The Ra1n Page Volume XXVI Number 3
Building Exceeds Capacity; Ramaz Begins to Burst At the Seams by Yael Schochar and E,·an K Farber
The human traffic jam on the staircases during recent fire drills has served 10 raise lhe
consciousness of the student
body abou1 1he issue of over crowding in school in general. S1uden1s often complain aboul overcrowded school facilities. The library is always packed during lunch hours, and ii is difficull lo find an open seal. Furthermore, sludenlS are oflen found eating lunch in the
auditorium or on the second
floor because of lack of space in 1he lunchroom. The school building is used 10 ilS maxi mum, far beyond its originally projected use. For Form V, there has also been overcrowd ing in the classrooms. as lhe
number of sections in certain
disd.p\ines has. been roduccd from five to four. According to Dr. Shudofsky, there arc as many people in Ramaz as lhe building can handle. Ramaz's 65,000 square feet were built 10 hold 483 stu dcnts-lhcy now coniain 529. Classrooms are in high demand. Grades o f one hundred s1uden1s arc divided into four sections (five for
Inside.·
Ethiopian Choir page3
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age6
Ram lings
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malh). while grades of 115 are lheorelically broken into five divisions. The larger grades have taken extra classroom space. The more varie.d senior course selection has also
resulted in smaller divisions using more classrooms. 1l1e addition of a compulcr room where a classroom used to be has exacerba1ed 1he situalion. The back of Ote library and 1hc shul of the second floor are now being used as classrooms, ahhough lhal was nol the original plan. When lhe school building by Rtbecea Tobin was designed in 1977, lhe idenlificd in lhe sludent poll, As a resull of lhe Social Ac such as lhe homeless and projeclion for the building's use was far below whal ii lion Commitlee's poll, sclecled racism. Danny Reich ·s would be if ii were done loday. students were sent to KJ 10 humorous retelling of his mug Al lhc lime, such building hear and ask questions on two ging is just one example that projects were very rare: it was scpara1e days for each mayoral articu1atcs the commonplace of This poll found such incidents. As out of town after the oH embargo. and New candidate. York Cit, y-v,,o.s � vcrgo of LbaLcrime-wasJhe most__press students ,be.gin their high their bankruptcy. Since building ing issue-students felt that the' school cnrcers at Ramaz, . was an economic risk. the next mayor of New York Ci1y social life shifts from . hanging projection done before con musl deal wilh. Polilical out.. in suburbia to spending struction was conservative. awareness is a related issue days or nighls in the exciting Also. at lhe lime, lhe average particularly in searching for a stree1s of Manhatlan. These Modern Orthodox Jewish mayor of New York Cily who sludenls, along wi1h lhe s1u family had just under two can significanlly reduce crime. den1s who ac1ually live in lhe Although lhe main issue was city, are well aware of and children, a figure lhal has risen crime. Mayor Dinkins and Mr. threa1cned by ci1y crime. Giuliani were also questioned (Continued on Page 5I aboul some olher problems
City Elections Spark Student Action
Ramazites question candidates in public forums T h e responses lo t h e studen1s' queslions provided lhe platforms of each can didate. Mayor Dinkins was asked by Emil Kleiohaus 10 comment about Clinton·s in troduction of the issue of race effecting a voter's decision. c responde<J lha.1 racial pride is perfec1ly ..hcallhy." He ex plained lhat voling for a black because he is black or a Jew because he is a Jew is unaccep lable. Such racism 1he Mayor described as "unhcal1hy." The Mayor comple1cly avoided mentioning Clinton's name. (continued on page: 7)
Gender Imbalance Found in Honors Math
Lopsided male to female ratios in honors math classes raise questions In lhis year's AP Calculus by Ariel Adesnlk Year afler year 1he slorics BC class !here are nine boys floal down from the seniors and and 1wo girls. It is the most juniors how only one, or pos balanced class in the nine year sibly two girls are in 1he AP existence of the class. In Form Physics and AP Calculus BC V, 1he honors pre-calculus class classes. Supposedly, BC is is composed of sixteen boys shorl for "Boys· Club.. and lhe and six girls. In honors physics math learn hasn ·1 seen a girl in 1here is a boy 10 girl ralio of years. The lopsided male 10 more than three 10 one. The female ratio in honors malh and problem occurs with less certain AP science classes also severity in the malh classes of occurs in the other forms. the currenl Forms JI and 111, However, no explanations for and in lhe current Forms II and the ralio have been given along Ill and in Forms I and IV sex wilh 1he anecdotes. The mosl representation is close to widely cirucula1ed reason is proportional. In honors biol 1ha1 societal pressures cause ogy and honors chemislry. girls 10 shy away from math !hough, 1here is an almost equal classes which may also dis dislribulion by gender. How criminale against lhcm. An ef ever. !here are 1wo honors secfort has been made 10 address 1 ions for biology and 1he problem of gender ine chemistry, as opposed 10 one in quality, !hough no official ac malh and physics. This means tion has been iakcn 10 prevent thal 1here is a much larger it. sample of sludcnts. According
lo Ms. Gorfinkle the current male versus female achieve sex dis1ribution is evidence of ment in math and the sciences. a patlem at Ramaz 1hat she posilS that in sociely at large believes has been going on'for 1here is a perception of men as some rime: when ap problem-solvers and women as proximately 1he lop lenth of nurturers. Even though this sludenls in each grade are not perception has become less considered. achievement i n predominanl recently, it still in malh and the sciences i s aboul fluences, a l b e i t subtly, the same for both boys and children's decisions concern girls. She notes lhat the AP ing whether or not they want lo Calculus AB classes have con work hard enough at the prob sistcn1ly been of almost equal lem solving aspect of malh to composition in terms o f stay at the honors level. Ms. gender. I n this way Ramaz Slonim expressed her belief does ignore lhe national trend that lhese perceplions have lhe of having a large gap between greatesl effecl on those girls boys' and girls· malhematical who would be in lhe lop lenth and scicnlific abilities, as AB of 1he grade, 1hus allowing Calculus is a level of achieve male s1udents 10 replace lhem mcnl rarely at1ained by eilher there. Many s1udies poinl to the sex. The issue 1hen becomes why fact 1ha1 oflen girls are afraid 1he top tenth is made up 1hat actively competing with primarily of boys. Ms. Blum, (continued on page 8/ who did her masters thesis on
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November 1993 / Chcshvan-Kislev 5754
ThcRamPagc
Editorials
Letters to the Editor
Farsighted Planning, Myopic Enactment
Despite a major overhaul in the student-lcachcrconrerencc system, conferences were very poorly sci up this year. Instead or giving 325 students eight hours to meit with the faculty, 500 students were squeezed into the same lime period. The in crease was due to the introduction or seniors and the junior high into the process. While the junior high might have benefited from the experience, most seniors viewed the h•o days as a waste of lime, as their classes are small and there is more interaction with teachers. Mnny seniors had planned on spending a day eithcn•isiling a college, to avoid complaints from teachers about missing class because or the visits, or catching up on the work in which they had been lax. On the student calendar, November 9 and 10 were set aside for "Student Teacher Conferences a.m.," which docs not give students any hint or the change. A memo, addressed to the faculty and the student body explaining the \\ay the days would be organized, wns written on Oetobcr 28, which nllght have alleviated any problems due to misconceptions on the part or the seniors. Unfortunately, the memo dated October 28 was not released to the student body unlit 11 days later, on November 8. This ga,•e astonished seniors no lime to change their plans or complain to the administration about the new policy. In addition, the actual organization or the days was such that certain classes were missed twice and some students had a lopsided visitation schedule. The way the bands arc organized is that c ertain classes meet al the same time every day. Therefore, while some students missed two days or math, they still had all of their history classes. In some forms, boys were overloaded on one day while the girls were overbur dened on the other. To correct this, conferences should revert back lo one full day. If the administration is still concerned that students will rush through the day, the day should be sci up so that the current second morning be moved lo seventh period. Also, all classes should be split by sections, not just English and history. The bottom line remains why fix some thing that wasn't broken?
