm:111 sections of Judea ,nd Soman._ The IDF will wnhdraw from these areas, IIJ well D01h students and 1cach­ crs at Ramu have m1xc:d feeling on 1hc subJect of cLs· engagemcnL Allra Kaplan '05 spcnw e,·ery summer m Ofra,, a 1own m Judea. She vehe­ mently opposes Sharon's plan. "'G1vmg away ll.nd will not lead 10 pe:icc. - she said �c Anbs arc not mtcres1ed in comprommng �nunk about ::all the Jc-...s \\'hQ will be uprooted from their homes... KDplan s11d

1Ju1 her fnrndJ m Ofra "arc fr1gh1ened or bcmg expelled from 1hctr homes."

Some s1udents ::agree with Sharon regarding d1srngagc­ mc-nL "'If military analystJ say d1scngagcment 1s 1hc ng.ht thing 10 do, it must be str::11eg1cally smarl," Anel Fisher '06 sa 1d ·1sncl 1m't m:aking money m G-az.1 1 anJ they're losing ll\'ts. Therefore," he sa,d, "11's logical 10 pull oul.

II doesn't m!lkc sense 10 ha, •c 8.000 Jews surrounded by a m1lhon Arabs • Adam \Vc1lcr '05 u unsure of 111s pos1uon on d1s­ <ngagemrnt. "Basically, I ha\•e no opm1on," he s:11d Jokingly "I Jon'I bchc\-c ii will bnng peace, but I thmk 11 will bnng some measure of sccunty."

Ms Barak. chair of the Hebrew department.. s:11d I.hat

"It doesn't make sense to have 8,000 Jews surrounded by a million Arabs."

the d1.sengagement 1s happen­ mg "'37 years 100 late."

(Thtrt)'•Se\'en years ago, Israel nppropnatc-J !he IDnd 11 plans 10 w11hc.baw from 111 the Six-Day War) "Our occupauon of G:il.il has caused 1he lo" of many hvcs, and a nsc 111 ,•1olencc 111 Israel." Ms Barak 531d. "II has dctnc1ed from human rights and lowered our mor.al11y as a nation I only hope th:tt the dLScngnicmcnt 1s the: first slcp towards a withdrawal from all the tcni• tones" Rabbi Weiser, who 1ea h-

cs Z10111sm to lhc senior class. ha.s nuxcd feelings on tlu.s subJccl "I thmk 11's a lcmponry fr-.; he said "No one 1s ,cally happy with 11 cxrcpl for the extreme lcfi.

Even the center 1s hcanbro­ kcn."

However. he did say that he believes that .. Ariel Sharon hos the good of the Jewish people 31 heart."

C11mg the lsr:1eli Prime Mm1stcr's history of strong support for set1lemenu, Rabb, Weiser said that "'despite "hal Sharon preached, real, pohuk 1s the real solu110n • Regardless of one's per• sonal feelings on 1he D1scn. gugcmc111 Plan, R.1bb1 Weiser s:ud that "we should trust the Israeli government: 1hcy have our bcs'I interests at hc,rt."

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Pago 8

Dottmbcr 2004/ Ki1lov 5765

Tho Iuml'age

News

Do the Crime, Pay the Time (at Lunch)

Dy Sophia Mrr�ln '06

Jonnna Frias nnts lantna lo .11udtnU. Rtspondinc to .1ludrn1 rtNJback on lht lunchu_ lht CO crtattd "'"' mrnus "'Ith Flik.

GO Spurs Flik to Change Menu Dy Alu Prystr •06

In recent "-Ccks, there have been some welcome 3dd111ons lo lhc FLJK lunch menu. The new lunches uc the result of the GO's efforu, on coopcr:11100 with the FLIK staff, to try to sausfy the requests of hungry and oficn picky students.

Ad.lltc1;1 Diaz. kuchen tn3nagcr, said lNt the new clements were :added "'10 mJlcc lunch more cxc1tmg for the students." Wuh better lunches students would cat more, and *students can bcn• cfit from a good Iunch." menus ,Ul)(lom1ng new include: oven rO.&Slcd turkey

with s1uffing and lo-mcm w11h vegetables and egg rolls.

Dan1clla Rohr '06. JUDior v1cc president of the GO oxplamcd that dunng lunch, tho GO will bo tal:ing a sur­ vey in order to get a feel of whJt students arc looking for m a meal. •we know how lmportlnt lunch lS lO the stu­ dent body and we want to make sure everyone 1s satis­ fied." she said.

One of the most popular

"I am especially fond of the roast corn bean salad," Dr. Gaylord said.

"I eat it by the bucket load."

Dr. Jucovy finds the lunches to be "disappointing, uncreative and unhealthy." add1uons 1s the acclaimed •brunch (or lunch," which includes pancakes, scrambled eggs, and French to:ist Kate Gnbc:tz 'OS was enthusiastic about having breakfast for lunch. "Now I am able to have 3 more relaxed break­ fast sitting down, as opposed to rushing after davenmg," she said.

Another new meal that can bo found on Tuesday,, Ramats meat day, u the hero sandwich. "When I firsl walked mto the lunch room. I couldn't believe how long

tlut hero wu." said Steven Mermelstein '06. "The only problem I had was that the sandwiches had too many vegetables and not enough meat, otherwise 1t was pretty appetizing."

Although there has boon an O\'crall posuive response to the additions. some stu­ dents, hkc Adam Dasloc '05, prefer to suck to the trad111onal menu. ·call me a con­ servative: he said, "but I'll take fish over pancakes any day."

O1her studcnt.s would even prefer having the same lunch everyday. "I would love havtog Fnday lunch on a daily basis." said Riva Wachsman '06.

Tho faculty is also split on the new lunches. Dr. Gaylord loves them. "I am especially food of the rout com bean salad. I cat it by the bucket load. The bucket load,: he said. On the other hand, Or. Jucovy said that he finds the lunches to bo "very dlS.lppointing, uncreative and unhealthy."

Some aJv1cc for lardy sludcnb start wa,mc up earlier.

The Upper School has rcc:cnlly mslltutcd a new pol­ icy of detention dunng lunch periods for students who con� s1stcntly arrive lalc to school m the morning.

According to th15 pohcy, 1f a student amvcs late rcpcalcdly. he or she 1s given lunch detention (the adm1ms• trahon said It would decide how nu.ny latcn�scs ment dc1cnnon on a use by case basis). This student is then required to sit in a classroom with a designated member of the faculty during their lunch period. They ore permitted to do anytlung from homework to Just s1ttmg sull, as long as they talk. not do Conversation of ilny k.md 1s forbuldcn.

The dctcnuons arc given during lunch to accommodttt students who take buses home af\cr school at 4:45. So far, half a dozen s1Udcnts have been detained.

Rabbi Goldmintz said, "as of now the administratJon hasn't come up with a list of infractions associated with this punishment. There arc no bard and fast Nies, and for now, only students with rcgu• lar tardiness will bo gi,•cn detention."

The response to this new pohcy has bc:cn very positive.

"I think ti's a good idea," said

Dr Stone • I here 1s a real dearth of w-ays to d1sc1phnc students ll's a mailer of mtro-­ duc1ng nu.inc.e 10 ad,n1111stra11ve responses, and JI can be very effecll\ e � hen put to good use."

Many s1udcnts also 3pprove of this new proce­ dure. '"Wlulc It hasn't affcclcd me •• all, ii doesn't both<r mo ethically when applied to rcpc.at offenders. such as peo­ ple who clearly come late in1cnuonally lo miss cl;iss or davcning." 53id Todd Snider 'OS. "That bcmg said, it shouldn't bo enforced for those who genuinely can't avoid it." llya Schwarttburg '06 also approved of the new penalty. "The school finally has adequate punishments for mmor mfnchons. • Dr. Berkowitz. who recently administered a lunchtime detention, feels that the system is a good one but holds issue with the name. "It's a good pumsh­ ment for students, who, for wh.itcvcr reasons. should suf­ fer consequences. It proVldcs the student with the opportu• mty to either sure silently at the walls, or work on some• thing that has value," he saKI. "The only thmg I don't hkc IS the word 'detention.' It seems punitive. School is in essence detention all day, because you can't leave the building.

That being said. 1t is one of the (cw useful punishments I have encountered that isn't physical."

Small Staff Develops Digital Yearbook for Seniors Dy Adl■a CoodmH , '06 This )!Cat' the seniors may rccel\'c a dagitaJ year­ book as a supplement to the hardcover yearbook dut the cntin: school receives at the end of the year Calley Levine '05 and Josh lshal '05 arc: working tog<thcr with a small staff and DL Wanhall as their adviser to create the digital yearbook. They said, though, that they an: uncertain whether die project will ulumatcly work ou1-cspccially smcc n's never been done before.

Levine added that the digital yearbook's content ,.,11 solely conccm seruOIS , unlike the regular year• book. winch has bttn criticized to the past for not focusing on the 12th gr.Kie Daniel Tavakoli, a former Ramaz s1udcn1. pro­ posed die idea 10 Mr. Miller, and Miller approved the idea m the middle of the last school year Gcoflicy Kidcrman'05, cd,tor-m-chi cf of tlus yea(s yearbook. approochcd lshal, "ho agreed to work on the proJCCt with Levine as has partner. To date, the two ha\.'e had a few bramstonmng sessions and arc m the process of

puttmg together d,e rest of the staff. "We c1on, even have a camera ye�• said Levine. lshal and Lc,•ine met ,.;th Jostens, the .;,mpany that helps put togctl1cr the hardcover yearbook, and looked at samples of digital yearbooks that Jostens has wori<cd on wid1 other schools.

The digital cxtr.1 wtll contain vKlco and audio clips fcatunng senion and faculty. Levine said that what 15 great about this project is that it can include events that happen late in the year. Additioo,lly, lshal said that the digiul yearbook will "fill in some of the gaps that the n:gular yearbook creates, by includtog colored pictwa and videos.• Also, since many scniOIS had expressed dlSCOlllcnt over the yearbook staffs decision to ehm1natc senior qu()(es tJus ye3r, the digi­ llll yearbook dc<idcd to include quotes for the seniors. f lowever. many seniors arc retracting their origi­ nal V1ews on the quote issue. "'They arc such a pain 10 find and pick ou�• said one senior. • Although the d1g1bl yearbook 1s a c:ool 1dc.l in itself. once the quolcs arc alrcody being collected, tl1cy m•y as well bo put in the real yearbook." s3id Abby Weiss '05.

"""·

..�

ScudtnU ban said lhc yearbook docsn'I focuJ c:nouth on Hnk,rs.. The digit.al )'tarbook. "''UI conttm Knk>rs oftly.

December 2004/ Kislev 5765

News

Large Classes Rankle Students Dy ILan2 Elltnbtrt •OS When s1udents' schedules :ire m3dc up. care 1s taken to ensure that class sizes :;i,rc bal:lnccd. 11us yc;u, howC\'• er. many classes. cspcc1a1ly elccti\ es and senior honors/AP courses. :uc unusually large. upscllmg nuny students "I h;atc n: Allison L,cbm,n '05 s,1d. •1 don'I know "ho 1s m my c 13SSC:S anymore. ;rnd there isn't enough uruc for c,c()onc to part.Jc1patc.• Todd Smdc:r '05 ,grces.

"I \\OU!d dcfirutcly prefer a snullcr size: be S3id. 9but not at the expense of k1d:mg other students out· Accordmg to a stud)

done from I 9S5-19 9 by lhe r,.;3tJooal Educ:moo rusoc,,uon (1'/EA). "h,ch ·supporu :m opumum clliS size of 15 students." small class SlZCS gcncnlly prov1dc long-term benefits for 3 Stu• dent 10 higher cducauon.

Ramu tncs to lcec-p cll.SS SlZCS small but �ot con­ trol all suw.uons.

In gencnl. schedules for the upcoming year an: nude ova the swnmcr. Eich stu� dent ,s usi cncd ccruin couDc,. Some classes.. like I 0th gnde English. an: not tracked, bu1 others. hkc cheml5try, :in: broken up into sections. The students' place­ ments arc then entered mto the computer along wnh an O\'Cr:111 schedule of cll.ssc.s lhJI as laid out beforehand The computer then as.signs classc5. filling in unique courses. hkc an honors chem­ ,siry cl355, firsL Afterward.

Mr. r-.hllcr checks each class for bJIJnccScn1or schedules arc done d,ffcrcntly.

In 1hc

Page 9

The RamPage

''The administration wanted to give the students flexibility in choosing whichever level was right for them, so they accommodated everyone." sprin1;. scmors apply for Al's ;ind once they find out 11110 which cl uses they "ere ac-cc-pted. they choose either APs or tlccu\·es for each of thelI mne schedule "bJnds."

If :::1 student 1s acccp1ed 1010 :w AP. he or she au1oma1ical­ !) h35 3 spol in 1h·e cl3SS. bul placcmcnt in clccuves 1s b:istd on 3 loucry system.

For c:ich cl«11\·c tbcrc is a hmu to the amount of stu­ dcnts acccpled (tt vanes depending on the cl35S.) If more students apply 10 an elccuve than there is space m a class. as happened tlus year \\'1th many elect1\'ts, a num­ ber is chosen at random.

Srudcnts arc then assigned numbers based on ,n alphJ­ bcucal ordcnng of the class hst (the first surname on the class hst is assigned the num• bcr one). Those students \\ hose numbers a.re nearest· bul le" than-the randomly chosen number arc bumpcd from 1.hc class For 1ns1ancc, 1ftlic randomly choscn num• her were 68, and number 67 on 1he clau hst were an applicant for the elective, he or she would be bumped Students bumped from their first choice class arc usually

pbced in qicir second choice.

Rabbi Kobrin. assistanl dean. is Hry involved in the proccss.

"The S) slem balnnces out lhc clnsses equally," he snid, "but once s1udcn1s put in for schedule requests ehnngcs. cvcry1hing gets thrown off."

M:in) classes, like Rabbi SchiO\\ ills junior Tnlmud class. nrc very large because n number of students hrm: oplcd lo s,, itch in10 the class.

Currently. the Talmud class contnins 28 students. nnd additional students arc no longer allo\,cd to switch inlo the class.

"The adminislration wanlcd to give the students flexibility in choosing ,, hicheHr level was right for them," Rabbi Schiowitz said, "so they basically accommo­ dated c,·cryone ...

Students in the class arc frustrated with the situalion.

"It's 100 big," Laura Krule '06 said. "It's unfair because Rabbi Schiowitz cannot gi\ c enough attention to each individual student in the Class. We have to waste so much time gelling settled that we have 10 rush through the material ,o finish on time."

While Shifra Goldenberg '05 53.id she doesn't enjoy the cr:imped setting of hcr l lonors Amcrico.n History class. she understands why it's necessary.

"We shouldn'I even be complaining; our lcachcrs . �now our names, . she said.

•we have no idea what we're gelling into for college, 11 here i1's lilcly lhal we'll be in an intro cl11Ss of over 200 sludents"

Ramchops Marking Elecllon Day, R..1maz held a special debalc on Nov. 2 bclwecn Mr. Jay Lefkowitz, former assislanl for domestic policy lo President Bush, and Mr. Errol Louis, a columnist for the Daily News. Lefkowitz expounded Bush's policies, while Louis explain� Kerry 's stance on the issues.

