The Classic newspaper Volume 8 Issue no. 3 by The Classic

Vol. 8, No.3, Aprll,1992.

• Townsend Harris High School at Queens College

75-40 Parsons Boulevard. Flushing, NY 11366

Women's Words express pride by J ennifer Mattucci Woman" by Maya Angelou, recited by one of the women goes off to jail for The sounds of "Women's Words" senior Cynthia Allen. In "Ego Trip- killing her husband in Crime of the rang throughout the library on March ping," the narrator keeps repeating, "I Heart by Beth Henley. 31 during an Enrichment presentation am a beautiful woman" and tells of Freshmen Denisa Colic and Tali in celebration of Women's History such things as how she drank nectar Ditman performed an excerpt from Month. Coordinated by the Hurnani- with the gods, gave oil to the Arab Mary, Mary by Jean Kerr. and freshties Department under the supervision world, was the mother of Noah, had a man Larissa Fernando actedout ascene of Assistant Principal Lynne Green- son Hannibal, was Jesus, was a woman from "The Lady Has a Heart" by field, the event featured female stu- whose nails became jewels, and whose Ladislaus Bus-Fehete. dents from both English and history strands of hair were gold. In "PheSeniors Jeanie Reyes and Michele classes, reciting such works (mostly) nomenal Woman," one line repeated Benatti took turns reading from "A by and about famous women as numerous times was, "I'm a woman, Room of One's Own" by Virginia speeches,joumalentries,poetry, plays, phenomenally/ Phenomenal woman, Woolf, a work which demonstrates essays and stories. that's me," how women's creativity was stifled Presentations ranged from serious, Junior Felicia Fyffe presented "Har- before this century by speculating on to amusing, toeducational. Some witty riet Tubman," a poem by Margaret what would have happened if selections included modShakespeare had had a emrenditions ofo ld-fashsister with his genius. ioned fairy tales. SophoFrustrated at every tum more Susan Stewart preby society, Shakespeare's sented "Rapunzel" by imaginary sister ends up Sara Henderson Hay as committing suicide. well as " ...and then the Woolf concludes by Prince knelt down and telling her audience that tries to put the glass slipthe crea tivity of per on Cinderella' s foot" Shakespeare's sister is by Judith Viorst. In the still alive in women to Viorst version, Cinderella day and their opportunity decides to pretend the will come if they create glass slipper is too tight room for it because she realizes the A collage ofvideo clips prince isn' t as attractive N entitled "Whim and Will, as he first seemed (he has .~ Women in Films," coort) a big nose) and she could dinated by sophomore do better than him any~ Na tali e Krauser was way. Freshman Daniela ~ scheduled to be shown, Coleman read "The Little but had to be postponed Girl and the Wolf' by £ until further notice beJames Thurber, a modem ~ cause of limited time.. . version of "Little Red "We think [Women's Riding Hood" whichends Words was] averyexcitwith the little girl shoot- FRESHMAN DANIELA COLEMAN recites "The Little Girl and the ingrriosaicofimpressions ing the wolf with an auto- Wolf," at the Women's Words presentation in the library. of women ....Our goal

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matic gun instead of allowing herself to be intimidated. The audience was told the moral of the story is: "It's not so easy to fool little girls as it used to be," Poetry performances included "Poem" written and recited by senior Laura Benin about female equality and "lnes be Castro" by John Glifford, recited by junior Alexia Kornninos, about the young life of a woman who feltshewasn'ttreatedlikeapersonand who loathed her husband for what he did to her. Two poems boosting female morale were "Ego Tripping" by Nikki Giovani, presented by sophomore Roxanne Ryan, and "Phenomenal

Walker which speaks about slavery [was] to educate and to really give and Harriet Tubman's perserverance. students anopportunity to express their Asha Richards told the audience about social views or present something they such other great African-American particularly like," said Ms. Greenfield. women as Mother Hale who develTwo other special Enrichments also oped the Hale House for children of took place in commemoration of drug addicts, and Faye Whileton who Women's History Month. Marilyn in 1978 became president of Planned Starnrn from the Financial Women's Parenthood. Association spoke about women in The words of Susan B. Anthony business on March 26. She discussed written in 1892 were read by sopho- the history of women in the workplace moreKristinaOlsoninanexcerptfrom beginning in 1848 with the Women's "Woman 's Right to Suffrage," Movement, as well as women's curScenes from plays were also fea- rent roles in business. tured. Sophomores Brannie Jones and Leslie Kinney, from Women on the Rachel Quiban portrayed two eccen- Job, spoke on March 19 about sexual tric Southern ladies who chat before Continued on page 3

Cheating p. 7

IATLONG LAST! Construction workers start tearing up the Queens College parking

lot where thelong-awaited new Townsend Harrisis to stand. See Marlwalla, p. 10

Council to augment multicultural activities by Dqnna Lin Weiss A Council of Unity to promote multiculturalism in the school will begin meeting this month.The establishment of the council is the latest of many opportunities which' the school has recently provided for students and staff members of Townsend Harris to discuss and learn about multicultural issues.It was organized by Sheila Orner, Assistant Principal of Guidance, along with Guidance Counselors James Murray and Marilyn Blier, at the suggestion of the Townsend Harris Multicultural Committee asone ofits many efforts to enhance appreciation of the school 's diversity. The committee, led by Ms. Orner and Librarian Valerie Billy, consists of faculty, students, and a representative from the P.T.A. Student members include Archon and Student Government leaders, and all those interested in participating. It meets once a month in the library. The purpose of the committee is for students to "discuss and propose ways to bring about a better understanding of the differences and similarities among the school population," said Odile Garcia, science teacher and a faculty member of the committtee. Though the Multicultural Committee has been in existence for three years, its concerns were given a new urgency with the recent outbreak of racially motivated crimes in the city. Follow-

ing the highly publicized painting of a black student with white pain t in the Bronx and the alleged rape of a white school girl by ablack man inBrooklyn. the Humanities and Guidance Departments held a Talk-In on bias in January. "We decided that the school needed to respond to these events which.had gotten tremendous media coverage. Many of our students travel long distances to and from school and we're all concerned about their safety. We are also concerned with their perception of these events," said Ms. Blier, one of the coordinators of the Talk-In. Joan Walsh, Assistant Principal of Foreign Languages and also a member of the committee, says she's happy to be on it. "The committee is a beginning; alotmoreneeds to be done in the future. The brainstorming done by the students is very important They view things from adifferent perspective than do adults.Their opinions areeven more important than ours because they know what job needs to be accomplished out there." Ms. Orner is very pleased with the committee. "I think we've accomplished a lot.I 'd like tosee it expand as well. We are fortunate to have a principal who believes in this. His leadership initiated it all. We are equally as fortunate to have a bright student body," Principal Malcolm Largmann feels Continued on page 12

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The Classic

April 1992

Cheating: easy way out? In a society such as ours, where cheating is prevalent, accepted, and/or condoned everywhere, from the business world to politics to family life, it is no wonder that some of us follow in the footsteps of our elders and take the "easy" way out: we cheat. In a survey conducted last month by The Classic , 28 % of those polled admitted to cheating "sometimes or often" on a high school test, while 36% said they had cheated "once or rarely." How can the adults in our lives ask us not to cheat when our role models in the government receive kickbacks and write overdrafts on checks and when our role models in the sports world take bribes to throw games? They are asking us to be J) C(l , ~., 1~(J.re better than our role models, to deviate from what has become a norm in our society. 1\12 \ 'JI-, L('r 's L. c.> Yet they too encourage cheating by their behavior, cheating on income taxes, Ct C c u ,"Q C j . expense accounts, and medical claims. Even in school, the me ssage that any cheating is wrong is not strong enough. While 82% ofthe surveyed students said that it is wrong to cheat on tests, only 40 % said it is wrong to copy homework. Every day, teachers see students copying homework, and their typical response will onl y be, "Please put that away." This mild response is hardly enoug h to reinforce the notion of wrongdoing. With apologies to Ernest Lawrence Thayer , Poor proctoring also leads to cheating. Some teachers mark: papers or engage in y J enn ifer Sorowitz some other activity during an examination and are not alert to the testing e outlook wasn 't brilliant for the editors that There was ease in Daihung 's manner as he sal situation.While they are not exac tly saying chea ting is right, their inattentiveness, day ; down in his place ; silence, and lack of disciplinary action during exam inations enco urages che ating. e art boards weren ' t finished, nor was layout There was pride in Daihung 's bearing and a However, we are smart enough to know that when we cheat, we are only hurting on the way. smile on Daihung's face. So .when the Mac got temperamental and ourselves. We are depriving ourselves of the chance to grow intellectually. We do And when, with hand upon the mouse, he would do no more, moved the text around, not learn anything by cheating, except how to act dishonestly. And if we persist They all heaved a collective sigh; their savior in chea ting now, it could well become a way of life for some of us. It could carry A pallor wreathed Randi's face; she slumped onto the floor. was found! on into our family life and our professions. We,will have dep rived ourselves of the learning expe rience, of all the challenges, the obstacles, the pitfalls, and the joys. "Get up," yelled Terri, ''you must not go down They did not have to worry for he moved the And we will have deprived ourselves of the chance to work hard, of the chance to in deep despair; text with care; succeed on our own me rit, not on someone else's, and the chance to know how "This issue will be out on time; to that I ' The center spread looked beau tiful; the layout had real flare. good and clean this can feel. • humbly swear!"

. . .

Casey at the Mac

"If only he were here," said Nef, "we'd get the

"You never eat and you don't rest; have you a single flaw?" But one shrug of Daihung's should ers and he had Rishona awed.

But time, it was a-passing; it would soon be four o'clock. Would they ever finish? The idea seemed like a croc k. pon those sad and stricken studen ts, deathlike silence loomed, For there seemed but little chance of his soon getting to that room .

'There! I' m done!" said Daihung, rising swiftly to his feet. 'Thank you so much, Daihung! Now the papei is complete! "Not many master this machine; they do not have your kn ack." Suddenly , the lights went out; the room became pitch black.

But then the door flew open, to the wonderment of all; And in he confidently strode, as he said, "You called?" "Daihung! You've come to save us! ,~ow we feared you would not show! "Fear no, t M e l I'd rs. owen. not Iet you down, you know."

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light; But sadness reigns in Harris High because of one small quirk: TheClassic is not ready, for Daihung didn't save his work.

We must remembe r, "To thine own selfbe true." Ifwe continue cheating, we will issue done . not only diminish our edu cation , but as future role models, we will be setting a bad "Then we could all rela x a bit and even have example for our proteges which will eventually lead them astray, to a path of some fun." corruption and dishonesty.

