The Classic newspaper Volume 8 Issue no. 1

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

Vol. 8, No.1, October, 1991

Townsend Harris High SChool at Queens College

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Pe!mlt No. 163

Commack.N.Y.

75-40 Parsons Boulevard. Flushing, NY 11366

Budget crunch affects personnel, class size, extra curricular activities

by Therese Fe r guson All New York City high schools have been hard hit by a nine percent cut in their budget. This has resulted in many changes in Townsend Harri s,

classes at the teachers' contract limit of 34," said Mr. Boulanger.

Guidance Counselor Susan Rotter said she thinks Mr. Boulanger is doing "a fabulous job." "He really has been

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personnel

According to Assistan t Principal Malcolm Rossman, no teachers lost their jobs, and early retirements did save pos itions. Also, some faculty members were promoted to highe r positions in other schools. However, four of the eleven school aides were excessed, as were three of the five paraprofessionals .and two of the eight secretaries.

"We were lucky that these pe ople wonderful to the cou nselors in term s of have not been fired. They will be put processing program changes ," she said. into other jobs in other places.... A Accor ding to Ms. Rotter, the guidnumber of people have retired from other schools," said Principal Malcolm Largmann.

Thi s loss of personnel has affected class sire and both the program and guidance offices. The increase in the number of incoming stude nts this year

by Donna Weiss and has made the whole situation more difJennifer Mattucci ficult (see P rogram C ha nges , p'. 3) .

Ground-breaking for the new Townsend Harris building on the Queens College campus will most The percentage of classes that are likely occur in March 1992, according totally full is 75% , and the largest to Senior Project Manager Gopal class , Social Science Research, has 41 . Marlwalla of the School Construction Authority, and completion is schedstudents.

Mr . Boulanger stated that no classes uled for fall, 1994. Before the longwere eliminatedbecause ofovercrowd- awaited construction can begin, the ing. However, "classes that in previ- new Queens College covered parking ous years would have run with small garage must be completed to the satisenrollments can't exist now because faction of Queens College; the final there aren 't a sufficient number of design has to be approved by the Board students who want the class. - for ex- of Education; and a contractor must be selected through a bidding process. ample, the Greek 1 class," he said .

Mr. Boulanger had to completely reThe parking facility, which is almost do the programs that he had completed finished, will replace the lot located at in June, and because of budget cuts , he the new high school site. All that had to do the job by himself. He said remains to be done, according to that the staff of the programming of- Florence Luckow, the Assistant Vice fice was reduced from three people to President of Public Affairs at Queens one - himself.

College, is for the contractor to fix a "The building is small to begin with, leak in the roof of the garage. Mr. the rooms are.limited, and combined Mariwalla estimates all work on the with limited funds and an increase in garage will be completed by the end of the number of students in the building, this month or the first week in Novem... it [is] impossible to give [all ber. students]...what they want and to keep The garage, which has the space to accommodate two levels of cars, now

'The people left have to share the work of the people that used to be here.'

ance office has lost one person and has sponsor before and after-school activi- the elective as an extra class, but withto "share" another with other offices in ties. Many faculty members are now out extra pay , because he "wanted to the school because of budgetcuts. This keep it ... as an incentive for students," has increased the amount of work the he said. guidance counselors have to do.

The Student Union has also been Now they have to do much more affected.by the budget cuts. Coordinaclerical work such as answering the tor of Student Affai rs Judith Biener telephones, researching info rmation, said that because they no longer had looking up records, and making cop aides to sell the candy , the S.U. lost ies. "The people left have to share the hund reds of dollars during the first work of the peopl e that used to be weeks of school. Now the S.U. store is here ," said Ms. Rotter.'Things are operating with the help of school aide running as smoothly as possible and Elaine Schreiber, but she has other rewe'r e doing as well as we can. Everysponsibilities and is no t always avai lone has been very coo perative, she running activities without compensa- able. "I realize how important the Stu added ." tion . dent Union comer is to the funding of Yearbook advisor Th omas Swee tin the school, Ms. Shreiber said, "so 1 pay previously taught the yearbook course gladly accepted an opportunity to help Budge t cuts have also resulted in a as part of his regul ar schedule. Now, as the school and to be with the students ." lack of fund s to pay teac hers who a result of budget cuts, he is offering Continued on page 8

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'I gladly accepted an opportunity to help the school and to be with the students.'

Advisors lose

New building completion slated for fall '94

Most classes filled

weeks after that date. "This is a thirtymonth project," stated Mr. Mar iwalla.

This sets the likely completion date for the fall of 1994.

While some people are worried that the Board of Education bu dget cuts will delay the construction ofthe building, Mr. Marl walla says that as of now , the timetable will not be affected.

Mr. Marl walla is a veteran in working with school projects . As a supervisor in the School Construction Authority, he has in the last two years overseen the completion of four athletic fields and fieldhouses in Franklin K. Lane, August Martin, Grover Cleve.. w .·..,.· ·~:?(\~~·;:i~·;:.:.; . :;.,.-?~~;·:·. . land, and Flush ing High Schools. .. .. ..

Almost complete parking garage at Queens College brings Townsend Harris one step Established in 1988, the S.C.A. hires closer to its new building . architectural firms and oversees conlacks a ramp providing access to the peeted to happen in December. At the tractors involved in designing, buildsecond level. Queens College plans to end of an approximately five-week ing and remodeling schools for the build this ramp after they have taken process evaluating bids submitted by city . Though General Charles E. Wilpossession of the facility. This will not pre-qualifiedconstruction contractors, liams, the head of the S.C.A., resigned delay the construction of the new the School Construction Authority effective this month, his departure is Townsend Harris building.

(S.C.A. ) will hire the lowest and "most not expected to affect the Townsend The design documents should be responsive" bidder, Mr. Mariwalla Harris building schedule. According to the NewYorkTimes(Sept. 16,1991), completed by November 4, after which says . they will be submitted to the Board of The target date for the start of the General Williams relinquished his Education for approval, according to contract is February IS, 1992. Actua l position because of his distress over Mr. Mariwalla. construction of the building will proba- the new budget in which over $750 The next step is the bidding, ex- bly start anywhere from four to six million were cut from his authority.

New Students

Spirit Week

pp. 5-6

p. 9

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The Classic

October 1991

Cuts come to schoolhouse gate

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Looking back to last fall, we recall the euphoria ignited by the groundbreakingceremonyfor our newbuilding.It wasa promisingstart to a school year which would be marked by numerous achievements. Our mood of elationquicklydissipated,however,as thesituationin the Gulfdeteriorated, andourhopesforpeacewereshattered. Suddenly,theoutsideworldintruded on our safe havenand theentirestudentbody waswrackedwithconcernand fear.

Now, a year later and with the Gulf War behind us, we again find the troublesof the outside world impinging uponour school, only this time, the effectis closer to homefor us all. Asexpected,theopeningof the 1991-1992 school year finds Townsend Harris facing a 9% budget cut (see Budget Crunch, page 1).

During the Gulf War, the Townsend Harris community united to give support to those students and faculty members whose loved ones were servingoverseas.Now, with the Board of Educationcuts threatening every aspect of school life, we must unite once again to minimize the effects.

It is imperativethat we work togetherto initiate an extensive fund-raising campaignand promotea policyof volunteerism. Under the guidanceof the dedicatedStudentGovernment, it is possiblefor theTownsendHarrisfamily to be successful in raisingmoneyto helpcompensatefor thosecuts madeby the Board of Education,and to recruit volunteers to do clerical work in the General Office, help out with our school's breakfastprogram, and assist in the operation of the Student Union store.

Just like theGulfWar, thebudgetcrisis is a dramaticreminderthat outside problems can arrive at the schoolhouse gate.We must not allow circumstances to dictate our level of education or compromiseour high standards.

Eachof usmustdo ourpartto makesureourtraditionof excellencecontinues in these hard times.

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Lu nchroomcrowding: a way out AnyTownsendHarris visitoris stunnedby the conditions under whichwe functionon a dailybasis.To outsiders,a cafetoriumseemsforeignandlaughable, but to us, it's nothing more than simple reality.

As a result of Townsend's established and growing reputation of excellence,thenumberof accepted freshmenandincoming sophomoreschoosing to attend has steadily increased (see Program Changes, page 3). We now need to use the cafetorium, library, and music room to house classes throughout mostof theday. Sinceclass sizes have increased,some students don't even have desks to work on and walking in the halls between classes is unpleasant and frustrating. Inaddition, thecafetorium is overcrowdedand noisy,and studentssometimes havetofindseatson thestagesideof theroom.

Whilemostof these problems will haveto await the completionof our new building on the QueensCollegecampus,thereis an immediatesolutionto the overcrowdingin thecafetoriumduringlunchbands. If studentswerepermitted to leave thebuildingfor lunch, thecafetorium wouldbe considerablyless crowded and would become a more enjoyable place to eat. We realize that the administrationcannot allow all studentsto come and go as they please for simplereasons of safety and fear of chaos. However, the juniors should be permittedto takeadvantageof theproximityoflocal fast-foodrestaurants and in tum assist in making the cafetorium a more comfortable, relaxing place to converse,eat,and unwind. Thejuniors shouldreceive thisprivilege due to theirage and level of maturity,andalso to helpbetterpreparethemfor the responsibility of the Bridge Year Program.

In the past, the administration has argued that should anything happen to us while we wereoff school property,they wouldbe liable. Signedparental consent formsshould put to rest this legitimateconcern. Other high schools in the city such as Stuyvesant and Bronx Sciencehave found ways to allow their studentsto go out to lunch. Surely TownsendHarris could find a way to give this privilege strictly to the junior class.