Dr. Honig's son, Yehczkcl, sold two songs he created electronically lo MTV for its show 'Toe Real World."

The chess team won a match against MTA on Dec. I

after MTA forfeited.

Varsity College Bowl won lhrcc matches and lost one in its first meel Nov. 29 al the Young Israel of Sca=lale.

The junior varsity team won two matches and lost two.

Junior Retreat was held from Dec. 2-5 al lhe Isabella Frccdrruin Retreat in Falls ViUagc. Conn.

On Oct. 22, Rabbi Stuart Weiss spoke to the Upper School to commemorate the sc-cond yahrzeit or his son..

Sgt. Ari Joshua Weiss. Sgt. Weiss, of the IDF's Nachal Drigadc, was killed 'at lhe age of 21 by a tcrrorisl in a gun balllc in Shechcm on Ocl. I, 2002. Rabbi Weiss is the director or the Jewish Ou tread, Ccntc-r or Raanana.

Israel, and is a columnist for the Jerusalem Post.

Pondering the Next Step, Students Attend Israel Night _

By Esthtr Nhufh '06

Ramaz hosted Israel Night on Ov 3 for tl1c fam1• hes of sc111ors from lumJZ Upper ,nd School Wcs1chcs1cr l lebrc\, ll1sh School The nent gl\ c111 par­ cnls and srudcnts the oppor­ rumty 10 hc::ar p�n1at1ons aboul Israeli yc-sh 1 vo1 that s1udcn11 m;i, be mlerc<lc:J m corolhnr "'!C'\I )C.lr (,nel r.1 hi 1 'Ml':1. 1Jlly tmr('lrur:1 ft,r r'Jl"C'nl-. ,mcc 11 11 thetr onl) official ch&11c to srcal

with rcprt"senuuvcs from 1hc v:mous programs Each family was gr�lcd by a fumu student armed \\llh folders contammg t11c­ schcdule fo, the mghl and inform.:JUon from tJle RamJZ lsr:iel Offic:c 1,1,ebs11e After rcccl\ mg the folders. partnLS and students 1,1, C'TC directed 111tCl 1he :1ud11onum for \lam. followed bv a speech dch\ercd b) Raht,1 Rubm hft<r the src<ch. the families in Jllrncbnce \\-Cnl 10 hc31' the prcscnuttons from rq,rescn•

U1ll\1es of vanous lsr.ieli pro· grams. participa11ng Every yeshiva h.id an :is.signed classroom m "h1ch 10 mal..c a presen1a11on TI1c e\Cmng consisted of four twcnry mmutc scss1ons. m order 10 g1\'C f:muhes a chance to mcet wuh SC\ c:ral JtfTerent yeshiva rcprcscn1a11ves S1uden1< h:id 10 s1g:n up h<f,,n:h.Jnd for each se1<1on ttut ,�, \\anted to \J{;tl and rccc1,'C°d il.n tnJJ\ 1d1.13l sched• ulc ru the bcgtnmng of the

night.

Rabbi Stochcl, the usual coordmotor of Israel night. 1s on ubbancal for the year, so tJ11s ) car's program was coor­ dmated by Rabbis Lmzcr and Goldmmtz. Attendance Llus year was 3! 1111 :,II tnnc high with 86 Ramaz s1udcnu p3T• Aciual Israel t1c1pa1mg also has 3llcndance mcrnscJ. 1,1, 1th R.lbbt Lmzcr saymg thilt *over the put rv,o ycm th• number of <tu<kots �ding a :,,car m l�rae I h.3'i been O\Cr fifty pcrccnt •

According to students, the event was not so helpful.

•11 was inrcrestmc and a lol of fun to hear rcprcscnt:lhvcs duectly from the )'tShl\'Ol," said Ehshcva Oclhn 'OS, *but 11 wa.s mostly for my parents.

I'm s1111 dcc1dmg between the same two schools thot I was before• The next step for scn1ors 1s to apply to (:chool< m l�rncl and then mtcr-ric '..t, "-t· rcscn1at1\ C'! fro� schools 1

Page 10

The RamPage

Decvnber 2004/ Killev 5765

Editorial

The Beauty of Misery The hours of work ll1lt everyone mvolvcJ 111 the fall musical put into "Les Mis" was cv1ckn1 from Lhc mmutc: the hghts dimmed. 111c band, Sl!lgc crew, actors, and d1rcctors all helped to create an excellent production tha1 1s tl 1csta.mcnt to the amazing potcn11al of tlus bu1ldmg's denizens. II 1s one thing to put on a good play Dut It 1s certainly quite another to pul on a play so good tl moves members of the audience both to cry and gl\'C a s1andmi; ova­ tion, as many did, In fact, students arc s1111 hummmg along to the "Les Mis" tw1cs as they walk tJ1c h:ills this wrek.

Yet\\ h1le such an unwitting gesture 1s def­ in1tcly a tnbulc lo the power of the production.

11 by no mean$ makCs up for the somcttmcs revolting behavior of certain students m the audience during "Les Mis."' Yes. dunng 1hc very play LhJt they "loved so much," students whispered and chatted with one another, :ind,

on occasion, shouted out Lhc names of their peers on stage. Such acllons were lotally unfair to those who worked so hard to m3kc "'Les Mis" happen.

While students, in all likelihood, mc:m no harm when they call out their friends' nomeS•· indeed, they probably only intend to commend their buddies-they do much harm. Repeated shouts of"Michacl" only serve to throw orfthe cast from its groove on stage. Even if the actors Jo manage to dr0\\11 out 1he shouting sounds, these yelps prc\'Clll other, more polite students from hc.aring the musical's dialogue and songs, and in the process. preclude the cast from rcaclung their greatest potential audience.

Students should refrain from any unneccs• sary speech during all future Ramaz produc• tions. The only thing sadder than Eponinc's songs about unrequited love is not being able to hear them.

Leaming From ·a Real Fire On Nov. 11, nn experiment in the f chcmisuy lab set of the school's fire alam1s. Given all the recent fire drills, one would have expected students to respond quickly to U1e alarm and file out of the building appropriately. They did no such thing.

To a degree, students arc responsible for their own misconduct that could have, in a more dangerous situation, resulted in both injury and death. However, the root cause of students' behavior must be noted.

Students say they did not take the alam1 seriously because they simply assumed it was the latest in a relentless series of drills.

Yes, students conversed, pushed, and

engaged in other dangerous activities as the alann sounded, but they only acted that way because the existence of a real fire seemed downright implausible. The boy could only cry wolf so many times before the townspeople began doubting the authenticity of his claims. The fire drill sit­ uation is very similar: at this point in time, when students hear a fire alann, they auto­ matically question its legitimacy.

Perhaps now, {he administration will both acknowledge that the recent litany of drills has exacerbated Romaz's poor (and unacceptable, to NYSAIS) responses to fire alarms and reduce the number of drills accordingly.

Making Up for Bad Policy It is unfair 10 require students lo stay late afier school in order to make up a missed ex.am. as a new rule requires.

The administmtion says the new rule reduces teachers' workloads and ensun.-s Uial all make-up tests in one class will be of equal difiiculty.

1 lowcver. it is unfair to reduce teachers' workloads at the expense of students' free

Ho""

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time. For commuters, staying aficr school 10 tike a test means having 10 ride U,c late bus al 6:30 P.M. and not gelling home until 7:15 at U1e earliesL I low can Uic school fairly expect students 10 spt-nd an entire day in classes. then take a ICSL then go home late at night and work c,diaustingly on all their homework? llic new policy needs lo be changed.

�eRamPage

EDITORS•IN.CHIEF BenJamin Bernstein Mmam Krule Gabn8' Oppenheim ASSOCIATE EDITORS Lahav Harkov Samuet Siegel JUNIOR EDITOR Ntcole Demby CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Emily Seifer PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Gabriel Slamovils RAMCHOPS EDITORS Adina Goodman Sophia Merkfl COPY EDITOR Miriam Krawitz WEB EDITORS

Jooathan Bert<:en Zachary Liebmann FACULTY ADVISER

Mr. Albert Goetz

Come to The RamPage meeting Dec. 16 as we host speaker Daniel Okrent, public edi­ tor of The New York Times.

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Otctmbtr 2004/ Kisltv 5765

Tht lu.mPagt

Opinion

The Loss of Shabbat

By Nl<ol< Dtmby '04

for the upcoming school week.

I often ask myself: exact­ ly when did work begin 10 f trump the volucs o Shobbat?

When did my schoo lwork bcgm to impede upon the spir­ f it o rest. relaxation, and most important ly, happiness that idea lly and 1rad i11onally defines the Shabbat day ? We arc expected to obey the laws ofShabbot and s1muhoncously complete all oflhc worL. th:u 1s assigned to us over the '-'Cck­ cnd This cxpccu 11on 1s tear-

When my sister and I were ten ycan old we made a choice. We dec ided, after switching from public school nor,•dcnomin:uiona1 to :i.

Hebrew day school and then ultimately to the Ramaz Lower School that we were going 10 become Shabbat observan t. h was 3 slow process. First we stopped \\atch mg lClc\•1.sion, whjcb was nol such a loss cons1dcr• mg \\C did not have c.3blc.

Next we stopped using hght s.

Shonly afterwords "• stopped tummg on the hot "atcr. f llo" cvcr. this new embrace o Shabbot did not only consist f f o stopping to violate many o the 39 acts proh 1b11cd on ShabboL Slo" IY our Fnday night meai.. " h,ch had a l"•>-s had qu:1u-rc hg1ous fee l.

3 began to 1nclU<k fi:-c:turcs such as k1ddush and nc t,lot yada,m. r Our scattered and infrequent v1 sn.s 10 synagogue soon bcc:imc week ly ones.

We were domg thmgs at our own pace, bul we were do ing them wuh conv1ct1on 3nd sincerity. llowcvcr, 1t seems that iog away at the very essence now the Fnday n ights that of my Shabbat.

I have been told numerous consuted ofus ploying nunmy w,lh my a:randmolhcr after ti.mes by Judaic Studies lcach­ dinner un1il we fell asleep on ers that it i.s wrong to study a the couch arc long gone. sec ular subicct on Shabbat.

Now I often f.1111 u1ccp read­ Yet how can I not study when ing my American hls1ory ccxt• Ihm: JUSI dona '1 seem to be book. After shul I come enough houn in the week 1n home and do what I can, with­ which to complete all my Will my teach ers in the bounds of being work?

Shabbat observant, to prepare understand 1 ( my work 1s

I just wanted people to know that every time I pick up the American history textbook to read on Shabbat, I can hear that 1 0-yea ­ old girl, inside me crying out in protest.

unfinished? Woll they be fo r­ giving when grading my tests f , I explain to them that my s1udying time was limited r because o Shabb.11? w,11 llashcm undc,.tand my need 10 study physics ,fI c.ploin 10 him that I ha,1c a test on Monday? Arc my pnonllcs skewed?

Dunng da,c111ng lite other day I sow a gir m my grade l d1S<"rcc 1 ly s1udymg from index C:lfds that ¥.ere being ma.skcd by her siddur. On closer 1nspcc 11on I could see thon the ·v.ntmg on the cuds w:u tn l lcbrc\\. She "" study ing for a Dible tes l No one :.round her ieemed lo be vexed by tlu.s but I couldn 't help but kt out a SJd hlllc l3ugh Is this \\hat 11 has come to• Pcrhops I om be1ng slight­ ly unfw. AOcr oi l. this prob­ lem 1.s one inhe rent 10 m3ny ycshl\ • day school,. The pur­ ( pose o my bmenl 1.s not 10 propose revo lu11on3ry ch.inge.

I am not advoca ting that another day be added to the weekend so that I c: in thor• oughly cnJoy Shobbat and sll ll h:tve the time I need 10 com• plctc •II my work (a lthough I would not comp lain i( such a cha.nae were 1mplcmcntcd). l just wanted people 10 under• stand that every lime I pick up that American history 1ext• book to read on Shabbat. I can hear 1h11 J O- ye ar-old girl ms ide me crying out m protest.

A Better System of Government

By Sophia Mcrkln '06

In September, I \\TOie an op1mon pica: on palnoCJsm. or roUicr, the lack Uicrcof 10 Amcncan society. Smee the pnnhng of Uus ar1Jclc, I ham: been cnlJn><d and ndicukd for my "naivete.• I would Wee IO defend my - and explain "hy, clich&l tho ugh 11 IS, I am proud IO he an Amcncan.

I ollaldc<l • Nov 22 lecture al Co ogJ<g;it,on Shc:an U1 Israel (or Uoc Spanid1 Por1u1,'Ucsc Syna_., ., 11 " somctuncs known) delr,=d by Soprcmc Court JU'itJCC Antomn Scalia.

Thu year nwlu Uic J50tl1 llMlvcnaty ort/ul <Mw<l,lllOn. and U1"1 mommg. U,cn: wa< • l)'ITll)OOlurn mulled "Rclrg,oo, Frccdom m Amcnca.: l·oondauon, ;uv.l l· utwc ,. Other than Jusuct SClha, sevc:r.il mi­ en::nd,, r.tblm. und imams !ipOkc 011 Uus holly cootolcd loplC

Jusucc SClho is well known for being an cxtrmicly ton<;c.T• vativc jud1,'<; he wos 3pp01111cd 10 tl1c bench by Prcsidc:nt Rcag;in m 1 986. I don1 know what I wos CXJ)0Cllllg. but I wos surpnscd and mtngucd by what I l=ncd I le spoke eloquently on sa=I IOplCS. but wtw U14a<SI· cd and cnbghtcncd me most was his duruss10r1 or Oic natun: or rchg,on 10 Amcnca ll became c k.ar, aj lhc morning V.'OfC on. tl\11 Amcnc;a doesn't ,.,uy hove such • clc;ir scpanuon bciw,xn du,n;h and I l ow·cvcr, I wonder st.ale. whether Uw " such • bJd Uung.

JustJCC Scali, told U,c '101)' of h1' apcncna:, on S<pl 1 1 , coo­ 2001 lie W>1 ai fc:rcncc or Judj/C1 "'hen tl,c IWO p!Jnc, cra,hcd mlO 11,c Twin lowcn lli,1 ml!),1. tl,c ""'Id wa1cl1<d :u P11"11dc111 l hl<h spoke, conclud111s 1111 rcm.uks w1U1 • hc:infch "Ood bl=

Rome r,. .

America... The next morning. a French judge :opprooc hcd Scal i• and expressed his jealousy. TIIC judge said Ul.11 he wished he lived in a count,y when: the president or the prime minister could offer such words gt a time of ac.-C tngcdy. In c:ounlric:s like France, churth and >tll< an: complcicl>• � Sludcnts an: rori>iddcn &om wair,g n,li­ gioo, g;,,t, such as hc:adscon-cs ond k ipot in nat ional classrooms.