Diversity offers rich opportunity Many of us would like to believe that while we are in school, we are sheltered from the racial and ethnic prejudice that abounds outside our walls; that"we are free from stereotypes about people from other backgrounds because of the closeness of our school and the caliber of our students. Unfortunately, this is not the case. While some of us are eager to experience the tradi tions ofother lands, and openly admit our ignorance of unfamiliar cultures, others cling to long-held stereotypes, ; th at surrounds th em. unwi'11'mg to Iearn f rom thee ri nch e thniIC d'rversity For those willing to open their minds, there are ample opportunities to learn. The Foreign Language Department's delightful Festival of Nations performance this month and the recent premiere of "Brothers and Sisters," a variety show presented by the Black History Committee, are just two examples. Both performances were received warmly by a great cross-section of the student body and those who viewed the shows found them to be both exciting and educational. Another important opportunity was offered in January when the Guidance and Humanities departments sponsored a Talk-in on bias. A direct response to outbreaks of racial crimes in the city, this was one of many instances which reaffirmed the school's commitment to tackling sensitive, even explosive issues. In addition, the on-going Multicultural Committee, established three years ago and welcoming all interested students, parents, and faculty, is in the process of organizing a Council of Unity to promote awareness and understanding of multicultural issues. ( See Council to augment multicultural activities, p.L) The biggest opportunity of all, though, lies within our classrooms as we interact with our wonderfully diverse classmates. Concerned students and faculty can only provide opportunities for unity. The interest must come from within each of us. It is important that we all take an active part in our own education and not allow our vast resources to go to waste. CORRECTION: It was incorrect!y reported in the January issue of The Classic that health teacher Ellen Schwartz coordinated Smoke-out Day. The event was organized by Guidance Counselor Susan Rotter. The Classic apologizes for the error.

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mailbox in tho gan",. office, The C. . .1c r...rvH the right to ecit III letters. utters mAt include name and official daas. Names

willbo withheld"",," raqua't

Stacey Gluck

YiIi.Iah Aleema Bacchus. Massandje Bamba, Jennifer Chsu , Erika DiSanzo, Joanne Douvogiannis, Jordan Dressler, Johanna Fausto, Jennifer Fitzgerald. Alison Gabriele. Stacey Gluck, Latasha Greene, Kathy Hennanowski, Laura Hwnmel, Zina Izrael, Wendy Lame, Jason Led17. Eva Levinson, Sally Magdi, Olga Mazyuk, Beth Mellow. Shalene Moodie. Jose Olivera, Kristina Olson. Verusha Palczynski, Eleni Passias, Francine Rich, Tara Seary, Sarah TrernmJ, Diana Tuite, Donna Weiss, Amy Yan, Anna Zwierz Pboto&TapbelS' Phoebe Dallal, Joanna Drescher. Alison Gabriele. Hadar (Jackie) Hellman, Brannie Jones, Beverlie Leano, Michelle Lockwood, Vield Soffer, Danielle Tropea ~

Cannon Chu , David Iaakelevich, James Kim. Bikkei Law, Vinh Nguyen. Timothy Nolan.

Maria Skrepetos, Teresa Tse, Ritzel Tuazon, Cynthia Wong, Amy Yan Typini and Business SlafC' Ann Carroll, Jennifer Chau, Daniella Coleman. Sabrina Falcone. Olga Mazyuk, Roxanne Ryan. Felicia Vinci. Tara Weinstein, Janice Yee Principal: Dr. Malcolm Largmann

Advisor: lisa Cowen

The Classic April 1992

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Women's Words

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(continued from page 1)

steroetypes and sexual harrassment. Ms . Stamm said that in 1872 , only 4% of employed women had positions on management level s, while in 1987 the number increased to 10% and is still rising. Ms. Stamm is a director of the Fin ancial Women 's Association, which is a group of appro ximately 900 women in New York City working in the fin ancial field. They hold seminars and do a lot of community work. M s. Kirmey warned stude nts about stereo types aga inst women and how "many .[employers] worry that women won't do a job as well as a man because of matern al instincts." "Women have to know about their rights before applying for a job ," said Ms. Kinney. "Women are still underpaid for equal jobs...ye t

they are protected in courts by civil rights laws." She also discussed ways to deal with being . harrassed . She told students that if they fmd themselves being harrassed, they should "say 'stop'....If it doesn't stop ," she said, "write a letter to the person who harrassed you and keep a copy foryourself...foryourrecords. Talk among

:::;~~;:e::e~;~W::~a~:u::ul~:i:' 1 1 t'i0122(;jDwtti£::~r-:0.xtr.iXr01k21Ztrrjk12~m'K when the harrassment happened and wh at happen ed" and keep this at home to "keep tra ck if you have to bring up the case."

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. The Classic

April 1992

Extravaganza shares Afro-American culture by Diana Tuite Entertaining and educating their audience, the Black Hi story Month Committee premiered "Brothers and Sisters" on February 28 in the cafetorium. The variety show was aimed at immersing others in African-American culture through a collage of music, dance, drama, and poetry. All proceeds from the event were donated to the United Negro College Fund. Leading the extravag anza were juniors Nicole Whittington, Tracy Evans, Marie Haynes, LisaWilliams, Anthony Mahon, Enrique Maitland, and Ayana Wright "This was the most cooperative group we have had since we started this :...Everyone seemed to have apleasure in the spirit of the people that put it on," said Principal Malcolm Largmann. This year'sperformance, supervised by CoordinatorofStudent Affairs Judy Biener, was presented from a new perspective. Drawing on concerns about school curriculums in a multi-cultural society, "Underground Railroad," a play written by senior Pia Alexander, depicted the current debate. The play traced the obstacles faced by a group of high school students working for a curriculum inclusive of African studies . "Brothers and Sisters" was a show within a show, since all segments following the play were presented as the fictitious Hillside HighSchool's Black History Month celebration. Initially, the students in the drama picket their school in demand of African studies courses. Threatened with

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IN 'TRIBUfE TO ALVIN AILEY,' (from left to right) Anissa Harris, Trina Cabrijan, Kimberly Smith, Laami Mateo, Terita Murphy, Andrea Ogundele, and Maureen Masse dance at the Black History Extravaganza.

suspension, the group enlists a teacher's help and holds classes outside the building. The actors hoped to illustrate that such a situation could arise in any . school. Works of various black poets constituted a section of the program. Junior Susan Sawyers recited "Too Much Color" by Ivin Seaborn. Junior Felicia Fyffe presented "I Dream a W orld" by Lanston Hughes, a poem which expressed the author's wish for a world where race is unimportant. Sophomore Danette Bean gave a dramatic recitation ofan original poem entitled "Black Power." Spanish culture was also represented during the show. Ten males and females paired off, dancing a self-choreographed combination of the meringue and salsa to the music, "Desesperado.'

everything from denim fashions Malcolm X hats to dress suits fOJ workplace. Similarly showcased was the IT cal richness of the culture. Six dents, clasping hands, sang the b national anthem, "Lift Every V, and Sing.l'by reknowned author Ja Weldon Johnson. Before the cur closed, all cast members asseml ons tage while soloists Rhond a A ander, Monique Cole, and An Harr is, sophomo res, and Tacy Ev junior ,gave an acapella, renditio "Optimistic," by the group Sound Blackness. 'The song talks about no matter I a child is colored, [the child should ways be optimistic and look at bright side of things. Do not let any tum you away from your dreams," ! Monique.

Members of the Black History Com- rican dance. There is traditional and mittee had the opportunity to work there is interpretive," explained Ms . with a professional dance teacher, Session. She noted that traditional Nicolle Session, who is a sophomore at African dance is very complex and Queens College. She has worked at a "deep" in its movements and drumSeveral faculty members assis dance studio for three years. At the ming. Having decided to showcase with the production. English teac request of one of her dance students, interpretive styles, she chose various Harriette Blechman supervised . sophomore Kelly Jones, who was in- steps and creatively combined them . lighting and stage operation. SOl volved with "Brothers and Sisters," A "Tribute to Alvin Ailey," per- was controlled by Arthur Boulanj Ms. Session vo lunteered her skills as formed earlier in the evening, was more who also appeared in " Undergroi choreographer. reminiscient of ballet in its flowing Classroom," and art teacher Anthr Wearing customary patterned skirts, movement. This was choreographed Morales oversaw backdropproducti students performed an African dance, by Ms. Session to "Places We FiTId Ms . Biener expressed a goal sha accompanied by music from the sound- Love" by Seidah Garrett. Also on the by the youths. 'Thehope is that we, tracks of the movies The Color Purple more contemporary side were hip-hop teach others about the richness of and Coming to America. The dance dances to the music of artists Naughty black and Spanish cultures and sh was characterized by energetic move- by Nature, Mary J. Blije , and Pi te Rock off what we can do as blacks, and ments using the arms and torso in time and C.L. Smooth. young men and women," she said. 1 to drumming. Dancers received enthuSporting casual, business and eve- evening was one of learning and siastic applause as they ended in a ning attire, models illustrated African- joicing. As Samuel Gooden said in , sudden collapse. American contributions to fashion. introduction to the show, "Weare ce 'There are two different types of Af- Commentator Donna Ash spoke about brating the greatness of our blacknes

Puffles, cockroaches, birds 'populate Winter Carnival by Sarah Tremml Brides, divorce papers, and red balloons were all part of the atmosphere at the annual Winter Carnival held in the gym on the evening ofJanuary 30. The Parent-Teachers Association and Archon sponsored the carnival. , "Everywhere people went, there were kids and parents playing the booths and hav ing fun . Whether they were saying 'I do,' [at the marriage booth] or listening to the live band's rendition of Nirv ana' s 'Smells Lik e Teen Spirit,' everyone appeared to be enjoying them selves," said fres hm an Tara Seary. The band performed in the cafet ori um. They played songs from Guns-n-Roses, Faith No More, and Nine Inch Nails. They also pl ayed a few ori ginal songs, which incl uded "Surpentina," and "Daddy's Little Girl." The band members included juniors Oliver lvanisi; lead singer, Ofir Issac, guitarist; Jason DeLeo, bass player, and Jonathan Farmadapour. Booths, whi ch were run by different organizations or by seniors, were a source of entertainment for the crowd and a means of rai sing funds for the

various clubs. One of the booths created for the' carnival was 'The Puffles Coin Sink." The money made from thebooth went towards supplies needed to make puppets used in skits to warn children about the dangers of drugs. "W e made a lot of money, and we 're very thankful for the chance to help aid the world." said freshman Laura Hummel. The "G iant Bird Ring Toss," invented by The Phoenix, the school's literary magazine, ent ailed throwing a hoop around the beak of a phoeni x in order to win cookies. Save The Chi ldren's contribution was their "Old English Bottle Game" which rais ed ove r 100 dollars for the ir cause. Students for the Preservation of the Earth's "Wheel of Fort une" game tested stu dents ' environmental awareness. The Quantum Cat, the school's science magazine, held their annual cockroach races, and ArnnestyIntemational 's fund-raising bo oth consisted of a tic-tao-toe game. Red balloons reminding students of the importance ofdriving sober, which were sold at the booth run by Students Against Drunk Driv ing, popped up al-

most everywhere. Juniors Matthew Cretaro and Keith Tully, and senior David Park put on a martial arts demonstration in the gymnasium. There was also a Tarot card reading by P.T. A. president Charles Puglisi. An auction took pl ace in the cafetorium later in the evening. Most of the articles for the auction were donated by private organizations and included a foot ball signed by all- the Jets , a hockey puck from a New York Hockey team, and paraphem alia from the Mickey M ouse Clu b. There were also indivi dually do nated articles. Some little ki ds sho wed excitemen t when they walked away with their Mi cke y Mouse lunch bag that their parents had bid on.

Forsburg, mother of sophomore Nancy Forsburg. "It's a fun way to socialize and win prizes at the same time," said freshman T ara Weinstein. "Both the people in the band and the people in the martial.arts dernonstra-

tion were very cooperative, and were able to make things run , smoothly. The Winter Carnival planned so far in advance so that or night of the event, everyone was ; to work efficiently and have fun, " : Donna.