TheTownsendHarrisadministration has alwaysclaimed that they wish to consider the ideas of the entire student body. Evidence of this was the formation of theConsultativeCounciland the StudentSenate. The concerns the administration has about allowing students to leave the building are understandable,butarebasedon purespeculationand fear, Whatharmcould it do to institute sucha policyona two-week trialbasis, makingit clear to the studentsthat a re-evalution would be made following the conclusion of the trial period?

At best, we could somewhat alleviate the uncomfortable conditions of eating in the cafetorium,and make the majority of the student body happy; at worst, we would be forced to admit defeat, but would at least be able to thrive on the satisfaction of knowing that our ideas were indeed taken to ' . heart.

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To the Editor: As one walks through the halls of Townsend Harris High School, the impact of the New York City budget cuts is quite evident.9ass si,~es have increased and some of the programs that make THHS unique have been curtailed. In a recent issue of The Ambassador [the P.T.A. newsletter] , Dr. Malcolm Largmann stated, "We face the challenge to maintain our traditionally demand ing academic program as we absorb our portion of the severe cut to the education budget." It is a challenge and it can only be met through a partnership of students, faculty, and parents, the Townsend Harris Family.

As an organization, the Parent Te acher Association of Townsend Harris High School will continue to support student activities through a variety of means. There are, however, limits to the support that can be provided by the

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P.T.A. Historically, less than 25% of the parents join the P.T:'A'. Encourage 'yodr" pai'eri'fs ili''jb iJttIitl P;T:W~ 'b paying the $15 dues. Think about what the PTA could do if we could double the size of the organization.

Additional help can be provided by individual members of the T.H.H.S . family. Volunteers are needed to support some of the school programs hit by the budget cuts. Students whose parents have time available on a regular basis should encourage them to call Mr. Malcolm Rossman, at 718-969- 1433 to determine what they could . to help.

Townsend Harris has achieved a high level of excellence. Working together we can maintain that excellence.

Sam Hess Editor, The Ambassador

assi C

Senior Editor-in-Chief: J ennifer Du bow Editor-in·Qticf: Randi Korobelnik

Rishona Heishman

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!ffJ::::i:::::if:'ff:JJ::::::JIJJJ:::::f::f:::m:: i::ii:::::i:::mii ii::i:i:!:::::,; Town.. nd Harrl. High School at Qu .en. CoIleg.

75-40 Farson. Blvd. F1ushlng, Ne.. York 11366

Jennifer Mattucci

ManaglnWSporLt Editor

N.... Editor

Therese Ferguson

Daihung Duong

Featur. Edrtor

Comput.r/La100Ut Edltor

Jennifer Sorowitz

January Angeles, Olga Mazurkiewicz

Assistan t FeaturelC<Jmpuler Editor

Co-Phololraph1 Edlton

Pearl Chan

Steohanie Wolf

Art Edilor

Bus'ln... Manager.

Readers are invited to submit letters to the edbor. Lellers should be placed in Ms. Cowen's mailbox in the general office. The Claaalc reserves the right to edit all letters . Lellers must include name and official class . Names will be withheld upon request.

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Writers: Aleema Bacchus, Massandje Bamba, Jennife r Chau, Joanne Douvogiannis, Adam Farran , Johanna Fausto , Jennifer Fitzgerald. Larry. Friedman, Matthew Gilgoff, Stacey Gluck, Matthew Goldstein.

Latasha Greene, Kathy Hermanowski, Laura Hummel, Zina Izrael, Kelly Jones, Wendy Larne.Tason Leder, Sally Magdi , Olga Mazyuk, Beth Mellow , Shalene Moodie, Jose Olivera , Kristina Olson, Verusha Palczynski, Ishle Yi Park, Shamika Samuels, Tara Scary, Neftali Serrano. Sarah Tremm l, Diana Tuite, Donna Weiss , AmyYan Photographers: Phoebe Dallal. Joanna Drescher, Alison Gabriele, Hadar (Jackie) Hellman , Brannie Jones , Beverlie Leano, Michelle Lockwood, Vicki Soffe r, Danielle Tropea Artists : Cannon Chu, David Iankelevich, James Kim, Bikkei Law, Vinh Nguyen, Timothy Nolan, Maria Skrepetos, Teresa Tse, Ritze l Tuazon, Cynthia Wong , Amy Van Business Staff: Ann Carroll, Jennifer Chau , Daniella Coleman, Sabrina Falcone, Olga Mazyuk, Roxa nne Ryan, Tara Wein stein, Jani ce Vee Layout Staff: Mi Jung An Typis t: Felicia Vinci

Princip al: Dr. Malcolm Largmann

Advisor: Ilsa Cowen

Co-Enrichment adviso r: Paula Weyne

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The Classic

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by Jennifer Fitzgerald A record number of students are iilid ·avbit~biesfuple:of:~(l~~ndu)~~;wb()heldtlliSBU?lic~liriic~h~:W coping with jam-packed halls and a Hariisphilosciphy/shoul.a t¥taughpo not ~o nml!' governm~rit wotild'tief01" dearth of desks, chairs, and textbooks thesenatOrs~hoparticipatedffithe .'.eadlof thent to dOn<i:scarletletteriA( this year. Cramped conditions havererecentSJlPl'emeCout~¢Onr#ation. ffifll4iilteratingiliesysterri,&foteacfi; suited in numerous program changes helliirlgs 'fotJudge Clatence,!I'J.l0m~. orth~nitchirldertaI<:etliereform()f~e. and equalizations which have affected 1 " ~.shil1rnot leave mYcity ~~}~s but • systerti,w.iilithel~t~r~~~mmf#:} 1 about one third of the school, approxirather greater than Hound tt/Clt states. vored, chOtce'1"Ug ~2iiilll~mJ I mately 250 students.

Re-phrllSed fo{iliemeinbersOfilie 'AgOOdstart~(>illd be to solllehow "This is about double anything that SenateJtidiciaryCommitteeiitshould ensure~iri1'Oririationnotiriterided was previously done," said Program say, f~lshall nofleave my seriate any ••• fOfthep\iblic be kept private;AIS()~.n Coordinator Arthur Boulanger who is less b ut rathe r greater than I found it." . the r eforrnei s' agenda shOuld ~atiIiie now the only person working GreekS . GoldenRu1e~fpublicservlce •. •. .•·••· Tlie Only redemption f&ilie scii~i

additlo~al

allev~-

acquire an teacher to ate the overcrowdmg. Raquel Chung s arrival in early October allowed for the creation of two new classes, and the balancing of English 5 and some English 3 classes (see New teachers, page 5). A physics class which had 47 students now has 36, and an English 5 went from 42 to 31.

Most required courses now have no more than 34 students, but physics classes have 34-38 , Mr. Boulanger said.

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crowded classrooms, Malcolm Largmann feels that these people were all entitledbyvirtue of their grades to be a par t of this school..You jus cannot service everybody the way you'd like to. You try to keep from being bureaucratic and mechanical about things, but when yo~ have lots and lots of people to deal With, every body has his demands that have to be met. You sometimes have to forego certain of the civilities or the niceties that you worked so hard for

I . Thehlatimt djspIay Of the Sh~rtco~~ lirnitim~t1~g~6filiehearm.~~;~f)~f -on programs due to the mgsof the present confrrmatlOrisys- leastatrrneJrrnttonhowmud;'th~ school's severe budget cuts. tetndUJ4igtheThomashearirigssIiliilldsenatorscan~outhoff:Timerestt,a~t~ com~l the senate to work the quirkS . offive mirlutes \\!er~i.tnpclsedbythe our ofa ~ystelliwithholes largetiliat ' committeeoilly~henilieses~ionsgrew those in theorone .myei. However, lengthy,and then for the most part they somlof the blame must alsogOto the . were not illihered

"Normally we are finished with program changes and equalizations by the second week of school," he said. This year, the last four program

s.eJiatorSwho turned l;ess lingp¢rformance; . . . ' ". mg;not fofirrelevanlintervteWmlfor Ap¢aringwithirlwhat was sUp"witnessb8dgeling.iQll~tionsshoilld

ber 7.

"I hate ruinirig a kid's pro- .

natlOn~ystemw~aRmgh~gBarnumthe~mmltteeto aVOld !edundanc~.

Bailey~~pe crrcus, greatly benefi- . Arid if the senators are to express therr dlllt.6thenetworks;bufseWde'stiuc~opinionS;theyS1'lould ·wai1:tO(Io so il\iefof the Jtididror COlnmittee;RingUntilaftet>ilie hearirigsareoverto

gram at any time, but if an unsafe condition is created or _. it's...difficult [for a student] to take notes because he's trying to sit on a metal chair

rJ... .TIW7-J5...·@TIf I iri,,~a t~h~im~~rJ,_Theheaiin.gSShOJfu~t<>i.t~2~f£dGI changes were made on Octo-

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Master .of the circus

wa.sSe~~toiJ~~ .~ini~pclli.ticalp.lI.rt~anshi?~; ).

. l sep*Bl~ri (~-l)(il~) .wlt]FhelP J(ont ·

clownslikeSenat6tsEdwar~l{el1J.ledy

with a notebook on his lap, The orilY q~estlon ~~ll1~ng· ls . I've got to try to do some-

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course;~em~atttacti~ns were , pre~tsYs.te~. 'If1e~?p.ei~th~~.~ne

l~i~ tedUndarir an& irreleViill( qUe~~ . ~edits in hi~ ~h~1. 4~ ~~m,~~~

tlomng, andeverysoofteri tuethe .' ~wle.ofSe!Vlce dcihcatMtoth.e~t.tiIDe·to 's]Jeilkout onseifuaJ.haITas~. . tennent ot iliecommunit)iiailierililfu ment;a subjecfwhichmostofthem . toself,mte:rest,is onethats~~uldbe had rieverdelllt ~ith beforeLAllin ill,.·.·. taught toalrcitizens()fideiriOCrac~? the SCenes at the cOrifrrmationMarings . >'The circus has now leftto~bl1t the, _. erenotexactlytJies<itmeswhichmight rirlg remaiDs, awaiting tI1eriexfact: . . •.•.. .... . . .•. .' '. '. .: " .. ......

periods programed for them....In a school that [was] already crowded in the past, [this has] made it so tight it squeaks," said Mr. Boulanger.