As JC\\� do we w.int IO be for­ bidden from cxprtMing our hel,crs "' we ,,.. fit'/ I heliC\e O,c ArtlCricM sy,­ lem or ll"'-cnvncnt-<hoid or n,ligion in pol icy. but nn1 JO in rhctoric-L, pre fer.able to one "hich would fo,bid my brolhcr rrom """''"8 • k i)lfQI, or would bcol me ror wrill"ll Uus op«! urticlc. Dl�,grce with me- I don'I mind. fhn don1 uol.c /\mcricn', rnxdom, ror granl<d

Pagt 11

Opp- Ed

By Gabriel Oppenheim 'OS

Toothpaste in

y ooms

In It was 10 14 A M. not sec 1h01 the loud boy six desks do"n would become a room 304, a sophomore sat m den tist. thot the kid who English class w11h ha lfopened eyes, sta nng ot but alwoys msed his hand "ould not seeing lhe bl:ackboud be rc1ec1cd c:i r ly dcc 1s1on He had stayed up unlll 2 00 from college, and thot the girl A M. the p revious n1gh1 behind h,m "ou ld fall asleep on his shoulder on a y ,intcr studymg for his second pen· od "chem ,. tes t� ""h1ch he mg.ht m 1umor ye.ir. aced. A rcs1ramed but te l ling 1ne fr«hman turned bxk :&round 10 bee lhe boa rd. smile crepl mto l u.s face It fell good. " Tcnm - sounds hlc • disease.

Three scats to his lcn. he thought. op11 m 1s11c yet one row b:1ck. hi.s best fncnd W\Surc The Spanish teacl,cr tool< slouched lier bocl crcoted • in • brcolh of stli;,unt 406 w.

J0-60- 90 tnonglc " l lh the chair. S1gh1ng I\\ 1cc, she ago in rcso l,cd. A cell phone h looked •t 1he bo>rd. r.ing m Uic bocl of the room 1bc senior girl roam ing Stup id empty seemed "chem " test.

Ile turned around the sixth floor lou nge w;alkcd fro m the carpet ci rcle a round and the smil e w.u gone. She di dn 't know how to the ca rpet be nch ond bock.

She did no1 want 10 return 10 b:id he felt. class To 100- nice teacher s F 1nccn foci up, four Jun• iors sat around • hbrory table who mode you feel bod for nol doing lhc reading and lauglung. None o( them had t�nice fncnd.s who knew said anything panicular ly n wh:u they wer e doina on fun y, but there was someSatu rdoy nighL She had lhing about the li bl2r)' that al ready opphed 10 collcae mode them forget about the and couldn't bnng hcrscl( to tests, mclodnma. and ennui for ju.st ;a moment••long The senior bla med Yt. Ork..

AOL, but "ondcrcd " hY she enough to slap coch other on the back and upset the hb rarfelt the need 10 make Jokes m ians. A free pcnod or 40 class when she felt squ,nny inside. mmutcs, though, had p.;.sed Turning 10 the window. in what sccmcd hkc four. and she tool< out her cell phone and the jun ior at the end of the table swung his bag from the dialed her compliant fnshman Ooor lo hJS boc k-thud -and SISier. "Hel lo'>" out wa lked h c T 1cachcr • ,1 I SpoMli hunched ove r.

Moth qui z. He coo fiscatcd the hco dcd for his cell plWJDC and r. t t O 00- sent the fresh.

OC seventh noor with locker man g,rl IO the d rooping onns, offic c. Slic was passing room holfwoy lo SIX 406 u nth 1n k when the fire al rm ingly wos OJng e rea ,ng 3 I[ sountbi A 1 4-yearold freshman near ly homesat upright in room-but not • narly cnoughthe second row the cnhrc and or 406• lool::mg the school through put wtndow in Uic d0\'11 " hat 11 door. A beordd ��� �: j unior ed .

IOI$ tnchers. •nd students paclcd walked by the door, but U,c freshman didn� l,,ow who llu, Ilic sla1rc:a,cs. ThtTc "'"' 11111< room ror 1m�. 11nd the ron� or "hy he "'3..�n•t srmhng Madc no dJ (Tcrcncc:-11 ¥.'H I gtsllon CTntcd I nlOUnllng sunny monung, pressure Ul the building w,uJ So the freshman mned lhc IL:Jlls coukln't talc 11 any 111.s neck to glance 111 ,1111 lon1,ttt llten an cn11re school-including lwo sophornoKs, undt fincd peers wlulc lhe four 1un1°", two freshmen, a Inc her conj ugated "'tencr" on senior, and a Spa111d1 tcxherthe board The freshman saw OOLcd out 0010 78111 Street like clusmalcs , his stomach loothpaslc from a container twisting uncc111unly, cxpcc, tanll_l'. _ Dul the f rcsJ1�1•� did •• 1'1�7� 1QQ )l>f\l, . • • • • • • •

• The sen,or gI d'd not want to return t Iass. nice teach ers who ma de you fe el bad for not d' d . th and too-nice fnends who knew wh at they were doing on Saturday night.

Page 12

Cam/er daxwiceftmr tqr. Louis Potok 'CJ7 sleeps on a bus IO following Westchester

TheFaCIBofSin

teachers on the third floor, Ariel Chetrit 'ffl and Jessica

his lines from the pla)'i Daniella Sehgal 'ffl listms ID

Page 13

lentTeacher (bnfemnCIB

Students waited on long lines to spend a few minutes one-on-one conferences with their teachers on Nov. 17, Student-Tead1er Conference Day. There was the usual squabbling and bickering that characterize student-teache conferences: classmates fought over who should take hi.ch place in .which line, which teachers' lists were valid, and whether teachers should allow multiple students to eet at one�. Unlike last year, though, the G.O. did not se p television sets in the lounges to play movies throughou the day or hand out chocolates to those on lines. Some stu­ dents complained about the lack of entertainment that after­ oon, but others simply tried to fall asleep after a tiring day.

her music player on line; Jonatlian ltlpaporl 'Ill tries to Mi ?1clle Idler � dut bclo": "':''-"' in U,e gyni; ltlbbi Adela Korn 'Ill waits for Ms. slet1' in U,c thin:! £Joor lounge SO?tng Mc Couillard; R.1bb1 01cnenfcld, Ms. Cohen, and Schaefer on the Uurd Ooor, Andl'l'w ftluncr '00 and Sd,iowilz amduds a am/er- ftlbbi Weiser take a break

Page 14

December 2004/ Kislev 5765

TheRamPage

Opinion

Are Student-Teacher Conferences Helpful?

Conferences Serve Us Well

The Day Needs to Go

By Emily Btlrtr •05

By Jonalhu Hartle •OS Many students dread student-teacher conferences because of the long Now that I've been through student-teacher conferences four times, I can tell lines to meet with teachers and the ruckus that ensues when individuals it to you straight Conference Day is a colossal waste of time. circumvent those lines by cutt ing and creating waiting lists.

You Sland in line for hours, only to speak to your teachers for a scant two There is an inherent value to meeti ng one-on-one with teachers. minutes. You learn nothing that you do not already know, except that your teach­ Many studen ts complai n th at R amaz is a cold and u ncaring institution , t1S eitll(,'f think you should apply yourself nnore or want you to keep up the which it occasionally is. Student-teacher conferences go a long way to progress. And you probably knew that Is the Day a great already, too. compensatin g for that. On Conference Day. students have a great oppor­ tunity: the chance to receive advice and feedback from instructors and opportunity to receive If there arc two teachers sharing a to discuss matters they can't broach in class. No other day of the school room. then you also hear about how your feedback from year is as sinb'Ularly devoted to st udents' needs as is Student-Teacher fellowclasgnatcs arc performing.This is Conference Day. instructors or merely just uocomfonablc ard iroppropriatc.

True, most teachers at the Upper School arc willing to schedule But oic behind student-teacher litany of lines? meetings with pupils on a ny given doy. I lowcver. st udents doing well in coofcrcnccs ,s a good OflC. In fact, teachclass rarely schedule meetings witl, their teachers. If it weren't for the ers and SIU<lcnts should be talking about compulsory conferences, these successful studen ts would never take the academic progress on a regular basis.

Do the meetings time to strengthen their relationships with instructors. Of course. a major • .

These discussions should no1 be relcga1pan of the high school experience is dc\'eloping a lasting rappon with prov1de an opportunity 00 10 one =ly cloy. By jamming au teachers. the meetings into one eight-hour period. to strengthen Besides. if handled properly, Conference Doy cnn be a breeze. Two the school invites chao.s and anarchy into relationships with ,ts halls. I've \\1tncs,;ed fistJcuas breakways to make the doy go by faster arc to sec teachers with many classes early in the morning and to bring a d1\'ening "idget to school-•perhaps teachers or are they ou1 a1least oncc incach of my fouryears an iPod or Gameboy. Another strategy is to nap after davening (sixth here. In hcu of Student-Teacher too short?

0oor lounge. anyone?) until 2:00 P.M .. by \\ hich point most lines have Conference Day, each class should h.lve dissipated. its own cloy set aside for teachers and sru­ Regardless of how on e chooses to approach student-teacher confer­ How can cutting be dents to meet privately together. This ences. it's clear thot the day's annoyanccs--which arc insignificant com­ would be a nnore productive system prevented? pared to its benefits-can bc overcoi:ie easily. �-----------� than the current one.

a

!dca

Rules of the Road: A Study of Ramaz Social Etiquette It was 12:49 •nd I 113d exactly one minu1c to get to class. I turned the comer of

the founh floor, and there she was, walking up the stairs

towards me. She looked up at me, all smiles. "Hey!

What's up?" she inquired

innocently. I wanted to be pohte, I really did, but 1f I slowed down then all hope of be-mg on time would have been lost and my life would been over. I managed a weak smile as I ran past her. I s·pnnlcd 1ato the classroom just as the bell r.rng. As I took my scot I thought to myself: isn't there some son of unwnttcn rule against starting a convcrsallon with someone who is in a rush to get to class? In th1.s moment of frustration. I bore a grnnd idea I dce,dcd lh>t I was

In the elevator, silence is imperative.

Nobody likes a loud person in the morning, especially a cheery one.

going to draft a persona) con• stllution outlining what should •nd should DOI be done 1.n ce,ujo social situa• lions in Ram.12 so that othen could avoid makmg the same mistake as my ignorant fncnd.

I discovered that m add1• lion to the rules meticulously laid out in ."Preludes" (and me11culously enforced by certain teachen and admm1s• tntors), there exists a set or more elusive, yet equally 1mport.1nt R.1maz•.spec1fic rules th•t dictate what is courteous and what is rude.

These subtle rules pervade every :.,,spcct of hfe at Ramu.

Crom ndmg the elevator m the morning to leaving the building at the end of the day.

I also learned that many SIU• dents have unique intcrpreta• hons or v. hat 1s and isn't appropnale in these s11ua• tl0M. After m1ens1vc mvesh• gallon. I felt I was ready to begin my conshtullon. I lcrc 11 1s in all 11.s glory: Oftentimes students arc caught on one .ude of the �lad bar "hen the desired \-egeuble 1s on the other side The general consensus 1s 1hat 11 IJ okay 10 reach to the other side obta111 something on the oppo�11e side ru long as you toke care not get m onybody's

way. Crossing under or over someone, however, is nev« acceptable.

Every morning I ride the elevator up to my locker on the sixth floor along with the other semi-conscious pas.sen• gcrs. Occasionally someone awake will come 1n and attempl to •Jivcn• up the ele• vator with his or her cheer.

Other limes freshmen, who. I assume, were not up work.mg unul I :30 A.M. the night before, will engage each other in loud conversation. I ask �iat you please toke this rule to heart: Wl1en ndtng in a mommg elevator. silence is 1mpcrauve as 1.s a stony face.

Nobody hkes • loud person m the momrng. especially a cheery one.

When m the lounge area. those listening lo their 1Pods m a comer, or Cacmg away from the rush of people, probobly "ish 10 be lefl alone to hstcn to whatever they happen lo hu·e on their play Ano1her 11nportant hst. lounge rule: Students who manage lo squeeze ma quick nap dunng their frees should be av.•.1kencd when the end• ,ng bell nng., Wlule the sle,ping siudenl moy be less­ Lhan,gratcful 31 fir51, he or she will loller tlurnk you for s:avmg them from the wrath

There exists a set of more elusive, yet equally important Ramaz-specific rules that dictate what is courteous and what is rude. or the teacher whose class they would have been late to had they not been waked.

I commonly find myself m crowded Ramu elevators.

Remove your backpack as you smush m, lest you shove it into the face of the person standing bchmd you!

Another issue regarding elevators IS the minimum number of floors one must be trnclmg m order 10 mcnt usmg the elevator. Ridmg the elevator down one floor 1s never accepUtblc. I personal• ly hold th:u traveling two nights an either direction always menLS elevator usage. but with such fierce ongomg debates over v.-h.11 1s appro,. pnate. a selccl (cw find 11 cas• 1er to avoid connicl ;ahogcth• er and opt for the stair, (bu1 tJus is a minute· contingent . given the inhcrcnr .... . JS or

the high school student).

Lastly I would hke to address the situation that staned tlus whole tlung.

Suning a conversauon wtth someone who is gomg in the opposite direction m the stairwell should be avoided.

Everyone is always rushmg in Romu. The pcnon may DOI have lime lo slop and ch3L On the odd chance that they do, stair blockage occur5 as the two of you talk lmure­ ly.

Perhaps It would serve Ramaz well lo crutc an addendum to Preludes outlm• ing exactly "hat should. and • should DOI, be done ,n the aforementioned social situ.a• lions. Tius cou Id serve as a fom1:1I cons1i1ution and help remove the ambiguity sur• round mg many or these rules.

Until then. I '4111 continue lo follow my own personal guidelines and hope thal other people arc receptive to tl1em. Out remember. like the constitution or our country. my constitution 1s a h,•ing document and 1s open to change. rlcasc mfom, me 1( you h:t\'e any qualms with the rules llull I h:wc sci forth

(or

myself. Just lake cJrc nol to do 11 :n I run down the stairs to get to class on tune.

Page 15

The RamPage

December 200,1,/ Kislev 5765

Features

Creating the Perfect Club Flyer

By Jon:ah Mtrmclst�ln •OS Craning an appealing club Oyer is not :m exact sc-1cncc. Over the years. club captains and leaders have used vastly different tacttcs in fashioning advertisements to lure new members. Out the question remains: which of these strategics work :md why'?

Students say the promise of food--parucularly p•=· Dougu:'s. and Fhk cook1cs-1mmcd1atcly piques their cunosity. In lhe p:ist. though, most flyers mentioned food at the very bottom of the page in small typc--not a place conducive to calchmg lhe eye of passersby.

However. the designers of one recent flyer seemingly recognized the power of stu­ dents' hunger (and its impact on their co-cumcular deci­ sions): signs for Thursday night learning at Yeslm•a Umvcrstty rea1ure a promi­ nent Dougie's logo. Students

have responded to the poster as expected.

"Nothing satisfies me more than Dougie's," Josh Yunis 'OS said. "The pronuse of food 1s a great way to get me to come," he added. refer­ ring to the kaming program.

Other students say ads that pose a litany or questions attract them to clubs because they crave answers. One club that employs such mtcrroga­ tive flyers is lhe Y'/ Club. whose very purpose is 10 deal with students' queries about Jucb1snt "Wh.lt's the purpose of shomcr negiah?" asked one Y? poster last ye;;u-.

Sometimes, an ad's suc­ cess has more to do w11h HS images than i1s words Ramaz's new school-focused magazine. 78. glued its flyers to the glossy covers of Us Weekly, a maga1;mc smular to People tha\ documents celebrity exploits.

