Classic newspaper Volume 19 Issue no. 3

Page 1

Vol. 19, No. 3 February 2003 •

aS SIC Townsend Harris High School at Queens College

149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367

Nix appointed AP of Organization, PE faculty positions shuffled by Daniel Bloch He added that the APO position will Fonner Dean Wanda Nix has taken the be officially advertised later this term . position of Acting Interim ,\ssistant ''I'm not feeling a lot of change, bePrincipal of Organization, a post left cause I know it's temporary," said Ms. empty following the untimely death of Nix. "I feel like it's [just] something else former APO Malcolm Rossman. I'm doing." Besides helping Ms. Ms . Nix's new position Figelman get accusresulted in "a domino eftomed to her new job, fect" of other changes in Ms. Nix remains Aththe physical education letic Director and will department, according to still be .teaching the Pri ncipal Thomas zero-band gym class. Cunningham: Robin Ms. Figelman said Figelman is taking over that as Dean, she will be the Dean responsibilities "patrolling the halls and with Ms . Nix's assismaking sure the school tance; Keith Hanson is runs just as smoothly as . now the Department Coit did when Ms. Nix was ordinator of Physical Dean." Ms . Figeltnan is Wanda Nix Education, a position prealso still teaching two viously held by Ms. Figelman. Finally, step aerobics classes and one freshman Ellen Schwartz, who retired last year gym class . after 15 years of teaching at Townsend, "I'm looking forward to the challenge is now teaching Family Living, Health and the change," Ms. Fige)man added. and non-senior tennis gym classes, inMs. Schwartz views her temporary stead of Ms. Figelman. part-time position as "a wonderful op"After Mr. Rossman's death, there portunity to have the best of both was a hole that needed to be filled," Mr. worlds" of teaching and retirement. "I Cunningham said, "and everyone gra- can still maintain my connection with ciously chipped in" to fill that hole. the school and the people ."

ln. Memoriam: Malcolm Rossman by Jamie Gullen lenges in selecting the first class . A shocked silence pervaded the . Many students were unsure if they hallways and classrooms on Wednes- wanted to attend because they didn't day, February 5 because of the sud- know if the school would make it, den passing away of Assistant Prin- given the widespread opposition to cipal of Organization (APO) its establishment. Many schools in the surrounding Malcolm areas were opRossman. Mr. posed to the Ro ssman was school because one of the origithey were afraid nal faculty memthat it would take bers when away their top Townsend Harris students. Mr. was re-founded Rossman spent a in 1984, and he great deal of time has contributed a calling students great deal to the to make sure that school commuthere would be at nity over the past least 200 students 18 years. attending in the Mr. Rossman Malcolm Rossman fall, or the school was the first person former principal Malcolm would not have been allowed to Largmann hired when he set out to open. As APO, Mr. Rossman "paid atfound the n'ew Townsend Harris. Mr. Rossman was very involved with tention to the details that made this choosing which students would be building work," explained Principal accepted, and faced several chalContinued on p. 11

Discussions demonstrate divide in opinions on -¡Iraq by Jessica Wang and Karen

Hendershot As the possibility of war with Iraq hangs over the nation, Harrisites debate both inside and outside the classrooms whether or not such action is necessary. Opinions appear to be mixed, judging from student reactions to various activities addressing the issue. Last month, students in history teacher Franco Scardino's Participatory Democracy classes were assigned to one of three groups that were to represent different views on the Iraqi situation . One group supported not going to war, another advocated the United States going to war with Iraq alone, while the third group favored the country obtaining United Nations support for a war first. Each group researched and then argued its assigned viewpoints in front of the class. After hearing all the positions, students wrote their honest opin-

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ions about the issue to President George W. Bush. These letters were sent, and according to Mr. Scardino, the students should be receiving responses to them soon. (To read some of these letters, see p. 3) "I got the sense that students feel that Iraq is a credible threat, but there didn't seem to be a consensus on whether the US should act alone, or only with UN support," said Mr. Scardino. "No one wanted to do nothing, but the problem was determining what they felt should be done." He plans to revisit the issue in his Economics classes once the replies from the White House come, and also discuss the economic implications of a war in order to relate it to the course curriculum. As a prelude to a visit from her former Hofstra University professor Alan Singer, an opponent of the US attacking Iraq, history teacher Samantha Brody assigned her students positions

to argue for classroom debates last term. When asked about which side won in the debates, Ms. Brody said that her classes were split, not only because of students' personal opinions, but also because her classes felt "some debaters just did a better job" arguing their case. Decorated with political protest buttons that read, "No War on Iraq" and "No Blood for Oil ," Professor Singer spoke to Ms. Brody's global studies classes on January 22 and made his standpoint on a war immediately clear. He first explained the wording of his discussion aim, "Should the United States make war on Iraq?" "I could have asked 'Should the US go to war with Iraq?' but I didn't, for a reason. It's going to be a slaughter, not a war," he said. Referring to the first UN weapon inspections report, Professor Singer said that the inconclusive evidence of biological and chemical weapons only supported his idea that Iraq does not har-

bar these weapons of mass destruction.: He also explained how biological weapons are very unstable and difficult to preserve in large enough ~mou~ts for a serious attack. Pointing out that the United States has been the leading user of nuclear and chemical weapons over the past 50 years, he stated that if any nation is dangerous and threatening, it is the United States. Many of Ms. Brody 's students were in agreement with Professor Singer's anti-war viewpoint. They felt that President Bush hadn't always made the best decisions concerning his war on terrorism. "You can't reall y take out one person or a particular ideal without hurting innocent people who have nothing to do with it;" said one freshman during the discussion. While Professor Singer himself was against the war, Ms. Brody felt that the antiwar viewpoint was not the only per-

Continued on p.ll

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SING! p.3

Cursing p.8

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Reviews p. 10-11

Sports p. 12

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