It was estimated that over 500 people attended."It was very successful," said Junior Archon President Donna Lin Weiss. 'The carnival had a lot of booths. It was crowded, but it was fun," said freshman Madhavi Dalvi. 'The carnival was a lot of fun, well1 -'짜';fNPP'!PWW';;:MflC!PFCF,," attended, and very noisy. It was nice teo JUNIOR JASON DELEO performs with his, band, Low Birth Weight, at the Wint: see every one having fun," said Gail Carnival.

TheCla.slc

April 1992

Science Fairs display winning projects

Duong does it all: r-

by Sally Magdi and Olga Mazyuk Science Fa ir projects were presented by junior hi gh and high school students at the annual Queens Boro ugh Science Fair Competition at John Bowne High School on March 7. Members from the Independent Study, Social and Science Research classes exhibited their projects at the event and nine winners were chosen from Townsend Harris. First prize winners included seniors Yujuan Choy, Stephanie Wolfe, Shibber Khan and juniors Nicole Smith and Vinh Nguyen. Junior Randolph Taylor received seco nd prize and honorable mention went to seriior Shamir Khan and juniors E~eni Palmos and Erica Eisenstein. "Most of the students who won prizes in the Science Fair did not win anything in the Westinghouse Competition. It was nice to see they rece ived recognition for their projects," said Assistant Principal of Science Susan Appel. Ms. Appel also judged junior hi gh school projects along with sci ence teacher Odile Garcia. Judges included doctors, phys icians, health professionals and science teachers from thro ughout Queens. Students who compiled the highest number of points throughout the separate borough competitions w ill be eligible to p articipate in the New York City Fair on Monday, April 6. The students who took part in the Science Fair as well as in the W estin gho use competiton were pl aced in science labs in order to work with college profe ssors at St. John's University, Queens College , York College and one student worked in Long Island Hospital. 'The opportun ity to work closely with a scientist and professional doc tors enabled me to see a glimpse of two worlds," senior Shibber Khan said. "I discovered the scien tific community is comprised of intellec tual individuals

who are kno wledgable in their fields and who are concerned about other people's welfare . And thi s kn owledge influenced me to pursue a career in medicine." Shibber studied the effect ofa growth factor known as transforming growth factor Beta 1 on the middle ears of mice embryos. Senior Shamir Khan tried to determine whether or not a commercially available subliminal memory improvement audio cassette (Casmiac) would improve student memories. 'The adverti sers' claims on the effect of the subliminal memory improvement casset te are not true; these cassttes are a con-game," he concluded . Townsend Harris students had a chance to see the science projects on display in the Towns end Harris Sci ence Fair held at the libr ary on Thursday , January 18. Exhibits included student energy projects, sciencecollaterals, independent research projects and a pond water display constructed by Ms . Garcia's bio logy class. The Science Research class, which hosted the fair, did a display on herbal medicines and nature. The purpose of this project was to see whichhousehold herbs, such as chicken soup and teas, would inhibit the growth of bacteria. According to the resul ts of their project, garlic proved to be the most effective . Daihung Duong, one of the 40 nation -wide winners ofthe Westinghouse T alent Se arch enjoyed dem onstrating his project, Segregation 'of Isotopic Polystyrene Blends . "It is alw ays fun to talk abou t bec ause it involve s recycling and reusin g styrofoam. Most people do not realize th at styrofoam cupsaremore environmenw~ sound

to use than paper cups," said Daihung. According to chemistry teac her M ichael Anzel, "the scie nce proj ects displayed show tha t a school for the hu manities has plen ty of 'hard ' science ."

Math Team triumphs with usual success by Elenl Passias and Anna Zwierz Once again, the Math Team has experienced success with its Junior and Senior teams placing second in the New York City In terschol astic Math League (NYCIML). Pearl Chan and George Reuter led the Senior T eam, whilejuniors Ore Carmi, Davi d Rosenthal, and sophomore Danny Hwang headed the Junior Team. According to Harry Rattein, Math T eam advisor, the group is also presently leading the county in the New York State Math League (NYS ML). Practices are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during lunch periods. At this time, topics which are not cov ered in the regular syllabus are revi ewed. Questions from past compe titions are also practiced. 'The more time you get to practice, the better you can do, but it also helps to have talented mathematicians," said Mr. Rattein. Team practices not only reinforce mathematics, but also allow students

time for socializing. "I don 't think that practice is such a big sacrifice," said sophomore Shimin Zheng. "Most of my friends are there. We talk and eatit's a very relaxing period." Competing, however, is far from relaxing. Freshman Sal Gioe describes it as being "exciting, but stressful." During competitions, students are given a test on which they must solve as many problems as they can. Points are deducted if a wrong answer is given. Although the Math T eam has been successful academically, they are run ning into fman cial problems. Budget cuts have sever ely impacted upon the team."S ometimes Ifeellike I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. Any extra mon ey received is the result of great pleading," stated Mr. Rattein. Despite its financial problems, Mr. Rattein confidently predicts that the Math Team should continue to at least hold its second place rank just as it has in the past.

Westinghouse finalist leads balanced Ufe .---:.-by Jennifer Sorowitz "Four years from now, I'm going to that breakfast with you," Science Re search advisor Susan Appel told senior Daihung Duong in his freshman year, correctly predicting Daihung's success

inth~prestigious51stAnnualWestingÂ

house Science Talent Search competition. Daihung, one of the 40 national finalists, attended the annual breakfast held to honor the semi-fmalists and finalists of the We stinghouse competition at the Plaza Hotel on February 5, along with Ms. Appel and semi-finalists Yujuan Choy and David Mayer. Daihung hasjustreturned from Washington D.C . where fromMarch5-9, he met the country's other 39 finalists, and was awarded his prize of $1000 . "Most of the stay there was like a vacation," he said. "We [the other finalists and Daihung] went downtown and stayed there until three or four in the morning before coming back to the hotel to get a couple of hours of sleep. I made a lot of friends and mos t of us are going to keep in contact with eac h other." He also traveled to Indianapolis on March 20, where he gave a speech on his Westinghouse project to the meeting of the American Physical Society, ,an organization in which his Queens College professors are members. Daihung's project dealt with po lymers - long chains of molecules. He studied mixtures of polys tyrene (also known as styrofoam) to learn why po lymers of this substance unravel. "I took different pol ymers [and] mix ed them toge ther to make a thin film," said Daihung. He then heated the blend to learn how the high temperature would cause the polymers to segre gate. "At a certain temperature, the presence of oxide layers [at the surI face] causes itto segregate. When I put my film on [a silicon wafer], I proved that it breaks do wn," he said. In order to find an adequate way to heat the polymers, Daihung had to des ign and build a special high-vacuum oven. His Queens College professors and adv isors for the project, Dr. Miriam Rafailovich and her husband, Dr. Jonathan Sokolov, "basically let me come up with my own design...and ,helped me fine -tune it," said Daihung. "Everything was paid for by ' grant money andIputittogether. Some parts were built by Queens College machinists ." "It's the only one of its kind," said Da ihung of the oven, which took about six months to be completed. He received three awards for its de sign from the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Army, and the Yale Science and Engineering Association. A Queens College lawyer is working to get a patent for the oven, which is currently in use 'at Queens College. Daihung started work on his project at the end of his sophomore year.

JÂŁ i PROCE SSiNG DATA, senior Daihung Duongdevelopshisaward-winningWestinghouse project at a Queens College laboratory. During the las ttwo summers, Daihung worked in a Queens College physics lab, and this pas t summer, he completed the oven and conducted the experiments. In September, he wrote the twenty-pa ge paper that was entered in the contes t. Working on the project took up much of Daihung ' s spare time, yet he still managed to serve as Co-Editor-inChief of The New Quantum Cat, the science magazine; Computer/Lay-out Editor of The Classic; and a member of the bo ys' V ars ity Volleyball team. ' Througho ut my junior year, I would work briefly in the lab and then run back to school [for volleyball pr actice]," he said. Daihung has been on the boy s' Varsity Volleyball team for four years, and last year he received a trophy . "You have to find time; you always have to make time and plan in advance when you're going to do wh at and get it done . It's not always eas y," he admitted. ~

Daihung fee ls that 'Professors' Rafailovich and Sok olov helped him to succeed. He also received a great deal of help and support from M s. Appel and physics teac her Phillip Jones. Since the day he foun d out he was a finalist, Dai hung has received muc h attention. "I was surprised they called meupon a Sunday,"he said " I thought it was a prank call until I verified it." Once his friends and teachers learned of his success, "It seemed that everyone was more excited than I was . My mother even got a phone call from a foreign embassy to congratulate her." Not only has Daihung been featured in newspaper articles, but he will also be publishing his research in Macromolecules, a magazine of the American Chemical Society . Mayor David Dinkins invited all 11 New York City fin alists to the Blue Room in City Hall on February 10. 'Thy Mayor came in and greeted all of us," said Daihung. " He gaveus certificates and a small token - a little silver apple with David Dinkins engrav ed on it." The opportunity to meet Dinkins "certainly gave me a different view of him," said Daihung. "He was pretty funny...he told a lot ofjokes. I used to

not like him, but now I think he's all right as a person." Though he was born in Vietnam, .Daihung ' s parents are Chinese. From Vietnam, he moved with his parents and his older sister, Rosem ary, to Hong Kong and then the United States in 1978 when he was five. Daihung then had to learn English. After living in New Jer sey for a ye ar, the family fin ally settl ed in Queens. Daihung did not always have such a love for science. In fact, he said, while in elementary school, "1 used to hate it. I didn't understand it." During his last few years of junior hi gh and after he had Ms. Appel for biology, he began to enjoy science. Sin ce elementary schoo l, Daihung h as also had a great love for art. " Art used to be my best subjec t," he said. "I entered a lot of contests and won awards. One of my paintings was .exhibited in a inu seum in Albany." Daihung has also done artwork for the school. His drawings have appeared in

The New Quantum Cat and he de signed the senior button as well as the senior t-shirt, Daihung has collected comic books since the third grade. Hi s collection consists of "bo xes and boxes" of comics. Despite his love of drawing, however, he does not believe he would wan t to create comics day after day for a living. "I thought of that a long time ago," Daihung admi tted . "I like to do it for a hobby." Planning to attend Haverford College in Pennsylvania, Daihung feels he will probably have a career fn biomedical research. ," I think my firs t career choice is a doctor. It ' s been for some years now. I might even go for a bio logy Ph .D." he said. 'This is the time to experiment in many differ ent subjects. It ' s j ust a learning exprerience - to see what it' s like to do research." Daihung feels his years at Townsend Harris have "defmitely been meaningful. I've learned a lot of things at Townsend Harris," he said. Ilearned an important lesson from both Ms. Appel and Mr. Jones: Some ofthe best work that you do is done when all you care about is having fun."

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The Classic April 1992

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Vocabulary Month: work of nefarious cabal? by.Dian a Tuite In their March pereg rinations through the lobby, students spotted a billboard displaying unfamiliar words. Were thesenew items on the cafetorium menu or a list of college acceptances? Actually, they were neither. Vocab ulary Month, when all grad es are respon sible for a schoolwide word list, had returned to boggle the minds of many Harrisites. A cabal of administrators newly christened March as Vocabulary Month because of its length and location in the term.Lastyear, May, also along month, was designated as the first Vocabulary Month by Lynne Greenfield, who was then Coordinator of Student Affairs . However, she observed that close to the end of the term and exam-time, there were too many phlegmatic zombies roaming the building in angst and the confluence of pressures was not conducive to learning.