Because of the large size of many classes , Townsend Harris was able to

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Non-smokers to help smokers quit

by Ol ga Mazyuk Non-s moking students will "adopt" smokers on National Smoke-Ou t Day, Novem ber 21, and will learn about the dang ers of smoking from guest speakers and displays .

Thi s is the third year hea lth education teache rs Keith Hanson and Ellen Schwartz are collaborating to get their students to adopt a smoker. The person adopted must stop smoking for that day and sign a contract pledging to do so.

"I would like to see more students get involved in exerting their positive pressure in getting other students to stop smoking," said Mr. Hanson. "A small percentage of the students usually continue to quit."

The Teen Health Issues Enrichment class, which is led by guidance coun

selor Susan Rotter, will set up the displays in the cafe torium and in fron t of the main office. They will distribute buttons, pos ters, stickers,balloons, and literature concerning the issue .

Gues t speakers will include Thomas Sweetin, English teache r, and Sarah Kaufman, Coordinator of Smoking Cessation for the Queens branch of the Amer ican Lung Association. Mr. Sweetin will tell ofhis personal smoking experience and its negative impac t on his health. Ms. Kaufman will speak on the harmful effects ofboth smoking and second-hand ("passive") smoke and present a film on the subject.

I think it is a good idea to have National Smoke-Out Day recognized in our school," said Mr. Sweetin. "I see my students smoke and I know that .once you start, it is a hard habi t to stop.

said Ms. Orner". 1 think parents ar.e~co,mmg_ ~ery much aware.of us as a very ~iable: special school."

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The unusually large number of students is the caus~ of . . ThOmaS'ieacfi{,wlth :llieiiisideshowmg'wtlElXfrep]acoo pylogtcaIrm~~ most of the progranrrnmg ' dtai~r\vitrie~esj;All oftli~rri-were<ilihdi~il1; lfud~r.o~ q~stioffi#g'r . difficulties. "We took in adtr~m an iinagm#Ycage ~P.c;r:haps .

There i5; lt res~brt W~·at moWi1serid : .'ditional students this year, ap'ffi(jfu tt%1 to ih~fu than theCligestoH8iiiscanJ.earrifr6irtilie$&iate~sdeJ proximately 30 to 35. That ..~ whichaliin1~areielegitea; ' biicte/S tilderitllWh6 wereiuiSure of llie represents another class. So, --~-:-:, I The tlow1iS'Bridcitcus >rrainers . impi>rtanceof the EphebicOathJ.1o\Yo there are 34 more bodies in . sili#oUfu:tirig RirigMast(ifBi¥Itwoill4 .•... havetheiiimswet·ClearlYili~~~~f the building and every one of ~ Oci::assionally~hip thecilgedSus~ts ' ' the oathgQ«lsbeyon;d aequU'mg ~iVi~f these bodies has to have nine

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I feel that kids will listen to some ofthe gruesome things I have to tell them about my health problems as a result of once being a heav y smoker ."

"Smoking is a very important issue,"saidMs. Schwartz. ..It is the mos t preventable cause of death in the U.S. I do not know how effec tive our efforts on Smoke-Out Day will be, but they will be worthwhile. I could only hope that we are reaching our students and faculty."

Ms. Kaufman believes that efforts to educate high schoo l students on the dangers ' of smoking payoff. "High school seniors are catching on regarding the harmful effects of smoking," she said. " ill 1976, 28.8% of high school seniors had smoked every day.

The number has dropped significantly to 16% irlI990."

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year.l!S,last year more people than annc i pated actually came.

.

.· whether th~senato~wIU~ccePt;the .thil}g," exphained~ Mr. Bou(D.-MassSandArleJiS~tef(~iPll.). . .bfiilldciLscar le.t.letteN5r rev amp ;ihe "Ianger , .: ", Of

to begin wi~.''' .

The admissions office 15 not at fault for this year 's overabundance of fresh men, according to Ms Orner. The same number of students were accepted

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economic diffi cultles. have also been a

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lation increase, smce pn

vate and parochial schools h~ve become too expen srve for many parents "This is a very good public education, a very good buy Our reputation keeps growing every year and parents are striving to ge their children into this schooL.We have a very

Singleton elective couses have enrollments of 34-41 students.

Last year, the average class size ranged. from 28 to 30 students , ~d accordmg to Mr . Boulanger, this 'number is now between 31 and 33.

Under contract, teachers are not required to teach more than 34 students in a single class . ill addition, the cafetorium and library house classes during all periods except for the three lunch band s.

Wi th a scarcity of teachers and rooms availabl e in the school, first year Greek has been sacrificed, and Japanese 1,3, andS, and German 3 and 5 have been combined.

Guidance counselor Susan Rotter and Assistant Principal of Guidance Sheila Orner explained that the ninth graders espec ially have difficulty in dealingwithprogramchangesbecause they are just beginning to become familiar with the school. "New students don't understand. It's amazing how you can become attached to a class in one or two days," said Ms .

Orner. "They [the ninth graders] are more upset that their comfort level " changed," said Ms. Rotter.

Despite the added discomforts of '\

fine reputation of being a safe place; there are very few incidents that are con sidered dangerous or violent," said Dr. Largmann.

While the overcrowding affects the entire schoo l, "so far every~dy ~as been tremendously cooperative, Just won<terful," Dr. Largmann said. He realizes that "people's tempers may be frayed under stress , especially when halls and lockers are cramped, lines are longer, and classes are larger."

As vic tints of the budget cuts, Mr. Boulanger's two progranrrning assis tants have moved to John Bowne High School, leaving him to coordinate the 800 programs by himself, "I 'm hoping that I can get class sizes down so that there are no classes larger than 36 in the building, and I'd like to reduce the total number of oversized classes to as few as possible," he said.

Mr. Boulanger compared programming to Chinese puzzles.

"When you take them all apart," he said, "you try to put the puzzle back together again. Then you push a piece here and a piece sticks out over there ....That's what progranrrning is.

You have to try to get everything to fit together so that it has the '[correct] .shape. Sometimes it literally becomes impossible."

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The Classic October 1991

dH1[ I I !1 1 1 1 111111 1 11 1 11 1!~'1 1 1 1 1 1 : : ' .! 111~1I11 1 1~\1 111!illl!1!l l l l .1 I!1 1 1 1 :Il l l l l~l l l l.

Faculty steps into new positions

by Jennifer Mattucci What do faculty members Lynne Greenfield, Joan Walsh, Judy Biener, and Susan Appel all have in common?

Okay, here are your choices: a) They can all sing the "Star Spangled Banner" while rubbing their stomachs and patting their heads, b) They all have secret passions for sliding down the banisters when late to class, or c)They all hold new positions for this school year.

The correct answer is c. Pat yourself on the back if you got it right (and rub your tummywhile singing).Ms. Greenfield is Assistant Principal of Humanities; Ms. Walsh is Interim A.P. of Foreign Language; Ms. Biener serves as Coordinator Of Student Affairs, and Ms. Appel has become Music and Art A.P. (in addition to remaining Science A.P.).

Administration and supervision make up a major part of Ms. Greenfield's new position as A P. of Humanities (a combination of both the English and Social Studies departments) . "[This combination] is very appropriate for the school.... I facilitate and coordinate activities between the two different departments and within them," she said. Some of Ms. Greenfield 's responsibilities lie in distribution of books, program coordination, suggestions on lesson plans, and helping both the English and History departments work together. "I am re-

sponsiblefor assisting the staffinteaching by helping them to provide good educational experiences for the students," she said.

Despite being "very excited" about the Humanities program, Ms. Green field says her job is "overwhelming right now," but that she is learning a lot. "I think I'm very fortunate to work with excellent teachers [who are] a pleasure to deal with," she said.

Ms. Greenfield expressed an interest in the position after Bernice Horowitz retired as Humanities A.P. Ms. Greenfield studied for her AP. license from the Bank Sreet College of Administration in Manhattan.

"I don 't like titles," said Ms. Walsh, who despite her feelings for titles is the new Interim A P.of Foreign Language, as well as a Spanish teacher. "I don 't see myself as a title, I see myself as a real person helping real people," she said. "~ try to serve as a facilitator for members of the Foreign Language Department to get together, to share ideas, teaching materials, teaching strategies, and supplies which are destined to become scarce," she explained. Ms. ~ alsh also hopes to "foster a departmental team spirit and to serve as a bridge between modem foreign language teachers and classical foreign language teachers," Ms. Walsh said her new position is "a tremendous amount of work which

I've always thrived on. However, I'm hoping the work load will level off when the administrative and organizational details are straightened out."

Ms. Walsh acquiredher professional diploma in school supervision and administration at C.W. Post University on Long Island and now has an AP. license. She can read, converse, and write in Spanish and Italian. In addition, she taught Latin at another school before coming to Townsend Harris. She replaced Robert Goodman who was last year's Foreign Language Coordinator and who has moved on to become Assistant Principal of Foreign Language at Cardozo High School. r ,-

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While AP. positions change according to need, a Coordinator of Student Affairs is appointed for six years. As the new C.O.S.A, Ms. Biener supervises the Student Government and the school budget. She also teaches Student Leadership in addition to her regular English classes.