"I used the Us Weekly CO\'Crs to make a point," 78

founder Deborah Shnay '05 said. "If you're interested m reading and writing about cclcbnlles. kal v'chomcr you'll be interested m reading and wntmg about Ramaz stu­ dents."

Faculty adviser Ms. Simons said that 78 now has 15-20 members. which many club captains said was a large number for a new publtca­ tion.

Still. many students said their peers wouldn't JOm a club based on an ad alone.

"Just because a Oyer is catchy doesn't mean people are gomg to go." Devora Stcchlcr 'OS said.

Ehana Pollak '08 agreed that most students didn't judge clubs on the ments of their posters. Would she her­ self attend a club 1r its Oyer announced, for mstancc, that pizza would be scr.•ed?

"Pizza sounds enticing," she said. "but no."

'

Look Back at Past RamPage Issues: Dec.1990

y Tht RamPagt Staff

1l1e more things change. the more they slay the same, or so the old bromide goes.

Out a look back at the December 1990 issue of 1l1e RamPage suggests 1hat phrase became ub1qu1tous for good reason.

Page three or that 14ycar-old issue features an article in which male students complain or co-curricular d1scnmmat1on after bemg barred from cheerleading 5-9uad tryouts. While Ramaz no longer has such a squad. an article in this issue of the paper tells lhe story of llya Schwarr,burg '06. a boy dlS· allowed from joining the cur rently all-girls dance tc:1m.

The I 990 issue also con­ tains poinl/eounterpomt opinion pieces on whether students should wear k1pot m the subway. Joshua Amm1 4

·93 v.'Totc 1he counterpoint. recalling an mc1de111 m which three "surly teenagers" knocked ofT l11s so-called ..beanie," and m the process. .. '"desecrated 111s Judaism.

Am1m espoused wcanng a ba.scbaH cap m the subway 10 preserve the sanctity of his 1rad111ons.

L1kcw1sc. m an an1clc on page SIX of tlus ISSUC. Amini discusses how the Sephardic mmyan helped him mamtam his trad1llonal ntuals throughout !ugh school.

In sports, there's nothing new under the sun. as well.

The 1990 issue predicted that the Pistons would win their d1v1s1on. Fourteen years later.

Sports Illustrated forecast the Pistons to win their division again. Then again. The R:?mPagc s::,,id the Oulls were too wc-ak to go far m (he play. offs. Whoops

Wordsworlh

By Lahav Harkov '05

When Rabbi Y1Sracl Weiss v1si1ed Ramaz in October. At1ra Kaplan '05. cdltor-m-cluef or Our Israel. mfonned a faculty member that she was rclalcd lo Weiss and could interview lum.

"That's so clutch," the teacher said.

The use of "clutch" as an adjective has become so ub1quitou1 that even teachers arc now employing the word 10 describe things (not thal !here's anything wrong with U1>t). !Jul whal exaelly do,s "clutch" describe?

Accordmg to Merriam• Wcbslcr't dictionary, the

Breaking Down Teen Talk: Clutch

adJcctJvc "clutch" means "made or done in a cruci:il situation" or "successful in a crucial situation." A "clutch player," then, 1s an athlete whom the sports columnists consider "successful" when push comes to shove at the end or a ttght game.

Conversely, someone who merely gets pushed and shoved al the end of a game is ii "choker." '"Central to many talcs is 1he notion that there arc clutch players. with the char­ acter lo deliver every umc," David l..conhard wrote in :m Oet. 24 New York Times

sports .1rt1clc, "and there arc chokers, those too morally weak 10 perform when it counts."

For example, the Boslon Red Sox had a reputation for being anything but clutch until they won the World Series this year. On the otl1er hand. their rivals, the Yankees, have :almost always been "cool as the other side of the pillow' (a Prince lyric co-opted by 'SportsCcnter" anchor Stuart Scott to denote sponing sangfroid). Indeed. the Yankees cp1tomizc clutch-ncss.

Yet the "so clutch" of

sports fans 1sn'1 exactly the "so clutch" of students. Herc at Ramaz. "clutch" 1s more like a cooler way of s:1ying "convenient." If a history teacher stuck in traffic were to mass 3 class. for instance. a student might exclaim, "That is sooo clutch." Of course, 1f that same history tca,chcr were to show uJ) four minutes and S9 seconds late to class-­ thereby prcvcr1ting students from in..,okmg the unofficial "five-minute rule"--hc would have pulled off a "clutch" move in the sports sense or the word.

111c transition from the

sports clutch to the Ramaz clu1ch 1s not very difficult to grasp. A Oer all. a bascs­ l03ded home run in the bot­ tom of the ninth inmng 1s not just a success "in a cnicial sit­ u:nion" but also a convcmcnt way for the home team lo end the game... lron1cally, to pa.st genera­ tions, a "clutch" 1s a ha,ndbag that lacks a handle or shoul­ der strap and therefore, is rather a,wkw:ml lo ca,rry. I low un-clutch 1s that?

Page 16

December 2004/ Kislev 5765

The RamPage

Features

Is Technology Making Classes More Productive?

By Nicolt Drmb) 1 '06

the Over summer, S�IARTBoards were installed 111 many of the class­ rooms. yet teachers ,, h6 were expcc1rng fully functionmg boards. were d1sappo111tcd to find stumps of wires "here I h. e projectors should hJ\'C been.

"Teachers ,,ere dcfi1111cly a little frustrated," said I lcschcl Kaufm.:rn. the Director of Information Technology. Mr. Kaufm:m explained that many of the Smartboards on the fifih noor were utstalled late due to delays 111 construcuon In add1uon to these delays. there were cables and pieces of the

Smartboard that ,,ere miss­

ing. Post-installat1on then: have been a number of tech­ nological glitches that Jrc m the process of bcmg smoothed out.

Despite setbacks, Mr. Klotz is sull a SMARTBoard

emhus1asL ''Working with the Smartboards has been a transfomtative experience.

You can do a lot more with them." He is also furgivmg with regard to the delays. "I don't fault anyone.

Mr. Kaufman ,,as busy setting . everything up..

Or. Juco\'y also appreci­ ates the S�IARTBoards and 1s becoming an avi d user. I le finds the SMARl Boatd par­ ticularly useful 111 lus film class. '"It's very advanta­ geous for the studcnis 10 new an excerpt of a mo\!JC on a larger screen."

Dr. Jucovy docs speak of one fruslratmg cxpencnec.

As part of a lest he was giving 10 lus film class. Or. Jucovy planned on showing his sludcnts' an excerpt of 3 film on the SMARTOoard.

The bo:ud malfunctioned and did not play the film. ·•1 wanted lhe s1udcnts to sec the film m high definition. with good sound. It's frustraung.

T

Ms. BlumlM"rg U.\CS a S�IAR Bo;ml durtn� cl.ass to illustr.alr :a �tonlC'­ tr)' probltm. Opink>n ha.s bttn split mtr 1hr boards' u.stfuUnb.."I spent time sc11111g ,t up." "'I-le was pretty upset about It." said Oen Levm '05. who 1s in Dr. Jucovy's film class and was taking the test when malfunction the occurred. In general though.

Levin apprecrntes the use or the SMARTBoard. . "He shows us a lot or chps and 1t defin11ely enhances the class."

Lcvm also encountered problems in Ins ma1h class "The with Ms. Kolalch. board had never been installed properly and the cal­ culator wouldn't show up."

Wink many teachers speak highly of the SMARTBoards, there arc a rcw who long for Lhc days when markers actually had tnk in them. "Frankly I find

them a little cwnbersomc 10 use," sa i d Dr. Stone. "It's • quicker Just 10 throw a slide pr oJc:cuon up there."

He oflen does Just th.is. ignonng the SMARTDoard that has been ms1allcd in his room on the fifih floor.

Aviva Nusbaum '06 agrees with Dr. Stone that the boards can be burdensome.

"A lot or urnes H takes tllc teachers a long time to get the SMARTBoards to function properly because: they ha,cn't been set up correctly." she said Nathan Schocnkm '06 bclie,·es otherwise. "They're useful because teachers can put Lhc infonnauon onlmc.

It's also helpful m math and physics because the teacher can use the calculator and everybody will be able 10 sec what they arc domg " As far as problems w11h the SMARTOoards m class.

Schocnkin says he has yet to expcncnce any.

New Trips Focus on Leaming Beyond the Classroom By ;.\\'i Mrhl '07 In an attempt to improve students' academic and social experience, the school administration has fac1htated the start or many new school tnps. The trips have been met with much approval from both s1udents and teach• crs, ,,.,ho reel 1hat they will greatly contribute to makmg the learnmg experience at Rama. z more enJoyablc "Posit 1vc social experiences enhance the academic envi­ ronment and arc pan or our educational mission." sa i d Rabbi Rubrn I-le continued. " 1 1 1s 1mponant to m:11ntam a balance bc1y.rccn acadcn11c 3nd social ac11v111es."

1 he firSt activity of 1he ')'Car was t.hc second annual freshman day trip. The grade tirs1 went ice skaling al Ccnlral Park's Wollman Rmk. which was follo"cd by aucndrng a show at Chicago Cuy L11111LS, ::m 1mprov1sa­ t10nal C(1medy club.

Add111onally, the school ha� con1111uctl to ha\C Sh.1bba10n11n.

Over 1he weekend of Oc1obcr 22. 1he 1;ophomores had rheir �hahh.aton at lhc Tamunenl Rc,on & Con krcnre Center m IJushk.111. PcnnJylv;miJ In ,uJ,h11on 1hc frc�hmcn had their '.>hJbb.ion on 1hc 1>cel­ cn,J or Novcmhcr I? m '-umrnr,I < ,,nnc01<.ul

In an e-mail sent out fol­ lowing the Sophomore Shabbaton. the admm1stra11on deemed the event a suc­ cess, referring to it as "a unique opportunity for our students to bond as a grade:. share excumg acuv111cs and embrace tJ1e beauty and spc• c1al nature of Shabbat." The admm1s1ra11on believed that the program "provided a hcahhy and conductive envi­ ronment for sclr reOcc11on " Dcyond sOC1al programs, there have been many new cducallon:illy based tnps planned by the teachers and the adm1nis1ra11on.

Recently.

Rabb, Sch1ow11z took his sopho­ more Talmud class to the Dcth Dm or 1\mcnca 111 order 10 prO\'lllc students wllh the opponunlly "10 sec hands on. how a runc11onmg lkth Dm works." Firs1. Rabin Yonah Reiss. 01rcclor of the Oc1h D111, spoke to tl1c s1uden1s aboul the spcc11ic Jaws con­ cerning a Octh D111 that arc in d1scuJsed Tracluatc Sanhcdnn The studcnl.s then 100k turns pl.aymg the differ­ ent roles or members of a Oeth 0111. prac11cmg the la" s 1hcy had s1ud1cd 10 cbss "I'm open 10 <lomg !lungs chat cnnch the lcJmmg of my s1u­ den1.s"' ica,d Rabh1 \icl110" Ill Add1t1onallv manv ol 1hc ,cmOT d.1\c,e, hJ\iC 1.al.en !rip,;

Dr. Stone's twelfth grade elective. War and Society. "inti ltratcd" the Metropolitan �•fuscum or Art and visited che Anns and Armor Collection. Always looking to learn from history, Dr. Scone said that his class "replicated the campaign stra1 cg1cs used during the Baltic of the [Julge" by d1vid• mg inco separate groups and then mcctmg cogclhcr after cnlcrmg. m order 10 avoid havmg to schedule the tnp

"We're right near the Met, so it's great to finally take advantage of it." with the museum "We're nghl near the Met." said Mcrav Stlvcnnan '05. "so it's great to finally take ad,•an­ tagc or 11." Dr. Stone also expressed hopes of a fu1urc lnp to lhe lntrcp1J Mr. KI0IZ took 111s 1wel nh grade Astronomy cl:Jss 10 lhc Rose Center l'lanctanum at the American i\1uscum of Natural lhstory.

"II \\3S a ,cry wortJmlulc lnp, bcCJUSC ll allO\\ed �IU· <lrnl� 10 sec m a more hands­ on amJ m1crJrl1\-c and vm1al \\-.t) �,onH.: or lhc 11110.:,; we lll�c-<l ahoul Ill da�•-" �3u.l

Mr. Klotz.

Music or the twcn1ie1h Century. Mr. Elisha's senior elective class. took a trip to movie see a called "Lightning in a 8011le," which documented a concert in R.1dio City Music Hall.

The film foatured pcrfonn­ ancc-s by some of the greatest blues music1:ms in lustory, and depicted the evolution or blues rn the U S. TI1e class also attended a conccn at the Ma.nhattan School of Music (MSM) called "Remembering Ocmstcin.'"

111c concert included three p i eces by Leonard Dcms1ein. one by A:iron Copland and one composed by a MSr-.•I student.

The AP Environmental Science class recently vis11ed Pond the Alley Env i ronmental Ccnlcr in Douglaston. NY The ct,ss v1s11cd, "different ponds :md creeks and recorded mfom1a­ uon on pl I levels and dis­ solved oxygen lc\'cls," sa i d Rebecca Schlangcl '05 111c honors and AP rlass­ cs III physics and rm11h were 111v1tcd to v1cw,011 cxl11b11 at the cw Yorl. Public Library Branch Mam called "Ne,, 1on1an �lomcnt" T,,che studcnls m:rnagcd 10 :111enJ :ilong \\llh Mr Goc11 anJ Mr Klot> llowc1er. ti. dnccnl "ho "ii' ,uppCKeJ h> lead the J?.fOup 1hroui:,h the

exhibit did nol show and so the group went on a self guid­ ed tour. The followmg clay the tour guide called and apologized. she c.amc to the eleventh grade honors math class on November 29 to talk to the students about the: exhibit and Newton.

Rabb, Rubrn proposed the idea of takmg classes 10 v1s11 Yeshiva Univcrs11y's SOY Scfonm Sale. On a pracllcal lcvd. he feels that 1l 1s very m1ponant for students to see how many sefonm arc av3ilablc al incxpcnstvc pnccs. At the same time. he bcl 1evcs 11 to be of "great val uc for our s1udcnts to leam about the vast opponunillcs of Torah study that 1s readily available 10 them."

Add1t1on>lly, Rabb, Rubm has set forth plans to add a Senior Shabbaton, as well as a Srhool W i de Shabba1011 to the school cal­ endar. I-le bc-hevcs that It would be beneficial 10 pro­ \ ide the semors wuh one lasl opponumty 10 come togclhcr os a rommun11y, Jnd spend a Shabba1 ,, 11h carh other In add111on. he stressed the 1mportanrc of bnngmg the school lOi_;l'lhcr. anti prov1d111g both s1uden1� from tl1fTer­ e111 grade� and tCJthcrs the chance to fonn nc\, fnrnd­ lup,

Page 17

The RamPage

December 2004/ Kislev 5765

Features

From /�ft to r,ght · Ganurski nods ofr in thr third noor lounge whilt waiting for

Ms. Schacrrr. llt was number

29 on tht list to stt htr, t,·u thou,:h initially ht w;u numb<'r II. Ganz.uski slancb next 10 a sophomore, ont of lht many studtnl.s in lint for /\Is. Blumbtrf! who :rrt bigger than hr is. Ganurski nound up nailing an hour :rnd 14 mln­ ucrs to set Ms. Blumberg.