At first, the announcement that Vocabulary Month was switched caused quite a brouhaha in some English class rooms. Sanguine expressions diappeared from young faces . Like a miasma the news saturated the hall s as students searched for a way out. Eventually, with escape impossible , students became inured to the idea of having another exam to study for. Nonetheless, contumacious students, resentful of such Draconian dem ands, h?ped for March to vanish with celerity so that they could return to their more carefree ways. The words generated school wide discussions. People speculated as to how words such as lascivious andscatological were selected. While the date of Vocabulary Month has changed, its founder's goal has not. ''The purpose is to generate some interest and enthusiasm for words and to allow people to share pet words,

giving students an oppo rtunity to learn 25 new words," said Ms. Greenfield, currentAssis tant Princi pal of Humanities. To prepare the list of words , letters of invitation were given to Principal Mal colm Largmann, other administrators, teachers, custodians and P.T.A. officials. All those adro it with sesquepedalian lang uage were urged to use their imaginations. So was sparked a manical gleem in the eyes of faculty members. Ms. Greenfield, . who received such a confluence of submissions that there are enough for next year, balanced challenging and esoteric words with useful ones "students should know ." In what some have described as an egregious oversight, one of the vocabulary words on the "top-secret" master list distributed to teachers was misspelled. Because many faculty members shared the same error, jejune

lecting a word, Ms. Gree nfie ld cho: brouhah a, which she had once bel tested on. She remembers then seeir it inT.V.Guide and has never forgottl it. Achieving a perfect score on tl Vocabulary Month test may be as in possible for some as it is for a point reach an asymptote. Nonetheless, the: were 72 students who received 100' on the culminating exam this year, ~ more than last year. Each winner is tr ditionally awarded a Student Unic certificate redeemable for a candy ba Draconians might protest the chan! in policy if students are allowed to COl tribute to the anything but jejune WOI list in years to come. Until then, M Greenfield encourages any suggestior about the format. 13. According to Ms. Greenfield, dl "That was a serendipitous occurence,' said Ms. Greenfield, using a spite the emphasis on vocabulary, sn dents do not seem to regard March I vocabulary word from last year. Exemplifying the cavalier way of se- perdition - yet.

appear ed incorrectly as "jejeune" on many blackboards. "I always assumed the root came from j eune, 'young ' in French, but it comes from a word meaning barren," she explained. Student teacher Jody Clarin brough t the mistake to her attention. Once the erro r was realized it was not uncommon to see admini strators grumbling in the dark recesses of their offices or to see teachers cryinging in embarrassment before classes. Certain other words also evoked reactions. Several students singled out susurrusas the prettiest sounding word on the list, noting its onomatopoetic quality. Those suffering from triskaidekaphobia found it particularly fitting as the word for Friday, March

Polka dots color Poetry Festival in a variety of hues by Sally Magdl "Polka dots. They are comic 'moments sewn into the serious fabric of life," said Live Poetry Class advisor and English teacher Debra Michl ewitz as the poetry class began their presentation of different dramatic and humorous poems in the library on January 16. This annu al event, which is presen ted by Townsend Harris seniors, included adiversity ofpoems ranging from parodies to comedies as well as serious poetry. Together, the selected poems made an intricate poetry design as implied by the theme of the poetry festival: polka dots. "This exaggerated design seemed to be a suitable theme for [the poetry fair]," said Ms. Michlewitz who though t of the idea. "P olka dots are often associated with clowns which

mak e us laugh and we wanted a contrast betwe en serious and humorous poems," she continued. ''The poet ic pattern " began with a work appropriately enti tled "P olka ~ Dots," written and recited by senior Adrienrie Donovan . Humorous poems e:such as "Twins," by Henry Sam brooke os High and "C larence ," by Shel Silveros stein followed. The pattern continued ~ ~ with a collection of serious poems including "Dream Deferred" and t'Hold Fast to Dreams " by Langs ton Hughes. SENIORS SAGG IE EISENBERG AND PETER CHASKES perform at the Parodies of " Loveliest of Tr ees," by . Poet ry Festival. A.E. Housman and "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold were also presented. "It wts a good collection of different Th eater format, mean ing everyone A Chinese poem recited by senior Shi- types of poems." recites a different line. Bing Shen was included. Concluding the presentation was a For three weeks , the students spent "Some of the poems were very funny recitation of "A Modern Major Gen- their class time debating over which and some were very serious , which is eral," by W.S. Gilbe rt by about 25 poems would be appropr iate to use to what made the presentation so inter- randomly chosen members of the coincide with the theme and which esting," sophomore Angel a Mui said. audience . This was done in a Reader 's would stimulate a response from the

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audience. At first, only comic poetrj was chosen, but serious works wen incorporated into the program in orde to represent other form s of poetry anc to truly create a mixed "fabric of life.' "We had to work on trying to be seriou s during the funny poems because during the reh earsals, we wen hysterical," senior Jennifer Negovett said. "S ince we didn't have to memorize the poems, we spen t a lot of time working on our facial expressions,hov we read and the tones of our voices ,' said senior Sabrina Falcone. "It paic off becaus e I really don't think WI could have done better." "It was a good idea to bring the works of classical and modem poetry to light in a form that the students co uk appreciate," said sophomore Stacey Winkler.

Humanities Fair features pioneers, poets, family portraits by Verusha Palczynskl Th e Humaniti es Fair gave all grades a chance to share their class projects with one another in the library on January 29. Students visited the fair with their English classes and during their lunch bands. "The Humanities Fair was a display to share interesting class projects with the schoo l and to try to involve the student body in an activity which the students have participated in," said Assistant Principal Lynne Greenfield, fair coordinator. Sixteen seniors from Thomas Sweetin's Shakespeare class recited sonnets on request at the "Se lect a Sonnet" table. Debra Michlew itz's American literature classes presented their project, "We Are All Pioneers ," Each student wore a button which read,

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"Ask me abou t my life as a pioneer ." They would beco me the character they had written abou t and explain who they were. Junior Jonathan Strongin was Huck Finn and junior Christopher Caltabiano was "a German immigrant headed for the California Gold Rush." "Design a Tile" for a mural at the new high school was a project shared by Anthony Morales' art class . "The object is for students and teachers to provide sketches for the mural to be installed in the entrance of the new building. The artist will review the sketches and will coordinate each of the different tiles in such a way so that they are in harmony with one anothe r. Th ey will be permanently cemented on the wall," said Mr. Morales. Anthony Scarnati's American History class presented a project called

" History Repeats Itself." "We had to take an event from the past and compare it to what's happening today," said junior Michelle Goldstein. "Family Portraits," displayed by Lynne Greenfield and Georgette Wallace' s English 1 classes, enabled the students to learn about each other's families. "It gave us an opportunity to make a portrait of our family in an exciting way, either by making a treasure box or scrapbook, designing a coat of arms or family logo," said freshman Mariella Martinez. "B lah!" was a project prepared by Myron Mos kowitz's American History band 8 class to sho w how "stu dents can make a difference in government." "We wrote letters to politicians about problems we wanted to see sol ved . Some of us got letters back and

displayed them," explained junior Research class shared information or their research projects. "We hope the Stephanie Strajcher. Mediev al music played on recorders Westinghouse projec t will develop. by approximately 10 students from while [students are] still in high school. Adam Alter' s music class made junior an understanding of the science ap路 Terez Cz app feel "like I was in a me - proach to rese arch," stated Dr. Mandieval castle." son. "Fo rtune tellers in the Middle Ages Lisa Khan, junior displayed "Civil have influenced a lot of people," said Stumpers," a game she created for Ms sophomore Eva Levinson, a fortune Leib's American History class basel! teller at the fair. Nancy Leib's Global on Triv ia PUrsuit with questions perHistory band 5 class worked on two taining to the American Civil War . "I projects. Half the class studied fortune wanted to enrich the lives of students telling and the other half presented a in a fun way," said Lisa. game called "G lobal Twistory.' "I found the students were very crea Paul Stessel's Global 1 class pre - tive and took their roles to heart. Evsented a Kwanza Kit symbolizing an eryone seemed to be enjoying the fair,' African-American holiday. Each said Ms . Leib. " Hopefully next year it candle represents one of the seven will be bigger and better." "It was like a carnival , an educaprinc iple guides for daily living. Michael Manson's Soci al Scien ce tional carnival," said Ms. Michlewitz.

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The Classic

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Aprll1992

Cheating: Nationwide problem hits home by Stacey Gluck and Sally M agdl Beads of sweat are cascading down your face. Your hands begin to tremble. A feeling of hopelessness conquers your mind and you slowly begin to accept reality. You don' t have a chance at passing your physics final, Your eyes glance to the answer paper at your right A feeling of relief replac es that feeling of hoplessness - you are sitting next to the smartest kid in physics and his . answer paper is smiling you in the face; Many Townsewnd Harris students have been iJ:1 some such situation. According toa survey conducted last month by The Classic, 61 % of the 470 students polled admitted to having cheated on a test at least once in their high school careers.Tests, collaterals and homework are no strangers to Townsend Harris students and some resort to cheating when they can ' t cope with the workload. "I cheat on tests because I can' t handle the pressures of school," one sophomore said. "I can't handle three tests, collaterals and homework, but most of all, I can't handle having to keep up with my peers . It seems everyone is competing with each other," she explained. "There's a lot of pressure in this school, especiall y for juni ors," said a junior boy. "We have to worry about college, three or four Regents exams, achievement tests, service credi ts, extra curricular activities and SAT's (Scholastic Aptitude Tests),and homework just become too much to worry about, so we cheat." ''Townsend Harris is a very academic school," said another sophomore . "Everyone is so concerned with their grades that they'd much ra ther cheat and pass than be honest and fail." The belief that che ating is widespread is shared by much of the student body. According to The Classic survey , 66% of those polled believe that over a quarter of the student body "engages in some kind of cheating ," while 25% estimate the dishonesty to involve 76 -100% of the school population. When asked specifically about tests, 23% estimated that over half of their schoolmates cheat. However, if students responded honestly to the poll, the magnitude of the problem is not as great as perceived. 6% admitted to cheating "often" on high school tests, while 22% said "sometimes" and 33% said "once or rarely." Over a third of those polled said they have never cheated. "Not everyone cheats in this school ," said a sopho more .''The re are those who work hard, and receive good grades without resorting to dishonest measures." The survey was distributed to 393 freshmen, sophomores and juniors during morning English classes on March 9 and to 77 seniors in their seminars a few days later. While fewer than 30% admitted to "so metimes" or "often" cheating on tests, 70% said they sometimes copy another student's homework. " I do not believe copying homework is chea ting if you resort to it because you are in a bind, not because you are too lazy to do it yourself," said one freshman. " Homework flies like madness during the lunch bands and in the morning," "I do not give out my homework to anyone and I do not copy homework because I don't feel it's right for one person to take pride in their work and spend so much time on it when someone else gets cred it for it," one sophomo re girl commented. According to Dean Wanda Nix, those who are caught chea ting on tests are suspended from

school; this has not often occurred. Those who are caught copying homework are given a warning and their parents are notified. If it happens a second time, apre-suspension conference is held.