"I run student Senate meetings with Student Union officers, [chair] fundraisers, dances , and Spirit Days...I work withMrs.Garcia and those people actively involved in service," says Ms. Biener. ''I'm enjoying very much my contact with the kids... It is a lot of work and all new for me...but it's a little more administrative [than] what I'm used to."

Ms. Appel, the new Interum Music - --

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and Art AP., as well as A.P. of the Science Department, has supervisory responsibilities in "working with the teachers and in making sure both [the music and art] programs run smoothly .

[The position] fell to me when Mrs. Horowitz retired ...I volunteered," she explained. Ms. Horowitz supervised the Music and Art departments as well as English and Social Studies. "It's fun," said Ms. Appel. "I get a chance to be part of things I normally wouldn't be."

Ms. Appel admits that she doesn't have much experience in the music or art fields. "I'd like to tell you I'm really an opera singer in disguise, or I play for the New York Philharmonic Orches tra, but it's not quite true," she said.

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Artist invites student participation in designing tiles for new building

by Neftali Serrano Bing Lee, one of three professional artists commissioned to beautify the new Townsend Harris with sculptures, gate designs and a mural, will meet with members of the faculty and Student Senate in November. Mr. Lee seeks student input to develop a tile mural which will be situa ted in the new school lobby .

Mr. Lee, Fred Wilson and Clyde Lynds were selected for the Public,Art in Public schools project by a committee which included art teacher Anthony Morales. Mr. Wilson will design the outside gates depicting different map projections of the world. Mr. Lynds will construct a sculpture using fiber optics. According to Mr. Morales, who is coordinating Townsend Harris' participation in the project, the artwork "should evoke a feeling of brotherhood - one of friendship, one of peace, and one for serious studies ."

Also involved in the art project is a team of Classic reporters and a video squad who will record Mr. Lee' s visit to Townsend Harris. The team, consisting of interviewers Rishona Fleishman, Randi Korobelnik, Neftali Serrano, and Kelly Jones, as well as the video squad compris ed of Christian Andersen, Christopher Dudin, Christopher Caltibiano and elementary school students from P.S. 201, have already begun taping the step by step production of each artwork. Ini tial video-taped interviews of Bing Lee and Fred Wilson have been shot at their respective studios . The team will document the entire creative process, from the planning stages through the installation of the artworks in the new building.

Mr. Morales describes Bing Lee' s project as "a series of [ceramic] tiles, on-line, that will reflect the views of the students regarding their cultural heritage and their views of humanity," Mr. Lee hopes to incorpor ate student views, whether verbal or drawn , on everything ranging from soci al issues and environmental concerns to histor ical and current events .The square tiles

will be presented horizont ally in a straigh t line around the three walls of the lobby .

Following the visit by Bing Lee will be a series of other meetings, both at the artist 's studio and the school, in order to coordinate the development and production of student sketches. A core of art students from all grades will act as facilitators of student submissions. The meetings held from October to Febru~ will culminate 'whe~' fu~ batch of ,tiles will be fired at. a ceramic •• .

• •' , ' : ..) 1 studio. Students involved in the project will be present .

Involved with the gate design of the new school will be New York-born Fred Wilson , a graduate of Music and Art High School. He also studied at Suny-Purchase. " Fred Wilson's aim is to produce a mosaic of symbols on the gates around the outside of the building which will reflect upon the various cultures in the world and the studies that the students at Townsend Harris undertake," says Mr. Morales.

"These symbols would be drawn from literature, history, and the arts of the world," wrote Fred Wilson in his initial art proposal . "Th ey would visually take the form of recognizable objects or the words themselves written in the language of their origin and sculpted in

three dimensions."

"I'd like them [students] to think about where they are in the world and how the world reflects on them," he said in an interview earlier in the year.

Of the.three artists involved, Clyde Lynds will not be directly working with the student body. He will create a sculpture that will be about 5-6 feet tall and will be located in or near the lib~jUY,;,'ysing}jb.9r optics, he, ~ill .con::.. struct the sculpture w~ch"may, "involve classical or mythological imagery," says Mr. Morales.

"What I've tried to impart here is that for me the form of public sculpture should follow its function," Lynds wrote in his art proposal. "Whether I'm working on welcoming an old soldier to a veteran's home, or how to make a statement embodying precision and technology for a computer company, it is important that the final result not only answer the needs of the site, but reach the people who occupy the site."

Mr. Morales feels that the difference between this public works projec t and any other lies in the student end of it. "I think in our case, the fact that the artists are consulting not only the staff but our students is a unique situation . The fact that the works are being designed especially for our school is unique."

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i AWAITING T HE ROLL of the video camera, Classic reporters Ri shona Fleishman, Kelly Jones , and Randi Korobelnik prepa re to interview artis t Fred Wilson at his studio .

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New teachers bring new features

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tial Math 1and II and advises the Stock Broking Enrichment. A Queens Coltl "[i lege graduate with a degree in mathe:ll" matics and secondary education, she previously taught math to junior high school students at the Yeshiva of ~ Central Queens, a priv ate school 10£ cated in Flushing. She chose to be a teacher because she enjoys "helping 0.. people learn. " Her love for math was fueled by someone who also liked to I help people learn. what she wishes to pass on as a math Ms . Lamm had a math teacher in teacher.

Shevach High School, located in So far, Ms. Lamm enjoys teaching Flushing, who influenced her greatly. at Townsend Harris. "Both the faculty His teaching included many practical and the student body are a pleasure to applications of mathematics. The feel- work with :" she stated. ing ofadmiration for mathematics that Ms. Lamm noted that Townsend he inspired in her as a math student is Harris and the junior high where she

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Alan Katz "I'd love to freeze all of you until you're 2 1," jokes Alan Katz , saying teenagers these days are "crazy." Mr .Katz is one of Townsend Harris'newEnglish 1 and Word Processing teachers.

Mr. Katz decided to teach at Townsend Harris because it is a humanities school.

"I find that there is a larger core of students in humanities in search ofone's self and one's soul. That's why I came here," he said .

Mr . Katz finds thatthe students and tpachers here are after the same goal - to leam. "Teachers and students should " love learning....The world of kTIowledge becomes an adventure," he said.

He does not mind that the school is small. "A building is just another building to a teacher. I t' s what's inside that

matters. So far I'm impressed.

Mr. Katz is a native New Yorker who was born, raised, and currently lives in Brooklyn. He graduated from Brooklyn College with a graduate de gree in writing ~d began his teaching career27 years ago. He taught atBryant High School and then moved on to William H. Maxwell Vocational High School.

Mr . Katz enjoys reading the works of Shakespeare and Steinbeck and going to Broadway musicals. He detests rock and roll . ""I was there when it was born and 1 still hate it," he said. He also likes to write fiction and is currently working on a short story , a novel, .and a few essays.

-J oha nna Fausto

Raq ue l C hu ng

"I learn as much from ...[students] as they learn from me," said Raquel Chung, Townsend Harris' latest addition to the faculty. She teaches English 3, Global History 1, and also assists in the gym.

Ms . Chung came to Townsend Harris because she heard many good things about the school. "I had a friend in college who went to Townsend Harris . He spoke very highly of it," she said.

"Also, I was attracted to the variety of courses being offered, especially the Enrichment program. " Ms . Chung previously taught English and reading at I.S. 125 in Woodside. It was her first teaching job with the Board of Education. However, she has tutored ESL students on the college level, and second to twelfth graders in English and reading.

Ms. Chung was attracted to the teaching profession at an early age. As a child, she would "pretend to be a teacher," she said.

Ms . Chung's inspirations include an English teacher she had in high school and a college professor. "It 's rare when teachers take time to get to know you as a person and not just[as] a student," she said.

Ms. Chung attended Stuyvesant High School and New York University. Shereceived degrees in dramatic literature and women's studies.

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So far, Ms . Chung is very impressed with Townsend Harris. "The students are very motivated. There are no disciplinary problems. Both the teachers and students are friendly and helpful," she said.

Ms . Chung was born in Trinidad and came to America when she was 12 years old. "It was hard adjusting because IIeft all of my friends and most of my family. Also, I went to Catholic school there and I had to enroll in the public education system here," she said. Ms. Chung now lives in Woodside.

Ms. Chung enjoys reading and listening to altemativernusic in her spare time.

- Therese Fe rguson

previously taught both have the same personal atmosphere. This personal atmosphere aids in her teaching. "I like to have the students work in groups because when they do, they enjoy working, enjoy each other, make friendships, communicate with each other and ask each other questions," said Ms. Lamm.

Bes ides teaching, Ms. Lamm is also the advisor of the Stoc k Market Club, a new Enrichment, She became inter1 ested in stock investing because of the excitement and fast pace. She feels that stud ents leam more math skills and concepts which come into play in everyday situations through stock investing.

-K risti na Ol son

F oula Karras Although Foula Karras is not a naP a ul a Wey ne tive Span ish or French speaker, she is Paula Weyne started teaching Eng- places. When she's not on distant fluent in both languages. Ms. Karras lish 2, Word Processing and Global shores, she loves to write mysteries, is the new Spanish and French teacher Studies 1 here this read Shakespear- at Townsend Harris.

When Ms. Karras entered Townsend Harris for the first time, she no ticed that the building was quite small compared to the other buildings she "It's a delight.• The )~ \":";' < '1' : f; "~ folk songs. ~.: ;.t ~;: ~ «-»:students are lively, r<"::-' ~ , ,~::. " ' :g Mrs. Weyne had taught in previously. Although ~ was born and small, "i t had a warm cozy feeling to friendly and bright. ~;:;;i~.;7.:J '''~N~ ;' x. . 5 :-;. ~ ~~~. ,,~ ,o!!:Og:, raised .

