Vol. 21, No.4 May 2005
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asstc Townsend Harris High School at Queens College
149-11
M~lbourne
Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367
Career day paints variegated picture of post-Harris life
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Hamming it up from the bottom of his heart, senior Kris lmperati enacts "a stranger Pyramus than e'er played here" in the Townsend Harris Players' production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Junior Emily Grecki as Puck spies on him, Shaunte Baboumian, Lesley Sarran, and Harrison Magee as they rehearse the "play within a play." Fairy queen Irene Zoupaniotis, foreground, sleeps through all the hilarity.
See review on p. 4
Schneps walks in principal's shoes by Jocelyn Wright Interested in a journalism internship? Victoria Schneps, president of Schneps Communications, visited on April 6 as Principal for a Day, and recruited interns for her newspapers, which include The Queens Courier and El Correa de Queens. As Principal for a Day, Ms. Schneps visited educators and classrooms. She wished she had had more time to talk to students. "I observed more than I spoke," she said. For the' past four years, Ms. Schneps has been coming to
Townsend annually. She decided to visit schools because she wanted to volunteer her time and learn more about local education . She picked Townsend Harris because her daughter is an alumna, and because she thinks this school is a good place to get students for summer internships at her paper. "I know that there are students who are interested in writing, and I want to encourage them to use my newspapers for internships," she explained. .Ms. Schneps gave the school a glowing review. "I felt it a center of excellence and I was
most impressed with the principal's pride in the school and the students." Ms. Schneps met several other administrators, whom she thought "had a lot of passion for what they do ." She was also pleased with students' response to classroom instruction . "I liked the fact that many of them were engaged with their teachers and well-dressed and neat and ready to learn." Ms. Schneps hopes to return next year. "I like seeing the amazing young people that are the future leaders of our country," she said.
by Alyssa Chase and Cindy Chen Welcoming a break from classes, students explored a broad range of work opportunities April 9 on Career Day, organized by Assistant Principal of Pupil Personnel Janet Solomon . Many of the speakers were alumni of Townsend Harris and related their experiences at school to their current careers. Speakers represented a wide variety of careers, including a disk jockey, two judges, a biomedical researcher, a professor. of English, and an actuary. Regardless of their fields, many highlighted the importance of developing strong writing skills while at Townsend Harris. They also urged students to pur..sue careers they enjoyed rather than simply seeking the best-paid work. Freelance writer Eileen Gunn ('93) explained, "Media business isn't for money making- it's for the excitement and fun." Many of the guests emphasized their own high school experiences, including collaterals and homework, as valuable preparation for their jobs. Krystal Hartley, sophomore, said that the speakers were "encouraging [because] many of them had a good career coming from Townsend Harris. She found the speakers to be "inspiring and helpful." Junior Victor Ho said, "I liked it because it helped me a lot in pursuing a career choice." Some students were disappointed that they were not enrolled in the classes for which they had indicated preference online. Stephanie Chow, freshman, commented, "I did not get my choices, and the speakers did not help me [choose a career]." Many speakers spoke favorably about their own experience on Career Day. According to Gina M. Tufaro ('95), a class action securities litigator, "[The students] were great and attentive and asked intelligent questions."
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Upcoming Events:
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5/16-5/20 Spirit Week 5/17 Art Show
5/19 Spring Concert 5/20 Foreign Language Awards
Midsummer Night's Dream
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Brenda Morrissey, '95, describes her life as an Emergency Medical Technician.
Festival of Nations
!Pledge ofAllegiance
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pp. 8-9
New SAT
p. 10
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