Nationwide problem Cheating extends outside the small halls of Townsend Harris and is prevalent nationwide. A test booklet from this year' s specialized high school test for entrance to Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Technological High Schools and the Bronx High School of Science was swiped by a student (New York Times 12/31).Test officials feared the~e were copies made available to those who were scheduled to take the test later in the week. The 15,000 junior high school students who had already taken the test were scheduled to take a new test. In June 1989, the New York Post rocked the education world when it obtained and printed answers to the Chemistry Regents exam. The Post claimed that thousands of bootleg copies of answers to various Regents exams were being sold for as much as $2;000 a copy. A reporter was able to obtain the answer sheet and the Post splashed the answers on page one. That year, the Chem istry Regents was cancelled. SAT's constitute an important factor in college admi ssions. Hundreds of Stuyvesant and

[: :1:i:i: : :i: :i:i:i:i:i:i:i:1:1:1: :1: :1:1:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:1:1:i: : l:1: :1:i:i:i: ~: i: : : :1:1: :1:1:1:i:i:i:!:!:!:1:1:1:1:1:1:1:i:i:!:i:!:1:!: :!:1:1:1:1:1: :~ 'I think my mother would much rather me be a cheater than a failure.' Brooklyn Tech students had to re-take the SATs in 1986 after stolen copies were found outside the school. When students enter college, cheating remains a widespread problem. Accord ing to a study at Rutgers University, out of 200 randomly chosen college studen ts, two-thirds admitted to cheating. Ninety-five percen t of the cheaters said they had cheated more than once. A majority of the students cheated because they wanted to maintain their grades or did not understand the material . Twenty-five perc ent of the students said they did so because they could get away with it. Students often take drastic measures in order to insure a desired grade. An article published in U'S , News and World Report reported that students at Georgia Institute of Technology encoded physi~s and math equations onrolled pieces of paper slipped inside speci al clear plastic ball point pens that magnified the tiny scrawls into readable size. A studen t from Penn State placed a tiny radio in his ear while a fraternity brother sent answers from a transmitter in another room . Reasons for cheating vary from student to student.An article in The JournalofSducauonal Psychology (3/88) blamed the apparent nationwide rise in cheating on students' need for approval from their parents. "Parents put too much press ure on their kids," said Michael Anzel, chemistry teacher. 'They want them to get that 95 instead of that 90. They don'trealize it's [only] a difference of fivepoints.' "I think my mother would much rather have me be a cheater than a failure," one junior said. "As long as I got the 'A,' it doesn ' t matter how I got it,"

Role of society In an interview published in the May, 1985 issue of Seventeen, Jeremy, a student at Miami

University and a freque nt cheater, claimed, "I'm preparing for the real world. Business is unethical. Cheating in college is just good training. I'll be better able to handle what's put at me when I get out" (Seventeen, 44, p. 178 ). "The only way cheating will ever stop is if society stops condoning [cheating], " one soph omore said. "It's almost a social norm to cheat on your income taxes or to use unethical tactics to climb the ladder of success. So why not cheat in school?" "Young people often get the wrong messages when they see their parents cheating on their tax returns," Principal Malcolm Largmarm said. "When I do tax returns for people, all they want me to do is cheat for them," Mr. Anzel, who is a lawyer, said. "But if you want to know how to deter cheating, there 's only one thing you can do.i.change human nature," The Journal of Social Psychology (June ' 89) offered some more practical suggestions to deter cheating through preventive measures. Teachers should watch students carefully and not be busy with other work during a test. Seating should be well- spaced and if possible, ,!D0re than one version of the test should be given out Assistant Principal Harry Rattien agrees that cheating could be stopped by preventive methods. i''It's the teacher' s responsibility to be aware of what is going on in the room. A good teacher prevents cheating before it happens," he said. Dr. Largmarm believes it is also the students' duty to prevent cheating. "I wish we could con-

vince the students that they are responsible for one another. They have a responsiblity to prevent che ating before it occurs and to report it when it does," he said. English teacher Helen Rizzuto said, '1 don't know how we can find a solution for something that is not perceived as a problem." According to Latin teacher Richard Russo, "the Student Union under the direction of its monitoring teachers should set up a a studen t court" where the students, not the teachers, would be responsible for handling the problem of cheating. This would include the students themselves reporting instances of cheating and then the Student Union would be responsible for the person's punishment if found guilty. "Also there should be an honor system based on the Ephebic Oath . Students do not realize that when they cheat, they are actually victimizing themselves and each other," Mr. Russo said. "I think cheating could be prevented if teachers pu t more emphasis on individual work like term papers instead of tests," said senior William Liao . "Students really need to focus more on learning and less on tests," 'The only way in which cheating will be deterred is if each individual decides that his own personal honor is more important than the gains that are to be made by cheating," Dr. Largmarm said. ''The problem is one of value s. The solution is not one of curing the symp toms. but curing the disease," said Mr. Russo.

Perception: How Many Do You Think...

~ 25% 10-25%

2% less than 10%

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The Classic

April 1992

Murder, mayhem, insanity stalk stage by E va Levi nson A drowning, some dental surgery, and a seduc tion of another man's wife were just a few of the unusual, funny, and sometimes surreal episodes in Death, Insanity, Murder, and Mayhem:AComedyandaHalf,performed by the Townsend Harris High School Drama Club on April 9 - lOin the cafetorium. ScenesfromNeilSimon'sTheGood Doctor, performed by freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, were followed by the seniors' rendition of excerpts from a variety of plays, including Crimes of the Heart and Plaza Suite .; First performed on November 27,

1973 at the Eugene O'Neil theater in New York City, The Good Doctor is a black comedy adapted from stories by the Russian author Anton Chekov that parodies people's lives and some of their basic habits. Drama advisor Harriette Blechman, who is in charge of casting, producing, and directing the play, says she chose The Good Doctor because "it's got a lotofparts.I've involved more people in this production than ever before . And I think it's really funny. Theplay's also got some literary merit because it's like an anthology of Anton Chekov's stories." . The studen ts performed eight skits

taken from the original ten: ''The Writer ," "The Sneeze," ''The Govorness," "S urgery, " "The Seduction," "The DrownedMan," "The Audition," and "A Defensel ess Creature." Rehearsals began in early March. ''They were a lot of fun," said sophomore Brannie Jones, who played the wife in "The Seduction," "and since the play's broken up into different skits, we didn't have to be there every day." "It's really hard to stay in character when I know how hysterical it is," said sophomore Susan Stewart, the frightened patient in "Surgery." "I don't get stage fright as long as I pretend the real

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'6 ÂŁ .9 .[ )ERFORMING!N A SCENE from "Death, Insanity, Murder, and Mayhem: A :::omedy anda Half," Angel Falcon, Roballine Jones,MarshaKhasin, Jesse Lieberman, mdAlexis Vegawatch a play within a play. thing is only a dress rehersal." Blechman. We have many talented "Anybody who missed the play people and we wanted to give every missed an important moment in one a chance to be as funny as they Townsend Harri s history,' said Ms. could be."

Like infectsspeech patterns, 'like' fer sure

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by J ennifer Sorowitz Have you eveu llke, wondered why people , like, use a word like like , a lot? I mean, do you think it's like a nervous habit, or maybe ,like,just a speech pattern? Or maybe it's, like, just something everybody does? Do you think teachers, like, even care if their students, like , use a word incorrec tly or do they, like, want to shoot them, like , every time they do it? And like, what does all of this, like , mean? Believe it or not, many people actually use the word like this often, inserting it between practically every phrase or cl ause. Teenagers are often ridiculed for using the word frequentl y. The word began to come into "fashion" in the mid to late eighties. The movie Va lley Girl, made in 1984, had a cas t full of girls living in the San Fernando Valley in California who were constantly speaking phrases such as "Like, fer sure!" Movies such as this one can be considered an influence in the "Like fad." A tally taken in a Global History class reveal ed that the word like was used incorrec tly more than thirty times over the course ofthe hour band. It was spoken repetitively by the same stu-

dents and even by the teacher. It is an established fact that many young adults use the word like repe atedly. Numero us children, as well as adults, also use "okay," "uh,' and "uhm" just as, if not more , often. The latter are only sounds, though, and "okay" is not used correctly. So, is the like prob lem as serious as it appears to be? " Everybody has a speech pattern," said Assistant Principal Malcolm Rossman. He admits that "there is a word that constantly creeps into my communication" - the aforementioned word "okay." He is upset that people have "adopted the word like ...into a monster." "It offends me that the use of our language is becom ing more and more loose," he said. Th at is why he has set up acomnii ttee in his office to abolish the use of the word like. "I pick on my service monitor s," said Mr. Rossman. "I send them out to proselytize. They even correct their parents now." Not all faculty member s feel that students should be constantl y corrected. English teacher Judy Biener does not interrupt her students if they use the word while talking. "If a person is speaking," she said, "I don' t want to

cut them off. I don 't want to discourage them."If, however, she sees it in writing, she does deal with it. On the other hand, English teacher Georgette Wallace does correct her students. "I generally say, 'it's not like something, it is something.' I smile or tease them rather than yell, but they get the message," she said . She feels that "it's a habit which takes away from theireffectiveness in communication.... . The listener may not be able to listen carefully because you're not communicating clearly." How did the "Like fad" ever get started? What is the reason students recurrently use the word like? ''To me, it seems that one day, it [the word like ] just was," said junior Olga Mazurkiewicz. "People use the word like when they get nervous or try to explain something that is hard to explain." She does feel, however, that "teenagers should try to limit the number of likes they use in a sentence; otherwise they sound uneducated. Adults look down upon people who use it." "Often when it's used, itreally doesn't mean anything at all," said sophomore Stacey Winkler."When theydon'thave anything to say, they use the word like

to conceal their indecisiveness." "I t'scontagious,"saidYa-Ching Liu, junior. "W hen somebody uses that word, it echoes in their mind. People use it a lot because it catches on with their friends." Shimin Zheng, sophomore, admits to alwaysusing the word when she becomes nervous. "That somehow helps me to find my thoughts," she said. While many students do not consider its use a serious problem, it does upset some of them. "I find it very armoying to talk to someone who uses the word like," said sophomore Christopher Musarra. "I t's frustrating to listen to like so many times in one sentence." "It doesn ' t really bother me," said Ya-Ching. " It' s not bad because it's just a word. It signifies people are thinking." "It's a sign of not having your .though ts well organized," said Jesse Straus, freshman. "I think it' s a pain because itcluttersup what people say." Shimin believes it depends on when the word is used . "When you say the word ' like to your friends, it doesn' t matter, but when you talk to your teachers or make a speech, the word like can weaken the effec tiveness of the

speech," she said. Many students who are exposed to its constant use, even those who are bothered by like or those who realize thatitisnotcorrect English,eventually use it as well . "I fmd it very difficult to describe Somethingwithoutusing the word like," said Chris, "so I'm as guilty as they are." Jesse also confesses to sometimes using the word. This usually occurs when "I haven 't anticipated what I'm going to say," he explained. "People get it [the word like] into their heads." "I use it, too," admits Olga, "but I try tostop myself." Thistaskis notas easy as it might seem . "Your surroun dings influence you so much that it beco mes a part of your voc abulary," she said. "Now that it' s such a part of our lives, I won't even catch myself until after it's said." She suggests that students try to substitute other words for like, such as "for ex ample." Sophomore Eugene Chan looks at the situation from a differen t, albeit less serious perspectiv e. "Like is a terrific word, ain't it? Like, you know, is the best thing since kind of like, sliced bread. Like, where would we be without like?" Where, indeed?