• The staff IS warm ' , "" <!:'" ,," ,:.

10 it," she said. "I fmd the students com. " l~~~R~i~i~ ~;. ~;/ c..~~'.. ~» . :-:;. a and canng . %":~,j*'t~fi ~<,,;\S,/ "N f <i> ::;;<';, . e-, Brooklyn, and petitive, eager to learn, and friendly ."

Ms. Karr as majored in Spanish and French and minored in secondary profe~sion because ~'t' ' High School and education at Queens College. She she hkes to share ;" ~ ,", Brooklyn College began teaching seven years ago in two her excitement about literature, writ- where she majored in English. Shehas parochial schools and also at York ing and communicating with young also done graduate work at NYU and people. "I love the optimism and ex- Hofstra. She previously taught Engcitement of young people. I enjoy lish at August Martin and Thomas Jeflearning as well as teaching," she said. ferson High School and also taught In her spare time, Mrs . Weyne likes adults how to study effectively at traveling. She has vis ited France, Brooklyn college.

- Kristina O lson Greece, and Italy, just to name a few

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room because he really missed teachAnt hony Scarnati "Students at Townsend .Harris are, ing .

Some of Mr. Scarnati's goals ,as a without question, the best students I have ever taught, not only in the sense teacher are to get the students "inof being hard-working, but they are volved in the classroom, to think critialso the nicest group that I've ever cally about things that they wouldn't been associated with, "said Tony Scar- normally accept, and to realize they nat i, a returning history teacher to can have an impact. ..in the future ."

Mr. Scarnati enjoys spending time Townsend Harris.

Mr. Scarnati decided to become a with his wife and their three children. history teacher when he was ajunior at He is an avid fan of sports and Holy Cross High School in Queens. coaches his sons' Little League and "The teacher I had for American his- basketball teams, He likes to play tory was very interesting and inspir- handball and stickball, and says that the New York Yankees are his favorite ing," he said.

After Mr . Scamati graduated from baseball team.

- Stacey Gluck Holy Cross, he attended St. John's University and the City University of rl- - - - - -- - ----'--- --,1 New York (CUNY) Graduate Center where he received master degrees in education and soc iology.

Mr . Scarnati taught history at Dominican Commercial High School, St. Mary High School and August Martin High School for a total of thirteen years . He was also an assistant principal at HolyTrinity High Schoolfor one year. After being an assistant principal, he dec ided to return to the class-

College.

She believes teaching should be student-oriented, "I find that if the lesson relates to them, they become more eager to learn," she said.

Although a three-month-old baby girl takes up most of her time, she does manage to listen to Mozart and read books by Moliere, Emerson, and Thoreau.

Ms. Karras was born in Greece and immigrated to America with her parents when she was four years old. She tJ has traveled to Spain and France and .~ has also returned to Greece to visit ~ relatives. :=; In the future , Ms. Karr as would like ~ to visi t China. "I like their jewelry, £ their silk and other fabrics, and I would ~ also love to learn about their culture .<: 0.. and of course, their language," she said.

- JobannaFausto

6

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The Classic i~ October 199 1

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First Impressions: Newcomers react friendly faces, croi g

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Mellissa Dossie and her father Kevin Dossie finish their breakfast while Melissa's mother went off to join the P.T.A.

" It is often rare to find yourself in a situation where you are new to something, and right from the beginning you are comfort able and feel as if you've always been a part of it.

That's how I felt on my first days at Townsend Harris . From the decisions I had to make, I feel that I made the best choice concerning my academic future!"

- Wendy Cartagena, freshman "I got used to the periods being called bands , and I didn't think twice when I heard the word collateral. Those two small facts made me feel like I belong here. In a strange way, it was like being given a membership card."

- Sh alene Moodie, sophomor e

by Jennifer Sorowltz Going to school on a weekend is not common practice for students . Yet, on Sunday, September 15" numerous freshmen and incoming sophomores accompanied their parents to the cafetorium. There, they became acquainted with one another, as well as with members of the faculty, over coffee, juice , and bagels at the First Annual New Students ' Breakfast.

The breakfast was the idea of Parent-Teacher Association Co-president Rita Joseph. "I thought there should be a way of meeting for parents so that they would feel a link [with the school]," said Mrs. Joseph. She considered the breakfast "a way of reaching out" and "breaking down the barriers." This was the same reason post cards were sent to new students and their parents during the summer.

by Diamond Prassakos Once I stepped inside the school, My hands were trembling, I looked like a fool.

I did not know where to go, I felt like an animal lost in the snow.

But once the hectic bands went I by, I no longer felt I was going to die.

I met new friends that very day, I was so happy I wanted to stay!

This was an experience I will always remember, I' m lucky to be a Tow nsend Harris member!

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The PTA organized the event. In addition to Mrs. Joseph, other mem- . hers were also present. These included Helen Berner , Barbara Erichsen, Esther Goldrich, Gwen Harrison, Peter Joseph, Maryann Kirsch, Nick and Roselvlarie Mazar, Ben Rosof, Helen and Ron Schwizer, and Iris Zuckerman. Principal Malcolm Largmann and various members of the faculty attended as well. Juniors Sasha Cekada, Rob Liff, and Reuben Rosof set up the tables.

Mrs. Joseph welcomed the parents and students, telling them, "You are making history." She made a comparison to a garden, calling the students the flowers, the school the plot, and the parents the gardeners. "It may or may no t flower," she said. "It's up to you to make it whatever you wish."

'Townsend Harris is the product of

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Dr. Largmann sai were "determinec school." He then tc are the people whi the chain and for!

They were ther nity to ask questic major subject class the distribution of scheduled comple building were som The breakfast als extra day to form school.

"I thought it wo freshman Lisa Ph that it is smaller.tl she could "get to that way."

"For a high schc agreed Lisa's motl "Being small, it' s environment whet ily. The children <: Amy Shen, mot

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'The school...is made special by the students. I was surpri sed to see that no pupil was a hard -core trend follower.

Everyone has their own style in Townsend Harris. This made me feel a lot more secure." - Danisa Colle, freshman 'The people here seemed very friendly. There was not one person who didn't smile. Every student acted like they were my brother or sister, including my brother. Come to think of it, all the bugs in the biology room were friendly."

- Liane Carmi, freshman "It is easy to ~eet people because everyone is friendly.

Each person you meet introduces you to more people. This kind of treatment will make anyone feel right at home."

- Deyona Burke, sophomore

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feels the school is "very closely supervised, very well-organized, very attentive to students, which results in alot of comfort for parents. It gives a very positive feeling."

What Mrs. Thompson first noticed when she came into the cafetorium was the banner containing an excerpt from the Ephebic Oath. "I find that very impressive," she said.

"I was very impressed with the number of people who [attended]," said Dr. Largmann. "If the concern of the parents is a reflection of the interest of the kids, then we can expect this class to show a great deal of school spirit." Mrs . Shen also liked the idea of-the breakfast. "I 'think it's excellent for us to get to know the other students and their parents," she stated.

"The PTA is to be commended for this school activi ty," said Dr. Largmann, "because it provided an opportunity for us to meet the parents and students in an informal setting arid to humanize the school experience."

irst days rris High rk 'days m • any new environment • are lable events in a person's life. o look, listen, and explo re. And tarting a new high school. Right is my own horror story. iU, I wen t through many harrowbefore even reaching my desti~et back into the habitof dressing k during the summer, I bummed ompletely disheveled every day. look like a normal person, I had FYappearance constantly. iod of time, I became a seasoned ~ever, the fumes in and around the ith Flushing's pollution gave me light headaches in the morning. 'but wonder how many long, prewasted sitting in a crowded city

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Listening to P.T.A Co-President Rita Joseph's speech, newcomers become acquainted with Townsend Harris.

"I have never been in such a small and crowded school like this before- not to mention that you have to run to every \ class because if you don't, you might be late."

- Celinda Cassanova, freshman "I woke up in the morning and looked out the window; it was 5:30 [and] still very dark outside and I wanted to cry .

I was going to wake up this early every day for what seemed like the rest of my life."

- Dorothy Orlowski, freshman "What I was surprised to see was that there aren't a lot of guys .... That's the only bad thing about Townsend Harris .

But then again, I have four years to meet a lot more guys and girls."

- K a r in Castillo, freshman

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bus every year . Ah, the price you pay to get an education.

Unlike other freshmen, Disappointment didn't strike me over how atrocious the school looked with all its people stand ing outside of the building. This is because I saw it while going tojunior high across the street. Still, I felt completely alienated and out of place and it looked like everyone had a group to stand with except me .

Of course, the routine of the first days never ' varies much in high school. I went from class to class with either an empty or confused mind. I got packed in a huge mass of adolescents in the halls.

The rate of motion was about half a step a minute and there are always those people who insist on

mol esting the back of you r shoes and acciden tally stabbing you with their binders.

During the bands, I listened to the teachers drone on in that mono tonous tone of voice similar to a radiator hum , and filled out those awful Delaney cards. This is a very trying process.

By lunchtime, I was exhausted because I had ... [lost] four hours of sleep the night before and hadn't had time for breakfast in the morning. Just my luck, the cafeteria line seemed to wind and twist around the whole room. When my eyes finally met the end, I saw that there was no chance of my ever getting food, sol starved quietly. My starvation was actually rather pleasant because I sat with a number offriends who were late as well

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"One complaint I have is that the freshman lockers are too smal l, and we have to share them with someone else."

- Oscar Castillo, freshman 'The one problem is that all the teacher s are giving me and my fellow students a tremendous amount of homework and are no t thinking about the student's afterschoollife.