Sign on ·the Dotted Line Recently, there has been a big push in the school lo make sure that no student is over extended in extra-curricular activities. Club attendance is beginning to be monitored and time management is being addressed in health classes. One club, though, gocs above and beyond the new restrictions on extra-curricular partidpalion. In order to hold an editorial position on the yearbook one must sign a document that forbids taking on any leadership role in the school, mandates checking with the yearbook adviser before joining another club, makes attendance compulsory, and requires editors to pay half of the fee for the Columbia Scholastic Press Associa tion conference. Though the demands stated in the contract are not inherently unusual, the idea that commitment lo an extra-curricular dub needs to be enforced by a legal docu ment is absurd. This underlying feeling of, ns one year book editor put it, "signing your soul away lo a club" cannot help foster strong staff morale. Strong commitment is what lradcrship is all about; when commitment is forced, lender ship disintegrates. Yearbook editors should be trusted lo comply on their own with the unwritten rules of responsibility.
Scrap Supertrans? To lhc Editor, I've had about enough of this. When signing a contract for services. one party is generally expected to pay for services given by the other. Such. I presume, was the case when Ram:1z signed a contract with the Supertrans bus com pany to bring Riverdale and Westchester students 10 and from school every day. Yes. technically, Supcrtrans has done this. But Supcrlrans drivers and office managers do not give much thought to pleas ing the customer. And the cus tomer is not pleased. On any given morning. al about 7:25, one can step into an elevat or and have a good chance or hearing. "Why do we have to get here so early?" This has been going on since before today·s seniors were freshmen. Th.e most frequent ly auacked shortcoming of Su pertrans is 1he fact tha1 students arc picked up as early as 6: 15 so that they c an get 10 school more than half an hour early. The reason given is 1ha1 if the routes started any later, the buses would run into pre-rush hour traffic, and would get to school late. The real reason is that the drivers do another route after ours. So we have 10 suffer be"causc another' schobl was as smart as we were in choosing bus companies. Problems on Fridays Another problem that has lasted at least half of a decade has primarily affected the Scarsdale bus. On Friday aflcmoons, lhe bus oflcn docs nol arri\'c on lime lo pick up the s1uden1s from school. Two years ago. there was an tn· stance when, after s1udcn1s spent over an hour standing in front of what is now Luca Luca and calling the bus company, a bus was senl. But before get-
ling on. s1udcn1s had 10 give their names. as if they were being blacklis1ed. Las! year. the situation improved. The driver just told us 1ha1 she was an hour late because of traffic, and we could call and complain if we hked. The first Friday of this year. the bus was again an hour late. But this time, 1hc driver told us what we had all but known: two routes were scheduled al one lime, and we just had 10 wail unlil she was done with 1hc first one. Usual ly. once the students complam en mas.sc. Supcrtrans sends two buses for the two routes. But 1he company should be respon sible enough 10 solve 1he prob lem before ii arises, and no, make everyone in Scarsdale Ja1c for Friday aflemoon ap pointments every time the Friday schedule changes. The Late Dus One great iMovation in the school's contract with Super trans has been a late bus, serv ing those who suy in school until 6:30. But even !his has incurred problems. An impor tant one is overcrowding. At least three times this year, more than twenty students from Wcstchcslcr County suyed late in school. There are twenty ( ac t ually 19 because lhe driver's daughter rides the bus) open scats on lhe bus. Once, on
Simchat Bc1t HaShoeva. Su
pertrans actually foresaw the situation. and had two buses, although one did not arrive on lime. The other lime. the West chester overflow was forced onto the Riverdale bus and was taken home only aner the Riverdale crowd. And this added on an hour to lhe lravel time. because each Riverdale late bus rider is dropped off at his or her house-unlike in Westchester, where a mall has become a group drop-off spot. Now. the situation has im proved: on the night of the Har-
lem Wizards game Supertrans had the foresight to bring an extra bus, but they refused 10 leave before 7:30. even though 1he game was over by 7:10. One 1hing wrong 1ha1 has oc curred at least 1w,cc this year ,s 1ha1 Riverdale students have been forced 10 stand in the ais les of the Wcs1ches1cr bus un1il they reached 1he middle of Har lem, where !hey were mel by their bus. The reason for this rcma,ns a mystery. Nol only is 1h1s unsafe, it is illegal. The facl that the Super1rans office closes at 6:30 (or says so: "e have goucn calls at 6: 15 ,n the morning to confirm messages that we left on the lapc al 6:00 1hc previous night) is a time bomb wailing 10 go off. So far. lhc worst 1ha1 has happened ,s 1ha1 when the bus has been an hour Ja1e (due 10 slopping for gas, for example). no one knew where it was. Out what if some thing else happens, and there is no way for 1hc driver 10 conlacl lhe office or the parents? F1nding Alternatives There are many people from Wes1ches1er (and Riverdale) who trnin or drive into school. The lis1 of such people is grow ing. Next lime Ramaz signs a contract with a bus company, it should sign with one that is responsible and cares for its pass en gers. This w o u ld bcncfi1 students and pa.rents. and thus, the school as well. If Supertrans can prove that it is such a company - and al though ii has improved in 1he pas, months. it stil has a long way to go - Ram:iz. can renew its contract If not, we should look elsewhere. Sincerely, Evan K. Farber
Ramshackles
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November 1993 / Cheshvan-Kislev 5754
Pagc3
ThcRamPagc
Point-Counter oint
Senior privleges
Free at Last?