Cyberpunk writers create world of virtual reality by Jordan M . Dressler While its popularity has been percolationg over the last several years, it has been only recently that a new genre of writing has exploded onto the literary scene. It is a type of writing that combines aspects of science, adventure, futurism , and philosophy to form a very effective mix . It's name is cyberpunk, and it might well be the harbinger of a reality soon to come . But what exactly is cyberpunk? The word itselfmight give some clues as to its meaning. "Cyber" is an ancient Greek word that has been applied to robo tics and artificial intelligence; in short, it means machines that edge towards humanity. Th e "punk" suffix implies a rebellious attitude, with little regard .for "the Establi shment." This attitude can be seen in the writers who produce cyberpunk literature. .Cyberpunk is a literary genre that has most frequently been related to sci-

ence fiction, but to call the works science fiction would be a misnomer. SF deals with fantasy and unbelievable situations, while cyberpunkis grounded in an often harsh reality. Common themes are philosophical, ranging from the effect of multinational corporations, to the emergence of artificial intelligence, to the future of world politics in an increasingly technolgical world. Cyberpunk can perhaps be best characterized as literature that addresses the philosophical, social, and political implications of a technologically advanced world.Obviously, these are topics that are much deeper than those usually addressed in science fiction literature. The cyberpunk tag has also been applied to scientific projects in real life. Virtual reality is a concept whereby a new world of sensory stimuli and settings, effectively a new reality, is created through the use of computers and

complex equipment . While virtual reality is still in its beginning stages, there are presently several companies working on it, and we can hope to see it sometime soon in everything from entertainment to Air Force flight simulators .Drugs have also found their way into the world of cyberpunk. So-called "smart drugs " are reported to sharpen the senses and increase the memory. Ironically, many of the major cyberpunk scientists are ex-hipp ies who believed psychedelics were the key to expansion in the 1960's, and the spiritual leader of the virtual reality movement is none other than Dr. Timothy Leary, the LSD guru who was a major proponent of such mind-expanding drugs in the Sixties. Despite the press that these scientific and technical aspects have been given, cyberpunk's true heart lies in literature, and the epitome of cyberpunk writing is William Gibson's Neuro-

mancer. This 1987 work is accepted as the best cyberp unk work of fiction written so far.Neuromancer is the story of Case, a "co mputer cowboy" who plugs into a computer universe and physically "breaks" programs. Helping Case are an artificial intelligence, a technologically ' augmented woman, and a computer construct program of his mentor. Through these di fferent facets of the link between humanity and technology, Gibson asks some very basic ques tions about the de finition of a person. Add to this a sub-plot of hightech organ ized crime and a setting of Tokyo in the future, andNeuromancer is a stylish and engrossing book. The novel really shines when examined strictly on its literary merits. The characterizations of Case and his companions on his computer quest are colorful and exciting. The settings, both realistic and computerized, are beautifully described and very vivid. The

plot moves at rapid- fire pace through language that combines current technical jargon, commo n slang, a good dose of 1940's detective romance, and much poetry. All things considered, Gibson's novel is indeed a great read and is one of the nt'ajor works of the 1980 's. To truly understand cyberpunk, one really must read Neuro-

mancer. The future of the cyberpunk movement is not clearly defmed. More and more, the writers and scientists involved are getting publicity, and articles on cyberpunk can be found in many of the major national magazines and book reviews. With all this press, though, some are afraid that the cyberpunk movement will "sell out" and lose its "punk" edge. Whatever happens, it is doubtless that cyberpunk will exercise a tremendous influence in the worlds of literature and science in the years to come .

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The Classic April 1992

Music lovers beware:

High decibels hammer by Cheryl Hoahlng "Half the fun of going to a concert is hearing ringing in your ears days and days after it," said junior Jason Deleo. People who have experienced hearing los~ wouldn't think it's such a laughing matter. , Hearing loss is "one of rock and roll' s dirty little secrets" (RollingStone, 7/13/89). Many musicians have suffered some kind of hearing loss from excessively loud rock music. Concertgoers can also lose their hearing to some degree . There are several ways, though, to protect your hearing and still enjoy concerts . The average rock concert is 120 decibels. (Decibels are the units, used to measure sound.) According to an article from High Fidelity magazine (7/ 88), this amount of noise "should be tolerated for no more than 7 1/2 minutes." Overexposure to loud music can lead to tinnitus. Tinnitus is an annoying ringing in

your 'ear that usually does not stop. It causes severe irritability and sleep disturbances. Treatment involves staying away from the loud sounds that caused it. Pete Townsend, of the rock group The Who, suffers from tinnitus. He has decided to go public about his problem to warn others of its dangers. "It hurts, it's painful, and its frustrating," said Townsend in one interview. Another rocker who has lost hearing is guitaris t Ted Nuger. "My left ear is there just to balance my face, because it doesn' t work at all," he admitted. He now wears an earplug in his rightearto keep that one from going bad (RollingStone,

7/13/89). , Earplugs, earmuffs, or cottonballs are good protection devices for your ears. Wearing them helps to protectthe tiny and sensitive hairs on the cochlea (part of the inner ear). Wheil exposed to high decibel rock concerts, the hairs flatten and make hearing difficult The

hairs usually return to normal after a short period. The se protectants muffle the music, but do not diminish the pleasures of listening to it. When several Townsend Harris juniors were questioned, most said they would not wear earplugs at concerts. "If you go to a rock concert, you should be prepared for the loud music," said junior Rob Liff. Jason says, "It takes so much away from the music" to wear earplugs. Lauren Cummings and Paola Ronquillo agree that since they have no problems hearing after going to concerts, earplugs aren' t necessary for ' them. But Lauren adds, "If I was playing..J definitely would."The only student who said she wears earplugs at concerts is Olga Mazurkiewicz. "I want to be able to listen to and, most of all, hear music for the rest of my life," she explained. Going to concerts can be lots of fun. Most people don't think of hearing loss when they go, though. Concerts

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held out-of-doors impose a lesser strain on your ears than those held in closedin areas. One must also consider the performer he or she is going to see. A musician such as Prank Sinatra, who plays soft and mellow music, does not have as great an effect on your ears as a band like Guns N' Roses, which plays louder and more aggressive

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music. Whether or not you choose to protect your ears at concerts is your decision. But remember, your hearing must last you a lifetime. Cheryl Hoahing is an avid Rock and

Rollfan,whofrequenllyatt~ndsHeavy Metal concerts. Her favorite group is BonJoviwhichshedescribesas "really loud." She does not wear earplugs.

The buck stopsat your local' Ticket Master by Alison Gabr iele It is an ordinary school night You are trying to figure out the reference angle for the COS 600 de,greesfor your math homework when you are distracted by an exciting announcement on the radio. Your absolute favorite group is going on tour, .and the $30 dollar tickets go on sale in three days. You areexcited at theprospectofseeing the group live, but wonder if you will be able to raise the ticket money in just three days. Just how far will teenagers go to round up money for their favorite , band? According to a survey taken last semester of 250 freshmen, sophomores and juniors, the majority of the teens

will do whatever it takes, from babysitting to borrowing, to raise the money, no matter how high the price, for their favorite band. "Concert ticket prices are very high . However, if I'm going to keep buying them to see my favorite groups, which' I plan to, I really shouldn't complain" said one sophomore girl. Only 25% of those who participated in the survey have never attended a concert The other 75% have spent up to $30 on tickets purchased through Ticketmaster and up to $150 on tickets purchased through scalpers. According to RollingSto'ne (''Ticket Rip Off," 11/1/90), scalpers are the reason tickets can be so overpriced.

Professional scalpers buyout the first couple of rows of any big name performance. Because the closest seats are the most desirable, the scalpers are able to sell their front row tickets for incredible amounts of money. , Part of the problem is that concerto' goers supply the scalpers with their business. Some fans are unwilling to go to a concert unless they have prime seats. "I would spend a lot of money to have front row tickets for my favorite band. The $28 tickets you can buy put you up in "nosebleed" sections. The money, no matter how muchyou spend, shouldbe worthwhile," said one junior boy.

Most teens evidently feel that if the quality of 'the concert is good, the prices of the tickets can be tolerated. 'The amount of money is worthwhile if a good concert is delivered. However, these days with pre-recorded concerts, the amount of money you spend is really not worth it," said one freshman girl. Souvenirs and refreshments are optional additional costs at concerts. Almost 80% of the surveyed concertgoers purchase t-shirts costing up to $25 at the concerts, and 50% buy refreshments, which are often overpriced. ' ~I know the t-shirts are a rip-off but because I like collecting them, I buy

them anyway," said one junior girl. There were some students who do not advocate the purchasing of concerti tickets. ''The amount of time and effort it will take me to raise that kind of money is not worth the concert in the end," said a freshman boy whose reaction was in the minority in this survey. Whether it is Billy Joel, Madonna, Sting, Tribe' Called Quest, Depeche Mode, Bell Biv Devoe or Morrissey, it seems that the majority of teens will continue to spend the money to see them live. It looks like scalpers and musicians will still be in business for some time to come.

'J.F.K. ' presents whodunnit -- all over again by Michele Ries No action, no humor and no suspense, yet Oliver Stone's J.FK is a great success. One may describe this film as fascinating, wonderful, power.ful, but unreliable. This controversial movie has audiences trying to distinguish between what is fact and what is fiction about the assassination of John P. Kennedy. It is based on the investigations and conclusions of Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner), the New Orleans District Attorney whose theories greatly differed from those of the government as represented in the Warren Commission Report. November 22, 1963 was the day that President John P. Kennedy was assassinated while driving through Dealey Plaza, Dallas in an open car. Lee HarveyOswald was accused of the murder and was said to have shot the president from the Texas School Book Deposi-

tory, where he worked. Claiming that he was set up, Oswald himself was shot by Jack Ruby, a mobster and night club owner, while he was being transferred to a county jail . In Septembe r, 1964, after a full government investigation, the Warren Commission concluded that Oswald had acted alone, Ruby had acted alone, and that there had been no conspiracy to assassinate ,the president. However, this movie explored the inconsistencies the director believed were present in this report .and many questions remained unanswered. JFK is a projection of what might have happened that tragic day. It proposes that a government conspiracy headed by Lyndon B. Johnson, the Defense Department, the CIA, and the FBI was responsible for the assassination. The movie also suggests that perhaps the Communists, the mob, or

Cuban exiles, were responsible . Garrison notes that there were 5.6 seconds between the first and last shots fired at the pres ident. Three shots were fired and it is impossible for anyone, even the best, to reload a rifle and fire three shots in such a short period ~Therefore, experts conclude that there was more ' than one gunman. Also, the government says that both the president and senator were hit by the same bullet and when they found it, it was in perfect condition. At the end of the movie, at the trial of Clay Shaw, a Dallas businessman, Garrison, cleverly shows how this would be impossible. He tells of all the turns and circles the bullet would have to take in order for this to be true. These were just two controversial points presented in the film. JFKis very convincing. Kevin Costner does an excellent job in portraying tlie New Orleans District Attorney,

Jim Garrison. The usa of actual footage and news reports is also effective. An the arguments are believable because they are supported by fact (or are they?). One character who has much influence on the audience is Colonel X. He is presented as someone who works in the government and tells Garrison everything he knows about the assassination, including that security wasn't even at its minimum and that the phone lines were down one hour after the murder. Everything he says proves that Garrison's theories about the conspiracy were correct. Stone has recently said, though, that Colonel X isa-flCtitious character who represents all the opinions of both Garris on and Stone. Also, in actuality, ' the phone lines were not down butvery much in use. Other things also made out to be fact were not. This movie makes you think twice

about how trustworthy our government really is. The tragic event occurred before current high school students were born, yet the controversy continues . It gives the young~, generation knowledge of what took place. It should be seen by all, but viewers need to keep the fictitious elements of the movie in mind as they evaluate the theories set forth in the film. If the country is really run by the people, then the public has the rightto know what' s in the files that the governm ent labels top secret As things currently stand, the evidence won't be revealed until about 70 years from now, and by then, the generation which witnessed the tragedy will be gone. This movie relives that sad day so that no one will forget what happened. No one is positive about why the President was killed andby whom, but JFK reminds everyone the truth has not yet been discovered.