But I guess it will cool down later on, once we get used to - Otto Petersen, freshman it."

"When I first saw the school, I was shocked.... It was smaller than my elementary school. Bu t after thinking, I knew that the buil ding was not wha t really matte red; ... it was the teachers. After reali zing that, I kne w that this is where I belong." . - Todd Price, freshman

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'The school is not a big school but a lot happens in it. Th ere are so many clubs and activities that really want you involved. It seems nic e and interesting."

- Laurel P rice, freshman "One thing that I am very happy abou t is that it is almost impossible to get lost." - C a rolyn Olszewski, freshman 'The pe ople waiting outside looked foreign to me and I miss ed myoid friends . The next thing I saw were the letters on the building which read, "Townsend Harris High School at Queens College." For some reason, those big, black, bold letters were welcoming, calming and friendly . The first people I met reminded me of those letters."

- An n Marie Lee, freshman

and we all suffered together.

Each day, however, I felt more comfortable on acco unt of the friendliness of other students and of faculty members. By the end of the week, I felt at home.

Gradually, I got the idea that if I failed, it was truly my own fault and not that of a subjective system. I actually gained the initiative to study for my own sake , which is an amazing feat in itself.

Now I even look forward to sitting in an airless classroom at a wooden desk with a wall ofchalky scribblings in front of me . What a life!

The above is an excerptfrom the author'sjournal writtenfor her Word Processing class.

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The Classic October 1991

Cafetorium may offer fewer choices

by Sally M agdi Choices students have for lunch may be cut down by the Office of Schoo l Food Nutri tional Services starting November 1 due to'budget cuts.

'The only way it will affect Townsend Harris is that instead of having six choices of sandwiches, you will only have three," stated Gladys Liff, Food Service Man ager for different high schools . "The salad bar will also be curta iled to about three choices. Th e amount offood will not change, but the choices of food will be cut do wn."

The plan may or may not go into affect depen ding on the variety of food the students 'eat, the amount of food they consume, as well as the amount of food they waste. Lunchroom aides have

Archon feeds, clothes needy

been watching the eating habits of students in order to make a report to the Food Nutritional Service Office.

Some students accept the proposal, realizing it may be an ecomomic necessity for New York City. "We all realized we had to sacr ifice a little because of the budget cuts, " commented freshman Jeanette Rodriguez.

"It's jus t a shame that schools are the first to really feel the cut s."

Other students disapprove of limiting food selec tions . "Cutting down on the choice of meals will probably annoy students ," said Matt Soran , freshman.

"Everyone likes different foods. Th e different choices make everyone happy .

The kitchen will probably lose a lot of money because of the plan. "

by R ishona Flelshman and Shamika Samuels A canned food collection October 15-16 and a winter clothing drive for the Jamaica Arms Welfare Hotel October 15- 25 were sponsored by Archon, the school's ' award -winning service society under the supervis ion of advisor Odile Garcia.

To get students involved in the carined food collection, which was timed to coincide withWorld Food Hunger Day, Archon volunteers and members of the Drama Club gave a presentation October 15 during all lunch bands. They dramatized the fact that the majority of the world's population has the least amount of grain. The group consisted of25-30 students who represented the world's population. The performance took place as the song about the homeless and needy , "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins, played on a stereo. Students were then encouraged to bring in at least one can of food for the collection.

'The purpose of World Food Hunger Day was to inform people of the poverty that exists in this world . I think people reacted positively and tried to make a difference," said Alexia Komnios, junior.

"World Food Hung er Day wasn't as successful as it should have been. We should have gotten a lot more cans to feed the needy . After all, this is the least we can do to help these people," said Jennifer Chan , Archon treasurer.

Music and literature combine in new interdisciplinary course

by Diana Tuite Are Beethoven and Browning a likely pair? Cultural music, a new class instructed by English teache r Georgette Wallace and incorporating both music and literature, intends to answer just such questions.

Ms. Wallace created the curriculum, which fulfills the music requirements of freshmen, at the request of Principal Malcolm Largmann. With some input from colleagues Judy Biener and Deborah Michlewitz, she exposes the students daily to " all kinds of music" in an attempt to make them more appreciativeofcultures other than their own . ' This course is cultural. In the pas t, I've just played instruments,"said freshman Ashwanie Dyalram.

New to a majority of the pupils in her three classes are the ethnic and religious pieces that Ms . W allace has introduced. "Fo r most of the classes, we pair some musical composition with

some work of literature, whether it is a poem , folktale, short story or quote," she explained.

How are the teenagers reacting to these compositions? "Sometimes they are not very interested," says their teacher. However, many of her students express enthusiasm. "Ms. Wallace is fun and makes mus ic interesting," said freshman Rebecca Parker.

"We are being opened up to music that I would never listen to on my own," said Paola Ronquillo, one of several juniors involved in the program Everything from patriotic and folk music to jazz, opera, and rock and roll cons titutes the syllabus for the rest of the term. Hig~lighting the semester is a study of the media music that is so integral to cartoons and television.

Already, the classes have explored the connection between religion and music, studying gospels and Negro spirituals. In one session, Ms. Wallace

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Archon advisor Odile Ga rcia sets up the microphone for World Food Hunger Day.

For the winter clothing drive, Ms . congratulations to Ms. Garcia and Garcia encouraged students to bring in Principal Malcolm Largmann, the judges cited student involvement with "old but gently used clothing."

Last June, New York Newsday the anti-drug and anti -alcohol puppet named Town send Harris and Thomas show, ;,~Pu£fles, ~ ;:~ir servietl Jn,mm';v j, Edison High Schools as co-winners of jng l!!,l}1es, and participation-inGames the High Schoo l of the Year Competi- for the Physically Challenged as outtionforCommunity Service .The award standing exampl es of Townsend Harincluded a $1500 prize. In a letter of ris service.

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coupled a Gregor ian chant, which she considers very somber, with one of Robert Browning 's poems that depicts monks in a human light.

As a homework assignment, students were asked to bring to school either audio or videotapes of prayer services celebrating their denomina-

tion. Those who do not belong to a nice break in the day." specific faith shared music that they Beseeched by many upperclassmen find relaxing and would enjoy listen - to make her music-literature class an ing to while meditating. elective or Enrichment so that they Although the course is inter-disci- could participate, Ms. W allace now plinary, the subject matter provides for concedes, "In the future, I could sec an atmosphere which, Ms. Wallace this as an elective." says , "is not stressful and gives you a

people's livelihoods and you are also seminars.

As a result of budget cuts at the having to say goodbye to people who college, the seniors are no longer able know us and are doing a reputable Because of the budget cuts, the ath- to use the grass fields, which they had job," he said.

Dr. Largmann also stated that there letic department could not receive any previously used for sports, because the new equipment or uniforms, and the college doesn 't have enough money to were certain features of the Townsend Pre-Enrichment programs have been maintain the fields after the extra use Harris program that he didn ' t want to lose, such as Enrichment, because once dropped from four to two days. Ath- by the seniors. it is lost, "you' re not going to get it letic Director Wanda Nix said she had Committee makes cuts back ." wanted to expand the intramural proA committee made up of Dr. Although the Eqrichment program gram to include volleyball but because of the budget deficiencies, this won't Largmann, Mr. Rossman, and other hasn 't been lost , there are fewer paid be possible. The athletic department members of the faculty decided what positions for advising Enrichments, hopes to compensate for some of the cuts were to be made in the school.. said Enrichment. Coordinator Ellen loss of income through fund-raising "We decided that our first priority was Schwartz.

"Staff members are volunteering.... (see J uice mach ine, p. 9). to keep the classroom intact and we would try very hard not to reduce the They understand and they're biting the teaching staff," stated Dr. Largmann. bullet," she said .

Townsend Harris seniors have not Dr. Largmann thinks that the staff is He said that it was hard deciding been inunune from the effects ofbudget where to make the cuts and that he being very cooperative and understandcuts, which have been implemented at wanted to use the money in a way that ing about the budget cuts .

As for the future, he states , "Maybe Queens College as well as at the high would enable the school to function. school. According to Ron Scapp , "You always have a hard time because they [the faculty] are being hopeful Queens College Liason, instead of the you don' t want to cut any of the pro- that something good is going to hapeight sections of the Humanities Semi- grams . You wouldn 't have them in the pen but I really don't see any more nar that were previously taugh t, now first place if you didn' t think they were money coming. So, I think this is the there are only seven. Thi s means larger worthwhil e .... Yo u'r e affecting way it' s going to be for this year ."

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Spirit week kicks 0,11 year immense success. "We achieved our main

by Diana Tuite purpose...to get everyone involved in something Baseball caps, berets, bormets, and various they could do," she said. other hats dotted the halls on Tuesday, Septem. "We looked like a bunch of penguins," said ber 24, the first day of Spirit Week. During the sophomore Cynthia Bogart. Throughout the Week, which was aimed at boosting enthusiasm course of the afternoon, people also compared for the kickoff dance on Friday, students also themselves to cows, a chorus, and black and sported black and white televisions. "If someone driving by the white attire on Wedschool were to see everyone...in black and white, nesday and patterned they would wonder what was going on," said clothing on Thursday. junior Temika Warner.

Whether Hat Day Although students complied with the desigwas just an excuse to nated motif on Pattern Day, there was some wear a hat, or a treroom for variation, evident in the profusion of mendous show of ~ paisley, plaid, stripe, and floral prints flooding ~ school spirit, the ma jority of students par~ Harris halls .

A sense of unity that was shared by both $' ticipated. "Idon'tever ...:.... ~ students and teachers prevailed on Pattern Day . remember seeing so -a Engl ish teacher Helen Rizzuto enjoyed the day many people dressed and week, reflecting, "I think we can 't do enoug h up in hats," remarked to bring the pupils together."