by Evan Hochorg low crime rate. TI,c fact that For years, certain benefits juniors receive these privileges have been given to students in the later quarter of the year starting after Pesach of the is evidence that they can have junior year. These privileges the responsibility to conduct include permission to leave themselves in a safe manner Ramaz during the school day. outside of Ranmz. Surprisingly, the issue of limit In addition. it makes no ing "senior" privileges to the sense that juniors are only oldest grade in school has rare given the privileges at the end ly been questioned. However. of the year. Do juniors go away when thought about carefully, for Pcsach vacation as ir it is evident that faulty logic has responsible, untrustworthy been used in forming the children, and return two weeks g u i d e l ines t o "senior later as responsible and mature privileges." Safety has been adults? Clearly this is not the used as the explanation for case. This argument might be limiting the rights to only used to prove that no juniors seniors. but it is ridioulous for should have "senior this to be the only reason, since privileges," but that would be a a senior is no safer in Manhat mistake. As mentioned pre tan than anyone else. To be viously, juniors have proven safe in the city a person should that they can be trusted with be strong, but also must be "senior privileges" at the end of "street smart." Therefore, a the year, so why not for the well built freshman who has entire year? lived in Manhattan for his en Refusing "sen�or tire life would be much better privileges" to juniors should be off walking the streets than a considered a cruel and unusual short and skinny senior who (continued on page 8) : Jives in a suburb with a very
Not so Fast\ •
by Cecily Marbach The seriousness of an agree• ment, such as permission to leave the school premises. be tween a high caliber instllution like Ramaz and high caliber in dividuals. as the seniors are presumed to be, can best be shown by 1hc rules each party must follow. The best expres sion of this seriousness is the severity of the punishment that results from any violation of the rules. If only one student abuses his right by leaving the building during a non-free period, his violation may result in the entire class losing this privilege. The severity of the rules that keep the student body indoors stems from the multi-faceted concept known as safety. Ramaz is concerned with its studcn1s· safety, so 1he ad ministration is rightfully s1ric1 in preventing underclassmen from leaving school during the day. Most Ramaz students begin with a lack of familiarity about "the city," or Manhattan. Un derstandably, some parents im part anxieties to their children concerning allending school in ''The Big City." Most of the fears about the city confront the majority of the students arriv ing or leaving school. Whether
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Ethiopians Entertain at Ramaz
Shlomo Gronich and the Sheba Choir; a Time to Learn and Listen by Jessica Rezak On Wednesday, October 27, the world-reknowned Israeli musician and composer Shlomo Gronich and his choir came to Ramaz. He has been a performer for approximately t 5 years, and according to Ms. Goldberg he is a " first rate musician." Mr. Gronich is most widely known for estab lishing the Sheba Choir, which is made up of Ethiopian youth. The choir which came to Rarnaz had about ten members whose ages range from ten to 17. ·Gronich... trfod to c1l:,se,, the.. gap between the Israc1i and the Ethiopian cultures. Most of the songs which the choir sings are
written by Gronich and arc organized and arranged the based on the ideas and stories visit to Ramaz. The Ethiopians of the teens. One song which went with Ramaz student hosts the Sheba Choir performed for to visit to see what our school Ramaz students was a song is like. This gave the students about their difficult journey an opportunity to spend time from Ethiopia to Israel. They with the choir and to ask them explained that they first had to queslions. Junior Sam Franco !ravel to The Sudan by foot and said, "I think it was cool [to talk on camels and donkeys, and to the Ethiopians] because kids then they were able to fly to our age like to meet kids from Israel. other places." The students The Weitzman lnstilute were able to find out about life sponsored the choir's first trip in Elhiopia and 1heir life now in to America, which lasted. for Israel. They s a i d 1hat i n about a week. Their biggest Ethiopia itwasforbidden toob performance in lhe United serve Shabbat. However, in ls States was on Sunday. Octol)cr--: ... r..a,cl thcy��faciry;pfpblcrn�� • ,..·. ·24 al Avery Fisher Hall. Ms. Goldberg and Ms. Bene! had (continu,d on pag, 6)
'"15Things every Freshman Should Know:
the confrontation is merely riding the bus through Harlem everyda y down potholed streets or taking a subway with 1. The elevator reset button doesn't do anything. typical city dwellers, lhe ex 2. Commuting builds character. perience could involve fear. The beggars, homeless people, 3. Don't buy Cllff's Notes lo The Catcher In the Rye -This time you reall and strangers in general may wlll be cheallng yourself. catch any weary traveler off 4. If It looks nice and its made by the Gap, 56 other people will b guard. Most important is the caution that the novice traveler wearing It In school. must heed. He or she must al 5. Nolhlng's better than a short-short Friday and nothlng's worse than ways be aware of where he or double Talmud. she is going because danger 6, Always say "Good morning" before you give your excuse to Ms. oould be imminent. Since commuting. a seem Lederman. ingly mundane activity, stirs up 7. If you're late to class, never ask Should I get a note? horrific images in the minds of 8. Don't worry about making friends, Ms. Blum Is paid to llsten to you parents, studen1s, and teachers, just try 10 imagine what would problems. occur if all the upper grades 9. Never let homework Interfere with Seinfeld. were allowed to roam the city. 10. If the Ramkol features what you're wearing, Its time to find anothe This would multiply the num ber of accidenls and late pas fashion source. ses. The potential for chaos 10 11. Learn to outline or purchase your own photocopy machine. arise and perhaps for disaster to 12. Ms. Lessner can actually speak Engllsh. strike is all too apparent. In 1hc past, 1heft has struck 13. You wlll quickly grow to crave sleep, loathe geometery theorems, an Ramaz. If such an issue caused deal with tuna. extreme strife among the mem 14. Your Interview was the last time that you will be served milk bers of our institution. the mag nitude of the response to any cookies In the 6th floor office. catastrophe happening to one 15. Deep down, Rabbi Galdmlntz Is really Just a big teddy bear. of our students on the streets of New York w o u l d be im measurable. Currently, if one - by Craig Dushey does have free time or an ap pointment, a phone call to a (continued on pagt 8)
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TheRamPage
Review:
November 1993 / Cheshvan-Kislev 5754
Exciting Exhibits Mark Re-Opening of Jewish Museum
by Chani Bloom Aflcr being closed for al most three years. the newly rcllovated Jewish Museum reopened in Junc. The largest museum of its kind in the Western Hemisphere has great ly increased 11s physical plant and redesigned the entire museum to display exc111ng new exhibits. \Vhile most rcvic-ws focus on a specific exhibit. in this case that is not practical or pos sible because each c)l.h1bit 1s clo<ely related to the central theme of Jewish h1!)tory. As one enter!) the museum the fin,t e.\hibn you encounter is entitled ··tn 1111._ House: A H i story of the Jewish M u s e u m ." This display chronicles the history of the mu1,cum from its inception in 1904. through it, first e"pan sion in l 924. to 11s move to its current home, the \Varburg m::m�ion on the comer of Fifch Avenue and92nd Street. and on to its most recent revi<;1on,;;. Also on display are some of the museum's earliest acquisiLions and posters :1.dvertising pre vious exhibits. some involving the history of Jewish art and the relationship between Jews and Afr ican Amencans. Accom panying 1hi$ dispJay 1s an oriemation video that restates the history of the museum and previews exhibits currently on display.
The muS<'nm's 1963 expansion has bl'Cn re-dcsignC'd to match the original 1908 gothic mansion. In addition 10 ''In Tl11s various conditions. Much of from vcrydiversc backgrounds House," lhc-rc is another per- this exhibit 1s like an animated view their relationship with manent exhibition entitled version of Ramaz's World Judaism as a whole and with "Culture and Con1inu11y." This Jewish History course. While God, through the use of d1f gallery takes up two floors and presenting things symbolic of fercnt media. One fascinating explores the triumph of the major Jewish historical eras. component of 1his exhibit is Jcwishsp1rit ovr:r countlcssop- such as old. sacred texts, Barbara Steincm·s "Of a Place remains from synagogues in Solttary. Of a Sound Room." It is like an animated different countries which show 1l1is exhibit exhausts lhe scn lVorld Jewish /Jistory lhc vast diversity in thcJcwish scs. One enters a dim room in experience. and other religious which the only sound that course articles. there are also remains breaks the ccry silence 1s that pressers, retelling the histories from secular sources, such as of rings dropping. one after of those oppressions. and coins from distant empires and another, into a pi le symbolizing providing insight into why the agricultural tools. illustrating the lack of individuality and the Jews have survived for so long. that Judaism is not an isolated mass killings during the By exploiting different media culture and that its history has Holocaust. The walls arc bare and guiding the visitor through been influenced by the many except for two paintings: one of an outstrelclWd two floors of relics from past nations around it.. , h:md, the other The mostintcresting exhibit of a series of tattooed numbers. rehgious and secular life, one gradually discovers that is temporary and is entitled T h e eye subconsciously Judaism survived through the "From the Inside Out: Eight transposes the numbers onto evolution of a culture adaptable Contemporary Anists." This is the ann. Another fascinating to life in different places under a display of how eight artists work of art in this exhibit is
EleanorArt in's"Vilna Nights." Looking through a large gap in the museum wall. the visitor finds himself in a fragment of the bombed courtyard of the Warsaw gheno. looking out a window into that of a neighbor's, 10 see them carry ing out t.rJditional ceremonies, such as lighting the menorah. Again, sound 1s used to com plement the visual stimuli. Herc. 1hc sound of a cool wind rushing through chills both the body and mind. Though these two pans of the exhibit deal with Eastern Europe.m Jewry 111 particular. that is not the focal point of the c,l11b11. Other dis plays deal with Juda1Mn in the Soviet Union by comparing rumors to reality 111 an 1ntr1gumg way, women ·s rights m Judaism. and other topic<.. In addition to the�c main cx h1b1uons, there 1� also a hands on workshop for young children, a good cafe.1eria, and a gift shop. Open from 11 :OOAM un11I 5:00P M from Sunday 10 Thursday for a rmntmal con tribution, and on Tuesday nights from 5:00 10 8:00. when there is no cn1rancc fee. A visi1 to 1hc Jewish Museum is an opportunity to experience ex hibits that have a definite bear ing on Jewish life in the Diaspora.