The Classic

, April 1992

Mariwalla leads bu,ilding construction Viruses vex computers

By Beth Mellow and Tara Seary Can you imagine what it feels like to by Amy Yan tum on your computer and not fmd any , Digging has begun! The ,longof your files? Or to have your screen awaited groundbreaking for the new fill with bouncing balls? Maybe even Townsend Harris building took place have "Your P.C. is stoned," printed at the Queens College site on April 6. across your computer screen? That's Gopal Mariwalla, Senior Project Diexactly what happened to dozens of rector of the School Construction Townsend Harris students. Authority (SCA), will continue to [; It seems that computer viruses have ,oversee the construction until thebuild~ found their way into some of'Townsend ing's projected completion in May ' ~ Harris' computer disks. The two main 1994. '~ viruses discussed here are the "ping -, The typical workday for Mr. Mar.; pong" virus, and the "Stone B" virus. iwalla begins at 7:30 with the drive to ~ In the ping-pong virus, a white, round either his Long Island City office, 10~ ping-pong ball bounces across the cated at the International Design Censcreen, and as it goes across the mate, teror1oaconstructionsite.Atthefield" ._ _:iii rial, it erases it. "Stone B" is worse. his tasks include reviewing the prog- SENIOR PROJECf DIRECrOR Gopal Mariwalla points to the scale-model of the This one starts the computer by saying, ress of the project at hand, decision new school building. "Your P.C. is stoned." Then your promaking, and problem solving. Later at ' Charles E. Williams, former head of "satisfy the city in reducing costs but gram starts up asit normally does, only theSCAheadquarters, phone calls must the SCA, has not hindered the ad- remain within the time frame of the gradually you notice that you are missbe made and letters written to various vancement of the Townsend Harris Board of Education's five-year plan," ing files. These are but two of 150 " architects, engineers, and contractors project.However,therehave been other he said. computer viruses. And if you thought regarding everything from payments unrelated setbacks which have been Mr. Mariwalla was born in Karachi those two were strange, some are as to building permits to order changes. surmounted. which was then part of India and is now ' unique as having your computer wish For the Towns~nd Harris project, Mr. Mr. Mariwalla explained that there ' part of southern Pakistan. About three you aMerry Christmas in Icelandic. Mariwalla keeps in constant cornrnu- were difficulties getting the approval years later, his family moved to Bom- The computer viruses are like leeches, nication with the Queens High School of plans due to both the restrictive bay, India "Even as a kid," said Mr. "A computer virus locates itself on a Division and the Board of Education's space accommodations of the site and Mariwalla, "I was interested in engi- floppy disk. Sometimes it attaches itfacilities department to answer their city regulations. The building that was neering. I used to break things and put self to .a particular file on the disk. questions andlisten to their comments. designed exceeded the building height them together again." He was heavily When the disk is placed in the com"I am responsible for design and restrictions of the area. A waiver had to influencedbyanuncle."Myunclewas puter, the virus attaches itself to the construction," said Mr. Mariwalla be obtained from the mayor's office in an engineer, he explained, "and that internal memory of the machine. If Each project begins with the selection order to have the design approved. [sparked] my interest." He later re- another disk is placed in the machine of design consultants . Then, the job is The city's budget cuts have not af- ceivedhis engineering degree inPoona. before it is shut off, there is a chance awarded to the selected construction feeted the scheduled ground-breaking Mr. Mariwalla has two daughters. that the virus could attach itself to a contractor.When thecontract is signed, or completion dates, according to Mr. His eldest is fifteen and attends Ja- new disk," explained math and coma construction manager is selected and Mariwalla. However, because of the maica High School. His younger child puter teacher Joseph Hom, who is con' brought on board. Bidding for the new city's cuts in funding, the SCA "re- is 12 years old and goes to P.S. 195. cerened about how viruses have inTownsend Harris building took place evaluated the project and lowered the The weekends allow Mr. Mariwalla to creased in severity this year. on January 22. The contractor with the cost,"hesaid. Allmarble surfaces were spend more time with them although Even though viruses have received lowest bid was evaluated and issued a eliminated from the plans, for example, not as much as he or they would like. much recent publicity, and have only notice toproceed on February 20, 1992. which saved approximately $2 mil- He enjoys working out on the treadmill been " corrupting" our school cornputMr. Mariwall a maintains that the lion. Progress was three months ahead and stationary bike at home, and read- ers for about three years, viruses have September 'resignation of General at the time, so the scA was able to ing mysteries as well. been around since the .1950' s. Yet I recently, there seem to be new viruses cropping up that resist the anti-viral cleaning programs. This is a problem that Townsend Harris has not had to deal ~ith in the computer labs . Not all viruses are out to get the best of P.C.'s and their owners. Some give a positive message, such as the virus that affected Macintosh computers on March 2, 1988: "Richard Brandow, Publisher of MacMag, and its entire staff would like to convey their universal message of peace to all Macintosh users around the world." The Michelangelo virus, which was activated on March 6, the Renaissance artist and sculptor's birthday, was designed to trash the hard drives of ffiM • Small Classes • Highly Trained Teachers Umited 108-12 students and and ffiM compatible computers. Backed by over half a million grouped by shared test-taking dollars of research each year. 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Computer viruses are written by computer masterminds. The son of Robert Morris Sr., chief scientist of the Computer Security Center (which protects computers against viruses), wrote Internet, one of the most disruptive viruses around. A few years back, a Cornell student was put on trial for inventing a virus, but he wasn't convicted . ffiM recognized his expertise and recruited him. Viruses have been contaminating disks all around the world .In Pakistan, the Pakastani Brain was developed . This virus slows down the disk by prolonging the time it takes to load a , program, Another example of ail international virus is the nVir which originated in West Germany. It causes files to disappear and a "beep" will be heard while this process is taking place. Assistant Principal of Mathematics, Harry Rattien believes that any viruses which tum up at Townsend Harris are started by outside experts and are brought into the school by accident. "It is not likely that anyone in our school intentionally started the spread," he said. However, word processing teacher Allan Katz feels differently. 'There are certain students who seem to be doing it intentionally, and probably because they think it is fun," he said. "On each P.F.S:Write, there is a 'write protect tab' which protects the disk from having something added or removed. It has been found that many of the disks have had their write protect tab tampered with." "If the data disk is damaged, the student's work is gone, and I believe that is no differen t from someone walking into a classroom and burning another student's notebook," said Mr.Katz. If it is some Townsend Harris students who are spreading the viruses, the word processing teachers feel that sooner or later they' re going to find them Dean Wand a Nix said that they would receive severe punishmet, anywhere from suspension on a Superindent level, to expulsion . Cleaning up a disk is "an easy process because the school has a program that does it for you, but it just tends to_be very tedious because you have to check, and maybe even clean up hundreds of disks," said Mr Rattien. Mr. Katz believes that the virus problem sets back classes a tremendous amount. "~t is stealing time from the students," he s~d. Dozens of students experienced a virus on their disks. Freshman Rebecca Parkerhad,"Your P.C.isstoned" printed across her computer screen. "It really got me that I lost illY material. I could have been writing amasterpiece," said Rebecca.

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Tough competition hinders Varsity Basketball team

Designers display passion for fashion by Johanna Fausto "Pretty woman walkin g down the stree t; pretty woman, the kind I' d like to meet ..." The voice o f Roy Orbison filled the cafetorium as students of the Fashion Enriclunent walked across the stage modeling the clothing style s of 1992. Th e school's first fashi on show, ''The Tren dy Teens ofTownsend Har ris," was held on January 16 unde r the direction of foreign language teacher Foula Karras. The girls modeled a variety of attire, including casualwear, office wear, formal and semi -formal dresses, and party ou tfits. "It was a lot of fun because we acted somewhat like... models, at leas t for a while," said junior Mar ie Yarisantos who was a model and also one of the two MC 's of the show. Junior YaChing Liu held a different opinion. "It was real ly embarrassing to walk on stage by myself in fron t of a big Crowd. I was so nervous that I felt like dropping dead on stage," she said. 'The main purpose of the show was to give . students an opportunity to express their creativity and originality," said Ms . Karras, advisor of the Fash ion Enrichment, Joan Walsh, Assistant Princ ipal of Foreign Language, contributed to the fashion sho w_as~ell . "She was a great help coordinating the show, and she also recorded the event on her video camera," said Ms . Karras. At the end of the show, Ms. Karras surprised the models by asking them to share with the audience what they had learned from be ing in the Fashion En-

by Shalene Moodie "Still hanging in there" may hav e richment, "I speak for everyone when been the best descrip tion for the perI say that we have all learned some- formance of the Girl's Varsity Basketthing new about fashion designing," ball team this season. With a reco rd of said sophomore Maria Skrepetos. "By 12 wins and 11 losses, the team did not putting on a fashion show , I feel that I live up to its billing, all as a result of accomplished something." tough competition and problems with their backcourt. However, they did make it to the first round of the playoffs, losing to the eventual champions, John Jay High School, 66-29, and they tied for seco nd in their division with Beach Channel High School. Th e team met strong opposition from ex-city champs Robeson and semi- finalists August Martin High School. Other loss es were to Hill crest, ~ Brooklyn T ech, Beach Channel, ~ Springfield Gardens and John Jay High l: -e Schools. An "inexperienced Backcourt," as ~ Coach Larry Ceraulo puts it, was a £ major factor in the teams' perform@ ance. He admitted to having been disI • . two 0 f hi s be st appointed W Iith 1osing MARIA SKREPETOS,. sophomore, senior guards last year. As a resul t,

senior Lauren Caiaccia, a forward for "A lot depends on how the J.V. people three years', was suddenly moved to the adjust to the varsity positionl" He says guard position . this in reference to Bernadette Crespo, Also affecting the team's perform - Kristen Erichsen, Marilyn Paulis and ance was the fact that for the first time talented freshmen transferring to varin a whil e, home games were played in sity nex t year. the building rather than at Queens "I'll really miss the team," saidNgozi, College. Ceraulo said the team seemed who is graduating this June. It's ashame to have better luck away. Home losses, that our season couldn' t have been Ceraulo said, may have been caused by bet ter. We had the potential to do so distrac tions from fans who aren't re- mu ch more! I've been on the team for ally separated from players in the sm all four years. It doesn't feel like it's been gymnasium. that long. It 's a shame thatI'm leaving Despite their problems, however, the this year!" team displayed many strengths. It was Ng ozi's explanation for the disapcarried by its captains, senior Ngozi pointing season: "Some people just Efobi (center) and Lauren. They were didn' t play with heart! We only learned complemented by promising rookies to play toge ther at the end of the seaJenn ifer Conlisk and Carrie Silverstein. son ." Coach Ceraulo felt the team did well. "It' s been a fullftlling experience. I When asked if he expected the team to only wish we wou ld have done better do better, Cerau lo replied, "I thought individually and as a team, " said we would have won maybe a few more Lauren. non- league games, but based on the " If you 'ain't' in it to win it, stay the schedule, I think we would have ended hell out !" said Ngozi. There just might up pretty much the same." be a hidden message in thi s remark for As for nex t year Coach Ceraulo said, nex t year's team.