Guzuskl laughs \\ ilh friends on tht third Ooor-... It's tiring,-

As Others Cut, Freshman Finishes Last (ron tinutd from pagt onr)

stepping peers. Ganz.arski, though, says the day doesn't daunt him. So at 9:00 he sits there. on the bleachers. and begins to chat with a few classmates.

Ms. Blumberg enters the gym 31 9:03. Ganzarski joins the single file hoe forming in front of her. His classmates pretend to struggle for posi­ tion.

"You cut me!" a sopho­ more says in seeming jest Outside the gym. there is nothmg make believe about 1he pwhmg 3nd shoving.

Students waiting for Dr. Stone press up aga'inst each other. struggling to gel closer to his office �r. They seem jaundiced under the pale-yel­ low SC lighting.

At 9:3 I, Ganzarski says he IS j,und,ced, too--though for a different reason. His hp curls a bit as he stands in line for Ms. Blumberg behind I 5 other students. Twenty min­ utes earlier, 11 students had been ahead of him.

"Yeah. seniors arc cut­ ting," he says. "Can I do any­ thing aboul ,t? No. They're seniors.• Fourteen minutes later, a sophomore sits down to meet woth Ms. Blumberg.

"I don't think so," she says, motioning wil11 her h;md to the hnc.

"I was here, though," he says.

Ms Blumberg looks at the sophomore for a moment.

"All righL" Ganzarski watches this but nods his head to a beat only he can hear. He's l1slen­ mg to a rap song on his MP3 player "Slow Motion" by Juvenile. fcalurrng Soulia Shm Oan7�rsk1 docsn'I comrnenl on the title Mc.anwh1le . .across the gym. Yuzy Rubrn '05 IS chal• ling with Mr Dulny "I'm done with my mce.,_ ings," Yury aays "You're a senior." Mr

Dulay says bcgtnning to chuckle, "you probably just push and cul."

It's now 10:45.

Ganz.arskt has seen Ms. Blumbcrg--he sat down wtth her at 10:17, after ,vaiting an hour and 14 mmutes--and Ms. Leibowitz, whose line was relatively short, Ganzarsk1 1s now waiting behind five other students outside room 304 to sec Mr. Couillard..

Enk Wohlfarth '05 walks by. mentioning to a friend in passing that he's finished hts conferC"nc-cs. A freshman girl in hne for Mr Couillard throw1 her head back. "lbcre are people done'!" she asks. putting extra emphasis on "done." No answer. She sighs. leans her head against the while wall behind her, and closc.s her eyes.

Ganzarski isn't pJying attention to the girl--he has more pressing matters with which 10 deal. A friend has told him that Mr. Mark IS checking class notes for, among other things, leg1b1llty For and organiZ3llon.

Ganzarski, whose handwnt­ ing is what he calls "real sloppy." that means lakmg lime to rcwnle most of his notes While Ganzarsk1 revises the chart on ancient peoples, two sophomores rn ·Mr. Cou1llard's hoc pretend to make out. or hook up.

Ganzarski looks up from lhe notes and smiles for a moment Across lhe ha II, outside room 305, a teacher halts all her conferenccs.

"I hJvc a migraine, and I need to take a five minute break to cat." she says in one breath. As lhe lcachcr leaves lhe floor to get food, sludents respond "Can you hurry up?" a freshman asks "I gel migraines, loo," a sophomore say!I 111c other eleven student1- w.a1tmg for the teacher laugh

h's 12:46 P.M. and G:i.nzarski is number 29 on the illicit list to sec Ms. Schaefer. Ms. Schaefer is currently talking to number 17. How that happened Ganzarski has no idea.

(At 11:04, Ganzarski jomed Ms. Schaefer's line after concluding his confer­ ence with Mr. Couillard, which "went fine." He was eighth on line. Twenty•one mmules later a senior approached Ms. Schaefe(s hne outside 307 and bor­ rowed Ganzarski's pen to make a hst. The senior put himself _.ninth on the lisl; Garu;arski was 11th. Unable to "stay tn one place,• Ganzarski left Ms. Schaefe(s line to sec Ms. Rosen­ Zamero and Ms. Slonim on the fifth floor. Upon return­ ing, he found out he was number 26.)

"This stinks." Ganzarsk.i says, before running to the seventh floor lo check on Mr. Elisha's line.

"Do you want to be my friend. Jon?" a girl asks GanZJrski as he inspects the line tn front of room 702.

"Do I have to be?" he asks.

"Stand on Rabbi Stein's hne for me."

Ganzarslo, noticing that Mr. Elisha is at lunch, walks away from the girl, headmg for room 307 and Ms. Schaefer's familiar hoc.

On the llurd floor again, Ganz.arski lounges on the car­ peted bench in fronl of 307, slowly closing his eyes, as Green Day's "Whatscmame" sounds in his car.

"It's been tiring," he says. "but I guess ifs okay because sometimes you soc1ahzc w1ll1 oilier freshmen on the line."

Yet a.s Oanzank1 rcla.'ics on the bcnch--apparenlly on 1he verge of falling aslecp­ lhc people around him grow louder. So nluch noise. Two frcslunan girls 'A'3lk aboul the hall on three a.skmg aloud "\·,here !he SAC is.•

Students walltng ou1.s1de room 305 complain when the teacher in 305 decides "I need a 30-minutc break because I've been seemg kids for four straighl hours."

Three floors down, in the lunchroom, Jewish music plays during the Sheva Brachot lunch for Coordinator of Student Activities Mr. Saclres and his wife, Talia.

"Nub, nuh, nununah, nuy, nuy, nununay ... " Gavnel Kahanc '05 sings, as Geoffrey Kidcnnan '05 and Yaakov Benson '07 back him up on the keyboard and drums, respectively.

Eleven rabbis dance in a circle in the middle of the lunchroom. Rabbi Weiser puts his arm around Mr. Sadres' shoulders, and Mr. Sad.res grins. Teachers grab at the big chocolate cake in the middle of the room.

Concurrently, in front of 307, one girl grabs and tears the hst for Ms. Schaefe(s hnc. Rebecca Krcvat '08 nar­ rates what's going on lo Ganz.arski. who has JUSl rccenlly opened his eyes.

"This one girl was cut on line and she went psycho and npped up the hst," Kre,-at says.

"Someone took my place before," Ganz.arski says. "I

didn't rip anything up. If I broke into )07 and went next. no one would be able lo stop me."

Ganzarski doesn't break in, but wans. And waits. He doesn't get to sec Ms. Schaefer unul 2:47.

Dunng Gan:12rski's meet­ ing with Ms. Schaefer, two freshmen seated outside 307 debate the possible repercus­ sions of not seeing their Tanach teacher.

"You'll get dctenllon ... the girl says.

"They don't have detcn­ uon at this school," the boy says "Yes, they do-a.II kinds.

Detention dunng lunch, after school. evcrythmg."

"I didn't know that· "They could try to expel you. too. It's not like they haven't done u before."

So Ou: pair runs o!T 10 the Tanakh 1cachcr. as Ganzarsk.J. leaving )07, reviews aloud the teachers he needs to sec.

"I sttll have to go to music." Ganzarski says. "It's gomg to take I 000 years. but..."

TI,e clock turns to 3:30 and Ganzarski opens the door to 702 1-lis !000 years an: up.

;:-,,--,,--,,--,---r--.-����

,,._i,,,..... C\,_,,_

Ganz.1r1ld tlb on lht nvrnlh noor lrdi:t htfort nrlni: Mr. Elisha.

Page 18

The RamPage

December 2004/ Kislev 5765

RampArts WINIER MOVIE PREVIEW, Part One

From Capers to 'Closers,'

This Season Has It All

Dy Sim Eckstein '07 and Jessica Spiegelman 105

The holiday season has descended upon us in all its commercial glory, bringing with it. as always. a diverse array of Oscar-contending and JUSt-pl:iin-amusing films. The trailers have been playmg for months, enticing you to open up your heart (and walk1) and S" e a hnle 10 l lollywood Bui which movies a.re really wonh that SIO? Two RamPagc film cnucs weigh m on thl5 win­ ter's must-sec nicks m the fol­ io,, mg week-by-week guide.

NOV.2.i

Aluander

SE: "Ocean's Eleven," StC\'Cn Sodcrbcrgh's 200 I remoke of the Rat Pack c:iper classic, featured more b1g-umc actors on one screen thJn wa.s previ­ ously though! possible. The long-awa11ed sequel, •Occ::m's Twelve," bnngs back lhc en11re lovable crew and adds a new face to the mix-• Cathcnnc Zcla-Jones The sum of the magnificent p;uts (Geor�c Clooney, Brad Poll, Matt Damon. Julia Rob('rtS. Andy Garcia, .. clc) promises to be :is l i ghthearted and fun as Its forebear, though 11's d,ffi. cult at this pomt 10 sec Zeta­ Jones on a marquee sans the T-

D1Capno-not into another period in history Like "Gangs," which also mcluded D1Capno, "The Aviator" looks emotionally rich, but overact­ ed and melodramahe. If histo­ ry repeats itself, this film will be the type of movu: that one hkts ,nurnlly, but loathes ulu­ ma1cly Ltmon)' Snkktt's A Strics or Unrortua1tt Enats SE: Based on three children's novels by Lemony Smcket, nC: DJmel I landlcr. 1lus potcnllal• ly fccl-&ood movie pain 1.any Jim Carrey \\uh the usually reserved Meryl Sueep. Oh. and the super-ub1qmtous Jude Law nam1cs the talc. 111c tal­ ent's there. Whether d1rec1or Brad S1lberhng ("Moonhgh1 Mile") can harness 11 to com• pctc "1th the successful "llarry Poller" senes remains to be seen.

JS: The kids finally get their "Lemony with mo, ,c.

Snickct's A Series of Uofor1unate EvcolS." ThlS 1iln1 \\ill pro,e to be a delight­ ful expression of the cmouons that characterize childhood, 1f 11 stJys true to the awesome books about three orphans' encounters v.1th a malevolent count (C.:mcy) Scrct:nwnrcr Robert Gordon heller make Lcrnony proud. or he'll hc;i,r II from the author's rabid fans.

Spanglish SE: Wnter-dircctor James L. Brooks's ("As Good as II GCIS") "Spanghsh" !ells 1hc 1ak of John Clasky (Adam Sandler). :i d1scontcn1ed chef "ho dc\elops a rapport v.1lh has Mexican unnugranl house• keeper, Flor (Paz Veg,). h's aboul much more than that, thous}t (as all Drooks films ;i,re), and this could be Sandkr's oppor1un1ty 10 break 1hrough once and for all mto the world of scnous cinema, JS: Remember the lasl lune Adam Sandler lned lo be pro­ found? If nol, here's• refresh­ er. It was 2002's cn11cally­ accla11ned box office flop "Punch Drunk Love " Is "Spangh.sl( doomed 10 dismal 11cke1 sales. 100? �1aybe, bul a movie lhal deals with the hard.slups of 1m1111gra11on, alcoholism. :md life m gcner­ al--and isn't afraid lo laugh at itself while doing so••scems awfully endcanng.

Stm, Ecksleu,· Ocspttc not bcmg pan1cularly excited by this winter's olTcnngs. Fdm Club faculty ad, 1scr Dr. Stone success s;ud that he is most looking forw ard to "Alexander."

Oliver Stone's b1op1c of the �l:lccdoman conqueror. And v. hy not? Wnh a cast that Cohn Farrell, Mobile logo, includes J\ngclin:1 Jolie and Val Kilmer. JS. \Vl1at can be s:iid? It's "Alexander" ha5 the potcnu:il here. This tune around.

10 be supremely engaging. Soderbcri;h sends hlS cekbnty Fac1or 1n 1he film's SISO mil­ cast 10 Europe. as Dcncd1ct hon cost and 1B rh c-month (Garcia) tncs to steal back that shoo1 in Morocco, Th:11land, "hoeh Ocean (Clooney) stoic India. London and Pans ::md fint m "Ocean's Eleven " It one gets 1hc sense thal sounds ltkc a m:idcap. funny.

"Alexander" could re-define and compktcly unnecessary narrative. It's too late now. epic. Or epic failure. obviously. but one gelS I.he Sptt'gelma11 Jn�1ca "Alexander" will most defi­ sense 1h31 Soderbergh should nitely brighten up your ha\'C quit while he was ahead.

Thanksg1vmg weekend l loncstly, if a film about con­ DEC. 17 quot isn't v. hat th1.s holiday is Tht A\"iator SE: Mann Scorsese 1.s once all about. then "hal i.s? again rc:lca.smg a fascma11ng penod piece. Whereas his last OEC. 3 film, "Gangs of New York/' Closer SE. "Closer" is a romance brought movu:gocrs to New d i rec1ed by Mike Nichols, York C11y circa the mid whose ...Angels in Amcnca" I 800's, "Th< Avoa1or" trans­ w3' superb. Will lhal made­ ports viewers to l 930's for-TV title spur Nichols fans llollywood. This p1e1ure 10 give "Closer" a shot? II may focuses on Howard I lughes (Leonardo D,Capno) when he not have to.

JS Indeed, "Closer" slars wa.s an av1alion and film household names Natalie tycoon m the years before his Portman, Juha Roberts, Chve withdrawal from society.

Owen, and Jude Law. The l lughes was a director then. four arc ca.st in a love quadran­ 100, and, inrngumgly, his gle fashioned to be more "l lell's Angels" IS one or po1gnan1 lhan sappy. Th31 Scorsese's all-ume favontcs ,hould be 1mpc1us enough to Scorsese has lx'en O\'Crlookcd \cc this n1d:--unlcss. of in the past by the Academy; cour�c, you're ured of Law. howe,•cr. wi1h yet another who hu appCared in six m1crcs11ng look 11110 a differ­ movie, within the last two ent er.a and a trcmcndouJ cast months "I lleor1 Jude." any­ on h is side, this could fin.ally DFC. 22 be Scorsese's year one?

JS: "Tht Avrnlor" 15 Martm Mrrt 1hr t·ockcn Scorccse's 13tc5t excursion SE: Oly1he Danner, Robe11 DEC. 10 m10 1hc world or Leonardo DcN1ro, and Oen S11ller return Ocun's Twrlve

Can "Meet the Fockers" match the of its forebear. "Meet the Parents"?

in this sequel to lhe surprise 2000 hil comedy "Meel 1he Parents: New to the second film arc Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand who. a.s S11ller's quirky, liberal, Jcw1Sh parents. consistently flus1cr DeNiro's WASP-y characlcr.

This movie ,s S1reisand's first role not wnttcn. produced and directed by her since "Nuts" m 1987. "Meet the Fockers" also marks a reunion of sorts for De Niro and I loffman. who played alongside each other m lhe poh11cal comedy "Wag lhe Dog." JS Murphy's Law formed 1he premise for "Meet 1he Parents," in which Greg Fockcr (Sllller) unw11tmgly rumcd his stay w11h h1.s v.ould­ bc in-laws. "Meet the Fockers" strays very little from that fonnula and should be every bll as good as its pre­ cursor.

Tb, Phantom or the Opera SE: Director of "Phone Booth" Joel Schumacher will finally revive "Phantom."