Sukkah Simchah Draws Small Crowd Russian Student Group Helps Liven Atmosphere by Evan Hochberg As it is every year, Simchat Beit-HaShoeva was a time of music, dancing. eating, and learning in the sukkah. How ever, this year's event was dif ferent from other years, for better and for worse. The celebra t ion was diminished slightly by the sparse atten dance, with many students choosing instead to talk on 78th Street. Al the same lime, a group of student volunteers hosted recent immigrants from the former Soviet republics. Many chose to talk outside the building with friends from other schools who were not permitted 10 come inside. Ac cording 10 Mr. Rochlin, visitors have never been allowed a t Simchat Bcit-HaShoeva, since the suklcah is 100 small to ac commodate both Ramaz stu dents and guests. The policy is 1 that anyone can join at 6:30 P.M. when there is more room. 'This year, however, the policy was enforced more strictly than in the past, and the buses for 1 people living outside of Man ,ha ttan, which include many of
1he visitors' friends, leave at Soviet Union. The hosts had a 6:30. Mr. Rochlin told preparatory meeting al lunch everyone who asked him that on Monday, the day before the guests could not attend, but event. with two social workers. many students did not ask. At 5:30 P.M. on Tuesday of Over 250 students signed up to Chol HaMoed, all the par attend, and around 150 did ticipants met in the auditorium, coll)J'. A large number of where the Ramaz students ex juniors were present at lhe plained the holiday of Sukkot , the etrog. and the lulav. After wards. groups were forn1ed 10 go upstairs and participate in the program. Experiences and reactions of both the hosts and Russian students varied. One junior at Ramaz was asked a whole range of questions, as to why the boys and girls were dancing separately, why girls event. Mr. Rochlin said that were wearing long skirts, and overall the celebration was suc what the songs were about. cessful, but he wished more Both she and the Russian im people would have remained migrants she was with had a until its completion. He was great time. She enthusiastical disappointed at the small num ly said, "I'm looking forward ber of seniors and freshmen to keeping up this relation present, especially since it was ship," and "They wanted to the first event of the school come back so badly." Unfor year. tunately, not everyone had such Also during Simchat Beit an enjoyable time. One host HaShocva, a number of Ramaz said that some of the Russian students hosted recent im students did not show interest migrants from the former in the Simchat Bcit-HaShoeva.
junior One was asked why the girls were wearing long skirts
Yuval Mammon, Jon KauRhal, Rabbi Weiser, ond Aryeh Lebeau show off their slmchah dancing techniques.
He also said they were "much less outgoing t hen I thought they would be. They didn' t talk much to us." The evening's program began with an assembly at 3:45 in the afternoon. Rabbi Rubin who was greeted with a wan,; and lengthy burst of applause, spoke for a while. He said that it is easy to do instinctive mitzvot, but it is betterto go out of the way to do a mitzvah, like we do on Sukkot by building and living in a sukkah. Afterhe
spoke, the Chamber Chorus sang. With the end of the as sembly, st uden t s were given the option of staying for the rest of t he program or leaving. Those who stayed danced in the sukkah, ate, and listened to a Dvar Torah by Rabbi Weiser. Even the absence of t he majority of the student body could not lessen the festivity of the program.
November 1993 / Cheshvan-Kislev 5754
Israel Night Introduces Seniors to Yeshivot by Cecily Marbach
One option offered to Ramaz students following their senior year in high school is to study for a year in Israel. Un derstandably. this educational experience in Israel has always been supported by the Ramaz administration.
Israel Night was held on Oc tober 20. The students and their parents were addressed by members of the administration
and faculty. Rabbi Goldmin1z and Ms. Gribe1z each discussed lhe importance of the year spent in Israel. Ms. Lcrnberger spoke in her role as 1he parent of two Ramaz alumni who
spent a year in Israel. After the speeches, the students and
parents broke off to visit reprc• sentatives from the various
yeshivol. The fomial of the evening was similar 10 College Night. in which there were
three 15 minute sessions.
Afterwards, coffee and pastries
were served in the lunchroom .
At 1ha1 lime, students and parents were able to speak privately with the repre
sentatives.
In the past, Rabbi Rubin.
the job of Israel guidance has fallen into the hands of Rabbi Goldminlz, the Assistant Dean. Rabbi Goldmintz is enthusias
tic about his new respon
sibilities. During the beginning of the first term, Rabbi Goldmintz took two major steps. First. he dis1ribu1ed an Israel question
naire to the senior class. This new fom1 asks the student to
declare whether he or she wishes 10 spend the year in Is rael or nol. II also hsls the most commonly selected schools for Ramaz gradua1cs.
Second,
Goldmintz circulated a booklet 1i1led "An ln1roduc11on 10 Yeshivo1 in Israel." This book
let outlines the main points per taining to a year of study in
Israel and includes a list of questions to ponder and ask the representatives from the Yeshivot on Israel Night Rabb, Goldmintz ,s looking forward to his new respon
sibilities for personal reasons as well. In the past, Goldmintz was a member of the college
guidance staff.
In this new
position he.will again be able 10 r
guide students intellectually. now a teacher in the Lower. which is a task he much en
School. was in charge of the Israel Office. His guidance aided many Sludenls in their future Jewish studies plans. Since Rabbi Rubin's departure,
joyed. This new role will also afford him more contact with the individual lives of the seniors.
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Opinion:
onferences; a Time f0r tne Real World by Daniel Bend
Ramaz, a.� a society, func tions apan from the rules of the "real world." Titis is no secrel. Students are always being told lhat one day. a long time after they graduate from Ram:iz, they will be 1hn1st into the real world where people are nol as nice as lhey are in 11,e protected world of Ramaz, as Mr. Blech likes 10 point ou1. Unfortunatcly, lhe new format of student-tearhcr conferen ces aimed to deprive students
darSocial winism was in full bloom. If one started being nice to others, one was stuck in until school three o'clock. !
