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Vol. 7, No.4, May 1991'
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75-40 Parsons Boulevard. Flushing, NY 11366
Townsend Harris High School at Queens College
Roguish rodent .invades art room by Jord an M. Dressler What has four legs , a fluffy tail, an affinity for nuts, and recently spent several days in the art room? The answer is a squirrel, and it was recently caugh t and freed from room 119 where it .had spent more than a week. Ar t teacher . Anthony Morales, custodian Michael White, Assistant Principal Malcolm Rossman and his secretary Jayne Irene all helped in the successful capture ofthe little creature, after which it was freed into the wooded area adjacent to the school bu ilding. The final capture, following a se~ies of fumbled attempts ridden with bad luck, took place on May 15, the eighth day that the squirrel had remained in the room. Mr. Morales, using the remnants of the large apple suspended from the gym ceiling at the Health Fa ir that Monday, fashioned a makeshift cage with which to trap the already injured
open in the room, and when it was room 119, and so these classes were discovered that itdidnotescape during held in either the cafetorium or outside the night, a Board of Education pest by the side entrance. "This has posed a contro l unit was summoned. They set problem, because we were involved in a trap with peanut butter as bait. But a heavy project," Mr . M orales said. too much peanut butter wasused, al- Others, however, took to the outdoor lowing the squirrel to eat the food and surroundings wholeheartedly. "It's return to his hiding place with no prob- been so hot [temperatures hit the high lem. 80 's during the eight days the squirrel Before allowing the pes t control uni t was here] that it felt great to get out in to proceed with their plan to trap the the sun!" declared one sophomore. The squirrel, Mrs . Irene made them ,sign a squirrel caused minimal damage durwritten statement saying that, regard- ing its stay, and classes are now back in less of physical health, the 'squirrel room 119. would not be destroyed but rather set The incident was viewed with humor free or taken to a veterinarian. This by some. "Only in Townsend Harris concern forarodent's life sparked much would this have happened!" cried Ascomment. sistant . Principal of Science Susan "There is no reason for an innocent Appel. "I think it's very funny," agreed squirrel to be unjustly killed," said Odile Garcia, science teacher. "This," said an anony mous freshm an, "is the most exc itement this school has seen all year!" This was not the ftrst time that a~ .?~ v j o u s Jy a member of the frightened squ irrel . "I saw the squirrel animal kingdom limping," said Mr. entered the building. Mr. Morales. UnfortuMorales said n ately, once the that he had had squirrel was capthe same situ tured, it escaped ation with a bird through an undelast year, but it tected hole in the trap. -, This culmiescaped quickly through an open nated inamadchase window. around the room , ''There are with several mem abo u t twenty bers of the faculty exhausts on the pursuing the small roof access ible mammal through o to squirrels and room 119. Finally, birds from the the squirrel was trees" reported caught with a blan' ket, deemed in rela~ Mr. White. He ~ said that wasp tively good health o by the teachers on ~ nests are also a major problem, hand , and allowed 31... -.-.- . often clogging to run free into the FI NALLY CAUGHT BUT NOT FOR LONG. The squirrel, which wandered into woods nex t door. . exhaustsincomthe art room, looks for a way out of its trap. The squirrel was bination with originally found in the room by Mr. senior Justine Eisenstein. "We tried to dead squirrels and birds. To remedy Morales on May 8. "I heard a scratch- catch it as humanely as possible,"said the problem, Mr. White said that the ing sound...from the ventilation duct, Mrs . Appel. She referred to Townsend custodial staff will prune the trees and I saw a grayish object moving in Harris, in light of the incident, as a crowning the roof to keep the animals away. "Weare also looking into there," said Mr. Morales. He unscrewed "true humanities school." The presence of the squirrel made it chicken-wire mesh gratings over the the duct cover to reveal a baby squirrel "afraid to jump." A window was left impossible for classes to be held in ducts," Mr . White said.
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Arista p. 3
KARATE DEMONSTRATORS, senior Judy Luong and sophomore Matt Cretaro, perform for students at the Health Fair.
Health Fair' blends facts with fun by M att Gil goff The third ann ual Health Fair at Townsend Harris offered not only facts and information but food and games as well: Students had easy access to advice from pro fessionals in the health field and rece ived fact-filled pamphlets. The intent of the fair was to "allow the students to obtain pertinent-information and have a good time while doing it," said guidance counselor Susan Rotter, one of the coordinators of the fair. In an attempt to accomplish this goal, health topics were incorporated into a Jeopardy game which attracted many students. The game was created by PhyllisBogart and her freshman daughter Cynthia. Mrs. Bogart, who volunteered her time, exemplified the wide range of participants in the fair. "The fair was contributed to by the entire school community," explained Mrs . Rotter. Teachers, parents, students, and outside organizations were all involved. Two of the students who participated in the fair were sophomores Matt Cretaro and Stefan Bilaniak. Matt put on a karate and self-defense exhibition and Stefan helped at the Emergency Medical Service table. "I learned a 10t... .1 felt it was worthwhile to volun-
teer my time, " said Stefan. In addition, members of Puffles and Students for the Preservation of the Earth manned booths at the event. Health teacher Ellen Schwartz and Mrs. Rotter were the co-coordinators of the fair. A student committee brainstormed ideas and helped to set up, run, and clean up the fair . Art teacher Anthony Morales supe rvised production of the decorations which featured a large papier-mache apple hung from the gym ceiling. The gymnasium was filled with displays from outside organizations such as the A:'L D.S. Center, the American Diabetes Association, the American Red Cross , and Booth Memorial Hospital. Many stud ents gathered around the exhibit presented by the Department of Transportation. Theresa A. Barry, who works for the department, distributed quizzes to students. All those who -took the quiz wo~ such prizes as a button, a reflector or ' a weeble. Mrs. Barry was very impressed with Townsend Harris students' knowledge of safety. "The kids all knew the teenage quiz so well .I eventually began to distribute the adult quiz. It's a tribute to the health teachers at the school," she said.
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Volunteering
Play Review
'pp. 6-7
p. .10
li lil: ; -".llntramurals !:~:I - p. 12
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