This movie 1s, of course. based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's timeless musical. v.an1cd has Webber Schumacher to be the one to direct the film \ crs1on of his mastcrp1ccc smce Schumacher's "The Boys." With no star power aside from the lltlc, though, one wonders whether "'The Phanlom of the Opera" can affect the Oscars to 1hc sarnc degree "Clucago" did JS: Tlus mo, 1c. unqucsuon­ ably, will be a musical spcc­ tJcular. but II may or may not do JUShce to the show that inspired 11. "Phantom" 1s (so far), the 1hml longest runnmg show on Broadway. having been surpassed only by "C•IS"

iC you brtl1r..-e 1n 10\t at first Sliht. you never stop loolang

From top: .. Thr Phanlom or lht Optr■" 11 dlrrclor Jori Srhumachtr's 11kt on lht ell\• tit Andrt" Lloyd Wtbbtr mu,1caL ..Altundtr.. lrlh 1hr 11lr of 1h11 rpon)'mou Ma«tlonlan coaqurror, play•d by Colin t�arull...Ocun·s Turin" h Stf\'en Sotltrbrr,:h'.t HflUtl lo

lh.... h( . -..,.,......._ 2001'1 .. Ocun's ElrHn . . It fu­ lurt• 111 or 1hr ,tars from thr Ont film lllu, Cathrrlnr Ztt■• Joau ... Sp■ni;:11,h '" Is Adam S ■ndlrr'.1 l■lul 1llrmpl ■I irrJ. ou1 cinrm■, "'hllt .. Clour "' b Mlk• Nlchol', l hi tnlury tak e on .. Who's Afrtld or Vlrelnl■ Woolr:'"

D«•mber 200U Kislev 5765

Pag• 19

Th• RamPag•

RampArts

i

With Sharp Animation, 'The Incred bles' Is Just That Dy Jo■:atha■ lbrti,: 'OS Pw(s new produc:llon, "The lncm!Jbks: tumcsscs the latc-.st act,.ancrmc-nts m computcr-:ani­ m;u,on 10 \\OW \ICWCrs '4ith 3CUOO ;ind lUTIU5C them • Wllh lrue -10-hre comedy f The movie focuses on the world o the Parr fJm1ly-- fhc supc,hcrocs \\ho Y+C'rc forttd out of the hfc­ s.1vmg business by d3111:1:gang ltt tgation and mo,•c<l by 3 "1tncss pro1cc11on progn.m 10 An)"' hcrc.

Subu rb1:a P:ttcrf.Jm 1h:1s Dob (Craig Nelson) no,, worls :a n:-gul:ir Job at 3n msur.incc company \I ih1lc Ilclcn (Ilolly I lunter). fonncrly Eb.st,gu l. tends the house The real oc11on on li ukcs plocc. though. once El.u11gul rc-nncrgcs from her fc-1'°C'd. domcs­ tic31cd llclen su1sc to �'"' her coptuml hubb) \l'hllc the pr«:lSC •nUTUUon lends the fi&)lting

" ,re

kTbc lncred lblrs� Directed and Written by Brad Bird; Wilh: Samuel L. Jackson. Holly Hunler, Craig T. Nelson, Jason Lee, John Ratzenberger.; Distribuled by Buena Vista Pictures. Running lime: 11 5 Minutes. Rating: PG

src-nc-.s :i Sp«l3culv H nsmu litudc, the real cntc r­ b1 nmcn1 Jcn,·cs from '"The lnacd 1blcs '• uunullon r o subwbon l ire Dob !us "9th a receding h,it hne �d protruding gu t. and \l,"J\CS nonalg,c Jbout cbys r o )O<C The only m1dhrc mm •ccoutrcrncnl he '< k'tmmgly m1ss1ng 11 the ste rrotyp1cal Corvette.

Ann Cou l1rr ·, bra,h to lumn1 abowl llbtra l1' 01ti u h1u IHdNI htr . Ct�bricy Uahu or Hr1J I• lbc COftHnal ht 'ftOrld. So much 10, In ratt.

1h11 H Aan Coul ltr doll no•· nt1 lb oa lllrr \\rb shr ud otbtr ric.hl-• inr Wtb sl lt:1.

Conseivative Coulter Compiles Columns But don 't pick up Co ulter 's latest book expecting mere tirades against the Democra tic party - it's much more than that.

· 110.. 10 T•lk to a ubcnl (If You Mu.11 )· The World Acconlin& ,o Ann Coulld' iJ like I OtJocy mo,'lc.

Coulta's luLu,ty nukes rad­ en ror;n 1,o.,, dcprcss1n11 the: book's con tent u. 1uu as S1mbJ's sinpng ·uakun1 �bt.Jb• renders M u fa.sa's dcJlh ;anc ient ha.sloty. Out doo't p,ck up Couhcr's btcst book upcc11 n11 m= uradts og:11nst the Dcmocnuc pony­ llut there IS one set or Nits for you and a.not.ha, com­ it's much more tfgn th.al In 1h11 coll ,:ctJoo of her pletely d1 1Tcn:nt set or N ies columns. Coulta cmcracs 1101 for cvcryon< else • Fo, hbcr• ;as the cnzy, cnnl cy als, siatcmcnt.s hkc these m,y Republican The New York "'CTY "-ell nega te the •1 11tcuna Times lo1 thcs but as ,1 far M a ta u· e ffect or Coult<(< more fun. IITC\ crent con.scrva• humor Al 11 mc1, though, Cou l lcr li ve. A l l her :argurncnl.i •• funny or no1 ..arc backed up Jctu.sons the JOkcJ to m11kc :a poml.

The c haplcr 1 1 1 lcd by sohd f•<ts Th:u 1.s noJ to say that pro. "llow 911 1 ll•ppcned" IS I 00 pie or hberol persuu,on will pcrcc-nt scnout. l rulcad of find Coultc1's book r.ultlcss. rxeuousty c,lhns Islam "The Cou lter cw on the left, label• Rehg,on or Peace: or .,.Y' "II sc,en pcrccnl of 1ng "the es sence or liberal• 1 tu:t 1sm . . . thc: absolute conv1c11on Amcnan.s ha, c been date• npcd by 01II C11n10n, u ,he How to Tal.k lo • Ub<:nl docs clsc.,hcrc, Coulter ,un, (If You illust): Th• ply hsts m 1h11 sccllon coch World Acmrdl ng lo Ann Prcsadcors actions, or, more Coulter oflcn, lack thereo f. 1n Ann Couller response 10 tCTTonsm. lu the ISBN: 061 6509263 c,·mts of each Prc11dmcy arc Fonnat Hardcover, 400pp cnumentcd, 11 bccomc.s Pub. Dale: Sepl 2004 appa.renl th.at lh.Js country PubrlSher. Houghton needed scnous help ,n the Mifflin

anti-terrorism dcpanmcnL In chap ters hke "How 9/1 t llappencd," Coulter demon• Slr.llCS ha knack for pohticol analysis-a t.alcnt that aocs urupprcc,a tcd because she usually frames her "'i"ffl<DIS in n,pp>nt tmns.

However, the fa cts Coulter ci tes lo support ha pomts arc strong and sand a lone without the sm;mny ton e. Wttncss her compc lhng defense or the Con fcder>te flog u a boulc flag represent• 1ng general cou.ni:c and not a S)'mbol or the con rcdcr.ic)"• r.acum. ·rn 200 1 ; she \Ionics, "a bout )0 percent or block> ,n M1.ss1ss1pJ1i \'Olcd to Leep the I 89� st,tc Oag, " h,ch dll· p J3ys the Con fc:dcrJlc 011g m the upper left come r."

Coullcr dearly sh rs up con troH ny on pu rpose She c;1ll1 her book the •NC• l 7 \'er• s,on· of her columns. addrng 11 sccllon or unpubh,hcd columns titled " What You Could 1 1 .ve Rud tr You Lived In • Free Country. " 1 r hbcnls r,a lly luted Coult er, they wou ld ignore her.

Instead they lhtow • temper bntrum every ltmc she mti• c1us them. g1vina Coulter more fodder to reduce the lcft's "'i"fflent., to mtt or " l l•lhbur1onl" and " You're s1up1dl"

Who, What. and Whe,.: A CuidL to IJu, MoNth 1n £n1nta 1nmtnl IUll M� II StviAnd o..n......

NY. N't

Mcan\\ luk, I kkn trudsc:s Oirough hrc hke • less droll an<l more rr.iZl.lcd Wilma Fhnstone. 11,c "supcrpcople arc sull people, too " tJH:me •� tncd and tntc al tJuJ point. but ,ts appht:11100 here reels cspcc13lly h=tfclL The credit r"' llut smcmty oremotions goes not to the wnlffl, "ho crafted o (inc bonier-filled scnpl. but to the: i:,oondbn:aking technology used to gi,·c the mulb• pixel P>m nuanced r,:>ctl<J<U and mo, cmcnts-•ttnb­ UI� that too many h\'e•.ICIIOI\ chanctcn l3Ck thc:sc days.

Green Day is a 'Must-See' Uy Lahn llarlrr..ov ·os

It seems l,Lc G reen DJy follows R>mbam 's Shvil They h,-e •n lloS>hov. unconny sense of "hen to be scnous and '°'hen to CUI IOOSC '.

After years of Sl flJ; IRi: songs w,th names hkc ·n r.11n Ste w• and •Geck Slink BrC3th. " Greco D;1y \I.TOie a more soph ist ica ted album. " Amcric.an Idiot." This very poh11ul CD. which lead singer and gu1tanst Dillie Joe Armstrong called "not >nil• America, bul >nll-Bush: complains about childttn •o., a ,toady diet or socb-pop and lti11 hn," and calls today 's society "the age of prop.,g>n• da." • Amtncan Idiot " hu been touted u a punk-rock Tommy, complete With nine,. minute $00gs �nd n:cu.rring cluractcrs.

The cooccn beg,n on • vr:ry scnous nOlc. After an uccllcnt openi ng oct from A New Found G lory, • n:pn:scn• tJhvc from pun l·Yolc-r com 1mplo,cd the •ud1cncc to hit booth, on lhc ,· oung NoV<mba 2. "I don't con: ,r )'OU ,01c for Ou.\h or 1f you votc for Kcny," he u1d th ree d ays be fore the cltctlon, "but you better vo1c: Then, Green Doy >SCCOd• cd t l1< sbgc to tl1< lnnd or shoc king usually n:scned for the hkcs or J ustin T1mbc, lol.e, pby1ng • Amcn<;an ld1oc: the lint sm glc off thctr new •l bwn. II seemed hke c-,cry member or lhc: oud,cncc, ,.,lh the: exccpbon or the porcnts chopcron1ng !heir chi ldren, knew the SOflg by heor1, ond s,ng along.

Sooo ,tier, the eoocm hit • low poinL Dillie Joe beg,n u u ti-Bush =�•followed by lhc nine-minute • JeslU or Subwb�" Wlule the sona itself lS a ma.stc:rpaccc. 1t i.sn't a very good song to pcrfonn hvc; a.s a funclion of its length, mosl of lhc ,ud1cnce didn't know enough or the lyncs 10 s1ng along ,nd the

Gnu, llr)l'AN-1,' fanl(;by �Arreslve'a, NJ 0ca:te-2S-31 , 2004 bond see med bo red by II towords the end or the son&, 01lhc Joe, boss pbyc:r Mile D1mt. >nd drumma Tn: Cool ra l ly hved up lO their poten 11ol when they bcg,n to ploy some of Ihm older songs. They pcrfo nned cl•s• .. sics like • o;askctcasc and "She : " hich mode the crowd go " 1ld.

The bond also cng>gcd 10 typicol rock -our antics. much to lhc dchi:ht of Dillie Joe the audience:. cn>wd •surfccl squ irted the mosh--pit •'llh •·:atcr guns and yelled thi ngs llut con� be printed m • yaluv., public,• 1,on When the group pbycd "King Fo, A D oy." D1lhe Joe dooncd • crown ond robe. " hale the ttumpc:tcr wore a bumblebee SUit In honor or lll llov. -ccn. "' hic.h wu the followmg night. Con«r1· gocn a 1so sot 1010 the llollowecn spmt: many came 10 cost umes runnmg the gamut from mcntJ.1 p.illcnts to Win nie the Pooh.

TI1c s1ll mcss didn't tt:isc u the: b:ind sq;ucd from "Kmg For A D•y• 1010 • punk C'O\tr or lhc Ammat House anthem, ·shouL .. Nut. Dillie Joe chose three 3ud1c:ncc members to be rock SW'$ ro, . momcnt. 1D\'lllllg than to play 1 song on stage:.

S adly, hkc ,II &ood things, the conccr1 umc 10 an end. Gn:cn Day up the: show with a cov« of Queen's cl:wie •we Arc The Ch:amp1oos: and b•dc their audience good riddoncc with, well, their song "Good Riddance (Time or Your L,re)."

With their mock- ocrious cover songs and immature anhc,, Green D•y used this SIiiiness to lhcit •dvantage, ltllllng the • Amcrie:tn ld101• 1our A mwt- scc.

,.,..ppcd

Page 20

The RamPage

December 200-I/ Kislev 5765

Stewart's America is Dysfunctional Yet Very Funny 0) Joi1e2 Sp1t��lman ·05

Jc:nnlfC'r A11plt '07, In htr role iU E1t0nlnc-. fall\ afltr brine ,hot. Mariu1 (Jo�h Snllt '06) coRJolts htr.

School's Condensed 'Les Mis' Amazes lh• Jt>.nic:a Splrt;C'lm:an 'OS Broadway h.Js come to Ramu m the form of this fall's dr.ima produc11on of "Le, �hs .. T11c c.ist reached new heights of cxccllcncc, stunning the audience wnh lhclf voices and their pcr­ fomunccs. Though the play 1LSclf deviated from the origi­ nal. over all u w:is somcthmg of which the c::ist and crew should be very proud. �·fs. Goldberg directed lhe play :i.s usual. Jnd was us1stcd by lwo ,•ctcr:m actors. Aliza Stone 'OS ond Kale Ocmun 'OS. In add111on to direclmg, Ocnn:rn played F anunc. perform ing such songs as "I . Dreamed a Drcom." and "A l lc>r1 Full of Love."

The rest of the cast was equally amazing. as each :.ctor seemed to be the cmboduncnl of 1hcir charac­ ter. S1m1larly 1mpress1ve "�.s the level or prorcss1on::ihsm of 1he chorus pieces "At 1he End of the Day," "One Day More," and the linale of "Do You Hc:ar the People Sing:

It would have t1een worth it just to see Emma Goldman '06 and Baruch Shemtov'05 in their hilarious portrayal of the Thernardiers. ::ill of \\ hich sounded :as i f 1hcy le.ipcd str.11ght ou1 of Orood"'3Y and mto our aud1tonum.

Another strong point was 1hc crew's use of the tnurc aud11ouum as its sl::ige.

Fanune's dcalhbcd was placed strategically m the middle of the room, tl1e song '"Turning• w:as performed from the aisles bC't"A «n the sc:m. and Janrt (Av, Grumet '05) killed himself by J ump­ ing from the bleJchc:n. Tins allowed a show th;it ,-cquucs man) di fferent sets 10 take

place m a small aud1tonum, much as the rotating stage in the Broadway \1 crsion allowed for a smooth transi­ tion between scenes.