of the real world experience usually associated with that day. In years past. student
teacher confj:ren�es were
to learn a linle about (as Dr the o:uc order of the uakind Berkowitz would put it) the world of the market. Unfortunately, thol\gh, rationalizing ethos of the markc1place. In other words, lhcsc importanl lessons were the chaos in Ramaz during targe1ed as an evil to be previous studcnHeacher con a voided when creating the ferences is 1ruly representative new format for conferences. of the order in the "real Classes resumed after lhc con• ferences so that no freedom world." Social Darwinism was in would be gained by a student full bloom.Jfone slarted being who finished early. lhus nice to others. one wassluck in rendering the underhanded school until three o'clock. line-culling practice futile. Sludcnls' cxis1cntial meaning Furthennor(!, students were became the meeting of all re.\tricted from seeing certain tca1..·hers in th!.! sho�st pos teachers on certain days in sible time. TI1ey m,lized thal order 10 shorten lengthy lines. tlicy had 10 make allia,.,;-cs s�crningly. 1he administration will, people in other lines so had succeeded in extracting lhat a ,pace could "'-' held for the most important lessons of tl1c111 while they raced to gel die day from the conferences. other teachers' signatures. Bui, just when the administra Studen1s learned that blindly tion thought that their new for 1rus1ing a '"list" got them mat would create order in the nowhere. There was always hallways. Ramaz sludents someone who would rip ii Op. proved effective in preserving or squeeze his name above their annual foray into the real anotlicr's. TI1e rules of lhe world. The students· goal in marketplace were in efTec1: the this year's conferences was no nice guy loses. longer an early departure from Despite tl1c unpleasantness. school, but rather the finishing this day 1aught the studcn1 of two days worth of conferen body how life works outside of ces in a single day. Tilis set in Ram:iz. They learned that motion the chaos of years past, lhcre is always someone tcying whe e sa ing spot� and tolakc'Yourp<>SltJoD an-U th threalenin rnlrgny oloi- one must constantly be :iwnre dered lists were the rule_ 1lte of who one's friends truly an:. student body would not forg Most imporlaJlt though, stu 1heir alma mater, the school of dents learned that the amoral hard knocks. chaos that Ramu titled "stu
equated with ehaOs7b.nd rfg t ly so. The administration al ways touts these conferences as learning experiences, and they are. but not because one has a chance to meet with teachers. Rather, one begins dent-teacher conferences" is
Of Crowded Classes and Squashed Students (continuedfrom page I)
in the lasl I 6 years. Furthermore, there are fewer Jewish high schools now than then (for example. Yeshiva University used to have four subsidiary high schools: ii now only has 1wo), so each school musl 1ake some extra students. Ramaz has physically reached its limit. As Dr. Shudofsky explained, we are "working in an envelope." Ramaz cannot expand outward as other schools can and have done. Theoretically. we can expand upwards: when the story limil (lhe building heighl) for this area of 1heci1y was sci, three schools, includ ing Ramaz, were grandfathered and al lowed lo add slories in the future. However. such construction would cosl about five million dollars and would nol provide that much extra space. Another passibilily 1hat has been thoroughly ex plored is buying another school for the junior high, bul Dr. Shudofsky explains that this is not economically feasible. Not only can our building not accom modate more classrooms, it cannot hold any more studcnlS, either. There is nowhere 10 add lockers, and without addilional lockers, there cannot be ad-
ditional students. Al present. there arc two empty lockers, and those were sup posed to be occupied by s1uden1s who left school al lhe beginning of the year. Although the number of applications will greatly increase this year. the school can accept no more than 104 in 1he freshman grade. And what of those who will not make ii? Dr. Shudofsl.-y says that this is a problem for the greater Jewish community 10 solve- Ramaz has done what ii could. The problem has manifested itself in another way for juniors. The number of Form V sections has been reduced 10 four because of the squeeze for class rooms, as well as the loss of students since freshman year. This lack of stu dents has made ii uneconomical for the administration lo have a fifth class. Tite elimination of a fiflh section has caused an increase of about four s1Udents to each of the remaining sections. Stu dents and teachers arc having a hard time dealing wilh the larger classes: they feel 1ha1 classes and the overall learning environment have suffered as a result of overcrowding.
Ms. Pe1erfrcund said 1hal lhe in creased number of s1uden1s in Forni V English classes has harmful effects; students' participation is reduced,
teachers cannot get to know their stu
dents as well, and students do not get enough individual at1cn1ion. Dr. Stone commented that his junior history clas ses are the largest he has ever had, and II is hard for him to get to know his students. Junior Julie Safdich noted that be cause of the large number of students in each cl ass. "half the kids tune out during history. The teacher docs not realize 1ha1 much of 1hc class isn'l paying at1en1ion." Hilan Warshaw added, "English class is supposed 10 be an in1ellectual forum and discussion. With so many kids in a class, we are missing out" Physically overcrowded classrooms pose another problem because 1hey arc not equipped 10 hold 1he large classes. Classrooms become stuffy and uncom fortable. One Form V TaNaCH class was forced to switch its classroom schedule because its original class rooms were hot, crowded, lacking in desks. and wha1 Ms. Prebor called
"claustrophobic." Ms. Rosen feels that the overcrowded artroom situation is "ridiculous." Wit!\ so many students in a class. Ms. Rosen and her students find that there is liulc room to work. According to the Administration. the increased size of junior classes is not such a big problem. It could be josl a short time until juniors and their teachers adjust to their classes. "Form V classes aren't really crowded" ob served Mr. Miller, "students are just nol used to it." Unless lhe size oflhe form increases, juniors will have to cope with four sec tions. However, many students and teachers feel that the education of juniors will suffer under these condi tions. Throughout 1he school in general, people have complained of overcrowding. To many, il some1imes seems as if there is no place lo move. Dul the school is bulging at the seams. Wi1h more people applying each year, we arc not going 10 take any fewer stu dents. But, due to size constraints, we 11re josl incapable of taking in more.
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November 1993 / Cheshvan-Klslcv 5754
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PSAT's: What's the Difference?
by Ben Lebwohl sion, and Ramaz 1radi1ionally This year juniors valued lhe tries 10 emphasize !hat the 1es1 PSAT more than in previous is for prac1ice only. Studenls, years. and wilh good reason: in in general, do not pu1 much 1994, lhe SAT will be differenl, worry inlo lhe lest; ii is simply so one can nol go home and a good way 10 gel a feel for 1he lake lasl year's SAT for prac- SAT. and studenls can conlinue lice. Now, the PSAT is lhe only prac1icing by laking a course or real test before the ac1ual SAT taking praclice SATs on !heir in which juniors will be able to own. The college advisers gave gel a laste of May's SAT. changes and all. For the first time in the juniors informalion regard recen1 his1ory. the PSAT on Oc- ing !he new PSAT during orien lober I 2 was lruly an oppor- talion. While ii seemed 10 some 1uni1y 10 realize whal to look tha11alking about 1he PSAT 1he firs! day afler summer vacation forward 10 laler in the year. The changes in the SAT and, was too early an action. the ad subsequently, the PSAT. are visers did it because the 1es1 not, as many believe, major al- lhis year was two weeks earlier ,rations in the format. Con- than usual. and 1he nature of !he trary to early rumors. the verb:ll firs! weeks of school would
section does not include an
make using class time un•
desirable. They wanted juniors 10 be aware of 1he upcoming lest dale. On orienta1ion, the advisers dislribu1ed newslc11ers prin1ed by 1he College Board 1ha1 described 1he nalure of1he new test format, and sup plied information regarding lhe National Merit Scholarship competition. The newsletter also contained a practice PSAT. which the advisers rccom mended 1ha1 juniors take. Mr. Miller commented that the school is distributing the material sothat studentsshould not be ignor:int of the test, but, tions 3.nd two math sections, nol one fafge' secdOn' of caCh: .. ! he added,"Srudenrs Stioiild hor The role of 1he Preliminary slart worrying about sland Sc holastic Aptilude Test ardized tests and college ad through the years has been lo mission so early in the year. On Oclober I 2, the juniors let s1udents in the eleventh grade have a glimpse of the took tl1e PSAT, and they were infamous test that they will not surprised by 1he s1yle or take the following May. Out- degree of difficulty of the 1est. side of the Merit Scholarship Many noled !hat the verbal sec• "ompetition, the test results tion was more difficult than the are kept private. The PSAThas math, but they explained !hat no bearing on college admis- the same was irue on 1he pracessay. In the verbal section. more questions will be dedicated to reading comprehension, while fewer will be sen1ence comple1ions and analogies. The anlonyms will be dropped al1ogether. In the math sections. calculators will be permiued, and one seclion will include len problems with no choices; test-takers must fill in the answers on a grid. An additional change is thal lhe PSAT is now more similar to the SAT. since now the PSAT is divided into two verbal sec-
