Vol. 18, No. 1 October 2001
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aSSlC Townsend Harris High School at Queens College
149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367
Donations, discussions help in coping ~with tragedy by Allison Slotnick A school-wide drive that began on September 13, just two days after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, has raised · over $1900 for the Firefighters' Widows Fund. In addition, many other relief efforts have been put into effect to help those who have lost loved ones, as well as to assist the rescue workers and to support the student body in Townsend Harris. For the first week, the money was coming in very quickly. "It was amazing 'watching everyone put in dollars. Usually, when there's a drive like this, some people give a handful of change, but everyone was putting in everything they had," said senior Roni Siegel as the collection box circulated throughout the student body. As time has passed, though, Adam Stonehill, COSA (Coordinator of Student Activities), has noted that the money flow has slowed down. "This is going to be a long-term issue. It's not going to be over a month from now, or even six months from now.. .. We should continue to help; it isn't going away," he said. · Students and faculty were also asked to donate supplies to boxes located in the lobby and the COSA office. Lists were posted around the school asking
Within a week, the boxes were filled to the brim and as of now, Mr. Stonehill is instructing students to stop bringing in items due to the high volume of goods donated across the country, and to only bring in money. All of the supplies that have been collected over the last week will be taken to the Shea Stadium collection area. A "talk-in" was held on September 20 in which students in social studies classes met in the auditorium to discuss their feelings .about the prior week's events and pose any questions they may have had. "It- was real! y . something to · clarify and bring understanding in a group setting-a forum to get ideas of what students think," Mr. Stonehi\\ said of the day-long event organized by Lynne Greenfield, Assistant Principal of Humanities.
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which students will be allowed to openly express their feelings will be through a tribute book. As Mr. Stonetiill puts it, "It will be a place for the whole school to be able to write down their thoughts." The book will be placed in a centrallocation so that the Harris community can share their feelings and questions about all that has transpired in .t he last few weeks.
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of Muslim-Americans by Danny Bloch Aiming to address mixed emotions . and find a se,nse of comfort, nearly a dozen Muslim-American students joined various faculty members on Friday, September 14, to discuss a number of issues surrounding the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The meeting, held ninth band in the Guidance Suite, was organized by English teacher Farah Khan . Ms. Khan said she was moved to organize the workshop after watchi·ng coverage of the events of September 11 on television. "[The media] kept saying how the country was coming together. But every time the word 'Muslim' or 'Islam' was repeated, I felt more and more like the enemy, and I was born here," she explained. "Then I thought of the girls who wear the traditional [Muslim] .
garb, and I wondered, 'How do they feel?"' . Public schools were closed on September 12, the day after the attacks, and when 'they reopened the next day, many students stayed home. "There was a problem," Ms. Khan continued. "Of the names on the absentee list, nearly all were Muslim. I was hoping to talk to those students, especially about their fears and worries." On Friday, around 13 MuslimAmerican students came together to discuss their feelings with Ms. Khan, Principal Thomas Cunningham, Guidance Counselors Antoinette Teague and Cheryl Kramer and Assistant Principal of Pupil Personnel Services Joan Walsh.
Marisa Cohen, senior, is starting up a new program to provide emotional support for the rescue workers. Greeting cards featuring the American Flag will be located in the COSA office with the message "Thank you for your bravery." Students and faculty will then be able to go and put personal messages in the cards, which will be sent to the New York -Police and Fire Departments. "Everyone's aiding them monetarily, but we really do appreciate them. In this way, we're actually giving thanks," she says. From Wednesday, September 26, to Friday, ,October 26, money will be collected to benefit the World Trade Center Relief Fund/Common Cents ~enny Har~est. Donatwns can be m the form of loose change or bills. People are needed to help collect and count the contributions . Ple ase see -· Margaret Landry, advisor of Arista, for more information or to sign up to fill a bag, alone or with a team. She can be found in room 610 during both
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"Everyone agreed that in the school, things have been good," Ms. Khan said. "But outside, there has been harassment. [We talked] about the principles of Islam and tried to clear up any misconceptions. Everyone seemed to be willing to share ideas about the religion." "We discussed how we were reacting [to the attacks] and if we had had any personal encounters with harassment," said junior Umara Saleem. "I know many Muslims who lost people in the Twin Towers," she went on. "I felt scared [being] on the street. I
was scared for all Muslims." Umara said that in a few of her classes, students shared their views on the violence, but admitted that she was hesitant about voicing her opinion: "I felt I had to support my fellow MuslimAmericans, but I felt that people would think I was siding with the terrorists." Friday's meeting gave Umara -the chance to talk openly and helped her realize that "[the faculty] is there for support, especially Ms. Khan. I can.turn to them." Waqas Shaikh, junior, thought that the meeting was "really beneficial.- I met with a lot of people who were also experiencing the same feelings [as I was]. It was a very warm atmosphere ."