Although mihally 11 was surpnsing to sec the transfor­ mation of many of the songs onto spnking p,ns, the three­ how production neccssuatcd drastic culhng to allow it to be performed in the conlext of tlte school day. n,c cuts were not serious enough to impair the enjoyment or the audience.

The show w.as almost stolen by 1hc pcrform:mces of Emma Goldm,n '06 ,nd Oaruch Shcmtov 'OS a.s t.hc Thcrnard1crs.

The pair splrklcd on suge, amaz ing the s1udent body with their talent for h1lanty.

"J,cs Mis" was a tnumph for the Ramaz drama dcp3rt­ mcnt The student body was tran,por1cd from 78th Street 10 1 8 1 S Paris, .1nd every mmutc or II W3S beautiful. I f Ms. Goldberg keeps it up, we mily never actually have to p3y for quahry shows again.

"Amcnca (the book): A 10 Guide C111zcn's Democracy I naction" ,s )'Cl :inolhcr mlmfestJIIOn of Jon Stc"Aart's Y. IIUness hs 240 pages are full or gems 1hiu capture J WI how wacky our country 1s . and op<n the pub­ lic's eyes to the 1d1osyn• cr3s1cs that make Amcnc:i both gral and ndiculom.

What makes "Amcnea" so h1lanous arc the laugh out loud special features The book 15 amngcd m :a text­ book fonnat, with .at lc;a.st one, not more, •were You Aware? ,. boxes on every page. Each one declares 3n obscure fact (or ficllon) :ibout Amenu. One such box pro­ clamu. "Due to an early typo, Amcnca almost became a Another 'Democrazy.·· informs the reader that Amcnca wu named after the Italian explorer Amengo Vespucci. •" hich me:sins there wos • 50-�0 chantc that we'd all be lh·ing in !he United St::sites ofVcspucc,."

,r

"'I would certainly read this book if I were alive today, which, for all you geniuses out there, I am not. ' -Lincoln " 111c book 1s dcd1c:llcd -ro the huddkd masses: keep yc:simm• :and mtroduccd by

America (lhe book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction The Writers of the Daily Show, Jon Slewart ISBN: 0446532681 Format Hardcover: 240pp Pub. Dale· Sepl. , 2004 Publisher: Warner Books none 01hcr than Thomas Jefferson There arc count• less ar11cks "'"lien by '"The D:11ly Show· correspondents hkc S,mantha 13cc ("Would You Mind If I Told You How We Do It In C>n>da7" ) and Ed l l clms ( " I f I Were President/ Congressman/ Supreme Coun Justice . . . ").

There :uc charu with 1nstruc­ uons on how to cow1 the mcd1� a •nu1ld your own Democracy" bo>rd g,mc, and Discussion Questions after every chap1cr.

Chapters include "The President: King or Democracy.• "The Jud1cu1I Branch. It Rules." and "The Futurt of Democracy- four Score ;md Seven YC31'S from Now." among others T11crc 1s a special ·mccuon 2004" section tJ1at makes equ.Jl fun of both candidates Page after page. S1cwart satmzcs the country we worship, ne, er fa1hng to chcll laughter. ro one says ll better than Abrah.Jm Lmcoln: '"I "ould ccrtnnly rC3d this book of I were alive tocby, which, for all you geniuses out there, 1 am not." Fot "J)J1ly Show·• fans. history buffs. or anyone who loves a good laugh, this book ,s for you

When Twisted Metal Means Tolerance, Acce p tanc e lh' Silrbm knw11z.•06

Upon firsl glance, four ,nch pieces of tW1.stcd metal scrm 10 be an unlikely leather of tolerance. l lo"evcr, lhac's exactly what Clip,• arc 1n tlns dtttdcdly d,ITcrcnt doc· umcnt;iry In I 998, tltc rmddlc school m Wh11wcll, Tennessee (a town of 1 600 people) embarked on a progr.im lo cducalc 111 almost Cl(clus1vcly wlutc 11nJ Chnswm student t)(l(]y aboul racual and clhmc tolrnncc After lcurning for 1hc fin.I tune about the six nul­ hon Jc....-, k1llc.l m the J loloous1. Wh1l"Acll's s1u dents, wllh 11ic help or J•,mc1p.al I mJJ l loorc:r. tm::d

·r,pcr

Poper Oips Documentary Directors: Elliot Berklin, Joo Fab Running Time: 88 min. to grasp that number's magrn­ tudc. They began • proJccl to collect six million pJpe.r clips.

"Paper Clips· c:iplllres thi.s cndc:;ivor 3.S 11 un folded. st1111i;J1tforwardly showing the meetings bct\\ccn Wlutwcll's students and ttaChcn rcg,rd1nc tJ1c I lolouust a.nJ their symbolic undc tt3k:Jng. Ocuu,c d1rccl01S Elliot 1k1k lon and Joe f>b (and >Sil· uni pro..luccn Malhcw I IIIV1k '?O ,nd !!he Land>u '89) let 1hc ;,cuon "J)(Jl. for 11.-.clf, one rccl1, wl11lc w.itcl1111g the

mo\11e, lhJt he or she IS tn circ, Whu"cll 1998 LoudJbly, tlns documcnt>ry makes the viewer care deeply about wh.:it he 1s watching Wh:u's most uphfimg ;shout this documcnlary. llK'lugh, 11 not us simple narra­ tive tcchm<1uc but the namtivc il5Clf. Wh,t began .. . SIU· dent-only undcrt:ilang in 1998 soon tr.U\Sfonncd mto ;s to"n­ \\ldc mw1on E, cntu.Jlly, the entire town or Whhwell­ leaehcn, part'nl.s, ne1gh­ bon . clc -w:1s placmg phone calls to obtun chJM II bec:lmc an a\\-c-tnsp1nng obsession ot one frame or the film II ,s 1ccm1 contn,ed cnthr.1ll111g 10 sec (ucli a noble proJtCt t.a�c on a hfc of 1L11o 0"11

in • former hamlcr of b1gotty and n:rin-ow-mmdedness. lndccd. the region surroundmg Wlutwdl u h1stoncally infa­ mous ror 115 virulent hr.inches of the Ku Klux Klan, :is well as for bemg the site of tltc 192.S Scopes Monkey Tnal tlut judged cvoluoon to be an unaccq>t3blc scientific course of study Tow:ml., tlic end of tl,c film, the TtnnQSCC: tcmagm arc v1st1cJ by sever.al l lolocaust s:urvt\'ors flom the mctropOh lJn New York lUeJ. ll� s1udcnt.s bond wuh the survivors :IS 1r the two groups have 1dcn11cal blltkpounds :JJ1d fmlon� It's all rnouW1 10 bnng �cnumc, hcart(cll tc;u-.. 10 one's crc:1 Ifs not schmallJ:, 0

it's a tcsumomal 10 the good tlut poop It con do " llCTl they confront the past-no m:mer how compltx or d.nk. And to Jews who fear tJ1e looming specter or :an11-Scm1usm-:,, fc,r only bolstcml by "ll tc Passion of the Oorut" and pcr­ h3ps, even by Rotl i's '"Ilic Plot Agamst Amenco"-1lus film will be rcassunng and polc:n• ti3lly tomforung.

The Anh-Oc:famatJon Lc.ilgue 1s wo,king \\ 1th �l 1ram3x._ the fihn's J1stnbu1or, 10 ISlliUC 3. 5JK•cinl DVD or "PJpcr Clips"' ond occor11p.1J1y• mg tc:xtual cwnc-uJum fOI' u� in scliool5 xross tJw: rountry m tltc spnng of 2005-Joost before Yom I la\llOJh

December 200-1/ Kislev 5765

The R.imPage

P,ge 21

Sports

Sports Teams Plagued By Injuries

By l..2h:n llarko\ •OS

Th,s ye3(s baske1b31J and hockey seasons have been marked by the absence of a number of key pl3ycrs.

Many :ithlctcs have been inJurcd, lcavmg them on the sidelines for extended pcn­ ods of lime Ma:< Schwartz '05. a startmg guard for varsity bas­ ketb3ll, lore his ACL "h1lc working :is 3 counselor at Camp Lavi. and is out for the season. Although he· 1s frus­ tr.ucd over has inJUr)'.

Schwartz u,d he 1s "still spir­ itually with the team."

Forward Jon K1mch1 '06 is out of pl::.y mdctinndy due to an tnJUrcd ankle.

Other key membm of the basketball team h:t\'c also been m;ured. but "111 rcrum

before the scuon's end.

Ychucb Lcrca '05, the st:111mg J><l"'CT fo,w:ml. spr,med has knee and could not p!Jy for four '-'CCks. Ronco Samuels '06 suffered orthopcd1c

mJurics C3rher m the SCJSOO, but has smcc returned S3m Goldberg '05 31so dcJlt with 3n orthopcd1c inJury Jnd beg,n pl3ymg 3g3,n only to have a ball knocked 11110 his mou1h, rcqu inns lum to get statchcs. Z.ck Rosenberg '06 recently fr.1ctured his wrist dunng 3 game ag;11nst Flatbush.

The hockey tc3m has :11.so faced some inJury-rcl3tcd drama. W11h 3 secure lc.1d over the opposmg Fl3tbush team. Josh I loffman '07 w2s hit ha1d by :i Flatbush senior.

He broke )us lefl collarbone but h3s since: returned.

Addi11on31Jy, Micah Epstem '06 mJurcd his knee. and needed crutches lie nusscd ,1 few games. but has since returned.

The c1rls vars1ry ba.skct• b3II IC3111 31SO felt the brun1 of this mJury cp1dcnuc with Jesse Kcstcnb:aum '07 rccc1,­ ing :1 stress fracture m her foot. She missed the first two games. but is expected to

DECEMB[RI JANUARY SCHEDULES

Boys Varsity Basketball Ott 01 u. Ku.1hntr (ltomt) 7!.l0P.M. D«/.1 tr M1grn O1\'ld 7!30 P.U Dre 19 at MTA 7:00 P.MN Ju 08 11 ShHn- To,..h l:JO l'.i\L Ju 11 ,,,,_ TAD (llomt:)8:15 PJ\t.

Girls Varsity Basketball O.ani tl Rti dltr '07 dribblH around a fbtbu.ih pla)tr In vanily hockry's su�on opcntr on Nov. 4. play m the upcoming Israel Uecker Tournament Raizac Errc1ch '05 tore a cartilage m her elbow dunng practice and missed a g:Jme, but is also expected 10 return for the toum3mcn1.

Mr. Dulny, d1rcclor of sports and othlc11c :1c1w111es, a.lso co3ches the boys and gtrls \'3rs1ty basketball teams. '"There 1s nothing rc:ally that we can do about the athletes' injuries," he said.

"We

haven't been doing anything ,nong. We've just been playing really physical games. and the rcsull is injuries.

Some )'C3rs we have no injuries. Unfortunalcly, this year. we have a lot.'"

He \Vas op1imis1ie though. "The good thing,'" he said, "is that rch3b is so quick now. and players can make quick rccovcncs '"

I>«- /.I at \\"Htch�crr 7:JO P.1\L D«/f•t Uncnl 6:JO P..i\t l)(,c10 n. North Shorr (llomt) 7:JO P.M. JtUt OJ at on.h Short 7:00 PN"-t.

J•" 09 at llillt:12:00 P.1\L J.,, JJ 1t IIAFTR 7:.lO P�I.

Girls Varsity Volleyball brr 11 n. llA:\C(llomt) 1:00 P.M. DK JS at IIAFTR 6:JO P.M. Dtt /9 '" Fmch (llomr) J:00 P.M .

Ju OJ n. North Short (llomt:) 7:15P.M. Jtllf JJ v,. \\'tslChl"lttr (lloow) 7:15P.M.

Boys fV Basketball D« /.I vs. Wak�ltr (llomt:) 7�P.M, ✓-(I')--,,. SAR (Honw) 1:00 p,.\L JOA /Ju.. llC!IC!ttl(llontt) 6:JO PN\I. J.,. IJ at M,XJ 8:00 P.M.

Girls JV Basketball Ott 09 at Wts1rhnltt' 7:00 P�I. Ott'" •t C«-nt,..18:00 r�t Dtt 19 ''1- \\'IC:.'"lrho1n- (llonw) J:00 P.1\1.

J"" 10 u. North Short" (llomt) 7:30 P.M.

Boys fV Hockey

Girls Varsity Basketball Practices After Hours

DttOl,�MTA (ltomc-)1:00 r.M. Dtt JJ at Ma5:N1 O.,id 1:00 P�t.

J1Ut IJ n. MNJ (llomt) 1:00 r.M.

Girls [V Volleyball Ott 11 ,,_ llANC(llomr) 1:00 r.M. I>«- JS •I JIAFTR 6:30 P.i\l.

DtT ""· Frkc:h (llomc) J:00 P.1\I. J•,, DJ n. North Short (llomt) 1:15 P-'1.

J.,, 06 ,.,.. SAR (llomt) 6:IS P�I.

Boys Varsity Hockey DtT 14 •t JEC 8:00 P.M. Orr II \'1.. fruth (llonw) 1:00 P.M. 0«10■t llilld 7:.30 P.i\l J.,. Ol,,,.Jt:C(llonw) 1:15 r..,1.

Ju, II n. TA.DC (llomr) 7:.30 P.M. J-,. IJ al IIA.f-TR 1:00 P..M. Tou 1..-■frr '05 and Rall.le Errrlch •OS 1tl •P for dtftfHt •c•l•tt Cabrltllr lltu 'OS. Al� .... c.a,w�·o:,

P,,gc 22

The Ramrage

orts

December 200-1/ Ki,lev 5765

MYSHL Standings Boys Varsity Basketball E»t l cam , Wms IIAHR 2 IIANC I Rambam 2 NSIIA I HALD I Westchester 0

-

r--- C'entnl r-- -

Los�cs

Team Wms RamJ? 4 Magen Da11d 3 �ITA 2 Flatbush 2 TAB 0 Shaarc Torah 0

0 0 I 3 3

4

Losses 0 00 3 2

4

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL ROUND

West

Tc,,m Frisch Hillel Kushner JEC MAYHS TABC

Wins 4

3

2 2 I I

Losses 0

11/6 Ramaz vs. Shaare Torah Rams 51 Shaarc Torah 47 Leading Scorers: Zachary Rosenberg (15) and Som Goldberg (14) Record: 1-0

I

I 3 3 3

I 1/1 I Ramaz at Rambam Rams 53 Rambam 36 Leading Scorers: Sam Goldberg (18) and Y1tz Rubin (12) Record: 2-0

Girls VarsihJ Basketball Team Flatbush Ramaz

F:ast Wms 3 2

IIAFTR IIANC Wcs1chcS1er NSIIA Central

Losses 0 0 I I 0

2 I 0 0 0

I

4

West Wms 2 2 3

Team Fnsch ll1llcl Brunah Ma'ayunol Kushner MAYIIS

Losses 0 0 I I I 5

2 I

0

IIAFT R IIANC IIALB

2

voe

Ezra NSIIA Rambam

Losses 0 0 I 2

I I

I I 0 0

2 0 I

Team 4 Flatbush Lev Don,m I Magen David 0 Shaare Torah 0 0 TAB Zv1 Roth 0

Losses 0 I

I

2

South Wms 2 3

2 I

Losses 0 I I

2 2 2

0 0

Team MTA lleschcl SAR Ramaz Westchester M NJ

North Wms I 3 0 0 0 0

Losses 0 I

0 I I I

Girls JV Basketball East Wms Tram 3 Flatbush 2 IIAFlR Wt"slchcstcr 2 0 Rama, 0 NSIIA 0 Central

Losses

0 0

2 0

2

3

11/13 MAYHS vs. JEC MAYllS 63 JEC 45 Leading Scorer: MA YHS's BenJ1 Lockspc1scr (32) Record: MAY11S 1-2:JEC 1-1 I 1/23 MAYUS vs. Kushner Kushner 66 MAVHS 57 Leading Scorer: MAYIIS's BcnJi Lockspciser (35) Record: MAYllS 1-3: Kushner 1-0 I 1/23 MTA vs. TAil MTA72 TAB54 Leading Scorers: MTA's Yehudah Roscnblalt (22) and Yoss, Faber (21) Record: MTA2-0; TAB 0-2

Boys [V Basketball Team MAYIIS TABC Fnsch JFC ll1llcl Kushner

11/29 Ramaz 21 Flatbush Rams 46 Fla1bush 38 Leading Scorers: Zachary Rosenberg (15) and Sam Goldberg (12) Record: 4-0

Boys Varsity West Wms

East \Vms

11/23 Ramaz at JEC Rams 64 JEC 32 Leading Scorers: Zachary Rosenberg (25) and Sam Goldberg (14) Record: 3-0

OTHER NEWS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE

Boys JV Basketball Team

Tht boys varsity buktlbaU rum scorts In lhltr game a,t�in�t hrHI al llurl Thty han ¥ion all four regular uuon iamts thal thry hnt pl,.)C'd In.