tice test in the newsleuer. One junior commen1ed 1hat lhe only lhing on the PSAT tha1 surprised him was "how in credibly often women and
In Brief:
Miller Buys New Intrepid
Headmaster is HVery pleased with the... performance... •
I
On OclOber 15, as Mr. Miller walked into his classroom heard from one of his stu&.lnts that his car had been wreck minorities were mentidned.'' f!owever, Mr. Miller didn't take him seriously until the studen , He commented, "There was a persisted. Mr. Miller called downstairs and had Carlos check ou l reading passage aboul his car. Carlos then confirmed for Mr. Miller_ that his car h� i'I women's role in the science fact been damaged. Then. to his students dismay, Mr. Milletj world. a passage about a black returned to his class. finished the period and went downs �irs t<j village, and a sentence-com discover the details of the accident. He fowld out that his car) pletion question involving which was scheduled to be lraded in for a new one at the end of some guy whose name was the monlh, had been badly damaged by a messenger truck. The spelled in a way 1ha1 made me insurance companies ore working out the &tails of compcnsatio� Mr. Miller, who had to get his car repaired before he turned 11 think he's some faction leader for ·n. in Bosnia-Herzegovina." Mr. Miller's new mode of transponation is a "like forest Immediately after the test was administered. the juniors green" Dodge Intrepid ES. Mr. Miller commented that he wa$ met togelhcr with the three col very pleased with the engine's power and performance and the lege advisers who explained tar's ability to tum. He also noted that the int repid grounds curves how the college process would "cry well. UnfonunalCly, though, !here is, in Mr. Miller's opinionl continue from here. Juniors Ioo much noise in the cabin. Also, he is not happy that neither the will receive test scores in early car's antenna nor mirrors are not retractable. It was stipulated December, and !hey will in in the repair contract, though, that if the mirrors are smashed tbe)I dividually mee1 with a college would be replaced with Concord mirrors, which are retractable adviser to review their results. Mr. Miller explained that this is not an invitation 10 students The advisers spoke in an op smash his mirrors. timistic !One; Dr. Honig happi ly commented that when she checked 10 see if students were filling in the math grid-ins properly, she noticed that many people were coming up with the same answers, assumably correct. Finally, Mr. Goetz warned the students to be wary (continuedfrom page 3) students his Hebrew name as of coaching classes. He said that it is imponant to "be smar1 well. Many Ethiopians feel well as his Ethiopian name and consumers" when reading ad that they are facing prejudice what it means. Howevcr..., vertisements for the Princeton because ffiey arC different lhan many, the peak or their experience was hearing the choir. Review, Kaplan, or any other the average Israeli. Seventh and eighth period Mr. Gronich explained that coaching service. The students came out of the meeting and lunch, however, was a time for their musical technique is very staned the wait for the results many more students to in1eract simple. They sing in unison of the test that will be used as a wi1h the choir and Mr. Gronich. and they are very quiet. Judgbarometer of preparedness for The high school had a chance ing by the amount of applause the SAT's which s1ill lie ahead. to cat wilh them and the Ramaz and praise that the choir chorus was able to perform for recieved� most Ramaz students them. Then 1hey inlroduced heard and enjoyed the perforthemselves 10 the students. mance. Each choir member told the
«l
Gronich's Choir Entertains Ramaz
Students Recruited for March of The Living by Ilana Bayme and Chanl Bloom
Las! month, Michael Bearl. a former Ramaz faculty mem ber and current direc1or of the March of the Living Center in Jerusalem, addressed 1he up perclassmen about March of the Living, available to stu dents in 1he 111h or 12th grade this spring. He told 1he history of the Nazi Death March; a long lhrec kilometer hike in the freezing cold with the prob abili1y of death at the end of the journey. This hike from , Auschwitz 10 lhe gas chambers in Birkenau took countless people to their deaths. This April over 5000 young adults from all over the world will walk lhis same route. This , time, however, 1hey are mar-
ching 10 commemorate the deaths of their ancestors, to show !hat they as the next genera1ion of Jewish leaders have not forgotten the a1rocities of the past. They will march as representatives of schools, synagogues, and youth groups from all over 1he world as par1icipan1s in the "March of the Living." The actual march is only a part of !his program; the par ticipants tour Poland, visiling significant historical sites in smaller groups. On Yorn Ha Shoah, all of the panicipants join togelher for The March which concludes with a memorial service al one of lhe gas chambers, and the singing of Hatikvah. From Poland !hey
To be considered as a par will travel 10 Israel 10 celebrate Yorn HaAtzmaut. ticipanl for this program one The program was slarted in mus! fill out an application, I 988 by Avraham Hirshon, a which is available from Rabbi member of the Knesset, 10 Goldmintz, 1hat includes an bring Jewish youlh to wilness essay and a recommendation. the atrocities of lhe past and 10 The application is due Decem keep lhe memories alive for the ber I. In addition, an interview next generation. Marches were is also necessary. Although many applicants are accepted, held in 1988,1990. and 1992. Micheal Bear! men1ioned factors such as an applicant's that the March would be held "social attiludes," emotional annually starting from ncxl stability, or school work could year, so the next March would contribute to his being rejected. Many people feel that this is be in 1995 and not I 996. While this is a possibility, in a con an extremely wonhwhile ex ference of all the regional perience but have problems chairs from around lhe U.S. with the logistics of it. For which met in Florida at the end some, missing nine days of of October, no decision was school is too much. Some of reached, so his statement is these students are planning to go next year, if a march is held, mere speculation.
or from Israel when they are there to study for a year after graduation. It is significantly cheaper 10 go from Israel, but the "suppo nive atmosphere" of going with many people from school might be lacking. Another problem t h a t people have i s financial. In response to this Susan Rochlin of the Board of Jewish Educa tion (BJE) advises contacting the BJE which has some partial scholarships available, or going to a local rabbi, Jewish community leader, or synagogue for financial assis tance.
November 1993 / Cheshvan-Kislev 5754
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Election Day Assembly; Students Speak Out (continuedfrom page I J
t e e n s are threatened by violence in their high schools Mr. Giuliani, on the other and 270,000 guns are in school hand had a different approach. per day in cities throughout the Coming out against racial country, although Mayor pride, he said that one's elec Dinkins has claimed that the toral decision should be solely New York City crime rate has based on t h e c a n di d a t e ·s gone down. Dinkin 's at philosophy and his ability to tributes the decrease in crime to deal with the problems facing the consolidation of the police New York. department under his jurisdic Ellen Kandel questioned tion. Mr. Giuliani. however. Mayor Dinkin's about his ten claims that the Mayor bases his dencies lo favor certain ethnic statistics on reported crime. groups because he himself Were he lo include unreported identifies with a specific group. crime. lhc crime rate would not His response seemed to deny have improved al all. the implicit accusation regard W he n asked about ining the Korean grocery store boycott. He clearly expressed himself as one who treats everyone equally. To address the crime issue. Rila Stem, a woman not af filiated with Ramaz, related that she lived in city housing which she described as a "com bat zone." Crack is common in �er neighbors' apartments, and CO she said one recent night she heard gunshots. She called the police, but they failed to apUS." pear. The Mayor tried to be very accommodating to her dividual feelings towards New and pointed out a man with York City, Mr. Giuliani said whom she could speak later. that he admired the city for He said he would inquire as to being a cultural metropolitan why there was a Jack of.police _ centei:_�ith an .J!bu_ n.dance of action. museums and colleges. Statistics from the NBC Dinkins spoke about how great nightly news show that 75% of the city is without mentioning
"...you
never know when one of the blank walls will be Ve red With a mural to com memorate
specific qualities. Other topics were also slightly touched upon such as the homeless and how much Jewish support each candidate holds. Clips of these panels were shown to the school as part of the political assembly last Thursday. In addition, lo em phasize the crime problem, a film clip was shown about the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. Along with the film, Ms. Ellie Weiss and some of her students from the Bushwick Outreach alternative high school in Bushwick watched the pro gram. The film documented the current plight of Bushwick. Crime and drugs nourished during the lime of the Reagan Bush administrations. Finan cial cuts to social services and a loss of local factory jobs were partly responsible. Ms. Weiss slated how there must be some connection be tween New York's thriving communities, like the Upper East Side, and poor com munities, like Bushwick. She defined this connection as a collective responsibility on the Ramaz student's behalf. Stu dents need lo respond to the neglect which has plagued Bushwick leading to the dcsiruc tiOO.'-- -� At the end of the assembly, Councilmember Susan Alter.
