The Classic newspaper Volume 18 Issue no. 4

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Vol. 17, No.4, April 2002

aS SIC Townsend Harris High School at Queens College

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149-11 Melbourne Avenue,. Flushing, NY 11367

Festival o.f Nations celebrates diverse heritages by Arianna Freyre Friends, schoolmates, relatives, parents and teachers filled the auditorium on Thursday, March 21, to view the variety of cultures displaying their heritages at the Festival of Nations. As in the past, many songs, dances and skits were performed, highlighting different traditions from many countries around the world. The Festival of Nations, an event originally named by Latin teacher Thaddeus Ferguson, opened with amessage of greeting from the members of Educate to Elevate, a club designed to promote awareness of diversity in Townsend Harris. Juniors Yanifie Hess, Jamie Gullen, Cristin Strining, Emily Foo, Julie Deluty, Brian Kfrschen, Emma Xiao, Mandy Shum, JJeffrey Wong, Linna Fang, and sophomores

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Oecked out in her kimono, freshman Francesca Pizarro performs the Sakura dance.

Linda Shum and Tan vi Sinha said "hello" in many different languages, followed by the pledge and the singing of the American and African American national anthems. Seniors Terecia Davis, Yesenia Villao, Amanda Green; juniors Laverne Blackman, Arianna Freyre, Siufong Ngo; and sophomores Amy Ortega and Adrinna Perataco belted out the lyrics to welcome the acts that would follow. A little. history of Townsend Harris was displayed in a Japanese skit where former American ambassador to Japan, Townsend Harris, was showed as he created friendly relations between the two countries. Harris was played by senior Dan Wallenstein, who gave a gift to the Japanese in a box wrapped in a book cover. The Latin American aspect was covered by dances that were performed with

a mix of black lights and vibrant clothing. There was a solo performance by music teacher Peter Lustig, who was the advisor for the dance. Other ethnic dances followed, such as the Latin Ballroom "Cha-cha-cha," the Italian Tarante11a dance, the Philippine national dance, the Greek dance, Chinese dances from the past to the present, several Indian dances, the Bukharian dance and the Hawaiian dance. Songs sung in all different languages, such as the solos by Amy Ortega in the Italian "0 Mio Babbino Caro," freshman Ksenia Yachmetz in her performance of the German "Geheimes" and sophomore Grace Chang singing the Mandarin "Leu Daw Shao Yeh Chuo," were featured as well. There were also the performances of the Hebrew Continued on p. 5

First Fashion Show helps charity, high·lights newest trends by Jessica Berger When spotlights, music, and fashion came together on the evening of March 15, the result was the Fashion Club's first ever Fashion Show. Viewers paid five dollars to experience the best Townsend Harris has to offer in dance, design, and strutting down the catwalk with the satisfaction of knowing that their admissions money will be donated to charity. Junior Sara Koenig, co-president of the club with junior Lea Ozeri, was mainly responsible for the arrangements and served as the hostess The show opened with a solo ballet routine by senior Amanda Blancke and afterwards, was divided into three segments, the first of which displayed casual store-made clothing, fittirig a black and white color scheme. The second section exhibited the creative designs of · Townsend Harris students, ranging from satin skirts to Bohemian tops. The final segment presented girls in prom dresses escorted by tuxedo-clad students. The segments were broken up by dance routines and brief speeches from Sara, who as the audience noted, changed her own outfits in between sets. The proceeds of the show, estimated to be over $1,000, wi11 support the Rachel Cooper Foundation for children with heart disease. The foundation was established by the parents of junior Jodi

Fierstein in honor of their daughter Rachel Cooper, who died from a congenital heart defect in 1987. The foundation recently donated one million dollars to the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. The foundation's philanthropic involvements with Montefiore also help bring children from Third World countries to the hospital for heart surgeries and other treatments. The dance music represented all musical tastes, spanning from classical to reggae, rap, and pop/rock by artists such as Michael Jackson, Alien Ant Farm, Fabolous, and Jennifer Lopez. The dancers were led by juniors Fiorella Contreras and Katrina Yee; with help from the dance club and senior dancers. Dancers of all grades were involved in the execution ofthe student-choreographed movements. Ba11et played an essential role in adding an element of high culture to the event. A show like this needs funding, and the Fashion Club had assistance from the Parent- Teacher Association (PTA), which laid out a $1500 deposit for the clothing, and the Student Union. A bake sale held during lunch bands raised money for the fabric used

by the designers. Many clothing stores such as Lulu's Boutique, Diva, and Instant Replay of Forest Hills as well as Young Attitudes in Astoria offered cloth-

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Strutting along the 'catwalk,' juniors Sara Koenig and Lambross Georgallas model their clothing at the first annual fashion show.

ing for the models to wear, while other stores purchased advertising space in the program to support the show. Clothing designed by sophomore Stefanie Fields for the label "Funhouse" was modeled as

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No Candy Policy

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well. Junior Jaime Sackett was responsible for the sale of ads to raise .m.on~y for the event. While most of the clothing worn was professionally made, a small group of Townsend Harris designers worked with student models to c~eate original designs. Sophomore Carla Gunther, who dressed sophomore Stephanie Herschaft, drew her inspiration from the styles of SoHo. The designer and model visited Barneys, New York to get ideas. The result was an eclectic combination of cut jeans and "peasant" styles. Other designers were juniors Elisa Puccio, Vivian Tong, Rachel Nepomuceno, and Tiffany Luo, who designed an assortment of shirts, skirts, and accessories worn by the models. Among those thanked by Sara at the conclusion of the show were Adam Stonehill, Coordinator of Student Activities, for the Student Union's support; Farah Khan, English teacher, for advising those involved; Laura Benin, for her help with the sound and lighting; and all of the teachers who came to supervise. After the show, Sara remarked that the Fashion Show "was a lot more successful than we thought. A lot of people never thought we would have a fashion show at Townsend Harris, but we proved them wrong."

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· MP3 and X-Box pgs. 8-9

Restaurant Reviews . p. 10

Coach Profiles p. 11


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