West Wms 3

Team Frs,ch SAR Kushner Moayanol lkschcl llil_lc_ l __

I I 2

0 0

Girls Varsity I I/IS Ramaz at IIAl'iC Rams 48 IIANC 19 Leading Scorer: Mmam Krulc (14) Record: Rams 1-0; IIANC 0-1 I 1/29 Ramaz at Flatbush Rams 37 F latbush 14 Leading Scorers: Alex Peyser (8) and Tova Laufer (6) Record: Rams 2-0; Flatbush 3-1

Boys JV Losses 0

0 I

3

I ,2

All 8l.anJ1ng, 11, o( I l/l9

11/22 Ramaz at Hesthel llcschc l 73 Rams 61 Leading Scorer. lleschc l 's Matt Ilon\ltz (16) Rtcord: lleschcl 1-0; Rams 0-1 I 1/23 Flotbush vs. 7.,•I Roth Flatbush 53, Zv1 Roth 43 Leading Sco rer: Fla1bush's Albert Sthmool (20) Record: Ha1bush 4-0, Zv1 Roth 0-2

December 2004/ Kisl,v 5765

P•ge 23

Th, RamPage

Sports

tMYHsvARSITYHOCKEy LEAGUE STANDfNGSI

Sa_m s Sports

By Samuel

Siegel '05

The Hockey Fraternity The boys' vm;ity hockey relationship between the playteom, led by a core group or er, on the team by saying_ seniors and some juniors has " We're a family."' grown together over the past Daniel, a bit more four yc.m, and is now consid- reserved than his fellow varsiered to be one of the elite ty sophomore, is similarly learns in tl1c Yeshiva League. devoted lo hockey, but started It hopes to hoist the school's playing the sport a bit later. first outright varsity hockey He started taking hockey serichampionship trophy since the ously as a nine-year-old at 1985-86 season.

Camp Lavi. He too played It seems as if this major with his older brother, but feat partly rests on the young mostly in roller hockey. shoulders of two sophomores, "Except for camp," said fo!Vlard Josh Hoffman '07, Daniel, "I've played with older younger brother of starting kids for most of my life." goalie Adam Hoffman '05, Daniel feels that tJ1e team has and defcnseman Daniel really welcomed Josh and Reidler '07, younger brother him, "We get along really of former Ramaz netmlndcr well,'' said Daniel.

Jay Reidler '03. Smee moving Daniel and Josh's hockey up from junior varsity they connection did not begin this botJ1 have taken on vit:il roles year, or even last yearns fresh� �-�,� �. -� �. man starters on on tJ1e varsity �T t,h e re a tIOnShlp the JV team. squad.

Eastern Conference Team Games Played Wins Losses Ties Ovcrt.ime Losses 0 0 4 0 DRS 4 0 I J Solomon Schechter 7 J T 0 0 0 HAF R J ) 0 3 I 2 North Shore 6 0 0 I 4 J Rambam 0 0 ) 0 ) HANC

Team RTMA Ramaz Magen David

Games Played 4 ) )

MAYHS

4 4

Flatbush Hillel

Team

MTA

Frisch TABC Westchester Kushner

)

Games Played 4 4 2 4

-

T h OU 8 h between the Their hockey neither starts, roots nm deep, both Hoffman players on the with those roots and Reidler team: a family strengthened as have • made _________,,__ hockey mates their presence felt c.irly on in at The Moriah School in New \be season. In Ramaz's open- Jerscy and at Lavi. "I'm very ing game, a 4-0 win at Yeshiva happy that he came up with or Flatbush, iosh scorn! two me," said Hoffinan. "Ifs made goals and Daniel had an assist it a bit easier and more fun." in the following game.

Daniel heaped praise on his Unfortunately for the hockey teammate, saying, "It's fun team, Josh broke his collarplaying with him. And he's bone late in that game. He pretty good, too." wtll be out for three to four But do the Super weeks. Two weeks later in a Sophomores' previous tcamS-3 loss to MTA, Daniel mates, "1lo arc playing N this scored his first varsity goal. year, resent their having joined a "They're both good kids, new "family"? "We got along which 1s a plus." said well !Mt year," said Danie� "so Meirowitz. the captain. "and rm sun: th::y wanted us to stay. they're also highly skilled But I don, think tls,t there's any players that we'll need in order rcsentment there." "I don, think 10 have a successful season."

Iha! there has bo..,..,-i any resent• TI1e two sophomore's pre- men�" echoed Jooh. He oodcd. cocny can be explamed, in "They've been VCl)' supponive. pan. since they bod, grew up and tht-y respect our dccisioo." playing with d1m older brothAccording to botl1 sophoers and tJ1eir brothers' fncnds. mores. there are big ditfcrcnccs "I always played hockey with bctwecnj1D1ior var>ity and varsimy brother's [nends, even ty level hockey. "Ifs a faster though they were bigger than I Jnxd game," said lash. who was. That," said 1-loffinan. spends most of his time on the "prepared me to play wid1 and court bottling biggcrcle[enscmcn, "and you're [cmxl to be roore get along with older and bigger kids." Prom age four unlit creative." Daniel, Y,ho is kcp. six Josh played in an ice hock- occupied by slitlx,ry forwards and fast slap shots, asserted dial ey league. Afier his partic1palion in the league, Josh said, dlC game is "more intcmc. more he "pl•yed hockey whenever serious, and moch faster" Tiic youngest membm or lheJ got the chance - ice, die hockey frJtcrnity will have roller, or fool, It d,cln't mailer." some stiff competition come Tiloug,h Josh IJ by no mean.a: one o[ die bigger member> or pk,yoff time, but tl,esc sophothc hockey tc:im, he, '" doe, more,, as w<II ., die rest or d,c O•mel, fill in aocially nnd nd1- team, won1 lei any chance at a le11eally. Jooh dcacribed the trophy pas, them by,

s

Central Conference Wins Losses Ties I I 2 0 I 2 0 I I 0 I ) I 3 0 0 I 2

\Ve.stem Conference Wins Losses Tics 0 4 0 0 I ) 2 0 0 I I 2 4 0 I

Overtime Losses 0 0 I 0 0 0

Overtime Losses 0 0 0 0 0

Points

8 7 6 5 2 0

Points 5 4 )

2 2 2

Points

8 6 4 )

2

jyARSITY HOCKEY ROUNDU� RAMAZ at Flatbush Final Score: Rams 4 Flatbush 0 PenaltieS Goals Assists Steven Mermelstein (I) Josh Hoffmon 2(2) Adam Basloc I(I) Daniel Reidler ( l) Adam Basloe 2(2) Moshe Neiman ( l) Goalie: Adam Hoffman ( l -0), Shut Out (I) Power Play: 0/ 2 (0%)(0%) Penalty Kill: 3/3 (100%)(100%) Stars: 1- Adam Hoffman ()) 2 - Adam Basloe (2) J- Josh Hoffman Game notes: After scoring his first two varsity career goals, Josh Hoffman took a shot to the shoulder breaking his left collarbone. He missed three to four weeks.

RAMAZ vs. MAVHS Final Score: Rams 4 MAVHS 0 Pcnallics Goals Assists Steven Mermelstein (I) Andrew Marks 2(2) Steven Mermelstein (I) Jacob Frommer (I) Adam Basloc 2(4) Daniel Reidler (I) Josh Romano (1) Goalie: Adam Hoffman (2 -0), Shut uut (2) Power Play: 1/) (33%)(20%) Penalty Kill:)/) (100%)(100%) Stars: 1- Adam Hoffman (6)· 2- Andrew Marks (2) 3- Adam Basloe (J) Game notes: An drew Marks recorded his first two varsity goals. Daniel Reidler and Steven Mcnnelstcin recorded their first two varsity points.

Injuries: Josh Hoffman DNP (Broken Collarbone) Micah Epstein DNP (Knee)

RAMAZatMTA Fmal Score: MTA 5 Rams) Penalties Goals Adam Basloe 2(6) , Daniel Reidler 1(1)

Assists

Goalie: Adorn Hoffman (2-1) Stars: Nol awarded Game notes: Daniel Reidler scored his first varsity goal. lnjuri.cs: Josh lloffman DNP (Broken Collarbone)

The RamPage

l'Jge 24

orts

December 2004/ Kislev 5765

VaJSity Hockey Cools Off Vs MTA

lly Sam Ed..sltln '07

llu: varsity hockey team lost 5-3 10 MTA 1ov. 16 after shumng out its opponents 8-0 m the first two games of the season.

Before the game, the team credited its success to Its unity. One of the team's beliefs 1s th:u m order to pcr­ fom1 on the court 11s mem­ bers must have sohd relation­ ships off the court. "The bus ndcs to games are about bonding." Sl1d Coach Jeffrey Esses. '"That's why I don't allow cell phones to be used on the ndcs."

' On the bus lo Flotbush, where the team won 4-0 in its Nov. 4 opener, players hud­ dled in tl1e back of the bus while the veteran seniors told the rookies of the squad's 1dcals. \\ hich include broth­ erhood and sohd:nity.

"After commg out of that huddle on the bus I fell a spe­ cial bond built on comrade­ ship. Dan iel Ricdlcr '07 said. .. I have a second fanuly/ said new member of1hc team N

Ramaz

3 Micah Epstcm '06. "I know the team will always have my back no matter wh:i.L" T!us newfound sohcbnty seem i ngly h:i.d a profound effect on th:i.t game, as the Ramaz team pulled together to shut out Flatbush despite 1hcir 24 shots on nc1. eight fewer than the Falcons· 32.

This triumph can be cred­ ited an large pan 10 the play of �oahe Adam I loffman '05.

Wuh a secure lead over the opposing Flatbush team. 1hc younger l lo!Tman had two goals under hts belt in his first varsity hockey game when he suddenly wJs Int h:1rd by a Flatbush senior.

After Hoffman was assisted off the court, play resumed: hO\.\'ever. so did Hoffman's pain. I lofTman was brought to a hospual "here x•rays showed that he had a broken left coll;ubone. Sidelined for three "eeks. Hoffman retums 10 the learn on Dec 6.

Jacob Frommtr ·OS r,�ts durin« th, vuilly lum's optninJ: gamt aeainst rlalbu�h on Nov. 4.

�����eated Varsity ��!.�d�,���.���h�olls with Punches/ mg 1he finals of the Magen David Prcseason toumamcnt. Max Sclrn,aru '05. a presumed starting guard, tore lus ACL over 1hc summer and is losl for the season. Ychuda Lerca '05, the starting power forward, sprained his knee and is lost for at least four weeks. Forward Jon K1mchi '06 hurt his anl:.lc and 1s out indefinitely. Sam Goldberg '05 and Ronco Samuels '06, suffered orthopedic mjunes carher in the season but now arc back. Josh Stem '05, one of the best players 1n the Yeshiva League, is lost for the season, as well.

With the weight of tJ1c injuries hanging over its head, the team also had to deal ·with opening 11s season m the M1ddlc School gym. a s1gmfi• ean1ly smaller and less familiar, home court .

Goldberg s:ud, '"1l1erc wasn't really home­ court advantage, and 11 severely l1m11ed the number of fans ::ible to come. bul you've got to roll with the punches."

The R::ims had trou­ ble rolling with 1hc punches m the early gomg. tummg the ball over. forgetung to rebound and not pro­ \'idmg good defensive rt,;"(>i.yG.t.wlsa-- help, as well as nnssmg .

Hurt hrac-111 1galn.1ot ,:am, 111 btfon Tht boys \'lrslry bukrlball lum huddles open shots. This led 10 The varsi ty basketball learn beat Flatbush, 4638. on Nov. 29 to improve us record to 4-0. Zack Rosenberg ·06 led Ramaz with 15 points.

The basketball team has gotten off to a great start m a season that almost began with a dud on Nov. 6, 10 the1r home opener at the Ramaz �·fiddle School gym. Playing a less talented Shaa.re Torah team. Ramaz made a funous comeback in the final minutes to wm 51-47.

The boys have had almost cvcrylhmg work ag"ainst them so far, with the only bright spots in the

•

latbush••�

their fallmg behind a Shaare Torah 1eam W1th hnle mside presence or solid outside shooters.

Zack Rosenberg '06 kept tJ1c team anoat w ith tough rebounding and a soft touch around the bas­ ket. gamenng 3 team-lugh eight points at the hilf.

After Ramaz came out of the locker room to start the third quarter m that home opener, it seemed that it would be: more of the same, with the team falling behind, 45-42. W11h a lineup of Rosenberg, Goldberg. Samuels. Sam Roth '06 and Co-capuin Yitzy Rubin '05 in the game w,th 2:50 left m the fourth quancr, the game seemed to be slipping out or reach. To add insult 10 inJury. a Sha:irc Torah guard stole the ball from Goldberg and coasted 10 the hoop for what the crowd presumed to be an easy lay-up. The tide turned at that moment. As the Shaare Torah player glided 1oward 1he hoop, Samuels hus1lcd down the court, 11mcd hi s Jump perfectly, and swatted the player's shot attempt olT the shooter and out of bounds. R;i;maz ret:iincd pos• sess ion. and began a comeback. eventually ,\innmg.

"We pulled together lo get 1hc wm. "hteh wi ll hopefully push us forward," Goldberg said.

Goldbc1g. lhe captain who engineered the come­ bacl. said. "Somet imes, it's good to be forced 10 come back m a game. Tius lype of wm ,s a charac­ ter wm, and It will provide us wnh confidence m close games m the future." Tlus team hM taken its punches. and 11 1s rolling.

For team statistics, schedules, league standings, and game notes, see pages 21-23.