Happy and Healthy?
New health course meets with mixed reviews
by Erin Leib This year, a formal health education class was intrcxluced into the Ramaz curriculum. The class, taught by Ms. Wendy Cohen, meets weekly for Forms I through Vand deals with a broad spectrum of is sues. Ms. Cohen takes her class very seriously and has set oul an extensive and rigorous cur riculum. TI1e course of study has been divided into three parts: physical and mental health, human development and relationships. and values. The first deals with diet and nutrition and drug and alcohol abuse. The second will deal with sex education. The last will detail the intricacies and results of peer pressure and personal decision making. Debra Tanlleff, a sophomore, commented that "she should not be assigning projects and planning tests." This idea was cchued, and one student noted lhat this class was "useful as a minor." Dul, one tenth grader,
Amy Berman, says, "This class helps lo inform us about the unfortunate problems that have resulted from social pressures In previous years." Ms. Cohen received her BA from Brown University and her Masters of Health Education from Teacher's College at Columbia. She has previously 1aughl a he.11th education class
should "She not be assign projects ing and planning tests" al Hunter College High School, a public school for gifted children. 1l1c administration's focus on and concern for the health of its student body became more apparent lost year with the pe riodic substitution of, health c l a s s e s for gym classes.
During health classes, led by Ms. Blum or Ms. Biegen, movies were shown dealing primarily with eating disor ders. Lillie follow-up ensued, and students· reactions often remained undiscussed. The faculty's interest was again expressed in early spring when one night was devoted to boosting the self-esteem of the student body. Both parents and students were invited lo Josten to three skilled doctors trained extensively in this field. Again, the focal point was eating disorders. Though most students do resent the added workload of the new course, the need for such o class, while ambivalent ly appreciated, is universally recognized. One newly satis fied parent remarked, "This class is long overdue."
EmU Klelnhaus speaks with mayor.elect Giuliani who ran for Public Advocate, with a mural to commemorate addressed the students. Aller us." W hether Giuliani will be shared her ideas about how lo able lo help the lives of the 1 help the community better it people lo whom the such state• , self. ments apply is altogether ques Bushwick students as well tionable. Ramaz students as Ramaz students are chose him as the best man for 1 threatened with crime on a the job. Dr. Jucovy had a , daily basis. As one of the strong showing in the polls, as Bushwick students said, •:you he came in,ll;ur.d, will\,12 votes never know when one of the to Giuliani's 109. and Dinkins blank walls will be covered got 30.
le Chambon Doubles embership in One_ Year
b'y Jo'dfFltcb Jewish children during the Le Chambon, also known Holocaust,. One such child, as the French Honor Society, Hanne Liebman, came t o recently began its second year speak last year t o th e group at Rarnaz. During its se<:ond and to the Holocaust OnJ His year, Le Chambon bas seen a tmy Club about her experien growth in its membership by ces, However, this is not the approximately fifty' percent. group's only accomplish An A average in French for ment. All or the groQp's IC· three consecutive semesters. tivities arc conducted i n and on overall B average is French exclusively. As an ex required to at!Jlin membership ample, tliey arc corresponding in this exclusive club. A fur with the mayor of Le Chom ther requirement is atten bon in an attempt 10 further dance at ton or more their relations�ip with ilie meetings. While parti.cipa town. They � considering tion in Le Circle Francois, the sending videotapes of Ramaz. French �onvcnation circle, to the children of Le Chambon and writi�g for "A Vos to al19w for in(craclion with Souhaites," the French jour them.:\- � nal, is oplional.'mony students The group l ould like to feel that partifipalion in all "e:>tpand tiic[ir] sphere of in three helps them be further fluence on the rest of tile immersed in French culture, ,school." This is because the which will enable them to bet· members ofLc]Chambon feel ter learn tlte language. that the group, accoi:ding to Ramaz's French Honor Dr. Hartheimer, "rep�nts Society obtained its name asP,iradons and ob�ves from the town it converses Ramaz's commitment to Ille with, Le Chambon sur tig pr�ation o(1he ivcm�clf non, a small French fLSl\ing illc Holocaps1, and the alt� community, This town is semlnati.on of racial tole noted for having saved many throughout .the world.'' ·
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November 1993 / Chcshvan-Kislcv 5754
Ramblings
by H1lon Do,• \\'arshaw Assemble, you masses, here and see A cause for tribuce - solemnly Take up your glasses and behold The unsung hero, lmighl unlold The one whose virtue is a rule: The scandard scudenl of our school. Yes, pay him well in honor due For years of service tried and true For hours spcnl al beck and call Of class and office, homeroom hall: So lee us sing, so lee us raise Our voices m the sounds of praise For him the hero who sics Through Maryland and Massachuscus In stricc adherence and scraighc com plionce To form, of malh •nd facts of science Wich feec so firmly on the ground Wich book and binder - he is bound To hc:.p lhe harvc l - signs and sec• tors Texts .:,,nd lests and various vectors
Always hstcnmg - ever awake Ready 10 learn ond lessons cake Never too insolent or obscene Or 01herw1se less chan priscinc, Who barely, rarely fidgccs Through hours of significanl digilS And never would 11 come to pass Thal he would fall asleep in class Brave comrade. Still, one may mfcr, From time to time it docs occur Thal one cxhausled pupil mighc After slaying quice up lase nighc For one brier moment amid the facts And McrcantiliSI Sugar Aces Lei all his consciousness go reeling Rising high obove the ceiling Through eyes closed, behold a gleom ..•And couch the ccxture of a dream. And so I confess candidly Th:>.t such a. thing occurred to me \Vhere during one such class, whi1c Chere
l seemed lo rise into the air And, fancosy-hke, descend 1he stairs Where my feet led me unawares To some grnnd thcacer-ours I 1hink And filled w11h people to che brink All milling round wich noise exciced To this meeting all inviccd - All before a colored curtain Talking with a strnngc uncertain Restlessness - and through shut eyes I saw to my immense surprise That all chc rest hod eyes closed too But now a voice rang loud and true And 31 lhe head of Che convcnllon Coiled us all to ics 01tcn11on. Then come lhe voice quil clipped and clear, lnconing solemnly ··and here" Did 11 procl:um within the air To che assembly gachcred cherc "You see before you on 1h1s doy A sight that sadly we may say ls pitiful" - and elcanng 1hroa1 The voice went on an graver note ··so grievous as whac we shall sec Thac- and I spe•k so tac1fullyTh1s horror we indeed may gauge To be lhc shame of all chc age And here bear witness, everyone To what Deception now has done" And paused for breach. or for effccc Ere saying- "Herc, Che produce of NEGLECT Can clear be seen. So lei it be Thal every scudcnt here shall see The sure and shameful tragic truth Of whac becomes of DEPRIVED YOUTH The gross cffcct5 of lack of care COMPASSIONLESSNESS in the air -All shall be seen, for on this stogc A group of youngstc� of your age - inc produca or this HUMAN DEARTH Unfortunoles of all lhc
Should I Stay or.