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sports a western style OUtfitat the Fashion Show.

Indoor track team rebui lds for outdoor season by Rishona Fleishman As the girls' Indoor Track team completed its seventh year, they are continu ing to build for the future. ''Our indoor year was a season of transition. We did no t have many experienced runners. This season was a rebu ilding season. We're at the low end of our cycle on our way up again," said the team's coach, mathematics teac her Joseph Hom.

a very ser ious-minded athlete at prac- is on the verge of becoming an exceltice and at the competitions . She now lent runner," said Coach Hom. Coach Hom believes tha t the strong has the fifth fastest speed in the school's work ethic of Leah and Tarnika afhistory for the 55 meter race. One of this season's mos t promising fected Daniela in a way that spurred freslunen is Daniela Co leman, who her competative drive. Theoutdoor season looks mo re promhas shown herself to be a vers atile track athlete. She is able to run the 55 ising than the indoor season. "I expect meter-600 meter. Her times in the 300 to hav e an excellent outdoor seas on . meter and 600 meter rank among the We 've recruited some of the best runtop times ever for freslune n girls. "She ners in the school ," said Coach Hom.

The team was led by juniors Tarnika Warner and Leah San Jose. ''Tarnika is an extremely hard worker. Tamika works very hard at what she does both at prac tice and at the track meets. She is very competitive; she doesn't like to lose .. . she runs to win," stated Co ach Hom. Tamika ran the fifth fastes t time in the his tory of Townsend H arris for the 300 meter run. Leah , acco rding to Mr. Hom, is also

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The Classi c

April 1992

Trooper terror: Troopers rout Razorbacks, 72-54 by Neftall Serrano It was a confident Daimian Youn g who entered the 1992 Intramural Championship. Sure, his team, the Razorbacks, were the underdogs, but he had already seen what a little heart and a lot of aggresive play could do to any team; hence the Huskie s of 1991. But for Damian Young and company it was

not to be. Their February 27 matchup against the Troopers ended in a 72-54 rout, as the Razorbacks II gave us an updated version of the Razorbacks oflast year, also losers in the championship game. However, the game did not start auspicious ly for the Troopers who are known to have slow starts . After winning the tip -off, the Razorbacks turned the ball over as pointguard Tony Manza, junior, stripped his counterpart Fritz Jeffries,junior, for one of hisd steals, also one of Jeffries' 4 turnovers. However, after Manza failed to score off of the steal, the Razorbacks came back two plays later to score the first basket of the game at 19:00, as "Rapid Fire" Ron Zaidman, freshman, nailed an outside shot that set the Razorbacks off on a 7o run. Trooper forward Wade Gallagher, sophomore, picked up two quick

get offensive refouls during this run that bounds. It didn ' t was finall y broke n up work . " We when center Randy Taymatched up pretty lor, junior , hit a turnwell, " Yo u n g around jumper into the ., ~ said, "but I don ' t lane for the Troopers, first " OJ think we had the two points. But after an~ ~ defens ive talent." other Razorback basket, OJ ::> The second half 4 :50 into the game, Tayc ~ started with the lor decided it was time ÂŁ Tr oopers scoring for a time out, and a 9 on their first poschange in defensive stratsession on a turnegy . QUICK THROW: senior Danny Loewy tosses the bask etbal l to junior Adisai jumper by around As early as it was into ISirisinha as freslunan Alex Orpeza tries 10 block in the Intramural Champion Manza,andwas the game, this was the ships . accentuated by turning point. After several pretty plays in transition with Razorback forward Alex Oropeza, switching from a standard 3-2 to manTaylor going coast to coast , and Manza freshman, picked up four fouls and to-man defense, it was show time for and Loewy hooking up on another of his own. Damian Young added two the Troopers, who subsequently held passing proficient execution of transijust too quick on fastManza was the Razorbacks scor eless for three They might as well tion basketball. breaks, converting seve ral three-point minutes while evening up the score at have been holding aclinic . TheTroopplays in route to his 17-poin t first half. 9-9 . Guard Adisai S'irisinha, junior, hung overZaidman (9 pts.) like his life Forward Darmy Loewy, senior, and ers were not a nervous team. "I was depended on it. Manza did the same Taylor also helped their cau se. taking nervous [at first]," said high scorer with Young (19 pts .). After taking the control of both the offensive and de - Manza, "but I like big games . I was confident we would win." lead at 15-13,"theTroopers never looked fensive boards. Maintaining a ten-poi nt lead throughAll this gave Young plenty to talk back. out m uch of the second half and then about to his team at halftime. UnfortuThe change of defense also helped increasing it to a twenty -po int lead, the fit to print. He nately , most of it is not kick in the Troopers' transition game players did, however, em phasize to his outcome was never reall y much in which proved to be too m uch for the that they shou ld follow their sho ts to doubt for the Troopers or You ng. He Razorbacks to han dle . As a result,

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~ nt ram UJ ral by Nertall Serrano -Kudos to all the M.V.Ps, in particular senior Byron Kirkland, arguably the mos t talented ball player ever to attend Townsend Harris. -The toughest choice for M.V.P was between Troopers Randy Taylor and Tony Manza, with Manza receiving the most votes. Both their stats were close and either of them could have recieved the award. :,Said Taylor on the decision, "I felt it could have gone either way. If one of us wasn't on the team, I'm sure the Troopers wouldn't have won it all."

briefs

-Also deserving of special recognition is Intramural Coordinator Ms. Wanda Nix, who completed yet .another succesful year, giving up much of her time and energy for the In tramural program. -Referees Keith Hanson and Larry Ceraulo also did a commendable job during the championship game, "calling what they saw." -Special thanks also goes to Assistant Principal Harry Rattien who refe reed various games during and after the season, sometimes calling too much of what he saw.

-8.

fouled out with 2:20 remaining in the gam e and emptied his bench, yielding the championship to the Troopers. "I kne w i t was over once the lead was gone and the defense let up," said a disap pointed Damain Young, "[but] I really don't feel too angry about it." Randy Taylor finished off with 28 points and 22 rebounds, while Tony Manza topped the team with 31 points and four steals. Danny Loewy also added 17 rebounds. For the Razorbacks , Damian Young led his team with 19 points while Fritz Jeffries, who was virtually invisible throughout the game, scored 14 points. When asked about his matchup offensively with Jeffries, Manza, although obviously the victor, praised Fritz for his effort. "When I'm pl aying Fritz, I'm always conscious of wher e he is. He always comes up with am azing steals and if he's not stealing the ball, he usually gets a hand on it," he said. However, the Razorbacks' loss was due more to the Troopers' dominance than to their own play. At 9-2 with three additional post-season victories, this was just the Troopers' year from start to finish.

Hawks end season undefeated by Francine Rich The Girls ' Juni or VarsityBasketballteam com plet ed an unblemished season at 7-0 . Led by sophomores Bernadene.Crespo, Kirsten Erichsen, and M arilyn Paulis, the Hawks surpassed all defenders including a 70-6 victory over William Cull en ByrantHighSchoo ~on January3,andathrill -

ing 37-34 victory over Springfield High School on the last day of the seaso n. Most of the team 's vic tories were double dig it routs, with the toughest game of the season coming against Springfield . Springfield, despite hav ing possesion of the ball in the final seco nds , was unab le to score and Harr is went on to a sl im three_ po int victory . Most teams were not so fortunate aga inst the Hawks. Bryant felt the wrath of Harris' high -powered offen-

Multicultural activities

sive and de fens ive attack, scoring only six poin ts in forty minutes. However, wi th five soph omore s plan ning to try out for varsity ne xt seaso n, and the poss ibility of some freshm an also moving up, Coach Keith Hanson will have a tough time trying to put together anot her team of the same caliber nex t seaso n. Am ong the freshmen he hopes to keep are Mariella Martinez, Fatima Chatfield, and Lakisha Garci a. "Mariella has a very good atti tude and a sweet per sonality. These girls will be my starters ne xt year ," says Hanson . Wi th team leader Bern adette moving to varsity, freshme n must take over. Thi s year Coach Hanson had 26 girls to choose from. "I looked for not only bas-

ke tbal l skills , but guts and de terrnination," said Hanson . He looked for girls who were willing to work by running a series of drill s to test speed and athletic ability . On ly six out of the 13 girl s chosen had previous kno wledge of basketball . The rest were trained from scratch. Desp ite the teams ' perfect reco rd, Hanson still sees room for improvement. 'The smaller girls need to work on dribbling; the larger ones will work on rebounding and putting up more sho ts," he said. For the moment, howe ver , Hanson relishes his team's accom plishm ent. 'This is defmitely the best team atT ownsen d Harris . . . ," he said. "Eight girl s are returning, so we are looking forward to ano ther undefeated seaso n."

(continued from page 1)

that multicultural education is an integral celeb rate our sim ilarities," said Junior Vice par t of a Townsend Harris humanities edu- President and committee member Ingrid cat ion. '7 0 appreciate one another as citi- Lemmey. zens is basic to the values of soc iety . SomeSeveral students are invo lved with other times people have to be taught to appreciate multicultural committees outside of school others. By emphasizing multiculturalism, as well. Senior Shamir Khan, juniors Marie we are emphasizing a value that's important Haynes and Donna Lin W eiss and sophoto the values of this school," he said. more Roxanne Ryan are members of the The staff has been preparing for lessons Queens Borough Youth Mu lticultral Task on multicul turalism. According to Ms. Orner, Force. This committe of students representthere have already been three or four staff ing all the high schools in Queens meets development sessions. . once a month with Claire Schulman, Queens A subcommittee of the Multicultural Borough President, and her advisors .'1t's a Committee des igned a questionnaire and cultural organization whose purpose is to distributed it to the entire student body last educate our communities...and bring them month. The purpose of the questionnaire together," said Roxanne. was to determine all the cultures and ethnic Roxanne is also a member of the Chancellor's Advisory Committee, which meets once groups represented in the school. "We wanted to find the realization of a month to discuss multicultural issues afpeople 's differences so that we can appreci- fecting Queens schools . Representatives from ate different cultures and at the same time. every school in the borough talk about issues

affecting the city's youth and bring them up to New York City school's Chancellor Joseph Fernandez. Student Union Secrejary Laami M ateo states she's "glad to be involved with the Townsend Harris Mu lticu ltural Committee . because I get more involved with other cultures . All the racis m within the schools and all the talk abou t Combatting it makes me eager to do something about it and school is the bes t place to start. " "If the least we do is get a few people to understand the point we are trying to make about the importance of multicultural tolerance and awareness, I think we 've accomplished an important goal," said Ms. Orner. Junior Nicole Whittington, member of the Multicultural Committee, says, "I know there are problems in the school...and we won 't be ableto solve this problem soon, but I'm here for the fight until we do ."