Coordinator of Stu.... )i""· Many participants criticized Pattern Day. dent Activities Judy They said that since people often wear designs, Biener, who, along Striped a nd plaid shirt s worn by Stephanie Falcone and Teresa Felice demonstrate school spirit on pattern day. the effect was not as striking as on the previous with the leadership teacher Joan Walsh taught all her classes with a days . "They should have specified one particuclass and Student Union, organized the event. lar pattern to be seen," suggested sophomore Males took advantage of this opportunity to miniature sombrero perched on one side of her Amanda Zananski. don hats, which on normal days violate the dress head.

Spirit Week culminated on an apparent high For Black and White Day.the Student Union code . "I don 't know how any guyherecouldp~s note, as a record number of students attended the up the chance to wear his hat for a whole day," requested that everyone wear black and/or white. said sophomore Angel Falcon, expessing the Because of the accessibility of this theme, a great ~ . armual mixer dance on Friday. " Kickoff attendance was very good. Traditionally, we try to get number of people decided to participate. Many I viwsof many,vSome students refused to sacrifice their indi- dressed for two of the days at once, in a patterned . freshmen to go and plenty of them were there," r. she said.

I viduality~for f the"supposed)uniformity of?Hat ; black or white ensemble.

Student Union President Jennifer Teodoro, Held in the Student Union building at Queens . Day :" 'Questioned'abotit: her absence.of a hat , considered Black arid White Day . an 1 • College, the mixer is customarily sponsored by junior, junior Alona Fryman replied,"] didn't want to

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wear one because...I'm a non-conformist."

However, others saw Hat Day as an opportunity to express their originality. A fish hat worn by sophomore Eva Levinson and Ms. Wallace's black, purple, and turquoise jester's cap stood out among the mult itude of baseball caps. Spanish

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New C.O.S .A. Judy Biener was a moving spirit behind Spirit Week. .

the senior class to welcome freshmen. This year, more than in the past, seniors made appearances at the dance, and the school netted a profit, Research for this article was done by all members ofthe jou rnalism class.

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Juice machine quenches th irst, fills athletic department treasu ry

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Number of students in Townsend Ha rris - 913 Number of boys - 268 (29.4%) Number of girls - 645 (70,6%) Official classes with greater number of boys than girls - 903 , 124 Official class with least number of boys - 121 (four boys) Percentage of boys in each grade 9th - 32% 10th - 26.5% 11th - 29% 12th - 33% /

Student Government Officers, 1991-1992

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by Jennifer Mattucci A Very Fine fruit juice machine installed outside the gymnasium on October 16 will be used to raise funds for the physical education department.

Athletic Director W anda Nix and Harry Rattien, Assistant Principal of Physical Education as well as Mathematics, supervised the acquisition and installation of the machine.

"The purpose of the machine is to help generate som e income for the physical education department. With the severity of the bud get crisis, we have to provide many items ofour own," said Mr. Rattien. The money will go to school teams for equipme nt and supplies. . Th e machine is owned by the company that services it. However, a percentage of the profits will go to the school.

Juice, frui t punch, and choco late drink will be available to stude nts on a trial bas is. Guidel ines must be followed in order for the machine to remain in the building. Students may purchase drinks only during lunch bands and be fore and

after school. Cans carmot be taken anywhere but the cafeteria, and they must be disposed of in designated receptacles ne ar the machine.

According to Mr. Rattien, the decis ion hasn't been made yet whether or not to recycle the juice cans. He hopes the company which serv ices the machine will recycl e them.

Over all, student respons e to the machine has been favorable. ."I think it' s a good idea because it gives the school excess fund s," said sopho more Christopher Musarra. "It makes us feel closer to being a norm al high school," said junior Danielle Tropea.

Th e few complaints heard on the first day of its operation focussed on the fact that the m achi ne ran out of apple juice and chan ge for dollar bills .

Custodian Michael White helped Ms. Nix and Mr. Rattien move the 22-pound juice dispenser, which holds 500 cans, to its easily accessible spot.

J1@~ W@'OI1IT W!@n©@ IID@ TIIT@mIT@g Senior Uason - Jennifer Gabrielle 'Boroug h Student Council Representatvies Jon athan Strongin, Nia Simmons

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Leadership fostered at Camp RiS~iil~

by Robyn Herman "I am imspired by the philosophy of the camp, which is the spirit of giving. I am also more confident now, and more willing to participate,in the community and the world around me," said sophomore Shi-Men Zheng. Shi-Min is speaking about Camp Rising Sun, a specialized, international camp in upstate New York, that emphasizes leadership, learning about other cultures, and learning about yourself.

Shi-Min, along with juniors Donna Lin Weiss and Christian Anderson, and sophomores Scott Kaye and Amanda Tinkelman all attended ,the camp this past summer .

Rising Sun is divided into two camps, one for boys and one for girls. The boys' camp has been established for 62 years, while the girls' camp has been in existence for three. 'The boys already have their tr~ition~, but we're still forming them," stated Donna. Some of these traditions include switching living quarters every two weeks, having special leaders each week, saying " How, How" instead of applauding, and attending six assemblies each day: The assemblies usually consist of brief announcements or notices.

The campers must also do activities together as teams to promote togetherness. These activities include cleaning and other chores, but campers

say it' s fun because you' re working with your friends.

"Rising Sun gave us an opportunity to forge lasting, meaningful, relationships," said Amanda.

"There are 52 campers, and I have 52 new friends. Last week I was on the phone to Germany !" exclaimed Scott.

Campers also came from Nigeria, Turkey, France, Japan, Spain, Poland, Russia, Greece, Israel, Zambia, Peru, and Sweden, as well as various parts of the United States.

AU campers attend the camp on a special scholarship. They must go through a series of interviews and applications before being chosen .

Su mmer camp parucipants Donna Weiss, Shirnin zheng, Amanda Tinkelman, Scott -Kay, Vincent Donowski, and Christian Andersen Reminisce over shared experiences.

Campers need recommendations from four out of five teachers. They are then screened by guidance counselor Marilyn Blier who ' is on the Selection Committee and Long Range Planning Committee for the camp, and are finally interviewed by the camp director. There are 20 boys and 20 girls from New York State.

Campers may return to Rising Sun to act as role models, and help first year campers learn the ropes . Scott stated he would like to return because, "I had such a great time. I f I could help anyone else have as good 1I. summer, I feel it would give my summer meaning," he said.

At the moment, Scott and Chris are scouting for next summer's campers. They look for any unique talents and the ability to get along well with others . Usually, tenth grade boys and ninth grade girls are chosen as first year campers because they have reached a certain level of maturity.

Chris, Donna, Amanda, Shi-Min, and Scott all say they had a wonderful experience at Rising Sun. Donna sums up most of the campers' feel.ings when she} ~s..' "Of all the memories that I have, the ones of Rising Sun are the most vivid.

I changed so much as a person there. I became much more involved in school and the c~rnrnu­ nity, It brought out the best in me...·

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Summer workshop proves productive for future writer ~

throughout the years , there still aren't , This summer, while some kids went enough minorities in the journalism to work, others attended summer field," explainded Terri. 'The workclasses, and many just relaxed. Junior shop gave us an opportunity to learn Therese Ferguson spent eight weeks and excel, and gain access to and conlearning about and doing exactly what tacts in the journalism field."

The workshop members got to pick she loves: writing. their own assignments. Terr i contrib Terri, Feature Editor of The Classic, attended a three-wee k journalism uted a book review and a personality course at Queens College. During the piece about a Jehovah's Witness to the workshop, students put together apub- newspaper. lication entitled The Bridge. "I t was really fun. We learned about writing both feature and news stories, and leads. However, the newspaper was mostly feature, since it was difficult to do hard news for a workshop paper," she

by Amy Yan

'Although the number has increased throughout the years , there still aren't enough minorities in the journalism field' ~~Wiill~]~ 1~1~j~~j~1~~~1~jfJ~~~~~~~~r~1~j~ ~~~~~1~ t~jl~ljljl1

"The NBC studi~s wer~ a lot of fu~. 'it was different. We 're used to print media ." There, the young writers were also introduced to the electronic aspects of the field and met Harry, the graphic computer .

Guest speakers were another highlight of the workshop. Among them were Juliet Pappo from 1010 WINS and E.R. Ship from The New York Times. "She [E.R. Ship] was inspirational," said Terri. "Not only because she ' is black, but because she is a woman. She's one of The New York Times' top reporters. It made me think, if she could do it, I could do it."

Terri 's one regret about the workshop was thatshe didn't get to learn more of the technical aspects of bringing a publication l:J 'r; to press. "I would have liked to ~ do more layout on computer," a ~ she said.

After the three week workshop, Terr i and another student out of ~ the fourteen in the course, went on to internships at New York

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.'ested, and I said yes."

For the next five weeks, Terri and the other interns carried out various tasks.

In return they were able to discover what a real newsroom was like. "We also benefitted from the experience of the professionals," explained Terri. "I was surprised because we were interns and I didn 't think they'd have the time for us. They took time. They told us how they got to the point they're at today and gave us tips."

"For example, many of them told us not to major in journalism in college, to major in English or something like that, so that we would have a liberal arts background," she said.

'I like knowing that I might be able to change something in the world for the better because of an article I write.'

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said.