earth Young ones. hkc you. who never knew An hour of warmth sincere or 1rue A caring geslurc, glad caress of al> solucc unselfishness - They hve in blindness. in • day Society has sold owoyTo cold pragmacics, POVERTY Of purse and personal icy 111cir lives are frigid, frightful, fraughc Wich hearts and heads 100 cheaply bought: The children of DECEPTION who - And here I do appeal to you Would like lo know as !here a hghc That they may know at end of nigh1? Among you are Chere chose who mighc Noc lend • heart 10 hcar their plight?" If hearts lhcy gave I can nol cell But hands Chey donolcd os well And did apploud my friends around Producing such • deafening sound Of staunch support and deep defense For these misguided innocents That the racket did reach on not And lhe voice did ask for quiel (Remarking an a big-rongcd bass, Thal chis was not a market-place.) And so che noise did then subside For here the voice, quile mngnificd Concinucd: "Now I osk agoin Who among you here would fain Help this poor unlucky flock Find lhc key to slovery·s lock. Break from ghcuos of the soul And taste chc freedom of their goo!, Who?" And once again were given Clapping sounds so drowning driven Answering the speaker's coll -One wondered if they heard at •IIAnd then it s1oppcd. Ore.at happiness - A pride of self, no more, no less Did seem to spread among lhe stunlS
Praising oil the precious prudence Of our school lo lake a pause To prcach chis worldly, worthy cause It does us well, they said. to sit Al such assemblies - truly, it Brings oul thal side so oflen missed - How shall we say- Philanthropisl That does reside in each of us. They did disburse, they did discuss On Social Action, inner cities Interviews and Joint Committees Efforcs seriously soughc To make each man a Lancelol With nag of Juscice, Pcacc and Verily -And Educational ProsperilyHow beautiful that flag is checkered How fine it looks on college records All thas did they speak of, when The voice did call us once again With some derisiveness quite new - "And now" -he said- "We •II will view These ones chcmsclvcs -this group of shame Whose badge of gross neglect they claim 111ese undernourished. sorry youth Who always thinking it cool and couch Have been deprived -so piccous They now appear in fronl of us These poor, poor things who lruth for sook To stand before us now - so look!" -The curtain rose, with gosping loud Were we revealed for all the crowd In tics and blazers neatly decked -The youlh of pily and neglecl ... But dreams will tickle, dreams wall taunt And dreams will fickle come 10 haunt The darkness hkc 1ha1 lack of hght Where blind assemblies meet by night.
Lopsided Gender Ratio In Math (contiflutd/rom page I)
parent or a yelNow one may ask why should the school boys will cause chem 10 be low slip is usually sufficient 10 granl • student allow seniors to have the privilege of leaving at come social outcasts. This the right to leave the building. Yet if Ramu all? Seniors would simply answer, because ""'e prevents achievemcrit in nm1h, were to accede to the demands for more freedom are seniors. Still, there are other reasons. The as Ms. Gorfinklc poims ouc, be and allow all students to come and go as 1hcy most imponant is the time element. Because of cause ii is a subjccc 1h01 re please, new rules would be required out of lhc the plcchora of frees lhal seniors enjoy, ii is unfair quires an aggressive mentality. necessity of the situation. These would undoub to coop up the senior class during the times Scudics done by Shiel• Scrouss, tedly minimize studencs' free</om. We may sec when s1uden1s ore free. II is also expected chat a former Ramoz teacher at chat such a change does not always harbor fur che older, and hence, more experienced studenlS Ramaz who is now at Hunter will behave in a safe and intelligent manner College High School, show chcr freedom. that girls achieve more in Progmotically speaking, with the limiccd time when ou1S1dc of school. Mr. Miller s11id that when it comes to such an single-sex cluscs than in co-cd between classes and che paucity of free periods ones. This has cast serious issue like the welfare of the scudent5. he speaks in every underclassman ·s schedule, there is h1tlc time 10 spend al one's destination, excluding lhc as• facher ond not os lhc Assistanl Dean. There doubt on the only ohemo11ve possibihty of overpaying for things al Griscede 's fore, the rules pertoining lo leaving lhe school theory cxploinang the im building during school hours should nol be balanced racios, 1h01 genetic which con be bought in school. loosened. When nn ins1itution makes rules, its makeup couscs boys to be predisposed cowards moth. The study lost port of ils crcd1bili1y, Chough, when II wo, discovered chat Che all-girl clas ses were told thal chey were (continucdfrompagrJ) p u n i s h m e n t . "senior privileges" dependenl on lhc amount of pare of on expcrimenc. This Juniors, nlong with seniors. ea1 lunch at I :30 free periods would give lhe appearance chat stu knowledge �rurred lhe girls to P.M .. which is almosl as close to an early dinner dcnls arc being penalized for laking many clas perform heller in order to validalc lhc study's hypolhesis. time as a reasonable lunch time. Since juniors ses. Whal a horrible message chis would be! Juniors should be included in "senior Also. in locales such as che U.S. arc not supposed 10 cat during an earlier lunch privileges·· for lhc enlirc year. By thal lime Chey training cnmp for the Interna period. it 1s 1onurous to prevent them from buying food outside Ramaz when lhcy have chc have proven Iheir rcsponsib1li1y and have gained tional Math Olympiad, where the necessary Manhauan experience. If a pnr 1alcn1 has a large genetic faclor, free lime 10 do so. Someone might claim lhat only seniors licular group of juniors shows 1ha1 chey do nol chc rocio of moles 10 fcmoles should benefic from chesc ··privileges,'" since have these quah11cs, lhc solution is simple: just can be as high as seven to one. The mnch dcportmcnl oc only 1hey have many free period,. This as a cake their privileges away. But chesc groups will radaculous orgument. because why then do be very small ond rare, as evidenced by past tivcly a11empts to minimize the problem of gender imbalonces. juniors al lhe end of chc school year. The lime juniors, with only one free period. receive their "pravaleges' afler Pesoch? Also. why do lhc h:ts come for this is.sue 10 be seriously discussed This is accomplished by calk seniors who average only a free pcrtod or less and for Che currenl policy 10 be carefully recon ing to ony female studenl who asks to drop an honors class per day have them? In a<ldicion to chis, making sidered. and encouraging her to slay. (continurdfrom pagr 3)
Should I Go?
Alchough it is known that many teachers in s1udics have made lhe mistoke of asking boys the majority of thcoretica.l ques tions and asking girls che majority of computalional ones, neither the math nor the science department has taken the issue up in an official man ner. Mr. Kohon said, though. "I think chot [the facully] arc aware of the research." This is crucial, as Ms. Gorfinkle ex• plains, because math becomes increasingly theoretical at higher levels. Societal factors have a much greater effect on girls" thcorcticol •bilitics (pos sibly explaining why the ocher forms ho,c closses chat beuer represent lhc actual number of boys ond girls). Ms. Slonim said "[lhe science deportmenl] ought to address chc problem offici:illy, though. to solve it. it must be seen as a schoolw1de issue, not a dcpanmcntnl one." Nncionally, the si1ua1ion has not statistically improved much over chc past 25 years. However, like many olhcrs, Ms. Gorfinklc believes thal "in the next gcncralion of kids. more of whom will have fem•le role models who arc in volved in math and the scien ces, girls will sec thal pu�uing math and the sciences arc ac ceplable alternatives."