The workshop, which was funded by the Dow Jones Foundation, was aimed specifically at minority students. " Although the number has increased

The students were taken on field trips as part of the workshop experience. "We visited Long Island Newsday and The Daily News," said Terri.

intern and the only one still in high school. staff Terri was chosen for the internship by the workshop professor, Joann Lee. "She came up to me in the first week of the workshop and said she liked the way I was writing," said Terri. "She told me about the internship, asked me if I was inter-

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Terri was given her first assignment a week before the Mayor's Open House at City Hall. Terri and a fellow intern were assigned to the Kew Gardens area and had to "go out on the streets asking people what they would say if they had a chance to meet with David Dinkins at the Open .House," ' " For her second assignment, Terri

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helped Esther Iverem whose "Arts In The Boroughs" page appears in the Part IT section every Tuesday. Terri had to call up various dance and musical groups and inquire 'about upcorning performances for a fall season calendar.

"In a way it helped me to become more aggressive," she said.People from the organizatio ns would sometimes hang up when Terri said she was from Newsday, thinking she was trying to sell a subscription. Terri kept calling back.

"It's helped me interact more with people," said Terri of her internship.

"Yes, I would [do it again] because I learned a lot from it, and it was fun."

Terri hopes to use the skills she learned for her career. "I want to be either a fictional writer or a journalist.

I love using words to convey my ideas.

I like knowing that I can make a person happy with a story or an article I write.

I like knowing that I might be able to change something in the world for the better because 'of an article I write," she said.

Terri says that her role models and inspirations include writers such as Charles Dickens and John Steinbeck, and especially her father. "He has always stressed the importance of reading and writing. He reads so many books and writes so many papers, speeches, and other documents, and he loves doing it. I guess he's passed his love [of reading and writing] on to me," she stated.

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Moviegoers pick favorite flicks

by Matthew Gilgorr This past summer, moviegoers could choose from films on everything from cyborg human hunters to white Irish soul singers . Yes, there was certainly variety, there was certainly quantity, but was there quality? Students were asked some of these very questions.

Here are, their picks for the best and worst movies of the summer of '91.

Favorites: #1- Terminator 2- Judgement Day received the most publicity, had the most production expenses, the most hype, and the most Townsend Harris votes in the polls. 35% (139 votes) of the students supported the Schwartzeneger sequel as the best of the summer. It has grossed nearly $200 million, the highest total of the summer, and is still playing today. The movie featured the greatest and most innovative special effects ever as well as Arnold Schwartzeneger in a role most suitable for him: a big, intimidating, unstoppable warrior with limited lines. The movie had good acting. an interesting Armageddon plot and the best action scenes around. Truly a four star movie. #2-Robln Hood: Prince of Thieves. This $150millionplus-grossing movie received 25% of the votes (91 votes), and was noticibly more

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. nation was both fascinating and jnnovative. The surprise ending with plenty of twists left little to be desired. The fresh romantic thriller survived a low scale limited release, and will still be popular for months to come. #4- City Slickers ranked just under Dead Again with 38 votes. It was the i~~~~~~~~~ ~~~I~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~ ~Il~~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~~I~ ~ I~1r~~~~i~lli~~~i~~ third highest grossing film of the popular among girls than boys. Even summer. raking in a total of well over with the classic story, Bryan Adams' $100 million. On a comedic note, it hit song of the summer, "(Everything I was brilliant. Billy Crystal and his coDo) I Do It For You," heartthrobs stars were hilarious in thismovie which Kevin Costner and Christian Slater, dealt with people's reactions to midand Academy Award winner Morgan life crisises. Overall, a winner. #5-Boyz N The Hood. Give credit Freeman. it managed to elude greatto the creators of this film, who recogness. Although it was an enjoyable nized an American desire for realistic flick, it did have its flaws. The big drama.

It was a surprise hit, earning name stars of the movie only turned in $50 million at the box office and was average performances and the "clasable to edge out The Commitments sic" plot added to its predictability. and Doc Hollywood for fifth place in Amusingly. Kevin Costner only had his British accent for half the movie. the poll by receiving 26 votes. The movie had a powerful message, for it Good yes, great no. #3- Dead Again was a late summer took a look at minority teenage life in surprise hit, and a tribute to,the taste of bad Los Angeles neighborhoods. But Townsend Harris students. Approxi- judging by the audience's applause mately 40 votes managed to place it during scenes of violence. perhaps the third in the polls. Big names were not message was lost in the shuffle. Overcast for the starring roles and the pro" all, it was a mediocre movie with very 'duction costs were relatively low. But good intentions and rare flashes of big names and big money is not what good drama. made this movie excellent. An unusual Least liked films: Hot Shots, and The Naked Gun 2 plot centered around a tale ofreincar-

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The majority of the summer movies it's hard to admit we enjoy movies with such raw, stupid humor. These were a disaster at the box office. in two movies were typical spoofs, and comparison to previous summers, but if you took the time to look. there were were in fact funny.

What can I say to those of you who some gems.

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The Class ic October 1991

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Fall .Season Preview: 'teams, coaches optimistic

by Ris ho na Fl eishman The 1991 fall sports program is on its way . Many teams have returned from the summer hopeful of strong, promising seasons. Here is a brief preview of things to com e.

Girls' Varsity Volleyball Co ach: Athle tic Director W anda Nix. Team leaders : As of now, no one has emerged as a team leader, accordin g to Coach Nix. "We're going to be pretty inexperienced," she said. Only three senior s are in this year' s star ting lineup.

Promising rookies: Too soon to be determined.

Key losses: The entire starting line- up has graduated.

To ughest opponents: Francis Lewis and Cardozo High Schools are two big division rivals.

Promisingrookies: As ofnow there are no specific promising rookies, but there are two or three seniors who have joined the team for the first time. This will give the team more strength, even though they lack exper ience , acco rding.to Coach Ceraulo.

Key losses : Some of the team's A bowlers graduated, bu t this year 's team is strong despite these losses. Many members ofthis year 's team are seniors.

Toughest opponents: John Adams and VanBuren H.S. Prediction: Despi te being in one of the toughest divis ions in the ci ty, Coach Ceraulo feels they have a good chance of making it to the qu arter final s, Last year was their best season ever . They tied for second in the division and actually defeated the City Champions during the regular season.

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Hying high during practic~':"Vikki B'~i;"';':'lunior, g~~ up for a block as JenniferWong, junior, attemptsto spike.

lot of new swimmers. but none have stood out yet.

Key losses: The te~ lost Lauren Wigo, a freshman here last year, when she decided to go to Stuyvesant High School.

Toughest Opponent: Bayside H.S. Prediction: "If we beat Bayside; we 'll most probably win our division," said Kalen .

Girls' Cross Count ry Track Coach: Mathematics teacher Joseph Hom. Team leaders: Junior Ingrid Lemmey and the top freshman from last year, Iris Williams, will be leadi ng this very

young team .

Promising rookies: "We're still in the process of developing the young kids.

It is still too early to say," stated Coach Hom. Key losses : Many members of the team have left, but Co ach Hom doesn 't like to talk about the negative.

Toughest Opponents: Jamaica and August Martin H.S. Prediction: Coach Hom feels it is still too early to tell how well the team will do .

Varsity Fencing Coach: History teacher Anthony Scarnati.

Te am leaders: Juniors M att Mandell and Warren Stmad, as well as senior Young Chase , are some of the team's best players.

Promising rookies: Junior Daniel Son is one of this year' s stronges t rookies, according to Coach Scarnati.

Key losses: There are no key losses.

Toughest opponent: Cardozo H.S. Prediction: According to Coach Scamati, the team really needs freshmen and sophomore players in order to build a solid future for the team . "We'll be very competitive this year, but we really need underclassmen to join," he said.

As the ball is released, Amy Schwach, senior, aims for a spare.

Predi ction: With a lot of hard work and much pr~tice, Coach Nix still expec ts to win the divi sion.

Girls' Varsity Bowling Coach: Enrichment Coordinator Elle n Sch wartz Team lead ers: With the season just starting, there are no team lead ers as of yet.

Promi sing rookies : Jennifer Conlisk, freshman, is a strong bowler, just like her brother. Danny Con lisk, junior, who is a member of the boys' bowling

Boys' Varsity Soccer Coach :Physical education teacher Keith Hanson.

Team leaders: Seniors John Reynolds and Kirk Lazar idis are co-cap tains .

Other valuable players include senior Igor Solop and juniors T omm y Karagiannis, Neftali Serrano, and Sasha Cekada.

Promising rookies: Freshmen Bl ake Eastman and Conner Kilpatrick have experience on other socc er teams. Junior Stephen Bilaniuk and sophomore Dave Iber are also showing potential.

Key losses : Two key seniors graduated

team.

Key losses : One senior graduated from last year .

Toughest opponent: Forest Hills is a the team .

Toughest opponents: Every year, ac- tough opponent,according to three- ye ar cording to Coach Schwartz, the abili- veteran player Neftali Serrano.

Prediction: Coach Hanson believes that ties of opposing teams vary .

Prediction: "Last year 's rookies have because of everyday practices, they will improved over the summer. If every- have a better season this year. At the one bowls at the top of their game ...we least, there will not be any more embarhave a very good chance' for first this rassing shutouts. year," stated Coach Schwartz.

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i Halfback Conor Fitzpatrick freshman. steals ball from Aviation player.

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DAVID RANDALL!!

Girls' Varsity Swimming Boys' Varsity Bowling Coach: Physical education teacher Lawrence Ceraulo.

Team leaders: Captain Mike Lorello, senio r, had a 174 average last year and seems to be very strong this year. Other v aluable players include seniors Tzachy Zaidman and Ron Sussman.

Coach: Physical education teacher, at 1.S. 272, James Jordan.

Team leaders: Juniors Jenn ifer Ch esw ick and Nichole Kissag, as well as sophomore AnnaZwierz, are the team 's strongest swimmers.

Promising Rookies: According to team member Kalen Turbridy , the team has a

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Tuner at Townsend Harris H.S. and Brooklyn Conservatory

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